Page 3 of Caveman Alien's Terror

I still can't move. His face and his eyes and his voice make me desperate to flee wildly into the jungle, to brave the danger of the dinosaurs and the venomous creatures. At the same time I'm completely stunned and in the total power of this male. Ineedto know what he'll say next. I can't take my eyes off him.

He reaches his hand out to me, palm up. It's holding something bright yellow. It could be a hand grenade for all I know, but there’s no choice in this. I simply have to reach up and accept it.

Sharp claws stroke against my fingers as the object is transferred.

It's a salen fruit, ripe and heavy in my hand.

Sparkling eyes pierce me from high up. “There's your wish. I shall expect you to pay for it at some time.”

I nod jerkily. “Yes!” I'd say anything to make him leave. Or to stay. Both possibilities seem unbearable.

“Aaaargh!”The deep roar of a caveman battle cry ruins the moment.

“Those things are getting tedious.” The blue apparition smoothly pulls away from us and vanishes among the trees.

Anter'az comes storming into the clearing, sword out, ready for battle. His battle cry still echoes from the trees. “What was that?!”

I regain control of my limbs. My hand goes to the hilt of the knife in my belt, wanting to pull it out and kill Anter'az for chasing away that blue demigod.

“You tell us, warrior,” I snarl. “You've lived here all your life!”

“That was not from here,” he growls as he glares at the jungle. “I've never seen anything like that! Are you all right, my love?” The caveman turns his attention to his wife.

I finally get to my feet and let the married couple reconnect.

There's a heap of ugly, black spikes on the ground. They must have hit him and just bounced off his scales.

He had scales! What the hellwasthat thing?

“You all right, Astrid?” Alba looks at me, worried.

I look down my front. I half expect to see slowly growing roses of blood on my dress, but it looks whole and as clean as it was this morning. “I think I'm fine. You?”

“Not a scratch. Did he give you something?” She nods to my hand.

I remember the fruit. It's like a mango, but a brighter yellow and more rounded. “Oh. Looks like a salen fruit.”

Anter'az frowns. “How did he get that?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.”

“What thehellwas that?” Alba asks in English. “He saved our lives!”

I weigh the salen fruit in my hand. “He absolutely did. Where were you, Anter'az?” I ask, switching to cavemannish. I still haven’t forgiven him.

“I was led away,” the caveman healer growls. “There were sounds and shadows, as if we were surrounded by a full tribe! But at the end of the track, there was nobody! It was a trick!”

“It's all right, my love,” Alba says soothingly and clings to her husband. “We're fine.”

“No thanks to me,” Anter'az seethes. “I was fooled, like the pup of agrint!”

“You're here now,” Alba points out. “Maybe you saved us fromhim.He was dangerous. Right, Astrid?”

“He was deadly,” I confirm as I put the salen fruit into my backpack along with the drill. My hands are still shaking. “He radiated danger. We're lucky to be alive right now.”

Anter'az keeps staring at the jungle, sword still in his hand. “What did he say?”

“He said we should be more careful because the planet is difficult,” Alba tells him. “Whowashe?”

---