by Lily Thomas
He took a sip from the bowl, dipped his finger into the blood, and drew a line down his nose.
The shaman moved on to the next person and the next until everyone in the clan had taken a sip. Then the shaman made his way back up to the altar and poured the rest of the blood over Brog.
Only the clan leader was allowed the privilege to have the blood poured over him, and he would be the only one to stay the night in the cave and ask the gods for good luck for their clan when it came to hunting.
The shaman hummed for a bit, and then dismissed them with a wave of his hand. The rest of the ceremony would be finished by the shaman and the clan leader. No one else knew what transpired inside the cave between the two and the gods.
But Daerk hoped to one day find out.
Chapter 4
Aiyre shivered, waking herself from her deep sleep. She glanced over at the fire pit, which had gone dark. It must’ve fizzled out during the night, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to keep it burning all the time.
She’d been afraid the sabertooth she’d seen last night would find out where she lived, but thankfully the weather had been on her side, and fresh snow had covered her tracks. She’d known venturing close to the village this soon after the attack would be dangerous, but at least she now had some more supplies, in case she found herself alone for the long winter.
As she grabbed a bag of dried meat, shivering overtook her body. Even in her fur clothing, the cold reached its icy fingers around her. Aiyre would have to start a fire and keep hoping her luck stayed strong.
Leaping up she grabbed an armful of wood and threw it onto the fire pit, arranging it properly. Then she dug around until she found a still lit coal, coaxing it back to life, she lit the tinder. Within minutes, she had a pleasantly crackling fire.
Aiyre put her gloved hands closer to the fire, warming them up a bit.
She had to decide what to do for the day. What she needed was more food, in case this was her home for the winter. Thankfully there were some traps nearby that her clan had placed out before being attacked. If her luck was running high, there might just be a rabbit waiting for her.
After stripping off her gloves, she packed up a small bag with some dried meat and headed out of the cave.
The cold air smacked her in the face the moment she walked past the fur cover of the cave, and she pulled her fur gloves back on, tightening them down with a couple of leather straps.
Aiyre trudged into the snow, which came to about mid-calf. The snow had done its job in hiding her tracks from the previous day, and her scent.
It would make her search for the traps a little more difficult as well, but as long as she wasn’t found by any more sabertooths, then she was fine with it.
She found the first trap not too far away, but it was empty. She reset it on top of the fresh snow but made sure it wasn’t too obvious to any passing animals.
Aiyre trudged her way to the next trap she knew of in the area. It only took her a couple of minutes, and she smiled as she closed in. A white rabbit hung from the leather rope. She was glad no predators had found it first.
Taking a stone knife out of her pocket, she cut the rabbit down, grabbed it by its feet and moved on to check the other traps.
It didn’t take her long to find the rest of the traps, and none of the others had caught anything, so she reset them.
As she headed back to her cave, she kept her eyes open for any signs of sabertooth shifters or any of her fellow clanmates. Aiyre still refused to believe that all of them had been killed. If she’d survived, then she was sure others could have as well.
But she saw no sign of them by the time she got back to her cave. Pushing the fur cover aside she looked inside cautiously, just in case any unwelcome visitors had come calling while she’d been out.
It was empty.
Sitting down in front of the fire she placed the rabbit in front of her. Taking off her gloves she grabbed her stone knife and used the knife to slice the rabbit down the belly, making sure to not break into the skin of the abdomen.
First, she took off the fur, slowly, making sure to keep it intact. She still didn’t know how long she might be on her own, and she needed to make sure she had plenty of backup furs in case she got injured or sick. She could deal with hunger, but the cold could kill her in the blink of an eye.
Then she set it aside as she prepped the rabbit, making sure to put all the innards into a wood bowl. She placed the bowl over the fire so she could cook the innards for a quick meal.
The task of cutting the rabbit meat into long strips was a slow process, but nothing would go to waste. She hung the pieces above the fire so that they would dry. Then she stretched out the rabbit fur near the fire pit so the skin would dry as well.
Grabbing the bowl, she dug in eagerly, using her fingers to eat the hot meal. It would be some of the only fresh meat she would get her hands on. Everything else would be dried out for future use so that she could stretch it out for as long as possible.
The moment the warm meal plummeted into her stomach, she felt herself relax a little bit.
When she finished, she strode out of the cave and washed her hands in the snow. She wished there was more, but a rabbit was only so big.
Aiyre returned to the cave, threw on some more wood and glanced around.
If she could, she needed to find another pronghorn shifter clan or at the very least a human clan. With a human clan, she wouldn’t be able to shift, but at least she’d have a better chance at survival.
But before she went anywhere, she needed to search the surrounding area for any survivors of her own clan. She couldn’t leave without first searching the surrounding area. It would bother her for the rest of her life if she didn’t at least search.
She gathered some dried meat she’d found in her decimated village, stuffed them into her pockets, put her gloves back on, grabbed her spear, and headed back out into the snow-covered world that was her home.
Time to go hunting, but this time it was for her own people.
If she couldn’t find anyone today, she’d head out to find a human clan or any clan that wasn’t the nearby sabertooth shifters.
The snow picked up again as Aiyre circled the area. She grumbled at it since it felt like the snow was opposing her search for any missing clanmates. But she pushed through, squinting into the thick falling white fluff.
Aiyre passed by her village, close enough to see if any survivors had shown up, but not close enough to be seen herself. She didn’t want to chance that any sabertooth shifters would be lurking nearby and spot her.
There was no movement in the village, and she didn’t have the guts to go back in only to see her clanmates were still dead.
Aiyre weaved her way through the trees, trudging through the deep snow. She circled around the camp, but there was nothing. There were no tracks other than her own and those of small animals.
It was a setback, but she wasn’t about to give up on her people. Maybe they’d be further out. She tugged the hood of her coat closer around her face until the fur lined hood tickled her cheeks.
Aiyre walked towards a favorite hunting ground of theirs. The whole clan knew about their hunting grounds, and in their fear, they may have fled to a place they knew.
She crested the hill and looked over the vast expanse of snow. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to see too far because of the sheet of falling snow, but she pressed on.
A few minutes passed until she found a sign of hope. Aiyre had stumbled upon some tracks. She squatted down and took a look at them. They were fresh since the snow had yet to cover them up, but they weren’t animal tracks. They were definitely human, and they were small, so they had to be from a woman.
Aiyre rose and quickly stumbled through the snow after them for a few more minutes until she saw a dark figure lying prone in the snow.
Her heart stopped in her chest, and she flew through the snow, her knees twisting out sideways so she could hop over the deep snow.
; It had to be someone from her clan, and her heart soared into the cloudy sky above her. Who could it be?
“Ezi?” Aiyre called out as she neared, but there was no movement in front of her.
She dropped to her knees, the snow layer cushioning her when she got to the figure, who was face down. Grabbing the figure’s shoulders, she flipped the person over and was greeted by Ezi’s blue face.
“Ezi?!” Panic soared through her when Ezi didn’t say anything. Aiyre rubbed a gloved hand against Ezi’s face. “Wake up, Ezi. Wake up!” She couldn’t lose another one of her clanmates.
Ezi’s mouth moved, but Aiyre was unable to hear what she said, but she was alive!
Aiyre leaned in, putting her ear close to Ezi’s mouth. “What did you say?”
“I’m… cold.” Ezi’s teeth clinked together.
“Of course, you are. I’ll get you back somewhere warm, but you have to help me because carrying you will be difficult.” Aiyre pleaded with Ezi. She’d do whatever it took to get Ezi back to the cave, even if Ezi was unable to help her.
But Ezi surprised her as she stood with Aiyre’s help. “Good. Good. Now keep coming with me. Imagine that nice warm fire.” She coaxed Ezi forward who moved with stiff, jerky movements.
She had to be frozen solid, and Aiyre’s heart went out to her. Did she know Drakk was dead? Aiyre wasn’t about to tell her any time soon. First, Ezi needed to recover from her frozen solid state, and then Aiyre would deliver the bad news.
“Are you limping, Ezi?”
Ezi just nodded.
“Push through it. I will see to your leg when we get back to the cave, but I can’t do anything for you out here.”
Ezi gave her another nod, but her eyes stayed clamped shut.
Aiyre feared that her friend might not live, but she wasn’t about to give up on Ezi.
Were more of her clanmates still out there? Wandering around? She supposed she wouldn’t ever know. Coming across Ezi had been pure dumb luck. Nothing more.
“Have you seen anyone else?” Aiyre asked hoping beyond hope that Ezi would say yes.
Ezi shook her head.
So much for that hope, but at least she had Ezi. She was thankful to have one of her clanmates alive.
They made it a few more steps, and then Ezi’s leg gave way, and they both landed face first in the snow.
Aiyre came up sputtering and patting the snow from her face with the fur mittens that covered her hands.
“Here.” Aiyre stripped off her extra layer of fur clothing and wrapped the fur around Ezi. She had plenty of clothing on to spare a layer.
“You… need this.” Ezi chattered out, her teeth clicking together. She tried to refuse the furs. Aiyre placed them over her shoulders anyway.
“I will survive. You need it more than I do.” Aiyre put her arm under Ezi’s shoulder and helped her back up. “We’re getting closer to the cave.” She coaxed Ezi onwards.
Every step seemed like an eternity, but she’d make sure they both made it there. Aiyre didn’t want to live out the winter alone, and Ezi was her closest friend.
“Here we are.” Aiyre guided Ezi into the welcoming warmth of the cave, which still had a roaring fire in the fire pit. Good thing she’d thrown more wood onto it before she left.
Aiyre let Ezi sit, but stripped the clothing off of Ezi. All the snow on her clothing would melt in this heat and then freeze her. She spread out Ezi’s fur clothing so that it could dry.
Taking a small spare fur she ran it over every inch of Ezi’s skin, drying her off. Then she covered her with spare dry clothing.
“Thank you,” Ezi whispered.
“Don’t thank me. I’m your clanmate. I’ll always be here for you.” It was only the truth. She’d do anything for another clanmate.
“Where… is Drakk?” Ezi’s eager jade eyes rose to meet hers.
Aiyre could hear the desperation in her voice, and it broke her heart in two. She wished she had better news for Ezi.
“Don’t worry about that right now.” Aiyre patted her hand. When she felt how cold Ezi’s hands were, she helped her closer to the fire. “Just relax and let the fire warm you. I’ll brew something to warm you from the inside out. You should be feeling better in no time.”
The wind blew viscously outside their cave, blowing some snow past the fur covering. The storm was really starting to ratchet up. Aiyre stepped up to the fur covering the mouth of the cave and peered out. The snow fell so thickly that she could only see a couple of inches in front of her face.
“Winter will be harsh this year.” And now she had another mouth to feed. Ezi wasn’t a hunter, so it would be up to Aiyre to see to their stores of food. She let the fur covering fall back into place. She didn’t want to let too much hot air out of the cave.
Aiyre went to get some water boiling. She had to see to Ezi. She’d worry about surviving winter when she was done saving Ezi’s life.
Grabbing a stone pot from further inside the cave Aiyre filled it with snow, and then placed it above the fire. While she waited for the water to boil, she stripped off her own shirt and the strips of fur to take a look at her wound.
Her arm was looking fine, but she’d give it a rinse anyway.
Grabbing a small fur, she dipped it into the pot of water and rinsed off her wounds. Then put her fur shirt back on.
When she heard the water boiling, she grabbed a handful of dried leaves, threw them in, and waited. Once a couple of minutes passed, she got a horn cup and poured the liquid into the cup.
She bent down next to Ezi, wrapped her arm around her shoulder, and brought her up to a sitting position. Ezi let out a hiss, and Aiyre’s attention was drawn to her leg.
“Sorry.” She repositioned Ezi so that her leg laid straight out in front of her. “Drink this slowly, but try to drink it all.”
Ezi took the cup from Aiyre and brought the edge up to her lips. She took a small sip and let out a pleased sound.
“You look much better.” Ezi’s color was returning, and her eyes had finally opened fully, and the frost had melted off her lashes.
“I owe everything to you.” Ezi took another sip of the hot liquid. “Where is Drakk? Have you seen him?”
Aiyre didn’t want to tell her anything, but she couldn’t keep the secret for long. “I visited the village, the day after the attack.”
“Were there any other survivors?” Ezi looked up at her, her eyes full of gleaming hope.
Aiyre bit her lip. She had to tell Ezi at some point, and it was better to get it out now. “You are the only one from our clan that I’ve seen alive.”
Ezi’s eyes teared up a bit. “And Drakk?”
Aiyre shook her head, her braid wagging behind her.
A sob choked Ezi, as she buried her head in her hands and wept.
Sitting down beside Ezi, Aiyre wrapped her arms around her friend. One night with Drakk was all she’d gotten. With time the pain would ease, but Aiyre doubted Ezi would ever forget about Drakk. All it would take was time. Maybe she’d even find another man who would lay claim to her, and she could start again.
“I know you need to grieve, but I need to see to your leg.” Drakk may have died, but she didn’t need Ezi dying.
Ezi nodded her head, tears still pouring down her cheeks.
It broke Aiyre’s heart to see her friend shredded over Drakk’s death. Why did he have to die? She felt anger towards those sabertooth shifters. They’d done an irreversible act that was worse than evil. It was insane.
Aiyre rolled Ezi’s pant leg up and poked and prodded her leg until Ezi let out a pained cry and winced.
“I think your ankle is twisted and you have a deep gash on your leg.”
“Can you heal it?”
Aiyre shrugged. “I’m not a healer, but I can try my best.” They might need a healer for this, but could they find one?
Rising she grabbed a couple of pieces of wood and tied one on each side of the foot. “This is all I know about healing a twisted ankle.” Grabbing a f
ur, she dipped it into some water and cleaned away the blood from the gash on Ezi’s leg. Then she tied a fur strip to help stop the bleeding.
“What should we do?”
Aiyre shrugged her shoulders. “We will have to find another clan to join.”
“I want to see Drakk before we leave.”
Aiyre paused her eyes flickering over Ezi and the vulnerable image she presented. “Are you sure?” It could traumatize Ezi to see her recently deceased partner more than just the knowledge of his death.
“I have to say goodbye.” Ezi pleaded.
“We will see him before we leave then if there is time and you are well enough.” Aiyre could only promise so much.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. We have to survive.”
Aiyre grabbed a couple of slices of the drying rabbit meat. “Have some food. We will need energy for the journey ahead of us.”
Ezi munched down on her piece and looked around the cave. “Where is this?”
“A hunting cave near our village,” Aiyre told her, not at all surprised Ezi hadn’t known of it, since she wasn’t a hunter.
“How close?” Ezi’s hand trembled.
“We are well hidden with the heavy snowfall outside,” Aiyre reassured her. “No sabertooth shifters will find us. We should get some rest.” She redirected the conversation. “I have no idea how far we might have to travel to find another clan, and it will require us to be well rested.”
“A human clan?”
“Perhaps.” Aiyre sat back letting the warmth of the fire wash over her. “I’m hoping we can find another pronghorn clan, but with it being winter we can’t be picky about who takes us in.”
“Sorry, I’m not more useful.”
Aiyre let out a laugh. “Not everyone can be a hunter. We need more than hunters in a clan if we want to survive.”
“I suppose that is true.” Ezi mused.
“Get some rest. You’ll need it.” Aiyre urged her.
“See you tomorrow.” Ezi sent her a smile before she settled down beside the fire.
“I’ll be here.” Aiyre watched Ezi as she rolled over, giving her back to the fire and pulled a fur over herself.
