by Ruby Dixon
Perhaps I am wrong. Perhaps this is not Old Grandfather. Perhaps it is just a large sky-claw and he can be killed.
But he is the color of snow himself, pale with age. And as he grooms his beak with one razor-sharp claw, I see the long, jagged scar and the badly-healed gouge on the side of his beak where his teeth are gone. And I remember the legends of T'aashi, strongest of Strong Arm clan, and how he gave Old Grandfather that wound many generations ago, and used his tooth as a spear-head.
This must be him. Somehow he has left the island and come to the land of snow. He has followed the People and threatens us here.
T’shen makes a sound of wonder and fear behind me. “I have never seen a sky-claw so large.”
“It is Old Grandfather,” I tell him. “Just as I feared.” I watch the creature continue to groom itself atop the cliffs, his large, membraned wings tucked against his body. He does not look as if he is moving from this spot any time soon. Sky-claw are territorial and this one will attack anything he sees whether he is hungry or not.
At least he is far too large to come inside the cave.
“You know of this thing?” T’shen asks.
I nod. “Let us go inside and tell the females. We cannot leave. Not yet.” I will not let H’nah go outside, not if Old Grandfather is waiting to slaughter her like he did the dvisti. I will keep her safe at all costs.
T’shen returns to his spot in the cave and retrieves his mate, then we all sit down near the nest I have made for H’nah. My mate remains under the shelter I have made for her eyes and she sips water, her gaze full of worry and strain. T’shen and B’rukh both look to me for answers.
So I begin.
“My people tell stories of T'aashi and Old Grandfather,” I say. “T'aashi was a young hunter desperate to prove himself. The chief of Strong Arm had just died and many hunters were fighting amongst themselves to claim leadership. There were some that were strong in hunting, some that were strong with providing, but none seemed like the right leader. T'aashi thought he should be leader, and so to prove himself, he went to hunt sky-claw. They are a dangerous prey, even for the Strong Arm clan because they are fast and mean, and their beaks are as deadly as their clawed feet.”
T’shen nods. “It is so with our people. Haeden will tell you that a sky-claw nearly ate his mate Jo-see once.”
“No shit?” B’rukh says, horrified.
“They eat whatever they desire, but they tear and destroy and eat only small pieces of what they kill.” I think of the dead sa-kohtsk with the enormous bite out of the back of the neck. “My people say they just like the taste of blood.”
H’nah shudders.
“T'aashi went to the far side of the Great Smoking Mountain, where no people lived, where the cliffs were said to be riddled with sky-claw nests. He expected to be greeted with a great many sky-claw but he only found one. Old Grandfather. Even then, he was so ancient that his fur had turned white, and T'aashi’s father had spoken of seeing such a sky-claw who came out only at night or on stormy days. The tribe thought they were just stories even then. T'aashi knew that if he killed this sky-claw, he would be chief. And so he planned. He found sleep-leaf and killed a young kaari and stuffed it full of it, then hung it from a tree nearby. A larger kaari came by and devoured the dead one, and it grew sluggish. T'aashi wounded it and chased it towards the cliffs, and the great pale sky-claw ate the kaari in one gulp and flew away. T'aashi went back to its nest and waited, and when Old Grandfather returned, his movements slow, T'aashi struck. He thought he could kill the thing, but the hide was so hard his spear bounced off of it each time he tried to attack. Old Grandfather was still fast, and he grabbed T'aashi and held him in his mouth as T'aashi fought and fought to be freed. He punched at the hard mouth over and over again until he punched out the teeth on the side of Old Grandfather’s face and split the hard, bony shell of his beak. After that, Old Grandfather released him, and torn and bleeding, T'aashi gathered the teeth and limped back to the tribe. It took him many moons to recover from his injuries, and he was scarred all over his body from Old Grandfather’s teeth, but he went on to be a great chief and hunter for Strong Arm and fathered many kits. After that, Old Grandfather was only seen from time to time, when the weather was poor, but we would often find great-sized creatures with just a bite taken out of them, and the bite would have a break in it, right where T'aashi’s fist was said to have broken his mouth.” I shake my head. “My father told me such tales as a kit and I thought they were just stories…and now I have seen Old Grandfather for myself.”
I sigh heavily and they stare at me, worry in their eyes. I do not blame them. I am worried, too. The sight of Old Grandfather—terrifying on his own—has made me realize just how fragile H’nah is. How vulnerable we are with only two hunters here to defend the precious females. I know T’shen is thinking the same.
“How did he get here?” H’nah asks. “From the island? If it’s the same bird?”
T’shen speaks up. “The sky-claw come down from the mountains in the bitter season and hunt everything they can. Perhaps because the weather has been warmer this one has ventured out even during the brutal season.”
“Or because he’s got a lot more belly to fill,” B’rukh says, and hugs her arms to her chest.
H’nah looks at me. “You’re positive it’s the same one?”
I nod. “There were always sightings of Old Grandfather, up until the Great Smoking Mountain attacked the first time. Perhaps he came here after that, when most of the island was destroyed.”
T’shen nods thoughtfully. “My people are usually not in this area during the brutal season. They stay much closer to the village. It is possible he has been here many turns of the seasons and we did not know it.”
“Well that’s just fucking great,” B’rukh says, and T’shen touches her shoulder to comfort her.
“The others have seen many slaughtered dvisti,” T’shen admits after a moment. “We thought perhaps a sky-claw was in the area, but we never saw it, so we did not tell the others.” B’rukh shoots him an angry look. He shakes his head, raising a hand before she can yell at him. “R’jaal and Raahosh are aware. They said not to say anything because there is no sense in filling the humans with fear if the sky-claw was simply passing through.”
“Is it possible that he’s just passing through here, too?” H’nah asks hopefully, looking at me. “Can we wait him out?”
“We do not have much choice,” I admit. “It is not safe to go outside while he lurks in the valley.”
“Well, there are worse places to be stranded,” H’nah says, determined. “It’s warm here, we have food and water. We’ll wait it out.”
I am proud that she does not show fear. That she is not weeping or upset despite the danger. Pleased, I nod at her.
“What if it heads toward the beach?” B’rukh asks, worried. “Someone should warn them.”
“And we will,” her mate reassures her. “But only when it is safe for us to leave.”
“How long will that be?” she asks, and T’shen looks at me.
All I can do is shrug. I do not know this answer any more than they do.
The day turns into a somber one. The light mood we had when we arrived is gone. T’shen and B’rukh return to the pool, and H’nah dozes in the blankets while I sharpen my spear and regret all the good, strong wood left behind back on the island. The wood that washes up on shore is twisted and waterlogged, no good for weapons, and soon even it will be gone. The people here use bone for their gear—bone knives, bone spears, bone everything—but bone dulls quickly and must constantly be readied. I sharpen my spear to a thin, deadly point and imagine trying to pierce Old Grandfather’s tough, weathered hide.
I do not know if bone will do it. I would need to get inside his mouth and strike as T'aashi did, or I would need to aim true and strike the vulnerable eye.
I think of N’dek and his leg and swallow hard. I am not good at aiming true, not when it counts. This time, it could cost my H�
�nah her life if I hunt badly. I glance over at the furs to check on my mate…but they are empty. I jump to my feet and look around, but I do not see H’nah anywhere. Terror clutches at my chest, and I race to the narrow tunnel into the cave.
Surely she has not gone out to confront the creature herself. Surely—
I let out an explosive breath when I nearly run into H’nah in the tight confines of the tunnel itself. “What are you doing?” I demand, my tone sharper than it should be. “It is not safe to go out.”
“I know,” she says. “I wanted to see it for myself. I didn’t go outside. I just peeked out.”
“I do not like that,” I say, even as she walks past me and heads back into the safety of the fruit cave. “You should have asked me. What if he saw you—”
“I didn’t even come out of the shadows,” H’nah promises. “I’m not stupid, J’shel. I know it’s dangerous. I swear I didn’t even get close to the entrance. I just wanted to get a glimpse for myself and see.”
I grunt. I do not like her answer, but I also do not want to yell at her. I rub my chest, where my khui sings its angry song. “And is it still out there?”
“Oh yeah.” She grimaces. “Same spot you described earlier. It’s just…hanging out. You think it’ll leave if the weather turns?”
“I hope so,” I say, unable to stop myself from moving to her side. I have to touch her, to reassure myself that she is all right. That she is whole. In my mind, I imagine confronting Old Grandfather—and my spear bouncing off to the side, as it did when N’dek was almost killed. I pull her close to me and tuck her against my chest.
She stiffens against me for a moment, and then relaxes, and I wrap all my arms around her, wanting to touch her everywhere, to reassure myself that she is whole and healthy. “Are you okay?” she asks after a moment, and her hands rest on my hips. “You seem…unlike yourself. Do you need to talk about it?”
“I…am worried,” I admit. I do not tell her that when I close my eyes, I see my spear bouncing uselessly away, every time.
“We’re all worried.” She gives me a comforting pat. “But that doesn’t seem like it’s all that’s bothering you.”
“Mmm.” I want to tell her reassuring things, but my mind is blank of all but my spear, missing over and over and over again.
H’nah pulls out of my arms and takes my hand in hers, tugging on it. “Come sit with me for a while. Over here, where it’s comfortable.” And she points at the nest of furs. She has turned them fur side down so the tufts do not touch our sweat-glazed skin, but rather the more comfortable leather side. She is clever, my mate, and once again, I am so pleased she is mine.
Or at least, she will be.
If we live. If Old Grandfather does not snatch her from my grasp first.
I fight back those terrible thoughts and sit down when she points at the blankets. To my surprise, she does not lie with me, but instead moves to stand behind me. “What are you doing?”
“I,” she says in a tone of voice that I recognize now, “am going to give you a massage because you are tense as hell.”
I try to turn around to look at her, but she grabs my braid and holds my head steady, forcing me to look straight ahead. She is being bossy, my mate, but I do not mind it. In fact, I like it. Amused, I remain still as she slides my braid forward over one shoulder and then puts her small hands on my skin.
“A massage,” she says, running her fingers over my muscles slowly before continuing, “is a human thing. It’s rubbing the neck and trying to make the other partner relax. It’s therapeutic.”
And she puts her hands at the base of my neck and then rubs the muscle between shoulder and spine.
I groan, surprised at how good that feels. Not just in my shoulders but…elsewhere. My cock has stiffened, my body alert, and my khui begins its endless song of need.
She chuckles at my response, her hands digging into the muscle and working it with surprising strength. “Feels good? Relaxing?”
“I…do not know what to think of this,” I admit. I am not thinking of relaxing as she touches me. I am thinking of other places she can put those hands, other places I want her fingers instead of my neck.
She scratches lightly at my skin, chuckling, and I bite back a gasp. Her nails on my skin seems to go straight to my cock, and that felt…too good. “I’m not seducing you if that’s what you’re wondering,” H’nah says. “At least, not yet.”
Her tone is playful and it brings a smile back to my face. “You will let me know when it is seduction? My khui cannot tell a difference.”
H’nah reaches forward and lightly pats my chest, right over my heart. “Poor, beleaguered khui.” I grab her hand in mine, but she moves right back out of my grasp. “I see it’s not the only thing that thinks this is seduction time,” she says, but goes back to rubbing my shoulders.
I glance down and sure enough, my cock is straining against my loincloth. “Every time you touch me, I feel as if I am going to punch through the leather.” Are we joking about the resonance we have yet to fulfill? It should not be funny to live with this needy, awful ache, but we are talking about it at least. Teasing each other. And I feel we are…close. As if H’nah is simply deciding the right place and time.
Thoughts of claiming her completely distract me, and as she rubs my shoulders, I close my eyes and picture the look on her face as I push her thighs apart and sink deep between them, thrusting hard. Her soft body will jiggle all over with how hard I take her, and the thought is an enticing one.
“It’s going to be all right,” she tells me firmly. “I know you’re worried about that monster outside, and with good reason. It’s as big as a fucking plane and looks nasty as hell. But I promise you, we’re safe here and I know you’ll take care of me. We’ll just sit here and wait. We have dried kah in our bags, we have plenty of fresh water, and we have so much fruit we won’t be able to eat all of it. If we have to wait here a month, that’s what we’ll do. Please don’t stress, all right?”
She makes it sound so simple. I know sky-claw, though, and I know how they get once they feel an area is their territory. They will shred anything that comes close. “And if he does not leave?” I ask her, my pleasant thoughts dissipating. “If he thinks this valley is his new home?”
“Then it’s our new home, too,” she jokes. “And we become vegetarian.” When I am silent, she wraps her arms around me from behind, hugging my neck. “J’shel, please don’t worry, all right?”
Her teats press enticingly against my back and her scent envelops me. I am torn between my thoughts of Old Grandfather…and her body. It is a frustrating mixture. I touch her arm, surprised that she is the one reassuring me. I thought she would weep as she did so many times back at the main camp. Or that she would resort to counting and hoarding the food so as to make it last.
But she has not done those things. Instead, she has been comforting me. Touching me. Worrying over me. I caress her arm, leaning into her. “You are not as upset as I thought you would be, my little flower.”
“Hm, yeah, I guess not.” Her breath tickles my cheek. “It’s surprising to me, too, but you know why I’m not all that worried?”
“Why?”
“Because you’re here,” she says, her voice gentle. “You’ll keep me safe. As long as you’re here to protect me, I’m not really worried about anything.”
Her words are sweet, but somehow, they do not make me feel better. I picture my H’nah, utterly certain that I will protect her…and my spear bouncing off the hide of Old Grandfather. Of H’nah’s leg snapping off just below the knee, like N’dek’s did, and I am helpless to do anything but watch…
I scrub a hand down my face.
“He just arrived,” she reassures me with another little squeeze. “He might disappear overnight and then this will all be worry over nothing. Now, let’s just enjoy ourselves for a bit, okay? We weren’t planning on leaving today anyhow. Let’s eat some fruit and relax. Which ones are the melon-flavored things again? You
’ll have to show me.”
Her tone has changed to that bossy edge, and she pats my shoulder and leaves my side, heading toward the fruit-laden vines that spill all down the cavern walls. I get to my feet to follow her, but I cannot just relax as she says.
I think of the dead sa-kohtsk outside. I think of N’dek. I think of my spear, and how it feels when it leaves my hand. I think of Old Grandfather.
There are a dozen things I must do to prepare for attacking the great sky-claw outside, because I must protect my mate at any cost.
I cannot fail her like I failed N’dek.
15
HANNAH
I worry about J’shel all day long.
The laughing, confident, smiling alien is gone and in his place is a silent warrior. I do my best to distract him, but it’s clear he’s only listening with half an ear. His focus is on sharpening weapons, preparing nets made out of vines, and throwing his spear.
He throws his damn spear all day long.
All.
Damn.
Day.
Long.
Over and over, he flings it at a target he’s made out of a hollowed-out fruit. He smacks the target over and over again with first his top right arm, then his left arm. Then he switches to his lower arms, and then he takes a few steps back and starts all over again. He moves the target farther away. He moves it nearer. He moves it to the next ledge.
Over and over, he throws the damn spear until I’m pretty sure I’ll hear the shhhhTHOK of it landing in my dreams.
On the rare occasions that he misses, J’shel makes a furious sound in the back of his throat, clenches his jaw, and then starts all over again as if the occasional bad throw means he has to start from scratch. There’s a tortured look on his face and I’m guessing that somewhere in his mind, he’s imagining N’dek and that terrible day and blaming himself all over again.
