“Ada have you seen the human female?” Doom asked.
Ada, white hair askew, winded, and sweaty from running after her new son, stopped for a moment.
“You had to find me the child with no off switch,” she complained. Doom chuckled at her Earth human reference. “I swear I lose a few pounds when he opens his mouth. He rambles on and on. I have to race to keep up with his words. Damn, there he goes again.”
Doom watched as the boy jumped from another home, into Menace’s arms. Menace directed the child to find more grass.
“He thinks he’s a blasted bird. I swear when he sleeps I’ll check him for feathers.”
“Ada, the female?”
“What? Oh, no, can’t say I’ve seen her. I can’t take my eyes off the boy.”
“We can name him tonight. That is if you want to keep him,” Doom said.
“Well, of course I want him. Look over there. Old Nada is eyeing him like a prize treat. That woman would steal him in a heartbeat. My Edge is thinking on names.”
Ada went running off when the boy started further into the brush. He was still small enough to be carried away by a bird. Menace was watching with a spear. If any bird came close they would be eating fowl for dinner. Menace claimed he would sacrifice himself over a human, but they needed the powerful warrior. And only a human could die in another’s place. His sacrifice would be for nothing. Doom’s position was no different and without him his people would fall.
Doom continued to search for Clarity until it became frighteningly clear she was gone. The woods were dangerous anytime but after a gathering frenzy of the humans, blood lust ran high in other animals. He wouldn’t risk any of his people. Alone, he entered the danger zone.
“Clarity,” he boomed.
Further into the foliage he traipsed, his heart falling at each passing moment. No doubt she was dead. At a scuffle, he ran to a small clearing. The female bulwark was fighting with a raptor. The furry, feathered raptors traveled in pairs and Doom cast his glance around wondering if the dinosaur’s mate was making a meal of Clarity. To his dismay and surprise Clarity was in a pond up to her waist holding her small weapon she claimed was frightening.
The beast was flailing, screaming, and instead of moving away, Clarity moved closer and rammed a white piece of cotton past its razor teeth and down its throat. She leapt away, tossing the weapon to dry land and kicked water into its face for all she was worth. Doom bellowed and jumped in after her. He grabbed her into his arms and yanked her out of the water.
The raptor clawed at his throat. The bulwark’s long two front fangs ripped into the underbelly of the other raptor on land. Both creatures died. Clarity was snarling.
“Ha, you ugly bastard,” she yelled, waving a fist. “Choke on that.” She turned to gaze up at Doom who was surprised as hell. “Tampons, the necessary evil you love to hate. Extra absorbent.”
Doom didn’t know whether to hug her, shake her, or laugh. “How the hell did you get out of the village?”
“I used a neat method, called my feet.”
Now he wanted to shake her. “I mean how did you get this bulwark to allow you past her and to follow you?”
Clarity sloshed back into the water to rip out strange barbs from the raptor with an odd-looking pair of pinchers. She then fiddled with her weapon and stuck it into a satchel at her hip. Doom eyed the satchel warily.
“It wasn’t hard.”
“In all the time we’ve had humans, no one has ever gotten past any of the animals guarding the village.”
“I’m guessing none of them had a Mars bar. You’d be surprised what a female will do for chocolate.”
Clarity went to the beast and ruffled her fur, crooning to her. “Thank you, Muffin.”
“Muffin?”
“Well, she kinda looks like a muffin, all brown and round and cute. Poofy, but poofy would be a silly name.”
“Why did you leave the village? It’s too dangerous out here.”
“You said you’d take me out, but you were sleeping. I didn’t want to disturb you. You drool in your sleep.”
“I do not,” he bellowed.
“Yeah, you do. It’s pretty gross, too.”
She began walking toward the village with the bulwark following her. Her sodden feet clomped; her clothes dripped but started to dry already in a warm breeze. The beast nudged her and she rose on her toes to drape an arm around her neck. The pair rested their heads together for a moment. If Doom didn’t know better, he would swear the beast loved her. The beast growled as the foliage ahead ruffled, but settled when a herbivore came into view. Clarity squealed in delight.
“Oh my God, cuteness wrapped in cute.”
The beast was small; humans said it looked like a pony and a bat got busy and they described the colors they saw. It was ebony except for a flowing white tail. Black bat wings, red eyes with multiple black streaks in the retina. The mane was a surprise to humans. It wasn’t fur. A fin went from wither to elongated nose, becoming smaller as it traveled the face.
“It looks like a dragon baby.”
Doom stopped her from getting close. “That’s no baby. It may be an herbivore but it can still kill. Look at its feet.”
“Whoa. I’ve never seen two claws on a pony hoof before. That’s badass.”
The creature moved off. The bulwark made it antsy. “They taste pretty badass, too.”
Clarity glanced at him. “You eat those adorable little things? I think I’d cry watching one killed.”
“No part of them is wasted. And you will never see one killed. My men hunt and skin everything in the forest. Blood attracts too many carnivores. With winter coming we need to catch and butcher as many animals as we can. Winter can be dangerous. The hybrids have learned to make wraps for clothes. They can utilize fire. We stay underground until the thaw. Just because they have a quota doesn’t mean they won’t try for humans when pickings are slim.”
“Your choice?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you stay underground because you need to, want to, or because the hybrids dictate to you?”
“We have furs to wear for warmth but the snow is too high. You sound angry with me. You left the village; I should be pissed with you.”
“You plan on using me as a sacrifice. What part of that should I be grateful for?”
“I’m saving my people. We don’t all have that interesting weapon.”
She glared at him. “Your people are dead already unless you do something. When those creatures breed they become smarter if what you say is true. I don’t know how yet, but I plan on finding out. They’re after something, and I think it’s something big. Did it occur to you they might want space flight?”
“That’s not possible. You mentioned that before.”
“It’s possible all right.”
Doom shifted his feet. “How could they learn about something we don’t even know of?”
Clarity seemed stumped for a moment. “Doom, space flight is when you create a vessel and send people or animals into the skies overhead. These vessels can go to different planets.”
“Can you make a vessel to take us away?”
“It would take me years.”
Doom’s heart fell. For a moment, he wondered if he could keep her safe for years. “How many years?”
“I don’t know. I’d need help. Materials. The point is I know how. Humans crave knowledge. If the hybrids learn from humans they might want smarter humans. Are you going to be the one who gives them the knowledge to make it happen? When they can go anywhere in the universe they want, you become moot.”
“If they leave then my people will be free.”
“No, your people will be a nesting ground. They won’t need you. They’ll find their own humans and bring them here to your nice little village. You won’t need it when you’re dead. The humans can be kept as prisoners and fed like dogs. They no longer need your people except to fill a quota. Once they fill their own quota, they’ll cut loose the middleman. This planet will be theirs.”
Doom was devastated. What if she was right? All along had they been aiding in a means toward their death? Why was this human so different from the others? Then he realized no other human had guessed the hybrids’ intentions. Clarity had been quick to figure it out. She poked a finger into his chest.
“I know space flight. In fact I know a lot of things. If the hybrids get a hold of me, it could be game over. I’ve been learning about sinkholes. What if these hybrids discover the holes might be able to gain access to Earth? When I left, there were signs of people suddenly showing up, after being gone for two years.”
Doom had a sudden thought. She came out here to look for a way home. If she left, she would tell Earth what was happening to their people. Humans would double their precautions. Doom’s people didn’t steal humans, but they counted on them for life. If she returned home, her people would arm themselves, all of them, every last one of them. If Clarity could come through the hole with her purse maybe others would. Maybe their weapons would make Clarity’s look like children’s toys. What if they used their weapons on his people instead of the hybrids?
“You must never leave my village.” His tone was urgent.
“You have a choice. Fight these hybrids or die. Today, tomorrow, next week it will happen. Do you really want these hybrids to get a hold of me? I got past your sentry. Hell, I bribed Muffin. You said I’m the first. What other talents would you like me to pass on to these creatures you’re so scared of? Because at the risk of sounding full of myself, I’m smart as hell.”
She was right. The idea of a secret child might be their salvation. “Give me a baby.”
Clarity scoffed at him. “In this world? No way. I don’t even like children.”
That was a surprise. “How can you not like children?”
“Simple. They’re barf machines, poop terminators, and they throw tantrums. Gee, what’s not to love?”
Something in her stance made him wonder if she was lying. Her shoulders were tense. Her jaw clamped shut. She appeared sad. Doom glanced around. She would be afraid to have a child here. So was he. His planet was a scary place to be. His father gave his life for Doom. An idea whacked him soundly: his father must have been terrified to leave Doom alone. What would he do if he had to give his own life for his child? Who would take care of his child if he were gone?
“I’m sorry,” Doom said. “That wasn’t fair. I take care of my people; I don’t have time for children of my own. It’s a stupid…”
“Dream?”
“I don’t dream. Dreaming is for fools.”
“You and I have different ideas about dreaming and what makes us fools.”
They strolled together for a moment before Doom took her hand and led her away in a different direction. Not everything on his planet was deadly, for some reason he wanted to show her. He shooed Muffin toward home then groaned, realizing he’d never get that name out of his mind now.
Muffin. Crap.
What’s worse, the beast seemed hesitant. Was every female on the planet now going to challenge him?
“Go on, beast. You have a job to do.”
With a low growl, Muffin ambled away with a last look at Clarity.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Not far.”
The beach was empty when they parted the foliage and entered the clearing. As they walked along the sand he could hear it singing. Clarity was smiling. She was beautiful and the corners of his lips tugged for a second wanting to return the smile. You never smile at someone who will be gone soon.
“I’ve heard of singing sand. This is stunning.” She stood still and cocked her head to the side.
She leaned to pick up a striking blue stone, but Doom stopped her. “No don’t. The rock is deceptive. They wash up on shore once in a while. A victim touches it and the numbing agent freezes them, they fall and are unable to escape. When the tide comes in, they’re easy prey for the creature who uses it. Unless another gets them before that. Either way, it isn’t a pleasant way to go. The freezing lasts for hours, and you can feel everything done to you. You can’t fight back, scream, cry, nothing.”
As he spoke, another blue rock was tossed onto the shoreline. Doom pulled her away from the water’s edge. In the distance, he could see a massive head surface for a second. Huge eyes gazed at them. Doom considered these creatures the sloths of the seas.
“That thing is creepy smart. Amazing, fishing on dry land. That would be a weapon of choice. Why not throw these gems at the hybrids?”
“You can’t pick them up.”
She stared open-mouthed at him. “Use something to pick them up.”
“Like what?”
“Good God you are in the Jurassic period. Why not leather? A sack. My purse.”
“When the rock touches something, it turns to liquid and seeps into its victim. Depending on the size of the rock, it immobilizes quickly. A mammoth could be stopped by a few. You would only need to touch this small one to be in trouble. A man my size would need to touch two at least, perhaps three. A perfect weapon, but untouchable.”
“It’s touching the sand. We need something to scoop it up from beneath it and put sand in my purse, now there’s a nasty thought.”
Doom stared hard at her. Scoop up the sand to put it in sand. “Then we need to throw it in sand.”
“That’s not a problem. A catapult is the least of your worries.”
“Cat-a-pult?”
“A device you use to throw objects a farther distance.”
“Why would anyone throw a cat? Felines are vicious when pissed.”
She leveled an undetermined gaze at him. Her teeth worried her bottom lip for a moment. Doom could almost smell the ideas forming. “I wonder if I could make glass here. Glass is made from sand. If I can get my hands on the right materials.”
“Glass?”
“Glass is a substance made from components and heat…”
Doom knew he was standing there looking stupid, he felt stupid. “Um.”
“Come on, we have work to do, I’m starving and these stupid booties are drowning my toes.”
Clarity gripped his hand and pulled him toward the village.
Chapter Six
Clarity sat munching on a hand-sized juicy piece of meat, cut in interesting slices. Hacked, it looked hacked; it was unlike anything she ever tasted. She was surprised it was so flavorful. Clarity loved seasonings, and she knew these flavors weren’t in her world. The meal before her was made up of two types of bannock; the one bread was flat and hard but tasty. The other rounded and roll shaped, no doubt cooked in animal fat, served with berries with honey. A salad of greens she wasn’t certain of had a drizzling of dressing. Three pancakes that tasted surprisingly like potato were silver-dollar-sized and smothered in the most wonderful butter she’d ever eaten. A cream sauce for dipping lay between her and Doom.