She’s cute…so were many.
The first thing she needed was a bath, then clothes, then food. He debated whether he should put her alone in the protection chamber. When they entered his camp, she decided for him when she gripped his hand in a way it would take a T-rex of old to pry her off. He chuckled at the image conjured. The T-rex was said to be formidable at one time. Folklore.
Curious about the newcomer, the villagers came forward. Some of the older women wiped tears away or ducked heads to avoid a direct glance, welcomed Clarity, and moved off. The men eyed her. Some looked hostile but they were of an age to want a mate; the anger came from frustration. Trading for mates with other villagers became scarce as time went on. Doom’s race was destined to suffer alone.
“Good God what is that?” Clarity asked.
A lumbering malevolent bulwark slowed as they passed it. The beast sniffed at her and Doom was certain she’d climb into his arms. The female beast was taller than Clarity while on all fours. Dark shaggy brown in color. The beast’s head was massive, her shoulders broad. Huge feet sunk into the moist ground leaving the impression of her five three-inch claws. As the beast sniffed, her lips curled back exposing sharp teeth. Doom always imagined it was her way of smiling. Even Doom could smell Clarity’s fear. To Clarity’s credit, she stood still until he realized she was frozen to the spot in terror. This was her first exposure to such a creature. The idea of a race losing their heritage to a meteor or the environment was something unfathomable. Then again, the humans didn’t suffer from hybrid dinosaurs.
“The beast won’t hurt you, Clarity. There are four who protect the village and villagers. Including you, now that it has your scent. It’s an evolved creature, a cave bear wolf mix. A human called them mutts. This one is female.”
“I died and went to
Jurassic World
,” she whispered.
The beast ambled off grunting and Doom turned her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “You are alive. Trust me.”
“I may need new underwear,” she mumbled.
Doom chuckled. He enjoyed spirit; he’d have to reassess her. Doom could learn to care for this human, in a small way. “Come with me. I will show you a place to bathe. I need your clothes, I will provide more.”
“Why my clothes?”
“Other animals, dinosaurs might come if they scent the strangeness of your garments. The satchel you carry must be burned as well. The animals on this planet are a curious lot. Nosy-ass things.”
Clarity gripped her leather pouch to her chest surprising him. Her features twisted into an unpleasant scowl. Feet spread her stance was rigid.
“On my planet, a man knows better than to mess with a woman’s purse.”
Doom blinked. No other humans had ever come through the sinkhole with anything but the clothes on their backs, some not even with that. He admitted to being curious as to what the sack contained. He thought he would look through it and dispose of it while she washed.
“Give me the item,” Doom said, holding out his hand.
Her scowl deepened. “No way. It’s all I have of home.”
“I will not argue in front of my people; you will do as I say. It’s best you start now.”
“No.”
Doom heard chuckling from behind him. A small group of men was watching. Soon everyone would be talking. He wasn’t about to battle a female in public. It was beneath him to engage in a tug-of-war.
In public.
Shaking his head, Doom dipped down and tossed her over his shoulder. She howled as though being eaten. Doom had no clue what was in her sack but he cringed when it connected to his ass repeatedly.
“Hell, female. What the fuck is in there, a T-rex?”
“Only things I need and I’m keeping it,” she bellowed.
She whacked him again. Then again. Doom growled.
Something tells me this will be the longest fucking year of my life.
Chapter Four
Clarity sat naked in a cove of water, clutching her sodden purse to her chest. Both she and Doom were snarling and gasping in air. He was as saturated as she was. The wet hide knee-length pants he wore pooled liquid at his moccasin feet. Eerie droplets of water dripped from faces tattooed on his body as though the images wept. Doom tried wrestling the purse away while she fought like a wildcat; he bore the assault of a perfect French manicure. He managed to strip her, but she felt victorious as she held onto her purse. He stood outside of the large pool soaked, fists balled, a hand squeezing lace panties, looking as though he may lunge for her. Clarity leveled her best evil glare, the one that made Edward run for cover, onto Doom.
“You’re going to have to bust my arms before you pull this purse from my cold dead chest.
If
you live.” The words were controlled menace.
Doom roared in fury, clutched the rest of her clothing up off the floor and left, stomping from the hut-like structure inside a larger cave.
“Damn,” she grumbled. “A three-hundred-dollar purse and he acts like it’s Pandora’s box.”
Searching her surroundings Clarity placed the purse on a natural rock shelf. The ceiling overhead was that of the cave. Four large hide walls made inside the interior were for privacy and warmth as added protection from any breeze. Further, she could see other steaming pools. She wondered at hot springs. The light in the room emanated from strategically placed rocks. A fire outside the cave entrance kept predators away, so Doom managed to inform her as they fought. He seemed under the impression her small weak self should be terrified without him. She admitted part of her was when a bulwark nudged the hide aside to peer at her. Clarity wondered if the beast could smell the food in her purse.
The people seemed ancient and uncouth, but the landscaping of the pool was solid, beautiful, and breathtaking. The pool she sat in was smoothed stone. She shifted and noted where her behind sat was lit with a bright light, not hot. Curious, she touched the side of the pool. When she pulled her hand away, the rock glowed a soft blue, further lighting the area.
Reaching, she lifted the purse and scrambled to her knees in the waist-high water. There was no light where the purse had sat. Clarity touched the rock. Warmth tingled her fingers, and soon the rock lit with her handprint.
Florescent minerals. Extreme thermoluminesence.
“Weird and yet mildly entertaining.”
Clarity rifled through the contents of her purse and pulled out a wet wipe to wash her body with. She used her small containers of soap, shampoo, and conditioner to get rid of the sticky sap and places where rain hadn’t washed away the mud. When finished, she pulled out her scarf, frowned at the lace, and decided she could dry it off. After patting down her skin until she was less wet she wrapped her hair in the scarf after combing the tangles, donned an extra pair of clean silk panties tucked away in a side pocket, and sat on a polished chair of wood and waited with her purse in her lap.
Doom entered the bathing area and seemed surprised. “Give me the sack,” he demanded.
“It’s the only thing between you, my boobs and hoochy.”
“Your what?”
“If that is clothing in your hand for me, I’ll take it.
Now
.”
“I’ll trade you for the sack.”
“Nope.”
“Damn it, you have no idea what the creatures on my planet are like.”
“This happens to be real leather and since you are in leather I think the creatures can survive this simple culture shock even though it’s not shaped in the form of pants.”
And I highly doubt silk panties from China’s silkworms will kill a stegosaurus or bring a hybrid to its knees.
“Clarity, let’s be clear on this,” his voice was dripping in sarcasm.
Well, I’m the queen of sarcasm.
“Yes, let’s be clear. My purse is mine. It stays with me. If you want your balls to stay with you, heed this warning; touch my sack and yours will suffer the same fate.”
Doom’s eyes widened. His fingers twitched. “If one of my people threatened their leader there would be harsh consequences.”
“If you want to see consequences try getting your hands on my tampons or Midol.”
Doom threw the clothing at her. “Until you hand that sack over willingly I have no choice but to place you in the protected area. For my people’s safety.”
Clarity struggled into the clothing glaring at him, the purse slipping while her breasts jiggled. The hide halter-top was loose and she needed the leather drawstring at the top tied in a bow to keep the garment on. He growled when he glimpsed her flimsy undergarment as she stuffed each leg into a pair of hide pants identical to his. She struggled with the finely woven leather belt. She scowled and leveled a deadly gaze on him.
“By all means. I wouldn’t want anyone killed over a band aid and hemorrhoid cream. God forbid you come into contact with toothpaste and a toothbrush.”
“I am the only protection against the beasts out there.” He pitched two round surprisingly heavy flat leather objects at her and glowered. “They’re for your feet. Put the fur side on the inside and tighten the leather thong around your ankles.”
“Booties? Cripes almighty.” She drew the leather together securing the footwear and stood feeling ridiculous in her new round feet.
Protection
from a man who obviously wore his own booties, they had conformed to his feet, was less than desirous. “Obviously your people have never benefited with the discovery of mace.”
Doom grabbed her arm and dragged her outside. She didn’t struggle. They approached a large domed mound. Doom stood before a massive quartz-type door. The rock was the same as the glowing rock in the cave bathing room. There was no way she could think to open it; the door looked to be too heavy even for a man of Doom’s power. Doom placed his hand on the door. The rock began to glow immediately and the door slid sideways. She gazed up at Doom in stunned surprise.
“Only a villager’s hand can open the door to my holding. This is why we are safe from the hybrids and dinosaurs. You can’t open it from within. Any other door may be activated by a human touch, but not this one. We are like you, human, but there are subtle differences occurring over hundreds of thousands of years. This door detects the differences.”
She understood the threat. Clarity could see the mound was deceptive, the area beneath appeared huge and dug several feet underground. There were polished quartz steps leading into the vast darkness all a foot high and disappeared on either side. She counted ten before they were swallowed by gloom. Doom shoved her forward.
“The rock is of different quality. It will not light with a touch. I’ll think about bringing you a lantern or torch to light the others inside when I bring food,” he glared as he said this.
Clarity smiled, dug into her purse, and pulled out a flashlight attached to her keychain. She switched it on and thought for a moment Doom would expire. She almost chuckled thinking if he had hair, every strand would be standing on end.
“No problem.”
Doom growled as she made her way below. “I’ll think about bringing food,” he bellowed.
When the door slid closed behind him Clarity went to sit on a raised mound of furs. She fished into her purse and pulled out a bag of trail mix. She chewed a mouthful erratically and swallowed.
“No fucking problem.”
She cast the light about the room and noticed torches high off the ground. She fished in her bag and pulled out a lighter. She went and deftly lit all six torches until her surroundings blazed. All around her were giant furs—on the floors, the walls, and ceiling. Some looked old and worn, others fresh. Small bags of water dripped in an area covered by stone. On further inspection, she determined the water bags were the stomachs of creatures.
Even the Flintstones had running water, even if it was from a mammoth trunk
.
Her discoveries were far from over as she crept through her surroundings. Never a believer in psychometry, Clarity was certain as she fingered the fur beneath her from a raised bed, a wash of icy water down her spine made her fingers tingle. Emptiness assaulted her. There were many other raised beds making her wonder.
Doom said humans came to stay for a while and then left. He was evasive and she suspected lying. If humans once filled this chamber, where had they gone? Really? And if there were to be no more, why were the beds all aired out and waiting? How could humans suddenly appear and disappear? A sinkhole wasn’t a bus. There was more to her situation, something scary, she could feel it. She had no doubt she was standing in a cell, a beautiful cell, but she was a prisoner. Unconsciously her palm caressed the side pocket of her purse holding her mace. Her situation
was
a
huge
problem.
****
Doom was pacing in his home, a common occurrence and the worn hybrid mammoth mastodon mix fur beneath his feet showed the proof. Within the confines of his domain, Doom could be curious, angry, afraid, and any other emotion he chose not to share with the villagers. His mind a whirlwind of tumultuous thoughts. Inside, a special soothing wind chime tinkled, the man-made flow of air aiding in the virtuoso sound. Each note meant to engage the soul and center emotions. Today, the melody was no help. Doom blocked the notes, it was no use; he could only concentrate on one thought.
“How is it possible to have fire inside the small tube and project it—with no heat?” Doom’s people had glowing rocks earthlings marveled over, but Doom was used to the phenomenon. It took warmth to ignite the light of warmth within the stone. Clarity clicked a switch. Could the touch of something so small be so powerful, or was there more to it?
His heart pounding, he wondered what other magic Clarity could pull out of her sack. Humans who came before her told a good tale. Flying birds that ate people only to spit them out at a new destination unharmed. How could the insides of a giant bird serve refreshments? The idea was laughable and he scoffed off the notion. But seeing a flashlight, he had heard of flashlights, actually work the way described was amazing. The pitter-patter of his heart skipped a beat. No wonder she guarded the bag. A purse she called it. A human female treasure possessing magic. Doom loved magic, especially scary as hell magic.