Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
For now, though, I must save Pashov before his mate tries to come in.
A large rock tumbles from the cliff, lodging itself against the entrance of the cave. Everyone takes a step back, alarmed. All except for Stay-see. She pushes against the hands holding her, crying. If we do not bring her mate back, she will go in after him, so I must do it, and it must be now.
I head in, ignoring Mah-dee’s screams. The cavern looks worse than when I left it a few moments ago. There is not much time. I jump back down to the portion of the floor that has fallen, and down into the tunnel that housed the new caves. My heart aches at the sight. Everything my people had…gone in a flash.
The tunnel is full of rocks once more, no sign of the gap that I pulled Mah-dee through. I climb the pile and use both arms to dig the rubble free, because I must make it large enough for my body and I must do it quickly. I am able to reopen a small portion of the gap after a few long moments of digging, and peer through. There is no hand waiting to be grabbed, and I can see nothing and no one. It is completely dark.
Pashov’s home is not down this tunnel, but there is a storage cave. I can find it in the dark, provided it is still there. I make the gap bigger, shoving aside rocks even as more tumble overhead. It feels like a losing battle, but in my mind, I see Stay-see’s devastated face. I see Pashov, my friend, who always has a smile and a fresh spear when he runs across me on the trails, even though I am exiled. And I cannot stop. I will not leave until he comes with me.
I lost my family to the khui-sickness. My tribe is all that I have. My tribe and Mah-dee. And now that she is safe, I must make sure all of my tribe is safe. I work faster. When the hole is large enough, I crawl forward and push my body through. The rocks scrape at my chest, tearing at the plates covering my skin. I manage to make it through to the other side and slide down the enormous pile of rubble. The dust is thick, but there is also light, trickling in from the ceiling in one of the caves, and there was no light there before. The roof has collapsed. The entire cave is coming down, and I feel another pang of grief.
It is difficult to walk with so much stone and debris in the tunnel, and I see Dagesh’s cave is completely collapsed. Haeden’s, too. Mah-dee and Asha’s is in better condition, and my heart thumps with relief at the sight, knowing that she is safe. Farther down is the storage cave, and my worry spikes at the sight of it. The entrance, always narrow, is little more than a hip-high wedge. I crawl in, looking around, and there is more light trickling through. The baskets here have been crushed, the food so carefully stored away now destroyed. There is a bundle of neatly bound furs at my feet, and I grab it, tossing it back into the tunnel. The females will need them in order to stay warm.
I see no Pashov, though. No one is here. There is nothing but rock and dust. So much dust that it chokes me.
I turn to leave, to check the other caves, when I step on something soft. I lift my foot, thinking it to be more furs.
It is a tail.
I suck in a breath and drop to my knees, clawing at the fallen rubble surrounding me. In the dim light, I did not realize there was enough rock to cover a body. I see it now, hints of Pashov’s tunic buried under dust and debris. I dig him out and pull my friend free, flipping him onto his back. His head lolls, limp, and there is blood everywhere. One of his horns is completely crushed, and his brow is swollen.
He is dead.
Grief pounds through me, and I clutch my friend close to my chest. He is a good hunter. Strong. Always kind and calm. He has a mate and a kit. This should not be his fate. I howl my anger and loss to the caverns, but the sound hurts my throbbing ears. He deserves a good burial, my friend. One with the proper mourning songs and goodbyes. If I leave him here, he will have nothing.
Yet how can I take him out of the cave and present his mate with his body? It seems wrong.
I run my hand over his face to close his eyes. They are not open, though, and out of curiosity, I hold my hand under his nostrils. Warmth brushes against my skin, followed by a bubble of blood.