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)
“I have it. Sit down.”
I should argue, but I don’t. I drop to the ground, and once I do, my feet scream with pins and needles. They feel like blocks of ice, and my boots are soaked. Actually, I’m pretty sure all of me is. I huddle on the ground, hating that I’m so weak. That I can’t keep up. That I want to help and I’m going to end up being a liability after all.
The fire flares after a moment, and then I see Hassen’s features light up as he begins to feed it fuel. I look around the shadows of the cave. It looks to be well-stocked, a stack of rolled-up furs in one corner, and baskets of supplies along the walls. One end of the cave looks a bit rocky and collapsed, but otherwise it’s large and comfortable, with the ceiling high enough that Hassen can stand fully, and enough room for both of us to move around easily. Some of the hunter caves are quite small, but this one’s roomy. That’s both good and bad—good because it’s nice to stretch out, and bad because it takes that much longer to warm up.
Well, I can sit on my half-frozen ass, or I can help. I get to my feet and adjust the screen over the entrance so no gusts of wind threaten our tiny fire while it’s being stoked. Then I head to the furs and begin to unroll them, making a bed. There are three large bundles, which means we have enough for two people and two separate beds…but I hope it doesn’t come to that. “Mind if I get undressed?” I ask him. “My clothes are soaked.”
He grunts. “Hang them by the fire so they can dry.”
Not his chattiest moment. Doesn’t even comment on the fact that I’m about to get naked. That’s fine. I’m not feeling particularly sexy at the moment, just tired and cold. I peel wet layers of leather off of my body and strip down to the leather band that half-assedly serves as a bra. I’m now bare-assed, and I wrap one of the thick furs around my body like a toga before spreading my clothes by the fire. He doesn’t even glance my way, just continues to feed bits of fuel into the flame.
I feel my chest give another painful squeeze. He’s depressed. I can’t blame him—the sa-khui had a devastating setback. He’s allowed to be emotional, but right now we have to be strong. Lots of people are depending on us to bring back supplies to help with the brutal season. We can’t fail them. I don’t think he wants to fail them, either. I think he’s just…struggling.
Instead of lounging in the nice, warm, furry bed I just made, I haul my toga over to the baskets and pick through the neat leather pouches stored inside. Soap-berries, spices, something that looks like dried bait, fishing hooks made of bone…and another basket has some of the heinously spicy trail mix that the sa-khui love so much. I’m so hungry it looks good even to me. I pull out the pouch of it and move to Hassen’s side, offering it to him. “Here. Eat.”
“You eat. You need your strength.”
“Oh, I plan on eating. But there’s enough for both of us, and I doubt you’ve eaten since the cave-in. So dig in, my friend.” I shake the pouch at him, letting the contents roll around in what I hope is an enticing manner.
He ignores it, staring at the small fire again.
I swallow my sigh and put the food aside and wrap my hands around his arm, hugging his limb to my breast. He doesn’t push me away, but he doesn’t respond, either. “Wanna talk about it, big guy?”
“I should send you back.”
“’Scuse me?”
Hassen feeds another bit to the fire with his free hand. “This will be a long, hard journey. You should not come. You should stay back with the other human females.”
“Let’s just pretend I’m not hearing this sexist crap and let’s talk about what’s really bothering you.” I stroke his arm. “Because you are clearly not okay.”
“Okay?” he echoes, voice flat. “My people are homeless. My friend could be dying. The brutal season is coming. I am very much not okay.”
“Yeah, I don’t know anything about losing everything,” I snap back.
He looks over at me, startled. His mouth sets in a grim line, and he pulls his arm from my grip. I think he’s going to get up and push me away, but instead, he wraps me in his arms and squeezes me tight against his chest. He’s not comforting me—he’s clinging to me like I’m his lifeline.
I hug him close, stroking my fingers along his back. “I know it’s hard right now, but your people are strong and resilient. They’re going to get through this. If the home cave is gone, we’ll live at the Elders’ Cave. If not there, then somewhere else. It’ll get figured out, and we’ll survive.”