Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 106646 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 533(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106646 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 533(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
"I'm not asking for help," B'shit says defensively. "I'll be fine. I just need a little time."
She is so stubborn. I grit my teeth, frustrated with her. Why, if she is hurt, will she not ask for help? Why is she like this? I straighten, testing my foot against the edge of the pit. The snow crumbles underneath my boot, sending a rain of wet clumps down upon B'shit below. She sputters in outrage, but does not get up.
That is an answer, too, I realize. I hop down into the pit next to her, and when she gasps in surprise, I grin.
"What are you doing?" she asks, gaping at me.
"You will not come up, so I will come down to you."
B'shit blinks rapidly. She gazes up at me with such sad eyes that it makes my heart hurt, and then fresh tears spill down her cheeks. "You can just leave me behind," she weeps. "I don't want to be a bother."
"Hush," I say gently. Inside, I am gleeful. D'see was right. B'shit is not yelling at me now that I have told her how beautiful she is. Clearly this plan works. I kneel beside my mate and brush the tears off her cheeks with my fingers. "Do not weep. A'tam is here and everything will be all right now."
"Now you're in the pit with me," she sniffs, but she does not push away my touch.
"The snow is loose near the top," I tell her in a gentle voice. "I will dig a path out so we can walk together. And if it takes until morning, we can share warmth until the sunrise."
B'shit sniffs again.
I stroke my fingers over her soft cheek. She is cold, I realize, and I take my cloak off and bundle it around her. "Are you hurt? Hungry? Thirsty?"
"I'm okay." Her voice is wobbly and soft. "You don't have to do this. Just…please…" She trails off, her expression utterly frustrated and sad.
"Please what?"
"Nothing," she says quickly. "Thank you, A'tam. For not leaving me." She grabs my hand in hers and squeezes it, and it feels as if I have won, even if no special knife is to be mine. That is all right. All I want is B'shit, and this day, I feel I am one step closer to having her in my furs once more.
I rest my spear against the opposite wall and get to work. With my claws, it is easy to dig through the snow. I pick the side of the pit farthest from B'shit, who still will not admit if she is in pain. I start digging, and while it will take a little time, it will be easy enough to dig a shallow path that will lead us back up to the surface. B'shit is very quiet behind me, and I glance backward to make sure she has not somehow escaped me. "You are still back there?"
Her chuckle is reluctant. "Where else would I go?"
"Away from me," I tease.
"I wish," she says, but there is no fire behind her words, no anger. She is silent for a moment longer, and then asks, "Where is Daisy?"
"She is now O'jek's partner," I say. "I told him I was coming back for you and that we should switch partners."
"Oh. I bet he was happy."
"He was. I already had two hoppers."
"He didn't much like me as a partner," B'shit confesses. "I guess I'm not a great huntress."
I shrug. "You will be in time. And you will be far better at cooking than D'see will be. I do not think she has ever cooked anything." B'shit gives another watery giggle and then sucks in a breath as if in pain. I stop, turning to face her. "Are you all right?"
"Just…muscles in my back being shitty," she admits with a grimace. "I landed badly."
"Is that why you are still down here?"
"Among other things." She gestures at her leg. "My ankle isn't great either." B'shit thinks for a moment and then immediately adds, "Was Daisy very mad that you abandoned her?"
I shrug. "I do not think she will be." She has been encouraging me to talk to B'shit. There is no better time than now. "She does not mind spending time with O'jek."
"Yeah, but O'jek is a poor substitute for you." When I glance back at her, she shrugs. "It's true. If she's in love with you and sharing your furs, she's not going to want to settle for O'jek."
Do I tell her that D'see is not sharing my furs? That I sleep next to O'jek? I do not know…and D'see's advice is working. I do not want to ruin the progress I have made with her, so I grunt as an answer. Maybe I should compliment her again. Tell her that I think her eyes are bright and I like her smile. "I…think you have a fine smile."