Chapter 4: Back Among the Critters

The trek back was agonizing, everyone was sore, aching and suffering multiple abrasions. It took Ty time to first locate and pry loose the killing bolt lodged in the toggle’s skull. The girls’ babfoo spears were worn, chipped and caked with dried blood, as was Pussy—Ty really needed to give her a better name, the teasing innuendo outliving its welcome.

Not only did they cut off a few choice pieces of its flesh, the girls also insisted on yanking its tall, thick canines, no simple feat. Locating a heavy, dry wooden club, he struck the tooth repeatedly, till it finally cracked. He then widened the crack with his blade, using his spear to finally pry it loose with a resounding crack, as it snapped loose. Still dangling by some loose, tough tendons, he then hacked loose. The girls wanted both, not just the one, so he had to start over.

Many frightened animals who fled earlier, began to return, keeping a healthy, respectful distance. Ty doubted it would change how they responded to Ro nor humans, though they’d see over time. Any advantage gained, would be hard won and deeply appreciated.

He also sliced off a largish amount of its flesh, trimming it extensively, with no time to dry the meat they’d acquired for the village, hoping it wouldn’t spoil on their return, no one was moving quickly.

Unsure what the girls intended for the teeth, too large to easily carry and too heavy for a skull cap, leather incapable of supporting such substantial mass. Still they, and supposedly Anna, insisted, so he conceded, including them anyway.

Limping home, Tyler actually carrying his pet lynx much of the way, which however unintentionally, resulted in yet more bleeding scratches. ‘Infection city, here we come’, he thought. Hopefully they’d reach home before the fever set in.

Pussy—really deserving a better name, though none seemed any more fitting—spent most of her time perched on his shoulder, atop his head—her claws digging in, anytime she leaned too far forward, peering at something in the distance—or cuddling in his arms, happily purring. Their ‘kitty’ wasn’t light, easily several stones. Once, she actually slid down his back. She hadn’t set her claws, though it was still agonizing!

The first decent stream they encountered, having to backtrack to the one nearest their encounter, he scrubbed everyone with abrasive sand, washing their wounds thoroughly, for whatever help it might do. The germs were likely already deeply embedded. Still, he tried, the rest was in the fates’ hands.

However, abrasing open wounds with sand didn’t aid anyone’s attitude. Now if he had some salt to pour over everyone’s wounds...

The various animals, all sizes and shapes, predator and prey alike, kept a respectful distance the whole way home. Having witnessed who ended their terror, they felt safer having their saviors nearby. To further encourage the behavior, he tossed many a few scraps of meat, or left them a little water.

It likely wouldn’t change much, yet anything was better than how the Ro had previously lived, at the mercy of every single nearby creature: outnumbered, overwhelmed, too feeble and frail to fight.

This time, Beks didn’t keep yammering, no longer poking the bear so repeatedly, realizing how sharp its claws were. There wasn’t much conversation, rather the spare, sparce encouraging words or asking how the others were holding up.

They couldn’t afford many stops or they were likely to collapse and slumber, something none dared. They preferred returning home, however long it took.

Nearer home, they heard a familiar distant yowling howl, unnerving them all, humanoids and critters both. “That’s likely its mate,” Ty noted. “Let’s hope it doesn’t trail us, seeking revenge.”

“Is that likely?” Lor asked, her bottom lip quivering.

“Realistically, no,” he assured her. “I assume she has a young’un which needs care and feeding. Apparently discovering its body, with a young one, she’s unlikely to expose him to proven killers.”

Tiss scowled. “Let’s hope we don’t encounter both when it’s fully grown.”

Approaching their village, they presented a pitiful sight, yet when someone noticed, calling out and alerting their neighbors, they clustered around, helping ease their loads. Ty noticed a new addition to his hut, the ligor’s head, still flesh encased, mounted above the door. He groaned, unappreciative. He never sought to lead, preferring to move silently, unnoticed, quietly making friends without making waves. Those days were over. Now, everyone was aware of virtually everything they did.

And with that awareness, comes unfulfillable expectations and ever mounting demands, losing the ability to slip out unnoticed or surprise opponents. Now, they’d publicly declared he was the most dangerous opponent around, inviting frequent challenges.

Anna, obviously responsible for the grisly trophy, ran up, enveloping him in a tight hug, forcing another weary groan from him.

“We were worried. There were signs of a terrible encounter, birds cawing, animals fleeing, several injured. Seems you caught the brunt of it.”

The girls, grinning triumphantly, lifted an end of one of their prize fangs and Anna squealed in delight. “You are so going to wear this. No one will doubt your might, once they see you with it.”

“Please,” he pled, “we need sleep. Penicillin wouldn’t hurt, just don’t wake us till the fever delusions pass.” His upper lip curled, though was too tired to maintain it long. “Make sure to bury me with those godawful trophies, though. Ensuring they’re gone forever with me in dusty obscurity.”

They left the other villagers to care of their possessions, though they clearly focused on the meat, which was the whole point of their venture. As Ty collapsed on his hut’s filthy dirt floor, the three girls settling beside him, cuddling close. Too weak to protest, which Anna found humorously entertaining. Nothing more was said, as they quickly drifted into an exhausted sleep, dead to the world beyond their enclosure.

When he finally stirred, burrowing his way out of the still sleeping, clutching bodies to escape outside to pee, it was already light—as it often was with dual suns.

“I see you’re up.” Anna approached, hugging him tightly again—ignoring what he was doing. She was never a strong believer in personal privacy, in either world.

“You were exhausted. I scrubbed each of you raw, cleaning your wounds and none of you woke. I managed to cobble together an impromptu soap. It’s not particularly useful, as it’ll take weeks, if not months, to perfect a solid, usable soap for daily use. But I suspect it’ll keep any potential infections at bay.

“Thanks,” he grumbled, his voice a low, faltering dangerous growl, “and slip me some, whatever form it’s in, as I really need to shave this rat’s nest on my face. I was wondering why my dick was rubbed so raw. Trust me, it was the only thing I didn’t injure!”

“Men,” she scoffed, “so protective of their private bits. You’re either eager to flaunt it or busy hiding it away.”

“I spent too long with nothing to cover myself,” he assured her. “Now, I’d prefer maintaining a little dignity.” He hesitated, finally shaking the last few drops loose. “So everyone’s okay, including our poor kitty. She actually did most of our fighting for us. If not for her, we likely wouldn’t have prevailed.”

“Yeah, I gathered she was special, given how possessive she was over you, adorning your crown like she personally owned you.”

“She deserves it, it was well earned. Now, if you’ll pardon me, I still have another few weeks of sleep remaining.” Before he could push his sister aside, Tiss and Lor stumbled out, loud yawns announcing their presence.

“We wondered where you snuck off too.”

“Merely draining the lizard,” he assured them, sleep already a forgone fantasy.

Tiss’s bottom lip stuck out. “We’re starving. Find us something to eat while we piddle.” He groaned, easily imagining who taught them that particular term.

“We cobbled together a stew,” Anna informed them, shoving him away from his hut, towards a more common area where several woman were busy.

Finishing the last of his stew, Ty leaned back, his eyes fluttering. Food wasn’t a sufficient sleep substitute, yet he still needed to rebuild his strength.

Anna crossed her arms, staring at him. “So, what’s the plan?”

He sighed, his exasperation further frustrating him. “We need people. Those I can train rather than merely additional mouths to feed. I doubt anyone’s showed up with a shovel, pickaxe or bow, have they?”

She partially rolled her eyes, maintaining eye contact. “Since yesterday, not likely. So, what’re the alternatives.”

“It’ll take too long waiting for them to come to us, as the ones likely to, will only be looking for handouts. We need to actively seek out either those already with the necessary skills, or those more readily trainable.”

Anna cocked her head. “That’s logical. As word of your adventures spread, it’ll help with introductions, yet ... prior skills are few and far between, with little actual knowledge or experience.”

“It’s not the knowledge I’m after, it’s more youngsters, open to new ideas I can train. Though the things we need to train them for are extensive. Not just the details, but the variety of skills too.”

Reaching out, she loosely held his arm. “Still, I’d prefer you had something to trade, before heading out, seeking assistance. So far, few know anything about you, and nothing whatsoever about this tiny village. You’ll have to prove yourself, every step of the way, making it much harder.

“Again, we can fashion a decent soap, it’ll just take time to figure out the exact ratios.”

“Have you sniffed anyone lately?” he countered. “Washing isn’t exactly anyone’s priority now. I’m trying to train them, yet it’s hard convincing anyone of things they can’t see.”

“Yeah, even in our world, germ theory was an exceptionally hard sell.”

Tyler readily nodded, his eyes staring hard. “Not many surgeons bought into it, again it was the up and coming youngsters who accepted it, not the older folks. In fact, it wasn’t even the working males, it was the midwives who figured out what worked, and then everyone else refused to accept their accomplishments. They then tried to beat it out of them.

“Even with your soap, you’ll need open, inquisitive minds who’re intensely curious and are hungry for answers. Here, we have slim pickings.”

“Well, you now have three separate trained hunter/warriors. How many more do you need?”

“The new bamboo spears help, but ours are only good for throwing. They work well against other humans, not for anything that size. For an aggressive assault like yesterday, they’re essentially worthless.”

“So, you need a different sort of bamboo spear?”

“Yes, longer and stronger. Yet light enough we can each carry both, depending on our needs.”

“So, another trip back?”

“Yeah, and to see whether that Toggle’s mate seeks revenge. Not only are throwing spears insufficient, they won’t help us gain the more efficient models. Those again, are hard won.

“What’s more, if we just let her and their baby grow to adulthood, we’re only waiting for the eventual disaster. However, if we show up again, demonstrating we’re still not intimidated, hopefully they’ll decide it’s just not worth challenging us.”

“Okay. We’re both in similar positions. We both need people. Young people. You to train as warriors, first and foremost, and for me to train in the more esoteric trades. Unfortunately, training people only lengthens, rather than shortening the process. You already have trained people who can help train others. I don’t even have that yet.

“Either way, we won’t solve it quickly. You each need to recover before trying anything new. At least if we can describe what skills, or types of people we’re seeking, others can alert us if anyone likely happens by, purely by happenstance.

“One step at a time, that’s the best we can do. Just put one foot in front of the other and figure out the rest on the way.”

“Has anyone tried the latest meat yet? Is it as tough as we feared?”

“I sent people out, looking for the proper wood to build a decent cooking frame. Yet it’s the same thing. We need younger people for everything, as there simply isn’t anyone trained or even curious enough. So, do what you can, gather and prepare whatever is necessary, spread the word about what we’re looking for, then go looking for them. Just don’t rush it. We’re just not ready yet.”