Chapter 190

We dismounted to examine it more closely. Raalto was actually doing the examining. I was only looking around. It was plain to see, even for me, a human with fairly small feet had come down the ramp and headed up river. It was also obvious a big cat was following the person. Personally, I couldn't tell which tracks had been made first or how long there was between the different prints.

It wasn't hard to decide they weren't traveling together, because it would be unthinkable. I was also sure no person alone would be following the trail of a big cat so it was very likely the cat was following the person. Maybe Raalto could tell me more in a few minutes.

He couldn't tell me any more than I had guessed. He said in the snow there was no good way to tell how long between one's passing and the other's.

"The only way it makes sense is if the cat is following the woman. No woman in her right mind would be following such a fresh trail of a cat. I'm sure both trails were made since the sun came up, but it's all I can tell. If we want to try to save her we had better get moving," he said.

"I think we should try. Are you sure it's a woman?"

"Fairly. It might be a young man, but the feet are too small for it to be a grown man," he said, as we mounted.

If both sets of tracks had been made since sunrise then the cat was not very far behind the woman. I doubted we could reach her in time to do her any good, but we had to try. At least the trail wasn't hard to follow and we could make good time. The horses couldn't really gallop in the snow even though it had packed itself. They could trot though and we had no trouble following at the speed of a trot.

As we came to the opening we'd used for our hay meadow I thought we were too late. I could see what we'd both assumed was a woman and she appeared to be kneeling in the snow. I could also see the large saber toothed one not twenty feet from her. It was confusing though since the cat wasn't facing the person. It was facing several hyenas, seven of them, and it looked like it was keeping them from the kneeling figure.

I felt helpless even while taking hold of my M1. We were still more than a quarter mile away and even at less than half the distance a shot from horseback was not possible. If I took time to stop and try for a shot it meant we would be that much later getting there. We just kept trotting toward the scene and I kept staring as hard as I could and hoping.

I wouldn't have been as confused if the cat had already killed the human. I understood even these cats; some of the largest of predators, had to defend their kills from hyenas or even packs of wolves.

I'd never heard of them defending their prey before they killed it though. I guess it was possible it was so sure the prey couldn't escape it felt it had to ward off the hyenas first.

Just then one hyena feinted toward the cat and another one tried to circle around it and get to the person. Smilodon was much too smart for the trick though since it ignored the feint and lunged toward the one trying to flank it.

As it stretched toward the potential thief and lengthened itself during its lunge it seemed to double in length even though it only looked that way since it was out to its full length. It just managed to give the flanker a swipe with a giant paw.

The hyena shied away, but wasn't quick enough to avoid what must have been a terrible gashing. It screamed loudly and its high-pitched wail sounded almost like one a human would make. The cat's exertions caused it to tumble to the ground as the wounded one ran off. Even from our distance I could see it was leaving a heavy trail of blood behind it.

The cat was back up in the blink of an eye and heading for the first attacker. It had started sprinting toward the prey while the cat was tending to its partner. It could have saved itself the trouble since the cat was on it in two bounds and very nearly got a claw on its back. It ran away too and went back to join the others.

Raalto and I came up to them then while the hyenas were trying to decide what to try next. We got an even bigger shock when the cat looked at us. It settled to the ground as if taking a break and it began licking the blood off its massive paw, cleaning itself from the wound it had inflicted and paying no attention to its prey, Raalto, or I.

"What is it doing John? I know it can see us plainly and I'm sure it must have heard and smelled us coming long before this," Raalto said.

"It is licking its bloody paw Raalto and no, I don't have any idea why. You stay back with your rifle ready and I'll get down and see if I can help the woman," I said, since we could both tell easily now it was indeed a woman.

It dawned on me as I got down the horses were not afraid of the cat in the least. This was almost as shocking as its behavior. The hyenas were damned sure afraid of it, especially now.

When I reached the woman it wasn't hard to tell she was plenty scared. I could smell the results and looking closely it was obvious she had lost control of her bladder at least. When I reached to help her up she turned her face to me and stared in a wide-eyed panic.

After a few minutes I knew there was no sense trying to calm her here because it just wasn't going to work. I picked her up bodily and carried her back to the horses where Raalto was still keeping watch. Looking back I could see the cat was still keeping watch too, but he wasn't watching us, he was watching the hyenas.

"Is she hurt?" Raalto asked.

"She doesn't seem to be, she's just scared out of her senses. Try to hold her up while I rig the travois. I'm afraid we'll have to take her back on it."

He put an arm around her and coming to a little she wrapped both of hers around him. I went to Darla and started rigging the travois, thanking myself for thinking to bring it along. It only took a few minutes to get the poles attached and a skin stretched between them.

Raalto had been watching and he steered her my way when I'd finished. Together we were able to get her to lie down and then we covered her with her own furs, which she had tied to her pack.

We put her other things on with her and after giving the cat another look and wondering again just what the hell was going on, Raalto and I decided to leave while we could. We thought of killing the hyenas but decided it would be better to leave the cat with something to do. We could think about the rest of it when we were safer. Like sitting at the table in my cave.

We mounted up and headed back, but we spent a lot of time looking behind us all the way.

We arrived without further incident, but as soon as we called Eileiea for help there was plenty of incident. All my mates and all of Raalto's along with dozens of others were soon pouring out of the cave's entrance to see just what we had bagged and wanted cured all of a sudden.

"But John, this is a woman, is she hurt?" Eileiea asked.

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her the woman was just scared shitless, but I held it back. I didn't have time to tell her anything before one of the unmated women we'd brought from Caato's old camp began shouting.

"Shateala, oh Shateala, what has happened?" Naala nearly screamed it as she ran to the travois.

The dazed woman, who I now considered, Shateala, seemed to recognize Naala and when she did she began moaning and crying and I'll admit I didn't have the slightest idea what was going on.

Eileiea kept trying to ask Shateala if she was hurt or injured, but I could tell her nose was telling her the woman had at the very least been frightened badly. I decided I had to bring some order to this crowd when the others we'd saved from the ill-fated camp began coming up.

"Please, everyone, stay back. This woman needs some attention from the healer. Give Raalto and I room to take her into the cave."

It seemed to settle them down a little and most of them backed off. Raalto came and helped me get her out of the travois. Shateala still wasn't in any shape to help so Raalto and I took her between us and started into the cave with Eileiea right behinds us.

"Where should we take her?" Raalto asked, as soon as we were inside.

"Into the bedroom, I think Eileiea has all of her things in there."

"Yes, all my medicines are there, take her to the bedroom and put her on the side of the bed nearest the entrance to the bathroom. I'll need Dalia and Shelalliea to help me too," Eileiea said.

"Should I get Jalayla too?" I asked.

"No, I don't think so. The woman isn't wounded or hurt, she is just so frightened she has soiled herself. Jalayla is welcome if she wants to come in, but I don't think there are any wounds or anything I will need her help with," she said.

Dalia, Shelalliea, and Jalayla were right behind us though and they all followed us into the bedroom. As soon as Raalto had put Shateala onto the bed we were shown the door and I for one was glad to leave.

I knew the woman had been through a terrible fright, but the knowledge didn't make her smell any better and I was glad enough I wasn't going to be needed to clean her up.