Chapter 7

- Bronwen -

"Is nice," Noker rumbles.

I stroke my finger along it. It's smooth and warm, held rigid by hard ribs, like an umbrella. It reminds me of the tiny webbing between my own thumbs and forefingers. "Is very nice. Shows Noker is strong."

I notice that something else is going so rigid it's poking me in the stomach. As I drop my hand, I let it slide past his crotch, just because I want to. His loincloth is stretched tight by the tentpole under it.

He gets the implication, and his hand strokes lightly along my chest, too, lightly touching the right places. "You look incredible tonight."

"It's called 'makeup'. You like?"

"I like makep. But you already looked incredible before, so I don't know if I like it more." He drops his hand to rest it lightly on my hip.

"There really are not women on Xren? Because seems like I not the first you meet."

He grins. "There are women on Xren now. It feels that just a few of them can make a lot of difference."

I reach one hand up. "Can you come down?"

He bends down until I can hook my arm around his neck. "I can."

I look into his yellow dinosaur eyes. They're as clear as crystal and it feels like they see right through me, making my heart race. Standing on tiptoe, I add my other arm around his neck, pull him further down, and place a little kiss at his mouth, just a little brush. His warmth feels like burning against my bare skin, his scent making me dizzy. My lips open by themselves, and the breath hitches in my throat.

Noker puts one warm hand at the back of my head, stroking the hair and keeping me in place while he kisses me back, his alien lips surprisingly soft. And there's the tingle of his touch again. Or is it just warmth?

He uses a little bit of tongue this time, textured and longer than that of any Earth man.

I'm just getting into it when he disengages. "We're being watched."

I turn to see a group of both young men and boys standing around the corner of a hut. They duck back and hide when they see me spot them, laughing and hissing at each other. I feel a flash of annoyance, but then choose to let it ride. "It is their village."

"So they should give their guests a chance to be alone without being spied on," Noker growls, more annoyed than me.

"They only boys," I point out, letting go of his neck. "And I hear the boys in your clan also look at women."

A small smile cracks his stern face. "Piper must have told you. And it isn't wrong."

Sending him a coy smile, I sashay away. "Good night, Noker. Tomorrow we see the shaman, yes?"

"Yes," he rasps, eyes following me and his jaw looking loose. "The shaman."

"And then you must see my cave." I give him a flirty little wave and join my friends at the table, feeling a little flustered.

"Astrid called it a night," Alba says and looks over at the stairs. "Probably a good idea."

Piper hides a yawn with one hand. "Sorry. It's not the company. It's the time of night. You're hitting it off with Noker, looks like."

I give an innocent shrug. "He helped me not poison myself, and then he killed a dactyl with one thrust of his spear. So yeah, things tend to happen around him."

"How you feeling? That was a big dactyl."

I take a second to find my emotions. "It happened so fast that I barely had time to get scared. It was really over before it started. So I'm feeling pretty good, actually. Noker took down that freaking monster, and it was… exhilarating. Hey, do any of you know how electric eels work?"

Alba and Piper exchange glances. They must think I'm losing my mind.

"Not really," Alba says slowly. "They can shock you if you touch them? That's all I know."

I smile. "Just asking. Maybe they have something like that here on Xren, too."

"They have all kinds of craziness here." Piper snorts. "Their eels must be ten yards long and make enough electricity to power a lightbulb factory. You know, Noker and Sprisk are pretty much keeping the Foundling camp alive on their own while Brak's been busy. Very responsible guy, Noker."

"He looks strong as fuck," Alba says. "Those legs are something else. He would be an incredible speed skater. And I'm sure those knees never tremble, whatever use he puts them to." She raises her eyebrows suggestively.

"You two just want another wedding so there will be a party," I tease. "But that's not happening. We're being perfectly proper. Well, mostly proper. He gave me that booze of yours, Piper, and I can't be responsible for what I did after that. But don't believe a word you hear about it. Tomorrow we're going to see the shaman. Not about getting married! It's only about the wall paintings."

"You're the one talking about marriage all of a sudden," Alba laughs. "We didn't mention it."

"But you were about to," I counter, being giddy with both frit and the events of the day. "Telling me how great Noker is. Sure, he's fine. But he's a caveman alien. I don't have that much in common with him."

"I didn't think I had much in common with Brak," Piper quips. "And still it works really well with us. Bryar and Korr'ax, too."

I consider drinking more frit, then change my mind. "I didn't mean it like that. I know you and Brak are super happy. All right, it's been a long day. You girls don't happen to know what that penk game is, do you?"

"I do," Alba says. "I asked them. Two guys walk on a slack rope across a deep canyon. They meet in the middle and swat each other with rolled-up sheets of leather until one of them falls to his death. The other is the winner, but to preserve his honor he also has to jump. They both die."

I feel blood draining from my face. "They both die? You mean… it's…"

Piper's jaw hangs open. "Seriously?!"

Alba grins. "No, not seriously. I didn't actually ask."

I slap her shoulder, relieved. "You're terrible! You really had me going!"

"It is something these guys might come up with," Piper agrees. "But even they aren't that crazy."

"Sorry," Alba says and glares at the mug in her hand. "That was a bad joke. I blame the frit. Stop it, frit! It's not funny!" She shakes the mug sternly.

"It's cool," I assure her. "Now, whatever the game turns out to be, we'll be relieved if as much as one of them survives."

"It might be fun to watch," Piper says. "And whatever happens, it could be a good chance for the Foundlings to show that they're just as good with their weapons as the tribesmen."

We talk for a while before we climb the stairs to our caves. The party isn't showing any signs of ending, but the drumming has slowed and most of the cavemen are sitting down. Noker is chatting with Brak and some Borok men, his head fan a calm blue.

My own cave is one of the smaller ones that have been dug into the Mount, but it's high enough up that the air is fresh and the view is pretty nice in the daytime. And it can be secured by pulling up the rope ladder, so nobody can surprise me at night. For extra safety, all we tunnel girls have been given a small knife to defend ourselves.

I curl up on the furs and close my eyes. The taste of the poisonous plant is gone, and being thrown over Noker's shoulder and carried through the woods is a stronger memory than the dactyl attacking. The one event from today that I linger on is the shower. There is something special about his touch, something so noticeable that it got me thinking of electric eels, despite never having seen one. But it has to be something like that.

I try to push those thoughts away and think of something else, but Noker fills my mind with his presence. Well, I did spend all day with him, so it's not that weird. Kissing him was just because of the frit I had. It doesn't mean I'm interested in him as anything other than a friend. I have to make a life here in the village, and he was just the first caveman I talked to for more than thirty seconds. That's all.

- - -

Noker is sitting at the table by the totem wall when I walk down the stairs the next morning.

"Greetings," he says when he sees me, head fan mostly blue and green. He puts down a bone he's been gnawing on. "The food is good in this village."

"It is." I sit down and eat a piece of fruit, but I was never that hungry in the mornings. "Do you think the shaman is awake?"

Noker gets up and stretches, making every muscle in his body stand out. Any bodybuilder on Earth would have fainted from envy. "I don't think he sleeps much anymore."

I get up too. "Because he's afraid he'll die in his sleep?"

Noker grins. "Because he's old. He's not afraid of dying, our dear Melr'ax."

We walk over to the shamans hut.

Noker goes up to the door. "Shaman Melr'ax, it's Bronwen and Noker. We would like to speak with you."

There's movement inside the hut, and after a minute or so the door opens and an old, skinny caveman squints out against the daylight. He's wearing a kilt-like thing like the Borok men, along with a sword and belt. "Clansbrother Noker? Really? Come in, my dear boy. And your friend as well. Bronwen, yes? I have seen you in the village sometimes."

"Thank you." The caveman language is easy to understand with a bit of practice, but harder to speak. The grammar is simple, but learning the words takes time because they are completely different from English. Still, we tunnel girls practice a good deal, and Piper and Bryar help us with that. Now, I understand most things that are said.

We enter the hut, which is roomier than my cave in the Mount. The ceiling is high above us, and the walls are mostly bare. There's an altar and several items that must have to do with the shaman's duties, as well as simple furniture and a big bed filled with furs. It smells of herbs and freshly cut wood.

Despite the tropical temperatures outside, a fire roars in the middle of the room, making the hut as hot as a sauna. A big pile of firewood is stacked next to it.

Shaman Melr'ax sits down heavily in a chair and wraps a thick dinosaur skin around him. "Do sit down, dear guests. I'm happy that you have finally come to the Borok village, Noker. Perhaps you can carry me home to the camp. I miss the boys and my platform."

Noker gives me a quick glance with his yellow eyes. "Brak says that the Borok tribe needs you, brother Melr'ax. And now that the clan is moving the camp, it's better if you stay here, where the clansbrothers won't bother you with their work. You know how clumsy they can be."

The old man cackles. "What Noker is really saying, tribeswoman Bronwen, is that I will never again see the Foundling camp. I'm too old and sick to leave this village, except in the form of smoke from my pyre. I even chose to miss the party last night. It was too cold out for me. But I enjoyed the sounds of the drums and the happy voices. Very well, Noker. I won't bother you with that again. But I do really miss the boys, and I wish they would come here to see me."

"The clansbrothers are still unsure about the tribers," Noker says carefully. "Some wonder how welcome Foundlings really are here. Perhaps we shouldn't bring our most vulnerable brothers to the village for now."

The shaman pulls the skin tighter around him. "Brak has certainly been made welcome enough. But I agree that we should be cautious. While Chief Korr'ax is a remarkable man, he may not speak for all his tribesmen when he says that the Foundlings are under the tribe's protection and must be considered friends. I suppose we shall see. The game of penk that I hear is being prepared for you will certainly help in getting to know them. It's wonderful to see you in my hut, Bronwen! I wish you also would come to visit sometimes, despite me not being nearly as strong and handsome as young Noker. How can I help?"

His words make me a little flustered. Is it that obvious that I like looking at Noker? "I find totem wall," I begin, having rehearsed. "On other side of the Mount. Outside village. Not is real totem wall, but is paintings."

The shaman nods. "You've found wall paintings on the Mount, outside the village. Have they not been seen before?"

I draw breath to answer, then realize that I don't know the words I need. I look at Noker, and he gets it.

"The skarp dug away dirt that covered the paintings," he rumbles with his gravelly voice. "It laid bare a spot of white rock, like the totem wall. I think nobody has seen those paintings for a long time. Perhaps before the village was here."

"What do they look like?" Melr'ax creaks, an interested glint in his old eyes.

"They are not like the totem wall," Noker says and describes the things we saw.

The shaman's eyes wander towards the altar. "Bronwen, please hand me those scrolls that the former shaman kindly left when he… departed."

I get up and spot three huge rolls of thick dinosaur skin on the shelf above the altar, illuminated by the flickering light from the fire. Sweat is already dripping down my forehead as I hand them to the shaman.

"Thank you. Let's see what the old shaman has left for us… not this. Or this." He drops two scrolls to the ground and unrolls the third. "Mmm. Yes. Do you see anything here like those paintings?" He turns it around and shows it to us.

The scroll is several yards long, and Noker takes hold of the loose end to unroll it completely. There are dozens of symbols, circles, and strangely geometric figures that seem out of place on planet Xren. And one more thing that's either a joke or decoration, but it's not something I saw on the wall.

"That is same as wall," I state and point to the figures.

The shaman sinks back in his chair. "The same? Are you sure?"

"That's the one," Noker agrees, pointing with a big finger. "And this one. And this. These circles."

"Do you know what that is?" the shaman creaks as he taps the thick scroll with one wrinkly finger.

"I don't," Noker says. "It looks like a Big, but not one I've ever seen."

"It's not a Big," Melr'ax sighs. "It's an agent of the Darkness. Our arch enemy."

The drawing is bright red and pretty detailed, with claws and spikes depicted well. It could be a dinosaur, like a mix of a dactyl and a raptor. But to me, it looks like something different.

"On Earth," I pipe up, "we call it ‘dragon'."

They both look at me. "Dragon?"

"It is word we use. Not is a real Big! Is…" I don't know the words for fictional or myth. "Is not real."

"The Darkness is real enough," the shaman says. "Those figures show the arrival of an agent of Darkness to Xren. A dragon, if you will. This is Yrf, our moon. This circle here is Xren. These other symbols have meaning to us shamans, and they are hard to understand. And that," he taps the dragon figure again, is the Darkness. It is here somewhere, come from Yrf. And it must be nearby, or the wall painting would make no sense."

"A dragon nearby?" Noker asks. "I've never seen one."

"Chances are that it is hiding under the Mount." Melr'ax sighs. "The wall painting may have been put there by a previous tribesman to show where it is. These symbols seem to mean something like that. They are a prophecy, telling us about things that may happen."

"But the previous shaman had scroll," I point out. "He must known about it."

"All shamans have these scrolls with the same symbols," Melr'ax says. "We're always looking for those paintings when we go to a new place. I've never heard of one being found until now. Perhaps you should show it to me."

I meet Noker's gaze for a short moment. The shaman is so obviously fragile that even walking the short distance outside the walls might tire him out really fast.

"Perhaps is better if you stay here and think," I carefully suggest. "Noker and I bring anything you need."

"Ah," the old man brays. "You think it would shorten my life even more if I were to leave this hut and go outside the wall. I don't think I'm that sick, Bronwen. But you don't need much more from me. Until the ceremony, of course. I shall try to stay alive until then. The tribe has still to find an apprentice I can teach these things to, but I fear time is running out."

"Teach Astrid," I say on a sudden impulse. "She need thing to do. Important thing."

The two cavemen go quiet. I guess the idea of an alien woman shaman is a little ahead of its time on Xren.

"I don't think…" Noker begins, frowning.

Melr'ax cuts him off with a dry cackle. "Oh, that is delightful! Of course! A female shaman for the Borok tribe! Oh sweet Ancestors, the uproar and mystification it will cause! Yes, send me Astrid, Bronwen! Send her here, and I shall teach the alien all the ancient mysteries and holy secrets! Oh Noker, take great care of this one! She has the mind of a wily irox!"

He's still laughing when we leave the hut and close the thin door behind us.

"That was interesting," Noker ponders. "A dragon may be near."

I glance over at the Mount, not thrilled about there being some kind of monster hiding under it. "What is ceremony he was talking about?"