C. T. Suddeth

Something rammed into Oh-see-rah. Like a winged fowl, he flew through the air.

Lord of the Caves Part 2

            Oh-see-rah opened eyes. His head lay in a maiden’s lap, her soft hair brushing his face, her beauty making his heart race. “So lovely. I must be in the Summerlands.”

She giggled. “Not so. You yet dwell among the living.” Ee-shee-na’s musical voice.

“What happened?”

“You were so very brave. You shot the Terrible Thunderer right in the face.”

“Then how I am I yet alive?” Oh-see-rah’s jaw felt like the T-Rex had smashed it in. Blood droplets splattered his bare arm.

“It bellowed and whirled around. Then its tail whacked you on the head. I thought for sure you were dead.” She placed a compress over his right cheek. “Wet willow leaves will heal you.”

“Where are our offspring?”

“Hiding behind the Tiger. Come, brood of mine. Give brave Papa a hug.”

The four little ones scampered out from behind Tiger Rock and hugged him.

Then he glanced at the cave’s mouth. “One of the paling stakes busted. Oh-lae-yar, fetch me a spare,” he told his eldest son, who had already seen eight winters.

Oh-see-rah pounded the broken stake until it loosened. Then he dug it out of the packed dirt. Oh-lae-yar brought him the spare stake.

He tussled the boy’s fair, curly hair. “Thank you. Now be a look out for Terrible Thunderers.”

The boy squatted between two of the seven paling stakes.

“Keep your eyes high. They are taller than trees and may even block Lord Sun.”

Oh-lae-yar bent his neck back and gazed almost straight up.

Proud of his boy, he hated to spoil his Day Sleep, but the same T-Rex might return. He cupped his hands behind his ears. “Now listen for it tramping through the woods, smashing small trees and any creature foolish enough to get in its way. Listen for the roar it makes as it attacks. Its rumble of fury and death.”

Oh-lay-yar cupped his hands behind his ears, even though the nearby woods were silent save for the occasional cry of winged creatures.

Oh-see-rah stopped working the new stake into the narrow hole and knelt beside his boy. “What do you do if you spy a Terrible Thunderer?”

Oh-lae-yar shrugged.

“What if you hear him, and he’s so close your tummy tickles?”

The boy’s eyes grew wide as he shook his head.

“Run!” He picked the boy up and tossed him over his shoulder. “Run tell Tiger Rock all about it.”

He lowered him to the ground, and the lad giggled.

Oh-see-ra set the stake in and packed clay around it. “Let’s get some sleep,” he called out.

Ee-shee-na herded the little ones to their sleeping furs and joined Oh-see-rah under their cave bear fur. Tired and sore, he fell fast asleep.

#

Oh-see-rah woke and listened. Ee-shee-na snored beside him. The fire though weak still had occasional tongues of fire leaping out as if hunting a meal. The hickory smoke tickled his nose, but that was expected. Sunlight still stole into the cave. Why am I awake?

Roar!

ROOOAAAR!

TO BE CONTINUED Copyright 2021 Charles Suddeth