Lord of the Caves Part 5
The doe held still, her eyes fixed on him, yet she made no attempt to attack. She could eat him with one bite—perhaps she had eaten her fill. His bare belly rubbing against the barbed grass, he lay still, not daring to breathe. Ever so slowly, he crawled backwards, still on his belly, one or both eyes fixed on her.
She just stood a few paces away, unmoving as if she were terrified of him, a puny man the size of a T-Rex hatchling. If ever he made it back to his cave in one piece, he would offer up thanks and a smudge to Lord Sky and Lady Earth.
Then it dawned him—on his back was a spear thrower and two spears. She spotted them. Fire was no doubt a strange and frightening thing to her. She expected fire to spout from the spear thrower. Oh-see-rah grinned. Good.
Ever so slowly, he reached for the spear thrower and a spear as he wriggled backwards through the grass. When he was far away enough that the doe couldn’t reach him without moving forward, he fitted the spear onto the thrower. If she chose to leap, she could land on top of him in the twinkling of an eye. So be it.
He rose to his knees. Though she stared at him as if he were her next meal, she moved not a muscle. He gulped, a knot forming in his throat. She could still lunge and swallow him—he would throw his spear, but it would only annoy her and not even slow her down.
Kneeling, he took a deep breath and rose, spear thrower ready. Staring at him, she held still, even her short front legs dangling and waving in the evening breeze like tree limbs, the setting sun glinting off her green feathers. Her mouth was closed tightly—she was terrified of his flaming spear. Good—maybe he would live long enough to reach the cave’s safe harbor.
He took a step back. Watched her as she held as still as rock. Listening to the rustling of the trees in the gentle breeze, he took another step back. A few more steps, and he would leap for the cave’s mouth. Kiss his family, hug them, cry for joy.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement—the buck had returned and no doubt was ready to crush, kill, and eat him alive. Oh-shee-rah turned and ran, his legs pumping faster than he thought possible.
ROOOAAAR!
The buck raced toward him. He could hear trees crushing beneath the mighty T-Rex feet, the ground bursting and breaking apart from the weight. A T-Rex could run faster than a winged creature could fly.
The ground beneath Oh-see-rah’s feet quaked as the rumble of the buck’s pounding feet filled the air. Its fetid sour stench gagging Oh-see-rah, making him want to retch.
ROOOAAAR!
If he was going to die, he’d go down fighting, not running like a frightened cave mouse. He turned around and aimed for the buck’s good eye.
ROOOAAAR!
The buck wiggled his short arms in rage as drool leaked out of his no doubt burned mouth. His teeth were as long as a man’s arm and sharper than an obsidian blade. Its deep red tongue stuck out as if trying to taste Oh-see-rah.
Oh-see-rah aimed, waiting a moment for it to get in range of his spear thrower. Even if he hit the beast’s eye, Oh-see-rah would surely die, crushed underfoot or bitten in two or swallowed alive. Old Man Death, come and get me!
ROOOAAAR!
The good green eye stared at him, rage and hatred seemingly filling the air. Oh-see-rah pulled his arm back and aimed his spear. His last thought was of Ee-shee-nah’s sweet face.
TO BE CONTINUED
Copyright 2021 Charles Suddeth
C. T. Suddeth 
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