C. T. Suddeth

Lord of the Caves Part 26

Jaws opened impossibly wide, the alligator shot towards Oh-see-rah. Dropping his fishing line, he fled. Aimed right at him, the alligator’s enormous body blotted out the moon, making Oh-see-rah even blinder, making him move all the faster.

The others were yelling something, but Oh-see-rah couldn’t understand them as he waited for the alligator to slash his back open.

He barged into a blackberry bramble, countless thorns ripping his flesh, but he kept moving, desperate to evade those huge jaws and knife-like teeth. Where was the alligator? He glanced back—it had stopped, likely unwilling to rip into the thorns.

“Over here,” whispered Hah-nah-pah.

“Are you alone?” Oh-see-rah wished it wasn’t so very dark.

“We’re all here, waiting for you,” Hah-nah-pah replied.

Oh-see-rah went through a maze of bambles and joined him. They hurried off, the others joining them.

Oh-see-rah thought of the whisker fish. “Did anyone get the fish?”

Hoh-koh-rah chuckled. “We were too frightened to think of fish.”

Oh-see-rah sighed. “Now we have nothing for the morning meal.”

Hoh-koh-rah pointed left. “A bog over this ways has a good stand of cattails.”

“Why not? Better than starving.” Oh-see-rah veered left, the others keeping up with him.

Just in case something was lurking in the shadows, they scouted around the bog. Nothing.

“Go ahead,” said Oh-see-rah as he got his knife out.

WHOOOOOAN came from behind him.

He started and turned around. The alligator was racing toward him.

“Run,” yelled Oh-see-rah as he tapped one of the men on the shoulder.

The entire group bolted from the bog, the alligator scrambling after them. After a while, they could no longer see or hear the alligator.

Oh-see-rah slowed to a walk. “Halt. Did anyone gather cattails?”

Hah-nah-pah joined him. “No. But I’m tired of cattails.”

“We lost the alligator, so I suggest we stop at a blackberry patch and pick blackberries,” Oh-koh-rah said.

“Unless you picked blackberries in your brambles.” Hah-nah-pah laughed.

“No, I didn’t.” Oh-see-rah asked, “Does anyone know of a blackberry patch nearby?”

One of the new men raised his hand.

“Lead on,” said Oh-see-rah.

A short time later, the same man, said, “Look to your right at the cliff.”

“Hah-nah-pah, check for the alligator,” Oh-see-ra said as he led them to the blackberry vines.

Hah-nah-pah trotted off, soon returning. “No alligator. But we’re too far from water. And alligators don’t run far.”

Everyone started gathering blackberries. Oh-see-rah had made a meal off blackberries many a day, so the night was not a total waste of time.

WHOOOOOAN! Came from behind him.

“Run!” he yelled.

By then everyone had already fled, no one stopped running till they reached the cave’s welcome mouth.

As ordered by him, the two guards were on duty.

As Oh-see-rah passed the guards, he said, “An alligator chased us away from the blackberry patch. Watch out.”

Oh-se-rah and his men stopped just passed the paling stakes. Everyone was watching.

“Giant alligator,” he told them. “I think we lost it.”

Oo-tah-nah came to him. “Little Lol-non got out.”

“Why?”

“To follow you,” she replied. “He never came back.”

Out of the cave with the alligator on the prowl? Oh-see-rah grabbed a torch and a spear thrower.

TO BE CONTINUED

Copyright 2021 Charles Suddeth