Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
I struggle to sit up. It is dark here, the shadows protecting us from the sunlight above. I look up and see we are in a crevasse, the ground above us split open. A layer of ice must have covered it somehow and I broke through, plunging us down here. Snow is piled around us, and the cliff walls scale far above my head and Mah-dee’s. As I look up, I see a metlak peer over the edge.
Mah-dee sucks in a breath, touching my arm.
The creature hoots at us, then grabs a handful of snow and flings it in our direction. Others appear at its side, agitated. They skirt the edges of the crevasse, glaring down at us and screaming their anger, but none approach.
“I don’t think they can get to us,” Mah-dee says. She looks over at me, worry on her face. “Are you all right?”
I sit up, looking around for my spear. It is several arm lengths away, and I get to my feet slowly, testing my body. “My tail is bruised,” I say, rubbing it. “But I will live.”
She giggles.
I scowl at her. “What is so funny?”
“Just you…rubbing your ass while we’re stuck in a pit.”
“It is not a pit,” I tell her, glancing around, trying to determine what exactly it is. It is almost like the ground has an open wound and we have fallen into it. I am not entirely sure I like it.
“A canyon, then. We have them on Earth.”
I look up. “At least it has stopped the metlak.” They throw handfuls of snow down at us as if responding to my words, but do not move otherwise. They will not come down to us. I do not even know if they can. We are at least two body lengths below them, maybe more. I eye the rocky walls. I will need to climb them to get out and lower a rope to Mah-dee. But that is a problem for later. “We are safe for now.”
She shudders. “There is that. I guess we just stay down here until they leave.”
I glance around. The canyon is wide enough that several hunters could walk abreast, but a herd of dvisti would not make it through. As valleys go, it is extremely narrow. It winds in a zigzag, and I wonder where it goes. I grab my spear, rub my tail, and then pick up my fallen pack and sling it over my back. “Since we are down here, let us see where this goes.”
Mah-dee looks up, where the metlaks watch us from above. “Yeah, I guess we might as well.” She pulls her broken snowshoe off her foot, then the other one, and fixes her boots before hopping to her feet. “Snow’s not very deep here. That’s good.” She takes a few crunching steps forward and holds a hand out to me.
Her hand is cold, and I make sure to wrap my fingers tight around hers.
“We’re going to be okay, right?” Her voice is small.
Her worry makes my heart ache. She is normally so confident, so assured. She has kept me strong in many dark days. I must do the same for her. I turn and bring her hand to my mouth, pressing my lips to her knuckles. “I will not let anything harm you, Mah-dee.”
“I know. I just…I’m a little rattled.” She gives a nervous laugh and glances back at the still-watching metlaks. “Those things are creepy.”
“Stay close to me.”
“Not a problem.” She pulls her hand from mine and puts an arm around my waist. “I’d rub your sore butt for you, but I’d rather get away from the metlaks before we fool around.”
I grunt, not entirely sure how to take that. “Let us see where this takes us, then.”
14
HASSEN
We head into the narrow canyon. It is dark here, almost like walking through a long, winding cave if it were not for the narrow strip of sky above. I keep an eye on the walls of the canyon, in case there is a place where it is shallow enough that the metlaks can get to us. So far, though, the walls grow taller with every step further into the canyon we take. Soon, the walls are so tall that five males standing head to head would not be able to get to the surface…and I would not walk away from that fall with just a sore tail.
Mah-dee cocks her head as we walk, admiring our surroundings. “This place is kind of cool.”
A strange comment. “Of course it is cooler. We are in a valley. It will not be as warm as where the suns touch the snow.”
She laughs. “No, I mean, it’s nifty. Not cold. It reminds me of the Grand Canyon back at home, except like, it’s purple and blue instead of orange and red. Was this carved by a river?”