The Trek

Jack Knapp

Book II, the Darwin’s World Series

The Trek

An Epic of Survival

By Jack L Knapp

COPYRIGHT

The Trek: Darwin's World, Book II

Cover photos by Big Stock Photo

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork herein is prohibited.

Disclaimer: The persons and events depicted in this novel were created by the author’s imagination; no resemblance to actual persons or events is intended.

Product names, brands, and other trademarks referred to within this book are the property of the respective trademark holders. Unless otherwise specified, no association between the author and any trademark holder is expressed or implied. Nor does the use of such trademarks indicate an endorsement of the products, trademarks, or trademark holders unless so stated. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark, registered trademark, or service mark.

To Warren

For all the help

Table of Contents

COPYRIGHT 2

Preface 6

Prologue 8

Chapter One 11

Chapter Two 16

Chapter Three 22

Chapter Four 26

Chapter Five 31

Chapter Six 37

Chapter Seven 43

Chapter Eight 48

Chapter Nine 52

Chapter Ten 56

Chapter Eleven 62

Chapter Twelve 67

Chapter Thirteen 72

Chapter Fourteen 77

Chapter Fifteen 83

Chapter Sixteen 87

Chapter Seventeen 92

Chapter Eighteen 97

Chapter Nineteen 103

Chapter Twenty 109

Chapter Twenty-One 115

Chapter Twenty-Two 120

Chapter Twenty-Three 125

Chapter Twenty-Four 129

Chapter Twenty-Five 134

Chapter Twenty-Six 139

Chapter Twenty-Seven 144

Chapter Twenty-Eight 148

Chapter Twenty-Nine 153

Chapter Thirty 158

Chapter Thirty-One 163

Chapter Thirty-Two 168

Chapter Thirty-Three 173

Chapter Thirty-Four 177

Chapter Thirty-Five 182

Chapter Thirty-Six 186

Chapter Thirty-Seven 192

Chapter Thirty-Eight 197

Chapter Thirty-Nine 201

Chapter One 206

Chapter Two 210

Books by the Author: 215

About the Author: 216

Preface

This is book two of a series, Darwin’s World, Darwin's World II: The Trek, Darwin's World III: Home, Darwin's World IV: The Return, and Darwin's World V: Defending Eden. Darwin’s World introduces a number of concepts and characters. The downtimers are from the future, perhaps the 22nd Century or even later. There may be one group of them or there may be several different groups, and it’s not certain that they are working together. Some of the Futurists may have motives that differ from those of the others.

Human civilization of the future is dying. Science has advanced until there are no worlds left to explore or conquer. Human life spans have been extended indefinitely. Disease and planned cell death have been eradicated.

But this is no utopia. People have become bored. Lacking challenge, life has lost its meaning. Few children are being born. The population is shrinking not because of natural death but from boredom. Simply put, people become tired of living and end their life. A few Futurists are visionary enough to understand that something has been lost from the human character. They hope to use technology to reintroduce what’s been lost and save their civilization, their species, from extinction.

Crossing into parallel dimensions is a technology that has been known for some time. There are many dimensions, but all contain versions of Planet Earth. As well as crossing dimensional lines, the technology also allows a form of travel in time. The Futurists can visit the parallel Earths of the past, but not the future.

One of the parallel timelines contains a version of Earth in which humans did not survive. Proto-humans in Asia died out before they could spread into Africa and begin the long evolutionary path that resulted in Cro-Magnon man.

The Earth of this dimension has been selected for an experiment. It consists of harvesting humans from the past for transplanting to this parallel Earth. In order not to affect downtime history, only persons in the final stages of life are harvested. They are plucked from death’s door in the final moments of life, then treated using modern medical science. A number of changes are made at the genetic level and the bodies are ‘reconstituted’ as healthy twenty-year-old specimens. They retain their memories and skills as well as a suite of implanted memories that will help them to survive after transplanting.

The transplants receive a young, healthy body, but little else. Women are transplanted in groups of three and given shelter and a crossbow to better fit them for survival; men are transplanted singly with no one to rely on but themselves. They have a knife and camp-axe, slightly larger than a hatchet but smaller than a woodsman’s axe. Those, and the clothing they wear, are the only advantages they have when they arrive, and they will receive no further assistance from the Futurists. Their memories and implanted knowledge may eventually be of help, but the first task is to survive as best they can. The experimental subjects are made aware of what has happened to them, and they understand that they are responsible for their own survival. The Futurists hope the descendants of such transplants will have a highly-developed survival instinct, as well as the curiosity and ambition that mankind has lost.

This is ultimate freedom; live or die, succeed or fail.

The transplanted persons are placed into a time that corresponds to the late Pleistocene of Earth Prime, the world inhabited by the Futurists. Transplants take place at selected spots around the planet, all within a zone lying between the 45th degrees of north and south latitudes. The climate is temperate for the time, and transplants occur in late spring or early summer in order to give the transplants an opportunity to prepare for the coming winter.

The late Pleistocene on Darwin’s World resembles that of the Futurists’ Earth Prime, in that the ice sheets have retreated. Glaciers still exist to the north, so temperatures tend to be cooler. Animals are plentiful and many are huge; mammoth, mastodon, giant ground sloth, and stag-moose are representative. Smaller animals similar to those existing downtime also flourish.

There are predators too, and some of them have evolved to prey primarily on the megafauna: saber-toothed cats, giant short-faced bears, and dire wolves. There are also 'ordinary' predators such as lions, wolves, and cougars. None are familiar with humans, and all consider them just another species of prey.

It is a harsh world, but humans had lived and flourished in such conditions 'uptime' (an arbitrary term) on the Earth of the Futurists. What nature had failed to give them they provided for themselves. Armed principally with determination, those early humans had the ability to use stone, bone, and antler to fashion tools and weapons. Blades of flaked stone substituted for claws and teeth, and like wolves and lions, they organized and hunted in packs using numbers and organization to substitute for the speed and strength they lacked.

Individuals joined tribes, tribes grew and populations spread. Humans soon lived in the Americas, Eurasia, Africa, and Australia of that time, as well as on a number of islands. Emulating nature, those are the locations selected by the Futurists for transplanting. Transplants are soon distributed across Darwin’s World.

They adapt, they learn, and some survive. Their descendants will become transplants into the overly-evolved world of the Futurists. They will be selected, extracted, educated, then released in the hope that they can revive a dying civilization. Such is the plan.

Some transplants failed, and the transplanted people died. Knowledge is often not enough; skill is also needed, and that is gained through experience. Experience grows, but learning comes from mistakes survived, and determination plays a part. An element of luck also enters the mix; life or death often happens by simple chance.

There are no laws on Darwin’s World, other than what people make for themselves. There is no civilization, no culture. If those things are to exist, the transplants must invent them. When children are born, the transplants must protect and educate them. They must choose from their memories which elements of downtime society they wish to retain and which they will discard.

They have among themselves the knowledge of history, written by humans who came before. They know of the great cultures of downtime Earth…but how many of these are useful in a world that’s savage beyond anything known to humans of historic time?

Some of the predators on Darwin’s World are human.

Prologue

Pavel was waiting near the front of the column when Lee approached.

“Pavel, I want you guarding the left flank when we move out. Get food from the kitchen and move ahead where you can watch as we leave camp. Stay off to the left, keep a watch for danger and if you see tracks, let me know. We can send out hunting parties as soon as it looks worthwhile.”

“Do it yourself, kid. I’m busy with my group this morning, and later on I plan on looking in on the group you’ve been with. I won’t have time to wander around in the woods because you think it’s a good idea.” Robert had come up while this was going on. He watched, waiting to see how Lee would handle this.

“Pavel, you were told before," Lee said. "Do what you’re told, work for the group, or take your stuff and hit the trail. Go anywhere except where we are. That’s still the only offer you’ve got; you’re flank guard or you’re out. We’ll leave without you.”

“Suppose we just keep up with the rest of you," Pavel argued. "We’ve been doing that and we can keep on doing it!”

“Not you, Pavel," Lee said, and his voice had changed. "You’ve been a little slow to understand, so I’ll lay it out in a way that even you can’t mistake. We’ll go on, you won’t. If that means we leave you dead alongside the trail, so be it.” While speaking, Lee had unslung the heavy spear that always hung across his back. The long, sharp blade now pointed directly at Pavel’s eyes from less than a foot away.

He turned pale and took a step back. “You would kill me because I won’t pull your guard duty?”

“No," Lee grated. "I’ll kill you because you’re eating our food and not doing your share of the work!”

Robert interrupted long enough to ask, “Pavel, does this mean you’re leaving?”

“No, Robert! I’ll do the guard if that’s what you want, but this kid has no right to be giving orders! I’ve been part of this tribe for a long time. Why is he giving commands?”

“He commands because I trust his judgment, Pavel. Matt and I delegated that authority to him. It’s his until I decide it should go to someone better qualified. I don’t know anyone better qualified.” Robert looked squarely at Pavel, who simply turned and walked away.

***

Robert got the family groups moving. Travel would be slower; everything now moved by travois and backpack.

He missed Matt. It was not easily explained, but the man had exuded confidence. You simply knew that whatever came up, Matt would deal with it. It was hard to believe he was dead. Briefly, Robert wondered how Gregor and Vlad had found Matt and Pavel. Coincidence? They were all traveling in the same direction, after all, so it was possible.

Pavel came into camp late that afternoon and decided to look in on the women that had been part of Matt’s group. They now cooked for themselves rather than sharing the communal kitchen. Did they have treats hidden away?

“Pavel, you should be over at the kitchen," Lilia said, her voice cold. "They’ll be shutting down soon and if you don’t eat now, you won’t get anything before morning."

“I came over to get to know you ladies better," Pavel replied. "We need to work together now, right? So I thought I’d have my dinner with you. What are you making?”

“Just enough for ourselves," Lilia said. "We're family, you're not. We’ll be cooking for ourselves and taking our meals with family members only.”

“Still, there are four of you women," Pavel argued. "You’ll need men around to help you.” He felt a sudden coldness beside his ear and reached up absently to brush it away. A bit of snow, perhaps…but his fingers froze when he felt the sharp tip.

“I wouldn’t turn my head just now if I were you," Lilia said. "Sandra’s pretty good with that spear. And if she’s not, you might spare a glance for Millie.” Pavel turned his eyes aside to where Millie stood relaxed, spear across her body but ready to be used with no wasted effort.

“I’ll go, I’ll go!" he said. "There’s no need for threats! I was just trying to be helpful, like.”

“We don’t want your help. You might remember that, because next time the lesson will be more pointed. The kitchen is right over there,” Lilia pointed. Her expression might have been amused.

After they finished the meal, she spoke to Lee. “I’m not satisfied with Pavel’s story. Matt slipped, but somehow lost his parka and weapons? What happened to his bow? He also had a backpack and a quiver of arrows. What happened to those? How could Matt lose his parka while he was wearing a belt and quiver strap over it? If he had taken them off, there was no reason Pavel shouldn’t have brought them back. And why were Gregor and Vlad even there? They should have been a mile or two away across the river.

"Their story is just too pat. I think they ambushed Matt and killed him. I'm going to backtrack Pavel. The three of them have about as much regard for hiding a trail as a mammoth! Maybe they left evidence, maybe even his body. I’ll look around for a while, but eventually I’ll come back and catch up. I don’t’ like the thought of him just lying alongside the river and no one to even look for his body.

"Explain what I'm doing to Robert, but not until tomorrow. I don't have time to argue with him and I don't want Pavel to know. I’m leaving tonight after dark and I'll be back in about a week.”

***

The cold woke him. He was lying on a sandbar where he’d been left behind as the water receded. He was wet, shivering, and his right eye was glued shut. He pawed at it, trying to open the eyelid, then washed his face and in the process found a large bump over his eye. Where had that come from?

Washing removed the crusted blood and he got the eye open. Blearily, he closed it again for a moment; opening it, he saw two images of the small tree that leaned over the bank. He closed the eye again and felt better. He had a severe headache and the lump was sore, but at least it wasn’t bleeding.

Muddy, shivering, he crawled off the sand into a pile of grass. Blown flat during the winter, left ashore when the river’s spring flood receded, it slowly decayed on the river’s bank. He crawled into the drift and pulled the grass around him.

He needed fire, but that would have to wait until he could see better. He had lost his parka, but the grasses would help. He pulled handfuls and stuffed them inside his shirt. They prickled, but he added more and presently the shivering abated.

He found the small pouch of materials at his waist and opened it. There was a roll of string, a small flint knife, and a scrap of steel. The tinder was wet, useless, but he could find more.

He pulled more grass and made a pile of it. Judging finally that he had enough, he pulled off his wet clothes and wrung them out as best he could. Naked, he crawled into the grass and burrowed in until he began to feel warmer. He was hungry, cold, and exhausted, but no longer shivering. It took only moments for him to fall asleep.

A man stood before him in his dream and said, “Your name is Matt.”

Chapter One

Sleeping sites had been arranged in two parallel rows on each side of the row of sleds. The kitchen, now deserted, had been set up in the middle between the rows. Families with children occupied the sites immediately before and after the kitchen. Others had taken sites close to friends.

There had been little socializing this evening. Pavel’s news of Matt's death had spread quickly and the tribe had discussed it briefly among themselves. After that, conversation lagged and everyone bedded down early. Friends died, the rest had to move on with their lives. There was a lot of work to be done tomorrow and they would need to be rested.

Lilia walked slowly through the camp and waited at the edge of camp for the sentries to pass. They circled the small camp every half hour or so and she didn’t want to attract attention. Lee and the others from her camp already knew she was going and the rest would find out soon enough. She intended to be well on her way before that happened.

Most of the snow had melted. The ground was slippery where the sleds had passed so she moved away from the tracks, remaining close to the trail but not walking on the disturbed ground. Even so, the ground beside the tracks was also muddy and she slipped a number of times. Finally, she gave up and picked a tree to climb. She would spend the night in the tree and go on in the morning.

It was unlikely that anyone would miss her immediately. Robert might ask, but since she routinely made the rounds from camp to guards to kitchen to help as needed, it would probably take some time before he noticed. In any case, the rest of the tribe would be occupied packing and moving on. There would be travois to build and no one would have time to look for her.

She unstrung her bow, slung it across her back with the quiver, and climbed the tree where she would spend the night. A large branch projected from the trunk some twenty feet up, and there were limbs extending from the branch that would provide a place for her to lie back in relative comfort. Before settling down, she attached a safety rope loosely around her body before tying it to the main branch.

She was wrapped in her parka against the chill and had pulled up the hood to cover her head. Her bow and quiver lay beside her across two of the limbs and the small pack she’d been carrying cushioned her head. If the tree wasn’t as comfortable as her sleeping furs back at camp, well…she’d slept in more uncomfortable places. She ate a piece of jerky on a slice of bread and drank from her water gourd before falling asleep.

She woke up once during the night. Something moved through the forest below; the animals were moving back north. She thought it was a deer, but it might have been something else. She had nothing to fear from it, whatever it was, and she was soon asleep again.

***

Matt woke up thirsty and sore. The sky was clear and the sun was well up. He had no idea how long he’d slept, but the sleep had helped him recover from the injury and near-drowning.

He crawled out of the pile of drifted grasses he’d slept in and continued the few yards down to the river. The water level had gone down considerably. The bank remained muddy and he slipped near the water’s edge, saving himself from a dunking only with difficulty. Had he walked instead of crawling, he would almost certainly have fallen into the water! He drank, waited a moment, and drank again. The water was muddy, but he washed his face and immediately felt better.

He was shaky, but able to stand by holding onto a tree. Waiting until he felt secure, he took a few experimental steps before examining his surroundings. Both eyes were now clear and fortunately, he was no longer seeing double. Reflexively, he rubbed at the barely-swollen lump on his forehead. It was still sore, but that would pass.

He brushed off the sticky grasses that clung to his body, and after shaking out his deerskins he pulled them on. They were clammy and cold, but not as dripping-wet as when he took them off. The skins had shrunk as they dried, but they stretched and soon felt warmer as he moved around. He needed food, and nearly equal in importance was the need for weapons. He hadn’t seen animals before ending up in the river…he still had no idea how that had happened!…but there might be something else to eat. Plants had just barely begun to green up, so there would be no fruit or even leaves from sprouting plants just yet. There might be roots from cattails growing in the river, but he wouldn’t be able to get to those until the water level went down more.

Still, there were always insects or larvae and there might be fish in the river too. He’d caught them before by using hooks and weirs for fish-traps, he could do so again.

Bits of grass still stuck to his deerskins and some of the grass rubbed and prickled at his skin. For the moment, he could tolerate the itching; he had no urge to expose himself to the cold by removing his clothing again! Perhaps it would warm enough later for him to strip and vigorously brush away the grasses that he’d missed earlier. He could shake the deerskins and get rid of most of the grass, then brush off the rest. Even dare a quick swim to get the mud and grass off?

But getting clean would have to wait; it was time to forage for something to eat. Grubs would serve for now and he could use the cord in his emergency pack for a fishing line. When he spotted the first signs of small animal activity, he could unwrap the rawhide handle of his small flint knife and put out snares.

He soon found a dead log, downed a year or more ago. Insects had been burrowing under the bark, so he used a stick to lever a section of the bark free. Under the bark he found a dozen white grubs and ate them. They might have been round-headed larvae of woodboring insects, the things that woodpeckers seek when they hammer at the bark of dead trees.

Hunger was still a problem, but eating more insects than his gut couldn’t tolerate would be much worse. He pinched off the black heads and ate another half-dozen of the grubs, then waited to see if they’d stay down. While waiting, he used his flint knife to make a gorge hook. One of the remaining grubs would serve as bait for a fishing line while he waited for the river to go down.

A short length of his precious cord was cut off to make a sinker-line. He tied this around a rock he'd found lying beside the riverbank. The other end of the line he knotted to the longer cord from his emergency kit.

One end of the longer line was tied around a circular groove he carved in the middle of the gorge hook. The other end he tied to a small tree on the bank.

The two ends of the gorge hook were now sharp, with points designed to catch in the stomach and turn sideways after a fish swallowed the bait. The ends would then catch in the stomach’s walls and prevent the hook from coming out while he pulled the fish ashore. Threading a large grub onto the gorge hook, he tossed the rock sinker into the river. The fishing line tightened and the bait sank beneath the surface.

While the grub enticed fish, it was time for Matt to see what weapons could be contrived. There was a large rock on the riverbank that had washed down in some past flood. After a short search, he found a solid branch, broken off by ice buildup and strong winds during the winter. It would do, he decided.

His strings and rope had been made from plaited fibers, extracted from leaves and grass stems. Neither source was available this early in the season, but flexible roots would do until he could begin making more cord. He found several thin ones where the soil of the riverbank had been washed away in the flood. Being as careful of his flint knife as possible, he cut the roots, then used them as crude cord to bind the rock to the tree branch. He felt better immediately; he had a real weapon now! If a cat should try to climb a tree after him, it would get a face-full of rock!

He checked his fishing line but felt nothing tugging back. Had the bait wriggled free? He pulled in the line and the grub was still there, but a fresh one might be better. He loosened more bark from the dead tree and selected the largest grub he could find. The newly-baited hook went back into the river to wait for a bite.

The club was good, but a spear would be better yet. Two methods occurred to Matt; he could bend a small tree over, then use the club to batter the trunk until it broke. The shattered end could be trimmed into shape, sharpened, and hardened in a fire. For that matter, he could use fire or coals to cut the tree.

He went back to the tree he’d been extracting grubs from. Should he eat more? He decided to wait; the physical activity had lessened his hunger. It was still there, but now only a dull ache which he could easily tolerate and he'd known hunger pangs before.

Using his club, Matt crushed a section of bark that still remained on the dead tree. He carefully peeled this free and beneath the bark was the powdered cambium layer, mixed with a sawdust-like material left behind by the roundheaded borers. It would catch fire readily. The powder would serve as tinder and the splintered bark could be added as soon as the first flames appeared.

Holding the steel scrap from his emergency kit in his right hand and the flint knife in his left, he struck the heel of the flint with the steel. Glancing strokes released a few sparks and he waited impatiently for one to ignite the tinder.

A number of the sparks vanished into the tinder before he saw the first wisp of smoke. He carefully blew on the tiny coal and it grew brighter, then the first tiny flame appeared. He gathered more wood and piled this near the fire, adding it to the small amount he’d gathered from the downed tree. Small branches fed the little fire and soon it had grown to respectable size.

Matt left the growing fire to check his fishing line. A tentative pull on the line was answered by a strong tug back so Matt carefully pulled his catch ashore. A large, thrashing catfish soon lay gasping on the muddy bank, but a quick tap from the stone club ended the gasping.

Quick cuts of the flint knife removed the spikes from the dorsal and pectoral fins; Matt knew by experience how painful a wound those fin spikes could inflict! He gutted the fish and removed the head, an easy task using the sharp flint knife. Those ancient ancestors had clearly known a thing or two!

Using a pointed stick to support the fish over the coals, Matt transferred some of the burning sticks to the base of a small tree. He added more sticks, arranging them around the tree, and the small fire spread.

Keeping an eye on the fire, Matt removed his fish from the coals. The fish barely had time to cool before he began stripping flesh from the bones. He finished eating, then gathered up the head and the bones and threw them into the river. The guts he kept; they’d be good bait for his gorge hook. The rebaited hook, removed from the fish when he gutted it, soon went back into the river.

Matt tended the small fire around the tree, piling the coals as close as possible. He attempted to twist the trunk free, but decided it was too soon. Adding more wood, he settled down to wait.

His full belly, combined with exhaustion, made him drowsy. He fought off the feeling and waited for the tree to burn through. A large pile of fallen wood waited. The spear was a defensive weapon primarily, but fire was an excellent defense too. Tonight Matt would sleep in relative warmth and safety, with a fire in front and another behind.

A last check of the fishing line brought in another catfish, somewhat larger than the first. He gutted this one and left it hanging from a branch near his fire.

The tree finally burned through and Matt laid it near the fire. Safe and warm between his fires, breakfast assured, and with a tree that he could make into a weapon tomorrow, Matt slept.

***

Robert woke up early and roused the camp. Lee was already up, munching on bread and a chunk of dried meat as he checked on the guards. Breakfast was grab-and-go, mostly jerked meat and bread baked the previous night washed down by water.

Breaking down the sled loads into packs, then arranging straps to carry them took longer than expected. Robert fretted; he had hoped to get at least ten miles farther on before night, but soon revised that estimate. There was simply too much to do.

Finally, shortly before noon, the tribe abandoned the sleds and straggled on their way. Robert shook his head at the confusion, but realized there was nothing to be done. They’d soon settle into the new form of travel.

Lee took charge as they moved away. He had a scout posted ahead and two others off to the sides flanking the group, watching for danger and for any animal they might add to their food supply.

Laz and Millie worked together as they left the site, each pulling one branch of a heavily-laden travois. This contained their sleeping furs as well as a share of the tribe’s food. Sandra and Cindy followed, backpacks filled with the rations they’d eat during the day. Robert noticed the small group late in the afternoon and wondered where Lilia was, but he was too busy at the time to do more than wonder.

But there was no sign of Lilia during the day, so Robert found Lee when the tribe stopped for the night. “I didn’t see your mother today. Is she all right?”

“She's gone," Lee said. "She decided she didn’t believe what Pavel and his two cronies said, so she took off to backtrack them. She thinks Pavel and his gang ambushed Matt and killed him. She’ll find out, she's a good tracker, and if possible she'll find Matt’s body.

"If his death wasn’t accidental…Robert, just keep out of my way! I’ll settle Pavel once and for all, and if his little gang gets in the way I’ll do them too, assuming my mother doesn’t beat me to it. She’s no pushover; I watched her stick swords into a short-faced bear after it clawed me and broke my arm. Pavel and his bunch won't stand a chance if they killed Matt.”

Lee thought for a moment before continuing. “You don’t want her angry at you either. I’ve acknowledged your authority as leader, Robert, but in this matter I’m not willing to defer. I’ll do whatever seems right at the time.”

“You won’t be alone, Lee," Robert said. "I’ll be there with you, Marc and Philippe too, and Laz won’t be hanging back. He liked Matt a lot, we all did, and Pavel has few friends outside his gang of five. As for executing them, I don’t favor hanging. We’ll use the closest thing to a firing squad we’ve got and do it by arrows or spears.”

Lee nodded, not convinced, but willing to wait for now.

***

Robert wasn’t the only one who noticed Lilia’s absence. Vlad realized that two different women now brought up the rear of the tribe as they moved.

He remarked on this and Pavel took a walk past where her group was camped. Lee, Laz, Cindy, Millie, and Sandra were there, but no Lilia. Pavel watched for some time, making sure. She wasn’t with her own small group, so that meant she’d left the camp. Why would she leave, and where would she go? He continued to muse on this and finally brought up the subject to the men of his group. The women were away, visiting other women in the camp. This made it easy for Pavel to tell the men what he’d found. The women might gossip; the men wouldn’t.

“Lilia's gone,” Pavel said. “She must have gone last night. I saw her yesterday, but she wasn’t following behind us this morning and she’s not in her camp now. Anyone see her today?” He waited, but no one said anything. “So she’s left the camp and I can’t think of any good reason why she would do that. Robert and Lee may also be suspicious, but they don’t have any witnesses so it doesn't matter. But as for Lilia?

"There’s only one place she’d have gone; I think she’s gone back to look for Matt. She won’t find his body, that’s miles downstream by now, but she might find his bow and quiver, his spear too. I knew too many questions would be raised if we brought those back, but we probably should have thrown them in the river. Having his parka and his weapons belt was dangerous enough, but I thought it was worth taking the chance.

"Even so, after we dumped the body I just wanted to get away so I didn’t take time to pick up his gear and brush out our tracks. I never expected anyone to go back and look for the site!

"It's been a couple of days now, but there might still be signs where we dragged him to the river after I clubbed him. Anyway, if Lilia finds the bow and spear she’ll know she found the right place. If she’s good at reading sign, she’ll know too much. We’ve got to go after her. We have to kill her before she can tell the others.”

Chapter Two

“Lee?” The whisper was soft, but insistent.

“What’s up, Philippe?” Lee asked.

“There’s an animal up ahead! Keep your voice down.”

Lee whispered back, ”What kind of animal?”

“It’s one of those big ones. That stag-moose thing, maybe? But I can’t be sure. It doesn’t have any antlers, but the color’s right, tan with pale spots.”

“OK," Lee said. "I’ll be right with you.” He grabbed his spear and bow where they leaned against his pack. The tribe had begun setting up evening camp, laying out sleeping furs and arranging the kitchen. Some of the women had headed into the forest to scavenge for downed firewood. Whether they had weapons with them was questionable; despite his admonitions to always go fully armed, many ‘forgot’.

He slung the spear across his back; it might not be needed, but after the confrontation with Pavel he never left camp without it. Selecting one of his few steel-pointed arrows, he nocked it. Ready, he silently followed Philippe away from camp.

Philippe paused for a moment, then whispered, “Marc is ahead of us, keeping an eye on it. I don’t know if it even spotted us. It was browsing when I went back for you and it didn’t look alarmed at all. Anyway, he’s ahead in that clump of brush. I think we might be able to get a shot if we sneak up. Maybe if all three of us shoot, we can bring it down and won’t have to follow a blood trail. That thing is big!”

“Have your bow ready, Philippe," Lee said. "We may not have much time. If it sees three of us, it might run.”

The animal, probably a stag-moose as Philippe had guessed, was engaged in biting off the new leaves that had begun sprouting from branches as the weather warmed.

Lee watched for a moment, then signaled Philippe and Marc. By gestures he indicated that he would take the first shot and they should launch as soon as he released his arrow. They nodded understanding and made ready.

He watched a moment longer. The browsing animal, a doe or a stag that had dropped its antlers during the winter, fed contentedly on the tender shoots.

Lee usually tried to put his arrow into the body; an area behind the forelegs was best. If the arrow struck a little high, it would pass through the lungs. If it struck low, it would penetrate the heart. Either wound brought death in moments.

But this animal was almost face-on, and the head blocked the only other good shot from his position, between the shoulders into the body cavity.

The shot would still result in a kill because of blood loss, rather than vital organ damage, but an animal this large might run more than a mile before finally bleeding out. The only other shot that might result in an immediate kill was a brain shot. But the head was moving as the animal browsed, and even if it stopped the target area was small. The arrow would need to go in below the crown ridge at the top of the skull, the thick bony support for those magnificent antlers which grew late in spring. If the arrow went too low, it would strike the nasal bones. In either case, there was nothing lethal behind those bones.

But the tribe needed meat, meaning that he would have to try the brain shot. Taking a deep breath, he half drew the arrow back and slowly rose to his feet, partially turned away from the stag-moose. As soon as he had solid footing and balance, he drew the arrow back and anchored it to his cheek. Marc and Philippe watched, ready, waiting until they had a target. The animal would move as soon as Lee launched his arrow.

The stag-moose might have seen Lee, but if so it showed no sign of alarm. It continued browsing as he set himself for the shot.

Lee had been holding his breath since he rose to his feet. Now, braced and ready, he released some of the air and loosed his arrow. His right hand automatically reached for his quiver and extracted a second arrow.

The shot went slightly higher than intended, but if it struck the bony crown ridge it was deflected downward. It now stuck, quivering, from the front of the animal’s face. The stag moose staggered, then dropped. As it fell, two other arrows punched into the body, entering between the shoulders. Probably not needed, Lee thought, but it was good for Marc and Philippe to share in the kill.

“Marc, give me a hand field-dressing this fellow. Philippe, run back and get help; we’ll let someone else do the skinning and butchering. Also tell Robert to send up a couple of the travois. We’ll take everything we can use, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys too. Roasting sections of lung will be a treat for the kids. And thanks, you two. You did great!”

The two smiled at the praise. Philippe turned and ran toward the camp while Lee and Marc slit the belly skin, preparing to open the body cavity so the carcass could cool.

***

Pavel and his three companions knew nothing of this. They’d left the camp an hour before, slipping into the forest before the sentries were due to begin watch. Now, they trotted single-file along the drag marks, following the trail left by the travois. Each carried a bow with ready arrow and each had a spear slung across his back. A small fanny pack carried their water gourds and a supply of food.

With the excitement of the kill occupying the tribe’s attention, no one noticed their absence.

***

Robert brought a travois to where Lee and Marc were working, now skinning the animal. Half the skin had already been peeled back to provide a clean place to lay the internal organs. The body cavity was empty, except for pooled blood that hadn’t drained out. The intestines were gone, dragged away by Lee as Marc began skinning.

Colin, following Robert, had brought his cleaver along. Waving Marc aside, he took over the butchering task. An efficient chop split the pelvis, allowing the lower carcass to spread. He completed the job by chopping through the breastbone where the ribs joined. The cleaver made short work of quartering the splayed carcass and separating the neck from the head. Preliminary work finished, he began dividing the carcass into easily-managed cuts. Lee watched in awe. He’d butchered a number of animals, but Colin had a professional’s skill!

A steady stream of people showed up and began carrying cuts of meat and organs back to camp. Colin followed the last load of meat; he needed to build a fire and begin preparing some of the fresh meat for supper. The tribe had been living on dried meat and vegetables for months now, and while those foods had kept them alive and healthy more was needed.

They would eat well tonight and tomorrow morning. If they were late taking the trail, so be it; a real breakfast would be cooked and eaten tomorrow morning before the tribe left camp.

***

Pavel’s group passed through shade and dappled sunlight as they trotted alongside the trail. The sun was setting, so they wouldn’t be able to follow the trail much longer. Spotting a small hill south of the trail, he led them to the top where they would camp for the night. The ground would be dry up there and there should be plenty of downed wood. They would build a fire for safety and sleep until dawn.

“Gregor and Vlad, collect firewood," Pavel ordered. "I’ll build a fire and we’ll overnight here. Tomorrow morning we head northeast until we reach the trail, and with luck we'll find Lilia’s tracks by noon. We’ll need to slow down after that and make sure we don’t lose her trail, but even if we do we know she’s going to the river. We can pick up her tracks there and still catch up to her before dark.

“I’ll take first watch. Vlad, you’ll take second and Nikolai will have third shift. Gregor, you’ve got the dawn watch. Wake me as soon as you can see the ground. We’ll eat on the way.

They ate their scanty meal the next morning as they followed the tracks and drag marks.

“Pavel, none of us brought much to eat," Gregor pointed out. "We’re going to have to find something today or we’ll be hungry by nightfall.”

“I couldn’t bring much either," Pavel confessed. "I got all the cooks would give me yesterday morning, but it was supposed to be for a day only. But you're right; if we don’t catch up to Lilia by this afternoon, we’ll have to hunt. It’s warm enough now that the animals should be moving back, so maybe we can get a deer. If not, we can set out lines and catch fish when we get to the river.

“We'll add as much food as possible to what we brought, then follow her tracks. It’s going to take her at least one more day to find where we dumped the body, so I think we’ve got plenty of time.

"If she turns back before she gets to the river, then there's no reason to kill her. We just let her go, because she won’t have found anything. But we'll need to keep going just in case, and this time we'll dump his bow and arrows in the river. The spear too, if we can find it. Brush out any tracks and drag marks we might have left, then catch up to the tribe. If anyone asks where we went, we just went hunting because the tribe was short of meat. Everyone got that?”

He got three grunts in return, all the trotting men were able to spare. Pavel would have to call a break soon. If not, his poorly fed men wouldn’t be able to keep going.

By midday, Pavel had slowed to a walk. His three followers showed signs of balking even at the slow pace, but at least the river was only a few hundred yards ahead. Something might have come down to drink, and anyway their water gourds needed refilling.

***

Lilia’s tracks had left the trail half a mile back, but the exhausted men hadn't noticed.

She had recalled what Matt had said, that he and Pavel would go south. Pavel and his two followers would have come from that direction when they rejoined the tribe. She reasoned that she could save time by taking a more-direct path from the trail to the river, then pick up their tracks somewhere south of there. As it happened, she crossed their trail only a short time later. Three men had traveled northwest together, their tracks overlapping in places.

She realized that this didn’t jibe with what Pavel had said, that Vlad had remained behind to look for Matt’s body. The evidence simply didn’t support that claim, meaning Pavel had lied.

Following their tracks, she soon found Matt’s steel-bladed spear. There was no mistaking it; that spear had stood beside the cabin door for months and she’d watched Matt use it a number of times.

If Matt had indeed fallen into the river, how had his spear come to be left here, leaning against a tree? Had Pavel’s men ambushed him here? But there was no bloodstain on the ground and no sign of a struggle. Curious, she thought; the tracks didn’t make sense! Why carry a spear this far, only to abandon it beside the trail?

Lilia picked up the spear, absently stroking the smooth wood as she thought about her find. The river was some three hundred yards ahead. She slung the spear over her shoulder and followed the trail to the river.

She soon spotted a disturbed section of ground about thirty yards back from the river. Searching the ground carefully, she found where a small amount of blood had sunk into the dirt. Circling, examining the ground for more evidence, she found several arrows where they’d fallen out of Matt’s quiver. A short time later she found his bow, still strung, lying beside the quiver containing the rest of his arrows.

She unstrung the bow…it took all her strength to bend the limbs enough to release the string…and slung it across her back with Matt's spear while trying not to think about what this meant. Picking up his spilled arrows, she replaced them in the quiver before adding it to her growing load as she continued puzzling out the evidence.

Lilia soon found a trail joining the one she’d been following. This had been made by two men coming south along the river. It hadn’t made by Matt and Pavel; she knew Matt’s tracks, so could this have been made when Vlad and Gregor joined Pavel?

Another faint trail led to the river. Two men had made it, and their deep tracks showed they carried a heavy load. They had stopped briefly near the edge, and the tracks were muddled from their moving about. From here, the tracks walked alongside drag marks that led to a spot well back from the water’s edge.

She worked out the meaning of the tracks. The two had likely been carrying Matt’s body, perhaps after he’d been shot from ambush. The small amount of spilled blood meant he’d probably died instantly. She glanced at the bloodstain and felt a tear spill down her cheek. Angrily she wiped it away; there would be time enough to weep for Matt after she’d stuck her spear into Pavel. As for his accomplices, arrows would do just fine for them, but she wanted to see Pavel’s face when her spear went into his guts.

No tracks led downstream. She wondered briefly why the drag-marks had stopped where they were, then realized that the river had been much higher when they crossed it three days before.

Perhaps Matt’s body had hung up on driftwood? Lilia looked downstream and decided she could spare a few days to look for his body. She had no means to give him a proper burial, but at least she would find closure from having seen his body. But his weapons were heavy and would slow her down. Looking around, she found a projecting limb a hundred yards downstream from where the murder had occurred. She would keep his spear for now. Her own lighter spear had been left with Lee for safekeeping, so his spear would be useful. She hung his bow and quiver over the limb, then headed south, following the river.

Not the same thing, of course, but having that heavy spear slung across her back made her feel as if Matt walked with her.

***

Pavel and his small gang surprised a foraging raccoon near the river. Two of their three arrows struck the small animal and killed it. The third arrow missed and was lost in the river, while Nikolai never got a shot off.

They soon had the raccoon gutted and skinned. The skin and head were tossed into the river, the rest they broiled over a hastily-built fire before eating their fill. Leftovers got divided up and put into their fanny packs.

They were all tired and sleepy. Pavel wanted to push on, but he faced a near-mutiny and finally backed down. They gathered more wood before bedding down for the night. Pavel took the early shift again and sat by the fire as the others went to sleep.

***

Lilia slept as she’d done the night before, stretched out on a live-oak limb. The tree had great limbs that spread more than twenty feet from the main trunk. Wrapped in her parka, weapons beside her, she listened to the murmur of the river as she fell asleep.

***

Matt had eaten his fill of fish, then collected several crayfish for an appetizer.

A few scraps of memory had returned, although he still had no idea what had made the knot on his head. Clouds were moving in from the north, so he looked about for shelter. Finding nothing he could use, he decided to build his own.

His chosen spot had the river to his front, a large tree to his back, and a fire between for protection, but he needed a lean-to. It would shelter the fire in case of rain, and reflected heat would keep him warm during the night.

He began collecting poles and limbs for the frame. Rootlets would serve to tie the crosspiece between trees, and the weight of the items he leaned against it would hold it in place. While collecting materials for the shelter, he brought in more downed wood for the fire. This he stacked at each end of the lean-to as a wind deflector.

During his scouting, he had found a number of cobbles along the river which he brought back to the lean-to. It wasn’t yet dark when he finished and he had nothing to cook, so he began chipping the cobbles, fashioning them into weapons and tools. The flakes of stone soon acquired an edge; he now had replacements should the flint knife in his emergency kit break. Recent memories were hazy, but the knowledge of working flint and building shelter was there. Matt wondered vaguely why that should be, but the thought was fleeting. He still had work to do before it rained.

There might be another fish in the morning, or perhaps a few more crayfish. If all else failed he would resort to eating the grubs again. The flint cobbles he’d been working on could wait too. The fire sank low and Matt added a dry limb to keep it burning.

He watched the flames for a moment, then curled up under his lean-to and went to sleep.

Chapter Three

Each small herd of deer consisted of a buck and three or four pregnant does, as had been the case beginning the previous fall.

But as the winter changed to spring, the bucks began shedding their antlers, sometimes just one but sometimes both. As the weather warmed, they also began shedding their winter coats. Itchy, irritable, they soon abandoned their harems and wandered away. Most joined with other bucks in pairs and trios, then moved north toward their summer range. The does remained together after the bucks left.

Soon, they too began drifting north, driven by instinct and the promise of food. The does browsed on fresh green leaves and succulent branch tips as they traveled slowly north, bedding down in a different place each night.

One by one, the does sought privacy when their time came. Lying down, a doe delivered a fawn just before daybreak. The full moon lit the scene as she licked the small form. In a short time, it stood up on long shaky legs and driven by instinct, moved close to its mother, who ate the afterbirth. This was but one of several survival mechanisms that deer had adopted over millions of years.

It contained elements and minerals that would help her recover from the birthing process and also removed much of the evidence that there had been a birth here. Otherwise, coyotes and wolves would find the afterbirth and begin searching for her fawn! The doe soon moved away from the fawn to feed. The tiny creature crouched in the cover of a clump of grass and froze in position, hidden and virtually scentless. A predator could pass close by and never realize a helpless young deer hid nearby.

She returned after a time and held still while the fawn nursed. The tiny head butted against her small udder and sucked at the teat until it had drunk its fill. The two then cuddled together under cover, waiting while their respective breakfasts digested.

Later in the afternoon, the doe got to her feet. Testing the air, she led the way down to the river to drink. The fawn nursed again. She waited patiently until it finished, then the two headed cautiously north toward the summerlands.

***

Lilia woke at daybreak and climbed down from the branch where she'd spent the night.

She took care of her morning needs, then washed her face in the river before eating the last of her meat and bread. Refilling her water gourd, she replaced the wooden stopper.

Carrying Matt’s heavy spear had been awkward, but she would not leave it behind. She slung it across her back, shifting her small pack to make room. When both hung as comfortably as she could manage, she picked up her bow, slung the quiver over her shoulder, and headed south.

She found no game that morning, but saw a number of tracks showing that deer and other animals had passed not long before. Already quiet, she slipped forward with renewed alertness. She would need to find game soon or stop and set out a fishing line.

There hadn’t been enough food that morning to assuage her hunger. Soon, she wouldn’t have a choice; she would have to find food or starve. Hunger was no stranger, but it would get worse and if she couldn’t find food within a day she would begin to weaken. Like the rest of the tribe, she was already thin from short rations and long days of work. There was little spare flesh left on her body.

She listened, slipped forward a few paces, listened again. From time to time she approached the river, looking for any sign that Matt’s body might have washed up on the bank. Her pace was slow, but if there was an animal ahead she might see it before it discovered her presence. It was during one of her pauses to listen that she heard a distinct tapping. Cocking her head to the side, she listened carefully, but the tapping had stopped.

Well, there were woodpeckers around. She resumed her slow pace forward.

***

The clouds began dripping rain just before dawn. The cold rain woke Pavel and he soon had his small group moving. Some grumbled, but in a short time they were on their way. They ate some of the raccoon meat while heading south in single file.

Pavel passed on instructions while they walked along the trail. “We might come up on her at any time. Make sure you’re ready and this time, don’t fumble with your arrow. If we see her before she sees us, we might try to get closer. But if she tries to run, take the shot. Even if you don't kill with your first arrow, you might wound her. Just don’t let her get away! If she sees us, she’ll know why we came back.

“That place we dumped him can’t be too much farther. We’ll just stay close to the river and when we find the place, we'll dump his weapons and brush out our tracks, but look for her tracks before you go stomping through the area. If she hasn’t found the place, we can head back right away. She can look all she wants after we get rid of the evidence.”

“We should have done that before we left, Pavel,” Gregor grumbled.

“Yeah, well...you were just as glad to leave that place as I was, Greg. Anyway, we get rid of the sign, brush out our tracks, and the rain will wash away what we don’t get.”

Half an hour later Pavel paused and looked around. “Gregor, come up here. Doesn’t this look like the place to you?”

Gregor looked around, then moved a few paces and looked again.

“It could be, Pavel. If we find his weapons, we'll know for sure.”

“OK, everyone spread out and look," Pavel said. "Find those weapons. The spear...I can't remember. It's on the ground or leaning against a tree, but we left the bow lying on the ground and some of the arrows had spilled. We’ll need to find those too.”

Vlad came back to Pavel fifteen minutes later. “Pavel, this is the place because I found a bloodstain. There are drag marks too, down by the river where we threw him in. But I haven’t found those arrows. I know where they should be, but they aren’t there now.”

“Crap!" Pavel exploded. "Are there any tracks around that we didn’t leave?”

“Maybe. Look over here.” Vlad pointed to a spot on the ground.

Pavel studied the marks, then stood up. “I think you’re right, Vlad. That track is from a moccasin, smaller than any track we left, so she’s been here. I’ll bet she picked up the arrows and his other weapons too, and now she’ll take them back to the tribe. And when she does, Robert will know Matt wouldn’t have taken his weapons off so they’d have gone in the river with him.

"If she gets back with those weapons before we catch her and kill her, we’ll have to leave the tribe. I don’t want to leave if we don’t have to, but if they find out we killed Matt we won’t have a choice.”

“Yeah," Gregor agreed. "So do we follow her tracks?”

“No," Pavel decided. "She’ll head back for the trail and follow the tribe. That's what I would do, and I don't see her as being different. Which gives us the advantage, because we know about where they’ll be, so we cut across country and outrun her. I'll rejoin the tribe, but you three hang back, get in position before she catches up, and then ambush her before she knows we’re anywhere around."

The three nodded assent, and Pavel went on. “As soon as we're back, I’ll leave you three to watch the back trail while I sneak up and make sure she didn’t get back before us. If she's back, she'll be at Lee's camp, at least for a while, so that's where I'll watch for her. If she’s not back, we'll spread out and watch our back trail. One of us will hide on the north side of the trail, just to be sure, but she’ll probably be coming from the south.

“Think about it. I figure we’re a couple of miles south of the trail right now, we dumped Matt’s body here, and we know she was here long enough to pick up his weapons. She's a woman, no man to protect her, so she’ll head north and follow the tracks until she catches up to the tribe. There’s no reason why she’d cross the trail, but whoever watches the north side will need to keep alert anyway. As for where to set the ambush, she’ll be following the drag marks, so as soon as someone spots her we find a plance and wait a half-mile or so behind everyone else. I’ll watch from beside the trail, Gregor and Vlad will be south of me. She’ll be moving, we’ll be hidden under cover. We put a couple of arrows into her, cut her throat, drag the body off into the brush and rejoin the tribe. If anyone mentions us being gone, remember, we tell them we went hunting.” With that, Pavel took a final regretful look around the clearing, then turned his back on the river. Jogging again, he led his small band northwest.

They would intercept the drag marks left by the travois and follow them until they got close to the tribe.

***

Matt woke to the slow drip of cold water on his neck. The lean-to wasn’t watertight, but at least it had protected the fire. It was the work of a minute to stir the coals and add wood from the stacks at the ends of his shelter. He still had most of a fish, so he warmed that over the coals and ate. Finished, he took the bones down to the river and threw them in before washing his hands and face.

Moving upstream, he checked the line he’d left set out the night before. There was no tug on the line, so he pulled it in and looked for where he’d gutted the catfish the night before. The offal was gone; something had come up during the night, found the guts, and eaten them. There were tracks, blurred by the rain so that Matt couldn’t identify the scavenger. Sighing, he went to find a log he could raid for grubs. Just as well, since he hadn’t really wanted to handle guts that had been left out overnight! Even if catfish probably loved them.

But it proved unnecessary to look for grubs. The rain had brought out nightcrawlers, large fat earthworms. Matt gathered several by simply picking them off the ground. He had thought of a way to improve his fishing line, meaning he would need more bait.

It was the work of half an hour to carve two more gorge-hooks. Two short lengths of cord attached these to the fishing line above the rock sinker. This left him with three gorge hooks attached at intervals above the weight. The earthworms had tried to crawl away, but they were easily recaptured. Threading the worms onto the gorge hooks, he let the ends of the worms dangle free to wiggle enticingly as he tossed the arrangement gently into the river.

The river appeared to have risen slightly; had there had been more rain upstream? Washing his hands again, he left the setline and walked back to the lean-to. Matt had been near starvation when he first woke from his injury, but now he found himself tiring of the taste of fish. As soon as he had weapons, he would hunt. He warmed himself by the fire for a time. Already planning ahead, he would collect rootlets as soon as the rain let up and weave them into a basket. He had already accumulated several things he intended to carry when he moved away from the river.

He picked up the two rocks he’d been working with the night before and began tapping, using the smaller one as a hammerstone to knock long pieces from the core. He needed a second, longer, knife and a spearhead, plus the flakes could be made into arrowheads. He collected them as he worked and piled them beside the fire. The name for the rocks, a form of chert, was somewhere deep in his memory. A fine-grained rock, it was a suitable raw material for tools.

He held up the core and examined it, then went back to his steady tap-tap-tapping. The slow rain continued to fall as he worked. Finally it stopped and Matt stirred up the coals of his fire. He laid the pieces of chert down and walked to the river to see what he’d caught.

***

Lilia continued her slow journey south. Slip a few paces forward; pause, listen, and move forward again. The breeze blew from her right at first, then changed until it blew across the river.

She froze in mid step; she’d heard something. Her eyes scanned around before she saw movement.

A deer was browsing, just beyond a forked tree; the motion she'd spotted was the deer raising its head to look around. Cautiously, arrow nocked on her bowstring, she crept forward seeking a better vantage point. Finally she had enough clear space for shooting. There was a slight movement by the browsing deer. Behind the deer she saw a tiny form, a newborn fawn. The deer, a doe, turned around to lick at the fawn. Lilia watched regretfully. There really was only one thing to do. She lifted the bow.

The doe ran away as soon as she shot. The fawn dropped, kicked once, and died. She ran forward, but the only thing left to do was dress and butcher the fawn.

The doe could survive without the fawn, but the fawn would have starved to death without the doe. Darwin’s World was as merciless to animals as it was to humans.

She had just finished skinning the small deer when she heard the tapping noise again.

Chapter Four

Robert took care of his own needs, then visited the small family areas to see how others were faring. It took less time than usual; Pavel’s group was down to three, a man and two women. “Where’s Pavel, Monika?” he asked.

“I don’t know, Robert," she answered. "Vlad mentioned hunting, but no one said for sure. They were just gone when we woke up.”

“Are you going to be able to keep up when we move out?" Robert asked. "I don't have a lot of help to offer, because everyone has their own work to do and things to carry. Some are caring for kids as well as hauling tools and kitchen supplies, which means that you may have to abandon Pavel’s gear if you can’t carry it, or stay behind.”

“I know, Robert," she admitted. "We’re already hauling a shovel and an axe, plus some of the tribe's dried food. Staying behind is out of the question, so we’ll stay with the tribe. Pavel’s furs and sleeping pad—if he's not back before we leave, his stuff will just have to be left behind, the things that belong to the men who went with him too. They were carrying some of the kitchen pots so we’ll add those to our loads, but that’s all. We’ve got our own things to carry so he should have made arrangements."

“Right, then," Robert agreed. "Just leave their gear behind. If you need help deciding what to keep, let me know. Somebody will be following behind to provide rear security. I’ll talk with them, and if they can help you folks they will. One thing we can do, we can slow down a little now that we’ve got more meat. That might help you keep up, but we’re losing people. First Matt, then Lilia, now Pavel and three others. René died, so that’s almost a quarter of the tribe.” Monika nodded her understanding and Robert went on his way. He soon found Lee, now back with the tribe after posting the new security shift.

“Lee, we’ve got problems," Robert said. "Pavel and three of his people have decided to go hunting, at least I think that’s what they’ve done. Maybe they just decided to leave the tribe, but if so, they didn’t take much with them. Look at the numbers; we’ve lost seven people, you’re using three for security, plus there’s one more trailing behind as sweeper and rear guard.

"Your guards have packs, as heavy as they can carry considering that they have to range out ahead and to the flanks, but the rest of the tribe has to carry everything else. The travois are heavy and people are getting weaker. No question, we’re going to need to abandon some things so I'm hoping we can get along without the furs and sleeping pads. If not right away, then at least soon. We’ll just have to replace what we leave behind when we get where we’re going.

"We won’t leave food or cooking pots, but the grindstones and heavy furs have to go. It’s too bad, but…”

“Robert, we’re already seeing tracks," Lee interrupted. "A few animals are back, so I think we could start hunting. How would you feel about camping here, or maybe where we stop for the night? I’ll take a hunting party out, see what we can find, and I think the Wise Woman and a few others would also like to gather plants. There are already a few things greened-up that we can add to our diet. Fresh stewed greens, a salad, roots and stems that are fresh-sprouted…people need those. As for animals, I don’t think it will be a problem. Based on the sign, this country looks to be rich in game. Or it will be when the herds migrate back north.”

“We could do that," Robert said slowly. "If you can handle the hunting and security, I’ve got a few ideas of my own I’d like to explore. Maybe we won’t have to abandon things after all. Some of my people know about trades, not just building houses but making wheels. We’ve got the tools, we can try building carts too. Even if it takes time, we can make up the time later on by covering more ground in a day. If we convert the travois-loads to cartloads, we can carry at least twice as much without adding to the workload and also move a lot faster. But this isn't a good campsite, so what say we keep going and look for a stream or at least a large spring? If the land is suitable, we can camp there and plan to stay at least a week. Let the people rest, hunt and cure meat, gather plants, and let the workers try making wheels and axles."

Lee nodded agreement and went off to see about his own workers.

***

The tribe moved out, straggling more now that heavier loads were shared among fewer people. Behind them, a mound of furs and personal belongings marked where the three people remaining from Pavel’s group had left what they couldn’t carry. If Pavel returned, he’d find his things beside the track. The two travois his men had used had been left beside the mound of rolled-and-tied sleeping furs.

The tribe stopped when the sun was directly overhead. They were still engaged in eating a meager lunch when the lead scout returned. “Lee, there’s a stream up ahead," Michel reported. "I’d say it’s a mile and a half, maybe two miles from here. Ground’s pretty good, no bogs and no quicksand. The bottom is mostly sand, but there are several springs that feed the stream and the water’s clear. There are a few rocks in the stream, but they won’t be a problem when we’re ready to ford it.

“There are trees along the banks," he continued, "and there's a grove of bigger trees where the stream bends west. Plenty of willows along the stream, some of them pretty large, so we can easily build shelters. There are cattails downstream, maybe five hundred yards, and I saw swirls in the water meaning there are fish in the river. Lots of animal tracks around too.”

“What about firewood?" asked Lee.

“Plenty of dead limbs on the ground, and there are at least two fallen trees. I'm guessing they blew down during the winter, and they're small enough that we can cut them up if they’re dry enough to burn. Anyway, we won’t run out of firewood for a day or two and there’s more fallen branches that are farther away. We might have to drag them half a mile, maybe.”

“Sounds good, Michel," Lee agreed. "I’ll talk to Robert, but it sounds perfect for our needs and I think he'll agree. Why don’t you collect the two flankers and head for that bend? Gather firewood and lay out a campsite, pick sites for temporary shelters, and look for a central place where we can put the kitchen. If the ground’s not too hard, you might scoop out a fire-pit for the cooks, and find a sanitation area too, someplace back from the water. Maybe think about a willow screen for privacy. If we’re going to be camped there for a week or two, we don’t want people just crapping where the urge strikes them.”

Michel nodded. “I understand. We’ll take a shovel and an axe, and I know what to do.”

“We’ll follow as soon as the tribe’s finished lunch,” replied Lee. “We’ve been moving slow, maybe too slow. People are tired and we haven’t had enough food. Everyone’s hungry, and lately it’s been almost all meat. They need different things.

"But we’ll get to the grove as soon as we can, and whatever you three can do before we arrive will help a lot.”

***

The early trekkers began arriving by mid-afternoon; Robert had remained behind with the slower ones to help where he could. Tired people put their loads down where they stood, and slowly began the work of setting up camp.

Michel and his small party directed the arrivals to campsites, collected willows for them to weave into shelters, and dug the kitchen firepit. Michel was as tired as anyone, but he dragged up as much dry wood as he could and left it by the firepit.

Colin looked appreciatively at the stack of wood and began building a fire. Pots and food appeared as others came into camp, so Colin put everything where it would be convenient and started supper. Assisted by Sal, he shortly had snacks of jerky and bread waiting. The main meal would consist of stag-moose stew with dried vegetables.

Callie, Colin’s daughter, soon began gathering green needles from a pine tree she found in the grove. Colin heated water in the smaller pot and as Callie brought in the pine needles, he added them to the bubbling water; the needles would be dumped after the liquid was poured into gourds. A spoonful of honey made the tea, useful in preventing scurvy, more palatable.

Whenever he could take a break, Colin watched his wife as she worked around their personal camp.

The trip had been very hard on Margrette. Colin had often been busy with the Tribe's kitchen, so setting up camp and transporting an unusual share of kitchen supplies had fallen to her. Callie had helped, but as the trip progressed Margrette had lost weight, more even than the rest of the tribe. They were thin, but she was gaunt, and as she lost weight her mental state had declined as well. She often spent long minutes just gazing off into the distance. Colin suspected it was a left-over effect from the rapes she’d endured, but he knew of nothing he could do to make things better.

Colin had been rationing salt, but even so, he knew that what remained would likely be gone within two weeks. He prepared Margrette a gourd of tea with an extra spoonful of honey, all he could do; he would have added more, but the tribe’s supply of honey was also limited. “Why don’t you drink this and lie down for a while?" he suggested. "I’ll bring your food when it’s ready. You need the rest.”

“Colin, we all need rest. I’ll be all right, but if you don’t need me in the kitchen...” her voice trailed away.

“I’ve got plenty of help," Colin reassured her. "You drink your tea and relax. I’ll send Callie with food when it’s ready.”

“Thank you, Colin," she whispered. "I’ll try to eat more this time.” Colin resolved to speak to the Wise Woman. There might be something she could do. Robert, too; he would need to know about Margrette. But Robert already knew. He’d considered Margrette’s condition as well as the condition of the others when he’d accepted Lee’s suggestion. Like Colin, he’d become increasingly worried as food stocks dwindled and people became thinner. The trek was consuming their inner reserves. They were often withdrawn now, not even taking the time to converse with others in the evening.

“Colin, we’re going to stay here for at least a week," Robert said. "If the hunters bring in game and the foragers can find vegetables, we’ll stay longer. We want to get to the western lands, but not at the cost of leaving our people dead along the way!

“Pavel and his followers...even if they do find game, they’ve left it up to the rest of us to pick up the load they should have been carrying. We can’t depend on any of them as long as they listen to Pavel. Something strange about that, too. Pavel never told me he was leaving. I’d think he had just abandoned the rest of us and left the tribe, but he didn’t take his camp gear. None of them did; they just slipped off and never bothered to explain what they were up to.

"I’m going to talk to Lee. If he agrees, I’m considering banishing Pavel. I hate to lose people, but he’s more problem than help. If his group goes with him, so be it. I’ll take people I can depend on rather than people who will fail us when we need them most.”

“I agree, Robert," Colin said. "Just don’t do it alone. Lee will back you and so will I. Marc, Michel, and Philippe are reliable too, and they’ll stand with us. They’ve been doing the scouting and hunting, they’re well armed and they know how to use those arms. If Pavel doesn’t take the hint and leave on his own…well, we’ll just leave him. After salvaging the arrows, of course.

Robert and Colin shared a thin-lipped smile. Hard choices are easier made when there are no others.

***

Late in the afternoon, Pavel’s small band found the drag marks, but it was too late to go farther. They would camp near the trail and be careful not to blunder into the tribe the next day. He wanted to ambush Lilia behind the tribe, but not too far. Judging from the tracks, the tribe might be a day or more ahead. Still, they hadn’t been moving fast; they might be closer than expected.

They made a cold camp that night, Pavel cautioning his men to be extra watchful; animals were more likely to approach with no fire to keep them away.

Three bedded down, weapons in hand, while Pavel took the first guard shift.

He kept watch until nearly midnight, considering and rejecting alternatives, thinking over his plans for the morrow. Finally he woke Vlad and turned in.

They ate the last of their food the next morning while following the drag marks left by the travois.

Two hours later Pavel stopped. There was a pile of equipment ahead, but no one was around. Puzzled, he led his men up and found the travois beside their bedding and personal gear.

“Pavel, they’ve dumped our sleeping equipment. Have they thrown us out of the tribe? You didn’t say anything about that when we went after Lilia,” said Gregor.

“I don’t know what happened, but I’ll find out when I catch up, you can count on that! Sort out what you want to take, leave the rest here. The furs are heavy and the weather is warm enough that I doubt we’ll need them before fall. We can get new ones by then.

“They can’t be far ahead. I’d like to just rejoin the tribe, but with Lilia maybe still out there we can’t do that. You three look around here, see if you can kill something. Gather greens too, anything we can eat. I’ll scout ahead and see if the tribe’s close. Meet me here in two hours. But keep your eyes peeled; we have to kill her.

"If she gets back, we’ll have to run for it and maybe join up with the mine guards. I’ve been thinking about that. We won’t have much chance of surviving, just four of us alone. The guards won’t welcome us, but if we tell them where Robert and the tribe are I think they’ll let us join up. They're mad at Robert and Colin anyway, so maybe they’ll want to raid the tribe. Anyway, it’s only a thought. I don’t owe the tribe anything. I wouldn’t mind teaching them a lesson, especially that little bunch that lived with Matt.”

“How long do we wait, Pavel?”

“That depends on what you three find to eat, Gregor. If we’ve got food, we can afford to trail the tribe a few more days and make sure Lilia doesn’t get by us. If she’s not here within a day or two, well...maybe she got killed. Lions, wolves…she’s only a lone woman, so they’d snap her up quick. As long as she doesn’t get past us, we can wait.

“Anyway, go find us something to eat. I’ll meet you back here in two hours.”

Chapter Five

The faint pecking sound was somehow familiar. Lilia cocked her head to the side and listened. Curious…she knew the sound, but couldn’t identify it.

Not a woodpecker after all; but unknown things were dangerous. She stole forward, arrow on the string, slightly drawn back, and ready for a fast shot should that be needed. Ahead was a small clump of willows, the sound appearing to come from just beyond.

Careful to make no sound, Lilia eased through the willows. And froze for a moment. It couldn’t be…but it was…

“Matt! You’re alive!”

Her fingers involuntarily relaxed and the arrow plopped into the dirt a few feet in front of her. She didn’t notice. Matt stood up in shock, dropping the rocks he’d been chipping. He saw a woman, holding a bow and dressed in leathers. She carried a bundled parka tied to a small backpack. A spear was slung across her back. The bow looked familiar, the recognition felt by a craftsman for the things he’s made. “Who are you? Do I know you?”

Lilia had crossed the small clearing where Matt worked. Experienced eyes took in the crude lean-to and the small fire that smoldered beside where Matt had been working. She looked at the dirty, stretched-out and baggy deerskins. No question, this was Matt; he looked different, but she knew every stitch that had gone into making those deerskins. She also saw the bump and partially-healed cut, all that remained of the injury he’d suffered.“Matt, it’s Lilia. What happened to you?”

“Lilia? Uh, I don’t know. I woke up on a sandbar. I was wet and cold.” Matt stopped for a moment, then resumed his halting speech. “I got dried off and warm. I don’t know how I got there. I’ve been…” He paused for a longer time. “I’ve been eating fish. I’ve still got some. Are you hungry?”

“No, I killed a deer, a fawn.” Lilia paused in turn. “If I’d known you were here and had fish I wouldn’t have shot the fawn,” she said ruefully.

“Just let me stir up the fire. We can cook part of your fawn. I’m hungry enough to eat the whole thing! But you called me Matt; do I know you?”

“Oh, Matt. I’m Lilia. You don’t remember me? Or Lee? Sandra and Millie and Cindy? Laszlo? You worked with Laszlo, Laz, a lot. Laz and René helped you cut wood and build things.”

“I don’t remember. The first thing I remember is crawling out of the river. I was cold. I remember that, shivering and being wet. Since then, I’ve been building weapons and just staying alive. I guess I should have been doing other things, shouldn’t I?”

“Matt, you’re alive! That’s all that matters. As for weapons, I’ve got your spear. And I picked up your bow and arrows. They’re almost a day’s travel behind me, but we can go back and get them.”

“My spear? Let me see it.”

Lilia handed over the spear and Matt hefted it appraisingly. There was a deep scratch just behind where the point joined the heavy shaft.

“I think I remember this. There was a bear. I remember a bear.”

“That’s right, there was a bear. We killed it. All of us, you, me, Lee, Sandra and Millie, all of us.”

“Lee…I remember Lee," Matt said slowly. "He had a broken arm. The bear broke his arm.”

“Yes," Lilia confirmed. "Lee almost died, but he recovered. He’s been helping you.”

“Helping me? Helping me do what?”

“Matt, you were…you are…the trek leader. You are in charge of the tribe when we’re moving. Lee takes care of security, he’s got several helpers to do that. He has scouts, and I’m sure he’ll be in charge of the hunting parties when we start sending them out.”

“We’re part of a tribe? How long…how long has it been? How long have I been here?”

Lilia thought for a moment.

“Matt, it’s been almost a week. We thought you were dead. Pavel said you drowned. He said you slipped and fell into the river, but I didn’t believe him. He had two of his men with him when he got to camp. I thought they’d killed you.”

Matt reached up reflexively and rubbed at the bump. “Maybe I hit my head when I slipped.”

“No. I found a bloodstain well back from the river. That probably came from your head. Was it worse when you left the river?”

Matt nodded. “There was blood on my face too.”

“Scalp wounds, cuts to the forehead where that one is, they bleed a lot. Pavel must have hit you with something before his men dragged you down to the river. I saw drag marks where they threw you in.”

Matt thought about Lilia’s statement. His fingers gripped the spear tightly. “I think I’ll want to ask Pavel about that. Saying I fell into the river! I want to see where they threw me in. You’re sure?”

“I saw the tracks," Lilia said. "Your bow and arrows are still there, hanging in a tree to keep animals from chewing on them. I can show you the tracks and the bloodstain when we get there.”

Matt looked around at his small camp. Well, he’d been thinking it was time to leave the river! He would need to pick up the fishing line and carry the chipped stones with him, the ones he’d been working on. They’d be useful.

He had known his name because of the dream, and now he knew a lot more, though some of the memories were still just bits and pieces. “We can cook some of the venison if that’s OK with you. I’ll put out the fire after that and we can go. Bow and arrows?”

“Yes, and a quiver for the arrows too. I made the quiver, you made the bow and arrows. You made your spear, and you also made a spear for me but it’s back at camp. I left it with Lee.”

“Lee’s back where the tribe is camped? I wonder if Pavel’s there too?”

“I’m sure he is. He’s got a small group, four men counting himself, and two women.”

“We should get my bow and arrows and go to the camp," Matt said. "I have a few questions to ask Pavel.”

***

Lee found Robert leaning back against a tree. He was eating a bowl of Colin’s stew and a second gourd held some of the sweetened pine-needle tea. Lee sat down cross-legged and waited.

“Did you already eat, Lee?”

“I did. Pretty good stew; I’m glad you brought Colin back. I doubt we’d have been eating nearly as well without him!”

“I agree. Did you have something special you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Yeah, I did. I’ve been thinking.”

“Uh, oh. What about?” Robert smiled as he asked the question.

“You know I’ve had scouts out ahead of us, but they haven’t had a chance to really see what we’re facing. We know there are going to be rivers to cross, maybe other dangerous things ahead of us. I was wondering what you’d think if I went on a scout? Maybe go out two or three days before I come back?”

“Getting a little tired of camp life, Lee?”

Lee smiled. “I am. It’s okay, but it’s the same old thing every day. I’m itchy; I want to know what’s ahead of us.”

“Tell you what, Lee, we need food more than we need to know what's ahead. You take a hunting party out tomorrow morning and see what you can find; if we have food, we can stay here for a week or two. It’s worth taking the time, because people are getting really worn down and we’ve still got a long way to go. Get us enough food for two or three weeks, then you can go. That’ll give us extra rations when we move on. We’ll be sending our foraging parties every day, but some days we may not find much. Rain, too much wind, maybe the country won’t have as many animals. There might not be enough plants. We need a reserve. Who did you plan to take with you?”

“I thought I’d go alone, Robert.”

“I’d rather you didn’t, Lee. Take one of the scouts with you. Maybe Laz or Marc or Philippe.”

“Not Laz. He’s spending a lot of time with Cindy, and I don’t think he’ll want to leave. I could take Marc or Philippe.”

“You’ve done this before, with Matt. I’d suggest both; it would be good experience for them. But I'll leave the decision to you. I agree about leaving Laz, I will need an experienced hunter to help around the camp. So pick one or both of the others to take with you.”

“OK, but first I’ll want to take all three of them hunting; that way, we've got a better chance to do what you said, bring in a supply that will last for two or three weeks. We’ll leave tomorrow. I can talk to Marc and Philippe about the scouting trip while we’re hunting. I’ll decide then which one goes with me.”

Robert nodded and the two separated to do what needed doing, improving the camp for an extended stay.

Lee led his three hunters southwest the next morning. He planned to repeat what he had done when he’d gone scouting with Matt, hunt southwest, bend northwest after a day, then turn back toward camp by heading northeast, then east. When they reached the stream, it would lead them back to the tribe’s camp.

***

Lilia held out her hand to caution Matt while she looked over the clearing. Seeing no danger, she slipped up to the tree and found Matt’s bow and quiver of arrows hanging where she’d left them. She slipped the quiver’s strap off the stub, handed it to Matt, then took down his heavy bow. He already had the quiver and his spear slung when she turned around with the bow.

The Trek

Jack Knapp

COPYRIGHT

Preface

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

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