Primitive Instinct: The Journey Home

If I thought Roar’kaol’tok’s reaction to me catching a fish was extreme, the rest of the village went damn near insane as I came in with a dozen fish strapped to my body. We went to the tent where the mammoth meat was being smoked and the attendants nodded as Roar’kaol’tok spoke with them, sounding like he was giving them directions and orders before I left the fish there. They slapped paws and he led the way back to his tent. He grinned at me when I sat down to take my snowshoes and boots off and I tilted my head at him, confused.

“Alteen,” he said and mimicked a fish swimming in the water with a paw then moved it very fast and pointed to his weapons that he had put back where he’d gotten them this morning.

“Fast,” I nodded, and Diesel jumped around and barked, making the hunter laugh.

“Faast,” he drew out. “Fern’mak’tak fast. Good.”

“I’m not really, but if you say so,” I shrugged and put my snowshoes and boots against the wall by the door. I shivered and sat close to the fire, rubbing my hands together and massaging my icy toes for a second before looking at Diesel’s worried head tilt. “I’m going to get sick if I don’t get warmer clothes soon.”

I pulled off my jacket and shivered a little harder before a heavy fur landed over my shoulders.

“Fern’mak’tak good?” Roar’kaol’tok asked, frowning as he sat on his knees beside me.

I shook my head and touched his bare chest, making his skin prickle as he hissed, snatching my hand and rubbing my finger between his paws quickly before he grabbed one of my feet and growled when he felt how cold they were as well. He spoke quickly as he yanked my feet to face the fire more and kept rubbing my hands in his paws. Diesel barked and whined and woofed a few times and I pursed my lips, feeling left out of a conversation that had a lot to do with me.

The hunter spoke harshly, and Diesel lowered his head as his hackles raised, his teeth showing as he stood ready to take a bite out of the male that was currently and probably the only reason that we were alive right now.

“Diesel!” I snapped at him, and he lowered his hackles slowly, releasing some of the tension from his body, but he was clearly still very, very mad at whatever the hunter has said to him. “Stop fighting, both of you!”

The hunter growled softly, echoing Diesel’s distaste at the situation, before he huffed harshly and turned away, breaking eye contact between them. I sighed, knowing that was the end of the aggression for the time being as Diesel sat down, dropping his butt harshly on the floor.

“Males,” I rolled my eyes as the hunter stood up. I held my hands out to the heat of the fire with a blissful sigh. “It tingles so much, and it hurts so good.”

I patted my thigh after I could feel my fingers some more and Diesel came over so I could look at his paw pads to make sure they weren’t frostbitten or anything. Seeing them perfectly healthy, I scratched into his thick ruff and he closed his eyes blissfully. He might not accept affection against his will, but the one thing that always got him was a good scratching in the ruff.

“I don’t know what he said to you, but you’re a good boy, Dies,” I told him softly and his tail thumped once before he licked my face gently and laid across my legs with a whiny sigh.

The hunter left the tent with the baan’tu and skaal with an angry flick of the entrance flap. The tent equivalent of slamming the door, I guess. I just shook my head and rubbed at my fingers some more, holding them out towards the fire.

After several long minutes, I figured Roar’kaol’tok was skinning and processing the game outside, and I pushed Diesel off so I could put the fur that was around my shoulders back on the hunter’s bed before getting into my own for the night. I yawned and Diesel whined, hanging his head and I patted the space beside me, inviting him to lay down.

When he was comfy, I reached down and scratched his head gently.

“He really did a number on you, huh?” I muttered. “My bestest good boy, Diesel.”

I felt his tail thump a couple of times before it stilled, and I went to sleep.