Women of the Plains by Brandon S. Pilcher

Author:Brandon S. Pilcher
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Open Books Press
Published: 2023-09-22T17:15:27+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The Search Begins

When daylight returned once again, it was not with the fiery brilliance of sunrise as before. It arrived dim and gray through a thick mist that cloaked the high plains. The earth, still damp and mucky from a day of rain, stuck itself onto the soles of Uru’s feet while dewy grass licked her calves as she waded through it.

After enduring a dry season that lasted more moons than usual, she welcomed the sensation of moisture. If more rains followed, the trees would sprout fruit again and the grass would turn green and supple, inviting more herds to graze. No longer would Uru, Namak, and the other hunters have to venture far and wide for game while the rest of the band dug for tubers. As long as this new season lasted, they would find plenty of meat and sweet fruit to gorge upon.

Now they prayed that the rains would fall on the land for as long as they had been delayed.

Uru and Namak left camp the moment the last of the stars started fading back into the sky, while everyone else slept in their shelters. They needed as much time to search as they could muster, so it was better to get up and leave early. This time, they were not hunting for game—but for Oja. They glided southward across the high savanna in hopes of finding where it gave way to the lowlands, where she would await them.

So far, they had not found that point, either as a gentle downward slope or a steep drop like the ravine into which Oja had apparently fallen. Uru peered as far as she could through the mist. The plain rolled and rolled on, every bit as flat as it had been before. It did not make sense. How could the edge of the world be so close the other day but so far away now?

She heard a rapid succession of soft squelches on the ground. Uru and Namak halted to survey the fog surrounding them, fingers clasping tight on their spears. It could have been an animal moving about, such as a galloping antelope. Or a predator on the hunt, one that would require more stealth from them. Perhaps it was even a human being. But who? What would they be doing away from camp? Was it perhaps Oja? If so, how did she scale the distance in elevation between the high plains and the lowlands?

“Who’s out there?” Namak called out.

She heard nothing but her echo. Not even more strange footsteps. Only the croaking of frogs and chirping insects. Uru squinted at the nearest patch of bushes, studying every leaf to make sure someone—or something—was not watching back. She saw nothing.

They resumed their trek, pulling closer together than before. If there really was something stalking them, they had to be prepared, which meant depending on each other for protection. Uru wondered if they should have brought someone else with them. Maybe Lu or his friend Tukar, although neither seemed particularly excited by the suggestion that Oja was still out there.

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