Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75650 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75650 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“But you have seen this before?”
“Oh yeah. Mostly in older cities. But I’ve seen it.” She seems relaxed and comfortable at the sight. “I wonder what the houses will look like.”
I am curious about this as well. I gaze around us. The crevasse walls grow higher as we walk forward, and they block out a lot of the sunlight. The shadows make it colder down here, and I worry my mate will suffer. I hold my worries back, though, because Stay-see seems excited. After the trouble getting down here, I do not want to take her back out of the valley. Not if there are metlak up there. She will be safest with the tribe.
The crevasse winds around and splits. We turn a corner, and there ahead, I see the vee-lage. It is so…strange. Squat piles of rocks form regular, small caves neatly lined up in a way that looks unnatural and makes my mind hurt to see. Some are topped by leather suspended by poles until it forms a high triangle of sorts that points up at the sky. Smoke rises from a few different leather triangles, and I see people walking between the little stand-alone caves.
“Oh wow,” Stay-see breathes at my side, clutching my arm. “Check it out. They look like teepees on top of walls. I wonder who thought to do that.”
“I will ask,” I tell her. If it is important, I will find out for her.
“I’m sure we’ll find out.” She continues to hold on to me as we walk forward. Her eyes are wide, and she can’t stop staring. “It looks like everyone’s setting up in the small houses. I wonder what the big one is for.” She gestures, and at the far end of the rows of howses, there is a larger stone building, still with no top to it. “Maddie said there was a pool there, right?”
“I believe so—”
“Stacy!” An excited squeal erupts from one of the tee-pee howses as we pass it. It is Jo-see, the chattery one. She springs out, practically dancing with excitement. “You guys are here! That’s wonderful! I’m so excited to see you!”
“Josie,” Stacy calls out, extending her arms. The smaller one flings herself at my mate, and the two women hug. “How was the trip here? Did everyone make it all right?”
“We did! It was great.” Jo-see beams at me. “Making our way down was a little hairy, but Harlow’s talking about setting up a pulley and a lift of some kind. I haven’t seen her this motivated since the earthquake.”
My mate gives Jo-see a gentle smile. “It’s been hard for her—the ship was her baby.”
“Where is the chief?” I interrupt. “He will want to know we have arrived.”
“I think he’s out hunting with a few of the others. Gotta get in the last-minute brutal season supplies and all that.” She shrugs. “We’ll find Georgie and let her know you guys are here, though, and she can pass it on.” Jo-see snaps her fingers and then waves her hands in the air, all excitement. “Oh wait! You guys need to see your house!”
“Our house? Someone picked one out for us?” Stay-see looks at me.
I am crestfallen when I realize she must be waiting for me to correct Jo-see. “I will be staying with the hunters,” I volunteer.
Both women stare at me.
“What?” I ask.
Stay-see gives a little shake of her head and turns back to Jo-see. “Will you show us where the house is? I’d love to see it.”
“Of course!” She links her arm with Stay-see’s and leads her forward. “It’s over here in the center of town. You guys weren’t here, and the floors are warmer closer to the main lodge—that’s the big building on the end there—and so we thought it’d only be fair if we drew numbers out of a basket to see who got to pick first. You ended up being number three, and Georgie picked for you guys.” She beams at my mate. “You got a fantastic house! Mine’s on the outskirts, but I don’t really mind, because Haeden says it means I’m that much closer to him when he comes home from hunting, and you know how much I miss him when he goes out.” She sighs.
I stop listening as Jo-see starts to go on and on about how impressive and wonderful her mate is. The female chatters like she will run out of air if she stops, but Stay-see does not seem to mind. She glances back at me every now and then, but seems content to let Jo-see lead her forward. I gaze around the vee-lage. To the back of the cluster of dwellings, I see Hemalo helping my brother Zennek and his mate set up their tee-pee atop their cave. Two human females are walking to the big lodge, holding a conversation, with their kits on their hips. I can hear the murmur of voices and the sounds of hammering. Somewhere in the maze of stone that is now our home, a kit cries.