“It is worth considering,” Sheela said. “I do not want us to kick someone out of our camp since it would mean probable death, but I am happy there are three capable fighters in our small group.”
“Why do you say that?” I asked.
“I would most likely be her first target, then either you or Trel. I would bet Trel since our friend is more capable than you in combat.”
“I’m trying to get better,” I said with a chuckle.
“I know,” Sheela replied, “I am just thinking what I would do if I wanted to take over the camp.”
“Kacerie would still have to hunt and gather water, and whatever. She needs us.”
“Agreed.” Sheela nodded. “Perhaps my fears are unjustified, but as I said before, you three are very important to me, and I do not wish to lose you.”
“I don’t want to lose you either,” I said.
“I noticed Kacerie’s attitude change around you,” Sheela said with a slight frown. “She was somewhat rude to me. It did not bother me much, but I decided to let Trel handle her. When you awoke, Kacerie went to you immediately with her complaints. You were unphased by her, so she quickly changed her strategy to become more agreeable.”
“She still seemed whiny and bitchy to me,” I sighed as I took another long gulp of water. “I’m glad Trel is cooperating with us now, but I really don’t have the energy to deal with someone else like her. I would like Kacerie’s help, but we are just fine without her.”
“I am glad you feel that way,” Sheela said, and I noticed her eyes drift to my lips. “Still, she is an attractive woman. I would not be surprised if she tries to appeal to your masculine properties.”
I let out a bit of a long laugh and shook my head. “I don’t have that many masculine properties. I’m just trying to make sure we all survive.”
“And you are succeeding,” she said. “I find it attractive.”
“Uhhh, yeah. Thanks.” I turned my eyes to her, but she was looking down at the water and filling her jug again. The angle of her crouch let me easily see the shape of her firm breasts, and it almost looked like her tattered bikini top couldn’t contain them.
“So let’s get back and then get clay,” I said as I forced my eyes away from the shape of her beautiful body. “We’ll need to--”
My voice froze in my throat as I turned back to Hope. The parasaurs was turning toward the tree line of the redwood forest, and she was stamping her feet impatiently.
“There is something in the trees!” Sheela hissed as we both stepped across the shore toward Hope.
The hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end, and my stomach was trying to hold down a hundred angry butterflies.
“I don’t see anything,” I whispered as I desperately scanned my eyes through the dark shadows of the trees.
“Me either,” Sheela said, but Hope snorted angrily, and she actually took a step away from the edge of the water.
As if she was getting ready to run.
“Come back, Sweetie,” I called out to Hope, and the parasaur turned her head a bit so that she could see me with one eye. I half expected her to dash away and leave us stranded, but she stepped back toward us, and I quickly attached my jug to her saddle.
“Sheela, get your jug on and we’ll--” I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and turned my head sharply to the left. At the edge of one of the large redwood trunks, I saw a flash of feathers.
The shadows were dark, but I recognized the shade of green.
“Get on!” I jumped on Hope the instant four raptors leapt from behind a clump of ferns.
Sheela dropped her jug and leapt up to the saddle behind me. As soon as I felt one of her arms around my chest, I kicked Hope forward, and the parasaur sprang away from the edge of the stream. We were pointed away from the group charging us, and quickly outpaced them, but then my stomach dropped when I saw six of the large-clawed dinos pop out of the fern hedges some forty yards ahead.
These fuckers were herding us.
“Hold on!” I shouted to Sheela as I pulled left on Hope’s reins and pushed into her flank with my right leg.
The parasaur twisted to the left, and we shot toward the stump of the massive hollowed out tree. The twist in our direction allowed me to see the two groups of raptors chasing us, and Sheela reached over her shoulder so she could free her bow.
Hope let out a startled toot from her horn as I steered her into the wide open maw of the fallen log. There was plenty of space up top, but I still ducked my head a bit to ensure that I didn’t get clipped.
Sheela had her bow out, and her left arm slid free of my chest. I let out a cry of terror when I felt her let me go, but before I could reach back to grab her, I felt her legs wrap around my abdomen. I spared a quick glance behind me and saw the blonde warrior woman twist her upper body around so she could point her bow at the group chasing us. She was using her legs to anchor herself to my body, and I lowered my left hand to her shins to ensure that she didn’t accidentally bump loose.
Up ahead, the ground of the log-tunnel was broken by a jagged spike of petrified wood. It jutted out some four feet like a mini mountain, and I realized there wasn’t enough space to steer Hope around it.
“I’m going to jump it!” I shouted as I urged my mount to run faster. Hope sensed my desire, and she ducked her head down so that she could get more speed.
I felt Sheela’s arm pull her bow back. Then I heard the twang of the string and a howl of agony behind us. I didn’t have time to look, but I guessed that we had one less deinonychus to worry about.
Then we reached the hurdle of sharp wood, and I prayed for Hope to jump over it without cutting her belly open.
There was a moment of weightlessness, and I almost dropped my right hand from the reins so that I could push Sheela’s thighs into me. It would have been a mistake though since Hope’s landing was really bumpy, and I felt my legs start to slip free of the saddle.
“Shit!” I growled as I yanked my hand on the rein so that I could stay on top of Hope’s back. The movement made the parasaur toot angrily, but she didn’t stop her sprint.
“How soon until we are out of the tunnel?” Sheela shouted as I felt her body tense with the movement of another bow pull.
“Fifty yards!” I guesstimated as I looked at the distant hole of dim golden light.
Sheela let loose with another arrow, but I didn’t hear a scream behind us. I did, however, see a flurry of movement through the cracks in the ceiling of the massive hollow tree trunk. They were quick whips of black and green color that blocked the sunset from spilling through the breaks of the wood, and I guessed that some of the raptors were pursuing us from on top of the tree.
These fuckers were way too smart.
“We are going to have company as soon as we get outside!” I shouted to Sheela as I willed Hope to try to run faster. My eyes were stinging from our speed, and the cracks of gold light coming through the musty wood were causing a kaleidoscope effect on my vision.
Twenty yards left, and the shadows from the roof made me think the ones up there were just a bit behind us.
“How many are behind us?” I shouted without looking back.
“Five!” Sheela replied over the sound of the wind blowing past my ears, and I guessed that four of the ten had jumped up onto the log.
We reached the end of the hollowed out redwood, and I heard Sheela shoot another arrow. A howl of surprise echoed from behind us, and I guessed that she had gotten another.
Then we shot out of the end of the log like a bullet leaving the barrel of a gun.
I looked up as we ran and saw the raptors leap into the air. Sheela shouted something that I couldn’t understand, and I pulled Hope’s reins to the right while I pushed on my left foot. The parasaur angled in the direction I wanted to go, but two of the raptors still landed right next to her.