The gate of the fort was closed, and I called out to Sheela, Galmine, and Trel when I pulled up with the three parasaurs. They opened the gate a moment after, and I gave them a wide smile as I gestured to Sonny and Cher.
“I’ve got more friends,” I said. “The big male is named Sonny, and the female is named Cher.”
“Wow, Victor,” Galmine cooed. “You are amazing! They are so big. I love their names!”
“That big one’s tail is bleeding,” Trel said as she pointed to Sonny.
“We got into a fight with three other dinos,” I said as I commanded Bob to lay on his stomach. “These guys took care of the attackers, but check it out. I’ve got more clay, and I think I’ve got an idea that will help us knock down the trees quicker.”
“Oh?” the spider-woman said with a bit of skepticism.
“Yeah,” I said as I commanded Hope to come out of the door. “Sheela and Galmine, get on Hope so you can ride over to the forest real quick. Trel and Kacerie will ride on Bob with me.” There weren’t enough seats for three of us on the saddle, but Trel just kneeled in front of me, and we rode the four hundred yards to the forest while Cher and Sonny followed.
“I really think this is going to work,” I said once we had all gotten off the parasaurs again.
“What is your plan?” Sheela asked.
“Watch,” I said as I glanced at the closest tree that was the right size and shape for our new fort wall.
I imagined the four parasaurs digging up the roots at the foot of the tree, and the four of them trotted over to it quickly. There was a bit of confusion as to where each of them should stand, but I made a few mental clarification commands to them, and they were soon circling the tree like the spokes on a compass rose.
They started digging, and the four women and I watched in silence.
Sonny and Bob moved the quickest and took the largest chunks of dirt out. It was just like they were digging a tunnel, but the way they frantically dug made me think more of four giant dogs trying to bury a bone quickly.
“I get it,” Trel whispered after a few minutes had passed, and the parasaurs hadn’t let up with their task.
“I believe I do as well,” Sheela said.
“Well, I don’t,” Kacerie said. “What are they doing? How is this going to cut down the tree?”
“They are almost done,” I said. “Give it a few more minutes, and you’ll see.”
“Okay,” she said as she wiped her nose with the back of her hand.
“Were you crying?” Trel asked her.
“No, I’m fine,” Kacerie answered as she glanced at me. “Everything is good. I’m happy to be here. Thanks for asking.”
“Uhhh. Yeah. Fine.” Trel turned to give me a confused look, and I just shrugged and then nodded at the tree.
“I think that’s good,” I said. “Hope is slower than the other three, but I’ll tell them to do it in that direction.”
I ordered Hope, Sonny, and Cher to come back to us, and then I instructed Bob to stand up and push his bulk against the tree. The parasaur must have weight four tons, and the tree began to tip almost as soon as he pushed his shoulder into it. The parasaurs had unearthed all the roots, and the tree didn’t stand a chance.
“Timber!” I shouted as it fell over. The women all let out gasps of delight, and I felt my chest swell with pride.
“Sheela, how long would it have taken for us to cut that down?” I asked her as a smug smile crept across my face.
“Two or three hours,” she said. Her golden eyes were opened wide and her voice sounded excited.
“Yep! Hot damn! This is great!”
“Wow! Victor! This is amazing.” Galmine threw her arms around me, and our lips met for a brief kiss. “You are such a good provider and protector. We will be able to build the fort so quickly.”
“We are going to need a lot more cord a lot quicker,” I said as I turned to Kacerie.
“I will make it,” she said. “I like making cordage. Thanks for giving me the job.”
“I will make some also.” Trel looked at Kacerie with a bit of confusion and then turned to me. “I’ll have you know that I am impressed with you, Victor. I did not think of this idea, and it will really push up our timetables.”
“It should take us only a day or two to topple all the trees we need,” I said. “But then we need to worry about cutting them the right height and getting rid of the roots. I was hoping you had an idea for that.”
“Hmm,” Trel said as she tapped on her lips with her long finger. “We used the fire to do it last time, but--”
“Kacerie, can you go gather some of those ferns over there?” I asked the pink-haired woman as I pointed to the cluster by a tree that was some sixty feet away.
“Uhh, yeah,” she said. Then she jogged over on her bare feet and began working on the branches.
“I’ll tell her about the other tribes,” I whispered to the other three women after I beckoned them to stand closer to me. “But now is not the time. We had a good talk at the lake, and she’s going to cooperate more with us, but I still need you all to keep an eye on her. Got it?” My friends nodded, and then I turned back to Trel.
“The issue with the fire is that it will create smoke that others will see,” the spider-woman continued.
“Yeah,” I said. “We don’t want that.”
“But if you and Sheela have to cut through each of these trees, you’ll become the bottleneck,” Trel continued. “So the fire would be the most efficient way, especially if you really want to get this done quickly. We will all have to focus on building cordage for the walls since the fire could do an entire batch during the day.”
“Hmmm,” I said. “Sheela, if we had the hundred and fifty-ish logs down, how long do you think it would take for us to cut through them all?”
“Victor, the issue is that you are not really saving time,” she explained. “We will still need to cut off the roots. So, it will be as if the tree is still vertical on the ground.”
“Right,” I sighed. “I get it. So, using the fire to cut through is really the only way. I just don’t want any smoke in the sky.”
I looked up at the circling vulture-like birds. Like California Condors, these beasts had dark brown or black feathers. Unlike the condors, the beasts were each about the size of a Mini-Cooper.
“Hmmm,” I said as I stared up at the birds. “What if we did it at night? They might see the glow from the fire, but we are right in the middle of the forest. They wouldn’t see the smoke if the sky was dark.”
“That is a great idea,” Trel said as she nodded at me. “I should have thought of it.” The spider woman turned to the basket on the back of Bob. “We’ll need to use the clay to ensure the fire stays on track, but if I put the edges high enough, it will eliminate some of the glow. Yes. This will work. It’s a good idea.”
“Hooray for Victor!” Galmine said as she hugged me again.
“I think we have six more hours till sunset,” I said as I checked the sun. “We’ve got a lot of work to do. I’ll control the parasaurs and have them topple over as many trees as we can while you all work on getting ferns for cordage. As soon as it gets close to twilight, Sheela and I will indent the first parts of the trunks with our axes so we can make a fire in them. Then Trel will lay out the clay before we set the fire. Tonight we’ll all work on more cordage.”
“After you inseminate me again,” Trel reminded me with a chuckle.
“Yeah,” I said as I smiled at her. “That was inferred.”