Watching and Waiting

She crouched amongst the long summer grasses. Her sling in hand and the stone carefully put in its place. She held another stone in her other hand. She heard her quarry in the long grasses. It moved about unaware of her prescense. She let a small smile play across her lips. She and her grandmother could eat good offthe batch of rabbits she caught today. Mara and her children as well.

She threw her stone and stood waiting for the rabbit to dash across the short grass toward the burrow in a group of rocks. She was swinging the sling around above her head. She let lose the stone and her quarry stopped in its tracks dead as her aim fell true.

She retrieved the rabbit and placed it in her pouch. She went on toward camp. She was happy to see a group of women gathered sewing clothes. Others were gathering berries. Gorn and his wife were smoking meat and seeing to Cara telling her of their tales. They were old and still found a purpose in the clan.

She gutted the animal leaving the unwanted things for the camp wolves. He then gave Mara's son, Tulron one as he sat near Arn learning to make spear tips. He smiled grateful for the meat. He was young and Mara had no one to depend on but him. Soon he would go on his first hunt.

She sat near her grandmother to help tan hides after she placed the rabbit on the spit to cook. Her grandmother rose to see to it and she continued her Grandmothers work. Scrapping hides was a large part of any woman's day. The sewing together of hides were only a small part of it.

" Lanna you did well today. A rabbit for us. One for Mara and another for the Clan. A very good hunt today." Her grandmother said.

"Yes we are lucky. The spirits have been good to us today." She andger grandmother let silence fall between them.

She lost herself in her work. She noted the hunters coming back with a horse in tow. It had been dismantled to make it easier to carry. She saw the way Callon and Falron glanced at her. The disappointment when they saw she gad been successful.

They both had been trying to court her. Trying to get her to agree to join with either of them. She didn't like it. She had other concerns. She set about her work until evening fell fully and she placed the hides away.

She ate with her grandmother enjoying the quietness of the camp settling in. She heard low singing and flute music. She went toward the larger circle of clan memebers as they told of the hunt. Norick stood after the details were told excitably to the clan.

"Today we encountered a group of others hunting. They didn't see us but if you come across any run or hide. They are not to be trusted or.sought after. The story or Seron and his wife is knowledge enough to make any beware them." Norick said as the tale days hunting was finished. His dark eyes connected with all in the group.

Lanna winced in memory of her father and mothers death. And her unborn sibling. It was a tragic day it was what had forced them north once more. The competition in the south for food with other enemy groups and others was too fierce. Norick motioned her to follow him to his lodge.

"You went hunting today?" he asked simply as they stood near the opening of the lodge.

"Yes I did. I brought back a rabbit for the clan as well." she explained.

"That is good and well but you are a woman. Your place isn't to hunt. Soon you may have a husband and a child you can't hunt then." he paused when.her head hung low. "Your father was my cousin. He taught you how to survive and do many things well. It isn't seemly to have a woman hunting. You are lucky Callon and Falron wish to join with you. Listen to my words cousin and obey them. You are no longer going to hunt." he reached out his hand and she placed the sling in it.

He grasped her chin and pulled her face up. "Provide for the clan as a woman and the men will provide for you." His dark eyes connected with her green eyes. "Promise me you will do the things a woman should do? I want you joined with a man and happy. Many your age already have three children and more on the way. Promise me." he added after a while.

"I promise." she mummbled and in a show of affection he nuzzled her forehead.

She went to her lodge and lay down afterwards. Her grandmother said little. She had known it was coming sooner or later. Lanna was dispondent and fuming at the same time. She didn't want to rely on men to see to her basic needs. She wanted to hunt and help provide.

As she settled in for sleep she knew she would try to listen to her cousin. Though her heart still yearned to hunt. For now she would bid her time.

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The day rose early as did the men and women of the clan. The women and children went to bath in the nearby stream. Those that finished quickly washed clothes. Lanna enjoyed the bath and the cool water. She was halfway through bathing and helping Cara bath when she looked up.

Goosebumps appeared across her flesh. She glanced around carefully to look for signs of whatever watched her and the other women. Something was out there. She quickly rinsed Cara's hair and moved her to her mothers side. The women were preparing to leave.

She put on the hated dress and followed with only another spine chilling glance backwards. She saw nothing in the dim forest light. Though she k es whatever was out there saw her and the others.perfectly.

"Lanna. ... Lanna."She looked up to find mara calling her name.

"Sorry I was lost in my thoughts." she said simply.

"Its alright. I was just wondering when you would go to gather more herbs and if you could find a certain one." she explained.

"Let me guess goats rue for the mother to be. We have all been watching out for MIra considering this is the first baby she has carried. I will go soon to the higher ridges to look for herbs such as goats rue." she said smiling at knowing her friend so well. Mara clapped her back lightly.

"You and I are two birds of the same feather." she laughed lightly.

The group of women picked berries and dug roots and collected nuts. Cara was learning already what was good and what wasn't. It was important to learn quickly. Mothers were not always promised to be there to teach their children forever. As midday came they returned and Lanna helped tan more hides and sew clothing. When she went to collect firewood she took her time. Wary of the large predators but still giving herself time to think.

She was humming to herself when she felt the tingles across her skin again. She glanced around nothing was out of the way as far she could see. Her body as a whole knew something was watching her. She quickly picked up a few more pieces of wood and went back to camp.

The eyes watched her most of the way back. . .

*************★***************

Nykrion watched the small female among the clan invading in his clans territory. He had been sent to keep an eye on them. He found himself drawn to her. He had noted her skill at hunting on the ridge behind her. She was cunning to kill rabbits so easily.She had no mate or children as far as he could see. In the camp she was always near an old woman.Two males watched her though. Carefully the brothers kept an eye on her. He could see why. She was a female of worth. Able to do a woman's job and be a hunter as well.

She was graceful as she walked amongst the group of women gathering berries. Her hair was dark brown. Her eyes he hadn't gotten close enough to tell. She and her people were unlike his own. He saw that obviously these creatures were not as he was. He remembered when he was a boy how the clan told of his mothers joining with a male creature.

He was the result of such a union and then the killing happend. The strange creatures had killed some of his clan when a dispute occured over the strange ones coming too close to their prime hunting territory. He shook his head at the bad memories he brought forth. This may be the same group but they had stuck far from his peoples preferred hunting grounds. So he was sent only to watch and wait.

He often went back to see to his child, his sister was having some difficulty providing for both her toddler and his infant. His mate had died months ago when the birth had been too hard. He was worried the clan would dispose of her if she was too big of a nuisance to rear. So he made sure to bring his sister plenty of food and provide plenty of hides for her. So far she was nursing his daughter. It wouldn't last forever though soon she would need someone to nurse her that didn't have a child.

He did his task here though for his clan he would see to his daughter's precarious situation once winter was upon them. The little female strange one like all of her clan had an olive tint to her skin and was more slender and long limbed than his people. Their forehead was straight and noses smaller. He could see now why his brow wasn't as slooping as his clan mates or why his nose wasnt' as large. He looked like his people but the key features he possesed of them was muted slightly.

Even when she bathed and the skin that never saw the sun was olive toned. Her features were fine boned and small. Like the bones of a bird, fragile and small. He found though she had adequate hips and breats to bring forth children and nurse them. She was also aware of his prescence. It was obvious in the way she glanced around as she bathed the young girl. It had been obvious when she had gathered wood. She knew she was being watched.

That was something he respected about the female. She was aware of her surrondings and she was able to support her clan as a hunter and a female. She took the young girl under her wing and helped teach her while her mother was labouring on somthing else. She was also a target he could follow easily. She prefered solitude to the company of others. Which made it easier for him to watch her.

'we must know our enemy...' he mused silently.

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Lanna woke early days later glad to see plenty of wood and water for the days use. She saw plenty of hide for her grandmother to sew. She saw that she had an oppurtunity to get away from camp for a while and gather herbs. She was happy to be able to enjoy the silence around her. She grabbed her pouch, digging stick, and knife; she walked out the door into the predawn gloom. She needed to gather more herbs before winter fell and Mira had the baby. She headed to the high ridges where she knew many of the herbs grew.

'today will be a good day. . .'