Barbarian Alien(41)

The fucker is heavy. I pull harder, trying to move him. He makes a low groan of pain and I immediately stop. “Shit. Sorry!” I examine his other arm to see if it’s any better and I can see the bones sticking out of a break near his wrist. Fuck. I can’t tug on that one. It’s just as well, because that test-tug only told me that he was super heavy.

I need a better way.

Desperate, I look around. In the distance are the pink, whippy trees that bend and move with the breeze, and I grab Raahosh’s bone knife and head for them, an idea in my head. When my dad shot a deer, we’d normally tie the legs to a pole and then shoulder it, but there’s no one to hold the other shoulder for me this time. One time, though, I was being a whiny kid and my dad got pissed and made himself a travois out of two branches and a tarp, and dragged the deer home behind him while I blubbered at his side.

God bless me being a shitty kid. I can make a travois and drag Raahosh home.

It takes me nearly an hour to chop down one of the flimsy trees, but they’ll suit my purpose just fine. The ‘trunk’ is big enough for me to grip comfortably, and even though it’s sticky and spongy to the touch, I should be able to carry it just fine. I chop down another, and by the time I drag them back to Raahosh, I’m trembling with exhaustion and I worry I’ve ruined his bone knife by dulling it.

There’s no time to worry about that, though, because a fine snow is now falling and the skies are overcast. If I don’t get Raahosh home, we’re going to be in deep shit. So I kneel to the ground and shrug off the warm cloak he gave me this morning, and begin to tie it down to the poles to make the base of the travois. I use some of the ties on my leggings to tie the cloak down, and by the time I’m done, I’m shivering in the cold, my clothing is wrecked and half gone, and the snow is coming down in a thick blanket.

“Raahosh?” I call softly, tapping his cheek to see if he’s awake. No response. In a way, I’m glad. This will hurt less if he’s unconscious. With an apology in my brain, I grab his good arm and drag/roll him toward the travois. He groans with pain but doesn’t rouse.

I grab the poles, clench the knife between my teeth, and begin to drag my makeshift travois after me. Fuck. It’s heavy, but I’m out of options. I’ll just have to suck it up. We can’t stay here. I bite my lip and begin the long, slow, drag home.

It takes me hours to find the way out of the canyon, but once I do, I’m able to see the remainder of our footprints as dips in the falling snow, and the glacier’s in the distance. I can make it home. I can. My fingers feel like bricks of ice and I have blisters on my hands, but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

As I give the travois another tug, Raahosh groans. I gasp and set it down gently, then rush to his side. “Raahosh? Are you awake?”

His head tosses, and then he gazes at me with a pain-glazed stare. I’m not entirely sure he’s aware of where he is. “Liz,” he breathes, and tries to reach for me with his hand. His face contorts in agony and he falls back against the travois.

“Don’t move,” I tell him. “I’m getting you out of here. It’s going to be fine.”

“Leave…me…” he pants. “I am too wounded.”

“Bullshit,” I tell him, though he’s voicing my worst fears. “You’re fine! You just need to rest and recover for a few days. Let the cootie do its work!”

“You’re….not….safe.” His eyes slide closed again.

“I’m fine,” I bellow a little louder than I need to. I lean forward and grab Raahosh by the collar. “Are you listening to me? I’m fine, and you’re going to be fine. Don’t you die on me!” He doesn’t answer, and I panic a little. I shake him, eliciting another wounded groan from him. I don’t care. If he’s groaning, he’s alive. “Don’t you fucking leave me, Raahosh.” I release him and smooth his clothing down, then lean in, putting my hand over his chest. His khui vibrates at my touch, and I decide bribery is the best weapon I have. I place my mouth close to his ear. “If you come out of this alive, Raahosh, I’ll fuck the hell out of you, so help me God.”





RAAHOSH



My mind is a blur of red pain and black dreams. Sometimes my khui resonates in my chest, and everything feels better. Sometimes there is a jolt of dark pain, and I sink further into the blackness. I need to focus, to concentrate, but my mind won’t stay alert.

But I have to, I remind myself. I must protect Liz.

“Liz,” I breathe. “My mate.”