Barbarian's Prize(43)
Josie shrugs. “Why do you care?”
“I don’t.” He spits the word at us and straightens to his full height, all imposing horns and blue muscle. “But it is foolish to go to the Elders Cave now, with only one hunter to guide you. The South caves are further away from the Elders’ Cave than the main cave is. You should wait until we rejoin the other cave and go with a large party, when it is safer.”
“It is an easy walk of a day and a half,” Taushen says, jogging up to us.
“Humans are slow,” Haeden sneers, giving the younger hunter a disgusted look. “Did you consider that? Did you bring enough travel rations to accommodate for the fact that they are weak?”
“Jesus, what is your problem?” Josie glares at him and looks as if she wants to hit him with her other snowshoe. “We’re going and that’s final. Or are you pissy because you can’t come along?”
His lip curls as he gazes down at her. “I do not wish to go.”
“I don’t want you to go either!”
“But it does not change the fact that you should stay here.” He points at the cave floor. “It is safe here.”
“We’re going to get the language laser beam and you can’t stop us!” She’s practically hopping in anger, not an easy feat given that one of her snowshoes is strapped on.
I just look over at Taushen. “Are we going on a dangerous path?”
He shakes his head. “It’s very clear and not close to any watering holes. There are no metlak caves and very few snowcats travel the paths we shall take because they prefer the cliffs. Ours is a straight walk so easy we send kits out on it on their first hunts alone.” He’s frowning at Haeden in confusion, as if he doesn’t understand the man’s anger at letting us go. “It is very safe.”
“Taushen won this prize fair and square,” Josie retorts. “If you wanted to win maybe you should have competed, Mister Crabby Pants.”
“If this is his reward, then let Tafinee and Taushen go. You stay here. You do not need to go along and slow them down.”
Josie’s eyes widen and she sputters. “Fuck you! I’m going! I don’t know why you care anyhow – you don’t like it when I’m here, and now you don’t like it when I try to leave. Make up your freaking mind!”
His eyes narrow with anger at the small human defying him. “I shall speak to Aehako about this.”
“Who do you think gave me the friggin’ snowshoes, you idiot?” She waves one under his nose.
Haeden snarls and then turns away, stomping back to his cave, his tail lashing angrily. I watch with wide eyes as he leaves. I don’t understand the dynamic between him and Josie. If he hates her so much, why does he care if she goes or not? Shouldn’t he be glad she’s leaving for a while, because now she won’t bother him with her incessant talking and singing and needling him with comments?
“I do not understand him,” Taushen says to me.
Boy, at least it’s not just me, then. I turn to look at him. “Do we have everything?”
He rubs one ear. “I should get more rations…just in case. And another set of water skins.”
“We’ll wait here,” I tell him and smile. I should smile at him, right? To make him feel like he won a reward instead of just being our tour guide? I don’t hate the guy. He’s young and sweet, but I’m just…not interested in the slightest. Still, if anyone had to win other than Salukh, I’m glad it’s Taushen. Spending three or four days with Bek might have broken me. His anger scares me in a way Haeden’s never does. Maybe because Haeden’s anger is never directed at anyone but Josie? Who knows. I watch Taushen disappear into one of the storage caves. If it couldn’t be Salukh, I am glad it had to be Taushen.
Speaking of Salukh…I glance around the near-empty early morning cave. “Where are all the hunters?”
Kira pulls baby Kae from her breast and starts to burp her. “Did you not hear them all leave early this morning? Aehako sent them all out on the trails. They’ll be back in a few days.”
I try to hide my disappointment. Out on the trails? That means no goodbye from Salukh. I wanted to see his face one more time before I set out, even though I know he’s got to be stinging with disappointment right now. “Oh, okay.”
Why does that hurt my feelings? I didn’t stick up for him and declare that he should be my man. I let this stupid contest go on. It’s my own fault. And yet…I was hoping he’d be around. That maybe I could somehow convince him to go with us. That I could at least say goodbye for a few days.