Mermaids are Menacing (Book 2) Complete

43.) The Stray

Screaming. Gut wrenching, deranged with pain. My head popped up and I jerked my eyes to the sound. My body tensed up and crouched. The little plant, barely more than a sprout, that would one day be grandpa tree waved back in forth excitedly.

"Hmmm. If you hear shouting in the woods its best not to investigate." I told him. "What if its dangerous?"

He stopped shaking for a moment and drooped slightly.

"You're just out for blood, arient you?" I asked. The little grandpa plant looked normal but Ive seen its little roots entangle bugs and drag them down underneath the ground. I had spoiled him by watering him with blood from my hunts. If the big version of him ate meat the little version probably liked blood.

The sapling perked up. I guess I should fufil my familial piety, I thought rolling my eyes. "I'll check it out but I make no promises of snacks." I told him sternly, my tail swatting behind me.

The little sprout danced animatedly inplace.

I picked up a spear and moved northward, soundlessly toward the screams. From the sound, I knew it was men shouting and from the smell I knew there was blood. There were three of them and a big brown bear. One man laid on the ground bleeding badly from the stomach. He was the one making all the noise. The other two were jabbing and swinging at the bear. One held a spear and the other a club.

The bear bit at the man on the grounds leg, trying to drag him away. His companions swung his club wildly trying to scare the animal away. They were all young men with thin facial hair.

It was always my fathers practice to not get involved with outsiders. If they die infront of you or alone, it wasn't our business. Stay away and stay safe. But there was a hungry plant at home and a hungry one in me. It would be a shame to pass up such a big meal especially when I hadn't found many bears in this area. To be honest I lived in a state of brain fog that grew worse by the day.  The thought of hiding from people was lost in my pregnant mind after I saw the bear.  More hides and meat for me and mine. So what if they see me? I am stronger and faster, they can do nothing.

I stepped out from my sneaking place. The men didn't hear me before, they were far to preoccupiedwith a different matter. They didn't seem to realize I was there untill I was only a few steps away fron them. There eyes were already wide with fear and faces flushed red with exertion. There wasn't a desire to talk to them or calm and assure them. There was only the hunt now.

The brown bear was larger than I had expected. It reached my belly button in height. Which was quite tall for its species since they were usually only big dog size. The bear turned on me and growled viciously. It let the young man go. Maybe it was my height or my smell but it became more aggressive with my prescence. Without warning I pummeled it in the face with a swift kick. The bear, who once might have been a formidable foe when I was mostly human, was now a pebble on the road.

It didn't die immediatly with the first strike. Not wanting it to suffer i moved forward to where the animal fell. It was knock down on its side and I speared it through its head with a swift motion.

The men left standing were agape and the one on the ground looked very pale. I grabbed the bear by the foot and began to drag it away back up the hilly terain to the south. It was much heavyer than two boars so I moved much more slowly on my way home. Little kicker and sapling grandpa would eat well tonight. I thought that meeting would be the end of my human interactions but it was only the begining of many interuptions.

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I sat in front of my finished house, pounding the air out of clay to make pots and cups. It had taken awhile to get all the tiny rocks out of the clay when I didn't have cloth available like I was used to. I had been feeding the fire in my stone oven to keep it hot. This would solidify the mud i used to cover the outside of the stone. A layer of dirt would help keep the heat in as much as possible instead of letting it leak out of the crevices. Later ill mix up some water and ash into a paste and rub it all over the outside of the oven.

Life was peaceful. I was constantly busy from sun up tonsun down with little time to rest between gathering material and making new things. Slowly but surly checking off the items that were needed on my mental list.

Building a smoker to preserve meat ×
House ×
Oven×
Wood stock pile ×

I still needed pots and cups and plates and more clothes better furniture. But i was getting there.

It had been a week since I had gotten my most recent bear fur. I worked the hide untill it was supple and flexible, using what brains it had left and my own claws to scrape. Preparing a bone scraper was further down on the priority list. Maybe something to work on as a winter craft.

But as I was lost in thought i became aware of a presence nearby and a whimpering.

" Do you hear that little grandpa?" I asked.

The whimpering sound stirred up my maternal instincts. The sound was pitiful and small. I put the clay aside and wiped the residue off against my legs. I didn't sneak or creep this time. It wasn't unusual to hear scary stories about following a cry out in the woods. Its also why we are told not to clap or whistle at night. But it was day now and I am strong.

The noise was a child. A young girl around 12. The child was decorated with red ocher patterns. The patterns that were drawn on her face and arms, had already become blurry from tears and walking around. Her clothes were simple but clean. I was sure there wasn't any trails around here but now this is the second time I've found humans that came close. But her small figure ignited a sisterly care in my heart.

"Are you lost kid?" I asked.

She stopped moving and looked up at me. The sight of me made her cry harder. Big tears and a snotty nose. She bowed her head down in my direction.

"Ardu!" She shouted with a bowed head.

She said it with such force that i looked behind me expecting someone to have appeared there but there was no one.

"Ar- who?" I asked.

"Mighty huntress Ardu! I am the offering from the villiage below. Please dont be angry with them for trespassing in your forest!" She said bravely.