Cave Man

True Love

Male Perspective

Three Years Later

Much had changed for me. Idly I thought over the last three years that we had been in this new land.

I was now the father of a son and a daughter. Enais’s woman had borne twin girls and now she was pregnant with what she said was a son.

As a tribal unit we had prospered greatly. We’d had to leave the caves though.

About a year after we had been occupying them a pack of roving hyenas of enormous size had almost made an end of all of us one night. They’d had an intense desire to possess the caves for themselves and it had driven them past the boundaries normally observed between fellow predators.

Having to keep guard of the caves, night and day had become quite unsustainable as neither I or Enais could stay at the caves all day every day. So, somewhat bitter sweetly we had packed up and moved on.

The year after we had left, though a great flood caused by excessive early spring rains and snowmelt had flooded the valley that the caves lay within. Even though the caves had been up off the valley bottom they had been put completely under water by the raging tumult.

All of the hyenas had perished within their new hard won abode. If it hadn’t been for their insistence to have the caves for themselves it would have been us that would’ve died.

In this instance along with so many other occurrences I saw the saving graces of the Creator always at work for us. With each of these Divine providences I spoke to my children of them as I tried to instill in them a respect for the Creator, who had brought us to this land and through the years had been daily sustaining us in it.

In homage to the One who had made us, we lived and prospered, even as we lived in harmony with the excellence of all His creation around us that daily bore us witness of the fact that there was indeed an all supreme God.

Even though our blessings were many survival was by no means an easy task even in a land of plenty. But as our tribe grew and our children increased in years, our chances of succeeding as a people only became greater.

Winter was soon coming again, but we had more than enough and yet it was best to always have even more than was needed. The winters here were hard.

To augment our supply Enais and I had made the long journey to the coast to catch fish that we would then dry and smoke to put away for winter storage. We had all come to love variety in our diet and of all the items stored away for this coming winter fish was in the least supply.

So we had come to fish by the seashore where we were assured of catching the greatest number of fish in the shortest amount of time. Even though we were both away from our families we were secure in their safety as over the last two years we had made for ourselves quite an encampment that was easily defendable against even the most tenacious of predators.

That said, even though our families were safe, we as a matter of habit were always on our guard, as it was only too often an occurrence that the hunters could become the hunted in a land where the animals had only become increasingly separated from respecting the life of humans as being of a higher order of creation than their own.

I heard an abrupt whistling sound, which cut through the noise of the tide breaking on the shore and in reflex one hand dropped the net I had been laying out on the sand to grip the sword at my waist. I quickly stepped to where my spear stood stuck in the sand and pulled it free.

Turning I looked for Enais, ever ready to come to his aid, even as I had entrusted my own life to him a thousand times over in the past few years. I quickly spotted him, but no immediate aggressor seemed to be present.

Instead I saw him point towards the sea. Turning I beheld a small craft seeking to make a way through the breakers about a mile out.

It was the first glimpse of humanity either of us had seen since we had left Babel.

The ship was too small to be of use to a giant. It however was also too slight of build to make it through the treacherous course that its master had charted for it.

The situation on board must be dire in order to risk such an approach to this section of coastline. Enais had come to my side and together we watched for that was all that we could do.

In the distance, then we saw a much larger ship and Enais and I shared a meaningful glance as it became clear to us what the insane plight of the smaller craft might have been provoked by. We watched on and silently each of us rooted for the smaller craft, as we both distrusted the forces at play in the larger ship that had drawn off against the horizon to sit idle and watch what would become of the smaller boat.

It almost made it, but at the last series of breakers, it got caught in a cross current and was slammed hard into a jagged patch of seafoam encrusted boulders. Before our eyes we watched the boat disintegrate into pieces.

Both of us had reached a common consensus that whether or not the boat held a friend or foe we were going to do something to help out fellow humans that had exhibited as much courage as these had in order to risk coming to shore along this section of the coastline. While some may have said what they were attempting was suicide it could also be said that they were willing to die in order to remain free and that was something that both Enais and I could identify with strongly.

Tossing our weapons back to the dryer sands of the beach we turned and surged forward together into the rough surf and soon we were swimming. It was hard going as wave after wave came upon us, forcing us to duck under or be washed back to shore.

Eventually we broke through the tidal cascades and neared the spot where we could see evidence of swimmers in the water. As we drew closer we saw that there were three survivors.

One was barely moving and being held up by the other two, who were putting forth a great effort to get to shore, but were being pulled around and around by a strong eddy current. The one barely moving was a man and his two helpers were female.

All three were of a black skin color, but not nearly so dark as Enais was. Entering the strong eddy current both Enais and I were swept into the group.

Grabbing the injured man we relieved both girls forcibly of their burden. Now they would do much better.

Enais and I fought then, against the ocean with the very real knowledge that by seeking to help others we very well may have killed ourselves. With an abrupt gush we cleared the eddy current and from there the current took us back brutally towards the shore.

Hacking and spitting out seawater we stumbled with fatigue as we drug the man held between us up the beach and away from the crashing of the waves. We laid him down and panting for air as our bodies shook with exhaustion and the adrenaline of almost dying we took stock of our surroundings.

At almost the same moment we remembered the two girls. Glancing back it was to thankfully see them crawling onto shore exhibiting even more signs of exhaustion then we were.

Stumbling back up to our feet, we headed for them and grabbing a hold of each of them, we pulled them up to their feet and helped them make it the short distance to what had to be their father given the strong resemblance to him that they both had. Panting for air and yet crying at the same time both girls knelt down beside the man laying very still upon the sand.

I looked away from the scene with sharp remorse. The man was dead.

Mournful cries echoed out of both girls as they fiercely hugged the man’s body in an age-old symbol of not wanting to let go of someone deeply loved.

Enais came to my side, and with a glance out toward the sea, we both saw that the larger ship had finally disappeared as it looked for easier prey elsewhere, finally he asked, “What is it you think we should do? The ship may come back or move up the coast and put a landing party ashore.”

I nodded, but said nothing.

“These girls will not do well alone. The man died to save them from whoever is on that ship.”

I nodded again and this time I said, “First, we let them mourn their father. I think it’s best that we burn the body, because if we don’t he’ll just be dug up by a critter of some kind and we don’t want to leave any evidence to show that anyone made it to shore. After that’s done, we will take them back with us to the encampment, but we will go the long way and make sure that we are not followed.”

Enais with a concerned look to his normally enigmatic features asked, “And what will they be to us? Servants?”

I glanced back to where the two girls still knelt beside the man lying still upon the sand. They really weren’t girls, but in reality were both fully filled out young women.

I shook my head no and said, “A servant of unknown origin is not to be trusted. If they are to be with us then they must be a part of us. You and I will take them for wives. In that way we can ensure that they will become invested in the same struggle for survival that we all face. Pick the one that you want and I will take the other, but we will not be husbands to them until they are stable of mind and able to see a future past the grief of this moment.”

Enais nodded slowly and said, “I think what you have said is wise, but what of our wives? What do you think they….”?

“They will respect our decision.”

Enais nodded and said, “So be it.”

Though my words had been firm I had no wish to trample on the hearts of either of our wives that we both loved, but the reality for these girls was that they would die on their own and to be with us they had to have a purpose that would yoke them into the plight of our family. We both had a vision of what we were to do in this land and God had just multiplied our chances of making it happen to a much greater degree.

Still the reaction of both of our women was no easy setting thought within the minds of both of us as we went about preparing for the funeral of a man we had never known and yet had just accepted the burden of responsibility of caring for two girls that before today had rested solely upon him.

*********

The heavy wooden gate ahead of us parted and inwardly I braced for conflict. Both Ayangla and Sarli rushed forward and the two black girls, who we had given our heavy fur coats to were rushed forward toward our central building within the encampment that we had made for ourselves. The building was a place for gathering together and cooking as by ritual of habit we ate together as a tribe.

Enais and I were left in the courtyard with our young children hugging about our legs doing their best to trip us and bring us down to their level. They had no greater input in the moment then to be simply glad that we had returned.

Enais and I went our own ways to our own separate dwellings once the gateway had been re-fastened and secured tight. Our children followed behind and we gave them all of our attention, even as our minds remained occupied with what may be happening elsewhere.

*********

Sarli rubbed at her growing belly and leaned back against a table that Ayangla was working at as she prepared more food for the two young women, who couldn’t seem to get enough of eating vegetables and wild venison. Both older women could fully sympathize with them, as they’d had their own sea journey once upon a time to look back upon.

Ayangla’s son had come in and retold the story of what was known of the two women, about the shipwreck and the death of their father. Truly, it was a tragic reality being faced by both of the young girls and both women were fully sympathetic to their plight and did their best to set the minds of the girls at ease by smiling at them and offering them all the food that they could eat with no censure given.

Sarli glanced at Ayangla and whispered, “Are you angry?”

Ayangla shrugged a little, but then said, “Maybe, but truly we don’t have a right to be.”

Sarli nodded and rubbing at her belly she said, “I was thinking much the same. Truly would we wish for men more interested in pleasing just us solely or would we wish for men that have hearts big enough to be interested in the plights of others beyond just our own desires. I do see the rationality that they cannot be here with us unless they are a part of our family. More children will only make us stronger and it’s not like we couldn’t use some extra help too.”

Ayangla smiled softly, “You don’t have to convince me Sarli. I know all those benefits too. It’s just that I will miss…… I will miss the exclusivity that I’ve had to my man.”

Male Perspective

“Ayangla?” Both women jumped at the sound of my voice and promptly blushed as they discerned that I had overheard them talking.

I struggled for a moment and then finding my voice I said, “I started my time with you as uncouthly as any barbarian could. Truly, I…. my own mother would be ashamed of me. I desired you, I took you, and I fully intended to never let you go. The thing is, that as much as I desired you, I did not know that you would also take something from me. You took my heart, and you gave me the passion to dream of achieving the impossible. Ever since then with your every breath and movement of you in my every day, life I have been richly blessed by the Creator to share my days with you. I truly love you and I have no wish to hurt you, any more than I want to cut my own hand off. What I have with you is not changing. I am to you and for you as I have ever been and I repeat that that is not changing. I truly wish for you to understand that, but truly at heart, I remain the barbarian that I was from the beginning and so I must do what I have by bringing home another woman to be a wife to me even as you are in order to fulfill the vision my Creator has entrusted me with. She will not have what we have between us, but it is my hope that I will have a unique relationship with her just as I have one with you. In the Creator’s eyes, she is of no greater or lesser value than you and truly it is only you that can determine by your actions, whether you will be lesser or equal to her going forward in life. I intend to care for her and love her even as I care and love you. I can love both of you, but I cannot make up your mind to choose to keep loving me. If you can that would truly be my greatest wish, but regardless you will respect me and the decision that I have made, even as I am the man who held you down and claimed you for my own. I will not ever put you aside and truly if you have anger toward me that you wish to show, then do it now and be done with it since I will not have a discord of bitterness growing unbounded within my house that if left unchecked will become the undoing of us all.”

Pulling an obsidian dagger from my belt, I extended it out to her handle first.

Her eyes as she gazed at me were smoky with intense emotion, but I could not tell what her thoughts going on behind them were. She came closer then and took the knife from me.

She held it up and looked at it for a moment and then gazing into my eyes, she said, “From our first moments together you brought me to be in submission before you and every day since then I have remained so and even now as you give me leave to act out and be the aggressor I truly must decline, for I want the man that I have come to love and who I know only has my best interests at heart even in this decision of yours to take another wife. Take your knife back husband. I remain your loyal wife and I welcome into our home the woman who I will share you with, even as I pray to the Creator that she will come to love you even as I love you.”