- Aurora -

I'm able to keep the anger and the ice cold determination alive for a good while as I make my way through the jungle. Right now I'm not being as watchful as I should, but the anger is good anyway. It hides the other emotions that I'd rather not feel right now as a million thoughts fight for attention.

If he thinks I'm his property, then he's sadly mistaken.

He didn't put it like that.

He never said he loved me.

Does he even know what love is?

Yes, of course. He's just not used to saying what he feels.

Really? After he heard me say it to him? Several times? He's not that stupid.

Can you expect that sophistication from a simple caveman?

He's the least simple man I've met.

He has to get over his pride.

The pride is who he is. Pride in his tribe and his accomplishments.

And pride in me.

Oh yeah? Am I sure he was proud of me for who I am, or was he proud of himself because he's the only man in his tribe who's gotten laid?

A man should have something to be proud of. He has a lot.

He's the best, kindest man I've ever met.

And I pointed my crossbow at him.

He saved my life when he threw his sword, disarming himself.

And then I saved his. We're even on that score.

He let me do my crazy projects on his island. He helped me and supported me like nobody else ever has.

He never said he loved me.

The way he fucked me – he has to love me, right?

Guys can fuck Pringles cans if they get horny enough.

He was going to tie me up again.

The jungle is deadly at night.

He wouldn't let me help Sophia.

He doesn't know her from Eve.

I guess only babies in his own tribe have any value to him.

He has lived in a tribal society all his life.

He never said he loved me.

Was I just a sex toy to him?

No man makes love like that to a sex toy.

I stole his magic. His most prized possession. Given to him by his Ancestors.

I'm pretty sure I know where it comes from. And it's not his Ancestors.

Fuck him. He never said he loved me!

I give it my best shot, but even I can't stay angry for long. The sadness is lurking right behind.

And the fear.

The jungle at night is intensely frightening. It's more quiet than in the daytime, but also more threatening. A monster dino could be just feet away and I won't see it.

The only good thing is that dactyls don't seem to fly much at night. So I don't need to keep looking up.

Suddenly I see a flat, black surface in front of me. It's the lake.

Trak'zor's island is like a slightly less black shadow in the darkness. My breath sticks in my throat at the sight of it. I had some happy times there.

I would never thought it was possible to be happy on this planet. But I was.

For a few days, I was really happy. Because of him.

And shit, now my eyes are stinging and my throat is closing up.

I weep brave tears as I walk along the beach, trying to keep quiet because there may be raptors and braks here. But I can't keep the sobs down.

Why did he have to be so fucking great? Nothing will ever be the same after this.

Maybe he will come after me. Or maybe I'll go back later and everything will be the same.

But I know it won't. His pride will absolutely forbid him from coming after me.

And I have some pride of my own. I will not beg him to take me back.

Maybe.

It doesn't matter. We'll probably never meet again.

I continue into the jungle, heading for Bune.

I'm able to stifle most of the sore sobbing. But I leave a wet little trail of quiet, bitter tears all the way there.

- - -

Only after I walk past Bune by the light of the rising sun do the creatures attack me.

First there's a millipede as long as a bus, but it only takes two arrows stuck deep in its first segment for it to break off its attack and scurry off into the woods.

Then I have a worse problem. First I hear a soft rustling of leaves off to the side, so I stop and lift my crossbow, like I have done several time before on this trek. The branches split and I'm face to face with what has to be a young triceratops. Or a very close facsimile, anyway. This one is probably more of a quinticeratops, because it has five long horns, not just three. And its head is covered by a flat, bony shield. It's only the size of a van, and that's why I think it's young. Adult dinos tend to be much bigger.

It stops when it sees me.

I can't see any spot on it that it would be smart to shoot at. The skin looks very thick, and that shield with horns on must be as thick as a suitcase and covers the head. The only weak spot is the eyes, but it has four of them, and I don't think I can be as accurate and quick with the crossbow that I can take them all out.

The creature takes short steps towards me. Normally a dino would have screamed and charged by now, but this one seems less aggressive. I let it come all the way up to me, while my skin creeps and its rank stench violates my nose.

It stares at me from six feet away while I keep the crossbow aimed at one eye. Its face is the size of a dinner table, but the eyes are too small for it and it looks very slightly cute, in a cumbersome kind of way.

Then it jerks its massive head and I'm so surprised I pull the trigger and fire the arrow. It hits the side of the ratops and falls harmlessly to the ground.

But the reason the ratops suddenly jerked around is not harmless. For a moment we both stare into the sky. Then the ratops trots off in among the trees, and at the same time a terrible screech splits the air.

Dactyl. And it's diving down straight at me.

I quickly load another arrow. It's too late to run for cover. I'm in a clearing, and I can't shoot while running.

Fine. I'll be eaten by a dactyl. At least my heartache will be over.

But I'll go out fighting, even so.

I fire the first arrow when the dactyl is fifty feet away. I think I hit, but it makes no great impression on the flying horror. These arrows aren't iron-tipped.

One more arrow hits, and then the dactyl is so close that I can smell it, beating its wings and hovering right above me.

I struggle to load my last arrow when the creature lands on four terrible clawed feet.

I freeze. No dactyl ever lands during an attack.

“Can I entice you to travel with Dactyl Airlines, ma'am? The seats are terrible, but the view is pretty good.”

Sixty tons of lead evaporate from my mind. “Heidi!”

She climbs off the dactyl and comes walking, trying to pull her windswept hair out of her face. “I told the girls I'd try one last flight to try to find you. I never thought I actually would.”

I run over and hug her tight. “Oh god. I can't tell you how happy I am to see you.”

She squeezes me back. “And the feeling is very mutual. Seems one of us is always missing.”

I wipe a relieved tear off my face. “How is Sophia?”

“Not great. But it hasn't started yet.”

“Okay. I have something that might help.” I hold out the bag.

“Oh. You met someone?”

“And how. Heidi, I'm glad you came now. Did you see the dino that ran away?”

She walks back to the dactyl and I reluctantly follow. “That's why we screamed. I wanted to chase it away from you. Do you have your boarding pass?”

“Will an empty quiver and a broken heart be okay?”

She raises her eyebrows theatrically. “Ooh! Business class!”

I grab her offered hand and climb onto the dactyl. I should be scared out of my mind of this horrific monster, but right now I don't have that many more shits to give.

I hold on to Heidi, the dactyl takes off and I only squeal the tiniest bit.

“That bad, huh?” she says when we're flying over the treetops.

The wind in my hair and the speed and the prospect of soon being back at the cave carrying a stolen treasure should give me a thrill. But a piece of me has died. A big piece. So big that now I just feel hollow.

“Bad enough. I saw you before. Over the lake.”

“Oh, you did? God, I was scared out of my mind.” She slaps the dactyl's back. “This guy decided to battle a sea monster and I couldn't stop him.”

“That sea monster was busy attacking us. Did you see the raft?”

“It's hard to see what's underneath this thing. And I just wanted to get him to go home. But sometimes his dino instincts take over.”

“I'm glad he didn't obey you. Saved our lives.”

“'Our', huh? Is there a man in the picture? Someone who breaks hearts? Just a wild guess.”

I sigh. “I think the word is 'was'.”

Heidi reaches behind her back to grab my wrist in sympathy. “Girl, I've been there. I hope you'll tell us about it.”

I turn my head to look behind me. Far away there's a shimmer like a spot of silver in the morning sun. That has to be the lake.

Trak'zor's lake.

So of course my eyes are full of tears again.

I pull myself together and clear my voice. “Oh, you guys will hear all about it.”