were carving with primitive stone tools or sitting around the fire smoking.
It was like a scene out of prehistoric times. The arrow people wore the skins of animals Mark didn’t recognize. There was nothing modem here, no metal tools or cooking utensils. Everything came from their surroundings and was fashioned by their own hands.
The girls took the water pots inside one of the huts. Leeta stayed outside and kept glancing nervously back toward the forest. An older woman spoke to her and she reluctantly went into the hut.
Mark waited a long time but Leeta didn’t come out. Hunger gnawed at his stomach. He crawled back into the dense brush and sat on his heels. Now that he knew where the arrow people were he could come back anytime. And because the girls had shown him where the water was, he could stay in this area indefinitely.
First he would eat. Then he would plan how to meet the arrow people.
chapter
16
The water from the creek tasted good, even better than the pool water. In the sandy forest he had made a good shot at one of the rabbit creatures and now he was preparing to roast it over a small fire.
He had decided the smartest thing to do would be to wait in the trees near the spot where he had confronted Leeta. Maybe she would be curious enough to come back and look for him.
A twig snapped behind him. He reached for his spear and turned. There was nothing.
Mark frowned. His ears must be playing tricks on him. Cautiously he stepped behind the fire and waited. There was no other sound, no movement.
After a few moments he went back to his cooking. The green limb he was using as a skewer worked well enough, but he had to be careful not to get too close to the flame when he turned it.
The juices from the sizzling meat dripped into the fire and made a wonderful smell. He quit turning the meat and reached behind him for a tree rock.
His boot was gone.
"What the ..." Mark looked all around the fire. He could swear he’d had it a few minutes before.
He turned the rabbit meat one more time and took it off the fire. Then he picked up his spear and walked down the trail a few yards. His stomach grumbled, so he decided to go ahead and eat and search for his boot later.
But when he got back to his fire the rabbit was gone. So were his bow and arrows.
Leeta. She’d pointed in this direction and caused him to come here. It had to be her. Angrily he stomped out to the footpath. "Leeta! I know you’re out there. Leeta? Bring my stuff back."
A tree rock dropped on his head. He looked up. There she was, sitting calmly on one of the branches, going through his things.
Mark rubbed his head. "That’s not funny." He jumped and made a grab for her and she climbed higher.
"Don’t make me come up there." Mark started to climb. The strange girl dropped everything except the bow and quiver. She quickly inserted an arrow, pulled it tight and pointed it right between his eyes.
"Now hold on." Mark put his hands in the air. "You’ve got everything backwards. You’re the thief here. I just want my stuff back."
Her chin went up. "Tso tso Kakon ne."
"What does that mean? Can I at least get my dinner? I’m starving." He edged toward the rabbit, which had landed a few feet away in a clump of grass.
"Nah. Nah." She shook her head and motioned for him to move away.
Mark stopped. "Look, this is stupid. If you’re hungry"— he rubbed his stomach—"I’ll give you some." He pointed at the rabbit meat and then at her.
She studied him a long moment and lowered the bow a few inches. Mark grabbed the rabbit, brushed off the grass and walked back to the fire.
He pretended he wasn’t interested in her, added some sticks to the fire and finished roasting the rabbit.
She was quick. Even with her injured leg she was able to climb out of the tree almost before he could blink. But she wouldn’t come any closer.
He continued to cook, and when the rabbit was done he tore off a piece and offered it to her. She only stared.
"Suit
It was like a scene out of prehistoric times. The arrow people wore the skins of animals Mark didn’t recognize. There was nothing modem here, no metal tools or cooking utensils. Everything came from their surroundings and was fashioned by their own hands.
The girls took the water pots inside one of the huts. Leeta stayed outside and kept glancing nervously back toward the forest. An older woman spoke to her and she reluctantly went into the hut.
Mark waited a long time but Leeta didn’t come out. Hunger gnawed at his stomach. He crawled back into the dense brush and sat on his heels. Now that he knew where the arrow people were he could come back anytime. And because the girls had shown him where the water was, he could stay in this area indefinitely.
First he would eat. Then he would plan how to meet the arrow people.
chapter
16
The water from the creek tasted good, even better than the pool water. In the sandy forest he had made a good shot at one of the rabbit creatures and now he was preparing to roast it over a small fire.
He had decided the smartest thing to do would be to wait in the trees near the spot where he had confronted Leeta. Maybe she would be curious enough to come back and look for him.
A twig snapped behind him. He reached for his spear and turned. There was nothing.
Mark frowned. His ears must be playing tricks on him. Cautiously he stepped behind the fire and waited. There was no other sound, no movement.
After a few moments he went back to his cooking. The green limb he was using as a skewer worked well enough, but he had to be careful not to get too close to the flame when he turned it.
The juices from the sizzling meat dripped into the fire and made a wonderful smell. He quit turning the meat and reached behind him for a tree rock.
His boot was gone.
"What the ..." Mark looked all around the fire. He could swear he’d had it a few minutes before.
He turned the rabbit meat one more time and took it off the fire. Then he picked up his spear and walked down the trail a few yards. His stomach grumbled, so he decided to go ahead and eat and search for his boot later.
But when he got back to his fire the rabbit was gone. So were his bow and arrows.
Leeta. She’d pointed in this direction and caused him to come here. It had to be her. Angrily he stomped out to the footpath. "Leeta! I know you’re out there. Leeta? Bring my stuff back."
A tree rock dropped on his head. He looked up. There she was, sitting calmly on one of the branches, going through his things.
Mark rubbed his head. "That’s not funny." He jumped and made a grab for her and she climbed higher.
"Don’t make me come up there." Mark started to climb. The strange girl dropped everything except the bow and quiver. She quickly inserted an arrow, pulled it tight and pointed it right between his eyes.
"Now hold on." Mark put his hands in the air. "You’ve got everything backwards. You’re the thief here. I just want my stuff back."
Her chin went up. "Tso tso Kakon ne."
"What does that mean? Can I at least get my dinner? I’m starving." He edged toward the rabbit, which had landed a few feet away in a clump of grass.
"Nah. Nah." She shook her head and motioned for him to move away.
Mark stopped. "Look, this is stupid. If you’re hungry"— he rubbed his stomach—"I’ll give you some." He pointed at the rabbit meat and then at her.
She studied him a long moment and lowered the bow a few inches. Mark grabbed the rabbit, brushed off the grass and walked back to the fire.
He pretended he wasn’t interested in her, added some sticks to the fire and finished roasting the rabbit.
She was quick. Even with her injured leg she was able to climb out of the tree almost before he could blink. But she wouldn’t come any closer.
He continued to cook, and when the rabbit was done he tore off a piece and offered it to her. She only stared.
"Suit
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