Toward the end of his ministrations, Loni became aware of being watched. Back in the steam, by the far wall, crouched Scar. He had followed, like a predator, observing, waiting, as if to take back what he thought belonged to him.
She isn't yours, Scar. I will not let you hurt her again.
Watch carefully. Maybe, you will learn how to tend a female; to treat her with dignity and affection?
Loni carefully hoisted his unconscious loved one into his arms, and stood. He made for the waterfall campsite.
Let him follow, but...I will fight you for her, if I have to.
Yet Scar did not follow. The next time the two men were to meet, Scar would be clean, and wearing fresh garments. If he had learned anything from observation, he applied it first to himself.
Chapter 29
Da lay beside Lydia, mourning. He was certain, if his girl was not already dead, she soon would be. Long ago, he had given up hope that Loni and Gem would come back to the waterfall nest.
Movement at the ladder, rising from below, made him lift his head. And there, at long last, came Loni, carrying Gem in his arms.
She was hurt, Da reasoned. They had done something to her, as they had to Lydia. It made him angry. But he quietly lay back to watch.
Loni is busy.
His mentor knelt down on his abandoned mat with his burden, unfurled Gem from the mantle that surrounded her, lay her out flat, and gently covered her with the blanket, again, tucking the edges tenderly about her like a cocoon. Then wearily, Loni lay down behind her.
It was then Da noticed, how very thin Gem had grown; and she was bald, as if someone had just recently shaved her. He also observed the small, swollen, abdomen, and his heart began to race with anticipation.
At least they didn't get the baby bump. Loni is going to be a poppa!
But Loni seemed less excited by the fact; he appeared rather depressed; thoroughly exhausted, almost sick, himself. It was only seconds, and he too was asleep.
Need to protect them.
But good intentions are often not easily kept. Da promptly fell fast asleep.
****
Da woke with a start. Loni and Gem were fighting; the sparks litterly flying.
At some point, Loni must have slipped away for food. He was attempting to feed Gem from a dish of porridge. At his first effort, she had sprung up rapidly from the pallet, batting at the spoon, sending it flying, backing toward the wall, not only giving off red and blue, wavy, static sparks, but hissing like a cornered cat. Startled from sleep, there was no telling what she envisioned; it was, as if she thought the dish held poison.
It was obvious, she either thought Loni someone else, or she no longer trusted him.
Da took advantage of the situation; as soon as Loni set the bowl aside, he fetched it for Lydia, crawling covertly after the spoon, and retrieving it, as well. Da found his mate, her eyes open, but filled with listless disinterest.
Unlike Gem, Lydia did not fight being fed. A spoonful at a time, went down, but he was able to coax her to swallow only two or three, before Lydia closed her eyes again in exhaustion.
Loni, on the other hand, had changed his tactics; he had offered Gem a small, ripe plum. Da watched, as for a second, Gem stared at the fruit in Loni's hand, as if she was having difficulty seeing it, then she grabbed for it, missed, and almost batted it from Loni's hand.
Patiently, carefully, Loni took her fist in his empty hand, opened it, and placed the tempting morsel in her palm. Hungrily, almost instantly, she was eating, greedily, juice dripping down her cheeks and chin.
What is wrong with her? It's like...she can't see!
Gem ate like a creature starving. Loni had to hold her back at times, or she would eat too quickly, or too much. At last, satisfied she'd had sufficient, Loni made her lay down again; sleep overcame her almost instantly.
With the women fed and asleep, the men filled their empty bellies, as well, and once more returned to slumber, also. Da was a simple fellow; now that Loni had returned, he expected that life would go on as usual.
And so the days followed, one after another, until Gem grew stronger.
But...Lydia did not.
****
Loni felt a tugging at his shirt. He had just brought back the gatherings of another meal, but Gem was still dozing. He turned about, to gazing into the pleading eyes of Da. The younger man's anguish was almost palpable. Da wanted him to follow him over to his mat.
Gem is resting still. Guess I can safely go see what is bothering him.
As Loni neared Lydia, he was bombarded, near overwhelmed, by the suffering he read in her mind, not to mention her physical condition.
How has this happened? When did this happen? How could I be so unaware?
Anger shot through Loni as he realized what had been perpetrated against the younger couple in his absence. Abruptly, guilt replaced that hot feeling, when he admitted, he might have prevented some of it, had he been there.
"You fix?" queried Da, pleadingly, by thought.
Loni stooped, knelt beside the despondent woman; skimmed his hand across the bloody towel covering Lydia's private area. He had been so in attentive to the other couple; driven by his own needs and worries; only vaguely wondering, what Da was doing with the many towels. Da's back had always been toward them, as the younger man was cleaning his mate.
She's been bleeding a long time...and no longer has the will to live...near death. What can I tell him?
Loni sighed.
"I can't fix
