“Tell him Toemeka is my heartand Soul. I will gladly go after her.”
Kumaroo replied through Jake.“Owayan warriors protect their women, too. Kumaroo would fight anddie for his wife.”
“He already has a wife!”Michio exclaimed. “Why did he want Toemeka then?”
Jake translated. “The Owayanscan have more than one wife. Kumaroo liked her exotic skin color andthe way she boldly looked at him.”
Kumaroo held up his thumb andMichio touched his sun-darkened thumb against Kumaroo’s blue one.Then he and Jake mounted the axterdon and left camp.
***
Tooterrified to move, Toemeka stared at the enormous dark form sweepingtoward her, screaming keeow,keeow.The screech sent shivers up her spine. She heard the beating of itswings as it drew closer and she threw up her arms to protect herface. Huge talons reached toward her and large wings hit against herbody.
“Look out, Toemeka!” Erlingyelled. He sprang to his feet and waved his arms, shouting at thebird, “Get out of here!”
It turned on Erling and Toemekafrantically felt around for her blaster. Before she located it,Erling grabbed her arm and pulled her up. “It’s a giant nightbuzzard! We’ve got to get out of its nest!”
“Wait! I can’t find myblaster.”
Another shrill cry pierced theair. “Its mate’s coming. Move!” The buzzard swooped in againand Erling slammed his forearm into it, then grabbed Toemeka aroundthe waist and swung her onto the branch. “Crawl! Now!”
Toemeka crept toward the treetrunk looming ahead. A second giant night buzzard flew at her and itstalons closed around her arm and jerked her off the branch. Shescreamed and tumbled downward, falling through leaves and thinbranches. She grasped a limb, caught hold and swung in the air for amoment. The branch cracked, broke and she plummeted again. Slamminginto a large branch, she landed flat on her back—the wind knockedout of her.
“Toemeka!” Erling yelled.“Where are you?”
She heard alarm in his voice, butwas too winded to speak as she struggled for breath. Finally, shedrew a wheezing gasp of air into her lungs. The raptor flew down towhere she lay and she kicked at it. The raptor flew upward,screeching angrily.
“I’m okay!” she shoutedhoarsely to Erling. “Just stunned. I landed on a branch.”
“I’ll climb down to you. Meetme at the trunk. Can you do that?”
“If the damn bird will let me!”
Toemeka carefully rolled onto herhands and knees, then started crawling toward the tree trunk. Thegiant night buzzard closed in again and she wrapped her arms and legstightly around the limb.
“Frek! Let go!” she yelled asthe bird’s talons closed around her leg, trying to drag her off thebranch. “Erling, hurry!”
“Hang on; I’m coming.” Hisvoice sounded farther away than before.
“Where are you?” She slammedher elbow into the raptor, hitting a mass of feathers.
“I just reached the trunk.”
“Hurry!” The limb swayed asErling dropped onto it. His dark form ran along the large branchtoward her. He shouted and waved his arms, as he sprinted toward thebuzzard.
It released her and flew upward.Erling pulled Toemeka to her feet and they ran to the tree trunk.
Once there, Erling said, “It’stoo dangerous to tear around in the dark. Let’s wait and see ifthey leave us alone now that we’re out of their nest.”
Toemeka stood still, waiting forher pounding heart to return to normal as she listened to thebuzzards’ cries. “It didn’t leave me alone before, when ittried to pull me off the branch.”
“Giant night buzzards killtheir prey that way. I saw one pull a young tajir over the edge of acliff. It fell to its death, then the buzzard flew down to eat it.”
“Tajirs are big animals.” Sheinwardly pictured the Giant night buzzard pulling the large antleredtajir off a mountainside. “You’re not making me feel better. Ishould’ve slept with my blaster in my pocket. Now I’ve lost it!”
“I don’t care about theblaster.” Erling put his arm around her and drew her close. “Ithought you’d fallen to your death.” His voice was gruff withemotion.
She shuddered. “It happened sofast I didn’t have time to panic.”
He examined the torn sleeve ofher leather jacket. “You’re bleeding.”
She glanced down at her throbbingarm. Her leg hurt as well. “Its claws dug in when it grabbed me.”
“Were you hurt anywhere elsefrom the fall?”
“I’m okay.” She moved outof his comforting arms. “Did the buzzards get you, too?”
“One bit my hand. The scar willgive me bragging rights. Not many can claim they were attacked by agiant night buzzard—and lived.”
“You might not want to admityou were stupid enough to sleep in their nest.”
“True. Listen.”
“What? I don’t hearanything.”
“That’s the point. Thebuzzards stopped screeching. I think it’s safe to sit down.” Hesat on the limb and leaned against the trunk.
Toemeka peered into the darkness.“I wish we could see them in case they attack again.”
“So do I.”
Toemeka’s legs felt wobbly—anervous reaction from her fall setting in. She sank down besideErling and pushed the light button on her aviator watch. It was wellpast midnight, but she was too keyed up to sleep. This had been oneof the worst days of her life, she didn’t even know if Michio wasalive. Tears filled her eyes as she thought of him. “We have tosearch for Michio and Jake tomorrow.”
“It’s too dangerous to goback.”
“Danger never stopped usbefore.”
He snorted. “Point taken.”
“We’ll start searching whenthe sun comes up.”
“Why don’t we talk about thisafter we’ve rested and had time to look at the situation from allangles?”
“I’ll go alone if you won’tgo with me. I’m not abandoning Michio.”
“We’re partners. If that’swhat we decide to do, we’ll search for them together.” He pausedand cleared his throat. “First, we’ll have to go back to theOwayan camp and look for them among the dead.”
Toemeka’s stomach twisted inhorror and she stammered, “I… I don’t think I can do that. Imean, I will, but the thought of looking through the dead forMichio…”
“It’s all right. You canguard while I do it.”
“No, Michio’s my husband. Ishould be the one
