Being so close, they didn’t feel the cold, and despite the uncomfortable position, they didn’t wake up until well into the day. They had stayed embraced throughout the night until he slightly raised himself, sticking his head out from one of the rocks that formed their shelter.

“It must be nearby. I have to go out.”

“No, Tabal, I don’t want to see you die...”

“If we stay here, we’ll die anyway,” he assured, getting up. But she grabbed his hand, pulling him towards her to give him a kiss. He smiled and went outside.

The slope they were on consisted of granite stones with scattered pine trees, not enough for hiding from the tiger or the tribe’s men. He crouched down, preparing to crawl to explore the terrain, but it was already too late. They had spotted him as soon as he peeked his head out.

“Aluh, Aluh!” one of the men shouted. “They’re here!”

Less than two hundred steps above them was Shacat, signalling to his companion about their location. Being a skilled tracker, he didn’t make the mistake of turning his head towards Aluh when he called, so Tabal couldn’t pinpoint where he was.

Immediately, he pulled Umma out of the shelter and grabbed her hand, preparing to flee down the easiest path, the one most suitable for the girl. But she couldn’t run too much because the bruises she had suffered the day before, rolling down the slope, hurt her. So, she said, “Save yourself, Tabal! Don’t follow me!”

“I’ll never leave you! Come on!”

But the escape didn’t last long. About forty steps away, Aluh emerged over a rise, and Shacat was already a similar distance behind them. Then, they started climbing again, knowing they would be caught immediately. The boy’s hope was to reach some rocks higher up, always at a greater distance from the spear’s throw, where he could take cover and attempt to fight hand-to-hand from an elevated position.

They were about to achieve it when a spear struck the ground just a few inches behind them. Their pursuers were too close, and Tabal threw one of his spears at them, but it didn’t reach any. Capture was imminent, and the two warriors continued ascending to catch them when the miracle happened: the sabre-toothed tiger emerged over the rock and pounced on the two men, crushing Aluh to death. Shacat had a bit more reflexes and managed to thrust a spear into the animal’s side, but not with enough force to prevent the tiger from subsequently lunging at him, piercing his neck with one of its sabres.

Umma and Tabal were crouched under the rock, watching the scene with wide eyes. Soon, the boy realized that the tiger hadn’t attacked them, despite being closer, because they were hidden under the same stone it had pounced on.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Either way, the two were still alive, although their hearts were racing despite being paralysed by fear. The hungry tiger was now devouring Shacat’s abdomen with great voracity, and they took advantage of the stealth to try to escape. Slowly, they moved to the side until they lost sight of the tiger behind a ridge, and then they ran at full speed. Umma no longer felt the bruises and ran almost as fast as her companion until they reached a small valley between the mountains, where they stopped, completely exhausted.

“What are we going to do now?” the girl asked, panting.

Tabal caught his breath and looked around. After a moment, he said, “If they see us moving along the slope, they can spot us from afar. We have to hide. It’s less likely they’ll see us if we stay still. The range is vast, and with a bit of luck, they won’t find us. Especially now that they’ve lost two; two less to spread out and search.”

“How long do we have to stay hidden?”

“Until nightfall. Then they’ll sleep. We’ll stop until then... next to those rocks,” he pointed to his right. “The moon will take a while to rise, and we’ll march in the darkness.”

“Where to? North?”

He nodded.

“But they’ll go there!” Umma warned, stating the obvious. “What’s the use of taking another advantage if, in a day or two, they’ll be upon us?”

Tabal turned his head and looked towards the horizon. The girl was right. Then he seemed to consider something, and that’s when he decided:

“Well then, we’ll go east.”

“East?”

“Yes.”

“What’s in the east?”

“The desert.”

“The desert?”

“Yes. They won’t follow us there. No one in their right mind would dare to go to that place.”

“Oh! And what about us? Are we crazy or what?”

Tabal smiled and looked at her tenderly:

“You’re immortal, aren’t you? I hope, if I am with you, to become one too.”