The Trek: Darwin's World, Book II (The Darwin's World Series 2) Read Online Free PDF

days before.
    Perhaps Matt’s body had hung up on driftwood? Lilia looked downstream and decided she could spare a few days to look for the body. If she had no means to give him a proper burial, at least she would find closure.
    But she had no need to carry all of his weapons; they were heavy and would slow her down. She found a projecting limb stub a hundred yards downstream from where she’d found the bloodstain. She would keep the spear; her own, lighter spear, had been left with Lee for safekeeping, so Matt’s spear would be welcome. She hung the bow and quiver over the broken-off limb and headed south.
    Not the same thing, of course; but having that heavy spear slung across her back made her feel as if Matt walked with her as she set off down the river.
    #
    Pavel and his small gang surprised a foraging raccoon near the river. Two of the three arrows launched struck the small animal and killed it. The third arrow missed and was lost in the river. Nikolai never got a shot off.
    They broiled the raccoon over a hastily-built fire, then ate their fill. The leftovers got divided up and put into their packs. All were tired and sleepy after eating; Pavel wanted to push on, but he faced a near-mutiny and finally backed down. They gathered more wood before bedding down and left Pavel sitting by the fire as the others went to sleep.
    #
    Lilia slept as she’d done the night before, stretched out on a limb. The live-oak tree had great limbs that spread more than twenty feet from the main trunk. Wrapped in her parka, weapons beside her, she listened to the murmur of the river while falling asleep.
    #
    Matt had crayfish for appetizers and fish for supper. A few memories had returned, although he still had no idea what had made the knot on his head.
    Clouds were moving in from the north, so he looked about for shelter. Finding nothing available, he decided to build his own. This was a good location; he had the river to his front, a large tree to his back and a fire for warmth and protection. A lean-to would help shelter the fire if it rained, and reflected heat would keep him warm.
    Rootlets would serve to tie the crosspiece between trees, and weight would hold the roof in place. While collecting materials for his shelter, he also brought in more downed wood for the fire. This he stacked at the end of the lean-to, a wind deflector and shield against blowing rain.
    He had earlier found a number of cobbles along the river and brought them back to the lean-to. It wasn’t yet dark and he had nothing to cook as yet, so he cracked the cobbles into blanks for weapons, then began chipping the blanks. The flakes of stone soon took on an edge; he had a replacement now, should the flint knife in his emergency kit break.
    If his recent memories were hazy, the knowledge of how to work flint and build a shelter was there. Matt wondered vaguely why that should be, but the thought was fleeting.
    There might be another fish in the morning, or perhaps a few more of the crayfish. If all else failed he would resort to eating grubs again. The fire sank low and Matt added a dry limb to keep it burning. Soon it was too dark to continue; he watched the flames for a moment, then curled up under his lean-to and went to sleep.
     

Chapter 3
     
    Each small herd of deer consisted of a buck and three or four pregnant does.
    The bucks began to shed their antlers as the winter ended, sometimes just one, sometimes both. Irritable, they left the harems and wandered away. Most soon joined with other bucks in pairs and trios. The small bachelor herds moved north toward their summer range.
    The does remained together after the bucks left. They too began drifting north, driven by instinct and the promise of food. Fresh tender leaves sprouted on trees and bushes and the deer browsed as they traveled north, bedding down in a different place each night.
    The doe sought privacy when her time came. Lying down, she delivered a fawn just before daybreak. The full moon lit