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

the scene as she licked the small form. In a short time, it stood up on long shaky legs and moved close to its mother to nurse.
    The doe ate the afterbirth; it contained a number of elements and minerals that would help her recover from the birthing process. This practice also removed much of the evidence that there had been a birth here. Coyotes and wolves would otherwise find the afterbirth and begin looking for her fawn. This was one among several survival mechanisms that deer had adopted over millions of years.
    The doe began feeding away from the fawn before morning. The tiny creature crouched in the cover of a clump of grass and froze in position. It was virtually scentless; a predator could pass close by and never realize that a helpless young deer hid nearby.
    She returned after a time and held still while the fawn nursed. The tiny head butted against her small udder and sucked at the teat until it had drunk its fill. The two then cuddled together under cover while they digested their respective breakfasts.
    Later in the afternoon, the doe got to her feet. Testing the air, she led the way down to the river to drink. The fawn nursed again. After it had finished, the two walked cautiously north toward the summerlands.
    #
    Lilia woke early and washed her face in the river. She ate the last of her meat and bread and drank; refilling the gourd, she replaced the wooden stopper. Matt’s heavy spear would be awkward to carry, but she slung it across her back after shifting her small pack to make room. When both hung as comfortably as she could manage, she picked up her bow, slung the quiver over her shoulder, and headed south.
    She found a number of tracks. Deer and other animals had passed this way not long before. Always quiet, she slipped forward with renewed alertness. She would need to find a target for her arrow soon or stop and set out a fishing line.
    There hadn’t been enough food this morning to assuage her hunger. Soon, she wouldn’t have a choice. Hunger was no stranger. Still, it would get worse, and if she couldn’t find food soon she would begin to weaken. Like the rest of the tribe, she was thin from short rations and long days of work. There was little spare flesh left on her body.
    She listened, slipped forward a few paces, listened again. From time to time she went down to the river, looking for any sign that Matt’s body had washed up on the bank. Her pace was slow, but if there was an animal ahead she might see it before it discovered her presence.
    It was during one of her pauses, while she listened, that she heard a distinct tapping noise. Cocking her head to the side, she listened carefully, but the tapping had stopped.
    Well, there were woodpeckers around, even if the rhythm didn’t sound like an animal. She resumed her slow pace forward.
    #
    The clouds began dripping rain just before dawn. The cold rain woke Pavel and he soon had his small group moving. Some grumbled, but in a short time they were on their way. They ate some of the remaining raccoon meat while heading south in single file.
    Pavel looked back at the men and passed on instructions.
    “We might come up on her at any time. Make sure you’re ready and that you don’t fumble with an arrow. If we see her before she sees us, we can try to work in closer, but if she tries to run, take the shot. Just don’t let her get away. If she sees us, she’ll know why we came back.
    “That place we dumped him, it can’t be much farther. We’ll just stay close to the river, and when we find the place we can look for his weapons. If she hasn’t been there yet, we brush out the sign and dump the weapons in the river. Look for her tracks. If she hasn’t found the place, we can head back as soon as we clean up. She can look all she wants after we get rid of the evidence.”
    “We should have done that before we left, Pavel.”
    “Yeah, well, you were just as glad to leave that place as I was, Gregor. Anyway, we get rid of the sign, brush out