The males all dispersed, half following Jay’s tracks. Only the females and kids remained around the camp. A light rain was beginning to fall as cubs and children ran around playing chase and hide-and-go-seek, and the women just stared at him, squatting in a circle around him; Cave-Girl smiling, Grandma nodding off, Fat Butt nursing one baby and Big Mama the other. The situation was beginning to feel uncomfortable, particularly as Big Mama and Fat Butt kept staring at his groin. Cave Girl though, made a lot of eye contact, and actually spoke a couple of words. Her favorite word, which she said often, was ‘Ettie’ apparently her version of his name. She was attempting to teach this word to her mother and sister, which they rendered as ‘Esssie’.

Doctor Robinson and Three-Rivers had been nice enough to explain to him the difference between vowels and consonants. From what he could gather Cave-Girl could fully articulate both types of letters, but the rest of the clan was mostly limited to vowels. Only ‘ss’ ‘th’ and ‘g’ seemed to show up in their speech, which was limited to single-word statements. Only Cave-Girl used multiple words, although not in sentences. She used words one at a time, like someone counting slowly on their fingers. Most communication was done with the hands and head, and of course with their songs, which were astounding.

Eddie made a mental note to speak more with his hands, and more slowly. He then decided it was time to open communications, and Cave-Girl was the obvious choice for his first English student. She already understood his name. He decided to start with her name. That’s when he found out that they did not have names, for themselves or for their group. He did discover that they referred to people like himself and Jay with an open hand facing East, with the forefinger of the other hand pointed across the wrist.

With names a bust he tried wolf. They had no word for wolf, just a sign: the hands cupped around the mouth. Cave-Girl was soon able to say ‘Wult’. She apparently had trouble with soft consonants and loved using Ts and Ks. Her Ls Bs and Vs were good, but Js Hs and Rs were a problem. “Girl you can forget Spanish. We’ll get you talking some English though.”

By the time Cave-Girl could say ‘wult’ ‘tent’ and ‘fie’ for fire, Big Mama had handed off her baby to Fat Butt and was rubbing the palm of her hand over his groin and making a sound that sounded like ‘Aaahhho’. He could feel the strength of the woman and became frightened. Cave-Girl was looking worried…

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Cave-Girl translated as best as could be managed. She first introduced the leader, a massive, vicious looking ape-man with a spear that was actually a small sharpened tree. She pointed to the spear, and to other spears, and then pointed to him.

“Oh, okay, his name is Spear?”

She then pointed to the old maimed guy with the missing arm, eye, fingers and limp foot. She pointed to a terrible scar from a horn perhaps, on his stomach, and she said, “Tag…Thag.”

She then pointed to the entire man, their elder, and said, “Thag, Ettie.”

She then pointed to Spear, and to Thag, and to Eddie to indicate that Thag would be communicating with Eddie on behalf of Spear.

Thag pointed to the direction that Jay had journeyed. He then handed Eddie Jay’s Kevlar helmet. Eddie demonstrated how one wore the helmet, then took it off and set it down. They all seemed very fascinated by this. Thag then handed Eddie the shredded remnants of Jay’s Kevlar vest and clothing; all sliced to ribbons but not bloody. Eddie honestly did not know what to think of this. He could not imagine that Jay had been killed, but—He had been in bad shape thanks to your dumbass!

They had brought no weapons, no blood and no parts. The clothing and armor had obviously been cut with steel, had to have been, not by claws. He did not know what to make of it.

He did ask Thag, with signs, if they could go back farther to look for Jay. The man shook his head ‘no’ and made the symbol of dangerous strangers. He then turned and pointed to The Valley, thrust with his spear, pointed to his smoldering camp fire, and rubbed his belly.

Who are you to argue fool? Jay-Bone will be alright. These people are your mission. You have to help them out. Be their friend Eddie.

“Okay Thag, I’m with you. Let me pack my tent and we can go.”

They stood around and looked on with great interest. They were all ‘packed’, basically with each person carrying one or two things, and waited with inhuman patience for Eddie to finish packing up. Eddie himself had more possessions—besides bedding, they had lots of hides heaped over their shoulders—than the entire clan. His last act as a responsible camper was to kick snow and rocks over his fire to extinguish it.

When he was finished he looked around searchingly, as each person had gone to their knees and begun crying and covering their eyes, except for Thag, who stood holding a smoking cradle of hide and bone and eying him critically.

“Oh, shoot, sorry y’all. I forgot y’all probably got no matches or sterno cans. I’m good, got a month’s supply of sterno and matches at least. Then we can start rubbing stick together. Let’s roll old Thag-Bone, let’s roll.”

They shambled off in silence, surely looking from afar like a small herd of buffalo, with their thick wild red-hair and heaped hides over their shoulders. Thag motioned for Eddie to walk with him.

I guess that means they respect me like him, like an old person. This is alright son. I have never felt so a part of anything. Uncle Eddie the Elder!