Primitive Instinct: The Journey Home

I was glad that Roar had decided to stay with the other warriors so he could speak to the people here in order to determine if this was a place where we might be able to find a new home that was safer for me. If he could tell I was troubled over discovering I wasn’t on my Earth or when I was upset about him choosing a mate, he would be up in arms right now with how unsettled I was, hearing Ivy’s story of what had happened that fateful day.

“There really is no way to go back,” I said plainly.

“Would you want to?” she asked simply as she leaned forward to add some more tea to her cup.

“I don’t think I would, no,” I shook my head with a smirk. “I was alone there. Just me and Diesel. No one is missing us, so I had no hope of someone trying to figure out what happened to me. Would you want to go back?”

“God, no,” she snorted. “There was nothing but trouble there for me. None of it was of my own making and when I put all of this together and understood the situation that we’re in now, I felt so relieved. I’m free in ways I haven’t dared hope for. As stupid as he was, if that maniac hadn’t done what he did, I wouldn’t be the happiest I’ve ever been.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I can agree with all of that completely,” I smiled at her, then frowned. “But...What if you want to have a family? A husband and kids and all of that?”

“I have a husband,” she laughed.

“You’re married to a Mapok?” I asked, my eyes huge.

“Of course,” she nodded. “They might not look like they’re human, but they are. Divergent evolution has seen them develop different traits, but genetically, we’re the same, only slightly different. All of the Mapok can have children together. Most don’t because they tend to stick to their own clans, but there are mixed blooded children here.”

“I saw one on the way to see the chiefs,” I nodded. “The feathers and fox ears were just too adorable!”

“I know!” she gushed with me.

“Hold on,” I held up a hand as what she had said before sank in more. “Are you saying that we can have children with the Mapok?”

“I know for a fact, because I’m pregnant,” she nodded and my eyes about popped, they were bulging out of my head so far.

“Oh my God,” I whispered and then smiled hugely.

“Sounds like I finally gave you some good news,” she laughed. “You have a very handsome hunter with you, Fern. Care to tell me about that?”

“Uh, well, it’s kind of... new,” I blushed, and she laughed as the flap of the tent opened and one of the brown skinned and lithe Mapok walked in with Roar crutching in behind him.

“Fern, this is Osh’ri’ca, my husband,” Ivy introduced, and I tilted my head a little bit at the mousy ears and sleek black furred paws. “He’s Wippa Mapok.”

“Oh. The forest?” I asked.

“Redwoods, give or take. Much, much bigger, but similar,” Ivy nodded.

“Cool,” I smiled. “Ivy, this is Roar’kaol’tok.”

“And you are injured,” Ivy said in their language, looking at Roar’s leg. “I assume that’s why my mate has brought you here.”

“He says you are a healer of great skill,” Roar nodded, and I lifted an eyebrow at Ivy.

“I’m what you might have called a genius,” she smiled sheepishly as she answered me in English. “I was working as an assistant, but I prefer my medical degrees over the scientific ones.”

“Noted,” I nodded and looked back at Roar. “She’s probably one the better healers of our kind, if what she says is true. I have no reason to believe it isn’t.”

He nodded and came to stand beside me as Ivy asked about his injury. When she asked about how it was closed, and I said mammoth hair, she made a face, and I laughed before I explained that it’s cleaned thoroughly before trading and then the healer boils it for ten minutes before she used it to sew the wound shut. I watched and made sure there was very little chance of the wound getting infected.

Osh’ri’ca laughed and shook his head as he sat next to Ivy, clearly very attached to her.

“It would seem that the two females are going to get along very well,” he told Roar who chuckled and looked at me sweetly.

“It would appear so. Are you two familiar with one another?” he asked.

“Nope,” Ivy said cheerfully.

“Not even a little bit,” I confirmed. “It’s just really nice to see someone that looks like I do and to have the same language.”

“I still use the wrong words and I’ve been here for nearly a year,” Ivy laughed.

“Are there more?” Roar asked and Ivy shook her head.

“I doubt it. The thing that brought us here was very isolated. Honestly, I’m shocked that Fern and Diesel are here at all. I was convinced that I was the only one,” she answered. “Knowing that I was wrong, I’d still be shocked if there are any others. By the time that thing ripped us away, there were likely no others around.”

“A terrible thing, but it ended up being incredibly lucky for us,” I smiled at Fern.

“Beyond expression,” she nodded happily. “Now, Roar’kaol’tok. If you don’t mind, let’s check on this injury. You are important to Fern, and I happen to like her a lot, so I’d like to make sure you’re healing properly.”

“You are aware that would require him to not have pants on, right?” I asked her in English and looked at her husband.

“I’m aware and he knows English, Fern,” she laughed.

“I understand that my mate is a healer and may see other males on occasion. It doesn’t bother me,” Osh’ri’ca laughed, speaking in Mapok so Roar would know.

“I’m trying to not be offensive,” I muttered, blushing. “And I know males can be... extreme with their females.”

“I am not worried,” Osh’ri’ca nodded.

“Now who’s being sweet?” Roar said in my ear when I stood to take his crutch and I blushed harder, which made Ivy giggle.

The hunter dropped his pants some and I made a supreme effort to not notice anything aside from the injured leg. Now that I knew that Roar was interested in me like that and that we were compatible and able to have children, I was blushing hard enough to make a firetruck look pale, I’m sure.

Ivy hummed as she looked critically at the wound before nodding and using a small blade to cut the hair and pull it out of Roar’s skin.

“The wound is sealed enough on its own to not need this and leaving it would increase the chances of it turning sour,” she said, tossing the hair into the fire. “Your healer did well, setting the break in the bone. And I suspect Fern is responsible for making sure you stayed off the leg, so it’s healed better than I expected.”

“She made Diesel growl at me,” the hunter huffed, making Ivy laugh and look at my floof, sleeping hard against the wall.

“He’s quite impressive. I imagine it was incredibly effective,” she nodded. “It’s been nearly a full moon cycle since the cazza struck you, so your bone is healed enough to where you can remove the splint on occasion, to increase the flow of your blood to the area. It will also be good if you did some exercises to help keep the muscle healthy. I’ll explain them to Fern later.”

She got up and grabbed a few things before kneeling in front of Roar and inspecting the wound again before turning to make a paste of herbs and warm water.

“This will help keep it from turning sour and speed the sealing of the holes the hair was in,” she explained, putting it on him and then gently poking at his leg to feel the bone. “I’d say you should be able to get rid of the splint in a week but keep using the crutch to bear most of your weight for another two weeks or so. You’ve healed well, but the muscle is weaker now. You’ll have some difficulty at first, but as the muscle rebuilds, it’ll be like it never happened.”

“Oh!” I exclaimed as Roar pulled his pants back up. “What do you use to treat pneumonia? I know it, I know I do, but I just can’t recall it.”

“There’s a lot of ways to manage the symptoms, but I recommend stimulants to help open the airways, peppermint and fenugreek teas, and warm, damp air or steam," she answered, and I thumped the side of my head. “Fenugreek stumped you, didn’t it?”

“I feel like an idiot for not remembering the funky Greek stuff,” I groaned, and she laughed. “So, what happened when you came here? How did you survive?”

“I think this is when we should leave them to their talk,” Osh’ri’ca chuckled, and Roar snorted.

“I am glad to give Fern’rath’fik this time,” he smiled at me tenderly before the two males left.

“As if they aren’t going to be gossiping like hens,” Ivy rolled her eyes and I laughed. “When I passed through the rift, it was like I was shoved out of it, and I ended up rolling down a very steep hill and literally landed at the feet of my husband. A lot of the plants here are the same as back on our Earth, or very similar, and when I showed I was capable of treating wounds, I was adopted as the clan healer. The one before me had been very old and she died without having trained an apprentice. There were many that began, but they all ended up finding mates or choosing a different path for their life.”

“Do you believe in destiny? I think you do now,” I laughed, and she chuckled. “I’m pretty sure I fell right out of the sky, because I woke up in the snow and there were no prints or tracks to explain how I ended up there. Not far enough to break bones, but far enough to leave me bruised like no tomorrow. I just figured I’d been drugged or knocked out and ended up dropped into some random location far away from people. Imagine my shock when I saw freaking mammoths.”

“Oh, there was a lot of shock for me, too,” she laughed. “I think the first three months here was spent with my jaw hanging open, it was that strange.”

“I followed the mammoth herd I spotted and ended up coming across Roar’kaol’tok and his clan,” I said. “He took me in and helped me figure things out. I think I’ve adjusted pretty well, all things considered.”

“Say what you want about the human race, but we are adaptable,” she winked at me.

“Thank God for that, right?” I raised my cup and she tapped hers against it, both of us giggling.

“That male has stars in his eyes when he looks at you, Fern,” she shook her head and smiled slightly. “He cares about you a lot.”

“I wasn’t aware of how much until, literally, last night. I was having a crisis and... Well, he’s not asking until he’s healed, and the gifting thing is done,” I shrugged.

“Ugh,” she rolled her eyes. “The stubborn pride of Mapok males. But it’s also very touching.”

“It is,” I blushed a little and she laughed. “Does Osh’ri’ca know you’re pregnant?”

“No,” she giggled. “I only know because I’m late, so it’s early, still. I figured I’d just let him figure it out when he hears the heartbeat.”

“They can hear that?” I gaped.

“Fern. Mapok have the sensory capabilities of the animals they look like. Of course they can hear that,” she said, patting my knee.

“Oh, wow.”

We stayed there talking for a long time before the males returned and Roar held out his paw to help me stand.

“The storm Diesel sensed is nearby. I’ve set up our tent and Osh’ri’ca staked it down. We should leave soon so we aren’t caught in the weather,” he said.

“Come back as soon as it’s clear,” Ivy gushed, grabbing my hands in hers. “We’ll talk some more before you leave. I would love some more girl-talk before you go.”

“I would like that, too,” I smiled at her, and he hugged before I followed Roar and Diesel out of their tent to our own.

“You’re happy. More than I’ve seen you before,” the hunter commented after we’d climbed in.

“I never thought I’d see another like me. It’s great to be proven wrong for once,” I answered.

“Then I’m glad we came. You needed it, I think,” he said.

“I really did,” I sighed.

“Did she have any answers for your other questions?” he asked me after a moment.

“She had all of the ones I needed,” I told him. “Some were difficult to hear, so I’m glad that you were speaking to the clan.”

“But you’re okay now?” he asked.

“Yeah. I’m fine, now. Once I got past the difficult parts, I feel... peaceful,” I answered. “I’m really glad for everything that’s happened. To me and to her. She seems pretty happy, too. Roar, she’s mated to Osh’ri’ca.”

“I was told,” he said. “I was also informed that there is no need for concern about our physical compatibility.”

“I heard that, too,” I laughed. “She’s happy here.”

“Are you? Happy to be here?” he asked.

“So much more than I can explain,” I sighed, content with everything that I’ve learned about how and why I ended up here. Ivy wasn’t the only who believed in fate now. “And I’m very glad that I followed the mammoths to you.”

“My father always said that mammoths brought great gifts to the Mapok. I’m glad I was the one that decided to keep you,” he hugged me a little tighter and I felt my face heating in the darkness of the tent. “Will you teach me your English, too?”

“If you want to know it,” I rolled over and smiled at him.

“It made you happy to speak it so much today,” he said. “I want to know it so you can have that more.”

“You’re being sweet again, Roar,” I sighed and hugged him tight, my head over his heart.

“You make me want to be,” he said simply. “Go to sleep. You need the rest after doing so much lately. I’ll wake you when the storm passes.”