They have huge heads, long snouts, and short, stocky necks. They are enormous, the largest male nearly the length of two of me with his long tail. I position myself at the entrance to my cave and watch closely as a pack of canines trot into the valley.

The effort takes most of the morning, and I am further delayed as I start to leave the cave because I see movement across the field of brown grasses. I go slowly, being careful not to push too hard or work too fast-I’ve already broken two other spears with impatience, and I can’t afford to break another. With the end of the stick lodged underneath my arm, I begin to run the piece of flint over the end of the stick, further sharpening the point. I know I can’t fail again, or it will mean my death, so I bring the stick inside and reach for a piece of sharp flint from my collection of simple tools. It’s sharp at the end, but I’m not sure if it’s sharp enough to pierce the hide of a large animal. I look at the long, straight stick propped up against the edge of the cave’s opening and reach over to grasp it. With a long sigh, I decide not to give up just yet. I’m not sure there is any reason for me to continue to work so hard just to keep myself alive.

Not for the first time, I consider just going back into my cave, lying down, and letting the hunger take me. I hope not long, though I know if I wait until that time it will be too late. I listen to the morning birds sing for a while and wonder how long it will be before there are eggs to collect from their nests. The air is even colder on the outside, but the springtime sun holds the promise of a warmer day. With a deep breath, I force my muscles to push myself onto my feet and move to the ledge just outside my cave. My body is weakened, and there is little inside my mind that wants to push on-to survive.Īs I watch the flames grow higher, the need to relieve my bladder becomes urgent. The faintest glow can be seen coming from outside the crack that leads to the outside, but I can’t quite bring myself to venture out just yet. Within moments, flames lick around the edge of the wood, and I wrap my fur around me a little tighter to ward off the cool air until the fire can further warm the small cave. There is warmth from the animal furs that surround me, and it’s difficult to push myself away from them to crawl across the dirt and rock and add a log on top of the glowing coals in my fire pit. I awake to cold and near darkness like I do every morning.Īround me is the chilled stone of the rocky cavern where I live.

Transcendence by shay savage