All night she tossed and turned in a futile endeavor to sleep. She wished to set forth into the jungle, that she might in some way protect the daring man who had so fearlessly gone forth to do her bidding. To Gra, son of Gra, she gave but a passing thought. Might the powerful mammoth crush the life from his body, and the lean hyena pick his bones!
In the gray dawn of early morning, Zo-na stole silently from the cave of Dur, her father. Hidden in the folds of her doe-skin garment she bore a keen-edged knife of stone. Though the trail was a day old, the girl picked it up with ease. Alone, undaunted, she sped on, her one thought being to find Ra-nor and beg him to flee with her. What matter if they became outcasts from the people of Gra? Would they not have one another?
She came to the point where the spoor of the great beast, Aa, crossed that of her lover. Once more, that strange premonition of danger. Her heart beat wildly as she bent close over the trail and doubled her speed. Then upon the stillness of the forest came the challenge of Gur and the answering cry of Aa.
Unheard, unseen, the girl came to a point where she could watch the terrific struggle between the enraged beasts. She watched until the body of the shaggy cave bear lay silent at the feet of the giant cat. Then, her terror-widened eyes following every move, she watched her lover as he battled with the great beast, Aa. She barely repressed a cry as the claws of the tiger ripped open his shoulder. She saw the last great conflict, saw the tiger roll lifeless at the feet of her lover, and watched while he set about severing his trophy from the body of Aa. She would watch him, she told herself, until he had finished his task and then she would make her way back as she had come—alone. For soon he would return and lay at her cave the prize she had seen him wrest from the jaws of death itself.
But suddenly her sharp ears caught the sound of a snapping twig. Her keen eyes saw the form of a man through the tangled underbrush, saw his arm raise high above his head, and saw the stone dagger as it poised in mid-air.
As quick as thought, her hand flew to her bosom, where lay her own keen blade. Straight and true as an arrow from a bow she flung it from her with all the strength she could command. The man’s form crumpled and fell, and the body of Gra, son of Gra, rolled into the clearing straight to the feet of Ra-nor, his heart pierced with the girl’s weapon of stone.
Zo-na turned and, with the speed of a deer, flew over the trail that led back to the cave of Dur, her father, to watch and wait the few short hours until her lover returned, to lay at her feet the head of the great beast, Aa.
Note: “Arhl-a of the Caves,” another story of prehistoric men by C. M. Eddy, Jr., will appear in the next issue of Weird Tales.
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