Nomad

Caveman

I wake up, open my eyes. I can hear birth-father rummaging around, breaking rocks. Maybe to draw something.

I sit up and crawl to him. He grunts when he sees me. I sigh when I see that he is sharpening his weapon. It needs to be sharp to cut through the fur of animals and kill them.

He smacks the drawing of him hunting and slouches outside without a second glance. I call out, but he doesn't come back.

My loud noises wakes up brother. He blinks his eyes repeatedly. I crawl to the wall with the drawing of mother. I remember how she left the cave without looking back. She never came back. Probably didn't like the taste of meat here or something. She looked angry all the time.

Brother crawls to the water bowl, and finishes the water. He started crying. I want to get water from the stream that is outside, but I don't like leaving him alone here. He is little and the boulder blocking the entrance isn't very big. If I take him outside it will be even more dangerous. Brother never went outside yet and I don't want animals to hunt him.

I turn my back to him and close my eyes, showing him no.

I swallow my saliva, feeling thirsty myself, and wait for father to come.

* * *

Brother starts playing with little twig and pebble. I remember how I got them from my first trip outside.

I crawl to the drawing wall. I find the yellow drawing rock. It is very small now. I look around at my drawings. I find lots of empty spots on my drawing of the big yellow animal with big fur in the face. I'm very afraid of that animal. It looked quite scary when I saw father hunt it.

I think of how brother will need to hunt when he is big. But I don't know if he will get big like father. What if father leaves too and brother has to hunt by himself? Or maybe I will hunt. But I like drawing on stone with rocks, not hunting with them.

The little lump of rock I started with become a just powder. I hope father will bring color rocks too.

Brother starts tugging on my furskin drapes and smacks the picture of water I drew.