hoping to steal an unguarded morsel and slink away unseen.
But his instincts told him otherwise. There was something unnerving
about the way the beast just stood there, as if unsure of its own
intentions. Even in the dim light of the cave's entrance he could see
that it had not eaten for many days. Arching ribs protruded sharply
through an emaciated chest, and his eyes were wild with the blood-lust
of a carnivore.
Something stirred deep within the young tribesman as he realized the
true hopelessness of its plight. Cut off from the pack it could not
hunt successfully, and there now, it stalked a prey it had no chance of
killing. For all around him his comrades lay sleeping, and if aroused,
they would kill the intruder without hesitation.
Reaching into a crude deerskin pouch slung across his shoulder, he
pulled forth a long strand of cooked meat. Holding it outward
enticingly, he motioned toward the terrified hunter.
Slowly, haltingly, the shadow moved forward, too near death from
starvation to be cautious. When it was close enough Kalus tossed the
meat gently into the air, where it was snapped up quickly by the waiting
jaws of the hunger-crazed wolf. Smiling inwardly, he reached into his
pouch once more and prepared to repeat the procedure.
Suddenly from behind him came the sound of angry voices. Whirling about
he saw that the tribesmen had woken, and seeing the wolf, had armed
themselves to attack. The frightened creature turned, but found there
was nowhere to run. Barabbas, leader of the hill-people, had blocked
the entrance to the cave and stood there waiting, a long spear clasped
in his hairy hand. Forming a circle around the intruder, the tribesmen
began to converge. Helpless, the wolf rolled over in the dirt, as if to
beg for mercy. But the tribesmen showed it none, continuing to advance.
But then a strange thing happened, something that had not been seen on
Earth since the disappearance of modern man from the continent. Not
understanding why, or even how he did it, Kalus stepped forward and
uttered the first word spoken since the day of destruction when all
human tongues had been silenced.
'No!' he cried angrily. And that was all he said.
A deep silence filled the chamber as his comrades cowered back in
disbelief. The he-wolf slipped out silently---grateful, but puzzled as
to why he had been spared.
Regaining their senses, the hill-people's astonishment was quickly
turned to anger and resentment. For many months they had grown wary,
and suspicious of the young, tawny-haired hunter. They could not
understand how this youth could be born of their own flesh, and yet
still be so completely unlike them. For the color of HIS hair was
light, and his eyes were a deep blue. And what of his peculiar desire
to be on his own? Unlike the others he did not seem to need the
protection of the clan, nor sometimes even to want it.
It was Barabbas who confronted him first. Speaking through primitive
sign language, he told Kalus he was angry that he fed and protected the
intruder, and that if he wished to remain among them, he would have to
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