4
The soothing sound of the crackling fire, the rumble of thunder, and the steady fall of rain surrounded Ka’ya and her peculiar captive. She shifted so she could sit down and lean against the rock. Careful of the man’s injury, she adjusted his head on her lap so he wouldn’t get a kink in his neck.
Stretching out her legs, she reached for the knife at her side and pulled it free of the leather and fur-lined sheath. She awkwardly bent over his inert body and cut the cord of rope she had used to bind him. The man was in no condition to attack her, and if he tried, the wolfhounds would kill him.
Returning the knife to the sheath, she leaned back against the rock. Her fingers hovered over the dark bruise on his temple. The combination of the medicinal herb salve and the rain water had washe
