Journey of the White Cave Clan
TITLE: Journey of the White Cave Clan
25/28
AUTHOR: Bmblbee
Rating: NC17
Warnings: Adult content. Some M/M sexual content.
Disclaimer: The Bee owns nothing including these characters.
Summary: HAU. Set in the year 5000BC Spike's clan is dying in the grip
of the last mini-ice age. While they are reluctant to leave the cave of their
ancestors, they know that they will freeze and starve if they stay. Suddenly,
they find a stranger in their midst. A member of a nomadic clan that can
show them the way to salvation.
Warnings: Not a lot of sex but what there is, is graphic.
Thanks to Naughty_Fae for the pre-read. All errors are by choice of the Bee.
Archived at: http://www.captainperoxideandthewhelp.com/
Anyone else wishing to take it should ask first please.
Link to previous chapters HERE
Special thanks to Petxnd for the wonderful banner
The next morning saw a mood shift that was heralded by the disappearance of the dark,
gloomy snow clouds. It was bright, blindingly so both in the sunny sky and in the faces of
the group's two leaders. It seemed as though the dark fog of doom and gloom that had
encased them since their last morning at the cave of the waterfalls had finally faded.
By now, the clan was accustomed to the rigors of the walking and they were quickly learning
to traverse the precarious rocks and slippery slopes of the mountainside with the agility of
the scampering goats that they hunted for food.
As they readied themselves to go, Spike stood at the head of the group. He raised his spear to
get their attention. It was a move that really wasn't necessary. Every eye was on him anyway
as the group silently questioned what had their leader suddenly so light and cheerful.
The wrinkles of stress had disappeared from his face and he stood straight up as if the weight
of the world had been lifted from his shoulders.
He was a sight that inspired pride and confidence in his faithful followers. His firm,
compact body had grown even more muscular during the strain of the journey. The sun,
weak as it was, had tinged his cheeks with a pink and ruddy hue and bleached the last of
the color from his long, wispy hair.
"Listen up. We are ready to start out but before we do, I just want to tell you all how proud I
am of all of you. You have met this challenge and done better than I ever thought we
could. This journey is hard. We thought we knew what it would be like but we didn't have
a clue. The weather is colder, the snow is deeper and the rocks are higher than anything we
have known before, and yet here you all are. Our cave is long ago. It is in our past of days
and distance. We have seen the coming and going of three full moons and Xander says we
have nearly reached the apex of the mountains we climb. The long walk we have made is
half of our journey and in three more full moons we should find warmer land, green grass
and feel the sun touch our skin."
The others looked back and forth amongst themselves as they grinned and shuffled around
in barely restrained glee. The fear that they would walk for countless seasons with no end
in sight was beginning to become a mindset that they all shared. The promise of an end to
this long arduous journey from hell was more than they could have hoped for. When
the murmurs of excitement settled down, Spike continued.
"I need to tell you all one more thing. Xander and I have made a decision. You are my
people but he is my mate. He and I are as one. When we arrive in the sun of the warm
lands he and I will be the first of a new clan. The White Clan is in the bones of a cave in
the forgotten place of ice and snow and Xander has renounced his ties to the Wind clan.
He and I will be the first of the new. Any of you that chooses to become part of our clan
is welcome. Any of you that determine to remain White Clan will be respected as such and
our clans will live in harmony."
The others were struck dumb. It wasn't a declaration they would have ever anticipated but
the solid, cohesiveness of the two men who stood at their lead inspired confidence and
soothed any fears they may have had of abandonment. None of them were ready to speak.
The ancestors and the ways of the past were deeply ingrained within them and turning their
backs on that was not to be taken lightly. Spike understood that and asked no man or woman
to make a choice.
With a raised spear, the group fell into formation and the day's journey began.
Over the course of the next cycle of the moon, the group moved steadily. The weather
shifted between sun and snow and back again. The rocky trails turned narrow and winding
and then widened, offering temporary reprieves of flat, smooth rocks for solid footing and
sure balance.
At some point, it became noticeable that the strain on their legs was in the shin rather that the
calf muscles and they realized that they were descending rather than climbing.
The air grew easier to breathe and the game on the sides of the mountain increased, giving up
a bounty of rabbits, squirrel and wild turkey. They still melted snow for water but Xander
had promised fresh springs within just two more days' walk. Paramount in Spike's mind was
his concern for his sister.
Although Willow never complained, Spike was aware of her discomfort by the swayback
way she walked to compensate for the weight of her ever-growing belly. She was still
nearly four full moons from coming fresh but any slip and fall would be disastrous. Penn
and Badger stayed within arm's length of her at all times, and every step she would take
was tested by the others before she advanced.
Along with the physical changes that were taking place in her body, the moon madness seemed
to have gotten a grip on her mind. Poor Penn never knew what he would face at the rising
of each new sun. Some mornings saw her bright and chirpy and others drove storm clouds
and lightning bolts from her eyes as she screamed her displeasure over his shortcomings.
Then, at unpredictable times of the day, she would unexpectedly burst into tears. It was, for
the others of the clan, perplexing and frightening. For Penn, it was nerve-wracking and tested
his patience.
The peak of her bizarre behavior came one afternoon as the clan reached a flat, level plateau
and Xander signaled a short rest. Immediately, Andy, with Puff ever-present on the older
boy's heels, took off to follow a clear set of tracks in search of fresh meat. The others sat in
the windbreak of a rocky wall while they took the weight off their feet and wiped the
wet, blowing snow from their faces and hair.
Within minutes, the boys could be heard to shout and whoop in glee. The others squinted
their eyes against the glare of the bright sun and caught sight of the two as they raced toward
the settled clan. In front of them, running as fast as its short, skinny legs would take it, was
a bleating, wobbly goat kid. When they had closed the distance between them and their
potential dinner, Andy raised his spear and took a bead on it.
"I got it! I got it!"
When the entire picture came clear, Willow jumped to her feet and she screeched in a
high-pitched, blood curdling scream that saw all the men of the clan scrambling for their
spears and leaping to their feet in defense of the clan.
"What? Where? Who?"
Spike's feet were widespread. He was bent slightly at the waist and he hopped and spun in a
full 360 as he tried to locate the source of her terror. When his body came full circle back to
face her, he found his sister had thrown her arms around the small goat's neck protectively
while Andy skidded to a stop and checked himself just a fraction of a second before the
deadly spear would have left his hand.
"Don't you dare hurt him! He is just a baby!"
Xander blinked. He stood with his spear upright in the at-ease position with the butt on
the ground and he looked to Spike for an explanation. Spike's mouth opened and closed
like a fish out of water while he tried to comprehend her objections to an easy meal.
Suddenly, Harmony jumped up and raised her hand in the air, certain she had the answer.
"Oh! Oh! I know. She wants us to hang onto it and kill it later. That way we can gut it, skin
it and divide it by the evening campfire and no one has to carry its bloody body on his
back during the rest of the day's walk."
The others nodded and agreed to the perfect logic. They muttered praise of Willow's
intelligent ability to see the big picture and plan ahead. Their willingness to award her kudos
was short-lived when Harmony's parentage was rudely questioned and her humanity
declared nonexistent as Willow continued to console a goat that was actively attempting
to escape her clutches.
"No one is going to kill this poor thing! I don't care if we all starve, no harm had better come
to one hair on his head. He needs a mother. He is all alone. He will come with us and I
will look after him."
Every nose wrinkled in disgust and confusion as all eyes shot to Spike to see what the clan
leader would make of this senseless demand. Spike's first inclination was to try and reason
with her. Penn snickered. He knew that was a lost cause.
"Sister, dear, this is not logical. A goat is food. You do not tend to your food beyond...."
"Bleat."
"What?"
Every head snapped from their focus on Spike back to Willow to see what lunacy would
spout from her mouth this time. They didn't have long to wait.
"His name is Bleat. You offend his feelings when you call him 'goat.' Now, it is already
decided. He will come along with us to the warm lands. He can eat on the branches of
the bushes we pass so it takes no food out of our mouths and as he is more sure-footed
than any of us, he does not need to be carried. There is no more discussion."
Xander took a physical step backwards as if the very insanity of this had pushed him roughly
off balance. He huffed and puffed and finally squared off at his co-leader, expecting him
to straighten out this demented woman with the wild red hair and the frazzled brain. The
rest of the clan joined Xander in anticipation as Spike fumbled for a logical resolution.
He looked at Xander, who appeared ready to bite a flake stone in half. He glanced at his
people, who still sat on the cold, damp ground waiting to see if they would be eating fresh
young goat for dinner. And finally he turned to Willow.
She now knelt at the side of the frail, tiny animal who shivered in fear and abandonment.
She petted and cooed her reassurances and affection as it confirmed its name with each
opening of its mouth. Finally, Spike came to the only conclusion and resolution possible.
He held his spear high over his head and he shouted out the order to fall into formation with
the brief added instruction that Bleat would walk behind Willow.
Willow grinned smugly. Bleat flipped out his tongue at anyone who considered him a snack
and the clan clambered up to their feet.
And so they went. For another full cycle of the moon, the small band of homeless people
walked in the direction of the man at their lead. Whether it was an advancement toward
the south where the warm winds originated or simply the shifting of the seasons, the clan
took notice of the subtle changes in the weather.
The depth of the snow beneath their feet grew less and less. The air, while still cold and
cruel, had lost much of its bite and sting, and the dark clouds overhead now gave up as
much freezing rain as it did the snow.
It was an alteration that sparked hope in their hearts, yet none of them would bring a jinx
upon them by verbalizing the presumption that they were actually coming to an end in this
search for a home.
Spike and Xander had other matters on their minds beyond the weather. Willow's unborn
child had grown to an alarming size and so had Bleat, who clung to his adopted mother
during the days and slept at her side over the course of the nights. When it was observed
that her concerns and care of the growing goat appeared to level out her drastic mood swings,
the objections to the creature's accompaniment on the trail ceased.
But not even that was in the forefront of the leaders' minds. Although they had not yet
discussed it between them, during the last three days' walk, each man had noticed evidence
of other humans in the area. Broken tree branches. Disturbed snowbanks that did not
resemble the bedding of a deer or wild boar. Both men were very nearly certain that they
were catching up to the Wind Clan, and if that happened, a confrontation was almost assured.
25/28
AUTHOR: Bmblbee
Rating: NC17
Warnings: Adult content. Some M/M sexual content.
Disclaimer: The Bee owns nothing including these characters.
Summary: HAU. Set in the year 5000BC Spike's clan is dying in the grip
of the last mini-ice age. While they are reluctant to leave the cave of their
ancestors, they know that they will freeze and starve if they stay. Suddenly,
they find a stranger in their midst. A member of a nomadic clan that can
show them the way to salvation.
Warnings: Not a lot of sex but what there is, is graphic.
Thanks to Naughty_Fae for the pre-read. All errors are by choice of the Bee.
Archived at: http://www.captainperoxideandthewhelp.com/
Anyone else wishing to take it should ask first please.
Link to previous chapters HERE
Special thanks to Petxnd for the wonderful banner
The next morning saw a mood shift that was heralded by the disappearance of the dark,
gloomy snow clouds. It was bright, blindingly so both in the sunny sky and in the faces of
the group's two leaders. It seemed as though the dark fog of doom and gloom that had
encased them since their last morning at the cave of the waterfalls had finally faded.
By now, the clan was accustomed to the rigors of the walking and they were quickly learning
to traverse the precarious rocks and slippery slopes of the mountainside with the agility of
the scampering goats that they hunted for food.
As they readied themselves to go, Spike stood at the head of the group. He raised his spear to
get their attention. It was a move that really wasn't necessary. Every eye was on him anyway
as the group silently questioned what had their leader suddenly so light and cheerful.
The wrinkles of stress had disappeared from his face and he stood straight up as if the weight
of the world had been lifted from his shoulders.
He was a sight that inspired pride and confidence in his faithful followers. His firm,
compact body had grown even more muscular during the strain of the journey. The sun,
weak as it was, had tinged his cheeks with a pink and ruddy hue and bleached the last of
the color from his long, wispy hair.
"Listen up. We are ready to start out but before we do, I just want to tell you all how proud I
am of all of you. You have met this challenge and done better than I ever thought we
could. This journey is hard. We thought we knew what it would be like but we didn't have
a clue. The weather is colder, the snow is deeper and the rocks are higher than anything we
have known before, and yet here you all are. Our cave is long ago. It is in our past of days
and distance. We have seen the coming and going of three full moons and Xander says we
have nearly reached the apex of the mountains we climb. The long walk we have made is
half of our journey and in three more full moons we should find warmer land, green grass
and feel the sun touch our skin."
The others looked back and forth amongst themselves as they grinned and shuffled around
in barely restrained glee. The fear that they would walk for countless seasons with no end
in sight was beginning to become a mindset that they all shared. The promise of an end to
this long arduous journey from hell was more than they could have hoped for. When
the murmurs of excitement settled down, Spike continued.
"I need to tell you all one more thing. Xander and I have made a decision. You are my
people but he is my mate. He and I are as one. When we arrive in the sun of the warm
lands he and I will be the first of a new clan. The White Clan is in the bones of a cave in
the forgotten place of ice and snow and Xander has renounced his ties to the Wind clan.
He and I will be the first of the new. Any of you that chooses to become part of our clan
is welcome. Any of you that determine to remain White Clan will be respected as such and
our clans will live in harmony."
The others were struck dumb. It wasn't a declaration they would have ever anticipated but
the solid, cohesiveness of the two men who stood at their lead inspired confidence and
soothed any fears they may have had of abandonment. None of them were ready to speak.
The ancestors and the ways of the past were deeply ingrained within them and turning their
backs on that was not to be taken lightly. Spike understood that and asked no man or woman
to make a choice.
With a raised spear, the group fell into formation and the day's journey began.
Over the course of the next cycle of the moon, the group moved steadily. The weather
shifted between sun and snow and back again. The rocky trails turned narrow and winding
and then widened, offering temporary reprieves of flat, smooth rocks for solid footing and
sure balance.
At some point, it became noticeable that the strain on their legs was in the shin rather that the
calf muscles and they realized that they were descending rather than climbing.
The air grew easier to breathe and the game on the sides of the mountain increased, giving up
a bounty of rabbits, squirrel and wild turkey. They still melted snow for water but Xander
had promised fresh springs within just two more days' walk. Paramount in Spike's mind was
his concern for his sister.
Although Willow never complained, Spike was aware of her discomfort by the swayback
way she walked to compensate for the weight of her ever-growing belly. She was still
nearly four full moons from coming fresh but any slip and fall would be disastrous. Penn
and Badger stayed within arm's length of her at all times, and every step she would take
was tested by the others before she advanced.
Along with the physical changes that were taking place in her body, the moon madness seemed
to have gotten a grip on her mind. Poor Penn never knew what he would face at the rising
of each new sun. Some mornings saw her bright and chirpy and others drove storm clouds
and lightning bolts from her eyes as she screamed her displeasure over his shortcomings.
Then, at unpredictable times of the day, she would unexpectedly burst into tears. It was, for
the others of the clan, perplexing and frightening. For Penn, it was nerve-wracking and tested
his patience.
The peak of her bizarre behavior came one afternoon as the clan reached a flat, level plateau
and Xander signaled a short rest. Immediately, Andy, with Puff ever-present on the older
boy's heels, took off to follow a clear set of tracks in search of fresh meat. The others sat in
the windbreak of a rocky wall while they took the weight off their feet and wiped the
wet, blowing snow from their faces and hair.
Within minutes, the boys could be heard to shout and whoop in glee. The others squinted
their eyes against the glare of the bright sun and caught sight of the two as they raced toward
the settled clan. In front of them, running as fast as its short, skinny legs would take it, was
a bleating, wobbly goat kid. When they had closed the distance between them and their
potential dinner, Andy raised his spear and took a bead on it.
"I got it! I got it!"
When the entire picture came clear, Willow jumped to her feet and she screeched in a
high-pitched, blood curdling scream that saw all the men of the clan scrambling for their
spears and leaping to their feet in defense of the clan.
"What? Where? Who?"
Spike's feet were widespread. He was bent slightly at the waist and he hopped and spun in a
full 360 as he tried to locate the source of her terror. When his body came full circle back to
face her, he found his sister had thrown her arms around the small goat's neck protectively
while Andy skidded to a stop and checked himself just a fraction of a second before the
deadly spear would have left his hand.
"Don't you dare hurt him! He is just a baby!"
Xander blinked. He stood with his spear upright in the at-ease position with the butt on
the ground and he looked to Spike for an explanation. Spike's mouth opened and closed
like a fish out of water while he tried to comprehend her objections to an easy meal.
Suddenly, Harmony jumped up and raised her hand in the air, certain she had the answer.
"Oh! Oh! I know. She wants us to hang onto it and kill it later. That way we can gut it, skin
it and divide it by the evening campfire and no one has to carry its bloody body on his
back during the rest of the day's walk."
The others nodded and agreed to the perfect logic. They muttered praise of Willow's
intelligent ability to see the big picture and plan ahead. Their willingness to award her kudos
was short-lived when Harmony's parentage was rudely questioned and her humanity
declared nonexistent as Willow continued to console a goat that was actively attempting
to escape her clutches.
"No one is going to kill this poor thing! I don't care if we all starve, no harm had better come
to one hair on his head. He needs a mother. He is all alone. He will come with us and I
will look after him."
Every nose wrinkled in disgust and confusion as all eyes shot to Spike to see what the clan
leader would make of this senseless demand. Spike's first inclination was to try and reason
with her. Penn snickered. He knew that was a lost cause.
"Sister, dear, this is not logical. A goat is food. You do not tend to your food beyond...."
"Bleat."
"What?"
Every head snapped from their focus on Spike back to Willow to see what lunacy would
spout from her mouth this time. They didn't have long to wait.
"His name is Bleat. You offend his feelings when you call him 'goat.' Now, it is already
decided. He will come along with us to the warm lands. He can eat on the branches of
the bushes we pass so it takes no food out of our mouths and as he is more sure-footed
than any of us, he does not need to be carried. There is no more discussion."
Xander took a physical step backwards as if the very insanity of this had pushed him roughly
off balance. He huffed and puffed and finally squared off at his co-leader, expecting him
to straighten out this demented woman with the wild red hair and the frazzled brain. The
rest of the clan joined Xander in anticipation as Spike fumbled for a logical resolution.
He looked at Xander, who appeared ready to bite a flake stone in half. He glanced at his
people, who still sat on the cold, damp ground waiting to see if they would be eating fresh
young goat for dinner. And finally he turned to Willow.
She now knelt at the side of the frail, tiny animal who shivered in fear and abandonment.
She petted and cooed her reassurances and affection as it confirmed its name with each
opening of its mouth. Finally, Spike came to the only conclusion and resolution possible.
He held his spear high over his head and he shouted out the order to fall into formation with
the brief added instruction that Bleat would walk behind Willow.
Willow grinned smugly. Bleat flipped out his tongue at anyone who considered him a snack
and the clan clambered up to their feet.
And so they went. For another full cycle of the moon, the small band of homeless people
walked in the direction of the man at their lead. Whether it was an advancement toward
the south where the warm winds originated or simply the shifting of the seasons, the clan
took notice of the subtle changes in the weather.
The depth of the snow beneath their feet grew less and less. The air, while still cold and
cruel, had lost much of its bite and sting, and the dark clouds overhead now gave up as
much freezing rain as it did the snow.
It was an alteration that sparked hope in their hearts, yet none of them would bring a jinx
upon them by verbalizing the presumption that they were actually coming to an end in this
search for a home.
Spike and Xander had other matters on their minds beyond the weather. Willow's unborn
child had grown to an alarming size and so had Bleat, who clung to his adopted mother
during the days and slept at her side over the course of the nights. When it was observed
that her concerns and care of the growing goat appeared to level out her drastic mood swings,
the objections to the creature's accompaniment on the trail ceased.
But not even that was in the forefront of the leaders' minds. Although they had not yet
discussed it between them, during the last three days' walk, each man had noticed evidence
of other humans in the area. Broken tree branches. Disturbed snowbanks that did not
resemble the bedding of a deer or wild boar. Both men were very nearly certain that they
were catching up to the Wind Clan, and if that happened, a confrontation was almost assured.