Chapter 18

He tossed and turned in his sleep, the nightmares were often and she often wondered what horrible dreams he must have. She frequently found herself watching him sleep and trying to bring comfort to his troubled mind. Sometimes he muttered in his sleep, it was some language that she'd never heard before.

She thought back to the days after the attack and smiled. It had been so difficult to make him understand her as at the time he was more beast than man. Something in his eyes had reached out to her though, something that told her he hadn't always been in such a way. If Puabi was one thing she was stubborn, sometimes too often in life she had found herself alone defending the line in an argument and she had never given so much as an inch back then.

She wasn't about to give an inch when it came to Shulgi.

It was a name she had agreed upon with him. It had been a lot of fun trying to name him, his growls and mutterings disagreeing with monikers she offered. Then she had remembered the story of a great hero, one told to her by her grandfather many times.

It was the story of Shulgi. He had stood where others had fallen and defended their country from the invading hordes of the north. Alone in battle he had held them off for days on end before reinforcements could arrive from the south. He was possibly the greatest hero her country had ever seen.

So it seemed fitting to name him such. He was her hero; he had defended her and protected her even when she had been nothing but a stranger to him.

"Shulgi"

He had looked at her with a frown and then a smile had broken on his face and try as she might she couldn't help the giggle that had escaped.

So here Puabi was watching her hero sleep. His murmuring became louder and his arms flailed about fighting invisible enemies that only he could see. She gently rubbed her hand over his brow and he seemed to stop fighting so much and calm down. His face became peaceful within a moment and for once she got to see him for what he was.

He was beautiful.

She had returned to her home village that fateful day and gathered stuff in the early morning to bring him. He now wore simple cloth shirt and pants, gone was the monstrous animal skin tunic he had devised. He had eaten some of the bread she had taken from her mother's pantry and although he had eaten it and although from the look of him she thought he would be starving, he took a few bites and left it.

Puabi had kept trying to make him understand her and push him to learn the language she spoke. If only to better understand the man before her. It was difficult and he often seemed confused and angry when she would try to teach him. A few days does not make someone fluent however and she knew that it could be months even years before they could finally have a decent conversation.

He murmured again and his hand grabbed hers softly and she watched him bemused, his fingers intertwined with her own and she almost blushed. Instead she chose to lay down beside him and let her remaining hand stroke his hair softly. It was with a smile on her face that she fell asleep watching him breathe.

She awoke to find herself alone, the sun was beaming through the mouth of the cave onto her face and she squinted as she took in her surroundings. It was the cave of course, the same place she'd spent every waking moments for days now. He wasn't around though this morning and had probably gone down to the river for a bath. She found herself humming some tune to herself with a silly smile plastered on her face.

Her life had changed so much in such a quick time. All but a week ago she was scheduled to be wed to somebody she disliked immensely and now here she was, living in a cave with a stranger she hardly knew but had seemed to have known all her life. He couldn't understand her and she could hardly understand him and yet she was smiling.

The world was a crazy place she considered as she went about her morning chores. She chopped up some of the remaining bread they had left and placed it on some plates. It wasn't the most appetising of breakfasts but it would suffice.

Some rustling down the path from the cave alerted her to his return and she found herself brushing her hair shakily. He stepped into the cave and noticed the empty bed, if it could be called that, immediately and turned to face her. He smiled at her and raised his right hand to show her the bucket of water he had returned with.

She raised a plate with some bread on it and he took it from her hand, then grabbed two glasses and scooped up some water out of the bucket before handing her one.

They sat there in silence eating breakfast and occasionally quenching their thirst from the glasses at their sides. He smiled in her direction once or twice and it never ceased to amaze her how much it affected her and how quickly she had become infatuated with the man before her.

The day was long as summer was at its height and they spent there day basking in the warmth of the sun and occasionally she'd play word association with him. Sometimes he got it and sometimes he looked confused but most of the time he had the same smile she had come so quickly to find endearing.

All of a sudden the ground started shaking softly and Shulgi leapt to his feet from prone and looked around confused. Even Puabi had never experienced anything similar and she had lived here her whole life. Cracks started to appear in the earth below their feet and they leapt away in fright before running for the cave as fast as their legs could carry them.

Fire sprang up from the cracks and poured molten lava onto the ground behind them as they ran. Shulgi grabbed her and lifted her into his arms as he ran faster than he had ever remembered before. Reaching the cave he leapt inside as the ground beneath him fell away and they skidded onto the hard rock with grunts and groans of pain they slammed into the far wall.

Pulling himself from the floor he grabbed her hand and stood up, bringer her with him. Looking back the ground was gone, just fire was left pouring down the landscape towards the trees. He looked shocked as the trees were engulfed by the flames and came crashing down to the ground crackling as they burnt to ash.

Above the trees a massive cloud had formed, purple cloud, which seemed to turn in on itself then all of a sudden a bright flash resonated from the centre and Shulgi covered his eyes from the glare of it. When he finally lowered his arm from his eyes to look straight at it, he frowned, there was a hole where the cloud had been and beyond all he could see was fire and torment. Suddenly something leapt out of the hole and screamed high in the sky.

It was the largest creature he had ever seen. All tentacles and eyes that seemed to see farther than anything he had known before. Its scream echoed around the landscape as more of its brethren tore open the skies and screeched behind him.

Puabi looked on in shock; she had never seen anything like it. The creature couldn't exist and shouldn't exist but there it was high above them. She knew nothing would be the same again as it flew down at lightning fast speeds towards her village and echoes of screams from the people there tore through the day time.

From her side she heard a growl and turned to see the fearful eyes of her new friend.

But in them she saw no fear only hatred, pure unadulterated hatred. She had never seen such a look from him and it scared her. A low growl emanated from him and he looked at the creatures with a look of contempt and headed for the cave entrance.