Bhakva tilted his head up, facing the sky. It didn't look like nothing was different-the sun was still high and bright, the air light and cooling-but he could feel it. There's a storm on the horizon and it could hit at any moment.

He looked down at Indira who was eating a piece of fruit from a tree they had passed hours ago. They had yet to find an acceptable home; all of the dwellings were either taken by some animal or too small for the two of them.

With the storm coming, they needed to find a home fast. Tugging on Sabine's hand, Bhakva began marching, keeping a sharp eye out for any sign of an open cavern.

Indira could tell that Bhakva was suddenly worried about something, she just didn't know what it was. He had purpose in his steps and was gripping her hand tightly, but not enough to hurt her. She decided to stay by his side, rather than wander off to explore.

She could do that after everything was back to the calmness it was just a few hours before. Their pace had sped up almost to a light jog and the clouds began rolling in.

The air chilled, making Indira shiver. She slid closer to Bhakva who grew even more worried. He could tell the storm was now moving in and if he were by himself, it wouldn't have been such a big issue.

But he wasn't by himself. Indira was with him and her body wasn't completely adapted to the environment yet. She had yet to encounter any whether other than heat. The rain was bad here. When it rained, it rained heavy.

Buckets upon buckets of rain would fall, the air would turn chilly and any sane creature knew it was best to find somewhere safe and wait out the rain.

Half the time, the rain would escalate to a full-blown storm in the blink of an eye. Loud thunder, flashing bolts of atmospheric electricity, and swift wind speeds that dragged the weak with it.

Their best bet was to wait it out. That way both of them were together and alive. He they could make it, however, today wasn't one of their good days.

The wind had already began picking up and little water droplets began to fall. Bhakva grunted, hurriedly turning his head. His eyes scanning the nearby mountains and cliffs.

Nearly jumping for joy, he saw an opening near the bottom of a not-too-far away mountain. If there was an animal already there, it would have to find another cave because the caveman was determined to get Indira to safety.

He practically dragged Sabine behind him, focused solely on the cave. They picked up speed, their fast walk turning into a full out sprint.

Just as the rain began pouring, they made it into the cave. Relief washed over them, both slouching against each other. Bhakva slapped the wall a couple of times to make sure no animals were hiding in the shadows. The sound echoed but there was no other response; he took that as the answer he was wishing for.

Helping Indira with the backpack, he sat it on the floor before carefully removing the vase from his back. The hollow hole was just above ground level so they didn't have to worry about flood but the cold was another story.

Reaching inside the backpack, Bhakva pulled out the rolled up fur. Two were their extra clothes and other for bed furs.

Not wanting to get sick, they made quick work of removing their damp clothes and changing into the dry set. Huddling together, they cuddling into each other, wrapping the furs around their bodies.

Another blow of strong wind shot through the empty cave, making it even colder. Indira shivered, squishing herself against Bhakva, even more.

The rain was heavy, but hadn't worsened; that was a good sign. The wind, though, only got stronger which was surprising as hell to Indira. Come night, the temperature was guaranteed to drop even more, since the sun would no longer be spreading its heat. That means it would be twice as cold.

Sabine already felt like a chihuahua with her nonstop shaking, she couldn't imagine being colder. Bhakva, on the other hand, was obviously used to the weather. He didn't so much as shiver. He did try to warm the girl up as much as he could, completely pulling her into his lap and hugging her to his chest tightly.

Eventually, the sun began descending and with it, the temperature. Bhakva could practically hear, Indira's teeth chattering and he felt utterly helpless.

The raging rain warned everything away but Bhakva needed to keep Sabine warm. It was a risk yet he decided to go out and find some wood, so they could build a fire, anyways.

The rain and night made it difficult to see anything more than about 20 feet away and bolts of electricity had made themselves known. Still, the caveman had already made his mind up and nothing was going to change it.

"I'll be back," Bhakva said standing and tying a cloth over his head. Indira gripped his hand, not wanting him to go out in such weather but she knew she couldn't stop him even if she tried.

Bhakva's hand cupped Indira's face, his thumb rubbing over her cheek. He gave her a reassuring smile, tightening the furs around her slim body.

Hesitantly, he ducked his head down to kiss her cheek and turned before seeing her reaction. Slipping out of the cave, Bhakva immediately took off, not wanting to be in the storm longer than necessary.

Sabine stood near the entrance, watching him dash away until she could no longer make him out. She touched her cheek, smiling like an idiot. Sitting on the ground, she rocked back and forth with the furs tightly secured around her like an impenetrable force field.

Memories of the little affection warmed up her insides, metaphorically speaking. It made Indira think that maybe, just maybe, Bhakva was beginning to develop feelings for her as well.

•

Time passed and Bhakva hadn't returned yet. Too much time had passed and Indira was now worrying. Her caveman was a strong and resourceful man, there's no way it would have taken him this long.

He would've been back by now, she thought.

The only reasonable excuse was that something bad had happened. Indira didn't like the thought but nothing else would explain his absence. He couldn't be lost. He knew these lands too well.

He had to stuck somehow. Seeing no other way, Indira came to a resolution: she was going out to search for him. She knew it may have been dumb and she didn't care.

She had to find him and she would, without a doubt. It was not because she felt some sense obligated or need to repay him for saving her but because she genuinely cared for Bhakva.

He had easily become the most important person in her life and she couldn't let him stay out there, alone and in who knows what condition.

Binding the fur around her, Indira made a makeshift poncho. Grabbing a blade, she took deep breaths while making a mental map so she could find the cave again.

With one goal in mind, Sabine sprinted into the rain headfirst. Her eyes were wide open, hopping around everywhere, hoping to spot her caveman somewhere. She was out for at least ten minutes, wet and cold yet not deter from her task.

She wiped her face, just have it wet again. The mud sloshed underneath her feet, trying to drag her down. Stomping and stumbling, she preserved, turning and catching what looked like a body just ten feet ahead.

Taking the chance, Indira ran to it, blade drawn just in case it wasn't who she was looking for. Stopping, her heart froze, squeezing in her chest.

Dropping to her knees in the mud, she warily lifted her hands to Bhakva's face, pushing the hood and his hair away. There he was, slumped against a tree with blood dribbling down the back of his neck.

Next to him was a wad of sticks, enveloped but thick and large leaves that protected them from getting wet. He went out for her, because she was cold. Even with the possibility of him being hurt, he still moved without hesitation, thinking of her. He did care.

Seeing her strong caveman in such a position made a few tears fall from Indira's eyes. Stuffing the leaves under her arm, she used the other to lift Bhakva.

It took her a lot of tries but, adrenaline and willpower rushed through her views, giving her exactly what she needed to lift the heavy weight of the unconscious man.

Sabine grunted and huffed, making it about halfway before she had to break. Her shoulders couldn't continue to carry the weight and she couldn't leave the sticks.

Thinking quick, she removed the furs from around her, leaving herself unprotected from the storm. Laying them on the ground, she pushed Bhakva with as much strength as she could muster.

Heaving and struggling, Indira finally managed to roll Bhakva onto the cloth. She laid the sticks on his chest, securing the cloth around them both, tying the ends together.

With another grunt, Indira used all her strength and was able to scoop up just enough. Pulling and dragging, she cried out in happiness, seeing their cave get closer.

Yanking them both inside, she immediately began setting up the sticks. Indira was in overdrive. She started the fire, cleaned and closed the wound on the back of Bhakva's head. She set up the bed furs then turned back to Bhakva.

Using the rain water, she cleaned the mud and grass from him, respectfully discarding his wet clothes. Next she moved him the bed, that was close-but not too close-to the fire. Wrapping him snug in the furs, she made sure he was warm as could be.

Only after Bhakva was situated did she focus on herself. Throwing her and the caveman's still soaking clothes towards the entrance, Indira dried herself and put on another dress and pulled her locs into a ponytail.

Afterwards, she took out the herbs, berries, and dried meats from the vase. Stepping out just a little, Indira filled a big clay bowl with the rain water. It was all she could get and it was good enough.

Placing it over the fire, she threw in various herbs and pieces of meat, plus a few of the tart and less-sweet berries. It was an improvised soup, a frankenstein soup, but soup nonetheless. Something to warm them up.

Warming to a boil, the broth became darker and a bit thicker. Giving it a quick taste, Indira mentally patted herself on the back. It was flavorful and had everything they needed.

First coming here, Sabine was afraid that she would only ever eat bland food from then on but with Bhakva's help, she was able to find various herbs, plants, and seeds that were a great-if not better-substitute for twenty-first century seasonings. It was all organic and untarnished by hormones and the extra. They weren't the same flavors but just as good.

Letting the soup cool down, Indira carefully took the bowl and sat behind Bhakva. Lifting his upper half, she rested it against her chest and raised the bowl to his lips.

"Come on Bhakva. You have to drink," she coaxed to the man, even though he was unconscious. Gently opening his mouth, she slowly poured the broth, little by little.
He groaned, twitching a little but swallowed.

Sabine successfully got half of the broth in him, drinking the rest. Her nose had begun running and she knew it was the telltale sign of a cold but she needed to fight it for the both of them.

Sick or not, she would help pull Bhakva back to optimum health, the same way he had when he saved her that day.

Letting the fire continue to burn, Indira squeezed into the bed next to Bhakva. Pushing hair from his face, she lightly kissed his cheek before pressing herself into him. The warmth made her sign in content. Gazing at him, she promised to be there for him and to do everything she could, to make sure he opened his eyes again.

•••

Another late chapter. Sorry guys. My schedule has changed quite a bit and I am trying to work around it.
I hope everyone is well. Thank you for being patient. Please excuse any mistakes