Death on the Trek by Kaye George Page B

Most of them went into the abodes to sleep, but a few of the males stayed awake, sitting or standing near the Hamapa tribe. Jeek wondered if they were guarding them from something, or if they did not know if they could trust the Hamapa. Neither group knew much about the other one.

Chapter 10
    “Jefferson’s ground sloth, Megalonyx jeffersonii , lived in North America approximately 150,000 to 9,400 years ago… (It) inhabited the lower forty-eight states except for the Rocky Mountain and desert regions… The ox-sized animal (8 to 10 feet long) browsed on leaves and twigs of the woodlands and forests.”
    — Ice Age Mammals by Ian M. Lange, p.82
    “ Does sloth meat taste good ? Not to people living [in] most…parts of the globe. Outside of a handful of indigenous South American tribes, there isn't much of a tradition of eating sloth meat. Researchers who work in Amazonia and have sampled the dish report that it's slimy, chewy and gamey, and most feel that one serving is enough for a lifetime.”
    —from http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/explainer/2012/02/explainer_house_call_what_does_sloth_meat_taste_like_.html
    Enga Dancing Flower felt good when she awoke at first sun, better than she had felt for a long time. There were no pains inside her. Some of the strange dark men sat drowsing nearby. At first, the sight of them startled her, then she remembered encountering the people who said, “Hoody hood hood,” and following them to this village where her tribal brothers and sisters all ate their fill of the unfamiliar meat.
    The strange tribe members were emerging from their huts, stopping to stretch. The huts were small and there might not be room to stretch inside, Enga thought. She did not think she had to mask her thoughts from these people. She could not penetrate any of theirs, so they could not read hers. They spoke softly to one another, then several of the females walked away from the center of the community. Enga heard high-pitched squeaking noises from beyond the village. There must be animals close by, she thought. Maybe the animals she heard were the ones they had eaten. Curious, she rose from the ground and followed the females.
    Three large caves yawned in the hillside behind the village. The entrances were blocked with heavy stones, heaped about as high as the shoulders of these tall people. Soft animal noises came from inside the caves. Enga sniffed for the odor of the animals inside, but could smell nothing. What creature was this that had no odor?
    The females saw that Enga had followed them, but paid little attention to her. Cut grasses were mounded not far from the mouths of the caves. The women grabbed armfuls of these and threw them over the stone walls.
    The noises from the animals stopped and Enga heard them crunching the dried grasses. She wanted to see what these creatures were, but could not. However, the hillside that held the caves was one of many other surrounding hills. One of these jutted out beside one of the caves. Enga climbed the small incline. As she reached the point where she could see inside, Sister Sun sent a burst of light over the stone wall and into the cavern.
    There they were! One was clear to her in the rays of Sister Sun. Enga had never seen such a creature. It was about the size of a muskox, but shaped somewhat like a bear. Several more of them came into the light at the front of the cave where the grasses had fallen. Their bodies were thick and heavy. They rested on their front knuckles when they walked, with long claws pointed backward. When they rose on their hind legs to eat, they were taller than the dark people who held them captive. They grasped the hay with those front claws and stuck the stalks into their mouths. Their snouts were short, their necks and their tongues long.
    She caught a few glimpses of smaller ones, probably babies since it was birthing season for many animals. She remained watching them feed, unaware of anything else around her