Chapter 14

We all armed ourselves for the trip to Selma's village the next morning after breakfast. We didn't have a crossbow for Selma but I provided her with a spear. We were taking the horses with travois behind them as well. The shields would go on the travois again. Maybe we'd find a meat animal to present as a gift to Selma's former village or something worth trading for. The walk would take at least three hours so we got an early start.

When we passed Diannock's grave, my ladies had nothing good to say. A short time later, we walked through the area with the hickory trees. Selma and I gave descriptions of the battle I had with The Hunger. She held my hand as she described her fear at becoming a meal for the beast and said she was happy now.

Soon we were further south than I had ever been. My mates became even more vigilant as we moved along the path that led from the nut trees to the village. I wanted to hunt so that we had a gift of meat for the village. Selma said that further to the east was a marshy area where pigs were often taken and to the west was a prairie that has a herd of bison. We turned west and walked for 20 minutes or so before we came out on the edge of the prairie she had mentioned.

Our pack was moving around the herd at the southern edge looking for an easy meal when we got there. Wolf approached and sent me a picture of him and his pack mates feeding on bison. I nodded to him understanding I was expected to hunt for them as well as us.

I moved around the edge of the herd keeping downwind from the bison. When I was within a hundred yards, I rose from cover and fired three times in rapid succession. Two bison dropped immediately and the third stumbled from the impact of my arrow.

The pack gathered around the wounded bison and quickly had it down to start feeding. My mates and I moved forward to retrieve my arrows and load one of the bison on the travois for the village. Once it was gutted and loaded head down on the travois, we headed for the southern river village.

Upon entering the village, I noticed a carved totem of a bear on each side of a crude gate. A man saw us and took off at a run towards the center of the village. There were a mixture of men, women and children moving around the village performing their daily tasks. We waited at the gate for permission to enter the village.

In a short time, a group of six men armed with spears approached the gate from the center of the village. They were led by a short stocky older man who carried a heavy club. Selma whispered that he was the leader here.

Selma started the conversation, "Karrak, this is my mate Frank. He saved me from The Hunger in the nut grove yesterday. We exchanged blood oaths last night and have come to collect my things so that I can move to his camp permanently."

Karrack looked at me, "You killed The Hunger?"

"Yes," I said.

"As much as it pains me to say it, you were wrong to save my cousin Selma from him. He kept the other predators clear from this area. We saw The Hunger as our protector and guardian spirit. He seldom took a villager and when he did, it was a good trade for his protection. Now, we have no guardian spirit and the wolves and long toothed cats will come. Wolves were spotted just this morning hunting among the herd to our west."

"I did not know any of this. I simply saw a woman in trouble and decided to help. Anyone would have done the same if they could," I said.

"You were wrong and have cursed our village. You are not welcome here," Karrak said.

"That's OK," I said. "We will be leaving as soon as we collect Selma's goods and I won't come here again."

"You must understand," Karrak said, "Selma's goods were distributed to the rest of the village when word reached us of what happened. It is a small price to pay for her life which should have been sacrificed to The Hunger anyway."

"So you're telling me that you stole her food and other goods?" I asked.

"We stole nothing. It was tribute given to the village in place of her life," he said.

"Did you take her things?" I asked.

"I already told you so," said Karrak.

"Did you ask if you could have her things?"

"I do not have to ask! I lead here and I do not have to explain myself to you! Leave the bison you stole from our herd and go or we will kill you, slaughter your horses and tie your women out to posts for anyone who wants to use them," he demanded.

Locking eyes with Karrak, I said, "You do not understand the situation. I gave you the chance to do the right thing here. We came peacefully and with a meat animal as a gift to your people. We only wanted to take away my mate's things and leave you in peace. I am no longer interested in Selma's goods or in peacefully resolving this situation. You have two choices. Stand aside so we can retrieve her things or die. You have declared yourself my enemy and made threats you have no ability to deliver on. You have to the count of three."

Turning red in his rage, Karrak shouted, "KILL THEM ALL!"

The six men all levelled their spears at us and charged. Seven crossbows came up and fired and six men lay writhing on the ground or dead. I never even fired my bow. Karrak apparently didn't think my women were a threat. That was too bad for him. My ladies cocked their crossbows to reload them and Assani fired hers into the chest of Karrak. He stopped moving.

The villagers that had been watching up to this point turned and fled. Men with spears were guarding the rear as the rest of the people ran out a gate on the other side of the village. We opened the front gate and entered the village with two of the horses.

I dumped the bison near the fire in the center of the village and we moved toward the hut that Selma said was hers. Everything she owned was still there. We quickly loaded it all on the travois and left the village the way we had entered collecting our spent bolts and leaving the corpses where they lay. What a mess. Why did everyone have to be so difficult to deal with? Almost all of the men I met tried to kill me. Why was that?