Chapter 10

In the morning, Leelee and I stoked the fire and prepared the breakfast meal. Merry talked with Mario and Jani. They looked over at me as I helped with the meal performing "woman's work." Merry was barely able to contain her mirth at their thinly veiled efforts to act nonchalant about my activities compared to their sense of propriety.

Jani had asked if Merry was pregnant. "Yes, I am with my second child. I hope this one will be a girl because Tom has said that he wants a little girl to spoil."

Jani finally asked, "Why does he help in preparing the meal?" She didn't say it but you could hear her thinking that I was performing women's work.

Merry grinned. "Tom says the only thing that he can't do is become pregnant. There are a few things that Leelee and I don't have the strength to do but we work interchangeably to perform any duties needing to be accomplished. It's fun to work with Tom and we, Leelee and I, have learned that there are few truly manly or womanly duties in life.

"He keeps both of us very happy and we work together well. We know that is different from most other peoples but it works well for us."

At that moment, one of the other men came up behind me. He started to kick me. I said, "That would be most unwise. I would have to hurt you and you might hit some of our breakfast food when you fall."

He said, "You aren't a real man or you wouldn't do a woman's work." He didn't take my warning and started his foot forward. I grabbed his foot and forced it away from my body and high into the air as I stood. He fell heavily with one hand in the fire. He screamed with the burn. Leelee had moved the cooking pot out of the way. I stomped down on the foot I wasn't holding and kept my foot in place while pulling on the one I held. He screamed in pain. I figured the stretching and my foot grinding his ankle didn't feel very good.

"I warned you not to do that. You should listen next time when a man warns you."

I dropped his foot and went to help Leelee though I continued to be wary of him and anyone else approaching. Some of these people took my helping with cooking as a sign of weakness. The man's right hand was badly burned and his left ankle was probably broken. Another man came up and went to the fallen one. He checked him over. I noticed that the two looked very similar meaning they were likely brothers. The guy pulled the hurt one away from the fire and a woman began to tend his injuries.

The unhurt one came toward me. I stood and waited for him to approach and speak. "You hurt Micah. He is my brother. I challenge you."

I said, "Okay, what are the rules?"

"No rules. I will kill you and take your women."

Leelee stood beside me. "You won't kill Tom nor will you take us."

He glared at her. I said, "We know that Micah is a fool. Now, you are proving that it is a family trait.

"Merry, toss it over." Merry threw my spear over to me. I caught it and stood ready.

"That's not fair! You can't use that stick!"

"Do you want to back off?" He shook his head. "You're the one who said, 'No rules.' I'm just using one of my favorite weapons. Let's get this over with before breakfast burns."

He came at me and I reversed the spear and punched him in the stomach hard enough to put him on the ground. He stood and came at me again. He grabbed for my spear. I swung it out of the way and pounded the blunt end into his kidney. He hit the ground again rolling with the pain.

I said, "That's twice. If you come at me again, you will die. Fools harm others and can't be allowed to be part of a civilized community."

I waited for another attack with the pointed end of my spear pointed at him. He circled me. Leelee again moved the food and her body away from the fire and me. He charged and I let him come. I spun and hit his head hard with my spear. He fell into the fire and its coals. He screamed as he burned. He rolled off the fire. Leelee shouted, "Watch out, Tom! The other has a bow and arrow!" He wasn't handling it very well because of his burnt hand.

I shouted, "Lower the bow or die!" He didn't and I threw the spear piercing his stomach. He fell back shooting the arrow into the air as he dropped the bow. I went after him and slammed the spear deeper into his stomach area. Then I twisted it toward his heart. For these people, it was a fatal wound. I heard Merry scream. I jerked my spear from him to crouch to defend against the other. I impaled him with my spear and put the point into his chest piercing his heart. I pulled it out and readied for another attack. No one else came at me.

Mario and Jani were still sitting there in shock at the suddenness of the attacks on me and my successful defense against the brothers. One was dead and the other was dying. I said, "Mario, is there anyone else in your group who wants to die?"

He looked at me. "I-I don't think so. I have no desire to fight you, Tom. I am sorry that those two attacked you. It was wrong."

"I tried to get them to stop but they wouldn't stop. I don't like to kill but will not suffer attacks upon my ladies or myself."

The other grown men and most of the women had gathered. No one else came forward. It was very quiet. Finally, I said, "Everyone! I did not want to kill those two but they started it. I ended it. Leelee, Merry, and I will defend our way of life and each other. You are not forced to stay here. If you do, you will swear to support each of the three of us as we will you. Anyone not willing to swear to support all should leave as soon as you can." My two ladies stood with me with bows in their hands and fire in their eyes. I was proud of both of them.