Suddenly, Kennit stopped still and staring. Jerem took a couple of steps forward before he noticed his brother's stillness. He looked at Kennit, his mouth open to speak to his brother, then turned to see what the older boy was looking at without speaking. Catta's gaze followed as well. Near a tree, where he had been looking at the camp, was a man, dressed in green and brown. His face wore much the same surprised expression that Kennit's did. In the moment it took to realize that the man was not someone they knew, he drew a short sword and charged Kennit.
It happened so fast, Catta thought afterward, she just acted without knowing what exactly she was going to do. Jerem swung his stick, and the man's feet tangled in it and he fell flat. The sword skittered out of his grasp. Catta jumped on his back, and grabbed a hand full of the man's hair, pulling his head back as she pulled her knife from her belt. Jerem dove to land on the man's legs so that he could not kick Catta off. She slit his throat before he could yell and the three of them watched the blood drain from the strange man in shocked silence.
“Who is he?” Kennit finally asked. “Who was he?”
“I don't know, but he didn't mean you any good.” She pointed with her chin at the blade that had fallen from the man's grip when he had sprawled to the ground. Kennit picked it up and looked at the blade, then back at the dead man.
Jerem stood beside his brother looking from Catta to Kennit, then towards camp. It seemed no one had heard the scuffle, because no one approached to see what had happened. “What do we do now?” He asked.
Catta stood as well, although her knees suddenly seemed weak. She still held her knife, now covered with blood. There was blood on her hand as well, and she could feel her hands wanting to shake. Get moving or fall down, she thought. “Lets go see if my pop is back in the camp.”
They entered camp near their own tents without so much as a “Hallo” from any of the watch. No wonder that stranger was so close to camp, Catta thought. She finally got a little shiver of fear, realizing they may have been watched for days. Her father and his men had not returned yet, so they approached the older who had organized the watch. He sent men with Kennit to check the trees where Catta pointed, then listened to her story.
That afternoon, checking and collecting snares was quick work, and under more and watchful eyes. The food was needed, but not at the cost of a younger. Kennit and Catta left Jerrem in the camp as they followed their morning trail. They moved quickly through the circuit this time, even with the small game they had managed to trap. The camp would eat well tonight, and be stronger for their move tomorrow.
Later, when her father returned, she told related the morning's events again, showing her father the blade the man had carried. Her father and his men looked over the youngers with an assessing eye, then checked the body and decided what to do with it. They did not share with Catta and the boys what their decisions were, or include them in the final disposition of the dead man. The sword, and the knife the man had carried, along with his bow and store of arrows were welcomed into their small armory, however.
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