“I assume you have figured out or theorised that you spent some time with our tribe as a child?” Nolkonoe questioned.

“I guess,” Charlie said, noticing several warriors standing by the doorway. They made a line towards the exit of the house. They were a line of communication in case the Chiefess or one of the clan leaders’ daughters arrived.

“But why does this matter? I was here, then my father made a deal to sell me to your tribe. My family don’t care for me, nor do they love me, you have made that clear. And what’s with all this security? I’m not going to try and run,” Charlie said, his eyes locking onto the several armed Vultures standing next to him.

Keeping eye contact, Nolkonoe could see he was beginning to get annoyed as he almost glared at her. It seemed that bringing up his family selling him was still a touchy subject. Understandable, but a hindrance to what they were doing. Her eyes flashed a deep purple, and like air leaving a balloon, all anger and annoyance inside of him deflated.

“Let's start from the beginning,” Nolkonoe said, taking in a deep breath.

“When you arrived, your father originally planned to stay with us for a week, but in actuality, that week turned into two, then into a month, then three,” she explained. Shuffling in his seat, Charlie saw the morbid seriousness in the eyes of Nolkonoe. Keeping eye contact with Nolkonoe, he tried to process what she was saying. Three months? Impossible, why wouldn’t he remember such a seemingly important span of time.

“I... Don’t remember any of that,” Charlie said, looking down into the corner as he racked his mind for even the slightest of memory of that time.

“You wouldn’t. I used a spell of mine to wipe your memory of back then,”

“Why?” Charlie questioned as Nolkonoe, and the other clan leaders looked down solemnly.

“I… We have brought you here today to tell you about all of what happened to you. As I said, you almost died because of our tribe and our negligence to look after you,” Nolkonoe said, her ears and tail dropping as she put out her arms to him.

“Come here, I won't hold you while I yell at you. I think that way I can look after you better,”

“You mean to use those eyes on me?” Nolkonoe blushed bashfully as he said this.

“I thought you would have noticed those. Don’t worry, they only make you feel one of two emotions based on whatever I want you to feel. They will make you feel happiness or sadness, but I only ever use a faint version of the happy one to calm you,” Nolkonoe explained, still holding her arms out to welcome him.

“So, what happened to me as a child,” Charlie said, keeping in his place. Nolkonoe lowered her arms as she saw a criticising look of curiosity come over Charlie’s face.

“It began when you first arrive. You were quickly befriended by the Chiefess, or at the time, simple the heir to the Chiefess, Etasose.” Nolkonoe began her tale as she calmed herself.

“Just as quickly as you befriended her, she became smitten with you. Each hour of every day she wanted to spend time playing and exploring with you,” Smiling, Nolkonoe chuckled.

“Each day you would return him with hundreds of cuts and bruises and Etasose would be crying her head off about how she was sorry for hurting you,” and with those few words, she began to explain the story in detail.

It was two weeks into him living in the village when he had one of affection of Klipesia, the daughter of the lead warrior, Phukomeia as well as the lead Forger. With Etasose, these five became quick friends. One day, the five were dragging a young Charlie through the village. They planned to show him a Desert Crawler nest that they had found. The naïve boy didn’t know what a Desert Crawler was, so he was excited to go and see them.

Throwing a blanket over him in a poor effort to hide him, the excited girls took him towards the edge of the tribe’s village.

“Keep him low, we are almost there,” Klipesia whispered back to the heir to the Forgers, Xasuyle as the young girl gripped his hand. Confused, slightly annoyed, but overall happy to have found some friends, Charlie smiled and followed the girls.

Reaching the sides of the wooden walls that surrounded their village, they sneaked towards a large crack in the wooden fence. Etasose and Klipesia lifted the piece of wood, allowing Charlie, Xasuyle and the heir to the warriors, Felkouyope to slip through.

“Now then, who do I tell about this little game of yours?” a voice said, stopping all girls in their tracks. Turning, they all saw the lead warrior Cluupyte and the lead Vulture Nolkonoe staring down at them.

“What are you doing? I thought you were just going for a walk to show our guest around the village?” Nolkonoe said sternly as she locked eyes with Etasose.

“So, where were you going?” Nolkonoe said, moving her gaze from the terrified Etasose to the blanket-covered boy.

“We… just wanted to show him something cool we found,” Etasose said, stepping in front of Charlie in a poor attempt to hide him.

“Where exactly were you taking him?” Nolkonoe continued.

“To see something cool,” Etasose said, dodging the question.

“What were you going to show him Etasose,” Nolkonoe said, straining her voice as she gave a condescending glance down at the girl.

“Just something we found,” Etasose said, awkwardly looking away. Nolkonoe sighed as she walked over to Etasose. Placing her hand onto the blanket covering Charlie, she ripped the blanket away. A confused but amused Charlie smiled up at Nolkonoe. Completely ignorant of what was happening, his smile grew wider as Nolkonoe crouched by his side and began to check his arms and legs for any injuries.

“Why do this Etasose!” Nolkonoe said, raising her voice as she saw a cut along his leg.

“We just wanted to show him a Desert Crawler nest! It was abandoned but there was still some fur that I wanted to give him…” Etasose said, staring down the ground as she retreated to the side of the taller Felkouyope.

“Sorry Nolkonoe,” Felkouyope said, placing a reassuring hand onto Etasose’s head.

“Don’t think you are safe either!” Cluupyte said, towering over the two girls while glaring at Phukomeia, Klipesia and Xasuyle.

“Why risk going to a Desert Crawler nest!” Nolkonoe yelled at Etasose.

“I thought he would find it cool!” Etasose yelled back.

“Do you even know the risks of doing this! Do you think he knows the risks!” Nolkonoe continued.

“YES! And look at him! he is more than willing to go with us!” Etasose barked back, her ears and tails beginning to show as she lost control of her magic.

“Don’t you even think about doing that!” Nolkonoe said, stepping in front of her to hide her wolf form from Charlie.

“You begged and pleaded for me at the end of the week to convince his father and your mother to allow him to stay for a while longer, and I did. Now you take that trust of mine and place him in danger! If there is still fur in the nest, it means that the Desert Crawler just shed its fur and will probably come back!” Nolkonoe barked at her, knowing it wasn’t unusual for people to get attacked while going to a Desert Crawler nest that they thought to be abandoned. The creatures only ever shed their fur as a way to trick predators into thinking that the fur was one of their pups. Usually, this would lead any of the large birds in the area to attack the fur rather than the Desert Crawler pups.

“And anyway, how did you even ask him! you don’t even speak English!” She asked, crossing her arms as she watched Etasose go back into her human form.

“I… did ask him!” Etasose said reactively.

“Okay then, tell me something in English,” Nolkonoe said, smirking as she saw Etasose’s eyes dart around, trying to remember any words in English.

“So, what you are telling me is that you talked to him in English, without knowing English, then got a response from him in English, that you understood without knowing English?” Nolkonoe said, knowing she had her trapped.

“Come, we’ll be talking to your mother, and that goes for all of you,” Nolkonoe said, narrowing her eyes at Phukomeia.

“What about Charlie?” Etasose asked, placing a hand onto his arm and pulling him to her side.

“I am revoking your Charlie privileges for a week, and that goes for all of you,” Nolkonoe said. As the girls began to yell and protest, a quick sneer and growl from Cluupyte were enough to shut them up. Like prisoners being transported, they were placed into a single file and the two women began to lead them away.

Nolkonoe held Charlie’s hand as they walked.

“What’s going on?” Charlie asked innocently to Nolkonoe after a while of walking.

“Oh nothing,” Nolkonoe said, giving his hand a little squeeze as she smiled down at him.

“Why did you yell at the girls?” he asked, holding the blanket they had given him to his chest.

“They were just being naughty,” Nolkonoe reassured as she used her other hand to ruffle his hair. Tears swelled in his eyes as he stopped walking.

“Am I in trouble then?” he asked, staring up into her eyes. Feeling her heart pound at the adorable face of the boy as he began to cry, Nolkonoe’s motherly instincts kicked in. Nodding for Cluupyte to continue with the girls without her, she dropped down and wrapped her arms around him.

“You’re an amazing little thing, just adorable, you have done nothing wrong!” she said as she hugged the crying boy.

“You have done nothing wrong,” Nolkonoe said, placing a loving kiss on his forehead. Charlie though continued to cry as he believed the girls to be in serious trouble. Which they were, but his overly gentle heart and lack of understanding of the danger they were about to place him into made him overly sympathetic.

“Please don’t cry,” Nolkonoe whispered as she allowed him to nuzzle his face into her neck.

“Please don’t be angry,” Charlie said, allowing Nolkonoe to lift him into her arms.

“I’m not angry, I’m not! Now come on, let's get some of that nice meat you like, and you will stop crying, yes?” She questioned, beaming a smile at him. Quietly he thought but then nodded, thinking this also applied to the girls somehow.

“Great, now come on,” she said as she cradled the boy in her arms as began to walk off.

For a while, they walked until they reached the training grounds. By a tall tree sat Pycleia with a handful of her huntresses and other daughters. Upon seeing Nolkonoe approach, Pycleia smiled. Her smile widened even further as she saw a small boy cradled in her arms.

“Can I help you with anything?” Pycleia asked as Nolkonoe reached her side.

“Your daughter Klipesia was trying to sneak off with some others to take him to a Desert Crawler nest,” Pycleia rolled her eyes as Nolkonoe explained the situation.

“I’ll give her a good talking too, but may I ask why you bring the boy?” Pycleia asked, now annoyed at knowing she was going to have to discipline her daughter.

“I would like you to watch him while I get some food and drink for the poor thing. I also know you and your pups here would probably want to play a little with him to cheer him up. He somehow thinks he is in trouble for what they did so playing a little with him would probably calm him,” Nolkonoe said with a smile as she ran her fingers through his hair. Smiling, Pycleia put out her arms.

“I’ll dedicate some time to him,” she said, and this the reassurance, she handed Pycleia the trembling Charlie.

“Hey little guy!” she said as she smiled down at the trembling boy. Charlie sat quietly as a small horde of child Huntresses surrounded him, each smiling and poking at the boy to see how he would react. Sighing and hoping she had made the right decision, Nolkonoe wandered off to go and get him some food.

A young girl holding a bow leapt through the crowd and to the side of Charlie. Other girls as well as some older girls and women all poked and prodded down at him.

“Calm yourselves girls, you're making him worried,” Pycleia said as she noticed the girl holding the bow.

“Ourupadia, would you mind taking care of him for a while until this lot clam down,” Pycleia asked, helping the boy to his feet, and giving him a little push towards Ourupadia. Only a few years older, she smiled and took him away from the crowd. Thinking he was out of earshot, Pycleia wasted no time reprimanding the girls for being overly energetic.

As he was dragged away by Ourupadia, Charlie looked up at the far taller girl.

“What’s your name?” he asked, still confused by all the strange words being said by the native women. Not understanding his words but getting an idea that he was probably asking either where they were going or what her name was, she pointed to a small training field off to the side of the main field as well as saying her name.

“Ourupadia,” she said with a gentle smile that immediately relaxed the boy.