Blood-Lines

Part 5

Running-Deer sensed, rather than saw the men who approached as she knelt to retrieve what remained of the white man's clothing.

She ignored them until one of them spoke, his rough tone enough in translation for her to have realized that she really didn't want to know what he'd just said.

When a hand gripped her shoulder and pulled, she reacted on pure instinct.

Her elbow flashed straight back while she brought the back of her fist up hard against the man's face as it came down which resulted in a loud "humph!" and crack of a broken nose.

Just as quickly, she spun and swept his feet out from beneath him, followed by a quick thrust of her leg that landed a swift yet well aimed kick of her heel between his legs which buckled as he collapsed onto the dirt in a constricted curl to protect what remained of his crushed pride.

Finished with her spin, she rose to a crouch as she prepared to face the other man only to have found his eyes wide with fear and each of his palms out to face her as if to ward off her fury.

She watched intently as the man slowly backed away before he turned and ran across the dirt.

The dark stain that had slowly formed over the crotch of his pants as he'd backed away made her smile which apparently had only served to frighten even more.

Apparently, these white men were as foolish as the braves who'd taunted her in her own village.

The first attacker remained curled in a ball on the ground, both hands firmly between his legs as he softly moaned with a hoarse, high pitched whine as he found that he could breathe again.

He would live, but with certain knowledge that he should have had in the first place.

With practiced caution she rose from her crouch and picked up the clothing that she'd originally come looking for, before she carried it back in to the medicine man inside.

She spotted an older white man who'd been watching her with a smile from behind a nearby window.

Perhaps they were not all as bad as she'd once thought.