The Six Tribes

Chapter 8: Chieftain

Samoset crouched in the bushes, dead silent. Just hold still, little guy. He drew his bow. Dad will be proud if I can bring back something for tonight's feast. He took aim at a squirrel not far off.

He was about to fire when another boy leapt out of the bushes across the clearing.

Samoset jumped and released his arrow into the ground near the other boy's hand, which was now wrapped around the squirrel. The other boy's eyes were wider than golfballs.

"Josiah!" Samoset bellowed. "What the heck are you doing?"

Josiah stood, still holding the squirrel, and brushed himself off. "I didn't feel like being part of the festivities, so I came out here looking for a squirrel."

"Didn't feel like it, or was forced to leave?" Another young male stepped out of the trees.

"Isaac. I should've known you'd be out here too." Samoset wasn't pleased.

Isaac adjusted his glasses. "I was following Josiah to make sure he didn't find something to get drunk on."

"Hey!" Josiah scowled. "And for your information, I chose to leave."

"That's a load of bull, and everyone who was in the chieftain meeting knows it." A masked boy jumped down from a tree.

Josiah pursed his lips. "Well, if it isn't the soon-to-be chief of Voda."

"You shouldn't have room to call me that, Josiah." Silan most likely bore an impressive frown behind his mask. "After all, you're going to be chief of Vazduh within the next month, correct?"

"Not if I keep getting excluded from festivities..." Josiah muttered to himself.

Samoset scowled. "Now all we're missing is Daniel and we'll have a party."

"I'd call it a party." The tallest of the boys spoke from in a tree.

"I came out here to hunt alone, and what do I get? A bunch of tribal sons following me." Samoset threw his hands in the air out of frustration.

"I wasn't following you! I was following Chitty!" Josiah retorted.

"Who's Chitty?" Isaac tilted his head.

Josiah held out the hand still wrapped around the squirrel. "My new buddy."

"Got room for one more now that Raya's gone?" Silan snuck in a backhanded insult.

Josiah's entire face went blood red. "Why you little--"

"Watch it, I can declare war on you." Silan was most likely smirking now. "And we all know Voda has a much better military than Vazduh."

"How'd you even know about that?" Josiah clenched his fists.

"Lucky guess."

"We all know your stupid nickname for Raylana." Isaac grinned smugly.

Samoset rolled his eyes. "Why aren't any of you at the festival?"

"Same reason you're not. Hard to celebrate without our betrothed." One last voice broke through.

"And frankly, I'm insulted you forgot me." Amicko, the eldest of the boys, sliced his way through the brush.

"I'm not out here because I miss Araceli." Silan was probably frowning again. "Like Isaac, I'm keeping an eye on Josiah."

"Oh my gosh! It's not like I purposely go out and get drunk!" Josiah exclaimed.

"No, but knowing you, you would." Isaac adjusted his glasses again.

Samoset bore an intense scowl. "I'm hunting. Actually, I never really got to know Omni."

"I know." Silan muttered.

"Way to be a stalker." Daniel raised an eyebrow at Silan's comment.

"Well, Josiah's out here because he misses Raylana." Amicko pointed out.

"Am not!" Josiah's retort went unnoticed.

"I'm out here to escape the madness, and everyone else is following Josiah."

"I'm not." Daniel replied. "I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm out here because I miss Audrie. And you shouldn't be ashamed that you miss Flare."

"I am not!"

"Ooh, Daniel, I think you hit a sore spot." Josiah grinned.

Amicko turned pink. "Shut it, Chiefling!"