I rise with the sun and see that Wacochi is still asleep so I kick him to muster him into action. I take my bow and quivered arrows to hunt us something to eat. I’m not having much luck and, after a while, decide to return. As I approach where I left Wacochi I see two naked Crow warriors, separated from each other, scouring the area around where we had made camp but there is no sign of Wacochi.
The low sun would be in their eyes so I make my way closer to the nearest warrior and kneel down to steady my aim as I target his belly. The arrow enters the brave’s navel with a >Thwuuump< as it tears into his taught abdominal muscle. The warrior lets out a muffled cry as he claws at his belly on either side of the arrow as he falls to his knees for a moment before falling backwards writhing and clutching at the arrow’s shaft. As he writhes he arches his back pushing his belly upwards before slumping back to the ground. As I crawl up to the arrowed warrior I can see he is still alive from the irregular trembling of the arrow’s shaft. As the brave sees me he weakly reaches for his sheathed knife at his waist. I then place my left hand over his mouth to muffle any cry as I grasp the arrow’s shaft with my right hand and forcibly agitate and push the arrow around in his guts until his whole body shudders and then becomes still. I tear the arrow from his belly, cutting back through the supple abdominal muscles that had closed around its shaft. Then… an arrow ricochets off the rocks right next to me; I’ve been spotted by the other warrior! There is no immediate cover for me so I grab the dead Crow and use his body as a shield, >Thwuuunk< as an arrow enters the dead warrior’s upper abdominals. Now I quickly notch an arrow to my bow and take aim… but wait! I see Wacochi approaching the Crow bowman in greeting but the bowman just points in my direction to show Wacochi where the enemy is. Then, as the bowman levels his bow at me, Wacochi grabs him from behind in a forearm lock on his neck and arches the warrior backwards over his own belly at the same time as he pulls the bowman’s own knife from its sheath. Then, before the warrior can react, Wacochi brings the knife around to the Crow’s stretched out abdomen and stabs inwards deep into the warrior’s lower belly and pulls the blade up through muscle and guts until it cuts into the Warrior’s navel, “Aaarrrggghhh!!” I see the Crow’s entrails start to hang from the gash in his belly before he slumps to the ground.
I make my way over to Wacochi and the dead warrior and can see in Wacochi’s face he is in dilemma over taking the life of a tribal brother. I reach out and place my hand on his shoulder and, as is his way, he just nods that he is okay. Knowing I can now fully trust Wacochi I hand him the dead bowman’s bow and quivered arrows and we continue our journey south.
