From the prompt: "Clearest dawn..."
"Normal But Sly"
Andrev had secured himself a personal camp halfway between the Dolgans and the gypsies; a bed of furs, his spears and a few tools. He�d kicked the mammoth fur and its oppressive heat off, gazing up at the midnight sky.
He liked the gypsies a lot; it was always fun at their camp, with games and music and acrobats performing, and none of them cared about the way he looked. The children smiled up at him instead of screaming and scrambling to hide behind their mothers. The other youth hunters spoke with him as an equal, as one of them, and Andrev could still remember the slow warmth that had spread through him when he first realized he actually had friends.
But that girl. Kana. She was crazy! And she seemed determined to project her insanity on him. Andrev growled and rolled over, raking a hand through his hair and shoving the messy locks out of his eyes in frustration. She followed him around, clung to him, petting his hair and cooing in his ear and calling him, �Pretty.�
Pretty. PRETTY! Of all the things to call a boy, a hunter at that. It was disgraceful, and disrespectful of him, degrading his abilities. Andrev sighed, graze tracing the twinkling path to the dog star. He was a good hunter, and he didn�t say that just to gloat; if it weren�t for his physical�differences, he�d be the hunter in demand with the girls. But no, he was the monster, the dubious gift from the gods called a curse behind his back. Kana was a thorn in his side. Andrev sighed again and rolled over, burrowing his head onto his pillow. He�d think of a way to get rid of her.
Andrev frowned, peering at his handiwork. Something had gone wrong. He reached up to push his hair out of his eyes and paused, remembering he wasn�t in the gypsy camp. He squinted down at the grass net and groaned when he spotted the missed knot. The net would fall apart the moment an animal hit it. He growled and flung it aside, reaching for his spear.
A foot came down on it, followed by a sickeningly familiar voice.
�Hello, master hunter.� Conlan hadn�t meant for it to be a compliment.
�What do you want, Conlan?� Andrev bit back. He could feel the others� gazes around him, sensed them circling him.
�Are you enjoying yourself with the romani?�
�Does it concern you?� Andrev returned sharply. He stood up, ignoring his trapped spear.
�I must say, that one girl, Kana? She is quite fetching.� Conlan leered.
Andrev paused. �Kana? She�s mad in the head.�
Conlan circled him. �Perhaps, but she�s beautiful. She�s worth it, and I could tame her.�
�Whatever you wish.� Andrev shrugged and turned away, heading for the main tent.
�You left your spear!� Conlan called.
Andrev yelled over his shoulder, �Keep it! You might actually catch something with it!� He let out a grunt as something slammed into his chest, knocking the wind out of him.
That something squealed. �Andy!� A pair of arms snaked around his torso and squeezed.
The young hunter stumbled back, gaping down at the gypsy girl that clung, like a limpet, to his chest. �Um�Kana�� He glanced over his shoulder and saw Conlan�s eyes darken.
�Just play along,� Kana whispered in his ear. She pulled back and grabbed his spear arm, fastening something around his wrist. Then she slipped her hand into his and skipped over to Conlan and the other hunters.
�Hi Connie,� she cooed, reaching out and ruffling his hair condescendingly with one hand, the other clasped firmly in Andrev�s. �Did you come to see some tricks?�
Somehow Conlan maintained his rigid, dignified pose. �I came to see if you needed any food � �
Kana shook her head vehemently, curls flying. �Oh, no, Andy�s a great hunter. He brings us all the food we need.�
Andrev tried to pull free, but she clamped her hand down on his. She was crazy. She was insulting Conlan and would surely provoke him into a fight � couldn�t she see it?
Kana yanked Andrev closer, bringing their clasped hands up, skimming her fingertips over his knuckles. Dazedly, he realized he was wearing her bracelet.
Kana�s eyes sparkled. �Andy�s courting me, did you know?�
And realization dawned with the clearest light. Kana was normal, but sly. Oh no�
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© Agent Duo 2004