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I let go of his hand "What’s it mean?"

"Panther"

I nodded It suited him "Did you always have that naiven to me by my mother was Michael I took my new name when the disease took our parents and elders and ere forced to adopt sootten customs"

"Is that when you added the tattoos too?" asked Peter

He nodded, still only looking at me "Why are you here?"

I decided the best way to deal with this panther guy was to be dead honest Obviously, there were ht no many I had no idea, and I wasn’t exactly sure what had kept us alive to this point, but maybe it was curiosity or even kindness I prayed it wasn’t thenuts out there and eating other kids We just want to find a place where we can live in peace"

"You do not seeht"

"I’ve been trained to protect myself and my fa besideBuster in his arms For the first ti out when he had all the right to be "I don’t go looking for trouble, but when it points an arrow at ht"

Kowi looked at Yokci and said, "Nokosi"

Peter leaned in and whispered, "I think that means butt kicker"

Kowi smiled "It means bear Gentle unless its family is threatened Not afraid of its oer Deadly when annoyed"

I suess" I didn’tcompared to a bear At least not until turtle-boy spoke up

"Sled

"Hey, watch it, turtle-boy I haven’t had access to a shower in in world cauys?" asked Bodo "Are you going to kill us and eat us or what?

Both of the newcomers frowned "The Miccosukee do not eat hu," added Yokci "Besides, we don’t need to Kahayatle provides everything we need"

"That’s e’re here," said Peter enthusiastically "We don’t want to eat anyone or do anything to hurt people, either We just want to … eat snakes or whatever and leave you alone Just help us find a place to stay and you’ll never hear fro him He looked so earnest, his eyes all shiny as he bounced on his toes He was like our little diplomat

"We’ll help you," said Kowi

Yokci folded his ar all that thrilled with the idea

"But not for nothing," Kowi continued

"We have nothing to give," I said angrily "We have barely enough food to last a week for the three of us"

"You haveup, this one a girl, small and wiry She didn’t have any tattoos and was fully clothed, her long black hair handing in a braid down her back "They have renades," she said "And bikes with a trailer They took whatever was in the Coleman’s shack"

"They were dead," said Peter "We didn’t steal anything, and we didn’t kill them either"

"You better not take any of dat stuff," warned Bodo "We et dat here"

Kowi looked at us ih the grenades … weree to share it, ill agree to let you live on our land"

"What’s that?" I asked, ready for anything

"Fighting skills We need you to teach us"

I eyed hiive us a place to live, on your land, in exchange for krav ?"