A Quiet Strength
by Anon Allsop

-Part One-

-Twenty Seven-

Her hair was in disarray, she had blood on her arm. Etu was unsure whether the blood was from an injury or the bears. He slowly entered, her terror filled blue eyes followed his every move. "Are you injured?"

She said nothing, only tipping her head slightly as he spoke. He glanced around the cave, Etu could tell that she had been living here for quite some time. He saw a pelt laying on the ground and started toward it to ease the bleeding from his wound. Having only taken one step, the female threw herself between he and the small pile of pelts.

The sudden move caused the warrior to pull up, it was evident that the female did not want him any nearer. Like the wild animal he just fought, she showed her teeth at him and brandished a sharpened piece of thin stone. He backed away slowly, at the same time she held it menacingly toward him.

Confused, Etu moved back and crouched upon his haunches. Under furrowed brow, he studied the woman he had spent so much time searching for. She glanced over her shoulder quickly and then backed toward the pile, still holding the stone knife toward the man.

Etu rubbed his jaw in confusion, blood slowly running down his arm and chest from the wound. Behind the female, he saw the pelts move. He adjusted his position so he could see around the pale spirit, raising his blood streaked arm, pointing toward the movement he just witnessed.

Etu took a step to the side which she mirrored. Her crystalline blue eyes, though beautiful, seemed to bore through him to his very soul. He sat back on a ledge within the cave and noticed a bladder full of water. Bending low, he lifted it back up and allowed the cool liquid to wash across his wounds, before taking a drink. He carefully sat it down where he had found it, all the while she watched intently.

Never taking his own eyes from her, he treated the female as though she was an angry lioness, capable of striking at any moment. "I won't harm you." He spoke to her calmly in his own tongue, hoping she could understand him. She responded by slightly tipping her head, making it evident to him that she had no idea what he was saying.

He glanced down at her fire, a pitiful meal of squirrel had been ruined during her battle with the bear, it now lay blackened like coal among the embers. Etu examined the wounds across his arm and chest, they hurt but he had been hurt worse before. He sighed and slowly strode out of the cave and peered over the ledge.

The bear lay where it had fallen, her spear still protruding all the way through the black fur. Etu studied the path down, looking for the easiest access to harvest what he could of the meat and fur.

As he turned to pick his way down, the girl left her child inside sleeping and cautiously emerged from the cave. "I will return." He spoke as he lowered himself over the edge, gaining foothold just below. She said nothing, but ventured close to the edge to watch and see what he was doing.

Etu climbed down to the bear's carcass, and gripping the long spear's shaft, pulled it on through the wide chest of the bear. He raised his brows in surprise, as this had to be one of the biggest black bears he had ever seen. He knew he was being watched. He could feel her intently staring down upon him... yet, he acted as though he was alone on that mountain and set about to remove as much good meat as was possible.

Bending over the kill, he began to cut open the bear, its entrails were the first to be removed. He set aside much of what he knew they could eat, the remainder was tossed over the side. Without looking, he wondered what the Aponi Spirit thought of him cutting up a brother animal. He hoped that she would still look upon him with a miniscule amount of favor, but he had no room to ask.

Though beautiful beyond compare, the young female was not above the gruesome task of 'field dressing' an animal. It was not a task that she relished, but one that was necessary considering the circumstances of the situation. She rose from where she had been kneeling and went back into the cave, she was on a mission, a mission to help the powerful stranger.

She padded across the cave floor and peered in on the infant, still sleeping soundly after being nursed just prior to the bears attack. She quietly gathered up a coil of leather strapping and a large pouch. Tying the strap to the pouch she carried it back to the edge and slowly lowered it over the side.

The young brave was concentrating intently on his task, oblivious to the young girl lowering the pouch down to him. It spun a slow circle as it lowered, eventually touching the bronze warrior on his back, startling him in the process.

He wheeled around, the knife held in the ready. His eyes locked onto the culprit, a bag suspended from above. His dark eyes followed it up until they came to rest in the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. He could feel his face grow warm, she was smiling, giggling at his response.

He too smiled, and laughed at what had happened, shaking his head only to hear her giggle again. Bending low, he began to fill her bag with the meat, and waited until she pulled it back up the ledge. She disappeared for a moment and then returned, only to lower the emptied bag down once again.

Again and again he filled it until all that was left was the thick hide of the bear, and her spear. A few of the bones he saved, most were deposited over the edge with the entrails. Etu began to cut some of the tallow away from the hide, as he did, he realized that once again he was alone.

-Twenty Eight-

The sun was lowering in the sky when he rolled the great hide up and carried it back to the ledge. Sitting it down, he returned for her spear. Hefting the weight, he studied the crude shaft. The tip was Algonquin, yet the shaft was of poor construction. Etu decided that she must have found the tip and made use of it for her purpose. It was much too light for a man, but would probably be suitable for a female.

Carrying it with him to the ledge he hesitantly walked to the cave entrance, he did not want the female to become fearful. Peering inside, he could see the fire reflecting off of her beautiful face as she set, her hair was almost as white as the clouds that floated across the sky during the day. Covered partially by a blanket made of small pelts, her hauntingly beautiful eyes locked on him as he slowly entered.

He held his hands outward and slowly lay her spear on the ground, the point toward him as a gesture of contrition. She slowly reached out from under the blanket that covered her, and drew it back closer to her leg, where it was in reach should she feel the need for it.

Etu knelt beside her fire and placed the great black bear's pelt in front of the beautiful woman, to him it was more as an offering to a great spirit. The woman allowed her beautiful eyes to drop to the thick fur hide, she replied to his kindness with a nod of approval.

He glanced toward the fire, there what was left of the charred squirrel remained partially in the hot coals. It was apparent to him that her meal had been a casualty of her battle with the bear. On the other side of her fire cooked three hearty portions of meat to which Etu assumed, he had just cut.

From the look of the meat, it was, or would be ready to eat soon. She followed his eyes to the food cooking over the fire, with a nod of her head she offered him a piece.

Etu carefully removed his knife and cut a portion off for himself, the heat from it burned his fingers and caused him to drop it into the coals. He cursed under his breath and glanced up quickly, she was still watching him. On her face she wore a playful smirk.

After skewering the meat with his knife-tip, he dusted the ash from it and carefully blew away the heat. Popping a chunk into his mouth, he began a strange 'reverse blow' to keep from burning the inside of his mouth. This reaction caused the young female to softly chuckle to herself.

Quickly spitting the meat back into his hand, he fanned the air and mouth, "Tuhkwal!"

"Hot?" She mused, then realized that for the first time in eons, she had actually said something that closely resembled a word. Of course, it wasn't as clear as that, quite labored in fact. She laughed in celebration to herself, although the man thought it was at his expense.

Etu loved hearing her giggle, it reminded him of being a youth, so he didn't mind at all. As she was laughing, her blanket slipped down slightly, almost exposing the child at her breast. For a brief moment, Etu saw the pale teardrop of her generous bosom, and the top of a young infants head.

He sat back on his calves, unsure of what he had witnessed. He had seen a child, and that meant that there was a father somewhere. He felt as though his whole world crashed around his head.

Quickly she raised the blanket of fur to her shoulder, keeping the young one hidden from his view. The man before her suddenly had his expression change from happy to almost sullen. It confused the girl as to why?

Etu finished his meat in anger, then slowly walked out to the ledge and sat upon a boulder. Above him, the night stars were out in full force, the moon was but a sliver of the Great Spirit's nail.

After a lengthy time had passed he felt as though he was being watched, a quick glance over his shoulder revealed the woman had hesitantly ventured from the cave. In her hand she held a stick with the meat strung on, she was tearing it with her beautiful white teeth.

Deciding that it was not her fault that he had made a mistake, believing that she was unattached. It was not up to him to question the spirits, many times they would lead man to ruin. He was determined it would not be him.

Thinking of the father, he grew angry... what sort of man would allow his woman out on her own with a tiny child, a newborn at that? Trying to push his anger aside, he knew he must ask if she was alone, and where her man was that would protect her. But first, he must be able to talk...and the first step on that journey would be to learn her earthly name, and she learn his.

He turned to face her, "I am Etu." He said, speaking in his own language.

She tipped her head, it was evident that she did not understand the warrior's language. He scrunched his face in deep thought, patting his chest he again repeated. "Etu."

She paused in her meal, she formulated the word in her mind prior to saying it. With great effort she finally spoke, "EeeOoo" She smiled to herself, thankful that she once again had a sort of command of her voice, although she realized that it wasn't fully correct. To her, for the time being, it was good enough.

Etu smiled and nodded, "Etu." He again patted his chest, then pointed to her.

Her mind scrambled, he wanted to know her name.. but what could she say? She remembered back to when she had arrived on this godforsaken planet, she had been calling herself April.

Mustering up all of her effort, she slowly spoke. The slurred and partially paralyzed vocal cords did the best they could, "Appri..."

The look that crossed the young warrior's face caused her to cease, intently he attempted to repeat what he had heard...or so she thought.

"Aponi.. so it is true." He sighed reverently, and looked downward. Almost ashamed to look the beautiful female spirit in her eyes.

-Twenty Nine-

The young mother only heard the beginning of his words, after the name he uttered reverently, the rest of his comment was lost to her. She mulled the name he had use in her mind, to be called Aponi would be acceptable enough to her, the name almost sounded exotic. After mild thought, she decided that she liked it even better than the one she had attempted to give him.

As she stood on the ledge, the wind wafting through her pale tresses, Etu was mesmerized by her beauty. Even in the light of the stars, her beauty was beyond compare. As he watched her, she tipped her head, pulling her long hair away from her face and tucking the wayward strands behind her ear, then looked straight into the cave as if being called; Yet Etu heard no call from within.

It was as though Etu had just witnessed that strange link that a woman has with her child, an invisible bond that needed no word. Turning, she disappeared back into the cave, slowly Etu followed her inside, hesitating at the entrance.

She had gathered the infant up in her arms, it had been stirring. Picking it up she drew the blanket of fur up so she could nurse it once again. Etu felt a slight twinge of embarrassment of being so near to her as she nursed the baby. Still, standing at the entrance watching this young mother and her baby in such a tender moment, not much was she unlike the women of his own village.

She glanced up and saw him loitering at the doorway, with a nod of her head she bid him to enter. Without growing up bestowed with a rudimentary modesty of being female, or what was truly expected of women, she really didn't know how to act around a man.

He busied himself with the fire, and tossed a few small logs onto the coals as they flared up, he could see the meat that he had cut laying out and drying in long rows just behind him.

Etu indicated the child suckling at her breast. Realizing that the blanket had fallen, she quickly readjusted it. To try and change the subject, or the guilt he was feeling from admiring her body, he tapped his chest.

"Etu...Aponi." He pointed first to himself and then to her, repeating it several times before indicating the child. It was quite obvious to her that he wanted to know the child's name, suckling at her breast.

She had no answer, and because of it she felt guilty, for having no name for her son. She pointed to Etu and made her hands close together, and saying 'like you but small'. The words were extremely difficult for her damaged cords to perform, and the effort cause the blanket to fall into her lap, entirely exposing her bare chest to her guest.

A look of horror crossed Etu's face, he gently bent down and moved the blanket up to conceal her from his eyes. Aponi shot him an embarrassed smile and mumbled 'thank you'. Although the word sounded strained and wasn't without effort.

The act did calm her fears somewhat of the stranger, causing her to wonder what 'Parker' would have done were he in the same predicament as this Etu character. She felt that sometimes Parker had the tendency to be a wretch, at least she felt that now. All the farther she had to remember back to when his wild ways with women. Sighing, she somehow had found herself on the opposite side of that same fence now.

-Thirty-

Etu busied himself with the great black hide, using his knife to scrape away the tallow from it's soft inside. He lay it across his lap, he was sitting on the opposite side of the fire from Aponi, able to watch without being too terribly conspicuous.

Aponi held the young warrior spellbound, completely immersed with watching her nurse her baby. Often she would look up at Etu and smile, only to return to cooing or humming to her child. On one such occasion she glanced up and he was watching, a grand smile spread across his face.

When he realized that she had noticed, he quickly tried to throw her off by asking the name of her child again, that in itself was a feet worth the ages. He would say a word, then gesture with his fingers until she realized what he wanted.

Aponi had no real answer, her child was nameless, and now that she admitted it, she was ashamed. In her own way she asked the warrior what he would name him if he were his own.

Again, dear reader, it took much less time to write this paragraph as it did for Aponi to make her thought known to the man. Somehow though she seemed to make him understand that her son, had yet to be named.

Etu sat in deep thought, staring into the fire as if searching for inspiration. As he worked, he paused and brushed the scrapings from the hide. It was then that he seemed to suddenly come up with something. He raised the corner of the hide and spoke, "Machk".

She glanced up, "Maaachk"?

Repeating what he said, he held his hands together with a slight amount of space between them. Aponi knew he expected her to shorten the word, "Ma-chk".

Etu nodded, then pointed to her nursing son. Aponi mulled the word over in her mind as though it was a fine wine. "What does it mean?", although it took her a great length of time to make herself known.

The young warrior held up the hide and repeated, "Machk".

Aponi slowly nodded, finally realizing that was his people's name for 'Bear'. Without realizing, she whispered, 'Bear' aloud. Etu whispered it back several times, realizing that it was her own word that she was repeating.

This small step would be a great start, he could teach her the words of his own people and she could do likewise for her words. Perhaps in no time at all, they could make conversation with each other.

The warrior smiled, pointing toward the infant, "Machk".

She carefully lifted him to her shoulder, careful not to allow the blanket of hides to fall. "Machk". Thinking of how it sounded, so strong, rugged, it would forever remind her of the battle with the bear. She nodded in agreement, her long blonde hair swinging freely, the two of them together had named the her son.