Apocalypsis 01 - Kahayatle

Bodo.
    “Because he’s going to go with us and show us personally, aren’t you, Turtle?”
    “No,” he said, all offended now.
    “Yeah.   You are.   And I’m going to have your pretty knife at your back the whole time too, while you paddle my canoe.”   I bent over and pulled it out of the roots where it had landed, wiping it off on my pants and slapping the flat of its blade in my hand.   The thing was seriously heavy.
    Peter looked at me and nodded his head.   “Nicely done, Bryn … getting the escort to do all the work.”
    I shrugged.   “Just want to be sure he’s not going to lead us into a trap, is all.”
    “It’s not a trap.   And if you try to take me with you, you’ll be captured and either killed or sent out of the Kahayatle with nothing.”
    “He means Everglades,” said Peter.
    “I know what he means,” I said, a challenge now in my voice.   “I think he’s full of crap.   He’s the only one here and he’s just trying to intimidate us.”
    He shrugged nonchalantly.   “Think what you want, but consider yourself warned.”
    “Why haven’t dey come to rescue you?   Where are all dese friendts of yourss when Bryn wass taking you down?”
    “Good question,” said Yokci, before letting out an earsplitting whistle that almost sounded like a bird.
    Several answering calls came from out in the swamp.   At least four of them that I could make out.
    “Shit, he wasn’t kidding, Bryn,” whined Peter, tiptoeing over to stand right next to me.   He grabbed onto my arm, but I shook him off.   I couldn’t have him hanging on me if I was going to have to make some moves on this guy again, otherwise, both of us would end up getting hurt.
    Bodo spun around and looked out into the trees.   “I don’t see anything.”
    “I do,” I said, looking out behind Yokci.   Coming out from the far side of a big tree was another indian kid.   This one was bigger and also tattooed all over his bare arms and chest with a bald head and a topknot ponytail thing.   He even had a tattoo on his cheek.   It was one black stripe, going from below his eye to his jawbone.   He moved over the lumpy tangle of roots without looking down and without faltering.   He looked graceful and dangerous.
    “Nice of you to show up,” said Yokci sarcastically to the tribesman coming up to stand beside him.
    The guy held his hand out as if to shake mine.   His bow and arrows stayed on his back, but I just stood there and stared at his hand.   He looked down at it and up at me, raising an eyebrow, as if daring me to take it.
    I slapped my hand into it, squeezing it hard, making sure he knew I was not to be messed with.   He stared me dead in the eye the whole time, and I was pretty sure he knew that letting me touch him like this was a risky proposition for him.
    “Kowi,” he said.  
    “What does that mean?   Hello?”
    “No.   Hello is ‘chehuntamo’.   Kowi is my name.”
    I let go of his hand.   “What’s it mean?”
    “Panther.”
    I nodded.   It suited him.   “Did you always have that name or did you take it … recently?”
    “The name given to me by my mother was Michael.   I took my new name when the disease took our parents and elders and we were forced to adopt some of our older and almost forgotten 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 more indians around us right now, how 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 the meat on our bones.
    “We came from Orlando.   Kids are going nuts out there and eating other kids.   We just want to find a place where we can live in peace.”
    “You do not seem to be a peaceful person to me.   You’ve been trained to fight.”
    “I’ve been trained to protect myself and my family.”   I looked briefly at Bodo and Peter who was now standing beside me, holding Buster in his arms.   For the first time in his furry life with me, he wasn’t spazzing out when he had all the right to be.   “I don’t go looking for trouble, but when it points an arrow at me or pulls a knife on me, then yes, I’ll fight.”
    Kowi looked at Yokci and said, “Nokosi.”
    Peter leaned in and whispered, “I think that means butt