Apocalypsis 01 - Kahayatle

sick, imagining Peter wandering around out there without supplies or a way to defend himself.   He’d be lunch before dinner.   “I want him back.   They can’t have him and I won’t allow anyone to kick him out of here.”   I seared Kowi with a look, letting him know there would be hell to pay if anything happened to my friend.
    “I know that, Nokosi.   We’re going to find him and bring him back to you.”
    “You’d better,” I said, getting up to storm out of the hut.   I paced back and forth in front of it, frustrated that there was nothing I could do.
    Bodo came up and joined me, standing off to the side, talking quietly.
    “Don’t worry, Bryn, dey’re going to bring him back to us.”
    “They’d better, or I’m gonna go American white girl all over their asses.   I’m serious, Bodo.”
    “I know you are.   I’m not exactly sure what dat means, what you just said about asses, but it sounds scary.   I’m sure dey won’t sendt him out of da swamp.”
    “Oh really?!” I said, looking at him and letting my anger get the most of me.   “And how do you know that, Bodo?   Did your book report delve into the psychological mindset of the Creek indians?”
    “No,” he said, without emotion.
    “Oh, well, maybe you’re using your German mind-reading skills then.”
    “No, I don’t have any of dose.”
    I threw my hands up.   He was impossible to make angry which only made me more frustrated.  
    He put up his fists in his pitiful imitation of a mock martial arts stance.   “Do you want to fight me?   Causs I’m pretty sure I could take you down.”
    I shook my head.   “Don’t be stupid, Bodo.   I’ll break your friggin arms off.”
    He gestured with his head, egging me on.   “Come on, little girl.   Little Smellykinder.   Give me your best shot.   I can take it.”
    My arms were twitching, I wanted to take him up on his offer so bad.   “I’m warning you, Bodo …”
    He stepped right up to me and play-slapped me on the cheek.   “Dare you go.   I got you now.”
    I shook my head, bewildered by the fact that he was begging for a butt whooping so insistently.
    “You’re scared.   Dat’s the problem.   I don’t blame you really.   Now you’f seen my muscles and you’re scared of what I can do to you.   Dat’s okay.   You’d better just take a pass, den.”
    He lowered his arms and I couldn’t stop myself.   I ran at him full force, taking him down like a football dummy.
    He tried to grab me around the waist, but I slammed him into a tree, instantly breaking his grip. He pushed himself up to meet me again, stepping forward aggressively.
    “Bodo!   Cut it out!   I’m not messing around, you’re going to get hurt.”   I tried to back up away from him.
    “Not me!” he said, grinning evilly.
    I shook my head.   “Fine, idiot.   But don’t blame me when you’re in pain later.”   I took four quick swipes at him, landing some bruising blows and keeping him busy blocking me, all the while making him move backwards to avoid the worst of it.   He couldn’t see where he was going, but I could.
    “Next time,” I grunted, giving him a jab to the abdomen with my left, “…think harder …” my right came next, following up after the left “… about who you pick…” I used both fists this time in the middle of his solar plexus “…a fight with.”   My last move was a kick to his lower abdomen, folding him nearly in half and sending him flying backwards into the shallow body of water behind him.
    His arms and legs went flailing, but nothing could stop his backward motion.   He landed on his back in the water with a big splash.
    I heard clapping off to the side and saw three guys standing there, Kowi and two others I didn’t recognize, admiring my performance.
    Bodo jumped up out of the water, whipping his shirt off and standing there half naked, dripping wet, yelling, “Oh, I see your plan!   You just wanted to see me with my shirt off again!   Very tricky, Bryn, very tricky.   I didn’t see dat coming at all.”
    I shook my head and walked away, but only after getting an eyeful of that gorgeous chest of his again.   Man, do I have it bad.  
    I tried to stay mad, but his little devious plan had worked.   My mind had been taken off our problem with Peter and the frustration was temporarily out of my system.   I wondered if Bodo was going to be my self-designated punching bag now that he’d so accurately guessed the most