"You call us thieves? Girl, aren't you the same!" Galande was getting impatient with the banter and questioned: "Girl, who are you? You keep saying this tiger is yours, then call it back! "

"You're still making excuses!"

"You're a female thief yourself, sneak attacking me from behind while I was fighting the tiger!"

"You still have the nerve to make excuses?" The girl lashed out with another fierce whip. This time Galande had nowhere to dodge, and grabbed the whip. It wrapped around his arm several times before he had an idea - he pulled back with all his might as the girl pulled.

The girl didn't have his strength. As the whip slipped from her hand, she was pulled off balance and tumbled head over heels. Galande showed no mercy, pinning her down with his foot on her back. He drew his knife and held it to her neck.

"Don't move!"

The girl looked aggrieved and resentful, but was powerless in this position.

"Miss, have you calmed down now?"

The girl's eyes welled up with tears as she pouted sullenly without responding.

"Don't cause more trouble. You're just a girl and can't beat me. Let's talk nicely and I'll let you go, alright?"

The girl agreed and he removed his foot. Slowly she got to her feet, giving the youth a coy smile.

Galande had never been smiled at by a young girl before. Pleasantly surprised, he thought "Could she...could she have taken a liking to me? Impossible between us."

But as he relaxed his guard, she suddenly kicked him hard between the legs.

Owww! It was an incredibly hard kick. Galande had been gentle with her, but she showed no mercy, kicking with all her might. He nearly blacked out from the pain, unable to even cry out as his body convulsed.

He collapsed on the ground, paralyzed. The girl let out a satisfied huff and sauntered over to stand in front of him.

"You...kick...hard..." Galande managed to say.

"Hmph! Dare step on me? I'll have your life!"

The angry girl drew a knife she carried. Some of the wild tribes taught their women to hunt with knives. This one looked experienced, with nicks on the blade.

"Sister, calm down. Let's talk this through, no need for violence."

"Talk? You assaulted me first, yet ask me to talk nicely?" She stabbed down with the knife.

Galande rolled out of the way just in time. The knife sank hilt-deep into the gravelly ground - she had meant to kill.

As the pain receded he got up, drawing his own hunting knife and pointing it at her.

"We both have knives now. Still want to play for blood?"

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They exchanged a few blows, slashing with their knives. The youth thought, I can't lose to a girl in front of my brother! He tackled her, using his weight to pin her down. As she shrieked in embarrassment, he grabbed the whip and bound her arms.

Furious at her defeat and humiliation, the girl cursed violently.

"Tell me who you are. I'll return you to your family and collect medical fees for my injuries. See what you've done to me!" Galande complained.

"Disgusting lecher!"

"Not talking? Then you're coming home with me."

Galande didn't actually have any ill intentions, just wanted to scare her.

"No!" The other youth who had been mauled by the tiger suddenly yelled hoarsely, having regained consciousness, "Let my sister go!"

He had wanted to play dead, giving his unruly sister a scare. But he knew of a primitive custom still practiced in the wilderness - bride abduction.

It was just as it sounded. If a girl was found attractive, she would be taken and become her captor's wife. Now it was often symbolic, but some uncivilized tribes still practiced actual abduction!

"My sister is betrothed...don't cause trouble...this is a misunderstanding..."

He crawled over with effort, shouting "This is a mistake!"

"Of course I know it's a mistake." Galande dropped the half-tied whip. He hadn't actually abducted her.

"Hmph!" "Hmph! Disgusting lecher!"

They glared contemptuously at each other. The girl returned to her brother's side.

"You dare kidnap me? My brother will kill your whole family!"

"Sister...that's not how we speak... If you were really taken, you'd belong to him, his wife for life even if he were a beggar."

"What?!" The girl immediately flew into a rage, kicking her brother viciously.

Saji whispered to Galande, intimidated, "Which tribe are they from? The girl is too fierce, don't provoke them."

"We did come to your aid, and meant you no harm. My sister is rash, please forgive her." The youth said with difficulty.

"Rash indeed. Please forgive." The girl said grudgingly, with no remorse.

Galande was furious - he had tried to help but instead got a beating, and now it was written off as a "misunderstanding". He waved dismissively, "Forget it, as long as no one was really hurt."

"We all took part in killing the tiger. Let's divide the spoils." The tiger-fighting youth said. "What do you think, little brother?"

Galande had to laugh, being called little brother when he was clearly much younger.

"Don't call me little brother. I'm Galande, fourteen this year - you should call me little brother instead."

"Oh, I see! Please excuse me, I'm Zakarli, seventeen this year." Zakarli scratched his head. "So what do you say, want to split this tiger with me?"

"Sure, why not." Galande agreed without thinking. "We were just wandering around, didn't expect to run into a tiger. Now that it's dead, lucky we get a share. Why refuse?"

"Yes, yes indeed." Zakarli nodded repeatedly. Just as he was about to discuss dividing the tiger, he looked down to find the tiger gone!

Galande was about to laugh when he looked back - the tiger had Saji in its jaws, disappearing into the brambles!

Panicked, he yelled "Saji! Saji!"

He heard a faint response "Brother, brother-"

The mountain was covered in thick brambles. He could only guess the general direction as the tiger ran too fast to track. Galande was distraught - if anything happened to Saji, he as the older brother would be guilty forever!

He hurriedly pursued in the direction the tiger had fled. It left a small hole in the brambles it escaped through, too narrow for a man to crawl into. He hacked away vines with his hunting knife, slowly advancing.

Galande's mind was filled only with thoughts of his brother. He ignored the girl and youth behind him.

"Wait for us! The tiger escaped, we'll pursue it together!" The girl called out.

Galande paid them no heed.

"Don't rush ahead alone, it won't work." The girl ran up anxiously. "Your knife isn't suited for this. Use my brother's machete." She held out a broad cleaver.

Seeing Galande hesitate, she said angrily "I'm trying to help you now! You weren't prepared to hunt tigers. We have experience - let my brother rest and we'll help find your brother."

"I don't have time to wait. Don't get in my way." Galande said coldly, continuing to hack through the brambles.

The masked girl had a bad temper, complaining loudly. Zakarli huffed in the distance and she hurried to help her brother up. Galande thought, if they really want to help they'll catch up.

The deeper he went into the brambles, the fainter the tiger's trail became. The youth felt dizzy and unsteady with anxiety.