AN: Now the Buffalo Hunt Begins! And for our two favorite little Indians in little loincloths (yum) they will come across two very delightful prizes. Nope won't tell you more. You'll have to read to find out. Oh yah, I don't own GW.

Chapter 3

The cold morning air raised the hair on their skin as they silently stalked the slow moving herd of buffalo. The beasts were monstrous, dazzling with their long shaggy brown fur, thick black hooves, and a majestic head topped with ivory white horns. Heero had never been on a buffalo hunt. It was only a small herd, around a hundred or so but this was to their advantage. A large herd was much to handle. The Bear Clan was much too far to hunt these types of animals. He clenched the spear in his hand. When would he be able to use it?

He watched as Trowa put a finger in his mouth and then held it up in the air. The wind was still blowing towards them, keeping their scent hidden from the herd of animals. Trowa scanned the plains. This was the spot he was looking for. It was slightly hillier than the rest of the plains and would make it more difficult for the traveling buffalo on the run. The hills would be no problem for the nimble footed Indians. It was time. It was perfect. He strung an arrow in the bow that he had traded from Heero, nocked it and pointed it at a female buffalo that wandered a bit away from the main herd. This was the signal. He let it fly and he did not miss his target.

A throaty bellow rang across the fields of the wounded buffalo mare, alerting danger to the rest of her companions. The buffalo shifted uneasy and began to run in haste as the hunters leapt out of their concealing hiding spots from the tall grass shouting and blowing conch shell horns to confuse the mighty beasts. Once their attackers were revealed, the buffalo became a stampeding inferno, racing along the earth. Heero towards the buffalo wounded by Trowa's swift arrow, that was heading confusedly away from her migrating kin and he launched his spear with accuracy. It pierced the thick shaggy hide, sinking into her vulnerable insides. Dark red blood stained the brown grass as she stumbled to the earth. With one last struggle onto the ground, she held no more strength and gave one last cry as her spirit left the body. He pulled his spear out of the dead animal. Trowa approached him.

"My hunters bring another buffalo down. Leave it here, we shall get it later. The buffalo are running to the plain canyons and they swiftly ran to the tall red rocks jutting from the grassy earth. They soon spotted the rest of the hunters and the running buffalo beneath the jutting overhang of the cliffs brow. Heero could hear the sharp whistle of arrows singing through the air. They paused to watch. They had already taken down a buffalo and on their first try. They would leave the rest of the victory to the others.

The conch shell wails frightened the large animals. The hunters managed to surround the small herd and in fright they wheeled around and started running back towards the canyon opening, also towards Heero and Trowa. The two Indians could feel the thundering of the ground as the buffalo came charging their dangerous path.

"Quick to the rocks. Move." Trowa hurried and he and Heero clambered, finding steep paths up the canyon walls. Once they were on a wide enough ledge they waited. The grand herd plunged further out the canyon and back to the plains, the hunters chasing after them, though the hunters ceased their chase at the mouth of the canyon. Three more buffalo had been slain. They shouted their cheers, all including Heero and Trowa tapping their chest in the symbol of fortune. The hunt had been a success and quick. The noon sun shone brightly in the sky and Trowa wiped sweat and grime from his brow. He turned to Heero. "I told you you were a great hunter. My arrow found that buffalo but it was still able to run until your spear stopped its tracks."

Heero used his spear as a walking stick. In his haste to chase the buffalo he had left the other two behind in their hidden spot in the tall grass. He would be able to find it. They were by a small boulder that created a wise landmark.

Since their kill was far from the other fallen buffalos to which the other hunters attended to the walk back to the slain female buffalo was a long one but they endured it with pride and pleasure. They could see the shaggy fur protruding from the dry plain grass as they approached closer, but their eyes caught on to something else. Something was moving by their buffalo. Heero narrowed his eyes. Some things were near their buffalo. It couldn't have been the other hunters, they were behind them. Was it members of a grassland tribe trying to claim feast to their kill?

Heero resisted the urge to fling his spear at the offending presences in the distance. Towa were territorial, no one dared touch a Towa's things without permission. "People." Trowa said his green eyes narrowing. I believe they are women."

Heero looked at Trowa and then to the strangers. "Women? By themselves in the plains?" He saw a flash of light gold. "That woman has short hair and not of any color I know."

Heero had seen many blondes. The Hunting Chief at his tribe was Zechs a tall man with such light hair it seemed almost white. This gold was like the color of ripe corn, or the sun itself.

Trowa stealthily began to sift through the tall grass towards the intruders with Heero following, but the grass was anything but quiet and as they neared two heads looked up at them sharply, one had gasped.

Heero gazed at the two women. The one with the short gold hair held onto a flint knife that had been slicing through the thick hide of the buffalo. They were thieves. Yet as he gazed at them more closely, he began to realize they were not women at all. Their facial structures were similar, heart shaped with high cheekbones and thin noses. Heero's eyes gazed over to the other one. He had long chestnut hair, hair that flowed far past any length Heero had encountered. It was woven into a long thick braid, which pooled beside him. Though his features were soft and effeminate, Heero could now see it was clearly a man. The shoulders were wide, the arms full of lean muscles and the chest was very flat. Large violet eyes looked into his own and he couldn't look away. Never had he seen eyes such a color.

Trowa was inspecting the blonde with unhidden interest. The hair was thick and looked soft, with bangs hanging over the pale forehead delicately. His eyes were the color of a clear sky, gazing up at them with wide fear. How could he and Heero not have been confused? The blonde was dressed in a soft cotton robe tied in a knot over the left shoulder, the color of a light beige. He wore small female beaded moccasins and had many bangles settled on his wrist and ivory rings on his fingers. The longhaired one did not wear a robe but a simple rabbit fur skirt dotted with red and black beads. He wore beaded moccasins as well and in his ears were dozens of piercings. Most were ivory hoops all along the cartilage but in his lobes were earrings with two dangling red feathers that blew in the wind. Trowa almost shook his head with confusion. Perhaps they were women. But those muscles were those of ones that hunted and the flat chest…

"Berdaches." Heero whispered but Trowa's keen ears heard it. These were the men who were women in the tales Heero told? He would come to that later, but for now they needed to reclaim their buffalo.

"It is against the customs of the tribes of the plains to steal from another." Trowa said sharply and the blonde one flinched while the violet eyed one gave him a glare.

"We do not mean to steal. We saw you come from the forest. You have many hunters, you kill many buffalo. Perhaps one gone does not matter?" he said softly. His voice was soft, like that of a running creek. His head was lowered in an act of shame and he held his knife out to them, flat in his palms in that of servitude. The actions of a woman.

"It does not matter how well we hunt. It is still stealing. We have the right to cut off your hands." Heero stated coldly and the blonde one looked like he was ready to cry. The man with the long hair stood up furiously. "You shall not hack his hands. I will not let you." He snapped holding his knife threateningly. "Take back your buffalo. He is sorry."

"But are you?" Heero retorted but the man did ignore him to kneel beside his companion to rub his back. The blonde looked up again at Trowa tragically. "This humble one asks your forgiveness. The gods favor your hunts. They have deserted us." Aqua eyes filled with tears and Trowa had to look away. He needed to decide on what to do with this sticky situation.

Heero's lips curled at the tears and the brunette mumbling consoles to the other. Weak, like women, he thought. These are no men. Real men, Towa men would not stoop low to thievery. And then cry when caught. Bah.

He was about to snap something else out but Trowa beat them to it.

"Let them keep it." It was so quiet Heero wasn't sure he heard correctly.

"What?"

Trowa faced Heero. "Let them keep it." He repeated. "We have enough buffalo. Let us go."

Heero was shocked. This was their kill! And to hand it over was intolerable. How could they walk back to the other hunters who would be yelling victories over their kills, when them, the best hunters come back empty handed? Heero would not relinquish his pride like that.

"No."

He said it short, simple, cold, and uncaring. Let these two beggars hunt themselves. A wolf would not give a weaker wolf his kill and neither would he.

"This is our buffalo. Punish them or cut off their hands, I don't care but they won't take what's mine."

Trowa who had already turned to leave, eager to get away from those sad blue eyes turned slowly around.

"What's ours." He corrected. "We can hunt another."

Heero's cobalt glare froze onto who he thought had a mind like his. "I never knew you were so pitiful." He said spitefully. Trowa jolted back as if struck and Heero regretted it, but it was far too late to take back those words now.

"I never knew you were so cruel. Perhaps we are not brothers after all." Trowa said with equal coolness.

No! Heero's mind screamed. He liked Trowa, felt a connection. Besides if not for his friendship with Trowa, what purpose was it to stay in the Rainbow Flint village? He would have to become nomadic once more, waiting until his exile was over. Alone. Heero wanted to speak his mind but he held his tongue and stared stonily at the ground.

The blonde clutched his head as if her were in pain. "Please," he bit out, teeth clenched. "Brothers do not fight over things like this. Do not fight over us. You both do not mean what you say."

"How do you know what we think?" Heero snapped taking all his inner frustration out on the one who spoke.

The blonde tapped his chest. "Your hearts speak. I can hear. No not hear, but I can feel it."

"Quatre shh." The other one said harshly. He helped his friend up. "We will go now." He told them, hands still holding the hilt of his knife tightly, still suspicious of an attack. When they turned to go Heero stopped them. "Your crime has still not been justified. Taking that of another and caught, you are in our hands. Perhaps as slaves."

As if saying a holy word, the fiery tempered braided man had gone pale. For a while no one said anything. Then quick as lightning, the two men dressed as women turned their backs on the hunters and began to run, swiftly.

Heero started to follow them but decided to let them go. He had only wanted to scare them. He watched as they darted through the grass like graceful antelope until they could be seen no more. The wind blew in their ears. By that time, the other hunters had collected their game and were headed towards Trowa and Heero shouting greetings and pulling behind them several meat sleds.

While Trowa left to talk to the other hunters, Heero knelt beside the dead buffalo. On the grass next to it was a leather necklace. Heero picked it up. Dangling from it was an onyx figurine of a snarling forest cat. Heero smirked. He would keep this trinket. It appealed to him.

"Curse the sky!" Duo cursed as Quatre flinched away. The sun was close to setting and they had slinked back to where they had been caught attempting to cut some of the hunter's buffalo. It wasn't until they were halfway to their home in the forest when Duo realized his totem necklace was gone. Headstrong and worried he ran back to where he had last seen it, dragging behind him a whining Quatre who was tired but it was not there. Duo had sifted through the grass for hours but his necklace could not be found.

"Those hunters. They must have it!" Duo shouted finally after pounding the dirt in anger. Quatre looked at him sadly.

"Then it is gone. We cannot retrieve it." He said and bowed his head as if bowing at a funeral to honor. To lose one's totem, or guardian spirit was tragic. Quatre winced slightly as Duo's rage and sadness flowed to him in unseen waves, thick as water.

Duo stood up slowly but when he raised his head, the blonde Indian saw a certain gleam in the braided boy's eyes that made him worried.

"Duo…." He began but he was cut off.

Duo unsheathed his knife and pointed to the direction of the forest, slightly north of their home, the trail that the hunters would use to return to the Rainbow village.

"We will gather some things. And then," Duo smirked, "We follow. I will get that necklace back."

Quatre protested speaking of the dangers. What could two, small men do against a large band of hunters like that? Quatre thought of the tall green eyed one with the headband and feather. So handsome he was, so frightening, but his eyes were kind. Uneasy, when they looked at him, but kind.

"We are strong enough." Duo spat in the dirt.

"But we…"

"We are quiet enough."

"Duo we can not…"

"We can."

"We are of both spirits."

Duo looked at Quatre as if he had grown two heads.

"You listen to much of what people say of us. That is why we left the Tall Grass village no? To escape those hateful things people said about us." Duo spat again. "You're berdaches." He mimicked. "You're not real men or real women. You will die like hyenas do. You both will never fit in, here or anywhere else."

Memories rushed back to Quatre. The hurt, it was still there. "I am sorry Duo. We've lived so long away from others, that…I'm afraid now."

Duo's eyes softened. He placed his arms around Quatre and smiled. "It will be alright. But it is my totem. How would you feel if you lost yours?"

The blonde fingered the figurine of a stallion that hung on his chest and sighed. He rolled his eyes to the sky and ran his fingers through his hair in a very womanly gesture. "Fine we shall go."

Duo pumped his fist in the air and began to twirl around, his braid whipping around him.

As they headed back to their cave he gave one more sigh. "I still don't like it." He muttered and began walking carefully so that his beaded moccasins would not get destroyed.