I followed Noir out into the dusty western street. Kori and Terra clamored out as well, peeking from behind us at the 'savages'. Other townspeople were running into the nearest buildings and locking the doors behind them.

On the hill just outside of the city were a hundred Indians holding bows and a few rifles, seated on unsaddled horses. The chief stepped his white roan forward. He had a large headdress filled with feathers mounted on his head and familiar green skin.

Beast Boy whooped loudly, getting everyone's attention. Terra, Kori and Noir winced.

Beast Boy signed.

'Luke! I heard you were in town and came to see you. How are you, you slimy dog?'

Terra blinked.

"What's he doing?"

"Indians refuse to defile their mouths by speaking in our tongue, so they fashioned a sign language to communicate with us." I answered. "It's talking with your hands."

Kori's green eyes were wide.

"What's he saying?"

I couldn't help myself.

"He says this town was built on sacred Indian burial grounds. He says it is an affront to their ancestors-" Noir pulled on my sleeve, but I waved him off. "He says if we don't move immediately, his clan will burn this town to the ground."

Kori gasped.

"How awful! Can't you talk them out of it?"

I put on a grim face.

"I can try."

I looked up at the green Indian chief and signed back.

'It's good to see you, old friend! Could you do me a favor?'

'Maybe. What do you want?'

'Just play along. Get your men to act angry.'

At once the Indian whooped and yelled and shot off their rifles.

"They still want to burn the city. I'm trying to talk them out of it."

My fingers arced through the air again.

'Point to the two girls beside me. Act as if you want them.'

'Act?'

Nevertheless, Beast Boy looked at Terra and Kori and whistled appreciatively. He wagged his eyebrows at them suggestively. I had to turn away to fight down a grin and saw Noir rolling his eyes at me. Meanwhile, Kori and Terra weren't smiling.

"W-what did he say?"

I looked at them seriously.

"He says he'll spare the city if the two of you agree to be his slaves."

"What?"

"Don't worry." I assured them. "I won't let that happen."

Noir shook his head incredulously.

"But how can you?" Kori asked. "There's so many of them! You can't protect us!"

"Let me try to talk them out of it."

Beast Boy was already signing again.

'Are we finished?'

'Almost. Send down one of your men with a pair of horse for Noir and I and we'll go.'

Kori watched the lone Indian coming towards us, leading a pair of horses.

"What's going on?"

"They've agreed to spare the town if I can pass the Indian Test of Bravery."

"What's that?"

I steeled my shoulders dramatically.

"They heat a knife over a fire and hack off your ear. If you don't make a sound, you pass."

"Oh!" Both girls teared up and hugged me tightly.

Noir buried his face into his hands.

The Indian reached us with the horses and I gently pulled away.

"You girls be good now, ya hear?"

I motioned to Noir and both of us mounted a pony.

Behind us, Terra and Kori were sniffling.

"T-there goes the bravest man I've ever met...!"

Noir wretched.

We trotted up the narrow slope and fell in on either side of Beast Boy. We pushed out horses into a canter.

"What the hell was that all about?" He asked me.

"Hehehe. Just having a little, Garfield."

"Shhhhhhhh!" Garfield exploded, waving his hands. "You can't call me that in front of the clan! I have a reputation to uphold, ya know."

"Right. What's your chief name again?"

"Savage Beast."

Noir snickered.

Together, we galloped across the prairie under the night sky. Not long later, we crossed a shallow stream into Garfield's...Savage Beast's...Beast Boy's territory. I caught my breath.

The place was perfect. It was a dark, vibrant glade with full green trees all around. The trees seemed to lean forward, holding their branches up protectively over the place. A pot boiled over a fire in the middle of a stand of tents. I heard the night sounds and the stream bubbling euphorically nearby.

I whistled.

"You sure do know how to pick the most beautiful spots."

"Yeah." Beast Boy grumbled. "And you people keep stealing them from us. I swear, next time I'm gonna find the most god awful swamp to live in. Maybe then you people will leave us the hell alone." He gestured. "It's chilly tonight. Come warm yourself by the fire."

I stopped.

"...I'm not cold. Ahem. So who's trying to take your land this time?"

Beast Boy spit.

"A couple of bastard mongrels that call themselves Black Robin and El Maqino. And white people think us Indians have weird names."

Noir signed.

"Where are they now?" Beast Boy repeated. "They got a camp a couple miles deeper in the woods. They won't be bothering us tonight."

"Why not?"

He shrugged.

"I hear they kidnapped some woman from town and plan to use her for ransom. Miss Raven's a fighter, though, so they probably have their hands full just containing her."

Noir and I looked at each other.

"Who!"