I was starting to think that my chapters would have some kind of parallel titles.
And then I had to divide this one from the next one, and couldn't come up with a better title.

I own the unnamed female (a.k.a. the rumored "witch") and the random mostly anonymous townspeople.
I own nobody else.

Second Theft

Hours of questioning turned up few answers. Most of what they learned was simply more specifics to add to what Paul had given them, and those were rare enough.

The further they went into town, the more Doyle shook, but the younger man was determined not to let his discomfort get in the way.

But the further they went in, the more obvious his agitation became, until people began crossing the street to avoid them.

"Doyle, you don't have to be here," Drew said. "You can go back to the airship if you want."

Doyle shook his head. "We agreed that we'd stick together on this one, remember? That one of us might pick up something that the others miss?"

"But we can't even—" Drew began.

Doc caught her eye and shook his head slightly. "Actually, that might not be a bad idea," he said. Drew gave him an odd look. "When's the last time Zak listened when we told him to stay behind? And it seems that this would be about the time he'd start getting bored..." He looked at Doyle. "Think you can catch him before he sneaks off?"

Doyle gave Doc a look of surprised gratitude. Then he smiled. "Sure thing, boss," he said. He gave a mock salute and took off.

Drew was still giving Doc that odd look.

"What?"

"Nothing," she said with a sigh. "Just wondering if I'd regret asking, is all."

—

The Saturdays were able to confirm what they already knew, but learned little else of use.

And this time, it wasn't Doyle's fault.

"You know, those hunters could have told us something useful if you hadn't picked a fight with them," Doc groaned.

"What did you expect?" Drew retorted. "The nerve of that man! He didn't care about the farmers; all he wanted was less competition! He doesn't have any more right to hunt than the thing we're looking for. 'Stealing our game,' indeed." She turned to face the town. "They don't belong to you!" she shouted, scaring several people into ducking into random buildings. "They don't belong to anyone!"

"I think I would have been better off with Doyle," Doc muttered. He added, just loud enough for her to hear, "I'm not arguing with that, but did you have to punch the other guy? He was only worried about his fiancée living on her own."

"He was worried about catching this thing to impress her," Drew growled, "not to protect her."

Doc shook his head. He looked forward to returning to the airship, to the sort of mayhem their son was probably up to.

He could not have expected the mayhem that met them.

—

"Look out!" Paul yelled.

Doyle stopped just short of running into his sister, spun on one foot, and dodged around them and into the trees.

Doc and Drew jumped away, right as Tsul Kalu slammed one fist into the ground between them.

The cryptid went running in the direction Doyle had gone.

Doc and Drew climbed to their feet, staring after the cryptid. Drew was the first to recover. She grabbed her fire sword and took off running.

"No, mom!" Zak said. Zon flew him down to land in front of Drew. "You can't interfere. Uncle Doyle has to face him alone."

"Zak, what's going on?" Drew said. "I am in a very bad mood right now, so either tell me why Tsul Kalu is chasing my brother, or get out of my way!"

"I don't—" Zak shook his head. "He's not really trying to hurt Doyle. I can't get a very clear idea of it, but it seems like some kind of ritual."

"What happened?" Doc asked.

"I'm not sure," Zak replied. "Tsul Kalu showed up, Uncle Doyle said something to him—" He frowned, trying to remember exactly what Doyle had said. "It sounded like 'O see yo,' or something like that, Tsul Kalu kind of bowed to him, and then started attacking."

"Some kind of challenge?" Doc said.

Paul shook his head. "Osiyo. It's Cherokee. It's a simple greeting; a traditional greeting, but he may as well have just said 'hello'."

Doc frowned. "Well, Doyle is the only one in the family Tsul Kalu hasn't sparred with. Actually, hasn't Doyle been avoiding him?"

"Yeah," Drew replied, "but that didn't look like sparring..."

Zak picked up his radio. "You know you'll have to fight back, sooner or later," he said into it.

"No I don't," Doyle replied; he sounded out of breath. "I figure best chance I have to live is if he doesn't catch me."

"Doyle, he's a hunter," Paul said. "A great one. You can't keep running away from him. He's too good for that."

"Then I'll just have to be better. I am an experienced hunter, remember."

"You're not acting like it," Zak replied. "You're acting like prey."

Doyle gave a start at the words. I am nobody's prey, he thought angrily.

He stood up from his hiding place and walked out to where the Saturdays could see him.

Tsul Kalu smiled, then rushed the man...

Then stopped short. Doyle didn't move.

Tsul Kalu growled, and swung a fist at him.

Doyle didn't even try to dodge, and hit the ground a few feet away. He climbed to his feet, then stood his ground as Tsul Kalu rushed him again.

This continued for several minutes, yet Doyle still found the strength to stand.

Tsul Kalu snarled, and gripped his axe.

"No," Doyle said. Tsul Kalu blinked in surprise. "You heard me. You want to fight, then fine. But you deal with me as I am. You want me to defend myself that way? Then forget it." He looked over at his family, then lowered his voice, so only Tsul Kalu heard him. "I don't want to hurt anyone, you know that. I can't—I can't risk losing it again."

Tsul Kalu growled, but accepted Doyle's decision...for the moment. I will test you again, the cryptid said, then walked into the forest.

"Okay, now what?" Doc said.

"I don't know," Zak replied. "I don't know why Tsul Kalu stopped. He said 'I'll test you again,' but I don't know what he meant."

Doyle walked back to his family, his mind on Tsul Kalu's words. He barely even noticed Drew fussing over him.

Paul grinned. "You always have that affect on people?" He nodded in the direction Tsul Kalu had gone.

Doyle ignored him.

"'Osiyo'?" Doc asked. "Some traditional greeting? As in, respectful? How come you're never that respectful to...well...anyone?"

"I choose to be respectful," Doyle replied slowly, "to the people who allow me to do things necessary for survival. Like, for example, eating."

"We let you eat in our home all the time," Doc said.

"Somehow, I don't think that's what he meant," Drew muttered.

Doc glanced at her. "Hunting, you mean? What, if Tsul Kalu told you that you couldn't hunt, you wouldn't?"

Doyle nodded. "I would not touch a single animal he's in charge of, until he said otherwise."

Doc shook his head. "Tsul Kalu is just a cryptid. A great hunter, but a cryptid for all that. The most he could do is fight you off, but I've never seen you back down when you wanted something. He doesn't have that kind of authority."

"Technically, no, not here," Doyle slowly replied. "But this isn't Cherokee land. Here, it'd be...um..." He turned to Paul. "I'm not too sure of the names. The ones I can think of are Nujalik or Pinga, right?" He grinned. "The ones that are easier to pronounce, anyway."

Paul nodded. "There are others, but most of the rest are in charge of the seas."

Doc looked at them blankly.

Drew stared openly at her brother. "Those are Inuit hunting gods."

Doc started to snicker. Then he realized that Doyle was being serious. "And I was beginning to think you were the rational one," Doc muttered.

Will the Saturdays find the answers they need?

Why did Tsul Kalu attack Doyle? What "test" was he talking about, and why did Doyle refuse to go along with it?

This and more in future chapters of "Ultimate Heist."

Yay! The first time I have Doyle refer to the hunting gods! That's going to be a "thing" with him in my stories. (Remember the comments about Benton in "Ships in the Night"?)
It won't show up all the time, but it will happen, and I'll even have him meet a deity or two in at least one of the fics...