Shortly afterwards, the two girls and their cat were wandering through the woods of this strange land. The trees rose above their heads as if they were the guardians of the forest, and several times, they heard some wild animals rustling within the bushes.
"I wonder if there are wild pigs living in these woods," Usagi said.
"How typical..." Luna groaned. "The first thing you think about is food..."
Just then, they heard a rustling in the bushes directly in front of them.
"Sshhhh, you two," Ami whispered. "I think there's some animal coming this way..."
Then the bushes parted, and the strangest bird they had ever seen was entering the small clearing in which they were standing.
It had black feathers, a plump body, round, fan-like tail feathers and a strange, red flap of skin hanging from it's neck and beak. It made a strange, gobbling sound as it was striding past the stunned Gauls.
"What... is THAT?" Luna almost shrieked.
"Strange bird..." Ami murmured. "I wonder if we can eat it..."
Luna stared at her. "You TOO? Can you two only think about eating?"
"Well, we obviously need to find some food if we are to stay here... and this bird is big enough to serve as a nice pice of roast for the three of us."
Usagi grinned. "That settles it... C'mere, you big funny gobblegobble, I wanna invite you for lunch!"
She tried grabbing it, but the bird instantly realized the danger it was in and ran away... so Usagi fell down on her nose.
"Ow!"
Luna chuckled. "I'd say that means the score is: Usagi 0, gobblegobble 1."
Usagi rubbed her nose and fumed. "All right, that does it... I'm going to PLUCK that thing!"
Ami grinned. "Catch the bird!"
And the happy hunt had begun.
Shortly afterwards, the girls had set up a nice fire in the middle of the clearing... and the gobblegobble was roasting over the flames, stuck on a wooden stick.
Ami bit into a haunch. "Mmmmmm, that is great!"
Usagi bit right into the middle of a second gobblegobble they had caught while going after the first. "Dewicious..." she mumbled while munching on the tender meat.
"Okay, I admit... catching those birds was a good idea," Luna said after tasting a wing. She burped. "But let's not forget that we still have to find a way back home."
"Don't worry," Usagi said. "We'll start searching... right after this nice meal."
"We've been walking through this forest for hours..." Usagi whined. "And we still haven't found a village, or anyone that could help us fix our boat."
"Well, if there are any natives around here, they surely know how to hide..." Ami said. "You don't hear them, you don't see them.."
"All I know is that it's almost noon," Usagi mumbled. "I need some lunch..."
"Usagi, you can't tell me you're hungry again..." Luna sweat-dropped. "You ate two gobblegobbles this morning."
"I need much more gobblegobbles to forget the apple slices," the blonde growled.
Just then, from afar, they once again could hear the gobbling of the weird birds.
"I'll just catch one, for lunch," Usagi said with determination. "I'll even share with you, Ami..."
"All right... but hurry up, we can't waste the whole day hunting for gobblegobbles..."
"I'll be right back," Usagi shouted and disappeared behind the trees.
Luna sighed. "I better go after her..."
Ami nodded. "You do that. I'll be fine."
And Luna hurried after Usagi, while Ami sat down on a log to rest for a while.
Luna looked around. "Usagi? Usagi, where are you?"
"Ssshhhh," her human friend suddenly hissed from behind her. "Be quiet... there are some gobblegobbles in that tree..."
"In the TREE?"
"Of course," Usagi nodded. "They're birds, right? So that means they build nests... Wait a second, I'll show you one of my greatest hunting tricks... I'll imitate the call of my prey..."
"Be careful not to give them a shock when they hear you..." Luna grumbled.
Usagi put her hands in front of her face and shouted: "Gobblegobblegobble!"
And then, she got an answer... Coming right out of the tree in front of her, she could hear the response: "Gobblegobblegobble..."
Usagi grinned. "See? Easy as pie."
Luna shrugged, but didn't say anything.
Usagi walked in front of the tree. "Hey, come down here!"
She tried looking past the thick branches, but couldn't see anything. That annoyed her. "Ooooh, stupid bird! Come out already!" And she forcefully kicked the tree.
"WHAAAAAHHH!"
WHAM!
Blinking, Usagi and Luna looked down at the figure that was lying on the ground, in front of them.
It was a tall man with black hair, dressed in weird clothes, which included some sort of loincloth made of leather and some weird-looking shoes. He also wore a spotted bandana around his head. A single feather was attached to the bandana. Also, his face was marked with various strange symbols, which were painted on his skin with some white paint.
"That's no gobblegobble..." Usagi realized.
"No, really?"
Lost Boar had a really bad day.
He may be one of the strongest warriors, second only to the chief's son, and he also was a skilled hunter, true...
But he had clearly the worst sense of direction within his tribe.
He had only wanted to catch some turkeys, so he hid on top of a tree and imitated its call. But just as he had reached the tree's top... he realized he couldn't find his way back to the camp.
He had been trying to find a way back for hours now, but all the time, he only managed to get back to that same tree...
Well, since he was here, he could just as well go hunting...
He had climbed back on the tree and waited. And when he heard the cry of a turkey, he was certain that his bad luck had ended for today.
But, whoever had shouted the cry of the common wild turkey, it definitely was no turkey. It was some strange girl with very pale skin... and an even stranger hairstyle. She also had some small animal with her...
And she also was the reason why Lost Boar was lying on the ground, clutching his aching head.
Usagi giggled. "Look at that, Luna... A Roman, disguised as a gobblegobble."
"I don't think he's a Roman," Luna said. "His skin is somewhat dark in color... somehow reddish."
The man with the feathered bandana stood up and looked at them. He then made some gestures and said several words in a strange language.
Usagi looked at Luna. "What did he say?"
The cat shrugged. "Beats me. Perhaps he doesn't speak our language..."
Lost Boar quickly realized that this girl had to be an uncivilized savage... she couldn't even speak his language.
But he had to make it plain to her that he needed some help to get back to his camp. He formed a triangle with his hands, to form the picture of a tipi... but the girl just scratched her head and said something to her pet... as if animals could understand human language.
He tried it again, hoping that this time, she would get the message and lead him back.
"Sorry!" Usagi shook her head. "Still not comprende!"
"I think he's asking us for help," Luna speculated. "But what could he want?"
"Let's go back and ask Ami," Usagi suggested. "She's always so clever... maybe she understands him."
"Well, we should head back anyway..."
Lost Boar understood that she wanted to leave... perhaps she already knew the way? Having faith in this stranger, he decided to follow her...
Usagi carefully peered back over her shoulder. When the bandana-clad boy saw her, he grinned a fang-toothed grin. She shuddered and looked away.
"Somehow, he's giving me the creeps..." she murmured. "Look how he's following us anywhere... as if he had no idea where to go else."
"His clothing is kinda weird," Luna agreed. "Perhaps he's just some uncivilized savage..."
Then they came back to the clearing where they had left Ami behind.
But Ami was not there.
Usagi looked around. "Ami? Where are you?"
"Usagi, look at that!" Luna ran over to a small item that was lying on the ground, next to the log.
It was Ami's bottle with magic potion, the bottle Rei had given her back in Gaul.
Now it made sense... the yellow-haired girl had another friend. But now it looked like she had lost him...
Lost Boar quickly checked the forest ground and searched for possible traces. If the girl's friend had been here on the clearing, he must have created some kind of trail... and if they would follow that trail, they would also find the girl's friend.
"What does he want now?" Usagi asked.
"Looks like wants to show us something."
The strange man was gesturing at several footprints on the ground, still fresh in the soft soil of the forest.
"Well, those can't possibly be the footprints from Ami alone... someone else must have been here."
Usagi gasped. "You mean, someone kidnapped her?"
"I don't know... but I think our new friends is able to track them down."
"Okay, then let's hope he knows what he's doing."
She smiled at the red-skinned man. "Whoever you are... please help us find our friend, okay?"
And while he surely didn't understand her words, he must have understood what she meant, because he smiled back at her and nodded.
A bit later (the man was still leading them through the forest), Usagi could hear the sounds of many drums.
"Ah, so this must be their camp," Usagi realized. "Perhaps he wants to take me to their centurion..."
"Usagi, how many times do I have to tell you, he isn't a Roman!"
Then the first tents appeared in front of them, and Usagi could only stare.
The tents looked nothing like any tent she had ever seen... Pointy, made from cloth that was wrapped around wooden poles.
In the middle of the tents, many of the bronze-skinned people were performing some weird dance around a tall, wooden pole, while musicians were beating their drums. Everyone was chanting in that strange language.
But then Usagi saw her friend Ami... in their middle, bound to the wooden pole which they were circling.
Luna and her new friend wanted to stop her, but Usagi didn't listen. She just ran through the tents, pushed away two of the dancing men and hugged her bound friend.
"AMI! So here you are! What did those meanies do to you?"
"Usagi!" Ami sounded surprised, but relieved. "Boy, I'm glad you're here... but how did you find me?"
Usagi grinned. "Luna and I met someone who led us here."
The dancers, so rudely interrupted in the middle of their performance, were glancing at the foreign girls with puzzled looks. Some of them looked ready to draw their weapons.
But then, a big, bulky man stepped out of a tent. He was bald, but wore a very striking headdress, decorated with many, many feathers.
"That's got to be their centurion," Usagi guessed.
Luna groaned. "Their chief, Usagi..."
The man who Usagi had met in the woods stepped before the chief and raised his hand in greeting.
Chief Black-and-White-Bear was surprised when yet another pale girl appeared within the camp and attempted to save the first one.
Just then, Lost Boar stepped in front of him.
After the formal greeting, Black-and-White-Bear asked Lost Boar what he was thinking when he led the other girl to the camp.
Lost Boar explained how she had been searching for her friend... he didn't know that the other hunters of the tribe had captured her.
The Chief told the boy the reasons why he had ordered to capture the blue-haired stranger: He didn't want another suitor for the courtshipping of his son, Pig-Tailed-Horse. And because the stranger was an outsider, he believed this fact would allow him to get rid of her quite easily...
But Lost Boar protested: He reminded his chief (with all due respect) about the law that EVERY girl, may it be a member of the own tribe or an outsider, should be allowed to challenge the other suitors to a fight... would they win, the chief had to officially declare them suitable fiancees.
Black-and-White-Bear thought about this for a moment, but couldn't find any possible excuse for not letting the two strangers participate.
After the chief and their scout had finished their little conversation, the chief raised his arms and declared something in their strange language. Afterwards, all of the tribe members seemed to brim over with enthusiasm, yelling with joy and excitement.
Ami and Usagi looked at each other. "Now what's up?" Usagi asked.
Ami shrugged. "No idea. Maybe they want to grant us a chance to get free..."
But then, a buxom girl with lavender-colored hair approached them. Her pretty face snarled at them as she raised a long spear and rammed its tip into the ground in front of them.
Ami looked at the spear with interest. "I think she's challenging us to a duel."
Sleek Cat was the strongest female warrior of the tribe, and she had the best chances of becoming the chief's son's bride. She was beautiful, strong and a skilled hunter... and she wasn't going to let some flat-chested outsider stand in her way. No... she would remove the obstacle!
After all, how strong could those wimpy girls possibly be...?
Usagi grinned. "Okay then... let me fight first. You okay with it, Ami?"
Ami nodded. "Sure, go for it... You're stronger than me, after all."
"All right! Be right back..."
Usagi and the warrior-woman were facing each other. The other tribesmen were forming a circle, in the middle of which the two opponents were standing.
The other girl bellowed a warcry and stormed forward. Her intention was very clear: She wanted to pound her enemy into the ground.
Usagi didn't even blink as the purple-haired girl rushed towards her. The girl raised her weapon high over her head, ready to strike...
...and was being hit by a simple uppercut of Usagi!
POW!
Everyone's eyes followed the flying path of Usagi's opponent, as she was flying high into the air, until she seemed to turn into a twinkling star in the distance...
And after she came down again, she was dizzily looking out of the crater her impact had created and seemed to be ready for a long, long vacation...
The chief looked at the spectacle, nodded and raised his right hand... the side where Usagi was standing.
She was the winner, and the whole tribe seemed to cheer her on. Never before had they seen such a strong warrior!
Usagi went back to Ami, who smiled. "Congratulations, Usagi! That was a good fight!"
"She never stood a chance," her friend grinned in response and hugged her.
Just then, another woman stepped into the circle...
Ami sighed. "Looks like it's my turn now..."
She looked at the girl standing in front of her. She didn't seem much of a fighter, furthermore, her overall body language seemed to express the statement: 'Oh my!'
She looked as if she was kinda uncomfortable with the whole idea of this fight, but seemed to be willing to do her best, smiling at Ami with cheerful eyes.
Ami thought about it. There had to be a better way to do this...
Black-and-White-Bear smiled when he saw Pleasant Mist stepping into the ring. While she wasn't a good fighter, she was also on the higher list of suitors for his son... She was cute and could cook and act very much like a perfect housewife.
Now what was that outsider doing?
When he understood their plan, he nodded. Of course. The other girl seemed to be a pacifist as well. They were looking for a way to settle this without having a real fight. Well, he surely didn't mind... as long as one of them would win this confrontation, somehow...
Ami watched the other girl while she was collecting a weird board and some wooden figurines. What was she planning?
The native girl smiled at her and put up the board on a small tree stump. It seemed to be some sort of game... Using her hands and gestures, she tried explaining the rules. Ami nodded. It seemed easy enough. Now, all they had to do was to play...
A good choice. Pleasant Mist chose the always popular game of 'Opposing tribes'. No one had ever been able to beat her at this game.
After the game had started, the crowd was gathering close to the two opponents and looked over their shoulders. Very quickly, Pleasant Wind had prepared the standard setting for her infamous tactic, which had brought her to victory almost every time.
But everyone's eyes bugged out when the foreign girl made some clever moves that totally turned the tables...
Ami grinned. That game had been fun. And the nice girl had been a formidable opponent.
But back in their village, Ami had always been a fast learner for anything that involved using your wits... and so she was finally able to win with a speial move, as she put her own figure close to the chief figure of her opponent.
And then, she somehow felt compelled to make the statement: "Checkmate"!
All tribe members cheered with excitement and surprise after Ami had won. This had been the most interesting game ever. And Pleasant Mist didn't seem to hold a grudge. After the blue-haired girls victory, she stood up and nodded with a smile in her direction.
Afterwards, the chief Black-and-White-Bear strode up to them and declared them honorary members of their tribes... which was instantly followed by some warriors coming up to them and painting the tribe markings on their faces.
Usagi thought it was funny and was giggling all the time, giving the painters a hard time of doing their work.
And when the chief raised his hand, pointed at them and said a word, Usagi and Ami really didn't understand it... but they heard the cheers of the crowd and decided it had to be something positive.
If they only had known that this one word spoken by the chief could only mean one thing:
Fiancees.
This evening, Usagi and Ami were sitting at a campfire, together with the tribe members. The chief was sitting directly next to them, together with a young man that looked like he could be his son.
The nice girl from earlier and some other women brought bowls and plates with all kinds of food, and Usagi instantly started eating with glee. Ami wasn't hungry as much, so she only took a few bites.
"Wow, that's good," Usagi said after trying a particular stew. She looked at the chief who was sitting next to her. She gestured at the stew. "Gobblegobble?"
The chief shook his head.
"Barkbark!"
Usagi and Luna, who had been eating from that same bowl, exchanged a quick glance.
"I... I don't feel so good..." Usagi moaned.
Luna felt like puking. "Me... me neither..."
Chief Black-and-White-Bear watched the new fiancee of his son and her cat with worry. Why did their faces turn green all of a sudden? Was there something wrong with the rabbit stew?
He took a bite. No, tasted as delicious as ever. Strange, they acted as if Pound-them-Flat (another suitor of his son) had prepared the meal, and not her sister Pleasant Mist...
Perhaps he should let the medicine man, Lost-in-the-Mist, take a look at them...