The Warrior Maidens laughed and jeered in their native tongue as the two combatants circled each other warily. "Some show of strength, Nevi!" one finally called in English, the game's equivalent of a common language. "How does it feel to be beaten by a man?"

Thundermanx watched his opponent carefully as her breathing deepened and her eyes narrowed in anger. Considering Nevi's reaction to the insult, the gender slur suggested by the catcaller's tone had probably not been meant for him and he didn't bother taking offense to it. After all, gender bias is what started this mess and he was not eager to have it worsen.

He wished the Thundercats would come...and soon.

The day had been more or less uneventful after his session with Willa. He'd returned to the hut where he'd been kept prisoner and taken stock of his possessions. He did not ask for any additional furnishings as he did not expect to be there long. Instead, he strapped his guitar to his back and wandered out into the village to explore.

He didn't think he'd ever seen such a large concentration of women in his life.

The place was well guarded. Huts with two guards at the door he guessed were important meeting places or domiciles. Huts with one guard were usually for the storage of semi-valuable items. Huts used to store day-to-day necessities were ungarded and even he had been allowed to wander in and have a look. He took nothing as he was in need of nothing and from the appearance of some of the staples and equipment he had found there -
ropes, generic arrows, sacs of meal and nuts - he judged that the Warrior Maidens were in favour of careful maintenance, repair, and the returning of items and unused portions which were no longer needed.

Because the tree-top community depended on the communal use of everyday items, he did not think that theft was a serious problem. So why all the guards at the other storehouses? Biting the bullet, Thundermanx had approached one of them and asked.

It was explained to him that this sort of guard duty was highly unexciting and highly detested...which is why everyone took their turn at it. The guard's function was not so much to protect the items inside, but inventory them, record their use, their return, their destruction, etc. Because many of the items were imports - rare seasonings and foods, metal implements, valuable tools, exotic furs and materials - it was important to know exactly what was in stock so that an expedition could be made to barter for more when the storehouses ran low.

This had pleased Thundermanx. It was not that he was eager for an expidition, but bored Warrior Maidens were talkative ones. Those on duty or in training would not take the time to speak with him and he was loathe to interrupt any of them to ask for information. One guard, little more than girl of sixteen, by the panther's reckoning, seemed particularly pleased to have company and doubly thrilled that it was male. She confided in him that she'd never seen a man up close before, much less spoken to one. Only the Thundercats males ever came near the village and then only the highest ranking females tended to deal with them. Soon she would be old enough to explore outside her village, but in the meantime she was glad to have company.

It was this girl, he name was Bev, who explained to him that the Warrior Maidens - Ketani in their own language - were all trained in the use of knives, spears and bows. Naturally not everyone took to the weapons although most were able to learn some basic techniques...enough to defend themselves or the village if necessary. The teachings began at the age of six although children began playing with blunted weapons as soon as they were old enough to grasp them.

By the time a girl reached her menses, she was ready to choose her life's path. Makers - a term used to describe anyone who was not strictly a warrior - apprenticed themselves within the village while warrior could choose between the scouts and the village guard. The scouts patrolled the woods, sending warning to the village in case of immenent attack, and dealt with travellers, helping them or turning them away as safety dictated. The village guard opperated within the village: training younger girls, opperating as local look-outs, defending the queen, and taking their posts if a warning was received by the scouts. They were also protocol experts and were dispatched as messengers or diplomats. In all cases, training under a formal teacher usually ended at the age of eighteen or so when the girl became a full-fledged scout, guard, or maker.

When Thundermanx had asked her if she were training under a village guardswoman, Bev had blushed and asked him how he had known.

"Because you managed to tell me all about your defenses without giving me any information that might serve to get past them," he had laughed. "Nothing about rotations or shifts or the number of women who serve each position. Sounds like a diplomatic necessity to me!"

Bev had laughed shyly then. She was even more open and curious about him than Atavi had been. But never was she lax in her duties. Only twice was she approached regarding an item that was needed from the storehouse and both times she donned her facade of strict professionalism, recording dutifully the item in question, the person who took it and it's anticipated return as well as its current state of repair. Only when the other woman had gone away satisfied did she turn her attention back to Thundermanx.

When her shift was over...the unpleasant duty having a fairly short rotation period...she invited Thundermanx to come and meet some of her friends. They were not on duty this afternoon and would likely spend their free time exercising, playing music and telling stories. Although the Thunderian was aware that these girls were all likely to be teenagers, he agreed to join them. If all the younger maidens were as open and friendly as Bev, he might be able to extract more information from them. If he earned their trust, they might even help him to obtain a release if the Thundercats did not come.

He followed the woman up a climbing rope to a broad platform high above the village where four other warriors were waiting for them. They gasped and chattered with pleasant surprise in their native tongue before Bev scolded them for being rude. The girls then switched to the commong tongue, giving the Thunderian coy apologies.

Although they were still in their teens by human standards, Thundermanx was pleased to see that they were older than he had originally anticipated. As they introduced themselves, he realized that Bev and Maeve were the youngest of the group at sixteen years each, Shani, Kelzi, and Kara were seventeen years old, and Cadoria was already eighteen - she would soon become a full-fledged scout and be assigned a patrol.

It was Cadoria who fascinated him the most. Though her form - like those of the others - was that of a human female, her skin was a delicate mauve colour, her eyes large, narrow and golden, and even her hair had the sheen of black grapes...a fruit that came easily to mind given the tight curls that covered her head and trailed down her back. Even her ears were slightly pointed.

Bev laughed, bringing him back to reality. "Now look who's being rude!" she teased. Don't you know it isn't polite to stare?"

"I'm sorry," Thundermanx said suddenly. The girls laughed. As there was no ducking out of the situation gracefully, the Thunderian opted to simply explain his fascination. "I was just curious as to why Cadoria looks so different from the rest of you."

"Cadoria's father was a Nai," proclaimed Kara proudly while the older warrior tried to cover her embarassment by smirking and punching her friend on the arm. "The Nai are fisherfolk. Cadoria's father was delivering dried fish to us and stayed for the Ketavani. Her mother, having been rather taken with him, made secret visits and let him name his daughter. That is unusual, but not unheard of. 'Cadoria' means 'Gift of Gold' to the Nai. She is named for her eyes."

Thundermanx wondered about the secret relationship and whether it continued, but decided it would be rude to ask. "What is the Ketavani?" he said instead. "I heard Willa mention it."

"We're delaying in our exercises," reminded Maeve impatiently as the other girls laughed again. "If you want to explain...explain while we practise."

With promises to chat more, the young warriors engaged in a complicated ritual to devide their group. In the end there were two pairs - a primary and a secondary - and one person who was "out". The two pairs began to fight a mock battle with the primary pair on the left side of the platform and the secondary pair on the right. Kara...who was out this round...told Thundermanx that the loser of the primary pair would fight the winner of the secondary pair while she would challege the winner of the primary pair. The loser of the secondary pair sat out the next round. If he liked, Thundermax could form a third pair with her or simply chat with the warrior who was out that round.

The player considered the benefits of engaging in mock battle, but his curiosity won out. "I would rather you explained the Ketavani to me," he decided.

"Very well," said Kara with a knowing smile. "The Ketavani is a fertility festival. We are all women here, as you can see, and this is our chance to get new warriors. It is the reason why so many of us celebrate our year's turning at about the same time though we might be years apart in age. In fact...within a moon cycle, all of us here except for Maeve will be considered a full year older."

"Why not Maeve?"

"Oh, the Ketavani is the most popular festival for acquiring new warriors, but women to give birth all year," said Kara dismissively. "There is no law against relationships with men...but men may not live in the village. Those who wish to marry must leave although they can return if they tire of life outside the forest. The Ketavani is much more interesting! It is the one time of year when the village is open to men although they must remain on the first tier of the village or on the forest floor."

"Is it just a celebration with men?" said Thundermanx, swallowing the word "orgy" before it could pass his lips.

"Oh no!" declared Kara, laughing. "It's a grand ceremony! We traditionally have a visitor from far away...a tribe of warriors live beyond the mountains. There are women among them, I've heard, but they do not fight. They are not allowed to. I've often wondered if they are insulted that we fight without the help of men...but I suppose that if they were they would not supply us with fine warriors every year."

Kara looked up and excused herself. Thundermanx realized that the fights were over and that he would get a new partner. By the looks of things, it was Maeve who had lost the secondary battle and Kara whispered something to her as she passed by on her way to the left side of the platform. Maeve nodded and plunked herself down next to the Thunderian with a sigh. "Looks like it's going to be the usual for me," she snorted. "Lose, lose, sit down."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Thundermanx encouraged her. "You're still learning, after all."

"Oh, I'm not too worried," shrugged Maeve. "I'm a good enough fighter for my age and better than a lot of people...just not village guards. But then I'm not training to be a warrior anyway...I'm a maker. I'm learning to sew and work leather. I made my own tunic," she declared proudly, stretching out her arms to display the soft green, scoop-neck design stitched with a border of feathers and beads. The pattern was subtle and minimalist. Thundermanx had to admit that it was really quite good.

"Kara said she was talking about the warrior men," the girl continued. "They send us a warrior every year...the best that they have. There is a whole ceremony that's performed about the growth of trees and such. I can't tell you much about it because I'm still too young to participate. Basically though, there's a huge ceremony centered around this warrior man. Then there is a festival with food and drinking and dancing while the warrior man uses a special code involving necklaces to chose women to have sex with. So you can see how stamina would be a very important quality in the warrior man selection process," said Maeve knowingly.

The girl's forthright declaration almost shocked the Thunderian. Almost, but not quite...although he did have to stifle a laugh.

"Other men can petition to join the festival," continued Maeve, ignoring Thundermanx's reactions. "But whether or not *they* get to have sex depends on the whole necklace thing...or so I've been told. After the festival, there is a morning ceremony where the trees are blessed with the blood of the warrior man."

"You kill him?" said Thundermanx suddenly. *Now* he was shocked.

Maeve laughed. "Of course not! Well...maybe they used to long ago. I know that the ceremony talks about him as though he were going to die...all warriors can join this part of the ceremony no matter how old they are so I know that for sure. Still, they don't really kill him. They just cut a special mark on each of his arms and catch the blood in two bowls. Then they sanitize the mark with ashes and stain it with charcoal. This way his tribe will know that he was welcomed here. The blood from the bowls are used to bless the trees. I asked Solzi once why we took his blood and she said it was because he took the blood of all the new warriors who wished to be initiated."

"Initiated? Do new warriors only have sex for the first time at the Katavani?" asked Thundermanx with some surprise. It seemed odd that a society which believed in the freedom of women would be so strict.

"Oh yes. It would be a terrible lack of discipline to become pregnant before one finished training," said Maeve with a slight sniff. "It's hard enough to become a good warrior without having the extra weight to contend with! Naturally once one already knows how to fight their style can be adapted, but until then, sex with men is prohibited."

Thundermanx did not fail to notice how Maeve specified that only sex with men was prohibited. He decided not to comment.

Maeve excused herself and was replaced with Kelzi. "Whew! Bev is really good today! But then she always was much better in close combat than I was...I'm really more of the distance type. Avilex is even going to teach me how to shoot an arrow blindfolded!" she announced proudly. "Usually only full warriors get to learn that!"

"Cadoria seems to be doing pretty well herself."

Kelzi snorted. "Cadoria is always doing pretty well. She'll be a full scout soon and even gets to take part in the Ketavani this year. She might even get to play the drums for the ceremony...she can play drums you know. I can play the flute a little bit, but I'm not that good. So did the other finish telling you about our super-secret-everybody-in-the-forest-knows-it festival," the girl asked with a grin.

"Almost," smirked Thundermanx. "They didn't tell me what happens to the children from the festival..."

"Oh, that," said Kelzi dismissively, rolling her eyes. "The male children go to the tribe of the male warrior...even the children of other men unless it's obvious who they belong to. For instance...if Cadoria had been male she'd have gone to the Nai. The females stay here and learn to fight like vicious forest beasts." Kelzi snarled comically and made exagerated 'forest beast' faces to illustrate her point. Thundermanx laughed.

"Yes...we learn to fight like forest beasts."

The voice came from above and both Thunderian and Warrior Maiden looked up to see an older woman crouched in the branches. Her hair was dark brown and she was obviously a seasoned fighter - well-muscled and scarred from her campaigns. "We learn to fight *men* Thunderian...how does that strike you?"

"Go away, Nevi," said Kelzi defiantly though her voice held a slight waver. "He's not making any trouble."

As if by magic, several other women appeared around the first. They gave no indication that they approved or disapproved of their friend's actions, but they were not going to turn against her, that much was evident. "His *being* here is trouble," the woman named Nevi snarled. "All Thunderians make trouble wherever they go. What do *you* bring cubling? Mutants? Lunataks? Some new and dangerous creature?"

Thundermanx refused to argue with her. How could he? In a sense she was right...he *might* be bringing trouble. "I don't want to fight with you," he said instead.

Nevi landed solidly in front of him, sending the younger girls scrambling. They had long since stopped their exercises. The player jumped to his feet in a defensive stance before Kelzi could try to defend him. He stood slightly taller than the woman in front of him, but that did not phaze her. Nevi threw a cautious punch designed to look like a shove. He blocked it easily enough...it was merely a ploy to test his strength. "I don't want to fight you," he repeated.

Nevi cocked her head at him slightly. "You don't have a choice," she said calmly and before Thundermanx could anticipate her move, she lunged at him, pinning him up against a tree. Fortunately he had placed his guitar on the ground...otherwise it would have been crushed.

Thundermanx gasped and then felt himself lifted and thrown over the woman's shoulder. Landing hard, the breath was momentarily knocked out of him and he coughed as he tried to stand. The noise was starting to attack other spectators, but as much as he wanted to portray the model prisoner, he knew he would have to defend himself. So when Nevi came for him again, he faked injury and lunged at her when he knew she would have no time to defend herself.

Now it was Nevi's turn to hit the platform...and hard. Thundermanx tried to pin her, but she threw him off. The adversaries leapt to their feet and began circling each other. That was when the catcall had come...and when Thundermanx wished more than anything that the Thundercats would arrive.

Because he knew then that he could kill her...and he knew that unless the fight was interrupted by someone of authority, he would probably have to.

Then, mercifully, he heard in the distance the unmistakable roar of the Thundertank.

Nevi heard it too. Angered and desperate, she lunged again...

*********************