Chapter 10

Koi walked around the camp, looking for his mother.

"Ahanu, have you seen my mother?" He asked, coughing into his hand.

"Shimasani is in Lucy's hut." Ahanu said, sharpening his arrows.

"Lucy's hut? Do you know why? Is Lucy sick?" Worry slowly crept into his chest and made it tight.

"You should know the answer to that question. You were the one in her hut last night." Ahanu smirked up at Koi.

"How do you know that?" Koi's eyes grew in shock. He thought he had sneaked away and into her hut, undetected by the other tribe members.

"Sewati and I watched you enter her hut last night. We, also, watched you leave her hut while adjusting your coverings." Ahanu smirked, referring to his loin cloth.

"Cut your tongue, Ahanu! You know nothing of what you saw last night!"

Ahanu let out a laugh and then looked up at Koi. "We are both men, Koi. Our bodies work the same way. You do not have to be ashamed of your actions with Lucy."

"Lucy and I did nothing last night! I did not enter her last night, like your mind wants you to believe."

"You were close to entering her, were you not?" He raised an eyebrow at his friend, waiting for his response.

Koi sighed and sat on the ground next to Ahanu, feeling light-headed. He let out another cough.

"Yes, I was close to entering her." He said, shakily.

"I can see the way you look at her. You act differently around her. It is as if you have cut a hole in your chest so that others may see your heart. You love her, do you not?" Ahanu kept his eyes on his arrow and focused on sharpening it.

"I do. I love her dearly. My heart seems to grow when I am around her. It tries to escape my chest and be next to her heart. Being away from her causes my heart to weep in pain."

"Have you told her all of this?"

"Yes, and now I know her heart feels what my heart feels."

"Why do you not marry her?"

"Father would never approve of it and never allow us to get married. She is, also, very young and still finding her place in the tribe. It is too soon to talk of marriage."

"But, it is not too soon to have your bodies become one?" Ahanu smirked.

"Cut your tongue, once again, Ahanu." Koi laughed, which turned into a cough.

"Are you well, Koi?"

"Yes, I am well. I must go speak to my mother." He got up, coughing in the process. He walked, somewhat unsteadily, towards Lucy's hut. As he was walking, his head started feeling light-headed again with a warm sensation washing over it. He sat down on the ground in an attempt to regain his composure and stop his head from spinning. He didn't get the chance to stand up again as everything went black for him.

~~~

"Keep him from becoming too hot. Wipe the cloth over his face." Koi heard a faint voice say and then felt a cool sensation on his face.

"Good. I will leave him in your care. I will come back to check up on him tomorrow." The faint voice said.

"Yes, ma'am." Another faint, but softer, voice said. Koi grunted and struggled to open his eyes. He blinked a few times, trying to get the image in front of him clear. He moved his head, looking around and trying to figure out where he was.

"Ya finally woked up." The soft voice said. He turned in the direction of the voice and saw Lucy looking at him with a faint smile.

"What happened to me?" His voice came out dry and raspy. Lucy kneeled down next to his head and lifted it up, so that his head was in her lap. She grabbed a bowl, held it up to his lips, and tilted it, allowing the water in the bowl to go into his mouth and down his throat.

"Ya sick. Ya passed out in front o' my hut. Ahanu saw ya an' carried ya in here." She pulled the bowl from his mouth and dapped the wet cloth over his face again. Sweat rushed down Koi's body and chest moved up and down irregularly.

"This happens sometimes when the harvest moon comes." He said, weakly.

"Ya motha tol' me. Now, hush. Ya need to rest." She continued to dab the cloth over his face for a few more minutes, and then began stroking his head. Soon enough, his eyes closed again and Koi was sleeping.

~~~

Koi woke back up, unsure of how much time had passed. He, carefully, stood up and walked over to the entrance of the hut. He looked outside, seeing the moon and stars shining above and hearing no talking or laughing from the tribe memmbers. Everybody was asleep, meaning he slept the rest of the day away.

He was about to walk back to his hut when he heard a small noise. He looked back inside and saw Lucy sleeping on the other side of her hut. She was laying on the bare ground with her hands underneath her head. Koi was sleeping on her pallat while he was sick, so she had nowhere else to sleep. And, she didn't mind giving up her pallat for him. Koi walked over to her and scooped her up in his arms. She instantly became comfortable, cuddling into his chest and letting out a content sigh. He smiled down at her, touching his lips to her forehead. He placed her on her pallat, watching her curl up in comfort. He smiled again and laid next to her, not wanting to leave her.

"How're ya feelin', Koi?" She mumbled, barely opening her eyes.

"I am feeling much better. Thank you for taking care of me." He smiled, kissing her forehead again.

She gave him a sleepy smile. "Ya welcome, baby." She mumbled, laying her head on his chest. She was too sleepy to realize what she said or did, but Koi just smiled and enjoyed the position they were in. Right before he fell asleep again, he saw Lucy shift her legs and wrap them around his longer ones. He fell asleep with a smile on his face.