Until Urian grabbed him by the throat. "In case you have forgotten, we are in a hell realm that is inhabited by demons and some of those gods you don't want to piss off. I suggest we draw as little attention to ourselves as possible."
Sasha knocked his hand away from his throat and made a face at him. "You don't have to be an asshole."
"You don't have to be an idiot."
"Enough," Ren said sharply. "Let's save our venom to fight the ones who want to kill us, and not attack each other."
While they walked onward, Kateri fell quiet, observing the men. They fascinated her. Such a mixture of personalities. Yet they came together as warriors to protect people they'd never met. The kind of people who hadn't been kind to them in the past. Each of them had been bitterly betrayed by someone they trusted.
Sundown shot dead by his best friend on the steps of the church where he'd gone to marry the woman he loved. Urian by his father and grandfather. Cabeza by the only woman he'd have died to protect. Sasha by his own brother. And Ren ...
Her heart aching for him, she took his hand in hers. Because he wasn't used to anyone being so familiar, it startled him.
"Are you going to jump every time I touch you?" she teased.
Ren savored the sound of her light tone. He'd never get used to her being so at ease with him.
"I wonder if he's ticklish," Sasha said, wagging his brows at her. "Not like I'm going to find out, as I'm rather fond of my non-gutted state. But you'll have to test it out and let me know."
She gave him a playful smile. "Are you?"
Ren shrugged. "How would I know?"
Kateri winced at those emotionless words. There for a single heartbeat, she'd forgotten that such things hadn't been part of his childhood. No one had ever played with him. He'd been all but grown before Buffalo had befriended him, and while he'd had a brother his own age, Coyote had played with friends and left him alone to watch them while they frolicked.
Her mind drifted to a bright summer day in his past where it was so hot, everyone complained about it.
"Hey, Makah'Alay, we're going swimming. Want to come?"
Around the age of twelve or thirteen, Ren had looked up from his chores to see Coyote with a group of boys his age, including Choo Co La Tah. "I-I-I-I have to f-f-f-finish."
"Oh c'mon, we won't be gone that long. You can finish when we get back. It's the middle of the day. Everyone's taking it easy due to the heat."
Even though he sensed something about it wasn't right, he nodded. Since they'd never invited him before, he was afraid to turn them down lest they never ask him again.
Ren set his tools aside and wiped at the sweat on his brow before he joined them. The whole way to the bathing lake, they joked and laughed with each other and ignored him.
Once they reached the small clearing where the lake rippled, they stripped down to loincloths, then jumped into the water.
Ren hesitated. Would they mock his body? He'd never removed his clothes in front of anyone before.
"C'mon, Makah'Alay," Coyote called. "You're missing out."
Bracing himself for the worst, Ren stripped to his own loincloth, then waded in. To his relief, they ignored him while they splashed and played.
Ren ducked under the water and let the coolness ease the summer heat. For several minutes, he floated peacefully on his back with his eyes closed.
Until someone grabbed him.
Before he could recover, Choo Co La Tah had yanked his loincloth off and they ran for the shore, laughing.
Ren went after them. As soon as he was on dry land, Coyote caught him about the waist and lifted him off his feet, then threw him back into the water. He came up, coughing and sputtering for air, to find them all gone. Along with all his clothes.
He tried to call them back, but nothing would come out. His jaw spasmed and the words hung in his throat.
Humiliated and angry, he swam back to the shore and got out. He should be able to make it back to town without being seen. There were several alternate paths that weren't traveled much.
Once home, he could ...
That thought died as he came face-to-face with a group of teenage women who had come to bathe. At the sight of his nudity, they shrieked and laughed at him.
His face red, Ren cupped himself and ran to the woods to save what little dignity he could. But inside, he was mortified.
By the time he made it home, his father was waiting for him. The girls had come straight back to tell everyone they had caught him masturbating in the public pool.
"Where are your clothes?"
"Th-th-th-th-"
His father backhanded him so hard, it knocked him to the floor. "Answer me!"
Ren tried, but he was so upset he couldn't say anything in his own defense. No words would come out at all.