Challenge

Thank you Black_Wolf_4935, Daoist397717, Porthos10, Pimbadeiro, mrwolf_hdmi, ThisguyAEl and TheHumble_Dogge for the support!

Enjoy!

-----------------------------------------

Adam spent a terrible night in a longhouse occupied by eight families.

If his night was so bad, it wasn't due to the cold, as, despite the simple materials used to build the structure, these longhouses were very well designed to retain heat.

The one where he had spent the night was divided into four compartments, each housing two families.

Because there was a sort of hallway down the center that allowed easy movement for the inhabitants, each family had their own side of the compartment.

In the area where he slept that night, there was already a family of four.

In the middle of each compartment, at the center of the hallway, there was a good wood fire. Of course, this didn't apply to compartments used for storing wood, supplies, and food.

Despite the openings in the roof, the air was heavy. A powerful smell of wood smoke lingered.

Adam had been very surprised to discover the interior of one of these houses. It was fascinating. A bit like the inside of a ship or an RV, every space was used smartly.

The area for each family reminded him, in a way, of a supermarket aisle. The first level, about thirty centimeters off the ground, served as a bench, workspace, and sleeping platform. The space between this level and the ground was used for storing belongings.

The upper levels served as storage areas and sleeping platforms. By using the height of the building, these Native people could host many guests and store a large number of items.

His presence thus hadn't forced anyone to sleep on the ground.

His sleeping mat was made of woven reeds covered with animal skins—very fragrant but soft and warm. Less comfortable than his cot, which was closer to a modern mattress, he woke up with a terrible backache and a sore neck.

When someone came to get him, the sun had not yet risen. Yet, the Mohawks were already starting their work.

Near the central square of the village, where their mysterious sacred stone stood, the Native people gathered to share a hearty meal of meat and vegetables.

The young Tehonwaskaron, the boy who had made the mistake of playing tag with young bears, spotted him quickly, which was natural since Adam was the only White man, and sat beside him, presenting him with a small wooden bowl.

"Is this for me? Thank you."

Adam nodded, smiling, and gratefully accepted the bowl, as he was very hungry and hadn't forgotten that he was in enemy territory. Seeing his meal, he couldn't help but smile.

"That's funny. I think this is going to be the best meal I've had in ages."

But just as he managed to put some tender, juicy meat in his mouth, a large hand appeared out of nowhere and grabbed his bowl.

Adam quickly turned and stood up to face the jerk who had just stolen his delicious meal. It was the Native man who had threatened him with a knife—the one with numerous necklaces around his neck and several feathers in his hair, the one who had compared Adam's scar to his own.

His dark eyes stared directly into Adam's blue ones, as if to say, "What are you going to do? Hit me?"

Damn bastard! You stole my food! If I could… Argh! Son of a…

The Mohawk warrior looked away, but only to address the boy angrily. He said something in his strange language, and the child responded sharply, clearly annoyed. The boy tried to grab the bowl, but the man lifted it to eye level, out of the child's reach.

The little boy spoke more fervently, making the warrior's thick brows furrow further, who responded with a light tap on the top of the boy's head.

They're like me and my sister. Are they brothers?

Their argument drew the attention of the other villagers, but no one intervened to calm things down.

Finally, a young girl with long black hair and large onyx eyes, irritated by all this noise so early in the morning, stepped in to stop the two, grabbed the bowl, and handed it to the child, who in turn gave it back to Adam. Then he stuck his tongue out at the tall warrior, who ground his teeth.

But Adam wasn't looking at the bowl being offered to him.

He was watching the young girl with fascination; she must have been sixteen or seventeen. She looked like a little princess.

Her face was delicate, as if sculpted by a Renaissance master. Her eyes shone like lanterns. Her long braided hair was like two rivers of ink. And her lips seemed as delicate as the wings of a scarlet butterfly.

My God, she's beautiful!

Never, in this life or the last, had he seen a girl as beautiful as this one. She also exuded a kind of powerful aura, like a wild animal.

Their gazes met, and he thought he saw something in those large, dark eyes.

The tall warrior, standing right beside him, noticed this silent exchange and, as if gravely insulted, shoved Adam with his right palm.

Caught off guard, Adam didn't have time to react and stumbled back a couple of steps, dropping the bowl of food on the ground.

The warrior then began to speak forcefully, spitting out incomprehensible words at him, though laden with hostility.

The young woman acting as matriarch arrived then, but it was too late to prevent certain words from being said. Whether Adam understood them or not, it was indeed too late—the arrow had already been shot.

The woman could only sigh helplessly as she turned to Adam.

"The chief's second son, Tayohseron, has challenged you to a duel. You... must accept."

"A duel?! Why?!"

"Tayohseron says… um, you… disrespected sister by staring at her too intently. In dis... Um... Direspecting? Disrespecting her, you have disrespected the chief and the entire tribe. That's what he's talking about."

Her French was weaker than the matriarch's, but Adam understood her clearly enough.

"I didn't mean to disrespect anyone! Really! And I don't think she felt that way either."

"That… hum, does not matter. He challenged you. You must accept."

"But what kind of challenge is it?"

Instead of answering, the woman turned to the chief's second son, Tayohseron, and exchanged a few words with him. Then she turned back to Adam.

"He said that you can choose the challenge; he will accept any."

Fucking lunatic! I'm sure this was his plan all along! I should have seen this coming!

"All right! I can choose anything?"

"Yes."

"Then I challenge him to a swimming race!"

The woman didn't understand the word and asked for an explanation before turning to the warrior. Her expression turned complex, as if forced to swallow something she didn't like. The warrior and the nearby villagers reacted similarly, but the tall warrior gave a cold nod in agreement.

"He accepts, but… can you explain the challenge more clearly?"

Adam scratched his cheek and looked over at the wide river that flowed just beyond the village. There was a small island in the middle with a fallen tree making a bridge between the shore and the island.

"We'll start from that rock, swim to the tree, touch it, and swim back. First one back wins."

The woman furrowed her brows further, realizing how far that was, but translated faithfully to the warrior, who crossed his arms over his chest as if to intimidate Adam by showing off his solid muscles.

Tayohseron, like all the other Indians present, looked at the river and went a bit pale seeing how challenging the race was. There were fifty meters between the rock and the tree, meaning they'd cover one hundred meters, half of it against the current.

Tayohseron put on a brave face and loudly declared he accepted the challenge.

Nearly the whole village moved over to the river, which was calm this season. It still made a powerful sound as it flowed southeast, occasionally carrying a few leaves and branches.

Luckily, the current isn't too strong. Otherwise, this challenge would have been impossible.

Adam took off his clothes, leaving on the bare minimum. Everyone could now see his well-toned body and scars. The Indian did the same.

Ow! Damn rocks! They're killing my feet! Ouch!

He walked awkwardly, like stepping on hot coals, until he reached the riverbank. He dipped a toe in and shuddered violently—it was far colder than he'd expected.

Damn! I should have chosen something else! God, it's freezing! But swimming is the one sport I'm really good at!

The distance didn't scare him. In a pool, he could do that several times over, but the conditions here were radically different. It would be a real challenge, especially on the way back, against the current.

The Indian stood beside him and dipped his hand into the water. He shuddered too but forced himself not to react. He turned to Adam and taunted him with a few words in his strange language.

Adam ignored him and studied the river more closely.

It was almost as still as a lake, though that was misleading. Just looking at the surface showed this was lively water. It was so clear he could easily see rocks, algae, and a few fish beneath the surface.

The riverbanks were lined with bushes that seemed to grow directly out of the water, but in some areas, there was nothing but pebbles, sand, and aquatic plants. Adam could also hear frogs croaking and many birds singing.

A large dragonfly buzzed right past his nose and disappeared a little further along.

The Mohawk village behind them seemed like it was tucked away in paradise. The young man struggled to imagine that someday, perhaps all these landscapes would be transformed into towns and fields.

Finally, they stepped into the water.

Slowly, Adam felt his body temperature drop. He wanted to yell, but Tayohseron's silence forced him to swallow the stream of curses he wanted to hurl at the world.

Adam dipped his head under the water and swept his now-brownish-red hair out of his eyes.

The matriarch apprentice then gave the signal, and the two young men surged toward the island and its fallen pine.

For now, it was easy, aside from the cold. Thanks to the current, they reached the tree in no time.

Adam's hand struck the trunk, worn down by the river, and he used it as a brace to turn back.

Using every muscle, he pushed himself forward. Each meter was hard-won.

If he didn't go fast enough, he either made no progress or, worse, was pushed back by the current. His arms and legs beat furiously at the water, clearer than any supermarket-bought mineral water, while he fought to breathe.

D-damn! Ah! Rghh! This… This was a lot easier… in the pool!

He pushed even harder, and slowly, very slowly, he drew closer to the finish line, where many people were waiting.

Adam took deep breaths whenever he could. He was freezing, but it felt like his muscles were on fire.

Finally, he reached the moss- and algae-covered rock.

He stood up and made his way to the shore, where he collapsed, exhausted but victorious.

I-I won! Haha!

When he sat down, he noticed his competitor wasn't visible. He had to stand up to see him, stuck near the fallen tree.

Just as I thought… He may have the strength, but he lacks the technique. He swims like a little dog, too slowly to beat the current.

He watched the large warrior struggle with all his might, but it was no use. He couldn't move forward. All he was doing was exhausting himself. Without that tree, he would have been swept away by now.

The young Frenchman then saw the warrior, in trouble, slip under the tree and disappear.

"Shit!"

All the villagers immediately sensed the danger. Some had already moved to position themselves near the brave Indian, shouting for him to swim to shore. But that was easier said than done.

Adam rushed after the villagers and quickly reached the warrior, who no longer had the strength to swim to shore. He was stranded in the middle of the wide river, which was growing broader.

The piercing cries of the Indians filled his ears and his heart alike.

He jumped into the water and swam madly until he reached Tayohseron, struggling to keep his head above the water.

"Hey, calm down, it's me. Take a deep breath; you'll float naturally, alright? We're going to reach the shore, so hold on to me. I'll help you."

The Indian seemed to understand what the stranger was telling him and began to breathe deeply, following his lead.

Adam put an arm across his chest and, with his free arm, started swimming toward the shore. Thanks to his efforts, they managed to reach dry land, to the immense relief of everyone.

Tayohseron's chest rose and fell at a frightening pace. His breathing was chaotic, but an enormous smile stretched across his lips.

Adam could even hear him chuckling like mad as more and more people surrounded them.

He stood up on trembling legs and helped Adam to his feet. Under the astonished eyes of the villagers, he raised the hand he was holding above his head, saying a few words full of energy. Immediately, all the Indians applauded with joy.

Adam, not understanding a word, smiled politely and waited silently for his interpreter to arrive.

The apprentice matriarch approached and translated for the young man what Tayohseron had just said. He had won the challenge and proven he was brave. Tayohseron wanted to go further and make Adam a brother.

That's when the matriarch arrived, angrier than she'd been in ages.

As soon as she arrived on the scene, Tayohseron lost his smile and received a fierce blow from her stick on the top of his head.

"Stupid nephew! Is your brain the size of a hazelnut?! Why did you start this foolish challenge with this young man?!" (in Iroquois language)

"Aunt, I…"

"It's matriarch!"

"Matriarch, I challenged the Frenchman because he looked insistently at Onatah."

The matriarch scrutinized Adam before looking at her young niece, who averted her gaze with dignity.

"That's no reason to risk your life like that! It's precious! You mustn't put it in danger that way! If something happened to you, your father, our chief, would be deeply saddened! Did you even think of your family and the village?"

The young warrior grimaced and crossed his arms as if he didn't want to hear more.

"You and your pride! When will you stop challenging every boy you meet?! Don't tell me stories; I know you don't like this boy. That's why you challenged him, isn't it?"

"He… had a bigger scar than mine."

"Tayohseron, sometimes you should keep quiet," the matriarch sighed. "When will you grow up? Or at least, learn to lie. You'd look less foolish."

"Matriarch, I wouldn't dare…"

The warrior dared not say more under his aunt's cold gaze. He had lied to cover up his mistakes before, but with her, it was pointless. And each time, it had only gotten him into more trouble, so he'd stopped.

"Was it your idea? To swim in the river?"

"No, matriarch. I didn't expect him to suggest such a dangerous challenge. But I couldn't back down after I challenged him. I thought he'd suggest hunting, fighting, or archery… I'm sorry."

The matriarch looked at the young Frenchman with surprise and disappointment. She hadn't expected such an incident to occur.

She turned to Adam.

"My boy, was this really your idea? This challenge."

"I was challenged by him. I suggested swimming because I'm a pretty good swimmer."

The matriarch said nothing immediately and simply looked him straight in the eyes. Then she let out a deep sigh and shook her head.

"That was incredibly dangerous and foolish, my boy. You both could have died. And all for what? Nothing but a bit of pride. Ah, boys…"

The old woman ran a weary hand over her face and ordered everyone back to the village. She also instructed Adam and Tayohseron to dress quickly.

The two young men obediently complied, as although it was still August, it wasn't particularly warm, especially at such an early hour. They were both at risk of getting sick from their ridiculous challenge. Adam noticed he was already shivering.

However, he didn't notice that young Onatah had stayed behind and was watching him intently as he walked alongside her brother. She gripped the light, snow-white cloak covering her shoulders firmly, as if fearing someone might notice her heart beating unusually fast.