“Yes,” Magdy said.
“Okay,” I said. “They think I’m your leader. So I need to give them the idea I’m angry with you for what you did. I’m going to have to punish you in front of them. And just so you know, this is going to hurt. A lot.”
“Just—” Magdy began.
“Magdy,” I said.
“Yeah, all right, whatever,” Magdy said. “Let’s just do this.”
“Okay,” I said. “Sorry about this.” Then I kicked him in the ribs. Hard.
He collapsed with a whoosh and fell flat to the ground. Whatever he was expecting, he wasn’t expecting that.
After he had gasped on the ground for a minute I grabbed him by the hair. He clutched at my hand and tried to get away.
“Don’t fight me,” I said, and gave him a quick punch in the ribs to make the point. He got it and stopped. I pulled his head back and yelled at him for shooting the werewolf, pointing at his rifle and then the wounded werewolf and back and forth several times to make the point. The werewolves seemed to make the connection and chittered among themselves about it.
“Apologize,” I told Magdy, still holding his head.
Magdy reached out to the wounded werewolf. “I’m sorry,” he said. “If I had known that shooting would mean Zo? got to beat the crap out of me, I would never have done it.”
“Thanks,” I said, and then let go of his hair and smacked him hard across the face. Magdy went down again. I looked over to the werewolf to see if this was sufficient. He didn’t look like he was quite there yet.
I loomed over Magdy. “How are you doing?” I asked.
“I think I’m going to throw up,” he said.
“Good,” I said. “I think that would work. Need any help?”
“I got it,” he said, and retched all over the ground. This got impressed chirps from the werewolves.
“Okay,” I said. “Last part, Magdy. You really have to trust me on this one.”
“Please stop hurting me now,” Magdy said.
“Almost done,” I said. “Stand up, please.”
“I don’t think I can,” he said.
“Sure you can,” I said, and wrenched his arm to give him motivation. Magdy inhaled and stood up. I marched him over to my werewolf, who eyed the both of us, curiously. I pointed at Magdy, and then to the werewolf’s wound. Then I pointed to the werewolf, and made a slashing motion on Magdy’s side, and then pointed at the werewolf’s knife.
The werewolf gave me yet another head tilt, as if to say, I want to be sure we understand each other, here.
“Fair’s fair,” I said.
“You’re going to let him stab me?” Magdy said, his voice rising dramatically at the end of that sentence.
“You shot him,” I said.
“He could kill me,” Magdy said.
“You could have killed him,” I said.
“I hate you,” Magdy said. “I really really really hate you now.”
“Shut up,” I said, and then nodded to the werewolf. “Trust me,” I said to Magdy.
The werewolf drew his knife, and then looked back at his companions, who were all chattering loudly and beginning to chant what they were chanting earlier. I was all right with that. The difference now was that it was my werewolf who would do whatever violence would be done.
My werewolf stood there for a minute, soaking in the chant of his fellow werewolves. Then without warning he sliced at Magdy so quickly that I only got him moving back, not forward. Magdy hissed in pain. I let him go and he fell to the ground, clutching his side. I moved in front of him and grabbed his hands. “Let me see,” I said. Magdy moved his hands and winced preemptively, expecting a gush of blood.
There was only the thinnest red line on his side. The werewolf had cut Magdy just enough to let him know he could have cut him a lot worse.
“I knew it,” I said.
“You knew what?” Magdy said.
“That I was dealing with a Cro-Magnon,” I said.
“I really don’t understand you,” Magdy said.
“Stay down,” I said. “Don’t get up until I tell you.”
“I’m not moving,” he said. “Really.”
I stood up and faced the werewolf, who had put his knife back on his belt. He pointed to Magdy, and then pointed to me, and then pointed back toward the colony.
“Thank you,” I said, and gave the werewolf a little nod of my head, which I hoped would convey the idea. When I looked up again, I saw him staring at my jade elephant again. I wondered if he’d ever seen jewelry before, or if it was simply because an elephant looks like a fantie. These werewolves followed the fantie herds; they would be a main source of food for them. They were their lives.