“Akuti! Akuti get back here!” her father called for her. But she ignored him. Why? Why couldn’t she live her own life, like every else in the clan? Before she could finish her thought the answer came.

“Because I am the chief’s daughter,” she thought to herself. She continued to run, run deep into the forest. “That doesn’t mean I have to like it!” Her rage and sorrow kept her going. She collapsed to the forest floor when she could go no further. She smelt the warm dirt of the mother earth and cried. The leaves fell atop her like a blanket and she remembered the fight.

--

“Why father? Why can I not be chief of this clan? Why must I marry?” she yelled venomously.

“Because you are a woman. And you are my daughter!” he spat back at her. The anger in his eyes made it clear that she had gone to far. But she didn’t care. He cursed at himself for raising such a free spirited daughter, the thing that used to be his pride. But he was old and was losing the strength to lead the clan. He could feel it in his bones.

The Amitola clan needed a strong chief. If a woman were to become the chief, the Zaltena would surly destroy them. Akuti was strong, yes, but she was not strong enough to battle the clan that has been their rival since mother earth and father heaven created them.

Wrath coursed through Akuti’s veins. She honestly believed she could bring peace to the two warring clans. Or at least prevent them from taking her lands. “I will not marry such an arrogant man, for the sake of a clan I can protect on my own!” she yelled. She tore open the wooden door and jumped out of the tree that held her father’s house.

--

Akuti awoke just as the sun set. The red light set the sky afire. Tears mixed with soil stuck to her face. She gently wiped it away. In her disoriented stated she did not yet panic at the fact that she was lost. The wind turned her long auburn hair traitor and smacked her in the face. She stood and began to braid her it into one thick strand as she walked toward the sleepy sun. The more she walked the more fear was pumped into her blood.

Akuti didn’t recognize anything. ‘I must’ve run into another clans territory’ she thought to herself. The darkness over came the light, and her stomach began to cry for sustenance. The cold attacked her fiercely. The mountain lion fur that wrapped her body was no defense. She stopped when she could no longer see and prayed that the spirits protect and help her find her way back home.

In the silence the snapping of a twig caught her attention. Akuti looked in the direction and grabbed for the dagger tied to her thigh. She cursed herself, in her anger she ran away without it. A soft growl reached her ears. Akuti braced herself for an attacked. A sudden force knocked her to the ground. In her blindness she caught two large paws in her hands. ‘A cougar!’ the realization struck terror into her soul. A loud gasp escaped her lungs as her back hit the soft soil hard.

The large cat broke free of Akuti’s grasp. She managed to knock it off of her. Quickly she found her way to her feet and began to run. She prayed that the wind carry her off, but in vain. There was an abrupt searing pain from her left shoulder down to her back that knocked her into a tree. Akuti cried out in agony. She felt the hot breath of the large cat down her back. She pressure of it on her slowly began to asphyxiate her making it impossible for her to call for help. She began to loose hope. Suddenly the pressure was relived. She heard the cat’s angry growl and the call of a warrior. She could not see what was happening but what she heard lessened her fears.

There was a struggle. The howl of the cat and the sound of something breaking were the final sounds. Akuti stood silent and held her breath. She fought the weariness that suddenly over took her. The loss of blood made her weak. She could feel the sticky substance in her hair and all down her back. The metallic taste slipped into her mouth from a river that flowed from her fore head.

Fire from a torch lit the forest. A tall warrior from another clan stood before her. Blood dripped down his bear chest. She could not tell if was his own. She fell into the cold gaze of his silver eyes and the wind blew his dark hair from his face. Akuti wanted to thank him, but instead fell into his arms. The last thing she remembered was the warm arms that held her tenderly from the man with the cold silver eyes.