Author's Note: So Gana is Abbey. Obliviously I've taken liberties with the story, and this world is a little more monstrous than the monster high version. But I tried to keep as close to the facts as I could. Also, I will try to finish this without starting anything new. It's coming to the end, but I have such a small attention span.

Warnings: exile, violence, banishment, disownment, abuse (in the punishment) that results scars, prejudice. That's all I can think of now.

Chapter One

The Trial

Gana smiled and held herself straight and strong as her uncle lifted her into the air. A cheer that ripped through the war hall built on the mountain top. The cheer signaled the beginning of the celebration. The cheer only lasted a moment, but it echoed in the hall even as the musicians began to beat their drums. In most cases, cheering was a waste of breath and would be frowned upon, but this was a special occasion. Tomorrow was Gana's fifteenth birthday. In the morning she would be sent down the mountain to complete her final trial and become a warrior of the tribe. The celebration commemorated and celebrated the fact she had lived long enough to become a part of the tribe. As a yeti, Gana had trained her entire life for this coming of age trial.

Abbey smiled and threw her power over the cold and snow into the mix as her people threw her into the air, she couldn't help but feel apprehension along with excitement at the prospect of her trial. Tomorrow was a big day: her first day as a true warrior and yeti. Even if she died during her trial, she would be demonstrating her resolve to support and be an integral part of her tribe as a warrior, and Gana was a good warrior. She had adapted well what was taught. She wasn't a conventional warrior; perhaps since her small stature meant she was agile instead of powerful, but she had adopted and learned well from hunting, sparing, and training under her master. Gana's master was proud of Gana's abilities. The old warrior expressing that she believed Gana would pass her trail and retrieve the head of the enemy the small yeti kill with ease.

A small blizzard had begun to build in the war hall as Gana was set back on her own two feet. Gana straightened her hair, as she recovered. Her hair was uncommonly long; reaching a finger's length past her shoulders, but the small yeti couldn't help but admire it. Her hair wasn't just the normal white and gray color. While the foundation of her hair was white, and she had only seen natural highlights and strands of colors she had only painted in the sky when the sun was rising from under the world in the early morning. Gana's mother said the small yeti's hair looked like the snow on a perfect sunrise. Still, to keep the length so long was silly and vain, a weakness that Gana shouldn't indulge in. Gana shrugged those thoughts aside and consoled herself regularly by noting that every yeti had some hobby or vanity that was seen as a weakness by the traditions of the tribe.

Gana created an ice pillar to lift her up to everyone else's height so she could have a proper look around. She easily found in the crowd her father signing and laughing with her master and other old warriors. Her father caught her eyes and, beaming proudly, he headed her way. As a path opened between them, Gana saw her father held an elongated, ceremonial knife in his hand. It was old Bonebreaker. Of course, Bonebreaker was the size of a sword to Gana, but it would serve her well when it came time to remove the head of the enemy she killed. It was the knife both her parents had used to cut the head off of their enemy to present offering at the end of their trial and it had been past down to the first born of her bloodline for many generations.

Gana felt herself tearing up. Her older brother should have received this knife. Gana should be gifted the knife of one of the males who wished to join with her in strengthening the numbers of their tribe. But her brother was gone. The enemy had killed him four years ago, cutting his life short before he even had a chance to take his trial. The day her brother died so had most a generation. That day he and other yetis close to their trial had been taken by an experienced warrior on a hunt to help them hone their skills as future warriors. Instead they had been ambushed by the enemy and every one of them slaughtered.

Gana received Bonebreaker from her father with a bow. Bonebreaker felt right in her hands. She would give this to her future husband when he came of age to face his trial, but for now Bonebreaker would serve her as she killed her first enemy and started her quest to avenge her fallen tribesmen. Gana placed Bonebreaker in the sheath at her hip. As tradition dictated, once handed the knife, Gana took on the responsibility of protecting and continuing the survival of her tribe. Her people.

The small yeti looked around the room. Snow fell all around the giant ice cavern. Some yetis lifted their faces to the sky, sharp blue features raised toward the icy ceiling as they paved their own power into building the storm.

Gana jumped, her attention stolen from the storm as her fingers instinctively dug into the hand that had tried to remove Bonebreaker from her belt. The small yeti turned to confront the thief and came chest to face with her oldest friend, Pyry. Pyry was a true beauty. The yeti had a rounded face and skin more white than blue. Even for a yeti she was tall, with rippling muscles, and almost fully developed figure. The big yeti had a taste for the mischief that made her red eyes sparkle and look like she was always laughing.

Gana rolled her eyes when she looked up to see her friend pouting.

"No," Gana said reinforcing the command by hitting the side of one hand against the palm of her other while she tried to look disappointed at her antics. Then Gana broke out into silent laughter as Pyry pretended to be broken hearted. Really, Pyry had already given her knife to the yeti closest her age. Gana had to wait two years before she could give her knife to the next one and Gana wasn't sure how she felt about him. There was a chance she would be waiting an extra year. For one thing, that meant another male, with a more humorous personality came of age, and also waiting the extra year guaranteed Gana more time to spend in fighting the enemy and not wasting her best years birthing babies. The tribe was no longer low on tribesmen. No more than usual anyway. While the death of so many had hurt their numbers, her tribe was used to the loss in this never ending war. Couples, like her parents, had been expected to provide another child. So while the tribe's numbers for battle were low, there was a large group of children currently beginning their training.

Pyry led Gana over to there dance floor. Gana quickly gripping Pyry tightly so she wouldn't get lost in the press of bodies. Gana smiled and allowed the Pyry to kiss her on each cheek playfully as they twirled. Pyry and her were expected to be battle sisters since they would be the youngest females of age and were good friends. Gana had no problem with their assumption. Pyry was her friend and confidant. Gana missed the nights she had spent curled next to the other yeti signing and sharing the cold after Pyry passed her trial and moved to sleep with the other warriors. Gana loved Pyry as she loved the rest of her family. Gana honestly felt proud that she would soon be joining with Pyry as a battle sister. Pyry had a reputation as a fierce and honorable warrior with a cool head and a sharp mind for tactics.

The beating of the drums slowly stopped, and a new song began with some sort of string instrument. Gana smiled at Pyry, even as she grew impatient for the celebration to end and her trial to begin. After she completed her trial and became a warrior, it wouldn't be long until she would head out in the next hunting group to gather food and potentially sabotage any bases the enemies had begun to setup in her tribe's territory. The tribe had been looking forward to Gana coming of age. A small yeti was considered a sign from the ancestors that some great change was on the horizon. The blood in her veins ran cold excitement at the thought of her trial. Finally she would prove her worth and her people would flourish. Finally Gana would shed enemy blood. Sure, Gana had killed animals before, mountain lions and wild boars that wandered too high up the mountain, but this trial would be a true test of her ability as a warrior against an enemy with as much wits and guile as her people.

Gana smiled and broke away from her dance with Pyry once she saw that the day was beginning darken. Gana glanced out the window. It looked like she would get a good view of the stars that night as she held vigil. She was ready. She'd gone through her last yearly trial just a week ago, and during that time, she'd acquired many pelts as she spent the week alone, living off the land and hunting wild creatures with roughly crafted weapons and ice. With the help of her master and father, she'd been able to fashion a decent set of armor from the pelts she'd dragged back. Gana especially liked the fur lining she'd put on the collar, cuffs, and top of her boots. She'd made some excuse at the time why she needed them, but in truth, she just liked the way the lining looked. Still, the hide was strong, and the ice reinforcement had been helpfully critiqued by her battle master to create a strong armor for her trial.

Gana's parents found her only a moment later and led Gana up the stairs to the roof of the war hall. The small yeti felt her heart clench for a moment as she ascended. She had on a date here once. The elders might have chosen him as her future mate, but Gana had liked the yeti well enough. He had been straight forward, a little self conscious about his lack of hair, and a bit of a klutz. Gana had thought he was adorable. Maybe she'd been a bit young to really fall in love, but most yetis started dating around ten, especially younger siblings who had to receive a weapon from an older tribesman, and it was good she felt an instant affection for the male yeti. Gana had been sure the elders had chosen the perfect mate for her. Unfortunately he'd been killed in the same ambush as her brother.

No, Gana would not think about that. Not now. Now was the time to concentrate on the future. Gana would have a new mate in the younger group of yetis that were coming of age at the end of the year. And while she waited for him to mature, she would have more time before she was expected to give two new members to the tribe. Personally, she wasn't looking forward to being pregnant. For four months she and her mate would be expected to remain solely within the boundaries of their village, delegated lowly jobs, and would have to spend every waking moment together.

Gana shook her head. She needed to fight. She needed the excitement of battle, and to test her skills against something powerful, preferably something with plenty of muscles and teeth so she could feel the thrill of dancing so close to death so that victory over a worthy opponent would be that much sweeter. Just the thought of that moment before a fight began, chilled Gana's blood and made her wish the night was over so she could engage the enemy sooner rather than later.

Gana was ready. She'd learned well how to fight, how to throw herself at the enemy, how to back off when the moment called for it, how keeping fighting even after a grievous wound. Gana knew how to kill: knew the feeling when her blade sunk into the beast's body, the sound of cracking of bones and ripping muscle. She knew the feeling of a fatal blow, how blood was always so hot in warm creatures. The feel of it as it splashed of her body, like fire droplets against her skin. Beautiful. Warm creatures had such beautiful blood, so dark and thick with color. Even its warmth was captivating. Gana couldn't imagine how anything could live with something so hot inside them. Gana had often caught herself watching as the deep red blood of a recent kill flooded across the white snow, drenching it and then melting and mixing as it settled in and stained the landscape.

When Gana had reached the top and stepped onto the roof, her parents left her, and she walked to the middle of the circle made by the elders. The elders then clapped their hands, quickly setting a rhythm, and the storm below seemed to grow stronger. Gana fell to her knees, bending her head for a few beats and then raising it and her hands toward the shinning moon. Then the elders started to dance. It was a slow, methodical set of movements that created music by stamping and clapping of the dance itself. There was no song or battle cry to go with it; they were so high up it was hard for any yeti to breathe.

Gana knew the dance by heart. All children learned it in hopes that they would live to be an elder. Yes, dying in battle was honorable, but they had been losing so many yetis lately that it seemed they were close to extinction. The yeti tribes the tribe used to be able to turn to for help defending yeti territory from foreign invaders had turned traitor. It had made some sort of treaty with the enemy. Now Gana's tribe no longer fought the enemy on that side of the mountain in fear the yetis on that side would have no problem following them up and slaughtering their tribe while it was weak. Whenever elders spoke of the past they would spit when they talked about how the other tribes had lost all honor by siding with the enemies and would reminisce fondly about when a yeti and her partner would choose whether they had children to give to the crippled to raise. Now mates had to produce at least two yetis within a certain timeframe after being united. In some instances the tribe selected yetis to have additional children.

Gana brought her focus back to the dance. She was supposed to reflect on the ancestors and how she would serve the tribe from then on. The dance of the elders called upon their ancestors. It was meant to fill the yeti performing her trial with the knowledge needed to take the enemy alone and bring back its head.

Gana could feel the cold rays of the moon filling her with her peoples' knowledge and strength. She hardly noticed when the elders take their leave. Gana spent the night in prayer, reflecting on the battle ahead. In the future she would be invaluable to her people: her small stature a gift in many circumstances. Plus, while she was small, she had more control and power over the cold and ice than her fellow tribesmen.

Gana's master had once told her that those of her stature had once been looked down upon, many thrown from the mountain top or left to die after birth. But then a male had been born of small size. Like most, he had been left to die, but an old cripple with a big heart and strong connection to the ancestors had taken the small yeti under his wing. Years later, a rival tribe had attacked the village, decimating her tribe's number in a surprise attack. The biggest, toughest warriors had been killed first, and when all seemed lost, the little one had pretended to change sides. The rest of the story was a lesson on how even what was usually considered cowardly tactics were essential in times of great need. Within days of his 'deflection', the small yeti had broken his fellow tribesmen from their captivity and sabotage the other tribe from the inside out. Now when a small yeti was born to the tribe they were trained and treated with respect. Some yetis had still mocked Gana when they thought they wouldn't be overheard, but mostly Gana felt the pressure that she needed to do something great. Gana k new she could be a great warrior, the fact she was a gift from their ancestors and a sign of great change meant she felt she needed to be more than a warrior to her tribe.

Still, she believed with the rest that great change would happen now that she was a warrior. Gana at least would even the playing field. Through the years, the enemy had encroached on their land, driving them further up the mountain as the enemies' methods of attack became trickier and more cowardly. Gana would see to it that the enemy tasted bitter and devastating defeat. She would take their sons and daughters away from them as they had stolen theirs, and she would cheer as the enemies' blood spilled on the snow, turning the white landscape red. She would break their weapons and cover their homes and fields in thick ice. The enemy would soon be nothing. Their presence just a memory. Her tribe would be feared again and rule the Himalayas as they had over a thousand years ago.

As the sun began to rise, so did Gana. Now was her time to face the enemy. She headed down the stairs to collect the rest of her gear and start her journey down the mountain to where the enemy had raised their wall. As she did so, she realized this might be the last time she saw her village. Tradition dictated that she came back with the head of her enemy, or she died fighting. That was the way of the yeti. A true yeti didn't fear battle or death. Life was a battle, and only those willing to risk their lives and fight for the tribe deserved to live.

Gana had known a few yetis, through the years, that never returned after they left to complete their trial. Sometimes their body was found, and they were given a proper burial; most of the time, however, it seemed as if they had simply disappeared and become one with the mountain and ice. So was the way of things. Gana had sometimes heard that in the old days their enemies would put the heads of yetis who failed their trial on spikes to taunt their tribesmen. Of course, the yetis saw this as a challenge, and a bloody battle would be waged. But the practice had ended a few years ago. Apparently they thought her tribe wasn't worth the trouble. The cowards must feel they were safe behind their great wall with Gana's tribe forced to retreat to the very top of the mountain.

Gana would show them. She'd take pleasure in seeing their expressions as she gutted them with her spear and removed their heads with Bonebreaker before life had left their eyes. Soon that head would be the trophy she presented to her people.

Her old master smiled grimly at Gana as the small yeti entered the armory. The old warrior had been crippled many years ago, but she had once been a fierce fighter. It had been said Gana's master had lost her eye and leg taking on one hundred enemies while protecting her fallen battle sister. Gana's parents had specifically asked for Gana to be trained by the old warrior. While Gana's master might not have been the best choice since the old yeti was crippled and her style of fighting was much to direct and ham-fisted for Gana to directly mimic and use effectively. Gana was able to work with her master and develop a style of fighting that complimented and even worked against both small and large opponents.

Gana's master inspected the small yeti's armor one last time. Finally the old yeti nodded and grunted, pointing for Gana to choose her weapon. Gana hesitated only a second before she headed to select a spear. It was her preferred weapon, which most other yetis didn't understand. Gana could use them effectively against yetis, but she hesitated because the enemy was the same size as her, or so she'd been told, and she wasn't sure how she'd adjust to a small intelligent warrior. It might have been better to use a weapon she could use easily in close combat, but Gana still had Bonebreaker, and the ceremonial knife could be used as a common weapon. She replaced it and tested a couple more until she found the one with a sharp edge and perfect balance. Her trainer looked her choice over and then handed it back, a sharp smile on her features as she gave Gana one last slap on the shoulder.

Gana left then, heading out the village, spear in hand and pride in her heart. As she left, pushing through the ice wall that surrounded her village, she couldn't help but glance back one last time at her home. She would no longer be a child when she returned. She would be a warrior

Someone poked her on the shoulder, and Gana jumped in surprise. Then she wasted breath sighing when she realized it was only Pyry. The obnoxious yeti was doubled over in laughter, taking in deep breaths and making Gana question if she really wanted the silly yeti to be her battle sister. So Gana pocked at Pyry with the butt of her spear. Pyry stood to her full height while rolling her eyes. Gana put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow as she craned her neck back to properly glare at her friend. The small yeti waited for Pyry to explain what she was doing. Only trainers were supposed to see a yeti on the day of her trial.

Pyry took out a necklace from behind her back and presented it to Gana. It was beautiful, the charms at were three blue stones, the biggest one in the middle in the shape of a diamond. Gana hesitated as she reached out to take the gift. The blue stones gave off their own strange power. Pyry smiled and pulled the necklace away so she could clasp it around Gana's neck. The necklace fit Gana perfectly, hanging around her neck so that it was almost a choker. Gana touched the jewels and gasped. She had thought the necklace made of ice or stones meant to mimic moon ice, but these were the real things. Moon ice was precious to her people. It was a stone found in old crevices of the mountain and difficult to come by. It was said a yeti could spend their whole lives gathering and cracking boulders looking for the precious jewels and never even find a hint of blue dust. Usually only yetis of great standing received any moon ice and then the stones were only worn for ceremonial reasons. Gana felt tears freezing at the side of her eyes, and she threw herself forward and up to clasp her friend in a tight hug.

"Come back," whispered Pyry, placing her hand over Gana's heart. Gana smiled and nodded. She would do her best to return to the tribe.

Gana could feel a natural snowstorm building on the other side of the mountain. She was tempted to go that way; it was where her tribe usually focused their attacks.

The blizzard would offer her power even after she had moved further down the mountain. Gana lifted her hood and adjusted her armor so that only her eyes showed out into the world. The enemy existed further down the mountain. They couldn't survive the harsh weather up at the top of the mountain, which was probably the only reason they had not attacked and decimated Gana's tribe yet. As Gana started her journey, it didn't seem long before Gana had traveled far enough down the mountain that the snowstorm was only a little buzz in her bones, and she started feeling the sluggish effects of the warmer weather. It was summer after all. Summer was a horrible season to be born. The weather even close to the top of the mountain could get too hot and the sun shine too long in the sky. Gana could feel the ancestors' gift of strength and knowledge slowly slipping away as her concentration went to keeping her body cool. It was a good thing she wasn't expected to attack a village. Instead, she would wait to engage an enemy that foolishly wandered from the safety of its people and home. Hopefully one would be prideful and stupid enough to stray up the mountain and into yeti territory either by himself or in a small group.

As the day dragged on, Gana was afraid she would never even see even the great wall she had heard they built. She could feel the heat sinking into her skin and was grateful for the ice that insulated her armor. She made certain to concentrate and continue to keep the ice frozen though it stole from her strength.

The sun had already begun its decent behind the mountain when Gana decided to make camp. It was clear she would not see any enemies that day and she knew them to be daytime creatures. Gana found a cool place to lie for the night, and built up the snow around her to obscure her from any predators that might try to attack while she was asleep and help rejuvenate her from heat.

When Gana woke the next day, she quickly packed some snow against her skin. She needed to keep cool and the snow on the ground had become patchy in areas. Gana was sure that soon there would be no snow at all. The cold was her element, without it she would become sluggish both in mind and body. The small yeti bundled herself up, trying to capture as much of the cold air close to her skin as she could, remembering some tricks her master and parents had taught her to do when she was forced to fight heat as bad as this.

It turned out Gana where she had settled down for the night wasn't far from a village. Gana took time to hunker down and just observe what she could of the enemies' layout. Her tribesmen hadn't been exaggerating when they told her how high the wall the enemy had built was on this side of the mountain. As she continued to observe, she soon realized there were people on the top of the wall with sticks strapped to their back and who patrolled and looked out in her direction as if waiting for her tribe to attack. Gana guessed the sticks strapped to the enemies' back were the kind her trainer said exploded and shot out a small ball of metal that ripped into a yeti's body, potentially killing you if it was aimed at the right place. The sticks were a coward's weapon, but the enemies were cowards, so their sticks suited them.

Gana drew back into the brushes. She would look around, further back from the wall. There was bound to be someone outside the town, scavenging, hunting, or taking their animals out to graze. Gana would find her prize soon enough. She drifted for a while in the bushes and shadows, looking out and not daring to get too close to the wall, or go too far into the open. The sun went past the midpoint, but Gana waited. Her prey would come as long as she was patient.

And then she saw him. He was wearing a light jacket and had one of those exploding sticks strapped to his back. Gana still didn't quite understand how the stick could hurt her. She had seen a wound created by one when she had been taken to learn basic healing, but she still didn't understand how a stick could cause a little piece of metal to get lodged inside her. The stick didn't appear to be supporting a sling of any kind, and even if there was one, Gana wasn't sure how it could be made to throw the little metal ball so fast. Actually, now that Gana was close to the enemy, she couldn't help but notice how incredibly short he was. It was one thing to be told that a creature that walked on two feet was her height, and another to see it.

Gana shifted her grip on her spear. She kept close to the ground; the enemy didn't seem to realize that she was stalking him. Good, he wouldn't know what hit him until it was too late. The seconds seem to stretch by, Gana waited for just the right moment, and then she charged. The enemy turned, and Gana smiled. She wasn't truly trying to be sneaky after all. The enemy needed to be engaged face to face. That was the way of the trial.

He fumbled for his stick, and Gana easily knocked it to the side. He twisted, moving his body enough so that her spear missed running him through, but in a second Gana had shifted her weight, let go of her spear, and tossed the enemy over and onto his back. He gasped for air before twisting again, Gana's Bonebreaker digging into the ground where he used to be and catching his jacket. The enemy then struck up with his arm, and only years of practice had Gana dodging in time as the blade clutched in his hand would have sliced open her throat. The mask was only leather now since the ice had melted away.

Gana rolled off him, and she pulled her spear from the earth. He rolled onto his feet and took a wide stance as he faced her. The enemy was already breathing hard. He showed some sign of training in fighting, though she could tell he'd never been on the battle field before, probably because he was her age. Gana was sure he was, the only real physical difference between them seemed to be the color of their skin, and that she was more powerful then him.

Gana hardened her heart. The enemy had to die and killing him should be no different than killing a mountain giant that had been touched by madness. If he was as old as her then he had no excuse being a weaker warrior than her. Gana shifted the spear in her hand and ran to build up speed for another attack. The male held his weapons awkwardly and was able to dodge the tip of her spear again. Gana let her momentum carry her forward before she pivoted, twisting the spear so it tripped him and knocking the boy to the ground. In doing so, she easily disarmed him and gained the upper hand. A few well placed elbows and knees had him gasping on the ground with her on top of him. He tried to knock her off, but he was weak, and she hit his head with the butt of her spear before winding him.

The enemy was at her mercy. Gana smiled and adjusted so she was pinning him to the ground, making it impossible for him to move, without using her hands. She then slid Bonebreaker out of its scabbard and pushed his neck so it was bared to her. She pulled back to deliver the blow and met the boy's eyes.

"Please," he whispered, tears leaking from his eyes. His struggles were feeble, and Gana knew she shouldn't care. Not for his life or the fact he was weak. She'd killed plenty of times, and many creatures had been more docile and their cries more pathetic than his. Killing him should be easy; by killing him she continued to ensure the survival of her tribe. This boy and his ancestors had killed and hunted her kind since they'd invaded her tribe's mountains.

Gana adjusted her grip on Bonebreaker and placed the edge of the blade on the enemies' neck. She still couldn't seem to be able to force her body to make that last fatal cut. Besides his skin color and small size, he looked so much like a yeti. Mountain giants resembled hairy yetis, and Gana had felt no remorse killing one she had befriended after he fell into blood fever. Gana told herself this, repeating it back in her mind as she looked into the enemy's eyes, her hand was staid. He wanted to live. He probably hadn't come out in search of yetis, the stick Gana had thrown away so easily was meant probably for protection. He was so weak. The fact he was weak should have disgusted Gana and made it easier for her to kill him, instead it somehow made it impossible for her to deliver the killing blow.

Gana found her will weakening as she looked into her enemies' eyes. She shouldn't care for his life. Yet as she looked down on him, she could feel the bloodlust that had been pounding through her veins fading away. She didn't understand why it was so hard to kill him. He was the enemy. In a day or two, if she let him go, he could come up the mountain in a raid to decimate her tribe. So why couldn't she kill him? She growled and finally was able to press pushing Bonebreaker's blade against and apply enough pressure to draw a trickle of blood. The boy's eyes closed and he looked away from her. Gana could feel his body trembling in fear.

So easy. She was so close to killing him. As soon as she presented his head, she would have proven her worth. With his head in her hand she would finish her trial and become a warrior of her tribe. Without his head in her hands when she returned, without the head of an enemy, she was worthless. By the laws of her tribe, she would be killed.

Blood. Beautiful red blood on snow.

But there was no snow. It was too warm for snow so far down the mountain.

The boy started crying. Gana looked up at his face to see tears streaming freely down his face and mixing with snot. Gana didn't understand. This was contemptible. The enemy was contemptible. He was crying. Warriors didn't cry at the thought of their death. He wasn't a warrior.

He deserved death. His whole cowardly race deserved death.

Gana stood, slipping Bonebreaker back into its sheath. She then turned her back to the enemy, going to retrieve her spear from where she dropped it. Gana had been defeated. That was the only thing she knew for certain. Even though she had been more powerful, had him pinned to the ground and at her mercy, he had won because she didn't have the stomach to kill him. Gana was not a true yeti. She was weak, pathetic, and deserving of death. What use was she if she couldn't kill the enemy?

As the small yeti turned to head back to her tribe and her fate, she was only half aware of the boy getting up behind her. Finally he seemed to get his bearings, and, screaming, he charged her. Gana was tempted to allow him to kill her. After all, she was a dead already. But to let such a weakling kill her was completely against her nature. Instead she sidestepped his clumsy attempt and jammed her elbow into his solar plexus. He went down hard and gasping. She rolled her eyes, walked over a few paces, picked up his stick, and threw it at him. If he was going to kill her, it might as well be with a weapon he was good at, even if it was a coward's weapon.

But no explosion went off, and Gana didn't feel the bite of metal. Maybe she had knocked him against the ground a little too hard. Too bad, Gana had a feeling that soon she would be wishing he'd killed her. Absently, Gana checked behind her. He was sitting there, staring at her; stick clutched awkwardly in his arms. The small yeti wondered what kept him from killing her now. Did he have the same problem killing her as she had killing him? Or was he just too cowardly to take her on himself now and was going to muster a small army from the nearby village?

Gana let her head fall back and sent a prayer to the ancestors asking them to keep her tribe safe.