The old woman continued scratching her ear as if it were the most important activity in her life.
Tairo approached. The young blond man studied Hawke from head to toe with narrowed eyes, thoughtful. His brow furrowed in an effort to reason.
"Maybe..." His voice came out slowly, processing. "Maybe he's a woman."
Silence.
"WHAT?" Hawke and Duggi spoke at the same time.
Tairo was unfazed. He continued analyzing Hawke like a scientist studying an unknown specimen.
"Look at her." He pointed with his chin. "Skinny. No muscles. Smooth skin." He paused. "Maybe her's a woman and didn't tell us."
"I'M A MAN!" Hawke felt a vein throb in his temple.
"But the voice is deep." Duggi frowned, less convinced now. Anger had given way to confusion. "Too deep for a woman."
"Ah." Tairo scratched his chin, thoughtful. "But maybe she's... a different kind of woman? A woman with a deep voice? You know, I've heard there are different types, that there are women taller than men and stronger."
Duggi tilted his head, seriously considering the possibility.
"That makes sense, except for the part about being stronger." He took a step closer, studying Hawke's face carefully. "And looking closely..." His head tilted to the other side. "She's actually quite pretty. For a girl. Despite not having large melons."
The anger had completely evaporated. Now it was just curiosity.
"I'M A MAN, DAMN IT!"
The tone came out indignant, almost shrill. Hawke felt his face burn.
But Duggi had already returned to his original anger. The memory of the crime came back like a shock.
"IT DOESN'T MATTER!" The finger pointed again. "If you're a man like you say, you broke the rule! Men and women don't sleep together until grandma says so!"
"I didn't do anything! They came at me! I was sleeping!"
"It doesn't matter! A rule is a rule!"
Duggi charged forward with his heavy steps.
It was fast. Surprisingly fast for someone his size. His stocky body covered the distance in a few steps, his thick hands reaching out.
His hands gripped Hawke's shoulders.
They pushed hard.
Hawke instinctively pushed him back.
They stood there, in a primal struggle of strength, each trying to knock the other down. Hands glued to shoulders, legs planted on the ground, muscles trembling with the effort.
Their feet slid slowly on the stone. A millimeter this way. Two that way.
Duggi was more robust. Heavier. Thick muscles in his arms and chest, a short, strong neck, a low center of gravity.
But their strength was... equal?
How? He is less muscular than me, less experienced, without any scars! Duggi wondered.
It didn't matter. They were evenly matched. Neither could gain an advantage. Duggi's brute strength met with exactly equal resistance.
The man's eyes widened. Genuine surprise.
"You... you're a bit strong..."
Hawke didn't answer. He was focused on not being thrown backward.
Then Hawke had an idea.
He stopped resisting.
He let his body fall backward.
Duggi, who was pushing with all his might, completely lost his balance. His body fell with him, propelled forward by his own force.
But Hawke was already planting his feet on the man's stomach and pushing upward with all his strength; Duggi flew, literally.
The stocky body shot toward the cave ceiling like a human rocket, arms and legs flailing in the air in a desperate movement. Mouth open in a silent scream.
SHIT!
Hawke saw it too late: a pointed rock emerging from the ceiling. It resembled a natural stalactite, but thicker, sharper, and treacherous, hidden in the dim light above. Duggi was flying straight towards it, backward. No, wait; his trajectory was lower. His body was arched, his back bent, and his rear end was facing upward.
'NO. NO NO NO. IT'S GOING TO HIT THE... OH GOD.'
The point of the rock was going straight for the guy's ass.
Hawke covered his eyes with one hand, peeking between his fingers.
"OWWWW—"
Duggi's scream pierced the air. Sharp, desperate, and final. The rock passed, mere millimeters—literally millimeters—below him. If the tip grazed his skin, it wasn't visible. It flew so close that it must have tickled.
It didn't pierce.
But his back hit the ceiling with a heavy "THUNK."
The guy's body lay there pinned for a second, like a coyote in a cartoon. Eyes wide open. Mouth agape. Arms and legs paralyzed in mid-air.
Then he fell.
Right onto the stone floor.
"UGH!"
The sound escaped him along with all the air from his lungs. The impact made his whole body shake.
Hawke rolled to the side quickly, pure instinct, avoiding being crushed by the falling body.
Duggi crashed to the ground with a grunt, his chin pressed against the floor and he remained motionless.
Eyes wide open staring at the ceiling.
Mouth open trying to suck in air.
Hands trembling slightly.
Trying to remember how to breathe.
Absolute silence in the cave.
Kuggi stared with his mouth open, his jaw dropped at an angle that looked uncomfortable. Tairo blinked repeatedly, rapidly, as if trying to reboot his brain. Grandma had stopped scratching her ear, her hand frozen in mid-air.
Kaira and Yuka, awakened by the noise, sat up in synchronized motion. Their hair was messy, their eyes still sleepy but already wide with surprise. They watched the scene without fully understanding what had happened.
Hawke stood up slowly, unconsciously wiping his hands.
"I... I didn't mean to..." His voice came out trembling. "He attacked me..."
Duggi finally managed a breath. Gasping, painful. Then another. His eyes still fixed on the ceiling, processing that he was still alive.
"You... you almost..." His voice came out hoarse, faltering. "My ass..."
"Sorry."
"THE ROCK... almost..."
"I know. I'm really sorry, man."
Duggi rolled onto his side slowly, with extreme care. His arms wrapped around his body. His legs buckled. He curled up in a fetal position, his hands protecting his rear as if he were still in imminent danger.
His eyes were wet. Not from crying, but from sheer fright.
Grandma broke the silence.
"Good." Her voice came out normal, as if nothing had happened. "Looks like they've resolved things?"
As if a man hadn't almost been impaled by his rear end on a sharp rock.
As if near-fatal power struggles were commonplace.
Normal. Just another normal morning in the cave.