“Well, I guess it is,” Gabrielle agreed. “Wouldn’t want to share some of it would you? After all, she did die here in front of our cabin.”

“Don't think so,” the man answered.

Another man stepped up.

“You said ‘our cabin.’ Somebody else here? Husband maybe?”

“No, just me and my friend.”

Just then Xena hobbled out of the doorway using her sword as a cane.

The second man glanced at his companions with an evil smile.

“Just you two, huh?  And no man around. Kind of dangerous, isn’t it, all by yourselves?”

“We can take care of
ourselves,” Gabrielle replied, now becoming wary.

“One with a broke leg and you with a bum arm?” the third man said.

“I think maybe you two could use some male companionship,” he added with an unpleasant tone of voice.

“And I think it’s time you three took your deer and got out of here,” Xena told them.

“I don't think so,” the first man said. “I think we might just stay around a bit longer. So we can get to know each other better.” And he laughed along with the other two.

Without warning, Xena’s other hand came out from behind her and she sent her Chakram sailing out  past the men, who turned to watch it as it flew high up toward the trees then circled back around toward them.

They barely had time to dive face first down into the dirt to keep from being killed.

Xena snagged the Chakram out of the air and before the men could recover, had her sword at the throat of the first man.

“Either of you move and he dies,” she said to the other two.

No one moved.

“Gabrielle, get their weapons.”

Gabrielle retrieved their bows, arrows and knives.

“Now get up!”

When the men were up on their feet, Xena said, “Get your deer and get out of here. You come back again and you’ll be pulling your own arrows out of each other. Now GET!”

Hurriedly, the men hoisted the deer onto the shoulders of the largest man and quickly walked away from the cabin, muttering low to each other. As they barely got out of sight, Xena threw her Chakram again, cutting off several tree limbs behind them as a final warning.

“You know, you could have had them leave the deer,” Gabrielle said.

“Then they’d just be that much madder, and would come back that much sooner.”

“You think they’ll be back?”

“Maybe, maybe not. But at least we can hunt now. I never was really happy with the thought of using my Chakram to kill game with.”

T B C