“Another one?” someone cheered into Lagi’s ear. When Lagi looked up, Kaipo was standing before him with his pitcher of spirits, pointing to the nearly empty cup that Lagi was fondling in his hands.

“No, I’m alright,” but Kaipo did not listen. He filled up the cup with a merry hollar and a hard slap on Lagi’s back before running off to rejoin the dance circle. Lagi looked down at the drink in his cup, saw the glimmering lights of the bonfire reflecting off its surface. It was becoming harder and harder for him with each one of these ceremonies. He was sure that he would have had his powers by now. After all, he was supposed to get them seven circles ago at puberty like the rest of the boys in his tribe. Women had their first blood; men had their first fire -- that’s just the way things happen. Now, he continued to watch as the boys he grew up with not only all had their powers but were all completing their fire-training, becoming strong fire warriors just as the gods had intended. Lagi, he stayed behind day after day as they went on their hunting trips, his only use to help the women with their routine chores.

He poured out the drink on the sand at his feet. There would be no celebration tonight for Lagi.

Kaipo was a strong warrior, the strongest the Ahi’ahi’s had seen in a long time. Lagi knew that he would get his pick of women tonight, and he also knew exactly who he would choose. This was the first time that Samaria was available to be chosen, having just recently completed her wife-training. She had taken longer to complete it than most, since she was preoccupied with her fire-training, and secretly, Lagi had hoped that she would never finish, just so that he would never have to see his love married off to someone else.

Although, she did look gorgeous tonight with her necklace of feathers…