“And I am sorry, Brother,

It had been his job to control Christof. He'd had to Limit Christof's nature, so the family could succeed.

Damien told him solemnly.

“We did what we had to, Brother," Christof told him.

“This is much better, though.”

Inside the bathing hall were many men with small children. Evidently everyone had the same idea. It would be easier to watch the Little ones with fewer grown men here. We got the boys undressed and guided them toward the pool.

Jonathan dove in the moment he was near the edge and Aiden followed. The other three Brothers had never Learned to swim and yelled for their family to come back. They didn't Like that they couldn't follow.

“Don't be upset," Bane soothed picking up Rees and Mycah. "We'll all bathe and then we'll teach you to swim."

Damien carried Niah in and we found a shallow area by the steps. Jonathan and Aiden showed up with shiny rocks they'd found on the bottom. They had gotten one for each of their Brothers. The gifts didn't totally soothe the hurt feelings of being left, but it helped.

We scrubbed ourselves and the boys in the warm, swirling water. Pretty soon we were all clean, our charges weren't worried about that, though. Mycah's family wanted to learn how to swim.

I figured we'd be late for the morning meal at this rate, but the boys loved the swimming lesson. Jonathan and Aiden had quickly disappeared to explore the pool as Evan taught their Brothers how to move in the water. The little boys were desperate to follow their Brothers.

My method of swimming was not the same as what the men did. There wasn't much I could teach them on this front. I pulled myself up the steps and dried my body by the fires. It seemed Like a good idea to get dressed so I could help Mycah's family when they got out.

Several families had little boys and they were getting them re-clothed after their bath. It was funny to watch the other men battle with the little ones as they did up their outfits. Stubborn children were used to doing this themselves, even if they did it wrong. Male children in the Child Keepers rarely got the undivided attention they were all getting now.

The love and affection from their caregivers would allow them to form strong bonds. The Keepers were always kept too busy to really pay attention to one family. This type of attention was normal in the camp and created strong communal relationships. I was glad to see it happening so quickly.

Jonathan and Aiden were all over the water exploring. I'd see them pop up for air as they examined the contents of our bathing pool. The two boys had no fear as they explored the water. This was fun and liberating. They seemed to be having a grand time.

Evan felt Jonathan, he always had. My family was aware of their offspring, but except the one time he tried to bond with them, Jonathan had not seemed overly conscious of his male breeder. As I sat and watched my family, I realized that had changed. Suddenly I felt Jonathan projecting powerfully to Evan. It wasn't something I wanted to feel, though. It was a call to arms.

Before I could stand on my feet every man in the hall moved as one. Little boys were literally thrown from the pool and caught by men that were standing around me. Short knives were grabbed from the clothing laying around and tossed into the pool. Men's arms darted out of the water and grabbed the weapons in perfect synchrony.

I'd never been this close to the men when they were grabbed by The Great Harmonious Spirit before. The raw power of it silenced the scream that I wanted to let out. There was no fear in this room, only determination. Our quiet morning had become a battle and we would win.

It was Like slow motion as the huge black shape rose out of the water near the edge of the light. I couldn't see into the darkness that well, but the men could. The snake Like alien writhed and coiled. It's jaws were wrapped around something small and pale and I did scream.

Jonathan's body was caught in the creature's teeth. I saw Aiden biting frantically at the creature's neck trying to make it let go. That wasn't what forced the alien's actions, though.

Damien's family swarmed around the thing taking out chunks of its flesh. The razor sharp secondary teeth my men carried were not just for show. My family was joined by several other families of men and together they tore the creature to pieces.

More men rushed into the bathing room from outside. Mund's family led the charge with Basin's right behind. They roared a mighty war cry as one being and the walls resounded with it. They were being called and commanded by The Great Spirit. The men's power was in their numbers and their absolute cooperation, we certainly had that here.