Chapter 5
Lou was letting Lightning walk for a while. She should be catching up with them any moment now. With the wagon and Natalie's belongings loaded they couldn't drive too fast. She was having second thoughts about this whole thing. It would have been alright if Kid was by himself out here. But what about that girl? What am I gettin' myself into? She was all but sure this was the good idea she had figured it to be last night. She was getting tired of having ridden hard all night. She was surprised they had gotten this far. But she was right on their tracks.
Suddenly she heard a woman scream in terror. She halted Lightning abruptly, looking in the direction of the scream. Then there was nothing. What on earth? she thought as she spurred Lightening into a fast canter to get to the sound of a woman in distress.
She never saw the rope that was risen in front of Lightning. She felt her stumble over something and fall to the ground sending her off. She landed on the hard ground, gulped for air a moment and then passed out. She never saw the Braves approach her with dismayed faces. This was not in their plan. They had not realized there was yet another rider so close behind their prey. Still they had to stop him from riding into what was happening further away.
One of the Braves knelt down at Lou's side. Sitting there for a while sensing the rider wouldn't wake up just yet he signed to his companion. "This is not good! We' ll have to take him to the camp. He won't make it out here"
The other man leaned in over Lou to take a look, smiling at his friend's mistake, he tapped the warrior's shoulder "He's a she!"
Buck was ready to leave but his brother stopped him. "Not so fast Buck"
"I have to be on my way, brother, you know that!"
"First there's somebody you need to see."
"Dawn's here? I thought you sent all the women away?"
"You said it, the women. This one is trouble." Red Bear chuckled "she sneaks out at night to go hunting! I need you to have a word with her!"
A young man approached with a struggling young woman behind him, the young man had obvious trouble stilling the girl. "Be still girl" Red Bear spoke "Buck's here," he added with a mischievous smile. The young woman stopped her struggling at once. Looking up she saw Buck behind his horse. A sweet smile lightened her face as she ran towards his open arms.
Natalie was waking slowly, her head still spinning. She squinted her eyes to see clearer in the dark. Slowly she started to make out where she was. It was a large teepee with light seeping in through the opening in the upper part. She looked around to see where Kid was. He wasn't in the teepee. Maybe they had changed their minds and killed him? The thought made her sick. It was all her fault. If she hadn't followed her brother's advice and left Boston, he would still be alive. She struggled to get to her feet. But the poison they had given her took all her strength. She knew this was a bad idea when the Indians attached the stagecoach. She wondered what her father had done now? She was still fighting hard to get her limbs to obey her when the teepee's door opened and somebody was entering. She stiffened with fear as she saw two warriors come in with a limp body between them. She groaned and tried to make her way out of the teepee. She was abruptly stopped. When the warriors laid their burden down she had to blink twice to believe her eyes. It was Lou!
Buck and Dawn were sitting by the creek, Dawn securely wrapped in Buck's arms. They just held each other, happy to finally be together again, if only for a few hours.
"Buck, when will you come back?"
Buck kissed her forehead and stroke the hair out of her eyes. "You know I might never be able to come back and live with the tribe."
"Then we'll go live some other place, it been since ... Aidenguak'o P'a since I've seen you last!"
Buck chuckled softly into her ears. "See you don't even remember the word for September in English anymore!"
"And whose fault is that, if you came a little more often and not just every three rising moons, maybe I wouldn't forget! Since my mother died I don't get to speak your language very often."
"My language?"
"Buck, I'm forgetting more and more of the white way, because you ain't here and mother's gone."
"I know, nobody's here to look after you."
"I dont need nobody looking after me!"
"Red Bear seems to think otherwise."
"Red Bear's an old... " she stopped as she saw Buck's smile, realizing he was joshing her. "Stop it, of I'll throw you in the creek!"
Buck tightened his grip and kissed her. "I know you will" he whispered. "No that I've told you why I'm here, don't go going anything foolish, promise!"
"He means a lot to you, this Kid?" Dawn looked up in Buck's eyes.
"He's like family."
"Then he's my friend too" she smiled at him, knowing Buck would chose his friends with care.
"That's why I want you to listen to Red Bear and stop sneaking out at night, going hunting."
"I promise, if you promise to stay a while longer."
"It's a deal" Buck said, kissing her again.
Natalie had finally gotten control of her limbs. She was thankful she hadn't swallowed too much of the poison. She crawled towards Lou, still too weak to walk. "Lou?" She reached out to touch the rider lying on the ground, pale and unconscious. She lifted Lou's eyelids and looked into the girl's eye. Concussion, just as she had thought. Thankful for her brothers lessons in medicine she wouldn't be at a complete loss. She checked the girl's airways and made sure that she was breathing properly. As she was about to lay her in a more comfortable position the teepee's opening flung open again.
A young Brave stood hovering over her, looking at her with suspicious eyes. "You know medicine?" he asked.
"A little" she replied, wondering what was coming next.
"What does she need? We have no Medicine man with us and she needs help."
Natalie was surprised at the Indians reaction, she had expected something else. The Indian read her face. "She's not like you, she's innocent."Natalie almost choked "What have I done?"
"You're Benjamin Shearer's daughter!"
Natalie felt her heart shrink, she had known it, her father had been at it again. "I'm not him!" she told the warrior.
"You're of his loins!"
They stopped their arguing as they heard Lou move. Natalie leaned over her again and saw her eyes flicker. Then she lay still again.
"Not yet?" the man asked.
"Soon" she reassured him, hopeful that at least one of them would be spared. "What about the man, Kid" she asked.
The Brave gave her a stern gaze. "Is he your man?"
"No" she shook her head "he was just taking me somewhere."
"He had a friendship sign, we have to find out if it was a true one."
"You can ask her when she wakes up" Natalie made a sign in Lou's direction.
"Is he her man?"
"I think so"
Lou was groaning and waking up. She looked up into darkness. Is it night already, she thought, what happened here? She felt somebody else was in this place, she could hear somebody breathing. She tilted her head and her eyes fell on Natalie. "Kid?" was the first word she uttered.
"Where is he? Is he alright? Why was that Indian asking me all those questions?" Lou was sitting up waving and holding her aching head.
"Lou" Natalie said softly "You outta lie down. You've got a concussion and that means you have to be still."
"Where is he?" Lou wasn't going to give in.
"I don't know." Natalie shook her head "They gave me poison so I was out when they brought me here."
"What happened?" Lou was at a total loss. She couldn't remember anything about what had happened. The last thing she remembered was her riding Lightning over the plains.
"I don't know what happened to you. What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be in Rock Creek?"
"I don't mean me, what happened to him?" Lou hissed at Natalie, impatient that she didn't understand.
"We got ambushed."
"And...`"
"Kid was hit by an arrow in his shoulder" Natalie began but was silenced by Lou's reaction. She was already on her way out of the teepee. "Lou, you can't go, they're watching us!" Natalie got a hold of Lou's leg and dragged the still weak girl back.
"I have to see him!"
"Lou, they're not letting us out. I've already tried that!" At the noise the girls were creating a Brave placed himself in front of the opening.
Lou sank to the ground. Her head was still spinning and she felt weak. She started to sob uncontrollably and Natalie placed Lou's head in her lap.
"He's gonna be fine" she said "You're both gonna be fine, but you have to rest up first. Then we'll go find him." Natalie was talking more to herself than to Lou. Seeing the girl cry heartbreakingly made her want to cry too. Over this whole situation that she had led them into!
The teepee was getting darker and Natalie gathered it was night already. The warrior came in and made a fire in the center. "Don't get any ideas," he warned them "Somebody is watching you all the time." Leaving water and food for them on the ground he stepped out. Natalie turned over to Lou, but the girl was sleeping, exhausted from the day's events. Natalie covered her with hides and continued her wake.
Buck slept by Dawn side in the teepee. It was getting light outside and he had to be on his way. He hated leaving her, but he knew he couldn't stay. He had to get word to Teaspoon about what had happened. They had to see if Kid and Natalie had made it to Seneca alright. They ought to be at their destination right now. If they weren't it was going to kill Lou! Silently he moved away from Dawn, covering her with blankets to keep her from getting cold. He kissed her and she smiled in her sleep. With a heavy heart he rose to return to the white world.
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|Chapter 1||Chapter 2||Chapter 3||Chapter 4||Chapter 5||Chapter 6|
|Chapter 7||Chapter 8| |Chapter 9||Chapter 10||Chapter 11| |Chapter 12|
|Chapter 13||Chapter 14||Chapter 15| |Chapter 16||Chapter 17||Chapter 18|
|Chapter 19||Chapter 20|
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