When Young Bear awoke at first light the rain had stopped. Looking to the east he could see a glare as though the sun was coming up. It would be good to see the sun again, to feel its warmth on his head and his skin. It would be good for his grandfather to feel warm again too. It would be wonderful to hear him speak again without the tremble of the cold in in his voice. Their clothing and the blanket would be dry. Maybe the white soldiers would not be kept so busy digging shallow holes in the earth. Young Bear arose from the blanket, walked over to the trees, and into the woods. Before going to sleep last night he had set a snare as Old Beaver Tail had taught him. He had only a small buckskin thong to use for the snare but he always had hope. Then as he walked up the small game trail in the thick brush he could see that the snare had been sprung. He felt a rush of excitement in his chest. As he drew closer he could see a bit of fur. Then he could see the rabbit that had been caught in his snare. It was the first he had caught and his spirits soared. Young Bear took the rabbit from the snare, picked up the snare, and ran back to his grandfather. He was so excited he could hardly speak. As he rushed up to Old Beaver Tail he could see a big smile on the face of the old man. The sun was coming up now and his grandfather was feeling much better. Young Bear held up the rabbit to show the old man. His face looked so bright it was as if a light burned inside his head and the light showed through his face and his eyes. The old man was very proud of his grandson. They would have a good breakfast of roasted rabbit. Then when they stopped for the night they would have rabbit stew. A full stomach would make the march much easier. Old Beaver Tail cleaned the rabbit, put a small portion close to the fire to cook, then hung the rest on a stick to smoke so that it would not spoil during the march today. The white soldiers rode close to the column this day. The people were becoming more homesick at each step westward, away from their beautiful mountains and valleys. When the weather turned to sunshine and warm wind their thoughts turned to home and how they might get away from the white soldiers. There were few who did not want to return to the mountains which were now days and miles behind them. As with the rest of the people, Old Beaver Tail wished to return to the only home he had ever known. His greatest desire was to return to his mountains, to spend the rest of his days there with Young Bear. When his spirit walked on and took the spirit trail he wished his body to be buried there in that ground the Great Spirit had given the people. Each morning before the march started and each evening after the march had ended for the day he would stand and look to the east, to where the sky met the ground, towards home, to the mountains he had loved so much. Young Bear would watch his grandfather as he stood facing the east. He would see the sorrow fill the old man's eyes, the tired look of resignation on his face, and wonder what Old Beaver Tail was thinking. After only two days of sunshine and warm weather the rain started again and the time of the wet blanket returned. The rabbit Young Bear had caught in his snare was now gone. They had eaten the flesh and Old Beaver Tail had cracked the bones with a rock and boiled them to make a thin but tasty broth. One day as they were crossing a stream one of the horses slipped and fell. The animal's front legs were broken. The white soldier had raised his musket and shot the horse. The column had stopped long enough for the people to butcher the unfortunate animal. They would have a little meat to go with the wormy flour and meal for supper tonight. Young Bear wished he had a musket. He would go into the forest and get a deer. It was only a dream but he could make believe the horse meat was venison----if it wasn't so stringy. Again his thoughts returned to home they had left in the mountains. Then, as he remembered his father and his mother he turned his thoughts back to the present ------but he would remember. He would always remember. He would never forget!
