Western Trails (closed)

Penny’s heart was racing and she wondered how John could keep so calm. She sat still, watching him closely for a long moment as he told her that it wasn’t her husband. Don’t look frightened? Well, that was a lot to ask, she thought to herself as he spun around and turned his back to the fire, looking out into the darkness as he waited for this man to appear.

He saw the slight movement, the fur on the person's head told him all he needed to know,

"Hau pksape wicasa"

The person stepped further into the light, a dry chuckle coming from his tall frame,

"Your accent still reeks young one."

John smiled and stepped forward, the two men grasped each other's right hand just above the wrist,

"It is good to see you again wise one."

The other man nodded,

"Yes it is, from what has transpired in the winds I take it that you're not here on a casual visit."

John shook his head,

"As usual it is a long story. I fled from town with another man's woman."

The shaman broke out in hearty laughter,

"At last you're starting to learn! But what drew me here was the smell of good food."

John nodded,

"I will share what I can."

"And I will be thankful for what I receive."

The two moved closer to the fire where Penelope sat, John drew a bowl from his saddlebags as the shaman sat down opposite Penelope, John took of his food and placed it in the bowl and offered this to the other man, he took it and John sat down.

"You have killed of the people who dwell here."

It was more a statement than an accusation and John nodded,

"Yes."

"You will have to pay blood when you cross this territory again."

John smiled slightly,

"That I am aware of, what do you know of our pursuers?"

"They are like vultures, scared to strike on their own, but will swoop in and kill the wounded. The people know of you two, but they have more interest in the larger group invading into their lands."

The shaman suddenly smiled, showing him to be much younger than one would expect,

"So are you going to introduce me to your friend Wicate?"

John chuckled,

"Penny this is Gray Owl, Gray Owl this is Penny."

The shaman nodded,

"It's good to meet you Penny."

Penny still felt terrified as a tall man stepped into the light and then she felt stupefied as John started to talk like a native. If she had thought about it, her jaw would have dropped, but she kept her eyes locked on the man that was conversing with her lover. John stood and shook his hand and Penny started to relax a little. Maybe this would all work out for the best.

“It’s good to meet you too.” She murmured softly, her voice trembling as the man nodded at her.

Clearing her throat, she glanced towards John who was smiling and relaxed. “Ummm…I know it doesn’t mean much but I’m terribly sorry that we’ve brought all of this trouble to your lands. It wasn’t our intention.” She said to the shaman.

The shaman motioned to the stars,

"The nightwind does not wish to bother us yet it does, things is like it will be. The people know this, you must accept that the man you love is not like any other man. Towards you he can be kind, gentle even a lover, but to a man who oppose him, the cold wind of the North will always live in his heart."

John held up a hand,

"I think it will not be that necessary to warn her, I have tried continuously."

The shaman grunted and took a few bites of his food,

"Then she is one to hold on to Wicate."

John frowned,

"Because she accepts who I am?"

The shaman looked up,

"No, she makes good food."

Penny couldn’t help but laugh at the Shaman’s response to her cooking. She glanced at John and smile gently, looking back towards the older man as he looked between the two of them.

“I’m sure there’s hundred’s of women out there that can cook better than I.” She said as she offered him more from the pot. “But I do love John, no matter what his past is. In fact, maybe one day I will be a little bit more than his captive query. Maybe even a wife…if he doesn’t mind.”

Penny was laying herself bare and her heart was racing in her chest. If John said no, then she might very well live a life of loneliness.

Before John could answer the shaman spoke first,

"He is already yours Penny, it is not the wild cat that tames the bear, it is the soft words and touch of the South Wind that puts the wolf to sleep."

John glared at the older man, but he just smiled back at John,

"You know it to be true Wicate."

John chuckled,

"So I must take her for her cooking while she has captured me already?"

"Yes, you have been snared, only a rabbit will run and we both know you are no rabbit."

John glanced at Penny,

"Seems like you have an answer already."

Penny smiled at John and felt her heart swell for him. He loved her, adored her, cherished her…things that no man had ever done for her before. She was a person with him, not an object to be used and then thrown away.

“I want nothing more than to be yours immediately.” She said, the happy look on her face fading somewhat as she remembered that she did have a husband out there on the prairie searching for her. Seth always seemed to put a damper on any good mood that she’d been in.

“But…I guess that’s just foolish thinking.” She said softly, gathering the empty plates and taking them towards the small little water source to clean.

The shaman grunted and pulled out a pipe, lighting it with a coal, he pulled a few deep puffs and looked at John,

"Be careful Wicate, her man is not far away. I can see your plan, but Little Swallow who leads them, knows your plan as well. It will not help to bring down the little bird as her man already knows your plan."

John sighed and stared at the coals for a while,

"What then? Kill them all?"

The older man looked at him, dark eyes unreadable,

"Another action might just be in order Wicate, the people will soon come looking for you to demand blood debt, you can not go back, you can not go South as you already know."

John looked at the shaman, not sure what he was getting at,

"To the North and the East the white eyes will be waiting, but to the South East..."

John grinned,

"There is woods that will make it easy to cover our tracks."

The shaman nodded his approval of John's thinking, pointing with the stem of his pipe,

"Three miles of desert and then the forest starts, a strange occurrence, yet it is there."

John nodded,

"And this will cost us?"

The shaman smiled and puffed on his pipe,

"One binding of the drying meat."

John arched an eyebrow,

"That is cheap."

The shaman nodded, pointing the stem of his pipe at Penny,

"I'm doing it for her, she have seen and felt many evils in her life, she deserve a good break."

John nodded,

"Then we have an agreement."

Penny tried her hardest not to listen to the conversation between the two men. Glancing over her shoulder from time to time, she noticed the way that they looked at her and then looked away, discussing something as she quietly cleaned the dinner plates and stored them away in Sudden’s pack.

It seemed that something had been discussed between them and she felt as if she were the target of their discussion. She didn’t like the way that they looked at her and spoke as if she weren’t there.

“John, are there still some apples in your pack?” She asked, breaking the silence. “Maybe I can whip up some dessert for us and our guest.”

He looked up at her and smiled,

"Oh you are indeed aiming to spoil us both."

He chuckled,

"Yes I think there is still a few apples in the pack, want me to help you?"

“No. You just sit there and catch up.” She said with a smile towards both men before she turned towards Sudden’s pack and pulled out the apples that were resting at the bottom.

She baked the apples with a little bit of the flour he had left over. Some of the sugar left there followed and soon a fluffy crumble was forming. She tried her hardest not to listen as the two men talked, but she kept catching snippets of conversation.

John of course was caught up in the news of new tidings and movements inside of the tribe and the other tribes as well. He had been gone for a long time, so the first time he did break eye contact was when Penny came to the fire to work further on the dessert. He looked at her as she worked, this woman really knew her way around utensils, she followed orders and yet seemed head strong if it was important to her.

"I feel that the buffalo hunters is chasing the buffalo back into the reserves, so the unease about no food should be quenched for some time then?"

The shaman nodded as he puffed on his pipe,

"Yes, but these white men usually do not let boundaries stop them, this unrest might boil over."

John nodded his agreement,

"Unrest leads to war, a thing not one of the two groups can afford right now."

A soft chuckle from the opposite side of the fire,

"Ah but more work for you Wicate."

John grimaced,

"You really like to call me that don't you?"

A few puffs on the pipe,

"Did you not earn the name?"

John nodded slowly,

"That I have."

“What does Wicate mean?” Penny asked as she stepped back into the circle and passed a plate of baked apple to each of the men.

“You keep calling John that. Does it mean something special?” She asked, sitting down next to John and waiting for the explanation to come.

John took the plate and looked at Penny as she sat down,

"Wicate means death."

"It is his nature Penny, he can be how civil, how calm, how collected, but it is as much part of him as his shadow."

The shaman paused and sniffed at the plate, setting the pipe aside he had a taste, John grinned and nudged Penny gently,

"You got him to place down his pipe, I've never seen that happen."

The shaman finished his plate, then looked at the pipe, picking it up, he puffed it to life again.

"Wicate if you do not take this woman, I will make sure to steal her."

John wrapped an arm around Penny,

"Don't worry Black Raven, I intend to keep and love her."

A smile cracked the shaman's face and he puffed further on his pipe.

“Death…” Penny said softly, listening as the shaman explained what his nickname meant. “But…why not just call him John? I don’t know if I can bear to think that the man I love is thought of as death…”

She glanced at John as he nudged her, grinning as he teased his friend. She actually blushed as John wrapped his arm around her, telling the shaman that he loved her. She looked towards his eyes, smiling at him as she wrapped her arm around his waist and pulled herself closer to his warm side.

“I think that’s about the best thing I’ve heard in months.” She said softly, her lips pressing against her cheek as she rested her cheek against his shoulder.

The shaman shrugged,

"Why call the wind the storm if the storm is the wind?"

John smiled at Penny and tasted the baked apple, it tasted great, he ate it and when he was finished he gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Thank you, it's really fabulous."

He eyed the shaman,

"Why call the warrior wild if the wild is not the warrior?"

He grinned and took a sip of his coffee,

"I feel that we actually have a good chance of getting out of this."

"If you follow your new plan, I feel with you."

Penny listened to their conversation, her eyes surprisingly heavy as the sound of John’s voice wrapped around her just as his arm had. She sighed softly, her cheek pressing a bit tighter against his shoulder as she allowed her eyes to close. It had been a long day, one that she hoped they would not have to repeat for a long time.

He felt her snuggling up and her steady breathing indicated that she was falling asleep, he shifted a little bit to make her more comfortable and they continued their discussion about the current state of things and how it affected the people. Any outside person would have been amazed at this, the shaman, an Indian, talking about politics with a stone-cold killer, who in turn spoke about grazing and herds like only an Indian could.

It was late when the shaman bid John goodbye, John lifted Penny and propped her against the saddles, he clasped the shaman's forearm in parting and gave him the meat that was requested. He rolled open the bedroll and settled Penny on it, tucking her into the warm blankets to keep her warm against the creeping chill. He took a seat against a rock, wrapped into his jacket and blanket. He slept for an hour or two, waking up, he stayed in his position, his only action to pick up his rifle and settling it onto his lap as he continued his watch.

The wind was just starting to pick up when Penny finally woke. She could see the sky brightening on the horizon and knew that dawn must have been a few moments away. Rubbing her eyes with her fist, she let out a soft sigh and turned her gaze towards John. She wondered if he’d slept at all last night. He didn’t look any worse from wear, but he was good at keeping his emotions close to his chest.

“Did you really mean what you said last night?” Penny asked softly, the blanket clenched tightly under her chin. “Do you really intend to keep me?”

He heard her stir and looked over at her, when her voice came out from under the blanket, he smiled.

"If you'll have me, now that you're awake we can get going, it will have to be a trial breakfast, the new direction we will have to take will take a bit longer and I want to make some good time before they get ahead of us."

He got up from his seat, moving over to her he hunkered down next to her, brushing away a strand of stray hair,

"Like he said, I deserved my name, but you seem to believe I'm redeemable, I'm willing to get you to your people like I promised and then we can see where we go from there."

Penny looked up at John as he came and hunkered down next to her. She gave him a sweet smile as he brushed the hair from her face, gently tucking it behind her ear as he promised her that he wanted her as long as she would have him.

“I know you’re redeemable. You just have to let me show you that.” She said softly, sitting up from her pallet to press her lips gently against his. “As long as you’ll have me.”

She grinned at him then, laughing softly as she slipped from beneath the blanket to let John pack up everything while she went to get something to eat ready for travel.

He smiled at her, but left her comment unanswered, a few minutes later they were on the move, leading their horses as he took them along a game trail, him leading her horse and she leading Sudden. It became clear that her horse was not used to trail, but she was learning quickly and that pleased John, a smart horse is always a bonus. They ate the breakfast that Penny had made for them while on the move, it was passed noon when they reached the foot of the escarpment and John called a halt,

"We can have a quick lunch and then get on our way again, I want to make a lot of head-way before they realize what we've done."

The pace that John set was brisk, but not so fast that she was unable to keep up. Penny could definitely feel the aches and pains of sleeping rough, but it was little compared to the aches and pains she would have felt staying with her husband. The thought made her shiver and she felt a slight beat of panic rising in her chest at the thought of going back to him.

When John pulled them to a stop, she listened to his suggestion of a quick lunch and she nodded. “I’ll cook us up something and then help you water the horses.” She said, jumping into action before anything else was said.

He found a small pool, basically enough for the two horses, they still had enough water so he allowed the horses to drink as Penny set to work. After a quick meal and Penny giving the two horses some corn, they mounted up and was soon on their way. On this side of the mountain the desert wasn't so harsh and they made good distance, still John felt uncomfortable, like they had been found out and the pursuers was much closer than they thought. But he knew that they had not reached their camping site, the only problem remaining may be some of the unblooded braves who might think that the two of them would make a nice trophy to prove their manhood to the squaws of the tribe. He pushed the horses and they reached a watering hole, rain water trapped between a few outcropping rocks.

"We'll set up camp here."

It was the first time he had spoken since lunch and he smiled at Penny as he helped her from her horse,

"You're turning into a real trailswoman."

He playfully tapped the brim of the hat she wore

Penny found it so incredibly easy to laugh around John. He made her smile and her heart felt lighter with every small little joke and observation that he made. She sighed softly as he tapped the brim of her hat, the smile on her face luminous .

“Well, it’s lucky that I have such a good guide on this trail to teach me.” She said, her fingers reaching for the collar of his coat and pulling him down into a gentle kiss.

When she released him, she stared into his eyes for a long moment before she turned to help him set up their camp for the night.