She lifted her head and stared out at the water. It flowed past at its familiar slow pace, gurgling where it bubbled against the low riverbank.
After a while Star rose and plodded back along the trail to the camp. She passed Tula's tent and saw the Jaguar woman sitting outside in the sun, nursing her baby. When Tula caught sight of Star, she hissed.
Star sighed. If she did not leave the Jaguar camp soon, it was going to be a long, cold winter. Perhaps I will go and talk with Chokecherry. She is unhappy, too. We can make plans together, plans to return to our Badger People.
Chapter Twenty-one
At the time of the evening meal, Falcon walked into camp with two large rabbits, gutted and skinned, slung over his shoulder. Relief swept through Star. She had not seen him all day since he had stridden away from the river, and she had secretly worried that he was going to stay away hunting for several days because he was so angry with her.
But now that he was back, she shrugged off her relief and kept scraping at the deer hide. She had to remove the thick fat from the inside of the skin before it could be worked into soft leather for clothing.
Falcon placed the rabbits by the fire and sauntered over to her. When he was quiet, Star glanced up at him.
"So. You decided to return." The coldness in her voice was not feigned.
"I went hunting."
She said nothing to that obvious statement but kept scraping at the hide.
"Is that hide you are scraping going to be our next meal?"
"No."
He glanced around at the neat baskets laid out with her scraping implements and her awl and needles. Fall berries and freshly dug wapatoo roots were in the other baskets. Star was proud of her work, work that she had done while worrying and wondering where he was, she thought angrily. Her lips tightened.
"I did not return from hunting just to watch my wife labor at tanning a hide while I am hungry."
She carefully set aside the scraping stone, unfolded her legs, and got to her feet. She gave him a level look. "I did not like it that you left without telling me where you were going."
He shrugged his broad shoulders. "I went hunting."
"I know you went hunting," she answered patiently. "But next time you go hunting, please tell me. Then I will not fear for you."
"Fear for me? You?"
She wanted to wipe the astounded look from his handsome face. "I did not know where you were," she answered doggedly. "I worried that you might have gone hunting for many days, or been lying hurt in a ravine somewhere."
He frowned and appeared to be pondering her words. "I was safe."
She snorted. "Do you Jaguar people not tell others when you go hunting?"
''Yes, we do. It just did not occur to me. I knew I was not going to be gone long."
"Among my people," she answered, "we tell one another these things. How long we are going to be gone. Which ravine or part of the river we are going to hunt, or dig roots at."
He nodded. "I will do so next time."
His answer surprised her. She had expected he would tell her it did not matter. Perhaps there was a part of him she had yet to learn about. Remembering his gentleness whenever they made love, she flushed and reached for the rabbits. "I will prepare these for our meal."
His hand brushed hers. His dark eyes met hers. "Very good. I do not like to eat tanned deer hide."
She chuckled. "Surely you can cook rabbits."
"I can if I have to. But then, that is what I have a wife for."
The smile left her face. She raised the dead animals and looked at the pink flesh. Then she let them drop to the ground. "Cook them yourself!" She picked up a water bladder and strode away.
When she reached the river, she was so angry her hands were shaking. First he stomps off because he does not want to talk about whatever is truly bothering him; then he stays away all day without telling me, and now, now he brags that he has a wife to cook his meals for him. As if that is all I am good for! No wife would put up with such poor treatment, she scolded herself. No Jaguar wife, no Badger wife, and certainly not me!
She carried the full water bladder back to the tent and was surprised to see that he had put both rabbits on sticks and that they were roasting over the flames. She frowned. Roots were missing from her root basket. He must have buried them in the hot ashes to bake. She grimaced. If he was trying to show her that he was a practiced cook and could get by without her help, that was fine with her. Let him do all the cooking!
She entered the tent and fidgeted with the baskets, hiding from him.
"Meat is ready," he called out, and reluctantly she left the safety of the tent.
The meat was overcooked and dry. The roots were also overcooked: mealy inside and thickly charred on the outside. He had tried to make the meal tasty, she noted. He had rubbed aromatic leaves inside the rabbits to flavor the flesh.
She gnawed at a leg bone, pondering. It would not do to discourage him from trying to cook. Why, he might even learn to be better at roasting food than she was!
She tossed the leg bone in the direction of a skulking camp dog and leaned back against a rock near the fire.
"Did you like my cooking?"
"It was very good," she said with a show of reluctance.
He grinned smugly. Star had to hide a smile.
Just then Horn and Elk Knees wandered past. Falcon called out to them, "Come and sit and visit."
Obliging, the two walked over to the fire. They stayed and talked for some time, the men discussing hunting prospects, the women talking about roots. While Falcon and Horn were caught up in a heated exchange about how to make the best spear tip, Elk Knees rose and said to Star, "Let us go for a walk." After the women had wandered a short distance from the tents, Elk Knees asked, "Was it not as I told you?"
"What are you talking about?" asked Star.
Elk Knees glanced back to where Horn and Falcon spoke, heads together. "About mating. Was it not as I said? And I think a Jaguar man wants to mate even more often than a Badger man."
Star shifted uncomfortably. Horn did not look like a man who thought of nothing but mating, but how would she know?
"I hope you are keeping him from your bed."
"Are you keeping Horn from yours?" asked Star pointedly.
Elk Knees nodded. Star raised an eyebrow. She could try to keep Falcon from her bed. But she did not want to. The time between the bedrobes was too precious, too wonderful... .
"It is time to go, Elk Knees," called Horn. "The children will be crying out for us."
Elk Knees smiled her amused smile as they returned to the fire. Star watched as Elk Knees put her hand on Horn's arm and dutifully fell into step beside him as they left.
When Star turned back to the tent, Falcon was staring at her, a small, cruel smile playing about his mouth.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Do not think to leave me for Horn."
"Horn?" she sputtered. "Horn? Why ever would I want to leave you for Horn? He is happy with Elk Knees and she with him."
"No. He is not happy with her."
"What do you mean? Elk Knees is a good woman; she is an excellent cook."
Falcon laughed. "A man needs more than an excellent cook. A man needs a woman who will be his companion. In the bedrobes," he added.
"Oh. Does Elk Knees" pried Star delicately.
"No, Elk Knees does not."
"Oh." She stared at him, pondering.
"That is, not often enough for Horn's liking." He eyed her. "Horn asked me if you turned me away in the bedrobes."
Star's eyes widened. "I will if I want to. Tonight might be a good time to start."
He laughed. "Not tonight. But that is what I told Horn. I did not want him to get interested in you. I do not need another wife stolen."
So it still hurt that Tula had left him. How long would he love his former wife?
Falcon prowled over to her and took her in his arms. He plunged his hand into her hair and held her head still.
His eyes glittered. "You will not leave me for another man. Do you understand?"
She met his tortured look. "Yes," she whispered.
The pain vanished from his eyes then and he kissed her on the forehead. "Good. You and I will deal well together, wife. This I know."
He led her into the tent then, but as she followed she wondered what he would think of her when she left him and fled back to her Badger People.
Troubled, she knelt on the bedrobes and fidgeted with the baskets, arranging and rearranging them. He would be very angry with her when he learned she had escaped. She knew that. Ah, but he was tantalizing to her. She was beginning to see that there was more to him that she did not know. Like tonight, when he had tried to please her by roasting the meat and the roots. She stared down at the furs, pondering. He seems to be a man who hides his hurts... .
"Come here, Star," he commanded.
The hunger in his eyes sent shivers through her. She held his gaze, then smiled happily and went into his arms.
Chapter Twenty-two
"Do you want to return to our Badger People?" whispered Chokecherry.
Star picked a handful of late fall berries and put them in her berry basket, all the while carefully thinking how to answer Chokecherry. Star did not want to be overheard by the several other women, both Jaguar and Badger, who picked berries in the brush of the ravine. And crouched on a rock above them, Horn stood guard against the big cats and wolves that stalked the hills. Star did not want to be overheard by him, either.
Chokecherry sidled closer and reached past Star's nose. "You missed one," she said and popped the big, round black fruit into her mouth.
Star murmured, "I know you are not happy here, Chokecherry."
Her companion spat out the berry. "I will not stay here any longer!" she hissed. "I do not like
Cat Lurks and I do not like the Jaguars! I want to go home!" She suddenly looked ready to cry.
"Hush," murmured Star. "The others will hear you."
Chokecherry lowered her voice. "I want to go back. I want to see Finds the Marten."
"Finds the Marten is gone. He was stolen by the slave catchers. Remember?"
"I remember," answered Chokecherry bitterly. "But I want to go back."
"He will not be there."
"I know that. But he may escape. He may return to our people and if I am not there, he will be very unhappy."
"Chokecherry," said Star, alarmed that her friend seemed to be making up a dream life, "Finds the Marten is gone; he will not come back." She stared hard at the other woman, wanting her to understand the truth. "If you return to our people, it will be to live alone, or with your parents.''
"That is still better than living with Cat Lurks."
"Is he so bad?"
Chokecherry would not meet her eyes. "He is very bad."
Star swallowed. "Whatwhat does he do?"
Chokecherry shook her head and would not answer.
Feeling sad for her friend, Star picked another handful of berries and put them in Chokecherry's basket. "Here."
Chokecherry looked blankly at the fruit, then at Star. "You have not answered."
"Answered what?"
"Do you want to return to the Badger People?"
"Sometimes," answered Star honestly. "A few days ago, I was going to search you out and ask you if you wanted to return to our people. I thought we could leave together."
"Good plan," approved Chokecherry.
"Today, however," answered Star slowly, "I am not so certain."
Chokecherry picked at a berry bush. "What changed your mind?"
Star sighed. "Ah, it is that I do not know my own mind. Some days I want to be with Falcon; other days I want to flee him. I am all confused."
"Ha! That Jaguar man of yours sounds like a man who is much trouble."
Secretly Star liked it that Chokecherry called him "that man of yours." Aloud she said, "He is not my man."
"Ha! I have seen how he looks at you. How you look at him, when you think he is not looking."
Star blushed.
"Huh!" said Chokecherry. "I can see that you do not want to flee with me."
"It is not that. Many times after we were brought here, I thought of nothing but escape. But I find that as more time goes by, I feel less and less like fleeing."
"Except for a few days ago," said Chokecherry dryly.
Star shrugged. "Some days he is more difficult to be with. Some days I am."
Chokecherry was silent for a time as she picked. After a while she offered, "Sageflower has been my best friend since we were young girls."
Star nodded and kept picking.
"But Sageflower does not want to escape with me. She likes her new husband." Chokecherry's voice was bitter.
"Deer Summoner seems to be a kind man," observed Star.
"Too kind. Sageflower dotes on him."
"It is unfortunate that Cat Lurks is not a good husband," probed Star delicately.
"Cat Lurks," said Chokecherry, "is not a good husband at all. He is not a good man. He is like aaslave catcher. Yes, that is it. He is like a slave catcher."
Slave catchers were the worst kind of people. "Surely he cannot be so bad," murmured Star.
"He says he will trade me to the Fish Eaters if I do not do what he says."
"What does he say to do?"
Chokecherry picked berries and ignored Star's question. When Star realized her friend was not going to answer, she asked, "Are any of the other women willing to flee with you?"
Chokecherry shook her head. "Elk Knees and Pine Woman are happy with their mates. Fawn giggles over Red Hawk, though I do not know why. And as for Sageflower and her Deer Summoner, well, Sageflower is no longer my friend!"
Star gasped. "Surely you are still friends!"
Chokecherry shook her head. "No, we are not. She does not understand how it is for me. She thinks that if I but act in the proper manner to Cat Lurks then everything will be fine. But it will not. She tells me to feed Cat Lurks this tasty morsel or that. To talk sweetly to him. All the things she does that work so well with Deer Summoner. But Cat Lurks is not like Deer Summoner. He is not like Finds the Marten, either. He"
She saw Star watching her and suddenly clapped her hand over her mouth. "I have said too much."
"Chokecherry," answered Star, "you have not said enough. I still do not know what it is about Cat Lurks"
Chokecherry shuddered. "You must not know, either. But, oh, Star, you must help me escape." She clamped her hand on Star's arm. "Even if you do not wish to escape, say you will help me!"
Desperation lurked in Chokecherry's brown eyes and Star could not deny her friend. "I will help if I can," she promised. "Though I wish I knew"
Chokecherry shook her head and fear contorted her face. "No. You must not pry. I cannot tell" Tears pooled in her brown eyes. "I am too ashamed"
"Chokecherry! What does he do? Tell me! If he hurts you"
Chokecherry shook her head, her lips a tight line. "I cannot"
She took her hand off Star's arm then and staggered over to a tree, where she sat down, her back to Star. Fortunately, the other women had drifted farther up the ravine in their hunt for the late-fall berries and there was no one but Star to see the pathetic huddle that was Chokecherry.
Star dropped her basket and ran over to her friend.
Chokecherry's thin body shook from her silent sobs and Star wanted to cry with her. She put her arms around the other woman and hugged her. Still Chokecherry cried on, violent sobs shaking her body. Star held her and knew that something was very, very wrong in her friend's life. Chokecherry wanted to escape whatever misery it was that she lived with.
Star patted the weeping woman's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. At last Chokecherry raised a red, sad face. "I cannot live with him anymore," she choked out. "I do not know what will become of me if he continues to" She sucked in her breath and shook her head mutely.
"We will try to get you away from here." Never had Star
seen practical, easy-to-laugh Chokecherry in such a state. "Do not despair, my friend. We will try to get you back to our Badger People, where you will be safe."
Chokecherry sobbed as she held tightly to Star. "I just want to go home to my mother!"
After a while Chokecherry's sobs softened and Star asked, "What are you going to do?"
"I thought you could tell me." Chokecherry sounded so pitiful.
"I do not know what to say to you, Chokecherry. I do not know what is most important to you."
"To get away from Cat Lurks." Chokecherry scowled as she said her husband's name. "I loathe him!"
"Well, if you are able to escape the Jaguars, then you can return to our Badger People."
"Yes, that is what I want! But I cannot go alone."
Star glanced around. "If I help you, that means I, too, must leave these people."
"It is dangerous," moaned Chokecherry. "There are wolf packs. There are bears."
Star patted her hand. "There, there, I did not mean to alarm you. I was but thinking aloud."
"I want you to come, Star. I fear the journey alone. And it is such a long way." She sniffed. "When shall we run away?" Her brown eyes fixed trustingly on Star's.
Star shook her head. "I do not know."
"I want to leave soon! Tonight!"
Star's eyes widened. "That is too soon."
"Why?"
"We will need food. We will need warm clothes, and furs to sleep on at night. We need knives for protection."
"Pah, I can get those things!"
"We need to choose the right time, when no one is watching us."
Chokecherry glanced at Horn, who was guarding the women. He was staring off into the hills.
"Pah, we can sneak away. Easily."
"We must take water with us."
Chokecherry eyed her. "You do not want to escape, do you?"
Star glanced away. Was that why she was listing all the things they must do before they escaped? "No," she admitted at last. "No, I do not want to leave."
Chokecherry smiled bitterly. "You are my last hope, Star. If you do not help me, I will run away by myself. And if I die trying to get back to our Badger People, it will be all your fault!"
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