"she was asleep" Eagle Cries responded
Walks Far wanted to strangle his younger brother but for right now his time would be better served gathering men and hunting her down. His biggest problem was that he didn't know how long she had been gone and that she had managed to slip away without being seen.
Many Horses stopped momentarily trying to fill her already worn out lungs and wishing that her legs didn't hurt so much. She had been running since she left only stopping to catch her breath and listen for sounds that were out of place. So far there was no indication of anyone following her although they would not be making noise either. The only thing Many did know was that she had started out going east. They had come into the encampment from that direction but it didn't altogether mean much.
She hadn't taken a horse because Walks Far would have expected that, and because she could navigate the trees better as well as hide in the tall prairie grass on the other side if need be. She was in another small copse of trees now, hours beyond the encampment. Many Horses had to find a good hiding place before morning because by then she would be a very visible moving target. How she had been able to pass as a man still amazed her, she was a small one at that.
Having paused long enough Many Horses turned and once again ran headed for the edge of the trees shivering as the cold penetrated through her clothing. Summer was long over and the cold of late fall had been prevalent since she'd been with the Crow. How everything would work out from this point on, Many Horses didn't know but she had to get back to Kills Many.
She was suddenly pulled back hard and held against a warm broad chest while a hand completely covered her mouth.
"did you think I would not find you?" Walks Far asked
She immediately struggled digging her heel into his foot and trying with both hands to pry his hand away from her mouth. Finally she jabbed an elbow into his rib and he released just enough for her to twist away. He caught her by the shirt and hauled her back then untied the breechcloth she wore pulling it away despite her efforts to keep it in place. She was immediately embarrassed knowing there must be other men around.
"they have all gone" he told her pulling upward on the bottom of the shirt. When she resisted he maintained his grip. "Do not make me destroy my own shirt" he warned.
She finally let him remove it shivering at the cold night air.
By the time the sun rose that morning returning to Kills Many in good faith was no longer an option. Returning to him with another mans child growing inside of her would be a mistake.
"you do not know if this is true, yet" she spat out reaching for his shirt and pulling it over her head then searching around for the breechcloth.
"it does not matter, it will be true"
"no, this will not happen again"
Walks Far said nothing, the fact that he'd not had to hurt her said more than enough.
Once she was decent they mounted his horse and left for the encampment. A sick feeling settled in the pit of her stomach and she felt like shattering into a million pieces caught between crying and being outraged. She willed the shaking to stop and finally had him stop the horse so that her stomach could have it's way.
"who made these clothes?" she asked a while later trying to draw Walks Far out of the silence that had been prevalent since they left.
"I will not speak her name" he answered plainly. It was clearly a subject he didn't want to touch meaning that it was probably more of the big mystery he would never talk about. She began to put pieces of things she'd been told together and began to wonder what exactly Kills Many had done.
Once back at the encampment she changed into her dress and pulled out the pouch that Walks Far had given her pleased at the number of quills that were inside and the array of dyes. She first quilled the pouch taking care in how she lined the quills and sewed them in place. So lost was Many Horses in this process that she did not even look up when Blue Raven stood over her.
"I heard you were very good at quilling, this is beautiful"
"Walks Far told you this?" Many Horses asked causing her friend to realize that she had said too much "what else did he tell you?"
"I will not betray his trust"
"he is Crow, we are Cheyenne" Many Horses shouted
"do not ask me to do this" Blue Raven replied "ask him"
Many Horses found her hands clenching into fists. She would wait, but not for much longer.
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