The Trail to Love and Loss

Daya

After Patrick left, I shuddered. I had almost been discovered by the white men. Patrick insisted that they were harmless, but I knew from experience that you cannot trust the white men. Trusting Patrick alone had been a very risky thing to do on my part. But he was Patrick, and look how that turned out. He had saved me.

But, I knew nothing about his family. What kind of people were they? They couldn't be too horrible, however. They had raised Patrick.

I resolved to do some scouting of my own tomorrow to figure out these newcomers.

Night extended its welcoming embrace to me and I surrendered, wrapping myself in my animal skin coat to fend off the cold and snuggling against Athalia and Misty Light.

I woke with the birds and sleepily rubbed my eyes. A fine layer of dew covered the ground like a damp blanket. The birds twittered overhead and I slowly crawled to my feet. Athalia nickered softly and rested her head against Misty Light. She quickly fell back asleep as I gathered by bow and arrows.

Shooting one last look over my shoulder at the two horses, I crept quietly toward Patrick's house.

Oddly, I encountered no forest animals during my journey. They must have all been in hiding due to the newcomers. I swallowed quickly, my nerves on edge.

As I neared the house, I slowed to a creep. Keeping low, I tiptoed closer to the clearing that held the cabin. I tried my best to remembered E do da's lessons on camouflage. I kept my movements to a minimum and tentatively moved forward.

There was the telltale crackle of dried twigs snapping underfoot. I stifled a gasp and ducked behind a tree, my whole body tensing, heart thudding so loudly in my chest I thought the other being might hear me. I heard more crackling and I pressed myself harder into the tree.

A woman's voice called out from the cabin. I heard the loudest crackle yet and peered out from my hiding place to view a small girl turn and race back to the cabin.

That must have been Patrick's sister. He had mentioned her before, once or twice. I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding and emerged from my hiding place.

I stopped at the edge of the clearing, just out of sight, and settled in to watch the unfolding events.