Page 41 of The Spirit of the Wolf

Marietta tossed her head and tut-tutted.

Still, he continued, “But a good Assiniboine wife does not object to her work. If she is a good woman, she takes much pride in her tasks, and would shoo a man away with a stick if he tried to help her.”

“Truly?”

“It is so. She would accuse him of trying to make her lazy. Her mother and grandmother, if they were also good women, would taunt her. They would call her lazy, and this no woman of good merit could stand.”

Marietta smiled at him. “Well, husband, if we are ever in an Indian encampment, I will be certain to bring you your pipe and food, and rub your feet.”

“But only if I return with game.”

“Only then?”

“It is so. If I fail to bring home food for the family, the Assiniboine wife will ignore her man and will leave him alone, sometimes not even returning to sleep with him.”

“Honestly?”

“I speak true.”

“All right, then, if we are ever in an Indian encampment and you bring home game, I will collect your pipe and food for you, and will rub your feet…most adoringly,” she added.

It caused him to grin. “Do not tell me this, wife, if you do not mean to keep your promise, for I will hold you to it.”

“I’ll do it.” She frowned. “If we are ever together in an Indian encampment. But I doubt this will happen.”

He gave her a rather crafty smile. “We will see.”

“Humph.”

“And I will remember to hold you to it.”

She smiled at him. “Do that.”

Two days had passed. Two days of rapturous bliss, the daylight hours being filled with the chores of pounding berries, smoking meat and pemmican making, the evenings fueled by passion, quiet conversations and teasing embraces.

It was a little past noon on this, their fifth day together. Grey Coyote was sitting across from her in their shelter, a small fire between them. He had been sewing a pair of extra moccasins for their journey. When he at last finished, he put away his handiwork and stared at her. “The time has come for us to make final preparations to go.”

Go? Leave their paradise? So soon?

Their gazes met, locked, and though neither one spoke what might have been in their hearts, each knew what was on the other’s mind. Still she managed to smile. “This is good.”

He nodded.

In the silence that ensued, each one of them carefully avoided looking at the other. In due time, Grey Coyote said, “There is one more item I will require before we journey to the trading post. But only the one.”

“Oh?” she said. “What is it?”

“Arrows. I will need a few more arrows. Therefore, we will travel to a place where we can find the proper wood; it is a forest in the hills. After I have procured the right kind of wood, the arrows are not difficult to make. But I must find the right kind of wood.”

“Good. And then we will be ready to travel onward?”

“It is so.”

“And is this forest very far out of our way?”

“A little,” he said, “but though time is precious, this must be done if I am to defend us properly.”

“Ah. Does this mean we leave today?”