Page 47 of The Spirit of the Wolf

“Walk, crawl…and creep a little too.”

Her eyes wide and with her mouth slightly open, she gaped at him.

He went on to explain, “We will have to travel as scouts, since there is no one but myself to defend us.”

“Scouts?”

He nodded. “Wolves of the plains. It is possible to roam the prairie unharmed when one is alone. But not on horseback, and not during the day. We will travel at night only, resting during the day. We will disguise ourselves, and we will arrive unscathed at our destination. I will show you how this is done.”

She continued to gape at him. “But others travel on horseback…”

“They are safe to do so, only as long as they go in large numbers and have the means and manpower to protect themselves. I, however, as you might remember, have few arrows left. Thus, we must be extremely diligent.”

“But…but…I thought… Who will carry all of our things?”

He groaned a little, giving himself a moment in which to think. This next was probably what he most dreaded relating to her. After all, had he not observed that she was unfamiliar with the wilds, as well as being unacquainted with necessary precautions? Nevertheless, with jaw clenched, he plunged ahead. “We will carry our things, or maybe I should say you will, for I will need to remain free of encumbrances in case we meet an enemy.”

The silence that met this statement was telling. When she spoke, all she asked was, “I? I will carry them?”

“Our load is not heavy.”

She tilted her head. “I beg your pardon. Your robe is very heavy.”

He nodded. “Yes, you are right. We will have to cache my robe before we go, along with anything else you cannot bring with you. We will cache my lance as well, for as a scout, I will not be able to bring it with me.”

“But that would mean you would be even less able to defend us, and you will be cold at night. Besides, we have done all this preparation. Maybe you have not noticed, but I am not very strong.”

“I have observed this,” he said. “However, the food is not heavy.”

“But extra moccasins, extra clothes for me, plus an extra robe for me? Do you forget we went to the trouble to make it?”

“I will carry your robe.”

“Can you? I thought you said you had to remain unencumbered in case we meet an enemy.”

“This does not suggest I will not tote a parfleche bag over my shoulder. In the bag we may place your robe.”

She inhaled deeply and hesitated, her brow furrowed as though she were thoroughly absorbed in thought. She screwed up her face and stared him straight in the eye. “Are you still planning a trip into a forest to obtain wood for arrows?”

“I am.”

“Might I ask how far it is to this forest?”

He shrugged. “It is perhaps a half moon away, maybe less.”

“A half moon?”

“Hau.”

He waited for her to say more, but when she did not, he reached out a hand to her. “Scouting only sounds difficult to you because you are not familiar with it. Once I describe what we do, and you have done it, you might like it.”

She shrugged his hand away. It appeared she did not favor hearing about scouting at the moment. She turned her face away from him.

He rocked back on his feet and brought his arms to his sides. “I understand you’re upset, but this is the way in which we must travel. Something has happened that makes me believe I must be more cautious than usual. I bear a lifelong enemy who I have reason to think is close by. I must not be surprised by him. Besides, it is summer, a time of war parties, revenge and a warrior’s thoughts of love. If we are attacked, I will defend us, but if we are ambushed, I will probably be killed and you taken captive, or perhaps, depending on the situation, you too might be killed.”

She listened, bobbing her head as though in agreement, but she was silent for so long, Grey Coyote began to wonder if she had heard him. At length, she commented, “I see your problem.”

Grey Coyote, sensing she at last understood what was at stake, said, “Ito, come, let us gather our things. I will cache my robe, my lance and anything else we cannot carry.”