Page 53 of The Spirit of the Wolf

“What are you doing?”

“I am erasing evidence of our encampment, so if others come behind us, they will not know we were here. Now, return to the shelter, get any of the items you wish to carry, including the food, and be back here quickly.”

Standing over him, hands on her hips, she stated, “I will prepare myself to go on alone, back to the Minnetaree village. Nothing else.”

It seemed he had no sympathy for her. “Either we go with your possessions,” he said, ignoring her, “or we travel without them. The choice is yours. And remember this: a good woman does not chatter back to her husband.”

“Well, if this is so, I guess I’m not a very good woman, and, Mr. Coyote, you are certainly not my husband.”

He said nothing.

She stamped her foot. “No, I won’t go with you.”

When he gazed at her incredulously, she raised her eyebrows. “You gave me your word. And your word is supposed to be as good as a promise. I will hold you to it.”

“We have already held this counsel. I do not wish to speak of it further. But, if you do not do as I say, I will force you to go with me.”

She shrugged. “All right. Then do your worst,” she taunted. “You’re obviously bigger than I am, and stronger too. But I will not go into that dwelling—if you want something there, you can get it yourself.”

“Humph! Know this. If I have to, I will take you captive. The choice is yours.”

She squinted at him. “Do what you must, but if you take me captive, I will be a very noisy one.”

“Then I will gag you.”

“And I will run away at the first opportunity.”

He shrugged.

“And how will you take me if we have no horses? Are you planning to carry me yourself?”

“No,” he said. “You will ride.”

Her relief was obvious but short-lived, for he went on to say, “But I will not ride. I will walk the horse along behind me and hope no one discovers us.”

“But what you are suggesting means we would still be moving slowly, and I… Oh, Grey Coyote, don’t you realize? I must do this. I must try. If I don’t…”

Grey Coyote’s expression didn’t change, not one iota. As he stood up from his work, his features were tight, grim, and there was no understanding to be witnessed on his countenance. “I have spoken. You are my wife, and you will do as I tell you, and I have no more to say on the matter. Do not question me further.”

She glared at him. And, though she didn’t utter another word, when he turned away to attend to the other chores, she seized the brief moment to step toward their hideaway.

She wasn’t about to gather up her clothing and other possessions. Indeed not. Perhaps it was silly, stupid—the whim of a mere girl—but she had to get away from him.

She couldn’t meekly follow him. Who did he think she was? A person without spirit? Without pride?

How dare he treat her as though she were nothing more than a mere extension of himself, as though she were a lifeless entity with no personality of her own, no hopes, no dreams. Perhaps in Indian country this was how the men treated their women, but she would never forgive herself if she let him get away with this. She was made of much firmer stuff.

So, while he was busy elsewhere, she would do everything within her means to escape. If she were successful, she would find her way to the Minnetaree village, do or die.

She crawled into their shelter, scooted toward the very back of it, and digging out a hole through the shrubs that covered it, she slithered into the wild.

At last she was free, at least for a moment. True, he would most likely come after her, but she was certainly not going to cooperate with him. Let him do his worst. She would show her displeasure.

Certainly she intended to be trouble. Lots of trouble.

Stooping over, she crept forward as fast as she could, until, after rounding a corner in the gully, she began to climb up to the level of the plains. Her feet skidded over sharp rocks, but she ignored the discomfort.

As she had predicted, however, Grey Coyote seemed to read her thoughts, and alerted to what she was doing, he easily caught up with her. Taking hold of her, he wrestled with her, until she was lying on her back on the harsh, rocky ground.