Drifter – Part 11

By D

Chapter XXI

Donoma walked out onto the prairie in the direction of the horses, laughing out loud when Dapples ran to her and butted her gently in the chest to encourage her to scratch the mare behind the ears. Obediently, Donoma lifted her hands and rubbed Dapples' ears and neck. The mare pushed more firmly against her chest, forcing Donoma to grab onto the pony to keep from falling ass over teakettle. "Dapples!"

The horse whinnied in perceived laughter and Donoma shook her head. Then a snort was heard from the far side of the plain and Donoma looked up to find the big black was shaking his head at her. She planted her fists on her hips and glared at him.

"Whose side are you on?"

The black trotted majestically across the prairie and Donoma watched entranced, inevitably reminded of Koko in the smoothness and grace of the movement. He butted her in the chest with much less force than Dapples used and she reached up and hugged his neck.

"Oh, Black – what am I doing?" Sensing her distress, Dapples moved up and nuzzled her back. "Should I not still be angry? After holding on to it for so long, is it right that I give it up so easily?" She closed her eyes and leaned against Black's neck.

"Are you that afraid to be happy, Donoma Chepi? Do you need that anger to be part of your life?" Donoma scrunched up her eyes, then sighed when a hand landed between her shoulder blades. Then she turned to see Rae'l standing behind her, crossing her arms over her chest. "Donoma...." chiding.

She sighed again. "Rae'l...."

"Donoma...." She paused. "We can do this all afternoon, but I do not think we will make much progress that way. Tell me why you are so scared of happiness."

"I am not scared of happiness, Rae'l... at least I do not think I am. I have not been truly happy in so long that I am not quite certain how to react. But it seems wrong to release my anger so easily. Rae'l... I was so angry at Koko – furious even – for such a long time. To simply let it go because she finally took me into her heart and spoke to me honestly... is that the right thing to do?"

"Do you believe that you will never have cause to feel anger towards my nahtona again if you give this anger up, Donoma? Do you think things will change completely?" Rachel shook her head and sighed. "Donoma, even before you found the anger that you have held to your bosom for the last five cycles, you had plenty of reason to become exasperated with her, and she with you. It is a normal human condition – to feel anger – but it is also a passing one. What does holding on to it garner you?"

Donoma turned her eyes to the prairie, so that all Rachel could see was her profile. "Safety, perhaps," she whispered after a long moment. "It is what I know now."

Rachel stepped up behind her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Donoma – trust Koko to give you that safety now. She has gone five long, lonely cycles without the safety of knowing you were in her corner watching her back. She knows what it is to do without the reassurance of a safety net. Trust that she loves you enough to never let you understand that." Rachel came around to stand in front of her and cupped Donoma's face in her hands. "Donoma... nahtona e nutta... my daughter loves you – more than knowledge or wealth or warrior skills; she loves you more than life itself. All you have to do is let go of your anger and accept that."

"That simple?"

Rachel smiled into Donoma's trusting green eyes and brushed a kissed across her forehead. "That simple." She chuckled. "We always make it harder than it needs to be – it seems to be human nature."

"Sometimes I wonder at the Great Spirit's wisdom in making us quite so human." This time Rachel laughed outright and Donoma couldn't keep the smile from crossing her face.

"Be happy, Donoma Chepi. You and Koko Kanti both deserve so much."

"Thank you, Rae'l. I will think about what you have said."

"And you will then do as I say," Rachel commanded sternly but with a twinkle in her blue eyes. "Seriously, Donoma – all Honiahaka and I want for the two of you is for you to find the happiness you have always known with one another and let the love flourish from there. And it will... if you let it."

"I will... urk," unexpectedly gasping for breath as the sound of the shot and the burning pain that accompanied it reached her senses. She looked down and watched with a bemused expression for a moment as blood blossomed on her dress, then crumpled to the ground.

"Take the horses, sergeant," the blonde lieutenant commanded. "I have waited a long time to own this stallion." The sergeant nodded and slid from his own mount, only to find himself under the hooves of an angry war horse. He screamed and the lieutenant placed his hand on the butt of his pistol. He had no time to draw it, however, before he wound up crushed under the hooves of his own horse as he shied away from the teeth of the Appaloosa.

The five men – four privates and a corporal - left in the scouting party looked at one another in confused alarm, backing away slowly as the big stallion approached them snorting and huffing while the dappled horse remained guarding the woman they'd shot.

"I don't care what the lieutenant said – them two horses ain't worth dyin' for."

"I thought there was s'posed to be a whole herd of 'em."

"Well, I ain't seen nothin' that looks like no herd and we ain't found no Injun tribes neither. I think somebody done lied 'bout something and I ain't getting into trouble fer this."

"What about the woman?" the youngest of them asked. He hadn't understood the need to shoot her to begin with. It wasn't like the army had need of these two horses. And given the lieutenant's words, this was personal for him.

The corporal shook his head. "Nothing we can do for her... or for them," motioning to the now still, mangled bodies of the two dead soldiers. "Leave her be – them we gotta take back to the Cap. He can dispose of 'em."

"We won’t get into trouble?"

"Not like we would for goin' back without 'em or desertin'. Drag 'em away from the woman first, then load 'em up on the backs of their mounts. We got a long ride aheada us and they're gonna start stinkin' before we get back iff'n we don't move."

The men did as the corporal commanded and the horses allowed it as though sensing the immediate danger to them was passed. In very short order, they were loaded up and moving back the way they came. As soon as they were gone, Black galloped towards the dell.

************

Despite all her good intentions, Koko had fallen asleep almost the moment her head had hit the furs. Now she was having the oddest dream – all colors and shapes, but no sound... until suddenly there was a loud pop. Still in the throes of her dream reality, she didn't even try to make sense of the sound or figure out what it might mean in the real world.

It was only when she felt the very real heat of warm breath on her neck that she blinked opened her eyes, then started back when she met the liquid brown eyes of her horse instead of the warm green she was expecting.

"Black?" raising a hand to make sure her vision was accurate and she was awake. Though not what she had been dreaming, this was such an unheard of event in her reality that Koko wanted to be sure her dreaming had not merely shifted gears. But the prickly hair of Black's muzzle convinced her she was awake, and Koko rolled up slowly until she was sitting. "What are you doing in here, boy?" her mind still trying to shake the cobwebs from her thought processes.

Black nipped at her and backed out of the tent, then stepped forward and nipped again before leaving completely. A little angry and more than a little annoyed, Koko slowly climbed to her feet and followed him outside, glaring at him when she realized how little time had passed since she'd laid down to rest.

"What is it, boy? Why are you here instead of out on the Plain with Donoma? Does she not have a tre...?" A cold chill skittered across Koko's skin and down her backbone as she understood exactly what Black was trying to tell her.

Before she could give the command, the stallion knelt and took her weight easily, standing as soon as she had a secure seat and racing back across the prairie. Koko only hoped they were not too late.

************

Black went right to where Dapples stood guarding Donoma's fallen body. Koko leaped for the ground before the stallion could stop, wincing at the jolt of pain the impact sent through her body, but putting it aside as she knelt at Donoma's side. A quick check assured Koko of Donoma's continued life, but she could only imagine the damage that had been done from the amount of blood that was spilled. She lifted her head and screamed, releasing the anger and frustration she felt, then she lifted Donoma into her arms.

Black knelt at her whistle and stood when she kneed him and Dapples followed them back to the encampment. Koko dismounted as quickly as she could when they reached Donoma's dwelling, then the horses moved to the outer perimeter to watch.

Her guts were quaking but her hands were steady as she cut the blood-soaked material away from Donoma's body, stripping her and throwing the ruined cloth to one side to deal with later. The bullet appeared to have gone straight through and even now, the blood loss was down to a trickle. Koko looked around, then remembered she had moved her saddlebags back to her home and with a groan, rose and went to retrieve them.

She dumped them carelessly beside her and pawed through things until she found what she wanted. Not her first choice, but at least the whiskey would clean the wound and help stop the bleeding completely. That plus the alum powder she had left meant Donoma had a chance of survival... if she hadn't already bled out too much.

Carefully Koko emptied the bottle, doing her best to coat both sides of the injury. Then she took the powder and sprinkled it inside the hole, continuing until her supply was gone. That done, she found the waterskin and cleaned the excess blood from Donoma's body, sparing the barest thought for how beautiful her ka'eskone had grown up. When she was finished, Koko moved Donoma to the furs and covered her, then made to clean up the mess and leave. Her body had other ideas and she crumpled, landing beside Donoma on the furs.

She grunted, her injured side taking the brunt of the fall as she tried to fall away from Donoma. Without thinking about it, Koko rolled over and slid closer to Donoma, then cradled the smaller body in her strong embrace. Despite her pain, or maybe because of it, Koko fell into the sweet oblivion of sleep.

************

It was dark when Koko woke up with a start, wondering what had brought her back to consciousness. Then Donoma moaned and she realized that Donoma was starting to wake up. Koko eased up onto an elbow and started a light massage over Donoma's torso to help her relax a little. After several long moments, Donoma's eyes blinked open, and though Koko couldn't see them, she felt the change in her breathing and awareness.

"Hello, ka'eskone. How do you feel?"

"Like Dapples danced on my stomach." A gasp as she breathed too deeply. "What happened?"

"You were shot," Koko informed her grimly.

"What? By who... and why?"

"I do not know, Donoma. I was hoping you might have seen something. Black came and got me and you were alone by the time I reached you."

"Remind me to thank Black later." Donoma paused and breathed for a few minutes and Koko was content to let her, reassured by the steady movement of her chest. Finally, "Warrior, I hate to ask this, but we have to eat and I am not certain I can sit up long enough to prepare anything. Do you think you could...?"

Koko smiled in the darkness, then chuckled to show Donoma the mirth she could not see otherwise. "I am not an accomplished cook like yourself, ka'eskone, but I did manage to learn a few things while I was away. I could probably prepare a broth we could consume."

Donoma nodded. "That would be perfect. I do not think I actually have the strength to chew at the moment. Do you think we could get some light in here as well?"

"I will start a fire. I do not want you to catch a chill or a fever. In fact, if you like, I will cook in here as well. I do not think I am up to maintaining two at the moment and I would rather be where I can keep an eye on you. I certainly never expected to be in a position to need to do so like this."

"Neither did I, warrior, but I am glad you are here to do so." She yawned then winced. "As for the other, please. I do not care for the smell of the medicine you used."

"Well, whiskey is not my first choice," Koko admitted, "but it did what I needed it to do. At least I did not get it on the furs – we would have had to have thrown them out. You rest," feeling Donoma's breathing start to slow and deepen. "I will wake you to eat when it is ready."

All she got in response was a mumbled agreement, but it was enough.

************

Koko shook Donoma gently once the soup was warm. It took a few moments for Donoma to come out of her deep sleep, and she blinked rapidly to clear the sleep from her eyes. Donoma made the mistake of trying to adjust on her own and hissed at the pain that shot through her body with the movement. Koko placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I realize we are neither one at our best, Donoma, but we have to help each other. The kind of injury you have will be slow to heal and you will find it interferes with every move you want to make."

"Guess this means we will not be going anywhere tomorrow."

"Good guess," Koko smiled. "Though at least we do not have a schedule to keep. We will go when we go and get there when we get there. In the meantime, you need to eat, and so do I. Then we can rest again and see how things look in the morning."

Donoma nodded and waited for Koko to ease down into a sitting position. Then she scooted slowly up the warrior's body, taking care not to bump along the wounded side. Finally they were set so that they could eat together and bit by bit they drained their bowls.

Koko had thought ahead and removed the larger pot from the fire and placed it close enough to reach for seconds that she finished and Donoma made an effort at. When they were done, she slipped out from beneath Donoma and placed the pot to one side of the fire for reheating later.

"I am going to check on the horses, then I will get my furs and bring them in here. I would be more comfortable not leaving you alone tonight."

"I would be more comfortable not being alone tonight," Donoma admitted softly.

"The horses have not gone far, so I will be right back."

Donoma nodded her head in agreement and closed her eyes. She had never felt pain like this before and was anxious to slip into a meditative state of sleep that would allow her to work through it until she could tuck it away out of her conscious mind.

Koko went to the far side of the dell's perimeter and hugged the necks of both horses. "Thank you Dapples – for watching over Donoma and protecting her. And thank you, Black – for coming to get me so quickly. You probably saved her life with your actions."

She held on for a long time, recognizing in that moment that she could have very easily lost Donoma. The realization made her shake, and the horses stepped closed to her, understanding her distress. After a bit, Koko came back to herself and hugged both horses again before straightening and stepping away.

"Thank you both," she said sincerely, then turned and headed back to the camp. She and Donoma both had some recovery to do, and the sooner they started, the sooner they would be able to head away from this place and towards the relative safety of Koko's home.

Sooner or later, the warrior in her would need to find who did this to Donoma, but for now, it was enough just to be together and know they were all right.

Donoma's breathing was deep and even when Koko stepped through the doorway of her home. She debated for the space of about half a second before carefully placing her furs right beside Donoma's. The warrior part of her knew it was less than honorable, but the human part of her couldn't deny herself the comfort of being close enough to reach out and touch the woman she loved.

Koko eased into a sitting position, suddenly feeling all the stupid and rash things she had done during the day, but not finding it in her to regret one of them. She pulled another fur up over Donoma's body and tucked her in, then sighed and lay back on her own. She lay completely still for a long moment, relishing the feeling of relaxation that washed over her making her feel lethargic and sleepy. Koko let her eyes close and she released a deep breath.

Today had been a day she could truly have lived without the good parts if it meant skipping the bad as well. It occurred to her as she pulled a fur up to cover herself that she had been intending to woo Donoma tonight – to approach her seriously as a suitor. Ah, she thought with a wry smile on her face, the best laid plans....

She rolled carefully onto her side, facing Donoma's profile in the fire lit space and just staring at her for a bit. Koko reached over a hand and took Donoma's limp one in hers, grinning when Donoma returned the squeeze with just the barest amount of pressure.

Then again, she thought as her eyes closed again as the warmth of the blanket seeped through her body and caused sleep to be an acceptable alternative to staying awake. We are together at the end of the day. Can't ask for more than that.

Then she let the sleep take over and surrendered herself to its healing properties. With a little luck, tomorrow would be a better day.

Chapter XXII

Donoma blinked her eyes open slowly, wincing at the amount of pain present in her body. She closed her eyes again and took a slow breath, struggling to relax and willing the pain to the back of her mind. It took a long time, but she was finally able to put it out of the realm of conscious thought and although it was still there, it became at least tolerable.

She lay still, finding it was easier to maintain the block if her eyes stayed closed and there was no movement to disturb her thoughts. Donoma felt fingers tighten their grip on her hand and she couldn't stop the smile as they loosened to gently trace a pattern on the skin immediately surrounding them. That, even more than her meditation, was taking her thoughts off of her injury.

Without warning, Koko buried her face in Donoma's neck, breathing in her scent before kissing the self-same spot. Donoma forced her eyes open again and turned to find blue eyes in very close proximity to her own. She pulled her head back just enough to keep her eyes from crossing and smiled, watching in delight as Koko's face reflected the expression.

"Good morning, warrior mine."

The smile went from happy to outright dazzling with her greeting and Koko leaned down to kiss her lips tenderly. "Yes it is, ka'eskone. It is a very good morning. How do you feel?"

"Worse than I did yesterday," Donoma replied truthfully. She eased a hand up to cup Koko's face, allowing her thumb to trace the sharp planes and hollows it could reach. Koko smiled and Donoma let her fingers track the curves of her lips. "But somehow it does not seem to bother me as much lying here in your arms. Maybe I could just stay here until I am healed."

"Maybe you could just stay here."

Donoma smiled. "As tempting as that sounds, I need to go out."

Koko returned the smile. "So do I," she confided. "Let me get up and then I will help you up. And then we can see about getting something to eat."

Donoma chuckled, then stopped with a gasp. "Ouch..." she wheezed. "We are quite a pair."

"Yes – the question is... a pair of what?"

Koko eased to her knees, then helped Donoma into a sitting position. Once she was sure they were both stable, she rose to her feet, wincing at the amount of residual soreness she still felt throughout her body. Taking a deep breath, she offered a hand to Donoma, knowing that the location of her injury would preclude using more than one hand to aid her in getting up.

It was a slow, painful process for both of them, and they were both wincing and gasping by the time Donoma was standing upright. Koko wrapped a fur around Donoma's nudity to protect her modesty – respecting that she was an unattached female in the presence of a warrior. Once she was satisfied she had done the best she could, they leaned into one another for support and slowly made their way out into the brightly lit day, shutting their eyes in reflex for a long moment before blinking rapidly to adjust to the change from the duskiness of indoors.

Then they moved to relieve themselves – another challenge in and of itself – before Koko helped Donoma over to where the horses still stood sentinel over the encampment. Then she moved off to restart the fire and collect water for their use while Donoma talked to the horses.

Koko watched for a moment, charmed by the way the animals responded to her ka'eskone. Then she turned and headed out to accomplish the chores she had set for herself. Now more than ever, she wanted the safety the four sturdy walls could provide her with.

Donoma one-arm hugged first Dapples, then Black, murmuring her thanks and gratitude into alert, twitching ears. She scratched them both gently and kissed the ends of their noses, then slowly made her way back towards the fire pit area that lay between her home and Koko's. She felt weak and exhausted and fell into a light doze, only to be awakened when Koko dropped the chips she had collected and knelt beside her.

"Are you all right, ka'eskone?" she asked lovingly. "Aside from the obvious, I mean."

"I am just tired, warrior... drained. I will be fine with a bit more rest." She looked into the haggard blue eyes that stared at her. "As will you. This is not helping your recovery."

"As you said, Donoma... I will be fine. I will get the fire started, then I will start the soup... what?" she asked when Donoma shook her head.

"If you will start the fire, I will prepare the soup. You need the rest as much as I do, Koko Kanti, and that is all I can do at the moment."

Koko nodded, easily reading the determination in the green eyes facing her. "Very well, ka'eskone. I collected water already. I thought you might want to clean up a little. I am not sure I got all the blood off when I did it."

Donoma took a deep breath. "I am not sure I can manage," she said honestly. "But I will try."

Koko rested a hand on Donoma's arm. "I will help you, ka'eskone. I did not want to make you uncomfortable by suggesting it."

"Koko, I think we can agree we are dealing with far less than normal circumstances here. I think the elders would understand if we have to bend convention and tradition a bit to accommodate the special needs we are both functioning with at the moment."

"In other words...."

"In other words, I do not think that seeing one another naked or helping each other bathe is an untoward situation given the circumstances we find ourselves in. You have made your intentions clear and when the time comes, my answer will most definitely be in your favor." Donoma watched the relief flow across Koko's body, though nothing changed in her expression except for a twinkling that started in the back of her blue eyes. She tilted her head slightly. "You doubted so much?"

"Not your love, Donoma Chepi...." She paused and took a deep breath. "Only your forgiveness. I understand your anger – I have felt it myself. I am not certain I could have been so merciful to me had the circumstances been reversed."

"Could you have been that merciful to me?"

"Of course," Koko replied without hesitation. "Donoma...."

"Warrior, if the situation was reversed, you would be forgiving me, not yourself. Though I do not agree with what you did, I understand why. And even though I still get angry when I let myself brood about... things... Rae'l was right. I do not need to hang on to the anger any longer. I have held it close to my heart for five full cycles to protect myself from everything – especially people and emotions that could hurt me. There was no room for anything else as long as I held onto my anger."

Donoma closed her eyes and breathed, trying to dredge up the strength to finish. Koko wrapped a tentative arm around her but didn't speak, sensing Donoma wasn't done speaking. She had cultivated her patience for years under her father's tutelage and the intervening years had only served to hone it to a fine art. So Koko sat patiently waiting and lending her own waning strength to the woman in her arms. Finally her patience was rewarded when Donoma opened her eyes and smiled.

"Thank you, warrior mine. I am sorry...."

"Do not apologize, ka'eskone. I have nowhere else I would rather be, and we are not running a race."

"Rae'l was right about something else as well," waiting until Koko cocked an eyebrow in a familiar questioning gesture. Donoma grinned and traced the brow with her thumb before answering. "She said I no longer needed to protect myself... that you would do it for me if I would allow it."

"That is very true, ka'eskone. Even if you did not return the love I feel for you, I would still never allow anything to hurt you that it was in my power to stop. I gave you my word to protect you, Donoma Chepi, and I will do so as long as you allow it."

"In that case," Donoma said with a tired grin, "build the fire, warrior, so I can prepare us something to eat. Then we can get some rest. Cleaning up will wait until we have both had some rest."

Koko nodded wearily. "I concur, ka'eskone. I feel like I have been fighting all day." Then she shifted her weight to move closer to the fire pit and began laying the chips. Donoma closed her eyes, thankful for the respite. After several minutes, the noises stopped and the crackle of flames could be heard. Donoma opened her eyes when she felt Koko lean against her and trace her face with a delicate hand.

Their eyes met and Donoma turned her head to kiss the calloused fingers. "Let me put the soup on and then we can rest while it heats." She noticed that Koko had already hung the large pot full of water over the heat and had a smaller one sitting beside it and looked back at smiling blue eyes. "Thank you, Koko."

"I know you said cleaning up could wait, but I thought you might appreciate the chance to get rid of the itch."

Donoma shifted uncomfortably, dumping a selection of the supplies Koko had set beside her at some point into the heating water. "How did you know?"

Koko's smile broadened. "I have been where you are, ka'eskone, on more than one occasion. There is nothing pleasant about it. But sometimes the itch from the dirt and old blood and healing can be more irritating than the original injury itself." She leaned forward and swiped the smaller pot from its place beside the fire. "Here," she offered. "You can do the front, and then I will clean your back."

Donoma accepted the cloth from Koko's hands, then dunked it into the warm water... and realized she wasn't able to squeeze it out. She looked over her shoulder at Koko, and Koko stared back dumbly for a moment before realizing the problem with the situation. She shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry, ka'eskone. I forgot about that." She took the cloth and squeezed out the excess water then passed it back to Donoma.

When Donoma was done with the front, which Koko had been able to mostly clean before, she dropped the cloth back into the water and let the fur slip down to her waist. Koko winced when she looked at the damage, then gently wiped away the grime that still coated Donoma's back. Even as gentle as she was, she could feel Donoma flinch. Koko bit her lip and finished as quickly and carefully as she could, feeling Donoma's sigh of relief as her own when she pulled the fur back over her shoulders.

They leaned against one another waiting for the soup to boil, both falling into a light doze in the process. The bubbling and hissing brought Koko's eyes open and she grimaced a bit before smiling at how quickly she and Donoma had resumed their comfort level. She gently shook Donoma awake.

"Wha...? Oh... sorry Koko – I...."

"Shh, ka'eskone. We need the rest. We will eat, then we can rest some more. It will take a little time, but we will get through this."

"I know, but a healer usually makes the worst patient." Donoma blew out an impatient breath. "I wish I could have seen this coming."

"As do I, Donoma – I would have spared you this pain if I could have."

"I know, warrior. I have always wondered why the Great Spirit chooses to make some things known and keep other things hidden. And how things are chosen. This is something I think I would have chosen to reveal." She grit her teeth and shifted, accepting the bowl that Koko passed to her.

"Those are good questions, ka'eskone. Perhaps you will get the chance to ask them of the Great Spirit one day. But in the interim, I am going to find out who did this to you and why. And then I will exact payment for their indiscretion."

"You do not...."

"I do, ka'eskone. If not for the promise I made to you, then simply because it is who I am... it is what I do, Donoma. I find the guilty and I bring them to justice... one way or another. I cannot do less for you than I would do for strangers, Nutta. Please do not ask me to."

Donoma shifted again, hissing but continuing her movement until she could look directly into Koko's eyes. "I would not ask you to be less than you are, Koko Kanti. I trust you to know what is best... especially when it comes to dealing with things in the white man's world. Just make sure you take care of yourself in the process, warrior mine. It is pointless otherwise."

"I understand, ka'eskone."

They finished the remainder of their meal in silence, then Koko helped Donoma to her feet. They shuffled back to Donoma's tent and Koko eased Donoma back down onto the furs and turned to go... only to find her ankle clasped in Donoma's hand.

"Donoma?"

"You need rest as well, Koko."

"I know, ka'eskone," Koko replied with a smile. "I will be right back. I want to retrieve the soup for later and extinguish the fire so we will not be spotted from the smoke." Donoma released her grip and true to her word, Koko was back swiftly, placing the still boiling soup in the cold fire pit and settling into her own furs beside Donoma.

It didn't take long and they were soon tangled together as much as they could comfortably manage, sound asleep.

************

The next few days passed much the same, except for an inordinate amount of rain. They slept a good deal of the time, waking to eat and relieve themselves as nature required and spending time in conversation, healing on the inside as well as their physical bodies.

After almost a week of recovery time, they were both feeling much more normal and were happy to wake to clear skies.

"It is nice to feel the warmth of sunshine again," Donoma commented as they stepped out into it again.

"It is indeed, ka'eskone. Go and enjoy your bath; I will cleanse your dwelling. Then I will see if I can find something fresh for our dinner. I cannot speak for you, but I would not be adverse to a change in our diet."

"Neither would I, warrior mine. Are you sure you can manage the cleansing alone?"

"I am sure, Donoma."

"Then I will go get clean myself. I believe I have lost my sense of smell in self-defense. I would hate to scare off the opportunity for something fresh to eat with my scent."

Koko chuckled. "I happen to like your scent, but you're right... it would probably scare off any game I could find. Besides, you will feel better."

"I will indeed," Donoma agreed. "And so will you."

"I know; I will go when you have returned. By then, I should have completed my other tasks. However, I will accompany you to the creek and you need only call for me if you need my help and I will come."

"I will be fine, warrior, but I would welcome your company."

When they were both clean and well-fed on the prairie chicken Koko had gotten for their dinner, Donoma laughed at Koko's antics and groaning after she finished up the last of the bird.

"That was wonderful, Donoma, but how could you allow me to eat so much?? I am so full."

"Allow you, warrior? When did I start allowing you to do anything?? I have only ever been your advisor."

"You should have advised me more carefully then." Koko paused and looked down at the ground before catching Donoma's eyes and holding them. "Or perhaps instead of simply my advisor, I should offer you a position of significantly more power."

"Such as?" her eyes steady but her lips and voice trembling. Koko placed a kiss on Donoma's hand, then rose from her place and disappeared into her own tent. Donoma watched her go, shaking with nervous excitement – fairly certain what was coming next.

It didn't take long but it seemed like forever before Koko emerged from her home dressed in the leathers Rachel and Donoma had stitched for her with such loving care. Donoma caught her breath at the figure she cut in the full light of day. Koko focused on Donoma's expression, relishing the honest emotion playing over her features.

Koko strode to where Donoma waited, and mindful of both their injuries, gently but forcefully pulled her to her feet. "Join with me, Donoma," she commanded firmly. "Be my chosen mate."

************

The captain sat brooding in his office. His brother had been right - no damn woman needed a horse as fine as the black stallion Reb Stone rode, and Leroy hadn't deserved to die for trying to give the horse a more worthy master. He certainly hadn't deserved the horrible end he had gotten. Reuben Washburn shook his head. He didn't care what the colonel said – someone was going to pay for his brother's death.

Killing Reb Stone would be a good place to start.

Part 12

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