The sun must be somewhere up in the deep blue overhead.
But, Liliann couldn't see it. Indeed, the trail on this, the western side of the mountain, was narrow and thin, and it led through a gloomy pine-covered forest with thousands upon thousands of trees so tall they blocked out the sun overhead. It was as though the timber surrounding their path hid terrible secrets or perhaps housed ghostly shadows. Here, an enemy could hide until a body was right upon him, and then jump out and…
Liliann swallowed a scream, but a tiny part of the sound broke into the air, to be absorbed by the giant cottonwoods and pines. Still, if there were enemy scouts about, they would have heard it. Looking toward the side of the path, she gasped. Had she seen a bear behind a tree?
Quickly, she gave her pony a gentle kick and rode up close beside First Rider. But, he didn't even spare her a glance.
Problem was, the timber was so dense, so dark and so gloomy, one would have to have been a saint to feel no dread of it. Still, she told herself she must try to think of happier times, and, upon this thought, she remembered this very morning. She had awakened wrapped in First Rider's arms. Indeed, he hadn't let go of her all through the night.
And, after snuggling against him, he had awakened and had kissed her, murmuring, "We survive. But, we must find water, I think. I am thirsty."
"Indeed, I be thirsty, also."
"We must go."
"Must we?"
His only answer to her was a smile. Leaning his head down to hers, he kissed her sweetly, then he stood up to his feet, taking the blanket with him.
Sighing, she arose along with him, grabbed the blanket from him and folded it. Reaching then for one of their parfleche bags, she extracted some of the dried meat from it, offered him some, ate some of it herself and then they set out to cover over their nightly camp and erase any signs they had been there.
Soon they had left the camp to travel down along the steep slope heading north, which had taken them into a deep narrow valley where a fresh stream flowed. Quickly, they had bathed, had quenched their thirst and had then set out once more upon the trail.
It wasn't long before the path had led them into this dark, gloomy and frightening timber that, according to First Rider, continued all the way to the peak of the mountain. There were many deep valleys here, and they were also covered in pines and cottonwoods and other kinds of underbrush.
The air was different here, too: it was heavy with moisture, and it smelled of plants that can only grow within a richly humid atmosphere.
But, at last First Rider found a clearing on a plateau in the forest, and they were able to look out upon the land, seeing a world quite different from the Plains. Here, many valleys, with their deep and blackened timber, extended to every part of the land as far as the eye could see. Even the summits of the mountains were heavily timbered.
There were no sharp, rising peaks; no steeply cut banks where the face of the mountain abruptly entered the water which was perpendicular to it. There were also none of the Pikuni's beloved and grassy prairies; only the gloomy, sinister-feeling timber of pines, tamaracks and tall cottonwoods abounded in this, the-other-side-of-the-mountains land, and the trail led into and through this deep and gloomily timbered land. The underbrush was so thick and thorny, it covered every piece of ground thoroughly, hiding the path they were following and requiring them to continually scrape away the growth from the trail, if only to ensure they were still traveling upon it.
She said, in a whisper, "Much as I be likin' the scent of the pines and other trees in this forest, this be, yet, an unhappy land. Not only can a body not see what be hidin' on one's right or one's left, I cannot see farther than two meters ahead of us."
"It is true," he responded. "It…why we must be ever alert and listen for signs of…enemy."
"Oh?" she asked. "And, what signs be those?"
"Sound…of hooves on path," he answered. "Voices carrying on…wind, children playing, barking of dogs, all this and more…must be alert and watchful. But, must seek shelter if we see…scattering of game fleeing from the gloom of timber. All…are signs of people, and most mountain people…enemies of the Pikuni."
"Oh," she murmured and then fell quiet.
And then, as if the dreariness of the forest weren't bad enough, it began to rain and there was a gusting wind up high in the treetops. It wasn't long before First Rider turned back around to her and said, "Find your courage. Rain here means there snow up higher in mountains. It block our way forward…also our way back. We have only one choice: we must go forward very fast and climb over those mountains before snow comes."
Liliann gasped, but nodded. However, even with a quickened pace it was impossible. The light rain quickly turned to a downpour, and in reaction to it, First Rider began to sing the coyote song, one meant to give a body courage. Recognizing it, Liliann sang it with him.
"Soka'pii," he said. "We must soon find shelter. Come, follow me."
And Liliann, bringing up the hood of her capote to cover her head against the blast of rain, did exactly as First Rider had bid her to do.
****
This was no friendly autumn shower. It was hard rain and a lot of it, soaking her hair right through her capote's hood. Even her clothing beneath the capote was soaked, and it had happened within minutes. In truth, the forest literally creaked and cracked under the downpour. In the distance, a dead tree fell to the ground with a roaring crash. Another pine tree soon followed.
Liliann shivered.
"We cannot make good shelter in woods," said First Rider. "Too dangerous. Trees might fall on shelter. We find cover in…place where falling trees…not harm us. We leave trail here. Go there! See?" He pointed. "Cliffs there!"
It seemed a long way from where they were to where they needed to go. The cliffs First Rider had pointed to were part of amountain range, requiring them to leave the trail and go through the dense underbrush of the forest. But, this underbrush did not simply cover the ground, some of the bushes and saplings were as tall as she.
