AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Only now did he realize the greatness of those losses.
He was so ashamed of what he had done, he felt the bitterness of vomit even now in the depths of his throat.
He coughed, but not from the bitterness of vomit. It was his lungs. They pained him so.
He realized that he was not as well as he should be in order to survive the cold nights high in these mountains.
He heard the screech of a mountain lion and shivered. He knew that he was vulnerable, all alone and without a firearm.
And he had only a few arrows left of those he had stolen when he had found the horse hobbled as several renegades crouched beside a night fire, laughing and boasting about what they had achieved that day.
Yes, he had been lucky to have gotten away with stealing a renegade’s horse and supplies. Had they caught him, they would have enjoyed killing him slowly, then scalping him and leaving him for the wolves to feast upon.
He had been so relieved when he reached his childhood hideout in the mountain.
But now?
He was afraid that he might die where he had at one time been so happy.
He hated the thought of dying alone.
Chapter Six
There was never any yet that
wholly could escape love,
and never shall there be any,
never so long as beauty shall be,
never so long as eyes can see.
—Longus
The smell of food cooking on an open fire came to Brave Wolf in the soft breeze. He looked cautiously around him, and then up ahead, for he knew that where there was food cooking, there were those who were waiting to eat it.
When he saw the flames of a campfire through a break in the trees, he drew a tight rein, his warriors following his lead as they stopped, as well.
Two Tails brought his horse closer to Brave Wolf’s. “Perhaps we have found him,” he said, his voice only loud enough for Brave Wolf to hear.
Brave Wolf gazed intently at the fire, and then shook his head. “No, the man I know as my brother would not be so careless,” he said stiffly. “If he is still alive, he knows that there are those who wish that he was not. He is where no one can see or smell food cooking over his fire.”
Two Tails gazed at the fire again, now making out shadowed figures crouched around it. In the night breeze came laughter and voices . . . voices that did not speak the language of the Crow.
“Renegades?” he said, his voice suddenly filled with hate. “Would they be this reckless? Or do they place themselves out in the open because they wish for a confrontation?”
“They believe they are invincible,” Brave Wolf growled. “So, yes, I do believe we have found a renegade camp, but no, I do not think they wish for a confrontation. It is late in the night. They would not expect anyone to be riding past, especially this far from all villages and forts.”
“Could these be the Ute?” Two Tails asked, frowning at Brave Wolf. “The same renegades who spilled the blood of our people on our land? Who took our chief, your ahte, from us?”
“Ka, no, I do not believe it is they, or that they are anywhere near, for they know that if they show their faces again where we can see them, they will have no more time on this earth,” Brave Wolf said tightly. “When they took my ahte from his people and family, they knew they had crossed the line. They scattered far and wide, knowing that was the only way they could keep from dying a slow, painful death for the crimes they committed.”
Brave Wolf dismounted and tethered his horse to a low tree limb. He motioned for his warriors to do the same.
After they were all on foot, the warriors gathered around Brave Wolf.
“We shall go see whose camp this is,” Brave Wolf said. “Bring your bows and quivers of arrows. We must be ready to fight if there is reason.”
