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His insides were tight.
His need for vengeance was like a hot poker in the pit of his belly, burning, sending him onward through the huge oaks, elms, and the tall spruces that gave off such a wonderful scent.
Here and there squirrels scampered from limb to limb, startled by the noise of the horses’ hooves.
Some ignored the commotion, remaining beneath the trees, frantically digging through the dirt and rotting leaves to uncover a nut they had planted there earlier, which they could consume for their breakfast today.
When Wolf Hawk saw two dark eyes peering through the brush, he recognized them as those of a deer. He saw that he was right when it suddenly leapt out into the open and fled into the darker recesses of the forest.
Wolf Hawk’s warriors paid no attention to it. They carried their quivers of arrows on their backs, and long bows over their shoulders. All wore knives sheathed at their waists, and all were attired in breechclouts and moccasins, their long black hair fluttering in the wind as they continued to wind their way through the forest. Their eyes took in each and every movement, even the slightest stirring of leaves overhead, but they were not hunting for deer or any other animal.
Their jaws tight, their chins firm, they were intent on hunting the evil trappers.
None thought that the trappers could completely elude them. They did not believe that their Earthmaker above would allow such atrocities to go unpunished.
Suddenly Wolf Hawk caught the scent of smoke in the air. He raised a fist, his silent order for the warriors to stop.
Wolf Hawk’s eyes scanned the forest ahead of them. Through a break in the trees just up ahead he saw the old abandoned fort. The smoke was spiraling heavenward from somewhere inside the walls of the fort.
Someone had most certainly taken shelter in the fort, and he hoped that it was the trappers. If so, the killers were doomed.
They would not slip past his warriors. Even now he was giving them quiet commands where to go and place themselves. His plan was to surround the fort, to stop anyone who might try to leave.
When all of his men were in place, and he himself stood at the entrance, where the gate stood wide open, Wolf Hawk shouted a warning to those who were inside.
“You are surrounded!” Wolf Hawk shouted, his hand clutching his rifle, ready to fire should it become necessary. “Show yourselves! Now!”
He watched and waited, then spotted movement at the door of the cabin.
His eyes widened when he saw that it was not a man, but a beautiful, slightly built, white woman.
And she stood alone in the door, making him wonder if those who were with her were too cowardly to come outside with her.
“Please don’t hurt us,” Mia cried, terrified that she might be experiencing the last moments of her life.
And she was so afraid for her father, whose body and heart were too weak for confrontations such as this!
As for Tiny, he was worth
less, a coward. Mia’s father came and stood at her side, but Tiny shrank as far back against the far wall as possible, staying hidden.
“What do you want of us?” Mia called out to the Indian who seemed in charge. She noted his air of command, his sculpted features and muscled body. “My father and I are innocent of any wrongdoing against you. We are stranded. During the night someone stole our boat…our river scow.”
She glanced over at her father, who had crept to her side. She saw his paleness and frailty as he stood there now, afraid, his arm quivering as he held it around her waist.
Mia directed her words again to the Indian who seemed to be in charge. He stood apart and in front of the others, his dark eyes gazing intently at her.
“My father is ill,” Mia said, swallowing hard. “Please do nothing that will cause him to have another attack.”
Wolf Hawk was pleased by the woman’s strong will. She spoke courageously to him, whereas most women would cower and shy away from a strange man. He could not help noticing how beautiful and petite she was. Wolf Hawk did not want to make her feel threatened by him and his warriors.
All he wanted was those who had taken two of his young braves’ lives.
He stepped forward, but stopped when he saw her father’s eyes grow wide with fear. The old man seemed ready to pass out, and his knees looked as though they were ready to buckle beneath him.
“I am Chief Wolf Hawk of the Bird Clan of the Winnebago tribe,” he stated. “I come in peace. I only ask for answers from you. If what you say proves your innocence, you will be left alone by us. Tell me first what your name is, and how many are with you besides your father.”
“My name is Mia…Mia Collins, and this is my father, whose name is Harry,” she murmured.
