AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Jinx finally joined him.
"There's nothin' I can say that will help you boy." Jinx told him.
"Nothing!"
"But somethin' ain't right about all this. In the worst of places, in the biggest battles, there is always some kind of remains…" Jinx assured him. "There ain't nothin' here, boy."
"Maybe they are burnt up. Tortured, who knows what has happened here! Perhaps they are alive, but captives." Hawk cried as tears fell down his cheeks.
"Get hold of yourself boy, you ain't thinkin' straight. Bones don't usually burn." Jinx told him. "And captives, I don't know. Maybe."
"Look at the place, everything in there is gone."
"You can rebuild a house son." Jinx reminded him.
"A house, yes, but not the people in it!" Hawk declared.
"Well, what do you want to do, boy, give up?" Jinx asked frustrated.
Understanding Jinx, Hawk glanced at him. "We'll camp here tonight and tomorrow we'll figure out what we gotta do."
"That's better. Let's eat, and get some rest. Things will look a little better in the morning." Jinx declared.
They had killed a couple of rabbits on the way back and cooked them over a fire.
Hawk glanced up at the arrows still sticking out from the post on the house.
It was easy to see it was Comanche. However, for now, he blanked his mind and ate without tasting anything. He slept without dreaming too. For to dream of his Eve would hurt too much tonight. Tonight all he wanted was the black void of sleep and it came, just that way.
The next morning blue jays woke him as they quarreled in the treetops, along the forest.
His glance slid to the forest now. His brain had started to work a little. What would Bended Knee have done?
Had he any warning he might have tried to get them back to the Shoshone tribe. His spirits began to lift a little. Was there hope?
Jinx hadn't woken yet, he was still asleep and for once Hawk let him. The old man had traveled quickly at his insistence, he deserved a rest.
Then suddenly he heard a noise coming from the direction of the forest. He grabbed his gun and waited until he could see.
And there, coming from the clump of trees at the edge of the forest was Bending Knee, Eve, the children and two other Indians.
Hawk stared for a moment, thinking them an apparition. But when he heard her scream with delight and saw her running for him, he ran up to her then suddenly stopped.
"Are you real? Is it you, or am I dreaming?"
She broke into a smile that curled quickly around his heart.
His hand reached to cup her face as he slowly brought her toward him. "I can't believe you're still alive…" he cried and took her into his arms and kissed her so hard and so long that everyone around them started clearing their throats.
His arms went around her as he lifted his head. "I thought you all dead?" He nearly cried as his lips broke into a slow burning smile.
The kids came and jumped into his arms. He hugged Matthew to him then picked up Jane Ann and cuddled her in his arms, as he looped his arm around Eve.
They all stared suddenly at the burnt out home.
Hawk looked at them and sighed, "We can rebuild a house. I could never rebuild all of you."
They broke out in laughter.
