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He glanced at her awkwardly. "I will miss you." He said softly.
She didn't move, she nodded, "Me too, be careful."
"Yeah," he nodded and turned away.
Disappointed there would be no last kiss goodbye, she barely uttered, "See ya."
He paused for a second, as though he thought about something, then walked away.
She watched him until he was out of sight and waved when he waved.
She glanced down at the wolves, pet them, fed them and kissed them on the head. They whined and she went inside to get her small bag of things. She had very little now, and even that was sad to her. Twenty-two years and one small satchel, she shook the negative away and headed for the kitchen.
She left a note for Jack on the table. "Thanks for all you two have done for me. Now I'm doing something for the two of you. Tell Moon not to worry about Earl, no one knows but me, and I'll never tell. Thanks for teaching me so much about survival. Good luck to you both. Goodbye, Love Lissa."
She looked around the cabin, smiled sadly and put her hat on, tucking her hair neatly inside and left.
Since it was getting cooler, she headed south. North might mean snow and winter and she wanted no part of that.
Moon had made her a pair of long mocassins boots and they were very comfortable. She took one of their blankets to keep warm with.
She traipse through the countryside staying away from farms and ranches as best she could, not going near a road.
It was a good time to leave, winter wasn't there yet, and it was cool enough to be comfortable walking in the woods. She wore her man clothes and put her blanket and supplies on her back.
The first town she came to was small and she walked through it without much notice. But there was a poster in front of the jail of her and she walked on. She'd have to walk until she found a place that had no posters. Besides this town was too close to Jack's place.
She stopped at several streams to drink and wash the dust from her face. She wouldn't have looked so bad if she hadn't cried half the time she walked. She was already missing Jack and Moon.
The first night out she camped without any trouble. All the things Moon had ta
ught her like trapping a rabbit, had her finding food easily. She could also read signs in the dirt, what animal came by, how long ago and whether a horse had been around. If a horse had been close, then someone was on that horse, more than likely. She watched the stars at night to keep herself going in the right direction. She studied the weather too, watching for certain kinds of clouds to be leary of.
The first two nights she cried herself to sleep, but she had to stop. She was glad she had given Moon his freedom back and he'd have a life now.
But the loneliness surrounded her, and she had to keep her thoughts from Jack and Moon. They would be much better off without her, she assured herself. They had been very kind to her and now she was repaying them for all they had done for her.
She passed many towns, most had her poster up. She decided she might have to head a different direction. But then she stumbled on Fort Hall and she'd never thought about staying at one before, but it might offer her a chance. Forts didn't usually carry wanted posters.
She wandered inside. There was a drill Sergeant drilling his men on the field. There was a woman hanging wash out. There were children playing.
A Corporal stopped her, "Excuse me, are you looking for the headquarters sir?"
"Uh, yes."
"Straight ahead and up the stairs there." He pointed.
"Thanks," she called gruffly.
She sighed and went into the office.
"Can I help you sir?" the Colonel asked as she approached him.
"I hope so," she said with a sigh as she flopped into the chair in front of his desk, then took off her hat and let her hair fall against her shoulders.
"A woman? My God, I would never have known it. What can I do for you?"
"I dressed this way to be safe on the trail."
