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She awoke to a kiss—a sweet, gentle kiss upon her forehead. Her hand was being held by someone. Opening her one good eye, she gazed up at First Rider who was sitting on her bed and was leaning over her.

She sat up. But then, looking down upon herself, she quickly lay back down and pulled the covers up to her chin.

"Who took off me own clothes?" she asked.

"Your father," he answered.

"And…who else?"

He simply grinned at her.

"Thou did it?"

His smile widened.

"I remember tellin' thee not to undress me."

He shrugged. "Maybe…was only…your father."

"Maybe? Now thou be tellin' me the truth and no lies."

Again he shrugged. "I only know…there is…large cut here." He touched her upper left thigh.

"Thou did it! Thou helped him to unclothe me."

He shrugged, still smiling.

"Be me father here when thou took off me clothin'?"

"He was," First Rider answered, looking away from her, though he was still grinning.

"Then thou admit it was thee who undressed me."

"True, it is," he said. Then he signed, "I would not wish anyone else, besides your father, to look upon your beauty."

She turned her head away from him and closed her eyes. She said, "Thou does flatter me. I be havin' all these bruises upon me body."

"Most…not too bad. They…heal. They not hide…your beauty."

He squeezed her hand, and she turned slightly away from him, saying, "How could thou? Thou be not me own husband and have no right to see me naked."

Again, he squeezed her hand and asked, "How could I not?"

The Lord be praised. There was a devilish twinkle in his eye, and seeing it, she grinned, though she tried to hide it.

She said, "Boys…men! How different ye are from we girls!"

"I have…much respect for…difference," he observed with a cheeky smile.

"I be certain thou do." Sighing, she laid back against the pillow and muttered, "I feel mighty tired, and no mistake. Now, get thou from me bedchamber so I can dress me own self without thee watchin' me."

"I could do…for you."

"I be sure thou could. But, I will not be lettin' thee do it, right enough."

"I stay…assist…you."

She couldn't help herself. She laughed and shook her head.

Leaning down again, he brought his lips to hers in a sweet kiss. He said, "Had talk with your…father. He tells me…you could be…second wife. He told me, also…your Holy Book allows."

"Oh my. Did me own father read the Good Book's passage to thee sayin' this?"

" Saa, no," First Rider answered, then he went on to say, "He told me wife can leave husband…woman not married to husband…if he beats her."

"Then, I be not married? I need never see Ernest again?"

" áa ," he said, signing the word "yes," also.

"Then, I be allowed to say to thee, 'Aye, I will be thy woman'?"

" áa ," he responded. Then, looking at her sheepishly, he asked, "Will you?"

"Aye," she agreed without the least hesitation. "I will." Then she added a little shyly, "I guess, Mr. First Rider, that I might be allowin' thee to remove me own clothing, after all."

He laughed, and, bending over her again, he kissed her gently. But, she wanted so much more. And, when he threw off her covers and reached out to her, she thought she was, at last, going to experience the full impact of his embrace.

However, all he did was pat the side of her rump and turn her onto her stomach. He said, "Now…see if there…damage…to your back."

She chuckled a little and murmured, "I thought thou had somethin' else in mind."

He laughed. "We have rest of lives…be together. Need you…get well."

Oh my. How was she, who had been so low and feeling so cursed only a short while ago, to experience such unexpected happiness?

She didn't know. But, from this moment forward, she was going to bask in the warmth of this man's love, giving him all the love and passion she had to give.

"Lay down," he said, turning her over onto her back once more. "Rest. I go…seek right herbs…find out where husband went. Soon…scout's revenge."

She sighed. "I think I be too tired to argue with thee. Promise me…thou will not be killin' him."

He grinned at her. "I do…only…scout's revenge."

She closed her eyes. Truly, she was too exhausted to argue with him. Later, she would discover what this "scout's revenge" was. But, for now, sleep beckoned to her.

First Rider was holding her hand when she drifted off to sleep.

Sighing, she thought she had better pinch herself to ensure this was all real.

But, even the mere thought of the effort it would require to reach up and take a nip at her skin seemed to require more energy than she, at present, possessed.

****

On the next day, early in the morning, First Rider set out to find his friends Stands Strong and Red Fox, who had gone on ahead to find Ernest Stuart's trail. First Rider was mounted upon his pony, Ikkaaya'y, Fast Runner, riding over the prairie as swiftly as he could, catching up to his friends.

"Have you discovered Stuart's tracks?" asked First Rider in the mind-to-mind speak, confident from his scan of the environment, that he was in no danger from roaming war parties.

"We have his path well within our sight," came the reply from Red Fox. "It was easy to find, since he is not covering his trail. He is not too smart, I think. He must believe no one is coming after him."

"We assume his destination is the small settlement at The Medicine, or as the white man calls it, Sun River," said Stands Strong in the same manner of mind-speak.

"There he will find those who indulge in the white man's firewater and gambling.

We think he plans to gain back what he lost at Fort Benton. "

"Yes, I believe you are right," First Rider answered in mind-speak. "I have looked at the prairie around me and I have seen where you are, there, encamped within a shelter of pines within a coulee."

"You are right," came Stands Strong's reply. "We will await you."

"Good," acknowledged First Rider. The communication dropped.

And so, it was only a short while after their mind-to-mind communication when First Rider strode into the small camp of Red Fox and Stands Strong.

The camp was hidden within a thick shelter of pines next to a stream flowing rapidly through the shallow coulee.

The scent of the trees was strong in the air and reached out to First Rider even before he came into the grove.

He approached their camp as silently as possible. But, because he was leading his pony behind him, there was no disguising his footfalls.

" Oki nikso'kowaiksi. Hello, my relatives," murmured First Rider as he and his pony stepped into their camp, a tiny encampment consisting simply of a small fire with several blankets placed around it.

" Oki napi," said his almost-brother and his almost-cousin at the same time.

"Since our recent communication with you, we have counselled about what might be our first approach to Stuart," said Red Fox in a quiet voice. "As soon as you are ready, let us all discuss it."

" Soka'pii ," replied First Rider, signing the word "good" at the same time. Then he continued to say in sign, "I will take my pony to your two in the meadow"—he pointed—"over there."

" Soka'pii, " said Stands Strong.

Leading his horse into the narrow prairie meadow within the grove of pines, First Rider found his friends' ponies munching the delicate grass and pea-vines growing abundantly there.

First hobbling his own mount so as to keep it from straying, he then grabbed his saddle blanket from Ikkaaya'y's back and retraced his steps to camp.

After placing his robe blanket next to the fire, he settled himself onto it and sat silently across the blaze from his two friends.

Because a man uses only the language of sign to communicate when scouting, First Rider signed, "I have left my soon-to-be-father-in-law to watch over my soon-to-be-woman while she recovers and heals.

Her injuries were numerous, one being a knife wound.

She and her father have told me she barely escaped with her life.

"However, she will recover, since all except two of the wounds were minor," First Rider signed.

"Her father is watching over her and caring for her while I join you.

My woman does not wish me to kill this man we hunt, but she does not know about the scouting rules of revenge which forbid taking another man's life, unless of course, one has to kill in order to avoid being killed.

But, what have you learned about my woman's attacker? "

It was Stands Strong who answered, and, using sign, he said, "Stuart was a free trapper for the Hudson Bay Company's Kootenai Post, but when the post moved above the northern border last year, he worked for another HBC company, Fort Connah, which is in Flathead Country.

We learned much about him from our Pikuni brother, Little Feather.

This woman-beater comes from the Queen mother's homeland across the Everywhere Water in the East. He came here already rich in the white man's wealth, but since arriving here, he has accumulated more of the riches the white man values… the evil golden rocks.

"We have learned from Little Feather, also, that on the night when Stuart attacked Otahki, he was seen gambling with some evil men.

Little Feather watched these men throughout the long night; he witnessed Stuart's loss of his riches, including his golden rocks and his stock of furs.

He thought the man would soon quit the game, but he did not.

And, when the game was over and Stuart had lost everything except the clothes on his back, Little Feather followed Stuart to his quarters and heard his attack upon Otahki.

"When Otahki fled, Little Feather laid his gun in Stuart's path and tripped him, giving Otahki enough time to escape to her father's quarters. This is how it was said to us by Little Feather, who swore on his honor it is the truth."