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Never had she spoken to another soul in this manner. It was strange…so very strange, yet it was beautiful, too. And, she wondered what else was she about to discover in this mystery land called Indian Country.

Leaning over her pony once more, she said, "Well, Misty Girl, I think we had best set a course forward.

We follow the Missouri River, though we will be traveling on this prairie far above it.

To the north, all I can see is prairie straight to the horizon.

And, before us in the west be more prairie with its high brown grass, and look at it endin' there before the mountains ahead of us.

Does thou find it to be beautiful, too?"

Her pony answered with an up-and-down shake of her head. Smiling, Liliann said, "Let us be going now."

With a slight kick of Liliann's heels against her pony's flanks, Misty Girl began to walk forward, and because Liliann was in no hurry to arrive at any particular place, she did little more than face the wind coming at her from the west and breathe in the fresh scents of river, of prairie, of trees and sagebrush.

And, although she knew it wasn't really true, for now it felt a little like paradise.

****

Contrary to Otahki, First Rider was speeding east over the same prairie, but he was traveling as though he were escaping from a prairie fire at his back.

Indeed, he felt certain there was no occasion for a leisurely pace, not during a time of day when war parties might not yet be settled in for the day's rest. And, if an enemy scout should see Otahki… a white woman…alone on the prairie…

Why was she following him? Didn't she know—or at least sense—the danger of what he and his friends were attempting to do? While most scouts were aware enough and skilled enough to move so as to be invisible to those they stalked, there still remained the threat of danger.

And why was she coming to him when what she really required was rest? Perhaps it was this particular question which caused him to reach out to her again and ask, "Why are you not still at Fort Benton, resting and recovering your strength?"

A long stretch of silence ensued after he asked the question, until, at last, she responded in the mind-speak and said, "Something has changed."

He waited. Was there more?

When she didn't continue, he asked, "What is this change?"

Again she didn't answer, but because their minds were open to one another, he sensed her panic and he asked, "What is it you fear?"

"I…I cannot speak of it because I am uncertain me own fear rests upon solid ground."

And then, because one cannot always hide one's thoughts when using the mind-speak to communicate, he knew what her anxiety might be and he said, "You have dreamed, I think."

"I have done so," she answered. "But, it might be nothing more than a bad dream."

He paused before saying in the mind-speak, "We will talk more of this later when night has fallen, the time when we will see one another face-to-face. For now, let us both concentrate on the environment around us. Reach out to me in the mind-speak if you have trouble."

"I will," she replied. "And, thou do the same for me."

"I will."

"First Rider?" she asked, he aware of the panic within her mind.

"I am listening," he replied in mind-speak.

"I love thee. I truly love thee."

He paused, uncertain for a moment of how to respond. At last, however, he opted for the truth, and he said in mind-speak, "And I, you. Look for me when the sun is ending its journey across the sky."

"I will," she answered. "Know this, too, me soon-to-be-husband. I have and always will always love thee."

Again First Rider was uncertain of what to say. Had he always loved her? As a friend and an almost-sister, yes. But, in his youth, his undying love for Tsistsaki had been so strong, if he had ever felt anything more than admiration and friendship for Otahki, it had been hidden from him.

"Thou needn't answer," came Otahki's response to the ramblings of his mind, he having forgotten to mask his thoughts from her.

She continued and said in mind-speak, "Me own self knows how much thou loved Tsistsaki.

No man who has not a great love for his wife would be spendin' four years of his life in search of her. "

"True," he answered. "But, it means not that I love you less." He paused momentarily before continuing, and he said, "You have always been in my heart, but as you know, in the past I had believed you to be a friend and almost-sister. Perhaps I was blind."

She didn't respond, causing him to say, "Look for me toward the end of sun's path. We can speak more of this then."

"I will," she responded.

The communication dropped.

*****

Although First Rider didn't know all the particulars of Otahki's dream, during their mind-speak he had sensed enough about her vision to know she feared he could be facing some kind of peril. And, of course, she had reason to think this was so.

Although a scout rarely put himself into grave danger, there were times when it was impossible to control every aspect of the trail, especially when he and his friends would have to sneak in and out of Stuart's camp in order to taunt, confuse and allow nature to work her "charm" on the lawless man, bringing Stuart to his knees.

But, if Stuart should discover he was being followed, it was possible First Rider and his friends could become the hunted instead of the hunters.

Only when they had disarmed the man and nature had worked her way with him would they dare to show themselves to the man and lead him back to Fort Benton… and to his shame.

It didn't necessarily follow that, should they be discovered, he and his friends would fail. But, it was safer and easier to stalk a man when he didn't know that the weapons and tools going missing in his camp were the work of a pursuer, as opposed to himself misplacing the objects.

First Rider and his friends were scouts, and he and Stands Strong were also medicine men. As scouts, they were accustomed to trailing an enemy and knew how to use the environment as a weapon to bring an enemy to his knees. For a scout, it was an art form, as well as a means to serve justice.

Otahki, of course, knew nothing about this, and she could unthinkingly give away their cover. But, it little mattered. If she were coming here instead of remaining at the fort and recovering, he and his friends would simply have to be extra cautious.

He was glad she had thought to tell him—even if she didn't know he could "hear" her—about her plans to join him.

Otherwise, he might have continued scouting and following Stuart's trail, unaware of her actions…

perhaps endangering her. She, a white woman, alone upon the prairie, was prey to predators—to animals as well as to enemy war parties.

Reaching out to her again, he said in mind-speak, "Rest whenever you or your pony need to.

I will still find you. If you leave the trail because of your injuries or for some other reason, pick a spot within the pines where there is grass for your horse.

Enemy scouts can see far and they haunt high buttes and hills, looking for an enemy or other quarry.

Pass through the places where there are hills or buttes with care.

Or do not go past them at all until evening comes. "

She didn't answer at once, but when she did, she asked, "But, will thou not have to go by these hills and buttes, too?"

" áa ," he answered. "But, I know how to discover the enemy and avoid him seeing me. If you see a butte in the distance and you must go past it, reach out to me so I can discover if there is an enemy in hiding there."

"All right," she replied in the mind-to-mind speak. "I will. Would thou rather I find a place where there are many pine trees and stay there, letting thee come to me?"

" áa ," he answered. "This is a good idea. As soon as you locate a place where you can remain for some time, reach out to me so I can look around it and discover if there is danger there for you."

"All right," she said. "I will."