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She grinned at him and nodded at the same time. In these last few months, she had noticed he was speaking better and better English. It was predictable that soon he would have full command over the language.

And so, they turned around to go back down the mountain the same way they had climbed up it.

Though Liliann found the descent to be hard on her legs and knees, it was at least easier on her energy.

But, soon they were at the foot of the mountain, and, looking up, they began to climb up to the ledges where they had seen goats.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, she was hit with a fluffy bit of snow. Looking forward, she could see First Rider, who was squatting in the snow. But, no sooner had she seen him, when he suddenly turned and… Whoosh! Another snowball came flying toward her.

She giggled, and, bending down, she quickly put together some snow resembling a ball and threw it at him. A snowball fight ensued until they both looked like moving snow creatures. Laughing, they fell against each other, and, sharing a kiss, he asked, "Have you…made love in snow?"

"I have not," she replied. "Have thou?"

" Saa. Want try?"

"Here?Now?"

" Saa. Snow too deep.But…later…?"

"Will it not be too cold?"

"We set out warm furs, hides…"

"Well…maybe."

He winked at her. "We go get warm hide, furs. Later, we try?"

She smiled at him and giggled, saying, "Maybe."

Perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea. The suggestion certainly brought warmth into her. But, as he said, the snow here was too deep.

The way up the mountain became steep, and they soon found their snowshoes were hindering their way instead of aiding their ascent.

Taking them off, they discovered it was faster to use them more like a shovel.

In this way, their climb became quicker, even despite the hard, tiring work of shoveling snow out of their way… and uphill.

It was also made worse because, by loosening the snow above them, sometimes a drift of snow would suddenly fall upon First Rider, causing him to fall backward.

And, sometimes he became the clown as he removed this snow, exaggerating the flaying of his arms and legs so greatly that she found herself giggling.

At last, they climbed up onto a ledge, and, pausing, they looked out over the mountain landscape; it was so cold but so beautiful that she felt honored to even be here gazing upon it.

He murmured, "My country is beautiful, is it not?"

"It is beautiful. But, come now, I am shivering and so are thou. We should move along so we can warm up."

He looked over his shoulder at her, and, straight-faced, said, "Snow not so deep here."

The implication was obvious, and she giggled before asking, "And, the warm robes and fur? Does thou have them?"

"Forgot," he said, grinning at her. "You so beautiful…cannot remember why we here."

She laughed aloud. "Oh, thou are a flatterer!"

"I not flatter you. It true," he protested.

Shaking her head, she could only chuckle.

But, they could not rest for long because it was true: the bitter cold had them both shivering, even though from where they stood on the ledge, the wind did not reach them.

Kraak!Kraak!

Looking up, Liliann saw the pale-gray and black bird with black feathers dotted white on its ends.

Kraak!Kraak!

The bird, a Clark's crow, also known as a Clark's nutcracker, seemed to be scolding them as it circled above them.

First Rider glanced at her from over his shoulder and asked, "Did you hear what…crow said?"

"Be the bird speakin' to us?"

" áa .She was."

"What did she say, now?"

"She told me there…is deep pass ahead. To beware."

"Did she tell thee where exactly it be?"

" Saa , we must be alert. I go first."

Liliann grinned at him, then said, "Except for once on that wee bit of a trail over that terrible pass, thou be always goin' first."

He simply laughed. "Come, we…almost there. Meat, warmth and…lovemaking awaits us."

Standing on her tiptoes, she grinned up at him and kissed his neck before saying, "Lead on, oh handsome husband of mine…I be followin' thee."

****

The constant shoveling of the snow coming loose and falling upon First Rider and then upon her in order to simply climb up the mountain was taking a toll on First Rider, who was tasked to do the shoveling.

And, although she volunteered to take a turn at the hard work, he forbade it.

As they climbed up farther and farther toward the summit of the mountain, Liliann began to see other birds up there, probably more numerous birds than what were in the forest below them. Some were white with black beaks.

Pointing toward them, First Rider said, "Arctic birds. They live here, stay here always, never come down mountain."

She said, "Live on the top of a mountain? And, here I be, not knowin' anythin' could be livin' up there."

He merely nodded, then said, "Way not far now."

And so, he kept shoveling the snow out of their way as they climbed.

Once, the snow was falling down so greatly upon them, First Rider became buried in it up to his chest, and, the good Lord be praised, he looked like a giant snowman.

Laughing so hard, she could barely make her way up to where he was to brush the snow away.

But, before she set his arms free completely, she said, "I think I be wantin' to take advantage of thee before freeing thine arms."

Looking stoically at her, he said, "I await your touch." Then he added, "I hope it will be a kiss…or more!"

When at last she dug down far enough to free his arms, he used them to reach out toward her, and, dragging her in toward him, he kissed her lips, her nose, her cheeks, then said, "I burn much for you. So much, even this ice not cool my need…of you."

"Oh my! I cannot wait until tonight."

"I, too," he said. "I, too."

The rest of the way up the mountain was easier. And, with the ledge extending out so closely to them, they crawled upon it and sat still for a moment, both breathing deeply.

"I love thee very much," she said. "Never have I loved a man as I do thee."

He nodded. "I, too," he said. "You bring joy and…pleasure to me." He turned, then, toward her and hugged her. Then he whispered, "What happens in Flathead camp, not matter. Always…I will love you."

Turning forward once more, he pointed down to the ledge below them, one which extended well out from the wall of the mountain. And then, for the first time in her life, she saw the white mountain goats.

They looked so odd, she laughed. Long white hair hung to the bends of their legs and rose up high over their shoulders, while a long beard hung from their chins.

Their faces were concave. And, while she smiled at the sight of them, First Rider was setting his arrows into his hand, fitting one of those arrows to his bow.

Then, practically faster than she could count— whoosh, whoosh —he sent one arrow after another at the goats—his aim, despite the frozen appearance of his hands, accurate and deadly, taking down one goat after another, until he set his arrows and his bow back into his quiver.

Glancing down at her, he said, "This enough meat and plenty skins to make warm bed. Come, we dress them quickly…slide them down mountain, I think."

The work was quick, and before long they had fastened the goats—four of them—together and began their slide down the slope of the mountain, First Rider in the lead and she in the rear.

The deep snow kept the goats both in a line and from sliding too quickly down the steep slope.

Indeed, she was about to praise First Rider, when suddenly she didn't see him.

He should be in sight ahead of her. Where was he?

"First Rider!" she called, stepping carefully forward. No reply. "First Rider! Please answer!"

Where was he? He had been there, up ahead of her, only seconds before. Scooting forward as quickly as she dared, she saw it: a hole in the snow—a deep hole—and as tears came to her eyes, she knew he was down there.

"First Rider! Can thou hear me?"

Again there was no answer.

Beside her was one of the snowshoes, and, grabbing hold of it, she began digging frantically, being careful, herself, to stay on solid ground, knowing it would not help him if she were to disappear into a hole, also.

"Dear Lord, help me!" she cried out. "Please hear my plea; please let him be alive and let me dig him out fast! Help me!"

And, she dug and dug until, at last, she saw the top of his head.

She cried out, "Don't thou dare die! Does thou hear me? Don't thou dare!" And, she dug and she dug, crying out all the while, "Help us! Help me! Help me to be fast enough! Please, God, help me!"

And, then it happened: she heard a sound around her and looked up to see the biggest and hairiest creature she had ever seen. But, it shocked her further when it said not a word but told her mind-to-mind, "Stand back! You must not also fall!"

Liliann did as the creature bid and watched as the big and extremely-strong-looking being reached down, and as easy as though she picked up a child, she brought First Rider up out of the snow. But, was he alive?

"Dear God, please let him be alive!" Liliann cried.

Then, this big hairy human-like life form came to quickly sit down next to where Liliann was standing.

The creature was a female, Liliann was quick to note, for there were breasts upon her chest. Then, the creature placed First Rider in her lap, and Liliann began to cry because he looked so blue. She asked, "Is he alive?"

In mind-speak, the female creature said, "He is, but barely. I need you to blow breath into him."

Liliann didn't hesitate, and flung herself down beside the big hairy person, kissing her husband with her breath.

Over and over, on and on, she blew breath into his mouth until, at last, she saw his chest rise and fall.

Filled with the hope of success, Liliann didn't stop blowing air into his mouth until she saw his chest rise and fall on its own.

It was at this moment when the Big Person began to sing, and, listening to it, Liliann became stunned, for she recognized the song.

Slightly similar to the words and the melody First Rider used to heal others, it was still a song Liliann knew, though it was a little different.

Liliann added her voice then to this big female creature's song, singing along with it and adding her own clicking sounds and noises in the right places. And, sitting alongside this big and hairy human-like creature, they two, on a deserted slope of a mountain, sang and sang and sang…