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The snow hadn't melted yet, and Liliann soon discovered that in the early morning they were able to trod on the ice atop the snow.

Because the warm sun melted the snow during the day, when night came and the temperature dropped once again, it created a thick layer of ice on top of the snow, making their way easier.

In the main, they traveled by night and slept by day, making their evening camp in scrub brush or a strand of willows where the snow was not deep.

They started no fires for cooking and ate only their store of dried meat.

And, every day before retiring, First Rider prayed to the Creator.

Because he would not leave her alone, she became accustomed to his manner of prayer, and, in truth, many were the times when she prayed alongside of him.

For many days, they followed a mountain river flowing west, and at one point a deep canyon opened up beside their trail.

With the light of the moon shining brightly above them, she looked down into the canyon, discouraged by its gloomy depth, which was so great, she could not see how far it was to the canyon's floor.

Deep, dark forests shot up on both sides of the trail, and the sounds of elk and deer—even moose—were loud in an otherwise silent environment. Now and again, the light of the moon would shine upon some big-horned sheep high up in the cliffs, along with many wolves hiding in the shadows.

Liliann shivered. Once they turned a corner in the trail, only to be confronted by a grizzly. He was huge, and having caught the sound of their passing, he stood to his feet and growled. Instantly, Liliann froze.

Not so First Rider. Grabbing his bow and arrows from the quiver on his back, he put an arrow to his bow. Waiting…

But, because the direction of the wind was from the grizzly to her and First Rider, the bear could not determine whom he was confronting, and he stood before them—huge, threatening and growling—and Liliann was certain she and her husband might perish before First Rider could kill the bear.

She would be no help in the matter; only First Rider was carrying weapons, and in the darkening shadows of evening, his aim would have to be sure and true.

As it turned out, however, because the bear could not determine exactly who it was in the path before him, the huge animal simply came down onto his feet and ambled away. Although First Rider said not a word, she heard him let out his breath in a loud sigh.

They waited for a moment to ensure the bear was really gone, and, at last, they continued on forward.

Then, in the early morning when the sun was just beginning to find its way into the eastern sky, Liliann glanced down again into the canyon beside the trail and found she was looking upon a valley adorned in green as well as the white of the melting snow.

Another river, heavily forested on both sides by tall pines and willows, wound its way through the canyon down there, and the sight of the greens and browns, and the white bordering the water, was highlighted in the silvery glow of morning.

It was a rare and beautiful sight—one so grand, she would not likely forget it.

First Rider stopped for a moment, letting her catch up to him, then he pointed down into a side of the valley below them, and he said, "Down there is place of good medicine. Water smells…bad; tastes bad. But, heals wounds…brings good health. Perhaps on way back, we go there."

"I would be honored to go there. Does thou bring many people up here to heal them?"

" Saa , no. Not needed. Long, dangerous way to come for person not well."

"True," she responded. "True."

First Rider didn't answer; instead, he continued to lead the way forward through the murky gray shadows of the forest. But then, when she thought she could no longer bear the dreariness of this miserable timber, they walked out of it and into a wide green valley that extended for a good distance into the west. A thin strip of willows lined the stream flowing through this valley, and Liliann drew in a deep breath of relief.

They camped there within the small strip of willows for the rest of the night and throughout the next day.

But, when night came again, they found their way back to the trail and paralleled it, keeping their tracks off the pathway.

Sometimes they jumped over the trail rather than walking across it to the other side.

And, then came the day when, having climbed up to the top of a small mountain, they looked out upon the lake where the Flathead usually made their encampment.

Said First Rider, "There, next to the lake is where we will find village of the Flathead. Though we cannot see their camp from here, I am certain it is there."

And so, they made their way down the mountain easily, since it was not high and its slope was straightforward.

It was a few days later when, still following the trail but from a parallel position to it, they heard the voices of children, the beating of drums and the barking of dogs; it was this which convinced them the Flathead camp was nearby.

Slowly, on hands and knees, they made their way through a forest toward the Flathead camp, he instructing her that she was to not press down on a stick or anything else that could crack or make a sound.

Soon they found a place within the timber to sit and refresh themselves with some of their store of dried meat.

Though she and First Rider were shielded here within this strand of elms, green ashes and willows, they were also hidden beneath the tall pines and cottonwoods.

Still, Liliann was fretting to the point of nervously twisting her braids, first on one side and then on the other.

In truth, despite the welcome fragrance of butterscotch emitted by some of the pine trees, as well as the singing-like echo of the stream flowing through the valley, she felt sad. Very sad.

She couldn't help the thoughts and questions spinning around her mind: would she and First Rider discover Tsistsaki in this camp? Would Tsistsaki have remarried? Or, was she a slave to some man who misused her? And, in their scouting of the camp, what if they were discovered?

But, most of all, she kept fretting over her own position in regards to First Rider and Tsistsaki.

Yes, Liliann understood why she and First Rider had come here.

Yes, he understood her beliefs on a man taking other wives.

But, now that the time had come for determining the truth of Tsistsaki, Liliann was so afraid of what they might discover, she wasn't certain she could go on.

But then, though the urge to walk away from here and go home was almost irresistible, she couldn't help but wonder, to what home?

And, all this was in addition to the danger of walking straight into the Flathead camp. Would the Flathead be friendly toward them?

Her concerns became magnified when First Rider insisted they were to say nothing to one another. And, further, they would communicate using sign only. Why?

And so, she and First Rider sat within the dark timber, awaiting the moon to climb high into the sky before they could commence any kind of communication.

When, at last, the moon arose and soared into the sky overhead, First Rider at last began their conversation, but using only sign.

Seated a little apart from one another, First Rider signed, "Tomorrow I will hide you here in this timber of tall pines and bushes where no one will find you. But, you are not to make yourself known in any way while I am gone."

"But—"

He held up his hand and signed, "Though white people often interrupt a man when he is speaking, we Indians do not."

Liliann nodded, though her fingers now shook as she twirled her braids.

"Take courage, my wife. Take courage. Now," he signed, "we have managed to come in close to the Flathead camp without being discovered.

What I do from here could be dangerous…perhaps not.

Last summer, we Blackfeet invited the Flathead to our camp to hunt.

We made a peace. But, will they remember this peace?

I do not know. As you are aware, I have been praying to Sun, the Creator, throughout this journey to give us safe journey and to help me determine what I must do to discover the truth, while at the same time keeping you as my wife.

My plan is this: I will get closer to the Flathead camp to see if Tsistsaki is living here within it.

I will also try to determine if she is now married or if she is a slave.

Once I know these facts, I will return here to you with a plan of how we are to proceed. "

"But, what if they find thee?" she asked.

"They will not find me. But, hear me well on this: I cannot worry about you being discovered. You must stay hidden in these bushes until I return, which I think might be tomorrow night. Do you think you can do this?"

She signed, "I cannot. I will not."

Even in the gloom of the timber, Liliann watched as First Rider raised up an eyebrow.

She signed. "I will go with thee. I will not remain here to worry about thee. If thou face danger, then I face danger. If they kill thee, they kill me, too."

"But, my wife, consider this: you are as yet untrained in the ways of a scout. You must remain unseen."

"I know enough," she signed. "I will not stay here. I will go with thee."

He seemed truly startled and had no ready answer to give her.

However, after a moment, he leaned in toward her and kissed her.

Then, lifting his head a little, he whispered, "As you know, I have been praying…

to Creator each new day. He has put…plan into my head.

If you come with me, will you take my orders? "

Placing her lips against his, she murmured, "I will."

"Do you promise…to me?" he whispered.

"Aye," she murmured. "Aye, I will."

****

The best time for scouting was at night, and though the moon was bright this evening, First Rider did not wait for it to set.

The encampment, he estimated, was composed of about two hundred lodges and, with an average of six people per lodge, there would be about twelve hundred people here encamped; he guessed that about four to five hundred of those would be fighting men or boys.

But, if he were good enough, there would be no fight.

Keeping an eye on their camp, he saw there were not many people about.

Most were visiting friends or were retiring to their sleeping robes early.

He and Otahki were close enough to the camp that the welcome scent of the fires was pleasant upon the senses, but he had not come this distance to enjoy the comforts of camp.

He had one mission to accomplish and one mission alone: discover the truth.

Because the Pikuni and the Flathead resembled each other well enough, it had been his plan to walk calmly through the camp, listening at each lodge until he might hear Tsistsaki's voice.

But, with Otahki now sitting beside him, he could no longer set this plan into motion. However, there were other means of discovering if Tsistsaki were living within this camp.

All women, young and old alike, were tasked with accomplishing early morning chores: obtaining water for the lodge and finding wood for their fires.

All he had to do was discover a place where he could watch the camp, and it should be easy, considering that the camp—like most Indian encampments—was arranged in a circle.

Luckily, there was enough timber on the outskirts of the Flathead camp so he and Otahki could hide and keep an alert eye on the women as they went to and fro, accomplishing their morning tasks.

The only problem was finding the right place without making any noise.

He was trained to do this; Otahki was not.

But, she was insistent on accompanying him, and…well, he could deny her nothing.

And so, they set out under a star-filled sky and under the gentle light of Sun's wife, or what the white man called the moon. There was a breeze fluttering through the branches of the woods. This was good. This would hide sound.

Before they set out, however, First Rider again reminded Otahki in sign, "We say nothing, sign only. Do not place a hand, foot, knee on stick or sticks, a rock, leaves or bushes, anything…make noise. If it make noise when moving, you not touch."

She nodded.

He signed, "We go. Follow me. We go on stomachs. Place hands, legs, knees where I do."

Again she nodded.

On stomachs and elbows, they discovered a place behind several bushes and a little uphill so they could keep a watch over the camp.

Glancing at Otahki, he allowed himself a moment to admire her.

She was brave, this woman of his; brave and courageous, especially considering what the discovery of Tsistsaki could mean to her… to them.

He was not about to lose her. Of course, there was the possibility she might leave him even when the matter was completely settled. And, if she chose to go, he, of course, would let her. But, he would never be the same again.

What he had told her was the truth. He belonged to her, and she…

She belonged in his world. Ah, what pleasure it would be to welcome her properly into his life, sharing himself with her without all this worry.

And, she? He would like to know her world.

Indeed, he wished to know everything about her, good or bad.

And, if he were good enough and wise enough, they would be together, sharing the hills and the valleys of life. He wanted her in his arms always.

But, he was here with several tasks: discovering the truth, suggesting a solution favorable to all and, at this moment, remaining alert to any hostility around them. Bringing his attention back to the matter at hand, he set himself to wait…wait until the first light of morning.