Prairie Flower

Chapter Four

We passed through steep passages on the side of mountains, there is a thin layers of ice on it so we had to be very careful passing through for our wagon might lose control and slip. I managed to keep myself awake through day and night, while my sisters slept through the night and in the day they would be taking care of Gunnar. My mother on the other hand sits on the edge of the wagon and stares off at the horizon.

I start to smell of scorched leaves and smoke, children were crying and mourning. My mother looks toward the sight of horror and she sheds a tear. I push the curtain of our wagon and uncovered the horrific sight, majority of the tepees were burned down and bodies of warriors on the ice cold ground. Mothers and children were crying over the body of their loved ones. The great elders helped injured men and took watch over them, some were being prayed for. I see my mother run towards the biggest and tallest tepee, it is painted with white and red stripes, it must be the chief's tepee, the leader. I follow my mother and my sisters followed me along with Gunnar. We entered the great tepee, the inside was small, smaller than our home, it was round with one corner dedicated for beds for when they go to sleep. The center of the tepee has a smoke pit and directly above it has a hole to let the smoke out. The opposite corner has miscellaneous stuff laying on the ground. A spear and arrows along with a bow that has the mountain tribe emblem carved on it laid on top of everything.

A man, a warrior, around the same age as my father sat on the bed, wounded. A very pregnant woman around a couple of years younger the warrior tends to his wounds. "Daddy!" says a little girl sitting at the very corner of the bed. The man immediately stood up and reached for his spear and aimed it at us. "You are not of the mountain tribe, who are you." He said sternly. He is injured badly but he still managed to be prepared to fight, I guess he thought we were going to hurt him and his family.

"Jairus? Brother?" my mother said softly.

The warrior lowered his spear down and walked towards her then gave my mother a look and replied, "Marinna?" My mother nods and they hugged each other.

I could see the resemblance between them, Jairus has the same ashy brown hair as well as the hazel eyes. They could almost be like twins, or are they, I thought to myself. If they are that explains Yana and Leah being twins.

We all sat around the fire pit and the woman that is pregnant went around and gave us all tea to drink while handing us some sort of pastry, it tasted very delicious, similar to what my mother makes.

"Marinna, its been too long. Our family, they thought you were dead. That day you wandered in the cave, I waited for you outside everyday until I lost hope. We missed you so much." Jairus said.

"I remember- we were only five. I wandered in the cave and three men took me captive back to the Canyon tribe. I remember the horror, I was screaming and I thought I never would find you ever again, my brother." My mother replied.

"They are still hoping for your return Marinna, father and mother are still hoping you will find your way back one day. And you have." Jairus says as he looks to us sisters, "And now that you have came back, you have brought your daughters, and a son. They will be very proud of you. Where is your husband anyways?"

I look to my mother and I see her starting to get sad and starts to break down a little bit, but she managed to respond with, "He's.. gone. Jairus I need to speak with you in private."

That night every available warrior were taking turns with resting and standing on watch. Due to the recent ambush they could not risk another one, and apparently a tribe were ambushing them for the past two days, but it got out of hand this morning. I overhear my mother and Jairus talking outside our tepee.

"Oh Jairus, I cannot take it anymore. I had four lovely children with him, but I never really have loved him the way I loved Lenno."

I was shocked, and confused. My mother loved Chief Lesharo? Loved? I could not help myself from hearing more.

"Marinna, did you kill your husband?"

"Jairus.." my mother said sadly, my heart was beating and I was scared. "No I did not, two weeks before we found him dead he was beating me, he tied me up on the pole and was about to whip me when Lenno came and stopped it. He had found out I was pregnant that day. But I did not kill him, I swear on my children's life." She replied.

"But.." she continued, "Lenno, he killed Adriel. He told me a week ago, that is why I hurriedly packed up all of our belongings and travelled to look for you, father and mother. He wont leave us alone, he wont leave me alone. He would never let his son out of his sight."

"Its okay, you are safe with us now. We will go on our journey tomorrow to the central mountain tribe where mother and father is and you can stay with them." Jarius says comfortingly.

I went back to sleep that night, I had a heart wrenching feeling, all this time I had known Chief Lesharo as a nice kind man who has helped our family, only to know he did this just to be with my mother, my mother who carried his son, my brother. It was all unbelievable, my father trusted Lesharo, I do not blame my father for being mad and feeling this way. I also feel betrayed by my mother.

The following morning I awoke to my mother packing our stuff once again. We all ate eggs and bread, and boarded our wagon. Along with our mules, Jairus rides his steed with his best warriors along with him. We ride with Jairus' wife and daughter, and a warrior along with us inside the wagon who points his arrows out the curtains incase we get ambushed.

"How far along are you?" I asked Jairus' wife.

"I'm close to giving birth. Jairus wants a boy this time, let us hope. I'm hoping for another girl. The thing is, atleast a girl will stay faithful no matter what."

It was ironic, a woman, lady, would stay faithful no matter what. I couldn't help but think how my mother was unfaithful, when she was supposed to be the one who is faithful.