Spit Fire (Rdr2)

Buffalo (16)

After a month of being on the reservation, I asked my grandfather if I could go hunting. He said I could if only Eagle Flies and Pyeta comes with me. I nodded and asked the women to keep an eye on the twins. They were more than willing to watch the babies.

Lincoln and Bethany were spoiled by their Great grandfather. It was something to watch as Bethany would grab his braid and chew on the beads. I tried to stop her once and Rains Falls said, "It will help her gums. She is teething," he said.

I walked over to my uncle and Pyeta, "will you go hunting with me?" I asked them.

"You hunting?" Pyeta asked.

"Yes, Rains Fall said I could if you both went. I want to contribute something," I said.

"We will," Eagle Flies said and Pyeta just huffed.

"Where to?" Pyeta asked.

"There is a herd of Buffalo coming down to the Heartlands," I said.

Pyeta nodded and we mounted our horses and rode toward the Heartlands. Once there I grabbed my shot gun and my bow and arrow that Charles had given me. "Do you even know how to use that?" Pyeta asked.

I took and arrow and shot in between his feet. "Ask again, I could have shot it in between your toes," I said smirking. Pyeta laughed for the first time.

Eagle Flies stood stunned into silence. I picked up the arrow and wiped it off. "Ready?" I asked.

They nodded and I crouched down tracking the Buffalo. I heard them before I spotted them. I saw a large male Buffalo standing beside a smaller mother with a calf to her tit. I wouldn't shot the mother or the baby.

So I raised my bow and sent the arrow flying right into the male buffalo's neck. He took a few steps before falling dead leaving the mother and calf to run off.

Pyeta had a look of shock on his face. "Perhaps I was wrong about you," he said.

We approached the Buffalo and skinned it making sure to take everything we could use. Pyeta walked over and dipped his hand in its blood and wiped it on my face. "It is to honor your kill," he said.

I looked up at him and his eyes finally met mine. I finally won his acceptance. "Thank you," I said.

"No, I should have seen it from the start. We have to be weary of people now days. I thought maybe you were one," he said. "I was wrong."

"I think I tend to surprise people. Before that night I'd never killed anyone. I knew they were planning on hurting people I love and I knew they would surely kill me to it was just a matter of time before they got done using me," I said. " I knew it was them or me, plus I had more to fight for. I had some people I loved in danger, and my twins to get back to. So I fought and I survived. I lost a part of myself that night. I don't know if I'll ever be the same as before but I'll try not to let anyone down."

"I see that," he said and kissed me softly on the lips. Not in a romantic way but as a way to say I'm sorry for doubting you.

He turned away and we loaded up the rewards of my kill and made our way back to the reservation. When we arrived there was a Conolel Favors talking to Rains Falls.

We hitched out horses and Eagle Flies helped us unload the rewards to my hunt. We carried them to the cook and he was more than excited for our haul. "You should have seen Standing Rock took this hulk of a beast down with one arrow," Eagle Flies bragged.

"That is amazing," he said. "I've never known but of one that could do that before."

Eagle Flies then walked proudly up to me and hugged me. I was glad I had made my uncle proud. I was glad I was with family but I missed my other family too. It had been months since I had seen or heard from Arthur. Charles would cone a couple days out of the month to check on us.

It had starting getting colder and I hated the fact that my grandfather slept in a teepee and had given his house up for me and the twins. "Pyeta can I ask you something?" I asked him.

"Sure," he said.

"I know the house I'm staying in is Grandfathers and he is sleeping in a teepee because of me. Is there anyway to add a couple rooms onto it so he will have his own space indoors?" I asked.

"He will not sleep there. We built him the house and he still slept in the teepee. Says that is where he wants to be, not some room with four walls," he said.

"I hate that he is out here while we are inside," I said.

"Come walk with me," he said.

I nodded and Rains Falls eyes drifted our way. "It is the way he was raised. His father was brought up to believe men slept outdoors, they had to protect their people. You are precious to him, to our people," he said.

"But why am I so special?" I asked.

"That is something you will have to speak to him about," he said. "You are the daughter of the Chef's daughter. Since she died it made your move up. You will be expected to find a man of honor to marry to continue the tribe."

"Even though I'm a half breed?" I asked.

"We don't see color, we see blood. You have your mother's blood running through your veins and that makes you special," he said.

"I was in love once before, with the twins dad. He was a good man to me. He always stood up for me if anyone called me a halfbreed or a savage. He made me see we all bleed the same no matter the color. He... well I've known him since I was ten. I thought we would be together always. Life had different plans I guess. It hurts to think he is sick out there and I am here, but at the same time all I would be able to do is to watch him die slowly before my eyes," I said.

"I understand, one day you will find your true happiness," Pyeta said. "I will be proud to call you and your husband Chef."