Red West II.

Chapter forty three - Steps to love

Kame set off so promptly, that Jin had barely time to blink and the younger one was already a few paces away. It was admirable that two Indians were quick enough to step in the rushing youngster's way and prevent him from getting further.

"Let me pass!" Kame snapped harshly, not bothering with the Indian language anymore. "I want to talk to him!"

"With whom?" the frowning Sioux leader asked, obviously confused.

"That Indian who's not from your tribe!" the agitated Rider gestured toward the still struggling group.

"How you know him?" there was a surprised reaction.

"He's my blood brother," Kame reacted without any hesitation.

The tall Sioux stared at him rather incredulously, repaying Kame's burning stare for a while, before he turned and called something at his warriors. The Indians seemed to be surprised, but they obeyed an order and instead of holding Liwan back, they moved with him in the direction he wanted to go all along.

As they came closer, Jin noticed that the expression of the Indian shaman was pretty much just as bewildered as Kame's was. But more importantly, both Liwan's wrists and ankles were shackled with some old rusty chains, leaving the young red man only a little of space for moving around. That didn't seem well...

The tall Sioux pointed at the bounded Indian: "He our captive."

Only very unwillingly, Kame tore his eyes off Liwan and focused back on the rebels' leader: "A captive? Why?" he requested an explanation. "What did he do?"

"Enemy tribe," a dry reply came.

Kame clenched his hands into fists: "Don't start with this again!" he commented rather angrily. "It's foolish to cling onto hostility between your tribes even in these times!"

The Sioux leader obviously didn't like such an attitude: "You be silent. None your business."

Regretting that they agreed to leave their weapons behind, Jin looked around the unfriendly expressions of other Indians. Some revolvers would come really handy now... He approached Kame and placed a hand on his shoulder in a warning gesture.

Kame took a deep breath: "It is my business! He's my best friend and brother!" he was trying to control his emotions, but obviously, there had been too much stress on the younger one for one day. "I won't leave him!"

The Sioux circle around them tightened, as more Indians gathered, attracted by the heated voices and their leader didn't seem to be open to any friendly discussion. The whole situation could go to hell soon...

Suddenly, Jin was enlightened with an idea: "You said that we can have a wish for bringing Grenet to you!"

"That I did," the Sioux replied, though not very happily.

"So, we have one now," Jin announced. "Him," he nodded toward Liwan.

Kame turned to him with a grateful expression and Jin squeezed his shoulder.

"Demanding now?" the leader's dissatisfied growl was supposed to intimidate them, but it would take much more of it to be working on the two of them.

"Give that Indian over to us and consider the debt paid," Jin insisted.

"You gave your word," Kame joined him. "Does it have any value?"

All the Indians, who gathered around them by that time, were looking quite upset now, and their leader the most of all. But fortunately, the tall Sioux held his promises. Frowning as the devil himself and with some probably very vulgar Indian words coming out of his mouth, but the result was all the same. The Indians released their firm grip, let Liwan go and one of them unlocked his chains, though it took some time thanks to all that rust.