Child of the Wild

Chapter Six

Hinto and I had made progress. We had made it over the top of the mountain. It was hard since I had to leave my father's body and for the first time in eighteen years, I didn't have Father by my side. I felt empty and alone. I didn't have either one of my parents at my side. I didn't have anyone beside Hinto. Hinto was the only one with me. I wouldn't know what I would do if he didn't show up. I was glad he was here with me.

We had made it to the bottom of the mountains. We made camp and started a fire. It was nice to be over those mountains. We had ended up in a desert kind of landscape. It was quite warm and felt nice compared to the bitterness of the mountains.

I sat on a log next to Hinto. He had an arm around me, holding me close. I rested my head on my shoulder, savoring the moment. Hinto still smelled like the prairie and like horses. He had taken Father's horse when Father died. Father's horse, Marie, was a beautiful tan stallion with a black mane. She was beautiful. Mine, on the other hand, was a black and white paint horse named Blue Jay. She was faster than Marie and, in my opinion, much prettier.

"Hinto."

He hummed.

"What are we going to do after this?" I asked.

"We're going to go west, to the sunset, remember?" Hinto said.

"Yeah, I guess."

"What is it?" Hinto asked, squeezing my shoulders. "Why do you sound so sad?"

"What are we going to be, Hinto?" I asked.

Hinto didn't answer, so I looked away, feeling sad. I wanted Hinto to be my husband, even though I didn't believe in marriage. I didn't know what the marriage rules were in the Dakota tribe, but I wanted to be with.

"Zitkala."

I hummed.

"Look at me."

I turned my head and met Hinto's gaze. He had a soft look on his face. He looked so kind.

"Zitkala, don't be sad. I love you and don't believe any less. I want to be with you. I was just thinking about us." Hinto took my hands in his. "Please, Zitkala, I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

I rested my head on Hinto's shoulder again. "Then let's spend the rest of our lives together, Hinto. It's going to be worth it."

We went to bed later that night. It was peaceful. I had always loved the night. It was quiet and no one was around. There wasn't a living soul to be seen. I looked over at Hinto. He was staring at the stars as well and as if he felt my gaze, he looked over at me, flashing a smile.

"Yes?"

"Just thinking."

"About what?"

"The stars." I looked back up at the stars. "I've always loved the stars. I thought they were the most beautiful things in the entire world. It makes me feel lonely, though. Space is such a big thing and I'm just so tiny compared to it. Nothing matters if you think about it. There are things going on out there in that big expanse around us and we don't know about it."

"Zitkala, you matter."

That almost made me tear up. I looked over at Hinto and he giving me the most sincere look of all time. It was then that even though I didn't have my parents, I had Hinto and he cared about me. A lot. And I cared about him too.

"Thanks, Hinto. You're too kind."

"I only speak the truth."

I shifted to my side and cuddled against Hinto. He held me close and kissed my head.

"You're still too kind, Hinto. I love that about you."

"I love you."

I looked up at Hinto's face. He was smiling at me. "I love you too, Hinto."

Hinto ran a hand through my loose hair. "You're really pretty, Zitkala. You're an amazing person and the one person I want to be with for the rest of my life."

I placed a hand on Hinto's face. "Oh, Hinto! Thanks."

Hinto pulled me closer, snuggling close. "Anything for you, Zitkala."

----

The next morning, Hinto and I ate a small breakfast before cleaning up our camp. We made sure there was no trace of us before we headed west again.

As the day went on, I took in our surroundings. It was desert terrain. It was dry and a bit warm. The sun felt warm on my skin.

"Wonderful day, ain't it?" I asked.

Hinto flashed a smile at me. "Beautiful as anything besides the woman next to me."

I blushed. "Thank you."

Hinto smiled at me and grabbed my hand, squeezing it. "We're going to have a wonderful life together."

"I think so too."

"I say, three kids."

I laughed. "Three kids? Why would we have kids?"

Hinto shook his head, smiling. "Kids are adorable. They are great. I had a niece named Aiyana who was the sweetest thing ever. She's an amazing little girl."

"I had an aunt who made the best cookies," I said. "She had three kids and they were the worst things ever."

Hinto laughed at this.

I continued. "They would run around and destroy things. It was only my niece who wasn't terrible at all. She was the cutest thing ever. I haven't seen her in years. She's probably in her teens now."

"Zitkala."

I hummed.

"I love you."

"I know."

We rode until late at night. We made camp and Hinto fell asleep quickly, though it took me awhile. It was quiet and I couldn't hear any animals or insects.

I shifted a bit and closed my eyes. It took me a while to fall asleep, though eventually, I did. I didn't have any dreams that night.

I woke the next morning to the smell of food. I left our little tent and found Hinto cooking over a fire. Whatever it was smelled really good.

I sat on a log in front of Hinto. The fire was small, but it still made me begin to sweat. It was already beginning to get warm outside.

"Good morning, Sunshine," Hinto greeted, flipping whatever was in the pan.

"Morning, Sunshine."

Hinto smiled softly like at me. "How did you sleep?"

"Well," I replied. "You?"

Hinto nodded. "Ready to eat?"

I nodded and took a plate. We ate in silence. After I finished, I helped clean up. We were packed up and off in no time. We were riding off, heading west.