the LEGEND of She-Cat

Chapter Fourteen

"I'm comin' back-" he was cut off by a string of plain nasty sounds that he was certain were meant to insult and belittle him. There were, Conner supposed right then, advantages to not speaking her language. He'd been at this for a while and had made no progress at all. If anything, she was more upset now than before.

"She-Cat...I go, I come," using her words, looking straight into her eyes, he said it again. "I go, I come."

"No," shaking her head, she glared at him. "You speak lies! When you go, you will forget about me!"

"Mieyebo...ozuye," he said softly. "I am a warrior. Right? Washtay washicu?"

Her gaze moved from him, but Conner gently caught her chin, turning her face back to him.

"Wohitika Olowan...mieyebo washtay,"

She didn't argue with him, but her gaze shifted to rest unhappily on the grass beyond their small camp. Caressing her shoulder, Duncan was relieved when she didn't reject his touch. For She-Cat, that meant she was still listening.

"I go," he promised her. "I come."

Reluctant, somewhat stiff, she let him lift her chin to look into his eyes. She did not return his smile or show any emotion at all. All of a sudden, he got the feeling she'd decided he was going to abandon her, and instead of berating him chose to accept it. Cupping her chin, he smiled.

"I'm coming back."

Though she heard him, and though her brown eyes stayed fixed to his face, she didn't respond at all. With a sigh, he gently stroked a finger across her jaw but Wohitika Olowan abruptly spun away, stalking off to sit down with her back to him. He followed slowly.

"Look at me," he tried, but her brown eyes remained pointedly focused on the far horizon. To her way of thinking, he'd betrayed her. Duncan had no way to try explaining, and she was not in the mood to cooperate. That streak of stubbornness was showing itself in full glory, and he'd felt he'd had just about enough of arguing with a stonewall.

"Wohitika Olowan." Said firmly, it pulled her gaze to his, and she stared a moment in silent defiance before looking away again. His temper flared then he shook his head. "I'll leave the supplies, the mare, and my hunting knife. Wait for me. I should be back in less than a week."

On the spur of the moment, he slid a hand behind her neck and pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She softened for the briefest instant then jerked away, slapping his arm aside. Flames were still hot in her eyes, but it was not anger. He'd spent enough time looking into those brown volcanos to see it was something closer to sorrow she was feeling.

"I'm comin' back," he promised again, standing up. Finding it harder and harder to walk away, he abruptly turned and went to the gelding and saddled up, mounting swiftly. The next few days would be painfully long, and he wasn't certain if he'd return to an empty camp or not. Pointing the steel dust west, he kneed the gelding to a canter but sharply drew in when She-Cat cried out to him. Turning in the saddle, he reached out just in time to catch her as she jumped into his arms.

Grip tight, she clung fiercely to him, face buried in the fabric of his shirt for long moments before leaning back. With Conner's arms around her waist in support, they were nose to nose as she stared at him. Slim fingers rested on his shoulders as a soft mist rose in her eyes, the barest touch of moisture that gave him a swift glance into her soul. Abruptly she leaned against him, her mouth pressing hard to his, lips parting as she almost demanded a response. This time Duncan willingly agreed, holding her tight to him. The taste of her mingled with the salty wetness of a tear as it slipped free, soaking into the edge of her mouth.