"Uh . . . Tonto?" John's voice called from far away. Tonto looked up from the fire he was starting as the sun was starting to make it's slow decent beyond the horizon.
"What Kemosabe?" He called looking back down at the fire, stroking it a bit. He heard his partner shuffling into camp, mumbling and cooing. "Did you get more wood?" Tonto asked not looking up.
"Uh . . . well no . . . but I kind of picked up something else." John said sounding very distressed. Tonto rolled his eyes and shook his head wondering how the ranger could possibly mess up the simple task when he looked up at him. Tonto's eyes widened and he jumped up from where he was sitting.
"Kemosabe! What have you done?" Tonto yelled.
"Not so loud!" John hissed trying to keep quiet "you might . . ." just then the thing he had been carrying began to wail. "Oh great you woke it up!" John groaned.
"You stole baby?" Tonto asked practically yelling as he walked up to John.
"No! I found it alone by the stream." John said as he awkwardly bounced the crying baby in his arms. "It was crawling close to the water and looked tired, when I picked it up it fell asleep in my arms, but then you got to go and wake it up again!" John desperately hushed at the baby. "No, no, no it's ok. Please don't cry." He begged. He looked at Tonto. "What do we do?"
"I do not know! Why would you take baby?" Tonto replied gesturing at the wailing child.
"I . . . I couldn't just leave it there! It could have drowned or wondered too far into the desert." John said looking down at the baby. "I didn't want someone to loose their child." He sighed, looking at the baby as if a past memory was placed in his arms instead of the child. Tonto huffed and rubbed his face.
"Let me see child." Tonto sighed. John held the baby under the arms and extended it toward Tonto. Tonto looked at it as it continued to cry and wiggle. "This child is Comanche." Tonto said with a nod.
"How can you tell?" John asked struggling to hold the baby as it squirmed.
"I feel its spirit kemosabe." Tonto said looking John straight in the eyes. John's eyes grew wide.
"Really?"
"Yes, and Child has Comanche totem round neck." Tonto said lifting the necklace from the child's neck. John rolled his eyes.
"Of course." He mumbled. "But what are we going to do with it?" John asked a bit panicked as the child began to scream louder and thrash more.
"Maybe sing? To sooth its weary heart?" Tonto suggested with raised brow.
"Uh ok." John mumbled lifting the baby so he could look at it. "Um uh . . . I don't really know of any songs." John bumbled looking at Tonto.
"What did mother sing to you kemosabe?"
"I . . . don't really remember, she died when I was rather young." John said holding the child close. "But uh how about . . . uh rock a-by baby on the tree top . . . uh when the wind blows the cradle will rock, when the bow breaks the cradle will fall, and down will come baby, cradle and all."
"Kemosabe! What song is that?" Tonto yelled with disgust.
"What?"
"You talk about falling children to their deaths! This song white woman sing to child?"
"Well here you try then!" John huffed handing Tonto the still crying child. Tonto hesitated and stepped back and shook his head. "Oh come on! It's not deadly! What you're scared of a baby?" John teased.
"No!" Tonto huffed.
"Then prove it! Go on." John said handing him the child. Tonto hesitantly took the baby in his hands. Its eyes were closed as it continued to cry. Tonto made a face between fear and confusion and looked up at John. John smiled and gestured for him to hold the baby to his chest. Tonto did and began to rock the child.
"Go on Tonto. Sing it something." Tonto glared at John then down at the fussing child. Sighing he started to chant softly in Comanche. The baby started to calm down and looked up at Tonto with wide eyes and grasped some of his hair.
"Well I be darned. It likes you." John smiled. Tonto stopped chanting and looked at John. As soon as he stopped the baby's lip began to quiver. "Oh no, no, no little one." John said "Tonto, you have to keep chanting."
"My arm tired, Kemosabe." Tonto complained.
"Well let me hold it then." John said extending his arms. "Just keep chanting." Tonto nodded and handed John the infant. When the baby reached John's arms it looked over at Tonto and reached out to him and started to cry. "I, I think it wants you." John laughed. Tonto rolled his eyes and took the baby back chanting as he walked to his bedroll and sat down.
"Fine but you make fire." Tonto huffed then turning his attention back to the baby.
. . .
"Tonto, Tonto!" John called as he ran into camp. Tonto was delicately feeding the baby some powdered milk that the men sometimes carried on them.
"What is it Kemosabe?" Tonto asked not looking up from the babbling baby as it ate.
"I think I found them."
"Found who?" Tonto asked taking away the baby's food as it finished and whipping its mouth with a cloth.
"The tribe the baby is from." John said smiling.
"I told you Kemosabe the baby is girl." Tonto said carrying the child over to where John stood.
"Yeah, right sorry. But look Tonto we can return her and continue on our trail!" John smiled happily at Tonto but he only got in return was a straight face.
"That tribe not right." Tonto said turning away from John and back to his bedroll where the makeshift crib he made two nights ago when they found the baby rested beside it.
"How do you know?" John asked slightly aggravated. Tonto gently placed the baby in its crib and looked at John.
"Child tell me." Tonto said with a nod. Walking past John,
"What?" John hissed striding up to him. "No it did not!"
"She Kemosabe!"
"Right, she did not. I don't get it Tonto why would you . . . oh wait. You don't want to give her up! You have become attached to the baby!" John said a huge smile on his face.
"No!" Tonto said turning away from John.
"Yes you are! That's why you don't want to give her up! But Tonto," John placed a hand on his shoulder, "she belongs with her tribe, don't you think." Tonto sighed and nodded his head.
"Yes Kemosabe, she needs tribe." Tonto sighed and walked over to the baby girl as she marveled at the world around her. Tonto picked her up and smiled. "Let's take you home." He sighed then whispered something Comanche in the child's ear and walked towed the village with John.
. . .
"I'm sorry about the baby." John said latter as they were riding back on the trail.
"Sorry for what, Kemosabe?" Tonto said with his same stoic face.
"I know you really liked her, truth be told I would have never guessed you would be the one to grow attached to a baby." John chuckled.
"Why say that? I am attached to you." Tonto said with a raised brow. John rolled his eyes.
"Ha ha very funny but say what you like but I know you loved that baby."
"Yes Kemosabe, but glad she has tribe." Tonto said with a smile and they rode in a comfortable silence. After a few minuets John cleared his throat.
"Uh Tonto, what did you say to her, you know right before we gave her back?"
"I told her that she will always have our tribe when she need it."
"So, me and you, we're a tribe?" John smiled.
"Yes kemosabe, we are a tribe."