Moonlight

Pocahontas's POV

"Pocahontas, no!" Nakoma said, trying to stop me. I didn't stop. I couldn't. Not when my father was going to attack John's people! I couldn't just sit back and watch as our people were torn apart by hatred. I wouldn't sit back and watch. I was going to do something about this. I was going to stop this war, one way or another.

...oOo...

I ran into the clearing. I could only pray that Nakoma hadn't followed me!

"What is it, Pocahontas? What is going on? The earth is trembling!" Grandmother Willow asked me. I looked at her.

"We're going to war!" I exclaimed, slightly out of breath. I looked back towards the village to make sure no one had followed me.

"Pocahontas!" I turned to see John running towards me. He was as out of breath as I had been and it was apparent that he hadn't let anything get in his way.

"Listen to me." John said and I knew it was important and urgent. There was a look in John's eyes that only I could see- fear.

"My men are getting ready as we speak to attack you and your people at dawn. Pocahontas, you've got to warn them!" I remembered my father's promise.

"My village is swarming with warriors! They are planning to attack you and your people!" I said. "It's not too late! You have to come with me to talk to my father!" I said.

"What?" John asked, stopping.

"My father said that he'd speak with anyone who comes in peace." I said and John sighed.

"At this point, Pocahontas, I don't think anyone's going to hear anything we have to say." John said and I had to agree. But we had to try!

"I know. But John, we can't just sit back and not do anything! We have to do something!" I said, near tears. If our people went to war with each other, not only would people get killed, but John would be forced to fight and he and his people wouldn't stand a chance against mine, even with their guns. John opened his mouth to say something, but a sudden howl stopped him and we turned towards it. A little dog waddled into the clearing with a log stuck on his head.

"What is that thing?" Grandmother Willow asked.

"Percy!" John said as he freed the little dog. Meeko went over to Percy and Percy jumped at him. It was apparent that they had met and that Percy didn't like Meeko. Knowing Meeko, he probably stole some of Percy's food.

"Meeko! Percy! Stop it!" I said, trying to stop them from fighting.

"Percy!" John said as he dove at the dog, missing. His aim that way I guessed wasn't as good as his aim on a gun was.

"Stop it, both of you!" I said as Meeko scurried up Grandmother Willow's trunk.

"I don't think they get along very well." John said as he picked himself up from the ground.

"You think?" I asked. Percy had finally calmed down, but he waited for Meeko below the spot where he had scurried.

"There's something I have to show you." Grandmother Willow said and we turned to see what she had to say. She dipped one of her branches into the swamp.

"The ripples…" I said, understanding.

"What? What about them? What do they mean?" John asked, not really seeing.

"They mean that once something is started, like a war, it only escalates, gets bigger, like a ripple in a lake or stream."

"Right. And someone has to start them." Grandmother Willow said, nudging John with a branch, nearly knocking him into the water.

"So what are we supposed to do? They aren't going to listen to us!" John said after he regained his balance.

"Sometimes the right path isn't always the easiest, but it's always the best." Grandmother Willow said. "Don't you see? Only when this is over and the fighting stops can the two of you be together." She said as she slid him down her branch to the ground in front of me. I smiled a smile of encouragement that told him to at least try. John looked back at Grandmother Willow and then turned back to me.

"Alright. Pocahontas, let's go talk to your father." I was so relieved I could have fainted, but instead, I hugged John. John didn't know what to do at first, but he returned my hug. I saw Grandmother Willow close her vines around Meeko, Percy and Flit. Percy stood wide-eyed, like he understood that this wasn't supposed to be happening, Meeko seemed to be in happy awe, but Flit was anything but thrilled. He darted out from behind the vines and started to chirp disapprovingly, but Meeko thrust a paw out and grabbed him, pulling him back behind the vines. I had to smile.

I knew I was in love. I loved John. (I still do!) I didn't love Kocoum. And I knew he loved me, too. Then, before I knew what I was doing, I kissed him. But as soon as I did, I heard a fierce war cry and looked behind me. It was Kocoum, and he wasn't happy.

"Kocoum!" I cried. He leapt from behind the bushes and leapt at John. John fell to the ground. John pushed him off and I prayed Kocoum wouldn't go after him again. I wanted to scream as Kocoum pulled out his knife and went at John again. John tried to push him away again, but Kocoum's anger was too great and John wasn't able to push him away this time. John fell to his knees from the force of Kocoum's knife coming at him. I stood in horror. What was I going to do, sit back and let Kocoum kill John? No. Kocoum should have known and understood it wasn't him I loved; it was John. He needed to control not only his anger, but his jealousy, too. He had John pinned to the ground and his knife was slowly making its way towards John's throat. John still fought against Kocoum's strength.

"Kocoum, stop!" I said as I tried to pull Kocoum away, but he pushed me away. I fell to the ground. I sat up and I scowled. I got to my feet and walked back over to Kocoum.

"Kocoum, stop it!" I said and tried once again to pull John and him apart. I guess my fear and anger gave me more strength and I managed to pull Kocoum off of John. Suddenly, a sound like thunder rang through the air and Kocoum fell back into Grandmother Willow's swamp, his hand catching my mother's necklace, tearing it off of me. He was dead.

John's POV

I spun around to see Thomas standing shocked with a gun in his hands.

"Thomas!" I said, knowing it had been him that had just shot the warrior that had just tried to kill me.

"Is he…?" Thomas asked. Pocahontas spun around to face him.

"You killed him." She said, no emotion in her voice at all. I could tell she was in shock, like Thomas and I both were.

"I didn't mean to! I thought that…" Thomas's words were cut short by the sounds of shouts echoing through the air. They were only growing louder and I knew they meant trouble.

"Thomas, get out of here!" I commanded. He hesitated, looking shocked and pale at Kocoum's body. The voices grew louder.

"Get out of here!" I realized I had just screamed that at him. He turned and bolted into the woods, not looking back.

"John, go!" Pocahontas said, worry and urgency in her voice. Before I could ask her why, a swarm of warriors from Pocahontas's village came running into the clearing. They looked at Kocoum, then at me. It suddenly occurred to me that I was the only other person in the glade other than Pocahontas, and that I was one of their enemies. Four of them came at me. I fought against them, but four against one pretty much tells it all. They twisted my arms behind me and one of them held my hands in place behind me. They began to drag me away and I shot Pocahontas a look that asked her what to do. He eyes pleaded with me to just go along with the warriors and not put up a fight. They pushed me forward and I went with them. They paused to cut a few of Grandmother Willow's vines and tied my hands behind me and then they continued to drag me along. I was now their prisoner.

...oOo...

Not too long after the warriors had taken me captive, we reached Pocahontas's village. One had carried Kocoum ahead and the chief didn't look happy as he demanded to know who had done the crime. Two of the warriors shoved me forward and I fell to my knees in front of the chief, the leader of Pocahontas's people.

"Pocahontas was out in the woods, Kocoum went to find her and this white man attacked them both and killed Kocoum." One of them said and the chief's eyes hardened with hate. He thrust a spear at me and was aiming for my throat, but I backed up as much as I could.

"You have powerful, strong weapons, but now our anger is stronger." He said. Then he stood up straight. "At sunrise, he will be the first to die!" He proclaimed and the people of Pocahontas's village nodded in agreement. A voice stopped the chief from saying anything else.

"Father, wait!" It was Pocahontas. My head snapped up in surprise.

Father? I thought. I was calling myself ten different kinds of stupid. I had fallen in love with the daughter of the chief! No wonder she had wanted me to come talk to her father- the chief- because he was their and her leader!

"You disobeyed me!" Disobeyed? Pocahontas, what did you do? I thought.

"I was only trying to help! I…" Pocahontas pleaded, but the chief would hear nothing of it.

"Because of you, Kocoum is dead!" My anger was flaring. He shouldn't be blaming her! She hadn't done anything! It wasn't her fault! If anyone's, it was mine. I had asked her to meet me in the first place! I glared at him.

"Take him away!" He ordered and the warriors forced me to my feet and began to drag me away. The chief- Chief Powhatan, I later learned- lead the way to a small hut. The cut the ropes around my wrists and retied them to the pole in the middle of the room. I fell to my knees once again to the ground. I turned to the best of my ability to watch as they left. They had tied my hands so tight, it hurt to do that. I tuned back around and thought about what had just happened. I had just been sentenced to death. And for something I didn't do! I knew Powhatan would have nothing to do with anything I or Pocahontas had to say now. At sunrise, I would die.

A/N- Well, I guess that went…well. Hmm… Anyway, please review!

For those of you waiting for an update on Finding Love, I hate to say it, but as of right now, I'm postponing it for a little while. At least until Thanksgiving is over… My grandma is very sick and, well, she may not live very long, so I'm kind of depressed. And Time Travelers is my favorite one so far, so I'm spending a lot of time on it. Anyway, that's just a little FYI! Please don't hate me!

Bye!

-Robin