Prairies wind

Hello, there! I'm back with chapter number 2. After seeing that nobody read first chapter, I decided not to give up and write on.

So for now, on with the story!

A girl rode all day. When sun started to set down, she stopped at a small valley. In its middle, a stream ran, but Manitu didn't settle there. It was an open place and she didn't like those, which is why she settled in valley's border. So what if she needed to walk to the stream? Her pinto could graze trough meadow and could go to the stream, too. Manitu started a fire. She didn't watch out for someone to see her. After Manitu took away all of her things from her mustang's back, it ran to the stream and drank, then started grazing happily. A girl looked at an animal for some time and returned to her work. She put elk's meat pieces on two posts and put it near fire. It should dry a little before a sunset. Because of her encampment location and her fire was almost invisible to outside eye, Manitu felt safe. Even if anybody would see her mustang, they would probably think it's a wild mustang, because he didn't have saddle. Indians didn't saddle up their mustangs.

Manitu didn't cook anything to eat – she was satisfied with meal she eat after a hunt and she eat only once per day. A girl silently braided her long black hair into two braids, watching fire and sinking into her thoughts. It's bad when banish from tribe, from own family. Even worse, when banish into a total loneliness. Seven years of loneliness is very hard to bear. It's good that just for winters can meet some people.

Manitu was very deep in her thoughts and didn't notice that someone approached her. She noticed it when a rider was in front of her. It was a white-skin boy on a light bay horse. He saw a fire and decided to ride closer not hiding; wanting to show that he doesn't have evil thoughts. After he rode closer, he saw that it was only a squaw. An armed squaw. He had a revolver and a hunting rifle. A boy, just a year older than Manitu, dismounted from his palomino, enfettered it and let it graze. Manitu watched his every move. Who knows what could that guy do? But he just side before her and started to draw signs on a ground. Manitu understood why he did so.

- I know white people's language, - she said clearly, without any accent.

- Oh, that's great, - smiled the boy. – My name is Shawn. How could I call you?

Manitu never liked when white people asked her name.

- My red-skin brothers calls me Shung Manitu, - a girl answered in a calm and neutral voice. – Why a white man named Shawn is alone, without other white people?

- I'm going to my uncle's farm to help him out. From what tribe Manitu is?

- Lakota. I was from Lakota tribe, - she said glumly.

- Why was? – He asked.

- A white man named Shawn asks too much, - in the same glumly voice, but this time more strictly said Manitu and shut her mouth tight, demonstrating that she won't talk anymore.

- I'm sorry for being pushy; - he apologized seeing that he hurt her old wound.

But the squaw didn't talk. Just without words asked if the boy was hungry. When he nodded, she fried some of her elk's meat. When he ate, she took meat pieces from posts that dried a little.

- You'll travel again when it's dark or tomorrow in a morning? – asked Manitu suddenly.

-I'm planning tomorrow morning, - a boy answered. – I rode all day today, so I want my palomino to rest and graze as much as he like and I want to rest myself, too.

Manitu looked at west side. The last sun rays were still above horizon.

- You'll be awake first, - she said.

- Okay, - he agreed with a command.

They sat at a fire for awhile. Shawn asked something over and over again, Manitu answered him or opposite. When it was fully dark, a girl wrapped in her warm bison skin wrap and fell asleep quickly. Shawn looked at her for awhile and then looked at the dark. He was tired, barely didn't fell asleep, but tried his best not to.

About 2 a.m. Manitu woke up. She, like other Indians, could wake up whenever she wanted to. Shawn was very glad that he finally can sleep and quickly wrapped in his own thin wrap. After a minute, he was asleep. But Manitu didn't care about him. She left her weapons near a fire and went to a shadow, away from fire's light. In the shadow, she turned into a wolf and ran away, sniffing air. Manitu's pinto recognized his owner and remained calm. But Shawn's palomino alarmed when he smelled bigger than a normal wolf. She ran to palomino.

- Shut up, - she growled in human's voice.

Then, she hit a horse with her paw, but not wanting to kill it. She hit a special mark in its neck and an animal fell on ground, sleeping. Wolf left them and ran on a small hill not far from there to look around.

On a hill, lighten by moonlight, a wolf's silhouette was good seeing. At close it was clearly seeing that her fur had brown and green shading. Wolf's sharp eyes spot a gang of coyotes sneaking to her encampment. It must've been a smell of meat that wind carried to coyotes. The wolf sat there still for a moment, but when coyotes were near a camp, she started to run gallop from hill to coyotes. Her vaults were light and silent; wind carried her smell from coyotes, that's why they saw her just when she was near them. Wolf saw which coyote lead the others and attacked it. A cloud of dust rose and other coyotes couldn't see a thing. The wolf was much bigger and stronger than their leader and quickly, a dead coyote lay under her paws with bitten throat. Other animals didn't know what to do next. Some of them ran away, other's tried to scare away the wolf by growling. But she just howled and growling, with her bloody muzzle open stepped one step to them. Then, coyotes that were left ran away, scared. Wolf chased them a little and then, returned to camp. Shawn was still sleeping.

Wolf turned into a girl. Manitu walked to a dead coyote and drag it to a camp, near fire. Then, she set fire again, took her knife and cut coyotes ears. It was her trophy, a sign that she defeated that animal herself. Those coyote ears she put in a leather bag that was attached to her own made belt. Then, the girl started to peal coyote's fur off. It took a lot of time, because when sun rose, she was still pealing it.

2 hours after a sunrise, Shawn woke up. He was very surprised when he saw Manitu pealing and cutting something.

- Good morning, Manitu, - he said.

- Good morning, white man named Shawn, - she answered, not even looking at him.

Her braids were messy, but a squaw didn't have time to fix the mess.

- From where is this meat? - A boy asked.

- It's coyote. They wanted to attack camp at night; - finally, she looked at him.

- But I didn't hear a thing! – He was surprised even more.

- The white man slept heavily, - he heard a contempt note in her voice and her eyes confirmed it.

Ashamed, Shawn walked to stream to wash up, leaving Manitu return to her work. A girl cleaned it very quickly. When he returned, she already cooked the good things. When they were cooked, Manitu gave half of it to Shawn, not saying a word. They both ate their breakfast and after that, Shawn started to prepare for his trip. A girl put some meat for him. Then, she put the rest of a meat on 2 posts again. Manitu brought 2 more posts and tied between them coyote's fur. It should dry a little, and then she'll put it in a stream and leave it there for all night or day. Finally, Shawn sat on his palomino. A girl walked to him.

- Maybe Manitu wants to go with me to my uncle's farm? – He asked. – You'll be a lot of help.

- I don't want to live settled, - answered Manitu coldly.

- Well then, goodbye, Shung Manitu, - Shawn waved to her.

She just simply nodded. Shawn urge on his palomino and rode away. Manitu out watched him for awhile, then returned to her fire.

A/N: Well, this one is much longer. That's good, because most of readers like long chapters. Right? Okay, review please.