They studiously ignored each other as they rode along the long, dusty trail. The silence lasted as long as it took for both of them to get bored enough to start talking.

"What was Moo thinking? Bribing me with a deputy's star?" Cowlarado muttered to himself. Elizabeth snorted delicately.

"Obviously, he wants to see me arrive safe and sound. He's dangling that cheap piece of tin as a reward for your good behaviour." Elizabeth said sweetly, Cowlarado snorted.

"He don't wanna see you at all. He was only doing his job as a Marshall, when we came after you. He's got a sweet heart back in Cowtown. And so does Dakota." Cowlarado pointed out.

"I'll wager there isn't anyone but that little tin star waiting for you, hmmm?" Elizabeth asked, annoyed.

"Nope. I'm a free bull. Able to do as I please, when I please." Cowlarado said proudly.

"Once you put that star on, you won't be free to do as you please. You'll have to take orders and do as you're told, and behave no matter what. That doesn't sound very entertaining to me." Elizabeth said coldly.

"I don't see it that way. I see being a deputy as being a person with purpose. A way to go that's defined by the best. Moo and Dakota are the best, and I don't mind following their hoof prints." Cowlarado said, he was taking the high road.

"So long as you watch your step, and try not to get lost in their shadows, you should do just fine, Mister Cowlarado." Elizabeth said, pretending to be calm and insightful.

They lapsed into silence as Cowlarado tried to figure out if that was a dig at him or the other law bulls. The quiet continued on past sun down. They made camp near a pile of boulders that made a handy wind break. Elizabeth made a face at the trail rations, but didn't complain out loud. Cowlarado wanted to yelp and run, when she stripped off her dress and huddled down in only her chemise. He wanted to tell her that any lady who lived out on the range knew better than to wear only a thin silk slip, but it slipped his mind when the rising moon cast her silhouette through the white silk. Elizabeth, at least, didn't pull her bed roll away from the warmth of the fire, when she settled down to sleep.

Cowlarado didn't register what had woken him up, until something prodded him in the arm again.

"Mister Cowlarado? Are you awake yet?" Elizabeth hissed through chattering teeth.

"Wha? What's wrong?" Cowlarado asked blankly, still sleep addled

"I can't get warm and we're out of fire wood, and I heard something howling. It sounded really close. You don't think it's that nasty bull coming to get me again, do you?" Elizabeth asked, sounding frightened, it took Cowlarado a moment to remember that she was still under a lot of stress, what with being kidnapped, almost killed in a mine collapse, spirited away by a trio of bulls calling themselves law bulls, and made to sleep outside in the desert, at night, after living in the city all her life. Cowlarado looked up at her, her hair was tousled from what little sleep she had gotten and it struck him, that if she wasn't frightened, he'd have happily tried to muss it even further with a few kisses and caresses.

"Yer cold? Get your bed roll and pull it up." Cowlarado said, sitting up and helping to layer their blankets and pulled her under his blanket. She was shivering and tried to stay away from him.

"This isn't proper." Elizabeth managed to say through her chattering teeth and blushing.

"You wanna be proper, or warm?" Cowlarado asked bluntly, before Elizabeth could answer, he had pulled her close, buried his nose in her neck and was asleep in moments.

Elizabeth didn't last ten minutes, the warmth Cowlarado gave off was melting the cold away and with it her reason to stay awake. Her last thought was that Cowlarado was quite handsome, when they weren't snipping and sniping at each other.

Cowlarado woke first and spent a moment or two trying to remember who was sleeping, wrapped up in his arms and blankets. He inhaled, a guilty little pleasure of his, when he managed to convince a heifer to sleep with him. The faint scent of rose water, lavender, and the particular scent a female had, went merrily through his nose, lungs, and blood stream. This presented a slight problem, he was an active young bull, but most active in the morning. With a deep sigh, he got up, before any other problems could arise. He was just saddling up the horse and mule, when Elizabeth finally woke up.

"Miss Elizabeth." Cowlarado greeted, and got a gimlet glare in response. Clearly, Elizabeth wasn't a morning person like he was.

"Everyone has always called me Betty. I'd like it if you did too, Cowlarado." Elizabeth said, trying to be civil enough despite the early hour. "No breakfast?"

"There's a pueblo two hours ride from here. We could have a real meal instead of trail biscuits." Cowlarado said enticingly. "They'd also let you have some clean clothes and a hot bath." he added to sweeten the deal.

"Why are you still on the ground? Mount up, let's go!" Elizabeth shouted, mounting her mule, who she had named Buttercup sometime yesterday. Cowlarado gave her an amused look and went to straighten and fold their bedrolls. Elizabeth felt her cheeks get warm from her blushing as she remembered what had happened during the night. Cowlarado fixed the bedrolls to their mounts and gracefully mounted his horse, who had been dubbed Sandstorm, simply because he couldn't be bothered to name any other horse but his Jezebel.

Elizabeth caught herself admiring Cowlarado's muscular backside as he swung up into the saddle. Her thoughts then went to her appearance, tousled and knotted hair, no powder for her white spots to keep them from turning yellow with all the dust she was no doubt covered in, her dress was an absolute wreckage. The waist was stretched and loose, most of the hem was fallen and dragging in the dirt. The lace she had worked so hard to make now was puckered and knotted in stead of being delicate as spider silk. Her left sleeve was torn to the elbow and the right sleeve was half hanging of her shoulder. The fine cotton dress was only useful as a rag now. She must've sighed once too loudly as she quietly lamented her appearance.

"Everything alright, miss Betty?" Cowlarado asked, looking over his shoulder.

"I'm fine, just trying not to get too carried away with unimportant things. I don't believe I am succeeding, however." Elizabeth said mournfully, as she came alongside Cowlarado.

"Seems like the only thing you can control is what you're putting on your back, and even that's out of your hands at the moment." Cowlarado said sagely.

"You say that like you know what it's like to have everything turned upside down and flung sideways." Elizabeth sighed, slouching a little.

"I do, and I'm not going to tell you why either, so please don't ask about it." Cowlarado said tightly.

"Alright. But I want to know something else instead." Elizabeth said with a playful smile.

"I'm not making any promises, but go ahead." Cowlarado chuckled, she was still a young heifer.

"Your name isn't really Cowlarado, is it?" Elizabeth asked, Cowlarado shook his head and grinned. "Very well, what I want to know is, what is your real name?" she asked hopefully.

"I have had lovers who don't know that. Moo and Dakota don't know it and neither will you." Cowlarado said, with a triumphant smirk at Elizabeth.

"Do you keep your proper identification in your wallet?" Elizabeth asked innocently.

"Yeah, if the worst were to happen. I'd at least want my folks to know." Cowlarado explained, then almost fell out of his saddle, lunging for the bill fold Elizabeth was holding up and looking through. "How did you get that?" he demanded.

"It was on the ground by our beds when I woke up. I had every intention of giving it to you, right up until I figured I may need a hostage to get the hot meal and hot bath you mentioned. And I already looked, I know your name. I just want you to tell me of your own free will." Elizabeth said softly.

"When did you look?" Cowlarado asked quietly.

"When I picked it up. A lost wallet usually belongs to someone." Elizabeth explained.

"I can't blame you for looking, I suppose. I'd have done the same thing." Cowlarado sighed, his secret was out, and he wasn't sure he could trust her enough not to tell anyone.

"We'll be getting to the pueblo soon. J.R.s family will take care of you." Cowlarado said quietly.

"You make it sound like I've broken some kind of sacred trust. I picked up a wallet and looked in it to see who it belonged to, and now you are acting like it's the end of the world." Elizabeth said exasperated. "And we were beginning to get along so well too." she added mournfully.

"Well, I barely know you, how am I supposed to know if you won't go gossiping about and telling everyone my name? I worked hard to keep people from trying to find out, and you could just hand it out to the highest bidder!" Cowlarado snapped, then steamed when Elizabeth laughed merrily at him. "What is so funny?" he growled.

"You're forgetting that I don't know anyone in Cowtown or this little pueblo we're going to. Who would I gossip with?" Elizabeth asked very amused.

"You're a heifer, you'd gossip with a cactus." Cowlarado muttered, and was pleased to see he'd gotten his desired reaction as Elizabeth scowled.

"You can go sit sideways on a cactus for all I care." Elizabeth snapped and refused to speak to Cowlarado for the rest of the ride to the Pueblo.

They hadn't been more than five minutes out when some of the younger buffalo bulls rode out to greet them, along with a little she-calf, who greeted Cowlarado happily.

"Hey there, Tejua. How's your pony?" Cowlarado asked. Swinging the calf up onto his shoulders.

"Wind through Leaves is getting big now. Soon, I'll be able to ride him." said the little calf brightly, from atop Cowlarado's' shoulders. Elizabeth wasn't too put out to notice how well liked Cowlarado was by the children or the young braves. He turned and snapped something in their language, when he caught the braves ogling his shot gun, and Elizabeth herself.

"You're gonna have to dismount sooner or later." Cowlarado said, grinning wickedly.

"You'd be surprised." Elizabeth muttered, and slapped a young brave with her reins when he tried to take them from her. "You don't have a group of young men staring at you and speaking a language you don't know. I'll stay where I am, thank you all the same."

"They're staring 'cause you're blonde. Their people covet the yellow colour of your hair." Cowlarado pointed out as he helped Elizabeth off her mule.

"Why on earth would they like the colour? It's just hair." Elizabeth asked perplexed.

"It's the colour of the sun, of ripe grain and corn, and lightning. Not to mention gold, but that doesn't matter much to them. They'll want your hair in exchange for the food and the clothes." Cowlarado explained quietly, Elizabeth immediately pulled her long hair over her shoulder to clutch it protectively.

"They'll have to scalp me to get it. It took years to grow it this long and I am not cutting it all off just for a meal and a dress." Elizabeth said, eyes wide in shock.

"They won't scalp you. And you'll only have to cut off a hand or two. The chief gets to decide who shares in the luck you'd given them." Cowlarado said, wincing at how fearful and ignorant city girls were.

"Just a few inches?" Elizabeth asked she was following him, practically tripping on his heels to keep within his realm of perceived safety.

"Before we leave, the chief'll ask you to share your luck, just take the knife and cut your hair, six inches should be generous enough for him." Cowlarado shrugged Elizabeth off his arm and into the waiting hands of several older women. "They'll take care of you. Do not let them take your hair or your under clothes. They don't wear the same things we do, and they will burn them or turn them into rags." He added laughing at Elizabeth's' shocked look and walking away.

Elizabeth was surprised at how brisk and efficient the buffalo women were. They were better than her lady's maid and house keeper. Her dress did disappear, and so did her corset, but Elizabeth didn't mind the loss of either, she kept a firm hold on her underwear and never lat the women behind her for more than a moment or two. Even still, she was sure they were picking stray hairs out of the unusual boar bristle brush, and hiding them away. After the quick, cold, bath, Elizabeth was hustled into a round hut and dressed in a dark blue dress with hide leggings, and plenty of thin fringe and bead work. It wasn't lace, but Elizabeth appreciated the beauty of the beading anyway. She was just sitting and staring at the beadwork, when the weight of her situation finally hit her and she burst into tears. The women all went into a frenzy of surprise and concern, one even left to get Cowlarado to translate for them.

For the Native Americans in this story, I just mashed together a bunch of old traditions I heard about growing up next to a reservation. Some probably have no meaning or belong at all with what could be Hopi, or Lakota, or even Cherokee derived templates for the Buffalo Tribe in the old show. Political correctness wasn't an issue back when the show aired, and my use of Indian, though derogatory, is keeping with the timeline of 1873. I mean no disrespect to any who may find it.