Little Star was the first to wake the following morning. After locating his bandana and replacing it in his hair, he climbed down from the loft where he and the other two had been sleeping. Noticing that the men had stayed last night, he carefully and silently made his way to where the sick teen was. Michaela was already up and getting ready to check on the ill teen. She noticed him, "Do you want to help?"

Little Star nodded and she handed him the basin and rags to carry. "Mama Mike, will he be ok," he asked in a quiet whisper.

She smiled at him, "His fever's broken, but he'll need to rest."

"He looks almost like Prairie Boy, Mama Mike," Little Star pointed out.

The teen in the bed stirred and Little Star darted behind Michaela. "Little Star, why don't you go and wake the other two," she suggested. "Perhaps you three could collect the eggs this morning."

Little Star brightened and dashed off to wake his adopted brothers. Mike smiled at the boy's enthusiasm for he loved collecting the eggs when they stayed the night. He and the other two always made a game out of it. With Little Star anything could be made into a game, even everyday chores.

By the time everyone was awake, the three boys managed to collect all the eggs except for the ones that Mike's sitting hen had. Sully noticed the feathers, straw, and leaves in their exposed bangs and on their clothes. "You three must have had fun," he quipped as Summer Snow placed the basket on the table.

Prairie Boy smirked, "Yup. I found a few eggs in the bushes and Little Star found some in the barn."

"I accidentally broke one," Little Star admitted. "It fell and hit Mr. Rooster."

Prairie Boy laughed, "You should have seen it Papa Sully. Mr. Rooster took off after the egg broke on him. He was going to attack Summer Snow before it happened and when he got hit, he took off in another direction!"

"Why does Mr. Rooster always try to hurt me," Summer Snow complained. "I never did anything wrong to him."

"Well I know who's going to be on the table for dinner now," Michaela stated. She was tired of having that particular rooster attacking the boys. "You three go get washed up and brush your hair out to get rid of the feathers, leaves, and straw."

The boys nodded and left the room to clean up outside. Little Star came back in after a few minutes, "Can I help with anything?"

"I was just wondering if you'd like to separate the berries," Colleen stated as she set the bowl of berries on the table with several dishes.

Little Star beamed, "Sure!"

He sat on the bench and started dropping berries into the bowls one at a time. After the other two finished and came inside, Little Star got up and allowed Summer Snow access to his spot and slid in after he had settled. Colleen handed them two plates, one with bread slices and the other empty. She handed them a small cup with butter and a butter knife each. The two knew that she was asking them to butter bread and set to their task.

After they had finished, they slid everything to the center of the table. "Done," they chorused.

Matthew poured them each a glass of milk as Brian poured coffee for the adults. Colleen sat a plate in front of everyone and took her place at the table. Everyone ate their breakfast in peace. Little Star finished first but waited until Prairie Boy was done before he could get up. "Um, Papa Sully, can I try and track something," Prairie Boy asked his caretaker. "I wanted to see if I could catch anything for later."

Sully thought for a moment, "As long as you take the other two with you."

"It's no fun without them," Prairie Boy laughed. "Besides, Little Star attracts most of the deer to him."

Yami couldn't help but smile at the reaction from said boy. "So that's why you left me in that clearing last week! I could have been trampled by that wild piggy!"

Yami hadn't smiled much after his little brother had fallen from their wagon three years ago. He frowned at the memory of his lost baby brother. He had all but given up any hope that his brother was still alive after all this time. Yugi didn't know how to survive off the land at his young age or how to defend himself from a wild animal. Yami sighed, oh how he missed his little brother. He still hadn't forgiven himself for saying those mean things to him before he vanished.

The three boys left the house with their bags and headed to the nearby woods to test their skills. Michaela called out to the boys, "Watch out for bears and soldiers!"

"I can understand bears, but why soldiers," Bakura questioned her.

"The soldiers don't approve of Indians hunting off the reservation or the assigned land," she explained. "Since the boys and Sully were adopted into the tribe that lives nearby, they classify them as the natives. Aside from that, their eyes and hair make set them apart from anyone here."

Bakura's eyes narrowed, "What do you mean?"

"If you've noticed Summer Snow's hair, you'd understand why he was renamed such. His hair is always that way. Prairie Boy's hair is straw-colored. Little Star was found at night along one of the trails that cuts through here," She stated, not wanting to give away the real meaning behind his name. "Besides that, you don't see too many people with lavender or amethyst eyes around here."

Prairie Boy had found some fresh deer tracks leading to a quiet stream. He sent Little Star and Summer Snow to his right. The two boys circled the area and located the deer. He was drinking from the stream as the three boys approached him from two directions. Little Star got really close to the deer and leapt onto it. Summer Snow did the same, bringing the young male deer to the ground with their combined weight and speed. Before it could react, Prairie Boy slit its throat. They gave thanks to the deer for its sacrifice before tying its body to a makeshift stretcher using two sturdy branches and dragging it back to Mike's house to clean it.

Sully was the first to see the three dirty boys. "So how did you three manage this one," He asked as he saw their catch.

Yami saw the three boys and walked out as Little Star grinned. "We pounced on it and Prairie Boy did the rest," the smallest boy stated. "We want Mama Mike to have its hide if she wants it."

Yami couldn't believe that three little boys brought down a deer without a scrape. He saw no gun or hatchet with either boy, making him wonder how they managed to bring it down. Sully knelt down to the boy's level, "You three are the only ones I know that are wild enough to pounce on a deer like that. Just be careful how big your prey gets. Now, go wash up while Matthew and I clean your catch."

The boys nodded and took off for the creek. Yami heard Little Star's voice call out, "Race you. Last one there is a dirty chicken!"

Michaela stepped out onto the porch, "Was that Little Star I heard?"

"It was. I sent him and the other two to get washed up," Sully replied. "They ran down to the creek to bathe."

She noticed the deer tied to the stretcher, "I see that they managed to get something today. If it's ready by the time I'm ready to make lunch, I'll cook a little up for them."

The boys came back just as Sully finished skinning the deer. He set the hide in the sun; inside up so that it could dry before they scraped it later. "Papa, Sully," Prairie Boy began, "Do you think I might be able to get a new knife? My old one's handle is splitting pretty bad."

Sully thought for a moment, "Well, you boys have some credit left at Loren's place. He has been talking about wanting some fresh deer meat. Maybe you could trade some of your catch for a new knife."

"Thank you Papa Sully," the boy said as he hugged Sully's waist.

Matthew led Yami and Bakura as he took the three boys to Loren's shop. Little Star carried the extra eggs from breakfast while Summer Snow had his extra carvings. Prairie Boy wanted to carry the deer meat that they could spare. The two boys agreed since he was the one that wanted the knife. Besides, he was the one that ended the life of whatever the three of them caught since the other two had more fun pouncing on the creatures.

Loren saw the boys as they entered, "What have you got there, boys?"

"Some more eggs and Summer Snow's carvings," Little Star announced as they placed said items on the counter.

Prairie Boy set a parcel next to the other two, "And I brought you some really fresh deer meat. We caught it this morning!"

Loren chuckled at his announcement, "Pounced it again did we?"

Little Star nodded, "Summer Snow and I pounced it and Prairie Boy finished it."

"So what are you looking to trade for," he asked the three boys.

Little Star and Summer Snow looked at Prairie boy, who was between them. He grinned, "A new knife. My old one's starting to crack really bad. Papa Sully said that I could get one."

"What are you using knives for," Loren asked the small boy.

He shrugged, "Hunting. They're a lot better than a gun or hatchet. Not only that but none of us can shoot an arrow straight like the others."

Loren smiled at the boy, "Alright. I think there's one that you can have in exchange for your trade."

As they left the store, Bakura looked at Prairie Boy, "So how do you three manage to hunt like that?"

"We sneak up on it from two sides. Little Star and Summer Snow pounce on it from the same side and bring it down." He grinned, "I finish it with my knife. We work together. Black Kettle says that we're the youngest hunters in the tribe. Normally we wouldn't be allowed to hunt until we're older, but since we manage to get closer than anyone else and bring back more food, it's allowed as long as we work together."

Little Star spotted a rabbit and handed his stuff to Summer Snow, pointing at the small animal. Summer Snow nodded and caught up with the others. When he left, Little Star knelt down and held his hand out to the rabbit, sitting still. When the creature got close enough, he scruffed it behind its ears and wrapped it in his bag, leaving its head out to breathe.

As he caught up with the others, Yami noticed the squirming bundle. "What do you have," he asked the small boy.

Little Star grinned, "A bunny. Colleen makes the best rabbit soup and she prefers fresh meat."

"Why is it still alive then," Yami inquired.

Little Star shrugged, "It came to me and I caught it. Prairie Boy's the one that finishes them."

Matthew laughed at his remark, "Little Star's been able to get small animals to come to him. We can't explain it, but we're not complaining. Sully says that if anyone could keep an entire family and a tribe from starving with food to spare it's those three."

Saying this, Matthew took Little Star's latest catch. Yami looked at the boy, "You said the other say that you don't like wagons. Why is that?"

Little Star shrugged, "I don't remember. It's been a long time. All I know is that they scare me. They scare Prairie Boy and Summer Snow too."

Dinnertime rolled around and Marik was awake. He was properly introduced to the three boys. "So you three can pounce a deer and take its life with nothing more than a simple knife," he asked them in disbelief after Bakura told them of the boys' earlier catch.

Prairie Boy smirked, "You bet. Little Star can catch a live rabbit with his bare hands without having to track it."

"Prove it," Marik shot back.

This time Little Star grinned, "Don't have to, you're eating it."

Marik looked at the bowl of stew and then at the boy next to him, "I still don't believe you."

Everyone laughed at the exchange between the small boys and Marik. Solomon couldn't help but notice that Yami's normally depressed mood had changed since coming here. Sully noticed that the three boys were getting tired, "I believe it's time for three little boys to head to the loft. We have to leave early if we're to get home before it gets hot tomorrow."

"Why, Papa Sully," Little Star asked.

"Because the soldiers are going to be there and they expect all members of the tribe to be there, including us," Sully replied.

"Can we come back when they're done," Little Star questioned.

Sully knelt down and ruffled Little Star's bangs, "In a few more days. Now, no more questions and get to bed."

Little Star nodded and followed the other two up into the loft. A small hand closed the curtain. In the now dimmed loft, the boys removed their bandanas and curled up on the mattress that they shared.

The following morning, Matthew woke the boys and told them that Sully was waiting for them near the barn. After tying on their bandanas they climbed down the ladder. Leaving the loft, they noticed that everyone was already up. Marik waved to the boys as they left the house after saying their goodbyes. They waved to the occupants of the house before turning to leave. Yami watched as the four headed away from the building. He felt as if they were leaving with a part of him.