I awoke to the smell of smoky fires and bright rays of sunshine shining through the smoke hole in the ceiling. I wanted to turn over and pull my bearskin up over my head and sleep in. My memory of last night shot up in my head like fire and I was up and out of my bed as if lightning had struck me. I didn't bother to brush my hair or bathe in the river. I ran straight out of the lodge and for the woods.

Thistles and briars caught on my dress, legs, and arms, leaving tiny scratches. I didn't care though. I just needed to get to that waterfall.

A light breeze blew me in the right direction. It lingered enough to play with the strands of my hair and fringes of my dress. I smiled and thanked the spirit of the wind for his good sign. Rays of sun beamed down through the canopies of the trees, lining my path with gold. Gold.

"Gold, it comes out of the ground. It's really valuable." John's voice echoed in my head.

We don't have gold here.

"Won't they be surprised."

Will they go home?

"Some of them might."

Will you go home?

"I don't really have a home to go back to. I've never really belonged anywhere."

You could belong here.

No, he doesn't belong here. He went home already. He's home now with his own medicine man to take care of him. He's better there. He will come back.

A cool mist hit the side of my face and I stopped to see where I was at as I was aimlessly running. The waterfall was right there. I began searching as quickly as possible, using the bright sun to help me hunt out a bright blue in the sea of brown and gray rocks. Sea. The word hit me with a striking blow, almost knocking me into the water.

What if it fell off in the current?

What if it was carried out to sea? I'd never find it then. I couldn't give up. I had to keep looking in case the spirits decided to have mercy on me. I frantically searched, trying to stay calm but failing miserably. I was interrupted by an angry grunt.

I froze again. My very first thought was bear. Big bear. Big bear with a cub? I wasn't going to stick around to find out. I slowly began to creep back to the bank, trying not to make a sound. I was almost in the safety of the trees when a dark figure caught my attention from down the river. That figure was a person perched up on a rock, their back turned to me. It was one of my people. I knew exactly who it was and I knew I needed to warn him about the bear that must be still hidden in the trees somewhere.

I quickly and quietly ran just inside the trees, keeping my eyes out for the bear the whole time. Every leaf crunch and twig snap sounded like thunder. Deer, help my feet be silent. As I got closer, I began to quietly call his name.

"Kocoum." I whispered from the trees. He looked up and around to see where his name came from. He didn't see me as he went back to fumbling with whatever he was doing in his lap. I dared to step out of the trees a bit. "Kocoum!" I whispered a little louder. This time he looked straight up at me and his hands flew down to cover up whatever was in his lap. He looked a bit shocked.

"Wingapo, Pocahontas. What are-"

"Shhh!" I interrupted him.

"What's wrong?" He whispered, clearly confused by my oddness.

"You have to get out of here! There's a bear around here somewhere!" I whispered back. He definitely looked more interested in what I had to say.

"Where?" He looked around.

"I don't know, but I heard it roar just a few minutes ago." I expected him to move, but he just sat there, a puzzled expression on his face that slowly morphed into amusement. He began lauging his booming laugh.

"Are you crazy!?" I whispered as loud as I dared. He eventually stopped laughing long enough to say,

"That wasn't a bear. That was me." It was my turn to be puzzled.

"What do you mean that was you? What were you doing?" I said back in my regular voice. His smile faded and a blush spread over his face. He shifted on the rock he was sitting on.

"Well I got up early this morning and came down here… and… well… I tried to save it but it broke…" He moved his hands to show what was in his lap. I moved beside him on the rock to see a bone needle, a string of leather, and the blue beads of my mother's necklace.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I am soooo soooo sorry its taking me so long to post chapters! My computer is barely functioning so if you all could just please be patient and not hate me that would be great Please understand I try to update whenever I can and I love your guys' comments please keep reviewing and tell me what you think!