Note: I do not own or have rights to Twilight or its characters!!!

I know you guys must have thought I'd given up on this story . . . NOT!! Some times things need to stew a while before they can come togather.

Chapter 14

My Sister's Keeper

I sat in silence watching the steady down pour beyond the mouth of the shallow cave we had been sheltering in for the past two days and a night. It looked as though we would spend yet another damp and dreary night here. The cold spring rain complicated our travel in other ways too.

When we found the swollen tributary of the Missouri un-fordable, I scouted the length of it for the distance of many days travel. The conditions all along it were the same, making crossing impossible. I decided the best course of action would be to parallel the flood swollen stream. Eventually it would merge with the Missouri further downstream allowing us to continue southward once we hit the confluence.

That had been three weeks ago, now we sat stymied by the weather less than a day away from the Missouri. While I found the delay irritating, my companions took it in stride using the time to rest. In truth, I supposed they needed it. Cloud was starting to look a bit thin from want of ample grazing and Little Deer was visibly tired. 'All things work together', I reminded myself for the hundredth time since the cold rain began.

Little Deer stirred under her warm buffalo robe; turning over in her sleep but not waking up, I smiled as I watched her. In my hand I held her father's journal. To my shame, I hadn't told her about it yet, but in my defense I'd only just finished reading it.

According to its tattered pages; when Ayala was just two years old, Nathanial set out to make his fortune in the vast expanse west of the Mississippi leaving his young family behind in Virginia. Unfortunately, at the time, this land was not a part of the United States, as it still belonged to the Spanish as a result of the Seven Years War. Later Spain would ceeded the teritory back to the Emperor Napoleon from whom we obtained the Louisiana Purchase.

Nathanial returned to Virginia two years later to fetch his family westward to begin a bold new life on the frontier. Their journey, while far from harrowing, wasn't at all easy either. In spite of their difficulties, I did see in the accounts a true pioneer spirit reflected in the little family, a certain joy in their voyage across the unknown, and a steadfast and true love that existed between them.

Thunder rumbled in the distance causing Little Deer to moan and thrash in her sleep. I pushed the journal back into my travel bag before moving to her side. She opened her eyes sleepily, searching for the security of my presence.

"Rest easy child," I assured her softly. "Go back to sleep, we'll not be traveling tonight."

******

The weather eventually cleared and we moved on, finally finding and then following the mighty Missouri River. Early on, we didn't encounter the heavy river traffic that I had expected. After two weeks however, I began to notice keelboats tied along the opposite shore as we trudged along during the dark hours. The ruckus of gruff voices raised in rancorous drinking songs made Little Deer terribly nervous.

Tonight, as we passed by a barge moored on our side of the river, I was cautious. The nasally whine of the concertina accompanying a boisterous song in French filled the night air. I heard the leather saddle under Little Deer creak as she tensed; the bitter back note of fear suddenly infused her personal aroma. We were well hidden by the trees as we drew nearer to the boat and I had every confidence that our passing would go unnoticed.

"Steady on, child," I whispered softly even as I gave her arm a reassuring pat. "There's no moon tonight, they can't see us."

I should have been paying more attention to my sister's growing anxiety, I should have held tighter to Cloud's lead rope, instead I found myself distracted; listening to the men conversing on the barge. Suddenly, Little Deer's nervousness got the better of her; she panicked at the sound of the rowdy men so near to us. Without warning she gave Cloud a solid kick with her heels, causing the horse to scream and sending him careening past me into the darkness.

I was caught off guard by the ensuing chain of chaotic events. The scream of the horse and the pounding of hoof beats roused the drunken men into action. Assuming that they were under attack by hostile Natives, they armed themselves and a volley of musket fire rang through the still night air. Most of the shots thudded harmlessly into the trunks and branches of innocent trees, but I distinctly heard a sickening wet splat as at least one round meet mortal flesh. I would have been contented to assume that one of the boatmen had inadvertently shot an animal of some sort, until my sister's faint cry filled my sensitive ears. This was followed moments later by the rich metallic scent of human blood being carried to me on an errant stirring of the wind.

I launched myself into the night, chasing after Little Deer and Cloud. I caught up to them a mile and a half later, my sister was teetering in the saddle; her ever faithful horse instinctively slowed his pace because of this . . . he was indeed a good horse.

"Have you gone mad?" I hissed angrily as I came up beside them and took hold of Cloud's reins. "You very nearly got yourself killed back there and exposed me in the process! Have you any idea what manor of debauchery I would have been forced to engage in had any of those men seen me?!"

She looked down from her perch; abject fear lingered in her eyes even as deep hurt well up to join it. I had spoken more harshly than I intended, my own fear getting the better of me. It was then that I noticed the stream of sticky blood trailing down her arm and dripping into a pool at my feet.

"You're injured," I insisted in a calmer tone as I led Cloud towards a nearby tree. "Let's get you down so that I can examine you."

Little Deer had other ideas and before I could say or do more, she spurred her horse forward with another firm kick of her heels. I stood there, stunned as I watched them gallop of into the darkness; my sensitive ears easily picked up the sound of my sister's sobs.

"It seems I cannot win for loosing these days." I muttered as I trotted off after them.

I followed Little Deer's trail, but I stayed well back in an attempt to give my sister a bit of space in which to collect herself. When I finally caught up to her, she was stopped near a small stream giving Cloud a much needed rest. She tensed at the sight of me and I instantly stood still. When I saw her relax again, I continued my approach with care. As I drew nearer I noticed her right hand clamped over the top of her left arm and, even in the darkness, I could plainly see the pain that twisted her features.

"Perhaps you should let me have a look at that?" I gestured towards her obvious injury.

She fixed me with her soul searching gaze for the span of several heartbeats before nodding. Though I knew her continued fear wasn't earnestly aimed at me, I approached her with caution just the same.

"Why don't you sit?" I guided her towards a fallen tree and seated her gently on its massive trunk. With her settled, I turned to probing the injury deftly with my fingers, searching for any sing that the musket ball might still be lodged in her flesh.

"Do you not need a fire so that you may see?" she whispered even as she winced and took in a jagged breath. Fear still suffused her personal scent, but the acid back note wasn't nearly as strong as before. She was beginning to cal down, a process I wished to encourage.

"I'm sorry if this hurts," I apologized softly before I addressed her inquiry. "And in answer to your question; no, my eyesight is such that I can see in utter darkness as well as if it were noonday." I couldn't explain my visual acuity to her in any better terms than that.

Satisfied with my findings, I stood and went to fetch a few meager supplies from Cloud's saddle bags. The bullet only grazed her arm; the wound would need to be cleaned and bandaged, but no further intervention was required. I returned with rags for bandages and the jug of rum to clean the injury with. I preferred to use water when cleaning wounds, but that would necessitate a fire in order to boil the liquid and rid it of impurities. As close as we were to the angry men and their keelboat, even a small fire was out of the question.

"This may sting a bit," I warned her before dabbing the rum soaked rag against her wounded arm. She flinched slightly and I heard a painful hisses escape between her gritted teeth; otherwise she was compliant.

"Why did you run like that Ayala?" I inquired delicately as I bandaged her arm. "I realize that our close proximity to the boatmen unnerved you, but, had you remained calm, we would have bypassed them without incident."

"The song they were singing," she began shyly. "It reminded me of Jack and Henry . . . they used to sing it when they got drunk." She dropped her gaze then and continued. "I would not speak of the things that followed."

Unfortunately, she didn't have too; I could easily imagine the horrors she alluded to. I found it quite infuriating that certain males among the human species took great delight in inflicting pain on hapless women. With much effort, I managed to repress an angry growl.

"I understand that child," I assured her when the wave of irritation passed. "Your suffering at the hands of those two foul brutes was monumental, to be sure. But you must keep in mind, Jack is dead and his wicked brother Henry is miles and miles behind us." I paused and then added, "You're safe Little Deer, when will you realize that . . . and except it."

"I am young, Panther Eyes, but I am no fool," She insisted plainly. "The Savoy's are not the only foul brutes in the world. Did you not say yourself that not all Sky Beings are kind and helpful . . . so it is with men also?"

"Well spoken, child, and sadly that is true," I admitted as I helped her up and guided her back to her horse. "However, not all men are evil. While I would universally advise caution when dealing with strangers, I think you would be ill-served to assume all men to be your enemies."

She turned then and fixed me with her fiery emerald eyes. When she spoke there was determination in her whispered words. "I will not be hurt again; I will not let others ill-treat me. I am Little Deer of the Sioux, and I am no man's dog!"

"I know that," I replied as I caught her gently by the shoulders. "I know it, I understand it, and I agree with you." My mind was a swirling mass of thoughts and I couldn't seem to still them long enough to express my true motives. But then, I remembered the first time we encounter White Stag together and our subsequent conversation. Enlightenment dawned upon me in that moment with a force such as I had not known before and I knew precisely what must be said.

"Do you recall the day you told me about your first night in the woman's lodge?" I asked gently, she had never been wholly comfortable when it came to speaking about the Great Mystery. When she nodded I continued, "You told me that White Stage came to you and told you he would be your guardian, that the Creator was seeking a suitable 'Keeper' for you." She nodded again. This time I tipped her chin up with my hand so that her emerald eyes met my golden ones. "Little Deer, I am that Keeper . . . the one sent to look after you, to protect you, to help you in your journey towards whatever scared purpose the Creator has for you.

"You needn't ever fear, I'll not let harm come to you . . . and any that might try shall know the perfection of my wrath." Then I repeated my revelation more fervently to her, as I wanted her to hear it with the ears of her heart and know its truth. "I am your Keeper, Little Deer; the one Whit Stage told you would come, the one that the Creator promised to you."

******

A full week had passed since the keelboat incident and, as the first grayness of dawn tinged the eastern horizon, my company and I came upon a ferry crossing. On the far bank I could make out the boatman squat little cabin. Below his modest home the broad sturdy little raft he plied back and forth across the muddy waters of the channel was securely moored to the dock.

According to my readings, the Missouri was a deceptively peaceful waterway. Beneath its apparent tranquil surface; fierce undercurrents ebbed and swirled carrying with it dangerous flotsam and jetsam. To swim the English Channel had been no trouble at all for me; I doubted that I would have any difficulty at all crossing this narrow ribbon of water. Ayala and Cloud, however, might find the crossing treacherous and perhaps even fatal. My mind was made, as the morning was a cloudy one we would cross by the ferry before finding a campsite for the day.

I led Cloud down the muddy bank to the water's edge. Being the good horse that he was he picked his footing with care, so as not to slip and spill his rider. At the bottom of the embankment I found a brass ship's bell mounted on a stout pole. A sign below the bell read: Ring for Ferry. I gave the bell three sound clangs to alert the boatman on the opposite shore of our need.

"Carlisle," My sister's whisper danced in my ears. "What is this place? Will we not find shelter for the day?" Worry echoed in every word she spoke.

"We must cross the river," I insisted gently as I turned to meet her gaze. Instantly fear clouded her features. "Steady on now, my child. I am well aware that you cannot swim," I paused and took her hand lightly in mine. "That is why I have summoned the ferryman, he will take us across."

A shout rose up from the opposite bank and I turned to find the ferryman waving to us and so I waved back.

"Be right with you folks." He called to us as he readied to cast off from the dock, his voice carried clear and strong across the water.

"I do not like this." Ayala insisted, her suspicious eyes not leaving the raft that was slowly making its way towards us. "Does the river not get shallow further down . . . where we might walk across?"

"No, it gets wider and deeper the further south we travel." I informed her plainly. The ferry was half way to us now and getting closed by the second as the brawny boatman heaved away on the haul line. "There's nothing to fear, it's perfectly safe." Though she didn't reply, she continued to give me a doubtful look.

"Morrnin' to yeh," The ferryman greeted us as he arrived and secured the mooring line.

"Good morning to you as well, sir," I replied politely.

He looked up from tying his knots to inspect us more deliberately. First he scrutinized me; eyeing me up and down as if I were a horse he might be interested in purchasing. Then he turned his uncompromising gaze to my sister; poor Little Deer wilted under his glare like a drought stricken garden.

"Excuse me, sir," I interrupted in an effort to draw his attention away from Little Deer. "How much to cross the ferry?"

"Two bits for you and your squaw, four bits for the horse," he grumped.

"Ayala is not my squaw, sir, she is my sister." An indignant growl rumbled forth as I said this. The ferryman only shrugged his shoulders in response and went back to his work.

Once Charon was paid his dues I preceded to load Cloud onto the floating platform. The amiable gelding went along without complaint, and I quickly had him secured for the passage across . . . not so his mistress. Ayala stood at the edge of the raft and tested it with one cautious foot. When the deck gave slightly under her applied weight, she pulled back her foot and shook her head vehemently. I could see the fear in her eyes and knew this was going to be not only a test of wills between us, but also a test of the bond of our trust.

"Come now, Ayala," I encouraged as I held my hand out towards her. "It's perfectly safe, I assure you."

She raised one skeptical eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest but otherwise, she didn't budge. She was going to be stubborn, which necessitated that I be both reassuring and highly convincing. As in all matters, Ayala's compliance was not a thing that could be forced.

I spoke in the softest of tones as I approached her, "The sound logic of your senses tells you that the raft isn't safe, yes?"

She nodded as she watched me, but not a single whispered word escaped her.

"I see," I agreed with her observation. "Were it not for my own vast experience with every manor of ship, boat, and barge . . . I would likely agree with you."

A questioning furrow creased her brow denoting that she wasn't as sure of her own opinion as she was before; I was making headway at swaying her and this pleased me.

"Once again, I insist to you that this ferry is quite safe," I reiterated. "In support of my claim, I humbly submit, for your consideration, the calm and excepting demeanor of our good friend Cloud. It is well know that the horse is a skittish beast with a nose for detecting danger and an iron will when it comes to avoiding it. Yet there he stands, contented as a baby in its mother's arms, waiting for us to proceed. Were this barge unsafe, dear sister, I assure you, Cloud would be the first to alert us to the danger."

I watched and waited as she considered my argument. Hopefully she would except my artfully crafted oration and board the ferry without further delay. Just in case, however, my mind had already formulated several very convincing rebuttals. She continued to stare at me for the span of a dozen heartbeats before she motioned for me to approach her. I came near and leaned in close so that she could whisper in my ear. This was unnecessary of course, but there was no sense in either of us tipping off the grumpy ferryman to our secrets.

"I cannot swim." She insisted and I could hear the almost pleading tone in her whisper. "What if I fall in, the angry river spirits will devour my soul and I will never join my father and mother in the Sky World."

I stepped back so that I could look into her eyes as I brushed her cheek lightly with the back of my knuckles. "First of all, this craft is quite sturdy and you won't fall in." I paused and sighed, "But, even if by some unforeseen calamity, you did end up in the water . . . do you honestly think that I would stand idly by and watch as you drown." I cupped her face in my palm then and fixed her with my most earnest gaze, "I am my sister's Keeper, Ayala, and I take that role very seriously . . . were you in danger, I would do everything within my power to save you."

I took two steps back from her then an offered my hand to her, she hesitated only a moment longer before she took it and stepped onto the ferry's deck. Though she was trembling and still scared, she was demonstrating both her courage and her trust in me.

The ferryman pushed off from the bank and we began our slow progress across the muddy waters. The raft creaked and groaned causing my sister to through her arms around me, clinging to me as if her life depended on it.

In response I wrapped my arm around her and whispered my encouragement to her. "Good heavens, child, please relax. This will all be over and done before you know it."

I was right. Mercifully, the trip across the river was a short one and we were soon docked safely on the opposite shore.

"Well done, Ayala," I whispered to her as the ferryman tied off the raft. "Well done indeed, I'm very proud of you. Now let us be on our way."

I didn't have to insist twice. No sooner had the ferry been securely moored, than Ayala practically leapt onto the bank. I couldn't help laughing at her exuberance; she was most defiantly a land lover.