Hello again all! Thank you so much for your amazing responses to the last FAWH chapter; I was a bit nervous trying to set the stage for my first real independent (of the movie) action scene and was relieved that I had made it suspenseful. Here's hoping I can actually pull of the action here! As a note, the fight scenes might seem a bit abrupt and this chapter ends on a bit of a cliffhanger but I will explain that in my notes at the end. Enjoy!

Song Listing for this Chapter:

The First Ambush, Remembering the Wilderness by John Williams (The Patriot Score)

Chapter 33-The Line of Fire

Striking his steel against the flint, Chingachgook watched as the sparks flew out and ignited the small nest of tinder that he had created. Lifting it up, he blew lightly on it until it began to burn before adding it to the kindling. It was damper than he would have liked despite his best efforts to dry it out but it would do. As he began adding fuel to the fire, he looked over at Juliet and Margaret who were curled up together on the bearskin he had spread on the floor of the cave for them. They were sound asleep, but their small faces looked exhausted. 'If it wasn't for the storm, we would have been in Canajoharie long before now.' He thought, thinking over the past two days.

A light snow had begun to fall as dawn approached after they had set out from the cabin at night, but it hadn't been enough to slow their progress at first. But the snow had begun to fall heavier and heavier. By the time it was dusk, it had been too heavy for them to see easily ahead of them and they had been forced to make camp early under a rock shelter he had remembered from past trips. When dawn came, the snow hadn't let up so they had stayed in their makeshift camp until it had lessened. But by then, it was already close to mid-day and night was coming on again. They had made some progress, but with two exhausted young girls and an injured man as part of their group they had decided to stop again and stay the night in the small cave Alunsakw and Shaonaxen had found while scouting the trail ahead of them. They were out again now, checking the area surrounding the cave to hopefully ensure that they remained undisturbed through the night.

A moan from directly behind him caused Chingachgook to end his reverie and turn around. Jack's eyes were half open and he was moaning from where he had helped him lay down on the cave floor nearest to the fire that now burned. Scooting over to him, he touched his shoulder lightly. "Relax, Jack. You are safe." Struggling to raise himself up off the floor slightly, Jack looked around wildly. "Where are we? Where are we?" Chingachgook pushed him back down. "Stay down." The wound on his stomach didn't need to be disturbed anymore than it had been by their journey. Quickly checking the bandages to make sure that they were still securely wrapped and weren't in need of being changed, he reached into his bundle of medical supplies and took out some of the dried deer blood. Mixing it with water from his flask and placing it into a waterproof skin, he carefully lifted Jack's head so that he could drink it. The mixture would give him strength and help his body fight off infection. As soon as he was done, Jack's eyes fluttered closed again and he drifted off again to sleep. A trickle of worry entered Chingachgook's mind as he looked over the tightness of his features and felt his forehead. It was warmer than usual but not the burning heat of a fever. 'But the sooner we reach Canajoharie the better for all of us.'

He heard the scraping sound of snowshoes on rock near the entrance of the cave and looked up just as Alunsakw and Shaonaxen re-entered the cave. Their faces were grim as Chingachgook rose to meet them. "Kulhatuhena alemska." Shaonaxen said grimly in a low tone. "We found signs of the Huron and French nearby." Chingachgook nodded. "Keku petuxweyu?" "Headed northwest of here." Chingachgook's heart sank. Northwest of the cave was Canajoharie. If they didn't hurry, they could be surrounded and cut off from reaching the town. Or worse. "Ahitka." He said as he turned and walked over to where the girls were asleep. Alunsakw and Shaonaxen, who had been waiting deferentially for his decision as the elder of their group, busied themselves setting the fire to go out naturally and helping Jack up off the cave's floor. Bending down, Chingachgook gently shook the girls. "Tukihela nuxwisak!" Groggily, the girls blinked and stirred. "Petapan hach?" Juliet asked sleepily while Margaret yawned. He shook his head. "Ku. But we have to go now." Both girls opened their mouths to protest and he quickly pressed a finger against each one. "There is no time for questions. We must go now." His tone was firm, softened only by the loving look in his eyes. Both Juliet and Margaret knew that this was no time to argue. They stood up and pulled their moccasins back on which had been drying by the fire and began to wrap themselves back up.

As he helped them, Chingachgook's mind moved ahead to what would hopefully be the final stage of their journey. He hoped that they would be able to circumvent the Huron and the French war party that was heading close to them. But a feeling of foreboding crept over him and he could not shake it. He knew better to ignore that feeling. At some point, there would be trouble ahead for them.

Cora sighed, blinking her eyes against the struggle for sleep as she readjusted her grip on her pistol. The damp, rough bark of the pine tree she sat against was not the most comfortable place in any case but she was so tired. She knew Nathaniel was too even if he had been trained from an early age to be able to push his body further on little sleep. But it had a way of catching up to all of them.

The small cluster of pines that she was in offered a little protection against the wind and snow, but some still crept in and she shivered. She pulled her fur lined buckskin cloak more closely around herself, wishing that they could have a fire but even a small one would create too much attention. 'Hopefully, we will be at the Winthrops soon.' She thought. Nathaniel had said it wasn't too much further judging by some familiar landmarks. Over the past two days, they had mostly pushed on with minimal stops for rest and food. The sooner they reached the Winthrops with news of the war party headed their way, the better. The snowstorm that had fallen the day before had slowed their progress however, and even thought it had lessened today, it still kept them from going as fast as they wanted to. Nathaniel was out scouting the trail ahead of them now and had left her among the pine grove, telling her to rest a bit longer and keep watch. Her mind shifted over to her daughter and the rest of their family making their way to Canajoharie. Had the storm slowed them down too? 'I hope they are safe.' She thought, worrying at the thought of them being out in the cold, snowy weather. But at the same time, she knew that her father-in-law and his Delaware cousins would keep them safe.

Nathaniel returned from his trek, sitting down beside her. "Seems safe enough. If we keep going, we should reach the Winthrops in a few hours." Nodding, Cora stood and stretched before placing her journey bag back over her shoulders and across her body. She followed her husband out of the pine grove and side-by-side they resumed their journey. But they had only gone two miles at best when Cora felt herself growing sleepy again. She stamped her feet a little, trying to wake herself up and flung back her hood to let the cold air refresh her. Suddenly, she stumbled a little and felt her body fall forward. "Cora!" Nathaniel cried out in the loudest whisper he dared. He watched in horror as her body tumbled down the drop-off that had been hidden by the snow.

Cora threw out her arms the moment she felt herself falling, trying to brace against the impact. Fortunately, the drop-off was not very high and she was soon tumbling end over end on the rough snowy ground. She moved her arms out and pressed against the ground, slowing her body down and eventually causing her to stop altogether. For a few moments, she just laid there and tried to catch her breath. Lifting her head, she moved it from side to side and then her feet, breathing a sigh of relief that she could move them without pain.

Nathaniel was at her side quickly, his green eyes wide with concern. "Are you all right, niu?" She nodded, "Yes." She said, as he helped her to her feet. "Thank the Master of Life." Nathaniel sighed thankfully, pressing a kiss to head before briefly lifting his face to the sky in thanks. "We can rest for a bit if you like. I know that this trip has been hard for you." Cora shook her head. "No, we can keep going. I'm awake now. My little stumble worked." She said with a smile at the end, trying to bring some humor into the situation. Nathaniel smiled back and was just about to say something when they both heard the noise from the trees on their left. Stiffening himself, Nathaniel bent down and removed his snowshoes, worried that the extra noise might attract attention. Cora did the same and together they moved forward towards the trees. Placing a hand on her shoulder to stay Cora, Nathaniel moved aside one of the evergreen branches and together they peered out.

There was a short ravine just a little ways beyond the evergreens and in the bottom of it was the war party they had been attempting to avoid. 'At least we found them and not the other way around.' Nathaniel thought with a touch of grim humor. They war party was, as expected, the combined group of Ottawa, Huron and French Irregulars that that Alunsakw and Shaonaxen had told them about. They were currently camped in small groups, although it was clear from the lack of fire and gathered provisions they did not intend to stay for long. Some spoke in low voices, and Nathaniel's attention centered on three men at the edge of the group, representing each of the three people groups gathered. Judging by the way they held themselves and the war paint and tattoo designs of the Huron and Ottawa warriors, he surmised that they were the leaders. They were speaking in French, and Nathaniel wished he understood what they were saying. Just then, Cora pressed a hand against his arm and leaned in whispering quietly into his ear. He glanced at her in surprise before looking back out in the direction of the war party. "They are saying that the Yengeese militia have no idea that they are coming. They will make their attack just before dawn tomorrow." She translated. 'Damn.' Nathaniel thought. Dawn was not many hours away, and they still had several to go before they would reach the Winthrop farm. As he started to move away, Cora tapped his shoulder and he paused. "They say that they have posted a watch around the farm, in each direction so that no one can get in or out before they arrive." Nathaniel bit back a curse, and let the evergreen branch move silently back into place. "We have to leave now and hurry. There's not much time." He whispered to Cora. She nodded. "But how will we make it to the house?" she asked. "We're going to have to work on that one." Nathaniel whispered back as they moved back to their abandoned snowshoes and re-strapped them on before making their way back up the trail and towards the farm.

Chingachgook gripped his rifle in one hand and held Okera's reins in the other. They were several hours gone from the cave, and Canajoharie was only an hour or two more away. So far, there had been no sign of the Huron but the foreboding feeling had grown stronger. He could feel the tension that surrounded them. Glancing over to the right and left of him, he saw that Alunsakw and Shaonaxen felt it too.

"When do you think we'll get there?" Margaret whispered to Juliet. "Hopefully soon." Juliet whispered back. She and Margaret were tired of the wet snow and cold wind, and they couldn't sleep very well on Okera. Usually it was fun to be out in the snow, but only for a little while and then they could come back into the warm cabin and rest. But they couldn't do that here. Machom Chingachgook was worried too, she could tell from how he looked. It reminded her of how he had looked at the waterfall cave after she and Nkek Cora and Kaheteta Alice had been rescued after leaving the fort. She trembled a bit now, remembering. Uncas and Alice had died not much longer after that. Would someone else die now too? Just then, Machom Chingachgook turned around and looked up at her. He tried to give her a smile before he turned back but but it wasn't like his usual one.

As he turned his head back around, Chingachgook saw a moving shape out of the corner of his eye coming at them towards the left. He barely had time to react before a Huron warrior let out a piercing war cry as he leaped onto Shaonaxen. The Delaware warrior tumbled with him onto the ground, both of them grappling for control of the long knife that the Huron had gripped in his hand. Chingachgook heard Juliet and Margaret scream from behind him. "Get off Okera and stay down with your uncle!" He yelled to them, not having time to do more before several more Huron warriors and their French allies came out from the forest. Lifting their rifles to their shoulders, both he and Alunsakw took down two of their attackers before readying themselves to fight hand-to-hand. Shaonaxen, who had defeated his initial attacker, let his tomahawk fly through the air and into the head of a French Irregular coming towards Alunsakw. The solider fell dead to the ground, his blood turning the snow red. Bringing his rifle up and over his head, Chingachgook swung the length of it into the throat of a Huron warrior who came at him with a tomahawk before finishing him off with a hard blow to the head. Grabbing his gunstock club, he took aim at another French Irregular who was reloading his rifle and let it go. A bit of guttural French upon impact and he was gone. Dashing forward, Chingachgook retrieved his club only to feel the weight of an attacker slam into him from his right. The sharp edge of a tomahawk came towards his throat and he forced his head down and to the side to protect his neck only to feel the blade graze his cheek. Grunting, he opened his wrists to allow for just enough movement to flip the warrior onto his back and pressed hard against the pressure point on the bicep that would open the Huron's fingers and create temporary paralysis of his arm. The tomahawk clattered to the ground, and Chingachgook grabbed his knife from his belt and cut the Huron's throat. Regaining his footing, he looked frantically in the direction of the drag sled just as the screams of his family reached him and he saw Margaret being roughly slung across the back of a French Irregular while kicking at Juliet who had bitten one of his arms.

His blood boiled at the thought of enemy hands on his family. 'Not again.' Reloading his rifle as he ran through the snow, he took aim and fired straight at the chest of the French Irregular who had taken Margaret, reaching them just in time to grab Margaret off his back as the body fell. "Stay down!" he said, hating that he couldn't do more in the moment. Two Huron warriors were coming towards them now, and once more he let his gunstock club fly and take down one warrior while he prepared to face the remaining one. He was young, but beside his black and red war paint, Chingachgook could see the scars from previous fights and he knew this was no brash young man barely out of boyhood on his first war path. This was a man who had survived many fights and intended to survive this one as well.

Dodging the long knife that he attempted to drive into his sternum, Chingachgook rammed his rifle into his ribcage before grabbing his knife and driving it towards the Huron warrior's throat. Suddenly, his body slipped on an icy patch of snow and he stumbled. Dropping to one knee to steady himself, the warrior's body crashed onto his and he was turned end over end. "Machom Chingachgook!" He heard Juliet and Margaret cry out. Landing on his back, with the Huron warrior gripping his forearm and using his own knife against him, Chingachgook tried desperately to free himself as the knife came closer to his neck. His left arm was pinned under him and he couldn't free it. Alunsakw and Shaonaxen were likely fighting off their own attackers soon, or they would have come to his aid. His granddaughters were screaming now in earnest, clearly aware of the desperate situation. An evil smile grew on the Huron's red-and-black painted face as he brought the knife closer. Chingachgook moved his head away only to feel the tip of the knife prick his throat. 'Knewelch et tenksisit nkwis.'

A whizzing noise came through the air and the handle of a knife landed with a clunk against the head of the Huron. It was a glancing blow, not hard or skilled, but it was enough for the moment. With a rush of adrenaline, Chingachgook drove the knife upwards and toward the base of the warrior's throat and twisted it. Gasping as his eyes bulged out, the Huron struggled weakly for the knife's handle as blood began to flow out of his mouth. Pushing him aside, Chingachgook slowly got to his feet as the life drained out of the Huron's body. "Machom Chingachgook!" Juliet and Margaret rushed towards him, clearly ignoring his orders for them to stay put. But just as he opened his mouth to remind them, he noticed several familiar faces coming towards him as well. Their Mohawk friends had helped Alunsakw and Shaonaxen defeat the rest of the war band and were now checking over both of the Delaware warriors for injuries. "It looks like we arrived just in time, my friend." Ongewasgone said as he and his son Ethan Terkariho:ken made their way towards him. Nodding gratefully, Chingachgook first bent down to open his arms to his granddaughters who rushed in and threw their arms around him. After reassuring them he was all right despite the blood on him and cut on his cheek, he stood to greet their Mohawk friends. "Thank you." He said simply and clasped Ongewasgone's forearm. Ongewasgone nodded but gestured towards Ethan with his free hand, the proud look of a father on his face. "It is my son who helped save you. He threw the knife." Looking at Ethan, who was obviously scared and shaking slightly with both fear and adrenaline, he smiled at the boy. "Then I thank you, Tekariho:ken. I and my people will not forget this." He told him as he gripped the boy's forearm as he would a full-grown warrior. The boy looked a bit confused before Ongewasgone whispered something in his ear and he returned the gesture.

As soon as he released his arm, Chingachgook noticed that Ethan was looking over curiously at Juliet and Margaret who were still clinging to him and he remembered that they hadn't met yet. Bending down to take one of each girl's hands in his, he drew them forwards a little way. "Ethan Tekariho:ken, this is my granddaughter through my son Hawkeye, Juliet Nipalawena and my youngest son Uncas's goddaughter, Margaret Welalewes. I also consider her my granddaughter." Ethan gave a short bow in each girl's direction and the girls said hello back to him. Introductions having been made, Chingachgook led both girls back over to Okera and after a brief stop to check on Jack who had miraculously remained asleep during the attack, lifted them back onto the mare. After everyone had readied themselves again, they resumed their journey towards Canajoharie.

Nathaniel gritted his teeth as he pulled his arm tighter against the throat of the French Irregular who had been stationed as the watch in the woods behind the Winthrop farm. The man was struggling for air, and it wouldn't be much longer now. He wished he could've used Killdeer as it would have been quicker and easier, but they couldn't afford to make any noise. As soon as he felt the French Irregular go limp under his arm, he lowered his body to the ground to lessen the sound of any impact.

Cora came up from behind him. "Now?" she asked and gestured with her chin towards the back of the house. Nathaniel looked out over the wide expanse of open ground that lay between them and the house. A tall fence to keep out the deer and other animals surrounded the now-dormant kitchen garden and beside it was the snow-covered path that led to the house. There was no protection if they were to be spotted by one of the other members of the war party that were keeping watch but they had to chance it. There was no other way.

"Now." He said and together they took off running across the snow as fast as they could. Nathaniel felt his heart pounding as he waited for a war cry or the crack of a rifle being fired but nothing happened. Reaching the back door, they crouched down near the ground and Nathaniel reached up and pounded on the door. Nothing. "Come on." He gritted his teeth and pounded again.

Kulhatuhena alemska: We have to leave (Delaware)

Keku petuxweyu?: What direction? (Delaware)

Ahitka: Yes (Delaware)

Tukihela nuxwisak: Wake up my grandchildren! (Delaware)

Petapan hach: Is it dawn? (Delaware)

Ku: No (Delware)

Niu: my wife (Mohican)

Machom: Grandfather (Mohican)

Kaheteta: Aunt (Delaware)

Knewelch et tenksisit nkwis: Perhaps I will see you soon, my youngest son. (Delaware)

Well, looks like one half of our family has made it through the fire! Now we just have to see about Nathaniel and Cora and their friends in the next chapter (which will be posted after the next BTW chapter). I mentioned at the beginning that it might feel like a bit of a cliffhanger at the end and that was intentional as I really wanted to leave this chapter on a mixed note in the sense that we know part of the family is safe now more or less while Nathaniel and Cora still have some work to do on their end. The next chapter of this story will heavily focus on them (and also their friends) so I didn't want to go too far into what they will face just yet and end up repeating myself.

Speaking of repetition, if the fight scenes with Chingachgook and their Delaware cousins Alunsakw and Shaonaxen seemed too short or abrupt with the arrival of the Mohawks, I will be exploring more of the fight (and also some things leading up to it) from the perspective of Ethan and his Mohawk family. As for Ethan rescuing Chingachgook by throwing the knife (albeit poorly) I wanted him to have a small combat role that reflected his limited, rough skills and also showed how terrified he was likely to be in that situation (special thanks to EmoryRose for her suggestions with that!). We'll go more into that in the next chapter (and also his meeting with Juliet and Margaret for the first time).

As a final note, Cora being able to speak/understand French was partly inspired by a scene in the Cary Grant/Leslie Caron move Father Goose where Leslie Caron's character translates Japanese for Cary Grant's character when they are observing some Japanese soldiers in the South Pacific during WWII. It's also pretty likely that she would have spoken French at least to some degree due to the fact that many upper class British people at this time learned French (and sometimes German) as a second language. And I rather like the idea of her being able to surprise Nathaniel with her hidden language talents!

Stay tuned!