Chapter 6: Let The Games Begin

April 1745

Nathaniel crouched next to Pru's sleeping form. The once blazing fire had been reduced to a handful of tiny orange embers, making the inside of the wigwam nearly a complete shroud of darkness. He silently reached out, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, and began squeezing lightly against her bare skin with his fingers and thumb. When her sleeping form refused to move at his quiet assault, Nathaniel leaned further down, his mouth beside her ear, and with more empty breath than whisper coaxed her, "Pru…Pru wake up."

"Hmm…" She murmured after several minutes of him lightly jostling her.

Nathaniel smiled softly as she began to slowly awaken. "Pru…come with me, " He breathed into her ear and began helping her up into a seated position.

Pru lazily blinked her eyes, allowing them the moment they needed to adjust to the dim lighting in the wigwam. She reached up with balled fists and began kneading at the corner of her eyes with her knuckles, the rhythm of her fingers wiping away the last remains of sleep that still lingered there. Finally pulling her hands away from her face and swiveling to her right, Pru gently placed her palms on Uncas's snoozing form about to gingerly wake him.

"No," Nathaniel whispered as he reached out and took ahold of her palms. "You and me," He lightly breathed into the air as he emphasized his words with a few sweeps of his pointer finger between them. Just as he had done that first morning they spent together at the farm. Pru wiggled her eyebrows curiously in question though nodded her head in understanding and the two silently rose their feet, making their way out the wigwam and into the early hours of the day.

Nathaniel held tight to Pru's left hand, tugging her along after him as he had a specific destination in mind. They walked for what seemed like an endless amount of time, weaving in and out of the thick forest foliage, each step they took sinking their moccasin covered feet into either soft wet snow or the mud that lay just beneath it. After crossing a small snake like winding creek, they came to the base of steep hill where Nathaniel, feeling the essence of time, quickly motioned for Pru to begin scaling it. He laughed when he saw her skeptical look and shifted her in front of him, motioning with his fingers for her to climb. Having Pru move in front of him, Nathaniel took up his climb as soon as she had cleared some space between them, wanting to be behind her in case she should slip or fall and being certain to stay within reaching distance of her the entire time. Pru dug her fingers into the moist dirt as she lifted herself higher and higher up the hill, the tiny muscles in her arms and legs flexing with each vertical ascending motion until finally she gripped onto a smooth flat surface and was able to push her body completely up onto her belly before rolling onto her back and away from the edge. Her breath and limbs were heavy with the exhaustion of exercise as she peered up at the first hint of morning's light while it crept into the sapphire sky. Pru had no idea why Nathaniel had woken her and her alone. She did not like leaving Uncas behind, especially knowing how he often felt cast aside as the youngest sibling. She could just picture the forlorn expression on his sweet face when he realized that the two of them had gone off without him and though she felt guilty for it, there was something unusual about Nathaniel's demeanor this morning and so had followed him without question through the morning's mud ridden maze. Pru shifted her head to the right and watched as her brother smoothly pulled his body up and onto the cliff base.

"What are we doing here brother?" Pru asked through her still raspy breaths.

Nathaniel peered down at her from his crouched position, proud once more at his sister's athleticism, and extended his hand out to her palm up. Pru rolled onto her side, gripped his palm and immediately felt her weight lifted off the ground as Nathaniel yanked her up with him to their feet. "I want to show you something," He said, leading her close to the edge of the small cliff. "Sit," He instructed, and both siblings dropped their bodies into a crosslegged position about four feet away from the stony drop off. Nathaniel closed his eyes for a moment letting the morning air's sting drift into him with his breath, its sharp coolness stabbing against his lungs and jolting his innards awake. When next he opened his eyes, he could see Mother Nature's delicate touch as the golden light of a new day edged its way upward, dancing through the forest's interwoven bushes and trees. "Look," Nathaniel said, pointing out into the vast wilderness.

Pru gazed out, past her brother's extended arm and watched with bright eyes as the sun's blazing light glided effortlessly along the tops of the woodlands trees, its elongated rays reaching out towards them with a pleasant caress as it began grazing its warm finger tips across their cheeks. "It's beautiful Nathaniel," She breathed, awestruck by the heavenly sight before her.

Nathaniel tilted his head towards her, a wry smile creeping across his mouth. He leaned back on his palms and watched as the soft lines around her eyes and lips curled up in a wistful excitement, an excitement that he had been the bearer of. He had known she would find this spot just as alluring as he did. Its beauty had captured him long ago when just after he had turned ten years old, he had insisted on proving that he was a fearsome hunter, sneaking out alone before dawn to hunt game. Nathaniel chuckled softly under his breath, remembering that not only had not found the fearsome game he had sought, he had managed to find himself thoroughly lost. It had taken him hours to find his way back to the village, much to his shame and his father's trepidation. Chingachgook had been easy on him upon his return, too overcome with worry to punish him the way he might have, letting instead him feel the full weight of his embarrassment. Though that embarrassment had been short lived when he realized that two great things had occurred that day. The first being that he had resolved himself to becoming an exceptionally skilled tracker, having decided that he never wanted to feel the nervousness of being lost ever again. Now at only fifteen, he was often asked to join hunting parties not only because of his acute aim but also his advanced tracking skills. Then secondly, the discovery of this very spot, his secret spot that until this moment he had refused to share with anyone else.

Nathaniel sighed contentedly, pleased by Pru's reaction, and shifted his eyes away from her back to Mother Nature's warm embrace. He had come here many times over the years, always at sunrise, just as it had been when he first found the celestial spot five years ago. It was his time to think without the outside world invading his mind. The different faces and different languages sometimes ground together and pulverized his senses, making him feel slightly overwhelmed in his own fair skin. But not here; here was where he searched in only his own company, for inner peace and perspective. Alone until now that is. Months had passed since their first arrival at the camp and while Pru acclimated well to her surroundings, he could still see the thin wall of silk that she held between herself and the rest of the village. A barrier that to this very day she had only let Chaska breach, and Nathaniel guessed that that was only because she saw something of herself in him. And while Pru always wore a smile, he had enough of entertaining its fake twinkle and thought this was the perfect moment to get down to the bones of what was coursing through her mind. The winter snow and ice had made it impossible to scale the hill earlier, but now that spring was amongst them he thought it the perfect time to share his secret. Especially since it had not escaped him that for the past week Pru had washed and worn Martin's maroon linen shirt multiple times now, including this very morning. Nathaniel took another deep breath, the cool air tickling his senses once more and said, "Talk to me sister…tell me what is in your head?"

Pru smiled at her brother's directness, much preferring that to slowly inching around a subject and feeling right now like she could read his mind. Much time had passed since they first arrived at the Delaware camp and though initially she had felt out of place within the village, that overwhelming feeling of uncertainty had quickly faded and she began melding into their society, learning traditional skills such as cooking, basket weaving and sewing. Then after those necessary skills had been firmly acquired, Pru had began learning traditional Delaware medicine. The eldest, most experienced nentpike in the village had noticed Pru's natural inclination towards it and promptly took her under her wing much to Chingachgook's pride. Pru spent every evening after supper working alongside her and another young girl, studying herbs, berries and the different combinations that produced the most effective treatments for different ailments. It was Pru's favorite part of her day - that and the time she spent with her brothers and Chaska. Pru almost rolled her eyes thinking of the village's reaction to her relationship with her stoic friend, and the hushed whispers they so often received on the rare occasions when they were alone walking through the camp together. All the villagers saw was a potential husband and a potential wife, not a heartbroken warrior and wounded young girl both in need of kinship. Whenever the gossip became irritating, Pru would simply rationalize in her head that people always saw what they wanted to see and would merely shrug off their musings. After that first interaction by the communal pot of food, the four of them had become nearly inseparable. The quartet spent almost all of their free time joined together at the hip, aside from the moments were Nathaniel was off romancing this girl or that one. Pru forced down a laugh at the thought. She had already come upon him in the forest twice, each time with a different girl pressed up against a tree. The second time, she had purposefully snapped a twig under her foot making her presence known. Though instead of breaking apart, Nathaniel only glanced out at her with raised eyebrows and a small smirk across his lips in acknowledgement of her presence, then promptly continued right along with what he was doing. Pru rolled her eyes at the memory, then slowly swept her long eyelashes downward, encasing her sight in the darkness of her eyelids and arched her head slightly back as she further embraced the sun's warmth along her face.

Nathaniel watched Pru's thoughts whirl around in her mind. She still had not answered him and her silence only made him worry more for her. Deciding to gently force her words, he reached out tugging gently on the sleeve of Martin's well-worn shirt and said, "You are going to wear holes in this shirt if you keep exhausting it day in and day out." Taking a particularly thin bit of fabric between his thumb and forefinger, he chuckled and finished with, "Though I am certain Martin would give you another if you asked…and probably even if you didn't."

Pru flung her eyes open at this, knowing somehow that it was a small assertion of an unspoken truth, and gently twisted her arm, and thereby Martin's shirt out of his grasp. Nathaniel chuckled louder at her perturbed response to his jest and watched as she narrowed her eyes at him in mock annoyance before shifting her weight to better face him. Knee to knee they sat and finally she began to confess, "I miss the farm brother. I miss Sampson. I miss the lake and how silly and free I feel there." She said as her fingers began unknowingly fiddling with the cuff of his shirt. "I miss Martin..."

"Hmm…me too sometimes," Nathaniel answered, his soft tone laced with understanding. "It is like its own Utopia. Sampson has always been like a second father to me and Uncas, guiding us and caring for us just as Nooch does and Martin might as well be our brother for how much mischief we have gotten into together." He chuckled thinking of the many escapades the three of them had gotten into over the years. Suddenly furrowing his brows he asked, "Do you…do you not like it here? Do you wish you had stayed with them?"

Pru's face quickly transformed from sad to serious as she peered deeper into Nathaniel's eyes, their sparkling blue hue even more translucent in the morning's sunlight and said, "It is not that. I do love being here. I do." She reached out and laced her cold fingers with his own and continued, "I could never have left you, Nathaniel. You or Uncas or Nooch." Pru tightened her grip on his hand, emphasizing her resolve. "Everyone here has embraced me as your and Uncas's sister as well unquestioningly as Nooch's daughter. And having Chaska in my life has been a true gift. I just have this feeling of homesickness." She said hanging her head a bit lower. "It plagues me more and more each day."

"Your nightmares are back." Nathaniel plainly stated.

Pru smiled wanly back up at him, "They never went away."

"Pru…"

"I am fine, brother. I spend my days working and studying alongside Tanda and my evenings with you, Uncas and Chaska." Pru leaned forward, placing a hand on Nathaniel's knee and continued, "I know father worries for me…that you worry for me, but please brother…I am fine. I just miss Sampson and Martin is all."

"And your nightmares?"

Pru reached out and gripped his shoulder firmly, "My keesog always chases them away."

"Your keesog?" Nathaniel questioned with an elevated eyebrow.

"Yes." Pru simply stated. "Now my dear brother, it is time for us to go back...before Uncas's belly burns with hatred for us." She said, rising to her feet. "And the village girls begin to faint with despair when they are unable to locate you."

Nathaniel smiled wickedly at her comment. He enjoyed spending his free time in the company of girls and would not make any apologies for it. He pulled his legs up, resting his elbows atop his knees and looked up at her outstretched palm. He knew that there was no way of continuing on once Pru had decided the conversation was over and so with a sigh, gripped tightly to her hand and rose to his feet as well. He draped his arm across her shoulder and said, "Promise me that whenever you are in need, you will wake me and we will watch the sunrise together. Here or anywhere else we may find ourselves in this world."

Pru reached up, gripping his dangling palm just past her shoulder and said, "I promise brother...I promise."


Uncas sat cross-legged in front of their family's wigwam, grumpily stabbing his wooden spoon into the bowl of corn mush he held in his palm. The day had dawned bright, beautiful and above all warm. But even sitting here now in nature's glory did nothing to curb his sullen demeanor. He had been in a bad mood ever since he awoke that morning to find not just Nathaniel missing, as he sometimes was when they stayed at the Delaware camp, but Pru as well and leaving him to surmise that the two had gone off together without him. Uncas shook his head in frustration as he jammed the spoon down with all his might into the bowl, the force sending it flying from his grasp into the air and colliding with a splat in the mud at Pru's feet.

"Well…I didn't think you would be so angry as to throw things at me." Pru casually said bending over to retrieve his fallen bowl. Uncas's cheeks went crimson enough that even with his coppery complexion, Pru was able to easily see that he was embarrassed by his actions and stifling a laugh began walking over towards him. "May I sit little brother?"

Uncas folded his arms across his chest, trying his best to seem bothered by his sister's presence. He shifted he weight slightly away from her as he peered out into the budding forest. He hated acting so childish but his feelings were hurt, especially where Pru was concerned. He had gotten used to Nathaniel going off and doing whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Pru was different. She always included him in her wanderings, always asked if he wanted to come along. Rolling over to find her missing too this morning had irked him the most.

He could feel her light grip on his shoulder, her soft touch gently nudging him to peer up at her. After giving a long exasperated sigh, Uncas begrudgingly glanced at her from under his eyelashes and said, "What?"

"Uncas...please don't be upset with me." Pru wanted desperately to explain to him. Even though Nathaniel never actually confirmed it to her, she knew that where he had taken her had been a secret spot and not wanting to betray him, refused to elaborate on any details from their morning. Instead, Pru was prepared to take all of the blame for Uncas's disgruntled demeanor.

"I don't like that you two keep secrets from me." He said pouting out his lips and shifting his body further away from her. "I know I am younger than you and that you and Nathaniel share something I can't share with either of you."

"Uncas stop it right there!" Pru nearly shouted at him. She grabbed his shoulders, turning him back to face her and continued, "YOU are just as important to me as Nathaniel is and I know he feels the same exact way." She stared intently down into his dark eyes, dark eyes that had finally begun to soften. "I am actually jealous of you two, having always been in each others' lives." Pru finished cupping his little chin in her palm.

Uncas's crankiness vanished in an instant. He hated whenever the lives they lived before Pru joined their family were somehow brought up, its mention only further reminding him of what she may have suffered, and quickly stammered out, "Pru..I didn't mean.."

"Shhh...we don't need to talk about it." She said quickly cutting him off for a second time, not feeling like she had any more energy to discuss hers, his or anyone else's emotions, so she diverted the subject and said, "But I do have an idea. Would you like for us to have our own secret?" Pru asked, smiling wickedly at him while lowering her forehead against his own, a silent act telling him that everything between them was alright.

Uncas breathed easier the moment her forehead touched his own, the reassuring gesture calming him instantly. He shifted his eyes away from their downcast position and up, taking in the devilish gleam in her eye from under his eyelashes and began slowly nodding his head up and down. Whatever game she was planning would be theirs and theirs alone, and with each soft upward curl of his lips, Uncas could feel his grumpy demeanor dwindle away, replaced by a mischievous excitement that had begun slowly creeping its way into his belly.


Chaska trudged back to camp, a doe slung over his wide shoulders and his feet sinking deeper into the forest's mud covered surface with each steady step he took. The fierce heat of the springtime sun was out, shining as though it was seeing the world for the first time. He smiled to himself as he tilted his head slightly backwards into the doe, letting the warmth better envelop his face. It had been months since he last felt this type of warmth upon his skin, the winter months seeming to drag endlessly on. While he was happy that the nature around him was beginning its yearly bloom, he knew that with winter's transition into spring it was only a matter of time before the Mohicans would be leaving to trap and visit friends along the frontier. He wondered if they would ask him to join them like they had before. Would he say yes if they did? There was large part of him now that wished he had gone with them then, that he had not stubbornly said no. If he had gone, he would have been with them when they found Pru. He would have been able to help her then and in only a way that he could. Chaska flinched at the thought of that night, of what may have happened. She never spoke about it, all he knew were the snippets he had gotten from Nathaniel or Uncas, both extremely reluctant to discuss any of it with him. He and Pru had spoken at length about their individual childhoods but never about how exactly she came to be with them, other than to say that Chingachgook found her wounded in the woods. He remembered the night Nathaniel had dared him and Pru to jump into the freezing cold stream. How they had run at a full sprint through the mounted snow, jumping hand in hand feet first into the icy water. It had been so cold that they only lasted a few moments before they quickly climbed out, half frozen and drenched to the bone. At which time, Pru had immediately torn off her soaked red blouse in preference to her dry buckskin coat and for a fleeting moment he had gotten a glimpse of the scars on her back. Scars, he knew without having to ask, that had come from the night that Chingachgook had discovered her in the forest. A constant reminder of a moment he knew she wished she could forget. Chaska sighed to himself, shaking away his wonder as to how she may have acquired those scars and forced his attention back out in front of him. When he saw them, brother and sister, crouched down behind a large cluster of rocks and peering out into the distance.

Chaska stifled a laugh, watching as Uncas and Pru glanced carefully over their rocky shelter towards some unknown matter in the distance. He gently laid the doe down on a small pile of snow and moved in silence, creeping slowly towards them. Each soft step he took was ike a whisper, until he was almost directly behind them and Uncas finally turned his head, clearly shocked by his appearance. Pru swiveled her head, seeing Uncas look over his shoulder and found herself eye to eye with Chaska. She quickly put her fingers to her lips, motioning for him to remain silent. Chaska narrowed his eyes at her and continued his hushed crawl towards them. He positioned himself directly behind Pru, and peeked his eyes over the stones. A wry smile passed across his lips as he watched Nathaniel submerge himself over and over again into the small pool of water in which he was clearly trying to bathe.

Lowering himself once more behind the rock, Chaska turned his head back and forth between them and questioned, "What are you two up to?"

Uncas's face instantly lit up as he said, "Secrets and games."

Chaska raised both of his eyebrows and reiterated, "Secrets and games?"

"Shh. We don't have long, since the only person I know who can withstand water that cool is you." Pru said, eyeing Chaska's bare chest before reaching out and grabbing ahold of both his and Uncas's arms. "Uncas..." She began in a nearly muted tone, "When I say go, run as only you can and swipe his clothes."

Chaska's eyes went wide as the realization of what they were planning flooded through his mind.

"What?" Pru said to his shocked expression.

"You plan to make him walk back naked to camp?"

"That is correct." Pru answered dead serious.

Chaska covered his mouth with his hand, desperate to contain his laughter, should he give their position away. He gulped hard and removed his hand from his mouth, "The girls will love it!"

Pru pursed her lips together, her eyes twinkling with jest, as she slowly nodded her head up and down in agreement. She leaned in further to Uncas and Chaska, lowering her voice to a mere whisper, "And since you are here, you can help distract him!"

A few moments later Chaska was walking towards the water, the dead doe hanging limply from his shoulders as he casually approached Nathaniel in the water.

"Hawkeye." Chaska calmly said, drawing Nathaniel's attention towards him. Nathaniel whirled around in the cool water. He teeth beginning to slightly chatter. "Cold?"

Nathaniel shakily laughed, "It's not warm."

"Then why are you in there?" Chaska asked. His eyes drifted ever so slightly as he watched Uncas noiselessly sprint from behind the rock, swiping Nathaniel's clothes up from the log they rested on and then just as quickly disappeared in a blur of raven colored hair.

"I haven't bathed in awhile." Nathaniel lifted his arm up, sniffing exaggeratedly into his arm pit, "I could kill a small animal with this stench."

Chaska laughed outright at his friend's ever present humor and said, "I'm sure Tanda will appreciate it." At that Nathaniel sent a wave of cool water sailing through the air at him. Which Chaska easily side stepped before laughing once more.

"Ha..ha..ha..." Nathaniel quipped, rolling his eyes up at him.

Chaska shrugged his shoulders at Nathaniel's silent denial and said, "I'll leave you to it then, friend." He nodded his head in a subtle goodbye and began making his way casually back to the village - though not before casting his eyes sideways towards the rocks and watching as two patches of dark hair began lowering themselves protectively behind the rocks.

Uncas crouched low behind the small rock barrier, his head resting on Pru's thin shoulder and his hands clutching Nathaniel's red shirt against his chest. Pru tapped him roughly on the back, pointing for him to look up over the rock. Uncas's eyes went wide as he slowly peered out over the jagged edges and watched as Nathaniel slipped out from the water.

He walked in small circles, round and round, eyes searching wildly for his vanished clothing. Pru and Uncas stared with tears in their eyes as Nathaniel finally threw his hands up in the air in frustration and covering himself with his palms began walking back towards the camp.

Pru pulled Uncas down beside her, wrapping her arm around his neck and covering his mouth with her cold palm. She tilted his head into hers and whispered into his ear, "We must never tell him. Because if he ever finds out...he will slaughter us! Promise me Uncas, promise me that this is our secret forever."

Uncas's eyes twinkled with the thought that it was their secret, his and hers. He hated feeling so childish about it but he could not help how happy he felt to know that this was something that she had only with him, just like she had something only with Nathaniel. He stifled his laughter and pulled his face slightly away from her palm whispering, "To our graves it goes with us!"


The day had come and gone in a blur after Nathaniel had walked back irritated and completely naked to the village. The sun had made its departure from the blue sky hours ago, relinquishing its hold on the day there by welcoming the moon in all its silver glory to take ahold of the night. He sat atop a log, absent of his siblings and Chaska who had all seemed to vanish since last he saw them that morning, filling his belly with mouthful after mouthful of food and silently dwelling on his interesting afternoon...Upon finding his clothing missing, he had begrudgingly began heading back to camp. His once clean feet were now saturated in mud and he could hear the chattering of his teeth as the rhythmic sound began blending into the forest's vibrant chorus of noise. He had been tricked and he knew it, and with each sloppy step back to camp he dwelled further on his assailant's demise, his mind racing with the multiple ways he envisioned enacting his revenge. He had become so consumed by it, he had hardly realized that he was headed back to camp through the main entryway. As soon as the thought hit him he stopped dead in his tracks, quickly changing directions and instead of walking straight into the camp for everyone to see, he chose a longer, colder yet more private route so he would come up to the village just behind their wigwam. He had crept through the trees, careful not to make any noise that might draw unwanted attention and avoiding every fallen twig or leaf pile in his path, desperately hoping to remain invisible. Finally he saw their family wigwam and he upped his pace ever so slightly, wanting to take cover as soon as possible. Just as he was about to round the side of the wigwam and dash into its safety, he suddenly stopped short finding himself face to face with his father and Tanda. His body went ridged as his blue eyes connected with her golden brown ones. Of all of the people to see him in this state...why did it have to be her, he thought. Nathaniel quickly stumbled backwards, his instinct to flee overtaking the rational thought to duck into the wigwam, his foot backed into a fallen log and he began reaching wildly for a tree, the wigwam anything so he might not land bottom first in the mud. His arms thrashed in fast circles until he felt his father's steady grasp pull him back into an upright position. When finally Nathaniel had gotten his bearings back he was eye to eye with Tanda once again. Her shocked expression forced her eyes straight ahead and nowhere else. Nathaniel's cheeks went crimson and he quickly covered himself again with his palms, though he was certain she had already seen everything he had to offer.

Chingachgook peered down at his naked son, eyebrows raised in silent question and with a shake of his head turned back towards Tanda. "Thank you for bringing Pru's things. I'll be sure to relay your message to her."

Tanda was completely frozen in her tracks, neither moving nor blinking, and while she must have heard Chingachgook speak, she had made no move to leave. Her golden eyes locked fiercely on Nathaniel. The way she looked at him, her eyes flickering with a strange mixture of chagrin and sensuality, it was enough to send him melting into the earth along with the snow. He shifted his weight from side to side, even more aware of his nakedness now than he had been before. Suddenly Chingachgook moved in front of him, effectively shielding his naked form from her eyes, and said 'thank you' once more indicating that it was time for her to leave them now.

Tanda rapidly blinked her eyes, bringing herself back to the moment. "Uh, yes...thank you Chingachgook," she said a bit too loudly and quickly turned on her heel, stumbling hastily away.

Chingachgook turned back to him, his father's dark eyes boring into his blue ones. "And what have you to say, son?"

He merely shrugged his shoulders and quickly ducked into the wigwam, though not before taking one last look at Tanda before she rounded a bend and disappeared from his sight.

Nathaniel scooped another spoonful of food into his mouth and doing his best to shake his mind clean of the afternoon's debacle. He sat in his usual relaxed manner, elbows resting on his knee caps, the wooden bowl cupped in his palm, twirling the empty spoon around his long fingers. All of supper, he had peered up sporadically from under his eyelashes at Tanda, watching her as he saw that she was watching him. Their awkward afternoon encounter had left them both on separate sides of the communal food plot, neither of them seemingly willing to address it.

Even though Nathaniel often fooled around with different girls at the camp, Tanda had been the only one to truly grip his attention. She was wildly funny and gentle in both mind and spirit. Somehow every time she looked at him, Nathaniel felt a strange peacefulness, like she was silently embracing him with her eyes. No matter where they were in the camp or what they were doing, it was always the same. At least up until this afternoon. He hunched forward slightly, his eyes traveling up and down her form. Without a doubt, Tanda was beautiful. She was tall for her age and lean, her long legs and arms thin and delicate. She wore her hair completely straight down her back, its sable tips brushing lightly against her waist. She had sharp angular features and high cheekbones, though it was her rich dark amber eyes that drew Nathaniel in, they were as expressive as an old wise owl. The tiny yellow speckles that surrounded her cornea flickered every time their eyes met. This afternoon alone it seemed the yellow had completely overtaken the brown, making them appear as bright as the sun. When Nathaniel had found out that she was working with Pru, he often made different excuses so he could see his sister while they were together. He laughed thinking of the countless trips he had made bringing Pru this or that, all in an attempt to be close to Tanda, if only for a moment. While he knew Pru was keen to his motives, she always just played along and never questioned him about it later. Pru was good like that.

Nathaniel glanced up at her once more from under his dark eyelashes, each hooded glance forcing a sweet throbbing sensation deep into his belly. She was completely undoing him and with only her yellow speckled eyes. He gulped hard and squeezed his thighs tighter together, stifling a laugh at his body's unwelcome reaction. Trying to compose himself, he peered up once more as his heart began thumping hard in his chest, and watched her as she rose from her seat, her eyes fixated on his and slowly crossed over to him.

"Hello Hawkeye."

"Tanda." Was all he could muster as she took a seat on the log next to him. Nathaniel easily stretched out his legs, crossing his feet at the ankles and trying with all of his might to rein in his body and at least appear casual.

Tanda giggled at the sight of the always collected Hawkeye appearing to be nervous in front of her. She turned her head to face him and said, "Would you like to take a walk with me?"

Nathaniel's lips curled into a soft smile and he answered, "Where to?" Tanda smiled widely, her perfectly white teeth shinning even through the darkness. She rose to her feet, silently extending her hand to him.

"Come." she said, waiting for him to take her offered hand.

Nathaniel chuckled, reaching out for her palm and said, "I do like surprises."

Nathaniel could feel a thin line of nervous sweat beginning to spread between their joined palms, as Tanda continued to lead him further and further away from the village. They trudged along the mud ridden forest floor, the last of the winter snow having melted its way into the hard earth and transforming it into a soppy mess of brown muck. Finally, after walking for several minutes, the ground grew harder beneath their feet. Nathaniel glanced around, narrowing his eyes through the darkness, and in doing so was just able to make out the blackened landscape. Suddenly stopping in his tracks, he twirled Tanda around and asked, "Why are we here, Tanda?"

Tanda swallowed hard and said, "Why did I have to bring you here? Why have you never asked me?"

She had brought them to ahkwiyàna, or 'the blanket' as it was nicknamed. The spot notorious for lovers as it was well concealed by low hanging trees and winter shrubs that never lost their greenery. Ahkwitàna's natural inclination to remain hidden made it an ideal spot for privacy throughout the seasons. Nathaniel pulled her closer to him, not quite flush against his body, but close enough that her breath tickled his cheeks as she breathed. "Tanda...I..."

"You what?" She stepped closer to him, her voice quivering slightly as she continued. "You don't think I see you. I see you. You bring this girl and that girl here but never me. Why? You make every excuse possible to bring something to Pru while we are together. Ridiculous things! Yet you shy away from me when we pass each other in village...always going out of your way to distance yourself from me. It makes no sense. And then today..."

Nathaniel had stared at her hurt face for long enough. He lunged towards her, quickly closing the distance that separated them and as he snaked his arms around her waist began kissing her with an urgency he had never known before. His wet tongue swept swiftly along her bottom lip, waiting for her to allow him inside her mouth. A soft moan escaped her when she parted her lips, granting him the access he so craved, their tongues dancing wildly as both wanted to taste as much of the other as possible. Nathaniel could feel her grip on him tighten, the soft pads of her fingertips pressing hard into his back through the constraints of his clothing. Nathaniel reached for the hem of his shirt, breaking away from her as he quickly tugged the fabric over his shoulders and head, flinging it off of his wrists to the ground. Tanda gasped when he reached for her own shirt, stilling his movements instantly. Their eyes met and with a slight nod, she placed her hands over top of his own and helped him pull her blouse away from her honey tinted skin. He dropped it on top of his own, not wanting it to get dirty and brought her once more against his chest. His breathing increased when she purposefully skimmed her nipples along his milky bare skin. Their momentarily slowed pace suddenly quickened with the hated sensation of their mutual arousal, the desperation to follow the overpowering sensations of their bodies governing their hands. Nathaniel grazed his thumbs across her nipples, feeling how his touch made them crinkle and harden. He listened with contentment as she sighed against his skin, her lips playing gently across his earlobe and down his neck. Nathaniel could feel his groin harden and instinctively pushed himself against her. He had never gone this far with any girl, always reining himself in, not wanting to risk the possibility of fathering a child with someone he did not care for. But Tanda was different, he cared for at the core of his being, cared in a way he hardly understood. In a way that made his heart flutter and his body ache for her, which made this moment all the more frightening.

"Tanda..." He whispered into her ear. "What do you want?"

Tanda rocked her head backwards, exposing her neck to his tongue's assault. "You...I want you. All of you." She dropped her hands from around his body and in a fluid motion, slithered out of both her skirt and leggings, kicking them aside and stepping back boldly displaying her body for him to see.

Nathaniel stared, as though he was locked in a trance. He roamed his eyes down and around her, taking in the full shape of her delicate form. Slowly he began feeling his body's needs overtake him, vanishing any rational sense he had left in his mind. Nathaniel rushed against her, unknotting and forcefully discarding his breechclout as he went. Tanda smiled softly against the urgency of Nathaniel's lips. She could feel his body fully erect and pressing up against her thigh. She slid her hand down his chest, trailing the line of hair that ran down to his groin with her fingertips. Then without even realizing what she was doing, she gripped his shaft in her palm and began rubbing her fingers all around him. Nathaniel clasped his eyes shut, moaning loudly into the night air. His breathing increased to deep raspy breaths and she could feel his head rest against her own. He was murmuring something, perhaps in Mohican, perhaps in English. Though whatever it was, it was accompanied by the saccharine chorus of hoarse moans, moans that only made to encourage her to quicken her pace. Her thumb grazed along his sensitive tip and she listened as he almost screamed with pleasure against her cheek.

Nathaniel's mind was spinning and he pinched his eyes tightly shut, letting the feeling of her sweet touch spread through him like fire and with that fire, the burn of excitement overtook him. He pressed his lips against hers, swiftly parting her mouth with his tongue in a wave heated desperation and remembering his own hands, glided his fingers up and along her thigh. Tanda yelped, taken by surprise as his fingers parted the folds of her soft skin, searching for any way inside of her. It was in that moment that their most primal instincts took over and they lowered their intertwined bodies down to the ground. Tanda laid on her back with Nathaniel hovering just above her. Their mouths connected with hasty kisses and heavy breaths. Nathaniel continued to move his fingers inside her, playing to her wiggles and squirms until finally he felt himself so firm it hurt, removing his fingers he followed his body's impulses and began rubbing himself against her, the tip of his manhood caressing against her soft folds making her pant like an animal and arch her hips up towards him. When she could no longer handle the sweet sensation, Tanda's legs parted further, giving him the permission she knew he still craved.

"Hawkeye...please."

Her soft plea for him, drove his senses wild and gave him the courage he needed to arch his hips towards her. He could feel the moistness of her body, the slick wet sensation burning a hole in his belly. Nathaniel braced his forearms are either side of her as he made to enter her. His unguided attempt failed miserably as he slipped right down along her, catching himself before he landed in the dirt between her legs. The nervous knots in his stomach mixed with the adrenaline that was coursing through his veins, making his whole body shake in anticipation. He took a steadying breath and stilled himself atop her, allowing himself a moment before trying again. His eyes darted up towards her face, suddenly feeling the need to apologize and stammered out, "I'm sorry. I…I have never…"

"Hawkeye...neither have I." Tanda breathed into his face, her palms gently stroking his cheeks. "I am nervous too." She reached down between her legs and gently took ahold of him, guiding his body right to where it needed to be. "We will do this together," and letting her hand slowly slip away from him, sucked in a shallow breath as he entered her.

Nathaniel pinched his eyes shut to the feeling of her warm, wet body around him, the overpowering sensation shooting wild fire throughout his limbs. Nothing in his life had ever felt this way, nor could anything he had ever experienced before possibly compare to this. He shifted his palms to her shoulders, wanting to feel her skin beneath his fingers and slowly pushed himself fully inside of her, not stopping until their bellies pressed neatly together. Once more following his body's natural instincts he began carefully, slowly rocking his hips back and forth.

He kept his rhythm simple, knowing this was her first time as well. His thrusts were gentle and slow, more of a careful caress of her body than the wildly heated exchanges they had experienced up to this point. He watched her face, a mixture of discomfort and pleasure flooding her features. It was not until he felt her begin to advance on him, meeting his thrusts motion by tantalizing motion that he fully let himself succumb to the pleasure his body was feeling. Then with that surrender, only moments later, he felt an explosion in his abdomen. A tingling that spread deep into his groin, forcing the euphoric sensation of his release inside of her. Nathaniel flung his eyes open, watching as Tanda pinched her eyes shut, tilted her head back into the dirt and let her mouth fell into a soft O shape, while all of the air in her lungs came blowing out in heavy exhaustion. Nathaniel smiled down at her, grazing his thumbs across her sweat covered forehead. He roamed her face, taking in every crease and slight curve, searching for reassurance that he had not hurt her. When her golden speckled eyes finally opened, blinking rapidly as they focused on his own, she slide her palms from around back, stroking them up along his chest until they rested on either side of his neck. She ran her thumbs along his chin as she lifted her soft stare upwards to his bright blue eyes, eyes made even more brilliant by their shared moment and silently confirmed to him everything he could ever wish to hear. Nathaniel lowered himself further on top of her, the feel of her small breasts so compelling against his sweat covered chest. He dipped his head low, his lips lingering just over top her own and whispered, "Thank you," before gently brushing his lips against hers.


"Hawkeye?"

"Hmm…" He murmured. Hours had passed since they made love under the stars and Nathaniel lay sprawled out on his back, Tanda's thin frame curled around him as he tenderly ran his fingertips up and down along her bare arms.

"You are leaving again soon." She more stated than asked, knowing that that was the way of his family.

"Yes." He simply answered, suddenly feeling a pang of guilt in his gut.

Tanda twisted her body, titling her head up towards him and gently cupping his chin. She turned his face down towards her own, running her thumb along his thin lips and said, "I understand your duty to your family, Hawkeye. I have my own as well, but please know this..." She shifted herself upwards against his chest, wanting to better look into his eyes, "How I care for you is like no other...and I don't expect that feeling to change within me," dropping her hand away from his chin, she laid her hand atop his own. She briefly caressed the skin around his knuckles before lifting his palm and placing it to her heart, "I hold you here now, and whether you be near or far...I always will."

Nathaniel slid his palm up across her chest and collarbone until his fingers grazed the hollow of her neck, gently pulling her face closer towards him. He leaned up, rubbing the tip of her nose with his own and he whispered into mouth, "Always."


Author's Note: Okay...super long chapter, trying to fit a lot in there! This chapter is really one big domino effect, beginning with the opening scene.

We started with Pru and Nathaniel's first encounter atop a cliff watching the sunrise and searching as they say...for peace and perspective, which is something mentioned in the The Ties That Bind that they do regularly whenever they are together. This being the moment that started it all for them! While Pru acclimated to her knew surroundings, Nathaniel could sense her somewhat disenchanted happiness and thought there was no better place to address it than somewhere that he goes to find his own inner peace with his thoughts.

Also, at least one Uncas and Pru secret revealed...ahhh enters a disgruntle Uncas and a guilt ridden Pru...kinda mean but a very sibling thing to do to their older brother...leaving him high and soaking wet without any clothes after a much needed bath! My older brother's once locked me outside in the snow wearing only a nightgown and no shoes or socks! Soooo...it seemed well within the scope of what siblings are capable of! And now you know why throughout The Ties That Bind and Bound Together that they will never tell him their little secret...because it is about him! And I truly believe...even years later...he would still SLAUGHTER them if he ever found out it was his loving and loyal little brother and sister! But at least it brought a fantastic smile to Uncas's sweet face!

Now...had that not happened, he may not have had a major event happen in his life ...at least not when it did...the losing of Nathaniel's virginity to the beautiful Tanda. Ohh how that boy is smitten with her! I would elaborate more but...I don't want to give anything away!

The title Let The Games Begin...is really the beginning of several chapters that will deal with their blooming adolescents and the antics and miss steps that will undoubtedly come along with them!

**nentpike ...Delaware herbal healer

Sorry for the slight delay...I try to post every Friday, but life and a mini vacay got in the way of last week's Friday's chapter!

Thank you to everyone who has viewed/reviewed... BrynnaRaven, AsterLaurel, ELY72, BlueSaffire, MohawkWoman...your support is incredible and truly does keep me moving along! And too Evermore22...thank you so much for checking in...it meant the world to me!

Comments are always welcomed and appreciated! You'd be surprised how your input works its magic in my brain!

Thanks for reading :)