Disclaimer: See chapter 1

Chapter 2: Ignorance

The sun was rising as Leetah was cleaning her hut. She had just woken up, while Cutter was still asleep. Knowing he wouldn't get up until the sun had reached its highest point, she picked up a bucket, which was standing in a dark corner, and walked away to get some water from the water put in the centre of the village. It was getting hotter and she wanted to get it done quickly, not really interested in another bath.

Greeting everyone she passed, Leetah made her way to the put. It was indeed a lovely day, but she wondered when rain would be coming. The plants in the gardens of the villagers were getting thirsty and the put didn't hold enough to water all the plants. Besides, it would be too much work to water all of them.

As she put down her bucket on the edge of the put, she noticed someone sitting in the shadows. Taking a good look, Leetah saw Moonshade sitting on a rock, looking down to the ground. She didn't look too happy. Leetah frowned and moved towards the tanner.

"Good morning," she tried. Moonshade looked up to her and smiled, though it was more of a forced smile. "Good morning Leetah," she answered. The healer looked at her, puzzlement obvious. "Why the long face, dear?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, nothing much. Just some problems."

"Do you want to tell me?"

Moonshade sighed. "No, really, it's ok. There's nothing for you to worry about." Leetah was inclined to ask more, but kept her from doing so. "Well, if you say so. But, remember that you can come and talk to me whenever you want, ok?" Moonshade nodded slightly and stood up to return to the Wolfriders' grottos up in the mountains. "Well, I'll be seeing you," she added before walking away.

"Yes, I will see you later." Leetah smiled, but still confused about the look in Moonshade's eyes. Shrugging it off, she went back to her bucket, filling it with water, and returning to her hut. Arriving there, Cutter had just woken up, something that surprised her. "Up already, beloved?" she asked with a playful note to her voice, but genuine surprise obvious. Cutter yawned and stretched himself. "Yeah, I couldn't sleep. You have a bad influence on me, you know that?" he answered with a sly grin. Leetah giggled like a little girl as she sat down next to him, leaning into his touch. "Too late to change it back," she answered teasingly. "Because now you are mine!" She laughed, as she pushed him down to the ground.

Back in the grottos, Moonshade sat down to do some tanning. She hadn't slept much after the events of last night, her thoughts keeping her up. She looked back into the grotto at Strongbow's sleeping form. He hadn't been there when she arrived to get some sleep earlier, but he had come in just before dawn. She had pretended she was sleeping and had felt him creep under the covers, careful not to get too close to her. Normally she would snuggle up against him, but after their 'fight' she didn't dare… didn't want to either.

Strongbow could be so stubborn and if he made up his mind about something, one could jump high and low, Strongbow stayed inflexible. How she wanted to talk about it with him and find some compromise. But she knew that even she wouldn't be able to accomplish that if he really stuck to his opinion. She had been his life mate for such a long time, the others were thinking she was what Joyleaf was to Bearclaw, his advisor and the one to calm him down when he was riled up. Yes, sometimes she was able to do that, but at times like this nothing could get to him. And sometimes she even made it worse.

Suddenly she was drawn out of her reverie by Dart storming inside. "Mother, mother, look what I caught!" he exclaimed, proudly showing a lizard that was dangling from his fingers. Quickly she put her hand against his mouth, silencing him.

Be quiet, she sent, or you'll wake up the others! Dart's eyes widened and he nodded. "Sorry mother, I wasn't thinking."

"Well, that's alright. Just keep your voice down." The tanner put her hand away and smiled favourable. "Now, let's see what you've got." She eyed the lizard and examined it in her hand. "How did you catch it?"

"Oh!" He almost went talking loudly again, but remembered why he couldn't. "I waited a very long time behind a rock and suddenly I saw this little fellow scooping around and I threw my dagger at it, and I hit!" While telling the story, he was smiling and so was Moonshade, all caught up in the story and watching her son expressing his words with his body.

"But hey, hey," he ended his story, "I'm going to catch more ok, mother? I saw a very big one, right behind that rock there." The tanner nodded and Dart ran out of the grotto as fast as he had arrived. And Moonshade proceeded with her tanning, satisfied at her son's success. Rolling up the lizard in a wet rag of leather, she put it away.

She looked backwards when she heard a sound coming from inside and found Strongbow stirring, waking up. He stretched and sat up, quickly getting dressed, getting his bow and walking past Moonshade, ignoring her completely.

"Go ignore me all you want," she suddenly spat. "You can't do that to me!" He didn't react and walked on, calmly, without turning to her. "Do you know how much I hate you right now?!" she yelled at him in the distance. She didn't really hate him, just the way he was acting, like a jerk. Sometimes he could be as cold as ice and still not feel a twinge of guilt. But then again, that was just Strongbow. Moonshade sighed and continued her tanning.