Chapter 2

From Glade to Cabin

The small band of travelers started out in silence initially, with the two women and Duncan at the back. The three men that had saved them walked ahead, talking in their own language. Introductions were made only after Cora had demanded it, Duncan seeming to think it unimportant to know the names of "heathens" and Alice was too shy to ask. The american was called Nathaniel, the older male Chingachgook , and the young Indian man was Uncas. They gave no other information about themselves and seemed to want none about those they traveled with. As a result, the introductions were left with only names.

The first few hours were passed with very little conversation for which Alice was grateful. Back in the glade, before the attack she had been feeling herself growing ill. It was faint enough but she knew the oncoming of illness quite well and the thought of getting sick in the wilderness terrified her. During the ensuing attack she had forgotten the illness, having lost it's feeling during the shock and adrenaline rush of the battle. Now It was back and she felt her senses dulling ever so slightly, the sounds of the forest becoming muffled. She mentioned none of this to Cora or Duncan and had no plans to mention it later. Alice was smart enough to realize the situation would not allow for such weakness on her part. This was no game and there was no far away room in which to rest and recover. No, she would have to manage and hope that the illness turned out to be a cold and nothing more.

"How far Scout?" Duncan's voice interrupted Alice,s thoughts. She lifted her head to see that he was walking faster to catch up with Nathaniel. Nathaniel paid him little mind and did not bother too look at him as he walked. Uncas moved farther back behind them, glancing into the trees to see if they were being followed.

"A day and a bit," Nathaniel answered in an off hand manner, then some question stole over his face. "Where did you get your guide?"

Alice didn't hear what Duncan said back for her eyes wandered back to Uncas. They had been avoiding each others eyes since the glade, both seeming afraid to get lost in the others gaze. Alice found herself not minding the idea of getting lost in his eyes, for there was peace there. Her mind constantly replayed the ambush, as if it were imprinted forever behind her eyes. The smell of the gunpowder was stuck to her clothes, the smell of blood in her nostrils. Losing herself for a while was a welcome idea. Uncas, however, was not looking at her and she was eventually forced to stop looking at him. With a small sigh she pulled her eyes back to the front and was surprised to see that Duncan and Nathaniel were a hairs breath away from having a confrontation. Nathaniel was very close to Duncan's face and even from her vantage point she could hear the warning in the mans voice.

"First of all, I ain't your scout," he said dangerously "And I sure ain't in no damn militia."

Alice stopped cold, half expecting blows to be dealt. She cared a great deal for Duncan but he had never known when to keep his mouth shut. Even when they were young children he had a penchant for spouting off at the mouth. Age had only given him arrogance and she feared that one day it would get him hurt.

In the end, nothing happened. Nathaniel turned his back and continued walking. Duncan followed behind but anger showed in his posture and face. The sound of the rushing river next to them was soothing to Alice's nerves and she soon forgot the angry exchange. She let the sound of the rushing water rush over her and chase away dark images. Then a prickling on the back of her neck brought her back to reality. Alice felt as though she were being watched and turned to find the feeling was not her imagination.

Uncas was staring at her intently, an expression on his face that she couldn't read. She studied his face from that distance with her breath catching in her throat. No man anywhere had ever made her lose her ability to think, yet looking at him she almost forgot where she was. When he realized she was looking at him looking at her, his head dipped down and the moment was spoiled once again.

In midday they broke from the woods and came out onto what appeared to be farm land, or at least what was left of it. The buzzing of flies in the field filled Alice's head with noise and made her head reel. She steadied herself on a post and hoped no one noticed her moment of weakness. If they did, they equated it to the scene before them. A burned out farmhouse graced an otherwise beautiful stretch of land. The flat land of the yard was littered with dead animals and what might be human remains. The three men moved slowly out onto the yard, circling warily like nervous dogs. Duncan and Cora stayed close together, not touching but almost huddled like frightened children. Perhaps the reality of their situation was dawning, and they realized how dangerous everything was quickly becoming.

Alice was left on her own, clinging to the post, so no one noticed her move off to one side. She wandered slowly around to the back of the house, looking for survivors on her own. What she found were the charred remains of a child. Alice almost missed him, he was half buried under the fallen wood. What caught her attention was a small hand, the fingers slightly curled up, peeking from beneath the wood. For a long moment she stared at those fingers, fighting back the scream that lingered at the back of her throat. She covered her mouth with her hands and fell to her knees, rocking back and forth. She could not afford to lose her senses; not here and not now. Hot tears trailed down her face and over her hands as she made small screaming noises into her fingers. How strange, she had been taught all her life that ladies did not behave as she was now. They kept their head in any situation and if they could not, they fainted. This was really a ladies only option. They simply did not to scream and cry. Oddly, the screaming helped. She was just grateful that her hand muffled it so the others wouldn't hear.

"Miss Munro," A deep voice from behind her said. The voice was then followed by a hand being dropped on her shoulder. Startled, she whirled around to find Uncas standing above her. His sudden appearance shocked her out of her weakness and quelled the muffled screaming. He knelt next to her as she stared at him, one hand still pressed to her mouth and the other having fallen lazily into her lap.

"Are you alright?"

Alice curled the hand at her mouth into a loose fist and turned her eyes back down to the child. She took a deep breath before removing the fist and answering him.

"I am sorry to admit that I had a very naive idea about war before today," She replied, wiping at her face with her sleeve.

"I truly believed that war never fell upon women and children, now I know how much of a child I have been."

The man was quiet a moment while alice continued to stare at the little charred hand. Inwardly she almost hated her family for hiding these evils from her, for letting her find out like this that everyone was a victim. It felt like what little she knew was a lie.

"This is not your world," Uncas said behind her "You are entitled to a little weakness.

She felt him take her upper arm gently and cooperated as he pulled her to her feet. She stumbled in her skirts at the akward footing and fell forward into his chest. He tried to keep her from falling which resulted in a position that put their faces very close together. Alice's breath stopped when she realized she was pressed very hard against him. She could feel his chest under her splayed fingers and his long legs pressed against her skirts. His face reflected her surprise and neither seemed able to move and remedy the situation, perhaps they didn't want to.

a dark hand came up to touch a strand of blonde hair that had fallen onto her cheek. The fingers moved over it lightly and twisted it gently, memorizing the texture. Alice watched Uncas face as he played with her hair and saw the same expression he had worn in the glade. That startled, dreamy, look that made sense only to the two of them. The moment was intimate in it's simplicity and more stirring than any novel she could ever had written. She was disappointed when it ended. Uncas tucked the strand behind her ear and stepped back from her. He gave her a gentle push back in the direction she had come.

"Go back to your sister, miss," He told her gently "It's not safe here."

Alice went without question but did turn to look back before she rounded the corner. He had knelt again, near the child's body. His head was lowered and she saw a small quiver run through his shoulder blades. If he shed tears she didn't know but she did wonder if he knew these people. With a quiet sigh she turned away and went in search of her sister.

Note: Thank you for the reviews, I'm glad you are enjoying the story so far. I actually ended chapter 2 earlier than i intended to because it was getting too long. Out of the scenes I have planned for this story, the one near the end of this chapter is one of my favorites so I hope you enjoy this installment as well.