Chapter 4:

Rain lay in Hawk's arms listening to the wind blow through the trees around them. Their home had been so peaceful until just a few weeks ago, and then the raids had started. Now Hawk was off scouting for the enemy, or on guard duty most of the time. And whenever he was home with her he always seemed to be on edge. She knew he was worried about the tribe and how they would face this new threat. He felt so responsible for them all, he was the protector of the Eco's. That's why she had married him. He had been her protector. And now her protector was pre-occupied. He was withdrawing from her more and more lately. Rain knew that it wasn't the attacks that were to blame for her failing marriage, it was something much deeper.

Amber added an interesting twist. What was she doing here now, with all of the danger that they were facing, was she involved somehow? Rain didn't know her, she had lived with the Eco's before Rain had come to live there, but she had heard of her. Stories were told and retold around the nightly campfires about the great Eagle. How much of it was true, Rain couldn't be sure. And how much Hawk had been involved, Rain didn't know. He had never spoken of her, never mentioned her name. But somehow Rain knew that he had known her, worked with her, loved her.

She turned and looked at her sleeping husband. Then, untangling herself from his arms, she rose from the bed, threw on her coat and walked out into the night.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Amber lay awake in her bed, listening to the even breathing of her sleeping son. Baby Bray lay in a basket next to her, safe and happy and sleeping the unworried sleep that only the very young could enjoy in these troubled times. Patch lay in a cot across the room, with his daughter Paddy in a basket nearby.

Amber marveled at the change in her old friend. For the brief time he had lived with the Mallrats he had been nervous and unsure of himself. But perhaps, Amber thought, looking back on that time, he had just been overshadowed by the stronger members of the tribe. After all, it was hard to make an impact with the Mallrats with people like Lex, Trudy and Jay around, not to mention herself. Amber realized that she was a control freak and had always been the dominant member of her Tribe, but she couldn't help it, she just had just always been a natural leader. But she had failed them. The majority of her friends were either missing or deleted, and the rest had simply left to find a better life somewhere else. Well at lease it looked like Patch had found it.

A noise outside the hut caught her attention and she turned toward the doorway.

The darkness made it difficult to determine who the intruder was, but it appeared to be a woman. Quietly she made her way to where Patch lay. The woman bent down and checked Paddy's basket, lovingly brushing her fingers over the sleeping baby's face. Then she turned her attention to Patch.

"Patch, wake up…Patch," at last Patch opened his eyes.

"Rain, what is it?" he asked sleepily.

"Come with me, Patch, we need to talk."

"Rain, we really have to stop doing this. Hawk is going to get suspicious."

"He's asleep, he won't know. Besides, I just want to talk," she replied.

"Sure, you just want to talk," Patch said, playfully grabbing her around the waist and pulling her down to the mattress. Rain let out a little squeal as she tried to pull away.

"Shhh..." Patch warned, "You'll wake Amber."

"Come with me, Patch," Rain begged him again.

"It's the middle of the night, Rain. And if you were my wife, I would definitely notice that you were gone," Patch replied, "You need to go back to your husband."

Rain glanced nervously in the direction of the hut she shared with Hawk, then said in a barely audible whisper, "Please Patch…."

Patch rolled his eyes as if they had had this conversation before, then threw back the covers and followed her from down the steps of the hut.

Amber watched them go, wondering at the depth of their relationship. They definitely seemed to be more than friends. What did this mean for Hawk? Did she have a chance with him after all?