Sorry it took me awhile to update my story, but real life has been unbearable. Hope the next installment won't take me as long to write. --Greylyn
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Struggling to keep his head above the rapidly moving water, Chingachgook fought the strong pull of the river as it tried to drag him downstream. His body became battered and bruised by the many boulders filling the river. What remained of his strength was almost gone when he heard Hawkeye call out to him. The butt-end of a musket magically appeared out of the darkness before him and he lunged forward to grab it. As he did, two strong arms reached out and pulled him toward the riverbank. Uncas and Hawkeye, who had already made it to shore, pulled their father from the grip of the icy waters. Collapsing on an out-cropping of large boulders that surrounded them, the men labored for each breath they took after their ordeal.
Uncas rubbed at the dull pain radiating from his face and neck. He had taken a fair amount of abuse from the rocks that littered the fast moving river and his body would no doubt feel the effects for many days to come. Rubbing his nose again, he tried to alleviate the pain. Though it was still dark, he could just make out the blood covering the back of his hand.
'Hit harder than I thought,' he mused. Dipping his hand into the rushing river, he splashed water across his face. The icy liquid shocked him and he sat up, ready for what was to come. He had promised Alice he would find her, no matter where the trail led him. They would be together again.
Without saying a word, Hawkeye got to his feet, retrieved his rifle, and sprinted into the woods surrounding the water. He was quickly followed by Uncas and Chingachgook.
It wasn't long before the three men discovered the trail left by the Hurons. Uncas knelt briefly beside some of the tracks etched in the dirt. Among the many moccasin prints, he found the distinct outline of heeled boots—two small and one large. Sitting back on his haunches, he smiled. Heyward and the women were still alive.
Pointing out his discovery, Hawkeye nodded to his brother before disappearing into the underbrush. Shouldering his rifle, Uncas jogged after him with their father bringing up the rear.
As the sun rose over the mountains, Uncas silently repeated in his mind the last words he had spoken to Alice; 'I will come for you, achwahndowagan.' Following his brother up the mountain, he whispered, "Nothing shall ever part us again."
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'He promised he'd come for me!'
That one thought kept rolling around inside Alice's brain as she trudged along behind her captors. With exhaustion gripping every part of her body, she was finding it difficult to keep moving. Her legs and feet burned, sending waves of pain up and down their length. Her lower arms bore welts and scratches from the long hours of being pulled through the woods and the leather strips used to bind her wrists together had begun to cut into her tender flesh. Coughing unconsciously, she lightly licked her parched lips, craving a drink of water to soothe her throat.
Hearing the cough, Cora turned her head, trying to catch a glimpse of her sister. Since their capture, she had tried to reassure Alice, speaking in a quiet, comforting voice. However as the hours passed, her frightened whimpers had given way to a cold, stony silence. When Cora turned to see her face, Alice's eyes were blank—staring at some far off point that only she could see. Cora hated seeing her this way and worried about her sanity. She had been through so much over the last few years. While Alice wasn't a weak woman, Cora had always known she was the stronger of the two. It had always been so.
When their mother had passed away, Cora was left with the job of caring for her younger sibling. As was so often the case, their father was away on some military assignment. Too late, he had learned of his wife's illness and death. Cora had taken care of Alice as best she could under the circumstances, but she had always felt that her sister had never fully accepted their mother's death. Though a good ten years older than Alice, the two of them had always been close. Unfortunately, their mother's passing had brought out a timid side in her sister that had never been present before. For a time, she became a sad, clingy shell of her former self. These feelings eventually faded, but Cora noticed they would reappear in times of stress. She wished she could reach her now and reassure her that everything would work out for them.
After several hours, the Hurons paused briefly beside a cold mountain stream. Collapsing onto the ground, Duncan-who had regained consciousness-Cora and, Alice took full advantage of their brief stop. Alice's legs screamed in agony as she lowered her aching body to the ground. A part of her wondered if she would be able to stand when they were forced to continue. Whispering a silent thank you for any kind of respite, she drank the water offered by one of her captors, before passing the container on to Cora.
"Are you all right Alice?" her sister whispered.
Nodding, she gave Cora a feeble smile. "Very tired," she murmured.
With hands still bound, Cora reached up and gently touched her sister's face. "We will be fine. Nathanial will come for us. I believe it with all my heart."
"I believe it also," replied Alice, but not because of Nathanial, but because of Uncas.
Turning toward Duncan, Cora asked how he was feeling then passed the water container. Though hurting from the earlier beating, he said he was fine before taking a long drink of cool water. In truth, he was angered by his inability to protect Cora and her sister. In all his life as a soldier, he had never felt so helpless and it felt like a knife in his heart.
As the trio talked quietly, Cora realized one of the captors was staring at her. Turning, she caught sight of Magua watching her. His burning gaze frightened her as before, but she refused to give into the fear. Their eyes remained locked for what seemed like an eternity. Finally breaking the spell, Magua snapped out several orders to his men. It soon became obvious that their rest was over. Forcing the captives to their feet, the march toward the Huron's home began in earnest. Several more hours would pass before the group would stop again.
Sometime after the sun had disappeared from the sky, Magua called a halt to their trek, allowing the group to bed down for the night. Stretched out beside her sister, Alice fell almost immediately into an exhausted sleep. As her mind drifted away, her last thoughts were of Uncas—the feel of his body against hers and how it felt to share herself with someone who truly loved her.
