Chapter 5 - Two Worlds

Five hours and an exhausting ride later they entered a camp of seven tents in the style of the Natives which settled along the Great Lakes and the many rivers. They had seen equal ones before, even had stopped for supplies at a few with the fur traders they had traveled westward with.

Cole observed their new surroundings. The Natives in the camp were all busy with their work. Some deerskins were spread on a frame where an older woman smeared the deerskin with a grounded mass, assumingly a deer's brain to tan the skin. He counted five dogs running around in the camp and a whole group of checkered Mustang horses.

They had all the eyes of the people they passed on them. Cole saw a girl around his age who was about to put fish on sticks to cook them over the fire when they entered the camp. She looked up and let her work lie on the ground.

"Axée!" She shouted while running closer.

Their leader gave him a hand sign to stop. Then he got off his horse and took the girl by her shoulders, talking to her while he pointed at the Schooner. Cole saw the girl nod about what the man had said to her and hurry to one of the teepees.

Cole sighed and turned to Wade and Daniel in the load area. Sam had been following them on his horse and had used the time to exchange and learn some words with Bahena. For some strange reason, Sam was as not shy with the man as usually with strangers.

"We're here, Uncle," Cole said, looking worried at Daniel who had developed a slight fever over the last hour. They were pretty concerned about his state.

"Good. Just wait and do what Baaóoshxíilisee tells you. We can be lucky we found a living soul in this lonely place. I can't tell why but I have the feeling that we are safe here with him and his folks," Wade told him.

*** WWT - prequel ***

Daniel woke and opened his eyes only a crack wide. He saw wild animals running around him. Bison, crows, and deer, all underlined with a singsong. Something was burning and it smelled like a campfire. He felt hot. He tried to move a bit but a hot pain spread through his back and he stopped every further try to move. Instead, he grunted out in pain and closed his eyes again, giving in to the fever dreams again.

The next time he opened them he felt a cool hand on his forehead and looked into the prettiest face he had ever seen. Warm dark-brown eyes met his feverish gaze. The girl's skin had a warm golden tan and her raven-black hair was held by two huge red and white clips in two tails left and right under her ears. She began to smile warmly when she saw he was awake.

He had to be dead and this was an angel, yeah, this made sense. Though every story he had heard of angels before described them as blonde with curly hair and dressed in shiny white clothes. He had never liked this picture. Anyway, for him, this was his personal angel. She looked curiously into his eyes and her smile became even more beautiful. A warmth spread over his heart and whole body like a wave of energy, letting him relax instantly.

The only problem he saw, she didn't speak his language. Turning away, she began to talk to someone else in the room. His angel took her hand from his forehead and vanished from his view. The pain increased instantly which made Daniel flinch.

Cole appeared instead of his angel. Though he was endlessly relieved to see his cousin without a scratch he missed the girl instantly.

"Hey, Daniel. God, I'm so glad you came to you. How do you feel?" Cole asked.

"Cole, did I dream or did we find Dad?" Daniel wanted to know.

"Yeah, we found him. He is ok but broke his leg. He is with Sam in the other teepee. We are in the camp of the Indians. Do you remember what happened?"

Daniel nodded. He remembered the bear, the horror he felt when the huge animal wiped him away like a fly. Then pain and soon the foreign man, an Indian, had come to their home. Daniel was not shy like Sam with strangers but he had always felt some kind of wariness about the difference the Native looked and dressed like. With this man, it had felt completely different. When their eyes had met, there had been a connection, a familiarity he only knew from his close family. They had followed him.

"There was a girl."

"Yes, her name is Shewa. I'm not quite sure but she seems to be Bahena's or Baaóoshxíilisee's daughter," Cole assumed.

Daniel nodded and looked at the deerskin wall which was spanned behind Cole. There were animals like the one he had seen in his fever dream before but were not moving and were only painted on them. "I feel hot."

Shewa came back and kneeled down next to Cole. She had a wooden cup in her hand and gestured Daniel to drink its content. He obeyed and soon a tingling feeling spread through his body, helping him to relax before he drifted off to sleep again.

*** WWT - prequel ***

Slowly Daniel and Wade himself recovered from their injuries. Wade had never felt so much fear in his life as when he had seen his little son so hurt. He thanked God every day for their new friends. Without their help, Daniel would have had a good chance to die from the injury the bear had done to his back. Wade was amazed at the knowledge the Absarokee had about medicine and the healing power of the herbs around them.

Their connection to the earth and the flora and fauna was not to miss. With fascination, Wade observed their way of living. Soon it was clear, why Grey Feather hadn't freaked out to see his Astral Body. They even believed that every animal had a spirit and spoke a prayer to thank the animal for its sacrifice to feed them.

As soon as Wade felt strong enough to do an Astral Walk he took Sam and Grey Feather aside to assist him. He had to talk to his Brothers in Liberty. He knew they had been concerned about the pain he was in. He was connected with his ring to his Brothers - The Scholar and The Knight. Should one of them be in pain or suffering, the other two would know it by an itch or pain spreading from their rings to alarm the others. Wade knew the two had probably freaked out when he broke his leg. He would not be surprised if they were already on the road on a journey to find them.

Luckily, Bastian had been a voice of reason - the only one Mike listened to - and had convinced The Knight to stay put. Wade had seen how much self-control it cost Mike. But in the end, he had managed to calm The Knight's nerves a bit, though the two would visit in spring as soon as the way was passable.

*** WWT - prequel ***

They had been staying in the camp for six weeks now and Wade was finally able to walk carefully. Daniel's injuries had healed well though he would have the scars on his back forever.

But what were a few scars against finding your soulmate? Cole had seen it soon. Daniel and Shewa had a connection. He couldn't put a finger on it but every time the two were together, they both beamed in joy.

Shewa, indeed Grey Feather's daughter, was kind to them all, taught them her tribe's language, and quickly learned their own. Within these six weeks, they were able to communicate in simple sentences.

Grey Feather's youngest, Little Crow was pretty shy. He eyed Cole suspiciously every day and ran away as soon as Cole started talking to the four-year-old. This changed as soon as Cole carved a little horse for the boy and offered it to him as a gift. As the Natives loved exchanging things, Little Crow offered Cole one of his wristbands with beads for the carved animal.

Cole had admired the wonderful beadwork everyone wore in camp and considered it a really good trade. Little Crow was so happy that Cole wore his band with pride that the little one became his shadow from this day on. Wherever Cole went, Little Crow was on his heels.

They had a lot of fun with Shewa and the Little Crow and they learned a new way of fishing. The two boys also went hunting with the men and tried their best to help in the camp wherever they were needed. They learned a lot about the country and the nature around them. Cole realized how low their chances to survive here alone had been. He was endlessly grateful that they had met the Absarokee and to have them as neighbors. Mike and Bastian would be very surprised over their new friends. He wished he could talk to them. Wade had told them they would visit in spring for sure.

Today Wade wanted to ride home with him and Sam to look after their soil house. They had packed in such a hurry that they had only the chickens and the goat with them. Wade was concerned about the things they had left there.

Cole had also been worried about Bonnie's and Beama's bodies. They had let them lie in the yard. He was sure the wolves and crows had had all their fair share of them by now. Still, he wanted to bury the rest of their loyal fellows.

The sight was like a battlefield when they entered the yard of their new home. Like Cole had assumed the wild animals had eaten from the bodies and collecting the remains of the animals was heavy duty. They cleaned the yard and burned the bodies together with the rest of the bear, though Cole kept the claws.

The rain had destroyed a part of the soil house and they tried to gather the furniture which was not destroyed by the weather. Wade told Cole and Sam to pack all canned food and useful things onto the Schooner. They would move everything to the Absarokee over the Winter and build up their planned wooden house in spring on the same spot they had planned. Wade was not to be convinced otherwise and had mumbled something of a source of power that led him to exactly this place.

*** WWT - prequel ***

Spring came and Grey Feather offered his help to build the new house on their old campground. Wade had asked him if they were allowed to stay here, which included his Brothers and his boys. Grey Feather had talked to his tribe's eldest and they had given their okay.

The next winter they would be prepared. And with their new friends in reach, Wade felt already at home in Wyoming.

The End

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the story. For more in the timeline check out my profile page. If you decide to leave a comment/review, I would be soooo happy!