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Way The Wind Blows

Chapter Eleven

His injuries all healed, Chakotay took an uncharacteristic soak in the bath. It was good to feel whole again, and the warmth of the water helped ease the slight tension in his right leg. Kathryn had done a good job of treating him, but she had received basic medical training at the Academy, and was no doubt a more skilled medic than she had ever given herself credit for.

When the water started to cool, Chakotay got out of the bath, dried himself, emptied the water, and went over to the replicator. The sun was still shining outside, and the evening was warm and pleasant. He replicated himself a navy sweater, brown pants, socks, underwear and a pair of casual shoes. He then put on the clothes and shoes, combed his hair, and left the room.

Kathryn was busy bathing Petunia when Chakotay arrived in the living room. The animal was sitting...or rather wriggling... in a pink bath-tub and was splashing soap suds all over floor, and all over her mistress, by wags of her tail.

"Sit, Petunia," Kathryn said. "Sit still."

Chakotay smiled and watched the scene for a moment. Then he spoke.

"Who's bathing who here?"

Kathryn turned around and wiped some soap suds from her forehead.

"Chakotay. I didn't hear you come in."

Petunia jumped out of the bath at the sight of Chakotay, spilling water all over the floor and soaking Kathryn. The animal then jumped up on Chakotay, wetting his clean clothes.

"Down, Petunia," Kathryn cried, getting to her feet. "Down!"

The animal did as she was told and Kathryn went over to her, restraining her.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "She's such a live-wire. Please excuse her bad manners."

"Certainly," Chakotay smiled.

Kathryn looked back at the half empty bath and soapy floor behind her. "Look at the mess you've made, honey. What are we going to do with you?"

"Would you like a hand to bath her?"

Kathryn turned back to Chakotay. "No, thank you. I think she's clean enough."

"I'll help you tidy up then."

"There's no point both of us getting wet." She looked at the wet marks on Chakotay's clothes and smiled. "Or rather wetter. I'll tidy up." She paused. "If you want, you can replicate us something for dinner, though. That would be a great help."

"Gladly. It's a lovely night. How about I make a fire outside? As long as we put Petunia on a leash, she'll be fine. We could roast some potatoes on the fire. Add some salad and we've got ourselves a mighty fine meal."

Kathryn's eyes lit up at the thought and she smiled. "Sounds wonderful."

It didn't take Chakotay long to make a fire in the backyard. After preparing a suitable spot with stones, he'd replicated some kindling tinder, firewood, coal and a bucket of water incase he needed to quickly extinguish the fire. Kathryn had extended his replicator privileges, so he could now replicate anything he wanted. The kindling had caught fire straight away, and he'd used the wood and coals to build up the fire. Then he'd put a grill over the fire, making sure it rested on the surrounding stones, and put two large semi-cooked skinned potatoes to roast.

With the roasting underway, Chakotay went on to put a couple of blankets on the ground, and placed a small picnic table nearby. He then returned to the cabin to replicate salad, drink, cutlery and plates.

At last, everything was ready. Chakotay poured himself a glass of sparkling mineral water and sat on a blanket to wait for Kathryn.

When Kathryn finally emerged from the cabin, Petunia beside her on a leash, she smiled in delight at the sight of the fire, the roasting potatoes and the picnic. She was wearing a pretty white blouse over an ankle length brown flare skirt, and her copper hair was loose over her shoulders. Gold hoops hung from her ears and she was wearing dainty flat gold sandals on her feet. Chakotay thought he had never seen her look more beautiful, but then he had thought the same thing more than a thousand times over the past seven years.

"This is great, Chakotay...really great..."

She fixed a small silver gadget with a blinking blue light to the cabin wall, and then a smaller one to Petunia's neck. She then walked the dog over to the picnic area, and sat down before the table. Petunia sat beside her, and Kathryn fiddled with the gadget on her neck. "A pet restrainer," she explained. "It's better than a leash because it doesn't restrict her, but will restrain her if she wanders beyond a specified distance. Another advantage is that it can be set to deactivate indoors, which means she can wander in and out at her leisure. I've unlocked the animal hatch." Kathryn removed the conventional leash and cast it aside. She then turned to the table. "What do we have here?"

"Caesar salad, butter, cheese, tortilla chips, and sour cream sauce. Help yourself."

Kathryn reached for a plate and began to help herself to the salad. "All looks delicious. What's the cheese?"

"Goat's, Brie and Irish Cheddar."

"Three of my favorites." She glanced at two tall glass bottles, one containing clear liquid, the other pale gold, but couldn't quite see the labels. "What's to drink?"

"Sparkling Mineral Water or Elderflower juice."

"I think I'll take some of both." She reached for the Elderflower juice and poured herself half a glass full. Then she opened the bottle of mineral water and poured it on top, speaking as she did so.

"How long will the potatoes take to cook?"

"They should be ready. They've been roasting a while."

He went over to the potatoes and checked their tenderness with a knife.

"Yes, they're ready. Would you like yours now?"

"Please," Kathryn said eagerly. She passed him her plate and Chakotay carefully retrieved a potato for her.

"Be careful, the potato is very hot."

Kathryn took back her plate and, while Chakotay retrieved a potato for himself, she sliced it open and put a generous knob of butter inside. The butter melted swiftly and Kathryn's mouth watered.

"This looks so good." Petunia sniffed her plate and Kathryn laughed. "Not for you, honey." She handed the dog a tortilla chip. "Here..."

Petunia took the chip and lay down again.

Kathryn began to eat her potato. "I can't believe that of all the days Mark could have come to visit, it had to be today."

Chakotay sat back down. "Murphy's law."

"I guess so. Mark's great, isn't he? I wish I could be more like him. He's so content and happy with who he is and so sure about what he believes. He never has any trouble identifying what's right and wrong."

"Having a pre-defined moral code to follow can simplify life," Chakotay said, slicing open his own potato and filling it with butter and cheese, "especially if the following of it is done with a willing heart. The life that my people have enjoyed for generations is very simple and humble. They work the land, marry young, have lots of children, and pass on our culture to the next generation. That's the circle of life, the great wheel. There's no expectation beyond that and there's no desire beyond that. If I'd have stayed in the tribe and embraced the rotation of the wheel instead of challenging it, my life would have been simple in essence."

"Why did you challenge it? It's not usual for someone from an insular society to challenge the ways of their culture."

"My tribe wasn't exactly insular. We mixed with other tribes and some of them used modern technology. Some tribes were seasonal, meaning they lived in the technological world of the 24th century for most of the year, but came together and adopted a tribal existence for the summer. I became friends with a boy called Ankura who was from one of those tribes, and I was fascinated by all the things he said existed on Earth. Our home planet was also close to Cardassian space, so it was impossible for our tribe to shut out the 24th century completely. Starfleet ships patrolled the border and Starfleet officers would frequently visit Trebus. Captain Sulu dined with us several times, and I got to know him quite well. I longed to become a Starfleet Officer like him and asked him if he would sponsor me to go to the Academy, and he was only too happy to do so. My father wasn't happy about it, though, quite the opposite, and I left the tribe without his blessing. Sadly, he died before we had a chance to heal the rift."

"I'm sorry. My relationship with my father wasn't always easy either. He was so busy with the war and away from home a lot. I think a part of me worked so hard because I wanted to impress him. It was so hard to get his attention or his affection. Doing something impressive always got both." She paused. "You say that in your tribe, couples have lots of babies. Is birth control forbidden?"

"Not forbidden, exactly, more of a non-issue. Couples welcome as many babies as they get, and the more they get, the more they feel blessed. It's a very different way of life."

"Is the tribe patriarchal?"

"Yes, but not because males are considered superior to females in any way. The way they live means that women spend years pregnant and raising children, so the running of the tribe and gathering of food and resources is left to men. Boys are raised to be leaders, providers and protectors, whereas women are raised to be homemakers, mothers and teachers."

Kathryn took a sip of her drink. "If those are the beliefs of your people, then you must have been raised that way too."

"Yes. That's partly why my father was so disappointed in me. Not only did he have a lot of expectations of me as his first born son, but he expected me to marry a girl from our tribe as soon as I was eighteen and start a family."

"Quite an expectation. If you had stayed in your tribe, would you have liked to have so many children?"

Chakotay smiled. "Maybe not quite so many children."

"I think I would like two. A girl and a boy. I've always thought that would be nice. But, of course, I would be happy with two girls or two boys, or even just one child." She put more butter on to her potato. "I've decided to go back to Starfleet, by the way." She paused. "But, I expect you already knew that I would."

"What made you decide?"

"Lots of things. But mainly you being here. Ever since the accident, I've dreaded the future. I didn't think it held anything for me. But since you came into my life, I don't feel that so much." She looked up at Chakotay and smiled warmly. "My future can't be all that bad if you're in it."

Her words and sincerity deeply touched Chakotay and he smiled, a lump in his throat.

Kathryn turned her attention again to her food. "How would you like to go swimming in the lake tomorrow? It was kind of Mark's idea, but I doubt he and I will get round to it any time soon. The exercise would be good for your leg."

"I'd love to."

Kathryn smiled. "Then we will." Her potato finished, she began to eat her salad. "You must have eaten around fires like this a lot as a boy."

"Yes," Chakotay replied, helping himself to more salad. "We'd cook all kinds of things this way. Fire was a central part of our culture. Not only did we cook on it, but we danced around it, used it to warm ourselves, to burn unwanted goods, and to sit around while someone told us a story. I loved the night time because that's when everyone would get together and we'd have music and dancing and storytelling. I really missed that part of my life when I left."

"What kind of music did you have? I've never really heard Native American music."

"Mainly drums, flutes, rasps and rattles, accompanied by singing."

"It's too bad you never learnt how to play the flute or drum."

"I can play some rhythms on the drum," Chakotay answered. "I was taught as a boy."

Kathryn lowered her plate. "Then you can play an instrument."

Chakotay smiled. "Not exactly. Being able to beat a few rhythms on a drum is hardly the same thing as being able to play a clarinet or violin. I can't read music."

"But you can play, nonetheless. And I'd love to hear you." She put her plate and cutlery down on the table. "I'll replicate a drum so you can play..."

"I don't know," Chakotay said reluctantly. "It's been a long time."

"Then all the more reason for you to play. Please, I'd really love to hear you..."

There was such anticipation on her face that Chakotay couldn't bring himself to disappoint her.

"Alright."

Kathryn beamed a smile. "What kind of drum should I replicate?"

"A traditional hand-drum should be okay. Mostly I would play with others on a communal drum, but I can play the hand-drum too."

"A traditional hand-drum it is, then. I'll be right back."

With that, she got up and hurried inside. In no time, she returned with an attractively carved cedar wood hand-drum and thin drumstick. "Will this drum do?"

Chakotay took the drum and admired it. "Very nicely. I won't need the drumstick, though, as I play with my hands."

Kathryn sat again and Chakotay positioned the drum between his legs. He then ran his hand over the top of the drum and tested the beat.

"Good beat."

Petunia evidently didn't think so as she got to her feet and headed towards the cabin. Kathryn laughed heartedly and watched as her dog disappeared inside.

"Clearly not a fan," she said, turning back to Chakotay. "But I am, so play me something."

Chakotay smiled. "Brace yourself."

He then began to play and a wonderful rhythmic chant filled the air. Kathryn listened in awe and watched as his hands skillfully beat the drum.

All too soon he stopped.

"No," Kathryn said, getting to her feet. "Don't stop. Keeping playing..."

Chakotay continued to play and Kathryn got to her feet. She slipped off her sandals and began to dance barefoot on the blanket beneath her. Moving in perfect harmony to the beat, she turned around, swayed, and raised her hands in the air. Every now and then she smiled at Chakotay and he smiled in return. He loved to watch her dance. She always looked so happy, so carefree...so beautiful...Every time she danced for the crew during Neelix's Talent Night, he wasn't able to take his eyes off her.

At last, Chakotay finished playing, and Kathryn sank to the ground, laughing. "That was great! You play so well."

Chakotay smiled. "Not as well as you dance."

"I love to dance. Did you know I'm a trained ballerina? Not professionally, but I had lessons for years."

"I might know," Chakotay teased.

Kathryn picked up her drink, took a sip, and then put it down. "Could you show me how to play?"

"Sure. It isn't difficult, not if you have a sense of rhythm, and you definitely do." He passed her the drum and went to sit opposite her.

"Put the drum between your legs, like I did."

Kathryn did as he said.

"Now, put your hands over the drum, close your eyes, and just feel a rhythm inside you, like a heartbeat."

Kathryn closed her eyes and put her hands over the drum. Then, she tentatively began to beat it, using each hand in turn.

"Good," Chakotay said. "Now, try to make a rhythm...one beat with your left hand and two quick beats with your right."

Kathryn eagerly did so and laughed as she heard a rhythm emanate from her hands.

Chakotay then laid his hands over hers and guided them over the drum, turning a simple rhythm into a melodious chant.

Kathryn opened her eyes looked up at him, losing herself in the beat and his closeness.

Chakotay's eyes met hers and he caught his breath at the warmth he saw there.

He then gently eased the beat and drew away from her.

"You're an amazing man, Mister Chakotay," Kathryn smiled. "Is there no end to your talents?"

"Well," Chakotay teased, "I can never remember the Schröödinger equation."

Kathryn laughed. "A major flaw." She removed the drum from between her legs and turned to face him. "What's for dessert?"

"I thought I'd leave that for you to decide."

"Then I choose apple pie with strawberries and cream."

"Good choice." He took a tortilla chip from his plate and ate it.

"It's going to start getting cold out here soon," Kathryn remarked. "How about we clear up and go inside to enjoy our treat? We can finish our game of connect 5. We never did finish it and we have a box of chocolates to play for."

"We certainly do."

Kathryn's eyes twinkled. "Even if we know the outcome is a foregone conclusion."

Chakotay smiled. "Don't worry, I'll share my prize with you."

Kathryn laughed softly and got to her feet. "You take care of the fire and I'll take care of the food."

"Yes, Ma'am."

As Kathryn began to clear away the plates of food, Chakotay got to his feet and picked up the bucket of water he had replicated earlier. He then poured it over the fire, and the flames instantly expired.

END OF CHAPTER ELEVEN