AN: Thanks to some additional betaing by Lisa N. There are a few changes here but nothing that changes the overall story!
Ike was pushing hard to get home. He had been riding for 3 days straight and all he wanted was to see his bunk and eat a warm meal. 'A shower,' he said to himself, 'a shower would also be nice.' Looking behind him he saw the ominous gray clouds that had been dogging him since dawn and he pushed his mount just a littleharder; a rain shower was not what he was hoping to get.
Suddenly he heard something on the side of the trail. He turned Apollo's head and looked carefully as they turned in a circle. He didn't see anything but he knew he'd heard something. He took a few steps off of the trail following more instinct than anything else and suddenly he saw a small speck of blue on top of the tan ground. He dismounted and walked over to find a person huddled as small as they could make themselves on the ground under some brush.
Ike smiled a half smile and shook his head as he reached out slowly and tapped the shoulder of the stranger. He put his hands up so the person wouldn't be scared. As a head slowly turned to look at him he smiled brighter and pointed back at his horse as it was clear this person had no horse and no supplies, not even a canteen.
Nodding carefully, the stranger stood and Ike saw a short young man with dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He smiled and said, *I'm Ike.* then pointed at the boy.
*I'm Joseph. How do you speak this?*
*I can hear but I don't speak. I was taught by my friend. He's a Kiowa.* at theboy's blank look, he added, *an Indian.*
The boy seemed to relax a little as Ike signed. *You're friends with an Indian? Where I'm from, that's not a common thing. It's not something that is admitted to.*
*Kiowa, Lakota, many Indians around here are good neighbors if we are fair and honest with them. We need to live together, there's enough land for everyone.*
"You are different from anyone I've ever known."
Ike felt himself step back a bit, afraid he was about to be ridiculed.
"I like that." Joseph added with a small smile.
Ike smiled back and reaching his horse pulled his canteen from the saddle horn and passed it to Joseph. *It's going to rain soon. Climb on and I'll take you back to Sweetwater with me.*
"No, it's ok. If you just tell me the way I can walk."
*Don't be silly. Plus Emma would kill me if I left you out here to walk in the rain. We've only a few miles left, we can double up.*
*Emma* Joseph signed not recognizing the sign.
*She takes care of us. She runs the Pony Express Station I live and work at along with Teaspoon. When we get there you'll meet them and the others.*
Joseph nodded thinking to himself that it sounded like a lot of people. "I'm really okay by myself. I'm just looking for someone, a cousin I was asked to find, she lives in your town. It was so hot out that I decided to rest and fell asleep during the heat of the day."
Ike shook his head no again and mounted his horse, *Apollo, the horse* he added for clarification, *and I aren't leaving until you mount up.* When Joseph didn't move, Ike added, *You do know how to ride…right?*
Joseph, insulted at the slur against his name, immediately grabbed Ike's hand and sat himself behind Ike. He kept a little distance between them though,which Ike found odd but didn't say anything. In just a few hours they were back at the station and handing off the pouch.
"Who you got there Ike?" Came the booming voice of Teaspoon Hunter
*I found him and with that storm rolling in, Ifigured he should come with me.*
"Good thinking son." Teaspoon said. "Go get cleaned up, Cody here'll take care of your horse."
Cody who had been sitting against the fence whittlinglooked up at the sound of his name, "Aw Teaspoon" he whined.
"You ain't moved in near to an hour, now get."
Cody was up and walking the horse towards the barn without a second word as Teaspoon turned to address the newcomer. "And what is your name, young man?"
"Joseph." The boy said. "From what Ike said I assume you're the station master."
"I am, name'sTeaspoon Hunter. You speak Indian sign." Teaspoon said it as a statement and not a question.
Joseph nodded. "My parents taught us many languages. It was important where we lived."
"I see, and where was that?"
"Back east. Up in the north woods. There were a lot of Indians less than a day's ride plus the Quebecois and Canadians were not too far. Then there were people coming in from other countries and we learned Latin in the church."
Teaspoon's eyebrows lifted slightly impressed at the potential this boy might have for communicating with the local Indians if he were able to learn all those languages. "What brings you to Sweetwater son?"
"My grandmother, before she died, gave me letters that she had been given and hidden. She'd never read them as they were written in English and she didn't know how to read English. They told a story of two brothers who were separated for many reasons but managed to write to each other once a year on their birthdays. My Grandmother's father-in-law was the brother who had stayed behind. When she was dying she asked me to go to what remains of my family; I have been following the letters and their clues since. I found some family in St. Joseph but they asked that I come to Sweetwater and speak to the person in charge of the family as they were not in a position to help me."
"Sounds like quite a journey." Teaspoon said interested. "Also sounds like you could use a warm bed and a good meal. We got both in the bunkhouse if you're interested."
"I can't stay. I have to find my cousin and then they will help me with choosing the next step in my journey." Just as Joseph said that a crack of thunder rang out and across the prairie.
"That storm rolling in is going to be a whopper and it's gonna hurt if you're out in it. I'm afraid son, you're stayin' here at least til the storm is over."
Joseph turned and looked back at the storm rolling in and as he watched he saw that the man was right. The gray clouds of earlier were now ominous and heavy and the sky was growing steadily darker and lower. As he looked over at the trees he saw the leaves had also turned over to catch the water that would come down. "I think you're right."
A moment later a bolt of lightning split the sky and just before it struck the ground it branched itself into two streams one arced for a high ground, the other for a tree just a few feet from the first branch. "This is going to be bad." Teaspoon said, leading Joseph into the bunkhouse.