Spex Once Known as Mahalah

Declan came riding in. Man looked like death ... like death that had been sitting in a hot bag for a few days. A lot like an urt I knew of....

It was a little later that the Spex once known as Mahalah came to the fires. She was the reason I had come this morning though I had not spoken of the reason out loud. I wanted to ask her of the rains and when they would come. I was going to be working all day in a stream bed and there is nothing that will kill a man faster than to be caught on the plains in a dry stream bed when there is rain somewhere else and all of the sudden you get hit by a wall of water. It is not healthy to go lounging around in a stream bed on the plains. It may not be raining here, but it may be miles away and you will not know it until it is too late. But ... I was not going to be lounging today, I was going to be working ... and any help in the area was going to be welcomed.

I actually never did end up asking her. Now a couple of days ago I had told her if she got tired of the darkness clouding her mind to come and talk to me. Today she asked to speak to me. I know she has been troubled lately. I know the collar has been weighing on her neck like a mill stone. I told her she could speak to me while I rode towards the stream. Leashing her wrists I mounted and rode out from the first wagons towards the stream with her jogging at my stirrup.

I was not unaware of the looks we got. As we continued to travel away from the first wagons I know there were several gazes of satisfaction for I was an outrider and at my stirrup ran a woman of the first wagons. She was a good girl though and kept her head up, proud. Just like a Tuchuk woman always should. They would begrudgingly come to accept her as she was. After they rubbed her status in I was sure, but that was the way. When they saw she wore her collar well they would be proud of her.

There is a fierce protective pride in our people, and I savored it.