Tuesday, August 2, 2005

New Residence

Today my time with the herd seemed to go by like a dream. It was uneventful, quiet. I am not tired. The bosk were content to graze and appeared half asleep themselves.
I decided to move my wagon. With Yaz there I have noticed no more intrusions into my wagon. And yet still I feel unnerved. I rearranged the two chests within. I moved my sleeping blankets to the other side of the fire.

I became acquainted with another outrider. His name is Juu. He said he was named for a Tuchuk Warrior who lived many years ago and was lost upon the plains. He is a Hunter. We have made plans to go hunting tomorrow. He invited me to pull my wagon over with his. He has a small family of his own, two wagons. The rest are friends of his father. He doesn't remember his father though. And I don't care to remember mine, we have something in common.

There are many children here at this group of wagons. It was odd at first but now I do not mind their noise. They stay away from my wagon, Yaz is nothing to argue with. I do not fear for them, Tuchuk children are not stupid, at least the ones that live are not.

Juu has four sons, two daughters, a little girl and a baby boy. He had not wasted his time with his mate, Oni. Oni is a good Tuchuk woman. She works hard for her children. But I noticed the little girl, Ani, is left much alone. She is so tiny and so brave.

My stomach nearly fell through my boots when I came back to my wagon and found her sitting next to Yaz. No one had even noticed she was not at her own wagons. At first I did not know what to do. Should I kill Yaz? I was reaching for my lance even as my brain continued to catch up with my eyes. But she was fine. Yaz was half asleep, though I had seen him leap to his feet and attack from just that position. Instead of using my weapon I approached slowly and spoke quietly to Yaz. Even I do not approach my own wagon without alerting him. I picked her up and hauled her back to the cooking fire before I realized I was holding my breath. I set her down near the other children and then I just crouched as the muscles of my legs turned to jelly and I broke out in a cold sweat. Ani simply looked at me with those big serious eyes of hers and continued to play with her doll.

I have never seen Ani smile.

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