Destiny Mine Read Free Page B

danger,” Martay cautioned, her eyes aglow and her heart warmed by her child’s accomplishments.
    “I need another deerskin, Brother, if you find one.”
    “The hide I bring home will be yours, Sister,” Kionee replied to her oldest sibling, Blue Bird. “I will return before the moon comes.”
    Kionee retrieved the bow and quiver of arrows from a wooden tripod which held her many weapons, her tipi-of-power. She took a large bundle outside to untie and unwrap it in fresh air, as a clever hunter never allowed cooking or heating odors, smells which would warn animals or enemies of his approach and presence, to penetrate his robe. Nor did she use grease on her hair andskin to help retain body heat. At the trees where she kept her horses secured and tended, she tossed a white throw over the pinto to hide his brown markings and put a braided bridle around his jaw. She settled the albino fur cloak over her dark hair and buckskin-clad body to keep her warm and to conceal her from prey and predators’ view. With Maja loping beside her, Kionee left the tranquil encampment.
    Most of the ground was covered by a blanket of snow, but eager green shoots made their presence known here and there. Kionee passed the hot springs area where water refused to freeze even in the harshest weather. Nestled close to it, she saw plants with furry white heads which scattered like tiny feathers in a stiff breeze or if one blew rapidly on them. Pasqueflowers had pushed their stems through the frigid barrier and put forth blooms. Yellowbell had done the same, and it offered roots to be eaten raw or cooked. The white garments that trees and bushes had worn for so long were being discarded a layer at a time. The strong, bone-chilling winds had calmed for a while, and ice was deserting the ponds, rivers’ edges, and streams’ banks. Game was moving easily and more frequently through the forests, hills, and grasslands. In almost two full-moon cycles, Kionee recalled, her people would break winter camp to travel to the plains to hunt buffalo. Surely that would distract her from current worries. It must, as she would need all of her wits about her when racing with a huge and powerful herd of great beasts.
    The tiva inhaled crisp, clean, cold air and enjoyed the gentle breeze wafting over her. She looked at the clouds in the pale-blue sky. More snow was coming soon. Perhaps it was Nature’s final attempt to hold off the warm season.
    The huntress approached a peaceful forest where green pines and fir mingled with naked branchedaspen, ash, and cottonwood. Kionee knew from experience that game might be located feeding on tender new grass along riverbanks or nibbling tasty bark in aspen thickets. She glanced at the rocky cliffs of red, reddish brown, and gray which rose above the timber. Snowdrifts bordered the meadows and heaps of white filled crevices in the broken range on either side of her. She silently guided her mount into the densest section of the forest, as most animals preferred cover to open terrain. She liked the wild and often fierce beauty of this setting; and she liked being alone with her wolf and horse for companions.
    As the sun glittered off snow and ice, Kionee squinted her large brown eyes to thoroughly scan her surroundings. She knew animals often became almost invisible in tangly underbrush. She saw a mule deer bolt and flee, and knew it was useless to pursue it. A coyote darted into hiding not too far ahead of her. His pelt was as bold and noticeable against a stark white backdrop as were those of dark opossums who traveled snow-topped limbs above her in sluggish caution.
    Then Kionee found the tracks she wanted: elk, a big one, moving at an unhurried pace. She must trail him deeper into the forest. The skilled huntress focused on each tree before her, the limbs in particular, as antlers and horns were often mistaken for them and ignored.
    Kionee dismounted to check a spot where snow was melted; it told her the animal had urinated