The Savage

Three

I lay flat against the ground, creeping slowly forward, using every piece of cover to avoid being seen. Most of the adults were still up and around, and the boys had not yet gone to bed, but roamed around laughing and talking amongst themselves. I had no desire to be caught, and knew that if I did what my father had taught me, I'd remain unseen. Painfully, slowly, I worked my way into the wagon circle, starting at the Whitney's and one by one, I ghosted away the boys' horses. They all had one, and often rode wildly alongside their own wagons when not helping out, and none would want to be stuck inside like a child, or a girl.

The horses I took a mile from the wagon camp and tied to some brush growing alongside a deep sandy wash. There was a clump of trees and a small trickle of water there, so one by one, I brought them there and picketed them.

Working my way back to the camp, I stayed very low and moved only with extreme caution. The night had grown cooler but through the thick mud on my skin, I was not cold. I smelled the woody scent of dying fires and the earthy pungent smell of the oxen and mules. The remaining horses were cropping quietly, picketed on good grass nearby. Somewhere in the night a wolf called forlornly to the moon, answered immediately by distant wails. Crickets chirped and sang in the night, and I remained unseen. I had no idea if the horses would be missed tonight or tomorrow, and I didn't really care, all I wanted now was to finish what they'd started.

I slid quietly back to our wagon and slowly, cautiously peered around. Mamma was at the fire, sitting quietly, and Frank was standing with his back to me, smoking. Both were at least fifteen feet away, so I moved with utmost care, reaching inside the wagon for the one thing Mamma allowed me, my Green Ash bow. Papa had made it for me years ago, and when we fled that night, it had been in my hand and Mamma had always allowed me to keep it. She thought it was a harmless keepsake, but she would have taken it instantly if she for a moment thought I'd had any arrows.

I did, though not traditional weapons. They were simple shafts of bone, with no tip, ending with a flat end, but they were long and slender. The boys in my tribe used them to practice with, hunting down each other in startlingly real scenarios of combat. I took the shafts from their secret hiding place beneath my bedding and slipped away. I would make Papa proud this night, and earn my place at the eternal campfires for true warriors. Then, no matter what happened in this life I would see Papa again in the next.

I took my position just under and outside the Milton's wagon. From there I could see the whole camp and had the added benefit of laying partially concealed in a small dip in the landscape.

I notched my first arrow and waited, watching. I wanted Al Baily, but for the moment he was out of sight. Toby appeared near his wagon, just outside the shadow and I took careful aim, knowing I'd have to work fast once I started. Toby turned a little to the right and I let the bone shaft fly, its soft whistle unnoticed as it sped toward its mark. The arrow hit Toby just over the heart and bounced off, but the boy grunted, his face turning white as he stumbled backwards clutching his chest. Only Jacky noticed from where he and two others sat.

He got up and right then I let another shaft go, and it struck Jacky in the back, just below his left lung. If it had been a real arrow, he'd have fallen dead. As it was, he grunted and went to his knees, his back arched in hot pain.

By then others had noticed Toby still on the ground, and Jacky's sudden fall brought his friends and parents out. I was running out of time and had Tim Jones and Pete Lester in the open, but I wanted Al, so I waited. Voices were raised and anger and fear sprang to life as the camp gathered around the fallen boys. I held my position even as Mamma and Frank Colter appeared and asked what had happened. I heard enough to know they suspected me but I did not move, would not be moved, until I was satisfied. Frank's eyes were sweeping the camp, every shadow, every nook and they passed over me, and I saw them pause then swing back. Just as he started my way I saw the crowd part and Al Baily stood in the center of the group, and I heard his voice clear as day.