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 Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 10:52 am
Chaleha was glad to see her coming down from the cliffs.She had been standing in the shade of the teepee,and was tired of her little piece of real estate.With a whicker she pranced out to meet,Two and her collection. The sun bore down on them and quickly Two packed the feathers quickly for travelling,and pulled the teepee down and into it's roll.Soon they were making their way back to the falls.Chaleha rushed on ahead in a canter,then realizing she had left Two she decided to graze a little forest grass,it was sparse and bitter,but helped her to wait for the twolegger.
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Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 11:43 pm
Two had arrived at the falls,finally.Chaleha had already been for her swim,and was grazing the new growth sweet grass.The tiny eco-system around the falls was in a kind of delayed reaction.The sweet grass was still sweet and tender here.Not like out in the meadow,and certainly not like the stunted sparseness over in the desert region.
Two laid her bundle down and hit the cool pool. Her long dark hair flowing out behind her.She had undressed of course before jumping in.It would do not good to get the buckskin tunic and breeches wet.They needed to be passed under the water of the falls,and shaken dry.Never get buckskin soaking wet.It turned to wood,as it dried.Unless you had a lot of time to shake it,and then there was no telling if you would do it right.
She shook such thoughts of her duties for the rest of the day.Now she was relaxing with a nice cool swim.
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Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 4:26 pm
Two had finished washing the last of the hawk feathers and had them laid out to dry.It would be along while before they were ready.There were however certain trees with lovely nuts all around them on the ground,taking one of the hides she made off into the woods to find wood for the evening fire and to gather nuts.Wood was everywhere.The deadfall,which was all she ever used,since the green limbs would make too much smoke and were impossible for her to manage.If she found deadfall the right age it would burn just fine.
Back in the clearing Chaleha was grazing,occasionally stopping to listen for her whereabouts in the forest.She did not want to become seperated from her tow legger.Knowing she was coming back with the nuts.Chaleha loved to crunch them and they had a good taste,too.But she needed two,so they would come out of the shell,when Chaleha crushed them herself,she would get some of the bitter shell,too.
Two had gathered all the wood she could carry and toted it back to the teepee.Then she went back to the trees that grew the nuts,they were everywhere.So in the end she had enough nuts to cart back down to the village,also.Yes,she was going to have a lot of corn for the winter,she hoped.
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Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 11:28 am
The morning glowed bright into the teepee.It had been postioned so the morning sun would shine in on Two and wake her up.It did,with it's mid-summer heat. She rose to find Chaleha already out and grazing. Today she would leave and return to the cave. At least this was the plan. After a quick breakfast of apples and nuts,she packed the teepee into it's roll and placed all the fire ring stones back in the pool. Then she folded the feathers carefully into the hide she had for them.They had dried beautifully.
As she prepared to leave,she caught movement from the corner of her eye,there in the sky overhead flew a hawk.She did not think much about it.Other than it's beauty and the significance of seeing a hawk as she set off on the journey home.It was a good omen,and she smiled as she called softly to Chaleha and together the native girl and her Soquili made their way through the forest heading for the home cave.
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Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 5:24 pm
The storm gave warning of it's impending arrival.So Two was in a hurry to reach the cave,knowing storms this time of year would remain for several days and the teepee would get hot and small.So they hurried on home.
They arrived at the foot of the mountain,where the cave was located,almost to the top,but not quite.Here the winds kicked up and blowing rain began as a drizzle.Halfway there the bottom fell out,leaving them both to struggle up the mountian trail.
Soon they arrived at the cave and both entered soaking wet.Two placed her bundles on the rock ledge where they could drip dry and run out onto the mountain.The floor at the front of the cave had a slope leading out,it was natural and made this cave a prime housing unit.Then she built a fire in the pit,with dry wood from the supply,there were logs of deadfall in there,and Two had worked an entire summer bringing the tree into the cave.Splintered naturally by lightening,she had found a bonanza when she located the wood.It was cut into two and three foot lengths and was perfect for the cave's fire in winter.The smaller limbs and logs were all stacked in order of their size.
Soon she had a nice toasty fire going to dry them.Taking a hide she rubbed the water off Chaleha and gave her some of the nuts mixed with berries and seed tops. Two ate a few nuts,not being hungry.She had feathers to sort and decide who to trade what to for most return.
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Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 10:16 pm
Outside it rained a steady down pour.Both Two and Chaleha were glad of the warm dry cave.The mare lay in her corner on her side,and every so often would raise her head to see about the girl.
Two was busy sorting the feathers.Glowing with pride at the spotted owl feathers.She was sought after for them.It surprised her none of the other wanderers had those feathers to trade,but she was secretly glad.The trade from her summer gatherings supported her through the winter.Though this time it would be different,now that Leha was in her life.
She looked over at the mare glowing bright orange in the firelight.She loved her,and did not want to live a day without her.they had grown very close.Sometimes the mare would leave and be gone for hours,Two had wondered where she could go.But she smiled to think,one day there would be young ones skittering about.
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Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 9:27 pm
The dawn revealed an overcast sky with a cooler temperature.Two wandered out onto the cliff.The rain had stopped sometime during the night.The air was fresh,and as she stood there taking in the air,she noticed Chaleha down on the lower ledge,where some grasses dared to grow.Then she saw it.Over to the west a lone hawk was gliding around on the wind currents.
She wondered if it were the same hawk from the gathering trip. Shrugging off the incident she went back into the cave.The feathers needed putting up until she was ready to take them to the village.
But first she wanted to wash off in the poll of the spring.
It was not large,but it was three foot deep,and cold.Very cold.One end under the steady flow of the spring,the water was about six foot deep.Carved into the rock from centuries of wear and erosion on the rock bed. Here Two jumped in ,it was the only way to enter the pool or you would be there all day trying to adjust your body temp. She paddled to the shallow end,there the water was a little warmer.
Chaleha was interested in the hawk. She considered it for some time.Then hearing the splash she knew the girl was awke and went on up to the pool side. She took a good long drink as Two exited the bath. Shivering she covered herself with a hide and went into the cave. There she dressed in a fresh tunic and breeches of buckskin. Looking down at her worn moccosins;she wondered about trading for some new ones in the village.She did not like to go so early,because she had other places to gather,"Out of sight,out of mind" was how she chose to live,and gather.
Shrugging the thought away,she decided on nuts for breakfast,and a lazy day doing not alot.
Outside a dark shadow flew past the doorway of the cave.
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Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 10:17 pm
Days later-- She was floating along on the river.Then suddenly the water became very swift and she was pulled down the river,hopelessly caught in the current.Desperately she fought the swiftness of her watery captive.And then suddenly,Chaleha was standing there,she grabbed a hold of her neck,only her bottom swung around and she found herself on the mare's back.Sitting thereontop she felt silly,then suddenly Leha began to move exciting the river and going into full gallop from one end of the beach to the other.
Two bolted upright in her bedroll.The fire was a smoldering pile of ash with one bright flame shooting out of it's ashen middle.She looked over to see Chaleha,and to her surprise there she was watching her.Two shook her head and laid back to see a bright moon through the slat in the roof of the teepee.Her mind wandered back to the dream.And she wondered.
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Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2006 8:42 pm
Days pass,moons come and go.But one thing remained with two,and it was the dream.She studied Chaleha's back,running her hands on it,putting pressure on the mare.The first couple of times she did that however,she found herself struggling against the grass with her face.
Chaleha had moved and Two had simply fallen .
She remembered someone would ride their soquili.She had seen them,but she could not recall who. So the days passed until two decided it was time to go trade some feathers for moccasins.As she stretched out on the bedroll to stare into the small fire,the trip to the village played in her mind.It was time to go,if she hoped to get there before someone else did.
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Posted: Sun Jul 23, 2006 11:08 pm
She walked into the village and went quietly to the teepee of her mother's friend.The old woman came out and greeted her.She placed her pack down in front of the woman,who proceeded to look into the pack.Two could tell by the expression on her face she was pleased with the selection.And she had made sure they were clean and straightened.The woman really smiled at the nuts.These were not readily found close to the village.One had to travel or know a wandering gatherer,as Two was,in order to get these.
"How have you been?" Two asked her,"Has your summer been fruitful?"
"Ah,the squash,yes we have lots of squash,already the field brings us squash." She gathered all two had brought her,and went into her teepee.
She returned shortly with a pair of doeskin moccasins.They were a tannish color,and had bright blue stone beads on the tie tassles.Rubies had been set into the stitches having been drilled possibly by her son."Here I made these for you,I knew you would be here sooner or later."She smiled at Two.The old woman's name was High-waters,because she feared the floods.
"Oh, they are very pretty." She looked at them,what she had wanted were daily moccasins.She wondered what others the woman hed,and asked her,"These will be ruined out there."She pointed at her own moccasins."Do you have any I will not be afraid to ruin?"But the woman just waved her away with her hand.Two watched her bring out a basket of squash,and a ripe melon."Put this melon in that cold stream at your cave." She went over to another side of the teepee and brought out fresh ears of corn,about twelve of them,"These are very sweet corns,and for you."She shot a sideways glance at the mare."I see you got a mare?"She went to a side teepee and brought out ears as big as the ones she had given her before,only they were stripped of the husk,"These are for your girl."She placed them alongside the other ears."There will be more,you come back later and I will supply you for the winter.Marking you paid." She pulled a collection of beaded belts out frokm a fold in the teepee door.There she applied seven beads to one of the cords."This will remind me about you."
So it was Two and Chaleha left the village heading for home. Suddenly from the side of the path the woman came out onto the trail,"Here these are a gift for you,regular moccasins for out there." She handed Two the shoes and just as swiftly she left.
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 12:03 pm
The new moccasins had the be stretched some,they fit a little too snug.The more decorated pair,she con sidered more ceremonial,though they fit much better.Still Two found she would rather wear the normal new ones about the cave.So that when she did venture forth back out to gahter,they would fit better.
Down below the cave the stream branched off to join a little river.It smooth yet swift currents held great hiding places for fish,and Two knew them all.She would leave a line with stone hooks across the river,then in the morning after sringing the line across the water way she would go down and have fish.Some she roasted on the fire for her dinner,others she would dry them.There were many things she needed to do as soon as it cooled down some,she was not going to do much in the late summer heat.
Leha watched the butterfly float from flower to flower.The white flowers of the clover were the favorites of the bees and the butterflies.She liked the leaves of the clover,but only while it was young and tender.Old clover was just bitter to her.But since it had become so hot,Chaleha had no appetite,and really not much energy.The evening fire had been moved completely outside the teepee and neither she nor Two would sleep in it.
the days were just lazy,hazy, and hot.
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