I shivered at his words, and got up quickly, too. I tried to poke a little life into a dead fire while Hawk woke up his mother. When she rose in one swift movement, I wondered if she had even been asleep. If I got up the nerve, I might ask her if she heard our talk last night.

We ate the few remaining beans from last night’s handful, then started for the horses. Others moved about, too. Joseph and one of his daughters passed us on the way to the herd and waved. Hawk, Blue Mountain Woman and I walked slowly to the horses and watched the sky lighten. The first blush of dawn brushed the eastern sky, the clear, cold air making the colors sharp and strong.

I took a deep breath and slowly let it out, watching the vapor that curled from my lips. Eugenie and I used to do that at home, pretending we were smoking pipes. I realized with a start that I hadn’t thought about Eugenie in a while.

Blue Mountain Woman saddled her horse and started for the campsite to gather our possessions. By unspoken thought, we were leaving. She stopped and turned back. In all the years that have come and gone, I am so pleased that she did, because I knew her heart. That knowledge has sustained me like a blessing through many trying and joyful years.

She took my hand, took her son’s hand, and joined them together with hers. She had a strong grip. When I feel lonely because she is not with me now, I remember the grip.

“I heard your words last night,” she said, then smiled. “Be good to each other always.”

She touched my cheek with hers, gave Hawk that deep look, and walked toward camp.

I had to grin at that, which made Hawk smile, too. “You know you have a fine smile, Bright Star,” he said, I think mainly to cover his embarrassment, because Nimiipuu men are modest in ways that might surprise you. “Let’s get the nags together.”

He was soon mounted. He started to cut out his other horses while I walked toward Fair One. I heard sudden thunder and looked at the clear sky. Odd, that. The early-morning planets still worked their way across the sky in the new light. The thunder continued in one long roll.

The horses were beginning to snort and move restlessly. I spotted Fair One and called to her, but she began to step around in nervous circles. I looked for Hawk, who stared beyond my shoulder. He opened his mouth to say something when the thunder burst upon us.