Pale Horse, Robert L. Ross [beach read book .TXT] 📗

favorite spot of both he, and Winter Crow, because, not only did the Paintbrush come alive with swirling dance and gentle grace beneath them, the snow-peaks of the mountains that would eventually become his home were like a beautiful painting in the background as well. As a child, Winter Crow would come here when she wanted to spend time alone, knowing that when her father or mother were looking for her, they would send her brother to find her, and he always knew where she would be. Pale Horse would sit close beside his sister, over-looking the beautiful sea of flowing scarlet, and tell her the legend of the beautiful Comanche princess, the story that was very dear to her heart. Afterward, he would put her on her horse, and they would race home, her beautiful silken hair, long and flowing behind her. He always let his younger sister win, with the pair of them giggling and laughing the entire way. She was always the better in her heart for the love and compassion that she received from him. Winter Crow was then, and is still, his very favorite.
As he arrived at the valley's peak, he could hear his sister singing one of the many songs of prayer and divinity that she so loved to sing, for her heart was full, and she was happier than she had been in many moons. He dismounted, and walking over to her, sat once again next to his sister, putting his arm lovingly around her, and quietly listened, just as he did long ago when they were children. She laid her head on his shoulder, as the Great Spirit smiled down upon them. Content with the life that was theirs, and glad to be reunited once more, she looked longingly into the distance, and with her mysterious cinnamon eyes and beautiful smile, asked softly of her big brother,
“Tell me once more, the story of the Comanche Princess”? Her brother once again, happily regaled her sweetly with the legend she so loved to hear. After the story was told, he gently kissed the crystal tears that ran softly, like drops of autumn moonlight down his sister's face, and told her he loved her with all of his heart. As they gazed once more together across the valley, the Great Spirit whispered gently of his blessing for the heart they shared, and the Scarlet Indian Paintbrush swayed once more before them with grace and passion in the warm summer winds. Pale Horse and Winter Crow both, now on bended knee, and with outstretched arms, with the worn strips of leather fringe that hung from their jackets, softly dancing with the winds to guide them, looked skyward with joyful heart into the face of the Great Spirit, and thanked him for the blessings bestowed, and the health and well being of not only their family, but that of their people as well.
As they humbly arose from giving thanks, he asked his sister if she would like to go on a journey with him. Excited, her eyes beaming with joy, she exclaimed “Yes”! and asked him where he was taking her. He told her it was a secret, and he had already cleared it with their mother and father, all that was left for her to do was to pack whatever she wanted to carry with her, and their journey would begin. She jumped on her horse, and without a word, raced for the village, her laughter and joy trailing on the wind as she taunted her brother to catch her, as she had always done in the past.
The morning sun rose quietly upon the village, and Winter Crow was up and packing for her trip. She of Summer Rain helped her daughter, knowing that in her rush of anticipation, she was sure to forget something she would need along the way.
“I want you to stay close to your brother,” she said.
“I will mother, I will,” her daughter answered back.
“It's been a long time since you've made such a trip, and these lands are more hostile today than they were just a year ago, and you need to make sure you stay close to your brother and do as he asks of you along the path that you are taking,” Winter Crow, knowing where her mother was headed with the conversation, stopped folding her things and turned towards her and embraced her saying,
“Mother, I will be fine, I will be riding with and beside one of the bravest and finest warriors of the entire Indian Nation, someone who loves me dearly and wouldn't ever let anything happen to me.” Her mother, knowing her daughter was right, hugged her tightly and mumbled quietly as she turned away with tears beginning to form in her eyes,
“I know my dear, I know.” It was obvious that her mother was more concerned that her daughter was going to be away for the summer than it was of her safety throughout the trip they were making, and Winter Crow knew this, and was touched deeply within her heart for her mother's sadness, but excited to be making the impromptu journey with her brother as well. The village people, told of her leaving the night before, and very fond of their darling Winter Crow, began to gather outside of the tent to wish them a safe trip and to say goodbye to their beloved friends before they were gone. Hugs and well wishes behind them, they were soon on their way. She asked her brother many times throughout their trip as to where he was taking her, noticing that they weren't headed North towards his home in the mountains, but West towards a destination still unknown to her.
“I can't tell you that,” he replied each time, “It would ruin the surprise.” As the journey wore on, she and her brother laughed and laughed, each of them taking turns telling of the many adventures they remembered from their childhood, and the many different events that had taken place in each of their lives since he had moved away. Glancing over at his sister, he couldn't help but think of what a beautiful woman she had become, though it was still difficult to see her as anything other than the little sister she would always be.
After riding for several hours, the familiar sounds of a cattle drive were heard as the two siblings approached the valley that lie in turmoil ahead. Rather than continue with the path they were on, Pale Horse decided to go no further than the ridge to watch of their passing below, as not to put his sister in harms way of the cowboys that were leading the drive ahead of them. Cowboys in long dusters, with handkerchiefs hiding the better part of their faces, were swinging their well worn ropes and cracking their leather-bound whips, spurring their trained horses as they were racing the length of the procession to herd the strays that were anxious to wander. The random and frustrated baying of a thousand head of cattle filled the air as they were being forced onward, and the very ground seemed to move heavy under the hooves of the herded beast beneath them. Winter Crow, looking down from the ridge at the spectacle she had never seen before, turned in her amazement and said to her brother,
“It seems as the world is all in a hurry these days, doesn't it?” Looking East towards the rear of the drive in the distance, he answered his sisters melancholy observation,
“Yes it does my darling sister, it surely does.” The cattlemen had finally passed and Winter Crow and her brother climbed back atop their horses and continued on with their journey.
“Not far from here is a stream where we will rest the horses and set up camp for the night,” he said to her as he pointed in the direction that they were heading. Winter Crow, long in the saddle and ready for supper and a good nights sleep answered back,
“That's good, I'm getting a little tired and hungry.”
“Me too,” he said back to her. Pale Horse scoured the land for kindling and larger pieces of wood for the evening fire as she set up their bedrolls and prepared the rations for the evening supper for cooking. Each night they spent cozy next to their warm and flickering campfires, and under the beautiful array of heaven's stars, made for lasting memories to be cherished in the years to come.
With another night of restful peace behind them, and their final destination, now just a matter of hours ahead, Winter Crow woke with a renewed sense of purpose and excitement, as her brother had told her the evening prior, that they would be arriving today. Several hours had come and gone as they crest the familiar and final hill that lie a half of a mile from the ranch when she finally realized where they were, and before her brother could say a word, She suddenly broke away, her horse spurred to full gallop, and raced up the winding drive that lead to the spacious ranch and home of her closest and dearest friend. Before she had time to dismount, Temperance came running out of the house and cleared the steps as she jumped off the porch and ran to embrace her long lost sister.
“You came,”You came”!, she exclaimed, as she eagerly helped her off of her horse and wrapped her longing arms tightly around her. They were no less the very siblings of years ago, the new found excitement getting the better of them, as they laughed and carried on as sister's do. Pale Horse was glad in his heart for the both of them as he watched it all from a distance. Arriving well behind her, he pulled up to the porch railing and stepped off his horse.
“Where's Ben”?, he asked. As Temperance walked over and hugged him, thanking him for keeping his promise to her, she answered,
“He's in town, at his office,”. Entering the house, the two girls ran up the grand, cherry-wood stairway on their way to Temperance's room. He hollered out to them as he climbed back on Spirit, that he was “Going to ride into town to see him, and would return when Ben was done for the evening”. Doubting that either of his sister's had heard him, he laughed aloud and shook his head as he turned away and began the short ride into Rifle Stock.
Walking into Ben's office, the scenario that lie before him couldn't have been more perfect. There, kicked back precariously on two legs in a chair, boot-heels on the edge of the desk and the usual drink in hand, was his good friend, Colt Mathews and Ben Turner.
“Afternoon boys”, he said as he pulled up a chair next to Colt.
“Afternoon” they responded.
“I see you made it back” Ben said, as he reached for another glass in his desk drawer, and commenced to pouring a drink for the newest arrival.
“Yeah, I just left your ranch and two girls as giddy as you could ever imagine”, he answered, as he took the welcomed drink from him and turned it bottoms up, thirsty from the trail of dust now behind him.
“So, Winter Crow came, that's wonderful”, Ben replied, glad to hear the news, knowing his daughter must be enjoying herself to the fullest.
“Yes, and we were practically at the ranch before she realized where we were” he replied.
“Well, it's been many years since she's been to the ranch” said Ben with a smile.
After a few minutes or so spent talking of Temperance and Winter Crow, Colt spoke up,
“Ben and I were just discussing the hunting