Eve ran to him and hugged him, "Oh, I've been so worried about you!"
"I was fine Ma. Hawk helped me." Matthew said turning to look at Hawk.
Jane Ann ran to Matthew and hugged him.
"Thank you," she said quietly, not looking directly at Hawk now.
He knew what she was thinking. It had been a constant on his mind too. Now was not the time to talk of it.
"We must go now. We are no longer welcome."
She nodded and she started to pick Jane Ann up and carry her, but Hawk stopped her, by grabbing her arm gently.
She turned to meet his discerning eye and saw a flash of something in his eyes, but it was gone before she could put a name to it.
"Do not carry her. She has shoes she can walk. We have a long journey and if she weakens you can carry her later, or I will…"
"Where are we going?" She asked staring at him for the answers.
"We must leave this land…" He told her, seeing the sadness that brought to her.
"I cannot leave…my children…they are buried there…I must go back."
"No…you cannot go back. Not to live at least. We will make one visit to their graves so that you may say goodbye, but then we must go. The Comanche know where you live now, they would come back, and this time they would not let you go. We must travel away from that land."
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"But…it's my home…" She began.
"Not anymore." He said softly. "Besides, they burnt it to the ground. There is nothing there but the dead. Have you not mourned enough?"
She opened her mouth to say something and nothing came out.
"It's all right Ma, Hawk won't hurt us. I told him we could be his family now, because his family is far away."
"You have a wife and children?" She gasped.
A smile almost formed on his lips, but not quite, he knew what she was thinking. "No…my people are far north from here. Too far. And I am no longer welcome. I had not taken a wife before I left them, I was still young."
"Why don't they welcome you?"
"I helped the blue coats. I am their enemy. My tribe fought the blue coats." He said. "Hurry, we must get out of here."
She nodded, and took Jane Ann's hand.
Hawk walked swiftly and it was all Eve could do to stay up with him.
Chapter Six
They camped along the creek bed that night. The frogs were loud, and an owl hooted from a distance. The cry of the wolf could be heard a few times too. However, in their camp, all was quiet.
Matthew heard the wolf and looked startled.
"Don't worry, unless there is a pack of them, they won't bother you. They aren't brave enough to attack alone."
"Oh…" Matthew nodded.
Hawk had killed a couple of rabbits and they cooked them over an open spit. The kids were dead tired and sleepy. No one had to tell them to go to bed.