-By Gizmo-

Copyright 1999

CHAPTER 1

Buck rode slowly up the hill, looking out over the landscape. Though it was raining, it felt good to be there. Feeling really nostalgic by the sight of all the prairie land and other familiar landmarks, he sighed deeply in pure relief over the fact that he was only about seven miles from Rock Creek. It had been five whole years since he last saw what he was now gazing over, and another three years since he last met any of the riders. He had lived with Teaspoon and Rachel at the way station in Rock Creek until the ending of the War, then decided to move on East when the trails were safe again. What he found in the East didn't impress him very much, but for the last five years he had traveled around without any real destination, and often in the shadow of both Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill. But he never came close enough to meet them, and deep down he wondered if he really wanted to at all. He had heard of Cody's marriage, and was really happy for his friend. And perhaps even a bit jealous, he mused for himself. But now, in the early summer of 1870, the nation had changed so radically and was really just scary for a lonely Indian with no friends and no family. Sure, he thought, I've made friends every here and there, but it would sure be good to meet Rachel and Teaspoon again. He hoped, but had no way of knowing, that they still lived in Rock Creek, and that they would welcome him like they always used to. He hadn't written them in months, felt awful about it, but still in a way figured they would see him as the Buck Cross they used to know.

Suddenly his horse stumbled, caused him to violently return to the real world. His horse took a few shaky steps and then stopped. Buck, knowing his horse well, felt something was wrong, therefor jumped to the ground and knelt by his mare's right hind leg.

"You okay, girl?" he mumbled, hands sliding up and down the leg to locate any injury.
"I don't see nothing."

Figuring the leg would swell up shortly, he decided to let them both rest for the night.

He was suddenly woken by voices shouting and horses running nearby. He sat up with blurry eyes and mind still to the half in dreamland, looking around frantically. He heard the commotion coming from his left, but passed him quickly and soon the noise came from his right.

Standing to see better, he gazed out over the now dark, rainy prairie. He saw silhouettes of horses running in the moonlight, riders twisting and turning back and forth, firing at each other. A group of riders united and headed fast across the dust toward a gorge Buck had seen earlier that day. After them came another group, the riders screaming and shouting wild enough to wake any dead, Buck thought. He guessed the first group was about to be trapped, as the gorge had appeared to be a dead end. He realized shortly that guns only fired from the following group, but still the chased group seemed to have a very effective way of defending themselves - they shot with bows and arrows.

So, it's a war party, he thought, instinctively wondering what trap they were. The gorge was only a few hundred yards down the slope, and his eager to find out what was happening made him descend the hill with long steps.

The war party was trapped in the gorge, the following riders making sure they wouldn't go anywhere.

"We gotcha now, Injuns!" a man shouted with a following laughter that spread among the other riders.

Buck sneaked as close as he could to the gorge, trying to figure out who the men chasing the Indians were. Suddenly the riders parted, an unknown number of them heading the other direction. Buck wondered what was going on, and from there it all happened very fast. The remaining riders moved closer to the Indians, who were unable to defend themselves as they were all out of arrows, and also they were several men short. A wild shooting started, the Indians hiding behind rocks and bushes and whatever they could to survive. Buck froze by the look of the scenario below him, didn't notice the men appearing behind him. A loud gunshot echoed in his ears and the next thing he knew, he was laying on the wet rocks, head spinning and heavy. He tried to collect his thoughts, but failed miserably, only caused himself a greater headache.

One or two men walked by him, took no notice of his desperate attempts to move. Realizing the pain didn't come from his head after all, but from his back, or rather from between his shoulder-blades, he told himself he'd be okay. The fight below him still hadn't stopped, and men from both sides screamed and shouted in both pain and anger.

"Let's get outa here!" someone shouted, to Buck's guess not anyone of the Indians.

Feeling his head started spinning faster, he closed his eyes for a moment. Without noticing it, he drifted off into a semi-conscious doze, where he wasn't in pain at all.

Awaking with a start, he managed to shoot a bright and very big star of pain through his stiffening body, right as someone placed something soft under his head. Confused, he tried to look up, but saw nothing but the dark sky and a glimpse of moonlight. As a warm blanket spread over him, he again turned is head to look at his guardian angel, but there was no one to be seen. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a moan, followed by another moan. His arms appeared to be paralyzed and the rest of his body just as useless, but still his backside ached badly, reminded him of that he was actually alive.

Voices startled him, and what shocked him more was knowing that they weren't English. He figured and hoped that they wouldn't kill him, as someone obviously didn't want him to freeze. But still he wasn't going to breathe easy until he knew the real intentions with keeping him alive. He heard horses walking around him, guessing it was time for his saviors to leave, but would the take him with them? The answer came quicker than he thought, someone grabbing his legs, someone else his arms. Turned over on his aching back and then lifted from the wet ground, he was carried to a horse, carefully placed over it's bare back. The blanket had already fallen to the ground, which made him both cold and shivering. As the horse, and others with it, started to move, he once again fell into unconsciousness.

"Teaspoon? Where you going?" Rachel asked worriedly.

"There's been some Indian trouble a few miles from here. Apparently, several men were killed last night. I have to go there and see what can be done. I'll be back as soon as I can," Teaspoon explained as he pulled the saddle girth tighter.

"Think they'll attack the town?" she asked, still worried despite the calm look on his face.

"No, they're already outnumbered. It would be stupid, even if they're desperate for food. I best be going," he said, taking his horse by the reins and walked out of the barn.

"Just come home as soon as you can and look out for any ambush, you hear?" she said, placing a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Rachel. Just have dinner ready for me when I get back."

"I will," she smiled, then watched as he mounted and headed north.

Way passed dinnertime Teaspoon's horse finally arrived at the station, with another horse along its side.

"Teaspoon?" she called worriedly, walking out on the porch.

"I got some bad news, Rachel," he murmured, dismounting slowly.

"What is it?" she asked, coming to meet him.

She looked at the mare by Teaspoon's hand, carefully stroking her forehead.

"It's Buck's horse…!" she nearly whispered, looking up at Teaspoon with big eyes.

"Yeah… I found her along the trail. A few hundred yards from the final stand where the Indians were killed last night, I also found his bedroll and a few other things. He must've set camp there and then been pulled into the fight somehow. At least, that's the only reasonable explanation…" he said, walking slowly toward the barn, eyes low and head heavy.

"Was he among the dead?" she asked, though thinking he would have told her if so.

"I dunno, the bodies were all taken away already, part from the few white men. I couldn't find him anywhere, so I'm going back out tomorrow. There's been some scouting in the area, it appears the Comanche are camped a few miles from here. Suppose that's the only place to find him," he said.

"But if the Comanche has got him, he might be,-"

"I know, Rachel. I know he might be dead, but he might as well be alive. Comanche and Kiowa are related way back, maybe they decided to keep him alive. Maybe they're giving him an ultimatum, maybe they're making him one of their warriors, I don't know," Teaspoon sighed, then turned back to his horse.

Rachel watched him tend to the animals, sometimes pulling the strings a bit violently, sometimes sighing deeply, sometimes turning to her with troubled eyes.

"I'll find him, Rachel, whatever it takes," he promised.

Teaspoon left early that following morning, taking two deputies with him. Rachel sighed as she watched them leave, praying for their safe return.

"Dear Lord, help them find Buck before it's too late, and bring them all back here unharmed," she murmured, glancing at the rising sun.

She turned back inside, looking through the empty room, missing some company already.

A sudden call from outside startled her at first, then made her rush out on the porch to see who was coming in such a hurry.

"Rachel, is that you?!" a familiar voice called, as two riders came galloping up to the front steps.

"Jimmy? Cody?" Rachel gazed, chin dropping close to the ground, eyes wide open.

"Yeah, it's us!" Cody called back, dismounting.

"How you been? Long time no see," Jimmy smiled, also landing on the ground.

"My God! Good to see you boys!" she smiled widely, running down the stairs to give them both a warm hug.

"We know it's early, but we just came from Denver. You don't mind, do ya?" Cody asked, hugging her back.

"Of course I don't mind!" she smiled, thinking she perhaps didn't have to be lonely all day after all.

"We heard Teaspoon still works as a marshal in town, but he wasn't at his office," Jimmy started.

"We figured he might be here," Cody continued.

"You just missed him. He rode off with a few deputies to investigate some Indian trouble," she said, suddenly remembering why they left to look for Comanches.

"Indian trouble? Sounds serious, what's going on?" Jimmy wondered.

"I don't know really, but there's something you should know, I guess…"

"What?" Cody asked.

"Buck's involved. Teaspoon found his belongings near the place where they Indians were killed. There was no sign of him," she said, eyes falling to stare at her hands for a moment.

"What do you reckon? Is he dead?" Jimmy asked, Cody giving him a cautious glance. How could he be so calm about it?

"I don't know, Jimmy. We'll have to wait for Teaspoon to come back. Want some coffee, by the way?"

Jimmy and Cody nodded in silence, followed her inside.

Buck looked around, sweat dripping from his face, eyes blurry. The teepee he was in had a strange and rather unusual scent, but he recognized it. It had to be a Medicine man's teepee, he thought, gazing over the relics and sacred items hanging over the fireplace.

He was in pain, every breath stabbing him in the back. Trying to fight it, more sweat trickled from his body, caused him to breathe even deeper. Moaning, he struggled to sit up. His shoulders were stiff and aching, arms just hanging, making his efforts useless. Frustrated over that fact, he looked around again. The teepee was large, hides spread over the floor, a smaller fire burning faintly in the middle. Despite the thick hide covering him, he wasn't very warm. It made him wonder about the weather outside, but he didn't have to think about it for very long. The flap moved aside, sun shining into the teepee for a brief moment, a young woman entering. She sat down by his side, a faint smile on her face.

"You are awake," she spoke calmly, stroking his forehead.
"That is good."

"Where are we?" he asked, eyes fixed on her face.

She was quite beautiful, hair coal black and eyes dark brown. She smiled again, still stroking his hair back from his sweaty face, soothingly hushing him.

"You must not speak, Kiowa. You are weak, so you must rest. I am Flying Crow, and I will take care of you. Now, sleep," she spoke.

Her strong voice echoed inside his head for a long moment, having him guessing she was used to taking care of injured. She just seemed to have a knack for it, he thought.

"Close your eyes, let the medicine bring you to sleep," she spoke, placing a nicely folded cloth dipped in water on his forehead.

"What medicine?" he asked, feeling quite good about the cold cloth.

"The medicine you swallowed a few sunwalks ago. I will give you more, but then you must rest," she said, reaching for a bowl by the fire.
"Here, drink this."

He swallowed what seemed to be something burning, then turned his head to the side in sudden nausea.

"You get used to it," she said with yet another smile.
"Close your eyes now, let yourself rest and you will feel better soon."

He finally did what she asked him to, soon slept dreamlessly from the medicine. Flying Crow stayed by his side for awhile, then jumped suddenly to her feet and walked slowly outside.

CHAPTER 2

Teaspoon and his deputies reached the place where Buck's things were found. They looked around for tracks, but found very few. None seemed to lead to any Indian village.

"Are we turning back now?" one of the deputies asked, obviously nervous.

Teaspoon thought for a moment, then sighed deeply.

"You may go, but I'll stay here. Tell Miss Dunne that for me, will ya?"

"Why are you staying? There's nothing to see here, all the bodies are taken away and the tracks' been covered. If you're thinking 'bout Buck, I say there's nothing you can do to help him. He's gone, Teaspoon."

"Not yet. I know he's out here somewhere, and I'll find him. You go back to town and I'll be home by tomorrow. Alright?" Teaspoon spoke, eyeing his deputies carefully.

"Yeah, okay. But don't come haunt us if them Indians kill ya, alright?" the other one said with a smirk.

"Get outa here…" Teaspoon sighed, waving at them to leave.

Flying Crow returned to the Medicine man's teepee, holding a bowl of steaming soup in both hands.

She placed the bowl by the fire to keep it warm while she carefully woke Buck.

"Kiowa? It's about time you eat something," she smiled as he opened his tired eyes and looked up at her face.

"No…" he sighed, holding back a moan.

"Come on, just a little now," she tried again, carefully placing a hand behind his head and lifted it briefly.
"This will do you good," she promised.

Buck drank as much as she forced him to, then sighed with relief as she finally agreed to let him lie down again.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, placing the bowl back by the fire.

"Not good," he answered almost teasingly.

"Give it some time, and you'll see you'll feel much stronger soon," she smiled, then jumped as a man entered the teepee.

The man stood firmly behind her, not saying a word for a long moment.

"Flying Crow. The council has decided to make him fight for his survival in this camp. That is what our warriors want. They are angry, so the council has given him three more suns to recover. Then he will fight," he said calmly, pausing between each sentence.

He turned suddenly and walked out again, as soundlessly as he entered.

"Fight? What's he talking about? What have I done?" Buck asked with worry in his voice, knowing well what might be happening.

"Rest now, Kiowa. I will explain to you later. All I can tell you now is that one of the warriors think you betrayed your blood in that fight. You should have chosen a side and fought, not watched from a distance," she spoke, voice deeper than usual and eyes darker.
"He thinks you're a coward…"

"What do you mean? What warrior? Flying Crow, I didn't do nothing wrong, I know I didn't!" he cried, sweat again dotting his face, chest heaving up and down.

"Calm yourself, Kiowa, struggling like this is not good for the wound. I will explain later, like I said. You must sleep now and get strong. So that you can fight," she spoke, stroking his hair out of his face, trying to soothe him.

Buck still stared at her, eyes big and breathing heavy. She hushed him, one hand firmly forcing his shoulders to relax against the buffalo-hide.

"You will be alright if you rest now. Summon some strength and we will talk more later," she said with a quick smile, patting his shoulder.

She rose and walked to the flap, still looking at his troubled face.

"Don't talk," she said.
"Rest now, Kiowa."

She stepped outside and left him alone, thinking it was the only way to make him rest. For he surely needed all the rest he could get, she thought.

Jimmy and Cody noticed a certain distraction in everything Rachel did that day. They said nothing, but sometimes gave each other a silent glance.

"I'm really glad to see you boys," Rachel smiled for the millionth time.

"Yeah, like we said, we wanted to see you before we head off to Mexico," Cody said.

"There's really no hurry, so we've decided to stay until Teaspoon gets back with Buck," Jimmy promised, noticing how Rachel seemed to draw a deep sigh in relief.

"That's really kind of you, but you don't have to if you have business to do in Mexico," she spoke.

"Now, it can wait,-" Jimmy began as the door flew open.

"Miss Dunne?" one off the deputies called.

"What is it, Max?" Rachel asked, very confused.
"Where's Teaspoon?"

"He stayed out there, said he had to look for Buck. He won't be back tonight," Max Cherry spoke, breathing heavy from the run over to the station.

"He's still looking? Haven't you found any tracks of Buck?" Rachel asked, still confused, feeling how tears started to flood her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Rachel. We tried, but they were gone. The Indians, I mean," Max continued.

Rachel sighed. Her troubled face alarmed both Cody and Jimmy, who by now had decided to go out after both Buck and Teaspoon.

"Max, is it? Could you show us what direction you rode this morning?" Jimmy asked, Rachel suddenly looking up.

"You ain't goin', are you?!"

"We have to find 'em, Rachel. If they're out there, in the middle of Indian land, they're both in trouble," Jimmy said, Cody nodding.

"He's right, Rachel. We have to find them and bring them home," he said.

Rachel sighed again, looking helplessly on the three faces around her.

"If you ain't back here real soon, I don't know what I'll do!" she suddenly cried.

"Give us… say three or four days, tops," Jimmy smiled, giving her a loose hug.

Deep down both he and Cody knew it could take twice or even three times that long to find a single track of the Indians, but they didn't say anything.

"Alright, let's pack and get ready," Jimmy said calmly, Cody walking ahead of him to the bunkhouse.

Flying Crow sat by Buck's side that following morning, waiting for him to wake up. She had no intentions of waking him up this time, just watched him sleep. There was something peaceful about his face, she noticed, figured it was the medicine that had drugged him, but then maybe he was dreaming? At that moment she wished she was him, so far away from all the trouble and people that hated her. She was very unhappy in the Comanche village where she lived, ever since her family was killed two years earlier. She had never liked the people around her, but her family had always supported her and told her things would get better. And now when she was all alone, she was always told to take care of the injured warriors or cook for her stepfamily, the ones who took her in as their daughter simply because the chief told them to. Flying Crow hated them just like they hated her, and when things were really bad, she could spend hours dreaming she was someone else. Like this morning.

She wanted to live in the White Man's world, see new things and meet new people, but so far she hadn't met anyone who would take her there. She thought she'd be happy there, in some other country perhaps. She wanted to ask the stranger beside her what it was like to live in the White Man's world, but she knew he had to rest too.

Suddenly Buck moaned, looking up at the hides above his head.

"Kiowa?" Flying Crow spoke, carefully stroking his face.

"Flying Crow?" he said, voice dusty.

"Yes, it's me. I'm surprised you remember my name," she smiled.
"How are you feeling?"

"Better, I think… That medicine sure worked," he smiled back lazily, trying to sit up.

"Hey, now. Take it easy, you're not fully recovered yet, you know," she smirked, carefully helping him to lay down again.

"I know," he sighed, spending a minute to think over how he really felt.

His arms were finally starting to function again, at least to a limit. The rest of his body was still weak, but not like his shoulders. They seemed to have carried the weight of the world, stiff and aching. His back still ached when he breathed, but not as bad as before.

"You were lucky, Kiowa. The bullet missed your spine, and your lunges were just barely touched. You'll be okay if you rest," she spoke, Buck feeling his stomach turn at the thought of someone poking around in him. But it was necessary, he realized.

"Why am I here?" he asked suddenly.

"Well… If the warriors hadn't taken you here, you'd be dead by now," she started, realizing by the look in his eyes he wanted a different answer.
"Also, one of the warriors claim you are a coward who didn't help his Indian brothers when they needed him. He says you will fight him. Otherwise you will spend the rest of your life here, and any of the warriors may kill you if you do something wrong. I suppose you know the rules," she said with a low voice.

"I know them. But there was nothing I could do, I didn't mean to get involved," he said calmly, letting the memories play in his head for a moment.

"You must fight him, Kiowa, or you will be killed. I don't want that to happen to you," she pleaded.

"I have a feeling he'll kill me anyway," Buck said morosely, closing his eyes as more pain came through his body.

"You should rest," Flying Crow said, rising.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving you in peace, you need it. But one thing, Kiowa… Tell me your name," she said, letting her face smile at him.

"Buck Cross," he said with a lazy nod.

"That's a very nice name. It's not your Kiowa name, is it?"

"No, that's Running Buck if you must know," he smiled.

She smiled back, looking close to embarrassed.

"I'm very pleased to meet you, Running Buck," she giggled.

"My pleasure," he said, closing his tired eyes again.
"Now it's my turn. How did you know I'm Kiowa?"

"The warrior who accuses you said so. He says he knows you, sort of…"

Buck opened his eyes again, staring up. But it was too late, she had already went out, the flap closing behind her.

CHAPTER 3

"We'll never find Teaspoon, Jimmy!" Cody whined from behind, Jimmy pulling up, then turned around rather irritably.

"Of course we'll find him, Cody. The deputy gave us the right direction, we just have to follow it!"

"I'm not too sure about that, Jimmy. We're awfully close to Comanche land, perhaps we should turn back…?"

"Don't be silly, Cody. Besides, you for one should be used to Indians, right?" Jimmy smirked, letting his horse walk again.

"Sioux. I'm used to Sioux," Cody insisted, an almost teasing smile on his face.

"Whatever, now let's get a move on!" Jimmy said, holding back a chuckle.

Buck spent the rest of the day trying to figure out who that warrior was, the one who accused him. Flying Crow didn't want him to get all upset, therefor didn't tell him anything more. This made him even more upset, but whenever she was around, he pretended to be calm. She took good care of him, he thought, but it all seemed to be forced upon her. He saw hurt in her eyes every now and then, sensed she was aching inside. But she seemed to be a happy woman as well, why he couldn't quite figure out how she was actually feeling. And in a way it didn't seem to be his headache.

"Who is he?" Buck asked for the millionth time, Flying Crow sighing deeply, giving him a hard glare.

"Haven't I told you already you shouldn't worry about that?" she said, turning her gaze back to his wound.
"This is healed soon," she added after a few moments of silence.

She jumped to her feet and gave him a soft smile, like she always did before leaving.

"If you can't tell me who he is, could you tell me if he has something to do with your sadness?" Buck asked instead, feeling he was very - almost too - direct.

"What sadness?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder nervously.

"The one I see in you. The one you try to hide but can't. The sadness you carry inside but won't let out," he said, trying to be understanding.

Flying Crow grew silent, her shoulders stiffening. She remained silent as she turned to the flap.

"I'm not sad," she nearly whispered and stepped outside.

Nightfall, still no sign of Teaspoon. Jimmy sat by the fire sipping coffee, Cody laying on his bedroll with his hat pulled down over his eyes.

"Think Teaspoon is in trouble?" he asked, Jimmy thinking for a moment.

"Nah, why should he be?"

"We haven't seen him all day, or even any tracks, and the deputy said we'd find him here," Cody said, removing his hat from his face.

"No, the deputy said we'd maybe find him here, and if we didn't, we should look closer to the Comanche camp," Jimmy corrected.

"Oh, I think we're close enough!" Cody objected, reaching for the coffee pot.

"Hmm, maybe. But we gotta find 'em, Cody. We can't leave both of them out here and hope they'll make it back alone," he stated, laying down as well.
"We start early tomorrow," he added as he pulled his blanket.

Cody nodded, swallowing some of the dark brew, then put his cup down.

"Early it is," he murmured.

The following morning Buck felt much stronger. Maybe it was because he was so curious to find out who was accusing him of wrongdoings, but he sat up without any worse efforts.

"I'm glad you're feeling better," Flying Crow murmured as she placed a bowl of soup and some bread by his side.

"Look, I'm sorry if I came on a bit strong last night…" Buck started, then paused.

He really didn't know why he was apologizing, he felt he both needed and deserved an answer to his question.

"It's alright," Flying Crow assured with a much too cheerful voice, as she turned back to the flap.

"You leaving already?" he asked as he carefully grabbed the hot bowl with both hands.

"I have chores," she replied, being even shorter in her language than usual.

Buck sipped the soup as he watched her leave. He felt responsible for her behavior, hoped she wasn't that ignorant with everyone else. He decided to try and stand up, therefor placed the bowl back by the fire, then took a deep breath.

He managed to crawl up on his knees before the pain started reminding him of his condition. He waited for a moment before trying again. Standing for the first time in several days, he couldn't help but feel proud of himself. A sudden dizziness brought him back to a sitting position rather abruptly, and he moaned, though mostly at the fact that he wasn't as strong as he hoped.

The flap was immediately thrown aside, Flying Crow rushing inside.

"Are you alright?!" she asked frantically, wide eyes looking him over.

"Um, yeah… Why?" he asked, wondering what was wrong.

"Nothing," she murmured, turning back to the flap.

"Aw, come on. Where you standing outside? I just tried to get up, but I didn't quite make it," he said honestly, Flying Crow slowly turning back to him.

"Better luck next time," she murmured again, walked outside into the morning sunlight.

Buck sighed, wondering how long she would keep acting as if things were alright when they weren't. If she would only tell me what's wrong! he thought angrily, laying down with yet another sigh.

Flying Crow stopped outside as usual. It seemed she was left alone if she just stayed near the Medicine man's teepee, and all she really wanted was privacy. She watched as women with baskets and bowls passed her by, not noticing her eyes following them around. Some warriors passed as well, one of them throwing her an eye, then turned back to the conversation his friends kept. She recognized the warrior. He wasn't from there, he was banned from his real tribe. He was the one accusing Running Buck, she thought. He was the one she had ever really been scared of, an outsider with nothing to lose. Like me, she thought morosely. She then left all those thoughts by the teepee, walked over to her 'family's' home to do some chores of her own.

"Hey, Cody! Look at this!" Jimmy cried, the blonde young man turning to him with keen ears.

"What?"

"I think we found some tracks here, look!"

Cody moved his horse over to where Jimmy stood by a smaller gorge. Some stones were evidently moved and the sand had deep hoof marks.

"Think it's Teaspoon?" Cody asked, bending down to see closer.

A sudden noise from the dry bushes behind them cut Jimmy off as he was about to answer, causing the two o them to turn around.

"Howdy, boys!" Teaspoon called as he emerged from the bushes, jumping of his horse to greet his riders.

"Teaspoon?!" Jimmy cried as he dropped the reins to his horse and approached the older man.

"Hickok!" Teaspoon hollered, smiling widely as he reached out to hug Jimmy.

"Like we've been looking for you!" Cody smiled as he also was embraced by Teaspoon.

"I saw you two last night, but you were too far away. Hell, if I was an Indian warrior, you'd be dead by now!" he smiled, clapping them both on the shoulder.
"What you doin' out here, anyway?"

"Looking for you and Buck. Have you found him yet?" Jimmy asked, suddenly growing serious.

"Nope. I hoped to be luckier today, but so far nothing. Who told you about this little problem anyway? Rachel?"

The two younger men both nodded.

"Thought she would," Teaspoon said, again letting a wide smile pass his lips.
"I'm really glad to see you, boys!"

An hour of again useless tracking discouraged the three, and so they sat down to get some coffee.

"What do you think, Teaspoon?" Cody asked.
"Is he dead?"

Teaspoon sighed, looking across his face, then Jimmy's.

"I don't know, boys. I don't know. We have to find that camp, where ever it is, or we will never get an answer. I guess the best place to look is over the hills that way," he said pointing to his left.

"How do you figure?" Jimmy asked, following his finger.

"There's a river down in that valley you see over there, and it's generally a place good enough for any Indian village. But I might be mistaking, mind you. But it's a start. All the tracks we've found lead that way," Teaspoon spoke.

They sat in silence for awhile, sipping their coffee. The valley Teaspoon spoke of was several miles across the landscape, and even if they had fresh horses it would take at least another day and a half to get there. They would have to climb many hills and steeps gorges, but it would all be worth it if they could find Buck there. Hopefully unharmed. But if they didn't find anything in that valley, then they would have wasted precious time riding, when they could have been tracking in the area where they now were. The dilemma they all knew existed didn't make any difference. They had to go into that valley and find out, otherwise they might regret it later.

The next time Flying Crow entered the Medicine man's teepee, Buck stood in the middle, swaying a bit, but otherwise on his feet. She couldn't help but smile at him as he nearly fell into her arms.

"I told you it would work better the next time," she smiled, helping him to sit down.
"And you won't give up, will you?"

"Not a chance. I gotta be strong tomorrow. Otherwise I don't stand a chance… Who is he?" Buck asked, hoping she'd tell him if she wasn't prepared for the question.

"Come," she spoke silently, motioning for him to follow her to the flap.

"Why?" he asked, but she had already went outside.

He crawled over to the flap and pulled it aside. The camp was full of people, young as well as old. Some seemed to be preparing for lunch, collecting firewood and water, washing up bowls and cutting fresh meat. Some were trying to fix some old weapons that had broken in battle or perhaps out on a hunt, some tended to the dogs and horses. A beautiful dapple gray stallion passed the teepee, held by a warrior with a nasty scar across his face. A few more warriors passed, some riding, some walking. Buck looked across every face carefully, wondering when he'd recognize one of them.

"Is he out here?" he asked Flying Crow who stood beside the teepee.

"Come here, I see him."

Buck sighed at her mysteriousness, struggled for the third time that morning to stand. He managed to get up on his feet quite easily, as his shoulders seemed to be loosing up a bit. But walking…? He hesitated, throwing Flying Crow a serious eye.

"Okay, I'll help you!" she smiled, walking to his side.

She took his left arm and carefully led him over to the spot where she just stood.

"Now, who is it you've been talking about?" Buck asked for the last time, hoping she'd tell him and not let him guess.

"Look there," she said, pointing toward a group of warriors.

Buck looked across their faces, still not recognizing anyone. Not until one man stepped aside and another one appeared behind him. His face and features was vaguely familiar, and it all became much more clear as Flying Crow began to speak.

"There he is. Right there in the middle. He's the one who's accusing you, and he's the one you'll fight tomorrow. He came to our camp a few years ago, said he had been banned from his Sioux camp. I don't know why, but the Lakota chief turned his back on him apparently. So, our chief welcomed him, and now he's fighting among our braves instead. He's called Black Wolf."

CHAPTER 4

Buck sat quiet the rest of the day, no longer concerned about Flying Crow's sadness. His own was enough.

"Perhaps you should eat something?" she tried, but he just grunted at her offer without looking at her.

He kept his eyes turned at the hide wall, apathy written all over him.

"Running Buck, please?" she tried again, but no response.
"What's wrong? Are you nervous about tomorrow?"

He turned to her suddenly, staring at her innocent face for a moment.

"No. I'm way beyond nervous," he replied silently.

"Why? You weren't before," she stated, handing him a piece of bread.

"You don't understand this, Flying Crow," he said simply, finally accepting the food.

"Why don't I?"

"Because…"

He didn't know how to explain it to her. He looked at the wall again, silently eating the bread she had made him that morning.

"Running Buck, you can make it, I know you can," she said with a gentle smile, carefully placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I sure hope so…" he sighed, looking down at his hands.

She smiled again, rose to her feet and left him alone to prepare for the next morning's adventures.

"Think we'll get there tomorrow?" Cody asked, gazing out over the hills and valleys in front o them.

"Depends, the horses tire easily in this terrain," Teaspoon replied, though it was obvious to all of them.

"As long as we get there before it's too late," Jimmy sighed, sipping his hot coffee.

They sat in silence, all absorbing the scents of the summer, listening to the sounds of the wild. Though they had been riding both hard and long, the valley Teaspoon spoke of seemed miles away. They could still see it, the sun hadn't quite set by the horizon. The river that led through the valley from the east shone in all kinds of colors, reflecting the giant glowing ball above it.

"We'll find him, boys, you got my word on that," Teaspoon promised, pouring the rest of his coffee into the fading flames of the fire.

The morning came quicker than Buck had wished. He was tired and knowing what was expected of him didn't make it any better. He knew the fight wouldn't take place until noon, but the time seemed to fly. An hour before the big event, a warrior and Flying Crow entered the Medicine man's teepee.

"Are you ready?" she asked, leaving her companion by the flap.

"Is it time?" he asked morosely, eyeing the man who stood quiet behind them.

"Not yet. I have something for you," she said, pulling out a beaded headband from her dress sleeve.
"I used bright colors so the spirits will see you," she smiled, placing the item in his hands.

Buck looked at it for a long moment, left hand briefly touching the red and yellow beads.

He looked up, letting her take it and place it on his forehead.

"Like I thought, it looks good on you," she smiled, tying it behind his head.

Despite her attempts to bring his mood up a bit, he seemed sad and highly discouraged.

"I have to help the women now, but I will see you at the fight," she said, rising.
"Standing Fox will escort you when it's time," she explained as she stepped outside.

A sudden call from outside made Standing Fox turn around and open the flap. He went outside, and to Buck's surprise Black Wolf came in.

"One of the women told me to give you this," he said with a smirk.

He handed Buck some incense, then sat down on the opposite side of the fire with a confident look on his face.

"What do you want?" Buck asked as he lit the incense.

"Just wanted to see you once before I redecorate you face," Black Wolf said, still smiling his confident grin.

"Now you've seen what there is to see," Buck mumbled as he let the smelly smoke from the incense touch his face.

"Maybe. But I haven't said what there is to say," Black Wolf announced, snatching the incense.

He repeated what Buck just did, inhaling the smoke with a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, he looked at Buck with a frown.

"I suppose you wonder why I'm doing this," he said, Buck shaking his head.

"Not really. But it's not necessary, I and Eagle Feather never walked the same path," he said calmly.

"You really think I care about that? You took her from me, and you destroyed my life, that is reason enough for a fight."

"We fought once already, when have you had enough?" Buck asked, a sudden anger rising in him.

"When you're dead! So, after today I'll be more than satisfied," he smirked, handing over the incense again.

Buck lowered his gaze, looking down at his hands. He sighed deeply and looked up again, hoping Black Wolf would have gone.

"You live because of me, you know," the Sioux warrior triumphed with yet another self-confident smile.

Buck gave him a curious glare, trying to read his face for any signs of humor.

"I saw you lay there by that gorge, all bloody and woozy. I was going to leave you at first, when I recognized who you were, but then another warrior saw you. I decided to try and help you, and apparently it worked," he spoke calmly, Buck staring at him angrily.

"You planned this all along?!" he roared, just as Standing Fox entered the teepee again.

"Maybe… Maybe not…" Black Wolf grinned as he rose and left.

Buck was both puzzled and angry at the same time. Sure, Black Wolf had saved his life, but apparently only to get the satisfaction of killing him himself, he thought morosely.

Standing Fox said something in Comanche, waving at him to come outside. It was time.

In the center of the camp, a circle of smaller rocks and stones had been made. Around it Comanche warriors, women, elders and children had gathered to watch the fight. Buck looked up at them with his jaw set, eyes full of anger. He was lightly pushed into the circle by Standing Fox, grinning at the pain that rose up his neck. Black Wolf entered the circle from the opposite side, waving at him to come closer.

"Let's get this over with, shall we, Kiowa?" he smirked, forming his hands into tight fists.

Buck glanced over his shoulder at the sound of a woman screaming something in Comanche. It was Flying Crow.

"Running Buck! You can do this, I know you can! Give him all you got!" she smiled at him, just as Buck saw in the corner of his eye how Black Wolf ran against him.

Flying Crow tried to follow the fight, but the two young men tumbled over each other, with fists and kicking feet hitting one another violently. She kept her mouth shut, though she was screaming on the inside at the sight of the two. She held her breath as Black Wolf suddenly rose and watched Buck from a distance. He wasn't moving, causing Flying Crow to think - and almost hope - that it was already over.

As Buck finally started to crawl closer to the rocks surrounding them, Black Wolf took a few steps closer. He breathed heavily, was going to say something when Buck grabbed his leg and pulled him down.

Once again they were like two snakes fighting over a bird's egg, kicking, screaming and throwing fists at each other.

"Come on, Running Buck!" Flying Crow shouted, trying to reach above the low murmur in the crowd.

"You are dead, Kiowa!" Black Wolf squirmed, gripping at Buck's throat.

Buck remained silent, focusing on the fighting part instead. He knew he was beginning to lose his breath, hoped that was the case for his opponent as well. Receiving a hard blow to his left jaw, he saw stars for a moment. Black Wolf once again rose to his shaky feet and watched from a few feet's distance.

The spectators suddenly ceased their low conversations, all looking at the again motionless Kiowa.

"Have you given up?" Black Wolf breathed, watching himself carefully so he wouldn't make the same mistake again as he approached his opponent.

Buck moaned as he pulled himself across the rocky ground, finding it nearly impossible to breath, his heart thudding hard in his chest. He reached with his left hand for a larger rock to hold on to, hoping it would help him to rise. Black Wolf realized what his opponent was up to, stepped heavily on his left wrist to prevent it.

Buck screamed as his arm broke against the rock, then bit his lip. He had to get away, Black Wolf was so much stronger!

Teaspoon led his two riders towards what it seemed the millionth gorge.

"Aren't we there yet?" Cody pleaded, throwing a tired eye at the rocks on the ground.
"I'm all sore and I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry, Cody, stop whinin'!" Jimmy growled, Teaspoon sighing deeply.

"I know what you mean, son, but I'm afraid it's gonna take us until tomorrow before we get there," he said, turning away to miss the look on the blonde riders face.

"Tomorrow? You said it would take us a day and a half, we been ridin' since sunup!" he cried, then looked up to see the hot sun on the middle of the sky.

"It just took a few extra hours, there's nothing we can do about it," Teaspoon stated calmly, letting his somewhat tired horse climb up the gorge.

"But still, I'm hungry," Cody said, throwing Jimmy a lazy eye, expecting more sarcasm.

"Alright, we can stop over there by those small trees, that'll be the only shade we'll find until the sun sets," Teaspoon agreed, pointing them in the right direction.

They rode slowly toward the shaded spot Teaspoon had chosen, landed heavily on the ground as they got there. They made themselves a fire, drank some coffee and ate the little they had left. It was never their intention to be out this long, and the sandwiches and beef jerky was beginning to slowly but safely disappear. The further they rode the longer the way back, Jimmy thought, wishing they'd soon find Buck and head for Rock Creek. He sighed as he looked out over the hills in direction of the valley, for a moment wondering if they'd ever get there. He could see the shadows of so many more gorges and ridges before the valley, praying the horses would make it, stay upright despite the hard terrain. If they didn't, it would mean the end of their journey and possibly also the end for Buck. Where the hell is he?!

Flying Crow watched what happened only a few feet away with wide eyes and dry throat. She had been screaming and shouting like the other women and warriors around the circle, but now she had decided she had to at least try and help Running Buck, or he would soon be finished.

She stepped into the circle silently, no one noticing her. Black Wolf held Buck with a firm grip around his neck, shaking him despite the screams and cries the Kiowa made, all in hopelessness and pain. As he finally let the body of Buck fall to the ground, he stopped up to calm his heart and breath for a moment. Flying Crow saw her chance, picked up a rock from the ground. Still it seemed no one could see her, they were all too excited about Black Wolf's next move. She raised the rock, right as Buck screamed again. He had seen her, tried to make Black Wolf look at him instead of at his crowd.

Flying Crow threw the rock at Black Wolf, who caught it in his chest. She cursed him with words Buck had never heard anywhere before, then lowered herself to pick up yet another rock. Black Wolf turned to her angrily, as he crawled in the dust, knocked down by the force in the blow.

"Flying Crow! Step aside and leave this traitor to me!" he demanded as he rose.

She shook her head with a firm face, stepping in between him and Running Buck.

"If you want someone to beat with your filthy hands and kick with your cursed feet, I am the one," she said calmly, though stern.

Buck looked on from behind her, for an enchanting moment forgetting the pain he felt, just stared at Flying Crow.

"You ignorant woman, step aside!" Black Wolf ordered, one hand searching for the aching rib where the stone had hit him.

"Let him go, he didn't do what you say. He is Running Buck, a Kiowa brave you should be fearing instead of fighting, respect instead of hating," she said, then paused for a moment.
"But me, on the other hand, you can both disrespect and fight if you wish, it wouldn't make any difference, but to beat an already injured and weak brave of your own brotherly blood is like shooting the horse that saves you from your enemies!" she spitted at him.

Black Wolf was stunned by her speech, didn't even notice Buck who was now struggling to get up. He slowly returned to his senses, threw himself at the woman in front of him, who cried out a Comanche war scream as she let the rock in her hand land heavily on the top of Black Wolf's scull.

He fell silently to the ground, the whole village ceasing all conversations and motions. She had defeated him, the woman they all knew as the silent Flying Crow, the one who never even looked up at passing people, just lived in her own dark world.

Flying Crow herself turned to Buck rapidly, placing herself under his right arm to lead him out of the circle. They continued through the crowd, where no one dared to stand in their way. She headed toward the Medicine man's teepee, Buck trying desperately to keep up with her strong pace.

"Flying Crow, why did you do it?" he asked, but she shook her head.

"Come, we must leave. He will follow us, and if he finds us we're as good as dead," she spoke, pulling him with her, out of the village and up the hill.

CHAPTER 5

"Where are we going?" Buck asked between two heavy breaths, as they ran side by side up the hill.

"I know a place where we can hide. Black Wolf doesn't know it exists, he'll never find us there," Flying Crow answered, eyes fixing on the landscape they now saw over the top of the hill.

"It? There?" Buck frowned, stopping for a brief moment to catch his breath.

"It's a cave. Now, come on!" she ushered, pulling his right arm.

They continued to run, the terrain shifting from uphill to downhill, sometimes rocky, sometimes grassy. Buck made some smaller attempts to make her stop, but was unable to make her see how tired he was.

"Where is this cave?" he asked, pulling her sleeve.
"Please, stop," he added with a pleading tone.

"We must continue, Black Wolf is after us. Look!" she pointed down the hill, showing him a cloud of dust about a mile away, probably made by a horse running fast.

"You sure it's him?" Buck breathed.

"It has to be. No one else would care if I left. It's him, and he'll kill us! Now, run!" she demanded, pulling his arm again.

"Teaspoon, look!" Cody shouted from ahead, pointing at the smoke coming from the valley a few miles straight in front of them.

"It's a village, alright!" Jimmy smiled, pushing his horse to go faster down the steep hillside.

"Maybe, but we still have to go around that gorge over there," Teaspoon said, pointing at a steep and wide black river that went right through the landscape.

"Damn, we'll never get to that valley!" Jimmy cried, turning with a frown to Teaspoon.

"We'll get there, son. We're closer now than ever before, just give it the time it takes to go around that gorge and we'll go into that valley and we'll get Buck back. I promised you before, and I intend to keep that promise," Teaspoon smiled, clapping Jimmy friendly on the shoulder.

"Sure hope you're right," Jimmy mumbled.

"Are you absolutely sure Buck's in that village?" Cody asked with a slight frown, Teaspoon looking a bit bewildered.

"Where else would he be?" he spoke after a silent moment.

Deep inside he knew he might be putting his hopes a bit high, and the others' too, but he also felt there was something about that valley, and he was bound to find out exactly what. So help me God, he thought, giving his horse the reins and went after the other two riders.

Buck sighed deeply the next time he stopped, cradled his injured arm against his chest. Flying Crow stopped a few feet ahead, spun around irritably.

"Running Buck, he'll catch up with us!" she cried, waving at him to continue.

"I can't run any further!" he cried back, knees buckling under him.

"By the great wind from the North, Running Buck!" she spoke, approaching him slowly.
"I didn't think you were a quitter, but you just proved me wrong."

Buck looked up at her lazily. His heart pounded hard, lunges about to burst with strain. He truly was exhausted, thirsty beyond his own imagination, and by now bruises and swellings started to appear all over his body. But despite that, he knew she was right.

"I really didn't think I was stronger than you, Running Buck," she said with a smirk, crouching beside him.

"I know what you're doing, and I don't like it," he said, wiping at his sweaty forehead.

"Give me some credit, I'm just making you angry enough to make you run a little bit further," she smiled, carefully placing a soft hand on his left shoulder.
"Now, come on. The cave isn't very far away, and guess what? I have blankets and firewood there, and longer inside it you can collect ice-cold water from the walls. We are safe there, for a little while. At least for tonight," she explained as she helped him to stand up again.

"Sounds lovely," he mumbled, didn't even care about how she knew they were safe.

"Let's go, before he gets us," she spoke as she started to walk.

It seemed to take forever before Flying Crow suddenly turned against some smaller birches surrounded by bushes, called for him to follow.

"Here it is," she spoke with a relieved smile, looking over her shoulder, making sure Black Wolf was nowhere in sight.
"I would never have found it unless I followed a deer one day when I was walking around here. You can't see it unless you know it's there," she smiled.

Buck gave her a weary eye, sighing as she pulled some of the bushes aside, revealing a small entrance.

"It's practically like entering the hill," she smiled as she disappeared into the darkness.

Buck followed reluctantly, moaning as he had to bend his sore back to get in. Well inside, he realized that a hole in the dirt ceiling spread sunlight on basically every little rock, at least in the first 'chamber' of the cave. Under the hole, Flying Crow had already made a circle of stones, in which there was ashes from a previous fire. She continued into the darker area of the cave, returning with her arms full of branches and some matches.

"I traded these for some beads, when I ran into a white tradesman last season," she answered to his unspoken question.

She placed the branches by the circle, then got up again to fetch the blankets she had mentioned earlier. She placed the only bedroll by the stones, motioning for him to come over there and lay down.

"You must rest, we leave before dawn."

He carefully lay down on the bedroll, moaning again.

"Let's take a look at you," she spoke, moving closer to him.

"What's there to see?" he wondered, Flying Crow carefully unbuttoning his shirt.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," she smiled, looking over his reddening torso.

She remained silent until she was finished, then rose to fetch a bowl which she filled with water from an underground stream. She returned to his side, started to wipe dust and sweat from his face.

"You must be tired," she spoke to break the awkward silence.

"What about you?" he asked back, looking at her pale face.
"You look tired too."

"It's not bad, I'm worried about you," she spoke, placing a piece of buckskin soaked in the truly ice-cold water on his forehead.
"I'll get some more water, you need to drink or you'll dehydrate," she added, Buck gripping her wrist.

"Can you promise me you'll drink as well?" he pleaded, letting go of her slowly.

"Of course," she smiled.
"I'm dying with thirst!"

Finally getting somewhere, all the three riders felt better about the situation they were in. As they found a spot where they could easily cross the gorge, they did so and headed quickly toward the valley behind the big hill in front of them. Cody rode a few paces ahead, letting the other two know whenever they had to be extra careful.

"Looks like it's a clear way toward that village now, Teaspoon!" he called, pulling up to await his companions.

"Son, stop for a minute," Teaspoon called back.

"What is it?" Cody asked, Jimmy frowning once again.

"Don't tell me we gotta do something else that will slow us down! Like riding around the hill or walk the last mile," he cried.

"I'm sorry, boys, but we can't ride right into that village, if there is one," Teaspoon said, pausing for a moment before continuing.
"It might be a good thing setting camp here, we're almost too close to their land as it is…"

"No way, Teaspoon! We got this far now and Buck needs us!" Jimmy said, giving the older man an angry face.

"Jimmy, Cody… if you really wanna ride straight into the arms of a Comanche village, be my guest. But I'm staying here for tonight, and I suggest you do the same, for your own sake," he said, nodding sternly to prove his point.

Cody sighed deeply, Jimmy giving up a moan in anger.

"Okay, I'm stayin' too," Cody said silently, Jimmy dismounting.

"Then let's get some work done, I'm starved!" he said, a slight smirk passing his lips.

"Running Buck?" Flying Crow called softly, Buck opening his eyes slowly.
"You fell asleep," she smiled.

"I'm so tired, I'm sorry…" he whispered, attempting to sit up.

"I hate to wake you like this, but I have to do something about that arm of yours," she said, Buck glancing at his now swollen and very tender limb that rested on his chest.

"It'll hurt, won't it?" he asked, though he knew the answer.

"Yes, but it really depends on how bad it's injured," she said, carefully gripping his left elbow.
"Now, let me see."

Buck half-screamed, jerking his arm back, giving her a wild eye.

"I'm being careful," she smiled at his behavior, again taking a soft grip of the arm.

Buck hesitantly let her place the aching arm on the bedroll beside him. He stared at her with concerned eyes, and after a moment she looked up to meet them.

"You don't have a habit of trusting people, do you?" she spoke, turning back to his arm, looking it over closely.

"Why?" he asked, biting his lip so he wouldn't scream as she moved his injured limb.

"I just see it in your eyes, you don't really trust me. You think I'm going to hurt you, don't you?"

He looked at her for a long moment, pleased that she had stopped twisting and turning his arm over and over, now let it rest along his side. He didn't know what to answer, only half of what she said was true. He didn't quite trust her, but he knew she couldn't hurt him. Or…?

"Flying Crow, I,-" he began, the Indian woman placing a finger across her lips.

"Be quiet now, I have to twist the bones a bit," she spoke, Buck's eyes widening.
"It's alright, I've done it before. It will hurt, but when it's over you'll feel much better."

Buck took a deep breath, staring her in the eyes. She knew what she was doing, and he was basically ready to do anything to lose some of the pain, if so only for a minute.

"You sure?" he asked, Flying Crow taking a firm and quite painful grip of his wrist.

She nodded, appeared to be concentrating.

"Lay back now, it's over in a second," she said, waited until he fell against the bedroll with a sigh of both pain and fear.

As she did her best to twist the broken bone fast and effective, he closed his eyes and bit his lip again. He saw images of places he had never been, dreamt he was somewhere else. He could hear himself scream, but it didn't feel like it was him at all. Bright stars appeared in front of his closed eyelids, made him dizzy. In the middle of all that, he heard Flying Crow's voice,

"It's finished, Running Buck."

He opened his eyes hesitantly, looked at her with a face even paler than before, though a sense of gratitude flowed from it.

"I'm just gonna support it with some branches and it's all done," she spoke with a smile, touching his face gently.
"You should rest now, I'm going out to make sure the entrance is hidden correctly."

"You should sleep too," he managed to get over his dry lips, the young woman again letting her hand touch his face.

"I'll be okay," she promised.
"I'll see if Black Wolf has camped anywhere near us when I'm anyway out there."

She started to pick out what branches to use for his arm, as Buck dozed off again. A few minutes later, he was fast asleep for the second time that afternoon.

CHAPTER 6

Buck woke with a start, looking around frantically. The cave was empty, a small fire burning beside him. For a moment he just wondered what he was doing there, but forgot all about that when an acute pain in his left arm made him turn his gaze down at the piece of leather it was wrapped in. Four smaller branches kept the broken bone fixed, and his headband was now serving as what held the package together. He couldn't move it, and didn't want to either. Right hand pulled the blanket up over his shoulders again, as he lay down on the bedroll. Minutes later Flying Crow came back inside the cave, more firewood in her arms.

"How are you?" she asked as she sat down, still panting a little.

"Not too good," was the weak response, and she immediately reached for the bowl of water by the fire.

"Drink a little, you look like you need it. I did my best with the arm, but you must keep it still. At least until we can figure out a better bandage," she said, a smile on her face like always.

Buck drank, then sat up with some effort.

"Flying Crow? I was kinda wondering if you could tell me something…" he began, then looked down at the ground for a moment.

"Yes?"

"When we left the village, you said the only one who would care if you left was Black Wolf. I wonder why," he said directly, looking up at her now falling face.

She was silent for a long minute, then looked up to meet his pleading eyes.

"Okay, I'll tell you. I if you tell me something. What's between you and Black Wolf? I mean, he said he knew you and still he wished to fight you. Why?"

Buck held his breath. It was a long story, and nothing he wanted to talk about. He exhaled loudly, giving her a tired eye.

"Okay, it's a deal. But you start," he said, falling back into a comfy position, a slight smirk on his face as she gave him a hard eye in good humor.

She sighed, then began to tell her story.

"So now you know," she said, finally finished after almost an hour.

"He raped you?!" Buck spat, staring her straight in the face.

She nodded silently, eyes downcast, hands squeezing each other as she moved uncomfortably.

"Tried to rape me. He said I had to marry him, that I was 'in the right age' and all," she started with tearful eyes.
"And no one cared, so I was all alone. Then one night he forced himself on me… And now he'll kill us both for escaping him."

Buck looked around a bit nervously, wondering what to say. It was obvious nothing he did could ease her pain, but still he felt he owed her something as she had told him about it. He reached out to touch her shoulder, and though she for a moment felt she wanted to shy away, she allowed him to do it.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered, pulling his hand back.

She wiped at her tears and gave him a calm eye.

"Just tell me why he hates you so much, I doubt he's raped you," she said, attempting a smile.

Buck chuckled.

"No, but… I more or less stole his woman," he began, then told her the whole story.

Several hours passed, and they both knew they ought to get some sleep before dawn. With Black Wolf camped below the hill, which Flying Crow had seen when outside the cave, they had to get going before the sun was fully up, or they would be spotted.

Buck lay down on the bedroll with a deep sigh. He still felt sorry for Flying Crow, though she begged him not to be. He couldn't get over the fact of what Black Wolf had done, and looking into the tortured eyes of the Comanche woman he had grown pretty close to, he felt both disgust and anger, all directed at the Sioux warrior on their trail.

A sudden chill went down his spine as he realized Flying Crow lay down on his right arm.

"You don't mind, do you?" she asked, placing a hand on his stomach.
"This is the only bedroll, you know."

Buck couldn't help but smile. He murmured a response, then closed his eyes. He was tired, knew she was too, and only wanted to get some sleep.

Long after he had turned in, Flying Crow was still awake. He was dreaming something far away, didn't notice her head shifting to lay on his chest and her hand moving along his side. With a content smile upon her face, she closed her eyes and drifted off as well.

"Running Buck! Wake up, we have to get going!" she called, pulling his arm.

Buck looked up, drowsy and stiff.

"What?"

"Come on! It's almost sunup, Black Wolf will wake up any minute!"

Buck looked around, again pondering what he was doing there, then slowly but safely rose to a sitting position.

"My muscles are like wood," he stated with a weariness Flying Crow hadn't seen in long, despite her many years nursing the braves.

"Then I will carry you if I have to, come on!" she ushered, heading or the mouth of the cave.

They moved as fast as they could, but both knew they were tiring in the same tempo.

"Please, Running Buck, we have to hurry! I know a white town not too far from here, if we get there Black Wolf won't dare to follow us!" she said, Buck nodding, trying to keep up with her brisk walk, left arm carefully pressed against his chest.

"I know it too. Rock Creek. I have friends there, they'll help us. But it's a lot farther than it seems. I'm sure you know that, those hills over there are too steep to climb fast," Buck said, panting as he stopped to catch his breath.
"I could never make it," he added, though to silently for Flying Crow to hear.

"Then I suggest we hurry over there, before Black Wolf wakes up."

She continued to half-run through the high buffalo-grass, not daring turn back. Buck tugged at her sleeve several times, but she wouldn't stop.

Buck felt his legs bend under him, called for Flying Crow to wait. To his surprise, and also relief, she sank to the ground beside him.

"I'm so tired and hungry!" she suddenly whined, laying down on her back.

"That makes two of us. Rock Creek should be another five miles from here, at least if we follow the stream. It could be a slight bit closer if we head straight through the forests over there, below that hill," he said, pointing to the East.

"Right now I couldn't go through any forest, below any hill," Flying Crow admitted, not even bothering to look up.

Buck lay down as well, allowing himself to close his eyes, knowing he'd probably fall asleep if they stayed there long enough.

"I never understood how much you actually wanted to leave the Comanches before," he suddenly spoke.

"And now you do?" she asked, still staring at the dark sky above them, trying to rest her tired muscles a bit.

"After last night I do. Everything suddenly makes sense, all the pieces in place. I just wished I understood sooner, so I could have helped you. Now I'm just running with my tail between my legs, like some scared old dog. If I just knew sooner…" he trailed off, eyes still shut, thoughts drifting.

The sound of Flying Crow rising didn't reach him before she walked up to him.

"Running Buck, we should move again," she said, looking down at him with her lips curled into a smile, right as a horse came galloping up the hill.

"Wise decision!" Black Wolf called with a grin, jumping down from his horse.

Buck rose as fast as he could, though it seemed to take forever before he stood between Flying Crow and the Sioux warrior.

"Let her go, Black Wolf! She's not yours, and she never will be!" he hollered, the man before him pulling out a knife.

"We'll see!" he spoke through clenched teeth, striking at Buck, who fell to the ground again.

Flying Crow watched with horror how the two men rolled over each other in the grass, both screaming and growling. She turned away, looking at the horizon, trying to distract herself, so the sounds of the fight wouldn't sound so terrible.

She instantly turned back as Buck screamed out, and Black Wolf seemed to be rising.

"Ha! I never thought you were that bad a fighter!" the Sioux laughed, scorning eyes at the squirming Buck on the ground.

He tenderly held his injured arm, which was now aching even worse after Black Wolf's beating. Slowly, pain racking through ever muscle, he stood, once again confronting his opponent.

Before he knew it, he was laying face down in the grass, Black Wolf beating his back. The knife hit him several times, but not deep enough to hurt him severely.

Flying Crow looked on as Buck managed to roll over, Black Wolf still on top of him. She looked around for a rock, but found none. To her surprise the fighters soon silenced, Black Wolf rising, carefully wiping at his sore face. With a single move, he kicked Buck over the edge of the hill, causing him to roll downwards in a fast tempo.

Flying Crow backed away wearily, horrified eyes following every move of the Sioux. She noticed a patch of blood on his stomach, pointed at it with a shaking finger.

"You're bleeding…" she nearly whispered, not knowing if she should be happy about it or not.

Black Wolf looked down at his body, at first cautiously, then with a wide smile.

"It's not my blood," he grinned, throwing himself at her.

Teaspoon awoke with a start, instantly alarmed by screams nearby. He shook his companions awake, rose to look. It was close to dawn, but the sun was still far from fully up. It was too dark to see exactly what it was, but he saw something happening up on the hill right above their camp.

"Boys, check that out," he said, pointing at the body tumbling down the hill.

It stopped rolling, only a few yards away, Jimmy running to look.

He collected the screaming person in his arms, looking over his face closely. Buck had no idea who it was that had come to his rescue, and it didn't matter either.

"Flying Crow!" he screamed, trying to fight against the pain and blackness.

"Teaspoon! You're not gonna believe this! It's Buck!" Jimmy called, the other two coming closer.

"Son? Easy now, you're alright," Teaspoon soothed, Jimmy carefully letting him lay down on the ground.

He felt nothing for a long moment, then again screamed her name. The numbness in his body wouldn't go away, and by now he couldn't help himself anymore. Screaming on the very top of his lunges, he desperately tried to stay awake.

"Jimmy! You and I go up the hill to see what's going on, and Cody - you stay here with Buck. See if he's injured," the older man ordered, heading up the grassy hillside with Jimmy close behind him.

Flying Crow kicked and hit at Black Wolf, screaming out her fear in Comanche. This didn't stop the Sioux, more pushed him to strike at her, beat at her body. She felt his hands by her neck, tearing at her dress. Fortunately, it was made out of buckskin, and therefor didn't get torn. Flying Crow suffered a few marks at her chest and neck from his clutching hands, which caused her to scream even higher.

Teaspoon and Jimmy came with their guns drawn, aiming at the Indian man standing over the panicking woman, hollering for him to back away.

Black Wolf looked up, surprised to find anyone else there.

"Get off of her, or I'll place a bullet right between your eyes," Teaspoon stated calmly.

Black Wolf wasn't stupid, therefor reluctantly stepped aside, Flying Crow again screaming as Jimmy knelt by her side. He tried to soothe her, but she was too scared to care about his words. His very presence was threatening and alarming. All her instincts told her so.

"Now, I suggest you get the hell outa here, before I get real sore at ya!" Teaspoon said, still waving the gun at the Indian he could only guess was about to rape the woman by his side. Black Wolf remained silent, taking a few unsure steps to the side.

Suddenly he wretched himself at Teaspoon, crying out in anger. Teaspoon struck his temple with the gun, the Indian falling unconscious to the ground.

"Take her and get out of here!" he ordered Jimmy, who obeyed instantly.

"What you gonna do?"

"Make sure he won't try and follow us, by chasing off his horse. His people will find him and bring him back, if they decide he's worth the attention…" Teaspoon grunted angrily, walking over to the horse standing a few feet away.

Cody left Buck's side as the two en came down the hill, a woman in Jimmy's arms.

"What happened?" he asked, trying to define if his friends were hurt, but it was too dark.

"Tell you later. Now, how's Buck?" Teaspoon spoke, following Cody to the spot where their long gone Kiowa friend had passed out minutes ago.

"He's been hurt, there's blood. And his arm looks a bit funny, I think it's been splinted."

"Alright, let's break camp and get back to Rock Creek immediately, they both need some medical attention," Teaspoon said, walking over to the fire, instantly gripping his bedroll and started to collect all of his things.

CHAPTER 7

By nightfall that same day, three horses made their way up to the stationhouse of Rock Creek in a fast pace. Teaspoon was the first to touch ground, taking the still unconscious woman from Jimmy's arms. Rachel came out on the porch, sick with worry rushing to meet them.

"What's happened?!" she exclaimed, looking over their faces, trying to see if they were hurt.

The unfamiliar woman in Teaspoon's arms caused a frown on her face, as she questioningly turned to Buck. He was leaning against Cody's back, moaning slightly though pretty much out cold.

"We don't know for sure, Rachel. One of us has to get doc, these two needs to be looked over," the older man said, heading inside the house.

Jimmy and Cody helped get Buck inside as well, Rachel still standing with a questioning frown. She went after them, Cody rushing past her as soon as Buck was placed in a cot in her spare bedroom.

"I'm getting doc," he said, Rachel nodding, still a bit confused.

She moved over to Buck's side, Teaspoon and Jimmy sitting on the other side of the room, by the Indian woman's side. Rachel stroked Buck's hair back from his bruised face, looking down on his still bleeding body.

"Who could have done this to them?" she whispered, Teaspoon sighing deeply behind her.

Doctor Wilder came shortly, examined the injured, then stepped out on the porch.

"Where do I begin…?" he sighed, the four people gathered around him staring back.
"The woman is basically shocked, and has suffered a few cracked ribs. Then just a collection of bruises and smaller cuts. Buck, on the other hand, is hurt quite bad. He's been shot in the back, but the wound is at least a few days old and has been treated very good. But he appears to have lost quite a lot of blood, and the stab wounds he has on his chest and arms aren't helping. Then his left arm is broken in one spot, about an inch below the wrist. Also, he has hit his head, and unfortunately he's not responding to his own name."

A sudden silence landed over their heads, all of them glancing at each other, shuffling their feet for a moment.

"I have stitched both of them up, and their wounds are properly dressed for now, but they need to stay still in bed, no matter what. At least until I say otherwise. I'll be back tomorrow morning, first thing, and don't hesitate to come for me if they get worse," doc Wilder concluded, stepping off the porch, heading for his horse.

Teaspoon followed him, Rachel walking inside, closely tailed by Jimmy and Cody.

The night passed slowly, the four of them taking turns watching over Buck and the mysterious woman. They seemed to be comfortable where they lay, none of them moaning or moving at all.

When the morning finally came, the doctor arrived like he had promised. He instantly walked inside Rachel's house, and didn't come back out until around lunch.

"I have good news," was the first thing he said.

"Are they going to be okay?" Cody asked, Jimmy jumping up on the porch behind him, wanted to hear as well.

"The woman is awake. Now, she's confused and scared, so she could sure use some company. She's asking about Buck, and she appears to be quite worried.

"Can I go in?" Rachel asked, doc Wilder nodding.

"Just be careful with her, I don't think she's ever seen a bedroom before," doc spoke as the blonde woman entered her home.

As she came inside the spare room where Buck and the young woman were, she first couldn't believe the changes on Flying Crow's face. She had been so pale and weak the other night, and now her cheeks were pinkish and the rest of her skin was beginning to gain its usual tanned color. Despite the bruises she looked strong and was very much recovering.

At first she didn't know what to say, and the woman kept her big dark eyes on Buck. She didn't bother to look at Rachel, wasn't interested in anything else but to know how her brave friend was doing. The white medicine man hadn't said much, and she had been ordered to stay in bed. Not daring to defy him, she hadn't left the cot, and was now sitting up with her legs crossed and head held high. She stared at Buck's face, remembering every move of the first fight between him and Black Wolf in the camp, then how the same man had again fought him, beaten him black and blue.

"Hi," Rachel dared, walking closer to the woman's bed.

Flying Crow turned suddenly to meet the blonde woman's worried eyes, and she saw how Rachel was afraid to approach her.

"Who are you?" she asked, Rachel sighing with relief, now knowing this woman knew English, which would make it a whole lot easier.

"My name's Rachel Dunne, what's yours?" she replied softly, still a bit weary of the Indian woman's intense looks.

"I am Flying Crow. Are we in a white town?"

Rachel nodded, again taking a few steps closer, still quite impressed with her fast recovery. Her voice was strong and her language correct.

"It's called Rock Creek, and this is my house. I assume you know Buck?" she said, sitting down on a chair between the two beds.

"Running Buck saved me from Black Wolf. He was the one who did that to him," Flying Crow spoke, again looking over at Buck, wishing he's wake up and tell her he was okay.

"Running Buck, huh?" Rachel smiled, turning to him and touched his left hand.

It was bandaged to the elbow, now properly splinted, resting along his left side on the coverlet. His chest was also bandaged, and both upper arms had smaller bandages, covering the stab wounds from Black Wolf's knife. He hadn't moved all night, which worried Rachel, and she was pretty sure they were all worried, just they didn't show it.

"How well do you know him?" Rachel had to ask.

"Not too well. He came to our camp only a few suns ago, shot by white men. I took care of him, and I followed him when he left," was the short reply from Flying Crow, who decided to keep the details a secret for now, not knowing who this woman calling herself Rachel Dunne was to Running Buck.

"I see. I used to know him, many years ago. He left here, and I wondered what happened to him. I thought maybe you and him knew each other well…" Rachel said, realizing her voice nearly faded away as she trailed off.

Flying Crow spent the rest of the day in bed, looking at Buck almost every moment before the sunset. She was still both weak and tired, though she did her best to stay awake and keep an eye on her friend. The bed she rested in was quite comfortable, and thanks to Rachel and the others she was content with her first day in the white world. They all spoke to her as if she was dangerous somehow, but she ignored it, just smiled and acted as friendly as she could.

Eating was hard, as she had never used a fork before. Rachel allowed her to use her fingers if she wanted to, but was amazed over the fact that Flying Crow wanted to learn how to use the new tool as soon as possible.

New words came up all the time. She tried to memorize them at first, but soon they were too many to keep in mind. Rachel offered to write them down for her, but soon realized her new friend couldn't read.

"I could teach you that as well," she smiled, her fingers searching for the right book to start with in the bookshelf.

"I don't think I could ever learn that. I looked at the description for you how to use Running Buck's medicine over there, but it made no sense," Flying Crow said morosely, looking over at the table by the window, where bottles and glass jars stood, all containing painkillers and other things to help them both recover.

"It's hard for anyone at first. It took me years to learn, and I'm a teacher now. It's not impossible, 'cross my heart," Rachel smiled, carefully caressing the Indian woman's arm.
"But right now, you need to rest. We'll talk more in the morning, when you're stronger."

She walked over to Buck, sat down for a few moments. He still hadn't moved, was breathing silently and appeared to be far away. She stroked his hair, before leaning down to place a light kiss on his forehead. She then moved out of the room, taking the only candle with her. Flying Crow had closed her eyes and seemed to have fallen into a slumber.

The next morning doctor Wilder allowed his awake patient to move around a bit, if she promised to stay at the station and rest whenever she got too tired. He couldn't give them any news about Buck, said he was still unconscious. They all knew there was more to it, but just glanced carefully at the doctor before he left.

Flying Crow sat by Buck's bed all day, not really interested in seeing the station.

"Not until I know he's okay. He risked his life for me and I owe him this much."

"Flying Crow, honey… Buck's hurt bad, and he won't get out of bed for some time. He doesn't want you to sit here and feel sorry for him, he wants you to have a look around, get some air," Rachel spoke with a gentle tone, stroking the woman's hair out of her face.

Flying Crow looked up, uncertainty written all over her as she reluctantly stood from her seat, following Rachel to the door. She stopped just long enough to throw an eye at Buck, then stepped out in the hall.

Cody and Jimmy took turns showing their guest around, though the both wished they could be around her all the time, without the other to interfere. Rachel and Teaspoon noticed how the young men fancied Flying Crow, and she herself seemed quite satisfied having them beside her wherever she went.

"So, what do you think of this place?" Cody asked, strolling by Flying Crow's left side as they walked around the barn, looking at the horses.

"It's beautiful here, I don't miss the camp at all!" she smiled widely, letting her slim arms lift slightly from her sides, then fall back against her thighs.

She sighed deeply, inhaling the scents of the free summer air, enjoying her stay at the old Rock Creek way station.

"How come you left?" Cody asked, carefully taking her hand, giving her a glance saying she could trust him.

Not wanting to offend him, she allowed him to do just that, but promised herself to object if he tried anything else.

"It's a long story, very confusing. I doubt you would find it interesting, William F. Cody," she said, the smile fading slowly.

"Just call me Cody, everyone else does," he said with a careful grin, then let go of her hand, instead jumped up on the corral fence.

"But your name is not only Cody, is it?" she spoke, looking up at him, the bright midday sun striking her in the face.

"Nope, but I prefer to be called Cody. Otherwise it feels so formal, and… I don't want to be formal around you," he said, meeting her eyes for a long moment.

She cleared her throat, looking away with a slight blush. To her great relief Rachel called for her from across the yard. It was time for lunch, and she had been promised to help, so that she could learn about the white man's cooking. She once again looked up at Cody with a faint smile, then collected her skirts - borrowed from Rachel - and rushed over to the house.

CHAPTER 8

As Rachel walked into her spare room that afternoon, she found Flying Crow, as expected, by Buck's bed. To her surprise, however, the Comanche woman was crying, tears welling in her eyes.

"Flying Crow?" she spoke, approaching her, carefully placing a hand on her shoulder.
"What's the matter, honey?"

The Indian woman looked up, wiping at her tears.

"Everyone is being so kind to me. I don't deserve it, Running Buck does," she spoke between sobs, caressing his pale temple.

Rachel contemplated for a moment. She sat down on the bedside, looking at Flying Crow's face, brushing the hair away.

"Honey, he will be alright. The doctor is coming back tomorrow morning, I'm sure he'll tell us Buck is just fine by then," she comforted, carefully hugging the younger woman, letting her head fall against her chest.

She cried freely now, not even trying to stop. The incident with Cody that day was also enough reason to cry, as she wasn't interested in him that way. If only he will see that! she thought, more tears running down her cheeks.

"That's okay, sweetie, that's fine," Rachel soothed, glancing at the still motionless Buck beside her.

Please, Buck, wake up! she prayed, stroking his arm. But he didn't move this time either, not as much as blinked.

"Coma," the doctor stated with a firm nod.

"What?!" Teaspoon spat out, the others murmuring something in the background.

"What he and the woman went through must have been very traumatic. Maybe something happened he couldn't control, or maybe he heard her scream and was unable to help her…? Anything similar could have been the cause for this, and it's not in my hands to help him. I wish I could, but it's only a matter of time," doc Wilder explained, looking over the confused faces.

"Time? How long will it take, then? It's already been several days," Teaspoon spoke for all of them, carefully hugging Rachel's shoulders.

"I'm afraid there's no saying how long it will take. Days, weeks, months… Even years. I'm sorry, but I can't do anything to help him. But I can advice you to speak a lot around him, just so that he knows you're there. Spend a lot of time around him, it won't hurt."

With those words spoken, he stepped off the porch and was soon on the way back into town.

The four standing outside Rachel's house shuffled their feet for a few moments, before Flying Crow came out. None of them knew what to do at first, just stood there, looking at each other.
Then Rachel suddenly opened the door and walked inside, shortly followed by the rest of them.

"Flying Crow, you gotta tell us what happened!" Rachel begged, carefully holding her arm.

"It's a long story…" she said, looking down at her feet.

"We'll listen, honey, just tell us all of it," Teaspoon said, tone gentle as he rose from his seat by Buck's side.

Flying Crow thought for a moment. They had all been very nice to her, and they seemed to know Running Buck well enough, so maybe she had nothing to fear if she told them…? She decided to give it a shot, hoping it was the right thing.

When she finished, she had tears in her eyes, despite her efforts to keep them away. The four faces staring at her were all blank and stiff as stone at first, then they loosened up and their voices started to tell her how sorry they all were, how much they wanted to comfort her. She turned to Buck, didn't really care about the rest of them at that moment. She stroked his hair for a few uncomfortable and very awkward moments, then she felt the tears falling freely down her bruised cheeks, and she wished she could just run away and not return for some time. But she was trapped in the room - which she was beginning to like waking up in - with four people standing behind her back, still trying to comprehend what she and Running Buck had been through.

The rest of the day passed slowly, until Cody decided it was time to change just that fact. He brought something very small and confusing over to Rachel's house, where he sat down at the table on the opposite wall from Buck's bed.

"Flying Crow? Come her a sec, I wanna show you something," he spoke, gentle eyes landing on her as she slowly and cautiously rose from her cot.

Cody spread a deck of cards over the table, starting to explain the simple rules of Poker. Before long Jimmy appeared in the room as well, soon part of the game. Flying Crow learned quickly, though she had some difficulties separating the different hands. A flush and a straight was almost too alike at first, but she sooner than the young men by her side had ever imagined got the hang of it.

They started playing for real, all of them willing to win, though there were so far no money involved. Laughing and scorning each other as the game went on, they didn't notice time passing. Soon it was dinnertime, and they decided to play one last hand.

"How about putting some money into it?" Cody suggested, feeling it would be much more to play for if so.

"Money?" Flying Crow spoke, looking sadly at the two men.

"No, Cody, I don't think that's a good idea," Jimmy stated, shaking his head.

"What is money?" Flying Crow insisted, Cody turning to her, ignoring Jimmy's comment.

"You know… Okay, let's make an example; you want to trade… say that dress for some, I don't know, maybe cards, playing cards. Then, instead of trading right of, you get money for you dress, and then you give that money to the guy who owns a deck of playing cards, right?" he explained, none of it making sense to the confused woman to his left.

Jimmy just shook his head, a wry look on his face, knowing it would only be more confusing the longer the explanation from Cody. Flying Crow looked at the blonde man for a moment, then opened her mouth, searching for the right words.

"How could I do that? This is not my dress…?" she spoke with a thin, clearly uncertain voice.

Jimmy broke out in a laughter.

"She sure got you there, Cody!" he said, then turned suddenly as he heard Buck's faint chuckle from across the room.

"Buck!" Cody cried, the three of them running to his side.

"How are you? Doc said you were about done for!" Jimmy smiled, a frantic look in his eyes.

Flying Crow made it to Running Buck's side with a wide smile, gripping his right arm in her hands.

"Running Buck!" she simply smiled, carefully squeezing his limb.

Buck spent the following three days in bed, carefully watched by Rachel and Flying Crow, not allowed to even speak about leaving his cot. Then the day he had been waiting for finally arrived - doc Wilder agreed to let him stretch his legs around the station.

"Mornin', Buck!" Rachel greeted as Flying Crow supported him out on the porch.

Buck wanted to tell both of them to stop fussing with him, but kept his mouth shut. The young Comanche woman helped him to sit down on a chair by the door, then made sure he was as comfortable as could be.

"I'm fine, promise," he said with a lazy smile.

"Good," she nodded, walking inside again, nodding to Jimmy by the barn as she went.
"I have to change clothes," she said before disappearing.

Buck looked over to the barn, Jimmy sitting on the drivers seat on a wagon, patiently waiting for Flying Crow.

"They going somewhere?" he asked, wiping at his eyes.

"Just into town. Flying Crow can't wait to see it, she's been on her toes since doc said it was alright if she left the station. But how are you feeling?" Rachel asked, watching his tired face and still bandaged chest.

"Fine, I'm just a bit drowsy. I think I've been in bed for too long," he said half-jokingly.

"Yeah right," Rachel smirked, placing a hand on his right shoulder.

"How's the arm?" she asked, eyes falling on the sling where his broken limb rested safely.

"Not too bad. But it sure was there for awhile, I thought Flying Crow was going to kill me!" he chuckled, recollecting the memories from the cave.

"She told us something 'bout that, and I think doc was quite impressed," she smiled with a raised brow.

"Oh? Well, he wasn't there to feel the pain!" Buck said seriously, before letting a smile pass his lips.

Rachel smiled also, squeezing his shoulder carefully. Se then headed across the yard to see that Jimmy and Flying Crow were alright.

"We're fine, Rachel. I'm just gonna show her the sights, like… well, perhaps Tompkins' store, the bank, I don't know. Whatever she wants to see, I guess."

"Good. Now, remember she's never seen a town before, so don't overdo it. I want you back here in an hour," Rachel said, tone half-demanding, a stern look on her face.

"Sounds fair enough," Cody smiled from the barn door.

"What?" Jimmy groaned, Cody smirking widely.

"I though I'd go with you, make sure you don't miss anything of importance," the blonde man said, jumping up on the wagon.

Jimmy shook his head, letting it fall in his hand, moaning something they couldn't hear. Rachel snorted, Cody grinning like always. A few moments later the woman they were waiting for came out of the stationhouse. She wore a straw hat she had borrowed from Rachel, and one of the dresses she had been promised to wear at 'finer' occasions. She definitely thought this was a such.

"You look great, honey," Rachel smiled honestly, taking her by the shoulders, looking over her face and body carefully.
"You'll make a success in town, take my word for it!"

The younger woman stared at the ground in slight embarrassment, feeling how a hot color rose to her cheeks.

"It's true," Cody smiled from atop the wagon.

Jimmy was going to say something, but was stunned by the new changes of Flying Crow, couldn't get anything over his lips. Instead he just smiled widely, helping her up beside him.

"Have a good trip now, you hear!" Rachel smiled as the wagon started to move towards Rock Creek.

Buck looked with not a little envy at the three leaving, wished he could go with them. Or at least with Flying Crow. The others didn't matter, not as long as she was around.

CHAPTER 9

When Jimmy, Cody and Flying Crow returned to the station, Rachel stood on the porch, arms on her hips and face wry. It had been over three hours since they went off, and by now she knew the Comanche woman was tired, as she was still weak from her shock and the injuries. And her mind was probably about disconnected with excitement, she though.

"Did you enjoy the trip?" she asked as Flying Crow came up towards her.

"It was really… Help me, Rachel, I can't find the words to explain!" the young woman smiled, a dreaming look on her blossoming face.

"I'm happy for you. Maybe you should have something to eat now, and some rest?" Rachel suggested, the young woman nodding.

Rachel thought she'd go and yell a little at the boys, as soon as Flying Crow rested, and hopefully with a full stomach too.

"I don't think I've ever been so hungry!" she smiled, walking inside, telling Rachel and Teaspoon - who sat by the table with some coffee - all about her adventures in the white town.

Neither of them could understand how much the younger woman actually loved to see all those new things, things that any white man or woman would take for granted every day.

"Where's Running Buck?" Flying Crow asked, sitting up on her bed.

She had rested for an hour since lunch, and was now ready for another roundtrip to town, but Rachel was there to stop her.

"He went out to that hill over there, said he needed to think," the blonde woman spoke, pointing through the window at a silhouette by some trees on a grassy hillside, a few hundred yards from the barn.

"Think he will mind if I went over there?" Flying Crow asked, cautiously glancing at Rachel, hoping she wouldn't be mad about her leaving the house again, despite all her lectures about how weak her body still was.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind," Rachel murmured, forcing a smile upon her face.

She knew Buck had been very absent minded since he woke up that morning, almost as if he had something really important on his mind. She supposed he was thinking of what happened in the Comanche camp and with Black Wolf, but still she couldn't see why he seemed so sad. Maybe if Flying Crow goes up there he'll lighten up, she thought.

Buck looked up with a surprised face as his Comanche friend sat down by his side. He hadn't noticed her coming, which startled him slightly. Flying Crow noticed that, why she called out a soft "hello" before kneeling in the grass.

"You back, huh? How was Rock Creek? Is it still standing?" he said with a wry smile, the woman by his side smiling also.

"Yes, it was very beautiful. Jimmy and Cody told me about a bigger town they wanted me to see. It was called… St. Louis…?"

Buck nodded.

"Yeah, it's beautiful there too. When are you leaving?"

The dark-haired woman looked up suddenly, studying his morose face.

"Not yet anyway. Why so sad?"

Buck took his time before answering, then broke out in a lazy smile.

"I just saw that fire in your eyes, and it tells me you can't wait to leave for St. Louis. Which you should, Rock Creek isn't a place for someone like you," he said, face falling again shortly.

"Someone like me? Besides, that can't be the reason for your long face, now spill it!" she demanded with a smile.

Buck looked at her face, studying it closely, meeting her dark eyes. He felt a stabbing pain in his chest, but it wasn't any of his injuries.

"You're too pretty for Rock Creek. St. Louis will suit you just fine, and if not, there's always Boston, Denver, New York… About a million cities would be perfect for you, but not Rock Creek."

"Why not? I like it so far, there's nothing about it making me leave," she said, pulling herself closer to him.

"You'll know in time, only drinkers and outlaws pass through here. At least that's how it used to be, after the War ended. Nothing kept me here for very long, but still I had to come back and see Rachel and Teaspoon. For me the rest of the world wasn't very appealing either," Buck said, turning to look at his hands, twisting some grass between his fingers.

"Will you stay here?"

"I guess. For now, anyway. I can't think of any place to go, so… I guess I was meant to end up here, in Rock Creek."

"This is getting old, Running Buck. You're just pitying yourself! Why don't you just tell me what's bothering you, maybe I can help?" Flying Crow said, keeping her temper reined, trying not to blow up in his face, even if she at that moment wanted to.

Buck looked up at her once again, sighing deeply, staring into her eyes.

"You're right," he said simply, jumping to his feet with a moan.

"Where are you going now?" she demanded to know, but he just shrugged, extending his right hand to her, helping her to her feet.

"Back to the station, I guess. Wanna join me?"

She smiled faintly, brushing the grass off of her borrowed dress.

The days passed slowly, at least for Buck. Flying Crow made several trips into town with one or two of the other boys, and they both seemed to have a million places to show her. She always came back with a blushing face, smiling widely at one of their jokes, or even laughing out aloud at times.

Rachel noticed how all that was tearing Buck to pieces, and one night she couldn't help herself. She walked over to him by the corrals, where he stood watching the horses, enjoying loneliness for a change.

"Buck, can I talk to you?" she asked from a distance, the Kiowa turning hastily.

"Sure," he mumbled, turning back to the horses.

"I saw you today, when the boys came back from town with Flying Crow. You seemed quite… jealous," she said, directly hitting the right spot.

"I was not!" he spat, more anger than he intended falling on Rachel.

"Thought so…" she sighed, walking over to the fence as well.

"What?" Buck asked, eyeing her sideways.

"You really like her, don't you?" Rachel smiled, seeing the Kiowa's face turn reddish.

"So? Don't you?"

"Sure I do, and the boys do and Teaspoon. But I think we are talking about two different kinds of liking here, am I right?" she said, turning to him fully.

"Hmm, maybe…" he admitted, now smiling widely, cheeks blushing.

"Figured. What are you gonna do about it?"

"Do? Nothing…"

Rachel stood erect for a moment, watching him with big eyes, then fell against the fence with a sigh.

"Nothing, huh? So, you're just gonna let her go away, and never think about her again?" she said sarcastically.

"That's right. Once she's gone, I'll be fine."

Rachel shook her head.

"Come on, Buck. Both you and I know that's not true. Take my advice, and act before it's too late," she spoke seriously, turning away, heading back towards the house.

"I didn't ask for your advice," he muttered, Rachel pretending she didn't hear it, kept a brisk walk.

Buck started to think about his feelings for Flying Crow, though not admitting any of it to the rest of them, and especially not to Rachel. He had reached a decision, when she announced that she had bought a ticket to St. Louis with money she had borrowed from Rachel and Teaspoon.

"Are you happy now? I'm leaving this town, where 'only drinkers and outlaws' pass through!" she smiled, looking up at his fallen face.

He tried to keep her from seeing he was disappointed, but she immediately saw it in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Running Buck, I thought you'd be happy…" she whispered.

"I am! I'm really, really happy for you, just that… Well, I don't like friends leaving," he lied.

"Well, I'm proud of being your friend, Running Buck," she smiled, touching his face, where most bruises were fading away totally.

"When are you leaving?" he had to ask, looking down at his feet.

Flying Crow stood silent for a few moments, then opened her mouth. The word didn't want to come out, but she forced it to.

"Tomorrow."

Rachel saw Buck by the corrals again that night, staring down at the ground, sometimes kicking the dirt angrily. At one point he banged his head against the pole he was leaning on, and she seriously wondered how deep his feelings for Flying Crow were. For she knew that was why he acted like he did, even if he wouldn't allow himself to admit it.

The following morning Buck stood in the barn, helping Jimmy with some hay. It was supposed to be moved from one stall to another, but Buck wasn't paying attention to his duty, why Cody nearly got hit in the face with the pitch fork as he entered through the door.

"Hey, watch it!" he cried, Buck shaking himself back to the real world with a sigh.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Sorry…" he whispered, Jimmy stopping his hay-tossing in the stall.

"What's going on? Help us, Cody," he demanded, the blonde man shaking his head.

"Nope, I'm taking Flying Crow into town. You better say your good-byes now, she's leaving for the big city in thirty minutes," he smiled proudly.

Buck paid no attention, while Jimmy went out to talk to the young woman who with tears in her eyes had just said good-bye to Rachel and Teaspoon.

"Aren't you going to see her, Buck?" Cody asked, as he returned with the wagon a few minutes later.

"Where is she?" the Kiowa asked with a deep tone, Cody frowning.

"Like I said, I took her to town. You got fifteen more minutes before she's gone!"

"Why didn't you see her off?"

"She asked me not to. She was basically crying, Buck, she wanted to be alone before leaving," Cody answered, walking to meet Jimmy across the yard.

"Wait!" Buck called after him.
"Fifteen minutes?"

"That's what I said. You're quite late, my friend. I know you and her went through a lot, but nothing so bad she doesn't deserve a decent good-bye, right?"

Buck shuffled his feet with a deep sigh, oblivious to the grin on Cody's face as he looked up at Jimmy.

"I think someone's fallen hard…!" he teased, the color on Buck's cheeks reddish.

"Come on, Buck. Go stop her. It's not too late yet, go on!" Jimmy ushered, a wide but not scorning smile on his face.

"Think so?" Buck spoke, finally looking up.

"Go, now!" The two men chorused, Buck nodding silently, then leaping to the barn to get his horse.

"Think he'll stop her?" Cody asked, Jimmy looking after the figure disappearing into the barn.

"Of course he will. If he doesn't, I'll make him pay. Big time!"

He found her pacing down the street outside the stagecoach office. She looked more beautiful than he had ever before imagined, her long hair nicely braided in the back, a light blue dress and a pair of black boots to go with it. A bag in one hand, packed with dresses and other clothes and necessaries seemed very heavy, Buck crossing the street to help her.

"Let me take that," he offered with a cautious smile.

"Running Buck! I thought you weren't going to show!" she smiled, allowing him to take the bag.

"Of course I was. I was just held up, by an evil demon…" he smirked, the smile on Flying Crow's face growing bigger.

"I'm glad you defeated it, I missed you."

A few moments passed without any further words said, the two of them walking up on the sidewalk. Soon the stage pulled in, Buck suddenly feeling very bad. His stomach twisted and he couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"Um… Listen, I'm gonna miss you," he said, Flying Crow standing in front of him with a peaceful look on her face.

"I'll be back," she promised.

"Yeah right, when you've seen all of what this world has to offer, you won't even remember us, or Rock Creek."

"Sure I will! I couldn't ever forget you! No way…"

Another silence, broken by the stagecoach driver.

"All 'board, we leave in five!"

Buck bit his lip. This was it. She was leaving and he couldn't stop her.

"Flying Crow…" he started, searching for words but couldn't find them.

She leaned forward, kissing his lips without hesitation. Buck kissed her back, carefully letting his hand land behind her head, feeling her arms embrace him. The kiss seemed to last forever, until the stagecoach driver one again called out they had to be seated.

"We're leavin' in two minutes, folks! Two minutes!"

Flying Crow took a step back, looking down on the ground. She looked up again, meeting his liquid eyes. She knew exactly what she wanted to say, but felt she had no right to ask that of him. He had a right to live his own life, she thought. Their lips met a second time, before she pulled away and took her bag, then helped herself up into the stage.

"It's not good-bye, Running Buck. I will be back," she said, her hand touching his through the window as the stage began to roll.
I love you, Running Buck, I really do, she thought, wondering why she couldn't find her voice when she really needed to.

She looked at his troubled face as she was pulled further and further away from him. He looked back, standing on the sidewalk, thoughts jumping in his head.

"Yeah you better be back," he mumbled, still staring at the stage as it moved away down the street. I think I love you…

EPILOGUE

He stood on the same spot for several quiet moments, just absorbing the emptiness he felt inside, looking after the stage.

He threw an eye across the street, searching for his horse by a hitching post. He wondered if he should run over there, mount up and gallop after the stage, but wondered what good it would do. Slowly, hesitating, his legs carried him toward his horse, but the street seemed much too wide for him to get there in time.

She'll be happy in St. Louis, he told himself, over and over. She won't miss a thing about me or Rock Creek, she will only have time for herself and all the things there are to see in St. Louis. I have to get going with my life, and I'll start right now, by forgetting these past weeks ever happened, he nearly mumbled, nodding at his own decision.

Carefully stroking his mount's mane and neck, he sighed deeply. It seemed so hard, what he needed to do. A sudden impulse struck him, made him mount and turn his horse after the stage. But not many steps later, he stopped.

He looked again after the stage, which was now too small to be seen. Only the dust stirred up by the horses was visible by the horizon, and soon it settled back on the dry ground, the stage to St. Louis gone.

She'll be back, he told his fallen self, turning the horse toward the old station. He wondered what the others would say, now when they probably expected him to actually come back with Flying Crow. How could he explain to them that he couldn't find the courage to tell her his true feelings for her, when he couldn't even explain it to himself…?

SOMEDAY
Written by G. Michael

Someday, someway
You're gonna give your heart away
Then I'll be there, with you
Changing the number from one to two

And someday, someway
You're gonna give your heart to me
And until then, I'll keep
Sending all these messages of love to you

It may not be today
And it may not be tomorrow
But I know it's gonna happen
So why don't you just
Give me a chance to be your lover, there's no other
Who can do this for me
Yes, give me a chance to be your lover,
One day you'll discover, baby
I'm the one who's heart can set you free!