The majestic mountains stretches
for hundreds of miles and surrounded the peaceful valley below. The
ranch lay nestled in this valley,the house stood proudly and protected
by outbuildings ! and miles of sturdy fence.
An old Indian woman sat
rocking on the porch watching the hills in the hours before dawn waiting.
She sat this post every morning, no matter what the weather to see the
day begin. She sipped a steaming cup of tea liberally sweetned. As a child
she was called "Laughing Eyes". Daughter of the chief she was held
in high regard until the predictions started.
The tribe regarded those
early predictions as those of an active child's imagination. Until
those predictions started to come true. At first the grumblings of
the triber were overlooked by the elders, until the last one, when sickness
hit the village. She was blamed for the sickness that resulted in
half the tribes deaths. The elders could no longer ignore the grumblings
when the chief succummed to the sickness.
Tribal council met and a
decision reached. Being the daughter of the chief, she would not
be killed for the crime, but rather, b! anned from the tribe and tribal
lands for life.
At the young age of twelve
she was cast out by the tribe. Taking only what necessities she and
her pony could carry, she left in the middle of the night. The night
was filled with the sounds of wailing for many of the teepees. Her
heart was heavy as she left the village knowing she would never see her
family again.
She travelled for many months,
through the summer and into the fall. She was able to live off the
land as she had been trained to do. Finding food and water abundant
in the mountains, she stocked a small cave that would be her shelter when
the winter came. She spent many days setting traps and fishing the river
that ran by the cave.
she gathered the wild grains
that she stored in the many containers she wove. One whole end of
the cave she stacked her firewood. With a lot of luck on her side she was
able to kill a small deer. The meat she added to her stores of dried meat,
the hide she fastened a windbreak for the cave entrance. When the
snows came she was prepared. Or so she thought. She knew what
winters were like in the mountains, but nothing could prepare her for the
bitter cold and the amount of snow that fell. She barely had enough
food and wood to last until the spring. When at last the temperatures
started to rise she stumbled out of the cave. Her food and wood depleted,
she could no longer stay. She had to move on. Cold and hungry,she
started traveling again. She didn't know how far she had traveled
when her strenth to go on abandoned her. Having only the snow she
was able to melt in her mouth as her only nourishment her strength failed
quickly. She fell from the pony unconscious to the snow below.
She was found by two men
who first saw her pony and thought that one of their stock was loose.
She still had the reigns in her hand when they found her.! Surprised
that she was still alive, the older of the two lifted her easily onto his
horse, while his son took charge of her pony to take them both back to
their ranch, where they were both cared for. her dreams told her
this was where she should stay. She remained with the family, learned
their ways and their language. Now in her third generation, she had
proven time and time again her worth. Her predictions had saved them
from the destructive forces of nature, from wars and sickness.
Now many years past she
had more than earned the right to sit in her rocking chair, drink
her sweetened tea, and watch the world go by.
People from miles around
would come to hear her predictions and get her advice. She saw the
mild winter in her dreams. A vision that would normally have pleased
her old arthritic bones, but what would follow the mild winter did not.
Drought, sickness, trouble and love would come before the rains.....! .
CHAPTER 1A
Rich farmland as far as the
eye could see surrounded the ranch. Spirited horses frollicked
in the field. Several young followed their dams. Off to the
side in his own corner of the field, stood the proud stallion regally watching
his herd of females and young. Standing a majestic 18 hands high,
his chestnut brown coat shone in the early morning sunlight. Leaning
against the sturdy fence watching the horses a man and woman stood talking.
"So far we've branded about
half the herd. We should finish in the next day or so. fouteen
calves and no loss of mothers. The count is around 500 head."
"What about the water supply?"
asked the ! woman next to him.
""We're doing all right
for now. But I can honestly say I will be glad to see the rain come.
Even if it puts us back in the fields."
"I definitely agree with
you. Although according to Granny, if you want to believe her, we
won't see any rain for a long time."
"Of course I believe her.
She's never been wrong for as long as I've known her. Her predictions are
legendary."
Yeah well if what she says
this time is true, then before we get any rain we have sickness,
trouble and love, in that order coming first. And it will come from the
south east."
"So is that why you keep
watching that direction?"
She felt a blush start and
heard the soft laughter from the tal blonde man beside her.
"AHH Cassie, you believe
her as much as we do."
She through him a look.
Her blue eyes throwing fire his way. Her dark hair blowing in a soft
breeze. "! Don't give me that look Cassie, It don't scare me at all."
"Okay so I believe her.
Can't help but believe her when she's never been wrong. But I really hope
she is this time. Drought sickness and trouble I can live without."
"You forgot love.
Can you live without that also?"
"If I have to"
"No cassie you can't.
No one can. Somewhere, theres someone for you, and when you least
expect it to , love will come right up and bite you right in the butt."
"then I had better make
sure I keep leather britches on at all times."
"Won't work. Nothing will
stop love."
"Then I'll just have to
prove that I am a cold hearted bitch that's not woth the trouble."
"Work work either, because
anyone that knows you, knows that you are anything but a cold hearted bitch.
That's only an act you feel you have to put on to protect yourself."
"is that rig! ht?"
"Yep, that right, and you
know what else I think..." he doesn't wait for a reply. "I think
you're afaid to let yourself love."
"I think we had bothe better
get to work. This ranch doesn't run itself." She took one last look
at the south east before walking away. The tall palimino horse stood
waiting for her rider. He watched her climb into the saddle. Before
she spurred her horse she called out."I'll be checking out the fences in
the high meadow if anyone needs me."
"south east Cassie?" He
laughed as she rode out.
Days turned into weeks and the rain didn't come. The lack of rain coupled with the high temperatures, that were unusual for the mountains, caused the water levels to drop drastically. Water tables already low from the lack of substantial snow the past winter fell to dangerous levels. Every morning Cassie woke and watched the sun rise over the mounta! ins. She scanned the horizon for even the slightest hint of clouds that would bring a chance of rain.....