----------------------------------------------------------------------- POTTERY-SHARDS-3 "Robert's Companion" {Part #3 of 9} Copyright 1997 by Vince Water ----------------------------------------------------------------------- "Robert's Companion" Robert McLinn rode through unfamiliar roads. They led away from the Eastern cities, away from the crowds of people and their 'noble ideals' of civilization. He left trouble behind. Nobody knew him out here in the wilds. The West. He heard that a fresh start could be made towards the setting sun. There were unspoiled lands in the west, new clean cities starting up, magnificent natural wonders and a new people to be found out here. Robert was a young man of eighteen. He had a lifetime of dreams ahead of him to fulfill. The young man sat over his horse and breathed it all in. He looked around at the changes in landscape with wonder. A vast spread of land lay ahead of him. Golden grass to a man's knees grew like a farmer's planted crop. There were no barns or houses here. All of it was flat wilderness. God's planting. The dirt path that Robert followed had broken out of the forest. It went along the prairie but didn't cross into it. Trees stood like a wall on the man's right. He could feel the heat of the late afternoon sun upon his face. His thoughts turned to water. The skins would need filling. He hadn't passed through any towns since morning. It was the road that guided him west and away. A lone traveler. Without a companion, he had the freedom to choose his own course. Yet he was unfamiliar with the dangers that could be faced. Night was coming on. He didn't even know where to sleep. Robert wondered if he should be looking for a place in the woods. It would hide his camp better than to set up on the road. He was warned about the rebellious Indians in these parts. Not all of them had settled peacefully on their Reservation. That threatened white travelers. A few hills rose to the north. Perhaps he could sleep on top of one. It would command a view and allow him some warning against approach. Robert sighed wearily. He began wishing that he had traveled with more experienced folk for a ways before striking it out on his own. Robert was taken from his thoughts by a loud yell. It was followed by a cracking sound that he couldn't immediately identify. There were a few more quick snaps and more yelling. He kicked his horse forward to see what was happening. A sharp bend in the road took Robert to the altercation. He saw a heavily packed horse and two men. One was white and the other was darkly skinned. It was hard to tell who had yelled or to know what was going on. To be safe, he pulled out his rifle and readied it. 'The white man may have need of my help,' thought Robert. There were spilled goods over the ground. Shiny metal pots and utensils. The white man must be a trader, Robert guessed. He wore a dirty white beard and held what looked like a coiled snake in his left hand. The old trader pulled a rifle from its holster on his horse. He aimed it in Robert's direction. The young man held up his left hand in friendship. He realized that the old man's hostile response had come from caution. That dark-skinned savage was the obvious enemy. "Help me to catch him!" shouted the old trader. He pointed to the fleeing Indian. Robert kicked his horse in pursuit. The naked savage ran towards the prairie. There were no stolen goods in his hands. He wrapped his arms protectively about his head and often stumbled. Lines of blood covered the Indian's lower back. The savage ended his run when Robert's horse blocked all avenues of escape. He crouched over the ground and whimpered in defeat. The trader ran forward with a triumphant laugh. He arched his left hand and delivered a whip strike to the Indian's backside. The cruelty of that act shocked Robert. "What's going on?" Robert shouted. His first impression of the incident had been one of Indian thief fleeing from the white trader. What he saw now was much different. "That be my Indian," the trader explained. "He tried running away so I'm teaching him a lesson!" The young man looked at the Indian with new eyes. His heart went out to the poor wretch. It was obvious that the savage expected more whipping. He made a ball of his body over the ground and used his arms to protect his face. Robert felt a tightness in his stomach. He was attracted to the dark skinned Indian. The savage's body was well muscled yet thin like a boy's. Long black hair flowed over his small shoulders. He had a nice butt. The old man cracked his whip over the Indian's back again. It left a nasty welt over the dark skin. The savage's sharp cry followed its passing. Robert had to stop it. He sprang down from his horse and stood in front of the fallen Indian. His actions were a surprise to the trader. "Why are you protecting him?" asked the old man. "He's not worth anything but the ten dollars worth of trade goods that I paid. I was told that he'd serve me. Yet all he wants to do is run away." "Whipping him won't accomplish anything," said Robert cooly. "Teach him a lesson it will!" The young man shook his head in dismay. "That'll only make him want to run even more. What good is it if you'll have to always be keeping an eye on him? Aren't you afraid that his Indian friends will come to rescue him?" The white bearded man laughed. "I can see that you don't know much about these parts," he answered. "He's Shoshone. The savages around here are the Crow and the Cheyenne. Blood enemies of his. He had been their prisoner for years before I came and traded for him." "No good words!" protested the Indian. The trader raised his whipping arm in warning. "He's a liar! All Indians are." Robert stood his ground in front of the Indian. He swung his rifle at the trader in silent response. Tension grew between them. The young man turned sideways to keep his eyes on both of them. He needed to learn the truth before deciding what to do. The naked Indian crawled to his rescuer's legs. Dirty hands wrapped around Robert's shoes. The Indian's submissive pose was distracting to the young man. He was drawn to the dark-skinned body with eyes that were curious to spy on the savage's sex. The Indian peered up at Robert. Their eyes met and locked. The young man was surprised to see that he was only a boy. Something twisted in his stomach. He felt a real longing to take this Indian boy into his arms to comfort him. A movement from the trader took Robert's eyes from the boy. He realized that all of his attention was required if he were to find a way out of this dangerous situation. Talk was a good way, he knew. It didn't have to turn violent between them. "I will hear both sides of the story," said Robert. "Your whip is making me real nervous." The trader muttered something under his breath. He lowered his whip and looked to his own rifle for a way out of his predicament. An unpleasant thought struck him. It hadn't been reloaded since taking a shot at a rabbit that had crossed his path earlier. The little varmint had gotten away. That's what had caused the old man's foul mood. A wicked smile filled the trader's face. He realized that this upstart from the East wouldn't know that his gun wasn't loaded. The old man was skilled at using a whip. If it were to come to a fight, he felt that its strike could match the young man's rifle from surprise. Robert kept an eye on the trader. He felt that something was being planned to his ill. Quick answers were needed. He spoke to the Indian on the ground. "Why are you with him?" The Indian answered, "white trader to Cheyenne give fire drink. Do white man say... Give Aya-wen to him!" "Were you a prisoner of the Cheyenne?" Robert asked. "No! I Shoshone. Taken by Cheyenne as boy to lived them. Fire drink to crazy make Cheyenne. Do bad things. Give Aya-wen to white trader for metal knife." The young man was surprised by the Indian's words. He wasn't expecting the wild boy to be able to speak much. It made him appear that much more a human being. 'How could he be a slave of another man?' he wondered. All men; black, white and red were free by law in these United States. What Robert had seen angered him. He made up his mind about what to do. "I'm taking him with me," said Robert. "He's not a slave." "That boy is worth money to me!" the trader replied. "You can't steal him." The old man shook his pointed gun at Robert in threat. He slowly aimed his whip at the young man's rifle and was preparing to strike. A sickening fear went through Robert. He had hoped to prevent a gun fight. The young man knew that to fire his rifle would bring death onto himself when the old man responded in like fashion. It was a dangerous stand off between them. The Indian trembled against his leg. Robert felt very afraid for the boy and himself. He decided that no matter what were to transpire here, he wouldn't give the youth back to this trader. He reached down and took hold of the Indian boy's arm to lift him up. A resolve of strength filled the young man. "We're leaving," whispered Robert. The old man watched their slow retreat. Robert took those few heavy steps towards his horse. He gestured for the Indian boy to mount up while he took hold of his horse's reins. They headed for the road. The trader followed at a distance. Robert knew that something would have to be done before they could safely leave. He noticed the Indian's breechclout laying over the dirt admits the trader's fallen packs. It gave him an idea. A twenty dollar gold piece was slowly brought out from Robert's pocket. It was held out to the trader in offer. When the old man smiled, Robert slowly closed the distance between them. He dropped the gold coin at the trader's feet. "You're a fool!" said the trader. "Go ahead. Take him. He'll likely run away or murder and scalp you for your trouble!" Robert ignored the trader's warning. He backed off slowly in the direction of the trader's fallen packs. His left hand scooped up the Indian breechclout from the ground. This he brought back to the boy waiting on the road with his horse. A scuffling sound told Robert that the Indian was covering his body. The young man was too busy keeping an eye on the trader to watch it as he would have liked. They took to the road in silence. Butterflies danced in Robert's stomach. He half expected a gun shot to his back. After walking a quarter mile or so, a galloping horse came upon them from behind. Robert readied his rifle. It was the trader who sped past them. He breathed a sigh of relief. There was a look of hatred glaring from the Indian's dark eyes. They softened when looking at the young man. Something tightened in his stomach by the boy's staring. Darkness fell in the half hour that followed. The young man felt the burden of taking on his new companion. He didn't know what should be done with the Indian boy. It had cost him a lot. Robert grimaced. Trouble always seemed to follow him. It took his clever mind and luck to get himself out of most fixes. Robert sighed. He was reminded of his troubles back East. A woman was waiting for him there. His parents had arranged a marriage. It would have brought wealth and an easy living for them. The problem was that he couldn't go through with it. Not with any woman since he didn't like those of the opposite sex. His heart had already been taken by a cute boy of fifteen. The young man looked back at the Indian boy on his horse. He was an attractive teen youth. Someone that he had risked his life for. It was surprising to Robert that strong feelings had developed for him. A boy that he knew almost nothing about. "Go here," said the Indian. He pointed towards a small path off the road that led into the woods. Robert stopped. His horse nickered at his arm and stomped a heavy foot over the road. That settled it. They thought the path was a good one so the young man turned to follow it. The sharp branches from bushes reached out to Robert. His heavy coat protected his arms and legs. He led his horse and its passenger only a short ways before coming to a clearing. A bubbling stream could be heard nearby. "Good here!" said the boy. He dropped down from the horse and quickly examined the small clearing. Robert unloaded his leather packs and a blanket. He felt very tired and sleepy. The Indian boy found no recent signs of passage. During his scouting, he gathered the largest sticks that he could find. His lower back stung him from the whip marks. There would be time later to attend his wounds, he promised himself. Robert walked to the small stream. He drank from it and was pleased by its cool taste. All the water skins were filled from it. He returned to their camp site. The boy was getting a fire started. That worried him. "Wouldn't it be better to forego the campfire?" he asked. The Indian boy only smiled. He dropped twigs over the small flame that he had coaxed forth. Larger sticks were placed on top when the fire grew. The boy faced the white man and explained it. "This is land of the Shoshone. Aya-wen lived here. A fire good. No?" Robert shrugged his shoulders. He clearly didn't know these parts but accepted what the Indian boy had said. The growing fire was nice to watch. Its light spilled over the youth and revealed much to the young man's eyes. Hunger rumbled in his stomach. The young man fetched a small pouch from his horse and greedily ate a strip of jerky. He offered some to the Indian boy. "Oka!" the youth answered. He chewed the jerky with obvious hunger. The white man kept looking at him with strange eyes. "Aya-wen," said the Indian while pointing at himself. The young man was startled from his thoughts. He replied, "Robert... I am Robert McLinn." "Oka Robert to have me!" The young man smiled. He watched the youth drop all the remaining sticks over the flames. His dark skin glowed in the dancing fire light. It gave the boy a sensual appearance. Robert was attracted to his body. Even with the breechclout on, he could see much of the Indian's nakedness. There were some angry colored lines over the boy's lower back. Robert was filled with anger for that bearded trader. He wondered if it wouldn't have been better to have shot that vile man than to waste the twenty dollar gold piece on him. The young man cooled down. He looked over the boy's back and figured that those whip marks would be paining him. There was no medical kit in his bags. He remembered what his mother had done for him as a boy when he had burned his hand on the stove. Robert searched for his pouch of cooking lard. The Indian watched him. Robert found what he was looking for and slowly approached the boy. He opened the pouch and drew out some lard. This he showed to the youth. "Let me spread some of this over your back," he explained. Aya-wen nodded. He turned his stinging back to the man and waited. A coolness was felt when the lard touched his wounds. It was the first kind act that any white man had ever shown him. He began to like Robert the more for it. The young man tended to all of the boy's whip marks. He counted six lashes over his lower back. One line went into the Indian's rear flap. His greased fingers tried following it down. "Good!" said the boy. He pulled the deerskin cloth from the back of himself and tightly clutched it. The man's gentle hand rubbed over his bottom for more than to ease its hurt. A tense excitement seemed to fill the air between them. Aya-wen grinned to himself. His glance back at the white man's pants had shown him the tight bulge within. It wasn't unlike a warrior's proud display when his front flap lifted from sexual excitement. The boy wondered if he could get this white man into him. Robert stared at the dark humps his hungry hands had a hold of. He heard the boy's soft moans. It didn't seem real to him. 'How could a man lust for a boy and have it welcomed?' he wondered. His dick hardened in his pants and begged to be dealt with. The Indian reached down for Robert's pouch. He drew some of the lard into his left hand. This he brought to the front of himself. His other hand pulled away the remaining deerskin cloth from his body. He stood naked in the fire light. A rubbing sound followed. Robert was startled by the Indian's boldness. It was a common enough thing done by boys but not in front of others. He stared at the youth's ass which humped in and out. "Down!" the boy asked when turning to Robert and pointing at his pants. The young man looked down at himself. He could easily see his erection making a tight bulge in his pants. The Indian boy wanted to see it. He glanced at the youth's handling. What he saw surprised him. The boy's dick was very thick. There was a skin around it that he pulled over in his quick hand. A bush of dark hairs grew from the youth's groin. A boldness seemed to take hold of Robert. He undid the buttons to his pants and pulled them down. His long dick stood up against his belly. The Indian looked at it and grinned. He turned away to pull over himself like before. Robert was disappointed. He had wanted them to face each other when doing it. The boy's ass drew the young man's attention. It was sticking out to him in a very attractive manner. He felt over it with one hand while attending to the needs of his hard dick in the other. The youth moaned from his caresses. The boy brought a greased hand back to himself. He stuck a finger deep through the crack of his butt. After a few pokes, the youth stepped back into Robert's handling. His quick hand took hold of the man's long dick and pointed it into his butt. Robert was transfixed. He felt his erection in the boy's greasy hand being stuck into the butthole. Its penetration was a startling thing. A slimy tightness swallowed him up. The warmth of the Indian's body surrounded his dick after it was inside. 'They were connected?' Aya-wen gasped. He felt the power of his companion's big dick up his butthole. To coax its thrusts, the boy humped his butt over the man's hairy groin. He could feel the fleshy spear moving in him. A low moan answered his clever trick. Robert reached out to take hold of the Indian boy's hips. The stabbing motion he began through the youth's butthole seemed natural. It surprised him since he had never had sex with anyone before, not even with a woman. The thrills were building up in his dick. Aya-wen stopped pulling over his thick skin. The feel of a man's motion through his hole was very good. It would have caused him to come out. He spread his legs and bent over more to Robert's deeper thrusts. It wouldn't be long before his body took in seed. The boy noticed that their fire was dying down. More wood would have to be fetched. That was a task the Cheyenne had often given him. He had served them well, especially the unmarried braves. They were often poking into his butt for a relief to their manly lust. Aya-wen enjoyed male copulation. Robert felt that his body was on fire. He pulled his shirt off. Both of his hands reached around for the boy's belly and locked there. His chest pressed against the youth's back. The warmth of their struggling bodies was exciting. He moaned in the boy's ear and wondered, 'is this love?' Aya-wen felt the man's weight over him. There was some pain from his whip marks when their bodies rubbed. He tried ignoring it. The white man was making for a good lover. He took a long time at it and held him close with much feeling. A similar feeling arose in his own heart. The young man closed his eyes. He couldn't believe the savage act that he was performing. His dick eagerly raped a boy's asshole. His deeper stabs couldn't get enough of it! There was a tightness felt in his stomach. A tingling went through his dick and exploded in tremendous thrills for him. He felt the strong flow of his sperm going into the boy. A sly grin came to Aya-wen's face. He heard the white man's cries of joy. More exciting was the throbbing the boy felt from the man's dick squirting into him. Their bodies were tightly connected and mated. That made the boy very happy. Robert slowed his male stabs. All of his seed had been given. He was left with a weary feeling and some guilt. The boy in his arms had been used for lust's pleasure. It binded him more to the Indian. That was a frightening thing. The young man pushed on the youth's butt to get his dick out. The clinging muscles squeezed his erection with a tickly sensation. A squirt of his sperm came out and fell to the boy's feet. Aya-wen turned to him. It was difficult to face those dark penetrating eyes. The Indian launched himself at the white man. His need was great and immediate. The boy's arms reached around the hairy body and held fast. He had aimed his aching dick over the man's. A harsh rubbing followed. Aya-wen made frantic love to his new companion. He knew that it would be a good release. Robert was startled by the Indian's attack. His body was being taken by the youth for pleasure. He felt the boy's thick dick thrusting against his. It was strangely thrilling. He put away his troubling thoughts and embraced the youth's need. Their shared warmth felt very good. Aya-wen struggled for release. The white man had a wet dick and that helped his quick stabs against it. He smiled when feeling Robert's arms around him. Their embrace tightened as it should. The Indian boy felt sharp pain from the man's arms against his whip marks. He reached back for them and pulled Robert's hands down his body. The white man seemed eager to hold onto his butt. The youth knew how nice it was. Many of the young braves had told him how much pleasure they had felt when poking into it for a quick thrill. He was filled with this man's seed. His hole ached wonderfully from it. Robert kept a tight hold of the Indian's body. There was much excitement in the youth. His hands felt the boy's flexing butt from the wild stabbing against his spent dick. He was surprised when feeling himself harden. Aya-wen moaned. He buried his face in the white man's left arm pit. Its musky scent attracted him. He felt Robert's mouth over his neck. No kisses. The man's facial hair tickled against his sweaty skin. A loud pop startled Robert. He gently pushed the Indian boy away to look around. The fire light revealed nothing. He glanced down at himself. No shirt. His pants had fallen down to his ankles. What embarrassed him most was the sight of his long dick against his belly. A butt stain was on it. The Indian saw Robert's fear. He looked around for any spying eyes. The fire had ruined his night vision. What showed plainly to the youth was the man's body glowing like a pale ghost in the fire light. 'Robert had a flat butt,' he noticed. A scouter's sense in the Indian warned him to check out the clearing. He streaked around the woods in a rush. Sticks were loaded in the boy's arms. A sly grin came to his face. His butt ached. It felt nice to have coaxed the white man's dick into his hole. He wondered if there was much seed in him from it. Robert pulled up his pants. He found his shirt on the ground and put it on. The Indian boy was fetching wood. He still didn't think that a fire was a good idea. The rememberance of what they had done returned to the young man. It brought a proud smile to his face. His dick had performed the adult act of joining with another person's body in making love. He couldn't believe that the boy had allowed it. Deep feelings were growing in him for that dark skinned youth. Robert began accepting the idea that they were becoming companions. Aya-wen returned. He dropped a long branch over the flames without bothering to break it up. The remaining wood was placed nearby. The Indian boy was anxious to complete their love making. His long dick ached for its own release. The white man was clothed. That disappointed Aya-wen. He watched the man spread his sleeping blanket over the ground and lay his rifle next to it. Robert gazed in his direction with interesting eyes. The boy smiled to himself. He had seen love eyes before. Robert found the boy's breechclout and handed it to him. The youth shook his head. Two deerskin flaps fell to the ground at their feet. His sly smile told the young man his plan. "Go down!" the boy asked while pointing to Robert's blanket over the ground. His sexual excitement was obvious. The young man smiled wearily. He longed to lay over his blanket to sleep but felt obligated to the Indian boy's urgent need. His horse nickered at him like giggling. Aya-wen became playful. He pulled at Robert's shirt as if unknowing of how to remove it. His struggles were amusing to the white man who laughed in reply. Robert gave in. He sat over the woolen blanket and felt his shirt pulling over his head. The youth's fingers next worked on the buttons to his pants. They were pulled down his legs to his shoes which were also removed. The young man sat naked with a wicked-looking Indian boy standing over him. A long brown dick pointed at his face. "Kiss, no?" Aya-wen asked. The young man was startled. He had never thought of anyone taking a dick into their mouth. The idea was too strange. He took hold of the boy's length instead. The thick skin felt soft when pulling over it. A sticky oozing came from its piss hole. The youth's dark eyes shined. Robert's strong hand felt good. It didn't surprise him that the white man wouldn't suck on his dick. None of the young braves or warriors who mounted his ass would. They were proud men who weren't expected to give the boy pleasure in exchange for their own release. Robert looked deeply into the Indian boy's eyes. They were like the gathering of storm clouds. Dark and filled with a promise of violence. The young man felt his erection standing up against his belly. He knew that a sweet release could be coaxed from it once more. Aya-wen became frisky. He jumped into the white man's lap with his legs wrapping around the man's butt. His thick dick pressed against the man's longer size. Quick thrusts followed. Robert welcomed the boy's body onto himself. The crush of warmth kept off the chill from the night. It was also romantic. He found the youth's soft butt and helped guide its flexing motion. Between their bellies, two horny dicks stabbed like sword play. The young man felt pain from their dry rubbing. With some spit in hand, Robert was able to make his dick slippery. The oozing tip of Aya-wen's cock was felt against his fingers. He gathered its sticky release and brought it back to his mouth when feigning to spit. The young man tasted it. He was excited to have secretly eaten of the boy's flow. Robert resumed his hold of the Indian's wiggly ass. Theirs became a male's struggle for a release to aching loins. 'Who would shoot first?' he wondered. 'The boy most likely. He had already cummed this evening so their race was uneven.' He listened to Aya-wen's breaths to judge when the youth would explode. The man wanted to see the boy's squirts. He had already tasted youthful oozing. Making love was new to him and he wanted to make the most of their time together. It didn't seem that their new companionship would last... Dark thoughts strangled Robert's heart. He recalled the trouble that he had gotten himself into back in Boston. That arranged marriage had been done to cover a scandal than for money. Love letters of his to a boy had been discovered by his parents. They feared gossip or even black mail. To deflect the situation, Robert's parents had found a nice girl (with money!) and rushed the marriage through. With that boy lost to him, the young man ran away instead. It was his wedding money that had allowed his escape to the west. The Indian boy held breaths in Robert's arms. His eyes closed in concentration. A pink tongue stuck out from his mouth like a snake. He didn't know why his release was being elusive. 'Was it because of the white man's power?' he thought. The boy was a free spirit that felt a greater trap from new love than from any whipping by his previous captor. Robert smiled at his turn of luck. He was still amazed by his chance meeting with this boy, his successful rescue and the consummate joining of their male bodies. This youth was showing him much in the ways of joyous love making. 'But would it last?' The young man noticed his soft kisses to the Indian boy's neck. A taste of salt was in his mouth. The lime scent from the youth's skin was in his nose. Warmth from their bodies joined from smooth brown skin rubbing against his pale hairy skin. A boy's shape fitted into the man's loving hold. If Robert didn't think too much about what he was doing, the joy from their male act came easier. Love needed no reasoning. Aya-wen noticed the white man's kisses to his neck. They scratched his skin from the man's unshaven face. Yet the feeling of them was joyous like the sweet loving he had once spied on from a warrior to his newly purchased wife. Robert was unlike any man he had ever been with before. No fear of male identity. Pleasures were embraced as equal companions. A warning tingle rose from the youth's balls. His heated flesh made a last desperate struggle to deliver its wet love to the body of a loving man. Aya-wen's legs were savage over the pale butt. He smashed his erupting penis against the longer spear in a blow to defeat him. Victory flowed. A loud cry startled Robert. The Indian's dark eyes bore into him with a savageness that was frightening. A liquid warmth ran down his stomach. The man's eyes widened from where he knew that had come. He had missed the chance to see it. "Come out!" Aya-wen shouted. He wanted the white man's loins to flow as his was to their bellies. Having their seed join as one would complete their male rite. A sacred bonding like that of blood brothers. Robert understood what the Indian had asked of him. He was tremendously excited to feel the boy's release. It splashed over their dicks and made for a slippery rubbing. The young man growled like a bear in his rush to it. His breaths held. Eyes tightly closed. A vision swept through the young man. He saw Trevor giving him a sweet smile of love's acceptance. His heartful letters to that fifteen-year-old boy had been answered! A sharp twist pierced the young man's heart. It came from bright-singing emotion than from flesh given thrills coming at his dick's release. A warmth filled his chest. Robert opened his eyes to see Trevor smiling back at him. The boy's skin darkened from the night... Aya-wen grinned. He felt the white man's silent release to their bellies. No outcry as expected. It gushed like a mortal wound given him from a warrior's tomahawk blow. The Indian boy was very pleased. He knew that their seed was becoming one between their bellies. The rite of male love was completed. It had made them true companions. 'Would the white man feel that powerful bonding?' Aya-wen hoped. He gazed into the man's eyes for a sign. There was a strange expression on Robert's face. His limbs loosened from around the boy's body. It was the open, unseeing eyes from him that concerned Aya-wen. 'Had he seen a ghost?' A white bearded man rose from behind Robert. Aya-wen cried out in fright. The Indian managed to pull himself out of his lover's embrace. He stood up next to the fire. A long stick was found by the boy's hand to challenge the trader. Robert remained seated over his blanket like an uncaring stone. "He's dead," explained the trader. His hand pulled out a bloodied dagger from Robert's back. A coiled whip was in the man's left hand, readying to strike out. A terrible power filled Aya-wen. Inspite of his feeble, naked appearance, he rushed at the armed white man and struck out with all his might. A sickening crack came from his stick when it broke. Or was it the trader's head? He felt a burning line over his left arm and chest. Silence. No more whip cracks. The Indian boy found two lifeless bodies. Anguish filled his heart. He shed bitter tears over only one of them. Morning brought another day for Aya-wen. A free one. He had endured a long captivity by the Cheyenne. The white trader's whip had almost broken him. Yet his spirit survived. There was an aching in the boy's heart. New love had been lost. He held Robert's horse close while they walked deeper into Shoshone Lands. The boy would find happiness and healing with his People. He knew that love could be won again. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- {end of file: POTTERY-SHARDS-3 The stories continue in: -4}