Eternal Love

Chapter 19: The first war

It was the beginning of the nineteen forties and Sheila was noticing that people were beginning to populate the mountain. Her and Thomas and her youngest son had moved down the mountain, and settled in the valley. Within months, the top of the mountain was occupied with the rich from the east. Sheila's friend wasn't impressed with them anymore than she was. She was afraid her people will be wiped out.

Sheila reassured her that would not happen. They had plenty of warriors in her tribe and Sheila had her husband Thomas and her youngest son, Zachary. Those two together matched the strength of two hundred men. Sheila knew they would be protected. Besides all of that, she had her own strength that matched that of a hundred men; so they would be just fine.

The Eastern people began settling closer and closer to the valley of the mountain. This began making the new chief nervous for his people. He decided to move his people inside the caves all around the mountain; he noticed none of the easterners were settling in the caves. Sheila and Thomas followed suit. Zachary was becoming of age to marry and go out on his own.

After they went up the other side of the mountain; Zachary went to the city. He didn't have a mate, but Sheila hoped that would change with him going to the city. There was plenty of young ladies for him to seek out a mate. She just hoped she would be accepting of what he was; a lycanthrope or otherwise known as a werewolf. It was getting more and more difficult for these younger generations to accept them.

Yet, she knew her son would manage well. She hadn't seen Bella in a few years. She worried about her constantly, but she knew there was nothing she could really do about it. She simply hoped and prayed everything would be okay. Meanwhile, she was trying to figure out what the flying machines were they could see and hear all hours of the day and night.

Thomas and the new chief of the ute nation rustled up a few good hunters and headed to the direction the planes were coming from. The roar of the engines as they flew over the mountain was deafening. The Ute Nation was complaining day and night about it. It was driving the young new chief crazy. Therefore, he decided him and Thomas should take some good hunters and track down where they were coming from.

Sheila didn't like the idea of him leaving. Yet, she understood why it had to be done. Their way of life was being threatened. They had been in the mountain cave for so long; they had no idea so much time had passed by. Little did she know, but when she surfaced; she realized at least a decade had gone by.

She and the chief's wife and mother decided to follow after Thomas and the cheif. They took a couple of hunters that were still there with them; leaving only a dozen Hunters to guard the cave. Guarding the cave was easy enough over the years. Only a couple people happened by and they were chased away by mountain Lions. Other than those two people, no one else had come by their territory.

Now they had these big flying machines going over and causing tremors wherever they went. It upset the livestock; which caused most to run away. The dogs would howl all the time. It also caused the children to become upset as well. They thought it was dragons.

Although children often let their imagination get carried away; Sheila did agree that's what they sounded like. Sheila had packed enough food in her shoulder bag for a few weeks and the other two ladies had done the same. Altogether they had enough provisions to last them at least two months. They could go at least a month longer with the hunters. The hunters had apparently packed the same amount as the three of them did. Altogether, they could stay gone for six months.

They kissed their loved ones that could not come good bye and set out across the mountain. They headed east; the direction the planes were coming from. Sheila was sure they would eventually run into Thomas and the others. They were traveling in the same direction after all. They were only a day behind them; so Sheila knew it would be no time to get to Thomas.

The first night, Sheila awoke to the sound of roaring engines above her once again. She quickly stood up and woke the hunters. They all stood and watched as the roaring planes passed over them. Sheila counted at least twelve planes. The hunters agreed they had counted the same too.

The next morning, Sheila awoke to the other two ladies cooking eggs and bacon over a fire pit they had made. It smelled lovely and made her instantly hungry. The chief's wife told her the hunters went to see if there was any game nearby. She agreed it was a good plan and trodded down the little hill to the river. It was really moreso like a creek than a river; but it did eventually turn into a river some miles away, so she understood the name.

They waited until early afternoon for the hunters to return. They came back with a buck and two mallards. The ladies cleaned and gutted them; then put it away until they reached their next destination. They packed up and kept going east. By the end of the day, they had reached the Utah state line.

Within a few weeks, they were half way across the state of Utah. They had stuck to the mountains until they no longer could. They came upon what Sheila thought was a white sea. It was just as the Sun was setting they had arrived to the salt flats. This is where much of the country acquired their salt; apparently it was a natural land formation.

They traveled through the night due to there was nowhere for them to camp. By morning, they had finally came upon green fields of corn and dirt trails flowing from east to west. Sheila suggested when they came upon a groove of trees that they stop and make camp. They all agreed, being as they hadn't camped all night. They set up camp and Sheila and the other two ladies began cooking a slab of buck.

After dinner, they all settled around the fire pit they had made. They sat and listened to the hunters tell their stories of days gone by. Sheila began getting sleepy, watching the fire and listening to the stories. The other two ladies awoke her before she fell completely asleep and helped her to her tent. They tucked her in and went on to their own tents.

Thanks to the hunters nabbing that buck; the ladies were able to make a couple tents for shelter out of the skin. Therefore, Sheila was able to get some much needed rest. Everyone woke up the next day feeling well rested and ready to continue on their journey. They packed everything up once again and off they went. Sheila was amazed with how much the land had changed; now they were in a desert. She didn't realize the grove of trees they found was actually a oasis in the middle of a desert.

They kept walking along the dirt trail they found miles behind them. By the end of the day, it had felt like they had walked a week instead of just one day. The heat was getting to Sheila and she was glad night time was falling upon them. The desert days were boiling hot, but the desert nights cooled her down.