Indiana Wild

Chapter 2

Chapter Two

“Indy, are you sure about this?” Sam Whitewater asked for the third time as he handed her another pack. “Winter is still upon us and it can be brutal out there. What if we get a late winter storm?”

Indy ignored Sam for a moment as she cinched the ties onto the packs she had loaded on Kahlua. She had enough gear to last her a couple months if she was careful. The air was still frigid from the snow that fell last night. It had been a light dusting though and shouldn’t hold her up. The horses and dogs could easily handle it. Staring out at the mountains to the west, she knew her brothers would think she was just being difficult, unreasonable, and immature, but she knew differently. When she had read the letter from Hayden last night, it had taken everything in her not to call him up just to cuss him out. It wouldn’t make any difference anyway. How did you cuss the devil out? He just enjoyed your pain.

“Sam, I’ll come by your place sometime in early spring to visit and resupply. I know how to survive in the mountains so don’t worry. I had the best teacher after all,” Indy said with a slight curve to her lips.

“You’re damn right you did. Now you make me wish I hadn’t taught you so well,” Sam replied sadly. “Your brothers do not understand your heart. Hayden would never have demanded you move to the city if he did.”

Indy had shown Sam and his wife, Claire, the letter she received. Hayden had gone before a judge and had a court order giving him guardianship of Indy until she was twenty-five on the basis she was unable to make clear, rational decisions ensuring her mental and physical health and finances. She had been ordered to live with him at his L.A. home until further notice. A certified copy, delivered by the local sheriff along with an airline ticket, had been enclosed. In addition, the document stated any livestock or animals were to be placed in the care of the new owners of the Wild Ranch until further notice by her guardian.

Indy stared out at the mountains for another moment before she called out to Chester and Tweed. Pulling her gloves on tighter and securing her hat, she mounted Midnight. She reached down, taking the lead rope for Kahlua that Sam held out.

She looked down at Sam with a sad smile. “I would rather live in the mountains for the next couple of months to a year before I live in a city. Hayden might cause a fuss, but they won’t find me. I’ll be moving around a lot, so don’t bother trying to look for me. This way, if Hayden asks, you don’t know anything,” Indy said quietly, looking at the man who understood her better than her own family.

Sam observed the young woman sitting upon the solid black horse with a mixture of sorrow and respect. She had chosen a hard path most men couldn’t survive. He knew she could. She had been raised to be a part of the land and would die anywhere else.

Lifting a beaded necklace from around his neck, he handed it to Indy. “Okoblaya icimani. Peaceful journey, little one,” Sam said sadly, gazing up at his slender goddaughter.

Indy grasped the necklace tightly in her fist before sliding it into her pocket. “Wowahwa. Atewaye ki. Peace, my father,” Indy replied with a tight smile.

With a click of her heels, Indy moved off slowly, heading for the mountains looming far to the west. She knew she could die, but figured she had a choice this way. She could die on the land she loved, doing what she was born to do or let her spirit die a slower, more painful death at the hands of her brother in a city. She had a much better chance of surviving in the mountains.

It had taken her two days to reach the mountains. She had to keep moving, using as many different methods as possible so she couldn’t be tracked. She had headed out through the lower cattle pastures first, making sure her tracks were mixed in with those of the cattle. It hadn’t snowed again so she couldn’t use it to help her.

Once she was closer to the mountains, she moved along the river where the ground was harder and didn’t leave as many tracks. She crossed over the river and headed up the mountain following little used trails Sam had taught her about when she was younger. There were a number of caves and shallow rock overhangs she could use for shelter in the higher regions.

She would head north now. There was a huge ranch on the other side of the mountain range. Maybe she could hire on as a cowpuncher in the spring. If she kept a low profile, she should be alright. By then, Hayden should have given up looking for her.

The snow had gotten deeper as she moved further up, and light snow flurries mixed with the heavy snow that was falling. Tweed and Chester ran ahead, bouncing up and down. If it became too difficult for them, she would have to make a sled to pull them on. For now, though, they acted like the two year old Australian Cattle dogs they were.

Days turned into weeks and before Indy knew it almost a month had passed. It was getting to be late March. She was close to a hundred miles from her grandfather’s ranch from her calculations. She had to stop a few times for several days as late winter storms blew through the upper elevations.

Luckily, she had purchased specialized camping gear several years ago made just for the cold Montana winters. The arctic tent and sheet metal stove had kept her, Tweed, and Chester nice and warm. She had extra tarps she had strung up to make a portable lean-to for the horses.

She had supplemented her food supplies with small animals she had trapped or the dogs had run down. The first two weeks had been the worst. She had heard the sound of planes making a crisscrossing pattern and knew Hayden had discovered her missing. She had to travel mostly at night during that time until she moved out of their search field. Once, she heard dogs far off in the distance. She had put Tweed and Chester up onto Midnight and Kahlua and used a small stream to help hide their scent. After the third week, she figured she was far enough away to be safe and had been able to gain more ground during the daylight hours.

It wasn’t until she reached Spirit Pass that she felt totally safe. Sam had told Indy about it when she was little. He had brought her up here only once and told her of the legend of Spirit Pass.

It is said those who travel through the sacred ground would complete a journey that would change their lives. When Indy asked what type of journey, Sam had told her he once had traveled through the Pass only to find himself in another world. There he had met Claire and fallen in love. The world he found himself in had been a dangerous place, for red man and white man did not like each other.

Claire had been traveling with her family when her parents and little brother had taken ill. Her parents had died, leaving Claire and her little brother alone. Sam had come upon them lost and frightened on the other side of the mountains. He helped Claire nurse her brother back to health.

During that time, Claire and Sam had fallen in love, and Sam had convinced Claire to come back with him over the mountains where he owned the ranch next to her grandfather. Indy had always liked Claire. She had always acted like a second mother to Indy, teaching her stuff like how to cook using ingredients not found in a box. Those lessons had come in very handy over the last couple of weeks.

“Come on guys. Once we get through the pass we should be safe. We’ll head down to the lower elevations where it shouldn’t be so cold. Maybe we can find work on a ranch,” Indy said, suddenly excited. Tweed and Chester wagged their tails as if to agree and took off ahead of her.

Laughing, Indy nudged Midnight on with Kahlua following behind. The cut through the pass was long and narrow. Indy looked up as small rocks and bits of snow fell off the sides. She vaguely wondered what world she would end up in. She hoped it was one with wide open spaces, no big cities, and no big brothers.

The air around her swirled and a cold shiver ran down her spine as she passed the halfway mark. Turning on Midnight’s back, Indy looked behind her. She was surprised to see a mist of snow so thick she couldn’t see the entrance to the Pass any longer. Shrugging her shoulders, she turned back around and focused on the path ahead of her.

Yeah, she thought to herself, it would be nice to find a world where I can be who I am and not have to worry about my brothers anymore.

Indy made good time after she made it through the Pass down to the lower elevation. She stopped on a ridge about half way down to take a break and give the horses and dogs time to rest. She sank down, sitting on the ledge looking out over the valley below. It was beautiful. There were patches of snow dotting the landscape and probably a hundred head or more of cattle grazing.

She would make camp down near the timberline and scope things out before she approached the ranch. She wanted to make sure it was safe. She hoped her brothers hadn’t sent notices out to all the ranches.

She decided she would take it slow and see if she could find a cowpuncher or two alone. She would approach them and make polite conversation, checking to see if they said anything. If they didn’t, she would see if there were any positions open. If they did say something or acted strange, she would head back up into the mountains to hide.