fourteen

Romero woke up a little after four a.m., typical for him. He stayed in bed holding Sana and watching her sleep for a while before he slipped out of bed. After he was dressed, he began to go through the storage totes in the family area. He found one was full of digital movies, TV shows and educational videos for very young children. There was a collection of Disney and Pixar children's movies. But someone had been a fan of Star Trek like Sana. He found a moderately sized flat screen and a table for it that needed to be put together. He found a few totes contained electric baseboard heaters that plugged into special slots in the floors along the outside walls. He had noticed the long polymer slots that were closed and waiting for something to be pushed in. He found a digital booklet that told about the tent. Sana was right. It was a kit where installation was included. The wind turbine was extra, but the roof included clear solar cells for collecting energy from the sun.

Romero put together the table and set up the TV, he set up the totes with movies and shows so they could be easily accessed. By the time Sana woke up, he was nearly finished going through the totes in the family area. And the family area looked and felt more like a family room. They ate their leftovers from dinner for breakfast and then just spent time relaxing, hoping they were safe.

Romero also spent time on the internet learning about edible roots and plants. He found there were quite a few that could be boiled to make tea and decided to try some out.

Romero handed the tea to Sana as she sat on the porch. Then he sat next to her, putting his arm around her. They had only been there a couple of days, but it was already beginning to feel like home.

"How is it," he asked Sana.

Sana nodded approvingly, "It's pretty good." She sipped it appreciatively. It was so nice to sit outside and just relax. It was only mid-morning, so even thought it was a little cold it was still very nice out.

"Do you think it'll snow again soon," She asked Romero not really worried about it. The previous snows had been light and hadn't stuck.

Romero looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful blue and partly cloudy. "Possibly," he answered. "I could get on line and check the weather for the region."

"Not right now," Sana told him. "Just sit here with me."

"Happy to," Romero responded contently. He tipped her chin up and kissed her tenderly.

Sana smiled and set her tea aside. Then she turned back to Romero to accept a deep kiss.

Sana nearly jumped out of her skin as they broke their kiss and she asked startled, "Did you hear that?"

Of course Romero heard it more clearly than she had. "Yes, someone's screaming," he answered as they stood up from the bench.

"It sounds like a child," stated Sana concerned as she pointed, "In that direction."

"Stay here," Romero ordered her as he hopped over the porch railing and took off running. Sana could never have kept up with him. He disappeared into the forest in the blink of an eye.

Romero tore through the trees in the direction of the screams. He finally saw some little girls in a tree with a pack of wolves beneath them. One little girl hadn't quite made it up the tree. Two other little girls above her had her by the hand and wrist, but a wolf had her by the ankle and wasn't letting go. Romero hoped he got there fast enough.

The little girls above suddenly lost their grip and the little girl fell screaming into the pack of wolves. A couple of moments later, Romero reached the pack. The little girls above him were screaming and crying. He could here adults calling for them in the distance. He got bitten as he began grabbing wolves by the scruffs of their necks and flinging them away. Having never been flung before, the flung wolves decided it was better to run away. And soon, Romero was scooping up the unconscious little girl off the ground.

Romero pointed and told the other little girls in the tree, "I live that way! Understand? That way!"

One of the little girls nodded, and Romero took off running back to the dwelling with the little girl cradled to his chest just as adults from her tribe were arriving.

Romero leapt over the steps directly onto the porch. Sana grabbed the door for him as she asked, "What happened?"

"A wolf pack," he answered as he strode into the dwelling. He carefully laid the little girl on the exam table. He grabbed a hover scanner and turned on the screen.

"What do you need me to do," Sana asked Romero eager to help and worried for the little girl, who looked about six years old. "There's so much blood."

"But no arteries were pierced," Romero informed her as he scanned the girl. "I know it looks bad, but she's stable. Just hand me the things I ask for." He grabbed a subdermal-hypo spray and gave the girl a shot.

"What did you give her," asked Sana.

"I don't want her to regain consciousness while I'm putting in stitches, and an antibiotic to prevent infection." Then Romero began to stitch closed the little girl's punctures and tears.

"She's a lovely child," Sana said as she stroked the girl's head. "I hope this doesn't leave her badly scarred."

"I'm trained in a stitching technique that's meant to reduce scarring," Romero informed Sana. "And I got there before the wolves could rip her apart."

Sana nodded. The little girl would be dead if they hadn't been nearby and if Romero had been an ordinary man.

Romero was nearly finished when he heard people approaching. "There are people coming," he informed Sana. "I'm nearly done. Why don't you wait on the porch to greet them?"

Sana nodded and stepped out onto the porch. A few moments later, she heard people rushing through the woods in her direction. She willed herself to be calm, because she knew they would be anxious and scared.

As they came onto view out of the woods, Sana waved, "Hello... She's here." They were beautiful people, beautiful tan skin, beautiful thick black hair. She wasn't fond of her own limp mousy-brown hair.

Romero stepped out onto the porch with Sana just as they were getting to the porch. "She's inside," and he held the door open as about a dozen men women and children, including the two little girls from the tree, rushed inside. One woman wailed loudly and wept over the little girl as she lay on the exam table unconscious.

"She's going to be okay," Romero assured as Sana slipped under his arm. "I got there before the wolves could do much damage."

"You must be her mother," Sana said softly to the woman weeping over the little girl. "What's her name?"

The woman began to pull herself together. "Hummingbird," she answered.

"Hummingbird," Sana repeated managing a warm smile, "That's lovely."

A man with his arm around the woman gently placed his hand on Hummingbird's head. "Thank you for saving our daughter. I'm Raven Blackbird, and this is my wife, Windsong."

Romero nodded a return greeting, "I'm Dr. Romero Redmen, and this is my wife, Sana."

"Is this your first baby," Windsong asked Sana.

Sana patted their bump as she looked up at Romero and smiled, "Yes, it is."

"I never saw anyone run that fast before," said a young man.

"Adrenalin I guess," responded Romero. "We heard the little girls screaming."

"How did you get the wolves off of Hummingbird by yourself," asked a young woman.

"He threw them," answered a little girl.

"Adrenalin," Romero said again, "I saw her fall down into the pack. I just started grabbing and throwing."

"It looks like you got bit a few times yourself," Raven told Romero.

"Yeah," confirmed Romero, "but I'm alright."

Sana had been so concerned for the little girl, she hadn't noticed Romero was injured. She thought all the blood had been the little girl's. Then realizing a good bit of the blood on him was his, she fainted. Romero with his quick reflexes caught her as there was a collective gasp from their guests.

"I've got her," Romero assured as he cradled her to him. "I'll just go lay her down and let her sleep." He carried her back to their bedroom and laid her down on the bed. Then he stepped back out to their guests.

"The stitches I used will dissolve and fall out on their own," Romero explained to Hummingbird's parents. "I expect her to make a full recovery. But I'ld like to keep her here a couple of days where I can monitor her and manage her pain. And you're certainly welcome to stay. It would be good for familiar loving facing to be here when she wakes up. Now, I better get myself cleaned up. Please, make yourselves at home."

Romero got himself clean clothes and thoroughly washed his wounds as he showered. The punctures from the wolves' teeth were already closed on him. He was made to heal faster than a normal human. He checked on the little girl. Everyone was outside except her parents. He could hear children playing outside. He'd never heard children playing outside before. It was a good sound.

"How long have you been here," Hummingbird's father, Raven, asked him.

"Just a couple of days," answered Romero. He added a small log to the fire in the wood burning stove.

"You've barely had time to settle in," responded Raven, "But we're glad you're here. We could use a doctor close by."

"Romero," Sana called not sure how she got in bed.

"Excuse me, please," Romero told Raven and Windsong. Then he hurried back to Sana.

"Here I am," he called as he sat by her on the edge of the bed.

"What happened," asked Sana a little scared, "How did I get in bed?"

"You fainted and I carried you in here to sleep it off," he informed her as he touched her gently. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine I guess," she said sitting next to him. She pushed a hand through her mousy-brown hair and took a deep breath. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry I worried you... And you, how are you," she asked concerned as she took his hand and looked at the bite mark on it. "You were bitten. How many times?"

"I'm fine," he assured her. "I was only bitten a few times." It was more like several times, but he didn't want her to worry any more than necessary.

Sana turned Romero's face toward hers, "Are you sure you're okay? Please, be honest with me."

He kissed her petite fingers. "I'm fine," he assured her.

Sana tilted her head in the cutest way to make eye contact with him as she asked, "Then why do I feel like you're not being completely honest with me?"

Romero sighed, "Maybe I was bitten more like several times than a few."

Sana rolled her eyes and patted his knee. "I don't think I'm going to faint again... "

Romero kissed her, "It was probably just stress, but your blood sugar may be a little low. Let's get you something to eat. I'll give you a full scan later."

Romero led her by the hand out to the front room, and had her sit at the dining table.

"Are you feeling better," Windsong, Hummingbird's mother, asked Sana as she stood by Hummingbird.

"I'm fine, thank you," answered Sana a little embarrassed, "I'm sorry if I scared anyone."

"You don't need to apologize," Windsong told Sana.

"I'm going to make Sana some lunch," Romero informed Hummingbird's parents, "Can I get you something while I'm at it?"

Both of Hummingbird's parents shook their heads. Raven answered, "No, thank you, we're fine."

Romero turned back to Sana, "Do you want anything in particular?"

Sana shook her head. "I'm not very hungry so just keep it simple," she requested.

Romero nodded his understanding and stepped over to the fridge and freezer to decide what to make Sana.

"Your husband was telling us that you just got moved in a couple of days ago," Raven making conversation with Sana.

Sana nodded her confirmation, "Yeah, we're still settling in."

"Are you a doctor too," Windsong asked Sana.

"I have a PHD in child psychology," admitted Sana, "but I don't like to be called doctor. Besides, it makes some children nervous. They're afraid they're going to get a shot and I don't give shots. I'm not that kind of doctor."

"So were you working with very young children," Windsong asked Sana curious.

"I mostly worked with preteens and early teens," shared Sana. "I used to work for Our Children Our Future, put in over ten years with them specializing in troubled youth."

"Do you think you're going to miss it," Windsong asked Sana.

Sana nodded as she admitted, "Yes, I will." There were times when she missed her job very badly. She thought of the young people she had been working with when she arrived at the mall, and hoped they were coping well with her loss.

"So how long have you two been married," asked Raven.

It was a question Sana wasn't prepared for. Officially or legally, she and Romero weren't married. But Romero answered, "Not quite six months."

"Were you trying for a baby so soon," asked Windsong.

"No," answered Sana, "We didn't know we could get pregnant..." She smiled, "But we're happy we are pregnant... Is Hummingbird your only child," Sana asked not wanting the conversation to focus too much on her and Romero.

"No," answered Windsong looking at Hummingbird with a mother's love in her eyes. "She's our youngest and only girl. She has three older brothers."

"What my wife means to say is our daughter is a little spoiled," added Raven good naturedly.

A tear ran down Windsong's cheek, "She's a good girl."

Raven hugged Windsong, "Yes, she is a good girl."

Romero stepped away from the stove to check Hummingbird. Her pulse and breathing were strong and regular. She hadn't sustained any internal damage. It could have been much worse.

"How is she doing," Raven asked Romero.

"Fine," answered Romero. "I gave her a mild sedative so she wouldn't wake up while I was putting in stitches. She's been traumatized enough for one day. She didn't need to wake up to a stranger poking a needle through her skin." He stepped back over to the stove.

"So where are you two originally from," asked Raven.

"I'm originally from Boston," answered Sana hoping Romero had an answer.

And he did, "And I'm originally from Kelso, California."

"That's over in the Mojave Desert," responded Raven. "I didn't think there was anything out there except an abandoned military facility."

"That old highway off I-40 cuts by there," Windsong reminded Raven. "It used to have a train through there a few centuries ago."

Raven shrugged, "I didn't think there was anything out there anymore."

"There's not much," admitted Romero as he poured the soup he'd thrown together in a bowl for Sana. He sat the soup down in front of Sana and warned, "Be careful, it's hot."

"You two are from opposite sides of the continent," stated Windsong, "How did you two meet?"

Sana smiled as shook her head, "I was on my way to my best friend's wedding. There was an accident on the interstate so I looked for an alternate route. Got off on a rarely used old highway, drove for what seemed like forever with nothing in sight but dirt, sand and the road ahead of me. Then I had to pee. Except there was nowhere for me to stop and pee, and I just couldn't stand the thought of another car coming along and someone possibly seeing me peeing by the side of the road. So, I kept driving until my bladder was about to burst and I saw a sign for a mall."

"A mall," repeated Windsong surprised, "There's a mall out there."

"That's pretty much all of Kelso," said Romero sitting by Sana, "Not much else to it. That's where you get groceries and everything."

Sana was surprised at how easily he said that to their guest. Although, she supposed it wasn't exactly a lie.

Sana continued, "So I pull into the parking lot and ran in to pee."

"It was love at first sight for me," added Romero.

Sana shook her head, "I couldn't believe he was interested in me."

"Why not," asked Windsong surprised.

"Look at him and look at me," directed Sana.

Both Windsong and Raven seemed mystified.

"You look like a perfect couple to me," said Raven.

"Me too," Windsong agreed with her husband. "You're both beautiful people. So be careful, I don't know what life is like for modern living people. But sometimes a young man or woman decides they want someone who's already with someone else. Don't let anyone here make trouble between you."

"Okay," said Sana, "I can see why I might have to break some woman's legs. My Romero is male supermodel beautiful. But no one is going to be interested in me. Romero doesn't have anything to worry about."

Windsong and Raven both looked at her like she was crazy.

"What," asked Sana.

Raven looked at Romero and said, "She doesn't know she's beautiful."

Romero shook his head as he said, "Nope... I keep telling her she is, but she grew up surrounded by all those ... I guess we'll call them, modern notions of beauty and perfection. I grew up in an isolated community and I just don't get those modern notions of beauty and perfection. For me, she is perfect."

Sana rolled her eyes, "There's nothing beautiful or perfect about straight mousy-brown hair. You have beautiful hair and they have beautiful hair." Sana's eyes welled up with tears, "I'm just mouse girl."

Romero tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and caressed his thumb along her cheek, "You are beautiful."

Sana clarified for Romero, "Beautiful women are at least 1.78 meters (5'10") tall. I'm barely 1.52 meters (5') tall. They have blond hair, red hair, black hair, auburn or even dark brown hair, not mousy-brown. And she's at least 7 kilograms (15lbs) underweight for her height, not consistently 7 to 9.1 kilograms (15 -20lbs) overweight. A generous bottom, thunder thighs and mousy-brown hair don't figure into it at all." She crossed her arms under her already generous breasts made even more generous by the pregnancy and looked at nothing.

"Modern living sure does screw people up," commented Raven.

Windsong nudged him with her elbow and motioned for him to be quiet.

"What," Raven asked his wife, "It's true. Look at her... She's a very beautiful woman and yet she's convinced she's ugly"

"Raven, that's enough," Windsong told him in a hushed tone. "I think someone's been mean to her."

Romero sought out Sana's avoiding eyes. "Was someone mean to you?"

"Kids tease other kids. That's just the way it is," Sana told Romero.

"Who teased you," Romero asked her, "What did they say?"

Sana sighed, "His name was Brad Bodily." Sana hadn't seen him in years, but she still remembered his name and what he looked like the last time she saw him and he was basically a tall blond Adonis. "He was a couple of years older than me, but it started in elementary school. Older students were assigned to help out with younger students. That's how I met him. He came in one day and apparently his family had been out pet shopping and he said, 'Hey, I saw a mouse the same color as your hair.' After that, every time he saw me, he called me Mouse and gave my hair a tug.

"Did he tug hard," asked Romero concerned.

"No," Sana answered, "he didn't, but others did. Before the end of that grading term, everyone was calling me Mouse except my teachers and my family. Some of my old friends still call me Mouse."

Romero hugged her and kissed her. "I don't think he meant to hurt you. I actually think he was fond of you and never meant for everyone else to call you Mouse or for other children to tug at your hair."

"Whatever," Sana responded, "It doesn't matter now. I haven't seen him since I graduated from high school. And I'm glad, because sometimes he would stare at me and I couldn't figure out what that look on his face was about. It always made me so self-conscious and uncomfortable. I just wanted to crawl under a rock and hide."

"Did he still talk to you," asked Romero.

Sana shrugged, "Sometimes, no deep conversations, but sometimes he would stop and say 'Hey. Mouse' ask me how I was, that sort of thing."

"I think he liked her," interjected Raven.

"No," said Sana. She didn't believe that. "He had a girlfriend, Brook something. She was the queen of the elite and perfect in high school, head cheerleader and captain of the volleyball team. She was the ultimate in perfectly beautiful."

"What was her personality like," asked Romero.

"She wasn't a nice person," shared Sana, "Even her own so called friends called her Brook Bitch behind her back. She always looked like something smelled bad, even when she smiled. I could never figure out what Brad saw in her. He was pretty friendly. Someone bumped me once and knocked me down and he helped me up, asked me like three times if I was alright."

"I think he was staring at you because he was trying to figure out how to get out from underneath her and be with you," was what Raven surmised.

Sana's face said she didn't believe that, "If you don't want to be with someone, you just break up with them."

"It's not always so easy," said Windsong, "Some women have a way of attaching themselves to a man whether the man wants her or not. We've seen it happen. The relationships end very unhappily. But some women think if they want a man, he's hers even if he doesn't want to be hers. She runs all the other women away from him so he's stuck with her. Maybe that Brook did that to Brad."

Sana shrugged, "I guess that's possible." Then she took Romero's hand, "But it doesn't matter. I have the one I want, need and love right here. And he makes me feel beautiful, which is probably more important than actually being beautiful."

Romero was sure that Brad guy had a thing for Sana. Sana was just often bad at reading people. Of course, people could often be deceptive, and Sana herself was not a deceptive person so she didn't automatically look for that in other people. He appreciated that she was open and honest, a this-is-me person here I am, take it or leave it. As for Brad, in Romero's eyes, Brad's loss had been his gain. Sana was a faithful and true person. If she had been in a committed relationship when he met her, he wouldn't have had a chance. Romero was grateful that here and now, Sana was his.

"I suppose you're right," Romero told Sana. "So why don't you feed our baby now. Your soup is getting cold."

Sana picked up her spoon and nodded her agreement with him. She ate her soup, all of it, without a fuss. Then she sat down at the desk to see if her parents had responded to her. Sana had just sat down and opened the DNB when she heard the little girl whimper.

Hummingbird's parents were standing right there as she opened her eyes. They were the first two people she saw and they smiled at her.

"There's our little Hummingbird," Raven said to her lovingly, "You're mother and I have been very worried about you."

Hummingbird swallowed as she looked around, "Where am I," she asked her parents.

Romero and Sana stepped up to where Hummingbird could see them.

"You're in our home," Sana informed Hummingbird with a pleasant smile, "I'm Sana, and this is my husband, Romero. You needed help. So my husband brought you here where he has some special tools for helping people when they're hurt. Do you remember what happened?"

"We were collecting fire wood," Hummingbird recalled, "and wolves came. We ran, but I'm not a fast runner. We climbed into a tree to get away, but I was last. Daisy and Willow tried to help me up, but a wolf got my ankle... Then I woke up here."

"That's very good, Hummingbird," Sana smiled warmly at her. "I know there's a little bit that you don't remember and that's okay, don't worry about it. You may remember that last little bit someday, or you may never remember it at all. And that's okay, because the important part is you're safe now, right?"

Hummingbird gave a little nod of agreement.

"Hi, Hummingbird, I'm Sana's husband, Romero. How are you feeling? Are you having any pain anywhere?"

Hummingbird thought for a moment, "My ankle is sore and I'm thirsty."

"I'll get her a cup of water," Sana volunteered.

"You needed stitches in several places," Romero informed Hummingbird, "So I gave you some medicine to keep you from feeling a lot of pain. As that medicine wears off, you may begin to feel a lot of pain. Let me know when the pain gets too bad and I'll give you more medicine for it, okay?"

Hummingbird nodded her understanding.

"I have a cup of water for her," Sana told Romero. "Is it okay for her to sit up?"

"Yea," answered Romero, "Just let me adjust this table into a sitting position." He pressed a button and the head of the exam table slowly rose to a sitting position, sitting Hummingbird up.

Hummingbird was covered in a warm blanket. And once she was sitting up, she noticed her clothes were gone. "What happened to my clothes?"

"They were ruined by the wolves," Romero informed her.

"I'll have Redbird go get your other dress," Windsong assured her daughter.

Sana handed the cup of water to Windsong.

"Here's that cup of water, Sana, got for you," Windsong told her daughter as she held the cup for her and Hummingbird took a few small swallows.

Hummingbird looked at her arm, "Are these stitches?"

"Yes," Romero confirmed, "those are stitches. You have them in a few places. When you are healed enough, they will fall out on their own. But what you need to remember is to take it easy for a little while. We don't want you to pop any of them before you're healed very well. And sometimes as you're healing, they may be really itchy. But it's important that you don't scratch them, okay?"

"Okay," Hummingbird agreed.

"Good," responded Romero, "Sana and I will go sit outside for a little while so your parents can have some time with you." Then Romero took Sana's petite hand and they went back out onto the porch. They sat back down on the porch bench where Sana found her now cold mug of tea. They were sitting there watching the little girls play when Raven stepped out onto the porch.

"She's fallen back to sleep," Raven told him.

"She may sleep a lot for a day or two," Romero told Raven.

Raven nodded his understanding. "I'm going to take my oldest son, Quail, and go get a tipi. Normally, we are settling into our cabins for the winter and the tipi are put up until spring. But it will do for a few nights so we're not invading your home. The others will follow us back to our winter homes."

"They are all certainly welcome to visit," Romero told Raven.

Raven nodded approvingly, "That's good. I'll let my people know. It's good to have someone with your skills close by."

"Happy to be here," responded Romero. Then he and Sana watched him walk off the porch. When he started speaking to his people that were there, he spoke in his own language. Then they watched them disappear into the forest.

Sana decided to work on the second bedroom. They discovered that the large rectangular box sitting among the totes contained a crib and crib mattress that just needed to be put together. A few of the toys were comfort types of things, but for the most part they were educational toys. One tote was full of bedding for a toddler bed and crib, another had clothes for a toddler, another clothes for a newborn. It was sad that this young promising family was gone. It barely took them an hour to go through the things in the second bedroom. And Sana felt it was too soon to set up the crib.

Romero checked Hummingbird, who was sleeping. As he assured her mother she was doing well, he heard people approaching on horses.

"I think your husband is approaching," Romero informed Windsong.

Windsong stepped to the door and looked out through the screen door. "I don't see anybody," she said confused.

Romero stepped to the door, "But I can hear them approaching." He pointed, "They're coming from that direction.

"You can hear them," said Windsong mystified.

Romero nodded and squinted, "There's quite a few trees in my line of sight, but it's definitely him and three young men. They're on horseback and he's pulling something. They'll arrive in a few minutes."

Windsong turned to Sana, who had started a big pot of stew, and asked, "Can he really hear and see that well?"

"Yes, he can," confirmed Sana pleasantly. "Around my Romero, there's no such thing as a silent fart," she said it jokingly, but it was true.

"You can't really hear a silent fart," Windsong said to Romero in disbelief.

The truth was he could, but he shared with her, "If I concentrate while I'm standing next to you, I can hear your heart beat." He was quiet as he listened for a moment. Then he informed Windsong, "You have a slight murmur."

Windsong's eyebrows raised in surprise. She wasn't sure she believed him; even though, he seemed, they both seemed, like very honest people. Yet history had taught her and her people to be wary of strangers, even strangers that initially seemed kind and helpful. Then a few minutes later, her husband and sons emerged from the forest in the area Romero pointed to. They were on horseback and her husband was pulling a tipi while her oldest was pulling some supplies.

"Do you think it's okay for Hummingbird to sleep in the tipi with us," Windsong asked Romero.

"Yeah," answered Romero, "that should be fine. If she begins to have a lot of pain, just come in and get me. Depending on what time it is, I may be awake anyway. I usually sleep between midnight and four a.m. But Sana's actually a lighter sleeper than I am."

"He only sleeps a few hours every night," shared Sana, "but when he's asleep, he's asleep."

"I'm going to go see if I can give them a hand outside," Romero told Sana.

The stew needed to simmer for a while, so Sana followed him out. But she stayed on the porch just in case she needed to rush back in to the stew. She was surprised by how quickly and easily the tipi went up, and it was much larger than she expected.

Romero looked the tipi over carefully, "This is very efficient. We have a tent, but this is much better."

"It may not pack up compact like a tent," Raven told Romero, "but it works well for us. About mid-spring, we're ready to get out of those cabins. We have a herd of sheep and goats. The goats give good milk and the wool from the sheep makes excellent blankets. But we need to move them around to graze them properly. Plus, it keeps us not too far from big horn sheep and buffalo for hunting. The buffalo weren't originally natural to this area. They were relocated for us by the government. So, buffalo are found in several areas now. Of course they put the wolves here too. Coyotes are originally a natural predator for this area. But the wolves don't usually give us any direct trouble."

"Sana and I have a lot to learn about surviving here," Romero told Raven. "I hope you're willing to teach us a few things. But we'll do our best not to be a nuisance."

Those first settlers had needed to learn a few things. Raven had to remind himself that these weren't settlers from another land. This was just a doctor and his expecting wife, a doctor who had saved his daughter's life. The government that finally let natives live free had convinced them to leave their modern lives to provide medical services for his people. Raven knew how it was supposed to work.

In exchange for leaving their modern lives, they don't have to pay taxes or worry about any of the typical bills such as housing and utilities. The government provided the basics for them to be out here and provide medical services, but for the most part they were on their own out here. Raven knew many barely last a year and return to their modern lives. Yet if Romero was really willing to learn, maybe they would have a doctor nearby for a while. Romero and Sana weren't who he was expecting to set up a place near his tribe to provide medical services, but Romero seemed a competent doctor.

"The least I can do for the man who saved my daughter's life is share some of my knowledge," Raven told Romero.

"Thank you," Romero said with appreciative relief. "Sana and I find ourselves out here quite unprepared. But you'll find me to be an excellent student. I learn quickly."

Raven was sure Romero was book smart. But living out here required a different kind of intelligence. He was sure there were some concepts that Romero wouldn't be able to grasp. Even though, from the looks of Romero and Sana, they both appeared to have native blood. Still, after growing up modern, learning to live free could be difficult.