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Amazed questions rise in me How? When? Did he love her? Did she keep on lovin hih she couldn’t have him? He was so crazy about Ma, it ether An yet, she was Ma’s true friend She birthed it the chance to ask She’s read my face Realized her slip Slammed the door on her secret Her face is a careful blank as she goes over to the pony I think I’ll call him Tam, she says She climbs aboard without my help How much further? she says

I squint at the sky We should be there by middle day, I says

As I set a fast pace an Mercy follows behind on the pony, I ponder On the dark seah my life From before I was born to this moment an beyond Chance Fate Destiny

That I should in At this time, in this place It’s fer some reason I’ve yet to know But time will tell These days, if somethin seems like chance, my muzzle lifts to the wind an my ears prick

Oft-times I hear Pa His voice still echoes in my head, in my blood Our lives was fixed in the stars the e what’s written Fate That’s what he believed So I did too Till I started to think fer myself Pa’s very last words to me was a warnin froave hih an Eive in to fear Be strong, an never give up No matter what happens

Theoin tie that Mercy should love my father Her, rooted in the wisdom of the earth Pa, who looked in vain to the stars fer answers

I wonder what Mercy would it on if they was ever to ether

Auriel Auriel Tai The star reader girl with the wolfdog eyes Grandaughter of a warrior shaman Namid the Star Dancer, , not like Pa was She walks the thin place between the earth an the stars The place of dreaht an spirit What she knows an how she knows it cain’t easily be explained

If it warn’t fer her, I wouldn’t still be in this life I was nearly lost to the ht, when Tracker led me to her at the Snake River Auriel helped ave me hope an purpose Fer the first tih She was the first one to say the word to me Destiny

There are some people, Saba--not h their actions, they turn the tide of huinst DeMalo is my destiny That’s what she said She said all of ht over an over

Turn the tide I thought I kne to do that That the way ahead looked clear Hit hirip But after today--I need to think agin If only Auriel was here She wouldn’t even hafta think what I oughta be doin She’d know becuz she’d read it in the stars

Well she ain’t here I need Jack Right away But I gotta hold ht When I er out what to do

He jest cain’t know About DeMalo The bloodthe trees It ain’t one rock but three of ’eether Great old buffaloes of sandstone, their backs hunched aginst the sky In the old All is silent Nero swoops ahead to herald our cos flicks the hush

Mercy sniffs the air There’s a hint of cooked ood, she says

That means Molly ain’t cookin, I says Lucky us It’s the devil’s hen Molly’s at the cookpot

I cup nal The three-cheep call of a pinewax I wait a count of two, then I call once more There’s a cheep in reply froer appears