Poisoned Rose

Poisoned Rose

Jem Richards

Published by Jem Richards, 2020.

This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

POISONED ROSE

First edition. January 16, 2020.

Copyright © 2020 Jem Richards.

ISBN: 978-1393824022

Written by Jem Richards.

Also by Jem Richards

Chosen

Chosen

Wild Heart

Wild Heart of the Seas - Birth of the Avenging Angel

Wild Heart of the Seas - Give No Quarter

Standalone

Poisoned Rose

Watch for more at Jem Richards’s site.

Poisoned Rose

By Jem Richards

To my loving oldest daughter who I used as inspiration

on the character of Shaunah, and the mother-daughter bond

the main characters share. Thank you for all your

help and support during the making of this book!

Map of locations for Poisoned Rose Characters

Europe

Table of Contents

Poisoned Rose3

Prologue9

Chapter One14

Chapter Two21

Chapter Three30

Chapter Four40

Chapter Five45

Chapter Six50

Chapter Seven55

Chapter Eight63

Chapter Nine73

Chapter Ten85

Chapter Eleven94

Chapter Twelve101

Chapter Thirteen108

Chapter Fourteen114

Chapter Fifteen120

Chapter Sixteen127

Chapter Seventeen134

Chapter Eighteen141

Chapter Nineteen148

Chapter Twenty156

Chapter Twenty-One169

Chapter Twenty-Two182

Chapter Twenty-Three193

Chapter Twenty-Four202

Chapter Twenty-Five216

Chapter Twenty-Six226

Chapter Twenty-Seven240

Chapter Twenty-Eight250

Chapter Twenty-Nine260

Chapter Thirty270

Prologue

16 Years Ago:

Year of 1301 in Europe

Sixteen-year-old Nikkita stood in the spacious yard in front of her family cottage with her sword practicing lunges and swings on a wooden training post, her long golden hair swirling around her as she moved. The air is crisp and clean for fall. She was wearing black below-the-knee boots Papa fashioned for her, brown doeskin pants Mamma made, and a white blouse. She loved wearing this outfit because she thought she looked like a hero and it was comfortable to move and maneuver in. Nikkita could hear the thud of the ax and wood splitting as Papa continuously chopped firewood at the left side corner of the cottage.

Papa has been teaching her to use a sword since she was four years old. She loved sparring with her Papa and became determined to be as good as he was. She also loved archery practice with Papa; he says she has a natural talent because she can hit the bulls-eye every time.

Time to wash up for dinner, Mamma called from the porch.

She turned to look at her mama. Coming Mamma! she answered immediately and began walking toward the cottage front door.

Nikkita had the same golden hair, full lips, and small ears as her Mamma. However, Mamma has green eyes and is average in height at 5’2. Nikkita has the same bright blue eyes and high check bones as Papa. Papa has sandy brown hair cut short, strong jaw-line, and stood at 6’1 in height.

She walked with boots thudding on the wooden boards as she walked up the stairs, across the porch, and entered through the front door and hung her sword on the hooks on the wall inside the door. She headed to the water basin on a chest in front of the kitchen window with a view overlooking the front yard with the sun nearing the horizon to set above the tree line. She set to work and washed her hands. The aroma of fresh rye grain bread and wild turkey cooked with potatoes, onions, and carrots filled the air in the cozy cottage.

Nikkita walked over to the table and began to help her Mamma set plates and utensils on the table for their meal. She lit two candles in the center of the table and moved to light two more in the family room on a small drawer chest sitting between two wooden chairs with seat cushions. They were finishing setting the table with dinner as Papa trudged up the stairs to the porch and entered the cottage.

Smells great! Papa said to Mamma as he entered and headed to wash his hands.

Papa sat at the head of the table in the chair nearest to the kitchen window, Nikkita sat next to him with her back to the family room, and Mamma sat across from Nikkita on the other side of Papa. Together they began piling their plates with dinner.

Nikkita, my dear! I noticed how well your form was as you were practicing your swings and lunges. You’re a natural with your movements like a pro!Papa exclaimed.

Nikkita blushed with excitement. Thank you Papa! I had the world’s best teacher.

Papa let out a loud rumbling laugh and winked at her with a twinkle in his eye. Mamma smiled at them, enjoying their merriment. The room was growing dimmer as the sunset and the candlelight sent shadows dancing around the room giving Nikkita a sense of their safe haven.

Mamma looked at Papa and said, Nikkita is doing well with her herbal studies, we finished our herbal journal last week and she is ready to try them on her own!

Well done Nikkita! You truly have learned so much, you seem capable of mastering everything your Mamma and I have taught you. Most peasants’ cannot even read; my grandfather taught me, which he had learned when he worked in a Lord’s house. We are very fortunate! Since too much violence happened around the city, and because Mamma’s family lived in the country, we felt it important to live where we felt safe. That’s why we moved out here to our own piece of heaven by the mountain and live off the land.

I love it here Papa! Sure we are away from civilization, but I just love playing in the trees, horseback riding, exploring the area for our herbs, and practicing my archery and swordsmanship.

Very good, my dear! We have everything we need right here to live comfortably. Tools for building and repairs, livestock, garden, and open country for us to hunt, a stream not far and creek running behind our property for fishing and water supply. Papa boasted. I was thinking we should rise early to head out for a hunt trip, what do you think Nikkita?

Oh, yes. I wanted to get to bed early anyway. I worked in the garden most of the morning trying to pull up the remaining vegetables to store for winter and the remaining herbs so I can hang and dry them in the barn. Nikkita answered.

As the meal wore on, they shared stories of things they experienced and enjoyed. Finally, Nikkita picked up her plate and stood with a sleepy smile. I am so sleepy I could fall asleep right here, I’m going to bed. She kissed Papa on the cheek, love you Papa.

Love you too my sweet he offered back.

She walked over to the kitchen counter and set her plate down, then turned and walked up to Mamma still sitting at the table and kissed her cheek. Love you Mamma.

Love you too sweetie. She replied. Sweet dreams!

Nikkita straightened up, walked to the stand in the family room to pick up one of the candles, and headed down the hall to her room to get ready for bed. There were three doors near the end of the hall. The one straight ahead was the linen and supplies pantry, her parents’ room is the door to the left, and her room is the door to the right. If she were to look out her window, she would see the garden running by the house and the barn set back on the other side of the garden. Her window was a large bay window with a cushioned sitting area that was centered in room’s wall that she loved to sit and watch the sunrise and sometimes to read. Her bed that was on the far wall was a straw mattress with her buffalo fur covering the straw to keep her warm and the straw away from her delicate skin. She also had an additional blanket rolled along the foot of her bed. She had a large chest at the foot of her bed with her daily wear clothing. There was also a smaller chest along the nearest wall across the room from the bed that held her hunting and travel clothes and gear. Above the chest, hooks were hung were she hung her heavy coats. By the small chest, she kept all her shoes and boots in two neat rows. Right inside her door sat a wooden chair that she sat down in to remove her black below-the-knee boots and set them next to the chair.

She closed her bedroom door behind her, walked to the hooks, plucked her nightgown off a hook, and set the candle on top of the chest. She turned and headed toward the bed to pull her white blouse up over her head, folded it neatly, and picked up her nightgown to pull over her head. She unlaced her leather pants at her waist, slid them off, folded them neatly, and picked up the blouse to cross the room to set the folded blouse and pants on the chair.

She could hear Mamma and Papa talking in the other room in hushed tones. They usually stayed up a little longer than her to visit and discuss matters to relax after a long day’s work. She was used to it. She climbed into bed, unrolled the blanket from the foot of her bed to cover herself, and laid down savoring the buffalo fur’s softness. Closing her eyes, she allowed the rhythm of her parents voices as they talked lull her as she began to drift off to sleep.

The sound of the barn door banging open and the horses’ neighing loudly in fear awoke Nikkita from her sleep. She heard a kitchen chair scrape across the wood floor as Papa got up, followed by his booted footsteps as he walked to the door and pulled it open to run out and investigate. Nikkita quickly jumped out of bed as she heard her Mamma get up and walk to the doorway and called out for him to be careful. Nikkita walked quietly over to look out the bay window.

It was a clear fall night with a ¾ moon offering its light from high up in the sky, providing enough light for her to watch her Papa approach the barn. The barns door was wide open and she watched as Papa stopped in the barn doorway and yelled, Who is in there? Get out and off my property! Then he entered the barn and disappeared from view. Nikkita’s heart seemed to stop as she held her breath and waited for Papa to come back out. Several minutes passed as she anxiously waited, but instead of Papa coming out three rough looking men with old dusty clothing exited the barn with three of their horses’ being led out. One of the men mounted a brown horse of theirs as the other two led a white with brown patch horse and a tan horse toward their house.

She tried to scream, but her throat felt so dry she couldn’t make a sound. She mindlessly chanted in her mind, Please just leave. Just leave. Just leave. When they rounded the corner of the house, she lost sight of them, but heard her Mamma from the doorway yell, Where is my husband? What do you want? Frightened, Nikkita scrambled across the room and crouched in the corner near the large chest that sat at the foot of her bed hoping and begging silently that they would leave.

She heard Mamma scream out in agony and tears filled her eyes in despair. Screams filled the night for what seemed like eternity and she sat there crouched and crying silently in the corner. She began trembling in fear so much that she feared those men would hear.

Finally, the screams ceased and for a moment she thought they would leave, but then she heard three sets of booted footsteps as they climbed the porch stairs, crossed the porch, and entered the house.

Look for something to eat before we move on. The first man to speak said as Nikkita heard them moving about the kitchen.

Here’s some turkey cooked recently. A second man went on excitedly. And here is some bread we can take on the road with us.

She heard chairs scrape as they sat at the kitchen table eating the leftover’s from their dinner. The third man spoke up, We’ve been traveling on foot for days, it’s a good thing we came across this place out here in the middle of no-where. Now we got horses’ and food to take on the road. Let’s pack as much as we can carry when we’re done eating.

Heck yeah! the second man piped in. We won’t have to scrounge for food for at least a few more days.

The first man gruffly announced, Look for blankets too, it’s damn cold out at night. With the damn hard ground and cold, it causes me to stiffen up in the morning making it difficult to move around.

Nikkita cowered in her corner, numb and trembling in fear as tears streamed down her face. Mamma, Papa, what happened? she thought, confused and disoriented. Help me! Mamma, Papa, where are you. I am so scared!

It didn’t take the men long to finish their meal and start raiding the pantry and cupboards. She heard them rummaging about.

The third man whooped from the pantry and exclaimed, Here are some leather bags we can fill, they have vegetables in them but we can dump them and take what we want. There is also some dried meat here we can take along too.

Those will be perfect for our trip on the road, fill them up boys! The first man stated.

I’ll check the back rooms for blankets to take on the road, the second man announced as the other two remained in the kitchen filling the leather bags with food.

Nikkita’s mouth and throat were dry and started aching. She was still crouched in the corner and her muscles were cramping and hurting, but she was scared to move even a little. With the exception of her trembling, she remained motionless as she listened to the footsteps coming down the hall. She felt panicked and began having difficulty breathing as the steps got closer and closer; but as they neared, they turned into her parents room and she heard the man rummage around the room. It was only moments later that the footsteps came back into the hall. Instead of continuing down the hall, they paused outside her bedroom door as the door creaked open as candlelight illuminated the room.

The man entered the room holding the candle in his left hand while he had her parents fur blankets draped over his right arm. His pants were very dusty brown and made of cloth, his black boots were scuffed and worn, and he wore a dark brown top shirt also covered in dust. He wasn’t as tall as Papa, but he had shoulder length dirty blonde hair. His attention was on the bed and buffalo skin as he started to walk across the room. However, suddenly he paused and looked directly at her. At first, it was shock that registered on his face, but then he gave a toothy cruel grin and yelled to the others, Hey boys! We got us a surprise in here!

Nikkita’s eyes widened and she began trembling so hard she was afraid she would bite her tongue. She guessed it was her white gown that caught his attention. She was so scared she felt weak and sick to her stomach.

She heard two more sets of booted foot steps walk down the hall and enter the room. One of the men was on the slightly pudgy side in weight with dark brown shoulder length hair and wearing a hunter green top shirt, black cloth pants, and worn brown boots, while the other man had sandy haircut short and wore dark brown top shirt, tan pants, and worn black boots.

Nikkita started to scream in fear hysterically as the other two caught sight of her and grinned. Looks like we are going to have a little fun before we continue on our way! It was the one wearing dark brown top shirt, tan pants, and worn black boots. He was the man she thought of as the first man by the sound of his voice as he spoke.

He strolled across the room and bent down to grab her wrists and dragged her over to the bed and tossed her onto it. He let out a cruel roaring laugh as the other two joined in with the laughter.

Nikkita couldn’t stop herself and began screaming hysterically again. The first man hit her hard across the face. He put a knee on the bed, but she tried to back away. He roughly grabbed her left arm, so she kicked him back with all her might hitting his chest. In his surprise, he released her arm and stumbled back a few feet. He looked back at her with a vicious glint showing in his eyes as he leapt onto the bed and dragged her down as he lowered himself until he was straddling her. Nikkita’s instincts kicked in and she began thrashing and screaming as loud as she could, trying to beat his chest and buck him off. However, his body weight over-powered her and he grabbed her by the shoulders before he slammed her back fully causing her to hit her head on the wall and bring tears to her eyes. Her vision started to dim, but she swung her right arm around and slapped him hard on the cheek. Growing angry, the man punched her hard in the face and everything went black. As she lost all consciousness, she welcomed the darkness, thankful she didn’t have to be aware of what was happening.

Chapter One

Present Day:

Year of 1317 in Europe

Nikkita looked at her little cottage in reflection. The wood floors creaked under her weight as she crossed the room to sit at the worn table. The kitchenette had many cupboards and a spacious pantry for storing food for the long winters. The wood stove helped with both cooking and heating. Papa built a quaint 2-bedroom cottage for Mamma when they were married. Nikkita looked at her home with tears in her eyes. She glanced at the matching chairs in the living room Papa made for him and Mamma. Mamma made seat cushions that were placed on the chairs. Oh how she missed them so. When she was 16 years old, some outlaws killed her parents barbarically, leaving her alone to survive beaten, weak, and pregnant.

Nikkita was now 32 with a daughter resulting from the outlaws’ brutal attack on her after they killed her parents. She had felt so lost and alone in the months that followed her parents’ death; she had been barely able to function. When she had discovered she was pregnant, life held a new meaning and purpose for her. She raised her daughter with love and care, teaching her as best she could. Thank God, that Papa had taught her to do repairs, hunt, and archery, amongst other things. He insisted it was important to know how to take care of one’s self.

Nikkita looked up when her daughter entered the room, coming out of her bedroom. Her dirty blonde hair reached halfway down her back, glistening in the morning sunlight that was shining through the dusty windows.

Mamma, are you ok? she asked when she saw the tears in her eyes. Her bright blue eyes darkened with worry and her full lips tightened with concern. She had the face of an angel and a sweet and caring personality.

Nikkita answered, Yes Shaunah. I was just missing Grandmamma and Grandpapa. Shaunah walked over to Nikkita and embraced her in a gentle hug, stroking her waist length golden blonde hair. Shaunah leaned back and looked into Nikkita’s bright blue eyes that were swollen from crying.

I wish I could have known them, you have told me so much about them that I feel close to them. She said softly before asking, Do you want me to make some breakfast for us?

Why don’t we make it together, Nikkita suggested. Then we can go out for a horseback ride after breakfast to hunt! she replied feeling a bit closed in and wanted to feel the wind on her face.

Her papa always said she had a bit of a wild side. Nikkita could see so much of herself in her daughter, and she was thankful because she saw her as a blessing giving her what she needed to survive after her parents’ were brutally taken away.

Together, Nikkita and Shaunah scrambled eggs and boiled grits over the wood stove. They worked together well after years of shared duties. Shaunah was not only her daughter, but also her best friend and companion. ‘Mamma and Papa would be so proud of you’, Nikkita thought as they worked together making their morning meal. Shaunah set the table with two plates and spoons as Nikkita brought the eggs and grits to the table. They sat down together and shared their morning meal over light conversation.

Nikkita looked at the worn walls and leaking roof of her old barn as she entered to saddle up their two horses for their country ride. She stored hay and oats they grew in a small field across the front yard up in the loft above. She paused inside the entryway as she observed the interior. Saddles, blankets, tools, a stash of hay and oats, and other items were stored to the left in an open section. Beyond that, six stalls lined the remaining distance along the wall where they stored the horses. On the right wall was a work area with a bench and shelves lining the wall inside the entrance followed by six more stalls. The stalls near the back of the barn were where they stored the cows. In addition, pigs were stored in the stalls near the front

The horses neighed in greeting as she walked over to the first stall on the left where Midnight was looking over the railing and let out a soft snort to get her attention. Nikkita walked up to Midnight and began rubbing her black soft forehead, crooning softly to her.

She could hear the trickle of water coming from a short distance behind the barn where a small creek of water came out of the mountain like a water spring and ran a short distance behind the barn and across a clearing that they used for fresh water. She could feel the excitement build up in her as she led Midnight out of her stall and continued to saddle up the horses for their ride as Shaunah brought more wood into the cottage from the stacked wood pile outside for the wood stove before they left.

Spring is finally here, she thought. We can finally fix the leaks in the roof this afternoon as long as the sun stays with us.

In the barn, they had six horses (1 that was pregnant), three cows, six pigs, and a chicken coupe outside the barn along the Eastern side that had two dozen hens and three cocks. On the Western side of the barn, they had bee farms they used for honey and candle making. Papa knew what they needed to get by, he and Mamma had worked hard together to create a reliable life-style that supported all their needs and had taught Nikkita well. Nikkita kept everything up, and with Shaunah’s help, they were able to keep up the maintenance as well.

She quickly saddled their horses and led them to the front of the cottage. Both horses are female. Nikkita’s horse is black as night with black mane and tail, which is why Nikkita named her Midnight. Midnight has a sweet personality and temperament, and loves running as much as Nikkita. Shaunah’s horse is tan with white mane and tail that she named Daffodil. Daffodil is also sweet in personality and temperament.

Nikkita went inside the cottage to grab their bows and arrows they used for hunting, Papa had taught her well and she could hit her prey dead on every time. Papa had also taught her how to use a sword, which she practiced often with Shaunah. Together they made quite a team.

Ready? Shaunah asked as she entered the front door with her arms full of wood. She walked over to the wood stove and placed the wood in the pile that she had already brought in and placed along the wall.

Yes, I was just grabbing our bows and arrows for our hunt, she replied.

Both women wore buffalo leather pants and shirts decorated with fringe they had made for their hunt trips. Nikkita wore her buffalo hat she made that looked like it had ears with sections she had folded and sewn one on each side. Draw strings hung down that had fur balls sewn on the ends. They carried their arrows in leather shoulder bags, which they swung over their heads and across their shoulder where the arrows rested on their back, allowing easy carry and access ability.

Since they had to provide for themselves, they used everything they could at their disposal. Living in the country close to the mountains, they were far from civilization and rarely came across anyone. However, Nikkita was persistent in practice to ensure that they could protect themselves since the tragedy that took her parents’ from her. Nikkita’s Papa had always teased her she was strong-willed and wild, but also loving and tender. Nikkita never killed any living creature unless she used every part possible. She uses bone for sewing needles and jewelry her Mamma had taught her to make, the hide for clothing, curtains, and blankets, and the meat for food… providing everything they needed to survive. Mamma’s garden grew tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce, carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers, onions, garlic and various herbs that they used for cooking.

Nikkita and Shaunah mounted their horses and turned towards the base of the mountain; going around the base of the mountain would allow them for an open ride along the tree line and led to an ideal place to hunt. Nikkita turned her face up to the sun and closed her eyes for a moment savoring the feel of the suns warmth on her skin as she breathed in the fresh air into her lungs in deep refreshing breathes. When she opened her eyes, she looked over to Shaunah with a grin and a twinkle in her eye, Shall we race?

Shaunah laughed with a melodious tone and replied, You’re on!

Together they kicked their horses into a gallop racing along the tree line laughing and enjoying the sun on their skin and the breeze in their hair. Nikkita was in the lead with Shaunah coming up on her left flank as they allowed themselves the joy of their ride and companionship. Nikkita watched the trees blur by and breathed in the trees scent leaving her feeling exhilarated. She loved riding Midnight at fast speed, feeling she had a sense of freedom and temporarily taking her pain and worries away.

They rode several miles laughing and teasing as they raced along. Nikkita was in the lead and motioned to slow down as they neared a stream, as they slowed they looked at each other breathless.

Taking a moment to catch her breath, I won this time! Nikkita said breathlessly as she glanced at the stream enjoying the sweet smell and sound of the crystalline water that was beckoning to her. She looked back to Shaunah and said, Shall we rest and water the horses’ for a bit?

You read my mind! Shaunah replied.

They both dismounted and led their horses’ to the stream bank. They stopped here often when they came out to the area; they had a shack Nikkita had built nearby where they stored a cart, rope, and tools that they used when they hunted. They used the cart when they caught larger prey they needed to transport to the cottage.

Nikkita and Shaunah sat in the shade of a tree next to the stream listening to the running water and the birds chirping overhead.

We need to start repairs to the barn roof this afternoon. Tomorrow we should start working in the garden. We are getting low on supplies we had stored for the winter, so we must get started as soon as we can. Nikkita informed Shaunah. I brought some leather bags I made for collecting moss and mud for the repairs, we can collect after we rest and store them in the shack till we are done hunting.

They rested for a short while, refreshed themselves with a cool drink from the stream, and then began collecting mud and moss along the sides of the stream.

Once they filled the leather bags with as much moss and mud they could hold they tied them to their horse’s saddles, mounted, and headed upstream toward their storage shack. The shack stood a short distance away from the stream that Nikkita built shortly after her parents’ had died to make it more convenient on her hunting trips. It was small and hidden in the trees, barely noticeable, but big enough to store the cart she made for her horse to pull her catch and rope hanging on the inside walls along with shelves that held her skinning blades. It had an area for hanging and drying hides on the back wall. She made straw baskets in the way her Mamma had taught her that she stored on the floor along the wall for the meat she cut up for easier storage and transport. She hung hooks along the rafters over head that were used for meat drying, which were empty now.

When they approached the shack, Nikkita listened with her trained ears and searched the area by sight and sound for any signs of disturbance. When she was satisfied they were alone, she and Shaunah dismounted and began untying the leather bags. They carried the bags and placed them inside the cart in the shack and left to hunt. Heading further into the woods, heading slightly up the base of the mountain, they kept their bows close and moving silently. Nikkita and Shaunah lived here all their lives and knew the area well; they were seasoned huntresses and knew the tree coverage would hide their presence.

As they approached a small clearing, they stopped and dismounted about a hundred feet away. Nikkita motioned Shaunah to move to the right along the clearing and that she would move to the left direction. With bows in hand, they headed in their assigned direction slowly and carefully so they could sneak up on any game in the area. Nikkita moved silently, after a hundred feet she paused and looked back to see Shaunah moving silently in her direction in a slight crouch pausing every now and then to listen. Nikkita was so proud how well her daughter had learned. Both of them were able to move through the woods and underbrush silently and climb the trees with expertise when needed. They had both learned to jump from limb to limb just as silently and race up in the trees branches; they sometimes even made a game of it. Nevertheless, there was no time for it now, the winter had been longer than usual and they were getting low on meat. Nikkita turned back and moved further in her assigned direction, she knew the woods got thicker up ahead and the best vantage point would be up in the tree branches.

She continued moving through the woods, pausing every now and then to listen and assess the area. When the trees grew thicker, she found a large tree with a thick trunk at the base that V’d out three feet up and began climbing it with her bow swung over her shoulder. When she reached about twenty feet up, she crouched on a thick branch then leapt to the next tree branch landing with ease. She paused to assess the area listening and heard a slight rustle in the brush near the clearings edge. She was only about fifteen feet from the clearing, so she focused on the area and listened quietly as she grabbed her bow and an arrow from her shoulder bag and waited for her opportunity.

The bushes were tall and thick in the area she heard the rustling, and she could see the clearing edge where the sun was shinning above. She could tell it had to be around noon by the position of the sun above. She heard a louder rustling in the bushes and notched her arrow in the bow, drawing the arrow back and pointing it in the direction while waiting for her chance. Slowly a large, full-grown buck entered the area coming from the clearing facing her cautiously moving slowly through the bushes into the woods.

At first, she only saw his head and antlers, so she held her breath and waited for him to move exposing his chest. He carefully took three more steps twitching his ears as he listened intently. As soon as his chest came into view, and before he could re-act, Nikkita let loose her arrow striking him straight in the chest, through his heart, and making a clean kill.

Nikkita let out a loud whistle signaling to Shaunah that she bagged her catch, and she heard a returning whistle. Nikkita jumped lightly to a branch below her and made a leap to the ground. She straightened up, walked over to the buck, and knelt beside it to pull the arrow free. She pulled her knife free from its sheath that was tied around her left boot and began skinning the buck.

Shaunah appeared from behind her with a rabbit dangling by the ears in her hand and said, I’ll take Daffodil to the shack to get a few baskets, but we can’t transport it all home at once!

Nikkita answered, I’ll come back tomorrow with the cart to finish it up, but we need to get back soon so we can start the repairs to the barn roof before it gets dark. While I make the trip, you can start in the garden. Sound good to you?

Sounds like a good plan to me! Shaunah answered. Then she headed in the direction where they had left the horses.

Nikkita continued her work until she had the side of the buck skinned, and Shaunah returned with the baskets and horses. Together they worked to start carving meat and placed it in the baskets. The woods were too thick for the cart, so Shaunah tied the baskets to Daffodil’s saddle, then helped Nikkita to get Midnight kneeling beside the buck and maneuver the buck over the horses back to get it to the shack. Nikkita walked to lead her horse through the woods toward the shack with Shaunah following on horseback behind her.

When they reached the shack, they pulled the cart out and lead Midnight in with the buck still on its back. Nikkita strolled to the wall, removed the rope, and began tying one end around the front legs of the buck, swung the other end over the rafter, and together Nikkita and Shaunah began pulling the rope tight to lift the buck from the horse’s back. Once it was a foot up, Shaunah tied an end to a hook attached to the wall to secure it.

Once done, Shaunah took Midnight outside to attach the cart while Nikkita finished skinning the buck and draped the fur over a trunk to begin drying, ‘I’ll wait to tack it to the wall till tomorrow when I return’ she thought. She then went to secure the door to ensure nothing could get in and turned to Shaunah who just finished hooking up and loading the cart. Together they mounted their horses and headed back toward their cottage.

Nikkita looked up toward the sky to find the suns location, It must be around two and it will take longer to get home. We should have enough time for a late lunch and get repairs done before dark by the time we get home.

Sounds like a good plan to me Shaunah answered.

When they finished eating their late lunch, they took the moss and mud and began spreading and molding it to the top of the barn roof, working as quickly and efficiently as they could. Shaunah patted and smoothed the last bit of moss and mud into place just half an hour before dusk.

Still kneeling, she ran her arm across her forehead and exclaimed Whew that should do it Mamma! It looks real good if you don’t mind my saying so.

I agree! Looks great and should do the trick. Nikkita replied.

Together they climbed down from the barn roof and walked to the creek to wash up. Nikkita kneeled and leaned over the water and started scrubbing her hands and arms. Shaunah kneeled beside her and put her hands in the water rinsing her hands and arms off too, she glanced over at Nikkita who wasn’t paying any attention to her and grinned.

She quickly rinsed off all the mud and moss and scooped water with cupped hands aimed directly over at Nikkita, splashing her right on. OH! she exclaimed surprised and looked up