Yellowstone Legends Read online

  His stomach growled when he finally reached the dead fire of his old camp. His robe lay on the ground as if something had dragged it through the dirt, and the goose he’d killed was gone. Only some feathers remained.

  He’d let Mukua down by not demanding that the woman hand over the vessel, but he had been in no mood to fight Cameahwait, either. It was difficult to grasp that his longtime friend was now his enemy. It was no coincidence that his bow had broken in half this day. Things always happened for a reason.

  “Mukua, I need your counsel.” Wo'itsa glanced around the clearing. He raised his hands and directed his eyes to the sky.

  A twig snapped somewhere behind him, and Wo'itsa spun around. As if the elder had heard his plea, he appeared from the forest. The old man’s expression was hard as he approached.

  “You have seen what the future does to our people.” The elder glared up at Wo'itsa, coming to a stop directly in front of him. “Cameahwait’s thoughts have been poisoned by my brothers, and Natukendra’eh weda has forgotten her ancestors.” He placed a bony hand on Woit’sa’s shoulder.

  Wo'itsa nodded. Mukua spoke the truth. Kendra knew nothing of the old ways, and Cameahwait had tried to kill an elder of the Sky People.

  “Who is she, Mukua?” He couldn’t stop the question.

  There was a slight hesitation before the elder spoke again. “She is the one who will destroy everything I’ve worked for, and without your help I cannot stop her.”

  The elder reached into the pouch around his neck and removed the time travel vessel he kept there. He made a sweeping motion with his hand and arm before placing it on Wo'itsa’s shoulder again. A smile passed over his wrinkled face.

  “Come, Wo'itsa. It is time for you to see the good we will accomplish together.”

  Wo'itsa stared from the old man’s face to the vessel in his hand. “You are taking me to the future?” Thoughts of Kendra plagued his mind. Would he ever see her again, perhaps in her future time?

  Mukua nodded. “A life must be saved before it is too late.”

  With those words, the elder held on tight to Wo'itsa’s shoulder. He pressed his thumb to the vessel’s eye. Everything around them suddenly went completely dark, and any further thoughts Wo'itsa might have had regarding the mysterious woman vanished along with the light.

  Chapter 13

  Kendra stared after the Wolf until he disappeared into the forest. She absently rubbed at her right wrist. The perplexing look of something that could be described as disappointment, as if he’d been let down, had passed through the Indian’s eyes seconds before he spun on his heels.

  She hadn’t turned away from the look in his eyes. Even though he’d predicted that Mukua would demand she hand over the vessel, his gaze had held a hint of admiration. His words hadn’t been a threat, but more of a warning, and why had he looked at her like that?

  Time seemed to have stood still while they’d stared at each other, each drawn to the other for some inexplicable reason. For all she’d been through since being tossed back in time, and her mistrust of the Wolf, she was still alive because of him. If he had truly wanted to kill her, he would have done it already.

  She blinked and mentally shook her head. He was nothing but an overbearing guy with a misguided sense of duty to some crazy old man. Why was she having doubts about him?

  Everything Kunu had told her over the years seemed to be coming true. Why, then, did it seem wrong that he would have warned her about the wolf? She shrugged. What did it matter? Good riddance that he was gone. She could breathe easier now, and hopefully get some answers about the deaths of her grandfather and Matt Donovan, and also how to get home.

  She glanced sideways at Cameahwait, who bent to pick up the broken bow. He studied it, much like Wo'itsa had done when he’d first pulled it out from beneath the dead warrior and realized it was broken.

  She turned to fully look up at him. He was a good head taller than she, much like Matt Donovan. He was built like an athlete. Not the bodybuilder type, but lean and trim, and he looked physically strong.

  She glanced over her shoulder in the direction that Wo'itsa had disappeared. His physique could be described in much the same way. Must be the environment these men lived in. No amount of time spent in a gym could produce such perfectly sculpted builds.

  Kendra shook her head and swallowed. She even rolled her eyes. Her mind had never wandered as much as it had strayed in the last couple of days. Maybe it was due to the hit to her head. Or, because most guys in the twentieth century didn’t strut around shirtless, in leather pants and breechcloths, wielding knives, tomahawks, or bows and arrows. Admittedly, it definitely increased the hotness factor.

  “Would you care to tell me exactly who you are and how you got here?”

  Kendra’s gaze returned to Cameahwait, who studied her intently. He spoke to her in perfect English rather than in the old Shoshone dialect of the ancient Tukudeka. The more she’d heard the words spoken, the more familiar they sounded.

  Kunu had taught her well as a child, insisting she learn the language, even though she’d been an unwilling student. A twinge of guilt squeezed her insides that she’d dismissed her grandfather’s teachings all these years. Everything he’d tried to tell her seemed to be coming true.

  She stared at the man who’d rescued her from the Wolf. She should be asking him the same question he’d just asked her. As a white guy, he seemed out of place in the primordial Yellowstone wilderness.

  Her name had not seemed familiar to either Wo'itsa or Cameahwait, but it had certainly caused a reaction in them, judging by the way they’d stared at her. The only one who hadn’t seemed surprised was Mukua, but he’d already known her full native name.

  “I told you my name.” She raised her chin and shook strands of hair out of her face. “But I go by Kendra. I never liked the name my grandfather gave me.”

  Cameahawait’s brows rose. “Who’s your grandfather?”

  Her eyes narrowed and she tilted her head while crossing her arms over her chest. Could she really trust this guy?

  “Maybe you should tell me who you are first, and I’d like to know where, exactly, I am.”

  A slow smile passed over his lips. “All right. The Sky People gave me the name Cameahwait, but I prefer Cameron Osborne.”

  Kendra shook her head. Meaningless names. Until today, she’d never heard any of them. One point to him for preferring a different name than the one he’d been given.

  “You’re in the year 1751 in what will be known in the future as Yellowstone National Park,” he continued.

  “I already figured I was in Yellowstone,” she interrupted. “But . . .1751?” Over two-hundred and fifty years in the past. A shiver passed down her spine.

  Cameron Osborne laughed. “That was my wife’s reaction when she arrived here a couple of years ago.” His facial features hardened as quickly as he had smiled, and he stared at her.

  “Now it’s your turn, but you can tell me all about yourself on the way back to my cabin.” His eyes swept the surrounding area littered with the four dead bodies of the warriors that had attacked her and Wo'itsa earlier. “I’d rather not linger here and wait for more Bakianee to show up. I hope that injury to your head isn’t severe.” He pointed to her temple.

  Kendra’s hand went to touch her injury. Now that he’d reminded her of it, the dull throbbing was more noticeable. She shrugged.

  “It’s nothing. A little headache, but otherwise I’ll be fine.” Thanks to the poultice Wo'itsa had put on it.

  Apparently satisfied, Cameron Osborne led the way into the forest. He headed in a different direction than Wo'itsa had gone. Kendra glanced over her shoulder one more time. Would she ever see him again?

  Why do you care if you do or not? He and that crazy elder are nothing but trouble.

  Hastening her strides, she fell in step alongside Cameron. She glanced at the scars that ran down his back. They bore a striking resemblance to the sketches she’d drawn over and over again as a chi
ld, not knowing what they were or what they meant, and which she’d had tattooed on her arm.

  Kendra shook her head. She still didn’t know what they meant. One thing became clear, however. This had to be the guy Matt Donovan had mentioned as the friend he’d known long ago.

  “How’d you get those scars on your back?”

  Cameron’s head turned slightly to look at her out of the corner of his eye. “Grizzly.”

  “I think I was supposed to find you,” she blurted. Cameron stopped abruptly at her words. He faced her fully.

  Kendra swallowed, then peeled her jacket down her arm to expose her tattoo. She’d never made a point of drawing attention to it before. The marks of the grizzly, although much smaller, were identical to the ones on Cameron’s back.

  Rather than surprise and more questions, a look of acceptance came over his face. He even nodded.

  “With your name, I have no doubt we share a connection.” His eyes narrowed. “But I don’t understand the wolf.”

  Kendra scoffed. “I don’t understand any of it, but it’s time I find the answers.”

  Two people who could have given her answers were dead. If Cameron didn’t seem to know, then maybe she needed to go back and find Mukua.

  “Was it Naatoyita who sent you to this time? He will know what your tattoo means.”

  Kendra’s brows rose. “Who?”

  “Naatoyita, one of the Sky People elders.”

  “The only Sky People elder I’ve met is Mukua, and he’s adamant that I give him that snakehead and go back to where I came from.”

  Cameron looked genuinely perplexed. “How did you acquire the time travel vessel, if it wasn’t one of the elders who gave it to you?”

  Kendra stared up into Cameron’s eyes. She inhaled deeply and steeled herself for the sadness and sudden anger that came over her.

  “Matt Donovan wanted me to have it.”

  “Mat?” A genuine look of wonder and surprise came over him. The way he repeated the name hinted at the great fondness he had for Matt Donovan. There was no longer any doubt that Cameron was the man Matt had referred to as his friend from long ago, and the bear Kunu had wanted her to find. How would he react when she told him that Matt was dead?

  “There’s more I have to tell you about that, but maybe it’s better if we get to your cabin first. How far is it?”

  “We will be there before nightfall.”

  Kendra sighed. Apparently, she was in for a long day of hiking through the wilderness. She shrugged. No big deal. She was physically fit. If only her headache would go away. Now would be a good time for another one of Wo'itsa’s poultices.

  Stop thinking about him!

  Cameron headed further into the woods, and Kendra followed. She reached down over her jeans pocket to feel the lump created by the snakehead. Maybe she could ask Cameron how it worked, and he could simply send her home.

  No. It was time for some real answers. Sky People. Time travel. Then there was the matter of the three people who had died because of their connection to her.

  Absorbed in thought, Kendra put one foot in front of the other, ignoring the dull ache at her temple. She stepped over and around deadfall, following Cameron Osborne further into the Yellowstone wilderness.

  The day turned out to be warm and sunny. She removed her jacket when she started to sweat. Cameron led the way out of the woods, following a faint animal trail along the edge of the forest. It soon veered off through the tall grasses of an immense valley.

  While they walked, Kendra answered some of his questions about her past, remaining as vague as possible. When he’d asked about Matt Donovan, she’d only told him about their one meeting. Telling him that Matt was dead was best saved for later, until she was sure she could trust this guy.

  The rolling hills loomed ahead as far as the eye could see. The grass swayed like the ocean waves with the breeze. Feeling small and insignificant in this vastness was an understatement.

  Cameron stopped when he reached the top of one of the hills. He removed a water skin from around his shoulder and wordlessly offered it to her. Kendra drank and handed it back to him. She scanned into the distance.

  “Hayden Valley,” she mumbled. “I don’t remember it being this big or this quiet.”

  And it certainly hadn’t looked as spectacular. Had she simply never paid attention whenever Kunu had brought her here? Bison in numbers greater than she’d ever seen dotted the landscape further ahead. Birds in the brush and in the air called to one another, each with its distinct chirp. Sights, sounds, and smells she’d never noticed before seemed to come alive here. In some ways, this area was completely new even though she’d been here countless times.

  “You’re familiar with this area?” Cameron glanced at her.

  “My kunu brought me here a lot. He said it would make me feel closer to my ancestors and the spirits.” Kendra turned away and shook her head. She’d never felt any sense of spiritual connection when Kunu had taken her on his outings.

  “Did it?”

  She spun around at the question and scoffed. “No. I don’t even know what it means to connect with the spirits. If getting closer to nature or listening to the birds was supposed to gain me some mystical insight, it sure didn’t work. I guess I just didn’t really care, either.”

  Cameron studied her intently, but he didn’t say anything. Evidently, he wasn’t going to reveal what was on his mind. He knew – or at least suspected – something, much like Matt had done the day they’d met.

  “How do you know Wo'itsa?” she finally asked after Cameron had already started walking again.

  “We grew up together, along with Mat. He was our childhood friend.”

  His head angled slightly so he could look at her out of the corner of his eye. “How did you end up as his prisoner?” There was a slight twitch to his lips, as if he thought the idea was amusing.

  Kendra sidestepped to avoid a tall sage brush, then fell in step beside Cameron again. His strides were long and even, and he seemed to be following some invisible path across the valley. Where exactly was he taking her? There was nothing but endless wilderness in all directions.

  Kendra huffed. “How did I get here, you ask? I really don’t know. One moment I was trying to apprehend a thief who broke into my apartment to steal the snakehead Matt gave . . . left me, and then the next thing I knew, I woke up in a grassy meadow with that Wolf staring down at me.”

  “Is the vessel in your possession?” Cameron’s stare was hard, his question urgent.

  “Yes, I have it. Wo'itsa wanted me to hand it over to Mukua, so I kidnapped the old man to get some answers.”

  Cameron stopped. “You took Mukua captive?” His eyes held new interest.

  “Yes, but he put on his disappearing act. One thing’s clear. He really wants that snakehead. And that Wolf is dangerous.”

  “Wo'itsa can be a formidable opponent, but I’ve never known him to be dangerous to anyone but his enemies. Mukua is the one who is dangerous, Somehow, he has poisoned Wo'itsa’s mind.”

  “Why is the old man dangerous enough that you’d want to kill him?”

  There was a pause, then Cameron frowned. His features hardened even more. “Because he wants to destroy my family line.”

  Bits and pieces of the stories Kunu had always told her came back. An elder of the Sky People had sought revenge against his leaders by trying to kill off their children, but the kids were supposedly sent to the future for their safety. She glanced at Cameron, then shook her head. If he was one of those children, what was he doing in the eighteenth century?

  “My grandfather told me stories about the Sky People all my life. I never believed any of them. I still don’t believe,” she whispered. “I’m just trying to find answers to a few murder cases.” She glanced up at Cameron. “What am I supposed to think?”

  Cameron continued walking, setting a faster pace than before. “If Mat wanted you to have the vessel, he had a good reason to give it to you. It has been more than
a year since he left to return to the future.”

  Kendra swallowed. She had to tell him the truth. She inhaled a deep breath and braced herself to tell Cameron that his friend had died under suspicious circumstances. Cameron seemed to be holding things back, as well. A swirl of smoke along the banks of the river near a stand of aspens drew her attention before she could open her mouth to ask any more questions.

  A cabin stood nestled among the trees, along with several smaller crude wooden structures. Smoke drifted lazily from the chimney, creating an inviting scene. It was also a stark reminder that she truly was in some distant century, far removed from the noise and bustle of New York.

  Someone emerged from the cabin when she and Cameron approached. A woman with flowing blonde hair held a young child against her hip. Judging by the protrusion of her belly, she was at least six months pregnant.

  The blonde smiled as they came closer. Cameron took the dark-haired boy from her, and embraced her with his free arm. Kendra remained a few steps back while the couple greeted each other.

  Her eyes drifted elsewhere. The sight of this loving couple left a strange, indefinable feeling in her gut. Her family had been Kunu, and no one else. Open display of affection between two people was uncomfortable to watch.

  “You’re back sooner than I expected.” The woman raised on her toes and kissed Cameron on the lips.

  “I didn’t bring any game, but I think I brought someone far more important.” Cameron stepped away from his wife and glanced over his shoulder at Kendra.

  The woman looked at her, her eyes lingering on her clothing. The black pants, tank top, and black leather jacket obviously stood out like a sore thumb against these people’s clothing, but then again, the woman’s golden hair wasn’t exactly right for this time and place, either.

  “Riley, this is Kendra. Matunaaga sent her.”

  Kendra stepped forward and held out her hand, but paused at Cameron’s introduction. Riley grasped her hand, smiling but assessing her with keen interest.