Little Eagle went back to the entrance where they had left the meat. By the time he returned, Angry Wolf had a small fire started. While Angry Wolf tended the fire, adding fuel slowly so there would be little smoke, Little Eagle cut the meat into slices. They cooked all of the meat and ate as much as they wanted. Little Eagle made a package of what was left. He covered the fire with dirt.
“Are you going to catch the horses so we can start on?” Angry Wolf asked.
“It will be better if we stay here today,” Little Eagle answered. “The Pawnees will come to look for us. I don’t think they will find the old trail we made. If we make a new one, they might find it.”
“I should have thought of that,” Angry Wolf said.
Little Eagle went back to the place where the glen opened into the main valley. He could see across the valley and to the tops of the hills on the other side. No one could go through the valley without being in sight.
Little Eagle heard the faint stir of footsteps in the grass behind him. As suddenly as a startled deer, he twisted aside and rolled over. At the same time he brought his bow up. He had an arrow pointed straight at Angry Wolf. He felt foolish as he lowered the bow. There had been a frightened look on Angry Wolf’s face. It gave way to a smile of admiration.
“You are becoming a warrior,” Angry Wolf said. “It will not be easy for an enemy to take you by surprise.”
“I don’t believe the Pawnees are coming,” Little Eagle said, thinking of the long journey to the winter camp and the need to get started at once.
“Maybe not,” Angry Wolf replied. “However, I think your first plan a good one. Besides, we need more rest. You go farther back and sleep. If I need you, I’ll toss a stone.”
Little Eagle took a couple of minutes to decide which would be the better plan. The heavy frost on the grass this morning was a warning that winter could not be far off. He and Angry Wolf had a long journey to make across the prairie before they reached winter camp. Perhaps they were being too cautious. It was the need for rest rather than the fear that the Pawnees would still come which decided him. He went back to where they had left the deerskin.