“We’re really started for our winter camp now,” Angry Wolf said cheerfully.
“It will be good to be in camp with the rest of our people,” Little Eagle replied, trying to forget how disappointed he was that the Crows would go so long unpunished.
Several times during the afternoon the two boys sighted small herds of buffaloes. Little Eagle’s mouth watered at the sight of them. Antelope and deer steaks were good food, but not so good as buffalo. Every herd of buffaloes that they sighted lumbered away before the riders were within bowshot. Little Eagle knew that although the buffaloes could not see far, their keen noses quickly caught the scent of enemies. If the wind had been blowing from the other direction, he and Angry Wolf would have had a chance to get one of the animals.
The sun was sliding down behind some clouds in the west when Little Eagle and Angry Wolf reached a small stream. There were a few trees along its banks. The trees would provide shelter and their branches could be used for fuel.
“Shall I start building a shelter?” Angry Wolf asked.
As Little Eagle looked at the clouds climbing in the western sky, he thought how much Angry Wolf had come to depend upon him to make all of the decisions.
“The trees will protect us,” he replied. “With my deerskin over us, we’ll be dry even if it should snow.”
While Angry Wolf cooked meat for their meal, Little Eagle made a pile of dry leaves for their bed. Both of them were so tired that as soon as they had eaten they put out the fire, crawled into the bed of leaves, and pulled the deerskin over them.
When Little Eagle awoke the next morning, he saw that the branches of the tree were wet and the ground around was, too. However, he and Angry Wolf had been warm and dry in their bed. He was pleased that there was no snow. Perhaps Old-man-of-the-north would let them cross the prairie before he blew snow with his icy breath.
Little Eagle led the way across the open prairie. At midday he and Angry Wolf stopped for their usual rest. They had come a long distance that morning, but they had seen only one clump of trees. While they were resting, Little Eagle watched a bank of clouds forming in the northwest.