"I'm not sure. When they find the village deserted and probably burned, though, they'll know."
"Yes," Diane agreed with him, then snapped her fingers. "But not if I say you were with me all the time. See, you even went out hunting with me. We caught this fawn together."
"You'd be lying to protect me. You may get yourself into trouble."
"How? It's my word against a lot of guessing."
"I can't let you take the chance."
"It's no chance at all. I want to do it. I want you to be one of us, Johnny. We all don't raid the villages. I don't raid them, do I?"
"No, but I—"
"But nothing. You came back here, didn't you? No one forced you."
"I came back to see you, I guess."
"Well, you're going to stay with us. A man wasn't meant to live alone like a hermit. Here." Diane took his hand and led him forward, "you can stay in my tent for now. It would be silly to build yourself one since we're going to move the encampment as soon as Keleher returns from the raid."