Chapter 6

The next day, upon the arrival of Mejesse’s mother and father, Mejesse was sitting on the bedside, drinking more of the medicinal slurry. Within a week, she was able to walk to the building site and watch as Ty and Boothe laid out the hearth, then started stacking and mortaring the stone fireplace. They were only able to lay a few layers of stone each day, allowing the sand, mud and grass mortar to set.

The next week, Mejesse and Willah began packing for their trip down the mountain. Boothe and Ty had the fireplace built and the chimney raised to the height of the outside walls, when they took their tools home.

They loaded one packmule with food, clothing and supplies, then rigged two large travois’ for the other two mules. The travois’ were loaded with mostly Made Beaver pelts from last winter, with many mink, rabbit, and deer – and two cougar hides.

As they made their way across the river valley, past their new homeplace, they spotted the herd of horses. Willah looked at each of them, then looked up and down the slopes before speaking...

“I don’t see Wild Fire or his red mare that’s always near him.”

She stopped again, and whistled this time. But, Wild Fire didn’t come to her call.

They had made their way up the slope a ways when Ty, Boothe and Mejesse stopped to look down at the herd. With his scope, Boothe searched the entire valley. The two horses were nowhere to be seen.

“Papa, do think something could have happened to them? Could they have been captured and taken away?”

“They could be down at the river getting a drink. I doubt anyone was able to put a rope on Wildfire.”

Ty told her, “Willah, your Papa is right. They’d never get a rope on that big horse. The only way anyone could ever get him to leave here would be to take the young mare he’s been so sweet on, so he’d follow her.”

“Ty, you and your brothers chased horses and caught them to sell, do you think that could have happened?”

“It’s possible, but I don’t think my brothers are smart enough to think of something like that. Maybe we’ll see them on our way down the mountain,” he told her.

Ty looked at Boothe and saw him shaking his head. Neither of them spoke of Wild Fire again until Willah brought it up later in the day. “We still haven’t seen them, and now I’m almost sure someone has caught Wild Fire’s mare, then he followed her.”

Ty told her, “Willah, even if someone was able to trick him like that, you’ll more than likely see them down at The Rendezvous. The times I was there, my brothers and other wranglers had lots of wild horses for sale.”

Her Papa agreed. “Ty is right, Willah. If someone did capture Wild Fire by taking his mare, they will have both of them for sale at The Rendezvous. We’ll check all the pens first thing when we get there.”

They were three days away from The Rendezvous. During the next two days, Willah was so nervous and upset, she couldn’t eat a meal. She only ate her dried berries, worrying about Wild Fire and his young mare being held captive and possibly sold to someone who would take them away these mountains forever.

The next morning, they were up early and breaking camp. Willah ran to the spring and vomited before she could drink. Mejesse saw her and went to her side.

“Willah, are you with child?”

“Mama, I think I am, but I’m so upset about Wild Fire I cannot even think about that now.”

“Listen to me, Willah. You and Ty want to start a family and we’re building a fine new home back in the Shoshone River Valley to raise your children. You cannot let anything happen to your baby by worrying about Wild Fire. He was born a wild horse and he has been smart enough to remain in the wild all the years of his life. Even if he has been captured, he will break loose and come home to his mares, and find his best friend, Willah Satterfield.”

“Mama, do you really think he would?”

“I know deep in my heart – that great horse will live out his life right there in that valley in sight of our new home. He took you over the mountain to bring back the medicines to save my life ... Don’t ever give up on him saving his own life and the life of that young red mare he’s so fond of.”

“Mama, you give me hope that Wild Fire is safe, and I will not rest until I see him charging toward me, wanting his reward.”

“You just take care of yourself and my grandson. Wild Fire will take care of himself until he senses you are close. Then he will find you. He has always come to you, and he will come to you again this time...

“Let’s go tell Ty that he will soon be a papa and tell your Papa, that he will soon have the grandson he has always wanted.”

“Mama ... are you sure we will have a son?”

“Before The Gods of The Shoshone People, I stake my word on it. Willah and Ty Satterfield will have a son ... Now, you go tell Ty the good news and I’ll tell your Papa...”

“ ... TY, we’re going to have a baby.”

“Willah! Are we really? I’m so happy, I could shout from the tops of those mountains that I’m going to be a Papa.”

“You’re not upset that we didn’t wait longer to start a family?”

“We agreed that we’d start a family when we had our house finished. We’re about two months away from moving in and we’ll be warming by the fireplace before our baby is born. Did you tell your Mama and Papa?”

“Mama knows, she’s telling Papa now. Ty...”

“Yes.”

“Mama said she was sure we’d have a son first.”

“Did she really? How can she tell?”

“Mama swore by The Gods of The Shoshone that we would have a son, that’s all I know.”

“What will we name him? I don’t know anything about having babies, or about naming them.”

“I think we should name our first son after you, and call him Ty. We can call you Papa Ty.”

“Papa Ty? I like that. What will we name our second son?”

“Well, we’re not having but one at this time, but when do have another, I’d like to call him Sy.”

“Ty and Sy ... I really like their names already. I wish we could have two at a time, don’t you?”

“Ty, listen to me – we’re still new at this, so let’s don’t rush it!”

By midday they could see the settlement where The Rendezvous was held each year, yet it took them another three hours to make their way down the slopes to reach the outer buildings and barns around the settlement.

Giles Belleau spotted them as they walked ahead of their mules.

“My Friends, I see that you’ve had a bountiful trapping season and now you are here for your rewards!”

Boothe greeted him, “Giles, I see you have recovered from your broken leg. Come, let us unload these packmules and we’ll visit. We did have a bountiful harvest of beaver furs this winter and now we’re here to split our rewards with you.”

“But you were the ones who worked for the furs, they belong to you.”

“No – we only took care of your trapline whilst you were laid up resting all winter by the fire. Now, we will split in half, the harvest of your traps.”

“You are too generous, Old Friend ... Please tell me, is the beautiful young Willah now married? I see her clinging to this tall young man as if she’s a possum-grape vine wrapped around a sycamore tree.”

“Giles, meet our son-in-law, Ty Satterfield. He’s the one who ran your traps all winter back on the Shoshone.”

“Mr. Giles, it is my pleasure to meet you.”

“Ty, it is indeed a pleasure to meet the young man who won the heart and tamed the wild spirit of Willah Pelletier.”

“Sir, with all due respect to you, Willah’s wild spirit will never be tamed!”

Giles followed them to a spot where they unloaded their packmules and pitched their tent. With pots and pans set aside, they brought out their food to begin preparing a meal.

Willah greeted Giles and now she was trying to get Ty’s attention. It was time to search for Wild Fire and she couldn’t wait any longer.

Boothe asked Giles to stay and mind their camp while he and Mejesse helped Ty and Willah search for her horses.

“Which horses have you lost, Willah?” he asked.

“The red stallion called Wild Fire. He is my friend, and now he’s missing from his herd back in the mountains.”

“Well now ... I saw that wild stallion just this morning. I’d know him anywhere and I had to wonder how any man laid a lariat over his head. He was in a corral down at the south end of the settlement, near the creek.”

Boothe and Mejesse went one way and Ty went with Willah in the other direction.

Not wanting to miss a chance to find Wild Fire and his mare, Willah and Ty climbed upon the rails of each corral as they came to them. Nearing the south end of the settlement, Willah had moved around to the opposite side of a corral from Ty. When he walked around to see where she was – she was nowhere to be seen.

He looked down to see her moccasin on the ground and picked it up. Looking around, he saw a man hurrying toward a grove of trees down by the creek with something over his shoulder. He had only taken three steps to run after him when someone hit his head from behind. As he fell backward, he reached for the man’s coat, tearing it off him as the man ran toward the creek.

Ty was standing near the corral, trying to keep his head from spinning when Boothe and Mejesse spotted him stumbling against the rails, then falling to his knees.

“TY! What happened? Where is Willah?” Boothe asked as he and Mejesse helped him to his feet.

“We were looking for Wild Fire, and when I came around here, she was gone. I saw a man running toward the trees over there with what looked like a tarp over his shoulder. When I started that way, someone hit me from behind.”

“Are you alright? Can you go with us or do you need Mejesse to stay with you?”

“I’m alright – I’m alright! Hurry, if that was Willah they had, they will leave here with her and we’ll never see her again!”

Boothe and Mejesse were running in the direction he had pointed as Ty staggered after them. Suddenly, he stopped and stood straight.

He heard Willah whistle...

Then he heard it again. He knew it was her, he’d heard her whistle many times.

From behind him, in the last corral near the trees, there was a terrible commotion. The horses were running in circles. Then, the top three rails were knocked to the ground.

Ty saw Wild Fire leap over the remaining two rails, followed by his red mare and all the horses in the corral. He ran toward the creek as fast as he could, following Wild Fire.

Then he heard another whistle. He knew this was Boothe. But, from across the creek, he heard Willah whistle again before her whistle was suddenly cut short.

He saw Mejesse and Boothe crossing the creek further down, and he crossed where the horses had crossed in front of him. He heard a shot from a long rifle and ran toward the sound. He just knew someone had shot Wild Fire ... or Willah.

Then he saw Willah on the ground with her buckskin shirt off. There was a man near her with a rifle pointed through the trees when Willah whistled again – loud and shrill.

When the man turned toward Willah, it was then he saw Ty running toward him. Just as he pulled his rifle up to fire, he was trampled to death from behind by Wild Fire and the other horses.

Ty grabbed Willah’s shirt and pulled her to her feet... “Willah, are you alright? Did they hurt you?” He was pulling her shirt over her head as he talked.

“I’m alright, Ty ... LOOK! There’s Wild Fire and his mare!”

“He came to your whistle, Willah. They were in that last corral near the creek. Here comes your Papa and Mama, they have the other man who tried to take you away from us.”

Walking back through the settlement, Wild Fire and his mare was right behind them. The other horses were following Wild Fire at a distance, when a man stepped out and stopped them.

“Those horses are mine! I just bought them yesterday.”

Willah stepped up in front of the man, and with her hands on her hips she told him. “If this big red horse is yours, make him come to you.”