Taryn stepped into the clearing, Lark holding tightly to her hand. This was the first time she had faced a stranger since leaving Raschen's home. The last face to face with a priestess had gone rather badly, so much so that the story was now legend among them. Raising her chin and squaring her shoulders, she smiled and  said graciously,<br/><br/>"Ituha, priestess of the Oschen, I am honored to meet you."  Taryn extended her hand in greeting, both as courtesy and a way to show that she held no weapons in her hand.<br/><br/>The huge female took her hand and Taryn could feel the restrained power in the grasp. Her brown eyes filled with pain, but her words masked her pain.<br/><br/>"Come into my camp. Raschen's people are safe with me." she spoke in soft lowing tones.<br/><br/>Taryn noticed her carefully worded invitation but she tucked that thought away to speak with R about it later.<br/><br/>Lily and Taryn shared a look as the woman turned back to her fire. Taryn nodded. She had recognized the pain in the woman's face but she shrugged, who wouldn't be in love with Raschen. Handsome face, silver tongue, brave, clever, witty, charming. Taryn decided to be kind.<br/><br/>~~~~~~~~<br/><br/>Around the fire, with darkness closing around on all sides, Ituha told stories of when she was young. She had a dry wit, often self deprecating without asking for pity. Finally, she said,<br/><br/>"For my last story of the night. Once there was a dashing young Kuguar who came over the mountains on his vision quest. There was a young girl Oschen, too young to be far from her mother's side who had wandered down to the stream for a drink. She had watched butterflies playing among the wildflowers, following them, until she noticed the sun was going down. Looking around, that foolish little girl realized her mother and the herd were long gone. In the distance, she could faintly hear her mother calling her name. In a panic, she headed toward the sound.<br/><br/>Four boys of the Lobos tribe, lanky and just into their years of manhood, wild, untamed, and having something to prove, came from nowhere, They began to nip at the girl's heels, darting in and back, laughing encouragement to one another. The girl awkwardly ran but the boys seemed to have unlimited endurance. They cut her across her flanks and stabbed at her heels, toying with her, all the while calling out the depravity they would use once they were tired of the chase. "<br/><br/>Tears ran down Ituha's face. Lark crept closer to her and slid her little paw into the Oschen's broad hand.<br/><br/>"As the little Oshen girl stumbled, begging the Lobos boys for mercy, out of no where, like a miracle, the Kuguar appeared. At first the little girl was so terrified that she wet herself but the Lobos, finding a new more interesting opponent, circled around him."<br/><br/>She sat, staring into the fire, reliving that moment. The crackling of the sticks was the only sound to be heard. Finally Tristan could bear no more.<br/><br/>"Then what happened? Did the Kuguar rip'em to shreds?" he blurted, as he jumped to his feet, raking his paw through the air with a flourish.<br/><br/>The group laughed at him good naturedly. Ituha smiled.<br/><br/>"Let's just say that he won and saved the girl."  Her eyes fell lovingly on Raschen.<br/><br/>"And they got married and lived happily ever after," sighed Lark, leaning her little head against the tumble of wooly black hair.<br/><br/>Ituha stiffened.<br/>"No they did not." she said, softly. "It was forbidden."<br/><br/>Taryn nodded.<br/><br/>"Does no one on this side of the mountain find that forcing love to stay secluded causes more harm than good?" she asked.<br/><br/>Ituha answered,<br/><br/>"There are a few who are more tolerant than the elders were. The old leaders are dying, making room for the younger ones, like me, who question some of the old traditions. Ones like me that have wondered how possible it would be to mix with other people. We are making a small dent in that impenetrable wall."<br/><br/>"My mommy and daddy are different people," Lark piped up. " and me and Tristie are bootiful childer. The priestess didn't like us, even fore she saw us and we won't ever ever go back there!"<br/><br/>Ituha's liquid brown eyes turned to Raschen, her look intimate and knowing.<br/><br/>"I think you have a saga to share. I would love to listen to your voice again, if only for a little while. Will you tell it?"<br/><br/>Before Raschen could answer, Tristan crawled into his lap and Kim leaned against his side, as if settling in for a familiar bedtime story.