<div style="text-align: justify;">Tamen laughed at his daughters joke about he would have to catch her first.  If there was one thing he could always count on it was Ayshia's ability to lighten nearly any mood.  "Who said anything about me giving chase.  I would only have to wait until you came back for lunch or dinner or when you are preparing for bed and somehow manage to catch you off guard."<br/><br/>Seeing the look in Ayshia's eyes and upon her lovely face that showed just how unsatisfied his answer had left her Tamen could not help but to feel guilty.  Perhaps he had been wrong in his wishing to spare her from seeing his pain.  Maybe if they shared even in this together it could truly help the both of them come to better terms with each of their loss.  <br/><br/>When Tamen saw that his daughter had her tea he patted the log next to him, "Ayshia come sit with your old man for a moment."  When his daughter was seated and seemingly in a comfortable position Tamen gently put his arm around her and began to speak, "I'm sure you may have already heard much of what I'm about to say but there is something which I wish to share with you.  Rayna your mother and I first met here at this very camp.  I was young then probably a couple years younger than you are now but my brother and I had gone on a long journey to see as much of the world as we could." <br/><br/>"It was early winter when we first arrived and the Wolf Camp was out getting one last hunt in before the snows really began to fall.   They were hunting bison and somehow my brother and I had managed to set up our camp right in the path of where they had been driving the bison towards that blind canyon which we always use to hunt bison with.  My brother Dorlando had been injured a few days before while we were hunting.  He had broken his leg in 3 places that I knew of for certain."<br/><br/>"Anyway we were found by the hunters of the Wolf Camp huddled together in our collapsed tent with me trying to protect my brother from the stampede which had suddenly  come up on us as we had been sleeping.  Later after they had brought us back to the lodge it was found that my efforts to protect my brother had gone in vain.  He had been kicked in the head by one of the great beasts and I had not even know.  I too had been trampled by the herd but somehow I managed to escape the event with only a broken arm and a slight concussion."<br/><br/>"Rayna had been among the hunters that day and she had been the one who constantly stayed by my side as Mammut worked his magical healing skills on me.  All through that long winter she stayed by my side keeping me company telling me jokes and keeping me from falling into depression after the loss of my brother.  We were young then but come spring we had decided we wanted to become mates.  Some tried to say we were to young to wed but we had the support of Mammut and her parents so that very same summer we were joined together at the summer meeting.  We were together for 20 years... never once having been out of the others company for more than a day at the most."<br/><br/>"When you came along it was the happiest day of our married life.  Every winter when we had more time on our hands we would make the grandest plans for how your wedding would be one day.  I am happy that she was here for your first rights no woman should be without their mother at such a time.  But it saddens me greatly that she will not be here for the second most important event of your life.  Which is another time when a woman truly needs her mother at her side.  And now I can only hope and pray to the Great Mother that I shall not let you down when it comes time for that very special time in your life."  <br/><br/>Tamen fell silent he simply could not say more.  Tears streamed unheeded from his eyes down his cheeks into his long beard.  Winters had always been some of the most special times he had spent with his beloved wife as they discussed the future of their daughter and spent so much time simply being together.  He missed his wife greatly and he regretted the fact that he and his wife would never have the pleasure of watching their grandchildren grow up together as they had always hoped to do.  <br/><br/></div>