Promise

She had been working since early in the morning on getting their wagons settled in the way that was most efficient and most pleasing to her. Ayguili had sent kasra over to help after she had finished the chores around his wagons.



She and the girls were working on putting the oven back together, carefully stacking the fired bricks and covering them with mud from the steam, when Ba'atar rode up and held his arm down to her. She started to protest that she had too much to do, but didn't. These few moments that they managed to steal together had become like precious little gems to be hidden away in her heart.



Their first stop was the kaiila pens where he pointed out a young fawn foal and told her that he wanted it trained to be the mount for Another One. She had observed the foal and nodded, asking where he had gotten it and he said it was part of Teng's payment for Apoini.



They then rode out into the herds and he pointed out each small herd that he was building for each of their sons, each bosk marked not only by their normal brand, but by smaller brands that had been chosen for each boy. They discussed all of this at length, making plans for the future of their sons.



He then rode deeper into the herd and when he stopped, she was in awe. Turning to look at him she asked where it had come from, and he told her........Teng. He dismounted then held his arms up to help her down. Wrapping his arm around her waist they approached the beautiful white bosk, each of them laying a hand on the thick white coat along it's hump.



She was amazed by the beauty of the animal, and how its' coat shone in the rays of the Central Fire, almost taking up a cold, icy glow. Running her hand over the horn she stopped and studied it carefully, looking into the startling blue of its' eyes. There was an intelligence there that she found mesmerizing. It was almost as if the animal knew that he was special, a good omen, a sign of prosperity for their people.



She did not usually take to naming bosk from the herd, but this one was unique, special. Curling her fingers into the thick fur she leaned in to whisper in one twitching ear. "I will call you Promise. For you are a promise to our people." Ba'atar spoke with two of the out riders, dispatching one to tell Tarra of the white animal, and another to tell Teng that he has best claim the woman soon, or he was going to keep her.



He came to stand behind her, encircling her waist with his arms, a hand resting on her belly and spoke low into her ear about Teng taking great stock in the little leather worker. She had leaned back against him and laughed telling him that she thought it was sweet that Teng had given up so much of what was his to have the hand of Aponi as his.



Turning her, his hand lifted her chin, the calloused pads of his fingers running over her cheek as he whispered that Teng could give all he wanted for the woman Aponi, but that he held the greatest treasure on the plains in his arms every night.



She could have stayed right there in that embrace all day, but they both knew that these stolen moments were at an end. Both of them had far too much to do. Lifting her back up into the saddle, he mounted and wrapped his arm around her and rode back into camp and set her to her feet, leaning to steal one last kiss.



A sigh escaped from juneau's lips as she watched them. She turned to look at the girl and grinned and told her back to work. They needed to finish this over so he could have fresh bread this night.