A Protected Guest

Some people think she should keep secrets from her mate, but that is not the way it is. Each night, the speak about their days, what transpired......the good and the not so good. Each night they speak of plans for the next few days, it is their way of keeping connected. He will hear rumblings of gossip in the lanes of wagons, and will ask her what she has heard, or witnessed, and she does the same with him. Now, this does not mean she is privy to all of his thoughts, but to most of them. And things that effect the well-being of the tribe as a whole, are important to him.



He had heard a rumor floating around about a healer tossing a blade at a warrior, so he had asked her if she knew anything about it, and she told him how she saw it. Now Sef? She has rarely seen him truly angry with anyone. So, to say whether what happened between him and Silken at the fires was serious or a joke, would probably depend upon points of view.



The basis of it was, Silken threw a blade at Sef, and nailed his leathers to the ground. This was an error of judgement maybe. An error that was compounded by the fact is was done before a prospect. And not just any prospect, one that might have an interest in what happened. From what she had been told, Ayguili had, had a long discussion with this particular prospect, about women pulling weapons on men. Now Ba'atar had known about that incident, and was in fact the one that enlightened Cana on it, telling her that it had been a good way for the young woman to learn a valuable lesson. And now.......that valuable lesson was on the wind, due to the behavior of another.



He had pondered this for a time, mulling it around in his head as she fixed his dinner. He had several concerns tht stemmed from it. First of all, the blade itself, had her aim been off Sef could have been injured. Secondly, a woman just does not pull a knife on a warrior, under any circumstances, and the fact that she did, concerned him for her mental state. He commented that as of late, her actions had been erratic. Up one day, down and morose the next. This really concerned him, with her being the head of the healers clan, and the one that was responsible for the welfare of others. Then there was the image it projected in front of the prospect. Silken was an elder, and a clan leader, her persona would always be under view by those trying to make their place at the first fires, but she did not seem to think of that.



They talked for a long time over the situation, before he came to a decision. He told her to fix the wagon up behind the boys wagon for a guest. He wanted to put Silken under his protection, until her physical condition could be evaluated, especially this leg that seemed to refuse to heal, and he wanted one of the spex to try and see where her mental state stood. She knew this was going to cause a windstorm, but she had to agree with him.



The wagon he had chosen had been hers. The wagon that had been home to her for so long. In her mind, it was still a very lovely home, and filled with those little feminine touches that were her. She had the girls to help her to shake the furs and beat them. The flaps were opened to air it out, and to make it seem more welcoming. She was pleased with how it had stood up over time.



When she had told him that it was ready, he had stood and placed his hands on her shoulders and looked down into her eyes, telling her that Silken was going to be angry for what he was about to do, and he was not sure as to how she would react. He wanted Cana to make sure she was well fed, that she had what she needed, but he didn't want her to spend time talking to her, because he did not want her to bear the brunt of Silken's anger and maybe frustration. She had to keep in mind the babies, and not get upset as she did the last time and put them in danger.



This was hard on her. She truly did feel for the woman that she has known for so long. In her mind, Silken had seemed to flounder since the death of Jerus. To be lost in many ways. She truly hoped that his solution to this would work. She had seen the woman in a collar once before over her behavior, and she was not sure she could bear to see that again.



He went off to speak to the guards, making sure all of the children were taken care of, then he gave orders for her to be brought to their fires, to stay in the wagon under guard, until the healer and spex could assess her. His intent was to keep her safe from herself, if need be.