Page 36 of Shoshone Sun

“Peter.” Susan’s voice broke through his spiraling thoughts, her eyes searching his face. “We’ll find a way. We have to.”

He nodded, swallowing hard. “I know. I just … don’t know where to begin.”

“Start with being grateful we’re alive,” she said quietly, her hand resting on his. “We’re together. And that’s more than many have.”

Peter met her gaze, his chest tight with emotion. She was right, of course. They were alive, and that was something. But as they floated farther away from the ruins of their home, a sense of loss greater than Peter had never known crept in.

Flying Arrow and Great Bear steered the canoes toward the distant edge of the floodwaters, where the land was higher, and the waters no longer held territory. The two men were silent but confident in their movements, as though the flood had never been a threat to them. To Peter, they seemed like men of the earth itself—part of the land in a way he couldn’t truly understand.

As they reached solid ground, Peter and his family clambered out of the canoes, grateful for the dry land beneath their feet. Four horses stood tethered nearby, their dark, sleek forms blending into the landscape. The horses looked sturdy, their hooves rooted in the earth as if to defy the flood’s chaos.

“We ride now,” Flying Arrow said, his voice low but strong. He gestured to the horses. “We go to your kin.”

Peter hesitated for a moment. His heart ached for the land he had lost, for the place he had hoped to call home forever. But there was little choice now. They had no other direction but forward.

Susan gathered Petey in her arms, and Peter helped her onto one of the horses. Then he mounted the other. Flying Arrow guided Spirit Runner toward Jane. He didn’t ask, didn’t explain. He simply helped her mount behind him, as they had done so often in the past. There was a quiet understanding between them that spoke volumes. Great Bear mounted the remaining horse.

The journey was quiet at first as they proceeded along the edge of the flood line. The flood’s aftermath was eerily still, the waters finally now receding, but leaving behind a desolate wasteland of debris and mud. The trees on the edge of the land stood like sentinels, their branches drooping with the weight of the water that had risen so high. For a long while, none of them spoke, each of them lost in their thoughts as they rode past the remnants of the flood’s fury.

The landscape gradually changed as they traveled. The land rose higher, the flood’s reach growing more distant. The brown earth gave way to grasslands and the occasional cluster of wildflowers, spring blooming in spite of the devastation.

Peter’s mind wandered as they traveled, the rhythm of the horses’ hooves beneath him lulling him into a kind of numbness. What would he do now? Start again, somewhere else? It seemed impossible, yet he knew he had no choice.

When they finally reached Paul’s homestead, Peter felt a rush of emotions—relief, gratitude, and exhaustion. The sight of his uncle’s cabin was like a beacon in the distance, its sturdy walls untouched by the flood’s fury. Paul and his wife, Mary, were standing at the door, their faces lit with a mixture of joy and disbelief.

“Peter! Susan! Jane!” Paul’s voice rang out across the distance, and he rushed forward, his arms wide as if to gather them all into a hug. “Thank God! We were so worried when we the storm went on and on! But here you are, unharmed.”

Tears sprang to Peter’s eyes, and he clung to his uncle for a moment, allowing himself to feel the relief of being safe. “We barely made it out, Uncle Paul,” he said, his voice tight. “The water took the barn, our crops, our cabin. We’d have drowned if Flying Arrow and his brother hadn’t rescued us.”

Mary came forward, embracing Susan and Jane with warmth. “You’re safe now. That’s all that matters,” she said, her voice thick with emotion.

Peter stepped back, his hand resting on Susan’s shoulder as he surveyed the scene. It was good to be with family again, to know that they weren’t alone. But the weight of the past few days still hung heavy, the memory of the flood’s destruction too fresh.

Flying Arrow and Great Bear approached, the two brothers leading their horses with quiet dignity. Paul and Mary turned to them and Paul smiled and extended his hand. “It’s good to see you again, my friend. I’m happy to see how well you have healed!”

Flying Arrow took his hand. “Good to see you as well. This is my brother, Great Bear. I am back living in my village, but when I heard word of the fierce storm in this direction, I needed to make certain everything was all right. I’m so glad I came.”

“Flying Arrow, Great Bear,” Paul said. “We’ll be forever grateful to you both for bringing our family to safety.”

Flying Arrow inclined his head, his deep voice rumbling as he spoke. “The water came swiftly. But we saw them in need, and we did what was needed. As you all did for me when I was wounded.”

Mary stepped forward as well, her voice soft but sincere. “Thank you,” she said. “I don’t know what they would have done without you. Likely perished.”

Peter watched the exchange, feeling a wave of gratitude wash over him. It was then that he realized how much more than just a rescue this had been. The brothers had done more than save their lives; they had given them hope when there had seemed to be none.

After the greetings, Flying Arrow turned to Peter, his dark eyes searching Peter’s face. “You will stay here for a time,” he said. “Rest. Then we will help you find new land. Higher ground. A place to begin again.”

Peter felt his chest tighten at the thought. The idea of starting from scratch—again—was unnerving. But Flying Arrow’s words had a quiet confidence to them. It wasn’t a matter ofifPeter could rebuild; it was a matter ofwhen.

Peter took a deep breath. The world had been turned upside down. But with his family, with Flying Arrow and Great Bear at his side, maybe—just maybe—he could build something new from the ruins of the old.

“We’ll rebuild,” Peter said softly, his voice steady.

Flying Arrow nodded. “Yes. We will.”

And in that moment, Peter found the strength to believe it.

The storm had passed, leaving Paul’s homestead drenched and muddied, but standing strong against the forces of nature. Jane stood by the window, gazing out at the sky. The days that followed their rescue had been long and weary, but there was peace in knowing that it was all behind them now.

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