Snippet #2439866

John heaved a sigh. He wasn't surprised. He'd been expecting something like this after all. He wanted to help, but knew that the chief would never except it. He was too proud, too set in his ways to accept any help from the coyote, or any tribe. Mariah defended him, but there was no need. He was not insulted, could understand, even if he didn't like it.

"It's fine." He muttered, trying to nonchalantly get her to back down, she seemed fired up for a fight. The chiefs dismissal hurting her pride. He could sympathize. Many people through the desert were that way to him.

The yelling startled him, though not as much as the callousness of the chief. Was he so far gone that he'd cast aside one of his own people for talking back to him? "I don't think-" He started, trying to head off what he suspected was going to happen. The old chief had taken a threatening stance. He had been a bear of a man in his prime, but time had not treated him kindly. Stripping away much of his strength, and leaving him a sad shadow of his former self. In many ways, he reflected his village.

The fire that came to her eyes when she defended him and argued with her chief was unexpected, but not unwelcome. From the little that he'd talked with her, she seemed the exact opposite of the type of person to do that. It made him blink in surprise, and take a sharp pull from his pipe. Thinking about his mission. Could he just leave? He felt like he could. Something inside told him that this is what was supposed to come to pass.

John could feel the finality in the chiefs words as he weathered the storm of emotion they threw at each other. Felt a strange weight settle in his chest as they were both dismissed, Mariah stormed from the tent, he didn't follow immediately though, he contemplated this. Stared hard at the chiefs back, just thinking, wondering what could have come to pass to make it come to this. Finally, he drew a small cloth from his bag full of leaves, laying it down on the floor of the chiefs tent.

"This will help with your cough. Brew it into a tea." Done, he turned, breathing a sigh of smoke struggling with the tent flap for a moment before managing to get back to the village proper. He didn't see Mariah, but figured she had headed home to get her things. He wasn't yet sure how he felt about getting a new traveling companion, but it couldn't be bad. She seemed smart enough.

At a loss for what to do until she was ready he wandered the streets of the once glorious village. Taking in the skeletal remains of buildings, and the broken down people. He eventually came across the boy from earlier, Zane, the one who'd tried to steal one of his daggers. He seemed embarrassed to see John, trying to make himself as small as possible, and hoping to not be noticed. So, naturally John began to walk straight to him. A friendly smile on his face.

"How's it goin' kid?" He asked casually, leaning against a broken bit of wall. The boy hesitated, unsure as to whether or not he should run, but eventually he seemed to muster up some guts, because he replied shortly. "It's going."

John grinned, gotcha. he thought, idly scratching the side of his face, still puffing on his pipe. "That's good. So, you like knives?" Zane froze, staring at John like a startled deer, ready to run at any sign of trouble. He didn't speak though, just froze.

"It's fine if you do. Here, check this one out." The one he pulled from the small of his back was smallish, carved from part of the antler from a young buck, graceful script decorated almost every inch of the bone dagger. He held it out for the boy to take. "I don't bite." He said ruefully, carefully placing it in the kids hand.

He was taken with it instantly, awe written clear across his face as he examined every inch of the knife. John couldn't help but bark a short laugh, nearly losing his pipe in the process. "Know how to use that thing?" He asked, the boy nodding his head quickly up and down in an enthusiastic yes.

Nodding to himself John only said one more thing to him before walking off intent on finding his new companion. "Then that one is yours. I expect a man that has one of mine to be honorable. So no more stealing, okay?" He didn't need to see the kids face to know his answer. The shout of elation, and the sound of hair whipping around in a powerful nod was enough for him.