Beach

Kuruk had the three horses tied up by a tree waiting to be painted. All three have had their bath, although the baby was dirty again after playing in the sand. Kuruk shook his head and started draging smaller branches and kindle to the fire pit that he made on the beach not to far from the water. He smiled to himself and then started collecting logs

Mika wandered over carrying some things to help paint the horses. "Looking good" she nodded and found a few small logs to drag over "You think they'll come?" she asked hopefully

"I don't know I guess we'll see" He said wiping his face with his sandy hand "that was smooth" he said to himself "If not I guess it will just be us two. I'm sure you miss these don't you?"

"yes" Mika said in lakota "I miss the long summer and the mild winters. The buffalo herds, the paintbrush flowers across the prairie." she said still in lakota. She looked down at a branch she was carrying over "I miss my family" she said softly and then looked up "but I have a new family now" she said thinking of Jason and last night, thinking of Saron. She smiled slightly and tossed the branch into the pile. "How about you? You miss home?" she asked

he smiled at her lakota tongue "Your family is doing well" he said looking back down and arranging a log. "And they mis you" he smiled as he thought about the Buffalo running across the prarrie as the wild paintbrush flowers danced beneath them. Horses running close by. children playing in the village. He took a deep breath "How could I not" He said in Lakota

Mika stopped "Family" she asked in lakota "they...they all died in the plague" she said confused

Kuruk looked up and smiled, then looked back down as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace from her mother, that was given to her mothers sister. "They went with me to the enemies tribe when I was kidnapped to care for me. They left when I did. They are alive and well with my tribe" he said carefully walking back to the forest to pick up another large log as he grunted

"Aunt? They are alive?" she asked in disbelief. She took the necklace from his hand "ma..." she said softly and looked at it "why? why didn't you tell me?" she asked

"When" he asked as he walked back over and thrust the log into the pile "When you came to the door half naked or when there were a thousand people around and my heart was breaking?" He asked sarcasticly as he walked back to the woods

Mika blushed "I wasn't half naked" she protested "I had a robe" she grumbled. But she looked down when he said something about his heart breaking "I'm sorry Kuruk.." she trailed off and found another stick lying around, she threw it into the pile. "But I've been around, you could have told me another time" she said softly and looked at the necklace again.

"I know, I'm sorry" he said "There is just alot going on with me too I guess. A different world you know"

"A different world?" she asked

"Between there" he said in Lakota "and here" he said in English with sadness in his voice "It has changed so much since I was here. Maybe for a reason?" He asked no one but the ocean breeze as he looked across the water's surface as the sun was lowering itself. He plopped himself down on the log and hung his head

Mika sighed "Things change no matter what we do, our only choice is whether we choose to make them better" she said in Lakota "or worse" she switched to english. She sat down on the log next to him but at a respectful distance. She didn't want anyone walking up to think anything was going on. "Tyler doesn't have a clue what she wants. Make up your mind what you want...and let her free." Mika looked out at the ocean then back at him "They say" she said in Lakota "open your hand and let what you love free, if it returns to you then it is yours to love, if it does not...it was never yours in the first place" she said softly and looked down at her mother and aunt's necklace.

Kuruk just nodded his head as his long black hair bobbed, then he thought about Shaira and her oh so sweet smile, one spread on his face as well. Kuruk reached over and put a large hand on her arm. "Thank you" he smiled "Now should we paint these horses?" he asked with a sudden change of tone

Mika looked over and smiled "Yes lets" she nodded excitedly. At that she looked up at the horses and saw Kuruk's buckskin grooming Koda. Mika shook her head "that flirt" she said of Koda. Meanwhile the filly danced around on the sands. "Dancer" Mika whispered thinking of a name. "Hey Kuruk, what do you think of naming her Dancer?" she asked as she gathered the supplies to paint the horses and started walking towards them. The fringes on her buckskin pants swaying slightly in the wind as she turned.

"Dance is perfect" he tilted his head to the side in a nod. "Trigger!" Kuruk protested and took a bowl with blue paint and drew a circle around Triggers eye.

Mika laughed and led Koda just enough away as to distract her from Trigger. "Sorry Trigger, I'm gonna need her help this spring and summer, try your luck this fall" she laughed again and took some red paint and painted a lightening symbol on her shoulder, and wavy stripes on her face. "How we gonna paint dancer? she won't want to hold still" Mika observed

"I have my ways" he grinned at the little filly dancing in the sand and in the surf.

Mika laughed and shook her head "Do you now? Can I see a demonstration of said powers?" she smiled and painted a lightening bolt on the other shoulder

~Dancer~ he smiled at the small filly as he went and sat in the sand with his back to the little girl.

Dancer whinned her tail sticking straight out. She walked right up to him and started to nibble on his hair. Mika tried to suppress a giggle. She had done this with foals before. Then in a instant Dancer took off again skipping down the beach. A few of Kuruk's hairs hanging from her mouth.

"Ow...." Kuruk suppressed a yowl. "Who needs to paint a foal anyway" he shrugged and walked back over to Trigger.

Mika laughed "Ok watch" she said with a cocky tone. She walked forward. ~Dancer~ she called softly with the voice of a mother. Dancer cocked her head and stopped. She took a step forward. Mika took a step back and looked down. Dancer walked towards her again, Mika stepped away then stopped, she held out a thin biscuit. Dancer nickered and took it out of her hand. Mika smiled and winked at Kuruk "see?" she said and then slowly reached out a hand ~easy girl~ she cooed to her. Dancer didn't flinch and then quick as a flash she nipped her hand and took off again. Mika muttered some colorful medifores in lakota and glared after the foal. "Eh who needs to paint her anyway" she said as if she didn't care.

Kuruk started laughing to the point he had to hold his side "Right" He agreed holding in another laugh "Nice try, Nice try" he chuckled again