All the characters portrayed in this story are at least eighteen years old. This story is fiction.
*
The Indian camp was just over the next hill. I had heard a lot of gun fire earlier in the afternoon coming from that direction. I crawled through the dust until I could see down the slope and into what was left of the camp. Bodies were everywhere. Most of the structures were torn down or on fire or both. I heard a woman's scream followed by a shot. So, there were still some murderers left around the camp. I brought my rifle to bear on the camp and waited. There was another terrified scream. Four drunken cowboys appeared out of the smoke dragging a young girl behind them on a rope. She was screaming and crying, trying desperately to get away.
They dragged her down by the creek. One of the drunks drew a knife and cut her clothes off. They all laughed and started to get undressed. As soon as their pants hit the ground I started shooting. Soon all four of them lay dead or dying beside the creek. The girl was lying on the ground by the water, quivering in fear.
I watched for a long time to be sure there were no more of those murdering cowards in the camp. Then I stood up and walked cautiously down the hill. As I approached the girl she started crying, sure that I would kill her or rape her or both. My knife made quick work of her bonds. Returning her chopped up clothing to her, I saw her smile for the first time. She was the prettiest Cheyenne girl I had ever seen. Luckily, I spoke her language, so I asked her name.
"I am Moon Flower. Are you going to kill me now?"
"Nobody's going to kill you. Hell, I just rescued you. I am not the bad guys."
She was young and frightened to death that bad things were going to happen to her. She draped her ruined clothing over her body, covering herself as best she could. I helped her to her feet and started walking toward my horse. She followed close behind me. I mounted the horse and she took my arm and swung up behind me. We trotted away from the carnage toward the Rockies.
As we put some distance between us and the camp, I slowed my horse to a walk. The vast grasslands lay before us. I knew it would take three or four days to reach the mountains. She seemed to be perfectly content with just riding along and said nothing to me all day. Just at dusk we came to a small creek so I dismounted and helped her down. She went right to work making a fire. When the fire was burning, she started mending her clothes. I unrolled my bedroll beside the fire and got some pemmican from my saddle bags. We made some coffee and sat down by the fire.
I finally got a good look at her. She appeared to be about twenty or so. She was a full blooded Cheyenne, pretty, slim and short with nice full breasts and a really curvy ass. When she saw me checking her out she smiled at me again. I guess she had made up her mind that I wasn't going to hurt her.
As the sun set, we finished off the meager meal. I opened the bedroll and she got in beside me. For the first time I heard her giggle a little as she wiggled into a comfortable position next to me. I wrapped my arms around her, squeezed her and went to sleep.
When I woke up at first light she had managed to wiggle around and had my morning wood pressed into the crack of her ass. When I moved, she wriggled back into me.
"We've got to get going before anyone figures out what happened and finds our trail," I told her.
We had some hardtack and chicory for breakfast. Much to my surprise as we rode away from the campsite, she whispered in my ear, "Don't you like me?"
"Well, yeah. I just don't know you very well," I stammered.
"If you like me, why didn't you do it to me last night?"
"I didn't know you wanted that kind of attention. I thought you might be scared."
"I was scared yesterday until you rescued me. I'm not afraid now."
"Well, alright, if you feel the same way tonight we might give it a try."
That seemed to satisfy her and she held on tighter as we slowly made our way across the plains.
I managed to shoot an antelope before we made camp for the night. We spent our time dressing it and cooking some of it. The meat was tasty but tough. Most of it was hanging from some poles to dry.
I sat down and cleaned my rifle. When I looked up she was standing by the fire nude. She looked at me and smiled again. "Do you like me?" she asked.