Pregnant Settler Was Thrown From The Wagon Train, Found By A Compassionate Shawnee Hunter

Chapter 2

Miles away, Grey Otter moved through the forest his people had hunted for generations. At thirty-two winters, he was among the most respected hunters of his band. The storm had pushed most game into hiding, but his family needed meat, and so he persisted even as rain soaked through his buckskin.

The track of the wounded deer had led him farther from the Shawnee encampment than he intended. His people had retreated deeper into the hills as more white settlers pushed through their traditional lands, the tenuous peace with the newcomers growing increasingly strained. Chief Falling Water had counseled caution: “The white man’s justice falls heavily on any of our people found near their trails, regardless of purpose.”

Grey Otter had intended to heed this wisdom, yet the wounded deer’s blood trail veered perilously close to a known settler route. He was preparing to abandon the hunt when he noticed fresh tracks cutting away from the main trail, followed by signs of a heavy object sliding down an embankment.

The woman lay crumpled at the base of the ravine, her dress spread around her like a broken flower. Even from a distance, Grey Otter could see she still lived — the shallow rise and fall of her chest visible despite the rain. Drawing closer, he noticed the swell of her belly, and understanding dawned. This woman carried new life within her. Among the Shawnee, nothing was more sacred than a mother with a child. To leave her would be to condemn two souls, not one.