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Show 119 <^Chua loved roasted rabbit. It warmed his belly, while the fire kept the cool of the desert night away. He cleaned the skins carefully so his mother could make clothes for winter. Chua hoped his mother was all right. Chosovi hadn't come to him. That was a good sign. ^ "Do you think the new baby will be a boy or a girl?" asked Toho one night as they v. lay in their bedrolls looking up at the stars. * ^ "I think it's a brother," Chua said. "Then til have a real clan brother." "I'm your brother," Toho said. Chua heard the hurt in Toho's voice. He had not meant to hurt his friend. "You're my friend and my blood brother. But you're a Bear Clan boy. I'm from no clan at all, since my mother has no family." "I'm your brother," Toho said again. The hurt in his voice was less. Chua knew Toho couldn't understand how it felt to have nowhere to call home. My newborn brother will be from the same clan I am, thought Chua. He'll be part of my family. / By the time they approached Chua's cliff dwelling, Toho's ankle was better. He threw his walking stick over the edge of the canyon and watched it clatter on the ledges as it dropped. "I don't think you have brittle bones like your mother. You've healed quickly, even while we traveled. You're strong," Chua said. "Thank you for keeping my hurt ankle a secret," Toho said. |
