Chapter 5 - The Six Travelers
The elder finally gave Samuel his name.
"Red Willow."
Samuel nodded.
"I am Samuel."
"We know."
Samuel smiled slightly.
"You know my name?"
"We asked."
The six travelers had not wandered onto Samuel's property by accident.
They had been traveling toward the mountains.
Their water supply had failed.
They had stopped at Samuel's ranch because they had no other choice.
Red Willow explained that several families had been pushed away from their traditional routes by men searching for land and water.
Samuel listened.
"What do you want from me?"
"Nothing."
"Then why protect me?"
Red Willow looked toward the ranch.
"You gave what you had."
Samuel shook his head.
"It was one meal."
"To a hungry child, one meal can become a memory."
Samuel looked away.
He did not know what to say.
That night, Red Willow showed him something.
A stone marked with an old symbol.
Samuel had seen the same symbol carved into a rock near his eastern pasture.
"What is it?"
"A warning."
"About the water?"
"No."
Red Willow pointed toward the valley.
"About men who believe water belongs to whoever holds paper."
Samuel understood.
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