She saw them together as young teens. Ren was stringing his bow while Coyote bragged about a banquet being served to honor him.
"Can you believe it, Makah'Alay? After tonight, I will be considered a man!"
"B-b-but you, you, you d-didn't kill it."
"It doesn't matter, does it? Father's always said that because of your mental defects you'll be a perpetual child and that we'll always have to care for you. Now I will have all the respect of a real man." Coyote rushed over to Ren so that he could lean against his back and whisper in his ear. "It'll be our secret. You kill the game and I'll bring it in."
By his face, it was obvious Ren didn't like the idea at all.
Coyote scoffed at him. "Stop pouting like a baby. No one would ever give you credit anyway. They all think you're incompetent. So what does it matter?"
She could hear Ren's thoughts. It matters to me. Just once, I'd like for someone to tell me I did a good job, too.
"Kateri!"
The images scattered until she was staring into the face of the man that boy had grown into. "Why did you stop stuttering when the Grizzly possessed you?"
He frowned at her. "What?"
"Your stutter went away when he possessed you. Was that part of the bargain?"
Ren glanced to the others to make sure none of them overheard her question. Luckily, they were far enough away that her voice wouldn't carry to them.
"Yes. He returned it when I cast him out, but by then I'd learned to mitigate it most of the time."
And he never stuttered around Buffalo.
She winced as pain lacerated her skull. "My head hurts. Badly."
Ren brushed a tender hand over her forehead. The concern on his face touched her deeply. "You were crying out like you were in a nightmare. What happened?"
She pressed the heel of her hand to her eye socket, trying to relieve the pain of it.
"Here."
Before she realized what he intended, he swung her up in his arms to carry her.
"What are you doing?"
"I know your head hurts, but I would think it obvious."
She groaned at his density. "Let me try this again. Why are you carrying me?"
"You don't feel well."
"People don't normally carry other people for that reason."
He winked at her. "I'm not most people."
That was certainly true. "Can I ask you something?"
"If I said no would it stop you?"
She smiled. "Of course not." She laid her head down on his shoulder and savored the comfort of his arms around her. "How did you learn so much about hunting?" It seemed incongruous that anyone in his clan would have taught him given their contempt.
"Artemis is ... for lack of a better term, my godmother. Since she's goddess of the hunt, I always assumed it was a gift from her."
"Mmm."