Chapter 3: A New Friendship

Blaze awoke and looked around the inside of the cave which was lit by sunlight streamed into the cave. The bison glanced around and discovered that his brother wasn’t in the cave. He yawned and sluggishly stood up. Blaze’s fur was damp from the wet cave and he eagerly walked out into the bright, morning sun to dry off. He looked around at the grass which was turning green from the rain the previous night. The ground was mushy beneath his hooves and there were still puddles here and there.

“Blaze!” called Rhen from a nearby meadow.

The bison looked over into the meadow and saw Rhen standing with the moose from the night before. Blaze began to make his way over to them. He wondered why the moose was still there. He thought that she would have moved on as soon as the storm was over. In the cave, it had been very dark except for the flashes of lightning and Blaze had been unable to get a really good look at the moose but now he could see her better. She had ginger fur over most of her body except for her lower legs, which were white. She had dark green eyes which Blaze found quite interesting.

As Blaze neared his brother, Rhen said to the moose, “This is my brother, Blaze.”

The moose said in a friendly, pleasant voice, “Hello there. Nice to met you, Blaze. My name is Heather.”

The buffalo didn’t know what to say. His shyness was getting to him again.

Rhen chuckled and commented, “He’s just a little shy. That’s all. So, where are you from anyway?”

The moose replied, “I am from a valley in the mountains.”

Blaze finally asked, “Uh, no offence or anything, but why are you here?”

He was very curious as to why a moose, an animal which generally favored forests, was here on the plains.

Heather replied, “Well, you see, my parents picked my mate for me and I didn’t like him. I tried to tell them but they were still going to make me be mates with someone I didn’t like so I ran away. I heard there were forests in the east so I tried to find them. I guess I got lost.”

Rhen said, “I hate to tell you but if you are looking for the forests in the east, it is a very long way from here.”

Heather said in a very disappointed tone, “Oh. I just had no idea the plains were so big. I don’t know what to do now. I can’t go back and I can’t go east. I just don’t know what to do.”

Blaze whispered, “Rhen, maybe she could stay with us.”

His brother whispered back, “Good idea, Blaze.”

Rhen said, “Maybe you can come stay with us, Heather. At least until you figure something out.”

Heather replied, “That is very kind of you but I thought buffalo were nomadic.”

Rhen assured, “Actually, we live in a grove of trees. It is like a small forest. It keeps the sun off of us and keeps us cool.”

“And provides us with an occasional snack if we get tired of eating grass.” ,added Blaze. Heather said cheerfully, “Alright, I’ll go with you.”

Rhen gestured with his head in the direction of home and said, “Alright then. This way.”

The two bison brothers set off toward their grove of trees with the moose following them. Heather silently followed the two brothers until they arrived at the grove of trees. The trees reminded her of her old home. The tall oaks shaded the ground underneath from the sun and keeping the temperature pleasantly cool. From the looks of things, they had kept the rain from soaking the ground underneath too.

Rhen said, “Well, here we are. Make yourself at home.”

Heather replied happily, “Thank you. You have no idea how glad I am to see trees again.”

She entered and found a place next to some bushes to lie down. Heather bit off a piece of the bush and began to munch on it. She was happy to finally eat something other than grass. As the moose was eating the leaves James stuck his head through the foliage which startled her. Heather backed away, frightened by the sudden appearance of the bear.

James said, “There you are. I came by earlier you two weren’t back yet.”

Rhen trotted past the startled moose and over to his friend and replied, “Oh, sorry. We slept kinda late an I was talking to my new friend, Heather.”

The bison gestured to Heather with his head.

James said, “Ah. A newcomer and quite a pretty one at that.”

Heather said, still shaken, “What do you want?”

Rhen said, “It’s alright, Heather. He’s my friend.”

Heather whispered into the bison’s ear, “I just don’t trust bears. I think I’ll go outside until he’s gone.”

With that, the moose turned and trotted out of the shrubs and lied down by the river. She rested there for a couple of minutes before she saw Blaze’s reflection appear in the smooth water next to hers.

The buffalo asked, “Do you mind if I sit here?”

“Go ahead” the moose answered.

Blaze sat down next to Heather and said, “I think you hurt Jame’s feelings. He heard what you said.”

Heather said quietly, “I didn’t mean to. I just don’t trust anything that eats meat.”

Blaze paused for a second and then said, “Rhen has been friends with James all his life. They grew up together. Rhen said that James has never given him a reason to distrust him.”

Heather sighed and said, “I didn’t mean any harm. I’ll apologize.”

She got up and walked back into the trees.

James said to Rhen, “Well, I just came to check on you two to see if everything was alright.”

The black bear was about to leave when Heather called after him, “Wait!” The moose caught up and said, “I’m sorry for what I sad earlier. I really meant no harm. I was just startled.”

James chuckled and replied, “That’s alright. I understand. I don’t hold grudges. Well, I must be on my way now. Good day.”

The bear departed and Heather sat down by one of the trees.

Rhen said, “Thank you for apologizing.”

Heather rested her head on the dusty ground and replied softly, “Blaze told me everything. I was wrong to snap at your friend like that.”

Rhen said, “It’s okey now. He accepted the apology. That was all that mattered.”

That night, Rhen lay awake next to Blaze and Heather. He just couldn’t sleep no matter how hard he tried. He just wasn’t tired tonight. The big bison slowly stood up and crept quietly out of the grove of trees. Rhen squeezed between two bushes and walked out into the moonlit meadow. Heather woke up when she heard Rhen rub against a bush and yawned tiredly. The moose got up and watched Rhen as he walked out into the meadow. Heather saw Rhen pause by the river and gaze out into the distance to the east where the mountains did not obscure the sky. All was quiet except for the chirping crickets and a light breeze that blew through the trees, rustling the leaves. The moose quietly walked out into the meadow after Rhen and paused a few yards from him. The white moonlight almost seemed to make Rhen’s dark fur glow in shades of light grey. The moonlight flooded the entire landscape in a white light and danced on the ripples in the river.

Heather walked over to where Rhen stood by the riverbank and asked, “Hi, is everything alright?”

The buffalo turned his head to her and replied, “Yeah. “I’m just thinking.”

Heather said, “It just seemed like something was bothering you. What is on your mind?”

Rhen said, “I just feel lonely.”

Heather asked curiously, “What do you mean? You have Blaze and your bear friend.”

The bison answered, “Besides my brother, I am the only other buffalo around here. Blaze has never seen another buffalo besides me and our mother.”

Rhen sighed and continued, “He never even knew his father. Father died right before Blaze was born.”

Heather said softly, “I’m sorry. You have my sympathy.”

He then asked, trying to change the subject, “So what are you doing out here anyway?”

The moose answered, “I heard you get up. I wanted to see if everything was alright.”

Rhen turned to her again and said, “I just needed to think for a bit. You know, I just feel so hopeless sometimes. It almost seems like me and Blaze are the last of our kind. It’s such a lonely feeling. More and more, I get the feeling that my king are destined to die out. Man is killing us off little by little.”

Heather didn’t speak at first. She didn’t know what to say having never had to deal with something like this.

The moose finally said trying to encourage Rhen, “If what I have heard is correct, the buffalo have been through times like this before and each time they have learned a way to cope. You need not worry about your kind dying out, Rhen. They have always survived.”

Rhen wanted to argue the point. In the past, humans has been armed with spears or arrows. They would kill only what they needed. Now they were armed with guns and could easily wipe out an entire herd within minutes. Rhen had witnessed it first hand. The bison decided arguing the point would be useless, however. He had already discussed enough and wanted to change the subject for good.

“It’s a beautiful night.”

Heather understood and decided it was best to let the previous discussion die. She said in agreement, “It is beautiful. Where I come from, there is only one place where you can see the whole sky in the valley. It is on a knoll in the southern part of the valley where the mountains are lower. From the top, you can see the sky in all directions. There is also a good view of the rest of the valley too.”

Rhen replied, “I wish I could see it. Things sound so great where you come from. Er, well... except for the parents picking mates for you and all.”

Heather giggled and said, “That was just my parents who did that. Not everyone there does it”

She yawned tiredly and Rhen suggested, “Perhaps we should get some sleep. I think talking about this made me feel better anyway.”

The bison turned and walked back toward the trees. Heather wanted to tell him something but she didn’t feel that this was an appropriate moment. Although she had only learned his name that morning and she had just gotten to know Rhen, Heather had developed a crush on him. She felt awkward having a crush on a bison with her being a moose and all. She didn’t know how to explain it to Rhen or even if she should. Heather started after Rhen and followed him into the trees. Rhen lied down quietly next to Blaze while Heather rested against a tree and closed her eyes and soon all was quiet.

Two weeks had passed since the storm and the prairies had become dry in the summer sun again. It was now August and by far the hottest month of the year. Blaze was grazing among the tall prairie grass in the afternoon sun when he heard someone moving noisily through the grass. The bison lifted his shaggy and saw Heather making her way through the grass. She was looking down at her feet with an expression of annoyance on her face as she untangled one of her front hooves from a thicket of weeds.

Blaze began to move toward her and the moose shouted, “Oh, Blaze! Have you seen Rhen anywhere?”

“Over there.”, replied the buffalo after swallowing the grass he was chewing on. He gestured toward an area with shorter grass.

Heather spotted Rhen wallowing in the dirt just outside the tall grass, sending clouds of dust into the air. As she prepared to take another step a rattling sound filled the air.

The moose asked curiously, “What is that sound?”

Blaze, having lived on the plains all his life, had heard the sound many times before and knew exactly what it was.

“Don’t move! Don’t do anything! Be very still!” ,shouted the buffalo as he moved cautiously toward Heather. The moose became very still and dared not move. There, curled up directly in front of her was a rattlesnake that she had not seen until Blaze said something.

Blaze said calmly, “It looks like a rattler. Here, let me get rid of it.”

And with quick movement, Blaze used his left front hoof to knock the snake away and into the brush.

Heather sighed in relief and thanked Blaze. She was not finding life on the plains very appealing right now. At least where she was from the danger was more conspicuous and easier to avoid. The heat only made things worse. Heather followed Blaze out of the thick grass and into the shorter grass onto the plains. She glanced over at Rhen who was still rolling in the dirt and asked, “Why is he rolling in the dirt like that?”

Blaze replied as if the answer was obvious, “It keeps the bugs off of us. All buffalo do it.”

Blaze and Heather walked over to Rhen, who was now on his back in the dust, and stood over him. When the large buffalo noticed them he quickly rolled over and got to his feet.

Heather giggled,”You’re awfully dirty, Rhen.”

The buffalo shook his whole body, sending dust cascading out of his dark fur like mist from a waterfall and responded, “What else is new?”

With that said, he flicked his tail a few times, getting rid of the dust that still clung to the long hairs at the tuft on the end.

Blaze asked, “You wanna fight, Rhen? It’s been a while since the last time we had a good tussle.”

Heather was a bit surprised by the question. After all, Blaze didn’t seem to be the violent type.

“Sure.” answered Rhen.

Heather asked, “Why would you want to do that?”

Rhen answered, “We just do it for fun. It keeps us strong.”

Rhen then whispered to her, “Plus it gives me a chance to get back at Blaze for beating me at races. He may be faster than me, but I’m stronger.”

Rhen trotted into the middle of the field with Blaze and the two bison took their positions about twenty-five yards apart. Blaze pawed the ground and lowered his head, preparing to charge. Rhen scraped the ground with his left front hoof, kicking dust into the air as he got ready to take off. The two buffalo bolted toward each other at full speed, covering the distance in only a few seconds. The two met with a loud thud that sent a shudder down Heather’s back. Blaze was pushed back almost immediately after the impact. He slid backwards as Rhen pushed as hard as he could. Blaze then dug his rear hooves into the ground, to stop himself. Rhen continued to push with all his might but Blaze wouldn’t budge. Blaze gritted his teeth and began to push back, causing Rhen to slide backwards. The two beasts continued to wrestle with one another.

Blaze grunted as he pushed Rhen back slightly, “Is that the best you’ve got?”

Rhen didn’t answer. Instead, he snorted and dug the sharp points of his hooves into the dirt and shoved Blaze back again. Heather didn’t see how either of them could call this a scuffle. It looked like all out war between the two. Blaze and Rhen were almost completely enveloped in a cloud of dust as they continued to duel. Rhen finally got the upper hand and pushed Blaze back onto his haunches. Blaze was unable to go on. His strength was gone and he would just injure himself if he kept up. Rhen could feel that Blaze was letting up and backed off, allowing Blaze to get back up.

Blaze panted, “Next time, your mine, Rhen.”

His brother responded smugly as he trotted over to Heather, “Yeah, sure.”

Heather said to him, “Well, you won. Now what?”

Rhen replied, “We were just having fun. No harm done.”

The sun faded away behind the grey clouds that were rolling in from over the mountains. A breeze began to blow and Blaze sniffed th air.

He called over to Rhen and Heather, “I think it’s going to rain again.”

Rhen nodded his shaggy head in agreement and said, “Let’s go home. It looks like the storm is still quite a ways off. We should make it back before the rain gets here.”

The two great beasts headed for home with Heather following. She looked toward the mountains and sighed. The moose missed her valley home and wished to return. However, it looked as if she would be stuck here for a while. On top of everything else, she had grown close to the two brothers, particularly Rhen. Heather was torn between her love for him and her home.

Evening arrived and thunder rumbled across the vast expanse of the prairie as the storm clouds blocked out the setting sun. Instead of the radiant orange and pink lights reflected from the mountain glaciers, the dusk brought a dark, gloomy, blue tone that can commonly be seen on a cloudy evening. The scent of rain filled the air and the wind blew through the foliage in the cluster of oaks and pines. The prairie grass swayed in the wind and sheet lightning illuminated the bottoms of the clouds overhead. Heather and Blaze watched from the edge of the grove and Rhen stood just outside in the open. The wing whipped his fur into a frenzy as he stood there. Once the big, sloppy drops of rain began to fall, Rhen turned and joined Blaze and Heather under the cover of the leaves. He rested on the dry ground next to an oak tree root while Blaze rested next to one of the pines. Heather walked over to Rhen slowly and lied down next to him. The three animals talked to each other about their past adventures as the gloomy atmosphere of the stormy night set in. The darkness of the night was illuminated every minute by a bright flash of lightning an the pattering of rain on thee canopy overhead. A bright bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, turning night into day, and was followed shortly after by a sharp crack of thunder. Heather leaned against Rhen’s shoulder and closed her eyes. She had been planning how she would reveal her love for him and now was the perfect opportunity. Blaze was asleep so she didn’t have to worry about him listening in.

Mustering all her courage, Heather whispered softly in Rhen’s ear, “Rhen, there’s... there is something I want to tell you.”

Rhen asked, “Go ahead. What is it?”

“I know we have only known eachother for a short time, but... I love you, Rhen.”

She had finally said it.

Rhen chuckled softly and said, “I thought so.”

He had suspected something like that ever since she spoke with him on that starry night two weeks earlier.

Heather then added, “It’s not just you though, Rhen. I love Blaze too. You both remind me of my old friend, Myles. Perhaps, if you were a moose or if I were a buffalo like you, we could have been mates.”

Rhen nodded and said solemnly, “It isn’t meant to be, Heather.”

“I know.” she replied. “We’ll never be anything more than friends.”

Rhen nodded and laid his head down on the dry ground. Heather yawned tiredly and decided to sleep. She nuzzled Rhen and laid her head on her front legs, pleased that her confession had gone as well as it did. The moose closed her eyes and Rhen nuzzled her back. In just a few minutes, everything faded away as sleep overtook Heather.