Deborah Camp by Lonewolf's Woman

and realized it was stuffed with straw instead of feathers. With a long sigh, she went to stand by the window and looked up at a fat, sad-faced moon.
    It seemed as if the whole world was lonesome tonight.

Chapter 4
     
    H ooking the basket handle on her arm, Elise stepped outside with Penny. In the morning light, the farm looked fresh and green and big. Trees were abundant near the cabin but had been cleared out in the fields, with only an occasional lonely oak or elm to give refuge from the relentless sun.
    “I don’t see Alonewolf, do you?” Penny asked.
    Elise smiled and touched a finger to the tip of Penny’s freckled nose. “It’s Lonewolf, Pen, not Alonewolf. I think we should call him Blade.”
    “Okay.”
    “I can see him. Look, straight out that way past the barn. See that speck? That’s him, I believe.”
    “Are we going to walk all that way?”
    “Oh, it’s not so far.” Elise descended the three porch steps with Penny at her side. “And it’s a beautiful day.”
    “Will we see Adam?”
    A cloud seemed to descend as Penny directed Elise’s thoughts to their stray lamb. “Maybe, but probably not.”
    “When can we see him?”
    “We’ll try to visit tomorrow. I’ll speak to Bladeabout it. For now, we should get used to our new home.”
    Elise stopped and turned back to the house. Wood-hewn, it was smaller than it felt inside. A rock chimney climbed up one side; a naked trellis climbed up another. The porch would be inviting with a couple of rocking chairs on it, Elise thought. She eyed a low tree branch and decided it cried out for a rope swing.
    “This place has promise,” she said, mostly to herself.
    “It’s nothing like the one in Baltimoah,” Penny noted. “It’s little.”
    “Well, we don’t need a bunch of rooms to clean. This is large enough for just us.”
    They walked on, their joined hands swinging between them. As they passed the barn, Elise nodded at it. “We’ll investigate in there later. I’ll bet there are horses and mules and all kinds of interesting things inside.”
    “Let’s look now!”
    “No, we must get this breakfast to Blade first.” Elise hoisted the basket she carried. The contents weren’t fancy—hard-boiled eggs, leftover biscuits and a jug of water—but it was the best she could do without Airy’s guidance. She couldn’t yet find the courage to cook without Airy standing beside her. Perhaps after a few days she’d become more self-confident. In the meantime, she didn’t want to burn the cabin down while trying to fry eggs.
    Thankfully, Blade had fired up the stove that morning before Elise or Penny had awakened. When Elise had roused from her sleep, Blade had already left for the fields. She didn’t know if he’d fixed himself breakfast, but she decided that evenif he had, he could use more nourishment after toiling in the fields.
    “What’s planted out he-ow?” Penny asked, skipping ahead of Elise to the first rows of humped earth.
    “I’m not sure,” Elise admitted. “We’ll have to ask Blade. Penny, let’s work on your pronunciation. Growl for me. Say ‘grrrrr.’ ”
    Penny grinned. “Grrrrrr.”
    “That’s good. Now say ‘grrr-oh.’ ”
    “Grrrr-woe.”
    Elise shook her head. “Try again.”
    “Grrrr-oh.”
    “That’s right!
Grow
. You practice that every so often, and try ‘grrr-een’ while you’re at it.”
    “You think I talk funny, Elise?”
    “You talk a little like a baby, and you’re not a baby anymore. You’re a young lady, so you should sound like one.”
    “I’d love to be a lady.” Penny pirouetted and flipped her long hair up on her head. She batted her carrot-colored lashes outrageously.
    Laughing, Elise regarded her young sister with new awareness. Penny had lost her baby fat and most of her baby mannerisms. Perhaps their parents’ death had robbed her of the last days of her innocence. Of course, at the age of eight, Penny was ready to shed the first stage of life and embrace the next, but