Born into a society tolerant of homosexuals, River Otter is confused by the white culture’s persecution of such men. As the war begins to wind down, Otter leaves the only home he has ever known to help Major James Morrow, commandant of Ft. Yanube, build a farm north of the fort. He begins a new life with the handsome major while coming to grips with growing hostility toward natives and rising danger from a local militia bent on eliminating all bloods from the territory.<br><br>As his physical attraction for the blond soldier slowly grows into a love perilous to both of them, Otter is distracted by personal challenges. As he struggles to survive the social and political upheaval sweeping the plains, can remain true to his own set of values?

River Otter

The sound of the others stirring woke me while it was still dark. I went outside, carrying extra rations and ammunition for hunting. The old man clasped my forearm in the native fashion before wordlessly moving away. Spotted Panther took his place and nodded into darkness barely broken by a dim moon. Then New Star was there.


“Thank you, Grandfather,” he whispered.


“Be well. Take care of your family.”


I watched the party out of the yard as they made their way west to circle the hillock before turning north. I mounted the hill and sat in the cool earth, my ears listening for what my eyes could not yet see. When I could make out the shape of the grass at my feet, I rose and erased all sign of the visitors with a limb from a bush.


Chapter 108