Harvest Moon (5 page)
Authors: Krista D. Ball
He stepped close to her, inspecting her. “You’ve gotten skinnier.”
She glared at him but did not answer. Instead, she plotted to hit him with her full might the first moment that they were alone, even if it meant her death. Then, the twinkle she had known and missed returned to his eyes.
He leaned close and muttered, “Let me be a man in front of your people. They would not let you leave if they thought I spent a moon cycle begging my father to let me marry you and another trying to find you.”
Her eyes grew wide.
“Do not think I am rescuing you, my love. You are rescuing me. My caretaker says he can change you back. I can have a wife and become chief. If you’ll have me, that is.”
Bearclaw held out his hand. He slipped a hand around her back, possessive and strong, and led her to his horse, where a dozen of his warriors waited. He lifted her into the air and on the animal’s back.
As they galloped away, Dancing Cat turned back to say a silent goodbye to her band. Instead, she saw the petite Small Tree waving; a wide smile on her ancestor’s wrinkled face.
From the Author
About Harvest Moon
There are two questions that I’m often asked about this story that readers felt were never addressed in the text, so I wanted to add a little note here to help answered the feedback.
The first question I’ve gotten is, “If there are horses, where are the white people?” Harvest Moon was my first adventure into the realm of historical fantasy and magic. I wanted to write a Canadian First Peoples story set before the arrival of Europeans and wrote the original with dog teams.
The feedback I got was that I should include horses. This was a fantasy story, after all; I could make stuff up and just pretend there were horses.
I really regret doing this, as the presence of the horses really confused a lot of readers. It was an amateur mistake and I have learned my lesson.
The second question I get asked is, “Where is this story located?” There is no specific spot that the story is located, nor is there one specific tribe that the story is based around. However, when setting the stage, I imagined the story set in Northern Alberta, Canada. That’s why the snow lasts so long!
Thank you for purchasing Harvest Moon! If you enjoyed it, please take a moment to post a review. It really helps out other readers to determine if a story is a good fit for them. Also, sign up for my New Release mailing list:
http://kristadball.com/contact/new-release-sign-up/
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