ANGRY!

By the time I found my mate, he was rounding the end of a wagon looking for me. I had heard the rumors and was looking for him and I could see as much of the anger written on his face as there was flaming mine.

It was true, Ba'atar had offered to buy me from Ramza so that he could make me his slave. My mate already knew that I would not bend to such conditions. Not for him. Not for Ba'atar, not for anyone. In that I saw the pain in his eyes that if it were pressed further, he would lose me. I could offer no solace in that.

This was a matter that was supposed to be between the two of us. I had said so to Cana and Tarra when they offered their "advice" to me a hand ago. Tarra told me I had better return to my mate's wagon and act like a mate or regret it. Cana stripped me of many of my responsibilities among the clan. Now the Ubar had jumped into the fray.

I have not acted like a slave. I've not spoken out. I've not behaved in any way to warrant any of this except place distance for a short while between my mate and I until we could work things out.

I am furious that as a freewoman who has earned her place among the first wagons, I could be treated this way. No one offered to buy Cana when she and the Ubar had disagreements. It was no secret among the Tribe. Boot prints are noted everyday. No one offered to make Tarra a slave when she spoke out at the fires. News travels. Everyone knew her mate lost his command because of it but she suffered nothing. No one offered to buy Shi when he stayed away from his family for so long that others had to step in to feed his family. No one offered to place Petra in a collar when she cracked her mate up side the head for just teasing her about collaring her. There are other mated couples among the tribe that have had their differences but as far as I know the women ... the free women were not treated as a blackwine cup ready to be bartered and placed in a steel for how many times she does or does not fur her mate.
I can assure them all, I will not go down without a fight. I will not be placed in steel.

By the laws of my own people this is not right. This is an outrage.

My mate is as angry as I am. He told the Ubar that what was between two mates should be between two mates, that everyone should mind their own business, just as he had the two women who had deemed it their right to step in and interfere.

Ramza's assurance to me that trading me to Ba'atar was not going to happen has its comforts but I think that he cannot see how deep this grudge goes. This is something that Ba'atar wanted from the beginning. He broke the rules of the Tribe when I was a prospect ... why would I trust he wont break them now that he has power.

I see in Ramza such hurt and anger. I see in him shame too that his mate would be topic of conversation so degrading. I see the sadness that if it is pressed. He knows I will die a freewoman rather than become a slave again.

Instead of returning to our wagon as we had been for the past few hands, I watched him ride out along the plains and I stand here seething with so much anger that I see red.