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He moved over to the other cart and lifted it by the handles, then pushed it out of the shed and down onto the path. He wasn't sure where the garden was, so he would have to let her take him there. Once she had her cart out and down, the two of them walked off, heading around the house to where he could see a patch of land had been tilled up. It was, surprisingly, not too overgrown, though surely there were weeds here and there. "Think they worked on the garden?"

Tisha looked over the garden plot and shook her head. "Not in a couple months. Most likely, the last time they came here, the women worked on getting the house ready, while the men took care of the stables. But normally, the women do take care of the garden plot, since it's the vegetables and herbs they use, and provided us with the seeds from."

She pulled a pair of knee pads from the wagon she had and pulled them up over her jeans before reaching into the wagon and pulling on a pair of gloves and hooking a set of tools from the wagon. "Grab your tools and pads. And if you can fit into them, I brought my father's gloves. If not, we'll get you a pair when we go into town. If they don't fit you, you can follow behind me as I pull up the weeds with the aerator. I need to see how rich the soil is before adding fresh soil to what's here already."

"Right." He knew that this garden was going to be a bunch of work, so he figured they should get right to it. He slipped on the pads easily, and found that the gloves, though tight, fit him as well. He grabbed the rest of the tools and, since the gloves fit, he crouched on the next set of rows and began to pull weeds alongside her. It was tiring work, mostly boring, and even warm as the sun rose into the mid morning. They worked their way across the plot, then back again, over and over, the entire twenty or thirty foot length of garden. Once he finished his last row, he got up and grabbed the aerator and began to work it over the soil where they had started, so she could get a feel for it.

The soil didn't look as rich as it should, so she knew the entire plot would need soil added to it, and called over to him, "Marco, We need to add the soil to the plot. Help me get these bags opened, and spread out, so we can see how many more we need from the shed." She'd only loaded up about four bags, and that was definitely not enough for the garden plot.

He walked over to the cart, handed her one bag, and lifted two more himself. He dropped one by the edge of the plot, and ripped open the top of the other, then dumped it. He dumped the other in a pile next to it, then grabbed a rake and spread it out in a nice thick layer on top of the other soil. He walked back to the cart, dropped the last bag on the ground and said, "I'll just go back and load up on bags. If I bring too many, we can put them back."

He took the cart away, back to the shed, and he could be heard grunting as he loaded it up with at least six more. He returned, and sat the cart down once more, "Ok, let's do this..."

Tisha spread the soil from her bag, working the aerator in the soil to mix the new into the old, slow work, indeed, but always fruitful as it infused the current soil with rich nutrients from the fresh. The scent of fresh soil rose from the ground, hitting her nose and she wrinkled it cutely as she inhaled the odor. She never grew old of that specific smell. It always reminded her of fresh grown vegetables and fruits. And this time, it would be no different.

He began to lay out the bags, estimating how much they would need to cover the rest of the garden plot with fresh soil to mix in. He dropped the bags in various places, then extended his claws and sliced them open, dumped them out, and tossed the empty ones in a pile, as he worked on mixing the soil. He was short two bags, so he just jogged back and returned a few moments later with the required amount. He dropped them too, then after emptying them, he grabbed a rake and began to mix the soil on his end. It was even more time consuming than hers, but he didn't mind as long as he was doing something.

After a couple more hours, they met in the middle, but the fresh soil was mixed in with the old, and the plot was ready to be planted. Her stomach grumbled, and she let out a laugh. "Let's go wash up and we'll grab something to eat, then back to getting this plot planted and watered. After that, it will be riding lesson time. And we can use the break to make a list of anything else we'll need from town when we go back for another batch of supplies."

He stood up and moved out of the plot, standing at the edge and stretching, working his muscles for a moment, "Lunch sounds great. I'm all for whatever as long as it tastes good and fills me up. Shouldn't take us nearly as long to get this all planted as it did to get it ready."

Tisha smiled and nodded, pulling her gloves and knee pads off and setting them in the smaller wagon. "Let's put these wagons back in the shed and we'll need to grab the bucket to wash the plates after we eat. And we can wash up in the creek just as easily while getting the water for the dishes."

She pulled her wagon back to the shed, knowing she'd just need to pull it back out, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Besides, the little stakes to hold the pictures were there, and she would need them when planting the garden, so they would know what was planted where.

Never had a day of garden work been so fun for her, and she wanted - no, it was best not to go there, or she'd break down again. Right now, she needed to be strong. Tonight, she could break down again, but during the day, she had to hold herself together, to show Marco what she could do when not distracted by the horrors of the last few days. He'd seen her at her best, and at her worst, and she would keep showing him the best during the day. Besides, he was a rather handsome husky and so sweet to her.

The last thing on Marco's mind was getting her to fall in love with him or anything, though he was growing more attached to her by the minute. He would never force her into anything though, and if, for some reason, she did end up wanting him and finding that she wanted to be more than friends with him, it would have to be her that came out and told him.

He pushed his wagon into the shed as well, and then they walked up to the house. He grabbed the bucket and then headed for the creek once again that day. As they walked, he slipped her hand into his paw, for what reason he didn't know; he just did, and gave it a gentle squeeze. Once they got to the creek, the bucket was set down, and he knelt to wash his hands in the water that flowed along in front of them. He splashed the water up onto the fur of his arms, then on his face even, before shaking out, "So, when we have to bathe, where do we do it?"

Tisha grinned before ducking her head under the water, coming back up with a gasp as she flipped her head up, her hair flying over her head and sprinkling him with more water. She giggled and gave him a light nuzzle under his jaw. "Just up this creek is a small area where someone could wash, but the watering hole I was telling you about is more fun. When I go there, I normally leave Snowflake by the shore, along with clothes and the soap that I use up here, then climb up and jump in before washing myself and my clothes. Mom-"

She cut off her words, not wanting to go there just now. It was too early in the day for her to let herself break down with the tears that were threatening to fall from just mentioning her mother. She bit her lip before turning to wash her hands and face completely before straightening up. "Let's get lunch."

Marco nodded, "I wondered about that...I suppose we should go up there one at a time..." He didn't want to seem like he was trying to take advantage and see her naked, though he wouldn't have minded at that. He blushed lightly and finished rinsing off his arms, then he stood and shook off. Once she had finished, he took the bucket and filled it upstream from where they had washed, then carried it as they headed back up to the house.

Tisha smacked his arm lightly. "As if I'm letting you go by yourself! You don't know the dangers inherent in the land as I do. You have to go with me until you know what's out there!" She tucked herself against his side as they headed up the stairs and into the house. She had some of the water poured into both sides of the sink again, then the rest went into the coffee pot, and she set the fire going again, making another pot of coffee for them to have with lunch.

Looking at the cans, she pulled out a few cans of vienna sausages, then a couple of vegetables and fruits. They needed some bread, so flour and yeast was definitely going on the list for the next 'shopping' trip. She looked at the rabbits, and skinned them, setting the meat into the upper parts of the stove to get smoked while they ate and went out for the riding lesson. She split the jerky between them, then set the vegetables on the stove top along with the vienna sausages. The fruit went into a bowl for them to have before the food was ready, or for dessert, whichever they chose.

He laughed and shook his head, not responding to her words. He could take care of himself, and he had a feeling she knew it, but he wasn't going to argue. He just nodded and then went with her into the kitchen. He helped her get the plates out, and do whatever else she would let him help with, before he settled down at the table again and sighed. He could probably get used to living with her alone up here, but he knew that her relatives were going to show up later on that week, which was fine by him. There was easily enough work for everyone that came.

When she sat the fruit down, he popped one piece into his mouth, then decided to wait to eat any more until after their lunch was done. No reason to rush through the meals, they might as well enjoy them when they could. "So, you said you won't let me go to the watering hole alone, does that mean I get to go with you too?" he chuckled.

Looking over her shoulder at him as she waited for the tiny, bite sized hotdogs to heat up enough for them to eat, she stuck her tongue out playfully. "You know you like the idea of me going with you, Marco. But yes, you can come with me when I go for a wash too." Her attention went back to the food she was making, a soft humming coming from her as she moved around in the kitchen, the sound almost enough to tell him she was fine, but she still had those flashes where she stopped talking completely, and the haunted look returned to her eyes.

He smiled back at her, "I admit, that I do like the idea of you coming with me...or me going with you." He really wouldn't be ashamed to be naked in front of her, but he didn't know how she would feel about the same situation in reverse. He sighed and leaned on his elbows, his tail wagging softly as he watched her move about, cooking and getting lunch ready. He closed his eyes and laid his head down on his arms on the table, and waited patiently.

Tisha nodded as she hummed, finally seeing the steam coming from the vienna sausages and put them onto the plates, then added the vegetables to the plates so they could eat lunch. After setting the plates on the table, she poured them both coffee, then sat down next to him, her leg once again pressing against his. She started eating as she leaned against him. "I do too, Marco. I know I'm safe with you."

Marco nodded as she put the plate down in front of him and came to sit next to him. He picked up his fork and took a bite or two, smiling all the while. "I'm glad you do, Tisha...I wouldn't want you afraid of me." He reached over with his free paw to touch the back of her neck, stroking it softly and rubbing around it for a moment before going back to his own meal. "This is good, by the way," he said, grinning.

Tisha closed her eyes as she felt Marco rubbing her neck, soothing the tense muscles in it that had sprung up from the work they'd already done that morning. "Thanks," she chuckled, a grin on her lips. "It's rather hard to ruin canned food." She ate rather quickly, wanting to get the planting done, so they could go have a little fun with riding. She knew that Snowflake and Brute would love the ride as well. "Hurry up," she giggled as she finished her plate and started on her fruit. "I want to show you everything I can before it gets dark!"

"Alright. Alright," he laughed and shook his head, speeding up as much as he could and finishing just after her. He scooped some fruit out of the bowl and ate it down, then divided up the rest between them and ate it too. As soon as their plates were finished, he took his own up to the sink and rinsed it off, making sure it was clean enough before he stacked it, got a towel and dried it off, then put it away. He glanced back at her as she did the same, "Alright, let's get the planting done."

She smiled at him, picking up the basket with the seeds and heading back out to the shed. Her hand just naturally slipped into his paw as they walked, and she leaned against him. She put her hat back on, pulling out his and put it on him, tugging it down over his eyes playfully as she got the knee pads and gloves back on and found the 'label stakes,' as she called them. The seed packets and the stakes went into the smaller wagon she'd had out earlier, as well as a couple watering cans and two small spoons.

Marco squeezed her hand when it slipped into his own. He felt her fingers close around his and he was glad that she wanted to hold his paw. He smiled about it, then, when she stuffed the hat over his head, he laughed and shook his head, tugging it back up with his free paw, before letting go of her entirely and helping her gather what they would need. Once they got back to the plot of land, he said, "Alright, so what gets planted where?"

Tisha looked at the garden plot and decided quickly. "Let's do the pumpkins and watermelons at opposite ends of the garden, so the large fruit and gourds don't really 'trample' the roots of the others. Corn in the back between them, then the peas, beans and other small vegetables in the middle, with carrots and potatoes up front. The tree seeds can get planted later closer to the house."

He nodded his head, "You start on one side, I'll start on the other, we'll meet in the middle. He took up the pumpkin seeds and some of the others that he would need, and headed down to the end of the garden where the pumpkins would be planted. He walked back for a hoe, and then got straight to work. He read the package, then hoed out a straight line and went on down it, planting, before returning to cover them with soil and tamp it flat.

Tisha smiled and grabbed the watermelon seeds and took an even longer time, planting the seeds individually by kneeling on the outskirts of the garden and scooping out soil with one of the spoons, putting one seed in, then covering the soil over the seed before moving a few inches down for the next seed. When she came back up the next row, the seeds went between the first row's seeds. Four rows in all were planted of watermelon and the same on the other side of pumpkins before she headed to the back to plant the corn.

Once the pumpkin seeds were planted in the now fertile soil, he move back to the other seeds and picked up the pea and bean seeds, and walked in her footsteps through the garden, then went about planting them as well. It was long, rather boring work, really...though he enjoyed using his hands and working in the soil. "So, how often do you and your family actually talk in all Lakota? Or do you just usually use one or two words at a time like you were with me?"

Tisha looked over her shoulder at him, a smile hovering over her lips. "When the tribe is here, we tend to talk in nothing but Lakota, but Theron can also translate. He's so in love with Brielle. They were supposed-" Her words were cut off as she saw someone behind Marco, and she instinctively threw her dagger at him, the motion enough to alert Marco to his presence, but her aim was slightly off, knocking the knife out of the intruder's hands, then skimming off to the side. In the haze filling her eyes of her own attack, she didn't recognize the intruder as one of the tribal members who thought Marco was the intruder.

Marco was crouched, planting his line of seeds, when she turned around to look at him. He glanced up to listen to her, when she spun around, drew her dagger and hurled it. He flattened himself to the dirt, rolled over and hopped to his feet, diving out of the garden and onto the grass surrounding it. The intruder had lost his knife, but immediately uttered a war-cry and dove at Marco, attempting to bear him down to the ground. The two rolled, Marco snarling, his eyes wide and flashing, teeth bared as the intruder tried to wrap his fingers around the husky's neck.

Tisha screamed as the two fought, the sound enough to throw the Lakota off his attack, giving Marco enough time to get the upper hand. But the scream also told Marco she was having a flashback to her rape. She had crouched into the garden, her body shivering as she tried so hard to get herself under control. She gave a sharp whistle and Snowflake came racing over, jumping the corral fencing and coming to a halt just outside the garden, ready to do anything to protect her rider and the husky. She reared up, landing with her hooves inches from the Lakota's head.

Marco growled and rolled over atop the Lakota that was attacking him. He pinned him to the ground with his knees, and then as the horse brought her hooves down, he slugged the Indian, before stepping back and dragging him to his feet. The lanky human looked dazed, and so Marco dropped him on the ground and rushed over to Tisha's side, slipping an arm around her. "I'm here, Tish...I'm here..."