I shouldered the dressed deer, and said, “C’mon, my wife wants to meet you.”
“I am scared, Bawb.”
“You should be.”
He laughed. When we got back to the village, Ruth and Topper were waiting on us. “What’s up?”
Topper said, “Just worried about you, Boss.” I pointed to the hide and head that Walking Skunk was carrying. “Could you take those over to one of the villages on the mainland, Ruth. It would be a shame for them to go to waste.”
Ruth said, “Sure, Boss. Mind if I take the Evans?”
“Nope. Might want to wash it out, before Nikki sees it, though.”
“Gee, you think so?”
“Okay, I’m being dumb. I didn’t introduce you, either. This is Walking Skunk. Walking Skunk, this is Topper and Ruth.”
Walking Skunk said, “Hello, I haven’t met metal people before. It’s nice to meet you.”
Topper said, “It’s nice to meet you, too. You must be very good at hiding. We didn’t find you with our scanners.”
“One old man, living alone, I don’t leave many tracks.”
Ruth said, “If I can have that hide, I’ll take it where it can do some good.”
“That would be a good thing. Please don’t tell them who you got it from, though.”
Ruth asked, “Why not, Sir?”
“They want me to be an elder. I do not think I am wise enough, so I stay here where they cannot make me do it. I fear I would make foolish decisions that would hurt the tribe.” Ruth pointed at me. “You sound like our Captain, but he has guided us safely through many hard times. Could it be that the tribe knows you better than you would like to admit?”
Walking Skunk said, “You have much wisdom, little one. Perhaps you should be the Voice of the Mountain.”
“Sorry, Sir. I already have a job, flying the finest ship in the galaxy.”
“All the same, please don’t tell them you saw me.”
“As you wish, Sir.” Ruth took her load and headed for the Evans. The rest of us headed toward the barbecue that had been set up in our backyard. Walking Skunk helped break down the deer for cooking. I noticed he was still using a flint knife. I hollered, “Taz, front and center.”
“Yes, Boss?”
“Do you have one of your knives handy? Our new friend is still using flint.”
“Sure, Boss. Do you suppose he would like an ax as well?”
“Probably, but I doubt you could get him to admit it.”
Taz took off. Walking Skunk asked, “What was that about?”
“Gonna get you some better tools, so we can get more work out of you.”
He looked like he wasn’t sure what to think, but he didn’t say anything. Taz brought him a knife and an ax, and the rest of the deer just kind of fell apart. The old man was good at butchering. He said, “These are fine tools. Where are they stored?”
I replied, “Your belt.”
“You mean you want to give me such fine tools? What do you want in return?”
“Nothing. Just trying to be a good neighbor.”
“There is plenty of room for all of us. You don’t have to give me gifts to get me to let you stay on the island.”
“I like you, and I want you to have what you need to have an easy life. Do I have to want something back for that?”
“I suppose not, but it seems strange to me. I think maybe you are trickier than you seem.”
“Are tricky friends bad to have? Seems to me, it would be better to have someone tricky as a friend, just in case.”
“You make an old man’s head hurt, with all your talk. We cook now.”
Once we got the meat started, Taz came back around and showed Walking Skunk how to care for his new tools. About then, Ruth got back. She came up to us, and said, “Mr. Skunk, Sir. I didn’t tell them where you were. Morning Flower recognized the way the skin was taken off. She knows you are here.”
Walking Skunk said, “Little Morning Flower is home? How did that happen? The bad hair-comes-off took her.”
I said, “We found her being kept as a slave, and set her free. We had a little trouble figuring out where her home was to bring her back, but we got it done.”
One of the fighters landed next to the Evans. Morning Flower got out and ran over to where we were. She said, “Grandpa! You had me so worried when I got back, and they told me you had left.”
“It is good to see you, Morning Flower. I thought you were gone forever.”
“Bawb brought me home. He is a good man, for a hair-comes-off.”
“I’m learning that.”
“I’ve been to the place you told us about. Bawb is from there.”
I spoke up. “Walking Skunk here is the elder you said told you about ‘The Cat in the Hat’?”
“He is. He told us many stories of the planet of the hair-comes-off.”
I asked, “You’ve been to my world, and you still trust me enough to eat with us? You’re a forgiving man, Walking Skunk.”
“You asked before you came into my camp. I knew then you must have respect for the people-with-hair.”
Ruth spoke up. “The Captain has respect for all kinds of people. Even us metal people.”
Morning Flower said, “You deserve respect. You are a better pilot than I can ever hope to be. When I recognized the way you skin, Grandpa, she wouldn’t tell me a thing about where she got the hide, or who skinned it. She is a good person.”
“I’m surprised you could tell it was me, with those fancy tools Bawb gave me.”
“I saw how Bugling Elk’s skinning changed with the new tools.”
“Bugling Elk?”
“You know him as Busy Squirrel. He is
