AN: Hello again! This is going to be an x Osage reader one shot today. Iâve been doing a lot of research so I hope Iâve done it justice. My primary information has come again from osageculture.com. I did use some information from the national park service and multiple universities just to have a general understanding. I used this information primarily to describe roles, day to day life, and events in the villages. For example I talk about the Osageâs semi annual buffalo hunts in this one shot. I also used this information for talking about food sources and housing. I briefly mention Osage spirituality in this one shot. Itâs about one line. I did not go into heavy detail just in case Iâve misunderstood anything. Once again if anything is inaccurate or wrong please know it was not done intentionally. Please leave me a comment, ask, or message, and Iâll fix it asap. Or if anyone would like to see the references please let me know as well. Also will be some time before the next one shot as Iâm still in idea development
GIF credit goes to @myphaea and divider credit to @andromeda-graphics
WC: 4.9K
Masterlist
The summer brought lots of great things. Long cool nights, the berries in the forest were ripe and sweet, and the fact that the hunting party would be gone for a while. You spent every week enjoying yourself because your older cousin Myron and his best friend Little Puma would be gone with the hunting party.
Growing up had not exactly been the most fun. In your defense neither you or the two boys had made it easy. When you were little, you would try to follow Myron around all the time wanting to see what the older children were doing. He would get annoyed with you and your constant questions, rightfully so. You werenât much younger than the boys, just only two years, but to Myron you might as well have been an infant. So heâd get mad, you would cry, his mother would tell him to be nice to you and the cycle would repeat day in and day out.
However, being young and small could only protect you for so long. Once you were old enough to not quite be considered too young anymore, Myron was finally able to start getting you back for all the times you got him in trouble. The teasing was relentless, and what made it worse was when he became best friends with Little Puma who joined him. They put bugs in your hair sometimes, other times in your food. Sometimes they jump out and scare you. Theyâd cover you in mud or push you in the river for the fun of it. You had become fearful of running into them when you were by yourself.
Your only saving grace was White Sun. She was older than all of you meaning she was in charge and both boys had to listen to her. Their mothers had said so. White Sun though has always been incredibly kind to you and looked after you like a sister. Every time they had done something to you White Sun would help you. She would dry your eyes after you finished crying and help you get cleaned up. Then she would sing to you while sheâd rebraided your hair. She also had no problem going to her mother if the boys were just picking you a little too much for her liking.
When you grew up a little more it got better, well mostly. You had lost interest in wanting to follow around Myron all the time. Instead you had made friends with the girls your age and wanted to spend all your time with them. It was the best thing to happen to Myron and you. The two of you had pretty much stopped fighting and bickering altogether and were finally able to be cousins in peace. Nightly suppers with your families had become fun. The two of you would joke with each other and got along well together. There was no more yelling and shoving. Both of you had seemed to grow out of it and your mothers could not be happier at the peace and quiet.
The only person who didnât seem to grow out of it was Little Puma. It wasnât as bad as it was when you were kids, but the boy got on your nerves. Luckily, he mostly followed Myronâs lead, and Myron didnât find it as entertaining to annoy you anymore. So if Myron shook his head you would come out unscathed from their terror. Most of the time Myron had something else he wanted to do instead. The problem was when Myron was not around, but you were, leaving you to be a prime target. Little Puma teased you incessantly about anything he could think of. There was one time a neighboring clan had come to stay with yours. There was a boy around your age who you found cute. You had been confiding in White Sun and some of your friends about him. Your friends were convinced he liked you and had encouraged you to talk to him. Unbeknownst to all of you, Little Puma had heard you speaking about it. For the whole time the clan had visited, he would do everything in his power to tease you about your crush. And he must have told the other boy something, because for the rest of the visit that boy never glanced your way again. Little Puma was trouble and you did your best to stay away from him.
Him and Myron have remained close, their friendship never faltering, meaning he was still around all the time even now. You would hate to admit it but he's gotten to be quite attractive. Sometimes only sometimes youâd catch yourself looking at him when he was around. You couldnât help yourself. The only thing that killed it for you was that he still teased you. Sure, he did not tease you like he used to, but he still loved to get under your skin. When you would come back from gathering with the other girls heâd always claim something was wrong with yours. You never picked the ripe one heâd say after taking some blackberries from your basket. Or when you would wander off alone to have some time to yourself heâd always badger you about not helping. Little Puma had his opinion on everything. And to him everything you did was wrong.
This is why you savored the buffalo hunts. The men were gone for the whole day, so no Little Puma to criticize you. By the time the men returned from hunting, he was usually too tired to be a pest. However, the hunting season had just ended for the warm season and you all had just made the long walk back no more than two weeks ago.
The next hunt would not be for a couple more months now. So now you had to return to everyday life trying to survive Little Puma. You had managed at first as there had been a lot of work to do. One way to hide was by working alongside your mother and Myronâs mother. He could not bother you with them around.
That is until a sickness seemed to be reaching every family in the village. Many people had become bed-ridden and were unable to work. Their bodies burned to the touch and their throats became filled with thorns. Luckily your mother seemed to be doing okay and you were feeling normal. The only down side was being spread thin to help finish the usual amount of work.
You pick up one of your large baskets and hold it by your side. Turning around to face the way you came, you give your friend a sad smile and wave to her before walking down the path to head out of the village. She waves back to you with a similar expression. Sheâs claimed to be feeling okay just a bit hot and asked to switch with you today so she could stay out of the heat. You were more than happy to oblige her and were now heading down to the river to pick some berries and vegetables. She would be staying back to help your mother. You worry slightly afraid she might fall ill but you brush it off since you know your mother would tend to her if needed.
The sun may not be at the highest point, but you notice how warm it is as you continue along the path to the creek. It was not too far of a walk but it seemed longer now that you were by yourself. Normally youâd have a few friends to walk with and the time would pass by faster as you all chatted. Now it was just you as everyone else had fallen ill. Technically there were a couple of other places that you could go to collect that were a bit closer. But the coolness of the water though had sounded most appealing. So you could sacrifice the time if it meant getting to splash some water on your face to beat the heat. You begin to get a little uncomfortable as the sun continues to warm you. Bringing a hand to your cheek it feels like itâs burning. Adjusting the empty basket in your arms you hold it over your head and that seems to do the trick. Instantly your face cools down and you let out a small sigh of relief.
Finally, the creek came into view. You come around and decide to pick some blackberries first as the bushes offer more shade. Setting the basket down onto the grass you kneel down and begin picking the berries off the shrub. You make sure to examine each one before you pluck it off and gently place it in the basket. You will not give Little Puma the satisfaction of saying the berries arenât ripe enough or that you smushed them. Quickly wiping the sweat on your forehead you finish filling up about a quarter of the basket with berries. The rest of the space you will leave for the beans and maybe some squash if you can find any on the way back.
The sweat begins to build up on your neck and slowly starts running down your spine. Your hand reaches for your waist and you realize you forgot to bring water with you. A grunt of annoyance slips from your mouth. At least you were smart enough to be by the creek. Moving from your crouched position into a standing one you stumble for just a moment suddenly becoming light headed. You shake it off and walk down through the tall shrubs and grass to the bank of the creek. Your skirt barely protects your knees from the rocks as you kneel so you cup the water in your hands and splash it onto your face. The coolness instantly hits you giving you a relief you didnât know you needed. You take more and this time bring it to your neck the best you can. You donât mind the feeling of it sliding your back finally not feeling so hot. Your hands cup another handful of water as you bring it to your lips. The cold water hits your stomach in the best way possible as you drink. Once youâve gotten your fill, you feel much better and stand up not feeling dizzy this time.
You head back over to your basket and move it from the berries over to where the bean stalks are. Back to work you go as you begin filling the rest of the basket with beans. You still maintain your meticulous exam of every single bean you touch. Your focus from the beans is broken though at the idea of getting more water. You were suddenly beginning to feel hot again. Not wanting to stop working, you ignore your thirst and keep collecting food. Youâll have some more before you get up to leave, you tell yourself.
At last your basket is full of food to bring back home. Satisfied you stand up slowly before bending back down to grab a hold of your full basket. Your arms begin to shake when you try picking it up to your arms. You stop to give yourself a moment and take a deep breath before trying again. Everything in your arms begins to scream in pain when you try to lift it up once more. You set the basket down and kneel next to it. Your lungs feel tight and you try to get more air in. Your eyes look through the grass and bushes to where the creek is and you think maybe itâs the lack of water. You stand up, but not as slow as you should have and itâs a mistake.
You sway slowly back and forth and each step feels so heavy as you make your way to the creek. Itâs right there in front of you, but at the same time you feel like itâs so far. Your vision begins to get blurry and you try to rub your eyes to clear it. Nothing works though, you keep trying to make your way down to the bank. The rocks under your feet cause you to stumble more as you no longer have the strength to fully pick up each step. The water is right there and you know youâll feel good. However itâs no use, black dots slowly start to take over your vision and you take one last step before collapsing on the bank.
Little Puma walks through the village, his eyes scanning everywhere. Thereâs no trace of you anywhere. He already checked to see if you were helping the sick, but he came up empty handed. You were not with your aunt either. Now there was no way he was going to ask anybody if theyâve seen you around, but he was stumped. You were getting much better at hiding from him, it only took you long enough. He was amused with himself at the thought of getting to scare you when he found you.
Someone says your motherâs name and he looks up to see where they were pointing and smirks to himself. If you werenât in your other spots then you would be for sure with your mother. A frown takes over his face as he makes his way to your mother whose back is towards him. Sheâs there preparing a hide and so is one of the girls you're always spending time with. But you are nowhere in sight, and you could not have taken off without him seeing you. Your mother turns around and seems to be relieved when she sees him, which Little Puma finds off. She waves him over and he has no choice but to come listen.
âHave you seen my daughter around? She went to go harvest and I have not seen her come back yet. Itâs been too long, she should have come back by now.â your mother asks him. Little Puma begins to shake his head, but heâs not worried. Knowing you, youâre probably being lazy and sleeping under a tree staying out of the sun.
âNo I havenât. What time did she leave?â He tells himself he doesnât care but he should still ask. Your mothers face seems to pale at his response.
âThis morning. No one has seen her since. She went all by herself because all the other girls were sick. You have to go look for her please.â She begs him. Little Puma still thinks youâre probably just staying away on purpose. One thing he doesnât like to hear is that you were all alone it bothers him. However, you were too hard headed to ever listen when heâs told you not to do that.
âI will go look for her. Did she mention where she was heading?â He does not really want to agree, but he cannot tell your mother no.
âNo, she just took her basket and left.â Little Puma resists the urge to be annoyed in front of your mother. First you went by yourself and you didn't even mention what direction you went. He would lecture you once he finds you. Reassuring your mother one more time that you would be fine, he leaves to grab his horse and heads out to start looking for you.
With his back to the sun he has just finished checking the second spot he thought to look and so far nothing. There were about three more possible places to look for you and he was starting to get annoyed.
His horse walked along the path towards the creek. If he found you sleeping under the trees he was going to throw you in the river. He makes his way around to the bushes where heâs seen you gather before. Next to the stalks of beans he sees your basket filled with food just sitting in the grass. You're nowhere in sight and it scares him. Jumping off his horse he spins around trying to spot you anywhere. A pit grows in his stomach. Something is very wrong. He just knows it. Little Puma runs away from the bushes and heads to the tree line where the woods get thick. He checks the bottom of every trunk and he doesn't see you anywhere. Now feeling desperate he shouts out your name into the woods. No response, but he still calls out for you again. When you donât respond for the second time he heads back to where your basket is and looks around the area once more.
Then he spots it right in front of your basket. The tall bushes are slightly trampled. With the trail as his only clue he pushes through the tall grass. Once he steps out now on the bed of the creek his heart plummets to his stomach immediately. There you are face down in the rocks unresponsive.
No. No. No. No.
That is the only thing running through his mind when he sees you. If anything happens to you he will never forgive himself. In a flash heâs at your side in an instant turning you over. A large gash is on your forehead over your left eyebrow. The blood that trickled from the wound is already dried onto your face. His eyes scan the area he doesnât see any other tracks from animals or people. The only visible wound seems to be the one on your forehead, the rest of you seems undisturbed. He doesnât understand what happened. His hand cups your face and your cheek is hot to the touch. His hand moves down to your arm and he realizes your entire body is burning. Pulling your unconscious body into his lap he shakes you gently while saying your name. When you donât even stir a wave of panic washes over him.
âWhy did you come out here by yourself? You shouldâve asked somebody. I wouldâve come with you.â He scolds you quietly but it falls on deaf ears. His head moves down to your mouth and he canât help to let out a sigh of relief when he hears the faintest breath released from your body.
From his belt he pulls off a medium sized pouch filled with water. Gently, he pours a little into your mouth, but nothing. He tries again using a little more this time and he pours the water over the rest of your face hoping to cool you down. With the sleeve of his shirt he wipes some of the dirt and blood that covers your face, the water having loosened it. You're still much too warm, he thinks.
âYou will not take her from me. â He mutters to the open air, he refuses to let the sky take you back today.
With the rest of his water he pours the rest of it along your face and neck. When you still do not wake he knows he has to get you help in the village. One arm stays underneath your shoulder blades and the other hooks under your knees. He brings your entire body to his chest before he stands and carries you away from the stream through the long grass back to his horse. It takes him a few minutes, but he manages to get you on the horse, before getting on himself. From there he repositions you so youâre secured in his arms. Both your legs are hanging off the side of his horse, with your head nestled under his neck. âStay with me.â He murmurs softly into the crown of your head. His lips leave a soft kiss to your hair, he steers his horse to head back towards home. Not wanting you to fall out he sets a decent pace so you can get help.
The two of you are back in the village in no time. He pulls to your familyâs longhouse and shouts for help. Myron and your aunt come out first, both of them wearing matching shocked expressions. Little Puma lowers you down to Myron, your aunt cries out seeing your face. He jumps down and hands his horse off to a younger boy, before taking your body back from Myron. Your aunt tells Myron to go find your mother before leading Little Puma into the home. She tells him to lay you down and all he can do is listen to her.
Maybe itâs because you're still unconscious or maybe itâs because he feels useless, but Little Puma has never felt so lost in his life. In every single thing he does itâs with the sole purpose of making sure thatâll youâll be taken care of. When the men hunt his only goal is to make sure that youâll have something to eat. And when the cooler weather comes heâll make sure theyâre successful so youâll be warm in the winter. Every time youâd take off by yourself he was terrified at the idea of even something remotely small happening to you and he wouldnât be there to help. However, he couldnât tell you that so it turned into a lecture. Sure, some of your bickering was because he just liked seeing you get annoyed with him. Most of it though was because he canât bring himself to tell you he cares. Then there was that boy, he hated that boy with a hot white rage. Little Puma found him useless and a terrible hunter. That boy was never going to be able to take care of you, certainly not how Little Puma could. So he got rid of him the only way he knew how, by threatening to beat him within an inch of his life if he saw him even look in your direction. Maybe he shouldâve told you these things but it doesnât seem to matter now. All he knows is heâll do better once you wake.
Your mother and Myron enter the house and your mother immediately moves over to your aunt to help tend to you.
âMyron, take Little Puma out of here to get cleaned up.â Your aunt shouts without even looking over at the two of them. Little Puma wants to interject, but Myron is already pulling him out. He complies knowing heâll come back to you as soon as heâs done.
Your eyes slowly blink open to be met with the darker space of home. Everything feels hot still and your throat feels like youâve swallowed a blade. An unwavering ache runs throughout your entire body. Thereâs something warm and tight around your hand, but you donât have the strength to move it. A little bit of light is shining through the roof, you must have been asleep for half the day. How did you get back? The only thing you can really focus on is how all you want is some water right now. You manage to get your head turned to look to the right of you. Where you find Little Puma sitting on a stool next to you. His hand is the very tight thing keeping yours enclosed. His eyes are shut and his lips are slightly parted as he sleeps quietly next to you.
The dryness in your mouth keeps you from speaking to him. From what you can hear, it seems to be only the two of you in here. Water is still your first priority so you decide to try to sit up. Everything hurts as you try to sit up from where youâre laying. Your movement disturbs Little Puma who begins to stir next to you. His eyes open a little bit before landing on you. Once he realizes youâre awake he shoots up from where heâs sitting to kneel down next to you instead.
âYouâre awake, but you should lay back down.â He puts a little pressure on your shoulder to get you to lay down, but you shake your head no. Your eyes settle on a cup next to his stool. Little Pumaâs eyes sees what youâre staring at and immediately grabs it for you. He brings the cup to your lips and tilts it just a little. His other hand settles on your lower back to support your body. You donât say anything about it because you need it. As soon as the water hits you it washes away the sluggish spell that was over you. You still feel weak, but youâre much better than before. You keep drinking though not wanting to feel the pain in your throat, but Little Puma takes it away.
âNot too much at once.â He tells you, but you want more. Youâre a little surprised heâs here with you right now. Maybe Myron or your mom needed a break.
âHow did I get home?â You ask him, your voice is a little raspy from the pain. He lets out a smooth exhale.
âI found you by the creek. You shouldâve told someone where you had gone. I donât know how many times Iâve told you that.â He reminds you, but itâs not like how he usually tells you. Itâs much calmer and kind. It still annoys you a little.
âSpare me please, I'm not feeling great right now.â You grumble as you stare up at him. His mouth moves into a thin line. He stands for a moment staring down at you.
âYou could have died. What if I hadnât found you? What if no one found you? What then? Where does that leave me?â He doesnât raise his voice once at you, which makes you a little more unsettled.
âWithout someone to torment.â You snark at him which probably wasnât your best choice. Little Puma rolls his eyes at you, but you can see heâs upset.
âYou think I could live with myself if you had died? That wouldâve killed meâ he says while pointing to his chest. âI can't lose you. Ever.â He sits back down next to you and his head drops down. Which youâre glad for as your eyes nearly bulge out of your head. Youâre a little lost for words at his confession. Maybe this is all a hallucination from this illness you think to yourself. Because this cannot be the same Little Puma who used to tell you that you processed hides wrong.
âWhy didnât you tell me any of this before?â You ask him quietly. He lifts his head back up, his eyes settling onto yours.
âI think Myron might have killed me if I told him how much I cared for you. The only way I could talk to you was by teasing you. â Your heart skips hearing him say it again. It doesnât stop you from settling back to your old ways.
âYouâre a child, you know that right?â You tease him, and when he smiles back at you a warmth fills your chest.
âYeah yeah. But donât think I havenât noticed you staring at me.â He shoots back while nudging you with his shoulder. Your cheeks flush a bright red and all you can do is turn your head away from him. Little Puma laughs at your reaction which causes you to laugh too.
âWant some more water?â He asks you and all you can do is nod your head again. More water is poured into the cup, but Little Puma still guides it to your mouth. After having some more a yawn escapes your mouth. âIâll go let your family know youâre awake. You rest, I'll be right back.â A kiss is placed on your forehead before he gets up and heads out to find your family. He leaves you there mouth agape as you watch his back. When everyone comes back in no one says anything when Little Puma takes a seat right next to your side. His hand immediately goes to grab your hand that is closest to him as your mother and aunt dote over you.
As you heal at home for the next couple days your time is filled with sleeping and talking to Little Puma. He comes in every day any chance he gets to come check on you. Your mother and aunt remind him that you need to rest but he still comes by. When itâs just the two of you heâll sneak a kiss here and there not that youâre complaining. Myron catches you guys once, but he doesnât say anything. Just smirks at you two before leaving. Even though youâre feeling better and like getting up to move around he insists on bringing everything to you. His excuse is he doesn't want you to overdo it.
When youâre finally fully recovered the two of you are glued at the hip. He offers to go with you anywhere you need and you donât protest. Now when you gather food he always tells you that you collect the best ones when he takes some from your basket. He still teases you occasionally, but now the two of you laugh after together.
The two of you are sitting side by side under a tree near the plains. Youâve finally managed to convince him to take a break and enjoy the peace. Your head is on his shoulder as the two of you stare at the open field. His arm is gently around your waist keeping you close.
âAlmost ready to go?â He murmurs into your ear while placing a warm kiss on your cheek.
âJust a little longer?â You ask your eyes closing shut.
The topics that will be brought up in the video would include:
- Who is Xander Cole?
- What shows and movies has he been in? (I would break down each show and movie he has been in)
- What makes him stand out from other actors?
- What roles he should be casted in?
And
- His fandom
For the fandom part of the video, I want to show edits, art, and fanfics! If anyone is interested in me sharing their edits, art, and/or fanfics DM ME!! I will give credit!!
You can either dm here or on my TikTok, @whimsicalnostalgia
Ok here it is! Chapter one of my Little Puma x servant!reader fic.Â
So a few things to clarify here:
In this fic reader is a woman of colour, i specifically imagine her as of black descent but nothing is specified so you can see her as any race. However, she explicitly isnât white which i went back and forth on but considering most of the Little Puma fics are for explicitly white readers i think its fine. Of course you can still read this as a white person.
 The rest of my thoughts are to do with the story, Iâll put them at the end to make sure this isnât too long.Â
around 2.4k words
Chapter 1: It's strange the way you make me feel
It's a mild day when you first meet Little Puma. The sun is out but it's hardly warm. You're picking blackberries to make jam with. Romanzy requested some and whatever she asks for she gets. You've walked an hour to get to this patch because the last time Mrs James complained the blackberries weren't ripe enough. You keep catching your skin on the thorns and you slipped when you first started so your skirt is covered in mud. All this means you aren't in a particularly good mood.Â
You don't like coming this far out. This is Osage land and it feels wrong to be gathering here. Still, you don't have much choice. It's not like you could tell Mrs James that. Every last osage could drop dead and that woman wouldn't shed a tear.Â
You catch your finger again.
Damn you hate this job.
Youâve been working for the James family for 4 years now, having taken in their employ back in Cincinnati. They've moved twice since then, first out to Iowa, then Philadelphia. You've been in independence for almost a year now, and it seems likely you'll be staying for a while. You don't pay mind to Mr James's business, but it's clear to you he hopes independence will be the thing that makes him a man of true importance. The town continues to grow, although quite slowly. A few months back a general store opened up and settlers continue to move in. but it seems just as many die or leave. You're glad for it, as a coloured woman yourself you feel a kinship with the Osage. It's your hope that the town of independence will be a failure, something which seems less and less likely as the months pass.
The sound of a horse somewhere in the distance brings you out of your thoughts. There's not many people that are likely to be out here so you lean back on your heels to watch. They're coming towards you with the sun behind them so you can't see much. As you put your hands on your brow to see better, you realise they're covered in blackberry juice. Wiping them on your apron, you quickly realise the colour has stained your skin. Damn.
By the time you stop fussing and look back up the horse is gone along with its rider. Whatever, it was probably just Mr Mitchell.
You decide you've had enough of blackberries and pack up your things to leave. Heading off back to town, you stop at a creek on the way to rinse your hands off. The water is calm and cold on your hands but does little to remove the dark purple staining.
As you're cleaning, you hear a nose on the other side of the bank. You look up and see a man watching you. He's tall and lean, with red and blue paint on his arm and face. His long hair is tied back in a plait and he has a red feather in it. His face is angular but not sharp, he seems young, and he watches you without any expression. He's osage, clearly, and you flounder for a moment, unsure of what to say or do. You stay there crouched on the river bank, hands in the frigid water staring at him for far too long. Eventually he interrupts the silence with some phrase. Itâs osage and you can't understand the words but you do understand his tone. He's unhappy clearly, and this is why you don't like to come onto the osage land. God what do you say.
You go to speak just as he turns away and whatever words you were going to say disappear.
"Rude," you say to yourself quietly, but you don't mean it. Really, why should he speak to you? Still it is awkward.
You continue on home after that and try to put the whole thing out of your mind. You make the blackberry jam, clean the mud off your skirt, serve the family dinner then take yours at the little table in the kitchen, all while thinking about that young osage man at the creek.
 Your days are long and boring. You wake with the sun, take the laundry off the line, start the cleaning, get the girls clothes ready for the day, get breakfast ready. Then you help Mrs James dress, head to the general store to stock up, speak with Emily for a while, and go on any errands Mrs James set for you. The rest of the day goes much the same, before you prepare dinner, finish your cleaning and laundry and then eat your own meager meal. After that it's time to sleep before the day begins again.Â
Everyday goes by much like this for a fortnight until Mr James asks you to visit the Mitchell family. There'd been some incident between Mr Mitchell and Mr James concerning the osage and land most likely, and the food was supposed to be a peace offering of sorts. Which means you also need to bake a set of food to take. You wonder how sincere an apology is if you make your maid make and deliver it.Â
You liked the Mitchell family. White Sun was your closest friend on the prairie and you found Mr Mitchell to be a kind and reasonable man. Good Eagle and her sister were both clever girls who were sure to grow into accomplished young women. Youâd often bring them treats when visiting. You decide to bake Good Eagleâs favourite bake good today. You were glad to be visiting them, the walk was about an hour which gave you a much needed break from your work. You spent the evening before baking before heading off in the late morning.
When you arrive at the family home you see Mr Mitchell sat on the porch.
"Afternoon Mr Mitchell," you call out.Â
âIâve told you there's no need to be so formal. You're the only person who calls me like that.â
It's true, everyone calls him Mitchell. Still you never remember. You give a short hum in response and lift the basket towards him as you walk towards the steps.
"A gift from Mr James. Fresh bread and some cakes."Â
"We don't want anything from that man." Its white sun, you look up at her as she walks out of the home to stand by her husband.
"Great, because I made it," you say, laughing as you walk towards the house. White Sun laughs and hugs you, before you move inside together. The three of you begin to talk about the goings of the day and changes since you last saw each other a few days back. You turn to place the basket on the kitchen table when you spot someone and stop.
"Oh it's you," you say, staring at the young Osage man sitting at the table. It's the same man you saw yesterday on the trail. He's dressed quite differently now, no longer in his tribe's clothes, instead dressed in a shirt with striped trousers. He looks back at you, raising a brow.
"Sorry, thatâs rude, whereâre my manners," you say, continuing your previous movements and putting the basket down.Â
"Let me introduce myself, Iâm __, it's good to meet you properly." You wipe your hands on your dress and reach out to shake his. He watched you for a moment longer before taking your hand.Â
"Little Puma."
You watch each other for a while before white sun appears in the corner of your eye.
"My brother," she says, "he's just returned from his hunt." Then she says something to him in osage. His face turns sour for a minute before looking back at you.
"I hope I'm not interrupting?" You say to white sun.
"Not at all." She replies.
"I was leaving anyway," Little Puma says, standing. White sun speaks to him again and he sits back down.
"Oh I can go, leave youâs to it."
"No no, __ it's fine,â White Sun interjects. âHelp us eat these cakes, please, you made them, you should get to try them.â
âWell alright,â you say, moving to get the food out of the basket as White Sun sets four plates down.
âWhereâre the girls?â you ask as you slice the cake. âI made their favourite.â
âTheyre with Louis for the day," Mitchell replies, taking a plate from you. âThis is good.â
âWell Iâd hope so, Mrs James sure gave me enough input for it.â you begin to share your employers latest irritations with them. As you talk you can feel Little Puma watching you. Itâs an odd sensation and you're somewhat embarrassed by the way it makes you feel. With your low station and colouring, plus living in a place so small it can barely be called a town, itâs not often you receive attention from men. Not that that's why Little Puma is watching you of course, you're sure it's simply due to curiosity about meeting a new person.
When you finish eating, you move to clean up and White Sun follows, leaving the two men to discuss whatever men discuss.
While washing the plates in the basin, your eyes keep finding their way back to Little Puma. You stand with your body twisted away from the sink so that you face White Sun but your eyes stay on Little Puma, hands tingling from the soap drying on the skin.Â
"Youâve been watching him for 10 minutes now."
You turn to face White Sun, shock and embarrassment on your face.
"Itâs only âcause he's new. I donât meet new people often,â you reply, but it's clear she isnât buying your explanation.
"Hmm,â she responds, turning back to the sink. âWhy don't you speak to him then?"
"He donât seem interested in speaking to me."
"He's not much interested in speaking to anyone."
You laugh for a moment then sigh and turn back to the sink. You look out the window above it and swear.
"Damn, it's getting dim. I need to head back before Mrs James has my head." you dry your hands on the tea towel and move to collect your things.
"What time do you need to be home?" White Sun asks.
"5, to start on supper," you reply.
"You're not making it by 5, not walking." she answers.
"You can ride with me." Little puma stands and grabs his bag, already heading to the door. "Im heading that direction anyway."
You stare at him for a minute, as do the other two, in disbelief. The looks seem to unnerve him, as he starts to frown. Seeing the change in his temperament, you quickly speak.
"Well alright, if you insist."
"I'm not insisting," he says quickly. "I'm just offering, if it's such an issue you can just walk."
"No no!" You reply quickly, not wanting to miss the chance.
The ride home is mostly silent. Little Puma helps onto his horse then joins behind you. His arms reach around you to hold the reins, and although he isn't touching you, the day is cold enough that can feel his warmth through your clothes. You want to thank him for the ride but find yourself unable to find the words. How embarrassing, it's not as though you're some blushing maiden with no experience in life. It's odd how nervous the man makes you feel. And yet you also feel so at ease.Â
âThank you,â you finally say, breaking the silence.
Little Puma doesnât respond for a while, and you resign yourself to the idea that he may not ever.Â
âGood Eagle speaks about you a lot. She says you bring her sweets. She cares about you a lot.â
You arenât sure what to say to that. Itâs nice to hear that Good Eagle thinks so highly of you although you arenât sure its warranted. You find the girl to be cute and kind so its easy to treat her the same. You also arenât sure what to say in response. You end up thanking Little Puma again and for some reason find yourself confessing to him how much the Mitchell family have come to mean to you. Since moving to Independence youâve often found yourself quite lonely, especially being the only staff employed by the James family. In fact, for the past few years since you first began travelling with the family youâve found yourself struggling to maintain friendships or really relationships of any kind. You find yourself telling Little Puma some of this, although you keep any mentions of your life before independence minimal, choosing to focus on your feelings for the Mitchell's. You find yourself talking for much longer than you planned to. It's so easy to speak to him.
As you continue to speak Little Puma continues to listen, showing no sign of discomfort. Eventually you stop and find the silence returns. After some time, he speaks again.
âTheyre good people. Too good sometimes. They deserve more than they have.â
You aren't sure what he means but it doesnât feel right to ask him.Â
The two of you sit in comfortable silence for the rest of the ride before the horse stops on the outskirts of town. Realising he's uncomfortable with heading further in, you ask Little puma to help you down. He waits while you fix your skirts and then the two of you once again watch each other for a few moments before Little Puma climbs back onto his horse and you wish him a good evening.
You continue on home after that and try to put the whole thing out of your mind. You make the and serve the family dinner then take yours at the little table in the kitchen, all while thinking about Little Puma.
Thanks so much for reading!Â
Ok hereâs the rest of my authors note!
The name of this fic comes from the song Into the Unknown from the show Over the Garden Wall. I find that line very fitting. The love in this story is one which is slow and gentle, it isn't as fast and wild as in another fic im planning. I think it's a simple love story. And so the gentle wind fits them, at least to me at this moment. The chapter title is from Bless the Telephone by Labi Siffre, one of my favourite songs. To me it fits because both the reader and Little Puma are taken aback by how comfortable they feel around each other so quickly.
The reader in this fic works for the James family and has done for a few years. Readerâs age is not specified nor is her appearance. Of course I have my own thoughts about what my reader is like but that's just me and none of it is included here. I've left her backstory vague but if anyone wants to know my thoughts I'm happy to share outside the fic. I actually draw all the outfits the reader wears in the fic so let me know if you want to see. They're very rough drawings though.
This is set before the arrival of the signals although how long i havent decided. In one draft, good eagleâs sister was still alive. I go back and forth but at the moment it's set about 8 months prior. This may change.
I'm honestly not sure how long this fic will be. I have the next few bits planned out but after that I'm not sure where itâll end. Tbh i think i may keep this as an open ended fic, after the main story i have planned is done ill probably just write little stories within the fic world rather than give reader and Little Puma a closed happy ending.
Also a note, it's not clear in this chapter but servant!The reader is a bad communicator and is pretty hotheaded so a fair amount of the fic involves her and Little Puma arguing. So yeah warning for that, it's nothing serious though. Also if you're a James family lover sorry. They aren't presented badly considering the time period, the reader finds them annoying but she thinks they're the best employers she's had and does appreciate them. That doesn't make them good people and they do treat the reader kinda badly by our modern view. They're also obviously racist settlers so. Yeah their relationship is complicated but also not the main focus.
Wow ive written so much here! Iâll stop now and post the story. lol
Guys⊠PLEASE READ @dancingaliensfics SERIES!! Itâs only chapter 1 and Iâm already hooked!!! You out did yourself @dancingaliensfics !!!!đ„čđȘ¶đ«¶đœ
Ok here it is! Chapter one of my Little Puma x servant!reader fic.Â
So a few things to clarify here:
In this fic reader is a woman of colour, i specifically imagine her as of black descent but nothing is specified so you can see her as any race. However, she explicitly isnât white which i went back and forth on but considering most of the Little Puma fics are for explicitly white readers i think its fine. Of course you can still read this as a white person.
 The rest of my thoughts are to do with the story, Iâll put them at the end to make sure this isnât too long.Â
around 2.4k words
Chapter 1: It's strange the way you make me feel
It's a mild day when you first meet Little Puma. The sun is out but it's hardly warm. You're picking blackberries to make jam with. Romanzy requested some and whatever she asks for she gets. You've walked an hour to get to this patch because the last time Mrs James complained the blackberries weren't ripe enough. You keep catching your skin on the thorns and you slipped when you first started so your skirt is covered in mud. All this means you aren't in a particularly good mood.Â
You don't like coming this far out. This is Osage land and it feels wrong to be gathering here. Still, you don't have much choice. It's not like you could tell Mrs James that. Every last osage could drop dead and that woman wouldn't shed a tear.Â
You catch your finger again.
Damn you hate this job.
Youâve been working for the James family for 4 years now, having taken in their employ back in Cincinnati. They've moved twice since then, first out to Iowa, then Philadelphia. You've been in independence for almost a year now, and it seems likely you'll be staying for a while. You don't pay mind to Mr James's business, but it's clear to you he hopes independence will be the thing that makes him a man of true importance. The town continues to grow, although quite slowly. A few months back a general store opened up and settlers continue to move in. but it seems just as many die or leave. You're glad for it, as a coloured woman yourself you feel a kinship with the Osage. It's your hope that the town of independence will be a failure, something which seems less and less likely as the months pass.
The sound of a horse somewhere in the distance brings you out of your thoughts. There's not many people that are likely to be out here so you lean back on your heels to watch. They're coming towards you with the sun behind them so you can't see much. As you put your hands on your brow to see better, you realise they're covered in blackberry juice. Wiping them on your apron, you quickly realise the colour has stained your skin. Damn.
By the time you stop fussing and look back up the horse is gone along with its rider. Whatever, it was probably just Mr Mitchell.
You decide you've had enough of blackberries and pack up your things to leave. Heading off back to town, you stop at a creek on the way to rinse your hands off. The water is calm and cold on your hands but does little to remove the dark purple staining.
As you're cleaning, you hear a nose on the other side of the bank. You look up and see a man watching you. He's tall and lean, with red and blue paint on his arm and face. His long hair is tied back in a plait and he has a red feather in it. His face is angular but not sharp, he seems young, and he watches you without any expression. He's osage, clearly, and you flounder for a moment, unsure of what to say or do. You stay there crouched on the river bank, hands in the frigid water staring at him for far too long. Eventually he interrupts the silence with some phrase. Itâs osage and you can't understand the words but you do understand his tone. He's unhappy clearly, and this is why you don't like to come onto the osage land. God what do you say.
You go to speak just as he turns away and whatever words you were going to say disappear.
"Rude," you say to yourself quietly, but you don't mean it. Really, why should he speak to you? Still it is awkward.
You continue on home after that and try to put the whole thing out of your mind. You make the blackberry jam, clean the mud off your skirt, serve the family dinner then take yours at the little table in the kitchen, all while thinking about that young osage man at the creek.
 Your days are long and boring. You wake with the sun, take the laundry off the line, start the cleaning, get the girls clothes ready for the day, get breakfast ready. Then you help Mrs James dress, head to the general store to stock up, speak with Emily for a while, and go on any errands Mrs James set for you. The rest of the day goes much the same, before you prepare dinner, finish your cleaning and laundry and then eat your own meager meal. After that it's time to sleep before the day begins again.Â
Everyday goes by much like this for a fortnight until Mr James asks you to visit the Mitchell family. There'd been some incident between Mr Mitchell and Mr James concerning the osage and land most likely, and the food was supposed to be a peace offering of sorts. Which means you also need to bake a set of food to take. You wonder how sincere an apology is if you make your maid make and deliver it.Â
You liked the Mitchell family. White Sun was your closest friend on the prairie and you found Mr Mitchell to be a kind and reasonable man. Good Eagle and her sister were both clever girls who were sure to grow into accomplished young women. Youâd often bring them treats when visiting. You decide to bake Good Eagleâs favourite bake good today. You were glad to be visiting them, the walk was about an hour which gave you a much needed break from your work. You spent the evening before baking before heading off in the late morning.
When you arrive at the family home you see Mr Mitchell sat on the porch.
"Afternoon Mr Mitchell," you call out.Â
âIâve told you there's no need to be so formal. You're the only person who calls me like that.â
It's true, everyone calls him Mitchell. Still you never remember. You give a short hum in response and lift the basket towards him as you walk towards the steps.
"A gift from Mr James. Fresh bread and some cakes."Â
"We don't want anything from that man." Its white sun, you look up at her as she walks out of the home to stand by her husband.
"Great, because I made it," you say, laughing as you walk towards the house. White Sun laughs and hugs you, before you move inside together. The three of you begin to talk about the goings of the day and changes since you last saw each other a few days back. You turn to place the basket on the kitchen table when you spot someone and stop.
"Oh it's you," you say, staring at the young Osage man sitting at the table. It's the same man you saw yesterday on the trail. He's dressed quite differently now, no longer in his tribe's clothes, instead dressed in a shirt with striped trousers. He looks back at you, raising a brow.
"Sorry, thatâs rude, whereâre my manners," you say, continuing your previous movements and putting the basket down.Â
"Let me introduce myself, Iâm __, it's good to meet you properly." You wipe your hands on your dress and reach out to shake his. He watched you for a moment longer before taking your hand.Â
"Little Puma."
You watch each other for a while before white sun appears in the corner of your eye.
"My brother," she says, "he's just returned from his hunt." Then she says something to him in osage. His face turns sour for a minute before looking back at you.
"I hope I'm not interrupting?" You say to white sun.
"Not at all." She replies.
"I was leaving anyway," Little Puma says, standing. White sun speaks to him again and he sits back down.
"Oh I can go, leave youâs to it."
"No no, __ it's fine,â White Sun interjects. âHelp us eat these cakes, please, you made them, you should get to try them.â
âWell alright,â you say, moving to get the food out of the basket as White Sun sets four plates down.
âWhereâre the girls?â you ask as you slice the cake. âI made their favourite.â
âTheyre with Louis for the day," Mitchell replies, taking a plate from you. âThis is good.â
âWell Iâd hope so, Mrs James sure gave me enough input for it.â you begin to share your employers latest irritations with them. As you talk you can feel Little Puma watching you. Itâs an odd sensation and you're somewhat embarrassed by the way it makes you feel. With your low station and colouring, plus living in a place so small it can barely be called a town, itâs not often you receive attention from men. Not that that's why Little Puma is watching you of course, you're sure it's simply due to curiosity about meeting a new person.
When you finish eating, you move to clean up and White Sun follows, leaving the two men to discuss whatever men discuss.
While washing the plates in the basin, your eyes keep finding their way back to Little Puma. You stand with your body twisted away from the sink so that you face White Sun but your eyes stay on Little Puma, hands tingling from the soap drying on the skin.Â
"Youâve been watching him for 10 minutes now."
You turn to face White Sun, shock and embarrassment on your face.
"Itâs only âcause he's new. I donât meet new people often,â you reply, but it's clear she isnât buying your explanation.
"Hmm,â she responds, turning back to the sink. âWhy don't you speak to him then?"
"He donât seem interested in speaking to me."
"He's not much interested in speaking to anyone."
You laugh for a moment then sigh and turn back to the sink. You look out the window above it and swear.
"Damn, it's getting dim. I need to head back before Mrs James has my head." you dry your hands on the tea towel and move to collect your things.
"What time do you need to be home?" White Sun asks.
"5, to start on supper," you reply.
"You're not making it by 5, not walking." she answers.
"You can ride with me." Little puma stands and grabs his bag, already heading to the door. "Im heading that direction anyway."
You stare at him for a minute, as do the other two, in disbelief. The looks seem to unnerve him, as he starts to frown. Seeing the change in his temperament, you quickly speak.
"Well alright, if you insist."
"I'm not insisting," he says quickly. "I'm just offering, if it's such an issue you can just walk."
"No no!" You reply quickly, not wanting to miss the chance.
The ride home is mostly silent. Little Puma helps onto his horse then joins behind you. His arms reach around you to hold the reins, and although he isn't touching you, the day is cold enough that can feel his warmth through your clothes. You want to thank him for the ride but find yourself unable to find the words. How embarrassing, it's not as though you're some blushing maiden with no experience in life. It's odd how nervous the man makes you feel. And yet you also feel so at ease.Â
âThank you,â you finally say, breaking the silence.
Little Puma doesnât respond for a while, and you resign yourself to the idea that he may not ever.Â
âGood Eagle speaks about you a lot. She says you bring her sweets. She cares about you a lot.â
You arenât sure what to say to that. Itâs nice to hear that Good Eagle thinks so highly of you although you arenât sure its warranted. You find the girl to be cute and kind so its easy to treat her the same. You also arenât sure what to say in response. You end up thanking Little Puma again and for some reason find yourself confessing to him how much the Mitchell family have come to mean to you. Since moving to Independence youâve often found yourself quite lonely, especially being the only staff employed by the James family. In fact, for the past few years since you first began travelling with the family youâve found yourself struggling to maintain friendships or really relationships of any kind. You find yourself telling Little Puma some of this, although you keep any mentions of your life before independence minimal, choosing to focus on your feelings for the Mitchell's. You find yourself talking for much longer than you planned to. It's so easy to speak to him.
As you continue to speak Little Puma continues to listen, showing no sign of discomfort. Eventually you stop and find the silence returns. After some time, he speaks again.
âTheyre good people. Too good sometimes. They deserve more than they have.â
You aren't sure what he means but it doesnât feel right to ask him.Â
The two of you sit in comfortable silence for the rest of the ride before the horse stops on the outskirts of town. Realising he's uncomfortable with heading further in, you ask Little puma to help you down. He waits while you fix your skirts and then the two of you once again watch each other for a few moments before Little Puma climbs back onto his horse and you wish him a good evening.
You continue on home after that and try to put the whole thing out of your mind. You make the and serve the family dinner then take yours at the little table in the kitchen, all while thinking about Little Puma.
Thanks so much for reading!Â
Ok hereâs the rest of my authors note!
The name of this fic comes from the song Into the Unknown from the show Over the Garden Wall. I find that line very fitting. The love in this story is one which is slow and gentle, it isn't as fast and wild as in another fic im planning. I think it's a simple love story. And so the gentle wind fits them, at least to me at this moment. The chapter title is from Bless the Telephone by Labi Siffre, one of my favourite songs. To me it fits because both the reader and Little Puma are taken aback by how comfortable they feel around each other so quickly.
The reader in this fic works for the James family and has done for a few years. Readerâs age is not specified nor is her appearance. Of course I have my own thoughts about what my reader is like but that's just me and none of it is included here. I've left her backstory vague but if anyone wants to know my thoughts I'm happy to share outside the fic. I actually draw all the outfits the reader wears in the fic so let me know if you want to see. They're very rough drawings though.
This is set before the arrival of the signals although how long i havent decided. In one draft, good eagleâs sister was still alive. I go back and forth but at the moment it's set about 8 months prior. This may change.
I'm honestly not sure how long this fic will be. I have the next few bits planned out but after that I'm not sure where itâll end. Tbh i think i may keep this as an open ended fic, after the main story i have planned is done ill probably just write little stories within the fic world rather than give reader and Little Puma a closed happy ending.
Also a note, it's not clear in this chapter but servant!The reader is a bad communicator and is pretty hotheaded so a fair amount of the fic involves her and Little Puma arguing. So yeah warning for that, it's nothing serious though. Also if you're a James family lover sorry. They aren't presented badly considering the time period, the reader finds them annoying but she thinks they're the best employers she's had and does appreciate them. That doesn't make them good people and they do treat the reader kinda badly by our modern view. They're also obviously racist settlers so. Yeah their relationship is complicated but also not the main focus.
Wow ive written so much here! Iâll stop now and post the story. lol
AN: Hello again! This is going to be an x Osage reader one shot today. Iâve been doing a lot of research so I hope Iâve done it justice. My primary information has come again from osageculture.com. I did use some information from the national park service and multiple universities just to have a general understanding. I used this information primarily to describe roles, day to day life, and events in the villages. For example I talk about the Osageâs semi annual buffalo hunts in this one shot. I also used this information for talking about food sources and housing. I briefly mention Osage spirituality in this one shot. Itâs about one line. I did not go into heavy detail just in case Iâve misunderstood anything. Once again if anything is inaccurate or wrong please know it was not done intentionally. Please leave me a comment, ask, or message, and Iâll fix it asap. Or if anyone would like to see the references please let me know as well. Also will be some time before the next one shot as Iâm still in idea development
GIF credit goes to @myphaea and divider credit to @andromeda-graphics
WC: 4.9K
The summer brought lots of great things. Long cool nights, the berries in the forest were ripe and sweet, and the fact that the hunting party would be gone for a while. You spent every week enjoying yourself because your older cousin Myron and his best friend Little Puma would be gone with the hunting party.
Growing up had not exactly been the most fun. In your defense neither you or the two boys had made it easy. When you were little, you would try to follow Myron around all the time wanting to see what the older children were doing. He would get annoyed with you and your constant questions, rightfully so. You werenât much younger than the boys, just only two years, but to Myron you might as well have been an infant. So heâd get mad, you would cry, his mother would tell him to be nice to you and the cycle would repeat day in and day out.
However, being young and small could only protect you for so long. Once you were old enough to not quite be considered too young anymore, Myron was finally able to start getting you back for all the times you got him in trouble. The teasing was relentless, and what made it worse was when he became best friends with Little Puma who joined him. They put bugs in your hair sometimes, other times in your food. Sometimes they jump out and scare you. Theyâd cover you in mud or push you in the river for the fun of it. You had become fearful of running into them when you were by yourself.
Your only saving grace was White Sun. She was older than all of you meaning she was in charge and both boys had to listen to her. Their mothers had said so. White Sun though has always been incredibly kind to you and looked after you like a sister. Every time they had done something to you White Sun would help you. She would dry your eyes after you finished crying and help you get cleaned up. Then she would sing to you while sheâd rebraided your hair. She also had no problem going to her mother if the boys were just picking you a little too much for her liking.
When you grew up a little more it got better, well mostly. You had lost interest in wanting to follow around Myron all the time. Instead you had made friends with the girls your age and wanted to spend all your time with them. It was the best thing to happen to Myron and you. The two of you had pretty much stopped fighting and bickering altogether and were finally able to be cousins in peace. Nightly suppers with your families had become fun. The two of you would joke with each other and got along well together. There was no more yelling and shoving. Both of you had seemed to grow out of it and your mothers could not be happier at the peace and quiet.
The only person who didnât seem to grow out of it was Little Puma. It wasnât as bad as it was when you were kids, but the boy got on your nerves. Luckily, he mostly followed Myronâs lead, and Myron didnât find it as entertaining to annoy you anymore. So if Myron shook his head you would come out unscathed from their terror. Most of the time Myron had something else he wanted to do instead. The problem was when Myron was not around, but you were, leaving you to be a prime target. Little Puma teased you incessantly about anything he could think of. There was one time a neighboring clan had come to stay with yours. There was a boy around your age who you found cute. You had been confiding in White Sun and some of your friends about him. Your friends were convinced he liked you and had encouraged you to talk to him. Unbeknownst to all of you, Little Puma had heard you speaking about it. For the whole time the clan had visited, he would do everything in his power to tease you about your crush. And he must have told the other boy something, because for the rest of the visit that boy never glanced your way again. Little Puma was trouble and you did your best to stay away from him.
Him and Myron have remained close, their friendship never faltering, meaning he was still around all the time even now. You would hate to admit it but he's gotten to be quite attractive. Sometimes only sometimes youâd catch yourself looking at him when he was around. You couldnât help yourself. The only thing that killed it for you was that he still teased you. Sure, he did not tease you like he used to, but he still loved to get under your skin. When you would come back from gathering with the other girls heâd always claim something was wrong with yours. You never picked the ripe one heâd say after taking some blackberries from your basket. Or when you would wander off alone to have some time to yourself heâd always badger you about not helping. Little Puma had his opinion on everything. And to him everything you did was wrong.
This is why you savored the buffalo hunts. The men were gone for the whole day, so no Little Puma to criticize you. By the time the men returned from hunting, he was usually too tired to be a pest. However, the hunting season had just ended for the warm season and you all had just made the long walk back no more than two weeks ago.
The next hunt would not be for a couple more months now. So now you had to return to everyday life trying to survive Little Puma. You had managed at first as there had been a lot of work to do. One way to hide was by working alongside your mother and Myronâs mother. He could not bother you with them around.
That is until a sickness seemed to be reaching every family in the village. Many people had become bed-ridden and were unable to work. Their bodies burned to the touch and their throats became filled with thorns. Luckily your mother seemed to be doing okay and you were feeling normal. The only down side was being spread thin to help finish the usual amount of work.
You pick up one of your large baskets and hold it by your side. Turning around to face the way you came, you give your friend a sad smile and wave to her before walking down the path to head out of the village. She waves back to you with a similar expression. Sheâs claimed to be feeling okay just a bit hot and asked to switch with you today so she could stay out of the heat. You were more than happy to oblige her and were now heading down to the river to pick some berries and vegetables. She would be staying back to help your mother. You worry slightly afraid she might fall ill but you brush it off since you know your mother would tend to her if needed.
The sun may not be at the highest point, but you notice how warm it is as you continue along the path to the creek. It was not too far of a walk but it seemed longer now that you were by yourself. Normally youâd have a few friends to walk with and the time would pass by faster as you all chatted. Now it was just you as everyone else had fallen ill. Technically there were a couple of other places that you could go to collect that were a bit closer. But the coolness of the water though had sounded most appealing. So you could sacrifice the time if it meant getting to splash some water on your face to beat the heat. You begin to get a little uncomfortable as the sun continues to warm you. Bringing a hand to your cheek it feels like itâs burning. Adjusting the empty basket in your arms you hold it over your head and that seems to do the trick. Instantly your face cools down and you let out a small sigh of relief.
Finally, the creek came into view. You come around and decide to pick some blackberries first as the bushes offer more shade. Setting the basket down onto the grass you kneel down and begin picking the berries off the shrub. You make sure to examine each one before you pluck it off and gently place it in the basket. You will not give Little Puma the satisfaction of saying the berries arenât ripe enough or that you smushed them. Quickly wiping the sweat on your forehead you finish filling up about a quarter of the basket with berries. The rest of the space you will leave for the beans and maybe some squash if you can find any on the way back.
The sweat begins to build up on your neck and slowly starts running down your spine. Your hand reaches for your waist and you realize you forgot to bring water with you. A grunt of annoyance slips from your mouth. At least you were smart enough to be by the creek. Moving from your crouched position into a standing one you stumble for just a moment suddenly becoming light headed. You shake it off and walk down through the tall shrubs and grass to the bank of the creek. Your skirt barely protects your knees from the rocks as you kneel so you cup the water in your hands and splash it onto your face. The coolness instantly hits you giving you a relief you didnât know you needed. You take more and this time bring it to your neck the best you can. You donât mind the feeling of it sliding your back finally not feeling so hot. Your hands cup another handful of water as you bring it to your lips. The cold water hits your stomach in the best way possible as you drink. Once youâve gotten your fill, you feel much better and stand up not feeling dizzy this time.
You head back over to your basket and move it from the berries over to where the bean stalks are. Back to work you go as you begin filling the rest of the basket with beans. You still maintain your meticulous exam of every single bean you touch. Your focus from the beans is broken though at the idea of getting more water. You were suddenly beginning to feel hot again. Not wanting to stop working, you ignore your thirst and keep collecting food. Youâll have some more before you get up to leave, you tell yourself.
At last your basket is full of food to bring back home. Satisfied you stand up slowly before bending back down to grab a hold of your full basket. Your arms begin to shake when you try picking it up to your arms. You stop to give yourself a moment and take a deep breath before trying again. Everything in your arms begins to scream in pain when you try to lift it up once more. You set the basket down and kneel next to it. Your lungs feel tight and you try to get more air in. Your eyes look through the grass and bushes to where the creek is and you think maybe itâs the lack of water. You stand up, but not as slow as you should have and itâs a mistake.
You sway slowly back and forth and each step feels so heavy as you make your way to the creek. Itâs right there in front of you, but at the same time you feel like itâs so far. Your vision begins to get blurry and you try to rub your eyes to clear it. Nothing works though, you keep trying to make your way down to the bank. The rocks under your feet cause you to stumble more as you no longer have the strength to fully pick up each step. The water is right there and you know youâll feel good. However itâs no use, black dots slowly start to take over your vision and you take one last step before collapsing on the bank.
Little Puma walks through the village, his eyes scanning everywhere. Thereâs no trace of you anywhere. He already checked to see if you were helping the sick, but he came up empty handed. You were not with your aunt either. Now there was no way he was going to ask anybody if theyâve seen you around, but he was stumped. You were getting much better at hiding from him, it only took you long enough. He was amused with himself at the thought of getting to scare you when he found you.
Someone says your motherâs name and he looks up to see where they were pointing and smirks to himself. If you werenât in your other spots then you would be for sure with your mother. A frown takes over his face as he makes his way to your mother whose back is towards him. Sheâs there preparing a hide and so is one of the girls you're always spending time with. But you are nowhere in sight, and you could not have taken off without him seeing you. Your mother turns around and seems to be relieved when she sees him, which Little Puma finds off. She waves him over and he has no choice but to come listen.
âHave you seen my daughter around? She went to go harvest and I have not seen her come back yet. Itâs been too long, she should have come back by now.â your mother asks him. Little Puma begins to shake his head, but heâs not worried. Knowing you, youâre probably being lazy and sleeping under a tree staying out of the sun.
âNo I havenât. What time did she leave?â He tells himself he doesnât care but he should still ask. Your mothers face seems to pale at his response.
âThis morning. No one has seen her since. She went all by herself because all the other girls were sick. You have to go look for her please.â She begs him. Little Puma still thinks youâre probably just staying away on purpose. One thing he doesnât like to hear is that you were all alone it bothers him. However, you were too hard headed to ever listen when heâs told you not to do that.
âI will go look for her. Did she mention where she was heading?â He does not really want to agree, but he cannot tell your mother no.
âNo, she just took her basket and left.â Little Puma resists the urge to be annoyed in front of your mother. First you went by yourself and you didn't even mention what direction you went. He would lecture you once he finds you. Reassuring your mother one more time that you would be fine, he leaves to grab his horse and heads out to start looking for you.
With his back to the sun he has just finished checking the second spot he thought to look and so far nothing. There were about three more possible places to look for you and he was starting to get annoyed.
His horse walked along the path towards the creek. If he found you sleeping under the trees he was going to throw you in the river. He makes his way around to the bushes where heâs seen you gather before. Next to the stalks of beans he sees your basket filled with food just sitting in the grass. You're nowhere in sight and it scares him. Jumping off his horse he spins around trying to spot you anywhere. A pit grows in his stomach. Something is very wrong. He just knows it. Little Puma runs away from the bushes and heads to the tree line where the woods get thick. He checks the bottom of every trunk and he doesn't see you anywhere. Now feeling desperate he shouts out your name into the woods. No response, but he still calls out for you again. When you donât respond for the second time he heads back to where your basket is and looks around the area once more.
Then he spots it right in front of your basket. The tall bushes are slightly trampled. With the trail as his only clue he pushes through the tall grass. Once he steps out now on the bed of the creek his heart plummets to his stomach immediately. There you are face down in the rocks unresponsive.
No. No. No. No.
That is the only thing running through his mind when he sees you. If anything happens to you he will never forgive himself. In a flash heâs at your side in an instant turning you over. A large gash is on your forehead over your left eyebrow. The blood that trickled from the wound is already dried onto your face. His eyes scan the area he doesnât see any other tracks from animals or people. The only visible wound seems to be the one on your forehead, the rest of you seems undisturbed. He doesnât understand what happened. His hand cups your face and your cheek is hot to the touch. His hand moves down to your arm and he realizes your entire body is burning. Pulling your unconscious body into his lap he shakes you gently while saying your name. When you donât even stir a wave of panic washes over him.
âWhy did you come out here by yourself? You shouldâve asked somebody. I wouldâve come with you.â He scolds you quietly but it falls on deaf ears. His head moves down to your mouth and he canât help to let out a sigh of relief when he hears the faintest breath released from your body.
From his belt he pulls off a medium sized pouch filled with water. Gently, he pours a little into your mouth, but nothing. He tries again using a little more this time and he pours the water over the rest of your face hoping to cool you down. With the sleeve of his shirt he wipes some of the dirt and blood that covers your face, the water having loosened it. You're still much too warm, he thinks.
âYou will not take her from me. â He mutters to the open air, he refuses to let the sky take you back today.
With the rest of his water he pours the rest of it along your face and neck. When you still do not wake he knows he has to get you help in the village. One arm stays underneath your shoulder blades and the other hooks under your knees. He brings your entire body to his chest before he stands and carries you away from the stream through the long grass back to his horse. It takes him a few minutes, but he manages to get you on the horse, before getting on himself. From there he repositions you so youâre secured in his arms. Both your legs are hanging off the side of his horse, with your head nestled under his neck. âStay with me.â He murmurs softly into the crown of your head. His lips leave a soft kiss to your hair, he steers his horse to head back towards home. Not wanting you to fall out he sets a decent pace so you can get help.
The two of you are back in the village in no time. He pulls to your familyâs longhouse and shouts for help. Myron and your aunt come out first, both of them wearing matching shocked expressions. Little Puma lowers you down to Myron, your aunt cries out seeing your face. He jumps down and hands his horse off to a younger boy, before taking your body back from Myron. Your aunt tells Myron to go find your mother before leading Little Puma into the home. She tells him to lay you down and all he can do is listen to her.
Maybe itâs because you're still unconscious or maybe itâs because he feels useless, but Little Puma has never felt so lost in his life. In every single thing he does itâs with the sole purpose of making sure thatâll youâll be taken care of. When the men hunt his only goal is to make sure that youâll have something to eat. And when the cooler weather comes heâll make sure theyâre successful so youâll be warm in the winter. Every time youâd take off by yourself he was terrified at the idea of even something remotely small happening to you and he wouldnât be there to help. However, he couldnât tell you that so it turned into a lecture. Sure, some of your bickering was because he just liked seeing you get annoyed with him. Most of it though was because he canât bring himself to tell you he cares. Then there was that boy, he hated that boy with a hot white rage. Little Puma found him useless and a terrible hunter. That boy was never going to be able to take care of you, certainly not how Little Puma could. So he got rid of him the only way he knew how, by threatening to beat him within an inch of his life if he saw him even look in your direction. Maybe he shouldâve told you these things but it doesnât seem to matter now. All he knows is heâll do better once you wake.
Your mother and Myron enter the house and your mother immediately moves over to your aunt to help tend to you.
âMyron, take Little Puma out of here to get cleaned up.â Your aunt shouts without even looking over at the two of them. Little Puma wants to interject, but Myron is already pulling him out. He complies knowing heâll come back to you as soon as heâs done.
Your eyes slowly blink open to be met with the darker space of home. Everything feels hot still and your throat feels like youâve swallowed a blade. An unwavering ache runs throughout your entire body. Thereâs something warm and tight around your hand, but you donât have the strength to move it. A little bit of light is shining through the roof, you must have been asleep for half the day. How did you get back? The only thing you can really focus on is how all you want is some water right now. You manage to get your head turned to look to the right of you. Where you find Little Puma sitting on a stool next to you. His hand is the very tight thing keeping yours enclosed. His eyes are shut and his lips are slightly parted as he sleeps quietly next to you.
The dryness in your mouth keeps you from speaking to him. From what you can hear, it seems to be only the two of you in here. Water is still your first priority so you decide to try to sit up. Everything hurts as you try to sit up from where youâre laying. Your movement disturbs Little Puma who begins to stir next to you. His eyes open a little bit before landing on you. Once he realizes youâre awake he shoots up from where heâs sitting to kneel down next to you instead.
âYouâre awake, but you should lay back down.â He puts a little pressure on your shoulder to get you to lay down, but you shake your head no. Your eyes settle on a cup next to his stool. Little Pumaâs eyes sees what youâre staring at and immediately grabs it for you. He brings the cup to your lips and tilts it just a little. His other hand settles on your lower back to support your body. You donât say anything about it because you need it. As soon as the water hits you it washes away the sluggish spell that was over you. You still feel weak, but youâre much better than before. You keep drinking though not wanting to feel the pain in your throat, but Little Puma takes it away.
âNot too much at once.â He tells you, but you want more. Youâre a little surprised heâs here with you right now. Maybe Myron or your mom needed a break.
âHow did I get home?â You ask him, your voice is a little raspy from the pain. He lets out a smooth exhale.
âI found you by the creek. You shouldâve told someone where you had gone. I donât know how many times Iâve told you that.â He reminds you, but itâs not like how he usually tells you. Itâs much calmer and kind. It still annoys you a little.
âSpare me please, I'm not feeling great right now.â You grumble as you stare up at him. His mouth moves into a thin line. He stands for a moment staring down at you.
âYou could have died. What if I hadnât found you? What if no one found you? What then? Where does that leave me?â He doesnât raise his voice once at you, which makes you a little more unsettled.
âWithout someone to torment.â You snark at him which probably wasnât your best choice. Little Puma rolls his eyes at you, but you can see heâs upset.
âYou think I could live with myself if you had died? That wouldâve killed meâ he says while pointing to his chest. âI can't lose you. Ever.â He sits back down next to you and his head drops down. Which youâre glad for as your eyes nearly bulge out of your head. Youâre a little lost for words at his confession. Maybe this is all a hallucination from this illness you think to yourself. Because this cannot be the same Little Puma who used to tell you that you processed hides wrong.
âWhy didnât you tell me any of this before?â You ask him quietly. He lifts his head back up, his eyes settling onto yours.
âI think Myron might have killed me if I told him how much I cared for you. The only way I could talk to you was by teasing you. â Your heart skips hearing him say it again. It doesnât stop you from settling back to your old ways.
âYouâre a child, you know that right?â You tease him, and when he smiles back at you a warmth fills your chest.
âYeah yeah. But donât think I havenât noticed you staring at me.â He shoots back while nudging you with his shoulder. Your cheeks flush a bright red and all you can do is turn your head away from him. Little Puma laughs at your reaction which causes you to laugh too.
âWant some more water?â He asks you and all you can do is nod your head again. More water is poured into the cup, but Little Puma still guides it to your mouth. After having some more a yawn escapes your mouth. âIâll go let your family know youâre awake. You rest, I'll be right back.â A kiss is placed on your forehead before he gets up and heads out to find your family. He leaves you there mouth agape as you watch his back. When everyone comes back in no one says anything when Little Puma takes a seat right next to your side. His hand immediately goes to grab your hand that is closest to him as your mother and aunt dote over you.
As you heal at home for the next couple days your time is filled with sleeping and talking to Little Puma. He comes in every day any chance he gets to come check on you. Your mother and aunt remind him that you need to rest but he still comes by. When itâs just the two of you heâll sneak a kiss here and there not that youâre complaining. Myron catches you guys once, but he doesnât say anything. Just smirks at you two before leaving. Even though youâre feeling better and like getting up to move around he insists on bringing everything to you. His excuse is he doesn't want you to overdo it.
When youâre finally fully recovered the two of you are glued at the hip. He offers to go with you anywhere you need and you donât protest. Now when you gather food he always tells you that you collect the best ones when he takes some from your basket. He still teases you occasionally, but now the two of you laugh after together.
The two of you are sitting side by side under a tree near the plains. Youâve finally managed to convince him to take a break and enjoy the peace. Your head is on his shoulder as the two of you stare at the open field. His arm is gently around your waist keeping you close.
âAlmost ready to go?â He murmurs into your ear while placing a warm kiss on your cheek.
âJust a little longer?â You ask your eyes closing shut.
Guys⊠I just read this one shot by @holysmokesmando and⊠IT WAS SO GOOD!!! When I got to the end, I literally wanted more! You wrote this so beautifully, 1,000/10!!!đ„čđđœđ«đȘ¶
In his letters, he can't help but express how much he loves and cherishes you, how much he misses you, and he compliments you in every line of his letters.Â
 A true sign of affection; otherwise, if it's more to tease you, he couldn't help giving you the most absurd nicknames he can find. He would also ask Myron for advice (without saying it's for you, of course).
 Apollonie Sabatier: What is their ideal type? His ideal type physically would be a beautiful Osage , with long black hair like the night, defined cheekbones, where her oily skin shines in the sun. In terms of height, she would be roughly like her sister, and her eyes black or golden brown. As forÂ
her personality/character, she would value respect for everyone, especially elders, kindness, honor, and strength, and she would also need to love and respect nature (also animals).Â
Suzanne Valadon: if you are of the same nationality as his enemy? He would struggle at first with the fact that you are a colonist; at first, he would act coldly and almost ignore you. The more he sees you, the less wary he is, but he wouldn't show it. He would tease you all the time, sometimes cruelly, and there would be arguments over nothing.Â
Then, as time passes, his behavior would become kind and gentle.
An: Hello again! Here is part two. I hope those who requested part two are happy with it. I did some research for this chapter as there is some Osage in here. To make it easy to read it will be in the romanized version. But I will have it spelled phonetically in parentheses for anyone curious about the pronunciation. I also researched beadwork which will be referenced. I used the Osage dictionary provided by The Osage Nation at osageculture.com for those curious. And UOregon for some references they had posted. If anything is wrong or inaccurate I am so sorry. Please message or leave me a comment with whatâs wrong so I can fix it asap.
WC: 4.3K
For the past month and a half youâve been an absolute skittish mess. Every time you heard the sound of hooves coming from outside the window or the door open to the cabin your heart would stop. Each time though you were disappointed as none of them were Little Puma. Sure you were happy to see people from town stop by, none of them though were the one who had said he would stop by again.
The first two weeks you told yourself it was way too soon for him to stop by again. So you took the time to do some preparations. You for once had joined your brother and headed into town alongside him. You wished to browse the catalogue at the general store while he needed to stop by a few different shops. It was the perfect setup you could plan without your nosey brother pestering you about what you were doing. And luckily for you your brother Peter had already formed a decent friendship with the Ingalls. Which in turn allowed you to meet Laura Ingalls. She was sitting outside the general storeâs window and the ever friendly girl waved to you as you approached. Her curly blonde hair was styled into pigtails as she gave you the biggest smile she possibly could.
âHello, Iâm Laura Ingalls. Did you just move into town?â She asked, her big blue eyes wide. She was very cute and you couldnât help but appreciate the sunshine she carried inside.
âHello Laura, nice to meet you. My name is Y/N, no I didnât just move into town. I normally just do not get the chance to come. Perhaps youâve seen my brother Peter around here? I believe he should know your father.â You say as you crouch down to speak with her. At the mention of Peter her eyes light up even more which should not be possible.
âI know Peter! He helped Dr. Tann when we all were sick. How come Iâve never seen you around town?â She asks with no fear it was quite endearing actually.
âWell I suppose because itâs just the two of us. Thereâs much to do on the homestead and itâs kind of hard for both of us to leave at the same time. Iâll tell you what though, I have a few chickens who produce more than the two of us can eat. I was thinking about making some cookies. I suppose Iâll have to bring some over to your family. What do you think about that?â A squeal came out of Laura at the idea of your proposal. Taking that as yes you told her youâd see her around and proceeded to head inside the general store to start a plan of what youâd make for Little Puma. You even bought some new ribbon for your hair just because.
This method of telling yourself it was too early for another visit worked until week three rolled around. Three weeks was maybe still too early right? Right, so you did the only thing you could think of which was to keep busy. You had ordered a little extra butter and sugar and got to work on making the cookies you promised to Laura Ingalls. Half were just plain cookies you rolled in sugar, the other half you had decided to turn into thumbprint cookies with some of the blackberry jam. As you wrapped them into the basket your mind wandered just a bit. A figure came into mind and as you looked down at the cookies. Along with those dark eyes that seemed to make you forget the rest of the world when you had looked into them. The curve of his lips when he gave just the smallest smile. Focusing back on the task at hand you decided to think about him later. There was a family out there who needed cookies.
Unfortunately, all you and your brother had was the large wagon that you had used to move out here. No small cart like you used to use back in Maine. And the wagon much too large for you to rig the horses up by yourself. Luckily for you though, Peter had been picked up earlier today by Dr. Tann as they were going to be loading some medical supplies, leaving the only saddle free for you to use.
You made quick work of tacking up one of the horses. Using the wooden chest Peter had built to protect the feed, you were able to mount up all by yourself with no problems at all. Holding the basket of cookies close to you, you click your tongue and start making your way over to the Ingallsâ place.
The ride over was quiet and peaceful and you allowed yourself to enjoy the quiet Kansas plains for once. There was a slow breeze keeping you company along with the wildlife. For once all the noise that had been building up in your mind seemed to have settled. And you couldnât be happier to have a break from it all.
The Ingallsâ homestead came into view. Looping the basket of goods over the saddlehorn you swing your leg over and dismount. Just as your feet hit the ground the door of the cabin swings open and two little girls come running out. You immediately recognize Laura Ingalls but not the dark haired girl with her.
âHello Laura, Iâve brought those cookies I promised. Who's your friend here?â You ask her. The other little girl you can immediately tell is much more shy compared to Laura.
âThis is my best friend Good Eagle. Ma has started lessons with Mary and me. Good Eagleâs mother allowed her to come learn with us.â She proclaimed rather excitedly.
âWell, itâs a pleasure to meet you, Good Eagle. I am Y/N and I hope Iâm not interrupting your lessons though.â you look over to their cabin where Caroline Ingalls has now stepped into the doorway. She sends you a small wave and smile which you return happily.
âNo, Ma said we were done for the day.â Laura explains.
âI see. Very well then. How about you take the basket up to the house Laura? Iâll meet you two thereâ you hand the basket off to Laura who takes it happily. With your hands now free you tie your horse to the tree and begin following them to the house.
Laura and Good Eagle immediately begin to dig into the cookies as soon as Laura sets them down. Lauraâs older sister rises from the bed she was sitting on and joins the girls at the table to have some cookies. While the girls eat you speak to Caroline about how the Independence is developing and the new buildings that are being planned for.
Not too long after Caroline stops the girls from finishing the cookies as she doesnât want them to spoil their supper. She sends off Laura and Mary to finish a few chores while she prepares it. An idea sparks your mind, and you use the opportunity to ask Good Eagle some questions while she waits for her father to come pick her up.
âGood Eagle, if itâs not too much trouble may I ask you for a small favor?â you ask her under the Ingallsâ porch. The little girl looks up at you, her eyes filled with excitement. She nods her head enthusiastically.
âCould you please teach me how to say a few words in Osage? Like hello and goodbye?â A large smile breaks out onto Good Eagleâs face at your request.
âJust the ones I could think of. Iâll learn whatever youâre willing to teach meâ she laughs at your comment. She teaches you a couple more phrases although you have a lot more trouble with these. She helps you though until her dad arrives. Not one to take up too much more of the Ingalls time you head back to your home.
The week following you continue to practice on your own. You hope youâre remembering it correctly as you repeat the words to yourself. When you are able to go into town with Peter you look for Good Eagle for help.
Week four is when you start to have doubts creep into your mind. Still no Little Puma in sight. Unfortunately you had not been hiding your emotions very well. With your sudden increase of coming into town and constant sad expressions you had caught the eye of Emily who own the general store with her brother. All she had merely asked was if you were okay and it was like a damn broke. Luckily no other patrons had been inside the store when this had happened. You ended up explaining the entire story in detail to her. She was very kind though and took the time to listen to you. Emily even told you how she was struggling to speak to Dr. Tann about their time spent together. And just like that you two had become each other's closest confidants. She even helped you pick items out of the catalogue each week that she thought would be good to give to him. The two of you would take turns listening to one another. Sharing your opinions here or there. It was nice not having to keep it bottled up anymore and having someone that would listen.
It was now week six and you had become completely and utterly deflated. All you can think of is how much of a fool you are and he was not coming back to your cabin. You are ashamed to say you thought about him a lot in this six week time frame. Though this self reflection did allow you to give yourself some closure. He would not be coming to visit you and that would be final. This was just going to have to be something you would live with.
You were in the kitchen of the cabin finally getting started on supper. The morning had been busy for you as you had been running low on some supplies. You were running low on jam so you had to go pick more berries after morning chores. Then you had to make another dish of cornbread as Peter had finished it in the middle of the night again. At the moment you had just finished making another jar of blackberry jam from the berries that you had picked this morning. Now it was time to move onto supper. Peter had gone out with Dr. Tann for the day, but was not going to be back until tomorrow afternoon. He had been able to catch just a few pheasants so you were going to have a nice dinner to yourself today. And he had been so kind to even pluck them and cut them for you so they were all ready to be cooked.
You currently were washing some potatoes to peel. Even though you told yourself that you were over it, you still found yourself staring at your hand quite often. Specifically the knuckles where he had left a kiss. Setting the potato down you canât help but to stare at the hand. Even though it was so long ago, you still remember the feeling. How his lips felt even though they barely brushed your hand. The feeling of his hand holding yours. His hands were slightly rough but there was a gentleness he used in all of his actions. You squeeze your eyes shut, you debate whether to pray you forget all about this or remember it forever. It hurts though, thereâs an ache you cannot explain. An ache you should not even have but do. No tears you think to yourself, you will not allow it.
You pick up the potato again and begin to finish peeling it. Then you start on the next one and the one after that. You force yourself to focus on the task at hand hoping to make yourself forget. You begin to cut them into smaller pieces so it can cook faster. You throw the potatoes into the kettle and fill it with water and set it over the fire. While thatâs cooking you cut the bergamot you had picked for the pheasants. Midway through thereâs a knock at the door. Maybe Charles was bringing Laura by to say hello real quick. They like to do that occasionally now. You would also not put it past Peter to have asked someone to come check in on you.
âComingâ you shout out. You place the knife down next to the herb and brush your hands off on the apron thatâs over your dress. You walk over to the door and unlatch it before pushing it open. The words of whatever greeting you were going to say die immediately. Instead that breath you were going to use is caught in your throat. Standing in front of your door is Little Puma. A lump grows in your throat as all your senses become overwhelmed. Your body is not sure whether to panic or rejoice.
Heâs wearing a hide vest over a patterned shirt. With dark patterned pants. Thereâs no head piece in his hair, itâs just neatly braided like usual. Heâs wearing the white beads he wore like when he had first entered the cabin. You both just stare at each other for a moment. Your lips are slightly parted still in shock that heâs here. He once again has that unreadable expression on his face, but you know heâs able to see right through you. Neither one of you dares make the first move.
Until finally something in your brain clicks into place. You shut the door in his face. You didnât latch the door and lock it, just closed it on him. Youâre not completely sure why you did that, but it made a small part of you feel good. You just stand there for a moment deciding if you should open it again or not. However, you donât get to make a choice as youâre not ready for the small rope hanging from the door to be pulled from the other side. The door is yanked wide open. Little Puma comes through the doorway and shuts the door behind him.
Heâs still a bit unreadable, but you can tell heâs a little upset by the way his eyes brows are slightly furrowed. He takes a step towards you and on instinct you take one back. He notices immediately and still says nothing to you as his eyebrows go from furrowed to slightly raised. Itâs like heâs waiting for an explanation from you, but you do not have one to give him.
Your entire body is in flight mode and you do not know what to say. At some point in the last week you did think about what you would say if you saw him again. If you would let him have it or if you pretend he never existed. That all went out the window now that he was here physically in front of you. If you reach out from where youâre standing you could touch him. Feel his presence now in fact he was here standing before you. It almost seemed like a trick though. This was all just your imagination who missed him.
Little Puma by now has noticed your silence and that look on your face. Itâs a very solemn look and itâs one he never wants to see on your face. He wants you to look like how he thinks of you, smiling and warm. It worries him slightly, maybe he should not have come back to see you he thinks. Maybe you did not want to see him. Trying again he takes a step towards you but you immediately step back and it hurts him.
âWhy do you move away from me? What is wrong?â he keeps his voice soft, afraid youâll get scared. He stops himself from trying to reach out to you.
âYou said youâd come by and visit, but you did not. I just thought you wanted to see me again too. But I was wrong.â you respond keeping your eyes locked onto his chest. You say it as if it were casual. Like you were telling him it was a warm day today and it was just something you had remembered. Not that you were confused and hurt by his lack of visits. And definitely not how you picked things out each week to make just in case he would stop by. Now you know if you look up at him into those eyes youâll lose whatever stability you have left along with your dignity.
He takes in what youâre saying. Out of habit he sucks his bottom lip in before running his tongue over it to soothe the dryness.
â I wanted to come by and see you sooner. I was not able to get away though as my chief needed everyone nearby. All I wanted was to see you.â he reasons. He notices the small change in your expression. Your shoulders drop slightly and he takes it as a good sign. Testing his luck he takes a step towards you and you do not move back. Relief hits him so he pushes it once more and takes another so youâre practically toe to toe.
You look up to meet his eyes finally. He gives you a smile and you return it with a small one. âI promise I wouldâve come back sooner if I was able.â you nod your head at him showing you believe him. An expression you have never seen before hits him as he reaches into his vest pocket and pulls something out. Keeping his fist closed he does not allow you to see what he has. With his other hand he gently takes your hand before flipping it over so itâs palm up. He places the item in your hand.
Looking down you see colorful beadwork. It was a circle composed entirely of red beads with white beads along it as a border. Two strings came from the middle. It was beautiful. You loved the feeling of it and you ran your finger over and over it again.
âI also wanted to finish that for you before I came over here as wellâ he says a little sheepishly.
â I love it thank youâ you give him a bigger smile which he returns. The two of you just stare at each other again. You canât help but start chewing on your bottom lip. Not sure what to say next. Youâre just happy that heâs here and wanting to see you just as much as you wanting to see him. That is until you remember why he was supposed to come in the first place.
âAre you hungry? I was just working on supper.â He nods and you motion for him to sit down at the table while you finish. He does and you make a stop at the counter to cut him some cornbread with jam on a plate to eat while he waits. You bring it to him without saying anything and resume making supper.
As you move back and forth between the kitchen and fireplace you can feel Little Pumaâs eyes locked onto your back. That familiar heat starts again at the back of your neck. It moves its way up to your cheeks. You strictly keep your back to him so he cannot see how flushed you are. Checking the potatoes you see they still need a little bit of time. So you get started on the pheasants instead. Plopping the skillet over the fire to heat up you then go back to your ingredients. First you finish cutting up the rest of the bergamot. Then you cut a piece of butter off the block and throw it into the cast iron. Adding the bergamot into the melting butter you leave it for a moment to infuse before going to grab the pheasants. You grab a few pieces and place them into the skillet.
Soon the aroma of the cooking meat mixed with the bergamot fills the cabin. You watch it carefully making sure to not let a single piece burn. Using a spoon, take some butter from the pan and pour it over the meat. Flipping it carefully, you cook the other side and repeat the process. Satisfied with the color on each side of the meat you quickly serve the meat onto plates. You check the potatoes and see they are done as well. Putting a large serving on Little Pumaâs plate you cut him another slice of cornbread a little larger this time. Bringing him his plate you set it down in front of him gently before making your own. When you turn around to join him at the table you find him already digging into his food. Smiling to yourself, you sit across from him and begin eating.
A comfortable silence washes over the two of you as you sit together and eat. It is not awkward at all, itâs just the two of you enjoying each other's presence. Not too long after you both finish your plates and you make some coffee for the two of you. As you're sipping your coffee Little Puma decides to ask you a question.
âWhere did you learn to say hello?â he asks with a glint of something like curiosity in his eyes. You hide your face in your mug for a moment embarrassed for what youâre about to say.
âGood Eagle actually. She was at the Ingallsâ when I stopped by. I thought I would try to learn something. She is a very good teacher. â You explain to him, causing him to chuckle. You cannot see it, but the idea of you and his niece getting along warmed something in him.
â So that is why your pronunciation was good. She is very smart. What else did she teach you?â He looks at you deeply and itâs hard to think back with your stomach fluttering.
âA few other things but I donât think theyâll be as good as hello.â shaking your head at the idea of having to say more to him. You were still quite bad at the longer phrases. He laughs again and you relish in it.
You two speak for some time, but it starts to get late. Little Puma looks out the window of the cabin and notices the sun starting to set. A frown falls on his face and you know he has to go now. He looks at you, he does not say anything but you understand. You nod your head at him and you both quietly get up and make your way to the cabin door.
He does not make the effort to open the door. Instead he turns and faces you, blocking the door with his body. You look at him expectedly with a slight tilt in your head. Little Puma picks up your hand and holds it in his own. His thumb brushes along your knuckles. The motion makes your stomach flip.
âIâll come back soon. I promise.â he reassures you. You squeeze his fingers gently with a nod.
Before you can say anything else he dips his head down and places a kiss on your cheek. Sparks shoot from your face down straight to your feet from the contact. He pulls his head back just slightly, his face still next to yours. Your noses touch ever so slightly. His breath is warm and your senses are being overrun with everything of his. The smell of the long grass on his clothes, the heat radiating from his body, the sounds of his breath, and his brown eyes locked with yours. Little Puma is everywhere in your brain and for once you do not feel overwhelmed but content.
His head moves again once more, but this time his lips touch yours. Like everything about his movements it is precise, but light. This kiss is longer than the one given to your knuckles and cheek. It could send you into madness. You two are still holding hands and you use that as an anchor to keep you grounded. The two of you pull apart. Everything becomes a little dazed and you almost feel like youâre floating. Simultaneously, you both release each other.
He opens the door and heads out for his horse. Turning around to look at you once more, the both of you share a knowing smile. Not until he mounts up and leaves do you close the door of the cabin and latch it shut.
That night as you lay in your bed you think of him. As you fall asleep you do not have to worry this time about him not coming back.
AN: Hi! Thereâs a lack of little puma x reader content and I wanted to try and post my own one shot. This is my first time posting on any platform. It is settler! Fem Reader but I hope I kept the reader pretty ambiguous. I would love any tips or comments if I didnât keep the reader ambiguous enough. I hope you like it. Itâs lightly proofread so if thereâs any spelling/grammar mistakes Iâm sorry.
WC: 4.1K
Part Two
The Kansas sun was hot on your back as you washed the laundry. You're down by the river scrubbing down one of your brother's shirts on the board. It's caked in dirt and grime from the labor he had been doing around the place to get the field ready for planting. The tips of your fingers are wrinkly and are beginning to hurt from how hard you've been scrubbing. Rinsing it out once more you begin to wring the shirt out the best you can with your hands. Flipping it around a few times you smile to yourself satisfied with the cleanliness of the shirt. You throw it into the basket with the rest of the clothes you've already finished washing.
Standing up you stretch out your back trying to loosen the ache that had formed from being hunched over the laundry. You start making your way up the path back towards the cabin. The wind picks up cooling the sweat that was forming at the back of your neck. You mind the larger rocks along the path not wanting to trip and drop the laundry basket into the dirt like you had done last week. Finally, the small log cabin comes into view. Your brother and Mr. Sinclair had done a fine job building it, it overlooked the plains where the long grass and wildflowers grew. The outside had a decent size porch to stay out of the sun while you worked. You guys were still saving up for some glass windows, but you took some old torn dresses that couldn't be fixed and made some pretty curtains for it. And to the right of the cabin they had even built a small chicken pen and a bit farther to the right of that was the small pen for your two plow horses.
You and your brother had moved down from Maine to Independence some months back. Your parents had unfortunately passed from the consumption due to their older age. Your brother couldn't bear to stay in town and was set on settling somewhere new far far away from the farm you two were raised on for a fresh start. With him being your only remaining family you ventured out West with him. Mostly because you couldn't bear the idea of your brother doing this all by himself. He had insisted you stay back and accept the proposal from a gentleman in town who had fancied you. You'll admit you had considered it, he was a kind man who had a good job and nice home. Yes, you could've been happy and would've been taken care of, but ultimately you had turned him down. Mostly because you wanted to marry out of love. Not wanting to hurt him, you had explained to him that you could not settle down and start a family and live a life where your children grow up without knowing their uncle. He had understood as he also was close with his family and shared a similar sentiment. He had bid both of you farewell and wished you two goodluck. With that your brother sold your guys' childhood home, farm, and practically all of your belongings and headed west.
You set the basket of clothes on the porch. Sitting in the wooden rocking chair your brother had made you begin to wring out the clothes the best you could, wanting all the extra water out. Once you had finished with that you took the basket over to the clothes line and began to hang up all the larger articles of clothing. You left the smaller ones in the basket as you would hang those up above the fireplace later. Securing the last pair of your brother's pants you head back to the cabin with the wicker basket resting on your hip. You still had a few more chores to work on before you started on supper.
You set the laundry basket down on the table and head over to the large basin to begin washing the dishes. Luckily you had grabbed a couple pails of water earlier so you did not have to go back out into the sun to the well. You begin scrubbing at the dishes that were used from breakfast. As youâre scrubbing you hear footsteps coming up to the door. Odd you think, your brother normally didnât come back until the later afternoon but you donât pay it any mind.
âBack so early Peter?â you shout out to him without turning around. Thereâs no response but you hear the cabin door open up. Confused now on why he hasnât responded, you turn around and come face to face with two tall Osage men.
The first one closest to you in the cabin wears his long black hair loose. With a red and black headpiece near the top of his head clipping a few strands out of his face. His face is hard and rigid as he doesnât say anything to you just frowns. He wears a long coat with stripped pants. The man behind him is much different. His hair is parted down the middle and wears a similar headpiece to the other, but unlike his friend his hair is braided instead of hanging loose. Strands of long white beads adorn his neck. He is dressed a little lighter too in a long sleeve shirt and vest with striped pants as well. His features are much softer than his friends albeit just as stoic. His dark eyes are all consuming and are complimented by his full lashes. You feel like he can see right through you and you feel your face begin to get hot. He doesnât say anything but just looks at you and around the cabin. With his prominent cheek bones you canât help but find him extremely handsome. You notice both of them carrying sacks in their hands.
A million thoughts are racing through your head; composing yourself you quickly wipe your wet hands on the apron of your skirt. âHello.â you rasp out as your voice falters a little, but itâs all you can manage with your nerves. Both men donât say anything, just simply stare at you and around the cabin.You know Peterâs rifle is under his bed but you donât dare to glance at it or its direction. So instead you just try again.
âWhat can I do for you gentlemen today?â Your voice holds much better this time, a little more confident and strong. You plaster a smile on your face trying to be welcoming. The two exchange a glance with one another and you begin to worry maybe they donât speak English. Finally though the long hair one speaks.
âRent for landâ is all he says a little gruffly. Youâre relieved a bit though as thatâs easier to handle. Until you remember Peter took most of the money to replenish the shelves with some necessities from the general store today. A small pit grows in your stomach as you think of how youâre going to pay these men.
You nod your head though to show you understand. âYes, of course. I donât have much money right now, perhaps I could give you a few things instead if thatâs alright?â your voice is much meeker this time all the confidence washed away.
The long hair one doesnât say anything just approaches you with the burlap sack open now heâs carrying. You donât wait and begin to offer food to him. You hand him a jar of pickled carrots and some blackberry jam you had made. He examines each one before nodding and placing them in the sack. Next you grab a small bag of beans that was still half full and some sugar. Youâre silent as you just hand off the food. You carefully wrap half a dozen of the eggs from the chickens you were planning on selling and hand them to him in a small basket. He looks at them and places them on the table closer to the man with the braided hair. He has just been standing there watching the two of you. You make eye contact with him briefly before looking away to grab another jar. You ignore the way your stomach flips. The two of them begin to speak to each other in their native tongue. You hope theyâre happy with your tribute as you find a jar of pickled onions to offer.
You offer it to the one with the braided hair. He stares at it for a moment before looking back up at you through his long lashes. Your breath catches in your throat, but you just smile instead. You extend your arm a little more and nod your head gesturing for him to take it. His mouth twitches for a split second before he accepts the can. You step back from both of them and rest your hands in front of you. You hope this would be the end of it and they would leave soon.
The long hair man points to some canned food Peter had bought from the general store resting on the shelf between you and him. You winced as these were kind of expensive, but you comply and go to grab them for him. He says something to his companion that you cannot understand. He laughs slightly, and you have a feeling they probably werenât the kindest words. However, no response comes right away from the handsome one. When the handsome one does speak to his friend his tone sounds kind of harsh. You hand the long haired man the cans and he tosses them into the sack and they clink with the rest.
The handsome one speaks again this time moving from his spot that was at the center of the cabin and heading towards the door. A wave of relief hits you knowing youâre almost done. His companion follows however, he stops by the table where the laundry basket sits. Youâre a little confused about what caught his attention. He reaches and grabs something you canât see from where you're standing. A gasp leaves your throat when he picks up and raises your fatherâs pocket watch. You curse to yourself internally as you remember Peter had been winding it that morning. It was his most treasured belonging. Your legs move before your brain even processes what youâre doing. You make your way around the opposite side of the table closest to the braided hair man by the door.
âPlease no, that was my fatherâs.â you keep your voice firm using your body to block the exit. Both men look down at you, the braided hair one looks almost shocked at your sudden behavior change. The long hair one closes his hand a bit tighter on the watch. He stares down at you, challenging you. You begin to slightly panic, you shove your hand into your dress pocket and luckily you feel a few coins in there. Pulling them out you see about 35 cents. You offer it to the man, you know the watch is more valuable but you have to try. He holds on to the watch and disregards the money in your hand.
A thought occurs to you that you have something else to offer. You place the money back into your pocket. You reach up and pull the chain around your neck that was lying under your dress to the surface. As quickly as you can you undo the latch and from the chain you drop the small gold ring that hangs on it into the palm of your hand. It was your motherâs ring. Your grandmother had given it to her and her to you when you were sixteen. It had never properly fit you so you had always worn it around your neck instead. Tears begin to well in your eyes but you fight them back. Your brotherâs watch is more important. Clutching the ring close to your chest for one last time you pray your mother will forgive you. Looking to the softer of the two you hold the ring up to him.
âPlease take this instead of the watch. We canât lose that watch. I beg of youâ you plead with him barely holding the tears back. You swear his expression softens just a bit, he nods his head and takes the ring from your hand. He holds it out to his friend and says something you once again canât understand. The other one mutters something, but luckily he sets the pocket watch back on the table and snatches the ring from his hand. He shoves past the both of you and heads out the door of the cabin. A sigh escapes you relieved that itâs over and the watch is safe. The man is still there and doesnât move from his spot yet. Doing the only thing you can think of, you run back to the food. Grabbing the little cheese you had you cut him most of it placing it down on some cloth. You reach over from the table and grab the cornbread you made earlier. Cutting a large chunk you place it next to the cheese in the cloth. You wrap it carefully before rushing back over to him offering it to him. His expression is unreadable, but he takes it from your hands. The feeling of his hands on yours makes your stomach do a somersault as this time you feel what you can only describe as a shock run through yours. Once heâs taken it, you stick your hand in your pockets once more and pull out the coins from earlier.
âI canât thank you enoughâ your voice is barely above a whisper as you hold it out to him. He shakes his head no at you and sets down his sack at his feet. He takes a step so heâs standing right in front of you now. His hot breath fans your face and you almost shudder at the feeling. Using one hand he presses your fingers down gently towards your palm. Taking the hint you put your hand with the money down back into your pocket. You look up at him to find his large brown eyes already on you. His lips twitch again but no words come out. You donât know why youâre so disappointed that he wonât speak to you. He eyes look over your face one more time before he steps back and picks up his sack. And just like that heâs out the door trailing after his friend.
You close the door and latch it shut. You feel dizzy for a moment and slowly slide down to your feet with your back along the door. Bringing your knees to your chest you wrap your arms around them. You close your eyes and just sit there for a moment. You let yourself catch your breath and return to as close to normal as you can. A few tears escape your eyes, you quickly wipe them. After a few minutes you pull it together and get up. You stay inside the cabin for the rest of the day with the door closed and latched shut. Any chores outside can wait til Peter gets back or tomorrow. For now you just finish the dishes, hang the rest of the laundry, and get started on supper.
When Peter returns a couple hours later from helping Dr. Tann for the day you explain what had happened with the two men. Except you leave out the part about his watch and your motherâs ring not wanting to hurt him. He doesnât say much, just lets you talk while nodding along. Though you can tell heâs upset by the look on his face. Once you finish he tells you he'll be back and walks out the door. You shout for him to stop but itâs too late. All you can do is wait for him to come back. When returns in the evening, he seems less upset than when he had a left. You ask him what had happened and where he had gone, but he brushes you off. Just tells you itâs alright and everything has been sorted.
The next morning you follow your daily routine. You get up and change into a clean dress then brush your hair out opting to leave it loose for today. You get started on a quick breakfast for Peter and you. You start a small fire in the fireplace and place the heavy skillet down to heat up. While it heats you pull out enough dishware and cutlery for two. You serve Peter the remaining of the cornbread that was left from yesterday. Youâll have to make more today. You grab some berries from the counter that had already been washed and put a handful on both of your plates. Picking up a few eggs from the basket you walk back to the fireplace and crack them into the skillet. Satisfied with the sound of them sizzling you let them cook for a bit longer, before carefully scooping them onto the plates you had prepared.
You hook the kettle over the fire to start some hot water for you and coffee for Peter. While it boils you eat a little bit of your breakfast. When itâs nearly done you head over to Peterâs bed and wake him. You give his shoulder a bit of a shake, but he just groans, rolls over, and puts his back to you. âPeter, come on. Breakfast is done and you have to meet Dr. Tann again.â You are met with silence. Huffing at him you walk back to the fireplace to pour yourself some hot water to drink and make Peter his coffee. After that you finish your breakfast and place the dishes in the basin for you to wash later. Since Peter is still home you use that to your advantage and venture outside as youâre still a little shaken from yesterday.
Walking over to your chicken pen next to the house you scoop some feed from the barrel next to the gate. Opening it carefully to not let them escape you enter inside and scatter the feed amongst the pen for them. They cluck and walk around your feet happy to peck at the fresh feed along the earth. You let a couple of them feed from your hand. Once you finish distributing the feed you walk over to their shelter and collect the eggs that have been laid. Happy with the amount you head back inside to put them away and to fetch the bucket so you can head to the well. You come inside to find Peter barely sitting up in his bed. You shake your head at him before setting the fresh eggs in the basket. You grab the handle of the bucket before making your way back to the door.
âDonât blame me when your breakfast is coldâ you shout to him as you shut the door behind you. You donât bother to wait for him to acknowledge you.
Stepping off the porch you hear the sound of horses coming down the road. Looking to your left you see two men on horseback walk down towards the cabin. You recognize Mr. Mitchell and his horse, but right behind him you realize itâs one of the men from yesterday. Specifically the one who helped you keep your fathers pocket watch. This time though you donât feel uneasy, just curious.
âGood morning Miss Y/N. How are you this morning?â He shouts out to you.
âDoing just fine Mr. Mitchell. How are you today?â You say with a wave and a smile at the end. He stops once they make it down the road. Both of them dismount and tie their horses to a tree near the cabin. The man from yesterday remains quiet as he walks behind Mr. Mitchell up to you at the porch.
âIâm doing fine, thanks. I heard you met my brother in law, Little Puma yesterday. He wanted to come speak to you todayâ he says while throwing his head back to the quiet man behind him. âIs your brother inside? I had wanted to speak to him to see if he knew Dr. Tann was available today.â He gestures with his head to the cabin. Youâre still trying to wrap your head around what he just said about his brother in law wanting to speak to you. Both men are looking at you expectantly. Quickly focusing you nod your head.
âYes heâs inside. Hopefully awake by now. Please donât hold it against him if heâs not favorable right now. He has never been a morning person. And please feel free to help yourself to the coffee in the kettle.â You joke trying to keep everything light. It seems to do the trick as Mr. Mitchell just laughs and nods his head.
âWill do. I wonât keep him for too longâ he says as he walks past you and heads into the cabin. Leaving just you and Little Puma standing at the foot of the porch. His eyes are locked on you and the familiar heat begins to creep up your neck.
âHello Little Puma.â your voice rasps similar to how it did yesterday. You do like having a name to call him now and you like the way it rolls off your tongue a little too much. Youâre met with silence again leaving you worried youâve offended him. He seems different now standing in front of you. Almost as if heâs not as sure of himself as he was yesterday. Little Puma looks down at the floor for a second before he reaches into the pocket of his vest. He extends his hand out to you, resting between his thumb and index finger is your motherâs gold ring. Your hand flies up to your mouth in shock as you were sure you were never going to see it again. Slowly, you take the ring from his hand.
âI am sorry for yesterday.â He says quietly to you. You already began shaking your head at him to stop him.
âYou have nothing to be sorry for. I should be apologizing to you. Besides you have brought this back to me which I cannot thank you enough for.â You look down at the ring running your finger along the band. A smile is stuck to your face looking at the small ring. You place the ring deep into your pocket. Youâll have to do your best to remember to put it away until you can place it on your chain again later. âIt was my motherâs one of the very few things I have left of hers.â You do your best to explain. He nods in understanding.
âMyron shouldnât have taken it yesterday. We will not be bothering you again.â A part of you is saddened at the fear of not seeing him again. Very few Osage come into town and heâs not one of those who do.
âYou can still come by for tea or supperââ you stop yourself quickly realizing what you had just said. You wish the earth would swallow you up right now. Little Pumaâs face is equally surprised at your statement, both eyebrows raised at you. You stammer for a moment trying to recover from your humiliation. ââto work out the rent. We still owe you rent until there is settlement for the land.â Wincing you look at the ground before looking up at him again. He has a smirk on his face obviously very amused at your rambling.
âThat will work, until next time.â he says with a small smile and steps closer to you. Little Puma reaches out for the hand at your side and brings it up to his mouth. The touch is so light as he presses a kiss to the knuckle of your hands. It takes everything in you to keep your knees from buckling.
You two jump apart at the sound of the cabin door opening. Itâs Mr. Mitchell and your brother who looks much more awake now. Neither of them say anything at the closeness between the two of you. But Mr. Mitchell has a knowing look in his eyes that causes your face to flush.
The two men head to their horses. Your brother and you tell them goodbye. As they mount up and begin to leave Little Puma turns around to give you one last look before heading off. You hold onto his words and youâre already excited for his next visit.
Hey hey everyone! Hope you all are well! Just wanted to say that my DMs are open on here and my TikTok (@whimsicalnostalgia)!! I am more active on my TikTok so if you do DM me on here, I might not see it! BUT!! Iâll try my very best to respond back!!
Also, if you have any questions or ideas for me, donât hesitate to DM or comment!
AN: Hi! Thereâs a lack of little puma x reader content and I wanted to try and post my own one shot. This is my first time posting on any platform. It is settler! Fem Reader but I hope I kept the reader pretty ambiguous. I would love any tips or comments if I didnât keep the reader ambiguous enough. I hope you like it. Itâs lightly proofread so if thereâs any spelling/grammar mistakes Iâm sorry.
WC: 4.1K
Part Two
The Kansas sun was hot on your back as you washed the laundry. You're down by the river scrubbing down one of your brother's shirts on the board. It's caked in dirt and grime from the labor he had been doing around the place to get the field ready for planting. The tips of your fingers are wrinkly and are beginning to hurt from how hard you've been scrubbing. Rinsing it out once more you begin to wring the shirt out the best you can with your hands. Flipping it around a few times you smile to yourself satisfied with the cleanliness of the shirt. You throw it into the basket with the rest of the clothes you've already finished washing.
Standing up you stretch out your back trying to loosen the ache that had formed from being hunched over the laundry. You start making your way up the path back towards the cabin. The wind picks up cooling the sweat that was forming at the back of your neck. You mind the larger rocks along the path not wanting to trip and drop the laundry basket into the dirt like you had done last week. Finally, the small log cabin comes into view. Your brother and Mr. Sinclair had done a fine job building it, it overlooked the plains where the long grass and wildflowers grew. The outside had a decent size porch to stay out of the sun while you worked. You guys were still saving up for some glass windows, but you took some old torn dresses that couldn't be fixed and made some pretty curtains for it. And to the right of the cabin they had even built a small chicken pen and a bit farther to the right of that was the small pen for your two plow horses.
You and your brother had moved down from Maine to Independence some months back. Your parents had unfortunately passed from the consumption due to their older age. Your brother couldn't bear to stay in town and was set on settling somewhere new far far away from the farm you two were raised on for a fresh start. With him being your only remaining family you ventured out West with him. Mostly because you couldn't bear the idea of your brother doing this all by himself. He had insisted you stay back and accept the proposal from a gentleman in town who had fancied you. You'll admit you had considered it, he was a kind man who had a good job and nice home. Yes, you could've been happy and would've been taken care of, but ultimately you had turned him down. Mostly because you wanted to marry out of love. Not wanting to hurt him, you had explained to him that you could not settle down and start a family and live a life where your children grow up without knowing their uncle. He had understood as he also was close with his family and shared a similar sentiment. He had bid both of you farewell and wished you two goodluck. With that your brother sold your guys' childhood home, farm, and practically all of your belongings and headed west.
You set the basket of clothes on the porch. Sitting in the wooden rocking chair your brother had made you begin to wring out the clothes the best you could, wanting all the extra water out. Once you had finished with that you took the basket over to the clothes line and began to hang up all the larger articles of clothing. You left the smaller ones in the basket as you would hang those up above the fireplace later. Securing the last pair of your brother's pants you head back to the cabin with the wicker basket resting on your hip. You still had a few more chores to work on before you started on supper.
You set the laundry basket down on the table and head over to the large basin to begin washing the dishes. Luckily you had grabbed a couple pails of water earlier so you did not have to go back out into the sun to the well. You begin scrubbing at the dishes that were used from breakfast. As youâre scrubbing you hear footsteps coming up to the door. Odd you think, your brother normally didnât come back until the later afternoon but you donât pay it any mind.
âBack so early Peter?â you shout out to him without turning around. Thereâs no response but you hear the cabin door open up. Confused now on why he hasnât responded, you turn around and come face to face with two tall Osage men.
The first one closest to you in the cabin wears his long black hair loose. With a red and black headpiece near the top of his head clipping a few strands out of his face. His face is hard and rigid as he doesnât say anything to you just frowns. He wears a long coat with stripped pants. The man behind him is much different. His hair is parted down the middle and wears a similar headpiece to the other, but unlike his friend his hair is braided instead of hanging loose. Strands of long white beads adorn his neck. He is dressed a little lighter too in a long sleeve shirt and vest with striped pants as well. His features are much softer than his friends albeit just as stoic. His dark eyes are all consuming and are complimented by his full lashes. You feel like he can see right through you and you feel your face begin to get hot. He doesnât say anything but just looks at you and around the cabin. With his prominent cheek bones you canât help but find him extremely handsome. You notice both of them carrying sacks in their hands.
A million thoughts are racing through your head; composing yourself you quickly wipe your wet hands on the apron of your skirt. âHello.â you rasp out as your voice falters a little, but itâs all you can manage with your nerves. Both men donât say anything, just simply stare at you and around the cabin.You know Peterâs rifle is under his bed but you donât dare to glance at it or its direction. So instead you just try again.
âWhat can I do for you gentlemen today?â Your voice holds much better this time, a little more confident and strong. You plaster a smile on your face trying to be welcoming. The two exchange a glance with one another and you begin to worry maybe they donât speak English. Finally though the long hair one speaks.
âRent for landâ is all he says a little gruffly. Youâre relieved a bit though as thatâs easier to handle. Until you remember Peter took most of the money to replenish the shelves with some necessities from the general store today. A small pit grows in your stomach as you think of how youâre going to pay these men.
You nod your head though to show you understand. âYes, of course. I donât have much money right now, perhaps I could give you a few things instead if thatâs alright?â your voice is much meeker this time all the confidence washed away.
The long hair one doesnât say anything just approaches you with the burlap sack open now heâs carrying. You donât wait and begin to offer food to him. You hand him a jar of pickled carrots and some blackberry jam you had made. He examines each one before nodding and placing them in the sack. Next you grab a small bag of beans that was still half full and some sugar. Youâre silent as you just hand off the food. You carefully wrap half a dozen of the eggs from the chickens you were planning on selling and hand them to him in a small basket. He looks at them and places them on the table closer to the man with the braided hair. He has just been standing there watching the two of you. You make eye contact with him briefly before looking away to grab another jar. You ignore the way your stomach flips. The two of them begin to speak to each other in their native tongue. You hope theyâre happy with your tribute as you find a jar of pickled onions to offer.
You offer it to the one with the braided hair. He stares at it for a moment before looking back up at you through his long lashes. Your breath catches in your throat, but you just smile instead. You extend your arm a little more and nod your head gesturing for him to take it. His mouth twitches for a split second before he accepts the can. You step back from both of them and rest your hands in front of you. You hope this would be the end of it and they would leave soon.
The long hair man points to some canned food Peter had bought from the general store resting on the shelf between you and him. You winced as these were kind of expensive, but you comply and go to grab them for him. He says something to his companion that you cannot understand. He laughs slightly, and you have a feeling they probably werenât the kindest words. However, no response comes right away from the handsome one. When the handsome one does speak to his friend his tone sounds kind of harsh. You hand the long haired man the cans and he tosses them into the sack and they clink with the rest.
The handsome one speaks again this time moving from his spot that was at the center of the cabin and heading towards the door. A wave of relief hits you knowing youâre almost done. His companion follows however, he stops by the table where the laundry basket sits. Youâre a little confused about what caught his attention. He reaches and grabs something you canât see from where you're standing. A gasp leaves your throat when he picks up and raises your fatherâs pocket watch. You curse to yourself internally as you remember Peter had been winding it that morning. It was his most treasured belonging. Your legs move before your brain even processes what youâre doing. You make your way around the opposite side of the table closest to the braided hair man by the door.
âPlease no, that was my fatherâs.â you keep your voice firm using your body to block the exit. Both men look down at you, the braided hair one looks almost shocked at your sudden behavior change. The long hair one closes his hand a bit tighter on the watch. He stares down at you, challenging you. You begin to slightly panic, you shove your hand into your dress pocket and luckily you feel a few coins in there. Pulling them out you see about 35 cents. You offer it to the man, you know the watch is more valuable but you have to try. He holds on to the watch and disregards the money in your hand.
A thought occurs to you that you have something else to offer. You place the money back into your pocket. You reach up and pull the chain around your neck that was lying under your dress to the surface. As quickly as you can you undo the latch and from the chain you drop the small gold ring that hangs on it into the palm of your hand. It was your motherâs ring. Your grandmother had given it to her and her to you when you were sixteen. It had never properly fit you so you had always worn it around your neck instead. Tears begin to well in your eyes but you fight them back. Your brotherâs watch is more important. Clutching the ring close to your chest for one last time you pray your mother will forgive you. Looking to the softer of the two you hold the ring up to him.
âPlease take this instead of the watch. We canât lose that watch. I beg of youâ you plead with him barely holding the tears back. You swear his expression softens just a bit, he nods his head and takes the ring from your hand. He holds it out to his friend and says something you once again canât understand. The other one mutters something, but luckily he sets the pocket watch back on the table and snatches the ring from his hand. He shoves past the both of you and heads out the door of the cabin. A sigh escapes you relieved that itâs over and the watch is safe. The man is still there and doesnât move from his spot yet. Doing the only thing you can think of, you run back to the food. Grabbing the little cheese you had you cut him most of it placing it down on some cloth. You reach over from the table and grab the cornbread you made earlier. Cutting a large chunk you place it next to the cheese in the cloth. You wrap it carefully before rushing back over to him offering it to him. His expression is unreadable, but he takes it from your hands. The feeling of his hands on yours makes your stomach do a somersault as this time you feel what you can only describe as a shock run through yours. Once heâs taken it, you stick your hand in your pockets once more and pull out the coins from earlier.
âI canât thank you enoughâ your voice is barely above a whisper as you hold it out to him. He shakes his head no at you and sets down his sack at his feet. He takes a step so heâs standing right in front of you now. His hot breath fans your face and you almost shudder at the feeling. Using one hand he presses your fingers down gently towards your palm. Taking the hint you put your hand with the money down back into your pocket. You look up at him to find his large brown eyes already on you. His lips twitch again but no words come out. You donât know why youâre so disappointed that he wonât speak to you. He eyes look over your face one more time before he steps back and picks up his sack. And just like that heâs out the door trailing after his friend.
You close the door and latch it shut. You feel dizzy for a moment and slowly slide down to your feet with your back along the door. Bringing your knees to your chest you wrap your arms around them. You close your eyes and just sit there for a moment. You let yourself catch your breath and return to as close to normal as you can. A few tears escape your eyes, you quickly wipe them. After a few minutes you pull it together and get up. You stay inside the cabin for the rest of the day with the door closed and latched shut. Any chores outside can wait til Peter gets back or tomorrow. For now you just finish the dishes, hang the rest of the laundry, and get started on supper.
When Peter returns a couple hours later from helping Dr. Tann for the day you explain what had happened with the two men. Except you leave out the part about his watch and your motherâs ring not wanting to hurt him. He doesnât say much, just lets you talk while nodding along. Though you can tell heâs upset by the look on his face. Once you finish he tells you he'll be back and walks out the door. You shout for him to stop but itâs too late. All you can do is wait for him to come back. When returns in the evening, he seems less upset than when he had a left. You ask him what had happened and where he had gone, but he brushes you off. Just tells you itâs alright and everything has been sorted.
The next morning you follow your daily routine. You get up and change into a clean dress then brush your hair out opting to leave it loose for today. You get started on a quick breakfast for Peter and you. You start a small fire in the fireplace and place the heavy skillet down to heat up. While it heats you pull out enough dishware and cutlery for two. You serve Peter the remaining of the cornbread that was left from yesterday. Youâll have to make more today. You grab some berries from the counter that had already been washed and put a handful on both of your plates. Picking up a few eggs from the basket you walk back to the fireplace and crack them into the skillet. Satisfied with the sound of them sizzling you let them cook for a bit longer, before carefully scooping them onto the plates you had prepared.
You hook the kettle over the fire to start some hot water for you and coffee for Peter. While it boils you eat a little bit of your breakfast. When itâs nearly done you head over to Peterâs bed and wake him. You give his shoulder a bit of a shake, but he just groans, rolls over, and puts his back to you. âPeter, come on. Breakfast is done and you have to meet Dr. Tann again.â You are met with silence. Huffing at him you walk back to the fireplace to pour yourself some hot water to drink and make Peter his coffee. After that you finish your breakfast and place the dishes in the basin for you to wash later. Since Peter is still home you use that to your advantage and venture outside as youâre still a little shaken from yesterday.
Walking over to your chicken pen next to the house you scoop some feed from the barrel next to the gate. Opening it carefully to not let them escape you enter inside and scatter the feed amongst the pen for them. They cluck and walk around your feet happy to peck at the fresh feed along the earth. You let a couple of them feed from your hand. Once you finish distributing the feed you walk over to their shelter and collect the eggs that have been laid. Happy with the amount you head back inside to put them away and to fetch the bucket so you can head to the well. You come inside to find Peter barely sitting up in his bed. You shake your head at him before setting the fresh eggs in the basket. You grab the handle of the bucket before making your way back to the door.
âDonât blame me when your breakfast is coldâ you shout to him as you shut the door behind you. You donât bother to wait for him to acknowledge you.
Stepping off the porch you hear the sound of horses coming down the road. Looking to your left you see two men on horseback walk down towards the cabin. You recognize Mr. Mitchell and his horse, but right behind him you realize itâs one of the men from yesterday. Specifically the one who helped you keep your fathers pocket watch. This time though you donât feel uneasy, just curious.
âGood morning Miss Y/N. How are you this morning?â He shouts out to you.
âDoing just fine Mr. Mitchell. How are you today?â You say with a wave and a smile at the end. He stops once they make it down the road. Both of them dismount and tie their horses to a tree near the cabin. The man from yesterday remains quiet as he walks behind Mr. Mitchell up to you at the porch.
âIâm doing fine, thanks. I heard you met my brother in law, Little Puma yesterday. He wanted to come speak to you todayâ he says while throwing his head back to the quiet man behind him. âIs your brother inside? I had wanted to speak to him to see if he knew Dr. Tann was available today.â He gestures with his head to the cabin. Youâre still trying to wrap your head around what he just said about his brother in law wanting to speak to you. Both men are looking at you expectantly. Quickly focusing you nod your head.
âYes heâs inside. Hopefully awake by now. Please donât hold it against him if heâs not favorable right now. He has never been a morning person. And please feel free to help yourself to the coffee in the kettle.â You joke trying to keep everything light. It seems to do the trick as Mr. Mitchell just laughs and nods his head.
âWill do. I wonât keep him for too longâ he says as he walks past you and heads into the cabin. Leaving just you and Little Puma standing at the foot of the porch. His eyes are locked on you and the familiar heat begins to creep up your neck.
âHello Little Puma.â your voice rasps similar to how it did yesterday. You do like having a name to call him now and you like the way it rolls off your tongue a little too much. Youâre met with silence again leaving you worried youâve offended him. He seems different now standing in front of you. Almost as if heâs not as sure of himself as he was yesterday. Little Puma looks down at the floor for a second before he reaches into the pocket of his vest. He extends his hand out to you, resting between his thumb and index finger is your motherâs gold ring. Your hand flies up to your mouth in shock as you were sure you were never going to see it again. Slowly, you take the ring from his hand.
âI am sorry for yesterday.â He says quietly to you. You already began shaking your head at him to stop him.
âYou have nothing to be sorry for. I should be apologizing to you. Besides you have brought this back to me which I cannot thank you enough for.â You look down at the ring running your finger along the band. A smile is stuck to your face looking at the small ring. You place the ring deep into your pocket. Youâll have to do your best to remember to put it away until you can place it on your chain again later. âIt was my motherâs one of the very few things I have left of hers.â You do your best to explain. He nods in understanding.
âMyron shouldnât have taken it yesterday. We will not be bothering you again.â A part of you is saddened at the fear of not seeing him again. Very few Osage come into town and heâs not one of those who do.
âYou can still come by for tea or supperââ you stop yourself quickly realizing what you had just said. You wish the earth would swallow you up right now. Little Pumaâs face is equally surprised at your statement, both eyebrows raised at you. You stammer for a moment trying to recover from your humiliation. ââto work out the rent. We still owe you rent until there is settlement for the land.â Wincing you look at the ground before looking up at him again. He has a smirk on his face obviously very amused at your rambling.
âThat will work, until next time.â he says with a small smile and steps closer to you. Little Puma reaches out for the hand at your side and brings it up to his mouth. The touch is so light as he presses a kiss to the knuckle of your hands. It takes everything in you to keep your knees from buckling.
You two jump apart at the sound of the cabin door opening. Itâs Mr. Mitchell and your brother who looks much more awake now. Neither of them say anything at the closeness between the two of you. But Mr. Mitchell has a knowing look in his eyes that causes your face to flush.
The two men head to their horses. Your brother and you tell them goodbye. As they mount up and begin to leave Little Puma turns around to give you one last look before heading off. You hold onto his words and youâre already excited for his next visit.
pixelskylines
izzy806
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
vaporwave
areudirty
dailybridgerton
gummygunk
turnnoffyourmind
