Under a Painted Sky

Sammy has not drowned, but instead is saved by West. While she survives, Lady Tin-Yin, her violin, does not. This is a great loss for Sammy, for not only had the violin been in her extended family for four generations, it was the only valuable family heirloom that survived the fire outside of the bracelet that her father had given away. Sammy considers the violin like a friend and mourns its loss. West brings back two important items from his trip to the fort: a notebook and a map.

West begins to avoid Sammy, which is obvious to everyone. Andy tells the group another story—this time a romance about a snake, Princess Bonita, and a rabbit, Prince Zachariah. The story is understood differently by the listeners. Peety thinks that the moral is for everyone to stay “on their side of the fence” (212) while Cay thinks the star-crossed lovers should run away together, to which West retorts that “that is impossible, fool” (212). For Sammy, the story means that nothing can stop true love.

An encounter with wild stallions turns ugly and results in West being injured and the stallions being killed. As Andy sews up West’s wound, West nuzzles Sammy’s neck.