Once finished, the teenager looked up at the sun, wiping her hands on her apron. Adam'll be in for a break soon. He's nothin' if not methodical. With a grunt, she tipped over first one and then the second tub of water. When they were drained, she leaned them up against the table to air dry and retrieved more water from the well. After transferring the two buckets to the cabin, Kathleen scooped up the basket and went inside.
The basket was returned to the foot of the bed, ready to catch their dirty clothing for the next laundry day. Deciding she didn't have time for a bath after all, Kathleen opted to have a quick washing. One of the water buckets was partially poured into the kettle over the fire and she stirred it into the mixture of stew that had been simmering all day. She placed the second bucket on the table and pulled a coveted bar of lavender soap from the cupboard, along with a rag and a piece of linen.
The blonde hung the apron up on a hook by the door and returned to the table. Undoing the buttons on the front of her dress, she bared herself to the waist and dipped the rag into the water. She rubbed the bar of soap onto the wet cloth and proceeded to scrub her body, gasping at the initial coolness against her overheated skin. Once a fine lather had been achieved, she submerged the rag back into the bucket, swirling it around and rinsing it out. Again, she scrubbed, wiping the soap from her skin. The piece of linen was used to dry off.
As she shrugged back into the arms of her dress, she heard the door behind her open. "Adam! I didn't hear ye on the porch, love," she said, reaching for the buttons at her waist. "Sit down and I'll get ye somethin' ta drink."
Two things happened simultaneously. The sound of her husband's musket reached her ears - from out in the fields. And a rough hand grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her around.
Kathleen looked up into the dark and dangerous eyes of a native warrior. Blue eyes wide, she clutched her dress to her chest, covering herself, and stepped back. "Get away from me!" she whispered urgently, unable to make her voice work any louder.
The warrior looked at her partial state of undress and a wicked grin crossed his face as he stepped forward.
Out in the field, Stevens heard his young wife scream. He clutched his belly, trying unsuccessfully to hold his guts in place as he used his other hand to crawl towards the cabin. The two warriors with him spoke to each other in a strange language and he felt the sharp pain of a knife bury itself between his shoulder blades.
And then all was dark.
Chapter 3
Kawita
(kah-wee-tah)
Coming Together
1777
"Hau
, tanksi
."
The teenager opened her eyes and peered up at her friend. "Han
, tiblo
." She sat up, the buffalo robe falling away as she stretched in the dawn light.
Nupa Olowan
grinned as he handed her a piece of dried meat. "The hoksila
have come to watch the herd. You and I can return to camp." He then turned away to roll up his sleeping robes and tie them with a thong.
Rubbing sleep from her eyes, Wi Ile Anpo
inhaled deeply. She bit off a chunk of the meat before rising and following her friend's lead. "Do you think they have decided on the hunt?" she asked, by way of conversation.
"I do not know. It has been three days and Inyan returned yesterday with a vision." Nupa shrugged and adjusted the thong on his robes. "It must have been favorable. Else they would not still be counseling."
Anpo nodded in agreement. Finished with her own bedding, she rose and glanced about. The ponies were quietly grazing. Here and there, hoksila were taking up positions to guard the herd until such time as the camp decided to move on or until she and the other koskalaka
returned for another all night vigil.
Her best friend clapped her on the arm. "Let's you and I go to your mother's ti
ikceya
." He shouldered his buffalo robes.
"Are you interested in the food or my sister?" Anpo questioned with a wicked grin, leading the way.
Nupa followed along, his own smile rueful. "The food is good, but Hca Wanahca
is very easy on the eyes."
The pair laughed in the early morning sunlight.
Breakfast consisted of boiled grains and dried meat. The two sat at the fire of Wanbli Zi
as his woman and daughter served them. Waniyetu Gi made sure that her eldest daughter was the one to serve the fine young warrior that ate with them. Her man studiously ignored the fawning his eldest engaged in.
Anpo enjoyed watching her friend become all stoic and strong, his chest puffed out as he tried to impress Hca. At one point, the teenager had held out her bowl for more food but her sibling was so engrossed in flirting with Nupa, she'd failed to see it. It wasn't until she was gently chastised by her mother that she blushed and refilled the bowl.
"Did the night go well?" Wanbli Zi asked.
"Hiya
. Nothing happened," his youngest daughter responded. She ignored the slightly rolled eyes from Nupa. They'd had this discussion before.
The man looked upon Anpo with fondness. "Nothing can be a good thing, cunksi
."
The teenager shrugged, her dark eyes glinting with humor. "So I have been told."
Nupa shook his head in feigned disgust.
"A rider came during the night. One of the scouts," the older man commented, changing the subject.
The two young warriors' ears perked up in interest. "Did they find tatanka
?" Anpo questioned. Her friend leaned forward in eagerness, all thoughts of the beautiful Hca gone.
Wanbli Zi nodded sagely. "It has been said that they saw not only tatanka but also the camp of Wicasa Waziya Mani. The council is considering issuing an invitation for a mutual hunt." His eyes pinned his youngest daughter. "It has also been said that the tatanka
ska
is with the herd."
Anpo leaned back, eyes wide and a feeling of breathlessness overtaking her. She could hear her friend gasp at the pronouncement. It is the time of my vision! Thoughts and questions whirled around in her mind.
"You will kill the sacred tatanka ska, tanksi," the young warrior beside her said, nodding his head.
"You have seen this?" Wanbli Zi asked, aware of the young man's occasional visions.
Nupa nodded again. "I have." Turning to the young woman, he draped an arm around her shoulder and quickly hugged her. "I am glad you are my friend, Anpo! You will bring the camp much honor with wakan tanka
!"
Anpo accepted the embrace, her thoughts racing through her head. And what of the woman with hair like the sun? Will she bring honor? Or pain?
As the day wore on, it was becoming more and more difficult for Anpo to concentrate on her task. At other points in the camp, young warriors could be seen loitering about and appearing nonchalant as they awaited word from the elders. A tension filled the air.
Anpo was knapping a flint arrowhead in front of her mother's ti ikceya, constantly casting an eye at the council lodge. Her father was inside, counseling with the other elders. From somewhere nearby, she could hear the young women giggling as they went about their tasks. Her thoughts were focused on the winyan from her vision of four winters ago.
The tatanka
ska
had disappeared. In its place was a strange woman with pale skin. Her hair was long, longer than Anpo's, and a yellow the color of the Sun itself. Her eyes were the blue of a deep lake, still and clear. She was wearing the standard dress that all of Anpo's women wore, buckskin and moccasins, her hair flowing freely in the breeze.
This strange apparition rose from where the white buffalo had lain, blood pouring from her side where the white buffalo had been wounded. She walked gently closer to the girl staring at her in wonder. And then the woman put a hand to her wound, bloodying her fingers. She reached forward and brushed the blood onto Anpo's face, two thunderbolts beneath the dark eyes. As the Sun flare
d again, the girl could see those brilliant blue eyes staring at her intently and hear the words whispered into her ear.
"Mahasanni ki
."
Anpo shook the vision off. It had been like this since she'd originally had it - the sudden sensation of going back into time and being on the hillside again, seeing the woman with yellow hair, hearing her voice. The shaman had told her that it was uncommon for a vision to have so much power, but that this stranger must be wakan
for all of that.
At midday, Waniyetu Gi
served her a bowl of stew that was simmering over the nearby fire. Anpo's sister arrived, a basket of berries on her hip, and they ate their lunch. The camp was quiet and still in anticipation.
Wanbli Zi stepped out of the council ti
ikceya
, looking to his woman's lodge. Spotting his youngest daughter watching, he waved her to him.
The teenager blew out a suspenseful breath and rose, brushing the remainders of her meal from her breechclout and covering the flintwork with a piece of leather. She trotted to her father. "Ohan
, ate
?"
"The elders would ask you to volunteer to go to the other camp with an invitation," the older man said. Turning towards the sound of someone approaching, he smiled. "And you, Nupa."
The young man puffed his chest out, a grin on his handsome face. "I would volunteer to ride with my tanksi
, Anpo."
Smiling and shaking her head, the teenager said, "I doubt I would get from here to the ponies without you on my heels." Despite pride at being asked and joy that her friend would want to accompany her, a silvery-cold trickle of fear lodged in her heart. I will see my future.
Taking her response as an affirmative, Wanbli Zi smiled happily and ushered the two warriors into the council lodge to speak with the elders.
In the early morning darkness, Anpo dressed in her finest. It was said that how a warrior looked was an indication of how much he was loved. And, despite the one obvious difference between herself and the other warriors in camp, her sister and mother had outfitted her well over the years.
The tops of her moccasins were white and painstaking detail had been paid to the red sun symbols painted on them. Her buckskin leggings were their natural tan color with the exception of the fringe on the outer legs. Again, these were painted white with designs in red and yellow - the lightning, the sun and the buffalo alternated down each side. Her leather shirt was yellow and the same white strip of designs ran down the front from each shoulder to the hem. On her upper arms were strips of leather, painted yellow and contrasting with her dark skin.
Waniyetu Gi peered at her closely as her eldest daughter combed Anpo's hair until it glowed. Clucking disapprovingly, she said, "Your breechclout is old. I have another for you." And she moved to one side of the ti ikceya and rummaged among some leathers and furs.
Finished working on her sister's hair, Hca Wanahca pulled the sides back to tie up and out of her face. She then affixed a small eagle quill hanging down and a larger quill painted yellow sticking up.
Anpo watched her mother return with an expanse of white leather.
"This was to be yours after you killed the tatanka ska but I will give it to you now," Waniyetu Gi said with a smile. She gently laid the skin in her daughter's hands.
The teenager looked at it in awe. She has such faith in me! "Thank you, ina
! It is perfect!" She stood and immediately pulled off the current buckskin she was wearing, replacing it with practiced hands as her family prudently looked away.
"You look very handsome," Hca commented with a smile as she rose to her feet, her sister turned around like a proud male pheasant.
"And I have you to thank for it, cuwekala
," Anpo grinned back. She embraced her sibling and then turned to their mother. "And you, ina."
Waniyetu Gi smiled and accepted the hug from her taller and stronger child. And then she pulled away, pushing Anpo towards the tiopa
. "Now, go. Nupa is waiting."
The teenager ducked her head and kissed her mother on the cheek before scooping up her weapons and leaving the lodge. She could hear the older woman grumbling good-naturedly as she stepped out into the cool morning air.
Four men stood nearby with the ponies - her father, Nupa Olowan and his father, Wi Sape, and the shaman. She approached, adjusting her pouch and knife.
Inyan Ceye
stepped forward with a bundle of fur. "Here is the invitation for the chief of their camp. You will enter and speak to no one until you are spoken to at their council fire. Go right to their council and nowhere else. Give the chief our invitation and wait there until tomorrow. He will give you his answer for you to return here in the morning." He handed the bundle to Nupa who obediently tied it to his saddle.
"Ready?" Nupa asked with a grin, handing her pony's reins to Anpo.
"Ohan!"
Wanbli Zi smiled at his daughter's enthusiasm. "Remember. Leave camp and go south for a time. You will come across a large pine tree, split in two. From there, go west. The camp's cookfires will guide you the rest of the way. You should be there when the sun is high."
The young warriors nodded in understanding and hopped onto their steeds. There was a final word of good bye before they heeled their ponies and fairly flew out the eastern entrance. The elders watched them go before quietly returning to their lodges.
Once out of sight of camp, the two slowed their ponies to a trot, pacing them. Anpo handed her friend a piece of dried meat that her mother had packed them.
"You look nice," Nupa commented. "Is that breechclout new?"
The teenager nodded. "Ina gave it to me. She was going to wait until I killed the tatanka
ska
, but chose to gift it this morning."
The young man nodded. "It is an unusual color. It suits you."
"Hca called me 'handsome'," Anpo said with a wry snort.
Not seeing the humor, her friend looked at her with new eyes. With a slow, grudging respect, he nodded. "You are handsome, tanksi
." He paused in thought, his dark brow furrowed.
They cantered along a few feet before the teenager finally asked, "What?"
Nupa shrugged. "It is just.... My next words would have been 'You will make some woman a fine man'." He shook his head. "But, you are not a man. You are a wikoskalaka
."
Frowning, Anpo asked, "What of it?" She readjusted herself in her saddle and shrugged. "It has been this way all my life."
"But don't you want...?"
"What? To join with a man?" She snorted at his nod, shaking her own dark head in the negative. "Whatever for? I can hunt better than most men. I have learned how to scout and fight better than most men. Besides, I do not think a man would have me."
"Tanksi..."
"Hiya
, tiblo
! You know it is true!" They traveled a few more minutes, both deep in thought. "Would you have me?" Anpo finally asked.
Her friend sat straighter in his saddle. "I would."
The teenager burst out in laughter at the stoic, tragic face he held. "But, I would not have you, tiblo!" And she heeled her pony, causing it to rear up and shoot away.
The young warrior was only a second behind her, putting away his feelings of relief and dismay to race after his best friend.
"But, what will you do, tanksi
? You will have no children to care for you when you are an elder."
The teenager sighed and rolled her eyes. Nupa just would not let the subject go. No matter how often she cajoled, teased and changed the subject, it was always brought back to this.
The pair had already made it to the split pine and had been working their way west through the rolling plains. There were no stops for meals, eating on the backs of their ponies. They'd only stopped once, at a creek for their steeds to drink. The sun was nearing its zenith, an indication they'd not much farther to go.
"You know a
s well as I, tiblo
. I will adopt. Then I will have a son to teach." Seeing her friend's scowl, it finally occurred to her what his concern was. "You are worried that I will have no man? No one to sleep with?"
"I am worried that you will have no woman," he conceded. At her outright guffaw, he bristled. "Do you know how to cook for yourself? Tan hides? Sew? Do all the things your mother and sister do for you?"
"So, you suggest I find a woman who will share my robes?" Anpo couldn't help herself, she chuckled joyously at the thought.
It took a few minutes of scowling at his friend before the humor finally invaded Nupa's good senses. Soon, he was laughing as she.
"Tiblo!" she finally exclaimed when she'd controlled her laughter. "I will wait for you to marry Hca and move in with you!"
Snorting at the absurdity, the young man said, "Hau
! You will be my second woman then!"
This, of course, sent the pair into further giggles as they rode along. Soon, smoke from many campfires could be seen in the distance. They stopped long enough to go over themselves and their ponies, straightening clothing and dusting off leathers. Nupa pulled out the bundle that had been given to them by the shaman.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
Anpo nodded. "Ohan, tiblo. Let's you and I be welcomed."
The two rode for the camp of Wicasa Waziya Mani
, circling round until they reached the eastern entrance. Several warriors around the camp had already heard their approach and were standing ready with weapons at hand. Women and children hovered nearby, the young ones excitedly moving around to get a better view of the newcomers.
As they entered the main clearing, there was a flash of yellow at one ti
ikceya
and Anpo frowned, a vague familiarness tickling her mind. She pulled her pony up short and spun around, searching for the color and finding nothing but warriors beginning to take umbrage at this break from custom.
Nupa had stopped as well, alert to something causing his best friend consternation. Unable to see anything, he edged his own steed closer and caught her eye.
The intense look of warning from the young man brought Anpo back to her senses. They were unable to speak until they had been received by the chief of this camp. She nodded in slight irritation and they proceeded to the largest lodge.
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