Running Elk

by Elizabeth Anne Porter

  The women and children in the camp were wandering about in an anxious manner as he rode in. There was more activity than usual as the people moved in various directions in a rapid fashion. The air had a feel of uncertainty to it, and he seemed to be the only one without knowledge of the cause. Before doing anything else, he took a moment to say a silent prayer for his oldest brother.

  “Running Elk,” he heard someone call as he dismounted from his horse.

  He knew the voice well. He felt his muscles stiffen as he watched Morning Star’s approach. When he saw a smile cross her face, relief flooded through his tense body. If she was smiling and calm, then he was sure his brother was well.

  “What is going on here?” he asked, walking toward his tipi.

  “Kicking Bird and the other warriors are back. White Wolf has sent for you. Did you have any luck with the hunt?” Morning Star asked as she followed closely behind her husband.

  “Luck?” he asked, looking at her.

  The irritation of simply speaking with her was rapidly becoming too much for him. He did everything in his power to quell the sudden onset of anger towards his wife. The irritation he felt was unfounded and would do neither of them any good.

  “Luck in hunting?”

  “Does it look like I killed anything, woman?” he asked. “Did you see any dead animals when I rode up?”

  “No,” Morning Star answered, casting her eyes downward.

  “I will be at the council. Do not wait up.” It seemed even the guilt he felt when addressing the woman wasn’t enough to take the acid from his tongue. While he was walking towards his brother’s tipi, he decided he was going to attempt to be more charitable with her. She was a good woman, just not the right woman for him.

  When he was admitted to his brother’s tipi, he saw both White Wolf and Kicking Bird sitting near the fire. The outside of the shaman’s home belied the spirit of the inside of the dwelling. The inside of the hide was painted with mysterious scenes of spirits and symbols unknown to most, but sacred to the tribe. Inside, natural lighting, almost eerie in its prevalence, penetrated throughout. Drawings told anyone entering the tipi that its owner was a man of sight and immense healing powers. White Wolf’s home smelled of sweet, burning herbs which he liberally tossed on the fire.

  Running Elk’s brothers were both great men and he loved and respected them, so he showed his reverence by dipping his head before making himself at home and sitting by the flames. It was good to see Kicking Bird return unharmed from the raiding party against the Apaches.

  “How did you fare?” Running Elk asked, making himself comfortable.

  “We were able to capture over a hundred ponies,” Kicking Bird answered with pride in his voice.

  “No one lost their life?” Running Elk continued, asking the questions he knew he was supposed to.

  “Jumping Beaver broke his arm, but White Wolf says it will heal nicely.”

  “I am pleased to hear that. While you were traveling, did you happen to spot any buffalo?” Running Elk continued.

  “No, we didn’t. But I still consider the outcome of the raid a good one.”

  Running Elk didn’t completely agree with his brother’s last statement. “No buffalo in fifty miles and you act as if that isn’t something to be concerned with? More than worried, we should be angry.”

  “What good would anger do? My dissatisfaction is not going to bring the animal back,” Kicking Bird declared, looking from White Wolf to Running Elk.

  “No, I suppose it won’t, but you seem too calm. The herds were so prevalent a few summers ago that if someone had told me they would begin to disappear, I would have laughed and called them crazy, but it is happening. I miss the hunt,” Running Elk said, realizing he was anxious to hunt once again. Buffalo were a challenge, and hunting them carried the strong possibility of death. Knowing that made him feel alive.

  It was then that Running Elk realized he hadn’t given much thought to actual hunting since he saw Alexandria. Two Fires. As soon as her image entered his mind, a smile crossed his face.

  “Running Elk. Smoke the pipe with us and tell us of the game nearby,” Kicking Bird suggested.

  He did as he was told and took the pipe offered by his oldest brother.

  “It is good to see you again, my brother,” Running Elk greeted before he lit the pipe.

  “It is good to see you too. Now that we have discussed the buffalo, tell me about the game near the camp. Is it plentiful?”

  “There is no abundance of game, but I have never had a problem,” he informed his brother with a hint of superiority.

  “We are aware of your abilities, but we must know if there is enough game to feed our people through the summer,” White Wolf pointed out.

  “Honestly, I don’t believe there is. We need to hunt for buffalo,” Running Elk admitted, surprising himself with the confession.

  Going on a hunt that would take him away from the white woman was one of the last things he wanted to do. But if he was going to leave with the hunting party, he vowed to see Alexandria one more time before leaving.

  Running Elk noticed White Wolf didn’t bother to hide his shock at his little brother’s sudden interest in hunting.

  “At least you are still thinking of our people first,” White Wolf said.

  Kicking Bird watched both men before speaking. “Something happened while I was absent. Tell me what it is,” he demanded after taking a long pull from the pipe.

  “I have met a woman,” Running Elk answered.

  “Met? Running Elk, please tell me you haven’t spoken to the white woman,” White Wolf spoke in a chastising manner.

  “White woman? What white woman?” Kicking Bird asked.

  “Why wouldn’t I speak to her? I plan on doing much more than that.”

  “This nonsense will stop now!” Kicking Bird said angrily. He was not used to being left out of a vital conversation. Both his brothers stopped talking and gave him their complete attention. “White Wolf, what is it about the woman that alarms you? Did you say she was white?”

  He was shocked that his little brother would want anything to do with a white woman.

  “White Wolf, please do not speak until I have had my say. It is my right to explain the situation.”

  The shaman wasn’t pleased, but he nodded his head in agreement.

  “Kicking Bird, I saw a woman today, a white woman. She is traveling with two men and another female. She has an intoxicating spirit and I am drawn to her in a way that, to be honest, is foreign to me. I returned to the camp to share my news with White Wolf and he informed me he had seen the woman in his visions. I just returned from her. I did speak to her, and she wasn’t frightened by me.”

  As Running Elk told the story, a smile crossed Kicking Bird’s face. “Brother, I have never seen you so intent on anything other than hunting. If White Wolf has had a vision, it must be taken into account. What worries you about this woman?” Kicking Bird asked White Wolf.

  “If we allow Running Elk to bring the woman to our camp, then war will break out with the white soldiers. This is what I have seen. Brothers, our time as free people is coming to an end. Soon, we will not have our land. We will be forced to live the way the white man sees fit. Having that woman here will only hasten that very outcome. Do not get me wrong, there is no evil in the woman. I have seen that she has a truly loving spirit. The others in her party will cause the distress. And for that, I am very sorry. It is the way it is. I am sorry, Running Elk, but we cannot change the will of the gods or slow the advancement of the whites.”

  Running Elk had to convince himself that White Wolf did not want to hurt him. He knew White Wolf had the whole tribe’s interest to think about, but so did he. It was always the good of the people, first and foremost.

  Kicking Bird stayed silent, but the look on his face was one of saddened agreement. Things were going to change, and there was little any of the nations could do about it. Although that very fact had led to may spirited debates in
the past, it didn’t seem the time to begin another one.

  “White Wolf, Kicking Bird,” Running Elk said, standing and addressing both brothers. “I have always done what was best for our people and will continue to do so. I will not bring her here. But I will be with her. I feel I must. I have never felt this kind of need before. The urgency I feel is as confusing to me as it is to you. Tell me when you decide to leave for the hunt. I am going back to her and will return by midday.”

  “Running Elk, I know how you feel. Sparrow is my reason for breathing,” Kicking Bird said, standing beside him. “I believe I will ride with you tonight. I find I must see the woman that incites such passion in my younger brother.”

  Running Elk stood, exited the tipi, and walked until he was standing outside of Kicking Bird’s home, impatiently waiting while his brother talked to his wife.

  Sparrow walked out with her husband and embraced Running Elk. The woman was tall and tanned. Her beautiful light green eyes were the only remaining clue to her race. “I am truly sorry, my brother,” she said in perfect English.

  “There is a way for this to work, Sparrow. I just need some time to think this through.”

  “You are speaking the white man’s language well. I must be a good teacher.” He knew his sister-in-law was attempting to make him smile, and he appreciated her effort. “If this was meant to be, it will be. Please do not keep my husband too long. I have missed him.”

  Running Elk followed his brother to his horses. They mounted two of the finest and rode away. Kicking Bird looked back at his wife until she was but a shadow.

  ***

  The ride was uneventful. There were small green bushes that had taken hold haphazardly throughout the visible landscape and patches of out-of-control prairie grass growing anywhere it could find enough moisture. Every once in a while, the rhythmic sound of the hooves was interrupted by the occasional rabbit or fox running through the grass in search of the day’s dinner. The weather was perfectly comfortable and welcomed them to the vast expanse of emptiness lying ahead.

  The brothers had ridden almost halfway to the white man wagons before Running Elk thought about Morning Star. He had again left her without saying a word. It bothered him to think she could so easily slip his mind. The woman tried to be a good wife to him. Always there, reliable, and caring. But he had taken her to his tipi for all the wrong reasons. He had been young at the time and in love with another. But the woman who had held his young heart had been in love with everyone in the camp except for him. The responsibility of taking Morning Star to his tipi had come at the right time. There had been passion at first, but, for him, it had soon faded. She was always willing, but most women were with him. The damning prophecy his brother spouted would not deter him. He would have Alexandria. The passion he felt for her was strong and pure. He had to be as one with her. And he was sure it would happen.

  “You are deep in thought but still smiling,” Kicking Bird observed. “If the woman has affected you this strongly in the days since you met her, I believe I will need to seek some guidance. When we return, and after I have reacquainted myself with my wife, I will speak to Quanah on your behalf. You know as well as I do that Quanah will know what to do. He straddles both worlds.”

  Quanah Parker was the son of a white woman, Cynthia Parker. Cynthia Parker had been recaptured by soldiers when the warriors were away from the camp. The woman begged to be permitted to stay with her new family but the soldiers chalked her resistance up to brainwashing and didn’t listen to her. She was dead less than a year after they forced her to return to her white family. Quanah was sure his mother had died of a broken heart.

  Running Elk slowed the horse and dismounted as they neared the camp where the four whites were greeting a new day. A large fire burned behind the unimposing barrier the settlers had made of their wagons. The smell of coffee and bacon was thick in the air.

  Running Elk looked in the direction of the water and saw Two Fires preparing to bathe. The morning was warm and sunny. It held promises of a hot day. Running Elk watched as she carefully placed his necklace around her neck and gently caressed the beads with her fingers. Given that she was putting on the necklace, rather than taking it off—probably because he’d warned her not to wear it around the other members of her party—he felt certain that, as she slipped the necklace on, her mind was with him. Her actions embolden him to move nearer, knowing Kicking Bird would follow close behind.

  Her expression changed when she saw he was with someone. Her eyes displayed her confusion. Seeing Running Elk touch his neck where his necklace used to lay seemed to settle her dismay. He was smiling, and so was the other man. Running Elk watched as the woman decided the new man was not a threat.

  “The woman is unusual, and very interesting.” Kicking Bird finally said after watching his brother communicate with the golden-haired woman from afar.

  “She looks even more appealing when she is unclothed. I am going to her.”

  “No,” Kicking Bird objected, touching Running Elk’s shoulder in an effort to stop his uncharacteristically impatient brother from going. “It is not safe. It’s not the right time.”

  “You watch the others for me. Then it will be safe.”

  “I do not want trouble with them just for you going to look for her.”

  “It has to be now. We will be leaving for the hunt soon. We might be gone for some time and if I do not go now, if I don’t take this chance, I may not get another one.”

  “She is not worth dying for,” Kicking Bird said sternly.

  “She might be.”

  Running Elk dove into the water without making a splash before Kicking Bird could say anything else to him.

  ***

  A gasp of surprise slipped from Alexandria’s lips when she realized he was beside her in the water. She could feel her throat tighten and her knees start to tremble. Her body’s reaction to his presence was confusing to her but not at all unpleasant.

  “Good morning,” she whispered, looking him straight in the eyes.

  Her breathing had become labored and her voice sounded strange to her ears.

  Running Elk smiled at her and touched her cheek. She quickly moved her hand to cover his. His hands were so sensual. His fingers were calloused and he looked as if he hunted frequently, and the way his touch made her feel was almost too much to bear.

  His other hand grasped the back of her hair as he cautiously pulled her closer to him. She moved willingly into his embrace.

  “This has to be perfect,” he declared, moving her hair away from her face and gently kissing her neck, right above where the necklace lay. His eyelids were heavy when he kissed her.

  The kiss was gentle and simple until her arms came around him. She seemed to cling to him for her life. He had to pull away from her before he took her right there in the water. .

  “Where are your clothes?” he whispered, kissing her earlobe.

  ***

  Alexandria felt like, at least, if nothing else ever took place between them, she had had this kiss and felt his touch. Yet she desperately wanted it to continue. She attempted to calm her breathing and pointed to a large rock. She watched Running Elk move silently through the water and pick up the blanket she’d brought with her. After moving closer to the water’s edge, he placed the blanket on the ground and watched as she slowly walked out of the water. Alexandria had come from modest people, but as strange as it was, she wasn’t bothered by her nakedness. The man definitely made her lose her reasoning. Nothing was said between the two as she sat beside him and melted into his muscular arms.

  “Now,” he said, as he laid them both down and kissed her again.

  She could think of nothing but him. She had been touched before, but never had she felt her body burn. She carefully ran her hand down his chest. He was much more muscular than Richard. His stomach was like a washboard.

  “I must have you,” he said hoarsely in her ear.

  “Then please, take me.” Her voice was even shaki
er than earlier.

  “My only regret is I won’t be able to fully worship your body. You have been gone far too long already. His voice sounded gravelly and his breathing was labored.

  He rolled over on top of her and kissed her neck, then moved down to her stomach. Alexandria thought she was going to cry out. She had never wanted any man like she wanted him. His hands were on her thighs and gently pulled them open. When he entered her, she could no longer be still. A hushed whimper escaped her lips.

  “Everything about you excites me,” he breathed.

  Alexandria was still breathing heavily. While she was absently playing with a strand of Running Elk’s hair, she realized what all her girlfriends said was true. Making love could be quite enjoyable

  Running Elk slowly looked up at her and smiled. “I would lie here with you all day, if I could. We must get you back.”

  “I know. Will I see you again?”

  It was the first time Alexandria had thought about a future with him. All she knew was that she was not ashamed of what had taken place. But she did wonder what Running Elk felt about her. Respectable ladies did not go running off with Indians. She worried that he might think her a loose woman.

  “We will be together, I promise you that. But I must know where you are going,” he said, helping her to her feet and unenthusiastically helping her dress.

  “I told you, I don’t know. If I started showing curiosity now, they would all know something was different,” she explained. “Why can’t I just go with you?”

  As soon as the words left her lips, she regretted the question.

  ***

  Running Elk stood and took a step backwards, watching her as she finished covering herself. He couldn’t take her, at least not yet. He had to lead the hunt and had no idea how long that would take. But he knew if he left her, there was a strong possibility that he would lose her.