Katelyn pulled her head back behind the wall. She listened to the padding of paws in the snow as they circled closer and closer to warm flesh. Tipaakke said tumme were habitual creatures. Their pattern was always the same. First they seek out their victim, study him, surround him . . . then they attack. She clutched her hands together, forcing the wheels of her mind to turn. She dug deep within herself, recalling all Fox had taught her about the instinct of survival. The wolves killed to survive. If she wanted to live, her instincts must be stronger.
I am Lenni Lenape, she told herself, as her breath came more evenly. Think. Her eyes narrowed as she withdrew within herself. A white girl couldn't escape a pack of hungry wolves, but a Lenni Lenape equiwa could!
Katelyn's heart skipped a beat. Was that . . .? Yes! It was! It was Tipaakke, she was sure of it! The sound of a whippoorwill pierced the night air again. Katelyn clutched her hands to her breasts in thanks. Then she suddenly realized that this meant that Fox was out there with them. Trembling, but without hesitation, she started forward again and peered from behind the wall. In the rising moonlight, she spotted Tipaakke's shadow just inside the line of the woods.
"Tipaakke!" Katelyn shouted before she thought.
The she-wolf shifted on her haunches, her glowing eyes on Katelyn as the others slinked in the shadows. The low growling penetrated Katelyn's very soul, sending waves of fear coursing through her veins.
Tipaakke shook his head, signaling Katelyn to stay back and keep silent. Then he lowered his body until he crouched near a leaning pine.
Katelyn could see he was thinking, weighing the odds. She watched as the grey wolves circled round and round until their circles encompassed Tipaakke, too. Still, he sat silent.
Finally, she could stand it no longer. An eternity had passed and he had done nothing but sit and watch the restless predators. "Tipaakke . . . " Her voice split the frigid air. Again the wolves reacted to the human voice.
"Hush . . . " His voice came through the darkness as if from nowhere. "Listen, girl." He spoke half in English, half in Algonquian, yet she knew every word. "They will circle closer to me. I am a threat. When I give the signal, you will run for the cabin. Your feet must not touch the snow. Let the wind carry you."
"Maata! No! I won't leave you."
"This is not the time to argue." Tipaakke remained perfectly still.
"I won't do it. You would never leave me . . . " Katelyn bit her lip hard.
"You have no choice. Do as I say." He stood slowly, unsheathing his knife in one fluid-like motion.
The she-wolf snarled, turning slowly in the direction of the moving human being. She bared her teeth, raising her head to release a long terrifying howl. The others answered, each with the same eerie, piercing moan.
"Fox, there's got to be a way." Her voice reached out to him pleadingly. "Rip the bellies of the muskrat you've caught and throw them to them. All they want is food. They'll go away." Her voice trembled as she spoke, not believing what she said but wanting desperately to.
"No. They would only be back."
"What . . . and you don't think they'll be back if they have you for their evening meal?" She took a step forward.
"I have my knife. Maybe I can . . . "
"There are six of them. They won't let you live." Her voice whipped out across the snow bitterly.
"There are seven, Katie-girl. The leader moves closer. She's getting restless, I can hear how her paws move in the snow. Watch the one that circles the farthest out. He moves like a young one but they're just as deadly." His voice was hardly a whisper.
"Tipaakke, please . . . " She took another step forward and her moccasins hit the snow.
"Now!" Fox's voice thundered.
Katelyn screamed as one of the males leaped through the air knocking Tipaakke into the snow.
She ran, as fast as the wind would carry her. She had to do something. Around the corner and to the door she ran. He couldn't die. He couldn't leave her.
She raced across the floor and grabbed the twig broom from its corner where it rested. Pushing the bristles into the fireplace, she watched as it caught fire. Out the door she leaped, almost falling in the snow. Her cloak fell from her shoulders as she rounded the corner.
The sound of barking, snarling wolves filled her head. Katelyn jumped over the still body of the young male and ducked under a branch, thrusting the burning broom in a face of glowing eyes. One wolf backed off yelping as it turned to run, then the next. Katelyn could hear Tipaakke wrestling in the snow as she backed the next wolf further into the brush. She had to get to him. She had to help.
Frightened of the blaze, the wolves turned to run one by one. Reaching Tipaakke, Katelyn beat the wolf on top of him with the flaming torch. The animals howled unmercifully and leaped into the air. The stench of burning hair and flesh filled Katelyn's nostrils. She let out a piercing Algonquian war cry as she sprinted into the woods following the wolf pack.
She didn't turn around until the wolves were well ahead of her and then she spun around racing back towards Tipaakke, the fiery broom still in her hand. Her lungs burned and her legs ached, but she ran until she saw his still body lying in a dark puddle in the snow.
"Tipaakke!" The broom fell to the ground, sizzling as it was extinguished. "Please be all right, please . . . " So much blood, she thought. Leaning over him, she gazed at his calm face. His eyes were half open, his lips parted. His fox cloak was covered with blood, yet by some miracle his chest still rose and fell jaggedly. Tenderly, Katelyn reached out to wipe the blood from his cheek. "Tipaakke?"
Slowly, he opened his eyes and that lazy smile crossed his face. "Where has that wild woman gone?" His teasing voice was hardly audible.
Katelyn's brow furrowed in confusion. He must be delirious, she thought. Sitting in the snow, she pulled his upper body into her lap, cradling his head.
"That beautiful Lenni Lenape maiden. You are only manake equiwa, white woman. Where is that brave woman who defends her man running screaming into the woods?" His breath came in short gasps as he recovered from the struggle.
"You must be all right," she laughed, still shaken. A blush creeped across her cheeks. "You are teasing me. I should leave you here in the snow. There's hot tea in the cabin." Her soft brown eyes caressed his blood spackled face. She hadn't realized how important he was to her until she'd almost lost him. He was all she had . . . and she loved him.
Tipaakke blinked as her tears fell, hitting his face. "It's all right love," he murmured against her hair. "Just let me rest a moment. Then we'll go." His hand slid to his side.
Katelyn's hand followed his. Through a tear in the fox cloak she could feel warm, wet blood oozing from a wound. "We've got to get inside, Fox. We'll freeze to death."
He nodded, wincing as he forced his legs to move.
"Can you walk?" She stooped low, looping his hand over her neck before she straightened up. Grasping his wrist, she wrapped her other arm securely around his waist.
Leaning heavily against her, he took a step. "You see, I can walk. I'm no girl-child. You don't think I'd give my life to skinny wolves?" He limped forward slowly, thankful for her support.
"I wouldn't be that lucky. Do you want to stop and rest?"
"No, I don't." He took a deep breath and started forward again. "You're going to have to try a little harder if you want to get rid of me."
"Maybe I could send you for a walk off the side of the mountain. We're at the door now. You'll have to step up." Katelyn ducked, releasing her grip on him. "Let me get in the doorway and I'll help you up." Pushing the door open, she turned around. "Give me your hands."
He raised his hands to hers and lifted his injured leg. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he shifted his weight and stepped up into the cabin.
"Just a little further, Fox." Katelyn led him to the bed, half carrying him.
"No . . . " His breath came in short gasps.
"No what?" Her eyes fell to the blood spattering the floor. She had to stop the bleeding.'<
br />
"Take me to the fireplace. I want to lay on the skins." He smiled wearily. "I never got used to your beds."
Knowing better than to argue with him, Katelyn led him to the hearth. "I have to get your cloak off."
Tipaakke reached up to tug at the corner of the fox cloak but she brushed his hands away.
"Unless you want to challenge another she-wolf today, you'd better let me do it." She slipped his arms from the cloak gingerly. His cloak and shirt were stuck to the wound where the blood was congealing. Good sign, she thought. He looks worse than he is. Easing the cloak from the wound, she dropped it to the floor.
"Take care with that." He grasped her arm for balance. Was he hallucinating? Another streak of light flashed within his brain. My mind is playing tricks on me, he told himself.
"Your cloak will be fine. A few stitches and it will be as good . . . " She glanced up at him. "Are you all right?"
Tipaakke pressed his hand to his forehead. "Yes. Just need to lay down."
Guiding him to the furs on the floor, Katelyn pushed a rolled skin under his head. "Now lay back. That's good. I need to see the wound. Can you roll over a bit?"
Patiently, he rolled over and allowed her to remove the stained muslin shirt.
Katelyn winced as she pulled the shirt from where it stuck to the oozing gash. She was relieved to see that it was long but shallow. Properly cared for the wound would scar, but he would live. After removing the shirt she could see that most of the blood must have been the young wolf's. Other than the bite on his side and a few scratches, he was unharmed. "Now the breeches, Fox."
He chuckled deep in his throat, letting her pull the rabbit skin breeches from his legs. "Tell me the truth girl, this is all you wanted." He gave her that lazy smile she knew so well.
Katelyn looked down at his naked body, her eyes caressing the long sinewy legs, the broad chest. "Very funny. I can have you any time. Now lay back and hush." She got to her feet, averting her eyes. There was no escaping him. She was lost. Even weak and injured he sent warm waves of desire through her body. Busying herself, she found her cotton dishcloth and ripped it in half, returning to kneel beside him.
Heating water over the fire, she dipped the rags in the scalding water. "This is going to be hot but it will cleanse the wound. Bites must be tended carefully. I've heard of people who have gone mad and died of animal bites." She dropped one of the steaming rags on the wound.
Tipaakke's eyelids fluttered but he didn't move. "I know of the sickness. I will not get it. It comes only from animals possessed by the spirit of madness."
Katelyn nodded, retrieving the other bit of cotton from the bowl and began to wipe his blood-stained face.
"I am very proud of you, Katie-girl." Tipaakke reached out to rest his hand on her knee.
"Fox . . . "
His eyes flew open. "Let me speak for once." Closing his eyes again, he continued. "You were not only brave, but you were smart. I wouldn't have thought to make a torch." He laughed, half to himself. "And certainly not from a broom."
Katelyn dabbed at his lips, embarrassed by his words of praise.
He grabbed her hand. "You acted as a true Lenni Lenape woman would have. This will not be forgotten. And for your reward, I will skin the dead wolf, and you will wear it as a headdress."
"I don't want any reward." She dropped the rag into the pot with a splash. Brushing back a wisp of fallen hair, she stared at the calm bronze face. "The wolf is yours. You killed it."
"But you deserve it. It is my gift, so you will wear it proudly." He opened his eyes, staring her face so near to his.
Katelyn lowered her lips to kiss him softly. "When you look at me like that," she whispered, "I could swear you can see me."
"I see with my heart." He tapped his breast lightly. "And if I was not wiser, I would think you cared for me."
"Well, I'm glad you're wise enough to know better." She shifted uneasily.
"You could have let me die. You were safe in the cabin. You came back for me. A man does not save his enemy from wolves."
Katelyn turned her head to stare at the wall lined with pelts. "It's been a long time since you and I have been enemies, Fox." Her voice seemed to come from far in the distance.
Tipaakke stroked her arm through the folds of doeskin. "Don't leave me, Katie-girl. Come home with me in the spring. We will make many songs together."
She turned back to him. "You're foolish, Fox, if you think we could ever have a life like that. Those were just stories your grandfather told you . . . songs of love and happiness. You live in a child's dream world. Our life could never be one of your Indian songs . . . "
Tipaakke sat up, looping his arm around her waist. "Now you're being too serious. You didn't think we could come this far. Dare to dream a child's dream. Sometimes they come true."
Katelyn sighed, staring at the burning embers in the fireplace. "Let me get some of those herbs Won gave me and make a paste. Once the wound is cleaned and treated, you must rest. I'll make tea."
Tipaakke nodded, lying down again. "You're doing it again . . . "
"Doing what?" She rose to her feet with the pot of water.
"Just like a wife . . . " He shook his head, clicking between his teeth.
"I don't think that's funny, Fox." She spoke icily as she crossed the floor to throw the foul water out the door. She didn't like it when he toyed with her feelings like this.
"I'm just teasing you, Katie-girl. You're very good to me." He added thoughtfully, "You could be, you know."
"Could be what?" She banged the pan down on the table and reached high on the shelf for the small bag of healing herbs.
His voice drifted across the cabin " . . . be my wife."
Katelyn's breath caught in her throat. Fingering the leather pouch, she turned slowly to face him. Was he teasing still? She didn't think so. "Don't say what isn't true." Her voice quavered. "It could never be." She stood staring at him stretched before her, his bronze skin shimmering in the firelight.
Tipaakke spoke evenly. "It could be true. I can marry anyone I want to."
Katelyn shook her head, pulling Tipaakke's spare muslin shirt from a peg. "They'd never accept me." She shook her head again.
"Who wouldn't? If I married you, you would be one of us." He shrugged his shoulders.
She took a knife from the table and started a hole in the shirt, ripping it into strips. "Are you asking?"
Tipaakke sat up slowly. "Do you think that's so odd? Why shouldn't we marry? You've adjusted well to my life. We like each other. Our life is good on the sleeping platform. It's time I had a wife. Once we return to the village, I must go back to my life as a brave of the Lenni Lenape."
Katelyn sighed, walking slowly to Fox, the bandages in her hand. She laughed silently to herself. This was the second proposal in a year, yet no one had spoken of love to her. She knelt, lost in her own thoughts as she mixed the herbs with boiled water and packed the wound.
Tipaakke remained silent, sensing Katelyn's need to think. He lay back to wait for her to speak.
Katelyn applied the herb poultice carefully and reached for the strips of muslin. She didn't want Fox to say he loved her if he didn't. But why couldn't he love her? She bit her lip, suppressing the urge to cry out in pain. It would make things so much easier if only he could say he honestly loved her.
"Katelyn . . . " His voice reached out to comfort her. "You don't have to decide now. We have time. We would have to be married by my father, but we could be married by minister if you wish. I know of a Quaker who would do it for us. You know it makes no difference to me what name we give the creator. He is the same by any name."
Katelyn looked up, her eyes caressing the broad cheek bones of the man she loved. She smiled sadly. He was the only man who had ever been kind to her. How could she think of asking for more? He would always protect her and keep her fed and clothed. He would never be brutal and never expect her to do something he wouldn't do himself. She reached out to brush a long dark stra
nd of hair from his bare shoulder, and he caught her hand.
"Think, Katelyn. I told you you would have until spring. I won't go back on my word. It's just something to think about." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly.
"Spring," Katelyn whispered as she leaned forward to meet his lips. " . . . plenty of time . . . "
Chapter Eight
"Wake up, Katie-girl." Tipaakke shook her bare shoulder. "Get up, lazy squaw. Your man has already gathered water and stoked the fire."
Katelyn's eyes fluttered open, focusing slowly. She pulled the fur wrap over her shoulder and snuggled deeper in the warm bed. "Brrr, it's cold in here."
"It will warm soon. Now get up, I have something for you."
She smiled lazily, watching as he crossed the room in one fluid-like motion. "Something for me? Why?" She kept her eye on him as she sat up, touching her toes to the cold floor. He seemed breathtakingly handsome this morning as he moved about the cabin dressed in a rabbit-hide jerkin and knee high moccasins. His wound had healed quickly and was already turning into a long, pink scar. The day after the wolf attack he rose early as usual and set out to tend his traps. He never made mention again of the wolves, but worked evenings on the hide of the young male he was preparing for her.
"It's a surprise. It's Christmas, isn't it?" Tipaakke poured fresh water from the skin into the pot over the fire.
Katelyn blinked in confusion. "Christmas? I think it's come and gone." She slid out of bed and reached for her doeskin dress.
"I say it's today. Now come and sit down." He patted a wooden chair, as eager as a child on Christmas morn. "I made you tea. You get the sugar."
"Sugar?" Katelyn's eyes grew wide with excitement. "I wondered what you were saving that little bit for. I love sugar in my tea. We always had it on Sundays."
"Sit down." He poured the steaming water into two pewter cups. "This summer we'll collect honey. I'll get English tea in my trading and then you can have sweet tea whenever you like."
Forbidden Caress Page 14