Wind Dancer was impressed by his brother’s words, by what the boy had suffered and for what the man now endured. He wished no obstacle stood between them, wished his brother had never disappeared. Yet, Cloud Chaser had been reared by Whites and could be lying to obtain revenge or to seek to help their enemies defeat them. If only so much was not at stake and he was certain his brother was honest, he would welcome him back this very sun and convince everyone to agree! But he could not risk losing another wife—his precious Chumani—and his second son to enemies’ blades. Tokapa had reached the same age as his first son when he was slain, so perhaps he should take that reality as a warning sign to move slowly and carefully. He also could not endanger his family, people, and lands. Or his honor. Because of the uncertainty, the future chief could only respond with evasion. “We do not practice the torture of sun-staking, Cloud Chaser,” he said.
That’s all you have to say to me after what I told you and after such a long silence? And you, Father, you have no words for me, nothing? Stay calm and clear-headed, Chase, he advised himself. No accusations or challenges. “I know it is not an Oglala custom, my brother, but I will yield to it if it will prove I speak the truth and am worthy to rejoin our family and band.” You must have doubts about me being dishonest and unworthy, Wind Dancer, or you wouldn’t have hesitated so long in replying. Are you feeling just as trapped by this situation as I am?
Wind Dancer knew it was just as difficult and painful—no, undeniably more so—for their father to remain silent and distant to Cloud Chaser as it was for he himself to do, but Rising Bear was caught in the same kind of snare of protective duty to his family and people. “Other things and ways will reveal the truth to us,” he said. “We break camp on the next sun to journey to the grasslands; we will not wait six more for the full moon as planned. If you want to come with us, be ready to leave when we do. Return to your camp for the rest of this sun and my sister will bring you food.”
So, Father, my little ploy failed and you stayed quiet. Your expression didn’t change a bit during my pleas. But I guess you’ve had plenty of practice holding that stoic mask in place when you confronted enemies. I know you’re a brave man because your tepee and shield paintings and the stories I heard about you when I was a child and those at the forts shout of your prowess. What are you proving by giving me a winter shoulder and deaf ear? Chase drew a deep breath. “I need a bath; I am sweaty and bloody from the hunt. Where is a good place to go? I cannot use the river while women do their chores there and nearby.”
After Wind Dancer gave him directions, Chase asked, “Do I go there alone, or do you want to send a guard with me?”
“I send no one to watch you.” If you escape, that is your choice and the Great Spirit’s plan. But it will be difficult to get far without your horse and weapons. And you cannot reach the enemy in time to endanger our camp here before we leave. But I hope you are not foolish and do not damage all the good you have done, my brother. I cannot tell you such things, for they might prevent you from acting as you would without hearing them. “Hanmani will bring you food before you wash your body.”
Chase glanced at his father, whose gaze was lowered, and at War Eagle, whose calm gaze was locked on him. He nodded to his younger brother who returned the gesture, and departed. He walked to his solitary campsite and sat down by the log, feeling tired and depressed. Or was it more? he wondered. Was he soul-weary and defeated? Was he wasting his time and energy there? Was he pursuing an unattainable goal, as he had with the ghost horse when he was ten years old? The objective of both events were the same: winning his father’s approval. Maybe he should just admit to himself this was a mistake, stop punishing himself, get the tarnation out of this place, and go find himself and peace elsewhere. He sighed deeply. No, he couldn’t leave, not now, not after meeting Macha. Even if a reunion with his family wasn’t his destiny, surely Macha was a part of it. Maybe finding her was the only reason he had been summoned there.
When Hanmani came to bring Chase food, she had with her another treat from Macha and a gift from Macha’s parents for saving their son from the badger’s attack, as it was the custom to reward one for a good deed. “They could not approach you on this sun, so Leaning Tree and Root asked me to bring this shirt to you. She finished it this morning for her husband, but they believe it should be given to you, and your size matches that of Leaning Tree. They say both are good signs the shirt was meant for you and this brave and generous deed. The berry and nut bread is from Dawn.”
Chase was surprised by the two gifts. He accepted the garment and noticed with pleasure its fine beading and dangling fringes from the sleeves and at the waist. But it was the leatherenclosed treat from Macha which thrilled him most. “I did not know River’s Edge was Dawn’s brother before I helped him,” he said to Hanmani, “but I am happy one she loves is unharmed and alive because of me. Carry my thanks to Dawn and her parents for their gifts and kindness.”
After Hanmani nodded and stole a glance behind her, she whispered, “I will give you time to eat and wash in the forest stream. Wait for Dawn to come. I will stand watch while you talk, for you must not be seen together.”
“Does Dawn want to meet with me in the forest?”
“I have not asked her, but she will come to you after we speak.”
Chase recalled his thoughts before Hanmani’s arrival, and felt he could trust his sister. The facts that she would aid him and that Macha would take such a risk both elated and unsettled him. “How will you two sneak away from camp?” he asked her.
“We must gather more wood before darkness comes. I heard my first brother tell you to go wash your body. I will bring her nearby soon.” She eyed him and asked, “Do you not wish to see her for a short time, for this will be the only time you can do so before we break camp? During our journey and stay on the grasslands, a secret visit will not be possible.”
Chase realized she misunderstood his hesitation. “I wish to see her for any span of the sun I can steal, but I do not want to cause trouble for you or her. We must make certain we are not caught.”
Hanmani understood her father and oldest brother’s motivations from talk she had overheard, but she was certain her actions could not imperil her family and people. Even if she had misjudged Cloud Chaser, his interest in Macha would give Macha the courage and strength to reject or at least slow Two Feathers’ pursuit. Although Hanmani was almost always obedient and honest, she was consumed by the fact she believed her best friend and brother were meant to be together. She feared if she did not quickly help them move closer, something or someone would step between them and would cause farreaching harm to the Great Spirit’s plan from the dream. Since this was the will of the Creator, what she was doing could not be wrong, though others would think so. “Eat and go,” she told Chase. “I will keep my eyes on your camp to see when you leave it. Soon, we will join you near the stream.”
Chase was rilled with renewed vigor. “Thank you, my sister. You are my best, my only, friend here. You and Dawn,” he added.
“The sun will rise when you have many more.” She smiled and left.
Chase’s spirits rose as he recalled what Lucy Martin had told him on many occasions when things moved too slowly to suit him: “Sometimes, to our way of thinking, the Good Lord moves at a snail’s pace or sends us in a crazy direction, but it’s for a special reason. Be patient and trusting and walk whatever path He sets before you and you won’t be sorry.”
Chase bathed and yanked on clean clothes as fast as possible, his spirits soaring with anticipation and his body quivering with suspense. He was glad he took after his father and the Indians in at least one way—he never had to shave his face and he had little hair on his arms and legs and none on his chest. As he paced near the stream’s bank while waiting for Macha, he began to worry she would not come. Perhaps he’d gotten ready more quickly than his sister had expected. But if they didn’t arrive soon, the visit would be over before it began.
At last, they came into
view, and his heart leaped with excitement. His sister seemed very alert, frequently glancing around her. He couldn’t stop staring at Macha as she came forward. He listened as Hanmani reminded her of the bird call she would send forth if anyone headed in their direction. He smiled and thanked his sister, who sent him a cheerful grin, her dark gaze and expression full of delightful mischief.
After Hanmani moved far enough away to give them privacy while she kept watch, Chase murmured, “I am happy you came, Dawn, but I do not want trouble to attack you for doing so. Thank you for the gifts you sent to me, for I enjoyed each bite. My heart filled with happiness at your generous deeds.”
“I come to thank you for your generous and brave deed, Cloud Chaser. My family’s hearts would be filled with sadness if my brother had been slain or injured. We are grateful you kept him in our Life-Circles.”
Chase knew the warmth assailing his body wasn’t totally due to the hot weather. Macha sparked flames of love within his heart and the heat of desire within his loins. How she had done so this quickly, he did not know. “It was good to hunt as your brother’s companion. I did not know he shared your bloodline before I helped him and I would have done so even if he was not cherished by you, but it pleases me you are his sister and I was given a chance to catch your eye and warm your heart toward me.”
Macha felt hot and quivery and weak inside just from being near him. He filled her head with dreamy thoughts and her body with fierce cravings. She had first come to love him as a child, and those feelings had increased since his return, as if she were being carried away in a whirlwind. “How could your deeds not warm my heart, for we were friends as children, Cloud Chaser, and we are friends on this sun?”
“Is it too soon to tell you I hunger for us to become more than friends one day?” When she stared at him wide-eyed, he asked, “Did I speak too soon or speak words you do not wish to hear?”
“I do not know what is best to say.” How should she answer him? What was “more than friends” to him?
“I do not want to frighten or insult you, Dawn, but I must reveal what lives in my heart. We break camp on the next sun; we will not be able to speak alone after we begin our journey. If you do not want to answer me here, that is not wrong. I speak now to prevent Two Feathers from stealing you before I can do so.”
Macha’s heart beat faster. He had made his meaning as clear as the stream’s water with his last words. She was too amazed and elated to respond to him, so she listened intently as he continued.
“My cousin made himself my enemy when we were boys and he does so again while we are men. If he learns of my strong feelings for you, he will seek you out if only to harm me. Do not join to him,” Chase pleaded, “for he is unworthy of you. I have not proven I am worthy of you to this moon, but I will seek to do so on every sun which rises.”
Macha looked into his golden-brown eyes and she was convinced he spoke the truth. “Do not fear, Cloud Chaser, for I grasp the wickedness which lives within Two Feathers. I have no love or desire for him. I will not join to him unless I am forced to do so. My parents and our people do not see his bad side, for he hides it with cunning. He is viewed as a great warrior, a man from a chief’s bloodline. If he speaks for me, they will not understand if I reject and insult him.”
As Chase listened and watched her, suddenly memories poured into his mind like water cascading over a towering rock. He remembered sitting behind bushes and rocks with her while whispering and playing, hiding their special friendship from other children, for opposite sexes rarely played together, and many boys considered him unworthy of attention. Long ago, she had slipped him little gifts and praised his boyish prowess and urged him to believe in himself and comforted him when other boys or his father wounded his pride or feelings. He recalled giving her a gray hare’s pelt, white during the winter season, and how she had made a pouch with it and kept her small treasures inside. How could he have forgotten such important-times? Why had those memories returned at this particular moment? Was it because she was bringing them to the surface?
“Why do you smile, Cloud Chaser, when I speak such bad news?”
He disclosed what he had been thinking and it coaxed a smile to her lips. “Do you remember such times and things we shared?”
“Yes, for they stayed as green as the pines even during winter. When you were taken from us, I suffered much from the loss of my best friend. I became the companion of your sister to be close to anything which carried a part of you within it. As the seasons passed, we became best friends. I believed you would be returned one sun, and it has come to pass.”
Chase hadn’t known he could be so happy. Yet, everything about this woman created joy within him. She had not scorned him in the past and was not doing so today. Surely it was possible to win her, unless…“What if I am rejected and sent away again?”
Macha frowned in dismay, then smiled. “Surely you will not, for the Great Spirit called you here for a purpose.”
“What if that reason has already been fulfilled?”
“I do not understand. You are not yet a Red Shield again.”
“What if that purpose was only to be reunited with you?”
Before she could reply, Macha heard Hanmani’s bird call. “Hanmani calls me. I must go.”
Chase cupped her warm face between his hands, leaned forward, and brushed his lips lightly over hers. “Think on me, Dawn, for you will enter my thoughts each time I breathe. Go quickly, Sunshine of my heart.”
“I will think much on you, Cloud Chaser,” she said, and left, only to discover that Hanmani had been overcautious. No one was coming. She wished she could have finished her talk with Cloud Chaser, but perhaps it was best not to risk exposure by being gone too long. Flushed with joy, she rapidly told her friend all that had happened.
Hanmani hugged her and laughed. “Did I not tell you your Life-Circles would be entwined one sun, for it was revealed in the Creator’s dream message to my brother? When the moon comes in the seasons far ahead, you will help me capture the man who steals my heart,” she murmured mysteriously, then gave a romantic and dreamy sigh.
Chase waited for a short while, then headed back to his campsite to bed down for the night, hoping his dreams would be filled only with Macha. Tomorrow morning the Red Shields planned to leave for the annual buffalo hunt on the Plains. He was being allowed to go with them, but could never have guessed what was going to happen next…
Chapter
Six
In the middle of the night, Chase was awakened by rumblings of thunder. Flashes of lightning lit the sky and he felt a strong wind blowing over him. He felt and smelled heavy moisture in the air, could almost taste it when he opened his mouth and breathed. He knew it was not unusual during that time of the year for violent summer storms to come without warning, and strike with awesome power.
“A storm comes fast, Cloud Chaser; it will be large and long. Gather your possessions and come to my tepee for shelter and sleep.”
Startled, Chase reflexively grabbed his knife as he whirled and looked up at his older brother as the man arrived without his knowing and spoke from behind him. With him on the ground and with Wind Dancer standing close by, his brother seemed taller and larger than he actually was. Clad only in a breechclout and moccasins, his brawny muscles and sleek coppery flesh were displayed. The light of the nearly three-quarter moon, which was not yet obscured by clouds, and flashes of brilliant lightning also illuminated the Sun Dance scars upon his broad chest, as well as a few other scars. Chase studied his brother. In any world, Wind Dancer would be considered handsome and virile. In face paint and his finest array, surely Wind Dancer would strike fear and hesitation into the heart— the very soul—of any enemy.
As he sheathed his knife, Chase pushed aside those thoughts and said, “Your heart is good, my brother, and I thank you.” As he gathered his things and packed them with haste, he added, “Your skills and cunning are large as the mountain, for I did not hear or see your approach.” He glanced
at Wind Dancer, who only nodded his appreciation. He tossed his bedroll over one arm, retrieved his saddlebags, and stood. “I am ready to go. We must tend the horses,” he added, concerned about his beloved animal.
“I tended them before I came to you; they are safe.”
“Thank you, my brother, for Red is my friend.”
They hurried to a colorfully decorated and well-constructed abode, and entered quietly to prevent disturbing Tokapa. Using the glow of a small fire, Wind Dancer motioned to where Chase should spread his mat and store his possessions, then took his place beside Chumani and near their son.
Before reclining to pass the remaining night dry and cozy, Chase glanced at his family and smiled with pleasure. If only, he thought, good luck and the Creator would grant him a wife and child of his own, he would be the happiest man alive. He lay down, closed his eyes, and soon slumbered in peace.
Unsettled by the same worry as his older brother, War Eagle had left his buffalo mat and gone to peer out the open flap to study nature’s menacing signs. Only after he’d sighted Wind Dancer guiding Cloud Chaser to his tepee not far away, had he relaxed. He sealed the entrance against an imminent deluge and returned to his former position. As he did so, he heard his mother whispering to his father.
“The storm will be bad, my husband; Cloud Chaser has no shelter.”
Winona’s concern for Omaste’s intrusive son took War Eagle by surprise, but pleased him. He did not give Rising Bear time to consider a hard decision before he murmured, “He was taken to my brother’s tepee as I looked out, Mother. He will be safe and dry from the storm.”
“That is good, my second son,” Winona replied. “Return to sleep.”
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