Gold Raven (71 page)

Hope shook her head
certain. "No, not since then."

Josey smiled, wrapping her arms around her again, hugging her gently, she asked
softly in her ear. "Are your breasts tender, maybe aching, especially the nipples? With
discomfort below, maybe a bit swollen, uncomfortable?"

Hope drew back with wide eyes, and then nodded blushing, she'd forgotten about those things. Josey caressed her cheek. "Dear child,
you are fine. No deadly ailment plagues you. You - are with child.
You and my son are going to have a baby."

Hope stared and then looked down at her belly surprised and in wonder. Her hand went to her flat stomach in disbelief as if it were impossible that such a thing could happen to her. She swallowed a sudden lump in her throat, looking back at her mother-in-law.

"Are you sure?"

"As sure as can be."

"But, it doesn't look like anything is in here."

"No, not at first, not yet it doesn't, but as it grows and starts to move-..."

"Move?!"

"Yes... move."

"Inside of me... it's going to move?!"

Josey chuckled at the look on her face. "Yes, they move, kick,
stretch and everything. You will feel it all, and you'll be able to see it
as well. Long Bow used to love watching my stomach move, he would
sleep with his hand on my tummy in the night, incase your husband
moved, and he could feel it."

Covering her mouth, Hope gasped at the amazement of such a
thing taking place right within her body. "Oh my God!" She
exclaimed. "Oh my!" She repeated incredulously.
"When will all these things begin? I want to feel it move now!
How long will it take? When will it be born?! I want to have it right
now! Right this very moment! I want to hold it... squeeze it so tightly!”

“
I swear... I'll love it the way I remember my mother loving me! Oh
when - when!? I want to spoil it rotten! Oh I want a girl! No... a boy!
Oh! No... I want both! Can I have two now! Maria had two! A boy
and a girl! If my brother can do it! Then so can Chief Red Crow
surely! Oh I can't wait! When, when, when!?!?!" She exclaimed in
ultimate joy. Her eyes filled with tears at the prospect of having a
baby. She thought of Lolita and Papo, of Celina and Esteban... even
if it were like Felix... she would not mind a bit.

Josey sat back laughing, wiping a happy tear from her eye.

"Well I'm afraid you're going to have to wait a while." She
informed her glowing daughter-in-law.

"For how long must we wait?!" Hope asked, coming back to earth,
the expression on her face so much as said,
'It had better not be long.'

"Emmm, let me think... I can safely say... you have at the very-
least, five - maybe six months."

"That long?!? I can’t wait that long! Why does it take so long?"

"Darling, you're creating a human being, a precious little boy or
girl. I'm afraid to hold it; you're going to have to wait. However, in
the meantime... it’s nestled away, safe and sound, right beneath you
heart. Trust me, once you begin to show and feel it move, you'll be in no hurry to give birth."

With the thought of that going through her mind, Hope was right
back into her mood of absolute joy. She was so happy, she thought
she might explode. She had to tell Red Crow, there was no way she
would wait. She begged Josey to keep her secret incase she saw her
son before she found him. Day dreaming of how to tell him, she left
to return home, her mind filled with ideas of what she would prepare
him for lunch to get him ready to tell this news to. She stopped with a
thought, maybe if they hurried, they could get another one started before the first came, which might give them the two she wanted, a
boy and a girl. Smiling at that fantastic idea, she resumed her walk
home; ignorant of the biological limitations of reproduction.

She no longer cared how sick she was, if that is how it must be,
she welcomed it. She was going to have a baby...Red Crow's baby.
On the way from Josey's yard, she passed Butterfly who was coming home. She giggled, gave her a big hug, a pinch to her cheek and took
off too happy to stand still for even a moment, Josey stood in the
doorway happy and smiling, wishing Long Bow were alive and
present to see his son's Gold Raven and the woman she'd become.
Butterfly reached her mother's side with a perplexed look on her face,

"Why is she so happy?" She asked.

"Oh... I think finally there is something to settle our dear sweet
Hope down." Josey answered, reflecting back on all the trouble within
the village that seemed always connected to Hope. As
one incident after another came to her through the grapevine, she
could only laugh. Thinking of Lena, she knew were she present now,
they would laugh and wait for the next adventure of the two lovers,
and the next challenge Hope would present to her son, Red Crow. She turned into
the house with her daughter who was asking questions about the
secret.

Enjoying the fact that she knew something her daughter did
not, Josey dragged out keeping the secret with the last thought of
Hope.
'Yes, you dear girl, Golden Hope Webster O'Brien... you are exactly
what he needs.'

Silkie Whisper decided she would go to the stream to wash her
hair, and then her laundry since her husband and Red Crow had come
together for a serious talk. Upon reaching the stream she realized she’d
left behind the special smelling soap that her husband had brought
from a trading post as a gift. Wanting to use it, she went back for it,
only to discover that Greeneye and Red Crow were already deep into
their private discussion. She stood a moment, not sure if she should
interrupt, in that moment of trying to decide, she could not help
overhearing their topic, which quickly absorbed her.

"You promised me you would stay out of this and leave it
between my wife and I. Why have you now brought this up?"

"There are many murmurs Red Crow, about the trouble your wife
is causing our village, look at-..."

"No... correct that." Red Crow returned cutting him off. Anyone mentioning Hope in the tiniest negative light sent his
temper to the top. "You mean the braves who are being forced by
their wives to treat them differently have been complaining and
murmuring! My wife is not to blame for how they have treated their
women... and now because they must give up treating them as
chattel, they wish to point their finger at Gold Raven! Well too bad."

"My friend, you are blinded by your love for this woman. Have
you not noticed that she is always in the middle of much trouble?
Have you not wondered why?"

"Yes, Rain-dance! And yes, she is spirited, with a mind of her
own, is that so wrong? I cannot believe you are saying these things. I thought you were my friend."

"I
am
your friend; however, I am also your co-chief. It is my place
to bring certain things to your attention if I am aware of them and
you are not."

"What things? I know of the many small incidents caused by my
wife. There is no need for you to tell me what I already know."

"My friend, it is not the things she does that I wish to bring to
your attention. It is the reasons behind these things I wish you to be aware of, the cause. I do not believe that it is her fault, these things
that are taking place. The peace that once dwelled here is fragile
at best; many braves have been turned from their tepees by their
wives-..."

"They should not have more women than they can handle!" Red
Crow pointed out.

Greeneye was trying to make a point and Red Crow, was too
stirred up to listen; so he blurted it out point blank, while not trying to offend. "Aaah, look who speaks with such an argument! You have only one and she is
more a handful than three! Now, I have something to say to you,
and you will listen. Many say they wonder if you can truly be their leader when you cannot even be leader over your woman. They say
perhaps it is time to put another as our chief-..."

"
You
, perhaps!" Red Crow shot, even though he had already
been considering handing over full responsibility to Greeneye and
another to be co-chief beneath him.

"I will ignore that. We have been friends since we were boys, the
words I speak, must be spoken as they come from those who now
follow you. Yet... in their displeasure with Gold Raven, they do not know what I
do
know. That is, these things that have occurred, do not
lay at her feet, but your own. These events are your fault."

"My - fault!?"

"Yes. Red Crow, you must listen to what I say to you. You must
heed the warning I will now give you, the spirits are angry with you
because of the deception against Gold Raven. If she is truly your
destiny, then she is a blessing that you have wronged. The spirits are
using her as a redeemer for the sin you have committed against her.
They will not bless our village and you as our chief until you right the
wrong you have done. She will continue to cause problems for us,
and things will only grow-..."

"You - are wrong! You promised never to mention my wrong
again aloud! Why are you using that as reason for my wife's
mischievous behavior? It has nothing to do with my deed against her. She means no harm against the braves or anyone else for that matter. She is just a fighter against what she sees as wrong.”

“
We have talked and she has promised not to interfere again."

"Red Crow...it is not just her! I feel that our entire village has
been removed from the protection of the spirits. I have had strange
dreams of things happening to you. To her, things that frightened
me, I think I am the receiver of such dreams because I am the only
one who is aware of the misdeed."

"Dreams? What kind of dreams? What do you mean?"

"Something is going to happen, Red Crow. I don't know when, I
don't know what but it involves you. It involves Gold Raven.
Repeatedly in my dreams, I see a gold raven that can no longer fly.”

“
It
limps about with broken wings, trying to escape a mighty beast that
consumes her before my eyes-
..."

"Stop it! Don't you dare - dare say such a thing! Nothing will ever
happen to her! Not her... it would kill me... Greeneye, it would kill
me!" Red Crow felt his eyes water at the horrible image that now grew in mind, a chill raced up his spine.

"Something is happening Red Crow, as we speak. Black Feather
and He Who Trembles? Where are they? It has been eight days since
they went hunting. They have yet to return. Others are also leaving
and not returning. Until you tell her the truth, that we met with her father and her brother — that she could have been with her family
now... or at least had time with them...things will continue on as
they are now."

“
I can t!”

"You must! The longer you delay, the harsher the punishment.
Just tell her that her father sought her out. Explain your fears for
keeping him from her. Tell her, her brother is with him now and they
are both searching. Tell her Red Crow... I'm telling you, if you do
not, the spirits will desert us... never to return."

"Enough! It is all... superstitious nonsense! When the time is
right, I will tell her, not a moment sooner. The time will-..."

"Never come!" Greeneye completed the sentence. "For each day
that passes, the harder it is to admit the lie. There was once a time
when you believed as I do. Now you change your beliefs to suit your circumstances and remove all accountability before the gods."

Red Crow stood silent, unable to make a reply with a feeling of
shame and heat stealing over him.

"I fear for you Red Crow.
You are asking for much trouble. No
one knows more than I how strong your love for Gold Raven.”

“
Ever
since we were boys, I have heard you speak of nothing but your
desire to have her as your wife, to possess her soul. For all your
education and
fancy
learning, how can you not know... that until her
soul is whole, no man will possess it? Your Gold Raven is like a vessel
with cracks and missing pieces. It is futile to try to fill it, all the love
you pour in, will only leak back out. You - must - tell her. You
must!"

Red Crow turned away with his eyes closed, knowing that every
word he said was true. With so much time having gone by, how
would he find the words to tell her and make her understand?

"I cannot - I simply cannot. I am afraid, so afraid. She will
never come to understand why I did it." He admitted regretfully. He
was looking vacantly ahead, then to his friend.