Lakota Winds (Zebra Historical Romance) (26 page)

Afterward, they snuggled, kissed, and stroked each other until they
drifted off to sleep peacefully for the remainder of the night.

Chumani tried to keep herself busy and distracted as she awaited her
best friend's return. She was pleased with how Hanmani tended and
calmed Cetan, and how her hawk responded to the girl's gentle touch
and soothing voice. She loved and trusted her two-winged companion,
for they had been together for many circles of the seasons. It would
pain her deeply if anything ever happened to him, though she suspected
he would one day take a mate and leave her for his rightful existence
as a soarer of the sky and dweller of the forests and mountains. Thanks
to Hanmani, she would not worry about his care and safety while they
were gone.

At midday, a shout went up from the children that Red Feather was
returning, and Chumani's gaze rushed toward that direction. When she
sighted Zitkala riding beside him, joy and relief flooded her. She did
not wait for them to reach her; she almost raced to join and greet them.
"You are back!" she cried. "It is good for my eyes to see you again."

Zitkala laughed at her friend's animated expression and teased, "Only
three moons have passed since you did so, and it would be longer if
we had not ridden fast, as the wind blows during the cold season."

"There was much danger and trouble after your departure. I feared
our enemies had trailed and attacked you, though my husband said
no.

Red Feather's smile vanished as he asked, "What peril struck?"

Quickly, Chumani related the gist of the grim incident during his
absence and finished, "Wind Dancer tends our horses in the canyon
and will return soon; he will tell you more. We are to leave after you
rest and eat."

"I will seek him out to talk. We will come to his tepee soon."

After Red Feather took their horses to drink and graze for a while,
Chumani and Zitkala went to the tepee to talk and prepare themselves.

In a near whisper and with a merry grin on her face, Chumani said,
"I saw how you two were looking at each other. Tell me everything.
Was your journey good? Has he entrapped your heart?"

"We shared many special words and kisses, but we did not unite our
bodies on the sleeping mat. It was hard to resist the temptation to
explore and enjoy such feelings, but we do not know each other well
enough to surrender to them so soon." She paused before asking, "What
is it like to do so with one you love and crave?"

Chumani knew her friend's words and mood were serious, so she
made no jests. "It is the most wonderful experience you can have,
Zitkala. It is as if all else fades away for a time and all you hear, see,
feel, smell, and taste is your loved one. Love is powerful magic, my
friend, it enslaves you."

"That is how it is with Wind Dancer but was not with Dull Star,"
her friend reminded her.

"That is true, for I did not love or desire my first mate; I did not
even care for him as a friend or band member. His pride was too large,
and his thoughts were as twisted as a hair braid. He was not gentle or
kind. I was viewed and treated as a possession, a lowly one, despite my
rank as our chief's daughter and his wife. Wind Dancer matches him
in no way."

"That is good, Dewdrops, and it is the same with Red Feather. He
is good and kind and gentle, but a great warrior and skilled hunter.
There is no man in our camp to match him in all ways and deeds. He
is the first man to flame my body, to cause my heart to beat fast, to
make my mind roam as in a beautiful dream. He does not find my
looks and manner repulsive. He does not view me as being foolish and
manly. He praises my skills and encourages me to use them. He makes
me realize I am a woman. He brings forth the feminine instincts buried
deep within me. Is it wrong to yearn for him and such things so quickly?"

Chumani hugged her friend and smiled in joy. "No, Zitkala. Do you not remember how I desired Wind Dancer from the first time I
saw him? I did not understand such a hunger and I fought it in a fierce
battle. I did not win, and I am happy I lost that conflict. I am sure he
desires and enjoys me on the sleeping mat. He accepts me as a wife,
friend, and companion. But I yearn for more, Zitkala; I hunger for his
love. Only by sharing love can our relationship grow strong, be happy
and enduring."

"Have you told him of such feelings and thoughts?"

"I wait for them to fill my husband's heart and mind before I speak."

"How will you know if or when they do if he rides that same path
of resistence?" Zitkala asked.

"He is brave, so he will tell me."

"He will do so, for he cannot resist your magic and challenge. I hope
it will be the same for me and Red Feather. If he turned away from
me after awakening such feelings, it would freeze my heart as water in
winter."

"He is good and honorable, Zitkala, so he will not lead you down
a cruel trail. I trust my husband, and he said his friend's interest is real
and strong."

The entire band gathered in the center of camp to watch the five
riders leave to carry out their first task. The small group listened as the
shaman, with his wife, Little Turtle, beside him, prayed to ask for
protection and guidance from the Great Spirit for what loomed before
them.

As family, relatives, friends, and society members spoke with the
men, Chumani glanced around at the Red Shields, many of whom had
helped prepare the Crow garments and moccasins and had provided
some of the enemy possessions to be left behind as implicating items.
Her gaze paused on a stoic-faced Wastemna who stood with her parents.
She smiled at the woman, but Wastemna did not respond in kind.
What astonished and intrigued Chumani was the look on Wastemna's
mother's face. She wondered if she were mistaken or if she had truly
seen a brief expression of hatred and hostility toward her. If so, why? She realized this was not the time to ponder such a matter, so she
dismissed both females from her mind. She looked at Hanmani with
Cetan perched on the girl's shoulder and sent them a smile. She did
the same with her husband's parents and grandparents. Then it was
time to leave.

Wind Dancer, Chumani, War Eagle, Red Feather, and Zitkala guided
their mounts out of camp, and soon left it far behind as they galloped
over rolling grassland with scattered trees and bushes. They headed
eastward toward the area where Whites had settled near several trading
posts along the great river. Soon their clever trickery would begin, and
all hoped it would provoke distrust and trouble between the Wasicun
and Apsaalooke to distract those enemies from attacking the Red and
White Shields.

For two and a half days and using a swift pace over fairly easy terrain,
the small band traveled near the lengthy Sahiyela River, along whose
banks were situated trading posts, trapping sites, many white settlers,
and, further south, Fort Pierre, and upon whose swift and deep waters
steamboats plied their trade.

They sneaked toward the first homestead under the cover of near
darkness beneath a rising half-moon. They were clad in garments with
Crow designs and colors just in case they were sighted, though their
plan was to try to get in and out without being seen. They did not
want to risk being wounded or slain by "firesticks" while they pulled
their sly trick of stealing horses and then leaving them near a Crow
camp.

When they reached the corral, the five talked softly, and gently stroked
the nervous horses into a quiet calm. In a short time, they had the
creatures tethered and led from the corral and another from a small
barn. They walked them to where their mounts awaited and left quietly
after discarding a broken Crow wristlet at the corral. That, along with
the marked arrow and the distinctive moccasin tracks of each tribe,
would cause the Apsaalooke to be blamed for the theft. They hoped the Whites would summon the Bluecoats to follow the horses' trail to
where they would be found picketed near one of the Crow villages.

They repeated their actions at two more sites, adding the new animals
to the enlarging herd hidden nearby, though all they left at those scenes
were identifiable Crow moccasin prints, as their tribal footwear mounded
on the outside and sank inward on the inside. They were happy to
complete so much of their initial ploy without exposing themselves or
confronting any perils. Yet, they knew their good fortune would not
last, as some of the tasks looming before them were more daring and
dangerous.

At the last location, a lengthy distance from the other three, they
faced their first challenge. A white man was standing near the wooden
fence, smoking a short pipe and gazing at the stars. The group discussed
whether to skip that place or get rid of the man, who might impede
their mission.

"Do not slay him, mihigna, "Chumani whispered, "for he may have
a wife and little ones who need him. Strike his head, bind his body to
a post, and silence him with a cloth from his shirt. Perhaps knowing
he faces danger will provoke him to take his family and leave Indian
lands to keep them safe from us."

Wind Dancer smiled and caressed her cheek. "Your words are wise
and kind, and your heart is good, mitawin. It will be as you speak, for
there is no need to slay him on this moon."

Chumani and the others watched in suspense as her husband sneaked
up behind the man and gave him a blow to the head which rendered
him unconscious. Then horror flooded her as she saw a large dog leave
the woods, where it no doubt had been off roaming or hunting, and
race toward that spot to defend its fallen master. She heard its fierce
growls indicating readiness to attack. Yet, with lightning speed and
awesome skill, War Eagle fired a nocked Crow arrow and ended that
threat. She was certain the one yelp the creature sent forth was not
heard inside the wooden dwelling, where only a faint glow of light
showed at a square opening. She exhaled in relief, aware for the first
time of holding her breath, so long that she felt lightheaded for a moment. She smiled faintly at Zitkala when her friend gently squeezed
her hand in comfort, and she nodded her gratitude. She glanced at the
quiet house once more and joined the others.

The white man was bound and gagged as she had suggested. A small
pouch filled with tobacco seeds and beaded with a Crow design was
dropped near his disabled body. The knot which held it suspended
from a belt was untied to make it appear it had come loose and fallen
off during the action. The Apsaalooke viewed those seeds as big medicine
and they played a large part in their sacred rituals. They believed the
Creator gave tobacco seeds to a past leader named No Vitals to plant
and harvest each growing season and that as long as they performed
that ceremony and possessed sacred seeds, their people would survive
and prosper, just as the Cheyenne believed the same of their Four Sacred
Arrows from Sweet Medicine's prophecy.

They did not halt to sleep that night, only to take short rests and to
change mounts, having brought along two each to prevent overtiring
the animals. While they had the landscape to themselves, they rode
swiftly toward their next destination. The area was familiar to them, so
they knew which locations to skirt to avoid making contact with other
bands and terrain perils such as prairie-dog villages and sudden ravines.
They also knew where they would have to be extra careful and even
hide during daylight to prevent being exposed by hunters or pre-season
buffalo scouts. They did not worry about encountering white trappers,
as few worked along the banks of the Sahiyela which flowed too deeply
into "hostile land," and most who labored along its beginning course
and other rivers had left them to sell their winter catches. Yet, they had
come to a decision that if a meeting occurred, the intruder must die
by Crow arrows so he could not expose their true identities and purpose.

The next morning, they separated so Wind Dancer could ride ahead,
War Eagle travel to their left, and Red Feather to their right to watch
for an unexpected approach of others, ally or foe. As the men scouted for their party, Chumani and Zitkala guided the stolen herd toward
their target. The women did not talk or stay close together, as they
could not risk being distracted and must maintain control of the animals.
Many creatures and birds were sighted on ground awash with the colors
of numerous wildflowers, but they did not halt to hunt or cook meals.

During the day, the men returned at prearranged times to rest, eat,
and change mounts. They ate food brought with them: bread, dried
fruits and nuts, pemmican, and jerky. There was no want for fresh
water, as streams and rivers traversed the area. Talk was sparse, as
concentration was crucial. They realized that being caught with stolen
animals would provoke a bitter conflict with Lakotas instead of the
Crow. Each continually prayed for guidance, protection, and secrecy of
their deed.

That night, they stopped only long enough to sleep for a short time
before they pressed northwestward over rolling grassland and low hills.
Even if they were already being pursued by Whites or soldiers, they
had a huge lead and either group would camp for the night.

On the fourth moon after raiding the homesteads, their vigilance
heightened as they entered enemy territory. From past scouting trips,
Wind Dancer knew he wanted to leave the horses in a long and deep
ravine where grass and water were located and ropes could be stretched
from side to side to hold them captive. There, the animals would not
be sighted by a casual rider from another tribe and taken before they
could serve their intended purpose. He reasoned that if the Crow found
the herd, they would seize it and take it to their village.

After the men completed that task while the women stood guard,
two of the animals were kept for use in duping the Crow later. Their
shod hooves would be covered by rabbit skins to hide their metal tracks
during departure as soon as another precaution was taken. The five rode
in the deep stream for a long distance before leaving the water and
securing pelts over the stolen horses' iron moccasins. At last, the most dangerous parts of their first journey were over and they could head
for home and rest.