Snow Eagle (6 page)

Little Fawn sat remembering hours earlier when Snow Eagle had arrived just as they were retiring for the night. She had run to his arms, pulling him close, thankful that he was alive. Their reunion was short lived. Her husband had traveled many miles without rest to save his people. He had important news to pass on and it was not long before bedrolls were set up, the fire left burning and the people fled to hide in the trees. Sunflower had been shocked to hear that White Fox traveled with the Caribou Hunters. Gray Wolf and his men surrounded the camp, laying in wait for the intruders and White Fox. Troubled by her thoughts, Little Fawn's eyes moved to Sunflower.
How must she feel having to sit in judgment of her own son? Was she the one that released White Fox? Would the rest of the tribe ever trust Sunflower again? Does she deserve their trust?

“We will sit in a Peace Ceremony with the Elders of the Caribou Hunters.” Snow Eagle spoke directly and with respect to Charging Elk. “Our people are tired from our long journey and we have many miles to travel to the sea. My son, Gray Wolf and I will go with you to the Tagish village. We wish you no harm.” Snow Eagle realized the severity of the situation. Custom and tradition would dictate how this discussion proceeded but he must weigh each word carefully.

“Our chief demands the return of his daughter, she must accompany us.” Charging Elk looked over to Frightened Deer. “Songbird belongs with our people.”

“The girl you call Songbird is now the squaw of Gray Wolf. He has saved her life and she belongs to him. We will bring three of our slaves as offering to your chief.” Charging Elk let the words sink in, if Gray Wolf had saved Songbird's life, she was then obliged to stay with him. Traditions and customs were the backbone of their society and could not be challenged. Charging Elk was not pleased but must oblige. It also confirmed his earlier thoughts that White Fox's story was false. It was likely that it was White Fox that had threatened the girl's life.

Dancing Bear moved to remove the restraints on his friend. “No, leave White Fox bound. We are not done with him.” Snow Eagle signaled for Dancing Bear to move away. Sunflower glared at Snow Eagle.

“I demand to know how the woman's life was threatened and by whom.” Charging Elk's voice was hard and demanding. Snow Eagle and the rest of the Elders knew that this was Charging Elk's right. Eyes turned to Sunflower. Instinctively she looked towards White Fox. Walks with Fire followed her gaze and spoke for the first time since their capture.

“I knew he could not be trusted. It was White Fox that tried to kill our sister, I will kill him myself.” Walks with Fire glared with hatred at the now quivering White Fox. Snow Eagle sensing the tension growing regained control of the crowd. He rose and asked Frightened Deer to enter the circle; he now referred to her as Songbird. The frightened girl walked towards him but her eyes remained on Charging Elk. Snow Eagle instructed Little Fawn to bring three of the captive slaves into the circle as well. Gray Wolf stared with jealousy at Charging Elk, as he held Songbird's gaze.

One of the slaves, Walks Tall Woman was placed opposite Songbird. “It will be your choice Charging Elk. You will reject anyone you do not find satisfactory.” Charging Elk looked the tall, strong, young woman over carefully; she stood tall and proud unaffected by the inspection. She stared defiantly into his eyes. He liked what he saw.

“Is this woman Raven or Wolf?”

“She is Wolf,” answered Snow Eagle.

“We will take this one. Bring the others.”

Little Fawn brought a small frail girl to the circle. Charging Elk immediately rejected her. Three others were presented and rejected.

The Elders talked quietly amongst themselves as the slaves were presented. Everyone knew that disaster had been averted thanks to Snow Eagle's early arrival. The people sat on edge, hoping for a peaceful solution.

Charging Elk was not making the peace offering easy. It was more a show of power than his opinion of the slaves. Snow Eagle was becoming impatient but asked Little Fawn to bring the last three captives. It was customary for the Tlingit to take slaves in raids on other tribes and at anytime they could have a many as two dozen slaves. Charging Elk accepted the next two women. She Wolf and Bright Star were muscular and young and Walks with Fire admired both of them hungrily. Three for one was a most generous offer and did not go unnoticed by the rest of the Caribou warriors. It was evident that these people were anxious to settle this dispute peacefully.

“I can agree to take these three slaves but I insist that Songbird accompany us back to our village. She must be present at the Peace talks. It will be up to the Elders to make any final decisions.” Charging Elk's jaw was set; his very posture told Snow Eagle that he would not be swayed. Red Hawk rose and walked to the center of the circle.

“If you are agreeable, we will remove your bindings. We do not wish to fight with your people.” Charging Elk and the others nodded and the leather bindings were removed. Gray Wolf's hand rested on his knife, not trusting the Tagish. The warriors rubbed their wrists as Red Hawk continued. “It is our hope that the child that Songbird carries will unite the two tribes.” The crowd gasped at Red Hawk's words. No one could know if Songbird was with child but Red Hawk was making a declaration that none would challenge; Black Rain, Clouds of Thunder and Raging Bull exchanged a knowing look.

“Songbird is with child? How do you know this old woman?” Charging Elk looked towards the beautiful, young woman standing before him. His gut wrenched in pain knowing that another had defiled her. He did not want to accept the fact that she belonged to Gray Wolf, but if she was with child, there were more important things at stake. “Is this true, Songbird? Are you with child?”

The rest of the tribe sat in silence wondering what the young woman would do. She had not made any attempt to blend in with them and from all outward appearances she did not seem to be resigned to the idea of being Gray Wolf's squaw. Gray Wolf stared at her, his breath caught in his throat. He had not considered that she may be carrying his child, but he knew that his grandmother had the gift of seeing into the future. He waited hopefully with the others.

Songbird looked first at Gray Wolf and then Charging Elk, indecision on her face. A small ray of hope began to flicker in her heart. Songbird's stare settled on Red Hawk. Red Hawk watched the girl with interest. It was obvious that she realized the importance of her answer. Red Hawk's respect for the young woman grew. The very future of both of the tribes could be determined in the next few minutes. The Caribou warriors could declare the request for a Peace Ceremony a sham if Red Hawk was caught in a lie. Shame would befall the Tlingit tribe if one of their Elders spoke with a forked tongue and they would be at the mercy of the Caribou Hunters and possibly facing death. Everyone held their breath and waited. Songbird stared at Red Hawk; a silent communication was taking place. No one made a sound.

Songbird hesitated; all eyes were on her. She swallowed; inhaling deeply and then threw her head back and fixed her gaze on the star-studded sky. She began to whistle; a trilling, bird like sound that mesmerized all in attendance. The Elders stared in awe; the beautiful sound filled the air like the sound of a dozen birds. The Caribou hunters recognized the sound that had been so familiar in their village, the sound that had been missing since Songbird's capture. It was as if she had caste a spell over them. All were hypnotized, no one moved and not another sound was heard until the melodious whistling ending. A brilliant shooting star shot across the black sky. Several loud gasps were heard from the mesmerized crowd. Shooting stars were the sign of the Great Spirit.

Songbird turned slowly and with resolve walked to Gray Wolf, taking his hand in hers; the people had their answer. Red Hawk signed with relief. The air in her lungs escaped in a loud rush. She had taken a risk that could have threatened their very existence but her instincts had been right. A loud cheer erupted from the crowd. Gray Wolf's chest puffed out with pride as he squeezed her hand and stared into her black eyes.

“Songbird, your name suits you. I am proud to have you for the mother of my children.” He pulled her to him and this time she did not stiffen. Her body leaned into his and she smiled. Black Rain held Red Hawk's shaking hand and winked. He too was proud of his woman. Snow Eagle was surprised at the thoughts of the earthquake that filled his mind at that moment. He still had not deciphered that dream. Quickly coming back to the present, he smiled at Little Fawn.

“The captives will dance the Deer ceremony.” Sunflower announced. Women arrived with deer costumes and as was the custom, the captives that had been exchanged for Songbird, were dressed as deer and began to dance, acting as Peacemakers between the two tribes. Charging Elk moved to join Snow Eagle and a pipe was prepared. The other Caribou Hunters mingled with the Tlingits, Walks with Fire moved closer to Bright Star as she donned her costume. She smiled at the young handsome warrior.

Black Rain and Red Hawk watched with interest. Perhaps Red Hawk's prediction that the two tribes would unite was coming true. There appeared to be more than one future couple at this fire and although Bright Star was a captive she now belonged to the Tlingits. Her uniting with Walks with Fire would be looked upon as a tribal union as would Gray Wolf and Songbird. Charging Elk had shown his interest in Walks Tall Woman. The Tlingit nation consisted of two moieties or groups, the Raven and the Wolf/Eagle. Marriage could result only with one from the other moiety. Clans had people of both moieties, providing a balance in marriage of opposites. The matriarchal lineage of Snow Eagle's ‘house' was from Red Hawk and definitely Raven. Little Fawn was Wolf as were her children. Any slaves that they owned retained their own moiety at birth Wolf/Eagle or Raven. Charging Elk's matriarchal lineage was Raven. This made for an excellent chance at unity if he chose Walks Tall Woman, who was Wolf. Red Hawk and Black Rain were much relieved; they smiled at each other knowingly.

The ceremony lasted long into the night with dancing and food enjoyed by the tired people and their new allies. Later, Snow Eagle lay on his mat next to Little Fawn, satisfied with the way things had turned out. As spirits had warned him, he had chosen the right path and disaster had been averted. He knew that he must meet with the Elders of the Caribou tribe before any final decisions were made, however he felt confident that the two tribes would unite to form a strong bond. Because the Tlingits traveled to the sea and the Tagish stayed in the mountains for the winter, they would be two separate Clans of a united tribe. But unity brought safety and strength to both groups. Snow Eagle could not see any reason the Tagish would not agree. He was concerned that Songbird would have to accompany them on their trek back to the Tagish village in such harsh weather conditions, but there was no choice. Charging Elk had been firm in his request.

Black Rain and Red Hawk discussed the events of the evening. Black Rain was concerned with White Fox and how they would deal with him. He had been left tied to a stake in the center of the camp where several warriors, including Walks with Fire watched. He would not escape this time. Red Hawk was please with Songbird's decision but she had her suspicions that the girl may not actually be with child. If this was the case, then Songbird had chosen to remain with Gray Wolf for other reasons and would be instrumental in uniting the two tribes. Red Hawk's respect was growing for this curious woman that did not speak. She remembered the hypnotic trill of the woman's whistle and a smile crossed her lips. At that moment she knew, Songbird also had the sight. This girl would be Red Hawk's successor some day.

Sunflower tossed and turned on her mat, in the distance she could see White Fox tied to the stake, the last embers of the fire reflecting on his angry face. His expression was one of hatred. There was no remorse.
Could her own son be so wicked? How could she have been so blind? Now what would happen to White Fox?
Sunflower, the Elder knew that a harsh decision would have to be made, but Sunflower, the mother was heartbroken. She pulled her blanket to her face to muffle her sobbing.

The next morning the people prepared to move on towards the sea. Charging Elk and five of his men prepared to return across the ice to their village. The three captives brought fur boots for the men and gifts of the much sought after Tlingit art. They quickly packed the travois that would carry their belongings to their new home. The travois and the dogs were also a gift to the Tagish. All three were nervous and frightened. They had become accustom to the Tlingits and were now traveling into the unknown with six strange warriors. As slaves they did not know what to expect from this new tribe. Walks Tall Woman approached Charging Elk. “May I speak?”

“Speak woman.” Charging Elk's eyes traveled from her head to her toes and back again until he stared into her eyes. He realized that she was almost as tall as he was. Her black hair was braided and she wore the unadorned clothing of a slave. Her cheekbones were high and prominent, unlike the Tagish women.

“How many moons will it take to arrive at your village?” Walks Tall Woman held her head high. Although she was a captive, she was a proud woman and not easily intimidated. She liked the way Charging Elk's eyes moved over her body. Her gaze took in his muscular shoulders and chest. He was a handsome man and if she was to be a slave to him, she would not complain. Of course, being his squaw would be much more advantageous. She moved her hips provocatively as his eyes rested on her body. Walks Tall Woman knew how men thought and although she was young, she was very shrewd.

Charging Elk gave his head the slightest shake and regained his composure. “We will arrive after Beaver Moon. You and your friends have nothing to fear from us. Snow Eagle and Gray Wolf will travel with us. You will watch over Songbird and care for her needs. Where do you come from?”