Sweet Savage Surrender (12 page)

"You will know tonight at the feast if you do not know by now.  I want you for my wife.  I will ask your grandfather and your brothers for their permission then."

“No!” the gasp escaped her lips, but Lone Wolf did not hear. He had
turned
and left without waiting for an answer
.   Women of the Arapaho tribe did have something to say about who they would marry and were never forced to marry against their will.
Still, Lone Wolf’s wanting her might very well complicate the matter of John Hanlen. Her refusal would sting Lone Wolf. When he found out that she had shunned him for a white man, there could be trouble. Better by far that he found her ugly, she thought as she watched him until he was out of sight.

“So, you think that you have won?”
Whispering
seemed to come from out of nowhere, her face set in a
treacherous
smile.  Somehow she had a way of knowing just what Lone Wolf was doing at every hour of the day.

“I do not think that I have won anything.” Skyraven’s jaw tensed with
her
dislike of this woman. “I have told you before and I will tell you again that I have no
wis
h to be your rival,
Whispering
Wi
nd.’

“And I tell you again that I do not believe you. But no matter.
Lone Wolf will change his mind about you
, as will the others,
when I tell him about the yellow haired soldier"
Her voice was venomous as she pushed past Skyraven
nearly knocking her to the ground.

Chapter Twelve

It was quiet in the camp.  The chanting had stopped, the drums were silenced, the shuffling feet of the dancers were at rest.  The next to the last phase of the sun dance was over and the
people of the village were
resting
, sleeping like owls during the day so that they could celebrate again during the final night of the festival.  But Skyraven could not sleep.  How could she?  Whispering Wind's hissed threats, Lone Wolf's bold appraisal of her and talk of making her
his wife,  and more important,
the memory of caressing hands and a body entwined with hers in the act of love churned through her mind.  Conflicting emotions filled her breast  as she restlessly t
ossed and turned upon her bed.

"I love you, Skyraven....."  the image of John Hanlen whispered.  "I want to marry you, marr
y you...... marry you......."

"I have always found you pleasing, Skyraven, as you must know."  Lone Wolf's
image warred with John
Hanlen’s
in her mind’s
eye.
” I
want you f
or my wife....for my wife...!"

"So you think that you have won?"  Whispering Wind's menacing voice added to the t
umult inside Skyraven's head.

"I will return for you and wil
l bring
presents for your grandfather.  I will return...will return...will return
."  John Hanlen's voice again.

"You will know tonight at the final feast if you do not know by now.  I will ask your grandfather and cousins for their permission then."  Lone Wolf's bold
haunted her.

"I will tell them about t
he yellow haired soldier..."
             

"No!"  Skyrav
en's own mumbled voice jarred
the silence.  Deeply disturbed by the voices
,
she put her hands over her ears to block out the sound.  Wide eyed she tried to sort out her turbulent thoughts.  Why was it so difficult?  The answer was very clear, as much so as the water that sparkled in the streams.  She would refuse Lone Wolf, tell her grandfather about John Hanlen before Whispering Winds vindictive voice could be heard, and speak before all of her intent to marry the white man she had saved.  She would not let apprehension si
lence her.  It must be done.

The solution decided upon
,
she  curled up into a ball as deep fatigue at last claimed her.  Closing her eyes
,
she at last fell into the sleep that her anxiety had denied
her
.  It seemed as if she had just fallen asleep, however
, when
at last night
descended
upon the earth and the crier rode through the village announcing that
the night
feast was soon to begin.

Skyraven's eyes flew open,
immediately conscious.
She had the overpowering urge to
mount
Running
Antelope
,
ride across the river and scramble up the bank to the cave to see John Hanlen.  That had become her pattern of action for the last several days.  Sadly she shook her head form side to side as reality jolted her mind.  He was gone.  She had given up her mare to the white soldier she loved. Now, n
either
Running Antelope
nor John Hanlen’s open arms would be waiting for her.

"Gone....!" 
she said aloud, the word
a soulful wail
. However she knew she must put
sad thoughts behind her
,
at least for tonight.  Tonight she must center her thoughts upon her grandfather.  She would do her part to aid him in his  ceremony
,
then she would talk with him.  But just how should she re
veal her secret love to him? 

Skyraven was filled with mixed emotions.  At first she feared that he would not understand
,
but she quickly chased that fear from
her mind.  S
he should not be feeling
apprehensive
.  Her grandfather had always understood.  What was she thinking of?  His own daughter, her mother, had married a white man. 
Buffalo
's Brother was a kind, gentle, wise man.  She had
never seen him display anger, c
ertainly never at her. 

Suddenly her heart swelled with love and pride
as she thought of her grandfather. His eloquence and wisdom were valued as highly as bravery.
He would counsel her, he might even be stern
,
but in the end he would wish for her happiness
, knowing she would be content and find fulfillment at the white man’s side. W
hen he realized that
,
he would cease his gentl
e scolding and be glad for her
.  She left the teepee knowing that this was the way it would be. 

As she walked toward the feasting place at the central fire
,
she looked up at the stars
.
Somewhere John Hanlen was looking at those very same stars as he traveled
, and t
hat thought brought her
closer to him. Her eyes looked in the direction of the river, feeling certain that just as the waters at last flowed into one body, so she and her white soldier would one day be joined.  Breathing deeply
,
she touched the eagle feather in her hair and willed it to be so.  She had long ago learned the law and the mysteries of the sky, the earth, the water and the air. Now she was lear
ning the law of love as well, a
law that decreed that soon the forces of life would bring two lovers together. 

Eyes-of-Nigh
t, Lame Rabbit, Thunder-on-the-
Hill and several other young braves appraised her with their eyes as she passed by to join the other women
who were
finishing the cooking chores near the central fire.
Their silent compliments soothed her heart and made her feel confident. Or perhaps it was knowing she was loved that put a slight bounce to her step, a smile on her face. The world had always seemed to her to be a beautiful place, but now it was even more so.

“Skyraven!” the women greeted as she approached.
She was much admired by the other women.   They 
reacted to her warmly now, which eased her mind of the apprehension that Whispering Wind’s tattling tongue might already have been at work.

"You look
so  lovely"  Morning Dew said.

"I wish I had your beauty so heads woul
d turn when I walked by" added Doe's Eyes.

Skyraven
raised her hand in salutation to the women, then, seeing her grandfather and Chief Left hand, acknowledged them as well.
The chief and the medicine man were sitting at a place of honor at the far end of the circle of tribesmen. 
She searched for Lone Wolf and Whispering Wind but they were nowhere to be seen. It was not a good sign, though she tried to tell herself it was not unusual that they would be together. Whispering Wind followed the brave like a shadow. Taking her place with the other women, Skyraven watched and waited, determined not to let the bad tempered woman cause her any fear..

“Lone Wolf should have been here by now,” Morning Dew said, voicing Skyraven’s thoughts aloud. “Where could he be?”

“Both  Running Hare and Red Dog have taken their places,” Doe
’
s Eyes added. T
he two braves who had accom
panied Lone Wolf
on the scouting mission and had returned with a big buffalo bull
for tonight's feast.
.  No fresh meat had passed the lips of the tribe for several days
as part of the ritual
. 
It would make the offering doubly appreciated.

“We will want to thank the young braves for the feast they have made possible.” With a barely repressed giggle, Morning Dew looked boldly at the tallest of
the braves
as if she meant to take on that pleasant duty single-handedly.

“No doubt Lone Wolf will outdo those fine braves. It is just like him to bring in a buffalo twice as big as their offering. Mmmm, I can hardly wait. But where can he be?” Doe’s Eyes seemed agitated. “It is unseemly for him to make his father wait.”

“Perhaps he had better things to do with his time,” Morning Dew murmured suggestively. “Certainly the braves aren’t the only ones stalking a prey.” The
Ind
ia
n girl rolled her eyes.

“That bold one,
Whispering
Wi
nd, she does not draw his interest.” Doe’s Eyes nudged Skyraven. “It is you who have drawn his gaze. He makes great show of attracting your attention, but you are
wis
e to ignore him. The highest berry on the branch is the one that beckons to be plucked.”

“But I don’t want….” Skyraven started to tell the
Ind
ia
n girl that she was not seeking the chief’s son’s favor but broke off. Now was not the time. As for one Wolf, perhaps he would arrive late in order to make a grand entrance. It was just like him to do something like that.“
He had better arrive soon
or he would get nothing to eat,” she said instead.
  As soon as the meal was over,  It was part of his duty to help bury the buffalo hump which was thought to contain the buffalo's spirit.  The pit had already been dug
. Skyraven thought it would serve him right to go hungry.

Upon the fire the roast loin of buffalo, boiled buffalo tongue and the buffalo leg marrow were ready for serving.   Skyraven hit each  leg with  a hatchet in just such a way as to open its entire length on one side
,
exposing the rol
ls of well done, white marrow.
Two youngsters grinned impishly as they gobbled a
pilfered bit of food, but she reprimanded them with a frown. No one was allowed to eat even one bit before
Buffalo
’s Brother placed a piece of meat on the rocks of the firepit and made an offering of thanks. It seemed, however, that no one else saw the children so Skyraven remained silent. Also something else had now gained her attention. Lone Wolf and Whispering Wind had joined the group, but they were not sitting together. Lone Wolf sat down in cross-legged fashion next to Lame Hare and Red Dog in the inner circle of honor. Whispering Wind joined her father, Watchful Fox, and his family at the far end of the outer circle.

Skyraven looked at Lone Wolf,
trying to assess what was on his mind. Perhaps, she thought, it would be better if Whispering Wind did tell him about having seen her talking to the white man. Then he might abandon his vow to make her his bride. It would make her life much simpler, she thought.

“Lone wolf! So, he has come,” Morning Dew observed.

“He is handsome, is he not,
Skyraven
?” Doe’s Eye asked.

Skyraven shrugged. He was muscular, strong and handsome, but no more so than John Hanlen. She had to admit that she did admire him and that she was fond of him, but she did not want him for a husband, especially not now after enjoying the white soldier’s lovemaking. Looking at him did not start her heart to thump the way that merely looking at John Hanlen had. With just a glance, John Hanlen could set her aflame, but the sight of Lone Wolf left her unaffected. She loved John Hanlen. She had given her heart and soul to the handsome blue-coated soldier and could never accept another.

“Does the wold have your tongue, Skyraven?” Morning Dew teased, thinking her lack of response to be shyness.

“She doesn’t have to speak. Lone Wolf’s eyes speak of what is going on,” Doe’s eyes whispered, nudging Skyraven so hard she was certain she would be wearing a bruise come morning.

“There is nothing between that bold strutting prairie rooster and me,” Skyraven answered spiritedly, unable to hide her true feelings any longer. “As you will see when….” She quieted as the ceremony
began. Her grandfather made the food offering to the
Buffalo
spirit for providing the food, then went to Skyraven to sit by her side as he usually did at
feast time
.

“You have been as elusive as a spirit,” he said quietly. “We have been like the sun and the
moon
, seldom in position to be together. When we do see each other your mind is troubled, I can sense that. Tell me. We have time now to talk.”
             

“And I am thankful for that. I have many things to talk to you about, Grandfather.” She answered in a whisper that only he could hear. “I had a vision.”
             

“A vision?” He seemed pleased.
"And
voices also? Did the spirits speak to you?"

“Yes.”

His smile was as bright as summer sunshine. “I knew it. I sensed that you had the gift. Now you fully understand what I am about.”

“The Great Spirit communicated with me. It has caused a great change in my life.” Noticing that Morning Dew and Doe’s eyes were eavesdropping, she said, “Come, let us sit over by those trees while we eat, away from the others so that I may tell you about it in privacy.” They moved toward a group of cottonwood trees.