Chapter 7

As Dark Horse and Sky Dancer rode side-by-side the next morning, their emotions were at completely opposite ends of the spectrum. She was sad and morose while he was happy and eager to get home. This did not make for a happy trip, and they sniped at each other repeatedly. Eventually, they fell silent, each stewing over their arguing.

Rushing Bull glanced back at the couple and then got Lighting Strike and Willow’s attention. “They already act like a married couple.”

They chuckled at his witty remark.

Willow signed, “You can understand why she is short-tempered. She is not like me. I do not mind traveling or being away from home, but Sky Dancer has always been happy in our village.”

Rushing Bull sobered. “I know that this will be hard for her, but if all goes well, she will be able to see her family again. This does not have to be final.”

Lightning Strike rode closer to him with a hard expression. “We will make your chief see that it is in his best interests to make it work.”

One of Rushing Bull’s eyebrows quirked up. “I would not take that tone with our chief. You will not make it home.”

Lightning Strike laughed. “Perhaps not, but I will count much coup before I leave this life and journey to the next.”

Willow ignored their posturing, instead watching Chirping Cricket who had slumped forward on his pony.

She rode over to him and shook his shoulder. “Wake up before you fall off and crack your head open like a quail egg.”

He didn’t raise his head. “I am not sleeping. I am praying. Leave me be.”

“Do you always almost fall off a horse when you pray?” she teased.

Chirping Cricket laughed. “No. Only when we are traveling a great distance.”

Willow let out a snort. “This is not a great distance. It is only two days ride from home.”

Chirping Cricket stretched. “It is a great distance when you have never ridden two days from home.”

With a start, Willow realized that Chirping Cricket had never gone on a raid or fought in battle. By the time she’d been his age, she’d stolen many a pony and had killed in battle. It was hard to believe that the young medicine man had never done any of those things.

Looking over his slight, wiry build, she thought that it was a good thing he’d never tried. He looked at least two winters younger than he was, and she wondered if he even had the strength to wield a war club. She hoped that he would fill out more as he got older or whoever married him would feel like they were holding a pile of sticks when they shared sleeping robes.

Chirping Cricket caught her grinning at him. “Why are you smiling at me like that?”

“You need to eat more.”

He looked down at himself and laughed. “I eat plenty. Ask my mother. It does not matter how much I eat. I never gain any weight or muscle.” He chin-nodded at her. “You have more muscle than I do, and you are a woman.” Suddenly his eyes rounded, and he brought his pony to an abrupt stop.

Willow halted beside him. “What is it?”

“Shh. Ojibwa,” he whispered.

She looked where he pointed but saw nothing except tall grass. “Where?” she signed.

He pointed more emphatically at the same spot.

“There is nothing there,” she said.

Chirping Cricket saw the Ojibwa warriors as clear as day, but no one else did when they rode up beside them.

A rough hand shook Chirping Cricket’s shoulder, drawing back into reality.

“Chirping Cricket! What are you doing?” Lighting Strike stared into his eyes.

Fury gripped Chirping Cricket and he did the unthinkable. He backhanded his friend across the face. “Never do that again! Do not touch me while I am having a vision. You have interrupted an important message!”

Lighting Strike’s shock showed in his black eyes.

Chirping Cricket was just as stunned. His anger was swiftly replaced by remorse. “I am so sorry! I did not realize what I was doing. Please forgive me.”

Rushing Bull sometimes found things amusing when others didn’t. He let out a hearty laugh. “I wish you had seen the look on your face, Lightning Strike,” he signed and then pointed at Chirping Cricket. “And you are either courageous or stupid for taking him on.” He lapsed into laughter again.

Lightning Strike’s mouth lifted on one side in a smile, but when he glanced at Chirping Cricket, he sobered. The tears and remorse in the youth’s eyes snuffed out any anger he felt towards him.

Chirping Cricket shook his head, trying to blink away his tears. “I do not know what came over me.” It was the first time he’d ever struck anyone, and he was mortified that he’d hit his good friend. “Please accept my apology.”

Sympathy filled Lightning Strike’s heart. “I forgive you. I must have interrupted something very important for you to become so angry. What did you see?”

Chirping Cricket was grateful to Lightning Strike, both for his forgiveness and for changing the subject. “There were two Ojibwa braves standing right over there. I asked them what they wanted. One came over and talked to me. He spoke in his own language, but I understood him. He said that the Trickster is at work and told me to watch out for the crow. I do not know if he meant the Crow tribe or the bird because that’s when you shook me.”

Dark Horse signed, “Do you have these visions often?”

Chirping Cricket’s expression turned bashful.

Lightning Strike didn’t want the truth revealed that Chirping Cricket’s abilities were new, so he jumped in. “Yes. That is how we knew you were coming. I was with him when he had the vision. It was much like this one. I should have realized what was happening. I am sorry.”

“Do not worry about it. The meaning will be revealed to us,” the medicine man said.

Dark Horse could tell that Lightning Strike hadn’t wanted Chirping Cricket to answer his question. He was curious as to why, but he let it go for the moment.

“We need to get moving again. I want to ride as far as possible today. I would like to be home by tomorrow evening.”

Sky Dancer gazed wistfully back the way they’d come. She dreaded going to the Lakota camp, but she had no choice. “Good for you,” she said.

Although she’d spoken in Kiowa, Dark Horse got the gist of what she’d said, and his expression turned black. “Do all Kiowa women whine like you do?”

Sky Dancer’s chin rose, and her gaze drilled into his. “I am not whining.”

“Yes, you are. You need to face this with courage, the same way I am.”

“What do you have to be afraid of? You are not leaving your home to go live with an enemy tribe!” Her eyes blazed in anger.

“No, but I will have to explain to my chief why I have returned with a Kiowa wife and have to convince him to meet with your grandfather. So, I have my own problems.”

Sky Dancer hadn’t considered how the situation would affect Dark Horse. Her anger abated. “You are right. This is also hard on you. I apologize.”

Dark Horse sighed and moved closer. He rested a hand on her forearm for a moment before signing, “Let us try to get through this together. We need to cooperate with each other, not fight.”

Her skin tingled where he’d touched her. She nodded. “I agree.”

Dark Horse had liked the feel of her soft skin against his palm. He returned his hand to her arm, brushing his thumb over it a little. Then he signed, “Good. Now, we need to go.”

The others agreed and they continued on their way at a good clip that ate up the miles.

As the six riders topped the western ridge that looked down upon the Lakota camp, a myriad of emotions filled them. Rushing Bull and Dark Horse gazes were filled with love and pride, but they were also slightly apprehensive about how this meeting would go.

Excitement thrummed through Willow, who was unafraid to face any enemy. She was also intensely curious about other tribes and enjoyed learning their languages. Lighting Strike’s heart beat with hate and a determination to keep Chirping Cricket safe. Terror made the medicine man’s blood slog through his veins like ice.

Sky Dancer looked at the huge Lakota camp with a mixture of all of those emotions. Despite her fear, contempt, and sadness, she couldn’t deny that a tiny thread of excitement ran through her.

Numerous fires, whether inside or outside of tipis sent smoke curling towards the sky in sinuous movements. Children ran everywhere, so many more children than they had in her tribe. This indicated that these Lakota were very prosperous to be able to support so many little mouths. Even though her heart hurt at the sight of the children playing, it also filled her with happiness that they were doing so well. No matter what tribe children came from, they deserved to be happy and well cared for.

From their vantage point, they could see beyond the camp to where the tribe raced horses and held foot races. With great interest, Lightning Strike watched a group of four ponies gallop across the landscape, noting their long powerful strides. He pulled his attention from them and concentrated on his duty, which was protecting Chirping Cricket.

Rushing Bull shielded his eyes against the early evening sun. “I see your sister is in the lead, Dark Horse. I wonder how much money she has won today,” he said, grinning.

Dark Horse grunted. “I will put a stop to that.”

Willow also grunted. “There is nothing wrong with a girl racing horses. I have since I was ten winters old.”

Rushing Bull was about to respond to her when he realized that she’d spoken to them in Lakota. “You speak our language? Why have you not said so?”

Mischief filled her eyes. “Why did you not ask?”

Dark Horse said, “It was so she could spy on us. Where did you learn it?”

“A woman does not tell all of her secrets,” Willow responded flirtatiously.

Rushing Bull laughed with delight. “I think you have a great many secrets.”

“It is just as it was in my vision.” Chirping Cricket’s soft statement interrupted their banter. “Tipis filled my vision and there were more people than I could count. They all looked at me with hate in their eyes. They wanted to kill me.”

Lightning Strike moved closer to him. “Fear not, Chirping Cricket. I will keep you safe.”

Chirping Cricket looked at him with wide eyes. “That is what you told me in my vision. You said that no harm would come to me since you were with me.”

Lightning Strike smiled at him. “I will die to protect you.” He tossed a meaningful look at Dark Horse. “No matter who attacks you.”

Dark Horse didn’t flinch from his gaze. “You are our guests and we do not make a habit of killing or hurting our guests.”

Lighting Strike gave a curt nod as four Lakota braves rode towards them, calling out greetings to Dark Horse and Rushing Bull.

“I see you have returned with the Kiowa shaman, Dark Horse,” one of them said as he circled the group.

Chirping Cricket didn’t like the assessing gaze of the brave.

“He is just a boy, and a skinny one at that.”

Before Dark Horse could answer, Willow moved protectively to Chirping Cricket’s other side. She aimed a withering look at the brave. “And you are just a rude man, and an ugly one at that.”

The other three men laughed as the offended brave glared back at her. “Why have you brought an insolent Kiowa woman with you?”

Dark Horse replied, “Be careful, Slither. She is a warrior, or did you not notice the eagle feather in her hair?”

Slither’s eyes went to the eagle feather tethered to the left side of Willow’s hair. His eyes widened as it fluttered in the breeze. A smile of admiration curved his mouth. “You must tell me how such a beautiful woman came to acquire such a trophy.”

Dark Horse almost rolled his eyes. “Slither, go tell our chief that we have arrived and ask my mother to prepare us a meal.”