Chapter 8

“This is your medicine man? The powerful one who called the bison?” Soaring Falcon asked Lightning Strike.

Lightning Strike hid his offense. “Yes, he is.”

Soaring Falcon’s sharp gaze traveled over Chirping Cricket who stood motionless in front of the Lakota council. One of the chief’s black eyebrows rose when he saw the lighter hue and wavy texture of Chirping Cricket’s hair.

“Is his mother or father French?”

Willow worked hard to tamp down her instant dislike of the chief. He was the leader of their hated enemy, representing the people who were murdering her fellow Kiowas and forcing them from their homeland. Her stomach knotted with loathing for the man. “No. They are Kiowa.”

Soaring Falcon barely kept the contempt from his face at having a woman in the council lodge, but he’d allowed it in order to keep peace. Plus, she was able to translate. “Does he not speak? Is he mute?”

Willow nudged Chirping Cricket. “You must talk to him,” she said in Kiowa. “He is expecting a great medicine man. Now act like one.”

Chirping Cricket tried to stop the quaking in his body as he looked at her. “Then he will be disappointed.”

Willow wanted to growl, but she nodded ingratiatingly instead as she said, “You must represent our people well and make us look good in their eyes, especially in front of him. Much depends upon this. Now act like you are angry with me and speak to this man.”

Chirping Cricket swallowed noisily and then said, “Do not speak for me again,” in what he hoped was an angry voice.

Willow nodded obediently. “Yes, Chirping Cricket.”

Chirping Cricket turned back to the chief. “I apologize for my guards’ insolent behavior. They mean well, but sometimes lack manners.”

Lightning Strike almost laughed at his haughty air as Willow translated.

Soaring Falcon frowned at the strange byplay between the three Kiowa, noting that although Chirping Cricket was reprimanding his guards, they didn’t seem very upset about it. Maybe they didn’t take him seriously because he was so young. If that was the case, why had Dark Horse agreed to marry the Kiowa woman in order to bring the boy to him?

Chirping Cricket saw Soaring Falcon’s confusion and knew that he wasn’t going to be able to keep up the pretense. Like he’d shed the ornamental medicine man trappings, so, too, did he discontinue the attempt to appear the fearsome medicine man.

“Willow, please tell the chief exactly what I say, no matter if you agree with it or not. Do not question me,” he said.

She nodded somberly, but asked, “What are you going to do?”

“I am going to tell the truth. I cannot lie about myself. It goes against Sendeh and everything that my mentor taught me. Using deception is dangerous and it will tarnish my soul. I must have a clean spirit and heart, or it will taint my medicine. I care too much for our people to let that happen,” he replied.

Willow’s respect for Chirping Cricket grew. “I understand. Do what you feel is best.”

Chirping Cricket turned back to the chief. “I would like to speak open and honestly.”

“Please, sit,” Soaring Falcon said. “I prefer that you do.”

As Chirping Cricket sat, calmness stole through him. Getting rid of all pretenses felt good and right. He gathered his thoughts as Willow sat beside him. She would translate.

“Two years ago, I began apprenticing with our previous medicine man. He now walks the next life, so I will not speak his name. He was a great, wise, kind man. My family is not very high in status, but he said that he saw something in me. He felt that I had power.

“So, he made me his apprentice and I learned well from him. I am a skilled Buffalo doctor. That is what we call those who are well trained in treating medical problems. I can also perform many ceremonies, and I pray well. However, until recently, I was not able to perform many spiritual acts. Our other medicine men were killed during raids, so when my mentor died, I was the only medicine man left.

“There was still a lot I needed to learn from my mentor, but I am carrying on and doing everything I can for my people. I am not a fierce medicine man, as you can see. I am just a humble servant of Sendeh, or Wakan Tanka, as you call Him. That is the truth about me.”

He stopped speaking and waited anxiously for a response.

Soaring Falcon took his time mulling over all that Chirping Cricket had told him. Honesty was something he highly valued. Chirping Cricket’s courage and forthright attitude impressed him. A mere boy admitting to a Lakota chief that he was inexperienced yet performing his duty to the utmost told the chief that Chirping Cricket possessed a great deal of integrity.

Chirping Cricket’s humility and willingness to take so much responsibility on his slim shoulders also made Soaring Falcon’s estimation of him rise. His curiosity was piqued even more. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, “Did you call those bison?”

Chirping Cricket had asked himself that question and prayed about it. “Yes. I meditated hard that night and called out to them with everything in me.” A wry smile twisted his lips. “Then I fell asleep.”

Willow sighed but translated his last statement.

Soaring Falcon blinked, thinking he’d misunderstood. “You fell asleep?”

“Yes.”

A strange expression passed the chief’s face, and he shifted his weight. To the utter shock of everyone in the lodge, a snort of laughter burst from Soaring Falcon. More laughter followed and soon others laughed with him.

Willow and Lightning Strike were offended, but Chirping Cricket joined in the hilarity, able to take the ribbing because he’d laughed about it himself a few times. Even his own chief had found it amusing.

Soaring Falcon looked over at Smoking Fire, the tribe’s head medicine man. “Have you ever called bison in your sleep?”

Smoking Fire smiled. “I do not think so. I will have to try it some time.”

Chirping Cricket said, “It is easy. I will show you if you like.” He instantly sobered, acutely aware of his blunder in even suggesting that he was worthy of teaching anything to such an accomplished medicine man.

However, he needn’t have worried because this only sent Soaring Falcon off on another laughing jag. He reached over and squeezed Chirping Cricket’s shoulder, giving him a little shake, much like the ones he gave his grandchildren.

“You are the funniest medicine man I have ever met,” he said, still chuckling.

Chirping Cricket said, “Laughter is good medicine. I will only charge you one fine hunting knife for my services.”

It was a common practice for people to pay medicine men for their services, but it was the first time that Chirping Cricket had ever asked for anything and he was only joking.

Soaring Falcon laughed again when Willow translated, but he leaned to the side a little and pulled his own knife from its sheath at his waist. Lightning Strike immediately moved a little in front of Chirping Cricket, thinking that the chief meant him harm. Soaring Falcon didn’t fault Lightning Strike for doing his job.

Slowly, he turned the knife around and presented it handle first to Chirping Cricket. “I always pay my debts promptly,” he said.

Dumbfounded, Chirping Cricket could only stare at the knife lying across the chief’s large hands, then up into Soaring Falcon’s eyes. Humor still lurked in their black depths, but he saw that Soaring Falcon was seriously expecting him to take the knife.

He shook his head a little and signed, “I could not accept such a prized knife from you.”

Soaring Falcon cocked his head a little. “Are you refusing it?”

Chirping Cricket heard a hard note enter his voice. Willow translated and he pondered how to respond. He decided to take a risk. Giving Soaring Falcon a calculating look, he signed, “I will accept it if you agree to meet with my great chief, Growling Wolf, to discuss an alliance between our tribes.”

Dark Horse and Rushing Bull almost gasped at the youth’s audacity. They held their breath, waiting to see how their chief reacted. He wasn’t a man who could be pushed into a decision or who responded to blackmail.

Soaring Falcon asked, “Why would I want to create an alliance with your little tribe? What do you have to offer that we do not already have?”

Chirping Cricket slowly opened the small pouch that hung at his waist and pulled out a very fine bracelet. “You do not have many of these, but we do. This is just one of the many things our tribe has to offer. Like the ant, we may be small, but do not make the mistake of thinking that we are not mighty.”

A spark of humor had returned to Soaring Falcon’s eyes. “I must speak with my council about such an important decision. What about the knife?”

Chirping Cricket nodded deferentially. “I would expect no less. If your answer is yes, I will accept the knife. If you choose not to hold a council with our chief, please accept my medicine of laughter as a gift for letting us come see your wonderful village. I have spoken.”

With a smile and a gesture indicating that he was done, Chirping Cricket stood and walked from the lodge, Willow and Lightning Strike following closely. No sooner had they left the council lodge than it erupted in loud voices.

“I cannot believe you did that!” Lightning Strike whispered urgently as they walked away from the council lodge.

Chirping Cricket’s legs threatened to give out as shock and fear over his actions set in. “Me, neither. I do not know what came over me.”

Willow shook her head. “You better pray hard that he agrees to meet with our chief or Growling Wolf will have your head.”

“I know. Oh, I am so stupid.” Chirping Cricket was stunned that he’d overreached his authority. Did you? Or did you do what you were meant to do?

Chirping Cricket’s head whipped around as he searched for the source of the voice he knew so well. But instead of finding Singing Water, all he saw were curious Lakota faces staring at him.

“What is wrong?” Lighting Strike asked.

“I, um, just realized something. I am the highest ranking one of us since I am the medicine man. Since Growling Wolf is not here, I have the authority to negotiate with Soaring Falcon. It might be risky, but what I did was right,” he said.

Willow’s eyebrows rose. “You are right. We are going to have to start treating you as a medicine man instead of a boy.”

Lightning Strike laid a hand on Chirping Cricket’s shoulder. “You are starting to act like one. You took control in there and were very crafty.”

Chirping Cricket gave him a self-deprecating smile. “We will see how crafty I am.”

Willow looked around. “Dark Horse’s tipi is this way. I want to check on Sky Dancer, too. Perhaps Dark Horse’s mother will feed us.”

Lightning Strike nodded. “Yes. She will feel better having a few friends with her right now.”

As they walked, Chirping Cricket, surreptitiously looked around for his mentor, but never saw him. Even so, he knew that he hadn’t imagined hearing Singing Water’s voice. With a secret smile, he hoped that he might see him sometime.

Although Red Sun was pleasant and friendly, Sky Dancer’s anxiety didn’t ease much as the next couple of hours went by. Just because Red Sun was sociable didn’t mean that everyone would accept her. She knew that she was in for some hard times ahead, which kept her stomach in knots.

Therefore, when her tribesmen came into Red Sun’s tipi, she almost wept with relief at seeing them.

Red Sun was taken aback by the fierce Willow, who translated. She was a beautiful woman, but Red Sun instantly knew that she was also deadly.

“I am Willow. This is Lightning Strike and our medicine man, Chirping Cricket. If it is all right, we would like to visit with Sky Dancer.”

Red Sun thought that the trio was an odd grouping. A Kiowa brave, a warrior woman, and a boy medicine man. Still, it was not her place to judge, and she knew that Dark Horse would expect her to be hospitable to their guests.

“Of course. Please, make yourselves comfortable. Would you like some blood soup?”

Willow nodded and sat next to Sky Dancer. “Thank you,” she said to Red Sun. “Sky Dancer how are things going?” she asked in Kiowa.

Sky Dancer smiled. “Very well. We are getting along fine so far.”

“Good. We had a very interesting meeting with Soaring Falcon,” Willow told her. “Did we not, Chirping Cricket?”

Chirping Cricket frowned at her teasing. “Yes, it was interesting. I only hope that what I did will be fruitful.”

Since they spoke in Kiowa and didn’t sign, Red Sun had no idea what they were saying, but she did understand that Chirping Cricket was worried about something. She dished up three bowls of soup and handed them to her foreign guests.

Chirping Cricket smiled at her and signed, “Your kindness is appreciated, Mother.”

Red Sun chuckled at his use of a familial address. It showed her that the Kiowa also regarded all women as mothers or grandmothers. “You are welcome, Chirping Cricket. How did someone your age come to be a medicine man?”