Chapter 9

It was two weeks later that Gray Eagle and the advanced party rode into the village. The story quickly spread through the village. Once the bodies had been buried and the wagons burned the wagon train set out west. Gray Eagle and the warriors moved with them and watched as they moved through the great mountains and down into the forest. When they arrived into the forest they joined a camp of five hundred soldiers and watched as every wagon unload five soldiers and many weapons. The following day three hundred more soldiers followed them into the camp. Gray Eagle said that they slipped away as the soldiers broke camp and headed back toward La Junta. At a celebration fire Gray Eagle praised Fighting Hawk for his sharp eye and his ability to see the truth in their trap. The warriors were strangely quiet, but Gray Eagle pretended not to notice. The advanced party was visited by every warrior in the village, and it was many days before the village spoke of the greatness of Fighting Hawk. But Fighting Hawk was too busy with the business of life to listen to the rumors.

Pretty Storm stopped Fighting Hawk one morning when he and Big Cloud were leaving to hunt, and asked him how Moon Flower and Little Mule were doing. He said that they were fine, and that the bruising was healing fine. Before she could move away he asked about the fight that they had been in. She looked at him closely, and he quickly said that they wouldn't tell him the details, and that he would like to know. She smiled and nodded. He then heard that while they were at the river a group of women called Fighting Hawk a coward and said that he should be run from the village. She said that Moon Flower and Little Mule bested nine squaws and still walked away with their heads held high. Fighting Hawk smiled proudly at their actions and thanked Pretty Storm for telling him the story.

That evening in the lodge Fighting Hawk sat Moon Flower and Little Mule down in the center of the lodge. He took the girls outside to the cook fire and helped them prepare the evening meal, not that they would allow him to do much. Once cooked, he carried the food to the two women. When he handed them their food he said that he was proud that two little women would fight against nine big squaws just for his honor, and that he was very proud of them. They ate their dinner embarrassed at the attention, but he knew that they secretly loved every second of it. That night nobody heard Moon Flower's soft moans of pleasure, but Little Mules screams of passion filled the night air, and the next morning there were knowing smiles as he made his way to Big Cloud's lodge.

When he arrived Big Cloud and the boys were waiting for him. He saw the smirk on Big Cloud's face but pretended not to. After greeting each other, they headed into the forest. Fighting Hawk and Big Cloud watched as the boys found the trails of animals, and began the task of hunting them down. Each day they would have two of the boys, and Fighting Hawk made sure that they were different. He wanted them always to have different partners, and in that way they would learn to work with everybody. It also let the warriors talk to them about the things that make a man, and each day they would see that both of the warriors said the same things.

There were no more wagon trains sighted that year. When late fall arrived Fighting Hawk and Big Cloud visited the boys and told them about the winter hunt. They were all excited, and the next morning when the sun peeked over the ridge of the mountains, the two warriors and four boys walked into the forest, carrying only a knife. One of the warriors was stomping loudly, while the other smirked and the boys giggled.

The snows fell on the village and winter set in. The women of Fighting Hawk's lodge were quiet. They missed him terribly and knew that he would not return until the spring. They had made his last night with them one of total passion. All of them had gone to his blankets, and he had not slept the whole night. They were all tired and sore the next day, but all wore happy smiles on their faces. Little Mule shone like the sun, and other girls giggled at her smile. But the long cold winter would wither those smiles.

The girls spent their days foraging in the forest. They collected anything that animals could eat. The horses needed food during the winter, and Fighting Hawk had a large number of horses. They always found that they had enough to stop by and feed the cow at the lodge of Gray Eagle. Each day one of the girls would visit with Water Lilly as she fed the cow. They spoke of the things that women speak, when men's ears are safely away from them. They laughed and complained, and Water Lilly always spoke the thanks for the care of the cow.

One day Fighting Hawk spotted a hunting party of the Cheyenne. He knew that the village was not all of the Cheyenne people, but that they lived in different villages. Once he made sure that these were honorable warriors he called and entered the camp. Once he greeted them in the Cheyenne custom, they greeted him and asked him to sit at their fire. He sat and talked with them. He found that they were hunting a band of marked Cheyenne warriors that had been stealing from their village. Fighting Hawk frowned and asked about these warriors. They shook their heads and said that they didn't know who they were, but that there were four of them.

Fighting Hawk suspected who the four were, and asked what the warriors intended to do with them. He listened as they told of things that Fighting Hawk thought men should never do to another. He considered the safety of the boys and asked which way they would recommend. They understood his reasons and pointed out an area to the north. Fighting Hawk was sure that Big Cloud and the boys were close by and said his thanks and moved off to join them. He hoped that Little Elk ran hard and fast out of the Cheyenne territory, but he knew that either way his life would end the same way, no matter how far that he ran. When he rejoined Big Cloud he told of the hunt for the warriors. He saw Big Cloud's face as it got hard, and knew that he was aware of the dangers. They moved slower and were more alert after that.

The northern mountains and forest proved plentiful for the hunters. They cooked their food and skinned the animals. They made heavy clothes and blankets of skins. The boys learned the bow, and many wished that they had helped Big Cloud carry water, rather than laugh at him. Their arms quivered when they tried to lift them over their heads. They were so sore that they didn't even want to eat, because they couldn't lift the food to their mouths. Fighting Hawk knew that it would pass, but there would be other days even worse to come.

They traveled far to the north, and then headed east. After a week heading east Fighting Hawk felt the presence of something. He called to Big Cloud that he was going to scout ahead. The boys dropped wearily to rest as he left. As soon as he was clear of them he started to run. He circled wide around them and examined the trail. There were two additional tracks on top of theirs. He moved quietly up the trail watching for danger.

When he was close to the boys he saw two scouts watching them. They were crouched behind a tree. When the arrow struck the tree beside them they froze, slowly lifting their open hands. As they slowly turned to face Fighting Hawk his arrow stood ready. They looked at each other and said that they meant no harm to him or the boys. Fighting Hawk gauged their words carefully. He asked why they were following them, and they said that they were searching for a band of renegade warriors. Fighting Hawk relaxed and eased his bow. He motioned for them to get down, and then called a greeting into the clearing.

Fighting Hawk was glad of taking the precaution when an arrow struck a nearby tree. When he was sure that there wouldn't be another, he called out to Big Cloud and said that he was coming into the clearing. When he led the scouts into the clearing he saw where the arrow had come from. Swift Pony, the youngest of the boys, sat with his head hung in shame as Fighting Hawk saw the others relax their arrows. Fighting Hawk walked over to Swift Pony and told him to go and get his arrow. He knew that it would do nothing for his pride, but it had to be done.

The scouts watched the boy slink past them with his head down, and smiled. Fighting Hawk motioned for the scouts to sit. When everybody had sat they told why they were there.

They had been trailing three warriors that had attacked a white settlement and carried off captives. They had lost the trail, and when they found their trail decided that it should be checked out. Fighting Hawk listened and nodded his head in understanding. He asked about the fourth warrior, and they looked at each other before asking how he knew about the fourth warrior. Fighting Hawk told of the meeting of the Cheyenne warriors hunting the four renegades, and where he had encountered them. He said that it sounded like the same ones.

The scouts relaxed as they said that they had encountered those warriors, and one of the men had been killed in the raid. Fighting Hawk thought for a minute before he spoke. "They are probably heading to Ute territory. Their marked face means instant death by any Cheyenne. If they have captives and want to trade them, then they will probably head to the Ute." The scouts considered his words and nodded their understanding. They thanked the warriors and stood to leave, but one of the scouts asked, "How did you know that we were there?"

Fighting Hawk shrugged and said that he knew that there was somebody following, so he went to find out who was there. They eyed him suspiciously and one of the boys stated, "This is Fighting Hawk." The scouts looked at each other again and then back at Fighting Hawk. The one doing the talking said, "We have heard of you, one of the greatest Cheyenne warriors."

Fighting Hawk was surprised, and the scouts laughed. One of them said, "Do you think that stories of you aren't talked about outside of your village? Every warrior that meets another tells a story about Fighting Hawk. I thought that you were a myth, but here you sit. And after catching us with our britches down, I can see that the stories are real. Now we have a story to tell about the great Fighting Hawk." They laughed as they headed back down the trail. Fighting Hawk looked at the boys and frowned, the one that had spoken looked at his feet. He sent them to help Swift Pony find his arrow, and they all grumbled at the insult.

Fighting Hawk looked at Big Cloud and said, "Why would any warrior tell stories about me?" Big Cloud burst out laughing. With his sides hurting and tears on his face he finally managed to say, "Oh ... Oh ... Well, let me think. Gray Eagle, the greatest Cheyenne warrior that ever was names Fighting Hawk as his son. That is enough to have stories told about you. But then when challenged, Fighting Hawk kills Little Buffalo, without getting a scratch. Little Buffalo was the best warrior with a knife in any Cheyenne village. That could cause a few stories, too. But on the same night you shamed every Cheyenne for not being a man. You feed the widows and orphans of the village. Gray Eagle puts you in charge of an attack against our enemies; and every warrior, no matter how old they are, follows you into battle. You destroy our enemies without losing a single man. And then you do it again. And if you want to talk about stories, the stories of Fighting Hawk and the women are really good. You live with four women that will scratch the eyes out of any woman that looks at you. Then after you give every warrior a chance, you tame a wildcat in front of all of them. She submits to you meek as a kitten, and then her cries of passion ring through the forest for close to an hour. Then, hold on now, and then you sell this tame kitten to Wild Buffalo for a fortune. Wild Buffalo, who has tamed more women than horses, and she tears him up so many times that he still walks funny, and he gives her back to you. The same hellcat that Wild Buffalo said could never be tamed, follows you around the village like a puppy. Her cries are heard all through the village. There is not a woman in the village that doesn't speak your name in her sleep. And that goes for my mother as well." Big Cloud was still holding his sides as he fell to the ground laughing. Fighting Hawk stomped off in disgust, as the boys came trouping back.

As the snows melted Fighting Hawk and Big Cloud turned back south. They worked themselves through the mountains and over the ridges. The mud and water made travel slow, but all things taught the boys that life goes on through the good and the bad. They struggled and worked together to get to the next peak. At one peak where they made camp for the night, Fighting Hawk heard the sounds of approaching horses. He motioned to Big Cloud and he slipped from the clearing with his bow.