Chapter 25

Four days later they headed back to the village; Fighting Hawk was hoping to get some rest, but Sara was happily bouncing beside him, a bundle of raw energy and unsuppressed love. Fighting Hawk wondered how they did that. He was tired and felt like he had run for the past four days, and she was a bundle of energy. He marveled again at the female body, and wished that he could do the things that they did.

The village was quiet, and Fighting Hawk was glad. Nobody stopped him on his way to his lodge. When Little Mule saw them she gave a shout and ran to them, jumping into his arms. He caught her and wondered how he managed to stay on his feet. After covering his face with kisses she was suddenly gone and dragging Sara with her. They disappeared behind the lodge and He knew that every moment of the last four days would pass between their lips. Well, almost all of the time; he had sworn Sara to the secret of the pool. He secretly hoped that it would take four days for the telling, but doubted it.

When he entered the lodge he saw that Kelly was sitting and nursing a baby. He smiled at her and leaned down to kiss her and his new baby girl. Kelly was very proud of her new daughter and Fighting Hawk had to admit that she looked like a very pretty baby. He sat and cuddled Kelly and the baby. She asked, "Is Sara okay?" He closed his eyes and leaned back against the stacked skins and answered, "You will see for yourself, as soon as she and Little Mule finish trading all of my secrets." She giggled and kissed his cheek, but he didn't know anything after that, as he fell into a gentle sleep.

When he awoke he saw that they were no longer alone. Sara and Little Mule had joined them by snuggling up on his other side and they all lightly dozed. He couldn't figure out what had woke him as he lay back and listened. Suddenly Big Owl burst through the lodge flaps and spoke quickly, "Father, there are soldiers entering the valley from the South. Running Deer sent a rider to get you, and has sent one of his men to wear your clothes at the house."

Fighting Hawk was on his feet and moving through the lodge flaps before Big Owl even finished his warning. Once outside Big Owl pointed to the horses that he had ready; they were on their backs and off through the village at a run.

They rode hard and Fighting Hawk realized that his weariness had vanished in an instant, with the news of the soldiers. He suspected that he was not as tired as he had felt, but just needed activity to get his mind and body alert.

As they neared the house he called to Big Owl to make sure that John and Ben were on hand. He reined to a sudden stop and bolted through the door of the house. He found Little Fox dressed in his clothes. The young man looked scared, but he also realized that he could easily pass as Tom, if the person hadn't met Tom before. He smiled at the young man, but Little Fox did not smile back. Fighting Hawk could tell that the young man was not happy about the situation, but Fighting Hawk knew it was the best that they could do with the time that they had. He knew that Little Fox had heard of his trip to Kansas City, so he quickly began filling him in on any details that he might need to pull off the switch.

As Ben rushed into the house Fighting Hawk looked at him, but kept up a steady stream of details. He then nodded to Ben and told Little Fox that if he had problems that Ben, or John, could help him out. Little Fox looked relieved to hear that, but Fighting Hawk saw that the major problem was not going to be the details of the trip, but his attitude.

Fighting Hawk stood back and quickly hit Little Fox in the face. Little Fox was suddenly angry and started toward Fighting Hawk before he even realized what he was doing. Once he realized who he was reaching for his hands froze and he stopped in mid-stride. Fighting Hawk smiled and nodded his head. "That's right, get mad. There are soldiers coming. Riding on your land; land that you bought and paid for. You are Tom the owner of this valley and the next one, as well as all of the Cheyenne lands. You have two hired guns waiting to do your killing for you, with a wave of your hand. You are a man of power, not a smith's apprentice. When they get here be strong and proud, like a Cheyenne warrior. Don't let them push you around, this is your land, and you did not invite them here."

Little Fox smiled as he understood what Fighting Hawk was doing. He nodded his head in understanding. He stood taller and his chest pushed out as he set a calm expression on his face. Fighting Haw turned to leave, but softly added, "But please don't start a war either." Little Fox laughed as Fighting Hawk ran from the house and lightly sprang up onto his horse.

He was waiting a ways from the house when Big Owl rode up to him. They watched as the soldiers made their way toward the house. When it looked like they were about the same distance, Fighting Hawk made a motion and they rode slowly toward the house. They didn't speak as they rode, but were intent on the soldiers.

They arrived just as the soldiers came to a halt and Fighting Hawk noticed that the lieutenant in command was the same one that he had dealt with before. He shook his head and expected the worst.

The lieutenant spoke with surprisingly good Cheyenne, "Fighting Hawk, it is good to see that you are well. I wish you a long life." It was a formal greeting, and good manners demanded a reply. Fighting Hawk look at the lieutenant as he reappraised him, he saw that he still had the soldiers bearing, but he now noticed a casual confidence that he had lacked before. He also noticed the knife that had been added to his belt and smiled.

Fighting Hawk nodded slowly to the lieutenant as he said, "I thank you, and wish you a long life as well." The lieutenant then turned and addressed Little Fox, "Mister Sherman, word has reached La Junta that you had purchased this valley. We wanted to talk to you. Can we step inside?" Fighting Hawk gave a shake of his head as he lightly dropped from his horse. Little Fox was quick to understand as he turned his attention back on the young lieutenant. "No, if there is anything that you want to talk about it can be done right here, then I want you out of my valley."

The lieutenant seemed surprised at the harsh attitude but tried again in a more demanding tone. "Mr. Sherman, there are some things that would be better if it were not discussed here, and I think that it would be better if we stepped inside." Before the lieutenant could start to dismount a quick wave of Little Fox's hand had both John and Ben with their pistols in hand, looking for a reason to shoot. The lieutenant froze as he saw the situation heading onto dangerous ground. He slowly eased back into his saddle and looked at Little Fox.

Little Fox gave him a hard stare as he said, "I think I made myself clear, but if I didn't I will tell you again. This is my land, not yours. I didn't ask you to come here, and I didn't ask you into my house. You will stay in your saddles, or leave over them. If you try any funny business I will have my men remove your guns and tie you to your saddles and lead you back to La Junta like stray children. Now if there was something that you wanted to talk about, I suggest that you do it and get the hell out of here."

The lieutenant sputtered a few times before he finally found his voice, "You can't do this; we are the army. He can go anywhere that we want!" His indignant tone, and the fact that he was almost yelling showed how close he was to losing control.

Little Fox was quiet and soft spoken when he answered, "Yes, you are the army. But those pretty blue suits don't stop bullets, and when you go onto somebody else's land you had better remember that you are a guest, and now you are an uninvited guest. This is not even a state, but the Kansas Territory. You are on my land, and you ain't got much to say about anything here. So you had better remember your place or I'll take you out of that saddle and tan your hide for you." Fighting Hawk had a hard time keeping a straight face and pretending like he didn't understand what was just said. The lieutenant was still a pretty shade of purple when an older sergeant quietly rode up beside him and started whispering to him.

It took a few minutes to calm him back down, but Fighting Hawk saw the lieutenant had control of himself again when he spoke. "Mister Sherman, even though I think you are rude, if you would rather talk here, then I will say what I came to say. We received the report of your land purchase, and noticed that the area covers the Cheyenne lands. We wanted to warn you that if you attempt to take that land we would not be able to help you and we suggest that you not try."

Little Fox laughed, but he didn't try to make it sound like he was laughing at the lieutenant. When he spoke again it was with the same clam voice that he had kept the whole time, "Lieutenant, I get along fine with my Cheyenne neighbors. We respect each other, and they even do some work for me. I have no intension of doing anything stupid."

The lieutenant looked hard at Little Fox and nodded his head, "Well, I've given you my warning. We won't help you when you get into trouble." Little Fox motioned and John and Ben smoothly returned their pistols back to their holsters, but were poised to once again spring into action.

Fighting Hawk watched as the old sergeant gave a slow sigh of relief. He understood the problems of the sergeant; this lieutenant was a walking disaster. He watched as the lieutenant motioned to his men and started moving off North. Fighting Hawks eyebrows arched, but he quickly motioned to Little Fox to stay out of it.

A few short words had Big Owl riding fast toward the Cheyenne village and Fighting Hawk quickly moved to place himself in the way of the army troop. Speaking in Cheyenne he firmly said, "Lieutenant, I don't know where you think that you are going, but you have to leave by the south pass." The look of the old sergeant showed Fighting Hawk that he understood Cheyenne as well as the lieutenant.

The lieutenant growled, "Don't any of you understand? We are the US Army! We go where we want, when we want. Nobody tells us what we can or can't do! I will not ride back south, and waste a half a day riding over to another valley when we can just go North from here." Fighting Hawk saw the purple face scrunched up in anger, and knew that this idiot was just about to get a lot of people killed, and probably start a war in the process.

"Lieutenant, let me explain something to you. Why don't you calm down and listen to me." Fighting Hawk spoke calmly and gently, but he still watched the old sergeant and hoped that he was smarter than the lieutenant.

Fighting Hawk watched as the young lieutenant slowly managed to get a grip on his rampant anger. He watched as the old sergeant slowly and quietly spoke to the lieutenant. When Fighting Hawk saw the lieutenant was indeed paying attention, he tried to sound calm and soothing himself. "Lieutenant, the Cheyenne village is just beyond the North pass of the valley. The Army has agreed to stay out of the village. The Colonel has guaranteed that the Army will not start a war with the Cheyenne. If you try to move through the North pass, you will start a war. The Cheyenne people will not allow the Army in the village."

Fighting Hawk watched as the lieutenant slowly started to turn red again. Fighting Hawk decided to try a different tact, "Sergeant, are the lives of your men worth this? You have about thirty men in your troop. Right now there are more than two hundred Cheyenne warriors waiting for you at the mouth of the pass. Once you are dead, there will be war, it cannot be avoided. Are you willing to be responsible for all of the deaths that will follow this act of stupidity?"

The angry lieutenant was now a fiery shade of purple again. "You just don't understand, do you? Nobody tells us what to do; especially not a bunch of stupid savages with bows and arrows. We will ride through you cutting you down where you stand. A war? You don't know what a war is! We are soldiers! We are experts on war. That is what we do, we fight wars!"

Fighting Hawk's eyes grew hard and cold. He slowly slipped his knife into his hand, by the blade and quickly glanced at the other troopers. The old Sergeant had big eyes and his mouth hanging open, and the others weren't any different. He moved quickly, his knife flashing through the air. With a dull thud the handle impacted hard against the lieutenant's forehead. He didn't say or do anything. He just fell off the back of his horse.

Suddenly the old Sergeant flew into motion, his hand driving to his pistol. Fighting Hawk watched the motion and said, "Sergeant! Is that really what you want to do? The Lieutenant is not really hurt. Are you willing to make this worse than is has to be?" Fighting Hawk watched as he fought a battle within himself. He breathed a sigh of relief as he slowly raised his empty hand.

"Thank you sergeant," Fighting Hawk smiled as he slipped from his horse and slowly made his way over to the fallen lieutenant. He retrieved his knife and slipped it back into the belt sheath. He then reached down and hefted the lieutenant and put him belly down across his horse. After mounting his own horse again he turned to the old sergeant.

"I will take him to the Colonel, you take your troop back South and continue what you need to do." The old sergeant dropped his hand back to his pistol, but didn't try to take it out of the holster. "Sir, I can't leave the lieutenant here or they will skin me alive when I get back."

Fighting Hawk smiled and said, "Sergeant, just tell them the truth. He was taken prisoner, and there wasn't anything that you could do about it." The old sergeant looked at Fighting Hawk, and Fighting Hawk could see the disbelief in his eyes. Fighting Hawk smiled and nodded over the sergeant's right shoulder. He watched as the sergeant looked and saw twenty Cheyenne warriors with their bows drawn. If he looked close he would have noticed that they were old warriors, but any Cheyenne warrior with a bow was a dangerous man. Fighting Hawk then nodded back toward the house and the sergeant looked over his left shoulder and saw John, Ben and Little Fox all aiming rifles at them.

The old sergeant bobbed his head, "Seems like I don't have any choice in the matter, but you do realize that as your prisoner you are responsible to deliver him back to the fort. If he is dead, I don't know if it will mean war, but like you said, none of us wants war." Fighting Hawk smiled and nodded his head. "He will be alive. Maybe not in the same condition that he is now, but he will be alive." The old sergeant smiled and nodded his head.

The old sergeant raised his arm and after circling it a few times he dropped his arm and started off. They made a slow and cautious turn and the old sergeant made sure to take the troop slowly in front of the old warriors. Fighting Hawk smiled. He knew that the old sergeant was making sure that every trooper knew that they were covered, and that he had no choice in leaving the lieutenant.

Fighting Hawk watched Big Owl ride up after the soldiers left. He handed the reins of the horse to him and said, "Tie his hands and feet. Then get a good sized stick and tie some small rope to each end, and then gag the idiot. I don't want to have to listen to him." Big Owl nodded his head and led the horse off toward the barn.

Fighting Hawk rode back toward the house. He watched as John and Ben left to do whatever they had been doing before the soldiers arrived. Little Fox watched with concern as Fighting Hawk climbed the stairs.

Fighting Hawk smiled, "You did very well as a white man. How did you know how to handle the lieutenant?" Little Fox smiled at the compliment and shrugged his shoulders, "I watched my paw talk that way to the soldiers in Saint Joe, before we left in the wagon train. Paw always said that soldiers ain't got enough sense to be dangerous. He said that they were like a pack of wolves, they know how to fight, but without the lead wolf they will just run off, until they get a new leader."