Chapter 65

He walked to the counsel fire and saw Little Beaver sitting at the counsel fire, surrounded by many of the young warriors. Fighting Hawk walked up and kicked Little Beaver in the face. Blood and teeth flew as he sprawled on the ground. One of the young warriors was quickly on his feet with his knife in his hand. Fighting Hawk's knife was already in his hand and he put it through the neck of the young warrior. The others gasped in surprise as they watched him fall at their feet and die.

Fighting Hawk calmly looked at Little Beaver, "The counsel fire is for the Chief, the War Chief and the Shaman. I don't think that you are any of those. If I ever see you sitting there again, I'll kill you." Fighting Hawk watched as his hand moved toward his knife and smiled at him. "Think you're good enough?" He watched as Little Beaver snatched his hand away and got to his feet, "This isn't over." Fighting Hawk spoke so softly that only Little Beaver could hear him, "It had better be, or you'll be a dead coward." Fighting Hawk saw the anger flare and hoped that he would try, but he stomped off. He watched the other young warriors quickly follow after him.

Fighting Hawk sat at the counsel fire and waited to see who would show up. It was only a short time later that Swift Pony limped up to the counsel fire. "I heard that you were back, but I couldn't believe it. Seeing you sitting here gives me hope once more." Fighting Hawk smiled at the young man. "What happened to you?"

Swift Pony sat back from the counsel fire, in the second circle where visitors were allowed to sit. He looked at his leg before he spoke. "I opposed Little Beaver when he called for all of the warriors to be removed from the valley, and be brought back here. One of his warriors stood up for him and challenged me. I won, but it was only a first blood fight. Later that day I went hunting. I was hit by an arrow from behind, in the leg. It went clean through and I didn't search for the arrow. By the time that I made it back I was almost dead from loss of blood. It took a long time before my leg healed, but I haven't been very swift of a Pony since then." Fighting Hawk nodded.

He heard the approach of warriors and held up his hand to Swift Pony. He turned his attention to the young warriors approaching him. When it was obvious that they were coming for the body Fighting Hawk spoke, "You can leave the body there. I haven't decided if I want to cut his important parts off, or just hang him like he is." Fighting Hawk smiled at their shocked expressions. Both were considered insults of the dead, and it was debated at times which was worse.

Fighting Hawk slowly rose and waited for them to make a move. He saw the anger and watched as they reached for their knives. Fighting Hawk smiled at them and said, "So it takes both of you to challenge a warrior? I wonder if a white man raped your mother before you father married her?" The first lunged at his chest and Fighting Hawk slapped the knife away and pushed his knife into the young warrior's neck. The second thrust his knife at his stomach. Fighting Hawk danced to the side and pulled his knife out of the first warrior's neck as he slashed down and almost cut off his hand. He dropped his knife and quickly raised his hands. Fighting Hawk smiled and at him and drove his knife into his neck. The surprised look on his face was priceless. Fighting Hawk spoke loudly for all to hear, "You expect mercy, when you attack me two against one? I don't think so."

Fighting Hawk wiped the blood from his knife, on the young warrior's body, before he sheathed his knife and sat back down at the counsel fire. Swift Pony smiled at him, "You are making a good start on your first day back." Fighting Hawk grinned back at him, "Yes, but I need to know who I am fighting. Tell me the names." Swift Pony smiled and nodded.

You already had a run in with Little Beaver. There is also his brother Slow Beaver. Then there is their father Night Beaver and his brother Bright Beaver. Then there are about twelve young warriors that they trained, kind of the way you and Big Cloud took the boys hunting and taught them to be men. They taught how to be less than men, and fight dirty and stab your enemies in the back. Well, there used to be about twelve young warriors, and there are nine, with these three gone." Swift Pony smiled at the dead bodies.

Fighting Hawk was lost in thought. He frowned once before he spoke, "I know Little beaver, he is nothing but a braggart and a coward, he isn't an issue unless he can catch you with your back turned. Slow Beaver on the other hand isn't a coward, but it's only because he is too dumb to be scared. He is one big son-of-a-bitch, if he gets his hands on you, you can pretty much kiss your ass good-bye. The only saving grace is, he is as slow as his name says. Night Beaver and Bright Beaver; I don't know them. I don't think that I ever met them."

Fighting Hawk looked at Swift Pony, who nodded. "They used to live at another village. They came here just before you left. All of the Beaver family moved in together. Their father raised Little Buffalo when his father died. They are all cut from the same cloth. They teach their little ones to be bullies and to take what they want. They teach them to attack from behind and to kill their enemies in their sleep. Nothing is too low for them to do, and most of the time they are proud of it. As long as they can hide what they do." Fighting Hawk frowned again. "How are people like this allowed to live in the Cheyenne village?"

Swift Pony shrugged. "When there was only one or two of them, it wasn't a problem. They kept their mouths closed and did what they had to do to fit in. Now that there is a family of them and they are getting stronger, they are getting braver and coming out in the open. Well, as much in the open as they ever get. But they are getting louder, they are trying to take over the village and Night Beaver is making noise about War Chief, and Bright Beaver is making a play to be Chief. If he manages to be Chief he will name Night Beaver as War Chief. If they manage to get a hold on the leadership that will put them in control of the Cheyenne Nation." Fighting Hawk shook his head.

"How do you know all of this?" Swift Pony grinned, "Big Cloud. We talk a lot. We can't do much else right now. We also watch and listen a lot." Fighting Hawk grinned at Swift Pony. Swift Pony was quick to continue, "Slow Beaver and Night Beaver took out another six young warriors this winter. They aren't back yet. That is probably the reason that they haven't attacked you yet. With the summer festival coming next month, they could be back at any time." Fighting Hawk nodded that he understood. He started to get up when Swift Pony coughed. Fighting Hawk knew that he wouldn't stop him, if it wasn't important.

Fighting Hawk sat back down and looked expectantly. When Swift Pony looked at the ground and spoke, Fighting Hawk's stomach tightened. "Besides the hunting accidents, there have been a few other things. Your women have been attacked, they made the men pay dearly for their attentions, and most of them have gotten the idea. Then, your daughter was trampled by a horse. At least they said it was a horse, and she had hoof prints all over her, but it was strange that she was the only one killed, or even hurt. She was the daughter of your white wife Kelly." Swift Pony suddenly fell silent. Fighting Hawk remembered holding her in his arms, after she was born.

Fighting Hawk rose silently and offered his hand to help Swift Pony up. With his injured leg he didn't refuse the help. When Swift Pony looked at Fighting Hawk he saw nothing in his eyes, they were lifeless pools of steel gray death. He felt the tightly controlled anger radiate from Fighting Hawk and he felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He knew that he didn't want to be any of the men that Fighting Hawk was going after. Fighting Hawk softly whispered, "Go to them and tell them not to come to me. I will come to them, after I have dealt with the vermin infesting the village." Swift Pony nodded his head and watched as Fighting Hawk turned and walked back through the village.

Fighting Hawk moved with a purpose. He got his horse from Gray Eagle's lodge and rode back into the valley. He rode hard and never looked back. It wasn't long before he saw the forge cave. He was glad to see Running Deer still had his smithy running. Fighting Hawk was quick to drop from his horse and to grab Running Deer's arms. He smiled and saw the pain in the old man's eyes. He knew that his own showed a similar pain. "Fighting Hawk, it is good to see you. I thought that you might have run into an accident already." Fighting Hawk's grin showed his teeth like a shark, "Not yet, my friend. But that is the reason that I came to see you. Do you have any dynamite left?"

Running Deer just starred at Fighting Hawk and nodded slowly, "That is dangerous; we don't us it unless we have to." Fighting Hawk smiled, "I need a stick, my friend." Running Deer looked at him hard and nodded once. He turned to talk to one of his assistants, who promptly ran into the tunnels. Fighting Hawk heard the sound of horses and prepared himself. He saw that Running Deer did the same. He was relieved when he saw that his warriors were riding hard, after him. He smiled when Storm Cloud dropped from his horse, "Damn it Tom, what the hell were you thinking running off like that? You were the one that said to never go anywhere alone."

Fighting Hawk smiled at him speaking in English. "Do I have to start hitting you on the head again to remind you to speak Cheyenne now?" Storm Cloud seemed flustered for a minute before he shook his head and grinned. "No, you don't have to hit me in the head, if you stop doing stupid things like that, I won't get upset." Fighting Hawk laughed, and the other warriors laughed too.

The warriors moved off to talk and Fighting Hawk asked, "How was your hunting trip?" Storm Cloud and Walking Buffalo both smiled and Storm Cloud said, "You were right, three of the hyenas followed us out. We were moving quick and led them to an area that Walking Buffalo knew of, that you couldn't get horses in. We dropped down and quickly entered on foot. We circled around and waited. When all three came following us, we snuck up and clubbed them. Then we did what you told us to do, we took them and left them where they would be easy to find, after we cut their throats."

Walking Buffalo took over the story from there. "Then we went hunting. There are so many deer out there that you almost trip over them just walking, so we took two. We carried them back to your lodge, and found out that your women were there. We let them handle the deer and carried one haunch to Gray Eagle's lodge like you told us to do. Then we just spread out and waited to see what would happen. We watched as you cleaned up the counsel fire, and then when the two hyenas came sniffing around. We didn't know what to think when you left, but you sure caused a stir when you rode out of the village."

Fighting Hawk grinned, "I will cause a lot more when I ride back in. Tonight I will rid the village of the vermin infesting it." The warriors all looked uneasy. "Fighting Hawk, we can't do to them what we have done to the white men. The villagers would not see it as honorable."

Fighting Hawk nodded, "Honorable or not, I will put an end to this threat. None of you have to have a hand in this. I will do this alone." Fighting Hawk turned to Running Deer and took the wrapped offering; he slipped it under his belt and turned to his horse. The warriors followed him and mounted their own. "We never said that we wouldn't follow you. Hell if they run us out, we can always go back to Washington and keep killing white men there." Fighting Hawk laughed and the others laughed with him. He knew that they trusted him to keep them alive, or at least give them a fighting chance.

There was still daylight left when Fighting Hawk and the warriors rode back into the Cheyenne village. They rode to the counsel fire and Fighting Hawk sat back down. The warriors waited for him to tell them what he wanted done. Fighting Hawk pointed at the bodies, "Go hang those by their feet where everybody can see them. Storm Cloud nodded and Walking Buffalo and Night Owl dragged the bodies away.

They hadn't been hanging long before Little Beaver stomped up to the counsel fire. "What is the meaning of hanging warriors in the trees?" Fighting Hawk slowly looked up, "When a warrior attacks without warning, or they have to attack in pairs, they show that they aren't warriors, but cowards. That is how I treat a coward. Don't worry Little Beaver, there will still be enough room for you, whenever you get up the courage to try it." Fighting Hawk smiled a vicious smile and Little Beaver took a step back.