Lakota Winds (Zebra Historical Romance) (10 page)

Falling Rain interrupted her thoughts when the older woman smiled
and hinted, "The face and body of Waci Tate are good to look upon,
yes?"

Chumani selected a careful answer. "They are not repulsive, Mother."

"He is a warrior of high rank and great skills; his coups are many."

"So the stories of his deeds tell us."

"Do you fear him, my daughter?"

"No, Mother," she said, as she did not, in the way Magaju meant.

"Do you fear the unknown and dangerous challenge before you?"

"No, Mother, for it will save our people and lands."

"Do you fear lying with him upon the sleeping mat?"

Following a short silence, Chumani admitted, "I do not know." She
decided not to explain her troubled feelings, things she did not grasp
herself which might worry and sadden her mother.

"It was not good for you upon the sleeping mat of Dull Star?"

Chumani was a little surprised by that query. "No, Mother." She hoped Magaju would leave that trail of thought, as she did not want
to discuss sex with her mother.

"It is because you did not choose him; you did not love or desire
him."

"Can the same not be said for Wind Dancer?" reasoned Chumani.

"It will be different with him, my daughter. His looks and ways are
good. He was chosen for you by the Great Spirit, Who is never wrong."

"I pray those words are true, Mother."

"They are, my beloved child. The Great Spirit would not bring
sadness and distraction into the heart and mind of one He has chosen
for a great and sacred duty. Allow Wind Dancer to heal your pain and
bring you joy. Give him the opportunity to win your love and acceptance;
it must be so for you two to work together for the good of our peoples."

"What if Wind Dancer does not feel the same way, Mother? What
if he does not want my love or care about my acceptance? What if he
is not pleased with the Great Spirit's command to join to me?"

"It will be your task to change that. Only by forming a powerful
bond between you, or at least a truce, can you two achieve glorious
victory. You are a beautiful and desirable woman, my daughter; you
have many good traits and skills. Use them, use all you are, to create
the needed bond between you two."

"I will do my best to grasp victory for our peoples, whatever it takes,"
Chumani vowed.

Magaju embraced her, and with misty eyes and hoarsened voice said,
"That is good, my daughter. My love for you is great."

Chumani's emotion matched that of her mother.

"My love for you is larger than the sacred mountain," she whispered.
"I will miss you."

"As I will miss you, my child. Be safe and happy, Dewdrops."

"I will try, Mother," she promised. Then she heard a shrill call from
outside. "Cetan has returned," she said. "I must go tether him to his
post while strangers are in camp. I would not want him to see them as
a threat and attack our honored guests."

Chumani and Waci Tate stood in the center of the group of people
gathered around them; close by were members of their families. The
son of the Oglala chief was clad in his finest array of garments and
high-ranking Wiscasta Itancan shirt. The daughter of the Brule chief
wore the fringed but unbeaded white dress and moccasins made by
Snowbird and given to her by her shaman, a kind and wise man whom
she loved and respectly deeply.

"We come to hear Dewdrops and Wind Dancer make a joining
bond," Tall Elk said, "as we have made an alliance bond with his people.
Beneath the eyes of the Great Spirit, they will become mates. Soon they
will ride together on a great quest for victory for our two bands. Until
that sun rises, we will meet and travel together to the grasslands to hunt
the buffalo; there, we will camp nearby and will unite to battle any
enemies who challenge us. Wind Dancer, you have brought many gifts
to me and asked for my daughter as your wife and sacred task companion.
Is that not so?"

Wind Dancer kept his gaze on the chief, as looking at the beautiful
and tempting woman beside him would be most distracting. "That is
true, Tall Elk. I will become her mate, hunter, protector, and father of
her children."

"Dewdrops, my daughter, you agree to become Wind Dancer's mate,
mother of his children, and sacred quest companion?"

Chumani was all too aware of the handsome and virile male beside
her, and she dared not even glance at him and risk exposing her mixed
feelings for him. "That is true, my father; I will obey the Great Spirit's
commands."

Tall Elk smiled. "It is good. We will feast before you go into the
forest to seal your bond."

As the group ate food provided by many White Shield families, the
joyful people mingled and talked and placed gifts for the couple in a
pile near the chief's tepee entrance: blankets, clothing, work and decorative items for their new tepee in the Red Shield camp, beaded jewelry
for both people, pelts and hides, rush mats, pemmican and other foods for their journey home, leather pouches of healing and cooking herbs
and plants, and adorned parfleches in which to carry their belongings.

As Wind Dancer roamed amidst the crowd and Chumani stayed near
her parents' dwelling to accept and give thanks for the gifts, Rainbow
Girl-wife of her brother, Fire Walker-joined her.

Rainbow Girl looked at the hawk nearby. "He is uneasy."

"Yes, he does not understand why strangers come near me and why
he must be tethered to protect them from his sharp talons and beak.
Soon he will learn to accept them." Chumani stroked the anxious bird's
head and neck with the backs of her fingers and spoke in a gentle and
loving tone to him. As if the creature understood her words, the large
hawk rubbed the top of its head against her open palm many times, its
round and shiny eyes focused on her face.

"You will take him with you?"

"Yes, he is my friend and we have been together since I was ten. He
has not chosen to leave me and take a mate. Perhaps one sun he will
do so."

"Your new garments are lovely, Dewdrops. Are you uneasy about
what lies ahead on this moon and during the suns to follow soon?" the
other woman asked in a whisper.

She nodded, but did not explain, as two people halted within hearing
range as they admired Wind Dancer's horse and its markings. "I will
not be here to see the face of your first child when it takes its first
breath of the Great Spirit's air, my sister," Chumani said, as the mates
of siblings were often called "sister" or "brother." She touched Rainbow
Girl's protruding stomach and sighed. "I will not be here to tend you
while you grow strong again or watch the baby while you do chores or
help you teach your child. I will miss you and my brother and such
special events."

"We will miss you, Dewdrops, my sister. You will be in our thoughts
each sun. We will pray for your happiness and safety."

"As I will pray and work for yours. It is good my brother chose you
for himself; you will be a good chief's mate."

"Your words are kind and your heart is good, Dewdrops."

"As are yours. When my brother and the hunter-warriors are out of
camp, keep your child close and watch over it with eagle eyes, for the
Crow and Whites grow bold this season."

"I know this, my sister, and I will guard my child each sun and
moon.'

Fire Walker joined them. He embraced his sister. "My love and pride
are great for you, Dewdrops, and I will miss you. Wind Dancer will
be a good mate for you. When the time comes, I hope I will be riding
with you two on the sacred task."

"If that is to be, my brother, it will make me happy. You are brave
and skilled; you would drive fear into the hearts of our enemies."

"Soon we will see each other again when we hunt the buffalo."

She touched Fire Walker's arm. "That sun cannot come fast enough
for me, my brother. I will miss my family, friends, and people."

"You are sad because Zitkala is not here to share this sun with you?"

"That is true, Rainbow Girl."

"I will tell her all that happened when she returns to camp."

"Thank you, my sister."

Wind Dancer arrived then. "It is time to seek privacy," he said.

"I am ready to go," Chumani responded with faked courage. "See to
Cetan until my return," she asked her brother, who nodded agreement.

They mounted the prepared horses, waved farewell to the stillcelebrating group, and rode out of the White Shield camp to spend the
first night of their new life together.

While riding slightly ahead of her in silence so he would not become
distracted from his guard duty, Wind Dancer guided Chumani over a
gently rolling terrain of grassland which edged the Paha Sapa and traveled
toward the rising sun. That verdant landscape was dotted with solitary
trees and scrub bushes and with scattered clusters of intermingled pine,
spruce, and hardwoods. Multicolored wildflowers and other plants
wafted amidst the lush green covering and added beauty to the serene
setting. They sighted buffalo, deer, and pronghorn grazing, and two
wolves loping across a low hill, though none took much notice of them.

In one area, they had to skirt a prairie dog village where countless
furry creatures fussed and scampered into their burrows and a few stood
tall and brave while staring at them. Both knew the perils of entering
such a location, as stepping into an unseen hole could cause serious
injury. In addition, those underground dwellings were often inhabited
by deadly snakes and other creatures which could strike out with no
warning. As the wakankiciyuzapi journey continued, their movements
flushed out startled doves, quail, and rabbits.

Small birds flew and larger ones circled overhead, reminding her of
Cetan and of the brown hawk painted upon his new war shield. She
was nervous about what lay ahead tonight and wondered where he was
taking her, but she refused to ask him. She wished she were riding in
the lead, as it was a constant struggle not to watch his loosened black hair blowing in the breeze, to seek glimpses of his profile when he
turned his head in either direction to check their surroundings, and to
quell the unbidden desires which crept into her body.

Wind Dancer fought the same battle against irrepressible passion as
he wondered what she was thinking and feeling, as he sensed her potent
gaze on him. It was difficult, impossible at times, to keep his mind on
his guard duty. Just knowing she was close by and she now belonged
to him ignited a hungry fire in his loins.

They passed through tranquil meadows, near-dense forests, and beside
mountains with tall pinnacles and steep sides in a shade as dark as a
moonless night. They crossed several streams and one winding river.
As dusk neared, they followed the latter's banks until they reached the
canyon Wind Dancer had chosen for their campsite, a place with towering jagged cliffs on three of four sides so no enemy could sneak easily
up on them.

Before Chumani could dismount, Wind Dancer grasped her by the
waist and lifted her down. As her moccasins touched the ground, their
gazes fused and they stared at each other for a short time. Her hands,
which had gone reflexively to the tops of his shoulders, slowly slid down
his chest and halted near his heart.