Tender Ecstasy Read online

  There were three white trappers near the river which ran within the sacred grounds. Gray Eagle raged at this affront to Wakantanka, Makakin, the Thunder Spirits, and their dead brothers. The warning signs of death to any man who dared to enter here had been foolishly ignored. The reasons were ghastly clear: souvenirs from the scaffolds of fallen warriors littered the ground near the water’s edge.

  The discovery of another treasure had prevented the white-eyes’ hasty departure: gold, that shiny rock which the white man lusted and killed for, and faced any danger to obtain. The two warriors listened to the argument between these bold invaders who would soon die for this evil deed.

  “I’m telling ya, Pete; this is crazy! If you’d told me whatcha had in mind, I’d never have come witcha,” a tall, ruggedly dressed man was shouting at the one kneeling in the shallows of the water, his pants soaked and his boots sloshing with water.

  “You’re the crazy one! Gold, man! We’ll be rich!” Pete shouted back at the cautious man who was shaking his dark, shaggy head. Pete’s eyes were glazed with greed and his mouth drooled in lustful anticipation. He held up several large nuggets as he growled, “Ya think I kin leave this here for them savages! It’s mine!”

  Colley added his opinion, “He’s right, Dan. We’ll all be rich!”

  “We’ll all be dead!” Dan yelled back at the two men who had tricked him into this disastrous trip. “This is sacred ground to the Sioux. It’s death just to step a foot on it. I was a fool to throw in with the likes of you two. Count me out from now on. I don’t collect Indian scalps, or steal from their graves, or risk my neck for a little gold! Suit yourself, but I’m leaving. I’m not fool enough to challenge the mighty Sioux, especially that Gray Eagle.”

  As Dan turned to leave, Colley called out to him, “Ya got bugs eating your brain! Gray Eagle was around when I was born; he must be an old man by now. I don’t fear no old chief who lives by his legend!”

  Dan sighed heavily in disgust. “May God help you, Colley, when you meet the Eagle face to face. I can promise you, he ain’t no made-up story. He’s more real than that gold in your greedy hands. I ain’t afraid to die, but I ain’t no fool either. Men like you two are the reason he’s hell-bent on destroying the whites. Can’t say as I blame him either. Who wouldn’t fight to protect his lands and his people! Keep the gold and them bloody treasures; it ain’t my way of earning a living.”

  With that advice and those remarks, Dan made his way to his horse. He mounted up and walked the huge roan over to them. Gazing down, he suggested, “Say your prayers soon; you won’t be alive at sunrise.” With that, Dan Clardy slowly rode off, heading eastward.

  Bright Arrow glanced at his father and signed the question of pursuit of the man who was leaving. Gray Eagle shook his head, signing in return that the man had earned the right to survival with his words and actions. Bright Arrow nodded agreement, learning more and more about his father and leadership every day. It took a great man to watch one of the whites ride away, for each knew that on another day, this same man might be facing them in battle.

  The two warriors returned their attention to the men at the river’s edge. Gray Eagle chose the larger and stronger man for himself and silently signalled for his powerful son to conquer the other one. Bright Arrow made his way around the men without a sound. When he was positioned on the other side of them, his father gave the sign for their surprise attack.

  With the Sioux war-cry splitting the heavy silence like a roar of ominous thunder, the two warriors charged their enemies. Accustomed to perilous life in the wilderness, the two trappers reacted with drawn hunting knives, but still they were too slow.

  Gray Eagle leaped upon Pete without a care to the deadly blade within his dirty, wet hand. They scuffled and struggled for a brief time, as the warrior’s stamina and strength could not be matched. With Pete pinned to the hard ground, the knife in the chief’s hand hesitated in midair before forcefully coming down and hastily ending this man’s life. His ebony eyes had seen the golden rocks which had spilled from the white man’s pockets and hands.

  His jet eyes gleamed with revenge and satisfaction. Securing the white man’s arms to the ground beneath his powerful legs, his bronzed hand gathered the nuggets and piled them upon Pete’s drumming heart. Pete watched this curious action with terrified eyes. The fearless chief glared down at him when this odd task was complete.

  Gathering a large handful, Gray Eagle sneered, “Now that Gray Eagle has easily defeated you, White Dog, do you still believe him a weak old man who is only a dream?”

  Horrified by the revelation of this warrior’s identity, Pete’s mouth flew open as he inhaled sharply in sheer terror. Like the swift strike of a rattlesnake, the gold nuggets were jammed inside Pete’s mouth and the warrior’s hand clamped over it. Unable to prevent it, several had been helplessly sucked into his windpipe at his startled inhalation. He gagged and struggled to dislodge them and breathe. He could not. His eyes began to bulge in fear and his face grew livid from the lack of air to his burning lungs. The puissant warrior did not move or take his black eyes from the white man’s face until his body was limp and lifeless. As Gray Eagle stood up, the dead man’s head rolled to one side, the golden death returning to the Earth from which it was carelessly stolen.

  Gray Eagle turned to witness the battle which still raged furiously between his son and the man called Colley. As he observed this duel of death, distress filled him. Bright Arrow’s mind was consumed by such turmoil that he was battling like a warrior in training! Fearing for his son’s life, Gray Eagle did a humiliating and punishing thing: as Bright Arrow helplessly tumbled backwards from a heavy blow, Gray Eagle moved forward as if to join the assault upon this second man. As Colley whirled to confront the greater danger of the moment, Bright Arrow shamefully comprehended his weakness and the vivid reason for it. If other warriors had been present, Gray Eagle could not have intervened for even his own beloved son. Any warrior would prefer death to such a disgrace.

  Tormented by this truth, Bright Arrow yelled out, “No, father! He is mine!” With that declaration, the younger warrior attacked his foe with a new determination and strength. Without delay, Colley was slain. Bright Arrow angrily withdrew his knife from the white man’s heart and coldly wiped the blade upon his clothing. It was several minutes before he could slow his ragged respiration and face his father.

  Gray Eagle waited silently and patiently, knowing the shame and truth which flowed within his son’s taut body and turbulent mind. Finally, the younger warrior slowly turned to meet his father’s probing gaze. “Your words were wise and true, my father. This battle within my heart dulls my eyes and senses. Much as I love her and desire her, I must send her away. A warrior is nothing without his honor, and I fear this white girl steals mine. Such fear and weakness must be destroyed this very day.”

  Gray Eagle studied his son closely and intensely. If only he did not know the great pain which filled his son’s heart. If only he had not once endured this same agony and weakness for the woman he loved. Had it been so long ago that he could not vividly recall how nothing and no one could strip his forbidden love from his side? But Rebecca was not Shalee. She was white, the child of an enemy, an enemy whose hands were stained red with the blood and pain of his wife, his unborn son, and himself. Much as he wished to ease this torment within his son, he could not.

  “The truth now grows in your heart, my son. Her magic has lost its power over you. In time, a worthy mate will take her place and fill the emptiness you now endure. Come, we must ride for camp.”

  “But what of the Bluecoat fort?” his son reminded him of their twofold mission.

  “The white girl must leave your side on the new sun. There are things you must resolve within your heart before she goes. The fort will stand even after that sun. But only until the Great Spirit reveals to us how to destroy it.”

  The two warriors returned the possessions of their Indian brothers to their scaffolds and chanted prayers to the Great S
pirit. The golden rocks were cast into the gently flowing water. The bodies of the two whites were taken to the edge of the sacred grounds and secured to the warning posts to enlighten others who dared this offense. The sun was low on the horizon so the two warriors camped there for the night. With the rising sun, they would head home: one to his endless love and one to his lost love.

  When Bright Arrow and Gray Eagle returned, they were again befuddled by the abrupt changes in both women. The aura in the tepee was jovial and light. The two women constantly exchanged smiles. When questioned about this puzzling turn, Shalee revealed the stirring words which Rebecca had spoken aloud.

  Bright Arrow beamed in open satisfaction and pride, yet his already ravaged heart was newly rent by this discovery which changed nothing. It was Gray Eagle’s tense mood which perplexed Shalee. He instantly demanded if Shalee had carelessly given away her secret, if she had spoken to the girl in English, if she had questioned her about anything at all. He seemed only slightly relieved when she claimed total innocence of any misdeed or error. Yet, a curious aura surrounded her husband. He suggested a walk to the stream for some privacy and fresh air. Gray Eagle and Shalee left. They headed to the stream, then strolled a lengthy distance along its lush banks.

  Gray Eagle immediately hinted at suspicion of a wily trick in Rebecca’s “innocent and uncontrollable” outburst. “Perhaps she suspects our secret. Perhaps she seeks to regain your affection with this trick of tears. She said nothing more?” he inquired, failing to meet her gaze. Gray Eagle mistakenly thought his voice and expression were under his control.

  “I tell you, my husband; I did not give away our secret. She was consumed with anguish and sadness. Confusion filled her mind. Her pain cried out for release as mine once did many times. Do you not recall the many times I behaved in this same wild manner? Yet, it was truly without deceit or control. Just as you remained silent with me, I said nothing to her.”

  Shalee teased him merrily, “She does not desire my handsome husband after all. She only fears you greatly as I once did. Do not be so fierce with your stares, for they are powerful and intimidating. She does not deserve more pain from us.”

  “Once more you blindly reach out to her and deny the dangerous evil she presents. Do not allow her troubles to cloud your vision, Shalee. She must leave us. This past sun, troubled thoughts of her nearly claimed the life of our son. He cannot battle fierce enemies while she haunts his mind and saps his strength. She said nothing else?” he absently questioned, again an odd gleam flickering briefly in his obscure gaze and a mysterious tone lacing his voice.

  “What do you fear she might say to me?” Shalee perceptively challenged. “Do you think she will give away dark secrets to me as I once did to you? Even so, what would this matter? She is a stranger to us.”

  “There is nothing she can say to you,” he replied, his eyes narrowing in anger at her words. Their guarded gazes fused, leaf green with sooty black, to search for hidden truths.

  “Then why do I sense you worry about what she might tell me? She is a stranger to us,” Shalee emphatically stressed. “What is there for her to say?”

  “Forget this matter, Wife. There is nothing left to say,” he firmly closed the subject. His jet eyes were as hard and shiny as highly polished flint. His frosty sternness baffled and hurt her.

  Needing to comprehend this enigma, she debated, “But…”

  He icily cut off her protest, “Silence, Shalee. I will hear no more of this daughter of…our white enemies. She will leave before Wi sits high in the heavens on the new day. I have spoken. Do not fight her battles for her. She has caused enough strife between us. There is pain and rebellion in both my tender-hearted wife and my love-blinded son. She will leave. I am chief and warrior; my words are law. Speak no more of her or the past!” he sullenly commanded.

  “Your sharp tongue and biting words are unnecessary, my husband. I would not plead for her to remain here when her presence so needlessly divides us. But I must understand this hatred and bitterness which she brings to your heart and eyes. Why must it be this way, Wanmdi Hota? What has she done to us, to you?” she insisted.

  “She steals the heart and honor of our only son!” He irrationally snapped at her. “She strips away his guard and endangers his face and life!”

  “Can she be blamed for loving him? Can I be blamed that we only have one son? Your unspoken words whisper it is my fault. But it requires two people to make a child,” she asserted.

  His temper sorely strained, he snapped at her, “There was once another child. A child who died because of…” He whirled and presented his back to her, scolding himself for nearly revealing the secret which Rebecca’s name held, the fact which he feared Rebecca might accidentally give away during her frenzied ravings. His seemingly cool facade was being steadily melted by destructive flames from the past which burned within his taut body.

  “Because of who or what, my husband?” she demanded in unsuppressed agony when her initial shock had lessened and her speech returned. They had not spoken of her tragic miscarriage in eighteen years. “Why do you mention that treacherous, painful time now?” she asked in a small voice which quavered with anguish.

  “I did not mean to remind you of such days and such pain. I merely rebel against losing the only child we have to the hatred and evil of the whites. Their numbers and strength grow as the grasses upon the plains. This girl is white. She is our enemy. In her own way, she prevents his love for a woman of his own kind. She cunningly slays his honor. This cannot be!”

  “Look at me, Wanmdi Hota,” she softly commanded. “Look at me and swear there is no more to this matter than you speak of. What do you hide from me?”

  He turned and glared down at her, “Twice you have questioned my honor and words. Why does this girl breed mistrust and defiance within you? You twist my words and charge that I deceive you. Why, Shalee?” he cunningly put her on the offensive, looking and sounding as if she was wrongfully accusing him of some treachery. “What could Rebecca possibly say to you that I would fear? I only wish for her to not refresh your past to you. I do not wish for you to hear and to suffer with her. I wish to spare you such hurt.”

  “I’m sorry, Wanmdi Hota,” she replied sadly, feeling compelled to accept his logical explanation and to wisely halt this raging conflict. “I seem to be saying that too often these days, don’t I? But you are right. Rebecca has caused trouble here, but it isn’t her fault. It’s just I can see her side as well as ours. This makes it hard for me to view her as you do. Soon, all will be right again,” she vowed optimistically, lovingly caressing his taut jawline.

  A lazy smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “If I did not love you so much, I would beat you for this constant doubting of me,” he joked mirthfully, seizing her offer of a truce.

  “You speak wise and true, my husband. I am ashamed to say I truly deserve such punishment. But it will be over tomorrow,” she murmured in a tone of intermingled relief and sadness.

  “Tomorrow,” he echoed. Could it come swiftly enough?

  Shalee mentally debated if this was the perfect time to relate her other suspicions to him. Immediately her mind cautioned her to wait until she was absolutely certain of them. They had both prayed and longed for another child; it would be cruel to speak of such a precious gift if she were wrong. It would be best to wait until peace and trust returned to their tepee. If her suspicion turned out to be correct, there would be much joy in their lives and hearts.

  Alertly witnessing her softened gaze and provocative smile, Gray Eagle teased, “What cunning fox walks within your mind, my love?”

  She looked up at him, her eyes devouring his arresting features and beguiling smile. “I was just envisioning how wonderful it will be to have peace within our lives again. I was thinking how very lucky I was to find you, and how very much I love you.”

  His finger reached out to trace the softness of her lips. “Each day I thank the Great Spirit for sending you to me. My heart refuses to imag
ine what my life would be without you. Your eyes shine as bright as Wi. Surely Mother Earth must envy your beauty and glow. You are mine forever.”

  His mouth came down upon hers in a tantalizing, probing kiss. He savored the sweetness of her mouth and the heated response of her lithe body. No matter what happened, it would always be this way between them. Nothing and no one could ever extinguish the fires which burned within them. “Perhaps I will allow Bright Arrow to take Rebecca away. Then, we could be alone for two moons…” he huskily murmured in a suggestive tone which enflamed her senses.

  Alluring green eyes fused with smoldering ebony ones. “As you wish, my husband,” she cheerfully agreed. “Alone…” How blissfully marvelous that sounded.

  “You have spoiled me, my love. Your touch and nearness are like food for my hungry heart. I find I cannot live without them. I starve for you each day. Not having you on every moon makes me ravenous and greedy. Dare we make love upon the face of Mother Earth?” he hinted in a deep and stirring voice.

  “If we do not, I fear I shall die of starvation. For you are also the food of my heart,” she seductively replied, caressing the firm muscles upon his chest, tracing her hands over his robust shoulders and down his firm arms.

  He took her hand in his and found a place where they would not be sighted or disturbed. It was impossible to return to their tepee where this same scene was taking place between his son and that damnable scout’s daughter! Yet, he needed her too much to deny his body the ecstasy which only she could give.

  Their lovemaking was deliberate and intoxicating. They touched and joined with fierce longing. They came together in sensuous leisure. They explored and conquered the heights and depths of passion and pleasure.