Lakota Flower Read online

  How wonderful it would be, Caroline thought, if the Great Spirit would send the shaman a sacred vision about her and War Eagle being destined to marry. But that was unlikely to happen, so she pushed that wish aside. As she gazed at the flesher one last time, she remembered that to an Indian woman, counting the dots on her flesher was comparable to the counting of coup for a warrior on his can woyustan. It was exhilarating to see how many she had earned in only a few months and she wanted to add more. Surely it would be beneficial to her for War Eagle and his people to notice her numerous accomplishments and to think they made her worthy of him.

  Caroline placed the prized item atop her other gifts and followed her friends to the beginning of a long human fence to her right and to her left. Red Wolf stood in front of her, and Caroline noticed how Hanmani gazed at him before taking a place in the row to the left, as did Macha. Caroline realized the Cheyenne warrior’s skin and hair were not as dark as a full-blooded Indian’s, and she recalled the same was true for his eyes, no doubt the results of having white ancestors.

  Chumani whispered to her, “I will touch your back when it is time for you to follow Red Wolf down the line. Hold out your arms as he does, with your hands open in friendship. As you pass our people, they will reach out and touch your palm with their fingers to show they honor and thank you.”

  Caroline awaited her turn to carry out the hand-tag ceremony. She heard the large kettledrum send forth rhythmic beats as eight Big Bellies sat around it and struck its taut surface with sticks as they chanted melodious vocables. She watched Red Wolf extend his strong arms, palms down, but fists balled, as was the custom for an elite warrior. With head held high and his body straight, the Fire Hearts Dog Soldier walked the lengthy distance as his fists were touched by the Red Shields, except for Runs Fast, whose head and arms were kept lowered. It was understandable to her, and no doubt to Red Wolf, that a grieving father could not praise and thank his son’s destroyer. As soon as the Cheyenne finished his stroll, he lifted his arms upward in a salute to the Great Spirit, and took a place at the end of one line.

  After Chumani touched her on the back to signal she was to begin her journey and hurried to the end of one line, Caroline extended her arms with palms facing forward and started her walk. She held her head slightly downward to prevent appearing boastful by lifting her chin too high. Though she kept her gaze on her destination as advised, she knew when her friends and esteemed band members tagged her hand. Runs Fast did not, though his wife did.

  Three-fourths of the way to completion, her arms protested their strained position and her legs felt weak and trembly. Please, Heavenly Father, give me the strength to finish this important task. Please do not let me shame myself and insult these people by lowering my arms or stumbling. Just a little farther, Caroline…

  With renewed determination, she came to the end of the long lines and the last two people. As Red Wolf touched one hand, Caroline darted her gaze to Chumani and smiled as her friend tagged the other one. She did not raise her arms as the Cheyenne had done, as that was not the action for a woman to do. While she and the other women talked, the men built a large fire. When it was ready, they took seats on sitting mats in the inner circle, and ever-widening rings were made by the throng who sat on the ground.

  Before long, dances were being performed around the center blaze in step to the kettledrum’s beats and occasionally the Big Bellies’ chanting. Some performances included only men; some, only women; and some, couples.

  Although Caroline did not dance, her friends did, always returning with smiles, flushed faces, and glowing eyes. She noticed that people laughed and talked amongst themselves in harmony and serenity, as if the threat of trouble were either nonexistent or far away. Children played or pretenddanced beyond the last loop, the small ones being tended by older siblings. The camp guards were changed, so that those on duty during the prior events could join in on the festivities, which would go on until bedtime. A full moon made its way higher and brighter in the darkened sky. Nocturnal insects and birds and frogs at the river sang their own songs, as if joining in the merriment.

  As the celebration continued, Caroline thought, How different their music and dances are from those I heard and did back home. I wonder if it would be all right to ask my friends to teach them to me and if I would be permitted to join in next time. I suppose I should be thankful I’ve made as much progress as I have, considering the circumstances. But is it so wrong of me to want more from life than I have now, to want to improve my situation, to have the man I love? Yet, I can’t push too far and too fast. I have to be patient, obedient, respectful, and helpful to achieve my goals. I can’t allow my desires to destroy me as they destroyed Wastemna and Two Feathers. I must not get caught in a similar trap of craving a mate out of reach and doing reckless things to win him. Just be yourself and bide your time…

  Two days later, Caroline watched Zitkala brushing Cikala’s hair while Chumani and Macha tended the babies and Tokapa played nearby with Hanmani. Caroline was flooded by yearning for her own children, her own home, her own husband. For War Eagle to be that man. If only—

  Caroline’s daydreaming was interrupted as one of the lookouts rode into camp, shouting that War Eagle and his companions were approaching. He’s coming home! He’s coming home! her jubilant mind sang merrily. He’s alive and safe. He’s almost here. How do I look? How should I behave? What will he say about the events that happened here during his absence?

  Her mind scolded. Listen to you prattle on, you selfish woman! What if he’s returning with bad news? What if General Harney and his troops are heading here to attack? What if David is riding with Harney? What will happen if your brother is among that threatening force and many of these people are slain in battle? Please, dear God, don’t let that be true…

  Chapter Sixteen

  Caroline tried to conceal her anxiety about possible bad news and an intense longing to see War Eagle. She told Macha to go meet her husband, his brother, and their friends while she tended to Casmu. “I will carry him into the tepee so the noise will not disturb his sleep. I will wait for you there. Go fast, Dawn, for you have been parted for a long time.”

  “Thank you, my friend, for I am eager to see my love again.”

  As Macha hurried toward a crowd gathering near the edge of camp, Caroline lifted Casmu’s cradle-board and carried the slumbering infant inside. She was concerned that if she joined the others, she might expose her fervent emotions. Too, she did not want to overstep her lingering role as a captive, as that could be frowned upon by some if she behaved as one of them when she had not been given that particular privilege.

  She placed the baby nearby where she could grab quick glances at him while she furtively observed the arriving party. She stood to one side of the opened entrance and peered toward the excited group, hoping the interior was too dim for anybody to see her. She was glad Cloud Chaser’s abode was angled perfectly and the people had collected where they had for her to be able to witness his return undetected.

  As the men halted and greeted their families and people, Caroline’s smile faded, her body stiffened, and her breath caught in her chest. As her gaze had touched on Broken Lance, she realized he soon would learn of his older brother’s treachery and death, and of her involvement in the man’s shameful defeat, as would War Eagle. She prayed Broken Lance would not hate her and speak against her as his father had done.

  She spotted her beloved on the far side of the scouting party, then realized Cloud Chaser was not among them. Dread filled her. Had he been captured or slain? To lose her husband would torment Macha deeply. Please, dear God, make him only late in arriving.

  Then, another reality—or hope—struck her: the men did not look or act as if they were mourning a companion’s loss. But as she watched their expressions and demeanors wax serious and sad and saw many heads bow as if receiving terrible news, her mind shouted, No! No! If only I could hear what they’re saying, but she could not at that distance.

&nb
sp; She glanced toward Casmu to make sure he was still sleeping, and he was. She searched the throng for Dawn and found the woman near Chumani. Yet, with Dawn facing the other way, she could not see her expression. Had she received bad news? Where was her husband? Surely I will leap out of my skin if I do not learn the truth soon!

  She saw War Eagle’s gaze roam the large group, then drift toward his second brother’s tepee. She stepped backward to make sure he could not sight her spying on him. Or had he seen her or perceived her potent stare? Was he wondering where she was and what she was doing? Had someone just told him about her new deed and honoring ceremony? She waited for a minute or two before risking another peek, and found the crowd dispersing. She saw men heading toward the river and surmised that a council meeting was going to take place there, as if often did. With War Eagle now dismounted and immersed in the group, she could not get a good look at him. Besides, people would be passing her tepee shortly, so she had to leave her spot.

  She lifted Casmu’s cradle-board and went to the center of the tepee and sat down on her own sitting mat to await Macha’s return. When she arrived Caroline asked, “Is the news bad, my friend?”

  “Yes, Wahcawi, it is bad.”

  Caroline gently probed the distracted woman. “What is wrong?”

  “My husband did not return with the others, so my heart is sad.”

  Caroline tensed in dread. She did not want to torment her friend, but she had to discover the truth. “Was Cloud Chaser captured or …”

  “No, he lives and is free. He stayed at the fort to scout the soldiers and white war chief.” She heard Caroline’s sigh of relief. “I did not mean to frighten you, Wahcawi, but my thoughts roam to where my love endangers his life trying to save us from the bluecoats’ evil. I do not know much, for War Eagle said little before going to meet with the council and warriors. But he spoke of a massacre at the camps of Little Thunder and Spotted Tail. Most were slain or captured, for they were given no warning of an attack.”

  A shocked Caroline gaped at Macha. “They rode into camp and killed people without talking first?” Surely David would not do such a horrible—

  “That is true, my friend. Soldiers surrounded the camps of our allies and struck at dawn while they slept. Women, children, babies, old ones, and warriors are gone forever, their bodies left to feed the scavengers. Few escaped and they have nothing with them but the garments they wore. They can not survive winter without food, tepees, and warm robes.”

  Caroline murmured in distress, “How could anybody, even an enemy, do such a wicked thing? Surely the Great Spirit will punish them.”

  “I pray that is true, for only He can protect us from such large evil. Soon, the bluecoats will ride deep into our territory to attack other Lakotas, for they seek to find and slay those who fled and any band who helps them. My husband will ride with the soldiers or will trail them to scout their path and actions. When he nears our new camp, he will return to us.”

  “New camp?” Caroline asked, her mind in a near-daze after hearing about such atrocities committed by her people.

  “Yes, we must move deeper into the sacred hills to a place where the bluecoats might not find us, for we are not strong enough to battle such a powerful and cruel force alone. When the new day comes, we must ready our possessions to strike camp when the second sun rises from this one.”

  Caroline nodded, panicked by how the malicious event could change her life since her people were to blame…

  At the river, War Eagle stood in the midst of the gathered men and related all he and his companions had learned since their departure. His family and many others nodded agreement to his decision to remain hidden to live to fight another day, as the odds had been too large in the enemy’s favor. He saw that many were astonished by the discovery that some soldiers had tended wounds and fed the captives. All were angered and saddened to hear the slain ones were left where they had fallen to be devoured by the Great Spirit’s creatures and that their possessions had been either stolen or burned beyond use. He told them about their visit with the survivors and what those leaders intended to do, probably had done by now. He saw that many had difficulty believing Spotted Tail would surrender, but murmured words of praise for his courage and sacrifice in order to save others. Since Red Wolf was allowed to join them to hear the news that he could take to his people, War Eagle related the death of Cheyenne Chief Little Butte.

  No one interrupted as War Eagle continued his revelations. “Before we left that area, we spoke with Red Cloud, who is camped near the fort. He gave the harsh words of the white war chief and Agent Twiss to us.” He repeated those that the famed Oglala leader had spoken, the same ones that Cloud Chaser had heard from the sutler at the fort. “Red Cloud is guiding his band to the Powder River area to be far away from the bluecoats’ threat of attack on all who remain in our land. He does not plan to battle them this season, but says he will be forced to do so in those to come.”

  War Eagle went into further detail about the facts Cloud Chaser had gleaned at Fort Laramie and what his second brother planned to do before returning home. “The white war chief will soon ride through our territory to seek those who escaped him at Blue Water Creek and all others who are hostile to whites. He is angry over the theft of many horses at the fort after the surprise attack on the Brules and their friends. He seeks to destroy any band who gives the Brules help and hiding. I do not believe the surrenders of Spotted Tail and his people will quench Harney’s thirst for Lakota blood, for Little Thunder and his remaining band are a challenge to him. We must move our camp far into the sacred hills where we will be safe from winter and from the bluecoats, for the great snows will keep them away.”

  War Eagle finished his report with the news about Caroline’s brother. He told how David Sims had spared many Brule lives, pretended to fire at fleeing allies, and was sending the truth to the white leaders far away. Before he sat down, he said that Cloud Chaser had met David at the fort and David had told him many things about Harney’s actions and impending plans.

  “That is good,” Rising Bear concluded, “for his sister has done many good deeds for our people and it will please her to learn her brother acts as she does. While you were gone, my son, the woman you captured saved the lives of Dewdrops and Cloud Chaser, and we honored her with a feast, gifts, touching of hands in friendship and gratitude, and a Red Shield name. She is called Wahcawi now, for her hair is the color of that flower.”

  War Eagle wondered if he had heard his father correctly. His heart drummed in elation and hope. “I do not understand. How could the white woman save Cloud Chaser’s life when he is far away?” He watched Rising Bear smile and explain.

  “You have not forgotten the vision message Nahemana shared with us after we made camp here. Our shaman said a betrayer walked among us but his face and body were hidden by wolf’s garments. That betrayer was Two Feathers and the prey he stalked were my sons and my rank. An evil force returned Wastemna to our camp seventeen moons past, and from the good within us, we allowed her to remain with us if she was changed in heart and mind, as her parents were slain by Crow and she was alone. Two Feathers found her injured and brought her to our camp. A few suns past, they made a trade in the forest: she would slay Cloud Chaser for him and he would slay Dewdrops for her so they could steal their mates. But Two Feathers planned to trick her, to slay her after her wicked deed was done. He planned to slay Wind Dancer and destroy you so he could become the next chief.”

  War Eagle was stunned by that news. His gaze darted to Wind Dancer, who nodded confirmation, then to the equally shocked Broken Lance, who gaped at their chief, and to Runs Fast, whose head was lowered no doubt in shame and grief, before returning it to his father, who continued his talk.

  “Wahcawi, as we have named her, heard their dark talk while hiding in bushes nearby. She revealed it to Dewdrops, who revealed it to me, Wind Dancer, and Nahemana. We challenged the evildoers with the truth, but Two Feathers escaped and Wastemna killed herself with t
he knife of Runs Fast. Red Wolf pursued and battled Two Feathers for us, so we honored him at the same feast and ceremony two suns past.”

  War Eagle glanced at his Cheyenne friend, smiled, and nodded thanks. He was astonished that his family and people had believed Caroline over Two Feathers, for surely his cousin had sworn innocence and probably tried to have her beaten and slain. She must have been frightened, and he had not been there to offer her protection, help, and comfort. She had shown great courage, and he was proud of her.

  Nahemana said, “The Great Spirit sent Wahcawi to us for many good reasons and He guided you to her path to bring her to us. It was the evil force within Two Feathers that sought to destroy her before she could carry out the will of Wakantanka. That is why he spoke against her and why he sought her in trade, to slay her as we believe he did with Sisoka.”

  Rising Bear added, “His evil has been defeated. He lives no more, so his name will be forgotten and not spoken by us again. It is good that Runs Fast and Pretty Meadow have another son, one with a good heart and spirit. Broken Lance will heal their wound and bring honor to them once more.”

  “I will do so, my chief and my father,” Broken Lance told the two men.

  “On the next sun, we will rest and prepare for our journey,” Rising Bear said. “We will move our camp on the following sun to the place War Eagle has chosen for us.”

  The men talked for a while longer, then went their separate ways or gathered in small groups to speak with friends.

  After his youngest brother visited with Red Wolf for a short time, Wind Dancer summoned War Eagle for a private talk. He told him everything Two Feathers and Wastemna had said in the forest and how he had tested Caroline’s skill with Lakota to verify the grim incident.