Bittersweet Ecstasy (17 page)

“Yes, Eagle’s Arm, he chose his path long ago with knowing. Father told us about his vision which said I was to become the next Oglala chief. When Bright Arrow returned home after his banishment, he agreed to follow me as chief when that moon arrived. He knows that he lost his right to be a chief when he chose
his love over his rank. Father said the Great Spirit was kind to give him his white love since he could never be chief. I wish I did not have to be the one who takes what would be his if things were different. As the oldest son, it will be hard for him to see his younger brother lead his people. We do not know why Grandfather replaced Bright Arrow with me, but my brother is not bitter over his loss. Perhaps we will understand this one day. He will obey the will of
Wakantanka.
Watch Silver Hawk when he is near Tashina,” he suggested meaningfully before they parted.

Silver Hawk was annoyed when Powchutu seemingly clung to Tashina as a badger to its kill, preventing even one private word with her. He tried everything he could to obtain a moment alone with her, but the older man prevented it. He was even more annoyed when Tashina seemed cool and distant with him, refusing to look at him or to catch his clues for a few stolen minutes. Soon, no one would keep him from her. Soon, Bright Arrow would owe him whatever he chose in payment, and his demand would be Tashina. After she had given him children, if she continued to behave as if she were so repulsed by him, he would get rid of her, for children belonged to their father or to his people.

His anger simmering, Silver Hawk bid them farewell and rode away with his warriors, vowing to have all he desired very soon…

It was during the night when Sun Cloud was besieged by dreams of Singing Wind. He saw them running through the forest, laughing and playing, but this time not as children. He curled to his side on his sleeping mat and enjoyed the heady dream:

“You run as swiftly and agilely as a doe, Singing Wind,” he murmured into her ear as he captured her
hand and pulled her into his arms. His mouth covered hers and they sank to a soft bed of wildflowers, sharing numerous kisses and caresses which heightened their passions.

Singing Wind was lying beneath him and gazing up into his face. His eyes roamed her exquisite features and he smiled at the way her sleek hair was spread upon the ground. His fingers wandered over her supple flesh, and he suddenly realized that they were naked and their bodies were pressed snugly together. “I have craved this moment and waited for it too long, my love. You must be mine, Singing Wind.”

Stroking his cheek, she replied, “I have craved you and waited longer to win you than you have done for me, Sun Cloud, for you forced me to chase you many years before you noticed I had become a woman. I wish to be yours forever.” She pulled his head downward and sealed their lips in a pervasive kiss.

Sun Cloud could feel her hands caressing his body and increasing his great hunger for hers. He ached to possess her. As he tossed upon his sleeping mat in rising need, he was awakened. His respiration was rapid and sweat glistened on his face and chest beneath the moon. He knew he had to end this bittersweet yearning for her, and there was only one way: win her and take her.

In the Blackfeet camp, a similar incident was occurring with Singing Wind, as if their subconscious minds were drawing them together. She watched as Sun Cloud rode up to her, swept her into his arms, and raced away with her. They galloped for a long time, allowing the sun and wind to tease over their susceptible bodies and free their spirits.

She did not halt Sun Cloud or feel embarrassed when he removed their garments; then they were lying
on a fuzzy buffalo mat beneath sensuously swaying trees. The heady scents of nature filled their nostrils, and they laughed joyfully. She became breathless and fiery as Sun Cloud stimulated them to blazing desire. She could not kiss him or caress him enough to appease her hunger for him. It had taken so long for her to win him, but at last he was hers.

She ran her fingers through his sleek mane and admired the way it fell loose and shiny around his strong shoulders. His eyes glowed with emotions which matched her own. She could wait no longer to join their lives and bodies. “Take me, Sun Cloud, or I will die of need,” she whispered boldly and bravely, for she had never been a coward. She knew he was the man she wanted above all others, the only man she wanted. At last, they could become as one.

Yet, Sun Cloud continued to stimulate her until she was thrashing upon the mat and begging him to halt this bittersweet torment. Her flesh itched and burned, she could hardly breathe, and still he did not take her fully. She jerked to wakefulness and grasped her surroundings. She was dismayed to find it was only a dream. She wiped the moisture from her face and sighed heavily. Whatever she had to do to win him, she must do it quickly before enduring more nights of suffering.

Two more days passed on the trail. Then the Cheyenne war chief Windrider and two of his warriors rode into their evening camp, as the tribes and bands had been asked to keep in touch with each other during this hazardous time and each had been told which path the others were taking. When Tashina saw her father’s best friend, the father of her love, her pulse raced madly as she eagerly glanced around for Soul-of-Thunder. He was nowhere in sight, and she wanted to rush over to ask about him. Deciding her excitement might reveal her inner emotions to Windrider and others, she did not. She continued her chores until she calmed herself and completed them. Since he had not sent her a return gift, she waited to see if there was a message from him, but Windrider did not mention one. Even when she politely inquired about his family, he smiled and said they were all fine and safe.

Tashina’s suspense was nearly unbearable and her grandmother astutely came to her aid. Shalee asked, “It has been many moons since we saw you and your son, Windrider. Did he ride with you to our camp? Is he visiting others and will he join us for the evening meal?”

Not wishing to worry his mother, Bright Arrow had
asked Windrider not to mention the trouble in the other Indian camps, so the Cheyenne warrior laughed and joked. “It is the time when Mother Earth renews her face and causes young bucks to think of young does too frequently. Soon, my son will seek a tepee of his own, and he casts his eyes about in search of the right mate, so he did not wish to ride from camp at this time. Perhaps on our next visit he will bring along a giggling mate to meet his other family,” he said with a grin and a chuckle which led the listening Tashina to form the wrong conclusion.

Her heart ached at this tormenting discovery, and she fled to a private distance to deal with her anguish, believing he was lost to her. Her grandmother had told her to wait for the truth, for a sign from him about his feelings, and now she had it. She begged and commanded herself not to weep, but her eyes refused to obey. She angrily pushed her tangled hair from her moist face, wishing she had braided it, for its unruly waves and hint of auburn declared her white blood. Perhaps that was the obstacle between her and her love, she painfully mused. Suddenly, agony thundered through her head and everything went blacker than the night which surrounded her.

The Army scout quickly scanned each direction, aware of where the Oglala guards were posted. He realized how difficult escape would be with the girl, but knew he could obtain needed information from her, by force if necessary. Since she was white, she should be grateful for his rescue and be willing and eager to help the Army punish the Sioux who had captured and enslaved her. Presently, he had to sneak away from this area as stealthily as he had arrived. Later, he could question the girl and report to Major Butler. He tossed her over his shoulder, covered them with a dark blanket, then gingerly returned to his horse, a
mile away.

No one realized the danger Tashina was in, for each person assumed she was visiting and sleeping in a friend’s camp. With guards posted and with Tashina’s responsible nature, no one imagined she would leave the lighted area or that a Crow scout could get near their camp. It was morning when her absence was discovered, and the Crow’s tracks were found. As time and safety were essential for the tribe, Gray Eagle ordered them to continue their journey. He placed Shalee in Powchutu’s care while his two sons went to rescue his granddaughter and to slay the scout before he could report his findings. No guard was reprimanded, but all knew they had been careless and lax.

Tashina had awakened shortly before dawn to find herself in the arms of a Crow who was dressed as a white man. Instantly the Indian had halted and lowered her feet to the ground, then agilely dismounted. She rubbed her head as she cleared her wits and took in her peril, for the Crow had always been fierce enemies of the Oglalas. She had no weapon and the man looked strong and mean. She trembled, then berated her recklessness last night, but within moments she realized he was a fort scout and her family and people were in greater danger than she was. She had to find a way to trick this man and escape to warn them.

“I take you to fort. First, you tell Sly Fox all he asks or he will slay you. You captive, squaw, or half-breed?” he questioned coldly as he seized her wrist and squeezed it painfully to intimidate her.

“Who are you? What do you want with me?” she replied in her best English to stall for time and to dupe him.

“Sly Fox asks questions; you answer or be hurt,” he warned.

“I’m a captive,” she declared bravely and tried to
pull free.

“You no captive; you free to come and go around camp. You lie,” he accused as he twisted her arm behind her. He yanked her forward, bringing their bodies into snug contact, close enough so that she could feel his respiration upon her face. His dark gaze bored into her frantic one. “Speak truth or Sly Fox cut out tongue.”

She shrieked, “You’re breaking my arm, Sly Fox! My head is pounding where you struck me last night and I’m confused by all this. I’ll tell you the truth; I have nothing to hide. Me and my mother were taken captive when I was ten. She died this past winter. Take me to the fort and they can return me to my father Clay Rivera. He’s a trapper and many of the soldiers know him. I can’t let the Indians catch me again. Me and my mother tried to escape before, but they punished us horribly. They know I was too scared to try it again, so they don’t watch me anymore. They treat me like a slave, and one of the warriors is trying to bargain for me. That’s why I was standing in the dark and crying, because I was too cowardly to run away and I knew my owner was going to trade me to him. Please help me. My father will pay you. I know he wouldn’t leave this area without me.”

“That Gray Eagle’s camp?” he probed, as if unmoved by her tale.

Tashina realized the man was testing her, for he had to know whose camp he had discovered. She had to play along with him, or he would kill her. “He’s the chief. They’re heading for their summer grounds. We should get out of here. Surely they know I’m gone by now. They’re probably tracking us this very minute. If they catch us, they’ll kill us both.” She had to hope he would let her mount behind him, then she could grab
his knife and… slay him.

“Who holds you captive?” he demanded, wishing there was time to appease the gnawing which her beauty and close proximity were creating in his manhood. Auburn highlights gleamed in the morning sun and her large eyes looked golden brown, implying she was indeed white or mostly white. Her long hair settled wildly around her face and shoulders, and her full lips were innocently inviting. Although she was slender, he could feel a rounded bosom pressed against his hard chest. She was most tempting, for she had an aura of gentleness and purity. He knew that once they were back at the fort, one of the white officers would claim her for his personal use, but he dared not throw her upon the ground and waste valuable time enjoying her. He needed to carry his information and captive to the fort where he could prove to the soldiers and to Red Band that he was the better scout!

Tashina had not responded, for she had been observing her enemy as he obviously deliberated her fate and words. She had seen that same glint in a man’s eyes before, in Silver Hawk’s, and now she could put a name to it—lust, not desire—which caused her to fear rape more than death.

The Crow scout shook her and asked his question again. She shouted, “Walks Tall, but Night Rider wants to buy me. If we don’t get out of here, Sly Fox, he’ll have his captive back and your life.”

The sullen man leaned back and glared at her as if insulted, releasing his grasp on her. He eyed her up and down with a scowl. “No dirty Sioux can defeat Sly Fox. See how easy I find Gray Eagle’s camp and take captive between guards. You need bath; you smell like Sioux. Speak no more till Sly Fox tells you. We ri—”

As Tashina seemingly stared into his eyes while he spoke, her hand had moved forward slowly to snatch
his knife. Detecting her movement and guessing her intention, the Crow scout used his palm against her face to shove her backward to the ground. She landed roughly on her seat and was shaken by the fall, but heard him threaten, “Sly Fox leave your body to feed coyotes and sky birds when he finish with it. I not kill you, half-breed; I leave you too weak and hurt to get away or survive. You be sorry you tried to attack and trick Sly Fox.”

Her head spinning with dizziness and terror, Tashina inched backward on her hands and seat, pushing frantically with moccasins which kept slipping on the loose dirt. Her eyes widened in panic as his hand grazed the handle of his knife.

He grinned wickedly as he stalked toward her and yanked her to her feet, increasing her dizziness. “I cut off dress, then I take you with much hunger and anger.” He glared at her, then laughed coldly. The terrified girl struggled frantically with him, until the Crow scout landed a stunning blow across her jaw and flung her to the ground, rendering her unconscious.

An arrow thudded forcefully into Sly Fox’s left eye, bringing forth a scream of agony and causing him to stagger backward a few steps. Blood streamed between his fingers and rushed down his arm and face as he clasped his hand over his wound. He shuddered and moaned in torment, and tried to draw his knife with his right hand. Silver Hawk flung himself at the Crow scout and knocked him to the ground. The Blackfeet warrior straddled the man, pinned his arms to his sides, then gripped the slender shaft and drove the arrowhead into the man’s brain, killing him instantly. The Crow scout went limp. Then Silver Hawk yanked the arrow free, lifted it above his head, and sent forth a cry of victory and pleasure.