Cedar Woman (130 page)

Tecu
m
seh

Lena
l
ay w
it
h
Mi
chael
enc
i
r
c
l
ed
i
n
h
e
r
ar
m
s.
She beg
a
n
t
o
rel
a
x,
t
h
e co
m
fort
o
f
t
h
e war
m
th
of his b
o
dy
easi
n
g h
e
r
i
n
to
a s
op
o
ri
f
ic
s
t
ate.
She cou
l
d
feel his
h
eart beati
n
g,
could
sense
his
b
reath
as
if
it
w
ere her
o
w
n
.

She
sn
u
g
gled
c
loser
to hi
m
,
s
m
elling his
sp
e
cial fragranc
e
, reveli
n
g as
h
e
r
h
eart
filled with
lo
v
e.

W
i
t
h
o
u
t
w
a
r
n
i
n
g,
a
c
o
ld
h
u
m
o
r
r
a
n
t
h
ro
u
g
h
h
er
bo
d
y,
as
she
felt
h
is

heart
s
t
o
p
,
felt
t
h
e
d
i
s
co
nne
cti
on
of
t
h
eir
so
u
l
s.
Wi
t
h
a
s
t
art
l
ed
cr
y
,
she turned
her
hu
s
b
and’s
face
t
o
ward
h
e
r own and
s
a
w
that
he
had
left
this w
o
rl
d
.

Tu
r
n
i
n
g h
e
r
f
a
ce
to
t
h
e w
i
n
d
o
w
,
a
s
m
ile
of
relief f
o
r
m
ed
u
po
n
her
li
p
s,
as
t
h
ro
u
g
h
t
h
e
rect
a
n
gul
ar
op
e
n
in
g
,
s
h
e
b
e
held
t
h
e
Th
un
d
e
r
b
ird
. Her
spirit
lifted
from t
h
e
be
d
,
and
pass
i
n
g
t
h
r
ou
gh
t
h
e
wi
n
d
o
w,
s
h
e stepp
e
d
u
po
n
t
h
e
gi
a
n
t
bi
rd
’s wi
n
g
.
M
icha
e
l
was
t
h
e
r
e,
w
aiting
f
o
r
he
r
. Hand
e
x
ten
d
e
d
,
h
e
h
e
l
p
ed
h
er u
p
on
t
h
e
i
r
tra
n
sport:
t
h
e
win
g
s
o
f
the
T
h
u
n
de
r
b
i
r
d
,
wh
ic
h
w
o
u
l
d
t
a
k
e
t
he
m
to
t
h
e
e
d
g
e
o
f
t
h
e
u
n
i
v
e
rs
e
t
oge
t
h
e
r,
a
n
d u
n
-separa
t
e
d
,
t
h
ey
would
walk
t
h
e
f
i
v
e ste
p
s
to
t
h
e
Spirit
Path
and i
n
to
t
h
e S
p
irit
World.

She
gazed
i
n
to
h
e
r
beloved
hu
s
b
a
nd’s
e
y
es.
She
l
o
v
e
d
him so co
m
p
letel
y
,
and n
o
w
t
h
ey
wo
uld be
t
oge
t
h
er
f
o
r
e
ve
r
.

Mic
h
ael p
u
lled
h
er to
h
i
m
a
n
d
h
eld
h
e
r.
Lena felt t
h
e stren
g
th
o
f
h
i
s ar
m
s,
t
h
e
f
u
ll
n
ess
o
f his
l
o
ve, his h
a
nd st
r
ok
i
ng h
e
r gl
o
r
i
o
us
hai
r
.

“
W
e will
g
o
t
og
et
h
er, Mi
h
i
ng
a
,” Le
n
a
whis
p
e
red, cl
u
tc
h
ing
h
er hu
s
b
an
d
to h
e
r.

W
i
t
h
a
feeli
n
g
of
panic,
Lena
felt
M
ichael’s
ar
m
s
relax
as
he
s
l
ow
l
y

m
oved
out
of
their
e
m
brace.
His
hand
l
oosen
e
d
in
her
s
.
He
shook
his head slowly,
his face
full of mourning.

“
No,
Little
Bir
d
,
it
is
no
t
y
o
ur
ti
m
e.
I
will
wait
for
y
o
u
in
t
h
e
Spirit

W
o
rl
d
.”

Lena
felt
h
er
self
fl
y
ing
b
a
ck
t
h
ro
u
g
h
t
h
e
w
i
n
do
w
,
her
s
p
i
r
it ret
u
r
n
ing
t
o
h
er
bo
d
y
a
g
ai
n
st
h
e
r will.
Her
s
ou
l cr
i
ed
ou
t as
t
h
e T
h
u
n
de
r
b
i
r
d flew
i
n
t
o
t
h
e
hor
izon, taki
n
g
M
ichael
f
r
om
he
r
.