Cedar Woman (57 page)

W
h
o
i
s
he?
L
ena
b
reath
e
d
t
o
h
e
rse
l
f,
as
s
h
e
wa
t
ch
e
d
h
i
m
dance al
o
n
g with
the
o
t
h
e
r
p
artici
p
a
n
ts.

N
i
ck
i
e
gr
ab
bed h
e
r ha
n
d
an
d pu
ll
e
d
.

“
Co
m
e
on,”
s
h
e
said,
“
W
e can
at
least
be
one of
the hear
t
b
eat danc
e
rs.

Lena
followed,
and
t
o
ok
her
place
bes
i
de
Nickie
along
the edge
of t
h
e
aren
a
.
Bend
i
ng
her
kn
ee
s
in
t
i
m
e
to
t
h
e
beat
of
t
h
e
p
o
ww
o
w
d
r
u
m
,

she
m
i
micked
a he
a
rtbeat.

“
W
o
m
en
are
t
h
e heartbeat of
the tr
i
b
e,
and
de
m
on
strate
t
h
is
b
y s
u
pp
o
rting
t
h
e
d
a
n
cers
in
the
ce
n
ter
of
t
h
e
ar
e
n
a,”
a friendly wo
m
an explain
e
d
earlier
to N
ic
k
ie and
L
e
na.

Gazing
at
t
h
e
m
ale
dancer,
m
e
s
m
erized by
his
m
ov
e
ments
and artistry, s
h
e lea
n
ed toward N
i
c
k
ie and w
h
ispered,

“
D
o you
k
now
w
h
o
t
h
at i
s
?
”

“
I hav
e
n’t a
c
l
ue,” N
i
ckie
r
ep
lied.

"I
wo
nd
e
r
w
h
a
t ki
n
d of d
a
nc
e
r he
is,” Lena
q
u
esti
o
ne
d
.

“
I
h
a
v
e
abs
o
l
u
tely
n
o
i
d
ea,”
Nic
k
ie
re
t
o
rte
d
,
a
b
it
i
m
p
at
i
e
n
t
with

Le
n
a’s c
on
stant i
n
q
u
iries abo
u
t t
h
e
y
o
ung
ma
n
.

“
He
'
s a Grass
Danc
e
r,”
off
e
red a
voice
to
L
ena
'
s left.

³⁶
chahn
-
cha
y
-g
ha
h
-
drum

“
Hi,
I'm
J
u
lie Sp
o
tted
Ea
g
l
e
Horse, ori
g
i
n
ally from
Pi
n
e
R
i
dg
e
rez, of
t
h
e
Pesl
a
³⁷
O
y
at
e
³⁸
.
Just
call
me ‘Julie’
o
r
‘Spot,’
e
v
er
y
o
ne
else
do
es enni
t
.
A
n
y
w
ay
,
he
'
s
a
G
rass
Danc
e
r,
yo
u
c
an
t
e
l
l
by
h
i
s
r
egal
i
a
and
t
h
e way
he
m
oves.
See
h
o
w
he
b
en
d
s
a
n
d
swa
y
s
li
k
e
a
blade
of
g
rass
i
n
t
h
e win
d
?
He
is
on
e
o
f
t
h
e
o
ld
style
Grass
Da
n
cers,
t
h
e o
n
es
t
h
at
try
to
b
ec
o
m
e
on
e
with
t
h
e
sp
i
r
it
of
t
h
e
Grass,
so
t
h
at
t
h
ey
can
b
etter
co
n
tr
o
l it.”

Le
n
a
watc
h
e
d
t
h
e you
n
g
m
a
n
,
m
e
s
m
e
r
ized
by
h
is
d
a
n
ce.

“
The Grass Dancer,” Julie conti
n
u
e
d, “la
y
s t
h
e grass
do
wn in t
h
e arena
f
o
r
t
h
e
ot
her
danc
e
rs.
To
do
t
hat,
he
m
u
st
beco
m
e
the
gras
s
,”
she finish
e
d
.