Lakota Winds (Zebra Historical Romance) (23 page)

The Red Shields were awed and elated by the detailed account of how
Chumani battled a grizzly while Wind Dancer was blinded by dirt in
his eyes and how Wakinyan struck down that threat with a lightning bolt.
As they murmured about how blessed and honored the two visionquest
companions were, many gathered around them to look at or touch the
long and sharp claws of the slain creature. Afterward the couple presented
them to his mother, along with the bear skin, as gifts of love. Yet, only
Wind Dancer, Chumani, Hanmani, Winona, Zitkala, and Red Feather
knew the motive behind the gesture: gratitude for her encouraging words
to her son before his departure. The meat was passed out to women
whose husbands had died from cholera, as some had not yet taken
another mate. People praised Chumani for saving the life of their future
chief and the Great Spirit's path to glorious victory. The Story Catchers
said they would paint that story on the tribal history hide so all would
remember her great deed.

Zitkala and Red Feather also were praised and honored with the gifts
of coup feathers for their brave and daring deed against the enemy
scouting party. That stirring tale was repeated again, as most had been
confined in their tepees last night when the two warriors returned.

The men were told to get their work finished quickly so they could
meet with the council before dusk, where Chumani's ideas for provoking
trouble between the Crow and Whites would be revealed and discussed.

While Chumani and Zitkala gathered wood and fetched water before
preparing the next meal, Wind Dancer sought out Wastemna to speak
with her, wanting to get the offensive task behind him. Near her tepee,
he pulled her aside and warned, "Do not speak bad words about Dewdrops again or I will summon the other women to prove you speak the
truth or speak falsely about her defiance and lack of skills. Say nothing
of what you told me about her meeting in the forest with a man, for
it was a female, her friend. Do not attempt to cause more trouble,
Wastemna, for it will not be good for you."

Wind Dancer took his wife for a lengthy walk in the cool and lovely
forest following the council meeting, which she was allowed to attend
and speak in as the vision-woman. "Did it make you happy when
Grandfather said the Great Spirit put those clever thoughts inside your
head?" he asked and watched Chumani smile and nod, her gaze radiant
with pride and joy. "Grandfather says the Creator speaks to us in ways
other than in dreams and visions, and He spoke to you in whispers
only you could hear. When the Crow garments are ready for us to use,
we will begin our victory quest."

She leaned against a tree. "I did not tell Zitkala of our plan, for I
must speak with her alone about it. She must learn she will face great
peril if she agrees with it, and that she must remain in our camp to
ride with us."

"It is a cunning trick on those at the trading post, but I fear for your
safety. I would rather lose my heart than lose the one who fills it with
joy „

Chumani's body warmed as her husband gazed into her eyes and
caressed her cheek, and she heard the concern in his voice. "I will be
fine, mihigna, for the Great Spirit will guide and protect me in our
enemy's presence. He knew this sun would rise and that is why He
prepared me with learning the Crow and White tongues. I will fool
them and not be in danger."

"I hope Zitkala will stay and go with you. Red Feather says she is a
great warrior, and two together will ease my fears." Wind Dancer winced inside as that dreaded number two leapt into his head and from his
mouth. To distract himself from his apprehension, he asked, "Do you
think Zitkala would stand under the Talking-Blanket with Red Feather,
and ride double-back with him, and listen when he plays the flute?"

Chumani nodded. "But he must not move too swiftly, for such
feelings in her heart confuse and frighten her. She has never been close
to a man and did not expect to meet one who wished to do such things
for her. Is Red Feather's interest good and large?"

"As good and large as mine were for you. I will tell Red Feather he
can begin his journey toward her, but to ride slow and easy."

Chumani laughed and jested, "You did not ride slow and easy; you
galloped into my camp and laid claim to me. I was forced to join to
you."

"It was not a bad or hard command to honor and follow, was it?"

"At first, yes; but now it is different; it is good and easy."

"As good as your mouth tastes? As easy as it is to desire you?"

As he asked his first question, he nibbled upon her lips. As he asked
his second one, his mouth drifted across her cheek and brushed over
her ear. After many kisses, with each waxing deeper and swifter, one of
his hands found and fondled a breast through her garment and the other
slipped beneath it to stroke her inner thigh. Wind Dancer wondered if
he should continue to tantalize her, to seek a few moments of blissful
rapture in her arms. It was late evening and most of his people were
busy with chores and families, so no one should disturb them if they
hurried, though he craved a leisurely encounter.

Chumani was having those same daring thoughts and intoxicating
desires. She loved him and wanted him urgently, so she cast restraint
to the wind and let her emotions dance away with him to seek pleasure
and release. As he pressed her to the large pine tree, she did not mind
and hardly noticed the rough bark which nipped at her back and crackled
against her hair as she looked upward so his lips could journey down
her neck. As she did so, she sighted Cetan perched on a limb above
them and knew the hawk would sound a shrill warning if an intruder approached. She relaxed as much as those blissful sensations would allow
and surrendered fully to his possession.

Wind Dancer felt her body loosen and knew she was willing and
eager to proceed with their sensual adventure. His left hand fondled
her breast while his right one titillated the taut peak between her spread
thighs as his lips meshed with hers and kissed her with great hunger.
He felt her arms encircle his body and rove his back as her mouth
feasted on his.

They kissed and stroked each other until their passions were hot
and feverish and their mutual desires could not be denied. A flood of
anticipation and sheer pleasure washed over them. She quivered when
he nibbled at her ear lobe. He did the same when her hand rubbed
back and forth over the bulge in his breechclout that was almost aching
to break free. They found it exciting to kindle each other to such fiery
heights, knowing the force of the victory looming before them. As
their mouths clung and worked magic on the other, each lowered the
undergarments which stood between them.

Wind Dancer gazed into her luminous brown eyes. Her beauty and
allure were so enormous that his breath caught in his throat and his
pulse quickened. He grasped her by the hips, lifted her slightly, and
sank his erection within her. He remained motionless for a short while
as he simply savored the heat and moisture surrounding his shaft. He
was thrilled when her arms clung to him, her legs gripped him snugly
around his buttocks, she melded their mouths, and she rode him at an
ardent pace. The defined muscles in his arms, back, and buttocks
repeatedly tightened and slackened as he thrust onward and upward in
his endeavor to sate her. He could barely maintain his self-control and
struggled to do so, as he knew the goal he strove for was worth his best
effort.

Chumani kissed his neck and her hands clasped his shoulders as she
listened to his ragged breathing near her ear as his cheek pressed against
her temple. The position and his erotic movements stimulated her to
an ever greater hunger for appeasement. Exhilarating and wonderful
sensations charged through her body as a powerful release burst upon her and warmed her skin from head to toes. She moaned in triumph
and hung on to finish the wild ride.

Wind Dancer realized she had captured her goal, so he reached for
his own, found it, and savored every spasm of ecstasy. On legs which
now felt weak and trembly, he shifted their positions so his shirted back
was to the tree. His arms banded her waist and he held her close as
they calmed their breathing and heartbeats to normal. Afterward, he
sealed their lips as he lowered her feet to the ground, wanting to end
the enchanting episode in the same way it had begun.

Chumani felt suffused by love and happiness. She smiled into his
tender gaze, trailed her fingers over his strong jawline, and teased, "You
stole my wits, mihigna. "

"As you steal mine many times, mitawin. "

Chumani was filled with courage and confidence after the rewarding
experience. "It is good we have the same thirst and hunger for each
other."

Wind Dancer grinned. "It is more than good when we drink and
eat together in this manner."

"Will it always be this way between us?"

"Always, mitawin, for as long as you desire me as I desire you."

She laughed and quipped, "Since you are such a skilled hunter in
my forest and upon my grounds, I will never tire of this meal."

"And I will never tire of providing it for us."

Reluctant to sever the intimate movement, she nevertheless brought
conversation back to reality. "We must sneak to the water in that
direction to refresh our bodies, for I must speak with Zitkala before we
sleep."

Wind Dancer knew she referred to a shallow stream not far away
where they would have privacy to remove the signs and scents of their
lovemaking before they returned to their tepee and friends. "While you
speak with Zitkala, I will visit with Red Feather."

As Zitkala listened in amazement to Chumani's revelations about
Red Feather's strong attraction to her and about the impending task in which they wanted her to be included, joy and suspense filled her, as
did some grave concerns. "What if his heart runs in another direction
after he learns more about me and my heart has already softened toward
him?"

"That is a risk you must take, my friend."

"What of my parents? They need me as their hunter and provider."

"No, Zitkala, not for many circles of the seasons to come. While
you await their passings, you can find happiness in Red Feather's arms
and tepee. Do not allow fear to steal this prize from you. We will send
a Red Shield warrior to your father's lodge to tell him you join us in
the sacred quest. He will feel great pride and joy in knowing you are
a part of it."

"What will I do to help? Why do you need me to go along?"

Chumani disclosed the first plan to her wide-eyed friend.

"It is cunning and will work Dewdrops. It will stir my heart and
blood to ride with you and the others. But it is best if I ride home to
enlighten my father and mother and gather possessions I need for living
here. I can return before things are ready for us to leave."

"That is good. Why do you not take Red Feather with you? You
can speak privately, become friends, and your parents can meet him."

"It is too soon to reveal my feelings for him to my family."

"Then keep them a secret until the right sun arrives."

"What will the other Red Shields say if we travel alone?"

"They will think Red Feather guards one of the sacred quest party."

Zitkala nodded in satisfaction. It was decided she would go.

The morning after Zitkala and Red Feather left for the White Shield
village near the southern tip of the Black Hills, peril struck at the Red
Shields on the northern tip of that sacred and wintering location. A
Crow raiding party from the Powder River area attacked along the
outermost fringe of their encampment. Simultaneously loud whoops
from enemies, the thundering of many horses's hooves, and screams of
surprise and pain rent the air as a large group of Apsaalooke swarmed
on dwellings and working women with children playing nearby. Most of the men were gathered at the other end either doing daily tasks or
practicing warrior skills in clearings nearby. Some were in the forest or
on the grassland hunting.

At the first ominous sounds of trouble, Wind Dancer, War Eagle,
and others seized their weapons and raced toward the commotion.
Chumani dropped her water bag and ran to her tepee to grab her
weapons to help thwart their enemies and protect her adopted band.
As the Red Shield fighters converged on the scene, many already lay
wounded and a few lay dead and two tepees were afire from flaming
arrows. The Crow whirled on their colorfully painted mounts, many
shouting or hand-signing insults to the Oglala men, and galloped away
amidst a thundering noise.

"We must chase them and slay them to avenge our fallen people!"
shouted Buffalo Hump, their war chief and Wastemna's father.

Wind Dancer glared at their foes' retreating backs and countered,
"It is a trick to lure us from camp so another hidden band can attack
while we are gone. See how they ride for the grassland rather than into
the forest and hills or toward their hunting grounds. They tease us to
come after them in the open where they can take us on a wild chase
while others carry out their true purpose to steal, destroy, and slay here.
You lead the pursuit and charge against them. The Strong Hearts will
conceal ourselves in the trees and our dwellings to defeat their second
raiding party."