Tiopa Ki Lakota (34 page)

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say to you?" Anpo broke the silence. She continued her work on the knife, not looking up. "I could not understand him well, his words are different than yours."

Kathleen looked into the fire. "He told me his name. Asked if you were my
wicasa
." An impish grin crossed her face and dark blue eyes darted to the warrior. "I told him you were."

Chuckling, Anpo tested the edge of the blade with her thumb before beginning to sharpen the other side.

"He offered me something for trade and I told him
hiya

." The blonde woman returned her gaze to the orange and yellow flames, leaning back and resting her weight on her palms.

"What did he offer for trade?"

The shoulders raised in an eloquent shrug. "Nothing important. Nothing useful." Kathleen sighed. "Just a toy."

Anpo nodded solemnly as she peeked at her woman. Melancholy feelings seemed to rise off the blonde as mist from a lake. Resettling herself, the warrior stopped her task and looked at her winuhca. "What did you trade for today?"

Sitting forward, Kathleen tucked her legs beneath her. "I traded for a stew pot and a cook knife," she said. "Did you trade for just the stone and knife?"

"I did trade for something else." The warrior pursed her lips in thought, eyes squinting at the distant treetops as she considered. She broke into a smile at the soft chuckle she heard. "Something I think you will enjoy." Her dark eyes flashed with anticipation as the blonde woman scooted closer in eager curiosity.

"I will? What is it?"

Anpo set the knife and whetstone aside. With agonizing slowness, she pulled the tin whistle from her pouch, hiding it in the shadows of the evening. She held it up with a flourish, her smile wide as the firelight reflected off the metal surface. "What will you trade me for it,
winuhcala
?"

Kathleen burst into tears.

Anpo was completely unprepared for the response. Perplexed, her smile faded away and eyes narrowed in concern. She reached out and swept Kathleen into her arms, holding her close as the blonde sobbed and sniffled. The whistle was still clutched in one brown hand, forgotten.

Eventually, Kathleen's tears faded off and she was left hiccoughing and feeling the fool. Strong arms held her close to a warm chest and she could hear the heartbeat beneath the yellow shirt.

"Ketlin?"

The blonde pulled away a bit and used the end of her dress to clean her face, sniffling. "I am sorry,
winuhcala
."

"Shhh. Do not be sorry for having a heart,
winuhcala
." Anpo pulled her closer, helping the white woman to readjust her seat until she was leaning against the long form. The warrior still held the whistle and pulled it back into view. "What is this? It looks like our pipes, but not."

Kathleen smiled gently as she peered at the instrument. Her warrior had adorned it with three strips of leather, each holding respectively a feather, a quill and braided horse's hair. "It is called a tin whistle in my tongue. My
unci
taught me to play and I was given hers when she died."

Nodding in understanding, Anpo hugged her closer. "You loved your
unci

very much," she hazarded, feeling the blonde head nod against her chest. "It must have been lonely without her."

A few more tears trickled from dark blue eyes. "
Ohan
," she whispered. "I still feel lonely without her sometimes."

"Your
unci
is in your heart and her spirit will forever be alive because of it." The warrior studied the tin whistle. "I think she wanted you to have this. That is why it was here and why I traded for it."

The instrument was pressed into Kathleen's hands and she gave her woman a look that held a mixture of longing, sadness and joy.

Anpo pulled away, peering intently into her strange colored eyes. She used the edge of a robe to wipe off Kathleen's face and laid a tender kiss on her forehead. "Play for me."

Feeling a bit drained but much better, Kathleen smiled and nodded. She brought the whistle to her lips and began a simple tune, one of the first her grandmother had taught her when she was small.

As the instrument emitted a sweet tone, Anpo closed her eyes and let herself be carried away on its melody.
It sounds almost like Ketlin's voice when she speaks in her tongue.
Wondering what it had been like for her
winuhca
as a child, wishing to have met this grandmother who had been so important to her, the
wikoskalaka
held her woman close. And deep in her heart, she wondered if Kathleen missed her family as much as the warrior missed her
ate
and
ina

.

1781

Winter camp was established in the foothills of a large mountain range. Many stories were told around the fires about the sacredness of these hills and that the Lakota would walk among them forever. Things went along as they should, with snow fall and colder temperatures. There was plenty of food to be had and starvation was held off for another season.

It had started with a dry cough and slight fever. Teca whined a bit more and wouldn't get out of his sleeping robes, claiming his head hurt. Concerned, his
ina
fed him some broth and kept cool rags on his forehead. Nearby, Anpo watched as she worked on various tasks, not wanting them out of her sight.

Two days passed with no changes and both Kathleen and her warrior had decided it was a cold, nothing more. The toddler seemed to be doing fine with the teas and compresses from the medicine man, sleeping the days away in relative comfort. Still, the blonde woman slept fitfully, rousing often during the nights to check on her only child.

Anpo woke from a frantic shaking. Looking blearily into her
winuhca's
face, she shook off sleep in alarm. "Ketlin! What is wrong!?" The dark warrior looked about the
ti ikceya
, a sense of danger filling her as she heard a strange barking sound.

"Teca! Teca!" Kathleen insisted, answering in her native tongue. "He needs a
doctor
!"

Dark brows furrowed at the unfamiliar word but before she could question it, the blonde shook her hard once more.

"
Now
!! He's dying!" the panicked mother cried. She literally launched herself away from her warrior, shoving the other woman down as she dived back to her son's robes.

Dying? Teca!
Anpo scrambled to her feet, automatically grabbing for her shirt and putting it on as she stumbled forward, finding the source of the strange sound.

The boy was coughing hard now, very dry hacks that seemed to boom from deep inside his little chest. He grasped at his throat as he tried to get air into his lungs, his lips tinted slightly blue. His dark eyes were barely open, giving the impression he was still asleep despite the rigors his small body was putting him through.

As Anpo could only stare in shock, the blonde woman helped her
cinksi
sit up.

"He's burnin' up with fever!" Kathleen insisted, running her hands over his body. "We've got ta get him to a doctor!" Glancing over her shoulder, she saw her warrior standing slack jawed. A fury came over her and she rose, clutching the coughing boy to her chest and shoving the dark woman towards the
tiopa

. "Get help
now
!!"

Her befuddlement broken, Anpo nodded once and dashed out of the lodge. The cold winter air struck her and she realized she was still naked from the waist down. Grabbing up a robe near the embers of the fire, she wrapped it about her as she pelted off for the
ti

ikceya

where the medicine man slept.

Several minutes passed before the warrior returned, dragging the elder with her. The older man was sputtering a bit in indignation at the rough treatment, but he didn't try to stop their progress. Behind them came the medicine man's
winyan
and
cinksi
, both carrying his medicine pouches and adjusting their hastily donned clothing.

Anpo ducked into the lodge, pulling the medicine man after her. Dark eyes flitting about, she saw no one.
The vision! They have left me!

"Where is your
cinksi
?" the elder questioned, looking around them. "You said he was sicker. Where is his
ina
?"

Nearly staggering in fear and confusion, the warrior reached the sleeping robes of her family and knelt down to feel them.
Still warm!
"They cannot be far," she whispered, more to herself than anyone else.

"Eh?" the elder asked, not hearing. He took a step closer only to be nearly bowled over as a frightened warrior dashed past, flying through the doorway to the outside. There was a squawk as his family was upset by the warrior's passage and he proceeded to follow.

Anpo barely missed crashing headlong into the medicine man's woman as she stood at the
tiopa
.
Where would she go? Where would she take Teca?
She replayed the last few minutes in her memory, hearing her woman's voice say, "He's burnin' up with fever!"
Somewhere cold. The river!

Grabbing the elder's son by the shoulders, the warrior insisted, "Wake Nupa and Hca! Bring them here! Tell them Teca is sick and Ketlin is crazy with fear!
Go
!" She spun the
koskalaka
about and pushed him in the direction of her
cuwe's

ti ikceya
. Not seeing if her order was obeyed, Anpo spun on her heel and ran for the river, leaving the medicine man and his
winyan
to stand and stare blankly after.

As she had hoped, Anpo found her family at the river. Her woman had waded out waist deep, holding Teca so that just his head was above water. Tossing the robe aside, the warrior followed after, swallowing her curse as icy water hit her bare skin like a thousand knives. Coming close, she could hear Kathleen singing a soft Irish lullaby through chattering teeth. The child appeared to be unconscious, his dark eyes closed as he trembled.

The blonde looked up from her son. Her eyes were wide with fear, her lips turning blue from the cold. She couldn't control her shivering, the nearly freezing waters taking their toll on her body. It took a few seconds for Kathleen to actually focus on her warrior, realizing there was a warm body pressed against her side and dispelling a minute amount of the cold. "Ye found a doctor then, lass?" she asked.

"Come, Ketlin. We must return to your lodge," Anpo said softly. She wrapped an arm about her
winyan's
shoulder and urged her towards the riverbank, relieved when Kathleen allowed it.

"His fever's so high, love. My mum once did this with da when he was half outta his mind," the blonde explained, continuing to speak in her native tongue.

Anpo nodded in understanding, glad she understood most of what was being said. She guided them up to the bank where she'd left the buffalo robe. Ignoring her naked lower half, the warrior wrapped her woman and son in the robe and lead them back to the
ti ikceya
.

By now, Hca and Nupa had been roused. The fire in front of the lodge was burning merrily and the young mother was preparing a pot of water for the medicine man. As they neared, the two families around the fire rose to their feet, stepping forward to help.

Looking wildly about, Kathleen's eyes widened in alarm and she clutched Teca closer. "Where's the
doctor
?" she demanded, her voice rising in panic. "Ye
said
ye found a doctor!"

"I do not know what a doctor is,
winuhcala
," Anpo soothed. "I have brought the medicine man to help Teca with the coughing sickness. He will know what to do."

"No!" The blonde pulled away, staring at the gathered Lakota in anger. "
No
! Teca needs a
doctor
! A medical professional! Not some
heathen
dancin' about a fire and mixin' herbs and poultices!"

Anpo didn't understand all the words, but the intent was clear from the amount of scorn that was put into them.
Ketlin is afraid. She only reacts to her fear.
The warrior stepped forward, trying to look intently into her woman's frightened eyes.

Taking a step back and refusing to meet Anpo's gaze, the blonde readjusted Teca's weight in her arms. The heat radiating off of him warmed her body and fueled her fears. When the toddler began to cough once more, she could only watch with a wave of helplessness rushing through her soul. A low tenor voice grabbed her attention, dragging her tear-filled eyes back to her warrior.

"
Mahasanni ki

."

Dark blue met the deepest brown and Kathleen sobbed. "He
can't
die, love," she whispered frantically. "My family's not yet seen him! My mum doesn't know she's a granny!"

Anpo used the opportunity to step forward and pull her
winyan
back towards the fire and the waiting natives. "Teca will not die,
winuhcala
. And I swear that we will find your family so that he may meet them."

Peering up at her warrior with eyes that reflected haunting fear and a faint flicker of hope, of relief. "We will?"

"
Ohan
, Ketlin. I swear it."

Teca coughed again as they neared the fire. The medicine man immediately reached out to take him.

"I will need to bring the child inside," the elder stated. His arms were around Teca, but he could feel the blonde's tightened embrace. Dark blue eyes, almost crazed with fear and worry, peered into his.

"Ketlin," Anpo said. "Let Teca go. Let
Wayawa

heal him."