Disclaimers: Please see Part I for disclaimers to this story.
Part 3: Kawita
(kah-wee-tah)
Coming Together
1777
The teenager opened her eyes and peered up at her friend. "Han, tiblo." She sat up, the buffalo robe falling away as she stretched in the dawn light.
Nupa Olowan grinned as he handed her a piece of dried meat. "The hoksila have come to watch the herd. You and I can return to camp." He then turned away to roll up his sleeping robes and tie them with a thong.
Rubbing sleep from her eyes, Wi Ile Anpo inhaled deeply. She bit off a chunk of the meat before rising and following her friend's lead. "Do you think they have decided on the hunt?" she asked, by way of conversation.
"I do not know. It has been three days and Inyan returned yesterday with a vision." Nupa shrugged and adjusted the thong on his robes. "It must have been favorable. Else they would not still be counseling."
Anpo nodded in agreement. Finished with her own bedding, she rose and glanced about. The ponies were quietly grazing. Here and there, hoksila were taking up positions to guard the herd until such time as the camp decided to move on or until she and the other koskalaka returned for another all night vigil.
Her best friend clapped her on the arm. "Let's you and I go to your mother's ti ikceya." He shouldered his buffalo robes.
"Are you interested in the food or my sister?" Anpo questioned with a wicked grin, leading the way.
Nupa followed along, his own smile rueful. "The food is good, but Hca Wanahca is very easy on the eyes."
The pair laughed in the early morning sunlight.
Breakfast consisted of boiled grains and dried meat. The two sat at the fire of Wanbli Zi as his woman and daughter served them. Waniyetu Gi made sure that her eldest daughter was the one to serve the fine young warrior that ate with them. Her man studiously ignored the fawning his eldest engaged in.
Anpo enjoyed watching her friend become all stoic and strong, his chest puffed out as he tried to impress Hca. At one point, the teenager had held out her bowl for more food but her sibling was so engrossed in flirting with Nupa, she'd failed to see it. It wasn't until she was gently chastised by her mother that she blushed and refilled the bowl.
"Did the night go well?" Wanbli Zi asked.
"Hiya. Nothing happened," his youngest daughter responded. She ignored the slightly rolled eyes from Nupa. They'd had this discussion before.
The man looked upon Anpo with fondness. "Nothing can be a good thing, cunksi."
The teenager shrugged, her dark eyes glinting with humor. "So I have been told."
Nupa shook his head in feigned disgust.
"A rider came during the night. One of the scouts," the older man commented, changing the subject.
The two young warriors' ears perked up in interest. "Did they find tatanka?" Anpo questioned. Her friend leaned forward in eagerness, all thoughts of the beautiful Hca gone.
Wanbli Zi nodded sagely. "It has been said that they saw not only tatanka but also the camp of Wicasa Waziya Mani. The council is considering issuing an invitation for a mutual hunt." His eyes pinned his youngest daughter. "It has also been said that the tatanka ska is with the herd."
Anpo leaned back, eyes wide and a feeling of breathlessness overtaking her. She could hear her friend gasp at the pronouncement. It is the time of my vision! Thoughts and questions whirled around in her mind.
"You will kill the sacred tatanka ska, tanksi," the young warrior beside her said, nodding his head.
"You have seen this?" Wanbli Zi asked, aware of the young man's occasional visions.
Nupa nodded again. "I have." Turning to the young woman, he draped an arm around her shoulder and quickly hugged her. "I am glad you are my friend, Anpo! You will bring the camp much honor with wakan tanka!"
Anpo accepted the embrace, her thoughts racing through her head. And what of the woman with hair like the sun? Will she bring honor? Or pain?
As the day wore on, it was becoming more and more difficult for Anpo to concentrate on her task. At other points in the camp, young warriors could be seen loitering about and appearing nonchalant as they awaited word from the elders. A tension filled the air.
Anpo was knapping a flint arrowhead in front of her mother's ti ikceya, constantly casting an eye at the council lodge. Her father was inside, counseling with the other elders. From somewhere nearby, she could hear the young women giggling as they went about their tasks. Her thoughts were focused on the winyan from her vision of four winters ago.
The tatanka ska had disappeared. In its place was a strange woman with pale skin. Her hair was long, longer than Anpo's, and a yellow the color of the Sun itself. Her eyes were the blue of a deep lake, still and clear. She was wearing the standard dress that all of Anpo's women wore, buckskin and moccasins, her hair flowing freely in the breeze.This strange apparition rose from where the white buffalo had lain, blood pouring from her side where the white buffalo had been wounded. She walked gently closer to the girl staring at her in wonder. And then the woman put a hand to her wound, bloodying her fingers. She reached forward and brushed the blood onto Anpo's face, two thunderbolts beneath the dark eyes. As the Sun flared again, the girl could see those brilliant blue eyes staring at her intently and hear the words whispered into her ear.
"Mahasanni ki."
Anpo shook the vision off. It had been like this since she'd originally had it - the sudden sensation of going back into time and being on the hillside again, seeing the woman with yellow hair, hearing her voice. The shaman had told her that it was uncommon for a vision to have so much power, but that this stranger must be wakan for all of that.
At midday, Waniyetu Gi served her a bowl of stew that was simmering over the nearby fire. Anpo's sister arrived, a basket of berries on her hip, and they ate their lunch. The camp was quiet and still in anticipation.
Wanbli Zi stepped out of the council ti ikceya, looking to his woman's lodge. Spotting his youngest daughter watching, he waved her to him.
The teenager blew out a suspenseful breath and rose, brushing the remainders of her meal from her breechclout and covering the flintwork with a piece of leather. She trotted to her father. "Ohan, ate?"
"The elders would ask you to volunteer to go to the other camp with an invitation," the older man said. Turning towards the sound of someone approaching, he smiled. "And you, Nupa."
The young man puffed his chest out, a grin on his handsome face. "I would volunteer to ride with my tanksi, Anpo."
Smiling and shaking her head, the teenager said, "I doubt I would get from here to the ponies without you on my heels." Despite pride at being asked and joy that her friend would want to accompany her, a silvery-cold trickle of fear lodged in her heart. I will see my future.
Taking her response as an affirmative, Wanbli Zi smiled happily and ushered the two warriors into the council lodge to speak with the elders.
In the early morning darkness, Anpo dressed in her finest. It was said that how a warrior looked was an indication of how much he was loved. And, despite the one obvious difference between herself and the other warriors in camp, her sister and mother had outfitted her well over the years.
The tops of her moccasins were white and painstaking detail had been paid to the red sun symbols painted on them. Her buckskin leggings were their natural tan color with the exception of the fringe on the outer legs. Again, these were painted white with designs in red and yellow - the lightning, the sun and the buffalo alternated down each side. Her leather shirt was yellow and the same white strip of designs ran down the front from each shoulder to the hem. On her upper arms were strips of leather, painted yellow and contrasting with her dark skin.
Waniyetu Gi peered at her closely as her eldest daughter combed Anpo's hair until it glowed. Clucking disapprovingly, she said, "Your breechclout is old. I have another for you." And she moved to one side of the ti ikceya and rummaged among some leathers and furs.
Finished working on her sister's hair, Hca Wanahca pulled the sides back to tie up and out of her face. She then affixed a small eagle quill hanging down and a larger quill painted yellow sticking up.
Anpo watched her mother return with an expanse of white leather.
"This was to be yours after you killed the tatanka ska but I will give it to you now," Waniyetu Gi said with a smile. She gently laid the skin in her daughter's hands.
The teenager looked at it in awe. She has such faith in me! "Thank you, ina! It is perfect!" She stood and immediately pulled off the current buckskin she was wearing, replacing it with practiced hands as her family prudently looked away.
"You look very handsome," Hca commented with a smile as she rose to her feet, her sister turned around like a proud male pheasant.
"And I have you to thank for it, cuwekala," Anpo grinned back. She embraced her sibling and then turned to their mother. "And you, ina."
Waniyetu Gi smiled and accepted the hug from her taller and stronger child. And then she pulled away, pushing Anpo towards the tiopa. "Now, go. Nupa is waiting."
The teenager ducked her head and kissed her mother on the cheek before scooping up her weapons and leaving the lodge. She could hear the older woman grumbling good-naturedly as she stepped out into the cool morning air.
Four men stood nearby with the ponies - her father, Nupa Olowan and his father, Wi Sape, and the shaman. She approached, adjusting her pouch and knife.
Inyan Ceye stepped forward with a bundle of fur. "Here is the invitation for the chief of their camp. You will enter and speak to no one until you are spoken to at their council fire. Go right to their council and nowhere else. Give the chief our invitation and wait there until tomorrow. He will give you his answer for you to return here in the morning." He handed the bundle to Nupa who obediently tied it to his saddle.
"Ready?" Nupa asked with a grin, handing her pony's reins to Anpo.
"Ohan!"
Wanbli Zi smiled at his daughter's enthusiasm. "Remember. Leave camp and go south for a time. You will come across a large pine tree, split in two. From there, go west. The camp's cookfires will guide you the rest of the way. You should be there when the sun is high."
The young warriors nodded in understanding and hopped onto their steeds. There was a final word of good bye before they heeled their ponies and fairly flew out the eastern entrance. The elders watched them go before quietly returning to their lodges.
Once out of sight of camp, the two slowed their ponies to a trot, pacing them. Anpo handed her friend a piece of dried meat that her mother had packed them.
"You look nice," Nupa commented. "Is that breechclout new?"
The teenager nodded. "Ina gave it to me. She was going to wait until I killed the tatanka ska, but chose to gift it this morning."
The young man nodded. "It is an unusual color. It suits you."
"Hca called me 'handsome'," Anpo said with a wry snort.
Not seeing the humor, her friend looked at her with new eyes. With a slow, grudging respect, he nodded. "You are handsome, tanksi." He paused in thought, his dark brow furrowed.
They cantered along a few feet before the teenager finally asked, "What?"
Nupa shrugged. "It is just.... My next words would have been 'You will make some woman a fine man'." He shook his head. "But, you are not a man. You are a wikoskalaka."
Frowning, Anpo asked, "What of it?" She readjusted herself in her saddle and shrugged. "It has been this way all my life."
"But don't you want...?"
"What? To join with a man?" She snorted at his nod, shaking her own dark head in the negative. "Whatever for? I can hunt better than most men. I have learned how to scout and fight better than most men. Besides, I do not think a man would have me."
"Tanksi..."
"Hiya, tiblo! You know it is true!" They traveled a few more minutes, both deep in thought. "Would you have me?" Anpo finally asked.
Her friend sat straighter in his saddle. "I would."
The teenager burst out in laughter at the stoic, tragic face he held. "But, I would not have you, tiblo!" And she heeled her pony, causing it to rear up and shoot away.
The young warrior was only a second behind her, putting away his feelings of relief and dismay to race after his best friend.
"But, what will you do, tanksi? You will have no children to care for you when you are an elder."
The teenager sighed and rolled her eyes. Nupa just would not let the subject go. No matter how often she cajoled, teased and changed the subject, it was always brought back to this.
The pair had already made it to the split pine and had been working their way west through the rolling plains. There were no stops for meals, eating on the backs of their ponies. They'd only stopped once, at a creek for their steeds to drink. The sun was nearing its zenith, an indication they'd not much farther to go.
"You know as well as I, tiblo. I will adopt. Then I will have a son to teach." Seeing her friend's scowl, it finally occurred to her what his concern was. "You are worried that I will have no man? No one to sleep with?"
"I am worried that you will have no woman," he conceded. At her outright guffaw, he bristled. "Do you know how to cook for yourself? Tan hides? Sew? Do all the things your mother and sister do for you?"
"So, you suggest I find a woman who will share my robes?" Anpo couldn't help herself, she chuckled joyously at the thought.
It took a few minutes of scowling at his friend before the humor finally invaded Nupa's good senses. Soon, he was laughing as she.
"Tiblo!" she finally exclaimed when she'd controlled her laughter. "I will wait for you to marry Hca and move in with you!"
Snorting at the absurdity, the young man said, "Hau! You will be my second woman then!"
This, of course, sent the pair into further giggles as they rode along. Soon, smoke from many campfires could be seen in the distance. They stopped long enough to go over themselves and their ponies, straightening clothing and dusting off leathers. Nupa pulled out the bundle that had been given to them by the shaman.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
Anpo nodded. "Ohan, tiblo. Let's you and I be welcomed."
The two rode for the camp of Wicasa Waziya Mani, circling round until they reached the eastern entrance. Several warriors around the camp had already heard their approach and were standing ready with weapons at hand. Women and children hovered nearby, the young ones excitedly moving around to get a better view of the newcomers.
As they entered the main clearing, there was a flash of yellow at one ti ikceya and Anpo frowned, a vague familiarness tickling her mind. She pulled her pony up short and spun around, searching for the color and finding nothing but warriors beginning to take umbrage at this break from custom.
Nupa had stopped as well, alert to something causing his best friend consternation. Unable to see anything, he edged his own steed closer and caught her eye.
The intense look of warning from the young man brought Anpo back to her senses. They were unable to speak until they had been received by the chief of this camp. She nodded in slight irritation and they proceeded to the largest lodge.
Upon their arrival, the two jumped off their ponies. Nupa opened the fur given him by their shaman. Nestled inside were three items - a medicine bundle created for this meeting, a small pouch of willow bark and an invitation wand with intricate designs stained on its wood. As it was Anpo who had been initially asked to volunteer for this trip, the young man handed her the wand, holding the other items still cradled in the fur.
Several old men had arrived from various points around the camp. One by one, they made their way into the oversized ti ikceya. A boy stepped forward and took their horses and a young warrior, younger than Anpo, held the tiopa covering aside for the visitors to enter.
It took a few moments for their eyes to adjust to the darker interior but, as expected, the honored place to the left of the chief was open for them to sit. Anpo settled down, her friend beside her.
She looked about the fire, noting many faces that were familiar. She'd seen most of these men at the summer and winter camps, when all the Lakota gathered together. While she was probably just one of the many, many young warriors in the world, these were the leaders of the people. Anpo nodded respectively towards the chief and held out the invitation wand.
Wicasa Waziya Mani, the chief of this camp, was a young man. His hair was still dark and his body hale. With powerful grace, he accepted the wand, nodding in return to the pair of young warriors. This was followed by the medicine bundle and willow bark.
The chief smiled as he showed all the elders present the invitation. He thanked the young warriors and introductions were made all around. "So, you have found tatanka?" he asked in a deep voice. "Is he near?"
"Ohan, wicahcala" the teenager answered with the proper feminine response. This caused a rustle through the ti ikceya as all became aware of exactly who they had in their council lodge. All knew of the wikoskalaka who acted as koskalaka. Anpo ignored it, having dealt with the surprise many times over the last few years. "He is a day's ride away from here, half a day from our own camp. Our chief, Wagmiza Wagna, asks that your camp join ours in a hunt four days from now."
Mani nodded, his dark eyes intent on the young warrior. "Please, be welcome in the camp. You will be guest at a feast and the elders will council on your invitation."
Anpo and Nupa nodded and made known their thanks before rising and leaving the lodge. Once outside, they found their ponies had already been led away to this camp's herd. Their gear had been placed in front of a ti ikceya nearby, the lodge they'd be sleeping in that night.
"Why did you stop when you and I arrived?" the young man asked as they sauntered to the lodge, all eyes of the camp upon them.
Anpo shrugged. "I do not know. I thought I saw something. I was trying to find it again."
They arrived at the ti ikceya and pulled their sleeping robes out. In a matter of moments the pair were reclining in front of the firepit, watching the remainder of the camp as they went about their business.
Nupa pulled a waterbag from his belongings and took a long draw. Handing it to his friend, he continued his questioning. "What was it you saw?"
"It is hard to explain, tiblo," the teenager sighed, taking the waterbag and drinking deeply. She wiped her mouth and sealed it, settling the bag between them. "I am not sure if I saw something or felt it."
The young man nodded solemnly. "I understand. It is the same with my visions - I see it, but I do not. It is very confusing at times."
"Ohan!" Anpo exclaimed, sitting forward and peering into the flames. "That was how it felt! Like my vision!"
And then the discussion was interrupted as other young men drifted closer. Soon. several were seated about the fire, smoking and exchanging stories and news.
That evening, the feast was a grand success. There was much rejoicing at the visitors' arrival and news. The women of the camp tried to outdo each other with the food they cooked, the hoksila jostled for position nearest the strangers and the warriors entertained themselves and their guests with gambling and games of skill.
As the darkness grew and the food disappeared, the chief of the camp stood up and held his arms high overhead. "Hear me!" he called to his people and they all quieted, Anpo and Nupa listening just as attentively. "This camp has been invited to join with Anpo's and Nupa's to hunt tatanka. The elders have decided." With true showmanship, he paused, his dark eyes glittering in the firelight.
The camp seemed to collectively lean forward, holding its breath.
"We will join you," he smiled, looking down at the seated guests. "Tomorrow morning you will return to your camp and tell Wagmiza Wagna that we will soon arrive." Mani turned to the shaman and received a medicine bundle and small pouch of willow bark.
At the leader's nod, Anpo quickly stood up, her friend a heartbeat behind her. The items were handed reverently over to her.
"There is our answer," the chief smiled.
With extreme care, Anpo wrapped the pouches in a fur and tied them with a thong.
The camp erupted in whoops and cries. Drums were beaten and more wood laid onto the flames as the warriors began dancing about, enacting how they would hunt the buffalo in the days to come. Rattles and pipes also joined the din, making for an exciting stir of sound.
Nupa looked longingly at the young men and then back at his friend who'd sat back down.
"Go, tiblo," the young woman said with a grin. "I have the bundle. I will dance at our own camp before the hunt." Seeing the war of wanting to enjoy himself fighting his desire to keep her company, she scowled at him. "I said go. Do you think you will be allowed to impress all the wikoskalaka when my sister is nearby?"
The warrior blinked at her before a slow grin crossed his face. And with a whoop he leaped into the fray and began dancing.
Anpo watched him with a fond smile. But her eyes kept being drawn to the darkness surrounding the fire, looking for something that wasn't there. If it is the time of my vision... where is she...? Will she be a powerful spirit? Or real?
Kathleen slumped on her sleeping robes in the ti ikceya. It had been a busy day and she was very tired. Aye, ye should be, lass. Ye helped put up enough food ta feed Boston proper. Outside the lodge, she could hear the wild drums and the people singing as they danced. She thought she'd heard pipes, as well, but couldn't be sure.
Nearby, an old toothless woman was sewing two pieces of leather together and singing softly in a whispery voice. She was the only other person in the tent, an aging guard to keep the new young slave trapped.
'Tisn't like there's anyplace ta go, Kath, the blonde thought to herself with an ironic twist to her mouth. She stretched out and covered herself with her robes, trying to get comfortable on the hard ground.
As far as Kathleen could tell, it had been well over a month, nearing two, since she'd been kidnapped from her homestead in the east. The man who had brutally raped her in her own cabin had taken a liking to her fair skin and kept her. There had been many nights over the course of several weeks that Kathleen had been sexually assaulted. And the two women who had lived with that man had beat her regularly for the slightest infraction of their unspoken and vague rules.
All Kathleen wanted was to curl up and die by that point. She'd tried to get a knife from one of the women, smuggling it into her dress while helping prepare the meal, intent on using it to join her husband. But, it hadn't worked. The woman had seen it and had beat her senseless. And then her man had done the same.
But things had changed about two weeks ago. In the early morning hours, a monstrous uproar had been heard in the camp. There was quite a bit of screaming and yelling. The tent she'd been in had caught fire. The man had already gone outside to fight the attackers and the women soon followed to escape the flames, leaving her inside to roast.
Kathleen still didn't know how she had gotten out of the inferno. Outside was a mass of confusion and it was all she could do to stay out of the way of stampeding horses and wild eyed natives. Through the din of smoke and noise, she could hear hooves beating hard on the ground and suddenly, she'd been swept up and across a wooden saddle.
And she'd been with this man and his family ever since, moving steadily west.
The blonde rolled over onto her side, facing the fire and watching the old woman at her task. Could be worse, lass.
Her treatment had gotten infinitely better here. There were no beatings, though the man had slapped her once when she'd gotten hysterical. The women were rather kind. The grandmother across the fire there would occasionally swear at her or some such when she'd done something wrong. Kathleen couldn't tell what she was saying and it was probably just as well. There were also two children in this tent and, for one who'd thought she was barren, living with them had been a joy.
But the brutality of Kathleen's kidnapper had left its mark. The man - my new husband? - had tried to bed her four times. And four times he'd gone away in disgust. The first time, she'd gotten hysterical and he'd had to slap her. Afterwards, when he climbed into her robes, his naked body against hers, she froze. She couldn't move, couldn't breath, nothing but a ceramic doll to be posed, to be used. And that was obviously not something he wanted. He would shake his head and leave her robes, going to his wife's bed.
Ye've got ta get over this, lass. If ye don't have any worth, then yer a dead woman. Unbidden, tears welled up in her eyes. With the lack of abuse came the time to reflect and feel. Kathleen knew that her husband was dead. She'd seen his body when her attackers had dragged her from the cabin. But it was only recently she'd had the opportunity to mourn. Adam needed ta have someone ta love. Needed ta have children. And I wasn't able to give him either.
Another concern was her family. There was no indication that there'd been an attack on the McGlashan homestead yet it still worried her mind. Aside from ye, lass, there's no sign of an attack on yer homestead either. Every night, as these strange people prepared for sleep, she prayed to God that her mum and da were alright, that Stewart had survived the horrid attacks up and down the frontier.
And so the last two weeks had gone. Sleeping, eating, packing, moving. Followed by unpacking, preparing food, eating and worrying. All with the occasional odd anxiety attack thrown in for good measure. Kathleen didn't know where the camp was heading, just that they continued to travel west and west and west.
Today had been different. The arrival of the two young warriors had been interesting. Kathleen wished she spoke the language so she could hear what was going on. She could barely understand one word out of a dozen. And then there were the preparations for the feast and the music and dancing outside now. I wonder who they are? Someone important from the looks of things. But she'd been hustled into the tent as soon as the strangers entered the camp and she'd been out of sight ever since. Maybe they're worried ye'll get stolen again. Seems ta be the way of it here.
Unable to fathom the whys and wherefores, her deep blue eyes slowly closed, tears drying on her cheeks. The old woman's voice weaved through her mind as she drifted off to sleep, singing a counterpoint to the sound of her gram's tin whistle.
"I am near, Mahasanni ki."
Anpo's eyes flew open and she surged up from sleep, looking wildly around for the pale woman.
Nearby, her friend stirred in his robes before continuing to snore quietly.
It was a dream, nothing more. Her heartbeat slowed and she scrubbed sleep from her face as she sat up. Outside the ti ikceya could be heard movement as others awoke. Reaching over, she nudged the young man, rousting him. "Han, tiblo. It is time to go."
"Hau, tanksi." Nupa grinned before stretching and yawning. As he stood and began getting dressed, he said, "I cannot wait to arrive home! It will be a great hunt!"
Anpo collected her belongings and packed them up. The sacred bundle that had been given them by the chief was still in her possession and would remain so until she arrived at their own camp and could be given to Wagmiza Wagna.
Sensing his friend's somberness, Nupa peered at her. "Are you all right, tanksi?"
Troubled brown eyes regarding him. "I cannot drive the pale woman from my mind, tiblo. She haunts me waking or sleeping." The young woman sighed deeply and shook her head in consternation. "If this is the time of the vision, I wish she would show herself! The waiting is hard!"
The warrior nodded in sympathy. He reached out to take the woman's upper arm and squeeze it gently. "Visions are never easy. Especially those that are powerful. Be patient, tanksi. All will come to pass as it should."
Anpo gave a half-hearted snort. "If I close my eyes, I can see Inyan."
"I am not a shaman!" Nupa insisted as he pulled away from her. "I would not make a good one." Hearing another snort, the warrior rolled his eyes. "Being shaman is more than visions, tanksi. Do you think I have the patience to sit for hours on end, awaiting the spirits? To work so diligently on harvesting leaves and grass?"
The sudden sight of the great warrior, Nupa Olowan of Wagmiza Wagna's camp, picking flowers in a field filled Anpo's mind.
The young man frowned down at her as she rolled on the floor, howling. "I do not understand why you are laughing."
As they left the camp of Wicasa Waziya Mani, the people were already beginning to pack up their belongings in preparation for the trip. There were final words between the visitors and the chief before the two climbed upon their ponies and left.
The trip home was uneventful, if quiet. Anpo's mind was constantly drawn to her dream and vision. The longer the day went, the more the feeling of anticipation grew within her heart. It was if she knew that the vision was going to come to fruition in the very near future.
Nupa tried to ply her with jokes and conversation, failing miserably. He finally left her to her thoughts, following along quietly.
By midday, they returned to their own camp. It is good to see home, Anpo thought as they rode into the eastern entrance.
The two stopped at the council ti ikceya and the leather covering was pushed aside as they dismounted. An elder stepped out and held the covering aside for them to enter before stepping in behind.
Shuffling around the firepit, the elders opened up the honored place beside Wagmiza Wagna and the two messengers settled down. After several minutes of smoking and silence, the chief spoke.
"You have an answer, Anpo?"
"Ohan, wicahcala." The woman held out the bundle she'd been carrying.
The elder took the fur and gently opened it. His creased face broke into a smile as he held up the fur to show the medicine bundle and willow bark pouch. "Our invitation has been accepted," he announced to the gathered men.
"The camp of Mani will arrive before the sun goes down this night," the young woman spoke up, the grin on her face matching her friend's beside her.
"Then we will have a feast in their honor to welcome them to our camp," Wagmiza Wagna declared. He turned to the young warriors beside him. "You have done well, this day. I will be honored if you sit with me at the feast."
Anpo worked hard at keeping a neutral expression on her face, though she could feel her eyes widen and the desire to drop her jaw. Beside her, she could almost feel Nupa thrumming with excitement. "I would be... very honored, wicahcala," she finally said.
"And I!" the young man beside her added. He nudged her with his shoulder, grinning.
Nodding in satisfaction, the elder chief returned their smiles.
The pair were minor heroes for the day, constantly pestered by the hoksila with questions, given extra little treats from the winyan's cookfires, quizzed by the other koskalaka and wicasa as they lounged around and smoked.
In preparation of the new arrivals, several of the lodges had been moved to accommodate the extra people, expanding the camp outward. The cookfires were put to great use as the women and girls prepared a repast for the feast. Later, as the sun lowered in the western sky, anticipation began to swell.
Soon, three riders came from the north. They circled around to the eastern side and slowly made their entrance. Wicasa Waziya Mani and two of his advisors rode into the camp, all smiles. The trio pulled up at the council lodge and hopped off their ponies.
"Hau, Mani!" Wagmiza Wagna stated grandly, his arms wide.
The younger chief held out the invitation wand delivered to him the day before. "Hau, Wagna. We are honored that you have asked us to hunt with you."
And then the three were urged into the council ti ikceya. Several young men and women ran to their herd and hopped onto ponies, thundering away to the north to assist the visiting camp.
It wasn't long before the new arrivals were present and setting up their own lodges in the cleared spaces. While the women and girls puttered about, the men and boys began gathering at various fires to greet old friends and exchange stories and news.
Anpo sat quietly at her father's fire, sharpening an antler spearhead by grinding it against a rock. Wanbli Zi was in the council lodge with the rest of the elders and her mother was off to visit her maske who resided in Mani's camp. She wasn't sure where her sister was. Probably helping someone set up their ti ikceya, she thought. Or fawning over all the young warriors. I wonder if my tiblo's feeling anxious? A grin crossed the warrior's face.
As if the thought had called him, Nupa came running up to her, excitement in his bearing. "Hau, tanksi! You must come with me!"
The woman rolled her eyes. "Hiya. I am busy now." She did not relish the idea of playing games of chance, her mind was worrying the vision of her future and taking most of her attention.
"Hoh, tanksi! You must! There is something I must show you."
"Can it not wait until later, tiblo?"
The handsome young warrior shook his head. Though his face was solemn, his eyes sparkled brilliantly.
Sighing with some consternation, the woman set her spear to one side. She knew from experience that to deny Nupa in this mood would only strengthen his resolve. He was nothing if not stubborn when he set his mind. Acting disgruntled for his benefit, Anpo rose from her seat and mock-glared at him. "Lead on."
His smile was brilliant against his dark face and he turned away with a gesture for her to follow.
In moments they arrived at a visiting family's ti ikceya. The setup of the lodge was complete and an older and younger winyan were presently preparing the outdoor cookfire and setting out the various accouterments needed for day to day life. Several young men and women from Anpo's camp were loitering about, casting surreptitious glances at the tent.
Intrigued at the interest shown this one lodge, the young woman looked to her friend. "What is it you wish to show me?"
"You will see. Be patient." Nupa's face was aglow.
Eyes narrowed in slight irritation, Anpo returned her gaze to the ti ikceya. She also began to notice that the other members of her camp had begun watching her as well, more so than usual. I do not understand. I am no different than yesterday. Her brow furrowed.
The old woman of the lodge glanced around at the collected people who were appearing to be nonchalant in their rude stares. Muttering curses under her breath at their impudence, she marched over to the tiopa and pushed aside the covering. Calling inside, she bid the occupants to come out into the daylight.
Despite herself, Anpo picked up on the anticipation of the others loitering about. Their eyes intensified as they watched, their glances more and more centering on her. Just as she was about to speak of this strangeness to Nupa, there was movement at the lodge and she found her own dark eyes drawn there.
A small child climbed out, a hoksila of about four winters. Behind him was an older wicincala.
"They are only children, tiblo," she murmured to her friend.
"Hiya, tanksi," the warrior beside her responded. There was further movement at the tiopa and he grasped his friend's arm. "Look!"
Hesitantly, a pale woman stepped out into the waning sunlight. Her hair was long, longer than Anpo's, and was the color of the Sun itself. It was tied back at the neck, but flowed freely below that, hanging to her waist. Her skin was so light as to be almost white in color with a slight golden tint to it. She was wearing the standard dress of the women of Anpo's people, buckskin and long, with moccasins on her feet.
It is her!! Anpo couldn't begin to describe what she felt. All time seemed to stop. No breath came to her, her mouth was open in shock, her heart beat hard in her chest. She watched the stranger be guided to the fire where the old woman set her to work cutting roots.
The people of her own camp cast their eyes between the two enigmas, the woman with the light skin and the woman who was a warrior. Both were interesting in their own rights, though the response from Anpo was a thing to be discussed for some time.
Nupa studied his friend, feeling her lean into his hand where he still held her arm. Almost as if she could not stand on her own. Her eyes were wide, the pupils dilated, and he could see the beat of her pulse in her neck. "Is she the one?" he asked, knowing the answer.
Rousing from her stupor, Anpo inhaled deeply to fill her aching lungs with air. Her mouth snapped shut and it was all she could do to simply nod in response. Even though the woman had yet to look up at the surrounding camp, she knew. She will have eyes the color of a deep lake.
Her friend grinned widely and squeezed her arm again. "It is the time of your vision!" he exclaimed. "The sacred tatanka ska will be yours before the hunt is finished!"
The old woman, tired of being stared at, began yelling at the young men and women of the camp, picking up a piece of firewood to threaten them. They scattered and moved off, abuzz at this new topic of conversation.
Unbidden, Anpo was dragged off again by her friend. She put up no fight, her mind in an uproar.
Kathleen peered up at the people moving away from the old grandmother who was haranguing them. Ye're lucky ye've not made her angry, lass, she thought, watching the ferocious old woman threaten to beat people with her stick. When the elder was finished, she turned to glare at her household and the blonde dropped her eyes. She diligently cut the vegetables she'd been given, hoping to not get hit. She hasn't hit me in the time I've been here, Kathleen reasoned, attempting to allay her fears.
Once the apparent danger had passed, she relaxed into her task. She was almost able to pretend that she was still in her own home, preparing a nice supper for her husband. But the women and children speaking to one another brought back reality, their language a foreign noise impinging on her daydream.
Kathleen didn't know where the man had gone. He had disappeared once they'd reached this camp. The blonde continued her chore, wondering why they had joined with this other band of natives and what would happen now.
Unbeknownst to her, a pair of dark eyes watched her every move.
Anpo felt like a child as she spied on the pale woman from behind another ti ikceya. Memories of skulking around the camp with her pack of hoksila as they stalked their prey among the lodges came rushing back and she blushed. You feel like a child because you are acting like one.
But she did not walk away.
The young woman had insisted she was fine once she'd regained her voice. With a firm hand and words, she'd finally gotten Nupa to leave her at her mother's tent. And then she'd returned here, unable to keep away. She crouched behind a ti ikceya, peeking around and at the visitors' hearth.
It is like watching a dream come to life! she marveled. She is real! Not a spirit! Anpo chewed her upper lip in uncertainty. But.... What does it mean?
"See anything interesting?"
The young warrior shot up to her feet so fast, she almost toppled over. A warm hand grasped her upper arm to steady her and Anpo turned to look, wide-eyed at the interruption. She swallowed heavily. "Inyan!"
The shaman of her camp wore a crooked smile. "Hau, Anpo," he said by way of greeting. "I ask you again. Do you see anything interesting?"
Dark eyes darted back towards the firepit. The sun was beginning to set and the light from the flames seemed to spark the color of the strange woman's hair, producing an aura about her head. "Ohan, Inyan, I do," she finally whispered in response, her lack of the honorific wicahcala a measure of her unsettled state.
"Come with me, Anpo." When the young warrior didn't move, he tugged her upper arm, pulling her away. "We must talk."
Anpo allowed herself to be pulled away, tearing her gaze from the vision and flushing slightly at her own behavior. What is wrong with me!?
The shaman led his charge to his woman's ti ikceya. Rather than sit outside in the public eye, he drew Anpo inside and sat her on his left. There was a brief moment of unspoken conversation between he and his woman before she nodded and left the lodge.
The warrior was still in a daze after nearly an hour. It was obvious from the glassy eyed stare at the firepit. Inyan Ceye sighed, half in concern and half in humor. When he'd heard of the white woman that had come with Wicasa Waziya Mani's camp, he knew that Anpo would be in need of counsel. It was Nupa's arrival at his fire that caused the shaman to seek her out. Inyan set about the familiar task of smoking a pipe.
The stem thrust at her and his voice calling brought Anpo out of her mental anguish. She shook herself, bringing herself to the here and now and received the pipe. The two smoked in silence, the almost ritualistic feel of the situation serving to ground the young woman.
"She is the one," Inyan stated as he tapped the remains of the pipebowl into the firepit.
Swallowing hard, Anpo nodded. "Ohan, wicahcala. She looks just as I saw her four winters ago." Her dark eyes filled with awe. "How can that be? She is not much older than I."
"Now it is confirmed that you did, indeed, see the future in your vision, Anpo. Tell me, do you now look as the warrior woman who slew the tatanka ska?"
The young woman's eyes narrowed as she contemplated his question. Coming up with the vision in question, they widened. "I do!" she exclaimed in an almost strangled whisper. Before the shaman could respond, she focused on him intently. "If I can see my future, why can I not see why the woman calls me mahasanni ki?"
Inyan shrugged and tilted his head. "What wakan tanka wishes you to know will be told you. I do not presume to understand."
Sufficiently chastised, Anpo dropped her head. "I am sorry, wicahcala. I did not mean to --"
"Do not concern yourself, wikoskalaka," the shaman said with a smile, reaching out to pat her on the shoulder. "You are young and do not know the ways of the spirits. They do not begrudge you because of your ignorance."
The young warrior kept her head bowed, but nodded nonetheless.
"You have questions, Anpo. They rise off of you like smoke from a fire. Perhaps I can help you...?"
Anpo collected her thoughts, tried to focus them in some constructive manner. "I do not know how to begin, wicahcala."
"Then look into the flames, Anpo. Use the fire to burn away the confusion and clear your mind."
The young warrior did as she was bade, staring into the firepit, meditating on her emotions and thoughts and soul. A long time passed and Anpo could feel herself calming, her breath deepening as she relaxed.
The tatanka ska had disappeared. In its place was a strange woman with pale skin. Her hair was long, longer than Anpo's, and a yellow the color of the Sun itself. Her eyes were the blue of a deep lake, still and clear. She was wearing the standard dress that all of Anpo's women wore, buckskin and moccasins, her hair flowing freely in the breeze.This strange apparition rose from where the white buffalo had lain, blood pouring from her side where the white buffalo had been wounded. She walked gently closer to the girl staring at her in wonder. And then the woman put a hand to her wound, bloodying her fingers. She reached forward and brushed the blood onto Anpo's face, two thunderbolts beneath the dark eyes. As the Sun flared again, the girl could see those brilliant blue eyes staring at her intently and hear the words whispered into her ear.
"Mahasanni ki."
"When we hunt, will my killing the sacred tatanka ska hurt the white woman?" Anpo asked, her voice distant.
"I do not believe so. When she spoke to you in your vision, she used the phrase, 'Mahasanni ki.' She will know you well before she is wounded."
The warrior turned her head to look at Inyan. "She belongs to another, wicahcala. How is it that she would call me this? I cannot be a man to her. I am wikoskalaka, as is she." Her brow furrowed as she tried to comprehend the meaning of the vision.
"You are wikoskalaka, Anpo. As is she," the shaman agreed, nodding. "Perhaps it is because of the sacred tatanka that she will come to you. And perhaps you are destined to be close... closer than even maske."
"Is that possible?" she asked in a small voice, returning her gaze to the fire.
"I believe so." Inyan began filling the bowl of his pipe with crushed, dried leaves.
I do not want to hurt her. I will not hurt her! "I will not go on the hunt."
The shaman paused in his task for a split second before continuing on. "Wi Ile Anpo, are you a warrior for the Lakota?"
Dark eyes blinked at the man. "What...? Ohan, wicahcala! Of course!"
"But you would not hunt for your people because the tatanka ska is waiting for you?" The warrior shied away from his question, and he continued. "You would deprive your ina, your ate, your tiospaye of much needed food for the coming winter?"
"Hiya, wicahcala," Anpo muttered, dropping her head in shame. "I would not."
"It is not easy to know of the future, wikoskalaka. It never is. But you cannot do anything to stop it." He skillfully lit his pipe and puffed on it in contemplation. "Did the white woman die in your vision, Anpo?"
The young woman frowned as she considered. "Hiya, Inyan. She was wounded by my hand and bleeding."
"I know that you do not have experience in the way of wicasa and winyan, Anpo," the shaman said, treading carefully. "You do not know that it is not unusual for a couple to hurt each other very deeply."
"My parents have not hurt each other, wicahcala," the warrior responded as she looked up, question in her eyes.
"Not with weapons, hiya. But with words, with actions. Their feelings have been hurt and though they might not bleed from a wound, they bleed inside." Inyan Ceye shrugged. "It is the natural way of things and helps people grow."
There was a long silence while Anpo digested this bit of information. "You believe that I will hurt this woman and that it will not be by my weapons...?"
Leaning forward, the shaman stared at her intently, capturing her eyes. "Do you believe that you could hurt her with a weapon?"
Anpo sat back in shock, dark eyes wide. "Hiya! I could not!"
"And you do not even know her yet," the man nodded sagely. He offered the pipe to the young woman and they smoked in silence.
"Because of the tatanka ska she will come to me. And we will come to know each other well. And then I will hurt her somehow, enough to make her bleed within," the young warrior intoned. "But she still cares for me, still calls me mahasanni ki...." Her eyes took on a look of wonder. I do not know if I am worthy of this gift.
The man nodded in agreement. "That would seem to be the way of it, wikoskalaka."
They finished the pipe in silence. When it was complete, Inyan Ceye tapped it out into the firepit. "Do you understand your vision more fully, warrior?"
"Ohan, wicahcala, I do." She rose to her feet and smiled at the elder. "Ask anything of me in return for your aid in this matter."
The shaman rose as well, a grin on his face. "I ask that you be happy, Anpo."
Smile softening at unseen emotions and images, the warrior responded, "I will, wicahcala."
Inyan Ceye had given her much to think about. Anpo's natural good spirits had returned and she arrived at her mother's ti ikceya with a lighter step. She found the women putting the final touches on a stew.
"Han, mitankala," her sister called with a smile.
"Han, cuwekala." Anpo squatted down next to the fire and collected the spearhead and stone she'd been working with earlier in the day. "It smells good, ina."
Waniyetu Gi smiled at her youngest daughter. Using a carved wooden utensil, she dipped out a bit of stew and waved Anpo closer.
Obediently, the warrior leaned forward and took a taste. With closed eyes and a great appreciative look on her face, Anpo exclaimed, "Very good, ina! Yours will be the best at the feast!"
"Now you must taste mine, mitankala," Hca Wanahca insisted, holding a bit of pemmican close.
Anpo chewed on it, recognizing the taste of the berries they'd had for lunch a few days ago. "Mmmm, cuwekala. Your wansi is always tasteful!"
"They will make you fat and lazy, tanksi," a familiar voice said with a laugh.
The young woman waved her friend closer. "Come try my cuwe's wansi, tiblo."
Nupa, not able to pass up an opportunity to flirt with his friend's sister, stepped forward with a grin. He received a piece of the meat and fruit mixture from the blushing wikoskalaka, rolling his eyes in gratitude.
Ignoring her sister's blush, Anpo glanced towards the council fire. "The people are beginning to gather."
"Hau," the warrior agreed with a nod. "Let's you and I join them."
The pair wandered towards the gathering, carrying robes to sit on. Behind them, Waniyetu Gi and Hca Wanahca collected their offerings for the feast and followed. Their fathers and the other elders from both camps were already seating themselves. Soon, only those not guarding the herd of ponies were at the council fire.
The chief, Wagmiza Wagna, sat in front of the tiopa of the council lodge. To his left and in the honored space was Wicasa Waziya Mani and his advisors. To Wagna's right were the two messengers, Anpo and Nupa. The old chief stood and held his arms wide, garnering the attention of the people.
"Today is a very good day!" he exclaimed with a smile. "Our brave warriors, Anpo and Nupa," and Wagna gestured to the pair beside him, "have returned from their task and brought chief Mani to our fires." Here he turned to the younger chief who sat proud. "In two days we shall hunt the great tatanka and, perhaps our camp will be even more honored and one of our own will slay the sacred tatanka ska."
The gathered warriors yipped in excitement.
Anpo tried to control the blush she felt as most of the people from her camp looked to her with knowing smiles and nods. I may not kill the tatanka ska, she thought. It might not be the time. But deep in her heart she knew that was a falsehood.
"Let's the feast begin!" Wagna called.
The women of the joined camps began serving their men and brothers and sons. Among them was the white woman, causing quite a stir. The warrior who owned her was the recipient of many a ribald joke as the evening wore on, all of which he accepted with good nature.
But one warrior did not share the humor. Anpo ate her meal in silence, occasionally smiling and answering her friend and chief who spoke with her. And rarely did her eyes leave the blonde.
Hca Wanahca (hajah wah-nah-hajah) - (Cinksi/Anpo's sister) nicknamed Hca
Inyan Ceye (een-yahn cheh-yeh) - (shaman) nicknamed Inyan
Kathleen Sarah McGlashan Stevens - the white woman
Nupa Olowan (noo-pah oh-loh-wahn) - (Cinksi/Anpo's childhood friend) nicknamed Nupa
Wanbli Zi (wahn-blee zee) - (Cinksi/Anpo's father) nicknamed Wanbli
Wagmiza Wagna (wah-gamee-zah wah-ganah) - Chief of Cinksi/Anpo's camp
Waniyetu Gi (wah-nee-yeh-too jee) - (Cinksi/Anpo's mother) nicknamed Gi
Wi Ile Anpo (wee ee-leh ahn-poh) - (a.k.a. Cinksi) nicknamed Anpo
Wicasa Waziya Mani (wee-chah-sah wah-zee-yah mah-nee) - (chief of joining camp) nicknamed Mani