Brave Heart

“Hair like fire,” Wolf said with satisfaction. Although Cante Tinza’s hair was dirty, the copper and red strands still danced with the color of firelight. Cante Tinza was so close. Wolf realized the importance of the moment, and silently applauded her move to protect the baby’s delicate fingers by gently easing her hair from the baby’s grasp. He tried to smile, and dipped his head in thanks. “Pilayama, thank you.”

Serena watched the grooves around Wolf’s mouth deepen as he rewarded her with a slight, nervous smile. Another little piece of her fear dissolved beneath the warmth that moved from the curved corners of his strong mouth to his dark brown eyes. She was feeling weak once again, glad that Wolf changed the baby’s diaper and placed her back into the cradleboard. Moving slowly over to her pallet, Serena curled into a sitting position, drawing the robe across her lower body. Wolf was his name. She watched him tenderly handle the baby, amazed that his large hands could be so careful, so caring. When he slowly turned toward her and their eyes met, Serena quickly lowered her gaze. His eyes burned with a deep fire in their depths, and she felt suddenly uncomfortable. Would he attack her now?

“Food?”

Serena lifted her chin. She saw Wolf go to another parfleche. He pulled out a piece of dried meat, and moved across the tepee to hand it to her.

“Tatanka, buffalo. Eat.”

Her mouth watered. Serena gladly took the dried buffalo meat from him but was careful not to touch his sun-bronzed fingers. “Th-thank you.”

With a shrug, Wolf nodded and forced himself to turn away. Cante Tinza was looking very pale, which worried him. She needed to eat to bring back her strength. First, Wolf made sure that Cante Tinza had water to drink. He then placed wasna, pemmican, in the shape of a cake in front of her, and made a gesture to his mouth, meaning that she should eat that as well. Wasna was made of dried, lean meat, grounded into paste with animal fat, a great rarity in his people’s diet. Normally, only hunting or war parties carried the prized food, but Wolf knew the woman was in desperate need of it to regain her strength.

Where was Deer Woman? Agitated by the absence of the lazy girl, Wolf went to the opening. Before he pulled the skin aside, he turned. “Sleep, Cante Tinza.”

How did Wolf know she was beginning to feel sleepy? Chewing the last of the tasty dried meat, Serena nodded her head. “Yes, I’ll sleep.”

“Washtay, good. I be back later. Be safe.”

His husky words, deep with concern, flowed across her. How badly she wanted to trust Wolf, but he was a man—and an Indian too. Serena knew absolutely nothing about the Sioux except what she’d been told by Blackjack, and Lucinda. While Lucinda had spoken of them compassionately, Blackjack had filled her head with terrible stories of how they scalped and tortured their white prisoners, which included raping the women. Wolf exited as quietly as he’d come, and she was alone once again.

* * *

Wolf sought out his sister, Little Swallow, who was busy tanning a deer hide that would be used to make moccasins.

“Have you seen Deer Woman?“ he asked irritably as he approached her.

Little Swallow looked over her shoulder at her brother. She stood near a rectangular pine frame that held stretched clean deerskin tightly across it. The elk scraper, or wahintke, was used to scrape the hide free of hair and flesh. “Yes. I saw her ride on the back of Swift Elk’s horse. He was going hunting for rabbit, I believe. Why?”

“Deer Woman cannot be trusted,” Wolf growled, and he told her about Cante Tinza and the baby.

“So, she spoke to you?“ Little Swallow asked, pleased. She continued the short, scraping motions on the hide.

“In her own manner, she did,” Wolf acknowledged, standing beside the frame, his arms crossed against his chest. He felt the chill of the morning air and saw that Father Sky was dotted with many white cloud spirits. He knew that soon he and his people would have to move for fear of the horse soldiers coming once they discovered the dead miners by the riverbank.

He heard his sister chuckle and focused on her. “You laugh?”

“Not at you, tiblo. Every time you mention Cante Tinza, you are like a grouchy old lone wolf who has his paw caught in a trap.“ She waved the scraper at him. “I told you, she will trust a little at a time. Thank the Great Spirit that she loves children just as we do, or poor Dawn Sky would still be sitting in wetness!”

Wolf scowled and dug the toe of his wet moccasin into the ground. “Dawn Sky did not cry when Cante Tinza held her.”

“Babies always know who they can trust.“ Little Swallow gave her brother a tender look. “Tiblo, do not look so unhappy. You have made progress with her! And if Deer Woman continues to ignore her duties to your niece, why not have Cante Tinza care for her instead?”

The idea was a good one. Perhaps. Wolf stopped digging his toe into the rich, red earth. “Cante Tinza is still weak and needs care herself.“ With a frustrated sound, he added, “She needs to sweat and have her hair washed. That would make her feel better.”

Running her slender brown hand across the damp deer hide, Little Swallow was pleased with the even scraping. “Then,” she said lightly, “why not get Deer Woman to take her into the sweat lodge and help her wash her hair afterward?”

Looking around the large encampment, Wolf snorted. “If she ever comes back!”

“If Cante Tinza awakes and Deer Woman isn’t here, I’ll come over and help her.”

Wolf started to protest and then shrugged. “Cante Tinza doesn’t trust me enough to help her.”

With a soft smile, Little Swallow bent down to a bowl that contained the cooked brains of the deer. They were whitish, and pasty in consistency. She scooped up some of the matter and began to smooth it across the surface of the hide. “Then, tiblo, let me help.”

* * *

Serena awoke slowly this time. Bright sunlight struck the buffalo hides of the tepee, and it created a hazy golden glow within the structure. Feeling better—less sore and stronger—Serena stretched and looked around. She was alone except for Dawn Sky, who slept in her cradleboard. Serena noticed that someone had placed the baby very close to where she lay. Had it been Wolf? With a smile, Serena rose up on her elbow and peeked into the cradleboard. Dawn Sky slept soundly. She reached in and touched the baby’s soft cheek.

“You are awake.”

Startled, Serena jerked back her hand. She looked in the direction of the entrance. Wolf had entered so quietly that she’d been completely unaware of his presence. Shaken, Serena slowly sat up. His face, usually a hard, unemotional mask, looked less threatening than before. Perhaps it was the velvet darkness in his eyes; she wasn’t sure. He appeared pleased she was paying attention to the baby.

Serena watched Wolf as he came toward her. His mouth formed a slight smile and he crouched next to the baby, resting his hand on the top of the beaded cradleboard.

“I put Dawn Sky beside you,” he said in slow, painful English.

“Th-that was all right,” Serena whispered, unable to hold his dark, penetrating stare. There was such overwhelming power in Wolf that it sent her into an internal panic. Her gaze was riveted to his long, large-knuckled fingers that were draped across the cradleboard. For his size and the masculinity that exuded from him, he was extraordinarily gentle.

“Cante Tinza, you must clean.”

Serena lifted her head. “What?”

Wolf made a scrubbing gesture, as if washing himself. “Clean?”

“I am rather dirty,” Serena admitted, looking down at herself.

“Little Swallow take you to sweat. Clean hair.“ He touched his braids.

Serena nodded. She desperately wanted to bathe herself and wash her hair.

Satisfied, Wolf slowly stood. He was pleased to see that this time Cante Tinza wasn’t looking at him as if he were going to attack her—well, at least, not like before. A song flowed through Wolf, and he hummed it as he strode across the tepee and left to get his sister. Did Cante Tinza realize that she was beautiful in his eyes? Wolf looked forward to the time when he could tell her that. The language barrier was so frustrating. He would have to teach her Lakota quickly, so that they could converse more easily.

Serena had changed Dawn Sky’s diaper when Wolf returned with Little Swallow. The young Indian woman smiled and came toward Serena.

“How much better you look,” she praised slowly in English. Little Swallow fussed over the baby. “And you took good care of her, too.”

Serena tried to smile, because Little Swallow’s spontaneity and obvious warmth made her feel safer. “I just changed her diaper. I mean…her…whatever it is.”

Little Swallow smiled and placed the baby aside. She came over and held out her hand. “Come, I help clean you.”

Another Indian woman entered just as they left. Serena looked at the woman as Little Swallow kept her hand firmly on her arm.

“Who is that?“ Serena asked.

“Dove That Flies. She give milk to Dawn Sky.”

“Oh.”