Chapter Six
The axe swung through the air repeatedly, splitting the logs into smaller pieces of wood.
The mechanical motion continued despite the beads of sweat that ran down Running Wolf's bare back and chest. Repeatedly, he split the wood, oblivious to everything going on around him.
Even the darkening of the sky above did not faze him.
The first few drops of rain hit the earth before he finally looked up to the sky.
He ran a hand through his hair and tilted his head as he watched the clouds.
It was going to be heavy. He could feel it.
“Only you would be breaking wood while it rains, Running Wolf,” a familiar voice said from behind him.
“Why are you here, Chito?” Running Wolf asked, not sparing his friend a look.
“You know, you should be grateful to me. I am the only one who still comes to check on you. Everyone else is scared of your chilly moods.”
Running Wolf quirked a brow, “Atola was here yesterday, and she is not the first of the women.”
Chito rolled his eyes, “That is different. The women are crazy about you. They do not count, old friend.”
“You didn’t come here to talk about my visitors. And I know the village is not under threat. So, why are you here?” Running Wolf inquired as he raised the axe again.
“I came to check on a friend, what else? Talk about being a good friend in this day. Is it wrong to check on you?”
“I do not want visitors. You know that already, yet every week you return. My instructions are not difficult to follow.”
“You keep turning me back and I keep returning. You should know when to give up, Running Wolf. Wait, is this how you turned the women away?” Chito frowned.
“It is. I have no business with them.”
Chito's frown deepened, “You just turned them away? Running Wolf! What happened to lying with two, three of them? That will certainly give you a boost!”
The axe dangled at his side as in a cold voice, Running Wolf said, “I have no business spilling my oats in any woman.”
“What on earth are you talking about, Running Wolf? Don’t tell me you do not plan to remarry?”
“What is the point? I had all I needed and it was taken away. That tells me that I am not meant to have it,” Running Wolf said with a shrug.
“Do not be ridiculous. Bad things happen in life, and that is how it has been destined. But that does not mean you have been destined to be alone for the rest of your life. This is just a stage in your life.”
Running Wolf turned to his friend with intense brown eyes. “Everything was taken away from me because I tried to have more than I should. I am not supposed to have a family. I am destined to be alone. I know that now and I do not plan to lead anyone else to death.”
“My friend, I think you are being hasty with your decision. Your mother’s death was no fault of yours, and your father, not to justify his death, but he was old. And Fala and your baby, their deaths were unfortunate, but it happens. You have to pick yourself up and move on.”
“Unfortunate yes, but it all happened to me. I buried everyone I’ve ever cared for, Chito. There is a message there. I won’t ignore it any longer.”
“Running Wolf, open your mind to other chances. I know you didn’t love Fala but you cared about her. We can join you with another woman in the village and...”
“This conversation is over,” Running Wolf said firmly, his eyes blazing.
“It’s been seven months of pain, of brooding, of isolation. Do you really have no plans of returning to the village? How about your vision quest?”
“If the village ever needs me, I will be there. I am just a stone’s throw away. Till then, I have found my refuge here, on the outskirts. I deserve this, to be alone. And for my vision quest, I will go soon, in a few days.”
“You do not deserve this, being on the outskirts. You are the head warrior, you are loved. You should be inside surrounded by those who care.”
“That is care and love I am not deserving of. I misled yourself before, old friend. I won’t be doing that anymore. Go on ahead,” Running Wolf commanded.
Chito clicked his tongue, “You are as stubborn as a mule. You keep running away from your feelings rather than embracing them and resolving them. How long do you intend to live this way?”
“I wonder why I still hear your voice when you should have left by now,” Running Wolf told his friend as he looked up to the sky. The rain was already coming down heavily. He frowned at his friend, “I do not want to have to give you shelter through the rainfall. You should leave now.”
“You are just so stubborn,” Chito scoffed.
Running Wolf opened his mouth to respond when there was a deafening sound in the air. It was closely followed by another.
“Was that a gunshot?” Chito asked.
Running Wolf frowned as he shoved his hand through his slick long hair. “Yes. And that only means one thing, trouble could be in the horizon.”
“So who could it be? The soldiers? Which ones?”
“There is only one way to find out,” Running Wolf said as he grabbed his bow and arrow and slung them over his shoulder. He stalked toward the forest with Chito fast behind him.
The two men saw nothing and they went deeper.
“Maybe it was thunder?” Chito shrugged.
“Think like a true Choctaw,” Running Wolf hissed, “Did that in any way sound like thunder?”
Not waiting for Chito’s response, Running Wolf stalked forward. Softly, he said,
“The gunshot did not come from this side of the forest. I believe it was on the other side.”
“But how did it sound so clear? It seemed like it was right next to us,” Chito frowned.
“It is night and it is raining. Sound travels far in the night,” Running Wolf replied calmly.
Suddenly, he held his hand out, stopping his friend’s movement.
“We are close to the river. Can you hear it?”
“Uh huh,” Chito nodded. “There really is no point going any further then, is there? Whatever is happening, it’s not around here. We can be rest assured that the village is safe.”
“Yes, we can,” Running Wolf said with a slow nod. “Go on ahead. I just need to do a quick run around the river, just to be sure.”
“What do you need to be sure of? We should just head back now and...”
Running Wolf’s head snapped towards his right, “Did you hear that?”
“Hear what? Anyway, you’ve always been one with the sharpest ears and...” Chito’s words were interrupted as Running Wolf dashed to his right, leaping over a broken tree branch.
The whimpering he heard got louder as he got closer to the river. He emerged from the woods and froze in his tracks when he saw the figure in the water. It was dark but for the moon that was casting its shadow over the river.
“I told you there’s nothing but you...” Chito started but he froze as well when he saw what Running Wolf had seen. “Is that... a... A pregnant woman? And she is a pale face!”
“Yes.” Running Wolf blurted out as he approached her cautiously.
He crouched beside her, his eyes skimmed over her.
She was drenched. The river must have washed her onto the banks.
Her wet hair was sticking to her head. Her eyes were shut although her eyelids were fluttering.
From her mouth, he could hear the soft whimpers that had reached him from the other side of the woods.
Her hands were draped over her stomach protectively.
“What on earth happened to her? Do you think she is linked to the gunshot we heard?”
Running Wolf whose eyes were still glued to the woman’s face softly said, “It’s too much of a coincidence. They just might be.”
“What do we do? The village is not going to like the fact that an outsider was found so close to our territory. She is a pale face!”
“Well, we can’t just leave her here to die, can we? She is in no state to survive.” Running Wolf grunted. He was already lifting her up.
“But... This isn’t going to end well, Running Wolf.”
“Relax. I’ll take her to my tepee. It’s not within the village, is it?”
“You know that won’t do. Once you cross the forest, you are in Choctaw territory. The chief won’t take kindly to...”
“Let me worry about the Chief,” Running Wolf said assertively, already making his way into the woods.
Grumbling, Chito followed him. He did not let up on his complaints all through the walk.
As soon as he set her down at the front of his house, Running Wolf got to work building a fire in the roofed off section set aside for cooking.
Chito lingered in the shade, still laying on the complaints.
Running Wolf glared at his friend, “If you are not going to be of any help, maybe you should leave.”
“I’m just saying that...” Running Wolf's cold gaze made him raise his hand in resignation. “Fine, do as you please. Help the stranger whose origin you know not. By all means, get in trouble with the Chief and the elders.”
“Thank you. Now, I will appreciate some silence.”
“I hear you loud and clear. I hear you.”
Chito sat back and watched his friend carry the woman to the side of the fire. Chito scratched his head and said, “Wouldn’t it be easier to change those clothes?”
“It would be easier for me, not for her. I would like that but I would have to let her clothes dry instead. When she comes to, she is going to find herself in a strange place, and she will be confused. The last thing she needs is to find out that her clothes were changed by a complete stranger. Get me some deerskin covers from the tepee.”
Running Wolf looked over her and his eyes rested on her protruding belly. He sighed. He could only hope that the baby in there was still very much alive. It would be devastating for a mother to find out her baby was dead inside her. He shook his head. He had to do something rather than hope.
Chito returned to find Running Wolf standing up. “Uh... Where are you going to?”
“I have to get her. She needs to check that the baby is fine. I do not want to have to tell this woman that her baby is dead when she awakens.”
“No! No! Now you want to bring someone else in? Then, the whole village will know.”
“It has to be done. Stay with her.”
Before Chito could protest further, Running Wolf ran into the night. He had to save this woman and her baby, it was the only thought in his head.
It took a little bit of convincing but he finally got the medicine woman to follow him back to his tepee.
“Bring a fresh set of clothes,” he had pleaded with her when he got there.
And now, he stood on the other side of the supply shack, waiting for news from her. The rain had reduced to a drizzle. Beside him, Chito had resumed his concern comments. Running Wolf did not care and was determined to ignore him. His eyes kept flitting back to the shed.
Not bad news, he pleaded, not bad news.
“That is one strong baby.” A voice said. The men turned around to see the small woman who had a small smile on her face.
“Do you mean the baby is still alive?” Running Wolf asked, unable to contain his excitement at the news.
She nodded, “It is obvious the mother has been through a lot judging from how drenched she was. You said she was washed up on the river bank? She must have drifted a long way. Driftwood, weeds were clinging to her clothes. It is amazing that the baby survived the journey. He is still kicking strongly.”
“And the mother?”
“She is not yet awake but her breathing is calm now. She is no longer shivering. I was able to clean her up and change her clothes so you must ensure that she stays warm. And no, I have no idea when she will wake up. I have a feeling it has been a really long night for her. Sleep is probably the only thing she can do right now. You know, she is one strong woman. Even in her unconscious state, she has been holding on to her baby.”
“When do we need to start worrying if she has not woken up?” Chito beat Running Wolf to the question.
“I would say tomorrow. She needs to eat, for herself and the baby. If she is not up by noon, there is a problem. I will take my leave now.”
“Thank you very much.”
“And Running Wolf, you have to be very careful. The village will not like this, a pale face in our territory,” the medicine woman said quietly.
“That’s what I told him,” Chito chipped in, earning him a glare from Running Wolf.
“I understand,” Running Wolf nodded.
“I will keep quiet for now, but she can’t stay hidden forever. And secondly, whoever hurt a beautiful woman like her might not be thrilled to find her alive. We have no idea how she got here. My opinion is this, be on the lookout for trouble. Her enemies might come searching.”
Running Wolf watched her leave and sighed. He turned to Chito and patted his shoulder. “Despite your grumbling, you stood by me. Thank you brother.”
“Yeah, sure,” Chito shook his head. He tilted his head toward the shed, “What are you going to do about her?”
Running Wolf sighed, “I will just have to see when she awakens. That will tell.”
“Be careful, friend.”
Running Wolf nodded and watched his friend retreat. Sighing, he returned to the shed.
Running Wolf settled beside her and listened to her breathing. She was right. It was better and the whimpering was gone. Her eyelids were still fluttering though. What had she seen? Running Wolf wondered. He stared closer at her. He had never been this close to a pale face before.
His hand stretched forward and he gently pushed a strand of hair away from her face.
At his touch, the fluttering of her eyelids stopped.
She seemed to calm down visibly and he sighed in relief.
He moved back and leaned against the wall.
He would need to keep his eye on her throughout the night.
As he watched her, he felt a lump grow in his throat as memories of Fala and their baby flooded him.
Running Wolf was awoken by the bright rays of sun filtering into the shed.
Immediately, he turned to the pale face.
In the brightness of the day, he could see her better and the woman was right.
She was beautiful. He pulled closer to her to check her breathing when her eyes flew open.
Running Wolf found himself staring into large green eyes a color he had never seen before.
He swallowed hard as he suddenly felt a sharp pull in his chest alongside a pounding.
She blinked and a tear rolled down her cheek.
“James...” she whispered.