Chapter Nineteen
Running Wolf sat in the middle of the forest, his eyes shut.
He had been on his vision quest for almost a day.
Up in the forests in the mountains to the north of the village.
There he was, on his lone journey. He shook his head and groaned as once again, he was blasted with images of Elaina and Jessica.
It had been like that ever since he got to the forest. Tired of seeing them everywhere, he had settled down to meditate and now, he was seeing them more.
How could he embark on his vision quest when he could not let go of the pain she had brought him? How could he do what he had to do?
“Why are you so convinced that she left you behind?” a voice rumbled through the forest. Running Wolf’s eyes flitted around and he gasped as he was surrounded by images of Elaina and Jessica. They were memories of the times he had spent with them.
Before he could reply to the spirits, more voices rumbled through, “Running Wolf, son of Chief Minco, you deprive yourself of what you deserve, of true happiness because of your fears!!”
“I...” Running Wolf stuttered.
He could not see anything in the distance. There was a mist around him and it was growing as the voices increased in multitude. The voices of the spirits echoed through the enclosed space.
“Self-destructive Running Wolf, always running away,” one of them taunted him. Running Wolf turned in the direction of the voice but another emerged from behind him,
“Running Wolf, certainly fitting...”
He fell down to his knees, his head in his hands, “She left me!”
“Did she really or are you determined not to be happy?” a voice hissed in his ear.
A chill enveloped him and a force pushed him forward.
He found himself staring at a memory in the mist that was foreign to him.
It was Elaina. Her hands were bound behind her and so were her legs.
She was in the back of a wagon that was teetering from side to side.
Sitting beside her was a sneering man, holding Jessica.
He gasped at the sight and his mouth opened even wider when he saw that the wagon was just one in a long caravan.
“So… does that look like a woman who ran off happily?” came a voice next to his ear.
“Oh no! I have to save her! I have to save Elaina!”
He ran toward the mouth of the forest, not looking back. The voices of the spirits accompanied him, “Run, Running Wolf! Save her for she is the one for you!”
Running Wolf retrieved Wolf from where he was tied up at the forest’s entrance and rode toward the village. He was in so much of a hurry that he did not see the man that emerged from the shadows at the entrance of the forest. The man let out an angry grunt as his hand tightened around a dagger.
Running Wolf headed straight to the Warriors’ pod at the center of the village. All the warriors gathered there rose at his presence and bowed their heads. They were surprised but dared not ask.
“I need you,” he pronounced breathlessly, “The woman I love, she is in danger. I need you to join this fight with me.”
They exchanged looks, and one spoke up, “Are you talking about the pale face? I am sorry, Running Wolf. On this mission, I will not go with you. She is not one of us.”
There were whispers of agreement around. “I beg you. She and her child are my family, just as you all are.”
They turned their faces away. Running Wolf nodded, “So be it then. Goodbye brothers.”
He hoisted himself on his horse when a voice from a corner said, “How do you know she is in trouble?”
Running Wolf turned to Chito, desperation in his eyes, “The spirits showed me, my friend. She didn’t leave me behind. She was taken.”
“Then I shall ride with you, till death,” Chito said without hesitation.
He turned to the other warriors who were trying not to look at either one of them.
“Come rain, come shine, Running Wolf has always been a support for us. Not a one here has longed for help and not found it at his hands. Never has he asked for anything from us. Are you going to turn your back on him when he needs us more than ever? She might not be family to you but she is family to one of us. That should be all that matters.”
There was only silence for a moment and then, there was a flurry of activity as the warriors climbed their horses.
“I will be back,” Running Wolf announced, and he rode off to the Chief’s tepee. Running Wolf immediately fell at the surprised Chief’s feet.
“Running Wolf, what are you…?”
“She is in danger, Chief. She was taken away and I need to save her. Please give me your blessings to bring her back into the village. She will not be safe out there.”
The Chief patted his head and said in a strong voice, “Go and conquer as always Running Wolf.”
Running Wolf galloped out of the village and riding beside and behind him were several of the warriors, his brothers.
*
“You are a horrible person, Grimsson and I will never be yours!” Elaina spat at him. He stroked her cheek and she turned her face away.
“You will behave, Elaina, or else your little one here will get hurt.”
Elaina shut her eyes as she fought back tears.
How had all this happened? Jessica was in danger, and Running Wolf was going to think she abandoned him.
She sobbed silently. The last thing she remembered was walking through the forest with Atola.
They had walked for a long time. And then, she had told Atola she wanted to go back.
She had left James before and she had no plans of leaving the man she loved behind again.
They had struggled and that was the last thing she remembered.
“It was her, Atola, she did this!” Elaina gasped as her eyes flew open.
Grimsson shrugged, “I do not know who she is. She simply approached me a month ago and said she knew where you were. You see darling, I have your posters everywhere as you are my wife. She found me that way. I do not even know where she is from, and she did not ask for anything but for me to take you faraway. I gladly accepted and waited patiently. I did not know where you were but I chose to trust her and she delivered.”
“You are a vile man, Grimsson. You killed James. Do you honestly think I can be with you?”
“You have no choice. I am with your baby and I have an army behind me. Leverage and power, it does not get better than that, does it?” He cackled.
Elaina sniffed and she stared longingly at her baby. She whispered, “It’s going to be fine, Jess. It will be fine.”
Jessica kept struggling against Grimsson, but he refused to let her go. Elaina sighed and said in her heart, I really hope you trust the love I have for you, Running Wolf. I hope you don’t live with the thought that I abandoned you. Be happy.
The air was filled with the sounds of neighing horses as the wagon pulled to a halt. Elaina could hear similar sounds around.
“What on earth is happening out there?” Grimsson hissed.
“Sorry sir, the wagon up front is being delayed. I will check,” the footman said and hurried out.
“These fools don’t know what to do...” Grimsson hissed.
At that moment, gunfire filled the air. Elaina gasped, at the same time, Grimsson fell to his knees in the wagon.
“Highway robbers,” he kept screaming.
“Unbound me and give my baby to me!” Elaina begged.
“Never! I won’t let you get away. My soldiers will take care of these scoundrels and we will be on our way.”
“Please let my child be with me!” Elaina cried.
“Never!”
“The third time she asks, you will be without a hand,” a familiar voice said from outside. Elaina gasped and in that moment, she realized the gunfire had stopped. The wagon’s curtains pulled apart and tears flooded her eyes when she saw him.
“Running Wolf...” she breathed.
“I am sorry I’m late, my darling.”
“Who is this savage?” Grimsson hissed. His next words were cut off by a jab to his throat. He let go of Jessica without struggle and as soon as he had unbound Elaina, Running Wolf gave the child to her. She showered her with kisses.
“How did you find me?” she cried.
“The great spirits, my love. I am sorry, I doubted you for a moment. I am ashamed. All your belongings were gone, and so were you. I am sorry, my love. I should have been here sooner.”
She shook her head, “I was fooled too. It must have been Atola. She had to be the one who went back and got rid of my belongings.”
Running Wolf’s eyes widened. “How do you know her?”
Elaina quickly filled him in on what happened the day she was taken, and Grimsson’s information.
Her eyes darted around and she was astounded.
All the soldiers were dead, and all the warriors of the Northern Choctaw Tribe were still standing.
She turned her daughter’s face to her breast so she would not see the gore.
“Atola will pay for this,” Chito grunted.
“Yes, she will,” another warrior said. They had all heard her story, “It is no wonder her wimp of a brother ran off as soon as he heard the news.”
“But who is he if he is not your husband?” Running Wolf motioned to Grimsson who was still nursing his throat.
All the warriors looked at her eagerly. Elaina swallowed hard and said, “He lusted after me when I was married to my husband James. He set James up for a crime and we ran off before he could kill him. Unfortunately, he found us after months. James pushed me into the river to save my life and from the cold depths, I watched this horrible man kill James.”
Running Wolf pulled her and Jessica into a hug. Grimsson fell on his knees, “Please spare me. Please forgive me, Elaina.”
“You killed a helpless man. Our brother has claimed the woman you tried to take. So, you shall not live. You shall die by the same sword you lived by.”
Elaina watched with horror as the warrior who had just spoken drew a blade and slit his throat. Grimsson fell forward, lifeless. Running Wolf turned her face away from the scene gently.
“Come on, let’s get you home.”
“Home?” she whispered.
“Yes, my love, home. I am never letting you out of my sight again. And for Atola and her family, they shall pay for this uprising.”
He helped her onto the horse and rode along behind her and Jessica. Elaina leaned into him, feeling safer than she had ever been in her entire life.
The warriors arrived at the village to meet a chaotic scene. Kahona, Tokala and Jalen, Tokala’s friend were tied up in the square. Atola was beside them, pleading. She gasped at the sight of Elaina and Running Wolf ordered some of the warriors that had been left behind to grab her.
There were whispers across the village at the sight of Elaina. The Chief raised his hands and they went silent.
“The pale face will become one of us, for our head warrior who has served our tribe selflessly has chosen to be with her. Will you stand in his way?”
The whispering stopped and women surrounded Elaina. She felt overwhelmed by the sudden friendliness but the feel of Running Wolf’s arm around her waist reassured her.
“What did Kahona and his son do?” Running Wolf asked after filling the villagers in on Atola’s crime.
“They are a family of snakes. Kahona tried to kill the Chief,” a warrior informed him.
“And that is not all. Tokala confessed that he sent Jalen to kill you during your vision quest. If you had not cut it short, who knows what would have happened? It was a plan set in motion by Kahona and the two of them. They claim Atola had no idea and she seems as surprised as the rest of us.”
Running Wolf shook his head as he turned to the Chief who said, “Their plan was to kill you and I, then take over.”
Running Wolf crouched beside Kahona as he said, “Why do you hate me so much? Is this still because your son is not the head warrior?”
“Oh you fool! You have always had it all. You were lucky to grow up as the son of the Chief’s best friend! You never carried my children along despite your status.”
“I was a child who kept to himself but you were too hateful to see that,” Running Wolf shook his head with pity.
The hate-filled Kahona continued, ignoring Running Wolf and to the listening of everyone, “You grew up beside the Chief, you trained beside him, and even after your father died, the Chief loved you more! He made you head warrior!”
“Your coward of a son could never suffice...” came comments from the crowd.
And as before, Kahona ignored them all, “I thought I could marry my daughter off to you but you despised her! How can I let you have it all? The people’s love and to be head warrior? How can I let you become Chief? My children deserve to be powerful too!”
“What are you talking about? What Chief?”
“You fool!” Kahona hissed. “With the Chief childless, do you not know you will be Chief after him?”
Running Wolf’s eyes darted around. No one looked surprised.
Apparently, everyone had expected this. His eyes fell on the Chief who motioned that he come forward.
In that moment, Running Wolf realized the meaning of the Chief’s words about responsibility.
He had never wanted to be Chief and now…
He looked at Elaina who was smiling proudly at him.
“I love you,” she mouthed.
The Chief hugged Running Wolf and then, hugged Elaina as everyone cheered.
“Welcome to the family,” he said.
Elaina blinked back tears. She had her beautiful daughter, a man who was absolutely in love with her. She had her family, and her tribe. She had not felt that happy in a long time.
“What will they do to them?” Elaina asked Running Wolf later that night when they were cuddling in one of the tepee’s that the Chief pervaded for them. The Chief and his wife had all their attention on Jessica.
“They will be burned on the fire.” She gasped and Running Wolf pulled her closer, “I am sorry, my love. I know it’s all been a lot for you, from Grimsson to this. I am sorry you have to go through all these.”
She nodded, “Yes, it’s a whole lot. But I will be fine. I will get through this. I have survived worse.”
“I love you so much, Elaina. I want us to unite and be a family.”
She kissed his cheek, “I want nothing else, Running Wolf.”
The couple settled down to sleep in each other’s arms, smiles of contentment on their faces.