Wednesday Afternoon
Hogan made his way out to the large backyard. He could understand why Carter loved this place so much. It was beautiful. In a distant meadow, he watched a small herd of horses grazing in a field in the distance. He would bet those were the horses Andrew had talked about over the years. He had missed them, and had spun many a tale about the beautiful animals.
Hogan flopped down under the giant oak tree Carter had told him he had fallen from as little boy, apparently after climbing the forbidden tree on a dare. There were people all over the place, since there was a reunion of sorts going on due to Carter's homecoming. And as he watched, a fascinating thing struck him. Everyone was wearing a matching charm. It was either a pendant, or on a charm bracelet, or on a keychain, or even on a watch fob or belt…but every member of Carter's family on both sides had one. He remembered the pendant on the delicately worked silver necklace Rain had worn. One of his cousins ambled by and Hogan called out to him, "Hi, I'm sorry, I don't think we've met. I'm Col. Robert Hogan."
The young man smiled and dropped down beside him. "We haven't, and I know. I'm Hawk. I'm glad to meet you. Thank you for taking such good care of my cousin. He's a good guy." His gaze dropped to the flat charm on his wide leather wristband. It was made of white stone, on which was etched a wolf watching over a deer curled trustingly into its side. Hawk's eyes grew sad.
Quietly, Hogan spoke. "I've noticed that charm, and that everyone in your family is wearing them. Do you mind if I ask you what it means?"
Hawk smiled. "I don't mind. Did Little Deer ever tell you much about Sammy, his older brother?"
"Some. He said they were close, and that he went into the service and was a pilot. He also said that he had been shot down and killed."
"Yeah, he was. Obviously, that devastated his parents, all of us, really. And then we got the news about Little Deer…well, you can imagine. One of my uncles owns a rock and crystal shop, and he also carves charms. So, he made one for everyone in the family…over a hundred of them! It was a memorial to Wolf and a way to show support for Little Deer. We decided we would wear them until he was completely healthy again."
Hogan smiled ruefully. "If he ever is. He's one of the strongest guys I know, but he's been through so much."
"You see, that is where he is also fortunate." Hawk flipped his long hair behind him and settled down more comfortably.
Hogan looked at him curiously. "Fortunate?"
"When a warrior comes back from war, he is not easily able to fit back into the community because of what he has done, what he has seen and experienced. The demons in his mind haunt him. The people know this, and so, there are ceremonies and songs to help him heal and restore balance to his soul. When he is ready, this is what we will do for Little Deer." *
Hogan's eyes fell on two very large, very blond teenagers who were tossing a football back and forth. He blinked when he realized they looked exactly alike. Hawk laughed at his reaction.
"No, you're not seeing double. They are twins!"
He called out to the players, and they both ambled over and dropped down next to them, greeting them casually.
"Hogan, meet Arne and Bjorn. Their names mean Eagle and Bear. They're also Little Deer's baby brothers."
One of the boys shot Hawk a fierce scowl. "I would hardly say 6'10" and 250 lbs. qualifies as 'babies.'"
The other looked equally disgusted, but before he had a chance to retort, Momma Carter came out the back door bearing two heaping platters of fry bread. **** She was nearly mobbed until her stern voice stopped them all. "Guests first. What are you, a bunch of savages?"
Her comment dropped all the boys in their tracks, laughing hysterically. She then calmly handed Hogan a napkin full of the delicious lumps of warm dough, and a glass of milk. Some of them were savory, and some sweet. Hogan thought he had died and gone to heaven right there. Momma Carter beamed. There was nothing she liked better than feeding hungry boys.
She turned to the twins. "Make yourselves useful. Go get the glasses and pitchers of milk off the counter. Rain is bringing more fry bread after she takes some to Little Deer. I want him to rest after that, and then maybe come out back for a while." She continued to hand out the treats to the rest of her eager family.
Hogan turned to Hawk. "Are all the people here family?"
"Most of us. There are a few scattered non-relatives, but not many. I am not only a cousin, but I was Wolf's best friend as well."
"Wolf?"
"His full name was 'Sammy Standing Wolf,' though he preferred Sammy outside of the reservation."
"Not Samuel?"
"Nope," Hawk grinned.
Hogan frowned. "Wait a minute. If that was his whole name, how the hell did Carter end up with 'Little Deer Who Runs Swift and Sure Through Forest?'"
Hawk laughed merrily. "Because when you come from a family this big, there are bound to be disagreements over what to name a child. Two of the grandmothers came to an impasse, and the matriarch of the family at the time, our great-great grandmother named him and his cousin, who was born less than a month later, 'Angry Rabbit with Thorn in Cotton Tail,' to end the arguing." Hawk's eyes twinkled madly. "The grandest part of the joke is, she wasn't even Lakota. She was full-blood Norwegian! She was also over 100 years old and her word was law!"
Hogan thought about that. "So, their names are a joke? That doesn't seem right."
Hawk shook his head. "Not in the way you are thinking." His expression grew serious. "Names are very important in our culture. Grandmother knew this. She went to the leaders of our tribe and spoke to them first. She talked also to our Great Grandfathers. She made sure that their names would include a noble animal or trait, as is required. Neither of them resents their name, though some may think it. Both are good, strong men, and exceedingly clever."
Hogan couldn't help it. His curiosity got the better of him. He had heard Andrew refer to his cousin as "Angry Rabbit" one time before.
"Does he really go by 'Angry Rabbit?'"
Hawk's easy grin played across his handsome dark features once again. "No, most everyone calls him 'Cotton.' Because they are so very close in age, and were so competitive as kids, Little Deer calls him 'Angry Rabbit' and Cotton calls Little Deer 'Swifty.'"
Hogan smiled. "Somehow, that makes perfect sense!"
"Well, Cotton, Andrew's father, and some of the others are up at the mill. You'll meet them this weekend. They'll be down off the mountain sooner if they can meet the government contract quicker. They wanted to be here when you arrived, but…" he shrugged.
Hogan nodded. No explanation necessary. He was interested in the mill, though. "So, does your family own the mill?"
"Actually, it belongs to the reservation. It, along with some of the small businesses we own and run, help us support ourselves. All of us work either the farm or the mill. Little Deer was one of the best scalers we ever had."
"Scalers?"
"He can look at a tree and tell you exactly how many board feet of saleable lumber we could get from it. Dead accurate every time. Takes most scalers years to get as good as him."
Hogan was amazed. Here was something Andrew had never talked about.
~TBC~
A/N: This is true. I know this through research and through knowledge of my own heritage.