Ranch House
"Pa, something's wrong with Wind." Hoss said the next morning as he came into the house from saddling all the horses.
Ben got up and went outside. There was a loud noise coming from the stable. As he entered, he saw the black stallion going crazy in his stall. He had been fed and watered so nothing should be bothering him.
Ben walked over and unlatched the door. Wind hit the door with his front hooves and threw it open. He bolted out and headed for the north 40.
"Joe, follow that horse. If I'm right, he'll lead you directly to our missing ranch hands. We'll follow as soon as Roy and the others get here."
Joe swung up into his saddle and spurred Cochise after the racing black stallion.
North 40
Candy roused himself as he heard what sounded like horse steps. He looked up as a rope was lowered into the cistern. There was a face looking over the edge of the pit at him. He couldn't make it out in his tired state plus the sun was shining brightly in his eyes. They said something he couldn't hear and motioned for him to take the rope. He looped the end around wrist and tugged to let whoever was know he was ready.
His free arm still wrapped tightly around his wife's clammy skin, he was hoisted into the air. When the cool air hit his wet skin, he shivered. He didn't realize how cold he actually was until he got out of the water.
Wolf was still wrapped tightly around him as his body was dragged over the edge of the cistern. He rolled onto his side to protect her as he tried to figure out who was his savior.
That's when he saw them.
It was the war party. They were holding their Sioux spears out, ready for an attack he might try. They should have known he wouldn't try anything. One because he was naked and didn't have a weapon on him and two because he had his wife to think about.
Ignoring the disgusted looks on their faces, he wiped the water from his face and leaned over Wolf. She was shivering badly. He had only been in that cistern for a day and a night. She had been in there for three days. She had a right to be cold. He looked up.
"Please help us." He asked kindly.
"Why should we help a white man?" the one who helped them asked. He was obviously the leader.
"This is Running Wolf. She was the wife of your chief Red Feather."
"Why do you have her?"
"She came to me for help. I couldn't turn her away."
"Where's her feather?"
"I don't know. She was wearing it last time I saw her. I won't lie. I married her, but she wore that feather as a tribute to her dead Indian husband."
"And her son?"
"I'm raising him. Please help her. She'll die if you don't."
They all looked at the woman on the ground and then at each other. They were talking when Wolf came to. She opened her eyes and looked around. She tried to get up but her legs gave way. Candy grabbed her and held her to him.
"I'm cold." She said.
"I know. I'm right here." He replied. He looked up at the Indians that were still standing over them. "Please help us."
The Indians looked amongst each other. Finally one grabbed a blanket from the back of his horse and tossed it to them. Candy didn't care that his personal business was out in the open; the only person who mattered at the moment was Wolf. He wrapped the blanket around her and picked her up. The generous Sioux let him have his horse so he wouldn't have to walk.
Ranch House
"Everyone's here, Pa." Joe said as he sat atop Cochise.
"Okay. Two of our ranch hands have been captured by a madman. We need to find them. Candy's horse came back alone." Ben said.
"Ben, you have a lot of land to look through." Sheriff Coffey said.
"He came from the north 40. There are plenty of caves and alcoves where people can hide. We need to look everywhere."
"Is there any way we can find them easier?"
"Not that I know of."
Sheriff Coffey rubbed his head. "That's asking a lot, Ben."
"I know but I wouldn't ask this if I didn't mean it." Sheriff Coffey nodded. "Let's go."
The small posse spurred their horses into action. Ben took one group into the highlands and Hoss took the others into the bogs.
Somewhere on the Ponderosa
Candy took a hot bowl of broth and carried it across the fire to Wolf. She sat huddled in a blanket to keep warm. Her hair was now wavy because of the wet braids. She was still shivering but that was common for someone suffering from hypothermia.
He sat down and adjusted the deerskin breeches he had been loaned. She still had no clothes because she wasn't warm or dry enough. He had to help her sip the broth before he nestled under the thick blanket beside her, loaning her his body heat. He pulled her into his lap so it would be easily distributed.
The Indians looked at the young couple curled together by the fire. They had intended to bring that woman and her baby to their rightful home but watching that white man risk his life for an Indian proved not all white men were bad. This one had taken to raising a baby that wasn't his own.
Wolf stared into the fire. The blanket she was under was warm, but the man next to her added extra warmth. His skin was soft as she remembered and he was holding her tightly. His calloused hands rubbed soothing circles on her back. There were two things that were missing to make this a lovely fire: their own land and their son.
She never realized she missed her home until she had been taken away from it. The Ponderosa was her home much more than the tribe had ever been. It was the place where her son could run and play and not worry about people hurting him. He had animals he could pet and feed and chase around. He had three uncles who loved him and a Chinese cook who thought the world of him. Last but not least, he had a father who would teach him how to grow up as a gentleman instead of a Sioux warrior. She would never let him forget who his real father was and what he was born from, but she would not let him be a warrior.
Candy sighed into her hair. "I thought I lost you."
"I had always planned to come back." She replied. "How's Bear?"
"He has been quiet the last few days. He knows you haven't been there even though I try to tell him you're coming home soon. He knows."
"He's a Sioux. Of course he knows. How did you find me?"
"I spotted a fire a mile away from the fence I was running. When I came up, there was no one there. Then I saw the shelter made into the trees. I knew it was Haynes and your sister. Then I was hit over the head and tossed into that cistern where you were. How were you caught?"
"I was following a deer I found while walking the fields. I was going to kill it and bring to Hop Sing for dinner. Before I could, I was hit in the back of the head. When I woke up, I was in the cistern. No one gave me anything to eat or drink. I was starving when you found me."
"My best guess would be they were trying to get you to say you would go back. Obviously you made them angrier than you thought because you never said a word."
"I knew I'd be rescued. I just didn't know when."
He tightened his arms. "You're safe now."
"You might not be. I wasn't awake to tell the leaders anything about you."
"They know who I am. They know I'm your husband." She jerked up, knocking the top of her head into his chin. He grabbed it as the blanket slipped down from his shoulders. "What was that for?"
"You told them we were married?"
"Yes."
"And what did they say?"
"Nothing much after I told them you would die if we didn't get you some help."
"You scared them?"
"I did what I had to do to make sure you got help." She pulled the other end of the blanket all the way her body. "They haven't done anything to me at all. They were too worried about you to do anything."
Their attention was caught by the leaders of the war party coming towards them. One stood tall and proud. The other stood a little ways behind him in case he needed to attack.
"Stand, young one." candy disengaged his arm from the other end of the blanket and tucked it around her before he pulled her up. "Is what the white man says true? Is he your husband?"
"Yes." She replied.
"And little one, is he safe?"
"Yes, he's safe. The Cartwrights have him at their house a little bit down the way. We're on Ponderosa territory."
The Indians began to talk amongst themselves. Wolf lowered her head so she wouldn't have to translate for Candy although she felt he already knew the language. They talked about whether or not to kill the white men raising the chief's son or whether to leave the boy alone and let him be raised by white man. She heard them talking about whether or not to kill her because she had "run away" from the tribe. What they didn't know was she hadn't run. She had been kidnapped.
"Young One, why did you not come back to tribe?" the leader asked again.
"I couldn't."
"She was kidnapped." Candy snapped.
"Candy, no."
"Is what white man say true?"
She looked at Candy. He was trying to get her to talk about it but she really didn't want to. When he nodded, she shook her head.
"Yes, what I say is true. She was kidnapped after Red Feather was killed." Candy said, stepping into their space. Wolf grabbed his arm to keep him from making a mistake.
"You dare speak of our late chief with such disdain." The other leader replied hotly.
"I speak the truth. Red Feather was killed because Flying Eagle and her father Walter Haynes orchestrated the entire thing. They killed Red Feather and took his wife and son. I found them when they came to the Ponderosa. They have been safe with me and the Cartwrights ever since. If you want to kill someone, kill Haynes."
"Haynes has eluded us for months."
"He's been here." Wolf said. They all looked at her. "He's been here. He's the one that threw us into the cistern to die. He knows where Bear is."
"We need a horse." Candy demanded.
"No, you don't." Everyone turned when they heard the familiar or unfamiliar voice. Little Joe came to a halt with Wind following right behind him. "I saw the fire in the distance."
Wind came over to Wolf and nuzzled her cheek. She petted him and the grabbed his mane. Candy boosted her onto the horse's back when she had trouble. He grabbed her wrist when she leaned down to help him up.
"Pa and Hoss have groups searching for you." Joe said.
"Thanks." Wolf turned to the others. "If you want to get Haynes as bad as I do, you will come with us back to the ranch house and we can decide this with the law."
"Will white man's law give us the man who killed our chief?" the leader asked.
"I'm not sure, but if I put in a good word for you, I'm sure they'll consider it." Once again the Indians conferred about it in their own language. After a few moments, they nodded. "Thank you."
"We do it because we all respected Red Feather. As his wife, we respect you and your new husband. We will follow you."
"Let's go then." Joe said. He kicked Cochise into movement and the war party followed the ranch hands.