Chapter Twenty-Five
Before dismounting, Ben turned back and nodded at Gray Wolf who also dismounted and walked forward.
A slow smile formed on both Micah and Adam's faces. Adam and Gray Wolf clasped each other's arms in greeting. "Gray Wolf, it's been many seasons. Are you well?" asked Adam.
"Yes, I am well." He turned to Micah and grasped his arms as well. "You rise from the dead?"
Chuckling, Micah answered, "No, Gray Wolf. I cannot rise from the dead if I was never dead."
"What are you doing this far away from your village? It must have been a hard journey?" asked Adam.
"It seems Gray Wolf and his people had trouble with our wolves," said Ben.
Adam quickly turned back to Grey Wolf. "What kind of trouble?"
"They have come into our village while our men were away, taking our women and children for food."
A slow breath escaped Adam. "I'm sorry, Gray Wolf. These wolves…they seem desperate."
"What is desp…?"
"Too eager."
Gray Wolf gave a sharp nod. "Too eager. We have come for them."
"But why? They aren't a danger to you here."
"They must be killed and taken back to the lake of our fathers…to calm the spirits."
"Adam, you can set the bait, and you can have the men standby in case Gray Wolf and his men need help, but I've told Gray Wolf he and his men can take them in their own way," said Ben.
"Pa, don't you think that's a little dangerous? These wolves have attacked a man here. They won't be hesitant to fight back."
"I've told Gray Wolf everything that has happened. His men will take them with arrows; not guns, and they'll be taking the bodies back with them."
"All right," said Adam, acquiescing to his father's wishes…and to Gray Wolf's. "But we're going to be ready with our rifles if any one of Gray Wolf's men is attacked."
"No, Adam Cartwright. You will not come with your men. The wolves will know your scent."
"They'll smell you, too," responded Adam angrily.
"We will cover our scent with the blood of the dead wolf you have here. We wear the fur of the wolf," explained Gray Wolf, touching the furs he wore. "They will not believe we are men. You have live cow?"
"Micah, Joe, go get the carcass we left at the stables. You two," he said, pointing at two of the men. Ride out to the herd and bring back a steer." Turning back to Gray Wolf, Adam asked, "Where do you plan to do this?"
Gray Wolf pointed beyond the barn. "We will hide in the boulders there beyond the clearing. When it is time, we will cut the cow and send it to the clearing. The wolves will smell the blood and come. But you and your men must not be here. The wolves know your scent and will stay in the forest for much time."
Adam moved his hands to his hips, folded his lips and blew heavily out his nose. "Gray Wolf, if you're men don't kill all the wolves, we'll still have a problem."
Moving his hand to Adam's shoulder, he answered, "We will not stop until all are dead. You must….tr..ust…this, friend."
Adam paced while they waited for the men to return with the steer. When it arrived, he passed the rope tied around the steer's neck to Gray Wolf, then turned to the men. "All you men go back to your bunks. We won't be needing you," Adam said loudly. When the men looked at each other warily, Adam added, "We appreciate you coming to help, but Gray Wolf's men are going to handle it."
Ben stood quietly, smiling at his son who he knew would do what was in the best interest of everyone, but especially, the Paiute he and Micah had befriended long ago.
When Joe and Micah arrived with the wolf carcass, two braves ran forward to take it, throwing it over the back of a horse. Gray Wolf had already mounted, holding the rope attached to the steer. "We will return when it is done." He turned his horse, and his men followed, slowly moving beyond the barn.
"Well," said Adam, frowning in frustration. "Gray Wolf doesn't want the wolves to smell us, so why don't we wait inside the house?" He led the way.
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Shiloh lay where Adam left her for a time. But sleep, at this point, was out of the question. Her worry for her husband and her fear of more nightmares kept her awake. Slowly, she pushed herself up out of the bed, the simple act of getting up becoming more difficult with each passing week. She dressed, and sitting in front of her dressing mirror, she decided to leave her hair down rather than moving it all up on her head. She wasn't going to be seeing anyone but Adam. Smiling at the thought that she knew Adam preferred her hair down, she brushed it out and pulled it back away from her face, holding it in place with a comb on each side.
Light had just begun to show through the windows, and her thoughts went to Adam and Micah, hunched down in the cold waiting who knew how long for the wolves to come. And when they did, there would be gunfire, and she would wait nervously for it to fade. Even then, it would be awhile before Adam came back through the door when she would know he was safe. She pulled a defiant expression, deciding to wait on the front porch. He'd be angry with her, but that wouldn't last long; even less if she snuggled into his chest and wrapped her arms around him. She still had a smile on her face from her last thought as she exited the bedroom, only to hear voices drifting up the stairs.
With the smile gone, she rushed to the top of the stairs and hurried down. The quick motion caught Adam's eye, and he rushed over and up to her. "Slow down," he ordered, taking a hand and putting his other arm around her waist, walking her down. "How many times have I asked you to move slowly on these stairs? You can't even see where you're putting your feet."
"Is it done? What's happened?" she asked anxiously.
Walking her over to a chair in the living area, he waited until she was seated, and then turned to look at everyone else sipping their coffee and waiting. "We, uh, had a change of plans," he said as he scratched his upper lip. "Gray Wolf and his braves came down to see Pa last night. They wanted to take care of the wolves themselves and take them back to Pyramid Lake."
"Why are they here? Did something happen?"
"The wolves attacked their village," explained Ben. "Some of the women and children were killed."
"Oh my. Oh, that's terrible. Are they already gone?"
"No. They didn't want us near," said Micah. "They were afraid our scent would scare the wolves off."
She opened her mouth to ask about the Indian's scent, but then quickly closed it, remembering the times in her childhood when she visited the Paiute village. The men would smear the blood of an animal over them and wear fur to disguise their scent when they went hunting.
Joe stood to refill his coffee, and at the same time he poured a cup for Shiloh, taking it to her. "We're just waiting for them to come back."
"How long has it been?" she asked quietly.
Adam took his watch from his pocket. "Almost an hour."
Sitting on the coffee table in front of Shiloh, Ben took her hand in his and covered it with his other hand. "Are you all right, my dear?"
She bowed her head, put on a tentative smile, and then looked back up at him. "I have to admit, it was frightening, and I was worried for the baby. But I'm fine now, though it might be awhile before I can get some decent sleep. My sense of security has been somewhat shattered."
"Well, I don't think anything like this will happen again. It's unusual to have two wolf packs in an area. They usually defend their territory. It's just a more severe winter than we've had in long time," said Ben, trying to reassure her.
She gave him a grateful smile, although it couldn't hide the moistness in her eyes. "Sometimes, I wonder, Pa," she said softly in a shaky voice, "if it wouldn't be better to raise children in a city. Here, they could be outside playing, and then just…be gone."
"Shiloh, there are wolves in the city," replied Ben. "Just a different kind."
Adam walked over and knelt beside her. "Shiloh, I'll have the kitchen and bathhouse doors fixed in the next few days. I'll build shutters for them, too. Once that's done, they won't be able to get into the house."
She took a sudden sharp breath, stifling a need to cry and wondering if she should tell him just how close one had come to knocking her through the front door. A timid rap on the door relieved her of that decision for the moment.
Adam sprang up quickly to answer it. Gray Wolf had returned with his braves waiting next to their horses at the bottom of the steps. "It is done, Adam Cartwright."
"How many?" he asked as all the men made their way to the door, stepping out onto the porch.
Gray Wolf held up his hand with all of his fingers extended. "You have more here? Those that entered your lodge?"
Joe stepped forward and made his way through to the steps. "I'll get them." Two braves went around the side of the house with him.
While the men stepped back to let Joe pass, Shiloh took the opportunity to wrap a heavy shawl around her shoulders and step out on the porch away from the huddle of men without being noticed.
But one of the braves, a tall, lean, well-built young man, saw her and came forward to the edge of the porch. "You have returned from the place where the sun rises."
Stepping to the edge of the porch to see the man's face, she sucked in a quiet breath and bowed her head. "Yes, Running Elk. I have been back for two winters."
Adam gave the two a sidelong glance as he slowly moved toward Shiloh.
"Why did you not come to the village as you said?"
Tilting her head, she looked sadly at him. "We were children when I left, Running Elk. It had been seven winters."
Ben leaned over to Gray Wolf. "She spent time in your village?"
Nodding, Gray Wolf answered, "It is well that she left. We called her Little One With Big Mouth." Ben struggled to hold back a chuckle. "She is right. They were children."
When Adam arrived at her side, Running Elk looked to him, then back to Shiloh and her belly. "You carry the child of this man?"
"He is my husband."
Both men drew themselves up to their full height carefully sizing each other up. Without any expression to reveal his feelings, the Paiute said, "Running Elk waits no more." He turned quickly and moved back to his horse, looking straight ahead and waiting for Gray Wolf to lead them away.
Adam looked down at Shiloh with furrowed brows and his lips slightly parted; a look that told her this wasn't finished with Running Elk's departure. Biting the inside of her cheek, she looked off in the opposite direction, feeling the weight of his gaze.