CHAPTER 27
Thirty miles in the opposite direction, Paw and Two Moons catch up to Anoki and Kikmongwi. They lead them on a hard ride up a steep mountain. The horses heave and sweat up the rocky incline. Riders fight their horses to keep control. The morning sun raises the temperature.
Once they reach the top, they seek cover in a thick pine forest. Paw and Two Moons dismount their horses and pull them by the reins. They quickly tie them off and scan over the valley to ensure that they weren't followed.
"We will treat your wounds with our magic," Two Moons informs Kikmongwi. He grabs his pouch and opens it. "I cannot tell you what these roots are because they are sacred magic. But I assure you, your wounds will be healed."
"How do I give it to him?" Anoki asks.
"You mix it with water and let him sip it slowly."
"I'll start a fire." Anoki leans down and start picking up pinecones.
Paw and Two Moons look at each other with disapproving frowns.
"If you light a fire, the Navajo are sure to find you."
"How will I warm the water so that he may drink your magic?"
Two Moons walks over to his horse. He returns with a buffalo bladder full of water. "Put this out in the sun."
"We should go back to the tribe and tell them what has transpired," Paw urges Two Moons.
"If you leave us here, all I ask is that you leave us one horse," Kikmongwi begs. He holds up one finger and points to the horse in case his broken Kiowa isn't understood. "Everything we have is in the village," he says, shaking his head.
Two Moons grunts, "What do you offer for trade?"
"What are they saying?" Kikmongwi asks his daughter.
"They want to trade something for the horses," Anoki answers.
"Tell them they can keep all of those worthless pinto ponies. Just leave that beautiful black mustang," Kikmongwi proposes.
"My father says to keep the horses. Since the black horse was given to us, we ask that you leave it with us until the owner returns to decide what should be done."
Paw squints at Anoki. His stern face does not match his thoughts. What a good little woman, looking after her father that way. I wonder what Kiowa would want me to do. Probably keep his horse, I would imagine.
"What do you think, Uncle?"
"Night Wind is the finest horse I have ever seen. Kiowa would be hurt to be without him."
"There it is. We keep the horse. But I think we should wait for Kiowa. He has no horse to ride," Two Moons answers, leading Kiowa's jet-black horse up the trail.
Anoki translates for her father and makes signs in Kiowa so that they will all understand.
"You sign better than you speak," Paw tells Anoki.
"Our tribe trades, and it was my duty to barter and translate deals," Anoki replies. "We will pay a high price if you help us retrieve my sister, Mali, and my mother, Proud Woman."
"Translate what I say," Two Moons tells her.
Anoki turns toward her father and signs that she's going to translate.
"Do not fear us. As I have said, we will protect you with our magic. I do not want to mislead you or to be misunderstood. Our numbers are small, and we cannot help you find your wife or your daughter. You should be grateful we were able to save you."
Anoki feels like she's going to collapse. She forces herself to be strong.
"For the harm we inflicted on their tribe, the Navajo won't stop looking for us until they catch us. It would be better for you and your daughter to stay with us until we have the force of our tribe. That is all the protection either of you will get."
Kikmongwi glances at his daughter. She remembers that her father always made better deals with the Kiowa because they were a war tribe and he wanted to stay in good favor. Trust few Indians, but above all, trust no tribe, he had taught her. She has immediate doubts since she overheard Makes Trouble mention that the tribe "would not accept them."
In the past, trade relations had always been good. But that was when the Hopi had things the Kiowa wanted. Anoki had never been on the side of wanting or needing anything from any tribe. She grew up privileged in the sense that she knew what independence was and she valued it. What leverage do we have among strangers? I cannot fight. I cannot help. I have nothing to barter, and so, Mother, I will save Father. Mali, my sweet sister and cherished friend, forgive me. Anoki presses her hand to her heart to cover up the two holes the Navajo have carved out.
"Once we return to our city, my father will show you our appreciation." Anoki doesn't like being so far from the safety of her cliff dwelling. Besides, she won't admit it, but she wants to thank Kiowa. Oh, and see his face in the light of day.
"You two stay here," Paw orders. "We need to go higher so we can see in all directions."
Paw and Two Moons move up a steep incline. They have to lean so far forward they could nearly kiss the earth. When they reach the cliff face, they help each other climb up the smooth beige curved sides.
Paw locks his fingers together and motions for Two Moons to step on them. He lifts his nephew up and waits for him to offer his hand in return. When Two Moons turns around, the feathers tied to his hair tickle Paw's face. He blows at them and waves them away.
"Why did we save them?" Two Moons asks his uncle. "The women of our tribe won't want a Hopi princess anywhere near them."
Paw grunts as Two Moons pulls up him the cliff. Paw pauses for a moment and reflects on what his brother, Lone Wolf, might say to his son to bring clarity to his cloudy mind. "I once killed a bobcat who caught a small yellow bird with a bright orange beak. It was such a pretty little thing, I was pleased to remove it from the jaws of death. I carefully inspected its wings and feet to ensure that if I released it, it would survive. I then held it up to my lips and whispered to it, 'Shall I let you go or use your feathers to make a bracelet?'"
Two Moons stops scanning the low lands for dust trails and looks at his uncle with a confused expression.
"I didn't know you could speak to birds."
"I can't. But I could feel its little heart pounding against my fingers and I knew that the bird wanted to live."
Paw holds his hand up and waves it over the earth, then points at Anoki and her father. "I do not know that another cat will not catch these birds. I only know that if we release them, they will fly. All creatures seem to want every moment this life has to offer, and I cannot seem to summon the dark power it takes to stop their beating hearts."
Two Moons thinks on these words. He sits down and crosses his legs. He doesn't see the Navajo below, and that gives him satisfaction that the Hopi have escaped the jaws of death. He looks behind him and sees a distant dust cloud that he believes to be his tribe. The thought of the bird being caught by a new cat disturbs him. Like his uncle, he knows that he cannot summon the dark powers to kill so beautiful a creature as Anoki. Though he wants the numbers of his tribe, he begins to wonder if that is the best path for these two birds.
Later that evening, as dusk is turning to night, Kiowa picks up on Anoki's trail. Ha! I knew Night Wind would not fail me. The excitement fades at the thought of approaching her. For some reason, an anxious feeling washes over him and makes him tremble. He stops and sits down for a moment, wondering what this strange creeping fear is that hums in his bones and numbs his chest.
I should go back to my tribe and get the numbers to take on the Navajo, he thinks, wanting to secure a sure victory. But then again, it would be soooo nice to see Anoki. He closes his eyes and remembers Anoki's beautiful face. He recounts every detail, from her smooth russet skin to her high cheekbones, her big round doe eyes and her rose-petal lips. He lifts his arms, reaching for her memory as if he could hold it.
"I have to get back to Pa. Back to Makes Trouble. Back to Anoki."
He stops and blinks wildly.
"Why am I always thinking of Anoki?"
His face lifts with a giddy smile, "I want to kiss those lips," he confesses with a shiver.
He lowers his hands and closes his eyes again, to see if her image remains. It does. He imagines her drawing a breath. He feels his heart pound like the war drum as he sees her press those jewels together and softly speak, "Kiowa." When he opens his eyes, he feels like the glittering stars have landed on his tongue and tickled them with frost. Then suddenly he feels the sensation leap off his tongue and transform to sun-kissed warmth burning on his lips.
What is happening to me? he wonders, wiping his lips and shaking the vapor image of Anoki out of his mind. He determines to think carefully and to plan his next move for the tribe. His people. But the problem is, no matter how hard he tries, her face returns like the reflection in a lake. For some reason, the longer he looks, the less he wants to distort his memory. He reaches for her as though she's there and finds himself in the land of confusion. When he closes his eyes, he can see his hand gently pressed against her cheek. But when he opens them, his hand is empty.
"How do you catch what cannot be caught?" He thinks on this for a moment. Excitement lifts his brows, widens his eyes, and forces a gasp. "Ah-hoe! I know! I must simply fill my hand with Anoki's face!" he says, grabbing on to this thought. He wraps his fingers around thin air and compresses it into his fist. He presses the idea to his heart, as though he is planting a seed.
"Father, send me Moon Beam to guide me back to your brother. I know you wanted to be my father, but this man is the only father I know. Let me learn what has become of this woman who uses her strange magic on me."
No sooner has he finished making his plea than he sees a bright star with a long glittering tail shoot across the sky in a straight line and explode like a firework over the top of the mountain where the pine forest is thickest.
"Thank you, Father!" Kiowa says, moving toward the sign.
Early that morning Two Moons whispers to Paw, "I hear the morning birds. The lark sings before dawn. You know, Uncle, that stupid little yellow bird that you let live. Maybe it would have been better to make a bracelet out of it after all. The Navajo will swell their numbers and certainly find us."
"If we heard nothing we would have more to fear. Perhaps they have captured your brother and he-who-is-like-a-brother."
"That would be nice. He could Make Trouble for someone else for once."
Paw frowns and looks at him. He slowly nods.
Two Moons continues. "All the more reason to leave the Hopi princess and her father here and return with our tribe. We could use them as bait, then overtake the Navajo and get more horses and scalps."
"That is a good plan," Paw confirms.
They sit motionless, weighing their options to a chorus of morning birds. Their faces are still like stone, as the dark, starry night changes from blackness and brightens ever so delicately. The stars still shine and cling to the night, refusing to surrender their place to the increasing twilight.
"Perhaps Kiowa and Makes Trouble failed. Perhaps they were captured and tortured," Paw says, choking up at the thought of his nephew who has become his son.
"If this is so, we will need the tribe to recover what remains of him. Onendah will need to free my brother's spirit."
"It would seem that all paths lead back to the tribe. Let me enjoy the morning light and music and pray to Naukolahe, that he might deliver my boy to me before we abandon the Hopi."
"I will ready the horses." Two Moons slips away without making a sound.
"Great Father of Heaven and Earth, hear my prayer. My heart is heavy with grief. It sinks to the bottom of the lake like a hard stone. I am like the stone that sinks into the lake of despair. I have worn the pants of my brother all these years in the hope that my legs would become his. They have not as of yet done much more than produce a silver fox. I do not believe they will if I cannot use them to find our son. Please light the morning sky. Reveal my son to me. Let my legs burn the way they did for Moon Beam and I will run to Kiowa. Show me a sign that I may fulfill Onendah's prophecy. This is all that I ask, and if you give me this boy back, I will never let him leave my side again! I will even take his troublesome friend under my wing. This is a mighty offering."
Paw presses his open palm to the earth and sends his message through his hand. He clenches his fist and lifts the cool sand up to his lips. With a kiss, he releases it.
Before the grains slip through his fingers, he feels Two Moons press his hand against his shoulder.
"I have said my prayer. We may go now," Paw whispers, feeling rushed.
A word from the aurhor: Paw's sincerity is gripping. I love this guy! I wonder where his brother's legs will lead him? Read on to find out!
