About midday, Cloud Dancing came to the special grove near the winter hunting grounds where he had found good prayer and had cached some sacred items in case of emergency. Although the skin he had wrapped the items in was stiff from the cold, it had not been disturbed. Opening it to reveal some special stones, feathers, and bones, Cloud Dancing prayed to the Great Spirit for help in understanding the path that was under his feet. He asked for a way to understand the good in Sully's current situation. How was it that a man who could teach them all about tolerance and peace have to go through such hardships? How could his people, who had known the blind hatred from others, not choose to extend the kindness they were seeking?

After his prayer, he built a fire and tried to still his mind. But his thoughts would not rest. With each gust of wind that buffeted his back, he thought of Sully back in camp, dressed in rags. He could imagine all the degrading chores the family of Bright Spears was making him do. He doubted they were feeding him correctly either. In the cold weather, Sully would not last long, especially after so recently being sick with fever. How Cloud Dancing wanted to talk more with his friend about the strange walk he had gone on in the first place - and the vision he had seen, too! It made him upset to think that his friendship with this white man might soon be over.

Knowing that he should not spend much more time away from Snow Bird, Cloud Dancing rose to extinguish his fire and walk back when he heard hooves beating the frozen ground. There were horses approaching. Before he had time to think of either a place to hide or a way to arm himself, the voices of warriors met his straining ears. Triumphant war whoops from dog soldiers meant the approaching party was of his people. Relaxing a bit, Cloud Dancing expected to see them with a buffalo in tow for the tribe. But this was not the case.

Upon seeing the fire, the dog soldiers entered the grove of trees with their weapons drawn and their faces ready to fight. Cloud Dancing held up his hands, and, as Hook Nose recognized his medicine man, he gestured for the others to stop. As they all halted their horses, Cloud Dancing could see that they had been riding hard and had sweated off half of their war paint. A few of the horses were worked into a lather.

"The enemy chases you?" Cloud Dancing asked all of them in a concerned tone.

"The enemy's blood soaks the ground!" Hook Nose shouted, holding up his knife. A chorus of yells rang through the trees as the braves joined together in cheering the news. Some of the overly excited and exhausted horses shivered and stomped around, as if they, too, could not keep still about what had just transpired.

"What has happened?" Cloud Dancing asked as Hook Nose dismounted.

"The words! They work! Black Wolf's words!" Hook Nose explained. As the two men met by the fire, Hook Nose held out his arm to turn his shoulder towards the firelight. There was a bloody gash across his skin, but it was minor. Cloud Dancing looked at it and gestured that it was slight. "I was able to understand the great army's words and we met them while they slept unguarded." Their eyes met as the braves whooped and cheered again.

"Black Wolf." Cloud Dancing said absentmindedly.

"Tall Rock gave his life in the fight killing the leader. The rest of us are fine." Hook Nose said, a bit calmer this time. "We must honor his sacrifice." He pointed back to a travois that one of the dog soldiers dragged behind his horse that carried Tall Rock's body. Many times, the Cheyenne would leave a loved one where they had fallen to return to Mother Earth where the Great Spirit had taken them, but it was clear that Hook Nose didn't want the great white army to figure out what had happened just yet. They would bury Tall Rock at the burial grounds near the winter camp. He would have great ceremony for all he had accomplished in his protecting the people. There would be a lot to do and much preparation for such a warrior. Cloud Dancing's mind flashed back to Sully and all Bright Spears family would make him do in that preparation.

Walking back to his horse, Hook Nose mounted the snorting steed and held his hand out to Cloud Dancing.

"It is too far to walk. We go back together and share in the news." He said to his medicine man. Before he could protest, Cloud Dancing put out his fire, got on the horse, and the whole band went screaming and whooping back to the tribe.

After enduring a freezing night huddled by himself outside the tent, Sully was quickly put to work to bank the fire and to start bringing fresh water from nearby. As he was getting close to filling the family skin with water for the day's washing and cooking, Sully was pointed to neighboring teepees and shown to fill water skins for others. After that, he was roughly pushed around until the younger brother had gotten Sully to understand that more wood was needed to finish smoking the meat from the elk they had been given. It seemed that the younger brother merely wanted an excuse to vent his frustrations on Sully, so he did not fight back. When he'd been pushed down and kicked, the brave was satisfied and left Sully to his work.

So it came to be that Sully was trying to chop wood with a very dull axe when Hook Nose and the dog soldiers came back to camp. Such a clamor arose that Sully feared something was terribly wrong. With numb fingers, he carefully brought the latest armful of branches back to see the entire tribe in action. In the middle of things was a horse dragging a dead brave's body. At first, Sully's mind thought of Bright Spears, but then he could tell that this brave was much bigger. Staying to the edge of the activity, he kept to his task. Desperately wanting to know what had happened, he was unable to catch Cloud Dancing's attention.

Time passed and evening fell. It was clear that, in spite of the dead brave, the tribe was rejoicing in some good news that Hook Nose had brought. Many of the dog soldiers danced around a central fire while much food was prepared to share. With Sully's work done, he huddled by the teepee where he had slept the night before. He watched as the dogs were fed in front of him and he was ignored. Watching the dogs only made him think of Wolf, and he prayed to God that Wolf was able to find food and stay safe somewhere. When a cold cake was finally thrown to him by Bright Spears mother, he looked up at her in thanks, but she did not even nod in acknowledgement of his look. He ate slowly to keep the cramp in his stomach from turning into a revolt of his meager dinner.

Drifting off from exhaustion, he did not know the time of night when he was shaken awake by his friend, Cloud Dancing. But the fires were down to mere coals, and the celebration was long over. It was late. Sully pushed his unruly curls from his eyes as he realized what was going on.

"Come." He whispered. And Sully stiffly rose and followed the medicine man.

Entering the great teepee of Hook Nose, Sully saw the leader of the dog soldiers on the opposite side of his fire, looking exhausted. Surrounded by stolen items and the tribe's entire collection of weapons, it was a formidible place. A long gash crossed one shoulder of the great warrior, and it was crusted over with black blood. A dirty bandana held back his hair and he sat cross-legged waiting for Sully and Cloud Dancing. Holding out his hand, he gestured for Sully to sit. Swallowing hard, he hesitated and turned to his friend.

"I'm not sure I should. I'm not free ta leave..." Sully hooked a thumb back towards the tent flap. "Bright Spears mother will be angry if I don't-" Cloud Dancing raised a hand to stop his words. Resting the other hand on Sully's shoulder, he gestured for him to sit, the look in his eyes friendly and reassuring.

When they were all seated, Hook Nose passed around some hot tea, which Sully took gratefully. The tea warmed him through and he waited for Cloud Dancing to explain what was happening. The two Indians spoke to each other at length, and it did not seem that Hook Nose was all that pleased. Although, with the hard look to his features, and the scars, it was hard to know if Hook Nose was ever pleased.

"I have told him of your fever. I told him about Bright Spears." Cloud Dancing explained. "He knows you are now giving yourself to the family and I have passed on what Snow Bird told me." Sully sat there, looking back and forth between the two men, wondering what it all meant. What Snow Bird might have said was a mystery.

"The dog soldiers used the white man's words you taught them to attack some soldiers." Cloud Dancing told Sully. "Because of your knowledge, Hook Nose saved our people from a secret attack." Sully turned to Hook Nose to see the hardened soldier openly smiling. He spoke in Cheyenne, pulled out his knife, and made an attack gesture that made Sully flinch. This made Hook Nose laugh. He then pointed at his blade, which he had not yet cleaned.

"Hook Nose says the enemy's blood soaks the ground because of your knowledge. Your words helped save our people, and his knife avenged many who have fallen because of the great white man's army." The thought of more killing made Sully sick to his stomach, but the thought of a secret attack coming upon the Cheyenne angered him even more. They were at the winter hunting grounds harming no-one, keeping to themselves, and here was the news that the army had been planning an attack. If not for Sully's instruction of English, they might all be dead at that moment.

Hook Nose spoke again, pointing as he talked. Sully patiently waited for Cloud Dancing's translation.

"You will be released from Bright Spears family. Hook Nose will offer a great gift in exchange. He will not let harm come to you while you still have knowledge of the great army to tell him and the dog soldiers." Cloud Dancing said. A strange relief swept through Sully, but only for a moment. He shook his head and spoke directly to Hook Nose.

"I promised them. I gave them everything as an offering for the murder of their son..." His voice trailed off as the weight of his words fell upon his heart like a heavy load. "I killed him. I promised not to hurt your people and I broke my promise." Cloud Dancing translated the words, although, from the look on Sully's face, Hook Nose could determine the remorse for himself.

After a moment of reflection, Hook Nose rose from his seat at the fire and spoke a final time. As his words hung in the late night air, Cloud Dancing paused a moment before repeating the words to Sully in English. Hook Nose stood over them as a fearsome warrior, and yet, Sully found himself in awe a bit at the sight.

"As a slave, you have no say in what the family does with you. He will barter tomorrow and you will stay here and continue to teach us your words." Cloud Dancing then stood. Much warmed from the tea and the time by the fire, Sully rose to his feet and nodded gratefully. The look in Hook Nose's eye was not one to be argued with.

Reaching out, they shook in the Cheyenne way of grasping each other's forearms. Once more, Sully's worth in the war between Indian and White men saved him. He made his way back to his sleeping place solemly, but watched the stars dance overhead as he waited for the sun to lighten the sky. He prayed to Abigail to help him do the right thing.

Even as he did, though, the vision of the other woman came back and haunted him.