Author's Note: So a thing happened while I was writing this past week or so, and so you may have noticed that the parts to the Coming Together Series have changed today. A few weeks ago I started a new story (while writing the last part of the series, which is still in progress), and relized it would make a great beginning to the series as it can tie into the last story. So, I decided to add it to the beginning as a sort of prequel to Night in Fort Kearney, thus the series number change.
I hope you like this chapter as we get to see more of Lou and what she's been up to. A special thank you to Shannon for beta reading this for me.
Chapter 6
Life around the village continued much as it had for the next few days for Lou and her new Lakota family. She would spend the days helping out with the women's chores by foraging with them, offering her assistance at mealtimes, and continuing to teach Wachiwi, Hantaywee, and Ojinjintka English words as they taught her words in Lakota. In the evenings, after the meal, Lou would sit with Magaskawee and talk about life and motherhood. She would often catch Eyota watching her with her usual penetrating stare, and finally grew to understand that the healer was simply watching out for her. She knew from her conversations with Magaskawee, that her husband had made both her and her mother promise to keep Lou safe until he could return and so Eyota was making sure no harm came to Lou in the meantime.
So, when she woke this morning, Lou was expecting to spend the day out in the woods or on the plains looking for food and herbs. She was surprised when Magaskawee announced that they would be going to the creek this morning to fish, fetch water, and bathe. Quickly dressing, Lou ate a small breakfast, thankful that it stayed in her stomach this morning, grabbed her basket, and followed the rest of the women out of the village. This was to be the first time she would be back at the creek during the day since the attack on Kimimela more than a week ago. She ran her hand over her abdomen, a small smile playing with her features as she thought about the life growing within. As much as she had been enjoying her time here with the Lakota, she missed Kid terribly and couldn't wait to see him again. She didn't know how she was going to keep the news of their child from him since she felt so happy she thought she might burst. But she knew if she told him, he would worry even more about her once they were back, especially once she had to go out on another run. So, for now, she would keep the knowledge of their child to herself. And since he was nowhere in sight anyway, that would be easy for her to do.
The trail out to the creek was easy enough to follow, and after having spent the last several days in the woods, Lou felt much more comfortable traversing the small copse of trees surrounding the creek and buffering the Lakota village. As she settled herself by the creek near where Magaskwee stood in the water, Lou was pleased to have little Wichahpi nestled once again in her arms. While the child's mother set about to catch fish, Lou busied herself in caring for the tiny infant.
"She likes you," Magaskawee commented softly, trying to be quiet so the fish would not be scared away.
"Well, I like her too," Lou crooned in a sing-song voice as the baby gurgled in her arms.
"I think she will miss you when you return to your home."
"I'll miss her, too," Lou replied softly.
"But, you will soon have one of your own," Magaskwee said proudly.
"Yes. Yes, I will," Lou said, the same smile returning to her face that she was having a hard time hiding. "Thank you for the other night, for telling me."
"Eyota could see how sad you were whenever you held Wichahpi, I think she knew you needed this. To wait until you figured it out on your own would be unwise. She knew she had to tell you and that it would bring you great joy, just like Mahpiya Tho has. Eyota knows that he is the one who gave you this gift, she is just the messenger," Magaskawee explained, pulling her net up through the water, pleased when she found three fish there. Wading over to the creek bank, she deposited the three into the basket resting near Lou and the baby.
Lou laughed softly as she thought about Kid's reaction to the gift he unknowingly gave her. She locked eyes with her friend before adjusting the squirming infant in her arms. "Well, thank you all the same. I shall always treasure my time here with you and your family," she replied. Lou watched as something behind her caught Magaskawee's eye, causing her to look away from her friend, her eyes narrowing in annoyance. "What?" Lou asked, trying to turn and look over her shoulder. When she finally caught a glimpse of the trees behind her, she saw nothing unusual there. "What was it?" she asked again.
Magaskawee shook her head before responding, "It was nothing. I thought I saw one of the braves back there." Dragging her net back into the creek, she set her trap once again and waited for the fish to swim into it.
"They certainly seem to keep showing up wherever we go. Do they usually follow the women around when they're out gathering?" Lou asked, gently rocking the baby.
"The chief usually sends a few braves to keep an eye on us when we go out, but we never see them. We know they are there in case of trouble, but they stay hidden."
"Oh. What do you think they want? Do you think there is trouble?"
"They are watching out for you, I think," Magaskawee answered. "I think they want you to stay."
"But why would they think I would stay?" Lou asked curiously. "Does this have anything to do with those things that keep appearing outside our tipi?"
Magaskawee slowly nodded her head. "I was not sure at first, but now I think they wish to take you for a wife. The chief has allowed them to compete for your hand. That is why they are leaving gifts outside the tipi," Magaskawee explained quietly.
"What?" Lou exclaimed loudly, forgetting about the need for silence. Around her, the women of the tribe shot her annoyed glares. "Sorry," she whispered. Then turning her attention back to her friend in the creek, she asked, "Why do they want me to stay so badly?"
"The braves were impressed with your fearlessness and bravery when you saved Kimimela. They think that if they can capture your spirit you will provide them with many brave sons. The warrior that claims you as his own will father the fiercest braves. The chief will not want to see you go, I think," Magaskawee said drily. Lou gasped, nearly shouting her outrage at the audacity of the braves to try to claim her as their wife when she was already taken. Seeing the look of anger on Lou's face, Magaskawee continued, "Eyota tried to make the chief understand that you were only a visitor, waiting here until Mahpiya Tho can take you home again with him. But Th̆ath̆aŋka Íyotake seems to think Mahpiya Tho may not come. If he does not, the chief wishes one of the braves to make you his wife so you will be part of the tribe."
"I can't stay here," Lou whispered, feeling the tears threatening to spill again. She didn't think she had cried this much in her life before, but here she was once again unable to prevent her emotions from taking over.
"It will be fine, Louise. He will come and take you home with him. As much as I would like to have you stay here with us, I know your place is with Mahpiya Tho. Your path lies with him, not with us. They will soon understand this as well," Magaskawee soothed. "In the meantime, be wary of braves and their gifts. For if you accept those gifts outside the tipi, they will think you mean to accept one of them."
"I understand. Thank you for telling me this. I'm not familiar with your ways," Lou tried to defend herself, although she wasn't entirely sure why.
"It is much the same as where you come from, I think. When a man wishes to have a woman for his wife, does he not bring her gifts?" Magaskawee asked.
"Sometimes, but he usually asks for permission to spend time with her. If she agrees then they might go to a social together or go for a walk alone," Lou shared. "But when he wants to marry her, he has to ask her father for permission first. Then he can ask her."
"That is not so different from here. Only he must seek permission from her entire family."
"And what if she has no family?"
"Then the chief can grant permission," Magaskawee answered.
"Hmph," Lou groaned. Since she had no family, could the chief grant one of the braves permission to marry her? She had no idea, but she still had to accept him and there was no way on earth that would happen, not while Kid still breathed. "But I would still have to agree, right?"
"Yes. If you do not want him, the brave must respect your wishes. If you had family here, they could persuade you to accept him. But, since you do not, it should not matter," she said gently moving the net beneath the surface of the water. Bringing it up once again, Magaskawee counted twice as many fish as before. Wading over to the creek bank, she pulled the fish from the net, adding them to the basket at Lou's feet. "When we return to the village, we will smoke the fish so we may eat them later. We will also eat some for the evening meal. We shall find some more before we finish today, I think."
Lou nodded as she checked on Wichahpi in her arms. The infant had fallen asleep sometime during their conversation. Gently adjusting her in her arms, Lou closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of the sun on her skin and the soft weight of the bundle in her arms. She imagined another day in the future when she might be sitting outside with her own child in her arms while Kid was out in the barn or in the corral working on their ranch. He had mentioned on more than one occasion wanting to start a ranch where they raised horses together. He had always assured her that he wanted her working by his side and if she couldn't cook or do other 'housewife' things, he didn't care. They would figure it out together. But now that things had changed, maybe she should tell him she didn't mind doing some of that wife stuff. It had been a while since she had cooked a meal for anyone but herself. But on occasion when she had been alone out on the trail for a longer run, she had managed to remember everything her mother and the nuns had taught her. In order to keep the boys from finding out, she would purposely burn things or add the wrong ingredients so they wouldn't assume she would take over the cooking duties when Rachel was away. Maybe it was time to show Kid what she could do, especially since he had been on the receiving end of more than one of her intentionally botched attempts at cooking. Smiling at the memory of him trying to not show his distaste for the horrible beans she had managed to ruin on their run to Seneca a few weeks ago, Lou told herself that she would make him a proper meal before they returned to Rock Creek.
Lou and Magaskawee sat in companionable silence for the next hour, getting lost in the soft rushing of the water. Lou took in the beautiful landscape around her, watching the birds flying between branches, singing back and forth to each other. High overhead, she saw an eagle soaring, its graceful wings stretched wide as it floated through the sky. Closer to the creek bank, she noticed a graceful yellow and black butterfly flitting along the clusters of bright gold and purple blooms dotting the landscape. It stopped periodically atop the dark cone of a flower's center, it's wings softly flexing in the hot August breeze. As she watched the butterfly move to the next coneflower, she thought back to what day it had been when she left Rock Creek. It had been Sunday morning, the day after the founder's day ball in town. Lou smiled to herself as she remembered how nice it felt to be able to attend as a woman for a change. Kid could hardly contain his exuberance at being able to take her to the dance, purposely hiding her dance card so she had to spend the whole night with him. It felt like nothing else on earth when he held her in his arms and twirled her around the room that evening. And then after, when they made their way to the pond for a late night swim, the feel of his hands on her bare skin sent shivers down her spine at the memory of his touch. She could feel her skin pebbling up at just the memory, causing a blush to spread over her that could not be attributed to the hot, humid air present today. Looking out over the water, Lou couldn't wait to feel the cool water on her flushed skin. By her calculations, she had to have been gone for nearly two weeks. It had been eleven long days since she had last seen Kid or felt his arms around her. Eleven days since they had last been alone together. Eleven days since she had last felt his lips claim hers. As her breathing became more erratic Lou realized she needed to cool off in the creek and soon, especially if her mind continued to wander to her last moments alone with Kid. Snapping herself out of her increasingly intoxicating thoughts, she only hoped the women were finished fishing sooner rather than later. Looking over at the nearly full basket beside her, Lou realized she must have been daydreaming longer than she thought.
From behind her, she could hear Eyota returning from the prairie with the younger children following in her footsteps. The old healer had taken the children with her to help dig for wild turnips in order to give their mothers time to fish in peace. Arriving back, she could see their baskets full of the root vegetable and their small bodies covered in dirt. Despite their unkempt appearance, each of their faces bore a proud grin, happy that they were able to help contribute to their tribe. As Eyota led the children over to the creek, Lou watched as the woman instructed her young charges to disrobe and jump into the water. They were only happy to comply, and soon there was a pile of small deerskin dresses strewn along the creek bank. In the shallows of the creek, the women dragged their nets back to shore before turning their attention to their frolicing daughters. Dipping them below the water's surface, the mothers oversaw their children's bath, passing a small cake of soap between them to lather up their hair and bodies. Once they were all free from the suds, the children were chased from the creek onto the banks where Eyota helped the younger ones dress again. The older girls helped as well once they had dressed themselves. With their children taken care of, the women slowly moved further down the creek where the water was deeper, and after disrobing, soon submerged their tanned bodies beneath the surface of the water. Lou watched as they bathed, feeling her own skin itching to feel the water's coolness for herself. After almost two weeks, she felt like she was ready to crawl out of her own skin. Rachel never let them go more than a few days without bathing at home, and since she figured out Lou was a girl, she was more than happy to help the female rider to a bath whenever she wanted.
Lou practically jumped when she felt a presence by her side. Looking up against the bright sunlight, she saw Eyota standing next to her, her hands motioning to the infant in Lou's arms. Reaching down to relieve Lou of her burden, Eyota pointed downstream to where the other women waited for her to join them. Magaskawee had reappeared at her side, the rest of her fish safely placed in the basket. Grasping Lou's wrist, she gently tugged the young woman with her to where the other women were already enjoying their ablutions. "Come, Louise. We shall join them," she urged. Lou happily scurried off along the creek bank, desperate to wash the grime of the last two weeks off her.
Magaskawee, with Lou in tow, quickly guided the pair to the deeper section of the creek where the women were bathing. Pulling the ties from her shoulders, Magaskawee let the dress slide from her body. Laying the hide dress flat on the creek bank to dry, she gently waded into the deep water. Lou, slightly embarrassed to be naked in the middle of the day in front of all these people, decided she was too hot to really care. Dropping her own deerskin gown to her feet, she stepped out of the garment, laid it alongside the others and joined the other women in the water. The feeling of the cool water on her hot skin was a welcome reprieve on the hot summer day. With a smile, she thought about the trips to the watering hole she and Kid used to take both in Sweetwater and in Rock Creek. While they would start out swimming, they would end up engaged in more amorous activities, especially recently. Thinking about their last trip to the pond near the bunk house, brought a fresh flush to her cheeks that did not go unnoticed by Magaskawee.
"You like swimming, I think," she said with a wry smile, watching the crimson color spread across Lou's cheeks. "I too like swimming, especially when my husband is with me." She quickly dunked her head beneath the rippling surface, coming back up moments later.
"It's definitely better with the right person," Lou agreed with a knowing giggle as her head emerged from the clear water. A big grin was on her face and she traded a knowing look with her friend before they both burst out laughing.
The two women swam around the quiet creek, enjoying the feel of the clean water against their hot skin. Once Magaskawee received the cake of soap from her sister, she set to work lathering her ebony tresses. Rinsing the soap from her hair, she turned to Lou and helped her with her own hair as her shoulder was still weak and caused her pain when she tried to lift her hand above her head. Lou inhaled the fresh fragrance of wildflowers as Magaskawee massaged the lather into her scalp. "This smells nice," she commented.
"Mama puts some chamomile flowers in the soap before we make it into cakes. It always reminded me of sunshine and flowers growing on the plains," Magaskawee said as her hands finished the task at hand. "You can rinse now," she informed Lou. Swimming away, Lou quickly disappeared beneath the water's surface. Using her good arm, she reached up to make sure all the soap was rinsed from her auburn hair. Satisfied that she had removed all traces of it, she reemerged finding herself further downstream than where she started. The current must have carried her here, she thought to herself. Diving back under the water, she quickly swam back upstream, feeling her arms working hard against the strong current. While her shoulder still pained her, it hurt less as she glided her arm through the water. Eyota had been examining her wound each day and yesterday had taken the bandage off for good. Through her daughter, she had told Lou to take it easy for a few more days and to start doing more with her arm, but to stop if she felt any pain. Now as she moved through the water, she thought she might have to get Kid to take her out to the pond more frequently once they got home to help strengthen her shoulder.
Lou quickly returned to Magaskawee's side in time to see the other women congregating on the creek bank. They were in the process of donning their dresses and moccasins again. As they sat briefly to rebraid their hair, she could see them conversing softly with one another. Reaching a hand up to feel the short ends of her hair, Lou briefly wished her own hair was once again as long as it used to be. Magaskawee must have sensed her troubled thoughts when she suggested, "You know, we could braid your hair too."
"Really?" Lou asked as she pulled herself onto the creek bank and began dressing. Her short hair was dripping rivulets of water on her bare shoulders and down her back.
"Yes. There is a way. We usually use it on young children with shorter hair, but sometimes, if a woman has been sick, or if she is to be married, we can braid it in different ways," Magaskawee explained, tying the laces on her dress. She moved closer to Lou, letting her nimble fingers finish the ties on Lou's dress. Resting her hands on the smaller woman's shoulders, she said, "Let's sit and I will braid your hair. You can do mine if you like, then we should finish faster. It will be time to head back soon, I think."
"I think I can remember how to braid hair. It's been a while since I had hair long enough to braid," Lou reminisced.
"So Mahpiya Tho has not seen you with long hair, no?"
"No. Although this is the longest it's been since I first cut it."
"Well, then he will be happy to see you with your hair up and looking more like a woman."
Nodding her head as a smile split her face, Lou said, "Yes, he will. I think he's very curious to see what I looked like with long hair."
"Then let us see what we can do. I have a feeling Pahina Mnimniza will return with Mahpiya Tho very soon," Magaskawee commented, her fingers reaching out to touch Lou's shoulder length hair.
The two young women made their way closer to where the rest of the women had assembled after their morning spent fishing and bathing. Some of them had spread blankets around and were passing out dried buffalo meat to the children. Once Lou and Magskawee joined them, they readily accepted the dried meat and sat with Eyota and Kimimela. The older woman still cradled Wichahpi in her arms, allowing the three young women time to enjoy their meal. Ojinjintke walked around with a small basket of blackberries, handing them to each of the women she passed. Lou was thankful for the tart, sweet berries after the saltiness of the meat. While the taste didn't bother her as much, it still reminded her of the pemmican and she was having trouble finishing the strip. Closing her eyes, she inhaled through her nose hoping the nausea would pass. Magaskawee leaned over to her, whispering, "Is a good sign, your sickness. It means the child grows strong within you." Eyota nodded her approval of Lou's queasy stomach as she handed her granddaughter back to her daughter. Her meal completed, or nearly so, Magaskawee brought her child to her breast, returning to the small pile of berries before her once Wichahpi was settled.
Lou quickly ate the blackberries in between bites of the dried buffalo, knowing that she needed to keep eating for the good of her baby. But right now, she was wishing she was back at the bunkhouse with one of Rachel's roasted chickens or a pile of mashed potatoes with gravy. Just thinking about the other food made her mouth water in hunger. Swallowing down the last bit of meat, she popped the last blackberries in her mouth before reaching for the mint leaves she kept tucked in the small pouch that now hung around her neck. Returning the pouch to its place beneath her dress, she took a long drink from the water skin Eyota handed to her. Leaning over to Lou while she slaked her thirst, the healer said, "Mahpiya Tho léci."
Shaking her head in confusion, Lou said, "I don't understand, Eyota. Where is Mahpiya Tho?" Looking over to where her friend sat nursing her baby, she added, "Magaskawee? What did she say? It was different from what she usually tells me?"
Looking at her mother, Magaskawee asked, "Ina éya icinunpa."
"Mahpiya Tho léci," she repeated for her daughter, loud enough that many of the women nearby could clearly hear her. Soon the women and children were repeating what she had said in excitement.
Magaskawee quickly looked around her as if she was searching for someone. "What is it?" Lou asked her, also looking around out of concern for their welfare. She thought maybe they were in some kind of danger.
"She says Mahpiya Tho is here," Magaskawee said, occasionally glancing around her in case she spotted her husband returning from his long journey.
"What?" Lou exclaimed, jumping from her spot, hopeful that she might catch a glimpse of Kid. Everywhere she looked though, she only saw trees.
"She must have had another vision today. They must be very close," Magaskawee mused. "We must get your hair braided before we return to the village." Looking around, she spotted Wachiwi, Hantaywee, and Ojinjintka and called them over. Lou figured she must have told them to practice their braiding as the three girls quickly started on Magaskawee's long raven tresses. With a girl on each side of her, each armed with a bone comb, her hair hung in two neat plaits in minutes. When they were finished with her hair, she gave some brief instructions in Lakota to the girls, prompting them to race over to Lou's side, coiling her hair in two fancier braids starting much higher up in her scalp. While they worked, they started once again with their English lesson.
Giving a slight tug on Lou's reddish-brown hair, Ojinjintka said, "Shappa, hin."
Lou quickly realized what she meant and said, "hair."
Hantaywee next tugged on Lou's ear, saying, "nonge."
Which was followed with a quick, "Ear," from Lou. And so their game continued, each girl taking turns calling out body parts in Lakota while Lou would quickly answer them with the corresponding word in English. As they played, she noticed more than a few of the women taking note of the unfamiliar words and even trying them out for themselves.
With their midday meal finished, the women gathered up their belongings and started heading out in different directions. Some of the women headed back to the village to get started on the preparations to preserve the freshly caught fish. Others headed out to the nearby prairie to continue looking for any wild root vegetables and herbs. Lou, along with Magaskawee, Kimimela, and Eyota, was headed into the woods to search for some wild mushrooms. Eyota used them in her work as a healer in addition to the rest of the tribe adding them, when available, to their diets. Lou tried to help locate any mushrooms along her way, wandering off the path in her quest for the well hidden fungi. She had wound her way around some fallen trees and was well off the path when she came upon a large bramble. The thicket of thorny canes stretched as far as she could see as it wrapped around some trees, meandering along a path all its own. As she moved closer to the brambles, she was pleased to discover thousands of plump red raspberries hanging in small clusters all along the way. Placing her basket on the ground by her feet, she began plucking the bright ruby orbs from the canes. Once she had finished with one section, Lou picked up her basket and moved further down, depositing her basket once again on the ground as she cleaned the bushes of their fruit.
Humming a soft tune, Lou was soon lost in the rhythm of harvesting the berries. She would occasionally pop a particularly plump berry into her mouth, savoring the sweet-tart taste of the fresh berries. Her mother used to take her into the woods around their house to pick raspberries each summer, partly as a way to get away from her father and his unsavory business dealings, but mainly to share a fun summer afternoon with her eldest daughter. Now as she picked the fruit, she thought about her own child and hoped she might continue the tradition with him or her one day.
She had made it about halfway down the brambles, her basket more than half full of delicious raspberries when she first noticed the change in the weather around her. The wind had started to pick up, playing with the short curls peppering the nape of her neck. Turning her face to look up towards the sky, Lou noticed the trees swaying in the strong breeze. A storm was coming and judging by the color of the dark grey sky swirling above her, it wouldn't take long to get here.
Turning her attention back to her basket of berries, she gasped when she saw a brave standing less than an arm's length from where she stood. Looking at the imposing warrior, she knew immediately who it was. "Matoskah!" she exclaimed, pressing a hand to her chest. "You startled me."
"There is a storm coming, Shappa. We must return to the village before it arrives," he said, his voice a seductive pur.
Looking back up at the sky one more time, Lou knew he was right. "I can see that," she retorted, bending down to retrieve her basket, but Matoskah was there first.
"Let me help you with that, Shappa," he said, lifting the basket with ease. "I see you have found some raspberries today. The children will like these very much," he added with a smile.
"Yes, well, I remember how much I liked them when I was a child. I haven't had them in years," Lou replied tersely as the first fat drop plopped on her head, causing her to duck involuntarily. She held her hand up as the rain began pelting the two of them. A flash of lightning split the sky followed closely by a loud rumble of thunder. Grabbing her basket from the brazen brave, Lou began to pick her way back to the path.
"Shappa, wait!" Matoskah shouted above the storm. "Let me help you."
"I don't need your help," Lou shouted over her shoulder as she tried to see where she was going in the downpour.
"At least let me bring you back safely. We can share my blanket so you won't get as wet," he suggested, quickly catching up with her.
Lou eyed him suspiciously. She knew she needed to stay away from accepting any gifts from the four braves that had seemed to make it their mission to take her as a wife. But given the soggy situation she now found herself in, Lou figured the offer of shelter from the storm was just that, help, and not a gift. Releasing a soft sigh, she reluctantly allowed Matoskah to use his blanket to provide some protection from the summer storm. Holding the basket of berries between her arms, she felt the man next to her move closer to cover her with the blanket. He quickly steered her back to the path and back to the village.
The storm was just abating when Lou, escorted by Matoskah, entered the village. Shrugging the blanket from her shoulders and head, she shifted the basket to her right hip, saying, "Thank you, Matoskah, for bringing me back here. I'm not sure I would have found it so quickly in this storm."
Tossing the blanket over his shoulder, the brave smiled lasciviously at her, saying, "It was my pleasure, Shappa." He placed his arm upon her uninjured shoulder, wrapping his hand slightly around her neck as he tried to draw her closer to him.
His motion sent warning bells ringing in Lou's head. She didn't like the possessive way he was handling her and she needed to get away from him immediately. Reaching across her body, she swatted his hand away while taking a few steps away from him. "Don't touch me!" she ground out, drawing the attention of some of the villagers. While they had been busy trying to escape the rain, some had stayed within sight of the edge of camp and had seen Lou enter the camp under Matoskah's blanket.
"What is going on here?" Sitting Bull asked as he walked over to where Lou was trying to get away from the overzealous brave. He looked between the strapping man and the petite young woman before him.
Not wanting to be the first to speak up, Lou glanced at the great chief briefly, before returning her livid glare to Matoskah. The man in question continued leering at her as he explained what had happened on the way back into the village. "Shappa kiŋ yagmica magaju. Unapaganpi s̆ina. Shappa kiŋ untéya. " Matoskah explained, his eyes never leaving the young woman facing him.
The chief clapped his hands together when he heard that Lou would be staying with the tribe permanently. Turning to the villagers, he announced, "Hétula kiŋ kiciyuzapi hínhanna kin kte. Shappa kicicakiya oyate kte."
At his announcement, Eyota as well as Magaskawee came running across the village to find Lou standing with Matoskah and their chief. Eyes blazing with fury, Eyota immediately began arguing with the chief. Magaskawee took Lou around the shoulders and gently guided her away from where her mother stood. Kimimela was soon by their side, taking the basket of fruit from their guest. Kimimela started to say something to Lou about the chief's announcement but Magaskawee quickly stopped her telling her, "s̆!"
The two sisters had managed to lead Lou back to their tipi and had pulled her inside when Magaskawee asked Lou what happened in the woods after they split up. "I had found a beautiful patch of raspberries and I thought they might be useful back at camp, so I set to picking them. I had managed to finish about half the canes when the wind picked up and I noticed a storm was coming. Then Matoskah was there offering to bring me back to the village. The rain had started falling quite heavily by then and so he threw a blanket over the two of us to keep the rain off. When we got back to the village, the chief was there and Matoskah kept staring at me. Then Eyota showed up and you brought me back here," Lou explained, wiping the water off her face. "Why? What's going on? Did I do something wrong?"
Magaskawee quickly translated for her sister, the two of them exchanging a knowing look before the older sister said to Lou, "No, you did nothing wrong. But Matoskah has tricked you. Eyota will take care of it. Th̆ath̆aŋka Íyotake will listen to her, he respects her wisdom as a healer and wise woman. You will see. Now, let's get you dry and we can see about preparing the evening meal."
The sisters started taking Lou's hair from the now messy plaits and began combing and rebraiding her hair once again for the evening. To Lou's surprise, her deerskin dress kept her fairly dry despite the downpour, but her moccasins were full of water. She kicked them off her feet, placing them by the fire in the center of the tipi to dry. Walking around the tipi in her bare feet, she gathered the raspberries and brought them out to the common area outside the tipi. Magaskawee was right behind her, saying, "Normally we dry these to use later, but they look so good, I think we should eat at least some of them tonight. Why don't we gather some of the children to help us? I can think of three girls who would love to continue their English lesson," she said with a jovial smile. Turning to her sister, she commanded "Yawaglamni Wachiwi, Ojinjintka, na Hantaywee." Happy to have something to do that would avoid their mother when she returned, Kimimela walked off in search of the three girls who had taken such a liking to their visitor.
In no time at all, Kimimela had returned, the three girls racing ahead of her to find their new idol. Lou was just taking the baby from Magaskawee when the three girls ran up next to her, eagerly exclaiming, "Shappa!" Lou smiled brightly at her three pupils, as she walked away from where the two sisters were readying themselves to begin preparation for smoking the fish that they had caught earlier in the day. Magaskawee cautioned Lou to keep her distance as the smell of the raw fish combined with the sight of the entrails would likely cause her stomach to revolt. Happy to spend her time watching over little Wichahpi while continuing her lesson with the young girls, Lou contentedly marched off to the far side of the campfire. Settling herself on the ground outside a nearby tipi, the girls followed suit and the foursome resumed their language lesson.