Chapter 37

1880

It was a strange sensation for Katie—feeling every breath and heartbeat of another person, being so close and touching him, kissing him, knowing he was real, that he was alive. Only late at night when Abby and Katie were alone did they talk about such things, and lately, Abby had been tight lipped about her courtship with Brian. Yet when they were a younger, they had practiced kissing on the back of their hands, but none of it could have prepared her for this moment.

No Harm pulled her closer, and she could feel the tight muscles of his bare chest press through her thin gingham dress, touching her own skin. Their mouths parted, and they pulled closer, until their hands were in each other's hair, and they were beyond hello as they pulled even closer, as breathing became impossible.

"Let me see, Ab'gail! I wanna see!" Stephen insisted stubbornly and pulled at her hands covering his eyes.

"Shh!" Abagail whispered harshly in his ear as she moved her hand from his eyes down to his mouth. "Don't say another word, Boo! You are goin' to ruin the most romantic moment of your sister's life!"

Stephen frowned at Abby, glaring at her with scheming, playful eyes. Suddenly, his cheeks rose, and the most angelic smile lit his eyes and face. It wasn't a second later that Abby felt something slimy and wet on the palm of her hand.

Abby's eyes widened as his smile broadened, and she knew her resolve was breaking. But she pressed her lips together and glared at her disgusting little brother. Two could play at that game. After all, he had learned all of his tricks from her. She clamped her hand over his mouth, swiftly lifted his little body in her arms, and proceeded to run past their dumbfounded parents, strait to the corral where the water trough kept its home.

Michaela could feel her blood flow constricting as Sully gripped her hand. She wasn't sure which situation to ascertain first: her husband, who was clearly in a state of shock watching their youngest daughter with a young man they had never met before; Katie, who was clearly overwhelmed by this stranger…this warrior… Michaela didn't know what to think… A cloud had always been over Katie—she hadn't been more than a baby during Sand Creek. Michaela knew of the nightmares, but Cloud Dancing and Snowbird had helped comfort her when Michaela hadn't been there in the morning. But Washita had silenced her, and she refused to talk about it, even to Abagail. Was this young man part of her silence? They could have only been children—

Suddenly a shriek came from the water trough, and her little boy was flapping around in the water, as Abagail was standing over him, laughing smugly.

Finally realizing that they weren't alone, Katie and No Harm slowly pulled always from each other. Katie looked into his dark eyes, and then immediately away, down, to the sides, anywhere but at him. Her entire body was heated, and she was thankful for the dirt and mud across her face so her blush couldn't be detected.

"I did not expect this," No Harm whispered, his voice nervous and full of years of so many things never said.

"N-neither did I," she shook her head, her heart filling with something she couldn't name as her stutter returned unexpectedly.

"I did not expect to know." His hand circled her pointer finger and she slowly lifted her eyes and met his. She didn't know what to say. She could barely move. She was afraid if she did, she would wake up and he would vanish again.

Just when words failed her, her questioning parents' presence filled in the silence. Katie quickly flashed glances between her ma and pa, ascertaining who was the safest parent to address. She quickly out ruled her father. She couldn't look in his eyes without crying. She turned to her mother, but her face was just as lost as her father's. This was happening so fast, and she didn't know what to do, or say, or how in the world they would ever understand.

No Harm watched her, and when he realized her voice was gone, he held her hand tighter and stepped forward, extending his left hand to Sully.

"My name is No Harm Comes To Him. I have been lost. I have been to places I never wish to see again. I have been fighting to come back home since the Washita. Ho'otseoo'e…Katie is home."

November 27, 1868—Washita

The night still slept as dawn tried to wake. Katie curled in her white blankets that her papa had made especially for her. They were worn and tattered, and Snow Bird offered to make her new ones, but she refused. There was something about her white blankets—sometimes she could almost feel her mother holding her in them.

Katie sighed. There was no use thinking about such things. She rolled over, and suddenly there were two large brown eyes staring right at her.

Before she could scream, a hand covered her mouth, and he whispered, "It is only me, Ho'otseoo'e!"

"Crazy boy!" Katie whispered, pushing his hands away from her face. "What are you doing here? Snowbird will be angry with you!"

"I found something! I have to show you." No Harm's eyes sparkled in the darkness, and Katie couldn't hide her curiosity.

"Tonight?" She pushed away her white blankets, forgetting about their warmth and safety.

"Yes, tonight!" Katie turned around and looked at Snowbird who was sleeping soundly. She turned back and smiled at No Harm. She put her hand in his.

"Let's go. Not a sound." They stood up and flew out of the tent together.

No Harm turned back and grinned at her as they ran together through the teepees to the trees. "Not a one."

No Harm and Katie ran through the trees until they came into a clearing. The moonlight shone through the opening, and in front of them stood a tangle of roots, that knotted and twirled into the ground. The red oak that sprung up from it was the largest that Katie had ever seen, and her mouth dropped as she stared at it. "Oh my goodness!" She exclaimed.

"Let's climb it!" Katie giggled as No Harm leapt ahead of her and jumped into the tangle of roots, and she immediately followed him, chasing him as they raced up its limbs and branches, finally making their way to a corner branch that seemed to be a seat. No Harm and Katie sighed and sat beside each other in the chilly autumn night, catching their breaths as they stared into the night sky.

"Aren't you glad I woke you up?" No Harm glanced at Katie through the corner of his eye as she stared out into the vast Oklahoma plains. Her face was calm, and she seemed to have drifted away somewhere, perhaps to a foreign land. "Ho'otseoo'e?"

"Will it always be like this, No Harm?" Katie asked, her voice was innocent, but carried much more weight than her young person allowed.

"I suppose not. But if we were to stay in this tree, then I guess it might." Katie frowned, contemplating his idea and then shook her head with a warm laugh.

"People would miss us, and then we would be in trouble!" No Harm sat up and pulled out his carving knife as Katie continued to laugh.

"True. But if we got away with it, we would never miss each other." Katie rubbed her lips together skeptically as No Harm began to chip some bark away on the tree. He worked diligently until he had carved several letters in the wood. When he was done, he pulled back and pointed, "Look. Did I get it right?"

In shaky manuscript, No Harm had written the word "NOW" in English. Katie looked at him and nodded quickly. "Yes, it's right. So?"

"It's forever now. No one can ever take it away from us." She smiled at her friend, her dearest friend in the whole world. He had a way of making the hardest things make the most sense when no one else seemed to have any answers. The moonlight lit them, and she saw that he was smiling too. Just as she was about to sit back against the tree, he touched her hand, stopping her. She looked in his eyes, questioning him, but he had closed them, and he was leaning in towards her lips, and and and…she swallowed, as he came closer, and she didn't know if she should keep her eyes open, or if she should close them, so she closed them, but she opened them again, but no, that wasn't right either, so she closed them again, and everything slowed down, and he was so close she could feel his breath against her face and his hand held hers so tightly and she took a deep breath and pursed her lips and suddenly there was a violent, bloody scream in the distance, echoed by gunfire, and and and their lips never touched as their eyes flew open.

"No Harm?" Katie took his hand as he turned towards the gunfire, which began exploding in rapid succession. They could hear the war cries of their people call out and the sound of horses gallop across the plain. The thrashing of branches made Katie's head jerk around, and she held tight to No Harm's arm. "What's happening, No Harm? What's happening?"

Through the trees the soldiers passed them like a sea of flies, and No Harm covered Katie with his body, holding on to her, as they watched the men race towards their people, their camp, their home.

Katie looked out through No Harm's arm and peered through the trees to the vast plain. Flames began to spread, and she could hear her people crying, crying, crying, and she couldn't do anything but watch. She could feel No Harm's heart beating against her back. It was like a drum, and for a moment, she closed her eyes pretended she was watching the elders of the tribe circle the campfire as they did a hunting dance, and there were no more guns or death or violence anymore, only hope. Only hope.

Then she saw the faces of her family. Abagail laughing. Her Papa's proud eyes as she road Flash for the first time by herself. Cloud Dancing praying. Her mother… Her mother… Her eyes suddenly flew open, and the drum beat of No Harm's heart filled her own, and she looked into his eyes, terrified. "Snowbird! She's asleep in our teepee! I have to go back, I have to—"

"No, Ho'otseoo'e!" No Harm grabbed her tiny wrists, stopping her from climbing down the tree. "I will go. You must stay here. You must keep out of danger."

"I don't care about myself! I promised Cloud Dancing I would take care of her!" Katie cried as she began to push her way past him, down the limbs of the trees. No Harm quickly followed her, but she moved faster than he did, and as she got to the bottom of the tree, she raced back to the camp, tearing into a sprint through the thin veil of trees.

"Ho'otseoo'e!" No Harm screamed as he chased after her, but there was no stopping her—she was heading straight into dawn, straight into the war zone.

"Snowbird! I'm coming Snowbird!" Katie called out as she rounded the ridge.

"Ho'otseoo'e! Stop Ho'otseoo'e!" No Harm screamed as she descended into the camp. As he stood on top on the ridge, his heart stopped as he looked down at the burning cones. Bodies were strewn everywhere, and people were scattering, running for the trees that they had just departed.

He spotted her quickly, her blonde hair loose from its braids—he ducked behind teepees, sinking low to the ground, so not to be seen by the soldiers around him.

The top of their teepee was in flames and she quickly threw open the flap, searching inside. "Snowbird! Where are you, Snowbird?"

But Snowbird was not inside. She quickly grabbed her white blanket, turned around and ran outside. Everything was hot and smoke filled the air around them. She couldn't hear or think straight. She didn't want to be here… She wanted… She wanted—she turned around, looking for someone, anyone she knew, but she saw nothing but bodies, nothing but lifeless faces who had the last look of shock on their faces, they why in their eyes… She ran towards the stream, away from it all, but stopped once she his body curled beside his wife. Black Kettle was dead.

A feeling of disgust rushed through her body as Katie screamed out in horror, staggering back in fear and shock. Where was No Harm? She had to find him… What if… The bodies were everywhere, in every direction, and their eyes, their eyes were all closed, all open, all dead, all lost….Why, why, why... Suddenly she fell backwards, landing backwards, hard on the ground. She felt a warm hand against her face and then looked up.

She lost her heart in that moment. Snowbird was lying on the ground. Blood was falling in a steady red stream from her mouth. Katie took the white blanket in her hands and covered Snowbird, placing her hands around her face. "I'm here, Snowbird, I'm here! I'm going to take care of you, just like Cloud Dancing told me to." Snowbird's eyes shuttered and a soft smile came to her face. "Do you here me Snowbird? Snowbird?"

Katie tapped her face lightly and kissed her cheeks three times. Snowbird's breath was shallow. She found Katie's eyes and held them. "You are so old. So much older than you need to be. You don't have to take care of me anymore. I want you to run, Ho'otseoo'e, run like lightening. Don't let them find you."

"I can't leave you. You're my family. Where am I going to go?" Snowbird held Katie's face above hers and pressed a kiss to her lips. It was a kiss of love. It was a kiss of life. It was a kiss of goodbye.

"Go to Colorado Springs. Don't let them find you," She whispered just as her eyes closed.

Katie lifted Snowbird in her arms as the smallest whisper came out, "W-who's going to take care of me?"

And without warning, Katie's cry filled the camp. She keened over Snowbird, hot tears running down her face as feral sounds emitted from her mouth. Everything was gone. And then the only words that made any sense came to her mouth, and she held her hands out and screamed up to the Heavens, "M-MAMA! I WANT M-MY MAMA!"

A cold hand pressed down on her shoulder and she looked up into the eyes of a soldier. He frowned at her as he saw her blonde hair and blue eyes, and he said, "Come here, little girl. Are you lost, sweetheart?"

"Evoneše?" She retorted, pushed his hand off her shoulder.

"But-but you're a white girl. Hey Major! We gotta problem here!" Katie stood up slowly and glared at the soldier.

"Natsêhestahe," she said defiantly, proudly.

As another soldier approached, her eyes moved quickly around the circle of flames. Snowbird was right. There was nothing to do but run. As two officers approached them from the north side of ridge, Katie took off south towards the Washita river.

"She's gettin' away!" The Major yelled and drew up his gun.

The first soldier looked at the little blonde head flying through wind and he turned around, waving his hands. "Stop sir! Stop! She's a white girl! Stop!"

Katie turned back around, rage filling her body as she heard him, as she watched the last remains of her people die away with the morning. With a clear voice that did not belong to a child, but a nation, she screamed back, "Natsêhestahe! I AM CHEYENNE! Natsêhestahe!"

"What is she sayin'?" One officer asked the other, his rifle still aimed at Katie.

The Major shook his head. "Looks like them Indians have driven that child crazy."

"Well, I say we put her out of her misery." The officer released his safety, but the Major pushed his gun down.

"No. That's a white child right there. I won't have that on my conscience, no matter what garbage she's speakin'." The soldiers turned around, and Katie was free, she knew. But No Harm. Where was he? Why did she run ahead….? It wasn't safe for him like it was for her…. The Major suddenly turned around and looked at her, glaringly.

"If you can understand me, girl—you better run. We don't take kindly to Indian lovers. And you best keep your mouth shut. I know your face now. I know you. So get!" Katie stared at the Major, memorizing his face, his gray eyes, and his dark black hair.

"Natsêhestahe!" She said again, her jaw set in place. She would not be afraid of him.

"Get!" He said again, his temper flaring, knowing he could do nothing to her.

"Natsêhestahe," she whispered, before disappearing behind the river bend. The Major shook his head. He hated sympathizers. There was nothing worse. As he turned around, his two officers came back with a small boy in tow.

"We just found him hiding by the river, pretending to be dead. What should we do with him?" One officer held No Harm by the hair while the other one kept his arms behind his back.

The Major stepped forward and looked at the small boy. He smirked. "Are you goin' to be a brave, son?"

No Harm had heard Katie in the distance, and his heart had filled with pride. But as he stared into this man's eyes, he knew that he couldn't speak the truth. He couldn't say what was in his heart. He would surely die. He quietly shook his head and lowered his eyes.

"Aw, he's just a kid, Major." The Major considered this for a moment and looked in to No Harm's eyes.

"Put him with the rest of the prisoners," The Major said. As No Harm was pushed away, he turned around, but there was no sign of Katie. She was gone.

As the morning came into full glory, the prisoners were taken away, and the bodies and skeletons of black teepees were all that remained of the Cheyenne camp by the Washita.

1880

Sully took No Harm's hand in his and held it for a long moment as he studied the young man's eyes. Katie watched her father's eyes, and for a moment, she didn't know what he would say.

But Michaela knew. She knew right away Sully understood how No Harm felt about their daughter. How long he had waited to be with her. Exactly what they weren't saying. She knew Sully.

Sully looked into his daughter's eyes and smiled, reassuring her before he looked firmly into No Harm's. "I'm glad ya found your way home, No Harm. Come inside."