For a moment, the woman thought that surely the young girl was joking. But the sadness written all over the teen's face told her otherwise.
"Alicia!" she cried, running into the house. "I must go, my mother is sick!"
"I'm coming with you!" replied the blonde, calling after the Indian as she ran outside to saddle Belle, Blue Fire mounting Winter Escape as she did.
"Perhaps I can help," suggested Golden Eagle, retrieving his horse from the barn. Christian helped Virgil on in front of him, and soon they were all ready to go.
"Go, Small Fox," urged Robyn, and the girl lead the way, four horses making dust as they galloped across the land at full speed, blazing a path to the Apache nation, Blue Fire terrified that in the twenty mile trek she would lose her mother.
On the way, Christian asked the girl to explain the illness, and listened with rapt attention as she related the details. Pulling up alongside of Blue Fire, he said, "I saw this sickness go through my village just before I left, but we found a way to stop it. If it is not too far, I may be able to help your mother."
The Indian stared at him, as if unsure of whether to trust him or not.
"Please, Blue Fire, I only wish to help," he assured her. "You have saved my son, it is the least I can do." With a nod, the woman gave in, and prayed she was doing the right thing by trusting a Navajo… they weren't known to be particularly hospitable, and rumors had been spread about the tribe warring with neighboring nations, including the Apaches in some areas.
Still, if it meant saving her mother's life, she'd do anything, and she knew it.
Racing into the camp, quickly explaining to Ndoitcho that Alicia, Virgil, and Christian were allowed to be there, she charged into her mother's hut. There, lying on a bed of many soft furs, skin an unusually pale color, Robyn winced as she heard her mother take a few wheezing breaths.
"Shi ma," said Blue Fire, sinking to her knees beside her mother's bedside. "Golden Eagle, a Navajo, says this same sickness went through his own village many moons ago. He knows the izee to heal you; will you let him?"
Feather in the Wind opened her eyes slowly, and gave her only child a weak smile. "Our own medicine man cannot help me now, Dotth'izh ko'. Perhaps this is goodbye," the old woman muttered.
Blue eyes became frantic. "No, mother! Please, let Golden Eagle help. We must try," she pleaded, not ready to lose her mother. When the elderly Indian finally gave in, if only to humor her daughter, Blue Fire called for Christian, who immediately had Feather in the Wind drink a cup of tea he'd made while waiting.
"This will help the cough," he told her, and Blue Fire translated, since her mother still didn't understand much English. The Navajo and Apache languages were similar in many ways, and while Blue Fire assumed with enough exposure to the tongue she could pick it up rather easily, she was glad that Christian chose to speak in English.
"You must rest and sleep often, and drink a lot of water. There is an herb in there to fight the fever and to help you sleep. You should feel better in a day or so," he deduced, slowly rising to his feet, respectfully lowering his head as he backed out of the woman's kowa, leaving her alone with her daughter.
"You will be okay, now," said Blue Fire, more to reassure herself than the woman lying on the cot.
"My daughter, I am old," Feather in the Wind reminded, gently.
"But you cannot leave yet!" cried the Indian. "I love you."
Feather in the Wind smiled. "And I love you, Blue Fire," she echoed, "but if it is my time to go, then I must go. I know your Alicia will take good care of you."
"I promise," said the blonde, quietly entering the kowa, standing beside the woman she loved. "She's a handful, though, and I don't think I can do it without your help," she added, with a small smile, and Blue Fire nodded.
"Yes, you must stay to help her," she urged, wanting to do anything to give her mother back the hope she needed to stay alive. Alicia took her hand, giving it a strong squeeze, letting her know she was there for her.
Seeing the woman yawn, Alicia suggested, "Why don't we let you get some rest for a while? We'll be right outside if you need anything." Feather in the Wind agreed, and the rancher gently led the tall Indian outside, pulling her into a loving hug, not caring who saw or what they thought. All that mattered to her was that the woman she loved was hurt, and in need of some comfort.
When they pulled back, Robyn gave her a grateful smile, and kissed her forehead. "Thank you, my love," she whispered, reluctantly moving away from the rancher when Small Fox motioned to her.
"Dotth'izh ko', what is that man doing here?" asked Small Fox, taking her sister to the side. "He is Navajo."
"And? He is a friend," the woman assured the girl.
The younger Indian shook her head. "Have you not heard? The Navajo are expected to create trouble for our tribe. My father says they are to provoke a war between our nations soon, and with their intertribal alliances, they are stronger. We have little chance against them, especially since my father is becoming weak and fragile," she whispered, urgently.
Blue Fire paused for a moment – was this the tomahawk that broke the nation apart - the Navajo tribe? Would she be called to fight in the war? Is that how she helped save the nation? She didn't like that idea at all, but knew she would do it if she were asked; they were her people, after all.
"Dotth'izh ko'? Did you hear?" repeated Small Fox, bringing Blue Fire back to awareness.
"Yes, child," she said, quietly, "I heard you. I will be staying here with my mother, but after I return to the ranch with Alicia, keep me updated. I want to know what is going on," the tall woman requested, and her Apache sister agreed, leaving her alone for the time being.
"Christian…" began the woman, going up to the man, not quite sure how to ask the question she wanted answered, and so decided for the direct approach. "How strong is your tribe? Small Fox tells me they may plan to attack our people, and it would be good to know what we are up against. I understand if you cannot say," she added, knowing where the Indian's loyalties might lie.
The man shook his head, his lips pursed tightly. "They are not my people, Blue Fire, and I will tell you why I say this.
"When I first met Mercy, my wife, she was running from a slave master that was bringing his slaves through the northern part of the land. She stumbled into our camp, and I was the first to find her, luckily. I took her to my hut and told my friends I was going to take care of her, since she was bleeding from the chains and whips that had been laid upon her skin, and they said it was fine, so long as she left when she was healed.
"She healed slowly, but I was by her side day and night, and we soon fell in love. I knew she was what I'd been waiting for all my life, and I cherished her kind soul. My brothers were not very happy, however, when they found out I had asked her to join with me. They looked down upon my marriage to Mercy, because she was a former slave, but we were in love, and we were married anyway. I loved her very much, and they barely tolerated me after that, but I was allowed in my village for a time. When Virgil was born, they called him a bastard child and he was not permitted to be on our land. We were forced to leave, and for many years we were on the run, hiding from the men I used to call brothers.
"They would attack my wife and son only because they are not part of the tribe… since then we have been at odds. And now, after… I would be glad to tell you all I can to help," he agreed, taking the woman aside as he discussed strategies and tactics in a hushed voice.
Having all this information, Blue Fire quickly reported to Ndoitcho, and told him what she'd found out and from whom. He was pleased to have the inside connection, and called a council meeting to make a strategy, in case they were forced to fight against the Navajo, so they would have a slight edge. They'd be ready for them, Ndoitcho promised, dismissing Dotth'izh ko' quickly.
Robyn stepped out of the chief's kowa, only to come face-to-face with Alicia.
"Love?" she asked, frowning when she noticed the blonde didn't look happy.
"Just what did you think you were doing?" she demanded.
"What?" asked Blue Fire, truly perplexed.
"Telling Christian not to touch me? To stay away from me? Did you think I'd leave you for him?" she cried, angrily. "I thought you trusted me. I guess I was wrong." With that, she spun around on her heel, storming off.
"Alicia, wait!" pleaded Robyn, running to catch up with her, walking backwards as she tried talking to the hostile rancher. "Please, Alicia, stop."
The blonde sighed heavily, and stilled her steps, staring at the Indian with tears in her eyes as the copper skinned woman attempted to soothe the rancher's anger.
"My heart, it's not that I don't trust you… I was only jealous of the way Christian seemed to always be around you. I did not mean to upset you, I… I think I was just afraid."
"Of what?"
"That I would lose you," admitted the tall woman.
"To Christian?" Robyn nodded. "Blue Fire, I love you, but I will not allow you to choose my friends. If you're going to feel threatened by every man that comes near me, how can I believe that you trust me? Do you think I'd cheat on you?"
Blue eyes widened, and the Indian shook her head. "I know you would not, my love, and I do trust you. It is the others that I do not trust. You are very beautiful and very kind, and anyone would want you. Please, love, I am not used to having to share you with anyone yet, and it is a little uncomfortable for me to have Christian in the house when he is always so close to you. I am sorry for what I said. Forgive me?"
Alicia sighed, and rolled her eyes, before nodding. "I guess," she stated, evenly. "But the next time you're worried, or something bothers you, come talk to me, okay? I'd rather hear it from you than from Christian, or anyone else, for that matter."
Blue Fire agreed, relieved, and gave the small blonde a few loving kisses on the cheek, moving to nuzzle her neck. "I do love you, my soul," she murmured, as Alicia wrapped her arms around her strong back.
"I love you, too, sweetheart," smiled the rancher. "You know I can't stay mad at you for very long…"
Robyn grinned, and lightly nipped the blonde's earlobe, smiling to herself at the shiver it sent down Alicia's spine. "Lucky for me," she breathed, her breath warm against the rancher's neck, as she moved her kisses to the sensitive spot on the inside of the woman's throat.
"Robyn…" gasped the woman, reluctantly pulling away before they got too carried away. She didn't want to make a scene right in the middle of the Apache camp, as much as her heart was racing. Robyn knew exactly what she was doing to her and the sly grin on her face told her she loved every moment of it.
"Now, now, don't start something you can't finish," warned Alicia, and Blue Fire raised an eyebrow at her, seductively.
"What makes you think I cannot finish it, my love?" she purred, and the blonde buried her head in the woman's shoulder as she blushed.
"Oh, God. You're terrible," she scolded, squealing in surprise when the Indian picked her up into her arms, spinning her around before carrying her across the camp.
"Alicia?" asked Blue Fire, her voice low, as they stood just outside her kowa, which her mother had made sure remained standing, should her daughter return.
The rancher sighed, happily encased in the woman's strong arms. "Yes?"
"May I show you how much I love you?"
Emerald eyes brightened expectantly. "Please."
Hours later, at a little before dusk, Christian cleared his throat as he called for Blue Fire, praying he wasn't interrupting something. He'd seen the look in both women's eyes, and knew it would be wise not to disturb them for a while.
"Come in, Christian," Blue Fire grinned. "We are decent, as they say." The man entered the kowa, finding the tall woman lying with Alicia asleep in her arms, love shining in her eyes. To his relief, they were both fully dressed.
"I came to tell you your mother is awake," he said, quietly, so as not to wake Alicia. "She looks well, but asked me to tell you she wants to see you after you are… finished," the man concluded, lamely.
Robyn chuckled softly. "My friend, I know what you're thinking, but Alicia and I did not make love," she stated, amused by the red flush that rose in his face.
"Mm, it was better," muttered Alicia, curling closer to her Indian as the woman grinned and kissed the top of her head.
"We have both decided to wait on that, but I spent a while giving her a massage, since I have not had time lately to do that," she explained, not wanting the man to get the wrong idea… Although she was sure that was what everyone else thought they were doing, as well.
"And she is very good at it," complimented Alicia, eyes still closed as she refused to get up from her comfortable spot, remembering with a smile the strong hands that had skillfully massaged her back, small kisses placed softly on the same area. The dark-skinned woman knew how to give one hell of a massage, that was for sure.
"She makes a really good pillow, too." Then, peeking one eye open, she focused on Christian, and stated, "But she's my pillow." Robyn laughed, and Christian smiled, as he backed out of the kowa, having delivered his message, and finding out much more than he'd bargained for.
Blue Fire, Alicia, and Virgil stayed for three days, wanting to make sure Feather in the Wind was feeling better, while Christian went to town to get supplies and began rebuilding his cabin. He visited his wife daily, to update her on the life of their son, taking time out every morning to watch the sunrise with her and place a fresh flower on her grave.
When Robyn was sure that her mother was out of the woods, thanks to Golden Eagle's medicine, they all headed back to the ranch, under the insistence of Feather in the Wind herself. While she loved her daughter, she claimed, she knew she was more comfortable when she was able to be alone with Alicia.
"We will visit again soon," promised the Indian, before they left. Stopping to speak with Small Fox, the girl had no news, and so bid her sister good health, extending that greeting to Alicia, which surprised Blue Fire immensely.
"You would wish her well?" she exclaimed, and the young girl smiled.
"She makes you happy, Dotth'izh ko', anyone can see that," Small Fox pointed out. "It is clear she is what you need in your life, and so I wish her the best, because it follows that if one is happy, then you both are happy."
Blue Fire just shook her head, pleased with how her young friend had suddenly seemed to mature and look at the world with open eyes. "I am glad to hear it, child," she said, fondly, embracing the girl in a quick hug before mounting Winter Escape. Waving goodbye, both women rode away from the camp feeling a little better about the people therein, and themselves.