CHAPTER 47
Paw puts his arm around his nephew and feels reunited with Lone Wolf, his brother. He pulls Kiowa in tight and doesn't say anything, but part of him feels like he's losing a son.
When Kiowa breaks free from Paw's grip, the emptiness brings an immediate sorrow. As the warmth from his nephew leaves, Paw cherishes the honor he had in raising his "would-be son." For though he did not know the meaning of all the lessons and all the sacrifices, it is now that his purpose as provider, protector, and surrogate parent has come together. My circle is complete. I was preparing this boy to be a man. The man is moving toward a beautiful woman. What could I offer greater than this?
"Go from love to love," are all the words that dance off his lips. He draws a deep breath, raises his flute, and blows every emotion he's ever had for the boy into the most beautiful notes Kiowa has ever heard.
A bright yellow-orange harvest moon hovers over the dark pine forest. Anoki dismounts Night Wind once she brings him to a skidding stop. His coat is wet with sweat. He heaves and neighs as she dismounts. When her feet hit the ground, fireflies share her joy in exploding bursts of excitement. Her slender left shoulder is completely exposed and glistens in the moonlight. Her face is calm and determined. Her soul vibrates like a plucked string. Her hands rest by her sides. Her face wears a delicate expression. The way she looks at Kiowa is how every man wants his woman to look at him, not just on his wedding night, but every night. Her female power is wrapped in desire and absolute want. Where her gaze rests is the unmistaken object of her affection.
Kiowa's nervous smile melts away when he receives her power. It is as though she is challenging him in a new way, and he does not shrink from the invitation, but embraces it. He points to his healed scars and wins a smile from her.
The way he looks at Anoki is the way every woman wants a man to look at her. A tender look that says, You alone can quench this terrible thirst. A confident look that ensures he will not shrink from love or manly duties, but will raise her up to multiply their love. A bold look that shows he will protect her and stomp her fear out with steadiness. A look of such love, he answers the eternal question her heart yearns to hear. The answer is, she knows now, she will never be alone again. Kiowa will always be there for her.
With her hair down and strewn all around her, she signals to the world that she is no longer single. Her beauty is magnified a thousand times by those silky black strands.
Kiowa is so taken aback by her loveliness, he doesn't rush up and sweep her off her feet like she expects. Instead, he admires her with an expression that she doesn't know how to interpret.
A gust of wind blows her hair around her face. She tilts her head and looks at him with inviting eyes and alluring lips. No man on earth could resist her.
He takes a step forward, then back.
Anoki blushes and flips her hair the way she imagines it will entice him. By the rise of his brows and the lift of his lips, she knows she has hit her mark.
His feet feel like needles on a compass, pulling him to his true north. Remembering his lessons with the deer, Kiowa approaches reverently.
"Kiowa!" Onendah shouts. He shakes his head and motions with his hand.
The two stand only feet from each other, and though they both want to embrace, the ceremony forbids man and wife from touching each other until they have made sacred promises to each other. Between the space that separates them, everyone present can feel their electric love crackling off the couples tingling bodies.
Onendah steps between them. He carries the wrapped lance.
With an eagle wing in one hand he motions for Kiowa to stand closer to his right and then Anoki on his left. The two obey.
A million jitters explode in trembles of excitement off the bride and groom.
"The love you two share for each other is most pleasing to my eyes. Kiowa, I have never seen your face shine like the sun. It does your spirit much good." He turns to her and tickles her face with eagle feathers. "Her beauty glows like no moon I have ever seen." Onendah smiles and circles the eagle wing over his head. "I have seen in vision that your love is forbidden. Because you are Hopi, the Kiowa will do you harm. For this purpose, we have met in secrecy, to summon Naukolahe's magic. Do you both agree of your own free will that this is the reason we are here?"
The two look at each other and nod.
"Naukolahe will not allow love to die. It is his most precious magic. When a man and a woman find it, he shines his light so that you may grow it. It is his desire that you both be protected and preserved. He has shown me what must be done and I am prepared to do it. But before I do, I would like for you both to express your feelings for each other."
Paw places paint bowls at their feet.
Kiowa lunges forward and flexes his muscles as he throws his arms up over his head. He lowers them so that his hands are pointed at Anoki. He claps his hands together and locks his fingers.
"I have caught something that could not be caught."
His power overwhelms her and causes her to spin around in an excited twirl. Her hair lifts and twirls with her dress. She holds up her right hand. "And I have received your love."
She dips her finger in white paint and paints the shape of a heart on her palm.
"And I draw it on my hand and offer it back to you"—she extends her arm—"as my most precious gift."
She walks over to him and tenderly presses her hand to his heart, where there are three distinct scars. "Oh, how deep my love is for you. I put it here in your heart because this is where I know you will keep it safe. The bear marks the tree and so I mark my man."
Kiowa looks down at her hand, then back up at her. "In my vision, you were the fire and I was the sky. I have caught your flame."
He dips his hand in yellow paint.
"And?" Anoki asks with a hint of fear on her trembling lips.
"I am not made of leaves at all. I know now that I can hold your flame firm in my sky. It is not just a flame. It is a great fire, but it will not consume me. I will use my sky magic to fuse the fabric of our souls together and protect our flame from blowing out," he says as he draws from his heart, down his arm, and up her arm. "Staring at the sun, I went blind. My spirit eyes could see that our love for each other is as bright as the blinding sun. What power could be greater than that? With my magic and the power of the sun, I connect myself to you. You are my center. You are my home." He puts his palm on her heart, leaving his yellow handprint on her chest.
A broad smile lifts his high cheekbones and enhances his sharp jaw and strong neck. With his eyes he asks if she feels the same as he does. With his trembling hands and his words, he shines his light on every inch of her.
"These words do please me," she says, beaming with confidence. "The more love you give to me, the more I will have to give back to you. I will take the thread of time and stitch our souls together with the needle of adversity. We will be like the lake that reflects the stars. No one can tell where one begins and the other ends, and so it will be the same for our love. Our fire sky will burn forever!"
He takes her hand. They stare into each other's eyes, making a deep connection that only two lovers can understand and reciprocate.
Onendah looks at the painted couple. "Oh, Great Spirit, hear my words. We small, weak children need your wisdom. Let these my children walk in your strength. Let their paints mix like the reds and purples in your sunsets. Make their hands kind to each other. Their ears open to their needs. Their voices soft, with kind words always. Let them learn the secrets you have hidden under rocks. Show them how to conquer their enemies. Teach them how to keep their spirits clean so that when they return to you, they will not wear the blanket of shame. With this prayer, I now use my power to seal them as one." He raises a bundle that he's wrapped the lance in. His old hooked fingers untie the leather strands. When he unveils the weapon, the moonlight creates an arch, and it activates with a sun-kissed celestial glow.
Anoki and Kiowa gasp. Their emotions for each other are amplified in the weapon's presence.
"Na he, no, na we nah ha," Onendah chants. "Give me the power to bless their lives. I have done as you've asked, Naukolahe. I have brought these two before you and humbly request that you use your power on them now."
As he finishes his prayer, the lance grows so bright it forces them to shield their eyes. An arch of light rises over Onendah and cascades with beams of moonlight that illuminate the entire forest and turn night into day. A strange vibration echoes off the lance like pulsating crystal. The trebles are so powerful they shake the earth. Mist vapors rise off the forest floor and enhance the clean pine scent.
Onendah's irises glow.
"I pray for this gift," Kiowa says.
"I also pray for this gift," Anoki says.
Paw and Makes Trouble chant, "NAT HAY NAY HOE!"
"Anoki, don't do it!" Walpi shouts.
Anoki takes Kiowa's hand, terrified that he might fly away. She sees with her eyes, but she can't believe what her eyes tell her.
The lance's light touches the magic symbols Kiowa painted on her, and they begin to glow like sunlight. Her handprint transforms on Kiowa's chest and glows as well.
"Look," she says, pointing to the marks. "Our love is true. We are connected!"
Paw, Makes Trouble, and Walpi look away from the blinding light. Despite the difficulty, Anoki and Kiowa keep their eyes on each other, gasping as they are overwhelmed by the sun's radiant blessing.
"As Indians, you will be tracked and killed, but as animals, your tribe will never find you," Onendah shouts. "Kiowa, you have chosen this woman to be one with. She has accepted your decision. Now you must both choose to be something else. Tonight and every night after, you shall not be alone. You must touch what you desire to become and skinwalk into the animal you desire to be."
"What is skinwalk?" Walpi asks.
"Naukolahe, protect my children!" Onendah shouts. He lowers the radiant lance so that it divides Kiowa from Anoki.
With his other hand, he plucks an eagle feather from his bonnet and demonstrates what it means to skinwalk. Onendah closes his eyes. His irises glow behind his eyelids. He tilts his head to the heavens like he's concentrating. When he opens his eyes, the white turns yellow.
Authors Note: Have you ever wanted something so bad you were willing to sacrifice your very existance for it? Kiowa made room for each other in their hearts and found that the only way to live was to become something else. Have you become something else to live in someone elses heart? If so, I'd love to hear about it. In case you missed my last note, I wanted to let you know that in just 19 more chapters, Anna & Christian will be making their appearance. We will be jetting from 1859-2011. Hope you're enjoying your read. Merry Christmas, if you would like to read more of my work, I'm working on a sequel to Scrooge. It's titled, Marley and you can find in "A Christmas Carol," Fandom. The work is titled, "Marley, A Christmas Melody."