Chapter 13

When life in the Indian village grew quieter, Michaela carefully lowered herself onto the ground, avoiding quick moves. It wasn't only because all her body ached but she knew that one moan, one eye contact was enough to attract One Eye's attention to her again. At the moment he had given up to force himself on her, but she couldn't be sure that he would continue to listen to Cloud Dancing's son.

For Michaela, Walks On Clouds' remark that she was only useful for the group when she stayed alive had rekindled a tiny glimmer of the hope she had already lost. The way they had treated her so far had shown nothing but contempt towards her, making her fear the worst. It was as if she was a bag they had initially wanted at all costs but now didn't know if they would keep it or rather throw away.

They had neither offered her something to eat or drink apart from the small sip Walks On Clouds had allowed her to take. No one had bothered to give her a blanket for the night. Her wrists were still tied together and the only comfort on the uneven soil were her hands she had tucked under her cheek. It was the one that wasn't swollen and scratched. Yet.

However, her not being able to protect herself from the crisp night air was the smallest of her concerns. Now that she had time to think she felt the signs of a late shock setting in. As her body began to shudder violently, she curled up on her side and closed her eyes, willing herself to relax. Since she wouldn't get anything that would help her to warm, this was the only thing she could do. Needing distraction from the situation she was in, she directed her thoughts to the children. Worrying about how they took her abduction didn't do her any good though. She knew they would fear losing her as suddenly as they had lost their real mother. Pressing herself against the ground harder to rather feel physical pain than this emotional terror she silently promised to make it back to them. She couldn't have them endure another loss. She had no idea yet how to manage it but she had to stay alive no matter what the Indians would do to her. With that she was back at her own dread though. Her mind desperately sought for a solution but she knew she would never succeed on her own. She needed help and the only one who could offer it was Sully.

Sully. Now that she had allowed herself to think his name her heart started to flutter inside of her chest. Unintentionally, a small sound escaped her lips, and startled, she lay perfectly still for several moments. When she continued hearing nothing but the loud thumping of her pulse, she began taking deeper breaths again.

She had seen him on Mrs. Caraway's threshold when she had dared look back as One Eye rode away with her, and she even thought she had heard him calling her name. She wasn't sure about this though; maybe this was rather wishful thinking…

As Morpheus finally had pity and eventually pulled Michaela into his arms, Sully was still staring up at the night sky. He had gone back to the small cabin and followed the dog soldiers' track as long as there was enough light to discern their traces. All he could do now was hope that he wasn't too far behind them. Every time his lids drooped he was haunted by the terror he had seen in Michaela's eyes, and he knew that she had every reason to be frightened. Yet there was something else he couldn't forget – the way Colleen had looked at him when he'd told the kids that Dr. Mike had been kidnapped. It was the mix of fear and reproach that heightened his feeling of anguish and guilt and kept him awake. He didn't know yet that things would get worse.

In the morning he was full of hope though. He had risen with dawn and easily found the tracks of the dog soldiers again. They were still quite fresh and when Wolf joined him shortly after he'd resumed his search, Sully knew that he was close.

He found the renegades indeed yet only to be more devastated afterwards. Hearing Michaela screaming his name with all her might but not being able to see her already sent him over the edge yet the news about his Cheyenne family topped that. As far as he knew Custer, the general's word couldn't be trusted which meant that Michaela's life was even in greater danger now. From the moment he realized this, he simply functioned.

First he raced back to town in order to mediate between the army and the Indians yet his attempt came to nothing. In the contrary, Custer turned the tables on him. Now he had to carry the burden of being responsible to save not only Dr. Mike's life but the lives of about fifty Cheyenne as well. Sully didn't dare imagine the consequences if he failed. However, there was no use dwelling on such thoughts for they wouldn't help him find the one person in this world whose death would finish his life, too. That was why he didn't lose time but hurried back to the place where he had last seen Dr. Mike so as to pick up the trail again.

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Exhausted beyond all measures Michaela was glad when they at last reached a small Indian village as dusk approached. When they shoved her to a fireplace, gesturing for her to sit down and stay there, she knew that they would spend the night in this camp. Relief flooded her for a moment; she needed this break. Although she was used to working long hours, nothing had prepared her for a day like the one that lay behind her. The dog soldiers had dragged her along like an unwanted toy they needed to keep with them for some reason. They made her ride and walk and climb for hours on end without ever untying her wrists. Thus she fell quite often; she had long given up on paying attention to any new bruises and scratches.

However, no matter how terrible and low she felt, her determination to survive this ordeal never wavered. Not only did other lives depend on her in the true sense of the word but there was another reason that kept her going: Sully was still looking for her. She had hoped so from the moment she heard that the Indians would trade her for the Cheyenne who were held captive, and when she saw Wolf down by the creek this morning she was sure Sully hadn't given up yet.

It was this knowledge that gave her the courage to fight One Eye when he pulled her to her feet from her place next to the fire, touching her in a way that made his intentions clear. Her sudden boost of power was instantly gone though when the Indian bashed her across the face, sending her roughly to the ground.

And again it was Walks On Clouds who saved her. He didn't do it out of pity for her though, he did it for his family that needed the doctor to return to Colorado Springs. After he'd dragged her into a teepee he urged her to flee. Michaela wasn't able to move for a moment when she heard his reason: One Eye wanted to kill her.

Thus she ran; not only for her own life but for those of her Cheyenne friends as well. She didn't get far though. Hearing a shot she knew that Cloud Dancing's son had paid with his life for helping her, and that her escape was detected. Her pulse, already racing, sped up even more as she desperately looked for a place to hide. Seeing a hollow log she climbed into it, pulling some dry branches over her for cover. She heard the renegates calling at each other, saw them pass her hiding place. Only when no one found her for the longest time did she finally dare to move. She could already feel a sense of freedom when her hopes were brutally dashed as she suddenly found herself across from One Eye. She didn't have time to be frightened for he instantly strangled her with his large hands. The last thought she had before he smashed her against the next tree was that she had let everyone down. The blackness that was engulfing her was very welcome, shielding her from the pain both, her body and soul were in.

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Another morning and he still hadn't found her. Wolf had led him to a spot at the creek last night where a dead Indian lay propped against a stone. Sully was concerned first, thinking Wolf had led him on the wrong track yet seeing the white cloth on the dog soldier's wound he knew that Michaela had been there. New hope spurred him on yet he lost the trail shortly before nightfall. His furry friend couldn't help either and thus Sully assumed the group had crossed the creek. It was already too dark to go on though, and so he could do nothing but wait for sun up.

This night was worse than the one before. Sully lay on his back, his hands under his head. Gazing at the starry sky, he wasn't able to stop thinking about what the Indians might do to Michaela. He knew they wouldn't be able to break her will, but what about her body? The renegades were men that were used to get what they wanted from a woman, and Michaela looking different with her white skin, soft auburn hair and delicate figure must be especially attractive to them. And she was so afraid of being touched…

Groaning, he turned on his side, hoping sleep would come soon and blacken the pictures that rose before his inner eye. He needed to be strong. He would find her.

As soon as there was enough light in the morning, Sully was on his way again. After crossing the creek and climbing up the bank he recognized the surroundings. Once he had been here with Cloud Dancing who had told him about a small Cheyenne village only a few miles north. Sully hadn't even finished that thought when he was already running. Trees and bushes seemed to back away from the invisible path he was following; bumps on the ground didn't exist. Never slowing down, his feet barely touched the soil and grass. If someone had watched him he would have sworn that the mountain man was flying.

And then he was there. Wolf instantly started sniffing around between the few teepees and whilst catching his breath, Sully looked around for any sign of Michaela.

Yet his gaze only fell on Indians. Indians who had turned into stony-faced statues the moment he had entered their village. Desperately, Sully tried to read their expressions but it was in vain. However, he couldn't give up. He needed them to tell him what they knew.

"Help me," he implored in Cheyenne and English. Gaining no reaction he repeated his plea several times, stepping from group to group, crouching down next to the women by the fires, touching arms as to make them look at him, searching for one friendly face. Yet he only found rebuff and fear in the dark eyes.

Rising to his feet again, desperation threatened to overwhelm him. Gesturing he explained them in both languages who Michaela was; what she was for him. Still no reaction.

"She's my heart song," he eventually said with his voice cracking, placing his fist above his heart. "Help me."

One of the elder women finally did. And she gave him Walks on Clouds' necklace. Sully knew what that meant.

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Although the Indian grandmother had given him the direction, Sully didn't find the dog soldiers. There was no trace of them on the rocky path. At one point he even had to leave Wolf behind because climbing up the steep boulders would be too much for the animal.

Sunset was already near when Sully reached a small even area high above the creek. Close to despair, he slowly looked around. He had no clue where to go next and thus he decided to ask the Spirits for guidance. Allowing his eyelids to droop he raised his head and lifted his straightened arms with outstretched palms a tiny bit, trying to find his center.

As he at last went down on his knees he was fully concentrated and his pulse slowed down, growing stronger in the process. It was as if his heart turned into a drumstick, using his ribcage as the sound box sending his message to Michaela: I'm here. Where are you? Give me a sign!

Michaela wasn't as far away as Sully feared; only a bit more than a mile separated them. The dog soldiers were taking a break, drinking water and eating. They had been on their way all day, and Michaela was just thankful that she could sit. Her head was still throbbing with pain from the blow last night but she didn't pay attention to her physical discomfort. Although her body was working hard alternating between climbing and riding, her mind wasn't occupied as it usually was. No plans to make, no patients to think about, nothing to read and no one to talk to but loads of unwanted questions. Would she be able to fight One Eye tonight again? Would she be still alive in the morning? What would the children do without her? Every time she asked herself the latter she interrupted this train of thought. Sully would say there was no sense in thinking about things no one could know yet if they would ever happen. That was why she rather directed her thoughts to him, trying to picture his face, finding comfort in imagining hearing his voice… If she would ever be lucky enough to see him again she would stop pushing him away. She wanted him by her side and wanted to be at his. There was no use in denying this any longer. She only hoped it wasn't too late.

Close to collapsing, Michaela sat on a rock with her head hanging down and her shoulders slumped, yet from one minute to the other she grew more alert. Did she hear Sully's voice? Straightening, she listened more carefully. She could swear that it was him, telling her that he was there.

A sudden, wild and desperate hope filled her being, making any coherent thought impossible. As an Indian approached her, offering water, Michaela only briefly hesitated before she took her chance. Pushing the dog soldier away with her still bound hands, she awkwardly but quickly rose and run away, screaming the one name that meant everything to her, "Sully!"

Of course she didn't get far, her captors instantly threw her onto the ground. For some reason they didn't kill her right then and there. Later she almost wished they had when every new step made her cry out in pain. They had stripped her of her shoes.

Sully's eyes flew open as he heard the anxious calls by a flock of birds in the distance. Without any doubt he knew that it was there where he had to go. Easily picking up the right direction he didn't waste one second but immediately resumed his search. It didn't take him long till he found them.

Ducking behind a boulder, he watched the dog soldiers following one after another a small path beneath his position. He heard Michaela before he spotted her. Every single sound she gave away was like the blade of a knife plunging into his heart, making him endure the same pain she felt. He wondered what they were doing to her, and when she finally came into his sight, he understood: an Indian dragged her mercilessly along the narrow stony way on her bare feet. When she fell, the man simply pulled on the rope that he held in his hand and was connected with the ties which bound her wrists together.

If he hadn't been aware of it being deathly carelessness to act now, he would have challenged the dog soldiers to give Michaela free right away. Yet he knew he had to wait until darkness was on his side. It cost him every ounce of his willpower to stay back; but he did. He had found her, and he wouldn't leave her again.

...

Morpheus is the Greek God of dreams (son of Hypnos, God of sleep).