Thunder Horse – Chapter 10
[59]
Stands With a Fist went straight to work when the tribe arrived at camp. Staying busy helped to take her mind off of all of the possible things that could be going wrong with the war party. Every last possibility had already played itself out in her imagination on the long journey from the winter camp.
She helped Black Shawl and Kicking Bird set up their tipi, and then they returned the favor. She took Black Shawl's 12 year old daughter Willow to the woods to gather wood and water for both houses, then went to the tribal tent to help with the preparation for a communal meal that evening. By the end of the night, she was so tired that she fell right into bed and went to sleep.
[60]
Over the next several days, most of the daylight hours were dedicated to cultivating the fields and planting the vegetables gardens. The tribe's food supply was still dangerously low due to the last raid and the fact that it had been months since the buffalo herds had been seen. Stands worked very hard from sun up to sun down, as did most of her neighbors.
When the war party had not returned after several days, her fear was nearly impossible to contain. A couple of the other wives came to her one afternoon and pleaded with her to talk to Grey Wolf about sending out a scouting party to report back on the whereabouts of their husbands. She told them that she would give it some consideration. Her only hesitation was in appearing weak. She didn't want to bring dishonor to her husband. The other women were more than happy to let that responsibility fall on her head, mostly because they felt that Grey Wolf would be more inclined to agree since Thunder Horse was his grandson.
[61]
When they had not returned in two weeks, Stands thought 'honor be damned.' She needed to know, even if the truth was hard to hear. Nothing could be worse than the fear that fueled her imagination. Once the decision was made, there was no going back. She walked across the camp to Grey Wolf's tipi where she found Pretty Shield, sitting outside grinding spices.
"Good afternoon Pretty Shield. How are you today?" She asked, trying to make small talk.
"I am worried, as I know you must be?" The old woman patted the ground beside her and Stands reluctantly joined her.
"You are right, I am a little worried about my husband." She admitted.
"Everyone is talking about it. Kicking Bird, Stone Calf, Wind in His Hair, they are all in with Grey Wolf now." She pointed to the tipi behind them.
"I too was coming to have a word with your husband. Some of the other wives have asked me to express their concern. You haven't heard any news of the war party have you?" She asked cautiously.
"No one has heard anything as far as I know. You mustn't worry too much. Thunder Horse is an excellent warrior. He will lead them all home safely, you will see." Pretty Shield continued to grind the spices in the mortar as she talked. "Trust the men to handle it dear. Everything will be alright. "
"I am trying, Grandmother." She sighed.
"I wanted to ask you dear, have you given thought to having another baby? It has been long enough." The woman was blunt.
"We are trying, but we are having trouble. Thunder Horse says that it will happen when it happens." The old woman nodded thoughtfully.
"I will think about this. Perhaps there is something that can be done to improve your chances." Stands was both embarrassed and curious. Could her problem be fixed with a potion or some combination of herbs?
Just then, the men stepped solemnly out of the tipi belonging to Grey Wolf and Pretty Shield. Stands looked from one to the other and grew even more worried because they were worried. Wind in His Hair stopped in front of her and she stood to face him.
"I will take several men and we will ride out at daybreak tomorrow to see if we can locate him." He explained, anticipating her concern.
"Thank you." She answered. She felt relieved to know that something was being done, but it didn't ease her concern.
[61]
Wind in His Hair and five other warriors rode off at day break in the direction of the Ute camp. They made camp at dusk and were back on the trail when dawn came on the second day. They reached the Ute's winter camp to find it abandoned. Wind in His Hair rationalized that they had also retreated to their summer camp. There was much debate among the warriors about whether they should head back to camp, or continue on their journey to follow the Ute's. In the end they decided to continue on, knowing that they had not passed the war party on the trail behind them. Hopefully they would run into them somewhere ahead.
They crossed the path of the buffalo a day and a half later and decided to follow. Another half a day's journey and they came across their brothers who had made camp. Thunder Horse greeted the other warriors cheerfully as the two groups merged.
"Did they send you to find us?" Thunder Horse asked.
"Yes, everyone was worried when you didn't come back." Wind offered.
"By everyone, do you mean my wife?" He asked his friend, smiling.
"Your wife, yes, but everyone else was worried also. I am happy to find you well."
"We struck the Ute camp and were very successful getting back our horses; and a few extra for our effort, but when we went to get back our food, we found the Ute's storehouse nearly bare. We could not take what little they had, even if most of it had been ours in the first place. Lucky for us, we ran into the buffalo herd. We thought about sending someone to camp to alert the tribe, but the herd was running in the opposite direction and we couldn't take the chance that we would miss it. Our war party became a hunting party, and we have been very successful. In two more days we will have as much as we can carry back home, but now that you are here, we can carry back even more."
"That is great news, but you wish to stay two more days? We have already been gone five days looking for you." Wind questioned.
"The tribe desperately needs the meat." Thunder reminded. "It is a great sacrifice, but it is our duty to think of the tribe."
"But someone will not be happy." Wind warned.
"I know, but she will understand when she finds out why I was late. She will forgive me." Thunder put his hand on Wind's shoulder. "I hope" The two men laughed.
"Let us get some sleep. We will ride with the buffalo in the morning."
[62]
Stands carried in the wood and water. She picked berries and then helped to weed the garden. She spent some time with Black Shawl and her children, but she was restless. Nothing could hold her attention for very long before her thoughts returned to her missing husband. Even the rescue party had been gone for many days and the whole camp was on edge. The other wives were constantly coming around and crying to her about missing their husbands and sharing their fears about what could have happened to them. She knew that the women were just trying to find comfort by uniting with each other. They were all going through the same thing, but Stands could barely deal with her own problems right now. Having to deal with their fears as well was more than she could stand. She got to the point where she would hide to avoid them when she saw them coming. She felt both guilty and selfish, but she needed desperately to hold on to a shred of optimism, and that was nearly impossible to do when surrounded by constant worry and fear.
[63]
Thunder Horse lead the men back into camp in the middle of the night. Some of them had wanted to sleep out on the prairie and arrive at home in the morning, but Thunder Horse was eager to be home. They slipped quietly into the sleeping village. The single men agreed to fill the storehouse with the meat that they had collected, so that the married men could go on home to their families. Thunder Horse wanted very much to see his wife, but he felt the need to wash the trail dust, blood and sweat off of him before he climbed into bed. He walked down the vacant path to the river. The water was cool and it felt good. He splashed it in his face and all over his body. After his bath, he walked back down the path towards his tipi, where he knew his beautiful wife lay sleeping. The moonlight glistened on his naked body. He hadn't bothered to put back on his dirty clothes. He knew that no one was awake to see him. He looked up at the moon. Even though it shone brightly on the path, dark heavy clouds were rolling in and the air was thick with the smell of rain. As he reached his lodge, he quietly pulled back the door flap and stepped inside. He dropped his clothes on the floor and paused to let his eyes adjust to the darkness. He smiled at the sudden sound of his wife's gentle snoring. Soon he hoped to join her.
On tiptoe he walked over and then slipped gently into bed, trying not to wake Stands, but she had become a light sleeper in his absence. He could tell the exact moment when she awoke and realized that he was there beside her. He could feel her relief.
"Thunder!" She cried as he slid up to her back and pulled her close to him.
"Ssh…Yes, I am home so you need not worry any longer. I know you have been afraid, and you have many questions. I promise that I will answer them all in the morning, but I have missed my home, my bed, and my wife. I am tired, and all I want is to lie down and sleep with you in my arms, and the sound of the rain in my ears. Can we do that? Please?" He asked.
"First tell me, are you hurt?" She asked calmly.
"No. Not even a scratch. I promise." He answered.
"Alright then." She answered, snuggling close into the safety of his arms.
"I am glad that you are home."
"So am I my love. So am I." He kissed her tenderly on top of her head. In a few moments he was snoring. Stands enjoyed the feel of his body lying beside her again.
"I love you." She whispered, knowing that he would not hear her. She closed her eyes as the rain began to fall gently on the canvas of the tipi.
[64]
The rain was still falling three hours later when Stands woke to find her husband's strong hands gliding like warm silk over her skin. He had tugged her tunic up to give him free reign of her body. His hands gently moved over her breasts and down over her stomach. His right arm, the one beneath her, circled her waist and held her close to him as his left hand slid over her hip and down her thigh. It was a sensation of pure pleasure that caused her to move into his touch. She tangled her feet with his and leaned back against his hard body. She smiled when she encountered the evidence of his desire against her bottom.
"Baby, help me take this off." He suddenly whispered, breaking the silence. He tugged her tunic further up and she slipped it over her head. He tossed it away from them, towards the outer wall. As his hands returned to their exploration of her body, he pressed his lips against the back of her shoulder and kissed her tenderly.
"Do you know how much I love you?" He asked. "How much I've missed you." He kissed her repeatedly on her back, tasting her with his tongue. She moaned softly, adding fuel to the fire that they were building.
"Do you know how I feel, knowing that you are mine?" He continued. "Your heart is mine."
"Yes" She sighed. His left hand slid down her stomach and between her legs, which made her melt.
"And your body is mine." He claimed her, slowly dipping one finger into her liquid bliss.
"Yes! Yes!" She cried softly, moving against his hand. He could tell by the way she greedily sought out the pleasure that he was providing, that she would not be able to wait. She needed sexual release and he was more than happy to help her find it. When it came, he felt it move through her body in wave after wave, and it brought a smile of satisfaction to his face.
He eased his hand from between her legs and she immediately rolled over on top of him. She kissed his mouth as he caressed her back, allowing his hands to dip and rise, and to finally rest on her bottom.
"I love you so much." She moaned between kisses that trailed across his chest and belly as she slowly slid down the length of him. She kept one hand splayed across his chest, and wrapped the other one around him. He expelled a deep moan of pleasure as she eagerly took him into her mouth. He placed his left hand over hers on his chest, and tenderly stroked the top of her head as she lovingly drove him to madness. Not long after, he buried his fingers in her hair and he called her name out loud. Stands sat up and looked at him just as he erupted, spilling his seed across his belly. Gently she lay beside him and they looked at each other and smiled. He brushed the hair back from her face with his fingers.
"We are a pair, aren't we?" He asked. Her smile grew.
"Yes we are." She agreed. Thunder rolled out of bed and reached for a bladder of water to wash up with.
"Don't you think for one second that I am through with you." He warned. Stands giggled.
"Don't you think for one second that I am through with you either." She sassed back. "I still have questions that you promised to answer."
Thunder looked down at his limp penis and then grinned at his wife.
"I guess we have a few minutes for questions." He teased.
"So I guess we are staying inside today?" She asked.
"I've been outside for almost 30 days. Besides, it is raining out there still." He said, lifting up the door flap enough to peek outside, then letting it drop closed again.
"Good. I don't want to share you with anyone just yet." She admitted as he returned to bed. He propped up against a pile of buffalo skin blankets and Stands curled up next to him.
"Today, you are mine." She staked her claim.
"Is that so?" He asked playfully.
"Yes. Your heart is mine." She climbed up in his lap, facing him, and resting her hands on his shoulders.
"Yes it is." He admitted. She stared intently into his eyes.
"And your body is mine."
"Yes. Yes." He imitated her. She leaned over him and kissed his lips.
"So what about your questions?" He asked, gently squeezing her bottom in his hands.
"There will be time for talking later." She answered. He looked from her face to her breasts which were positioned in front of his face. His body began to respond, and he grinned.
"Whatever you say. You are the boss today." He took her nipple in his mouth and sucked on it for a second.
"But, the time for talking has passed." He announced. She smiled and eased down on him. They clung to each other without moving for a minute.
"It feels so good to be home." He sighed.
[65]
When the rain stopped there was a big gathering to celebrate the warrior's return and their success on the hunt. The tribe was rejuvenated, and all signs of the stress and fear that plagued them had vanished. Stands sat in the tribal tipi beside her husband and listened intently as he and his brothers told stories about their adventure. Besides the fighting and the hunting of buffalo, the journey home had taken them near the white men's camp. It was difficult to see in the dark, but they were fairly certain that the camp had been abandoned. Wind in His Hair announced plans to ride out to the camp in a day or two, to explore. Thunder Horse looked at Stands as if asking permission to accompany Wind on the journey, and everyone in the tent began to laugh.
"You have survived war with the Utes, a buffalo herd, and many nights out on the prairie. Now you are really taking a chance with your life." Grey Wolf teased. Even Stands had to smile. When the laughter died down and the subject was changed to something else, she leaned over and spoke to her husband.
"I am fine if you go, but I don't want to sleep without you again for awhile." He smiled and kissed her tenderly.
"I don't want to sleep without you either. These men are not nearly as fun, or as warm as you are." He teased.
[66]
A small band rode out the next morning, including Thunder, Wind, and Red Elk. Stands had packed a lunch for her husband, and she made him promise that they would be back before dark. Normally she would not presume to tell him what to do, but they both understood that she had earned the temporary right to be the boss. He definitely didn't want to put her through anymore worry for a while.
Stands spent the day working in the fields with the other women. They laughed, joked, and even sang songs as they pulled weeds. Stands worked with Black Shawl's oldest daughter, Willow. She pointed out what was a weed and what was a plant. Willow would be eleven in another week, and it was time that she learned to help. Black Shawl still had three small children, and so she had asked Stands to help teach her what she might need to know. Stands was happy to do it. She looked on Willow as a little sister, and serving as a teacher gave her a sense of purpose.
The men returned in late afternoon, before dusk and everyone gathered to hear what they had to say. As usual, Thunder Horse took the lead.
"The white men have abandoned their camp." He announced somberly. "I do not know what to think of these people. They do not value life as we do. Although the men were gone, four starving horses remained in a fence so that they could not even graze on the grass to save themselves. As much as it hurt my heart, we had to end their suffering." Everyone listened with sadness as he continued.
"The white men do not know how to live on the prairie. They hunt, but only take what they need and leave the rest to rot. When they are hungry again, they kill again. They pile the carcasses up to draw flies, or throw them into the river, contaminating their own water supply. We are better off without them here. They do not live in harmony with the earth, but instead, they leave a path of destruction. I don't know if they will return, but for now they are gone, and I am glad."