Chapter 8
Hannah laughed as the children chased each other. Compared to the adults, the children were more trusting. They had first been curious when she appeared, wondering who she was. They couldn’t keep away for much longer. They touched her hair, her skin, and had even checked out her teeth. She had also taught them a few simple English words, and was learning from them. Despite what was happening, they were children and they were curious and innocent. They kept her company most of the day.
One of them was her favorite. Ela (Earth) was her name. She was a beautiful child with dark brown eyes and long hair. She was so sweet, hanging around Hannah when she was alone. Regardless of the language barrier, she told the little girl stories, and she listened attentively, as if she understood. Ela (Earth) sat on her lap as Hannah told her a fairy tale about a princess, using her fingers for animations.
There was a noise and she looked up. Staring at her was Bear Claw. The little girl jumped off and ran to the chief who lifted her up. Ela giggled in excitement as he brought her down, taking her up again. He would make a good father, she thought. This was not the first time she had seen him with the children. The kids looked at him with awe and respect, and he was patient with them.
Ever since that day at the bath, they had come to some sort of understanding. Well, they respected each other, and she kept away from him. But they no longer fought. Not that it mattered, she reminded herself for the hundredth time. She had spent over a week here, and she didn’t like how she felt. Despite the harshness and simplicity of their lives, she had come to admire it. There was no one looking up to her here. No one saying cruel words to her. She didn’t have to work so hard to get a meal on the table. Their lives were simple, and they didn’t crave for food, clothes, and other basic needs that people of her race yearned for. The people were content. Yet, she was not one of them. She would never be one of them. They would always look at her as a stranger, and eventually they would hate her, and cast her aside.
Ela scurried off as Bear Claw came to her. He stared down at her, and for a moment she wondered if she looked good. She had been wearing the same dress for days now, and her hair was matted. She had to be a sore sight.
“Do you want to go on a walk?” Bear Claw asked.
She got up quickly, and a grin spread on his lips, as he fell into line. She lacked adult company, as the adults were still suspicious of her. With her no longer in Aiyana's home, she barely communicated with the woman. She knew the other women kept an eye on her. She always saw them watching her. But they kept out of her way.
They walked side by side. He the big and burly man, and she was small and a bit skinny. However, she had fattened since she got here. Their food was nourishing and in large portions. She was filling out in places she had thinned when they embarked on the trip.
These strolls were not new. It had become like a routine in the evenings when they walked, talking about nothing in general. But it served a purpose. He bared a part of himself to her. She saw him as more human, and not the savage who had taken her. Truth be told, she saw the people in a different light. They were called monsters and savages. Despite their crudeness, they were orderly and worked together. In the mornings, they woke up and went about their chores, the men hunting, the women cooking and caring for the children. Bear Claw as chief oversaw a lot of affairs, and the people listened to him, holding him in high regards. It was a civil society to say the least.
“This is for you,” Bear Claw said handing her a small box.
Not one evening went by without him giving her a gift. The first evening it had been a box of feather-like earrings. The next it had been a rose brooch. She unwrapped the muslin and smiled as she ran her fingers through the wooden comb.
“Does my hair look that bad?” she asked with a grimace.
Bear Claw chuckled, and like she did every time he laughed, she stared at him. How could someone look so beautiful? She wondered.
“You might need to wash it,” Bear Claw suggested.
Her face fell. “Umm…”
“Go to the teepee. I will be there,” he said as an idea occurred to him.
As she walked to the teepee, she realized she was actually doing his bidding. The old her would have stomped her feet and disobeyed him. But she was curious about what he intended to do.
She had not been long in the teepee when two young children arrived with water, placing it in at the front. Bear Claw followed them, holding some leaves.
“What’s that?” she asked curiously.
“To clean. Your hair,” Bear Claw said. He gestured to her to tilt her hair back and she stared at him. Wait! He was going to wash her hair? That seemed too intimate. He lifted a brow, and she did as he wanted, tilting her hair, her mind telling her she should revolt. Her body went still the moment his fingers touched her hair. They were gentle, yet firm as he carefully separated her strands of hair.
He squeezed the leaves, and they produced a sap which he caressed all over her hair. She closed her eyes as foams began to emerge, covering her hair. It felt so good, she thought, his fingers on her scalp in what seemed to be a massage. He hummed as he washed her hair, and her body relaxed.
His fingers ran through the knots of her matted hair, detangling the mess she had tried to control since she was captured. The comb swiftly ran through her hair, showing the effect of the sap.
“Your hair is beautiful,” Bear Claw said.
“Thank you,” Hannah said. This felt intimate. Too intimate. But who was she to turn down the offer he had given her?
He let go of her when he was done washing her hair. Her fingers ran through her hair and she sighed, marveling at how silky it felt. She sighed, knowing it would get back to being matted in a couple of days.
“There’s a solution to keeping it that way,” Bear Claw said, presenting a bowl of dark cream. The women rubbed it all over their hair, making it shine. They would sit in the evenings doing each other hair as they talked and laughed.
“What’s that?” she asked. It had a sharp but pleasant smell.
“It is made from bark of a tree,” Bear Claw explained as he applied the cream all over her hair, running his fingers through her hair again. His love for her hair had grown, and he could not wait to run his fingers through them in another time. He sighed at the thought of her that way with him. He was growing tired and frustrated. Every night she laid beside him, curled up at the other corner, trying not to roll to his side, he wanted to take her. This thing called patience was difficult.
He parted her hair into two sections, just like that of his women. She smiled at him, and his heart leapt. Just the littlest of favors seemed to make her happy. He smiled back at her and they looked at each other for what seemed to be forever. A noise out front startled them, pulling them away. It was a young lad who had come with a message, one of the children had fallen into a ditch.
