Elaina stared at him, dazed. When last had she eaten? When last had she done anything? She was finding it hard to remember the events before last night, the events before she became a widow. She had gone out with James, right? Where had they gone to? Her head hurt and she placed her hand on her forehead as she tried to fight the pain that was stabbing through it.
“Here, you should sit down. It is understandable that yourhead hurts. You have been out of it for a while. I’ll get you something to eat.”
Gently, the stranger called Running Wolf led her to a small wood table. She settled into it. Frankly, she had no choice. The fact that she had no idea where she was one of the reasons she could not fight of these strangers. And another reason was simply that she did not have the strength to fight anyone. She was utterly exhausted, physically and mentally. She and James had been on the run for so long and it had concluded in James dying. She could not bear the pain, yet at the same time, she had to be strong for herself and the baby. It was enough to get exhausted.
She ran a hand through her face and brushed stray strands away from her hair. All she really wanted to do was sleep. She felt the intense gaze of the stranger’s friend and she looked up to meet it. His frown deepened and he opened his mouth to speak when Running Wolf returned with a wood platter of fruits.
“Go on, you need to eat them all.” He set the platter beside her and nodded at it.
Cautiously, Elaina reached for it and took a bite of the berries. A few bites in and she could not hold back the tears as they rolled down her cheeks. Her last memory of James feeding her fruit popped at her, reminding her of what she had lost. Those happy memories seemed so long ago.
“Do you need anything else?” Running Wolf asked, looking closely at her.
Elaina shook her head and quickly wiped her tears away. She wanted to express her gratitude to him but she was lacking the strength to speak. She turned to the fruit, giving it all her attention. She had nothing else to do but feed herself and her child. They had been lucky to survive the attack. She could not take any more chances. This baby was all she had left of James. If she lost the baby, she knew she would die. She would have nothing to live for.
As soon as she was done with the fruits, Elaina handedthe platter to Running Wolf. He accepted it and before he could protest, she walked outside of the shed. She blinked hard, due to the brightness of the sun. Where was she? She wondered once again. Running Wolf and his friend followed her and her eyes darted over them. The bare chests, the breechcloths, their brown skin. She looked around and finally saw a cone like structures. The names she had heard. Her eyes widened. Was she in an Indian camp?
Running Wolf approached her slowly and he said softly, “I understand that you have been through a lot but you cannot go just anywhere, especially into the village over there. The villagers are not going to be pleased to see a pale face within our territory.”
“Exactly. It really won’t matter to them what your story is,” the other man added from behind Running Wolf.
Elaina ran a tired hand through her hair. How on earth did she end up in an Indian village? Alarm rose in her heart and she backed away suddenly. What were they going to do to her?
Chito rolled his eyes, “Can you believe her, Running Wolf? You just saved her life, yet she is scared you will hurt her. This is why I told you not to go around helping these pale faces, or anyone at all. They will only take your help for granted!”
“Would you relax, Chito? It is normal that she would be scared. She has been through a great deal in the past few hours. She not being cautious would actually be a cause for concern,” Running Wolf told his friend. He turned to Elaina and said, “You can walk around this camp, but like I said, do not venture into the village. That is the only way you will return to your home in one piece.”
Elaina nodded slowly and backed away from them. She could hear the sound of a stream. She needed to clear her head and that seemed like the best possible place in that moment. As fast as her tired legs could carry her, she headed to it. She needed to scream and she needed to cry. She did not think it was possibleto do all that in front of two strange Indian men.
As soon as she was at the stream, she fell to her knees and sobbed heavily, harder than she had after her grandmother’s death.
*
“What are you going to do with her? You know that you cannot keep her here, right?” Chito frowned.
“I know that. Look, I just need to ask her a few questions and when she tells me where she comes from, I will show her the way back.”
Chito threw his head back and laughed, “It seems like you don’t understand your current situation. I sincerely doubt that this woman is going anywhere. She does not even speak. How are you going to get the truth from her? Besides, you said it yourself. Someone put her in this situation. They were probably trying to kill her. Be honest with yourself. Do you really intend to send her back out there when she still cannot protect herself? We both know that as beautiful as a child is, it is still a weakness. There is no way she can fend for herself or protect herself from her attackers while she is still pregnant.”
Running Wolf sighed, “So what exactly is your point?”
“What do you think? In my opinion, you are stuck with her until she talks and tells you her story, then you can be sure of how much danger she is in or, till she gives birth. Then she will be able to take care of herself and her baby.”
“I am very surprised that you are proposing that she stays till she gives birth,” Running Wolf said thoughtfully.
Chito rolled his eyes, “That is the only way you can help her, right? And I know you are determined to help despite knowing who she is. Now, here is my advice for you. As soon as she has her baby, she should get out of here. By how big her bump is, she should be having the baby any day now.”
Running Wolf nodded slowly, “She can stay at the supplyshack. That is enough distance for the tribe not to say too much.”
Chito sighed and he shook his head, “When are you going on your vision quest? It should be any day now, right?”
“Yes, that is true. I will be leaving soon.”
“That is good. The more you distance yourself from her, the less the tribe will speak of this. She can fend for herself out at the shack. That land is very fertile. Until it is time for your vision quest, you should have nothing to do with her, Running Wolf. Do you understand? She can take care of herself. And when the baby comes, she should be able to handle it by herself. You cannot get anyone else involved in this.”
It was Running Wolf’s turn to roll his eyes, “You have said that earlier, Chito. I heard you then and I hear you now. I will not do anything that will bring the tribe’s anger on me. I will keep my distance and yes, the only assistance I will provide her is a roof over her head. Is there anything else?”
“No, not for now,” Chito frowned. “I am not in the least bit pleased about her being here, but I understand that she needs help, and this is the only reason I am keeping quiet about this. I hope you understand that.”
