“So…?” Chito shrugged.
“So?” Running Wolf patted his friend’s shoulder and walked around him.
Chito ran after him, shouting, “Answer the question, Running Wolf!”
Laughing, Running Wolf hastened his footsteps. At the back of his mind was the thought that he had not laughed that hard in a very long time.
Chapter Twelve
The raised axe went down, splitting the log and the pieces cluttered to the earth around the mound. Running Wolf picked up another one and placed it on the mound. In one swift blow, just like before, the wood split into two. His eyes surveyed the stack and he shook his head thoughtfully. No, that would not be enough for her. He needed to break some more. She needed all the warmth right now. With a baby, she was definitely eating more and needed more warmth. That only meant she was burning through the wood she had faster than before. He tilted his head toward the cloudy sky. The clouds were dirty but he knew that it was not going to rain. He could not smell rain in the air. That was good. He would not be able to get the wood to her tonight. From the quantity he had seen in her wood box earlier when he was there, he was sure it would suffice for the night.
Still, he stared in the direction of her house longing. Maybe he could still take them down. He just might have gauged wrongly. He shook his head quickly. He had already been there today. He did not want her to start feeling he was suffocating her. That was the last thing he wanted. He was still trying to get her to trust him and adjust to her new situation and he did not want her to feel overwhelmed by his presence or his actions.
He set the axe down and leaned against a tree, his eyes still focused in the direction of her house. A smile played on his lips as he remembered that afternoon when she had taken his hands in hers. In that moment, he had felt warmth shoot though his arm to his heart. It was a warm and comforting feeling he had never felt before. It was new and strange. He had never felt it before but he had not wanted to let go of it. Her touch had also been warm and soft. And her eyes, her beautiful eyes, in that moment, he had wanted to touch her face and prevent them from falling.
Running Wolf’s eyes widened as he became aware of his thoughts. What on earth is going on in your head, Running Wolf?! He screamed within himself. Touch her face? Beautifuleyes? Why was he having such thoughts about her? He shook his head and ran his hand across his face tiredly. Rest, sleep, that was what he needed. He needed to get some much needed rest. It was the lack of sleep that was making him think such crazy thoughts. A good night’s sleep was bound to knock his head back in order.
Satisfied with his resolution, Running Wolf headed in to get some rest. He settled down and shut his eyes. The first image that floated before him was Elaina’s and her baby’s. A smile played on his lips as he fell into a warm pool of comfort and happiness brought about by Elaina and her child.
“I feel so much pain, Running Wolf, and it is all your fault...” the voice said harshly.
Running Wolf swallowed hard and his eyes darted around but he could not find light. He was still stuck in the darkness he had found himself in somehow. “I really didn’t...”
“How do you feel? You killed our baby! You killed me! With your bad luck, your curse…. You are not meant to have anyone in your life, Running Wolf…. You killed us… your curse destroyed our lives!”
“I’m sorry, Fala!” Running Wolf cried, “It was never my intention to hurt you and our baby! I am so sorry! I blame myself. I should have never allowed you into my life. I should have learned from the past. Forgive me, Fala!”
“You killed us, Running Wolf! You killed us!” In the flash of light that peeked into the space, Running Wolf saw a trail of blood. It led to the edge of the space where Fala sat naked, in a large pool of blood, cradling a bloody baby.
“This is all your fault, Running Wolf!” she screamed and a stream of blood burst out of her mouth, flooding the entire place.
Running Wolf struggled to breathe but no matter how much he fought, he could not get above the pool of blood. Slowly, he felt his life seeping out of him.
Running Wolf jolted awake and he ran a hand down his wet face. The deerskin under him was soaked with his sweat. He held his head in his hands as he tried to control his breathing. This was not the first time, this was not the second time. This dream, he has had it several times already. And to him, it was nothing but the truth. It was his fault they had died. He should have known that anyone who got close to him only got hurt. There was really no point trying to bring anyone into his life.
This was his life. He had forgotten for a moment, his curse. He had forgotten the hurt he only caused to those around him. He shut his eyes tight as the images and the voice from his dream flooded him. This was his life now, a life he had exiled himself to. He could not let anyone get hurt again. He could not let Elaina and Jessica get hurt.
Running Wolf stayed up for the rest of the night, unable to lay his head to sleep. He was a bold fighter and was known across the tribes. There was a reason he was the head warrior. Strength, courage, valor, he possessed it all. There was no place he could not go into. There was no enemy he had backed away from. He went after it all, and conquered. But with his mind, the ghosts of his past, and the thoughts that tormented him, he could not do anything about them. They always consumed him and they were the enemies he could not defeat.
*
Elaina stared up at the bright night sky. It was littered with stars which circled the moon. She was seated next to the fire with her daughter, warming up themselves before they retired for the night. It was an absolutely perfect night. She smiled softly as she remembered the occurrences from earlier in the day. Since Chito had not returned with an angry mob armed with flaming torches, she could only assume that Running Wolf had not gotten into trouble. Still, should she go down there and check on him?
She shook her head. If she did that, then, she woulddefinitely get him into trouble, if she had not done that already. He was going to come over tomorrow morning as usual, then she would see him. Her eyes turned to the meat that he had brought for her just the other day. Yes! She would prepare her beef stew. It was absolutely delightful and she had no doubt that he would love it. It was the least that she could do to appreciate him for all his help.
She smiled as her plan came together. when she saw him in the morning, she would ask him to come over to collect some. She smiled thoughtfully as she leaned back, thinking of his deep brown eyes. They were like pools of honey. Whenever she stared into them, she felt like she was falling in.
Her daughter’s mumble jolted Elaina back to reality. She swallowed hard and slapped her head. What on earth had that thought been about? Why did she have to think that?Are you going crazy Elaina?She groaned.Lately, it seems I have been going crazy, thinking what I have no business thinking,she thought to herself. Elaina stood up lifting her daughter along with her. Looking at her daughter reminded her of all she had lost and she sighed. She could have lost so much more if not for the dark complected man, Running Wolf. She was just grateful to him, very grateful.
She drenched the fire, turned around and headed into the shed. The thought of James and all they had gone through always tired her out. Remembering the near-death experience that had caused her to lose her husband and almost lose her baby and her life was not her favorite pastime but unfortunately, not a day went by that she did not remember her horrible past. It was not so much of a past to her because her dreams made it fairly recent. She had not been sleeping well ever since the incident and now that her daughter was here, there was no way she could sleep while worrying about her daughter’s safety.
Elaina sighed and settled into bed. Maybe tonight she would be able to catch some shuteye, just maybe.
Elaina woke up early as usual the next morning. While her daughter slept, she ran around the shack clearing up and doing the chores she had to do. As soon as Jessica was up, her range of activity would be limited so it was best to get it all out of the way now. This was the little free time she would have before it would all become hectic.
Once she was done, she headed to the stream where she had her shower and bathed her baby in an enclosed nook. Elaina returned to the shack and set the now sleepy Jessica down. As she straightened up, a sight in her yard surprised her, but it was a good surprise. She smiled at Running Wolf and waved at him as she called, “Good morning, Running Wolf!”
He had probably been leaving because he did not see her, she thought to herself. She had been looking forward to seeing him today, but had not expected that it would be this early.
