Would she agree to marry him if he asked her?
Even though she insisted she was here to determine this, he somehow sensed her answer would not be "yes." She might talk about loving him, but he knew her well enough to know that if she really did intend to marry him, she would be all over him. She would not be shy about it.
He frowned; his physical reaction to her was, indeed, a problem since, as her friend, he was responsible for her well-being. This meant he would have to be around her…for much time. How could he possibly watch over her when the thought of bedding her was taking control over his thoughts and his body?
Glancing toward bluffs that overlooked Fort McKenzie, their high ridges called to him. Although it was getting later and later in the evening, there might still be enough light left to allow him to climb to the top of the highest ridge.
Áa,he would go there; he would pray to the Creator about this unexpected problem and seek His guidance.
This decided, he set his path toward the white and gray bluffs overlooking the white man's fort. There he could pray, and perhaps he might watch the beauty of the sun as it slowly descended into the western sky.
It took him little time to climb to the top of the highest and nearest ledge, if only because he was young, athletic and had trained all his life to maneuver the physical rigors of this country.
Although he had not brought his pipe with him for praying, he always carried his lance, as well as his bow and his quiver full of arrows.Hánnia,a man did not go anywhere in this country without being armed for defense.
Climbing up onto the highest ledge, he looked out upon the countryside, noticing the sun's bright beams peeping out from behind a darkened cloud and falling to the ground in rays of red, blue, pink and even purple light. It was this time of day that most usually showed the Creator's love for His people and for all life, if only because the beauty of the landscape was unparalleled during this time. In the distance, spread out before him, was the brown prairie, mirroring the colors in the sky as it stretched out toward the horizon. Closer to him was the white man's fort, as well as the many and colorfully painted lodges of his people's encampment.
There were, perhaps, over a several thousand lodges gracing the plains. Some of the tepees were very large, some were small, but all were colorfully painted in shades of red, yellow, green, blue and even orange. All of the paintings depicted either the dreams or the deeds of their owners. Many of these lodges were set up close to and around the fort. But, some bands of the tribe had pitched their camps a little farther away.
The Big River, the Missouri, seemed in a hurry to run around a bend in the land, there to meet up with the river the white men called the Marias. And, even there, on the Marias River, some of his people had erected their lodges.
Glancing upward and away, Gray Falcon turned his attention to the music wafting up to him from the fort; there was music from both the white man's fort itself as well as the steady beat of the Pikuni drums from his own encampment.
He inhaled deeply, enjoying the quiet feeling which came from being this high above the plains and closer to the sky. Standing upright, he felt the healing power of the Creator's landscape wash over him, heartening him as only the medicine from the Creator could do.
Looking upward once again, he extended his lance out in front of him and began his prayer:
Á'pistotooki,Creator, I am a humble man, a man seeking to be a
healer for his people. But, this evening I come before you with a
cluttered mind. I would ask for your help.
Á'pistotooki,Creator, my path cannot be like other men's. If I am to
help my people, I must learn to control my desires.
Á'pistotooki,Creator, this girl who is my friend and who is close to
me has returned to my country, and I have discovered I desire her in
the way of a lover instead of the friend I should be to her. Yet, we
cannot marry as a man should when he physically desires a woman.
She and I are too different.
Á'pistotooki,Creator, she has told me she has plans for us while she
is here, and, because I was able to look into her mind—quick though
it was—I have reason to believe she hopes to sweep me out of her
heart, which might be best for us both. However, she might need
my advice as a friend. But, how can I help her when I find I now
desire her?
