Á'pistotooki,Creator, before today I had not thought of this girl in
any other way except as an ally. Yet, upon meeting her this day, my
opinion of her has changed. I fear I desire to take her as a man might
take a woman to his sleeping robes. Yet, I must not.
Á'pistotooki,Creator, perhaps I should not have become her friend all
those winters ago. But, she was in need of someone to befriend her,
and I saw no harm in calming her fears. And, as you know, after a
certain age, a Pikuni man does not keep women friends. Yet, I must
continue to ally myself to her since I am responsible for her while
she is here. This is a problem I never envisioned. As you know, her
reputation could suffer if I become too close to her without making
her my woman.
Á'pistotooki,Creator, I pray for your help in keeping her safe while
she is here, even from me. And, I ask you to give me strength to
resist her while I give her the assistance she requires.
Á'pistotooki,Creator, this is now the end of my prayer. To show my
sincerity to you, I leave you my best lance.
As promised, he set his weapon, the lance with four eagle's feathers hanging from it, on the ground close to the edge of the cliff and, turning away, stepped down from the bluff. Already he felt better.
It was good he had come here because a solution to his worry suddenly appeared to him. Yes, he would shoulder his responsibility toward this woman and ensure she came to no harm while she was here, but the easy solution was to keep his distance from her—for her sake and for his. Perhaps he might also encourage her to leave his country quickly, thus taking the temptation she presented away. Unfortunately, he was apprehensive that whatever she had planned, she would soon try to engulf him in it.
But, he felt strengthened now and found hope in the idea that he would be able to resist her, regardless of what she felt she had to do.
