CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
"They come."
"Who comes?" asked Gray Falcon in Blackfeet.
"Your woman and your sister," replied Strikes Fast, the Crow scout.
Gray Falcon was certain the look he gave Strikes Fast was one of disbelief. Yet, he was also aware his friend would not be stating this were it not true.
The two of them, along with the other warriors making up the war party, had temporarily stopped their flight after the enemy; it was the early hours of the morning. For the last few days, these men had done little but ride, taking almost no rest. Here, however, they would break for most of the rest of the day, perhaps the next day, also.
At present, both Gray Falcon and Strikes Fast were seated around a small fire. Said Gray Falcon, "I am grateful for your unusual way of tracking a person spiritually; it is good you have alerted me about this."
"It comes easily to me."
"Where are they now?" asked Gray Falcon.
"They are a day or so away from us. Do you wish me to accompany you to them?"
"No, let them try to find us, instead. Perhaps they will not be able to pick up our tracks and so will give it up and go home."
Strikes Fast chuckled. "Do you really think your new wife will turn away so easily?"
Gray Falcon shook his head. Under most circumstances, Strikes Fast's laugh would have been contagious, but not now. Gray Falcon did not find the women's behavior to be the least bit humorous.
"But," continued the Crow scout, "you two are only recently married; she may not realize that when a man gives a direct order to his wife, he means it. Perhaps, given time, she will do as you tell her to do."
This last statement caused Gray Falcon to laugh outright, and he said, "I fear, indeed, this might never be."
"And yet," replied Strikes Fast, "it is a good trait in a woman to have a mind of her own and to think clearly. You are a lucky man."
"Indeed, I am a lucky man to have met and married this woman. But, let me ask you about this skill you have to track a person spiritually. It is uncommon and I wonder why you have not been asked by a medicine man to join their ranks."
Strikes Fast thrust out his chin, his attention appearing to be centered suddenly inward, as he said, "When I was a boy, a good medicine man asked my father to allow him to instruct me in the realm of healing and the spiritual nature of life."
"But, he declined?"
"He did not. My father agreed, and I was taken under the tutelage of this very wise man. For many years, I learned the ways of those men and women who live a little outside our world. But, I left that realm of knowledge when I was nineteen winters old."
"Why?
Strikes Fast looked away and squinted, appearing as though he were reliving some horror in his past. And, it was at some length when he answered, "Because it was at this time when I came to live with hatred in my heart for those who killed my mother, my father and my brothers. Only my sister and I survived the raid upon my people, and, since then, I have lived my life seeking revenge upon those who took my family's lives. Though I am not aware of who personally killed my relatives, I have always known the murderers were of your tribe, the Pikuni. It is why I have kept myself separate from your people while I have been in your camp. And, as you know, a medicine man must allow no feelings of revenge in his heart. It was because of this, I parted ways with my elder, the wise, old sage."
For several moments, Gray Falcon said nothing. However, after a time, he confessed, "I did not know the reason behind your withdrawal from my people."
"I rarely speak of it," Strikes Fast responded. "But, you have asked me about my connection to the spiritual world of the medicine man, and so I will tell you the rest of it: something happened to me when I started to take the lives of others. When those I fought died, a deep part of me died, too. After only a few years, I found I could no longer feel love nor empathy for others. I fear I have gone too far to ever return to the ways of the medicine man."
Gray Falcon nodded. "This sometimes happens to men."
Strikes Fast didn't respond.
"It is possible," said Gray Falcon, "you might find again the otherworldly path of the medicine man, if only because your people, like all human beings, have need of the skill of these men and women. When I look at you, I see you have much to offer."
Strikes Fast shrugged, as though to say the subject did not interest him. Yet, Gray Falcon, who had already seen into his friend's future, and who knew the promise of many good deeds yet to come, merely smiled.
****
"Your sister has discovered our tracks," stated Strikes Fast after their party had slept through most of the day. At present, it was early evening with still much light left in the day.
