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Chapter 10
Long into the night, dream people step-toed around and around a fire to the song of the flute. He felt a touch, assumed it was one of the dream people or Dog catching up, and continued dancing with the dream people.
Later the smell of willow came at him, mixed with her scent. He opened his eyes. It was dark. An owl whooed nearby — bad luck. He held his breath and listened. It seemed that two people were breathing in the hut. Heavy on his left, lighter on his right. Was this a trick of a sorcerer? Or was he still dreaming?
He moved his hand slightly and his fingers touched warm soft flesh. He blinked hard, trying to wake up. But he was awake. His thoughts swirled like leaves in a funnel wind. It was her scent. She had followed. Her father and uncles would assume he had arranged it. They would follow too. Or would fear of the black hats hold them back? It didn’t matter. Banishment could await his return and he would lose her. Why hadn’t she listened to him? With anger rising in his belly he lay stiff and silent, then carefully sat up and crawled outside without touching her. She had risked everything.
Beyond the dark willows and cottonwoods father sun was still in his eastern house, only a wash of gray light suggesting his coming. A night animal rustled. How much time before Red Sun and his brothers arrived? Fortunately, no reasonable person traveled at night.
He found a bush suitable for scattering urine and returned to the creek for a drink, kneeling and scooping cool water. Each handful clarified his thoughts more. He must take her back. She couldn’t go by herself. She had already tempted the loose souls of the trail by coming this far alone. Then if Red Sun met them, he would see that Grizzly Hair was sincere about leaving her. Then he and Bowstring could go on their way. Relieved to be clear in his purpose, he stood up and faced the coming dawn.
A slim dark figure separated itself from the shadow of a tree. Oak Gall. In a sudden tumult of tenderness — she had braved the night to be with him — he stepped toward her and all anger dissolved.
Her hands moved over him. Mother earth, transformed to airy softness, came up to meet them, and he joined Oak Gall in a magic dance of love, their moves as light and easy as two hawks on a thermal. He soared and soared with her into the salmon dawn, drumming with the power of joy and love. Then his pent-up breath came out in a rush and he let himself float in a feathery downward spiral, snug with the woman who made him whole, the air still beneath them. He never wanted to feel different from this moment.
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