Running Elk Read online

  “Does your silence mean I did nothing to help?” Gray Eagle asked, interrupting Running Elk’s train of thought.

  Running Elk could hear Gray Eagles disappointment at the thought. “You did a brave thing and yes, you did help. As far as I can tell, there are only three Kiowa left alive.”

  “That’s good. If I was only a little quicker or a better aim, I might have been able to save Two Fires.”

  “Gray Eagle, listen to me. What happened isn’t your fault. The blame lies with me. I will see you safely back to Kicking Bird and Sparrow before I search for Two Fires. Everything will be fine. Do not worry. Here, drink some water, it will help.”

  “Leave me. I will be fine. I cannot say that about Two Fires,” Gray Eagle argued weakly as he slowly swallowed the water from the buffalo skin.

  “I will not leave you. I made my decision and will not second-guess myself. Now rest,” Running Elk said, trying to convince himself he had done the right thing.

  “Tomorrow, I will be strong enough to ride. We can leave then. To find …” Gray Eagle fell into a slumber before he could finish his thought.

  Running Elk was glad for the silence. He knew Gray Eagle wouldn’t be strong enough to ride for days and was glad not to have to argue with his nephew further.

  He leaned against the temporary shelter and closed his eyes. Seeing Two Fires’ smile caused him to experience both happiness and great sadness.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Standing Bear easily followed the trail left by the white woman. It couldn’t have been much clearer if she had intentionally left it for him. Even so, he was surprised at the distance she managed to put between them. Deciding that the woman had earned the right to have a drink at the nearby river, he slowed and again smiled. She was unlike any woman he had ever encountered.

  The woman ran as far as her legs would carry her. Standing Bear knew she had to be sore and tired, but she managed to keep moving. He watched as his two friends rode past her. They had seen her but didn’t bother to look her way. He appreciated them having enough faith in him to do as he asked.

  The woman’s face displayed relief. She took a moment to rejoice in her good fortune. When she saw the clear, inviting water she seemed to consider jumping in and washing the dust and death from her body. Standing Bear knew he couldn’t allow her to get too comfortable. A drink was all she would get.

  The woman slowly neared the water’s edge, looking in all directions as she did. As she knelt down to scoop up the inviting water, her gaze traveled further down the bank. Her movements reminded Standing Bear of a deer. The Kiowa warrior allowed his muscles to relax and smiled until he saw her stand up.

  Standing Bear was aware there was a small encampment across the river and knew he couldn’t allow the woman to call out. He was not ready to lose her. He had seen the Comanche warrior his captive was so willing to call out to but did not know his name. He knew he couldn’t take any risks with her; he just didn’t know why he felt the way he did. He also knew his actions could quite possibly cause more trouble. But none of that mattered. He wanted to keep her.

  The woman’s behavior suddenly changed. She went from being frightened of the water to barely being able to conceal her excitement. Standing Bear didn’t understand the change but knew he couldn’t allow her to act on her impulses. Before she was completely to her feet, he moved behind her and put his hand over her mouth. She thrashed about in her grasp but he held her tightly. He even managed to keep his hand firmly over her mouth when her teeth sank into the meaty part of his palm. Standing Bear pulled her body against his and waited until her flailing body calmed and he felt her go limp. Once he was sure the fight was gone from her, he carefully picked her up and carried her to his waiting horse. While he carried the unconscious woman, he tried to understand the scene he’d watched unfolding.

  The woman was obviously not afraid of the Comanche. He was sure he’d seen her smile before she started to stand. If he were honest with himself, it was more than a smile; it was a look of relief and love. Standing Bear knew there was more to the story. Two Comanches being close to the woman was more than a coincidence. Still, he felt a strong desire for the woman and wasn’t willing to let her go. He was sure all his unanswered questions would be answered when he could communicate with her, and that couldn’t happen until he was back amongst his people.

  When he returned to the makeshift camp, he laid the woman near the fire before covering her with one of his robes and beginning to pack up. She was still unconscious when he finished, so he sat beside her.

  As he moved a piece of dirt-caked hair from her face, he took the opportunity to really look at her. It was then that he vowed to win the woman’s trust and, if he was extremely lucky, maybe even her heart. He found himself longing for her to look at him like she looked at the Comanche. But Standing Bear knew that in order for that to happen, he would have to start treating her with kindness. The white women in his camp were treated poorly. His brother kept one as a slave and she ran away at every opportunity. A few warriors took their captives to their tipis and started families with them. He wanted that kind of relationship with the woman lying beside him.

  After deciding to begin treating her gently, his desire was that he wouldn’t have to chase her again. He wanted the woman to be with him willingly, to be there when he returned from war parties. The white woman lying beside him exhibited a spirit he had never encountered before. Everything about her was special. The longer he looked at her sleeping form, the harder it was not to touch her. Knowing he could cause her to call out wasn’t enough to stop him from gently touching her cheek before tracing the outline of her lips.

  The woman didn’t open her eyes. But he knew she had regained consciousness when she rolled away from his touch.

  ***

  Alexandria knew it wasn’t Running Elk’s touch, as much as she tried to convince herself otherwise. Her heart was shattered. She had been so close to him, and now it seemed she had lost him forever. There was no point in trying to be strong any longer. Instead, she curled into a fetal position and cried into her hands.

  As she sobbed, she felt a hand on her back. It was a gentle touch, but it didn’t calm her in the slightest.

  The man spoke words she couldn’t understand, but for the first time, they were gentle and soft instead of harsh and loud. He might not have been yelling and throwing her on his horse, but that wasn’t having any effect on her feelings towards him. And yet, her curiosity still got the better of her.

  She rolled to face him and found she couldn’t contain her anger and hurt any longer. “Why are you trying to be nice now? You should have killed me by the river. At least then the last thing I would have seen was the man I loved! But no, you couldn’t even give me that!”

  Her abductor smiled at her outburst and that angered her even more.

  Her mood didn’t seem to be translating as well as she would have liked because the man gently grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet before guiding her towards his horse.

  Alexandria stood in stunned silence as the warrior rolled the blanket and placed it at the back of the animal.

  The man’s sudden change in behavior was confusing but it didn’t lessen the hatred she felt towards him. She watched as he took the reins of his horse and motioned for her to walk in front of him. After running, she would have much rather have ridden the animal but knew doing as the man said was easier. Since nothing mattered any longer, she sighed, looked down at her wrists, and held them out, waiting for him to tie her arms.

  He shook his head and waited for her to begin to move. She wasn’t going to celebrate his sudden trust in her; instead, she steeled herself for whatever was going to happen next.

  ***

  The next three days were spent in silence. They walked, rode, and ate with no words passing between them, and Alexandria was fine with that. He slept away from her, but not far enough that he wouldn’t wake if she decided to run again. Little did he know, she had nowhere to run. They h
ad traveled too far for her to believe she could find Running Elk again. By the fourth day, her resolve was wearing thin, and she had to admit to herself that she longed to be able to communicate with her captor. It wasn’t because she liked him any better. She hated the man, and didn’t see that ever changing, but she could tell his feelings were softening towards her. Her hatred was still strong, but she also felt lost and more alone than ever before in her life. Alexandria was sure she would go insane if she didn’t talk to someone, soon.

  When they rode together, she was so close to him that she could feel every muscle in his back and legs tighten anytime she readjusted herself to get more comfortable. Alexandria knew her captor had to be aware of her every movement. Every few minutes, he would turn to her with a mixture of confusion and compassion on his face. She promised herself she wouldn’t allow her feelings to change toward him no matter what he did. He had taken everything from her. He had killed her husband and stopped her one chance at reuniting with the man she loved. Her future wasn’t important. There would be no happiness in her life, no matter how long it lasted.

  Alexandria was pulled from her maudlin thoughts when her captor pointed to a rather large collections of tipis. It was a remarkable sight. There were women and children moving in every direction, while men and rode in and out of the village.

  She watched as tipis were pulled down and travois were attached to horses. It appeared the people were moving their camp.

  Alexandria sighed deeply and took a minute to pray Running Elk would find a way to come for her.

  ***

  Standing Bear stopped his horse and dismounted in an effort to try to decide just what he was going to say to his family. How he was going to attempt to explain his captive was something he had put off thinking about, but he was out of time. The only thing he was sure about was that he was going to do everything in his power to keep her with him.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Running Elk knew the trip to his people’s new location would take twice as long because of his nephew. While Gray Eagle grew stronger, Running Elk took the time to build a travois to carry him. There was no way the young man could ride, but pulling his nephew behind his horse would mean the best they could do was a mere mile or two a day. Choosing to look on the bright side, he told himself a mile was better than nothing. Gray Eagle was still apologizing for the outcome of his task and pushing to leave. Running Elk appreciated his nephew’s desire for him to be back with Two Fires but found being constantly reminded of their separation was not helpful to his mood.

  Yet, the stronger Gray Eagle got, the more he stressed the fact that Running Elk should be looking for the woman he loved.

  “What are you going to do once you see me home?” Gray Eagle asked from his position behind Running Elk’s horse.

  “I will inform Kicking Bird and White Wolf that I am going in search of Two Fires. I want my woman. And I will have her,” he answered through gritted teeth. He had answered the same question many times.

  “What if they forbid it?” Gray Eagle asked. “We have a truce with them, and they have proven to be helpful against the advancing white man.”

  Running Elk was beginning to think he had enjoyed his nephew’s company better when he barely spoke. The boy was asking questions Running Elk didn’t want to answer. But the queries made him think, and that was something he needed to do. The actions he chose to take from this moment on couldn’t be knee-jerk. How he decided to go about locating Two Fires needed to be determined before he rode his horse away from his people; perhaps for the last time.

  “Do not fear, Gray Eagle. Nothing else will stop me from finding her,” he said, hoping his words were more than mere comfort for the both of them.

  As they neared the village, they saw women gathering water at a nearby river. Running Elk spotted Morning Star almost immediately. When she saw him, she dropped the water vessels and ran in his direction. He could see she was crying and desperately tried to quell his rising anger.

  Running Elk slowly dismounted from his horse and began walking slowly but deliberately. He knew Kicking Bird would arrive momentarily; the women had alerted the whole village to their presence.

  Morning Star fell into step beside him and gently touched his arm. She was a good wife, and he knew she wouldn’t cause him any grief about what had happened. He definitely couldn’t say that about his brothers.

  Kicking Bird ran toward him when he realized his son was on the travois behind Running Elk’s horse. He quickly untied his son, making sure not to cause the boy any further pain before peppering the young man with questions.

  Sparrow was also at her oldest son’s side. She smiled through her tears and gently touched Gray Eagle. “It is good to have you home,” she whispered.

  Kicking Bird helped his son stand and embraced him.

  “It is good to be home,” he said, smiling bravely at his mother before turning to his father. “Do you think you could help me the rest of the way, Father?”

  Running Elk watched as the family slowly made their way towards their tipi. Not a word was said to him, but he wasn’t going to let that fact deter him. After handing Morning Star his horse’s reins, he began walking towards White Wolf’s home.

  Once he’d taken several steps, he turned back towards his long-suffering wife. “I will be back soon. I have to make peace with my brothers.”

  He was surprised to see the man he was looking for walking towards him.

  “It is good to see you again, brother,” White Wolf said, embracing him.

  “Gray Eagle was wounded. When I found him, he had lost a lot of blood. I feared he wouldn’t live, but the gods were kind. He is still extremely weak, but I believe he will fully heal,” Running Elk explained as they walked.

  He hadn’t realized they were walking towards his tipi, and not his brother’s, until he finished explaining the events that had taken place.

  “Why did you bring me here?” Running Elk asked, feeling the familiar mix of anger and confusion he seemed to have whenever he was in either of his brothers’ company.

  “You have not rested. Go now and get some sleep. We will speak tomorrow.”

  “No! I want to talk now! I will not be put off any longer! I have done my job. Gray Eagle is home and safe. If you do not wish to speak, I will find another horse and ride to the Kiowas’ camp.” Running Elk finished his statement a little quieter than he began.

  “You will not go into the Kiowa camp. It could cause a war. We cannot continue to fight each other when the whites keep moving west. They are building more forts every day. It is not something I will allow you to do. No!” White Wolf shot back through clenched teeth.

  “No?” Running Elk repeated his brother’s answer in disbelief. “No?”

  “When will you quit being so selfish? What you are thinking about doing will affect the whole camp. If you walk into the Kiowa camp and demand the white woman, it could easily cause the death of our people.”

  Running Elk snorted in disgust and walked away from his unbending brother. Instead of entering his home, he began walking in the direction of Kicking Bird’s.

  Before he took too many steps, he heard White Wolf call to Morning Star.

  Running Elk stopped, turned, and saw the pained expression on his wife’s face.

  It was apparent that she had heard the heated words the brothers had exchanged. He could see the pain in her eyes. But his anger quickly and unexpectedly turned to shock when White Wolf took the woman in his arms to comfort her.

  “I am truly sorry that my brother is so cruel and ungiving to you. You deserve so much better.”

  After seeing his wife accept the comfort White Wolf was offering, and being forced to accept the fact that he didn’t know how he truly felt about the scene, he turned and continued walking towards Kicking Birds.

  The flap was open, so he walked in. The small place was abuzz with activity. He moved to where his brother was standing over Gray Eagle. When Kicking Bird looked at Running Elk, he coul
d tell from his brother’s expression that Gray Eagle had told him the whole story. Running Elk could also see that he was going to have to fight with another brother if he wanted to leave.

  “Running Elk, I cannot thank you enough for saving my son. There is no way I will be able to repay you for your actions.”

  “There is a way you can repay me. We must talk. I will not be put off. I did what I needed to do. And believe me when I say I do not regret nursing Gray Eagle back to health; we are family.”

  Kicking Bird nodded and patted his son on the arm before answering Running Elk’s demand.

  “We can go to the river. Come.” Kicking Bird led the way out of his home.

  Running Elk found it too difficult to stay silent until they reached their destination. “White Wolf has informed me I cannot go rescue Two Fires.”

  “You can’t. I understand that you don’t want to accept that, but it is the truth. We need the Kiowa as allies. And she was not taken from your arms. You have no true claim to her.”

  “How can you not demand revenge for what they did to your son? Are you no longer a warrior? They left him for dead, and they knew he was Comanche!” Running Elk lost his temper once again.

  “Calm yourself, my brother,” Kicking Bird said, holding onto his brother’s shoulders. “You are frustrated, I understand that. But you need to accept the future. There is nothing that can be done. There is no longer a reason for you to leave us. If she can communicate with them, and if she speaks of you, then the Kiowa will surely come to us. I am truly sorry it has to be this way. If it were any other time, I would be on your side.”

  Running Elk walked away feeling more frustrated than ever before. He had to have Two Fires back, yet he would not be the cause of bloodshed.

  He walked into his tipi, expecting to see Morning Star waiting for him. When he saw she was gone, he considered looking for her but quickly decided he would enjoy the peace. After sitting by the dying embers, he pulled out his pipe. While he was building the fire back up and looking around his dwelling, he realized that not only was Morning Star gone, but so were her sleeping furs, clothing, and several of the cooking vessels. It was clear that she had left him. Running Elk wasn’t surprised by her actions after she heard the heated discussion between him and White Wolf. What did shock him was that he felt no desire to attempt to locate her. Until that moment, he had been a jealous man; even if he didn’t want her, he wouldn’t have her with anyone else. However, with her timely exodus, he made up his mind that, in the morning, he would depart, whether his brothers liked it or not. But not before seeking Morning Star out and making sure she was cared for.