Chapter Six
The Way of the Horse
The whole camp seemed to be holding their breath as they
waited for news of the buffalo herd returning to the area. Black Moose had told
no one about his dream except Old Crow and Blue Jay and they had not let on
that anything more need be done. He wanted to ask but knew that they had heard
his story and would answer him in their own due time. Still the camp seemed
more edgy as the summer wore on with tempers flaring over petty things and even
the children cautious and jumpy. When Black Moose would walk out to the horse
herd to visit his horses and give them tasty morsels he pondered his dream and
the two medicine people's reaction.
His mind would constantly flash back to the spring and the
near starvation that nearly destroyed the band. His mind, always busy and fueled
by his heart, would not let the worry rest. He felt his every waking hour was a
waste if he wasn't somehow preparing for the coming winter. He also saw many of
the men jumpy and jittery. These same thoughts infected their minds and hearts.
More than one would look off to the southeast for a sign of the coming buffalo
herd. Every day it was the same thing, not even a cloud on the southern
horizon. He even caught Old Crow gazing off in that direction on more than one
evening. But when the old man noticed Black Moose watching him, he would
quickly look into the valley pretending to be looking there.
One afternoon Black Moose stood up suddenly. His heart had
taken over. I am going to do something, he thought readying himself.
He approached his friend, Flying Hawk, "The buffalo are
not coming and we must prepare for another winter without their bounty."
The young man jerked as his friend spoke as if he had been
dreaming. "But brother, the elders, the chief and the medicine man counsel
us to have patience."
"They can have patience, I will hunt while I
wait!"
"HO! I will gather my gear and we shall meet at the
horse herd."
Black Moose smiled at his friend and his willingness to be
off on a hunt. "Where are Rising Star and Sacred Bear?"
Flying Hawk smiled turning and pointing across the camp at
the far ridge to the south saying, "Chasing Lovely Rose's charms and long
dress..."
"Who?"
"Lovely Rose" an accusatory arm flashing up
towards the southwest.
Black Moose looked across the valley and saw two young men
following a young woman as she walked west up the slope searching for tubers
for the evening meal. Black Moose shook his head and said, "After you and
our brothers, Flying Eagle and Little Antelope pack, meet at the horse herd, and
are ready, ride by them on your way out south and laugh at them! The fools need
to see that we are going and they can choose to stay here with the long dresses
or come with the men!" Flying Hawk laughed heartily at the joke and set to
quickly gathering his gear.
At this he turned to see another set of eyes on him, a set
that he hoped would be on him for the rest of his life. Those dark eyes shone
with that little something some called love. Black Moose smiled at her and
signed that he was going hunting. She winked at him and smiled as she turned to
enter the tipi. I know I break her heart when I leave, he thought, but she says
she is proud of me. I must talk with her to see if that is real or not. Then he
looked at the scrambling Flying Hawk, maybe he could tell me.
With a shrug, Black Moose set off for the other brother's
family tipi, "Saying I will get the other two."
"Where shall we meet, brother?" came the question to
his back.
Black Moose turned and signed, if you can't find me, you
will sleep with the coyotes.
Flying Hawk laughed louder and set off for the horse herd
with his gear slung over his back.
Black Moose smiled again, feeling the familiar Flying Hawk returning.
He had not seemed the same since the attack on the camp. He had been badly
beaten with his ego crushed as the result of that beating. Black Moose's
actions that fateful night had become a sour memory of his failure but as
friends usually do, they had gotten over it, mainly by returning to the things
that they liked to do together.
As he approached Flying Eagle and Little Antelope's family
tipi he yipped like a coyote and they tore through the flap in excited
anticipation.
"Brothers, we hunt until the snow flies!"
They both yelled out, "HO!" and began scrambling scrambled
for their possessions. The father, Summer Badger, strode out of the shade from
the behind their tipi and stood watching them quietly. Both boys were almost
exact copies of him, short and stout with high brows and round noses.
Black Moose signed with respect to their father. His slight nod
was enough to let Black Moose know that he approved.
"Meet Flying Hawk at the horse herd."
"Ho!" came the dual reply.
Black Moose turned and set off for his gear at Old Crow's
tipi. As he approached his tipi he whistled loudly and moments later his two
favorite mounts came prancing up to the tipi with their tails high in the air
and throwing their heads. Both anticipated his feelings and knew something
exciting was in store for them.
He tied his gear onto Lady and leaped onto Red set off for to
the south for the rest of his horses who were meandering up the slope towards
his. As they approached him, he gathered and tied their mane ropes into a
train, and then he set off at a quick pace to the south.
Black Moose found himself alone with his thoughts as he
ventured south ahead of his group of hunters. He wrestled with the idea that
the band did not trade horses with the Dog People. It would seem that a horse
would be able to command a better price than some of the skins and food stuffs
that they had traded. He wondered what the People had missed by not offering to
trade horses. Could better food be provided? How about better clothing or
blankets for the winter? There had to be something that would make up for the
loss of a single horse.
Many nights later, after the group returned to the camp, Black
Moose quietly hung his endeavors on the drying racks by the light of the dying
fire outside his old friend’s tipi. Before Black Moose touched the tipi flap, the
old gnarled voice spoke from within, “Come in young brother.”
Black Moose shook his head thinking to himself, how does he
do that? He opened the flap and slid into the interior space. His nose was
immediately assailed by all the varied herbs and medicines that hung from the
poles and ropes within. The smells always overpowered him when he first
returned after several days but had begun to carry a welcoming feel to it at
which his body immediately relaxed.
“Old brother, why do you not sleep. It is late.”
“Young brother, when you get to my age, you will s' that
sleep is like the thunderstorms on the prairie, it comes when it wants, not
when you want it,” the old man chuckling to himself at his wit.
Black Moose stood smiling at his old friend, then noticed
that they were not alone. Blue Jay sat next to Old Crow with her eyes closed
and humming a chant. Black Moose made to leave saying, “Sorry to interrupt...”
Blue Jay’s eyes opened and engulfed him in their warmth and
love, “Hold son, do not go," her singsong voice light in the half darkness,
"We both have been in discussions concerning you.”
Black Moose paused and sat back down with a curious look on
his face. “You were waiting for me?”
The old man huddled deeper into his robes and nodded while
Blue Jay continued, “The spirits whispered to us that you were coming,” her
voice trailing off.
Black Moose sat back and waited as was the custom of the
People. He knew that to ask questions would rush them and put a damper on
whatever they wanted to talk of. He had learned much of patience since being
adopted by the People, especially as he lived with the old medicine man. His
mind leapt to the immediate questions he had of his vision of the buffalo herd
and the answer that he was promised from the two before him. His mind wandered
through the vision and his own determination to hunt until winter if need be.
Perhaps they wanted to talk to him of following the counsel of the elders?
The silence spanned on for what felt like half the night
although Black Moose was sure it was only half of what would be called an hour
in the future. Finally, Blue Jay began looking up into the poles above their
heads, “Something troubles your spirit. You have questions concerning the
People and our ways. Your ways are as strange to us as we are to you. But we as
the People have adopted you and you have taken well to being a part of our band”.
She paused and then went on more humbly, “I and my family
have directly benefitted from your strength and skill. Your sacrifice on our
behalf has caused me to become more of your kin than many of my own.” Her voice
changed again, more humble if that could be accomplished, “I am proud that you
have chosen my daughter as your lifelong companion.”
Black Moose sat listening to this introduction, remembering
every part, knowing what each word meant and how much feeling she put behind
each statement. His heart was once again full of the love for the People, but
still doubt crept in.
“Yet, having been through all that, you are still troubled...”
Black Moose looked up startled that she knew something about how he felt. Her
gaze was fixed on him now and her eyes bore into his soul. He felt that
familiar connecting of spirits as his spirit shared his memories and hers with
him. He felt her fear of being a medicine woman, the fear of being called a...witch
was the only word that he could describe it although the translation wasn't
right. He could feel the fear of losing her family and of them losing
everything, of them being cast out. But there was something else lurking in the
background…a gift that she had, a gift to be able to discern the spirits and to
see into a living spirit's soul and hear what they said. He marveled at such a
gift. Then it was all gone.
Black Moose blinked as did Blue Jay but her sly smile told
him that his secret questions were known to her. He looked down into the fire
ashamed of having doubts and questions.
Turning she spoke up, “Old Crow,” at which the old man
almost jumped out of his robes, “the young man is ready to learn of the Way of
the Horse.”
The old man glanced up quickly, eying her closely then
looked back to Black Moose. “THAT is reserved for only the one or two in the
band to learn and guide us. H' has not been selected." Blue Jay stared steadily at the old medicine
man.
The silence stretched on as the old man finally filled it
with, "H' is young. H' will not b' able to retain what h' is taught."
Her look told the old man her answer as he looked back at
Black Moose, “It is like I am married to her, not her to Brave Elk,” he
grumbled as he retreated back into his robes.
Black Moose’s interest stirred and he felt his attention drawn
to this new concept, “What is this Way of the Horse?”
Blue Jay looked to the old medicine man who seemed to be
hiding in his robes now. “If you do not tell him, I will.”
The old man grumbled something intelligible about only men
knowing of such things. Her stare softened as a knowing smirk crept across her
face. As it lit up her face, the wrinkled old face changed to doubt, then question,
then disbelief and finally to astonishment.
“You don’t…” his words burst forth from his furs.
“My grandfather taught me,” was the soft reply as she turned
back to stoke the dwindling fire.
“HOW! Your grandfather was not of the Way of the Horse. I
knew your father and his father. They may have been medicine men but they could
not have known.”
She looked down and smiled into the fire, memories dancing
in her face while her eyes glowed. Old Crow watched as she turned back to him,
“I had two grandfathers...” letting her voice trail off.
Old Crow sat up straight and blinked and sputtered as if he
had been doused in the ice cold water from the nearby mountain stream. Black
Moose sat watching the exchange forgotten.
“Your mother’s father?”
She turned back to the fire nodding.
The old medicine man watched her closely. He searched his
mind but it betrayed him now. It did a lot of that lately. He dug through old
memories but still found nothing.
When she looked back to him, tears rolled down her cheek.
Her eyes glistened as she said, “You were not part of the band when he was with
us. He moved on with another band sometime after he and my paternal grandfather
began teaching me the ways of the medicine man. He was a sacred Elder of the Horse
as well as a powerful medicine man and he taught me much of their ways long
before I knew what it all meant. I have never known what ever happened to him
or where he crossed over to be with our ancestors. It is the one thing I never
forgave my mother for.”
Old Crow sat listening and piecing things together. “Why
would h' leave the band and where did he go?”
Blue Jay looked back into the fire, “My mother would never
tell me. She only said that grandfather had left and would not be returning.
That was the only explanation I ever received. My other grandfather saw the
devastation that this had on my young mind and realized that I needed to focus
my talents on things that were more to my liking instead of my ill feelings for
my mother and her secrets. He listened to the spirits and they told him where I
needed to be led to keep me safe. He focused my mind on much of their teachings."
"How long have you known this?”
"I have probably known it my whole adult life, but it
wasn't until after you selected me to be your student that I realized what my
paternal grandfather had done for me," her cheeks wet in the dim firelight.
The old man sat thinking, knowing the story of her father, the
old medicine man knew better than to ask why he did not offer an explanation to
her.
His old mind returned to the problem at hand. To teach a man
the Way of the Horse would need the approval of the elders and the chief, in
fact he did not even know who the present Master of the Horse and Apprentice
were. Those were closely kept secrets only the elders and the chief knew. Their
acceptance of Black Moose as a member of the band was enough in their eyes. To ask
to teach this stranger the Way of the Horse would not be looked upon with any
kindness and could damage a lot of what he had built over the last season. His
status in the band was not enough to be elevated to that. He may be ready but
the band was not.
His mind went on, but Blue Jay knew the Way of the Horse and
therefore could teach him. If she were found out her family could be cast out
but she was already on the same path in preparation to be a medicine woman. She
had nothing to lose but what would the band gain by having Black Moose learn of
the Way of the Horse? Old Crow could see nothing, the spirits refusing to
whisper to him on these thoughts. He looked at Blue Jay, she would not offer
such a thing if the spirits did not whisper it to her. His skin began to crawl
at the realization, the student may not be the student much longer, he thought.
The spirits began dancing and singing around him.
“Black Moose, Blue Jay has something important to teach you.
You will need all your skill to keep from revealing these things, for it is
forbidden knowledge, to b' shared only with those prepared and ready for such
things. It is dangerous to even speak of it. Blue Jay feels you are ready,
therefore I do as well,” at which the old man sat back in his robes and began
chanting. Black Moose noticed that this chant was different from any he had
ever heard. Blue Jay noticed it as well.
Blue Jay spoke up louder than before, "Enter my dear
sister."
