He nodded. "Then, it shall be. I will come with you and guard you. You should not be there alone. Isn't this the cause of your becoming captured several days ago?"
Sharon gazed away from Strikes Fast and hesitated to confirm his words. Mightn't it cause him to think unfavorably about David, since David had left her alone in those same cliffs on the night of her capture?
She closed her eyes. What was wrong with her? She shouldn't care any longer about what others might think of David. Or did she still care? On the tail end of this thought, tears filled her eyes.
"Come," signed Strikes Fast. "We shall go to my lodge where I can retrieve several blankets for you. And then, yes, let us go to the hills. There you can be alone."
"And, you will stay with me?"
"Yes," he signed. "But, I will stand guard. I do not wish you to be captured by an enemy again."
"I…I am thankful to you."
He nodded. "Come. Follow me while I retrieve several warm furs and robes."
And, leading the way, she stepped behind him as he set a path toward his lodge.
****
The night stretched on and on, with not even a hint of the morning to announce itself in the eastern sky. Strikes Fast was wide awake, on guard and deliberately keeping his distance from the woman. He knew she was crying. How could he not be aware of it? Didn't the blanket around her shoulders shake with her sobs? Couldn't he hear her grief on the wind?
Still, with her every hiccup and every snuffle, he was fast becoming aware he couldn't simply stand guard and do nothing. With a swift, yet concentrated sweep of his attention over the environment, he rose up from his position at the side of the small camp he had made for her, and, stepping toward her silently, he sat down beside her and took her hand in his own. It was all he did. No words were spoken. He simply sat with her.
And, she cried and she cried, and, listening to her heartache, he recognized a desire within him to comfort her. It was a strange sensation for him. Within these last several years, he had felt nothing for anybody. Yet, with this woman, he recognized he was crying along with her, though there was no outward or physical manifestation to show his own grief on her behalf.
Instead, he did nothing. He said nothing. He simply held her hand while he kept a bit of his attention on the environment, scanning it now and again for signs of an enemy. Oddly, he felt a rather large spark of humanity come to life within him.
And, when at last the sun rose up over the horizon in the east, his arm had somehow found its way around her, and, with her head on his shoulder, he inhaled deeply of her feminine scent, memorizing it and considering he might never wash the sleeve of his shirt where she rested her head. Always he wished her special scent to remain there.
Silently, and without moving, he said a prayer to Sun, the Creator; it was his first prayer in a very long time. However, so many winters had passed since they had spoken to one another, it was possible the Creator might not even know him anymore. Still, he glanced up into the heavens and thanked the Creator for giving him moments of love and admiration with this woman. It was all he would communicate for now, and perhaps forever. It was wrong to do more, simply because he had committed too many acts of violence against the innocent.
There was no answer to his prayer, but he hadn't expected any further interaction. Still, he realized Sun, the Creator, had sent this woman into his life, and for this, he gave his thanks.
****
Sharon watched from her front-row seat upon the ground as Eagle Heart and Gray Falcon stepped into the center of the circle where a crowd of people had gathered. Beside her sat Strikes Fast, and on his other side rested his sister, Little Dove, along with her two sons, both of whom had taken their seats beside her. Big-little-boy was Little Dove's eldest son, being seven years old, and Little Dove's youngest son, whose father was Chief Chases-the-enemy, was now two years old.
Also present was Chief Chases-the-enemy and his sits-beside-him-wife, Morning-sun-woman, as well as their three children. One of those three children was in her arms; the other two sat around her feet. One of the older children was a boy who looked to be about seven or eight years old. The other child was a girl, perhaps being five years in age.
Carefully, Strikes Fast's sister arose and stepped into the center of the circle, and, shaking out a buffalo robe she was carrying in her arms, she spread it out over the ground in front of Eagle Heart and Gray Falcon. Then, with only a few steps, she paced toward Sharon, and, taking her by the hand, brought her into the circle, asking her with signs to stand in the middle of the buffalo robe.
After a moment, Eagle Heart took a few steps toward Sharon, who faced forward, away from him. It was Eagle Heart who was to conduct the ceremony this day. First he held the sacred pipe up toward the Creator, and he exhaled four breaths. Then, he did the same to the Wind Maker, again exhaling four breaths. Then to the Thunder, and lastly to the Lightning. Lastly, he said a prayer in Blackfeet before placing the pipe back within its bag, which he passed to Gray Falcon, who stood beside him.
Next, stepping closer to Sharon, Eagle Heart gently placed his hands on her shoulders and said first in Blackfeet and then in English, "It is my honor tonight to make you a part of Strikes Fast's and his sister, Little Dove's, family. Bighearted Woman,Bía-daasé-iséein the Crow tongue, is your new name, and the man known to us as Strikes Fast is, from this day forward, your almost brother. His sister, Little Dove, is now your almost sister. Her two children will now know you as their auntie, since there might come a time when you could be called upon to act as their mother. Know this. I and my wife and our son are also now a part of your family, as is your friend, Amelia, and her husband, Gray Falcon." Eagle Heart continued to name cousins, aunts and uncles, parents and grandparents, and, as he called upon them one by one, each new relative stood to his feet.
Never could Sharon have ever imagined she would cry at such a simple ceremony, and yet she found tears streaming over her cheeks, and every now and again a sob escaped from her throat. Was it only a few days ago when Strikes Fast had declared he would make her a part of his family?
So little time had passed, yet he had done it; Strikes Fast had adopted her into his family, and he had accomplished it in front of the entire tribe. What was more, suddenly Sharon found herself with brothers, sisters and many cousins, as well as aunts and uncles, parents and grandparents.
She tried to keep herself from crying, but so greatly was she touched by this family's kindness, the tears wouldn't stop.
And, then it was over. But, in some ways, it had only begun. She, Strikes Fast, his sister and her children stood in a line as every family member streamed by them, each one welcoming Sharon into their fold. At the end of the line stood Sweet Woman, Laylah and Amelia; a huge stack of gifts were set out behind them, and Sharon could see the three of them distributing a gift to each family member.
And she, an orphan without any family for most of her years so far upon this earth, suddenly found herself the center of attention, having now accumulated more family than she could easily count. Glancing toward the man who stood at her side, Strikes Fast, Sharon briefly signed, "Thank you," and then she cried some more.
****
A change had come over Sharon. No longer was she confused about what she would do or where she belonged. The Pikuni camp was her home now—with her new family. Indeed, all thoughts of returning to St. Louis had fled after her adoption into this family and this tribe.
