"Yes, of course," she responded.
Sharon watched then as both Strikes Fast and Rising Bear dismounted and stepped forward to the edge of the ridge. There, both boy and man raised their arms upward toward the sky.
Because Sharon had already said her morning prayers back in camp, she gazed down at her lap instead, here where she sat atop Black Slippers. She grimaced, noting her green dress and cape were soiled with streaks of mud. But, because this clothing, as well as several of her underclothing—those still functional—were all she had with her, she would bear up under the dirt, and, when the opportunity to clean them became available to her, she would wash them. At least her boots, though dusty, were still serviceable. Additionally, it seemed to her as if her boots kept her feet warmer than the moccasins her two companions wore, and she was glad her shoes were not worn through with holes.
Gazing momentarily at her two male companions who were still in prayer, she was surprised to notice the differences in their looks. Once, before coming into the West, she had assumed all Indians would look the same. Thinking back on it, she was amazed to discover her innocent ignorance.
Besides one of her companions being taller, older and broader in the shoulders than the other, Strikes Fast, being a Crow man, wore his hair in a completely different manner than the Lakota boy.
Although both had fashioned two braids at each side of the face, Strikes Fast had cut the front part of his hair in a length some of her contemporaries called "bangs," and he wore this particular section of his hair straight up in a pompadour style. It was an unusually handsome style on him, as well as utterly masculine. And, although when in the Pikuni camp, Strikes Fast decorated himself by wearing feathers in his hair, when he was not in camp, no feathers adorned his head. However, a wide assortment of masculine jewelry fell from his earlobes and from around his neck, comprised mostly of beads and white shells.
Rising Bear, in contrast, wore his hair completely long in front, as well as in back, and the whole of it was parted down the middle; all his hair, then, was gathered into two braids, each braid falling at the side of his face. And, while small silver earrings dropped from each of his earlobes, his style of male jewelry was quite different from the look of her husband's. Around the boy's neck was a choker which looked to be made of long and short trade beads. Also, a single long strand of beads fell down from around his neck.
Although both were wearing a tannish color of buckskin, even in this, there were differences. The boy's shirt seams were fringed with buckskin, while the seams on Strikes Fast's shirt were fringed mostly with black hair and white ermine fur. Even their breechcloths were dissimilar; Rising Bear's was made of a brownish-colored buckskin and was short, coming only to mid-thigh, whereas Strikes Fast's breechcloth was long, reaching to his knees and was dyed blue.
Their leggings were unlike each other's, also. Rising Bear's leggings were unadorned and came only to his ankles. Strikes Fast's leggings, in comparison, reached down to and covered his moccasins, leaving a part of them fringed at his heel, so as to drag over the ground. And, Strikes Fast's leggings were painted and decorated with blue, white, orange and green stripes.
Even their moccasins were unalike. Rising Bear's moccasins were mostly undecorated, while Strikes Fast's moccasins were heavily beaded and painted. And, she knew from handling Strikes Fast moccasins that he lined them with fur on the inside; he also repaired them often.
Both man and boy wore their ever-present quiver full of arrows and the bow, the quiver falling diagonally down and across their backs. But, Rising Bear's quiver and bow were smaller in size than Strikes Fast's, and the boy's arrows looked frail when compared to the deadly projectiles Strikes Fast carried. Upon Strikes Fast's pony, in a decorated buckskin case, was his ever-present muzzleloader, and worn diagonally over his shoulder was a leather strap housing extra balls and a powder horn.
Sharon was warming to her observations between the two of them, when suddenly a crow flew directly at them and cawed excitedly.
Sharon saw Strikes Fast reach out toward the bird as he spoke to it. Alighting upon a branch of a pine tree, the crow looked down at them and appeared to answer Strikes Fast's words—the crow uttering several differentcaw-cawsounds.
After what appeared to be an exchange between man and bird, Strikes Fast offered a bit of meat to the crow and nodded to it, as if in acknowledgement. Then, the beautiful bird took flight, and it flew quickly up into the air, its path south and east.
At last, Strikes Fast said in sign, "The crow is a wise and trusted animal; this one has seen ahead of us and has brought us a warning. The Cree party did not go home as I had hoped it would. Instead, the Cree sought shelter in a tiny ravine two days' ride from where we are now. I have now looked at this place, and I see there are seven warriors in their party. They are not as far away as I would like them to be. However, as I said earlier, because we were forced to make our camp in the northern region of the Bears Paw Mountains, I believe they will go to that part of the mountain range first to pick up our trail. We must then make our path in the opposite direction and try to avoid a fight with them. Therefore, as I once told you, we will go on through these mountain forests during the day, heading south and west. There, day by day, we will come closer and closer to the southern prairie which will lead us to the Pikuni camp, and we will not be very far from it. Also, the southwest path over this stretch of prairie is littered with coulees and high cliffs where we can rest during the day."
Sharon sighed, then signed, "Then, if I understand you correctly, you think they will first try to discover where we made camp?"
"Yes," Strikes Fast answered in sign. "They hope we have not left the comfort of our temporary lodge so they can surprise us. They will be disappointed at first, but from there, they could and probably will pick up our trail even though we left it as nature would have it. But, because their horses will not travel easily through the snow, they might still decide to look for an easier scalp to take and go back the way they came."
"Do you think they will? Look for an easier prey, that is?" Sharon asked in English.
"Baaleetáa,no." He shook his head, then signed, "They think I will surrender my scalp easily because I am only one against seven, and I see also there is a man with them who wishes to take you. Now, listen to me. If they find us and I have to fight them, I must tell you this in advance: I do not think I will win this battle because there are seven of them. I will take some of them with me as I go down, true, but it is a fight I will probably not survive."
"No! It will not be! It cannot be! I cannot let it be."
"My wife, hear me on this: it is doubtful I would win this fight. And so, I will tell you this: they will not harm you, nor will they hurt the boy. You must both determine to not fight them; you must yield to them. Later, you and the boy can escape if you wish, but if you do escape and become lost or are hungry while trying to find our people again, do not fear to plead for a helper to lead you to safety. An animal will hear you and will come to you. Do not be afraid of it when some animal hears your plea. It could be a wolf or even a bear.
"While we will try to avoid the war party because I am only one against them—"
"Two," signed Rising Bear.
"One," Strikes Fast responded in sign. "Do not anger them by coming to my aid. Even if I start to lose and go down, you must not raise your arms against them. This is for your protection. You are young, with your life before you. Do not use it up before it has begun."
Although Rising Bear looked away, he did not say a word, neither to agree nor to disagree.
"Now," continued Strikes Fast in sign, "because the fight will be uneven, I say again it is unlikely I will win it, and this you must face even before I begin to fight them. Still, because their way will be hard, they might yet determine it is too difficult and risky and turn back. However, I doubt they will do this because I see there is amongst them someone of power who has decided to make a fight with me."
"But, why," asked Sharon in sign, "can we not find a safe place to stay—one like we did before—and remain there until they leave?"
"While it is possible we might yet be able to do this," signed Strikes Fast, "it is best for us if we try to avoid them and outrun them. You might keep this in mind: if they have a good scout with them, there is a possibility our camp, even if invisible to the eye, will be seen. A well-trained scout is wise to many things spiritual and can often sense the presence of life without any visible signs showing. Therefore, I think it best to try to avoid them and outrun them.
"If they choose to follow us, it will be hard for them at first. But, once they leave the mountains behind, their horses will not be burdened with waist-high snow, and they will make good time. And, even if I cut across our trail to try to divert them, this fools only the feebleminded. Never a scout."
"So, what you are saying is we are in danger of being discovered, even if we try to outmaneuver them?"
"Éeh,yes," Strikes Fast answered in both Crow and English. "In your mind, prepare for the worst and pray to the Creator to allow you and the boy to survive," he continued in sign.
As Sharon glanced out upon the dried grassland of the prairie stretching out below them, she was well aware of the tears welling up within her eyes, blurring her vision. She had only recently found this man. The threat of losing him after at last finding him was more than she could easily bear. If Strikes Fast did fall, as he predicted he might, Sharon knew his passing would utterly devastate her. This knowledge alone would make every moment with him now more precious than ever.
But, she would not cry; she would hide her tears. And, she would not put the burden of her own grief upon his shoulders. Instead, she would present him with as calm a demeanor as she was able, and always, regardless of the outcome of such a fight, she would keep him close to her heart.
And so, in her heart and only if necessary, this is how it would be.
