CHAPTER FOURTEEN
First Rider wasn't away too long, even though it seemed to her as though he had been gone for hours and hours. But, she did as he had asked of her, and, closing her eyes, she sang the medicine song over and over, keeping her hand in the same place and position it had been in from the first moment she had placed it over White Necklace Woman's heart. And, with every breath and note of the song, Liliann prayed for this woman's recovery.
Liliann was well aware of First Rider's return. Rushing in through the entry flap, he came quickly to her side and put his hand on Liliann's shoulder. Then, bending down beside her, he whispered in her ear, "You…do good. Keep hand where it over…heart. I mix herbs with mud, clay. When I say…'now,' you let go, take hand away. You understand?"
Liliann nodded. She didn't even look at him, so intent was she upon keeping the woman's heart beating with nothing more than a song and her hand. She heard him mixing the herbs and clay together, their scent earthy, but not unpleasantly so. Again, time seemed to pass slowly until, at last, First Rider commanded, "Now!"
Liliann removed her hand at once and sat back, giving First Rider more room in which to do whatever had to be done.
She watched as he quickly positioned one of his own hands on the skin over the woman's heart, lifting his hand up slightly to push the healing mixture underneath his hand. This he did over and over as he sang and sang, Liliann's voice accompanying his.
And then, when the mud was fully spread over the woman's heart, he smeared some of it onto her neck. With this completed, First Rider bent over the woman's face, and Liliann heard him say, "Ipookaki!Awaken!Ipaitapiiyi! You live!"
With a sharp indrawn breath, the chief's sits-beside-him-woman opened her eyes, glancing up at First Rider.
"Oki" was all he said to the woman. Then, motioning to the chief to come forward, First Rider said in Blackfeet, as well as sign language, "Take hold of your woman's hand. I make tea…for heart."
The chief nodded.
Liliann watched as First Rider turned to her and said, "Get water…fresh…we make tea…strengthen heart."
Liliann felt incapable of uttering a single word. Instead, she immediately arose, and, stepping forward, she climbed over the entrance flap, ran to the lodge she shared with First Rider, and there she grabbed the specially made hide bag she used to obtain and store water. Hurrying to the lake, she filled the bag with cool, fresh water. Then she walked quickly back to the chief's lodge, being careful not to spill any.
As soon as she entered Chief Yellow Hawk's tepee, First Rider looked up at her and asked, "Boil water?"
"Aye, aye, this be somethin' I can do."
He simply smiled at her.
****
Much later, First Rider and Liliann returned to their own lodge, having stayed with White Necklace Woman and the chief until First Rider felt certain the injured woman would recover. And, no sooner had he thrown back the tepee flap to their own lodge when his beautiful Otahki asked, "Did the chief tell thee what had happened to White Necklace Woman? Has she been ill?"
"She not ill," he responded. "Her son…almost trampled…by buffalo bull. Old bulls sometimes…crazy…come into camp…run through tepees. Sometimes people…killed. On prairie, she saw son in path of bull…could not save him…she faint…not wake up."
"Nay! Her son…be he alive?"
"His older brother…a quick runner. He save him."
"Oh, I be thankin' the good Lord for that. But, why could she not be awakened?"
First Runner shrugged. "I not know. But, when I ran hands over…woman's heart, Creator show me…how to heal…what plant…how to use. Tea strengthen her. She live…long time now."
Because the hour was late and there was no fire lit within their lodge, it was dark within the tepee, and, turning around suddenly, he let Otahki bump into him, giving him a good reason to pull her in close to him, and bringing his head down to hers, he kissed her. Then, with his lips against hers, he whispered, "Remember you what we said, what we do when return to tepee?"
She laughed a little, the sound more beautiful to him than the lilting song of the meadowlark. She then lifted her arms up, and, placing them around his neck, she scooted in so close to him, he could feel every rounded hill and valley of her figure.
She asked, "Are thou hungry?"
He growled a little before replying, "I very hungry…but not for food. Have I other plans…to…relieve hunger."
She laughed, then wiggled her hips a little. And, he thought he might go crazy with the need of her.
As if by mutual agreement, their clothes came off in a frenzy of quick motions, and within the pulse of an instant, he had her positioned beneath him on their sleeping robes. He murmured, "At last, have you…where want you. I your captive."
"Nay, man of mine. I be your captive. What will thou do with me own self now thou has me?"
He chuckled. Rising up slightly, he grabbed hold of her wrists and placed her hands over her head. He whispered, "I could tie hands…look at…admire you…nothing can you do…stop me."
