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She had read in a St. Louis newspaper about all sorts of atrocities that Indians were guilty of. But so far, on her way to Tyler City, she had seen no Indians. She had spotted some smoke signals high in the mountains, but that was all.
Was she being foolish to ride right into Navaho territory? A cold shiver rode her spine at the thought of coming face-to-face with an Indian.
Yet still she turned her steed in the direction of the mountain and without a last look at what she must leave behind her on the cold ground, she rode away, to a new life. She was deeply afraid that her future would be lonely and filled with danger.
Chapter Five
As soon as Eagle Wolf had departed the village, his brother had set about constructing a new tepee for him. Spirit Wolf wanted to surprise Eagle Wolf with a new home when he returned, instead of waiting for Eagle Wolf to rebuild. Now Spirit Wolf was basking in the newness of the huge buckskin tepee.
He would enjoy being his people’s chief while he could, for he had no doubt that Eagle Wolf would get well and soon return to reclaim the title.
Spirit Wolf was dressed in clothes made from deerskin, a fringed shirt, leggings, and heavily beaded moccasins, his shiny black hair drawn back into a long braid down his back. He sat on the floor of the new tepee on a rich, thick mat of bear fur.
The glow from the lodge fire in the center of the tepee was a little too warm on this autumn day, but he was enjoying this moment alone, savoring the feel of power.
As he gazed at the flames rolling slowly over the logs in the firepit, he could not help imagining all sorts of benefits that would come with being temporary chief.
He could even envision something that his brother talked against…warring with whites.
Spirit Wolf felt different from his brother. Spirit Wolf hungered for war. He would proudly lead the warriors of his clan into battle!
He had always felt the strong need to fight, not only with white enemies, but also any of the other tribes who threatened his Owl Clan.
Ho, he would defeat the enemies of his people in battle and then rightfully claim the title of chief. He would prove his worth, prove he was more worthy of being chief than his brother. Eagle Wolf had backed away from war and brought their people to this mountain to hide.
Hiding went against Spirit Wolf’s nature, yet because he was not the true chief, he had to accept whatever his brother decided was best to keep their people safe.
“And they are safe,” Spirit Wolf whispered to himself as he stretched his legs out and crossed them at the ankles. “But will they always be so? Or will the white eyes finally decide to come onto the mountain and challenge our Owl Clan?”
If so, Spirit Wolf would step forth and lead the battle against them!
Ho, Spirit Wolf could not deny how he enjoyed his daydreams of being chief.
He closed his eyes and smiled as he listened to the children at play outside in the shadow of the tall bluff that stood at the backside of the stronghold.
Pretending that he was the true chief, Spirit Wolf listened to the voices of some elderly men as they traded stories beside an outdoor fire while smoking their long-stemmed pipes.
He heard some women chattering like magpies, sitting together outside one of their lodges, speaking of things they had done today, or possibly even discussing their chief and the illness that had sent him away from their village.
Knowing he now led all these people, Spirit Wolf felt important, more so than he ever had in his life.
Ho, he had always been second to his brother, since he was the younger of the two. It had always been known which brother would be their Owl Clan’s leader once their father passed on to the other world.
Because of that knowledge, everyone spoke more of Eagle Wolf. People had looked up to him early on, even before it was time for him to become their chief.
Spirit Wolf was not certain when resentment against his brother began to grow inside his heart. But it was there.
Recently those feelings had become more intense. Envy ate away at his insides when he saw that his brother was treated with more respect and awe than himself, even though Spirit Wolf had always tried to prove his own worth to his people.
“It is hogay-gahn. It is wrong that nothing I have ever done, or said, changed anything,” he whispered bitterly to himself. “Nothing.”
But now things had changed. However, the change would benefit Spirit Wolf only if his brother did not return to reclaim his title.
Upon Eagle Wolf’s return, everything would go back to the way if had been. Ho, Spirit Wolf would again be made to walk in his brother’s shadow. And he would continue there either until his brother’s death, or Spirit Wolf’s own.
Death did seem to be the only answer, but it was not something he wanted to think about. If his brother succumbed to this disease that had forced him to leave his people, then Spirit Wolf would finally achieve what he never could otherwise!
“Chief Spirit Wolf,” he whispered to
