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Yes! These Navaho children would be her students.
As they rode onward, Eagle Wolf smiled from one person to the other, nodding his head at those who openly greeted him, and Nicole began to feel less and less uncomfortable. She could almost see people beginning to relax toward her.
And then someone suddenly stepped away from the others, blocking Eagle Wolf and Nicole’s way.
They were forced to come to an abrupt halt, stopping only a few inches from the angry-eyed man who faced them with fists jammed angrily on his hips.
He wore only a breechclout and moccasins. His coal-black hair fell in a long braid down his back. A knife was sheathed at his right side, glinting threateningly as the sun played on its handle.
Nicole realized that she had just found her first Navaho enemy, and she could not help being afraid.
Where there was one, surely there were others.
She glanced quickly at Eagle Wolf, who stayed in his saddle even as his eyes battled with those of the warrior. The other man stood there, glaring directly into Eagle Wolf’s eyes.
This warrior was openly challenging his chief. Nicole was stunned to witness this exchange.
“My brother, step aside,” Eagle Wolf said tightly. “You do not know what you are doing.”
“I know very well, my brother,” Spirit Wolf said. He slowly shifted his glare over to Nicole, making her shudder at the coldness in his eyes.
Nicole knew now that this was Eagle Wolf’s blood kin…his brother, and she could tell there was no love lost between them.
Nicole waited to see how Eagle Wolf would react to this brother who seemed so out of line and perhaps an embarrassment to Eagle Wolf.
“Spirit Wolf, step aside,” Eagle Wolf said again, this time with more anger and strength behind his words.
“Eagle Wolf, my brother and chief, you are not acting wisely, bringing this woman into our lives,” Spirit Wolf said. “Are you blind, brother? Do you not see the color of her skin? She is white! One white among us will bring more. Surely someone will want to know where she is. They will come here. Our stronghold will no longer be safe because of this one white woman!”
Eagle Wolf dismounted.
He went to Spirit Wolf and stood directly before him, but he did not reach out and touch him…yet.
Eagle Wolf was a man of self-control, and at this moment, he needed all that he could gather within himself to deal with his brother’s disobedience.
“And so my brother shames his own brother…his chief…in the presence of others?” Eagle Wolf said coolly. “You know well, Spirit Wolf, that I would never bring harm to our people. This woman will not bring harm, either. She is kind. And she is alone. This woman lost her family. She is alone in this world. Only the Mormon people know that she survived the wrath of those who killed her parents, and those Mormons would not dare come on our mountain. She is not of their religion, or their kind. And they are not the sort of people who cause trouble. They follow their own rules of goodness and kindness, leaving others alone.”
He turned and looked at his people. “Know this, my people,” he said, gazing from one to the other. “All is safe at our stronghold. This woman, too, seeks safety from those who killed her parents. She has suffered terrible losses. She deserves peace in her life. Like you, she deserves a safe haven. I have offered this to her, and she has accepted.”
Spirit Wolf stepped even closer to Eagle Wolf, so close that their breaths mixed.
“How do you know this white woman so well? Why would you do this for her?” Spirit Wolf asked, his eyes mocking.
“This woman came to me when I was sick with fever. She offered me help while you, my very own brother, were trying to benefit from your brother’s illness,” Eagle Wolf said dryly. “If I must choose between the two of you, I prefer to have her in my life.”
Eagle Wolf stepped away from Spirit Wolf and pointed to the path that led down the mountain. “Go, Spirit Wolf,” he said, his voice filled with deep emotion. “You do not deserve the love or loyalty of your chieftain brother, or our people. In your heart there lies too much envy toward your own blood brother, your only family left on this earth. You have lost the right to my love. Our parents would be ashamed of you, as ashamed as I am.”
Shocked by Eagle Wolf’s sudden decision to send him out of his life, Spirit Wolf stepped away from his brother, wide-eyed. “You would do this to your brother?” he gasped. “You would send me away?”
“You sent yourself away when you decided to become someone I no longer recognize,” Eagle Wolf said. “All of our lives I have cared for you, my brother. And still you resent me and my position in life? Spirit Wolf, go away and think about what you have done and what you have wanted to do to your brother. When, and if, you can return and be the person you were before greed and jealousy came into your heart, you will be welcome again in our Owl Clan.”
“You would do this because…because…of this woman?” Spirit Wolf blurted out, again glaring at Nicole. “It is because of her and you know it!”
“You are still not listening to my words or my heart, brother,” Eagle Wolf said. He pointed toward the pass that led from the village. “Go. Now.”
Suddenly realizing that Eagle Wolf was serious, and that he was near to being banished from their clan, Spirit Wolf grew downcast. “I am sorry,” he cried. “I spoke out of turn. Please forgive me. Give me a second chance. I do love you, Eagle Wolf. Greed and the desire for leadership did blind me, but only for a little while. I no longer want what my brother rightfully has. Please forgive me?”
Nicole felt partly to blame for what had just happened between the two brothers. She wanted to try to do something to smooth things over between them.
