Many Horses 9

Many Horses could not sleep with the place next to her empty. She hadn't told anyone about seeing Kills Many and hoped that Walks Far and the men with him would not meet up with the Cheyenne anywhere. She had decided to ask Walks Far to take her back to her family, but only for a day. He would be well within his right to refuse as one Crow man visiting the Cheyenne was very dangerous. Too many Crow men would look like they had come for a fight instead of a visit.

Many Horses wanted to see her mother and to show off her infant son who had grown a bit chubbier.

She eventually fell asleep only to awake at dawn when a warm body lay down next to her. She went back to sleep until their son began to fuss.

"Kills Many was here"

"he thought I would go back with him" Many Horses answered listening as the baby nursed hungrily "I told him no"

"he has let you go, but your brother was not happy. He may cause trouble"

Many Horses turned to look at him "you knew?"

"I knew that Cheyenne were coming"

The silence between them lingered for a moment before she finally spoke up "would you take me to see my family?"

Walks Far was quiet. It was almost as if he'd been expecting this.

"there are no guarantees. Your people could kill me"

"it would be no different if Kills Many stole a Crow woman" She said patting the baby's back to let him burp. "I will stand with you"

Walks Far did not like this, but he had taken her from her family. They would need a very good plan.

Kills Many watched a woman run among the horses and knew immediately who it was. Wasn't it enough that she had decided to remain among the Crow instead of her own people. There was no question why she had waited until late in the night to move into the encampment but he had to get to her before one of the other men on watch spotted her.

"are you crazy??" he half whispered when she finally turned and looked up at him. By this time she was headed for the multitude of tipis that dotted the landscape without a doubt searching for her family.

"where is he?" Kills Many demanded riding up alongside her

"HE, is far away and not stupid enough to ride into a Cheyenne encampment alone"

"Come"

Many Horses took that hand that was offered finding it much harder to mount his horse with a baby at her back.

They rode for a brief time finally finding her parents home at the other end of the encampment. Kills Many helped her down then made enough noise to awaken her parents

"who is out there?" her father demanded

Many Horses could envision him grabbing his gun and charging out

"your daughter, Many Horses" she replied before Kills Many could say anything. The sound of movement inside increased and she could now hear her mother talking.

While they waited it was hard to find anything to say to Kills Many. She couldn't help but feel that she had betrayed him, yet what he had done was unforgivable.

To be continued.....

Many Horses 8

How could she stay with the crow?? Kills Many couldn't understand how she would choose to remain among a filthy degraded people. Nothing would convince her otherwise, he had tried. Nothing could have prepared him for seeing the baby but he would have accepted it just to have her back. She cared a great deal for this man, that was clear.

He had left the same way that he had come in and by some miracle hadn't been seen by those that watched the outer perimeters of the camp. Later on that day he spotted her father and brothers waiting patiently, assuming that she would be with him.

"where is she?" Long Run the eldest of her brothers demanded

"she would not come with me"

"has she forgotten who her people are?" Long Run shouted "we will have to go in tonight and take her"

"there is a child and she is content" Kills Many continued "if you take her I will not be a part of it"

These words from Kills Many surprised everyone who watched as he simply rode on.

"it cannot end like this, we cannot just let her go"

"if Kills Many thought she was in any danger or was being mistreated, he would speak the same words you are" Her father said plainly "he would not leave her if she was not happy"

"you would just allow this?"

"I do not like this but I will allow it" He said turning to follow Kills Many. The others followed without a word and only after they were well out of sight did Walks Far move. He had been mere feet from them the entire time and had listened to everything that was said. It could be that they had seen him and had said everything for his benefit though such was not likely. He would be careful though.

Many Horses 7

Walks Far watched her ride ahead of him not entirely believing what she had said. Either she was up to something or was serious about what she had said, determining which was true would become the difficult part.

Winter set in with the same ferocity it always did and Many Horses turned to her quilling to keep her busy. She spent time with Blue Raven and sometimes bundled up to go riding with her husband. As he had predicted she was with child and by the time spring arrived she found it hard to walk anywhere without straining her back.
She awoke him early one morning asking for Blue Raven after which he sat out side for hours listening to her scream and moan. His father had come to sit next to him although no words were spoken between the two, it wasn't neccesary.
She gave birth to a baby boy soon after and Walks Far could not help but rush inside to find the baby boy clean but placed to the side in an effort to stem the bleeding from Many Horses body.
"cover her" he demanded picking her up and running outside heading for the cold stream as fast as he could. Her blood began to soak his front side and she grew weaker. The shock of running into the cold water and immersing her snapped her awake so suddenly that she began to flail her arms.
"what are you doing?" she shouted panicked
"you are bleeding" he said very calmly managing to hold on despite her struggling
"stop" he finally shouted
she shivered at the coldness of the water and just looked up at him. "where is the baby?"
"with Blue Raven"
They sat there like that for hours until the bleeding stopped. By then his legs were so cold and numb that he could barely stand. He carried her back to their lodge and watched as she fell asleep still not entirely convinced that he would not loose her. Their son had been cleaned, fed and well cared for by his mother and Blue Raven. Right now all he wanted was to take the small bundle and just walk, looking down at the small face and marveling. He returned to Many Horses not long after waiting and watching over the next several days as under the care of a healer and many women she grew stronger and the color returned to her once vibrant face.
She finally had enough of being cooped up one day and announced that she was going for a short walk. Walks Far would not let her go alone however and presented her with an exqusitely handcrafted cradleboard that could be carried on her back. She immediatley bundled the baby in it and slipped it on her back. They walked to where the horses were and then a little beyond. He had been told by others that a group of Cheyenne had been seen about a day's ride from where they were camped. No doubt they would be coming after Many Horses as she was not simply Kills Many's intended but also a special woman partly for her ability to communicate with horses the way she did but also because she could understand people. Unbeknownst to her he had agreed to ride out and find these men the next day. She was well enough to be on her own now and would be well guarded.

Many Horses awoke the next morning to find her husband gone. She knew that he'd had to ride out with several other men but nonetheless still felt empty with him gone. She decided to get an early start and bundled the still sleeping baby gently strapping him to her back and walking down to the stream. They would soon be moving everyone to another place where they would be spending the summer and some of the fall. She had come to love this place and didn't want to leave it but had been used to this sort of routine all her life. The horses were a little restless as she walked among them, some grunted, others whinnied and while she didn't find the behavior strange she did want to know what was behind it all.
"Many Horses"
She stopped immediatley trying to discern which direction the call had come from and listened intently as her name was called again. An uneasy feeling came over Many Horses as she turned and walked towards one of the few trees out here.
"do not call out" Kills Many warned her
"how did you get here?" she demanded wanting to know how he had not been seen by anyone
"It does not matter, I will help you escape"
He had obviously seen the baby but displayed no shock or surprise whatsoever, his goal was to get her back.
"this is my home, I will not return with you"
"you are Cheyenne" he angrily reminded her
"I will always be Cheyenne" she replied "I will remain among the crow"
"what did he do to you?" Kills Many wanted to shout as loud as he could but would not risk being found out. As it was all she would have to do is yell.
"he told me the truth, about the woman you killed" she said calmly "that woman had been his wife"
Kills Many understood everything now, Many Horses was his revenge. There was nothing he could say or do that would erase the truth of what he had done. In that moment he had simply been killing an enemy to the Cheyenne but now it had cost him the woman he loved.

To be continued....

Many Horses 6

Eagle cries spotted his brother riding in very slowly and quietly. He got the hint and quickly but silently peeled off into some trees. Walks Far rode in closer to Many Horses who seemed to be looking off into the far horizon studying something intently. He wondered for a brief second if there were riders in the distance but knew even the Cheyenne would not be stupid enough to have come this far and think they could make it back to their own people once the snows began.

Many Horses looked over as he pulled along side her but didn't seem very surprised to see him.

"thank you?" she said quietly rubbing the horses neck.

Walks far simply nodded trying to discern exactly what she was looking at.

"when I was eleven summers my people spent the summer there. We camped with many other Cheyenne and made friends with the Lakota but I think it was for the purpose of showing that if anyone came against us we had many men capable of fighting.

Walks far remembered what she was saying, he had been a young capable man then and had ridden with several others to take a look at what was going on.

"I first met kills many there but I didn't like him, he was arrogant and liked to show off"

"he did not change much, he still has a very big ego"

Walks Far bit down on her lip. She was at least smart enough to know that defending Kills Many would get her nowhere. Kills Many had changed, that was why she had finally agreed to marry him.

"you were never young and cocky?"

Walks far took a deep breath and looked over at her "I was, for a time but I had to become more serious about things. I had to take on responsibilities"

"your parents?"

"not just my parents and my father has only been unable to hunt for a short time"

"Then who?"

"that is not for now" he said turning his horse to the right and nudging it into a lope

"how much do you know about me?" she rode after him shouting. The black look in his eyes was not enough to stop her

"I don't think you took me because you wanted me"

"I want you, and not just because of the child"

"there is no child" she said furious

"I have eyes"

"you see what you want to see and you are not telling me what I want to know"

"I know everything I want to know about you"

"why did you take me?" She'd had enough and was more determined than ever to get answers

"because he killed my wife and my child" Walks far shouted finally "she was still with child and he just shot her in the chest"

Many Horses was so stunned she stopped the horse, Kills Many had done this?? Not the man she knew.

"you did not have to lie to me" she said quietly

"I had no reason to take another woman" he said angrily "I did not want another woman but I would not let Kills Many have what he took from me. Now he knows"

Many Horses felt as though her heart would stop beating. What he was telling her was so atrocious that she all but believed it. She was just a pawn, nothing more. Perhaps anything would have been better than that.

"you knew it would be harder for me to return once I had a child" she deduced out loud

Walks Far expected her to reject him right then and there, he'd let himself become too far involved in this and prepared for the worst.

She did nothing more but jump from her horse and give in to the heaving of her stomach. Then mounted her horse and rode to where he had stopped his.

"I am not something to be used any more. I am your wife" That is what she had decided in those few moments on the ground and she would not change her mind. Changing his advantage was the best thing she could do now, he was stuck with her.

Many Horses 5

Authors note - These particular stories are not written to the best of my ability. I unfortunately write them just a little too fast. I still enjoy writing them though.

Let's continue.....

Kills Many shivered at the cold morning air. It was getting too close to winter and if he did not turn back and rejoin the Cheyenne now he would be caught out in the cold. Having to give up was what killed him because he wasn't naive enough to think that Many Horses would be left alone, she was a young woman at the age where many married and gave birth to children. He would just have to steal her back when the snows thawed and the ground once again became solid. Certainly even by then she would have no intention of staying with the Crow, her home was with the Cheyenne.

Many Horses stepped outside the lodge and pulled a buffalo robe around her. She didn't care what anyone thought or what they might do when they saw her away from the lodge, one horse among the herd was calling and he was familiar. Fortunatley the herd had been moved from across the creek to a pasture behind all of the lodges and it was still early in the morning. All she had to do was pull the robe up so it covered half her head, that way she wouldn't so easily be seen. Eagle Cries, as usual, was not far behind but did not try to stop her just watched to see what she would do.
As she drew nearer a black horse with a patch of white above his eyes emerged causing her to run as fast as her legs would carry her. This was her horse and he had been left among the Cheyenne when Walks Far took her. She didn't even have to question how he had come to be here it was enough just to see him, to feel his breath on her hands and have him bump his muzzle against her face like he always used to. He was not a young horse but had been gifted to her by Kills Many when he'd presented horses to her father. Taking no heed she climbed upon his back and turned to Eagle Cries.
"Where is your horse? I want to ride" she asked knowing perfectly well that he would not understand her, she was learning the Crow language but slowly.
"we are not riding anywhere, you will run again" he answered her, but in Cheyenne this time. All she could do was stare at him before forming a coherent sentence "you understand me?"
"Walks Far taught me, there was no choice"
"where would I go in this cold?" She asked "I would become lost and caught out when the snows begin"
Giving in Eagle Cries found his own horse, a brown mustang and swiftly mounted turning in her direction. How he managed out here with just a shirt and leggings against the chilly morning air, she didn't know.
"go" he said motioning for her to take the lead. He was tired of watching this woman and could have refused now although the fact that Walks Far was hunting and tracking all the time still left him with a sense of responsibility. It would not be so much longer before Many Horses became fat with child anyway and in the spring it would be harder for her to leave. Eagle Cries would insist on taking over his older brother's duties soon so that he could stay closer to her.
The bumping and jarring of the horse caused a sudden nausea in the pit of Many Horses stomach forcing her to stop the horse and jump down. Slightly alarmed she spit out the last of it and turned back to Wild, her horse again mounting but saying nothing to Eagle Cries. She was used to riding and not once had it ever affected her stomach.
Faced with the prospect of returning to the lodge for the rest of the day with little to do she continued riding, this was her freedom for the day and she wasn't wasting it.

Walks Far returned to the lodge finding it empty. He had seen Blue Raven only moments ago and knew Many Horses was not with her.
A reassuring hand was placed upon his forearm as he stood there in front of the lodge "she is riding with your brother, you knew it would not be very long before she found the horse"
He took his mother's hand squeezing it slightly. She was a strong woman who had always been able to keep peace among her family and relatives.
"it is time that you let your brother take care of us" she suggested "Many Horses will need looking after"
Walks Far said nothing, just continued looking out among the throng of other lodges surrounding them.
"she will never take the place of your first but you care for her, more than you thought you would"
Walks Far smiled but just slightly, were anyone other than his mother to suggest such a thing he would deny it before giving them a tongue lashing.
"she is a good woman" his mother spoke before finally leaving to finish what she had to do.
While Walks Far had never intended to let Many Horses go he hadn't considered much beyond taking her captive and giving her a child. His motive was revenge from the start and what he had done to her was not fair, she was an unwilling part of it all, merely a tool. He couldn't say that was true now though because she had reached a part of him that had been closed for a long time.

Many Horses 4

"Where is she?" Walks Far exploded storming out of his lodge

"she was asleep" Eagle Cries responded

Walks Far wanted to strangle his younger brother but for right now his time would be better served gathering men and hunting her down. His biggest problem was that he didn't know how long she had been gone and that she had managed to slip away without being seen.

Many Horses stopped momentarily trying to fill her already worn out lungs and wishing that her legs didn't hurt so much. She had been running since she left only stopping to catch her breath and listen for sounds that were out of place. So far there was no indication of anyone following her although they would not be making noise either. The only thing Many did know was that she had started out going east. They had come into the encampment from that direction but it didn't altogether mean much.

She hadn't taken a horse because Walks Far would have expected that, and because she could navigate the trees better as well as hide in the tall prairie grass on the other side if need be. She was in another small copse of trees now, hours beyond the encampment. Many Horses had to find a good hiding place before morning because by then she would be a very visible moving target. How she had been able to pass as a man still amazed her, she was a small one at that.

Having paused long enough Many Horses turned and once again ran headed for the edge of the trees shivering as the cold penetrated through her clothing. Summer was long over and the cold of late fall had been prevalent since she'd been with the Crow. How everything would work out from this point on, Many Horses didn't know but she had to get back to Kills Many.

She was suddenly pulled back hard and held against a warm broad chest while a hand completely covered her mouth.

"did you think I would not find you?" Walks Far asked

She immediately struggled digging her heel into his foot and trying with both hands to pry his hand away from her mouth. Finally she jabbed an elbow into his rib and he released just enough for her to twist away. He caught her by the shirt and hauled her back then untied the breechcloth she wore pulling it away despite her efforts to keep it in place. She was immediately embarrassed knowing there must be other men around.

"they have all gone" he told her pulling upward on the bottom of the shirt. When she resisted he maintained his grip. "Do not make me destroy my own shirt" he warned.

She finally let him remove it shivering at the cold night air.

By the time the sun rose that morning returning to Kills Many in good faith was no longer an option. Returning to him with another mans child growing inside of her would be a mistake.

"you do not know if this is true, yet" she spat out reaching for his shirt and pulling it over her head then searching around for the breechcloth.

"it does not matter, it will be true"

"no, this will not happen again"

Walks Far said nothing, the fact that he'd not had to hurt her said more than enough.

Once she was decent they mounted his horse and left for the encampment. A sick feeling settled in the pit of her stomach and she felt like shattering into a million pieces caught between crying and being outraged. She willed the shaking to stop and finally had him stop the horse so that her stomach could have it's way.

"who made these clothes?" she asked a while later trying to draw Walks Far out of the silence that had been prevalent since they left.

"I will not speak her name" he answered plainly. It was clearly a subject he didn't want to touch meaning that it was probably more of the big mystery he would never talk about. She began to put pieces of things she'd been told together and began to wonder what exactly Kills Many had done.

Once back at the encampment she changed into her dress and pulled out the pouch that Walks Far had given her pleased at the number of quills that were inside and the array of dyes. She first quilled the pouch taking care in how she lined the quills and sewed them in place. So lost was Many Horses in this process that she did not even look up when Blue Raven stood over her.

"I heard you were very good at quilling, this is beautiful"

"Walks Far told you this?" Many Horses asked causing her friend to realize that she had said too much "what else did he tell you?"

"I will not betray his trust"

"he is Crow, we are Cheyenne" Many Horses shouted

"do not ask me to do this" Blue Raven replied "ask him"

Many Horses found her hands clenching into fists. She would wait, but not for much longer.

Many Horses 3

"your search is leading nowhere"

It took everything within Kills Many not to jump or act startled. He'd purposely fallen asleep against a tree so that he would be awaken at the slightest noise but clearly had been too far into sleep when his brother came up behind him.

He sat up straighter and opened his eyes fully "I won't just let her go"

Red Fox sat down next to his younger brother "there are too many trails to follow"

"but they will all eventually lead to one place" Kills Many realized.

"perhaps" Red Fox replied "but these people are Crow, they are skilled also"

"there was nothing to indicate who they were"

"they are crow" Red Fox said finally and Kills Many knew not to argue with him further. There were times when he just knew things.

Kills Many had to think. Why the crow.

"you have not forgotten already?" Red Fox asked

"no" Kills Many answered remembering something that happened well over a year ago. He had been much more hot headed then and given the same choice now it probably would not have happened.

Many Horses hadn't been willing to risk another dress this time figuring that he would not provide another one. She did however wrap herself completely in the robe and fell asleep that way. Much later the robe was pulled gently from underneath her and a warm body was at her back. He waited until she'd fallen asleep again then began something that would continue over the next several nights, testing her and pushing her ever so slightly each night until the fight within her began to diminish.

It had been a week since the incident and she'd been allowed to sit outside the lodge only leaving if Blue Raven came for her. Today however Walks Far came for her handing her a pouch and waiting while she looked inside. It was as if her entire inside had lit up and she hurriedly searched through each item or set of items. Here was everything she would need to quill and the amount if hide he held in his hands was enough for two good shirts.

He held out his hand as if she should come with him and after putting the items he had given her away stood, taking his hand and walking with him. They walked parallel the creek until a natural bridge was spotted. One at a time they crossed and at that moment she realized he was taking her to the horses. Immediately several raised their heads as if in greeting or just realizing she was there and she responded touching and stroking several warm muzzles, feeling their breath upon her hands. Walks Far came to her leading two horses by rope bridles and helped her up on one. She knew trying to run was pointless because he would just catch her. He would be angry too and probably confine her to the lodge once again.

Walks Far had caught the momentary sadness in her eyes and knew she was thinking of Kills Many. None of this was fair to her and he knew it. She did not know the man that she had been about to marry however, perhaps very few knew that side of him.

He led her off towards a small copse of trees that stretched into seemingly endless prairie. They rode for several hours just talking when she finally broached the subject that had been bothering her.

"why do you hate Kills Many?"

"I do not hate him" Walks Far replied "He has done many unforgivable things, but I will not waste my soul to hate him"

"what has he done?"

"you would not believe me, you are still in love with him"

The words, spoken plainly, were the truth.

"then let me go back to him"

"no" was his simple answer before riding on and expecting her to follow. She nudged her horse ahead but not before lowering her head and wiping furiously at the tears that would not stop.

"we will not talk of this again"

When they returned she immediately jumped from her horse leaving Walks Far to take it and walked back to the lodge alone ignoring the watchful eyes of those around her. Eagle Cries would again be posted outside though as of late he had become careless, talking and laughing with friends who came to keep him company.

She searched through Walks Far's things eventually finding a spare shirt and leggings. She'd had enough with being convinced there wasn't any way she could escape. She had to.