 
Wolf Eyes

By

C. R Coburn

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2013 C.R. Coburn

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Hunt

Chapter 2: Bad News

Chapter 3: New Friends

Chapter 4: High Bluffs

Chapter 5: Black Tea

Chapter 6: Green Corn Festival

Chapter 7: Winter Games

Chapter 8: Springtime Journeys

Chapter 9: War Party

Chapter 10: Victors and Refugees

Chapter 11: Black Deeds

Chapter 12: Evil Comes

Chapter 13: Return of the Spirits

About C.R. Coburn

Chapter 1: The Hunt

It was early morning. The weather was a mist of rain. They had heard its growl a little before dawn. One challenge that had gone unanswered. They were on its trail now. It was ambling down the steep mountainside, turning over a log of a fallen tree, stopping to eat blueberries that grew on the steep slopes. It had no reason to go quietly about its business. There were few animals in the forest that would disturb it for any reason.

The bear stood on its hind legs and reached up for a limb of hickory. There was some sap there that it wanted to sample. Standing eight feet at the tip of its nose, it could reach another two and a half. Its weight about 700 lbs. With one grab and a pull the limb broke off the tree. The bear stood upright and gnawed and licked the sap.

The hunting party crept on the slope above the bear. They could see it now, but they must get closer for a kill. The leader went down on one knee, and the rest of the party followed suit. When they moved, they stayed hidden from the bear behind bushes and trees. He was still licking the sweet sap, unaware of his peril. The hunting party was still 150 feet away.

They moved stealthily, placing their feet down gently when they walked, like cats. A leaf was not turned. A sound was not made. One by one they moved, closer and closer.

The bear finished his licking and moved on a little down the hill. He was looking here and there. What is under this rock? What is inside this log? It's a never-ending quest for food. The bear went on, and the hunters tried to close the distance between them and their prey.

The party was six warriors strong. It had been two days now since they left the village. The first day out there was ten of them. The party had separated after they had killed a buck and a wild hog. They had butchered their game, and the others had left to take the meat and other parts back to the village.

Back in the village, the different parts would be divided and given to the person whose craft it was to make the most out of them. The deer's hide would make moccasins, and its sinews bindings for different uses. The meat would be smoked. Each animal that was killed was made total use of, with no parts wasted. Everything had its purpose, whether the part be used for food or clothing.

The hunting party was armed for any game that they might encounter. There were three that carried bows and quivers of arrows. The three others carried spears with large stone Clovis points. The arrows would wound and slow the bear down, and the spears would finish the job. Each hunter also carried a tomahawk and a stone butcher knife. The hunter in the rear carried other items that may be needed such as sinews for tying, tobacco for spiritual and pleasurable uses. There was salve to put on wounds, a little parched corn and cornbread to keep their strength up.

The pace had been slow after they had sighted the bear. If he saw them, the chase would be over. The sun was halfway to high noon. The bear was down in a stream that had cut a deep bank. He was splashing around like he was after a fish, and the hunting party closed the distance. They separated in to two groups. Three found a place out of the bear's sight to cross the stream. The other three waited for a signal to launch the attack. That would occur when the hunters across the stream were in position. Out of the undergrowth came the sound of a thrush. It was the signal to move in closer and attack.

The bear still had his head down, trying to see a fish. The hunters with bows took aim and released their arrows. The arrows struck their mark, and the bear thrashed and rolled in the water. When he came up, he had one arrow in the back of his neck, one in his side under the arm and one in the right shoulder. He took off running downstream, splashing and bellowing as he went. The hunters gave chase on each side of the creek bank. One hunter got close enough to throw his spear. The spear struck the bear in the right hindquarter. He turned to bite at the spear, then turned back to run. The bear let out a bellow and slowed, favoring the leg. There was a dished out place in the creek bank – a natural place to make a stand. The bear went in and turned to face his foes, which were now very close. The bear rose up on his hind legs and shook his head as he growled. The water came off his head in rings of spray. The hunters hurled two more spears that sunk deep in the bear's chest, and he charged them with a growl. His mouth gapped open, snarling. It was the kind of charge that had both speed and power, with his powerful back legs digging in and his rump lowered. The charge was toward the hunters that had crossed over to the opposite side of the creek. The bear knew that the spear had come from them.

Those hunters ran for their lives. One slash from the powerful bear's claws could kill or maim the hunter for life. The hunters who had bows fired arrows at the bear as he charged, but the arrows missed their marks. The hunters split in three directions, and the bear followed the closest one. The bear chased the hunter that was closest to him. The bear was gaining ground, but the hunter saw a vine hanging from a huge tree – it was his only chance. He made a strong leap and caught hold of the vine. Then he climbed with all his might. The bear got to the vine and looked up, growling at the hunter. The bear tried to pull the vine down, but it was too strong. The hunter clung to the vine as the treetops shook with the bear's pull. The bear, bleeding out his mouth, was now breathing hard. He stayed at the foot of the vine and walked around it for a while. He was getting weaker, and the rest of the hunting party waited for his eminent collapse.

The bear finally lay down, with one final bellow, and quit breathing. The hunters came forward and cautiously poked around his eye with a stick. When he did not blink, they knew he was dead. Finally, the lone hunter came down the vine.

The leader began a short ceremony. He took some tobacco and put it in the bear's nostrils to appease the bear's spirit and apologize for killing him.

After the ceremony, they began to butcher the bear with knives and hatchets. They salted down the meat. Saplings were cut to make travois, which were used to pull the heavy loads. Each man had all he could carry.

Time was taken to wash off in the creek before loading up for the homeward journey. They left none of the bear behind. They started on their way back to the village, singing as they went, making up a song about their hunt and the bravery of the bear. They thanked the Great Spirit for their good fortune.

The leader of this hunting party was Wolf Eyes. He was tall and strong and was frequently chosen to lead the hunts. He wore moccasins that fit close to his legs all the way up his shins. They wore little else except for a breechclout. They had their heads shaved except for a strip down the center, which was cut to a length of 2 1/2 inches and made to stand up stiff by a dressing of bear grease. They were tattooed about the shoulders, chest and back with individual designs. The bowman had deer skin quivers for their arrows. And all had deer skin belts and scabbards for their knives.

Wolf Eyes said, "We will have to make camp in the Valley of the Big Cedar tonight."

The rest of the warriors were glad that Wolf Eyes was ready to stop for the night. It had been a great effort tracking the bear all day without making a sound. It would feel good to lie down and rest.

When they reached the Valley of the Big Cedar, the sun had fallen behind the mountain. They found a pumice knot on a fallen down tree and used it to make a fire.

The pumice knot is a growth found on sides of oak trees, caused by insect infestation. It looks a lot like a dried up sponge inside, very light and porous. When lit by a spark, it will burn very slowly. By placing the burning knot under dry materials, a fire can be started when blown upon with the breath. The flame will then spread to other dry materials. The unused portion of the pumice knot was saved for future use.

They roasted a portion of the meat and ate their fill. They all sat cross-legged around the fire. The talk was of past hunts.

Wolf Eyes said, "When I was a young brave, I was part of a hunting party led by my Uncle Night Walker. We had encountered a bear, but had not inflicted any injury to it. He had charged us much like the one did today. He charged one group of us and then another. Our whole party had been scattered. Finally, the bear had run into thick brush. Night Walker could not understand why the bear would seemingly escape our pursuit only to come back as if he were asking to be slaughtered. The bear was playing a game with us. We considered this strange-acting bear dangerous because he did not follow a normal bear's natural instinct. He clearly was not afraid of men.

The bush was so thick that we had trouble getting through it. We followed him all day, and then it became night, so we stopped to build a fire. The night was so dark that you could not see. It would have been dangerous to follow him on a night that was so dark."

Black Otter asked, "Did anyone get to sleep that night?"

"No," said Wolf Eyes. "That bear roared all night, or at least part of it. It so disturbed my uncle that he told us to stay there by the fire. He would go after the bear.

"'As long as he roars, I can find him,' he said.

"We listened to the bear go back and forth for most of the night with Night Walker after him. Somehow, in the night, the bear doubled back on Night Walker. Now the bear hunted him. Uncle could stay just far enough ahead of the bear to keep the bear interested. We all listened to the sounds of tree limbs and brush breaking all through the night as the chase went back and forth between Night Walker and the bear. We heard growls when the bear was chasing Night Walker, and we heard war hoops when Night Walker had the advantage on the bear. Then after a while the night became silent. Nothing could be heard in the night but the call of the owls.

"At dawn the next morning we heard Uncle Night Walker calling for help. It was a comforting sound to hear his voice. We started to him, but our way was blocked by a massive growth of Wisteria. The vines were so thick that we could not walk through them. Night Walker was in the middle of it. We started cutting our way to him. When we found him he was cutting off his entanglements.

" 'Where is the bear?' I asked."

"Night Walker pointed into the Wisteria. 'The bear left in the direction of the rising sun,' he said. 'We were both tangled in the vines and could not free ourselves. We struggled face to face as the vines tightened around us. It was the spirits of the upper world intervening, keeping us separated, and then a strange thing happened as we were both trapped in the vines within easy reach of the other – if only we had been able to free ourselves. Our spirits met and took away our anger. We made a truce between us, as the vines held us there, that we would no longer seek to harm the other. The bear happened to free itself first from the vines. He approached me and could have killed me, as I was still caught. I felt its hot breath on my face, but it only licked me as a mother bear licks her cubs. Then it left me to free myself and tell its story to you, that you might know of its truce with us and not harm it any more.' That bear is known as Nita Itikana, the bear with the friendship of Night Walker, and it roams the forest until this day."

Everyone around the fire laughed at the story, and then Black Otter said, "Do you believe the bear really licked him in the face?"

"Well, I can only say that is the way he told it," said Wolf Eyes.

Black Otter said, "Night Walker had many adventures." Then he paused. "He was the first to tell me about men and bears. He said, 'In ancient times men and bears lived together, dwelling in the same caves for shelter. But then the bears started eating the children of men, and men started eating the children of bears, and that was the end of the partnership.'"

"I remember that story well," said Wolf Eyes.

"You miss Night Walker, don't you, Wolf Eyes?" said Black Otter.

"Yenah," he said. "His spirit does not rest easy because of his murder. He will not be at peace until his murder is revenged and the evil-one is punished."

They had heard many stories told by Night Walker and others. Stories that were told over and over, and some of which became legends. Some were based on true happenings. Others were told so many times that over the eons they had been changed to make them myths. These stories were the fabric that made up their beliefs, and Night Walker was missed around the campfire.

**~**

The next dawn found them a day's walk from their village. They came across a trail of blood. Wolf Eyes saw it and wondered what had caused it.

He said, "Maybe there was another hunting party sent out from the village that had good luck."

Red Talon said, "Thank the Great Spirit for good hunting." He had been the one that climbed the vine.

They did not disturb the blood trail, but hurried on to the village.

It was late afternoon when they approached the village. They walked past the cornfields and gardens still being tended by women and children. The corn was just now knee high, but the crop was good. They got a good welcome from the people. The people helped them with their loads. The hunters were in need of a bath again because of the blood that still drained from the meat. They had been carrying and pulling it all day. It was now a time for clean up and relaxation.

After clean up, they gathered with the people at the main campfire, which had been set for the occasion of their return. The hunters were greeted by their wives and some of their children. They were brought roasted deer meat, roasted tubers, flat bread and sassafras tea.

The mood of everyone was jovial. The hunters told their story about how they had tracked the bear and how the bear had stopped in the stream to catch a fish. The story contained the fight they had with him and the climbing of the vine. Chief Silver Eagle spoke to each one, and they smoked the ceremonial pipe.

Then Wolf Eyes asked, "What about other game that has been killed while we were away?"

Silver Eagle said, "I know of no other game that has been killed recently. Why do you ask?"

Wolf Eyes looked troubled and said, "On our return, about a day's walk from here, we found a blood trail where an animal had been killed. We were hoping that you had sent another hunting party out."

"No," said Silver Eagle. " What could the meaning of this be? We must send a hunting party out to investigate. Someone could be encroaching on our lands... Wolf Eyes, rest tonight and leave first thing in the morning. Take a party of two warriors and two runners with you. When you find the answer, send a runner if you need help."

That night Wolf Eyes went to his house with his wife. There he played with his nephew, while Waving Willow fixed a meal. They had moved into their summerhouse on the last full moon. It was a house 40 feet long and 20 feet wide. It had walls of woven grass mats and a roof of layered hickory strips. It was divided down the center by an interior wall. The children lived on one side with an elderly woman. He and his wife had the other side to themselves.

"What do you think you will find out about the blood trail?" asked Waving Willow.

Wolf Eyes said, " It's puzzling for someone to come so close and kill our game. It may be someone who does not know we are here and that those are our hunting grounds."

"I was in hopes that you could stay a few days and enjoy the bounty of your hunt. This bed gets lonely when you are away."

Wolf Eyes turned with a questioning look on his face that broke in to a smile, and then they both laughed.

As dawn broke the birds were singing. It was a beautiful spring day. Wolf Eyes lay there listening for a few minutes. Then he got up and went outside to breathe in the fragrant fresh air.

"Halito, Red Talon," said Wolf Eyes.

"Halito," said Red Talon.

They looked at each other for an instant, and then both of them took off running to see who could get to the river first. It was a dead heat as they both dove into the water and swam to the middle of the river before they surfaced. They both were gulping in huge quantities of air.

" Whew," said Wolf Eyes. " What a beautiful morning!"

They stayed there a few minutes just enjoying the coolness of the water. They could look down and see fish swimming along the bottom.

" Let's take it easy going back. We need to preserve our strength for the mission today," said Red Talon.

They took it easy going back to the bank. They went to their houses and got their medicine bags, war clubs, lances and bows. When they came out, they walked to the front of the council hut and met the other members of the mission. There were Loot and Fire Cub, the runners.

Chief Silver Eagle said," Go like the wind and good luck. Maybe it's nothing."

Wolf Eyes said, " We will soon see what is the cause of this mystery."

And with that they were off, Wolf Eyes leading the way at a trot. They disappeared into the woods. Waving Willow and the children watched them go.
Chapter 2: Bad News

The hunting party had found the blood trail again, but now it was a day older and would be harder to follow. The trail headed north and they half walked, half ran in a pulsating rhythm. Wolf Eyes was in the lead. He would stop and look down at the trail, and then run to the next spot in question. Following a trail this way could go on for hours and sometimes days. If they knew where their prey was going, they would break into a full run. Chickasaw warriors had been known to follow their human quarry for five hundred miles before catching them and fighting to the death. The one that died was usually the opponent. This occurred when the chase was performed in revenge of another's death.

The trail had led them to the river. On the bank were signs that a lone canoe had been beached. The canoe had left early this morning, according to the signs. They were unable to tell which direction that it traveled when it left. The signs did show that the canoe had been beached there several times in the past.

Wolf Eyes said, " Let's look up and down stream to see if there are any other signs that might show who they were."

After several minutes they found the remains of an old fire. Maybe it was five or six days old. The signs told them that it was a small group.

"Fire Cub and Loot," said their uncle, Red Talon, "it would be good of you to stay here. Watch the river to see if they come back. I would honor you with a feather if you learn who our visitors are."

Fire Cub and Loot were brothers. Fire Cub was thirteen, and Loot was twelve.

"How long will we stay, Red Talon?" asked Fire Cub.

Red Talon said, "Oshta nitak," which meant four days.

Wolf Eyes said, "Here, you take our provisions. Wait for us to come back in four days. If you see the strangers well enough to see what kind of people they are, then both of you run to our village. Don't let them see you because it could be dangerous. May the spirit of the issi be with you, so that you can run like the deer."

Wolf Eyes and Red Talon left for the village, praying that the Great Spirit would watch over the boys and return them home safely. There was always much danger in the forest from ferocious animals or enemy tribes.

The boys had a pouch of dried venison that would keep them from starving for the four days until Red Talon and Wolf Eyes returned. They found a place where they could watch the river, without being seen. It was a place where an ancient tree had been; its roots had rotted away, leaving a great hole. The hole had filled with leaves, making a soft place to lie down and wait. Loot and Fire Cub settled down in the hole. Time passed ever so slowly, and they watched, not only the river, but the squirrels, turkeys and everything else that moved in the forest.

"I wonder," said Loot. "What do you think is the purpose of existence?"

Fire Cub said, "We are here to watch the river."

"No," said Loot. "Why are we here on this earth? What is the reason for our existence?"

"Oh," said Fire Cub. "We are here, because without us, the good spirits would be lonesome, and the bad spirits would be bored. We are a boundary between them that keeps them from fighting directly among themselves. We will be spirits one day too. Just as the sun and the moon, the deer and the bear all have spirits. We human beings also have spirits."

Loot said, "I don't feel my spirit. Do you feel your spirit, Fire Cub?"

Fire Cub said, "No, you can't feel it, but it is there. It is there in all living things."

Loot said, "Trees?"

Fire Cub said, "Yes, even trees. Everything has a spirit. Rocks and reeds have spirits. Some are great spirits, and some are small spirits. You have to pay much closer attention to sense the spirit of a reed than you would to sense the spirit of a deer."

Loot said, "It is easier for me to sense the spirit of a reed than it is for me to sense my own spirit. Why is that?"

Fire Cub said, "We can't sense our own spirits now, because we are spirits at the same time we are human beings. Human beings are locked in to this world by time and a body. When you die your spirit is set free, and it is not trapped in this world or by time. Death sets a spirit free. The hawk and the eagle have a more present spirit, because that is the way they communicate with us – through their spirits. When we see them it gives us the feeling of awe. The powerful bird is giving you some of his spirit just by letting you see him."

"I guess that is an answer," said Loot. "Here, have some dried meat."

Wolf Eyes and Red Talon were halfway back to the village when something in the forest made an unusual sound. It was something moving through the woods very fast. They hid in some bushes beside the trail and fitted arrows to their bows. They saw some deer coming down the hill. The deer were moving through thick growth, but they were still moving very fast. They were leaping and weaving as they came. Wolf Eyes and Red Talon drew back their bows, and when the deer crossed the trail, they released their arrows at the same instant. Almost like they had practiced a thousand times, though it was done instinctively. Wolf Eyes had shot at the first buck, and Red Talon had shot at the second. There were three does in behind the two bucks. It was amazing how the deer ran. They had a pecking order, the largest first and the smallest last; the biggest in the lead, running with his nose in the air and his antlers lay back. For some reason the lead buck had failed to detect the hunters. Maybe it was the fear of what they were running from that caused a distraction.

Both arrows had found their marks. Both arrows had found the lung-heart area. The deer disappeared into the thick bush. Wolf Eyes and Red Talon waited for a few minutes to see what the deer were running from, but nothing ever appeared. Then they went into the bushes after the deer. They had not gone far when they found blood on the ground and on the leaves of bushes. A few feet farther on and they found the deer. They had made a double kill. They cut the throats of the deer to let them bleed.

They cut a long stiff pole and tied the deer to it by the feet. The heads they tied up by the antlers. One deer faced the front man; the other faced the rear. They fixed their clubs and bows so they would not be in their way. Each man picked up one end of the pole, and they transported the deer back to the village.

It was a long trek carrying that much weight. They made it to the village just before dark. The chief and some braves greeted them at the meeting fire; Waving Willow was there too. They acknowledged the chief, and some women took the deer to another fire and dressed them.

They told the chief about finding where the canoes had been run up onto the riverbank, and that Loot and Fire Cub had stayed behind to watch for returning strangers, then about the deer running through the forest and the double kill.

Later the women brought deer meat back to the meeting fire, and it was cut in a size that could be easily roasted on skewers. Red Talon and Wolf Eyes each took a small portion of meat and threw it into the fire as an offering to the Great Spirit. They roasted a piece for each person who wanted some. There was much talk as they ate.

The chief said, "There is word that there has been a raid on the small village of Nunnimingo across the river. It is believed to have been done by the Homa Fochush village of the Creek that live across the Yellow Leaf (the name of a small river). The destruction and slaughter were so bad that this attack is considered a massacre. There were known to be about twenty-five men and fifty women and sixty children in the village. This village must be avenged. There has been a tribal council called of the neighboring Chickasaw villages. We must send a representative tomorrow to the council at Tuscaloosa. I have called a village council meeting in the morning to decide who is to go."

Red Talon said, " Now I'm more concerned about Fire Cub and Loot than I was when we left them. I will return to them tomorrow. I will remain with them for a few days. We might do well to place other sentries at points along the river."

The chief said, "In the morning, at the council, pick more braves and take them with you. Station them along the river. Tonight, be deciding whom you will choose. Keep in mind that we will not leave this village unguarded."

The next morning all the braves in the village met in the counsel house. It was a round building with a forty-foot circumference, built on a small mound. The chief sat directly in front of the wall, facing the main entrance. To his right sat Burning Arrow, and to his left sat Lonely Bear. The older braves, about twenty in number, sat on the first row and made a circle in front of the chief. On the second row, behind them, sat the younger braves and older men of the village. Some women stood or sat behind them next to the wall.

The chief began by explaining what the messenger from Tuscaloosa had said about the Creek raid on the neighboring Chickasaw village. He chose Lonely Bear to be the representative of their village, Nuktala, in the regional council. He was to leave as soon as possible with a party of five braves, two from the first row and three from the second. Next he asked Red Talon to choose whom he wanted to use as sentries at the river. He was allowed to choose four braves from the first row and six from the second.

Red Talon chose Wounded Eagle, a brave of thirty-five winters and a skilled tracker. Next he chose Giant Owl, a mature young brave and a good shot with a bow. He also chose Deer that Stares and Laughing Wolf, both good hunters. Then he chose braves from the second row. These were braves in their late teens that had not much experience in real combat.

Burning Arrow suggested to the chief that the sentries be increased around the village and cornfields. This was done with more braves from the first and second row.

Red Talon left with his chosen warriors as soon as they could after the council meeting broke up. They took ample supplies of food and some extra deer hides for personal comfort. Each warrior was fully armed with war clubs, spears, bows and arrows. They would travel at a fast pace, for about a day, to reach the river.

Lonely Bear left for the regional council with his contingent about midmorning. He would travel west, about a three-day walk to Tuscaloosa.

It was a time of much concern. It was unusual for a raid to be so severe. The village of Nunnimingo must have been caught in complete surprise. It would eventually put the whole Chickasaw nation on high alert. The word about a massacre would spread faster than wildfire.
Chapter 3: New Friends

Loot and Fire Cub were in their nest observing the Tushka River. They felt like they had been there a long time. All they had seen so far were the usual animals going about their daily business of searching for food and calling for mates. The forest was beautiful, with a canopy of large oak trees that lined the banks of the river. Their view of the river was a placid pool of dark green water that gently flowed from right to left. The sun was about midmorning height in the clear blue sky.

"What a day," said Loot, "a perfect day for just laying on the river bank. It's too bad we are supposed to stay out of sight. We could be fishing."

"We can come back and go fishing later, maybe," said Fire Cub. "But you're right, it seems like we are wasting a perfect day."

Just then they heard a commotion on the far shore. The sound traveled well over the water. A person on the other side could speak in a normal tone of voice and be heard perfectly well by Loot and Fire Cub. But this was not a voice; it was a group of animals running. They saw several deer running with great leaps, and then they saw the wolf pack. The deer were now running along the top of the high bank, heading downstream. There were four of them, a buck followed by three does. Loot and Fire Cub counted six wolves behind them, and then another wolf appeared in front of the deer.

The buck made a spectacular jump off the bank and into the water. He was followed by the other deer. They began crossing the river as fast as they could swim. The wolves jumped in after them. Now it was who could swim the fastest. The wolves gave up one by one, and the deer kept going. Loot and Fire Cub watched the deer. As the deer got close to the bank, they turned downstream and swam until they were completely out of sight. This is the way they avoided leaving a scent trail for the wolves to pick up later.

The wolves got back out of the water on the far side, to Loot and Fire Cub's relief. They climbed the bank and shook off. They then meandered downstream with their noses to the ground, trying to pick up another trail.

As time went by, the sun rose higher in the sky. The boys had gotten the dried meat out of their pack and were having a snack, when they heard the song of a mockingbird. It was the call of their uncle, Red Talon. He was trying to locate them. This had been practiced many times in the boys' training. Loot answered the call with a mockingbird song of his own. If it had been nighttime, the call would have been that of a whippoorwill.

Red Talon came to the boys. "Hilito," he said. "How are you braves doing? It looks as though you like being sentries. You get to lay around and do nothing."

"We want to go fishing," said Loot.

"We almost went wolf hunting," said Fire Cub.

Then Fire Cub told them about the wolf pack.

Red Talon told the boys about the village of Nunnimingo. The boys looked at each other like they were glad they did not go fishing. They did not have anything to report as far as visitors. They had not seen a human being since Red Talon and Wolf Eyes left them the other day.

Wounded Eagle and Giant Owl went up and down the river, placing the sentries at strategic locations. After the sentries were in place, the observation covered about two miles in either direction, up and down the river. This section covered a wide bend in the river and the part of the river that was closest to their village.

Daylight faded in to night, and the braves kept their watch. They slept in shifts. They each got about four hours rest during the night.

The next morning the river was foggy – so foggy that you couldn't see the bank from fifty feet out in the water. The alarm was sounded that someone was on the river. They used the call of the crow to alarm over long distances. It was a canoe that had been spotted on the river. It had four people in it and was headed downstream, toward the spot where the canoe had been beached. The sentries closed in tighter as the craft came downstream.

They watched as the canoe landed and was pulled up on shore. There was a woman and three children that got out of the canoe and started up the path. Then she stopped and looked up, realizing that she was surrounded. She screamed and had to be quieted. They realized quickly that they spoke her language. After she got her breath, she was relieved to learn that she was in good hands.

Red Talon spoke, smilingly, "Woman, we are Chickasaw Bear Clan and mean you no harm. Who are you, and where do you come from?"

She said, "My name is Three Baskets. I am also Chickasaw from the Bird Clan of the village of Nunnimingo. We are survivors of a war, and I have been looking for your village for days."

"Why did you come and then leave our area if you were looking for us?" asked Red Talon.

She said, "There are other people that are sick and injured, and I have to go back to care for them."

Red Talon asked, "How many sick and injured? Where are they?"

She said, "They are in a cave on the other side of the river, after the big bend straightens. There are five of them, three braves and two women."

Red Talon introduced the braves that were there along with Loot and Fire Cub. They had a discussion to decide what was the best thing to do. They would go to move the people back to the village of Nutala. It was the home village of Wolf Eyes, from where the braves had come.

Three Baskets said that there were more canoes that were hidden in the forest close to the people and the river.

Red Talon sent Loot and Fire Cub back to the village Nutala to take the three children. He, with Wounded Eagle and Burning Arrow, would go with Three Baskets to move the injured people. The rest of the sentries would move up the river to be close, in case they needed assistance.

Red Talon and Three Baskets got into the front of the canoe, and Wounded Eagle and Burning Arrow got in the back. They started out into the fog bank and quickly disappeared from sight.

The air was so still that not a sound could be heard. The braves paddled the canoe, silently. As they got to the back of their stroke they would turn the paddle so that the edge came out of the water first, so that not even a drop of water was splashed.

There was an occasional woodpecker's call that helped them determine the distance to the far bank. They wanted to get close enough to see the outline of the large trees, but no closer. Three Baskets was looking for a unique, large white rock that was stuck in the mud of the bank. It was their mark that they were close to the landing spot.

"There it is," she said, "just a little farther on down and under a giant bush that overhangs the water."

They found the bush and ran the canoe up under it. They pulled the canoe up on the bank, out of sight. The other canoes were hidden just a little farther back. They were inspected by Wounded Eagle.

Three Baskets led the way in to a well-hidden trail. It was barely an animal trail, and they had to stretch their legs in long steps to find bare spots to put their feet down as they walked. But the path got better as it began to climb the slope up to the mouth of the cave. This cave became known as the Cave of the Survivors.

It was not long before they were entering the cave, and Three Baskets made a chirping sound as a signal that it was she. The wounded braves could still defend themselves, but they were glad to see that help had come.

Two of the three braves could only hobble. The third would have to be carried. One woman was old and would have to be carried also. The other woman was able to walk, but she had to move slowly because of the pain. Burning Arrow cut two forked tree limbs that the two braves could use as crutches. Red Talon and Wounded Eagle carried the brave that couldn't walk, while Burning Arrow carried the woman. Three Baskets helped the other woman keep her balance, while she moved in slow, careful steps.

Once they got to the river, the canoes were put into the water, while the injured survivors rested under the bush. They moved the injured into the canoes first, getting them settled and as comfortable as possible. It required Burning Arrow and Three Baskets to wade into the water to hold the canoes steady, while Red Talon and Wounded Eagle lifted and moved the injured. They now were in three canoes.

With the injured loaded, the other braves jumped into the canoes. The paddles slipped silently into the water. Paddle strokes began to move the canoes away from the bank and into the cover of the fog. The mist in the air was refreshing, but the tension of the situation was a distraction from any pleasure one would ordinarily feel. The breeze was light, and the water was like glass. The surface of the water was warm to the touch of the hand. As they slipped silently through the fog, they could hear the occasional splash as a fish attacked some prey on the surface. Woodpeckers were working in the large trees on the far shore. A crane squawked its warning at their approach, and then he left his standing place in the shallows of the river and flew.

The canoes turned downstream when they neared the far bank, and they searched for the landing. They paddled on for a while, and then the landing was found. They had more help this time to get the injured out of the canoes. The canoes were hidden a short distance away from the river. A runner was sent to get help from the village – help to move the injured. Red Talon asked that poles be cut and used to make stretchers out of the skins they had brought. Food was provided for the survivors, because they were in need of nourishment.

One of the injured, a warrior named Takololakna Inakfi or Orange Brother, began to tell the story of the raid.

Orange Brother said, "It was barely sunup when, with no warning, a Creek warrior came into my house. He hit my uncle in the head with a war club when he was still in his bed. I was in the other room when I heard the sound and the short moan. My wife was at the fire, and she screamed. When he turned to look at her, I threw my tomahawk and killed him. There were two more that came in the door. The first one got my spear in his belly. The other one shot at me with his bow, but the arrow glanced off of the post in the lodge and was deflected. I dove at him as he tried to swing his club, and we went out the door together, tumbling on the ground. He still had his club, and I grabbed it and threw him to the ground. Then I killed him with his own club. Outside the house the enemies were everywhere. I think there must have been a hundred of them. They were chasing women and children. Our warriors were greatly outnumbered. I ran to the nearest enemy, and we started fighting with the clubs, but he was joined by another. I was hit in the back and fell into the river. They shot me with an arrow. I was disabled and almost drowned. I guess they thought I was dead. I drifted along with the current, surfacing to get air whenever I couldn't hold out any longer. Eventually I came up under the overgrowth on the bank and was able to hide there. I could still hear the screams... the screams...from the village. Kioki and Haita, what has happened to them...Sob."

Three Baskets came to his side. "Quiet now," she said. "You must calm down or your wounds will start bleeding again."

She calmed him like a mother calms a child.

She turned to Red Talon and said, "He was like that when I found him in the water. I would not have found him, but I heard him sobbing. It was a few hours after the attack. I had managed to hide. When the attack started, I got away, out of the village, with the three little ones. We went into heavy brush and pushed our way through it. When we got to the other side, we ran far out into the forest. When my fear let me, I crept back in, little by little, listening like a deer – smelling the air like a deer. I was cautious of anything that moved or made a sound. Nothing seemed right – it was deadly silent. When I got to the village it was burning. Nothing was left. The dead lay around everywhere. A lot of our people had their scalps taken. Then I heard Orange Brother at the river. I got him out, and then one by one I found the other survivors."

"Who were Kioki and Haita?" asked Red Talon.

"They were his wife and daughter.

"We moved out of the village to the cave. We had no food so I found the canoe and began to hunt this side of the river. I thought it would be safer over here, and I was looking for your village."

After they had eaten and rested for a while, the injured were put on the litters, and a party left for the village. The party consisted of Red Talon, Three Baskets, Wounded Eagle, four other braves and the injured.

When Loot and Fire Cub came into the village, they brought the three children to Waving Willow.

"Well, who do we have here?" asked Waving Willow.

She smiled a warm smile and went to a jar that was buried in the corner of the floor. The three children were silent, and Loot and Fire Cub gave the explanation of who the children were. Waving Willow knelt and sliced cornbread, then spread on a mixture out of the jar. She gave each of the children cornbread with a mixture of blackberries, honey and bear grease on it. It was a favorite treat among the Indian children. Now they smiled at her as they ate.

Chief Silver Eagle was watching Loot and Fire Cub come through the village with the children. He came to the house of Waving Willow to inquire about the new arrivals.

After getting the explanation, the chief sought out Wolf Eyes, who he found at the side of the stream. Wolf Eyes was in the process of making a new war club. He was taking advantage of the nice weather, soaking up some sun, while he worked. He had a sharp scraper that he was using to shape the handle. The other pieces were laid out in order. A jagged stone for the hammer, that weighed about three pounds, had been shaped for sturdy attachment to the handle. He had deer hide strips and sinews for the bindings. The grip was carved so that it could be held using one or two hands. There was a leather loop that would tether the handle to the wrist so that it could not be easily taken away by the enemy.

The chief sat down by Wolf Eyes and spoke. "You have three new faces in your house now, Wolf Eyes."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Wolf Eyes, with one of those funny, questioning looks.

The Chief said, "Loot and Fire Cub brought in three children that somehow survived the massacre at Nunnimingo. They brought them straight to Waving Willow. She has a way of making the children like her. No matter whose children they are, they like to come to her house.

"Yenh" (yes), said Wolf Eyes. "They all love her, as do I. She knows how to make them like her because she likes them. She loves them all. What a good woman she is! The Great Spirit has blessed me."

"Wolf Eyes," said the chief, "there may have been other survivors or captives. It is known that they will make slaves out of some of their captives. Others they will torture and kill."

Wolf Eyes said, "Yenh."

The chief continued, "We will be asked to provide information about our enemy when the war party arrives. I know there will be a war party coming here to avenge Nunnimingo. There will be war dances and ceremonies, and then they will destroy the Yellow Leafs. But we need to know what we are dealing with, so that we can offer the other chiefs good advice when they come."

Wolf Eyes looked at the chief and said, "I will prepare myself to go like the ghost and learn about the enemy. The spirit in me is calling for me to go, so I must go and avenge the Nunnimingos. The spirit gets restless and agitated. The feeling inside me builds, and then I cannot rest until I satisfy the spirit."

"I know how it is," said the chief. "I have a ghost spirit myself. The spirit will not let you rest until you do what it wants. But when you are at its service, it will give you great power."

The chief thought back, "I knew you had a ghost spirit, Wolf Eyes, when you were a small boy. You were sitting on your mother's lap at the main campfire. It was a village ceremony, celebrating the renewal of spring. It was a dark night, and there was much dancing around the fire. Everyone was happy. There was much noise and merrymaking in the village. I was sitting across the campfire from you and your mother, when over her shoulders a wolf trotted in to view. It got behind your mother and stopped. The wolf stared straight at me. I was awestruck by his eyes; they were glowing in the dark. I looked at you, and you had a big smile that came onto your face. Then the wolf disappeared into the night. There was no other explanation for it other than the wolf was your ghost spirit. We gave you the name Wolf Eyes, so that he would be with you always as he was that night. There was no question in my mind for whom that spirit came. I knew it was you, because, as the wolf looked at me, you also looked at me with a big smile. A wolf does not appear in the middle of the village, in the middle of a crowded celebration. No real wolf is that crazy. He was a ghost wolf, and he came to give you his spirit.

"I will prepare myself to go," said Wolf Eyes. "But first, I will go to my house and see my new additions."

Wolf Eyes gathered up his project, stood up and walked in a slow, tall motion to his house. He knew what his next few weeks would be like. But now it was family time.

Chapter 4: High Bluffs

Wolf Eyes looked into the door of his house. He saw the eyes of three new additions. He backed out and laid his unassembled war club beside the door; then he went back inside. He went to Waving Willow and said, "Looks like we have company."

"Yes," she said, "aren't they beautiful?"

He said, "Yenh, and hungry."

Waving Willow said, "I gave them some cornbread treat, a little while ago, but I guess they have finished it now."

He said, "They still look hungry to me, have you got any more?"

"Yenh," she said.

She prepared it and gave it to Wolf Eyes. He took it over to the children and bent down, hiding the treat behind his back. The children looked frightened at the tall warrior. Wolf Eyes smiled a big smile and took his hands from behind his back and held out three pieces of the treat. The children quickly lost their fear. He handed a piece to each one.

Turning to Waving Willow, he asked, "Do you have any tea made?"

She took three cups out of storage, brought them to him. As he held the cups, she poured. It was a weak sassafras tea sweetened with honey.

"What did Loot and Fire Cub have to say about these children?" he asked.

Waving Willow answered, "Only that they survived the massacre at Nunnimingo. They were saved by a woman named Three Baskets, who stayed behind to help move some injured people.

He turned back to the children and patted them on the head and gave them another big smile. "I will go talk to Loot and Fire Cub to see if I can find out more," he said. Turning, he disappeared out the door.

He found Loot and Fire Cub down by the creek, fishing.

"Hilito, Fire Cub. Hilito, Loot," he said. "Tell me all you know about the children and Three Baskets, and what is going on at the river."

Loot and Fire Cub gave Wolf Eyes all of the particulars about what had happened at the river. They even told him about the wolf pack.

They were sitting there, and Loot stepped into the water. With his lance raised, he became very still and stood there, motionless, for about ten minutes. He did not move a muscle. Fire Cub and Wolf Eyes were silent too.

Slash! With a furious thrust the lance flew down into the water. Loot grabbed hold of the shaft and held it there for about a minute. Then he slid his hand down the shaft into the water and grabbed hold of his prey. He stayed there for a second to make sure he had a good hold on it, and then brought it up. Still holding the spear in it and with one hand under the bottom of the fish, he raised it up out of the water. It was a three-pound channel catfish that was still thrashing its tail. He got it to the bank and ran a stringer of bone and sinew through its lower lip.

Loot asked," Wolf Eyes, would you take this to Waving Willow to prepare for us? If you will, we can stay here and fish some more."

Wolf Eyes said, "Yenh, catch some more, and we will all eat fish tonight."

He took the fish and stood up, admiring it. "Good nunni" (fish), he said.

"Good, catch us some more of them."

He turned as Loot and Fire Cub were both wading back out into the water. Wolf Eyes went back to his house to deliver his fish, and to also talk to Waving Willow about preparing himself to go on the reconnoiter mission. This would not be a hunting trip, but a dangerous mission that would involve getting close to the enemy.

Later in the afternoon, the runner from the river came into the village. He went to the chief and asked for help getting the injured back to camp. The chief sent immediate help to grant this request. Then Wolf Eyes and the chief questioned the runner about what was going on at the river.

Wolf Eyes went to see the aliktce (medicine man) to have him work his magic and make black tea. A black drink made from the yaupon holly berries was used to purify the body of evil spirits. The medicine man brought Wolf Eyes into his house and set him in the middle of a room on a low stool. On the walls were strange, small torches that put out low light. Hanging down from the middle of the ceiling was a stuffed crow that had a headdress of red feathers. His wings were pulled forward to cover his face. There were masks hanging on the wall that looked into the room from four directions. A figure came into the room with a robe of deer and panther skin that covered his body and a gourd rattle in his hand. He had rattles on his knees that made noise as he danced. He danced around Wolf Eyes three times, counter to the motion of the sun, and shook the rattle as he went. Then he disappeared into the back room. The aliktce came back into the room and motioned Wolf Eyes out of the door.

"Wolf Eyes has good spirits," he said.

He told Wolf Eyes that he would make the black tea. Then the aliktce went back inside his house, leaving Wolf Eyes standing there.

Wolf Eyes turned and started back to Waving Willow's house. He was thinking, the magic of the aliktce would help me with the Ghost Spirit. I will go and finish my war club – then start the preparation.

When he got to Waving Willow's house, he picked up the parts to his club. Then he walked toward the meeting square, the place where the ceremonies of great importance were held. He was going there just to have some shade and to sit on the bench and finish his club. He needed a little privacy.

On the way to the square he passed by the construction site of a new corncrib. The braves were setting the poles in the ground, four of them, about sixteen feet in height above the ground. The poles were set at the four corners of a square that had sides about ten feet long.

"Hilito, Running Bear, Red Bird, Big Hatchet, " he called.

And the braves called back, "Hilito, Wolf Eyes."

Wolf Eyes complimented them on their swift work. He knew that they had not been working there very long.

He came to the square, and finding a seat in the shade, started lashing the stone head to the handle of the club. There was a groove in the head that just fit the handle, and he had a piece of wood to go around the other side of the stone. The two pieces locked together and held the stone firmly. He applied lashings to the handle above and below the stone. Then he had some powder that he had made from the scum of fish scales that he mixed with water and made a thick paste. He applied this over the bindings. He found a place that he could hang it up, so that it could dry. He had his mark on it, so that anyone who came by would know to whom it belonged. He did not have to worry about anyone taking it. The Indians had an honor system that was second to none.

Anyone caught stealing from another would get severe punishment from the victim's kin or the victim himself. The thought that it would be stolen was unthinkable and out of the question.

He went back to Waving Willow's house and entered. The children were playing with dolls in the floor. They were so focused on their play that they did not even look up. Waving Willow slapped her hands together, and the children came to attention. She made them get into the corner of the room, after they acknowledged Wolf Eyes. They turned to him and bowed, and he returned a smile. He went to Waving Willow and put his arms around her, from behind. She was making a meal in the area of the fire. He gave a little hug and then let go. She turned, looked and smiled.

Then he said, " I'll eat, then I must go."

She didn't say anything, just acknowledged his statement with a nod.

The meal was a soup made from the fish, tuber roots, green corn and hominy, boiled in a ceramic pot that had been put in the coals of the fire. The stew had been started earlier that day and had been simmering in the pot for hours. She had added different ingredients all through the day. The Indians loved their stews. There was bread also. Waving Willow had fixed a big meal for two reasons: One, to honor the new guests who were starved to death and also for Wolf Eyes, because he was leaving on a mission soon.

After he ate, Wolf Eyes complimented Waving Willow on the meal. She came to him and gave him a hug, and they kissed. She tried to smile, but had to force it.

He said, "I will have the Spirit of the Wolf, do not worry. It will be a long time before we see peace again. But we will have good times in the future, so it is useless to worry about tomorrow."

Waving Willow said, "May the Great Spirit shine his sun on you. May the Moon Spirit watch over you at night. And may the Spirit of the Wolf watch over you in battle. And may the Spirit of the Wind bring you back to me."

There was one more lingering embrace, and then Wolf Eyes departed.

He fully armed himself and left the village to find some solitude where he could prepare himself for receiving the Spirit of the Wolf.

Outside the village, he went to the creek and dove into the water. He swam across to the other side. This was always the first step, the cleansing of the body with water.

He climbed out of the creek and took a trail that went toward the Mountain of High Bluffs. He had been there many times as a young warrior and as a seeker of the spirits. It was the place where the Wind Spirit lived, and he would seek his presence.

He began to trot at a pace faster than walking. The forest was deep and dark as he headed toward the mountain. He still had several hours of daylight left. He picked up the pace a little more as his legs began to loosen up. He jumped a stream that ran down from the mountain. Its gurgling water had a sound of peace. That is what he would find on the mountain. He would find a resolve and a calming force that would be a cleansing of his being, and then his being would be prepared for the ceremony of the Wolf Spirit.

The trail was good. It was a path that was well worn. It turned up now in a steeper grade. Still, he ran, legs churning and the heart pumping. He ran under large oak trees that lined the path with high canopies. The gray squirrels barked as he ran past them. He jumped a log that had been lying in the path ever since he was a boy. The wind was in his face, cooling him and invigorating his soul.

He ran on for a long time. Miles passed under his feet. He was climbing higher and higher. The air had a different smell up here. There was a freshness that took his spirit into another place.

He could see the bluffs now, and as he neared its base, he ran on. He got to the bluff and ran along the bottom of it for a long while. The rock face must be a hundred feet high, he thought. There was a fissure that split the rock face and formed a pathway up into the rocks. The path floor was covered with a layer of brown oak leaves that had fallen before last winter.

Now he climbed up the steep path. His bow and arrows hung over his left shoulder. His knife was in his belt. His war club was on his right shoulder, and last but not least was his medicine bag on his belt. His hands were free to brace himself between the two rock faces of the fissure. His legs pumped, like running up a long staircase, until he was at the top.

Now he was there. He was on top. He turned and looked out over the distant landscape. He could see the village far below. The Spirit of the Wind had an evident presence here. He could see the buzzards circling in the distance. Below him, he could hear and see the hawk as it flew along the base of the mountains and then out toward the cornfields.

The Spirit of the Sun was shining its rays down on him. He closed his eyes and soaked in its warmth. He sat down on the rock surface of the bluff and lay back. The rock was warmed by the sun, and now it was warm and pleasant to him. He was here and the place was in him. He was a part of its spirit. A trance came over him, produced by the rays of the sun and the power of the wind. He was here, and then he was somewhere else at the same time. His spirit had found a higher place; he was at one with the earth.

He lay there for a long while – feeling and not feeling, hearing and not hearing, thinking and not thinking. His eyes closed, and yet he was seeing. His soul and spirit were being purged, cleansed, and cleared. He was entranced by the spirit of the natural earth.

Back in the village, Red Talon came in with Three Baskets and the injured. The injured were brought to the square, and it was decided where they would stay the night. The badly injured were taken to the house of the aliktce to begin treatment for their wounds. Three Baskets came to the house of Waving Willow for the night. The children were glad to see her, even though she was not their mother.

The next day, things began to settle out even more. With the three children staying with Waving Willow, it was decided that Three Baskets would move next door to the house of Grazing Fawn. It would help out since Grazing Fawn had an elderly grandmother that was very ill. They needed someone to help take care of her.

Something else happened that day. Red Talon inquired of his sister, Waving Willow, about the clan and marital status of Three Baskets. He was unmarried and had been looking outside the village for a wife. There were single women in the village, but most of them were in the same clan as him and his sister, which meant they were not available for him. Two people of the same clan were not allowed to marry each other.

Back on the mountain the presence of the spirits had come to Wolf Eyes. He had been on top of the bluff in the sun, then in the moonlight and always in the ever-present wind.

Then came the next day and the next. Here, he stayed in this state for three days; in a state not induced by any drug, but by the shear will of the spirits. He was in commune with them – The Spirit of the Sun, the Spirit of the Moon and the Spirit of the Wind.

Then the time was ended. He was brought back by the Spirit of the Hawk as it flew in circles over him. It was calling him back with the peee sound that hawks make when they are hunting. It hovered there, its forward motion stalled by the blowing wind that rose up from the valley and over the top of the bluff.

"I see you, Hawk, and I feel your spirit. And you are telling me that it is time to go."

He got up and gathered up his gear, putting the bow and the quiver of arrows on his left shoulder. The war club he wore on his right shoulder, the knife in its sheath, and the medicine bag in his belt.

Wolf Eyes began the climb down the mountain – his mind and body now ready for the conquest.
Chapter 5: Black Tea

Wolf Eyes came toward the village by way of the mountain path. He knew where the sentries were posted, and before he got to where they could see him, he gave the call of a whippoorwill, because it was getting dusky. When he came out of the forest and past the cornfield, he could see the Sun Spirit, settling beyond the mountain, to the west. It was a glorious departure for the day.

The sky was a blanket of red, stretched across the horizon. The Moon Spirit would appear later to light the night sky with a soft shimmering glow. The Moon Spirit was a more gentle spirit than the Sun Spirit. When the Moon Spirit came on a clear night, he told the stars that he watched over the middle world on this particular night. It was the stars' time to relax. They did not have to shine as brightly.

Wolf Eyes entered the village through the gate of the palisade. The palisade was a high, wall barricade that surrounded the village. It was made of logs that were stacked, side by side, with the heavy ends of the logs buried into the ground about two feet. The tops and the middles of the logs were crossed, braced by strong poles lashed to the uprights. There were ledges around the top, so that braves with bows could shoot arrows at invading war parties. In some places there were holes that would allow an arrow to be shot, while fully protecting the bowman. The gate was a narrow, overlapping parallel row of upright logs with just enough room for two men to pass, going in opposite directions. This gate could be well defended in case of attack.

Wolf Eyes' arrival was noticed by a young boy who had been stationed at the gate by the chief. The boy ran with all the speed he could muster to the chief's house to deliver the arrival notice.

The chief said, "Good, go tell the others."

Wolf Eyes went straight into the square to the communal fire. He took a seat on the deerskin that had been laid out in front of the fire. He was met there by the chief and the aliktce. The chief sat down on a deerskin that was close enough to Wolf Eyes that they could reach each other with an outstretched arm. Several others now came and joined the group, including Red Talon. Each man around the fire was a principal figure in the tribe. This was a serious ceremony that was held especially for Wolf Eyes, to help him with his mission – mission that was for the whole village and the extended tribal association.

Now the night had come to the village. The Moon Spirit was on the horizon. The firelight flickered and became mixed with the shadows on the faces of the participants and the mask of the practitioners. The aliktce, dressed in the costume of the hawk, was the only man in the square that was not seated. His face was a mask of the hawk, with eyes that were glaring and large. They were wide open. The mask had a beak that turned up and went out between the two eyes. Behind the mask was a headdress that was made of a mass of feathers dyed black and red. His arms were clothed as the feathered wings of a hawk. In the right hand he held a symbolic war hatchet. The hatchet had three cutting edges and a handle that separated in four directions. In the left hand he held, by the hair of the head, a once powerful enemy. The head was shriveled and grotesque with long black hair. The aliktce wore at his knees rattles made from the shells of fresh water mussels. His moccasins also had rattles that made clacking noises when he danced.

The chief lit the ceremonial pipe with a long slender stem from the fire. The pipe would be passed from warrior to warrior, and to each one it would bring a pleasing intoxication, to ready the body for the spirit. The smoke from the pipe rose into the night air and disappeared out of the glow of the fire. The pipe was passed around many times, while the aliktce danced, and the rattles made a rhythm that made the heart fearless.

The warriors painted their faces with four fingers dipped in paint. They positioned three fingers above the eye and one under the eye, just above the cheekbone. The index finger was up above the forehead, at the base of the hair. The warriors would start almost at the nose and sweep the hands back, drawing horizontal lines across the face.

The hair was crested, standing up with the bear grease and with red feathers, trailing backward.

Then the aliktce gave the participants the black tea; a potion made with the berries of the Yaupon Holly and with the spirits called upon by the aliktce. The tea was for cleansing the inside of the body. The warriors drank the drink from cups made from gourds painted with war paint. Then the warriors got up, and with the aliktce, began to dance around the fire. They danced until the black drink took effect and made them sick. To them, this sickness was a natural thing. It was a common occurrence of the body. They one by one regurgitated and sat down.

When the warriors sat down, they had the look of men with a great sickness, as if they had fever, sweating. Then they were in a trance, like men with eyes that looked but could not see. Then the trance passed, and the warriors began to sit up, and they built up the fire until its flames roared into the great sky above. The aliktce danced again around the fire. A slower dance this time, but with the arms making a waving motion like the hawk when it flies. He waved the hatchet in the right hand and the head in the left. He flew around the warriors, invoking the spirit. And then, as Wolf Eyes and the Chief watched, a wolf appeared on the opposite side of the fire and looked at them – his yellow eyes glowing in the dark. Then the wolf disappeared into the night.

The ceremony ended, and the aliktce disappeared into the blackness as the wolf had done. The warriors passed out on their deerskins for the night. They had dreams, and Wolf Eyes dreamed about the wolf. He was on the great journey, and the wolf was his companion – not just any wolf, but the Spirit Wolf. He traveled a great distance, and the wolf led him to a far off land, where men dressed strangely. The men were evil and did all manner of evilness to everyone who was not their kind. They were a curse upon the land that was out of place and did not belong, but yet it was unavoidable. The men had vicious animals with them, and one of the animals was chasing him. He was trying desperately to get away, but the animal was gaining ground. As he ran, and the animal started to attack, he ran and ran and could not get away...then he woke up and realized that it was a dream.

The sky was beginning to show light in the east, and the birds began to sing. The mockingbirds were especially joyful this morning. They could sing a thousand songs, and you never got tired of hearing them. Wolf Eyes lay there a few minutes listening to them, and then he punched Red Talon, to wake him up. Red Talon stretched and sat up, looking around groggily; with his hands on his face, he shook his shoulders. Wolf Eyes and Red Talon stood, stretching their legs out; they ran in place a few times, to loosen up.

There was no signal to start, and no word was spoken, just their routine of what they did every morning, no matter what type of weather. They both, simultaneously, took off in a dead run as hard as they could go. They ran to the creek where they dived headfirst into the water. They had their arms out in front of them, shooting through the water like a torpedo, until they surfaced in the middle of the stream. When they came up, they were splashing water toward each other's face like two kids.

They got out of the creek and went to get their weapons. The chief had a pouch fixed for Wolf Eyes that contained some dried deer meat and some bread. Red Talon and the other braves also had pouches fixed for them. All the braves met back at the square, and when they were all together there, they left as a group. They were a war party of thirty braves with the mission to go and take care of the dead at the village of Nunnimingo and to make war with any intruders in to their hunting grounds. This party was small, too small to make all out war with the Creek village. That was not the purpose of the mission; instead, it was more to reconnoiter the old battleground around the destroyed village. Wounded Eagle was also in the war party. They would go to the river and meet with the sentries, to reinforce them. Some of the sentries would return to the village, but others would join the war party and cross the river.

Wounded Eagle, a brave of twenty-two winters, was a resident of both villages – Nuktala and Nunnimingo. He was noted as the best tracker in the village. From the mission's inception, he had taken an active part in its planning. He had relatives that lived in the village of Nunnimingo at the time of the massacre; his mother had been there. He was greatly concerned about her.

Wolf Eyes had great respect for Wounded Eagle. He had been the leader of a war party, early in summer, when the Creeks had encroached on their hunting grounds, to the east of Nunnimingo. He had suffered the loss of his uncle during a raid on a village of the Creeks that was meant to revenge the death of his younger brother.

The brother had been fishing at a creek that bordered territory that was hunted by the Creeks. It was good to keep a sharp eye out in such places, because no one actually knew exactly where the borderlines were drawn. It was this constant changing borders that kept wars going on, year after year. The Creeks must have surrounded him before he knew it and made him easy prey.

Wounded Eagle and his uncle had found the scalped body, and they tracked the killers back to the Creek village. Then they had set up a raid to revenge the murder. During this raid, his uncle received a severe head wound, resulting from a Creek war club. He struggled to return, but died before he reached the village of Nunnimingo. Wounded Eagle had carried his body back to the village. Before this raid his name was Standing Eagle, but since then he had chosen Wounded Eagle, in remembrance of his uncle and brother.

It just so happened that Wounded Eagle was in the village of Nuktala when the massacre occurred. He was there visiting his other brother, bringing the news of the two deaths.

The party traveled at a fast pace, not stopping to kill game or to rest. They traveled in a half run, all the way to the river. When they came close to the river, they made the sound of a mockingbird's song; it was not just any mockingbird song, but one that contained the progression that was recognizable to the warriors of the village. The call was answered back, and before long the two groups met at the place of the landing.

"Mishiho," said Laughing Wolf.

"Mishiho," said Wounded Eagle, "we have brought you food and reinforcement troops. Have you seen anything moving on the river?"

"Keyu" (no), said Laughing Wolf, "everything is quiet."

Wounded Eagle said, "We should have a council here to decide who will go with us across the river, who will stay here as sentry and who will return to the village."

So most of the sentries came to the landing site, and they had a council meeting among themselves, to decide the issues. It was decided that twenty-five braves would cross the river; ten new sentries would replace the ones who had been there, and five of the braves that had been there would return to the village.

Wolf Eyes, Wounded Eagle, Red Talon, Laughing Wolf, Giant Owl and Deer that Stares were all in the first group that crossed the river. The canoes made several trips until all the braves in the party were across. When they all were on the same side again, the canoes were well hidden in the undergrowth. The scratches in the sand made by the landing of the canoes were all erased, so that you could not tell that a canoe had been there. Wounded Eagle was in the lead, since he was familiar with the territory. They headed upriver, toward Nunnimingo.

The forest on this side of the river was ancient, with huge oak trees that towered to one hundred fifty feet in the air. Huge branches spread out from the trees, covering a tremendous area. The branches provided shade for the trail.

After years of use, the trail leading by the river had a packed down appearance, which made the walking easy.

The river at this point was wide, deep and gently flowing. An occasional stork would glide from one side of the river to the other. The eagles soared high above it, searching for a fish that was swimming close to the surface.

When an eagle spotted a fish, it would fold its wings and dive, with its talons outstretched and open. The eagle would hit the water with a giant splash, and then, thrashing, would get control of its prey. With powerful wings, the eagle would lift itself airborne again, with the fish hanging in the talons. The magnificent bird would fly off to one of the giant trees. There it would stand on its prey and pull it apart with its great hooked beak. Every once in a while, the eagle would swivel its head and look around with its intimidating eyes. When satisfied that all was safe, it would resume eating.

The party kept moving this way until dark. Then they left the path and climbed a hill to higher ground and made camp for the night. Tonight there would be no campfire, and all they would eat was dried deer meat, for nourishment. The moon came up and bathed the forest with its silver glow. Most all the members of the war party tried to find a comfortable place to lie, while some of them served as sentries, watching for intruders.

Red Talon thought of Three Baskets, her courageousness and her charm, her intelligence and her appearance. Why had he waited so long, he wondered. Maybe no one had impressed him before as she did now. Maybe it was just time for him. He hoped that she was unspoken for, and that she was not recently widowed, but most of all, that she would agree to let him court her. If she were a widow of a deceased husband that had relatives, it might mean a long wait. A widow had to mourn four years before she could take a lover, or else the relatives of her dead husband would cause a lot of trouble. The dignity of the dead was always guarded. Knowing her, she would take care of her dead husband's name and endure the four years of mourning.

Wounded Eagle was thinking of his mother and wondering if she could still be alive. He could remember the last time he saw her; she was standing at the door of her lodge. Her weathered face had a broad smile when her youngest son fell over and was being licked by the dog. She had always worked so hard to make a home for her children; it was her only joy in life. She had fifteen children at last count. He had been number three of nine chepota nukni (boys). She had kept her elder brothers busy, raising them. Boys were always raised by their uncle, and not by their father. The lineage was traced through the mother, and not the father. The father had little to do in raising the children, although he was an interested party.

Wounded Eagle's uncle had been a good parent to him, always being slow to anger. One of the wisest men in the village, he thought. He had taught Wounded Eagle many things about how to be forthright and stand tall. He had taught him the ways of the Great Spirit and how to survive in the forest. He taught him how to keep warm in the winter, how to hunt, how to fish and how to track. He remembered him laughing at them during a game of chunkey when the ball came to a rest, and the opponent's spear was the nearer one. Wounded Eagle had broken his spear in disgust.

Those were grand times that only live now in our memories, he thought. When I go to the great hunting ground in the sky, I will once again be a companion of my uncle. Right now a part of his spirit lives on inside me.

They rested for the night with no incident, and each brave had his thoughts about what tomorrow would bring.

They awoke with the song of the birds at dawn, for the birds loved the freshness of the morning and they tell the world about it with their melodies. The braves got up and stretched and then walked down to the river. Each one slipped into the water and was careful not to make too much noise. They did not horse around in this place, because they never knew where danger lurked. The swim was over quickly, and they started down the path toward Nunnimingo. They would each chew a bit of dried meat, as they wanted to keep up their strength.

They were about a day's distance from the village when Wounded Eagle decided to get off the river trail. There was no use in inviting trouble, he thought. If there is going to be a fight, we want it on our terms and at a place of our choosing. They left the trail and started uphill into the forest. There was not much undergrowth because of the dense canopied treetops.

They moved at a fast pace, but every once in a while, they would all stop dead still to listen. And any sound they heard would have to be evaluated before they moved on. And so it was that when they passed by the squirrels, the squirrels would bark at them, and they would hurry on to keep from making a disturbance any more than was necessary.

The Sun Spirit was high in the sky, and they stopped at a stream for water. It was a cool, refreshing stream that gently cascaded down from the higher plateaus and wound its way around trees and over rocks. In and out it would flow, surging at one moment and slowing in to a whirlpool the next. The water would fall from a ledge and then collect there, forming a deep pool. And in this pool they observed the small fish that were as curious of the Indians as the Indians were of them. The fish would swim out from their hiding places, only to turn sideways and look up, ready to dart at any moment if something fell into the water.

The party stopped here to drink and listen. They heard nothing but the breeze in the tops of the trees.

Wounded Eagle said, "We have only a little farther to go, and then the ground will begin to level out. We will start to see the cornfields of the village of Nunnimingo. I think we should stop at the edge of the cornfields to observe if anyone is coming or going about the village."

The war party moved on at a slower pace now, and every foot that was picked up and put down was done so in a purposeful manner. They came to another small stream and beyond it there was the edge of the cornfield. They did not cross this stream, but went down by the side of it, circling the side of the cornfield until they could see the village.

They were greatly disturbed at the sight they saw, for in and around the village were a great many vultures and crows of all species that had come to feast. It was almost unbearable to the braves that they had to wait and watch this atrocity. They waited for the rest of the day, because if they went in and disturbed the vultures, the birds would all take flight at one time, and would surely attract the attention of anyone near the village. The afternoon was spent placing sentries around the village, so that they could signal the approach of anyone that was unwanted.

That night, when the vultures and crows had gone to roost, the war party went into the village. It was a gruesome site. Hardly anything remained of the bodies but bones, scattered over the village. The bones had been so badly separated by the animals that there were no complete skeletons that could be found. In fact, after the vultures had left the Indians had to contend with the wild dogs and the foxes. They came out at night for their feast. It was only after much chasing and running that the village was purged of all these beasts. The braves got no rest that night.

The next morning, when the sun came up, the songbirds could only be heard in the distance. It was not long before the air was again full of vultures, but now the braves had taken over the village. The vultures would only land in the distant trees, or sometimes a brave one would land on the top of the palisade. They would just sit and wait. Sometimes a higher ranked vulture would take over another's roost by flying close to him, forcing him to spread his wings and move to another branch or tree. At another time the vultures would have been comical to watch, but not now.

The braves felt very bad about what they saw; it did something to them that made them sick at heart. It was depressing to think that any human being could come to this end. It was an undignified way to die.

Wounded Eagle was in very bad spirits. The bones were unidentifiable, so he still did not know about his mother. Was she among these bones? Was she a captive living in the tribe of the Creeks as a slave? He did not know, but wanted to find out.

The braves began putting all the bones into a house that was still standing. There was nothing else to do but pile them up inside of it, and then come back and bury them later in a mass grave. They would leave a party of men here now so the animals would not desecrate the bones more than they already had.

After all the bones were moved it was getting close to dark, and the braves were individually finding places to rest for the night. Wounded Eagle and Wolf Eyes sought out a place together where they could talk things over. They built a small fire and cooked some tunchi paluska (cornbread). As they cooked, they talked.

Wounded Eagle said, "I know the Creeks are a mean people, but what would be the reason behind this?"

Wolf Eyes replied, "I would not guess at why they would do such a thing."

"Would it have been the hunting grounds that would cause them to do this?" asked Wounded Eagle.

"Who would know but them, and it could have been a mistake," said Wolf Eyes. "Blaming this village for something someone else did."

Wounded Eagle said, "Would not that be a tragedy to do this because of a mistake? There must be a reason."

Wolf Eyes said, "It would be most tragic. Would you still seek revenge if we found that to be true?"

"I don't know, Wolf Eyes. I will have to judge that after I learn more about what happened here."

Wolf Eyes said, "Ah, the paluska is ready." They ate it, and it filled their stomachs and made them sleep.

Early that morning, in the twilight of dawn, Wolf Eyes was sleeping restlessly because of a dream. He was somewhere between the middle world and the underworld, and there was great turmoil there. The spirits were at odds and were agitating one another to the point of a great struggle. The spirits of the upper world were helping Wolf Eyes as he represented the people of the middle world. He was persuading the spirits of the underworld to ease off of their mischievous dealings against the people of the middle world. The trickery of the underworld spirits had all the people of the middle world at odds with each other, causing terrible war and suffering. He was in a great struggle when he slipped and fell all the way down into the depths of the underworld. He was falling... falling...when he woke up. He was sweating and frightened for a moment until he realized that it was all a dream.

He lay there thinking, not knowing where he was until he heard a moan and looked over at a lump lying by the burned out ashes of the fire. Then he remembered where he was, what they were doing and had done. The reality was almost more terrible than the dream. He rubbed his face with his hands, trying to get the cobwebs out of his head.

Then he stretched and got up, looking around in the twilight of the dawn.

The lump was Wounded Eagle, who had heard in his slumber the arousing of Wolf Eyes. He turned over and stretched his arms straight up. Then he sat up looking, but still in a half daze. He rubbed his eyes and drew in a deep breath; then shook his head, trying to get awake.

"Chunkma nitaki," said Wolf Eyes. "Ishno esh-tok Chunkma oklhili." (Good morning. You had good night).

"Hohmi," said Wounded Eagle, "anokaka tofa chimmi ikaiyubo ilhpokona."(Yes, in spite of your bad dreams.)

Wolf Eyes said, " I need water, let's go to the stream."

So it was that the morning started. After a swim in the small creek, they ate some blackberries they found growing close to the stream with some cornbread they had left.

The sun was up, and they started on the grim task of placing the skulls of the victims facing east in the house of the bones. When this was done, a count of the skulls revealed that some of the people must have been taken prisoners. There had been more people in the village than they found skulls. It was decided that as many as ten people could have been taken prisoners.

Wolf Eyes said, "We cannot let them remain in the hands of the Creek. The Great Spirit would be angry, and so would the spirits of the dead victims. The dead must be avenged, but first the captives must be freed."

Wounded Eagle said, "I am in agreement with you, Wolf Eyes. We should go to the village of the Yellow Leaf to see what we can do."

"I have to go anyway to see what the strength of the enemy is and to gain knowledge to plan the attack," said Wolf Eyes.

"Then we will go together. Two would have a better chance than one, do you agree?"

"Yes," said Wolf Eyes, "but no more."

"I am ready to go," said Wounded Eagle.

"We should not delay. I too am ready," said Wolf Eyes.

They left without delay, letting Red Talon know what they were doing. They headed in the direction of the Yellow Leaf, but not by the well worn trail that led by the river.

**~**

Waving Willow was already up that morning. She had walked to the creek and filled a large jar full of water. She had added wood to the fire and removed some of the ashes. Some of the spent ashes she put into a large round bowl that had a hole in the center of the bottom. She placed the bowl on a tripod just outside the door. She then put another container underneath the hole and filled the bowl of ashes full of water. The water drained slowly through the ashes and came out the hole in the bottom of the bowl. When it came out it was a yellowish, opaque color. This was lye water that she used for making hominy and to soften the dried corn before grinding it in to meal.

Then she woke the children, and when Three Baskets came out, they all went to the creek for a swim. The children fully enjoyed the water this time of year, and for these little ones, the new place meant some exploration. Waving Willow and Three Baskets kept a close eye on the children.

The children were two girls and a boy. All were between the ages of four and six. The oldest was a girl, and Three Baskets knew her to be called Iskunosi Kofoshi or Little Quail. She had helped take care of the other two when they lived in the cave across the river. Little Quail and Three Baskets had become good friends. Most of the time Little Quail acted very grown up. This fact was discussed with Waving Willow, who had also noticed the same thing.

Waving Willow and Three Baskets liked each other immediately and were quickly becoming companions. Waving Willow would talk about Wolf Eyes, and her eyes would light up as she described how he was with the children. Three Baskets listened with great interest, asking questions about how Waving Willow had met Wolf Eyes.

Waving Willow began to explain. It was in the summer, three years ago, that they had met at the Green Corn Ceremony. She had seen him come into the village that day, traveling with a brave whose mother lived in the village. She had been courted by several braves of the village, but had not decided which one she would accept. This new one she liked right away. She had let him catch her looking at him to see if he would notice her – and he did notice. He would start moving toward her, and she would find some way to avoid a direct contact with him. She kept him interested by looking at him and letting him catch her at it. This game of hide and seek went on for most of that day.

"We both joined in the game of Akabatle, knowing that we were playing it to meet each other. We would take turns trying to knock the trickster off of the pole with a ball. We had great fun and laughed at each other's attempts. I knew he could have knocked it off easily, but he did not. He finally let me knock it off, and he caught it for me. He handed me the prize, but the real prize was he.

"He pursued me through his friend's mother, and finally I consented to meet him. We took long walks beside the creek at dusk, and he told me about his life at his home village. He never returned to his home village; he has been here ever since."

Waving Willow inquired about the status of Three Baskets. The time seemed appropriate since they had just discussed her own relationship with her husband. Waving Willow asked, "Was it very hard for you when the village was attacked? Did you lose anyone?"

Three Baskets thought a long time, "Yes, I lost my mother, father and uncle, along with two brothers and a sister. I'm going to miss them terribly."

"How old was your sister?" asked Waving Willow.

"She was one winter older than me, I think nineteen this year."

"You were close?" asked Waving Willow.

"Yes, very close," said Three Baskets.

"We won't talk about it," said Waving Willow. "It is too soon."

"It is ok," said Three Baskets, "I have had lots of time to think about it."

"Okay, if you want to then," said Waving Willow.

"Well, now for me," said Three Baskets, "it's like starting my life all over again. When you have a good family, and everything is going great, you take it for granted that that is the way that it is going to be from now on. But that is not how it is. Life is a very fragile thing, and every day must be lived to its fullest, because it may be the last. Now I can remember back to the good times and see the smiles on their faces and think what a good life we have had. I hope that they have found their way to the Great Spirit and are living happily with him in the upper world."

"I am sure they are, Three Baskets," said Waving Willow.

"My sister and I were close – the best of friends," said Three Baskets. "We both liked the same brave, but now she has him all to herself in the upper world. We were all together the night before the raid on our village. We were just enjoying each other, singing songs."

"Let us not talk about it anymore today, Three Baskets. We will talk about it later," said Waving Willow. "We will talk about it a little at a time, okay?"

"Okay," said Three Baskets.

Waving Willow said, "I know a brave that has eyes for you, Three Baskets."

"Oh", said Three Baskets. "Who is he? Do I know him? Let me guess. Is he Red Talon?"

Later the two women got the children out of the water and went back to the house and ate grits and dried meat. Then they went to the field to pick the corn.

* *~**

Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle left the shattered village of Nunnimingo and headed over the hills that lined the river valley, towards the Creek village. It had been a nice, cool morning, but now the sun was getting higher, and the temperature had started to climb.

They passed through the forest beneath giant oak trees. The lay of the land was not level, but was steep hills and valleys that caught the water and shed it toward the river. As they walked, they had to go over these hills and down into these valleys. The hills were perpendicular to the way they were traveling.

Wounded Eagle and Wolf Eyes spoke little; their minds now on one purpose only. Occasionally they would stop to listen or watch a deer or turkey feed. Sometimes the animal would look up to see what the braves were.

Wolf Eyes was thinking about the massacre and questioning what could be the reason for it. It did not make sense that the Creeks would invade the village; destroying the people in it, then go off leaving the cornfields full of ripe corn, ready to be picked.

They journeyed on farther to the east, and now they began to smell the cooking fires of the village. They slowed their pace and started taking extra precautions not to be detected. They came within sight of the main path that ran by the river. They could now see the mouth of Yellow Leaf Creek. They decided to go in a northerly direction up the creek to find an inconspicuous place to ford the stream.

They moved now ever so slowly to make sure they did not move suddenly and cause someone to notice movement in the woods. It was about dusk when they found a place to cross. The stream had narrowed considerably, and there was a footbridge here that looked well used, so they went across. When they got to the other side, they stopped to listen, and they could hear movement up the stream. It was nothing that would ordinarily be heard, a faint sound, but yet a definite sound that someone was approaching. They quickly got off the path and into some thick canes that grew closely to the path. They squatted down and covered themselves with leaves and sticks of the fallen cane.

The people came in to view, and Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle could see that this was a hunting party. They became very still, not even breathing as the hunting party passed. The hunting party went by and had not detected the two hidden in the canes. They stayed where they were for a while, and then moved farther off the path, before it got totally dark. Then they made camp for the night.

The night was peaceful with only an occasional bark from the dogs in the village, and sometimes a wolf would howl somewhere out in the forest. They ate some dried meat and drank some water. They were comfortable in the spot they had chosen.

The next morning came, and before dawn they were already on the move. They were making their way around the Creek village to the river trail that approached the settlement from the east. They found a bluff that overlooked the river trail, and from there they could observe the comings and the goings from the village. They were high enough that they could see the village itself.

The village was surrounded by cornfields. Behind the cornfields a palisade of logs implanted in the ground surrounded the entire village.

As the morning passed they could see the women of the village coming out to tend the corn. The women were accompanied by some young braves who had the chore of guarding slaves. Wounded Eagle saw this, and his heart began to jump. Could one of those slaves be his mother? He had to find out. The distance was so great that it was impossible to make a positive identification. It was impossible to get closer because it would risk exposure. They had no choice but to wait until there was an opportunity.

They observed the women and the slaves working in the cornfield for most of the morning until the sun got directly overhead. Then the workers disappeared from the field, seeking the shade and shelter from the heat of the sun. The sun was hot on Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle, but they did not want to move. They both became very thirsty and needed to get out of the hot sun. So they decided to move one at a time farther up the hill into a more wooded spot where there was shade. Little by little they inched their way up, first one and then the other. Finally, they were both in the shade of a big oak. From this point they could still see the village, but not as much of the river trail.

When evening came, Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle went over the hill and found water in a small stream that ran down toward the river. They decided this would be a secluded place to make a permanent camp. They even built a small fire that night and cooked some bread from meal they had wrapped in a leather bag. They ate it with more dried meat. That night they got wet because it rained. It was a slow, steady rain that soaked everything.

Wolf Eyes said, "We should take advantage of this rain and see if we can get close to the village."

Wounded Eagle said, "Yes, they will all be inside except for a few guards. Let us go see how close we can get."

Wolf Eyes said, "We should not make contact, but just see their defenses. Is that agreeable to you?"

"Yes," said Wounded Eagle.

So they left their camp and went around to the side of the village that was away from the river. The rain clouds had covered the moon, so that the night was dark. They came out of the woods and got into the cornfield. The ground was soft, and they knew they would leave tracks, so they decided not to go any farther.

They reentered the woods and moved with stealthy caution back to the river path. They stayed beside the path for a long time before venturing out onto it. This ground was more solid, worn down to rocks, and they were able to move without leaving tracks.

They only walked a little way on the trail, and then they moved off of it and made their way in the rough bush that bordered the path. They moved, not breaking a twig or upsetting anything. They could see even though it was dark. Perhaps they could see better than the guards of the village who looked into the light of the fires from time to time. They came to the cornfield that bordered the path. Now they waited to see the changing of the guard and to see how alert the guards were. They also wanted to see if there was anyone else moving around outside the palisade.

The guard changed twice that night. The guards seemed more alert at the start of their watch. After they looked around for a bit they would settle down and become relaxed. Some even closed their eyes.

As the dawn approached, Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle made their way back to the oak tree on the bluff. By the time they got there the dawn was breaking, and the rain had stopped, but the sky in the direction of the sun was a brilliant red among a blanket of scattered clouds. Wolf Eyes relaxed, while Wounded Eagle stood watch. Their concealment was so good that they could not be seen from the village. They could see the village by looking through reeds of high grass in front of them. They would stay here and rest for the day, taking turns at the watch.

That evening, as the sun went down they went back to their camp at the little creek and dug mussels out of one of the deep pools. They rebuilt their fire and cooked the mussels. The mussels were very sweet and filled their empty stomachs.

That night they went again to the river path and were able to get very close to the palisades entrance. They lay low on the ground in the cornfield, among the bean vines that grew on the stalks of the corn. Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle again watched the changing of the guard and how it was done and what was said as the guards changed places. The first guard was a tall man. He came out of the narrow passageway and walked up the river path to the edge of the woods, then turned and came back. When he returned, he spoke the word that meant "all clear," and the guard that he replaced went inside the wall to the village. The passageway was then his to guard for the next three hours, until his replacement came. And they watched this happen twice during the night.

The second time that the guard was replaced that night, they were inattentive. Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle used this inattention and made their way back to their camp by the stream. They feasted that night on crayfish and mussels again and got a good night's sleep.

The next morning, after washing off good in the little stream, they resumed their post on the bluff by the large oak tree. This morning, when the women and the slaves came out to tend the corn, Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle watched intently to see how the slaves were treated. They also wanted to know the condition of the slaves.

Wounded Eagle decided to make the call of the crow to see what the response would be of the slaves. The call had been practiced by the young boys from the time they had been about six years of age and had been demonstrated many times for their mothers. It not only sounded like a crow, but also actually identified the caller as a Chickasaw brave. To the uneducated listener it was just a crow.

When Wounded Eagle made the call, the woman slave looked in his direction. He knew that she was his mother, and she knew that the caller was her son. That was all that Wounded Eagle needed to alert his mother that he was near. She, immediately, returned to chopping the weeds on the corn, but knew that her help was close at hand.

That afternoon, when the sun got high, Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle watched as the workers in the cornfield returned to their village. They watched, this time, to see where the slaves were kept when they were not working. From their vantage point they could see the house where the slaves were taken. They suspected that they would be tied inside the house to one of the lodge poles.

Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle began to plan their raid to free the slaves. They both knew the vulnerability of the guards, and that they could use this to their advantage. They made their plans and then returned to the camp by the little stream to rest for what remained of the afternoon.

When darkness fell on the village, Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle were already nearing the river trail to the east of the village. They waited there until it got totally dark. There was no moon on this night, which helped them tremendously. They went down the trail slowly until they came to the area where the Creeks kept their canoes pulled up on the banks.

Wolf Eyes pointed to the river, and Wounded Eagle followed him into the water. They stayed close to the bank, for the bushes here made great cover, working their way close to where the canoes were beached. There were five braves guarding the canoes.

The braves had a small fire built and were sitting around playing some type of gambling game. Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle noted the guards' positions, and then they backed away and returned to the path.

The two Chickasaws crossed the path and went into the cornfield. The corn stalks were high enough that it gave them good cover, and they were able to get close to the entrance of the palisade to the village. They stayed there for a long while, waiting for the changing of the guard. There was very little traffic on the river path, as the night was almost too dark for travel.

They waited four hours for the guard to change. The change took place the same way that they had observed it on the night before. The new guard came out and spoke to the old guard. Then the new guard walked up the river trail to the edge of the woods, looking and observing as he went. The new guard returned along the path and spoke to the braves at the canoes. Then he came up and relieved the old guard. The new guard was alert when his watch first started, but after an hour his interest waned. He began to look down at the ground and became unobservant.

Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle stretched their muscles to get them loose. Then Wolf Eyes tapped Wounded Eagle in the chest, and when Wounded Eagle looked his way, he pointed to himself and then at the guard and then made a hacking motion with his hand to his neck. Wounded Eagle understood and shook his head in agreement.

The attack came suddenly to the guard. It came out of the darkness with a skull-cracking thud. He never knew he was under attack. Wounded Eagle came forward and passed through the parallel rows of post into the entrance of the village. Just inside the entrance was another guard that they had not been able to see in their observations. They had reasoned that there would be one there. The guard was there, and the thud had aroused his attention, but an arrow through the throat had quieted him forever. They put the dead guards over their shoulders and carried them out into the cornfield, where they took the scalps. They reentered the palisade and turned to the right and ran silently along the fence, under the catwalk, where there were other guards posted.

They had been successful thus far in entering and being undetected, but now they had to worry about arousing the attention of dogs.

There was a lot of activity in the plaza of the village around the communal fire, which was good for the invaders. All they had to do was take their time. They moved on, not too slowly, but walked naturally, to the house where the slaves were kept. This house was totally dark inside; they had not built a fire there. The door was open.

Wounded Eagle made the chirp of a tree frog and got an answer back on the second chirp. His mother was inside, unguarded.

Wounded Eagle went in the house and spoke in a low voice to find his mother. He cut the strands of sinew that bound his mother and five other slaves. There were four women and two young braves. They were glad that help had come, but they knew to be quiet. Wounded Eagle's mother had told them that help was near.

The slaves stood up and stretched until the blood came into their legs, and then they were ready to travel. Wolf Eyes was in the doorway, just out of the light of the campfire, watching for the first sign of danger. When the view was clear, he signaled for the slaves to follow him, which they did, out the doorway one by one. They went in back of the house to the palisade and walked, in a natural way, to the exit.

When they went into the parallel passageway, they stopped behind Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle. They told the others their plan to capture the canoes and get away downriver. When everyone was ready, they went out of the palisade and down the river path to where the canoes were beached.

The braves that were guarding the canoes were still around the campfire and paid no attention to someone approaching from the village. Then it was too late for them. Two were dead before the others realized what was happening. Arrows were flying in the night. One of the braves had made it to his bow. He had not gotten an arrow placed in it before he was fatally hit. As he was dying he had managed to get out a war cry.

The war cry had alerted the other guards at the palisade, and now the Creeks were streaming out of the village. They made terrible war cries as they ran toward the canoes. The arrows started to fly and rained in on the Chickasaws.

Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle loosed all the canoes and gave them a push out into the river. In the meantime all the captives had boarded and had paddles. Wounded Eagle and Wolf Eyes jumped in, as they pushed off and began paddling out into the river.

They got beyond the range of the arrows coming from shore quickly with no one injured. The river was foggy, and the darkness helped them escape. Wolf Eyes had expected that some of the Creeks would have run down the river to keep them in sight, but no Creeks had been seen. The canoes they pushed into the middle of the river must have gotten lost in the darkness and were difficult to find, or else they would have had unwanted company.

By the time the Creeks had regained their canoes the Chickasaws were well downriver. They did not slow down their paddle strokes, though, until they were far away from the village. They were guiding the canoes by the outline of the treetops on a dark sky background. The dugouts glided silently through the water. The night was calm, with no wind, and even the birds were silent.

Wounded Eagle's mother was a woman of forty winters. Wounded Eagle was delighted to have her back and was amazed that she was still alive. He sat in the rear of her canoe, as they traveled downriver.

The dawn was breaking, and they had another two hours to travel before they would be back in their own village territory. They were still paddling strongly and knew that they could not quit until they reached the sentries of their own tribe.

They passed the burned out village of Nunnimingo, and the women started to wail the mourning song. They were quickly quieted by Wounded Eagle, who told them that they would have to wait until it was safe.

They neared the place where Three Baskets had beached her canoe, which they now called the landing. And the sentries began their crow calls. Wolf Eyes called back to let them know they were friendly.

They came to the landing and beached the canoes. Unloading from the canoes, the freed captives lay face down and kissed the ground. There was much praise for Wounded Eagle and Wolf Eyes. The two were not ready for the praise they received and did not acknowledge it, but acted rather shyly.

Wounded Eagle's mother was named Tranquil Lady, and she began to tell her story.

"I was at the fire, adding wood, when they came behind me. I just covered my head and steadied myself for the blow that I knew was coming. I had my eyes closed, not wanting to see what was happening. When the struggle was over, they grabbed me from behind and took me outside. I was so upset that I remember little about what they did. But I do remember they tied my hands, and before I knew it we were walking up the river path. When we got to their village, they tied us to the poles in the plaza, where we stayed for a day, while they celebrated their victory. There were a lot more of us then. They tortured some of the young boys they had captured. Some they scalped alive, right in front of us. Those boys died bravely, singing their death song.

Finally, an old woman came by and pointed us out. They took us to the house and gave us a little hominy grits and bread. Then they tied us to the post where you found us. We were taken to the fields, in the mornings, to hoe the corn. We were made to do the menial chores such as carry water and empty the latrines of the sick. It seems like it was a long time that we had been there, but I know that it was only a few days."

Wolf Eyes asked, "Do you know, Tranquil Lady, why the attack was made on the village?"

"Well, I have a suspicion that it was the doing of their aliktce," she said. "He seemed to take a big part in their attack on us. He was also the recipient of much praise during their victory celebration."

Tranquil Lady continued, "The aliktce is a witch man, and he trumped up the charge and intoxicated the war-like braves with this idea that our whole village of Nunnimingo was polluted with evil and must be destroyed. They would have killed all of us had it not been for the old woman. She would not allow him to have us tortured. I guess she thought they had done enough injustice."

At this description of what the reason was behind the massacre, Wolf Eyes became very intense and asked this question. "What does this witch man look like?"

Tranquil Lady answered, "He is a medium size man, always wears a mask, but has a big scar on his left shoulder."

Wolf Eyes said, "I think I know this man. If he did not wear a mask, you could see a scar that crossed his face. It was made by my tomahawk when I was but a small boy. If I had been a bigger man, I would have rid the world of his disservice."

Wolf Eyes thought long and hard that night. He wanted to return to the Creek village and settle this old score. It had been a long time for the hate to brood in him. There is always a time for revenge, he thought, and I have waited a long time.

The next morning they left the river, heading to Nuktala, The Village of the Serene. The people were anxious to get settled again and get decent food in their bellies.

The morning was hot and humid, typical of the southern region that time of year. When they returned, it would be time for the ceremony of the Busk or Green Corn Ceremony that started the New Year.

Red Talon was anxious to get back and to see Three Baskets. He had thought much about her and was unable to get her out of his mind, though he was not trying very hard. Wolf Eyes was thinking also about Waving Willow. It had been a while since he had seen her. It was not a good thing to see a woman before leaving with a war party. In fact, it was not allowed, because it interfered with the purity of a warrior and would make one weak.

Tranquil Lady looked forward to settling in Nuktala because she knew people there, including the chief's primary wife, Bursting Flower the Old, who was a longtime friend. She thought about her brother and son and began to mourn. As they got near the village, her mourning grew worse. She worried about the dead. They must send someone soon to bury the bodies of the dead of Nunnimingo, she thought. And how would she mourn on the grave if it were at Nunnimingo, instead of Nuktala. Certainly, they could not move back to Nunnimingo after the village had been destroyed and burned. What was she to do? Wounded Eagle was at home in Nuktala, having recently taken a wife there. He would see what could be done about the dead. He thought, maybe he could bring the bodies of his brother and uncle to Nuktala. That way their spirits would be more peaceful after they were revenged. Until then there would be no peace. He would consult with the aliktce on this matter.

The party was getting very near to the village now, and the Sun Spirit was disappearing beyond the mountains. The clouds were once again a reddish blanket on the horizon, slowly turning to purple and then to night.
Chapter 6: Green Corn Festival

The village was becoming restful as the Sun Spirit went down below the horizon. But soon the village was awakened again as the war party returned to the village with all its warriors and its liberated members. The party went to the plaza square, where a fire was soon built. A few of the braves started beating on the drums. Soon the whole village was there, dancing to the beats of the drums and tambourines. Waving Willow had a warm greeting for Wolf Eyes.

The tales of the rescue were told and listened to with great interest. The story of the village of Nunnimingo was told, and of the bones and the restless, un-avenged spirits of the dead. The scalps were displayed and carried by dancers around the fire. Food was brought and, first, fed to all the survivors and the liberated. Then some braves picked up Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle and carried them up, high above their heads, as they danced around the fire. They put them down at the place of honor to sit with the chief. Red Talon hung the scalps on the pole of one of the shelters at the square.

Later the chief gathered some of the elders and interested parties. He took them, along with the liberated people, to the council house. There they decided where the liberated would spend their first night in the village. Tranquil Lady would go home with her son Wounded Eagle, and the rest were dispersed throughout the village.

It was early morning before the celebration broke up, and the people started to make their way back to their houses. Wolf Eyes and Waving Willow left the dance arm in arm. The children were following along, behind them.

Red Talon was with the boys Loot and Fire Cub, and as he walked back to his sister's house, he got a smile from Three Baskets. He thought she was the prettiest maiden in the forest, and his heart belonged to her. He had to talk to his sister to find out about her. Was she available? It had been too long since a maiden had made his heart jump.

The new morning was late in coming, and when it did come, it was accompanied by storm clouds. There was a steady, slow rain and a few claps of thunder. It may be that something had displeased the Great Spirit, and the thunder showed his displeasure. But the rain was a welcomed sight, because it was much needed by the corn.

The corn was almost ready for picking, and after this rain, it would be. Then the village would celebrate the coming of the New Year with the Festival of the Busk. It meant the Green Corn Festival.

Wolf Eyes noticed that the men were through building the new corncrib. It now had walls, a floor and a roof. It was sealed, top and bottom, with a mortar of straw and mud. There was a tiny door made that was not yet hung. The whole structure sat six feet off of the ground on poles that were coated with bear grease to keep the field rats from getting the corn and other commodities that would be stored in it.

While it was raining, most everyone stayed in his or her house. They used the time to tell stories, do crafts and visit. Red Talon was visiting with Waving Willow and Wolf Eyes.

Red Talon said, "Sister, did you find out for me about Three Baskets?"

Waving Willow answered, "What was I suppose to find out, Red Talon?"

Wolf Eyes looked up from his work, interested in the conversation. Waving Willow was at work, making a dress from deer hide.

Red Talon smiled, "You know, what is her status, is she married or widowed or free to wed?"

Waving Willow looked down at her work and acted like she did not hear.

"Waving Willow, I guess you did not ask for me – you want me to be an old bachelor and never have a true love. I will just go away and be a hermit, and then I would not have to suffer a wounded heart."

Waving Willow looked up and said, "Three Baskets is interested in you, and she is free and never been wed."

Red Talon's look went from disappointment to utter surprise, and then he jumped up from his crossed legged position at the post and started dancing around the room. He danced over to Waving Willow and gave her a big hug. He danced to Little Quail, who was smiling at his antics. He picked her up and threw her up in the air and then caught her. He hugged her tight and danced around the fire with her. He let her down gently and then went out the door and danced toward the square, in the rain. He was last seen dancing toward the gate to the palisade.

Wolf Eyes looked at Waving Willow and said, "There goes a happy shilombish" (spirit).

Waving Willow said, "They are two happy shilombishes."

The next day the morning had begun with a bright sunrise. The sun had dried out the field, and the women began to pick the corn. They would go down the rows with their baskets, feeling of the ear first to see if it was mature, and if it was, they would pull it from the stalk.

When the basket was full, they would bring it to an area in front of the corncrib where the new ears of corn would be put on the ground for sorting. The ears were sorted for size and quality. The best ears would go into the corncrib first. The ears that were put in first would be the last to be used in the next year. Some corn was selected to eat right away. This corn would be boiled and eaten right off the cob. The corn that was put into the crib would be stacked in rows to make the best use of the space available. They not only put corn in the crib, but also beans and other storable food items. The door of the crib was sealed shut each time that they finished taking something out of it. This was the best means of preserving food that they had.

The chief and the aliktce started to prepare for the Festival of the Busk. This festival brought in the New Year, and all the tribes celebrated it. It was a time to thank the Great Spirit for the new yields of vegetables and food that would see them through the winter. If the Great Spirit were pleased, they would pass the winter without too much starvation. It was a time of renewal, where bad deals and bad feelings could be corrected, and new deals could be made. For instance, if a man had an agreement with another man that did not work out, the agreement could be altered, so that both men could be satisfied with the outcome. If a marriage had gone bad, it could be annulled at the Festival of the Busk. If marriages were good, they were renewed. So this was a very good time for them, and it was a festival that was seated into their way of life.

Wolf Eyes, Red Talon and all the braves that were not on sentry duty went out to hunt the white pigeons. They would go out in parties of four or five braves armed with blowguns and darts and small bows and arrows with bird points. They would sneak up on the birds, or either find a spot and lie in wait for them to land in nearby trees. Then the braves would raise the blowgun to their mouth and blow, sharply. With a dart they could bring down a bird usually without disturbing the next bird to it. Usually, they would make multiple kills.

Wolf Eyes, Loot, Fire Cub and Red Talon were hunting together. It was still early in the morning. They all had blowguns with darts. They found a slight gully that was a stream in the wet season, but now it was a dry bed full of leaves. There was a growth of briars in the gully, but it was not too thick. A grove of popular trees was on the opposite side of this gully. So the braves could put their feet downhill and lean back against the bank, lying on their backs. They would be facing up, looking into the tree branches. They stayed like this for a while, waiting for the flock to move their way. It wasn't long before the flock decided to move. The flock was heavy – maybe two hundred birds. They all took off like they had one mind and landed the same way. They were in trees that were about fifty yards from the hunters.

"What do you think?" whispered Fire Cub to Red Talon.

Red Talon said, "Maybe they will come this way, and maybe they won't. You just have to be patient."

Loot said, "We could try to move under them."

Wolf Eyes said, "Better to wait – let them come to us. If we move we may spook them, and then they will be watching for us. Our surprise will be gone."

So they waited about an hour, and during that time the flock moved ten times. Their patience paid off, for then the flock lit in the trees right above them, and they blew darts until they ran out of them.

The hunters got up from their gully. They stretched their legs and began to pick up the birds. They would put them in a sack made from a deer hide. When they found all the birds, they had about thirty-five. A good day, so they headed back to the village.

They took the birds to Waving Willow, and she exclaimed how good they had done. She took the birds and plucked all the large feathers from the wings and tails. The feathers were solid white. The feathers would be used in the Green Corn Ceremony later that day. Some of the feathers were sent to the chief and the aliktce.

The birds were given to Loot. Loot cut the heads off with his hatchet and then dropped them into a pot of boiling water. The birds were not left in the hot water too long before they were taken out with some long handled tongs, and the feathers were removed by Three Baskets. When the birds were plucked, they were returned to another pot, where they were washed and then gutted by Grazing Fawn. When the birds were prepared, they were wrapped in corn shucks and put into containers that would hold them until the time came for them to be roasted.

This same scenario was happening all over the village. Everybody was in preparation for the festival. After the pigeons were cleaned and packed away, the whole area around the houses, inside and out, was cleaned. All fires were extinguished, and the ashes removed from the hearths, ovens and fire pits.

Specified people who were chosen by the chief to take part in the main ceremony dressed for the occasion. They dressed all in white, whatever they wore. The men had white breechcloths. They had duck skin headdresses with the white feathers adorning the crest. They carried long, cane staffs with the tips ordained with white feathers. The women had white dresses that covered them from the waist down, and their hair was done up in a ball on the top of their heads, with streaming ribbons of white that came down from several directions.

The people who were eligible to attend were the village men and women, elders, and warriors who had gained high respect for their feats on the battlefield. These people took their places in the square.

Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle were there in attendance. They sat in a pavilion that was to the east of the fire space, with other braves who had distinguished records.

There was a pavilion that was for the chief and his court and a few elders that were close to him. Another pavilion was there for the rest of the elders. For a time, these were the only people that were allowed to participate in the festival.

The ceremony was started with fasting and dancing around the sacred fire space. They had not yet lit the new fire. The aliktce was performing prayers to the Great Spirit, with the singing and dancing in thanksgiving for the bountiful crop that he had sent to them. Then six elder men and six elder women got up and danced, singing as they went around the sacred fire space. The sacred fire space was made from two intersecting lines of dry wood that met to form a cross.

At the end of this dance the aliktce relit the sacred fire for this year. This began the New Year. And now the other people in the village could join the celebration. There was more singing and dancing, followed by everyone going to the creek for a bath. After the fire had burned for a while, the chief handed out embers for the women to use in lighting their hearth fires. Now they began to cook and to prepare the great feast.

Waving Willow and her group began to roast the pigeons. And it was a great time, with much laughter, singing and dancing. The braves ate pigeon until they could not hold any more. The pipe was smoked, and beverages were consumed. Everyone wished good wishes for the New Year. They would say, "Ayukpa himita afummi, Ayukpa himita afummi."

And so the New Year began, and with the New Year there were other new things. Three Baskets designated that tomorrow morning would be the time for Red Talon to come by her house. This had both the households of Waving Willow and Grazing Fawn in a gleeful mood. Even Grazing Fawn's old mother was excited.

That night Red Talon had much trouble sleeping. He felt like he needed to get up and run, not away, but just to expend some energy. He did not doze off until the wee hours of the morning. So when the birds started singing that morning he was still asleep. Wolf Eyes woke him, got him to his feet and took him to the creek. The cold water revived him, and he was ready to go.

Three Baskets got up and prepared a bowl of grits, which she placed by her doorway. Red Talon, feeling nervous, had Waving Willow pull unwanted hairs from his head, using tweezers made from mussel shells. He then dressed in a fine robe of feathers and made himself look presentable.

Then, with everyone watching, he made his way to next door where the bowl of grits was waiting. Red Talon picked up the bowl of grits and began to eat, and he ate until they were gone. Three Baskets came to the door with a smile and took the bowl back. This officially started the courtship between Three Baskets and Red Talon.

Later that month Red Talon, with the help of Wolf Eyes, started building a house for Three Baskets. He had picked out a spot not far from Waving Willow's house. This house would be a winter house, because that is what they would need first.

Red Talon got Wolf Eyes to help him. They began by driving a stake in the ground where they wanted the center to be. They had a length of sinew to measure the radius of the house floor. They drove stakes around in the circle that was to be the outside wall of the house. They began digging the inside of the circle down about three feet until it was all level. Posts were set in the ground on the outside of the circle to brace the wall panels. The tops of the posts were spanned by poles, from one post to another, to form the top of the walls. A tall post was set in the center of the house, and from the top of this to the top of the outside post were lashed poles that would form the roof rafters. The side panels were made from popular boards that had been split thinly and woven together to form solid panels. These panels were lashed to the outside posts. Split cedar was used to make the roof shingles. All the inside walls and the roof were then coated with mud and grass mixture to form tight seals, so that no wind would come through. A mound of dirt was piled against the outside walls to help shed the water away as it ran off of the roof. There was a hearth built in the middle of the house for heating and cooking. Beds were made about three feet high and strapped to the inside walls. There was a small doorway that faced south.

The house was completed in about two months, and Three Baskets was very pleased.

Red Talon had killed a deer and brought it to her, and she had butchered it and dried the meat. She was working on the hide, tanning it out. Also, she had been working with Waving Willow, making clothes and other household items.

Three Baskets, with the help of Waving Willow, made pottery. She had made a bowl for making the lye and a container to catch it in. She had big pots for cooking stews and boiling food. She had water and storage containers.

The community was good about the housewarming. Three Baskets had almost nothing when she came from Nunnimingo, but now she was almost ready to start housekeeping.

Red Talon's love for Three Baskets was without end. He loved her more each day, just for the little things and ways that she had. He noticed the way she would hold her head at a certain angle when she really wanted an answer to a question, the way she flipped her hand when she talked, the way she laughed when she made a mistake and the way she looked at him in the morning light. There were a thousand different things that attracted him to her. They were things that only she had, and no one else could do them quite like her.

Wolf Eyes said to Waving Willow, "I think they will be very happy together, they work very hard to make their life together good."

"Yes, I know they do. You can tell that Red Talon really loves her."

"And you can tell that Three Baskets really loves him," he said.

"Yes, and together they will make lots of little Chickasaws."

"Do you really think so?" he said, with a look from the corner of his eye.

"Of course they will, just like we are," she said, with her head turned sideways and looking at him from the corner of her eye.

"We are?" he questioned. "We are?"

She sat there in front of him, looking coy. A smile came to his face. "How long will it be?" he asked.

"About four moons. The baby is moving inside me already," she said.

He took his hand and touched the side of her face. "Waving Willow, you are beautiful and I adore you."

Wolf Eyes said in a loud voice, "He will be the bravest hunter, or she will be the prettiest maid, whichever it is I don't care."

And so it was decided between the two couples that year, as winter was coming, that the two young families would look out for each other. Three Baskets became a sister to Waving Willow and Wolf Eyes, just as Red Talon was a brother to both of them.

The wedding of Three Baskets and Red Talon was a simple ceremony held in the presence of friends, the chief and elders of the village. Red Talon took an ear of corn and broke it in two and gave her half. She took a loaf of cornbread, broke it in two and gave him half. With this simple gesture they were considered married, and they lived happily in the winter house.
Chapter 7: Winter Games

It was wintertime in the valley of the village of Nuktala. Most of the trees had lost their leaves, and the days were gray and cool. The village was quiet and peaceful, without a lot of outside activity. The braves would go hunting on the days when the weather permitted, and the women would gather firewood. Other than that there was not a lot going on except in the menstrual house. Waving Willow had been in hers for a week, waiting on the time to come. The baby had dropped five days ago, and she was ready and tired of being cooped up. Wolf Eyes was somewhere out in the woods hunting with Red Talon. That was okay because they didn't need the men anyway. What good were they at a time like this.

She was being assisted by White Flower, one of the village midwives. White Flower had helped deliver over a hundred babies in her time. Jiuha was White Flower's trainee, and she was her granddaughter. It was hot in the hut, almost too hot, and Jiuha cracked the door for a little circulation.

White Flower told Jiuha, "Do not put so much wood on the fire next time."

Three Baskets came in the doorway with an armload of wood. "This should last until tomorrow," she said.

Waving Willow asked, "How are the little ones?"

"They are fine," answered Three Baskets.

White Flower looked at Three Baskets. "You will have a little one before the year is out," she said.

Three Baskets smiled and shook her head affirmatively.

Jiuha asked, "When will you tell Red Talon and Wolf Eyes?"

"She will find the right time," answered Waving Willow.

Three Baskets said, "I will have a baby on my back by the time of next year's Busk celebration, Jiuha."

The winter was long that year, but sometimes there were warm days. The warm days got the young braves out to play their games on the ball field. One game that was a favorite was the game of toli. This game was played on a field that was five hundred feet long and one hundred fifty feet wide. There could be any number of players on each side. Each player had two rackets, one in each hand. There was a ball stuffed with animal hair, which was tight and fairly hard. It could be thrown a long way with the rackets.

There were not many rules to this game. There was a red team and a black team. Each team had separate ends of the field. On each end of the field was a goal made from two poles about twenty feet long with a cross piece on the top of them. Someone threw the ball into the middle of the field. The object of the game was to get the ball by whatever means possible, and throw it to your teammates on your opponent's end of the field. Your teammates would try to throw the ball between the uprights and below the crosspiece. If you could do that, your team would score a point. Then someone would throw the ball back into the center of the field, and the whole thing would start all over again.

This game was terrific for training young braves to be warlike. It was a great deal of fun. The young braves could be heroic and feel a sense of pride at having scored a point for their team. The game was great for keeping the braves in tiptop condition, because the players were never still; they would run for hours. It also taught the braves how to endure pain, because it was a rough game. There were many players injured during the course of a game. The more players there were on a field, the more injuries that there would be. Sportsmanship was held in high regard; because there was nothing to stop an opponent from hitting you in the head with his racket, but he had to know that when the chance came, there would be retaliation. This is the only thing that kept the game in control.

This game really got serious when one village invited another village to play a game of toli. All the braves would show up in force, and the field could have over a hundred players on it. This game really resembled a war. Players would go after the ball in an all out fashion. It was the pride of the village at stake. The players would try to inflict injury on one another when they were not going after the ball. Then there were teammates that retaliated for a team member. So this was more like war, and the best village won.

If braves did not participate in this game there was not much chance of them holding an honorable position in the tribe. And a player that was injured was held in high regard because he had put himself in a vulnerable position to advance the team, much as it would be done in war.

In war, a brave, if it were necessary, would put himself in an imperiled position for the good of his people. If the brave lived through it, he was held in high regard for the rest of his life. He could have his body tattooed with certain emblems – and have a high seat in the council and at the Festival of the Busk. He could take an appropriate name that implied his status in the tribe. If he were held in high enough regard, he would be in line to be Chief.

The braves, by the time that they were mature young men, had received much training on how to be brave. One day the older braves in the village would get all the young braves together. These were braves that had not yet tasted the blood of a battle.

Wolf Eyes knew what was about to happen, but he did not let on, and neither did Red Talon.

Red Talon said, "Loot and Fire Cub, let's go to the ball field."

As they walked across the field they could see that there was a large number of people congregating there. Wolf Eyes began to separate them in to groups. The young braves like Loot and Fire Cub, he sent to one end of the field. The braves that had been seasoned in war, he put in the middle of the field. The old elders of the village were stationed at the opposite end of the field.

Then there was brought to the field a sack of cut canes. Each cane was about three feet long. The seasoned braves made two parallel lines about five feet apart. There were about twenty braves in each line, facing each other. On the opposite end of the field from the young braves were the elders.

One of the elders, Gray Fox, came down to the end of the field where the young braves were standing. He was old and tired, but he had been in many battles and had taken many scalps. He started chastising the young braves with much criticism.

Gray Fox said in a loud voice, "You young, snotty noses couldn't wipe your butts. You all eat snake dung. You cry in your grits. You run from rabbits. You take care of your mom's babies, hell, you are your momma's babies." And with that Gray Fox took off and ran through the cane line.

The seasoned warriors let Gray Fox have it, hitting him with the canes as he went through the line. They did not hold back, but hit hard enough to bring blood.

The young braves could not stand it. The old man was showing them up. Each young brave went on his own conviction, running through the cane line. When they came out the other end, they all had bloody backs. They were all met by the elders and were exalted and praised for doing so well, and each of the young braves walked tall and with straight shoulders. They were learning to be Chickasaw braves – strong, powerful, prideful, fearless and brave.

The cane line would also be used sometimes for punishment, but when children were very young, they would be scratched with dried snake fangs. It was more of a scare tactic than it was harmful. The children were under control, very good control. There were not many unruly children in Indian villages.

Another way that the Chickasaws insured that their young brave would be good warriors was through their stories about the past. There were many legends, of course, some about the creation of man, others about the creation of the world. These were the basis of their belief system. Then there were the true-life stories of the elder braves themselves. The stories were told usually soon after they happened, maybe around the fire. The good ones were remembered and were asked for by the younger people. In this way the young braves learned what they were supposed to believe about themselves, and what they should be striving to become.

It was such a case one night at a small fire beside a creek on a hunting trip. Sitting around the fire were Wolf Eyes, Red Talon, Wounded Eagle, Loot, Fire Cub and Little Otter. Loot asked Wolf Eyes for an isht-unowa (story).

Wolf Eyes thought for a minute and then began by saying:

"When I was but a youth, I went on a hunting trip with my uncle whose name was Night Walker. There were several of us on the hunt. We were far to the northern boundary of our hunting territory when we happened on the remains of a deer, half eaten. Night Walker said that it was a cougar, and from the size of his paw print, it was a big one. He said that the cougar was our competitor, because the cougar ate the deer – just as we eat the deer. He decided that we must go and hunt the cougar to stop him from encroaching on our deer.

"My Uncle Night Walker was a good tracker, and we followed the trail of the cougar all day long. The cougars hunt more at night than they do in the daylight. He was probably lying up somewhere this day, having eaten most of the night. But we could not catch up with him, and eventually he came back to the very spot where he had left the deer. We were still behind him. He had made a big circle. When he got back to the deer, he smelled us and knew we had been there. He picked up the deer in his big mouth and headed for the mountain.

"My Uncle Night Walker knew when he saw the trail where the cougar was going that time. We had not slept, but we were hot after the cougar, and there was no time to be tired. We headed toward the mountain."

"Was the cougar afraid of you?" asked Loot.

"No, the cougar was not afraid of us because he had been hunted by men before, but he was going back to his lair, where he would have an advantage over us.

"We followed the trail for another day until we came to the base of the mountain. It was here that we decided to make camp for the night. In the night, the wind came up, and it blew cold. The wind blew down the side of the mountain where we were. We could hear the cougar growl all through the night. He knew we were there, and he wanted to make us fearful of him. The cougar played a mind game with us. The game is Komota (which means to make us afraid).

"The next morning we started up the mountain, and we climbed and we climbed, higher and higher. We climbed over the big rocks and boulders that made up the mountain. The spirit of the cougar was strong, and he kept ahead of us.

"Finally, the mountain got so steep that men could not climb it. We had come to a solid rock face on which there were no footholds. It could not be climbed by man. We looked up, and there was clear blue sky above the rock face. And way up on top, we could see the cougar looking down on us. And he growled to say to us, 'Beware, you are in my territory now.'

"We were at the point where we could not go up anymore, so there was nothing to do but wait. The cougar would have to come down sooner or later. Who would give up first, Uncle Night Walker or the cougar. We made a camp at the foot of the rock face. We built a fire and made ready for the night. That night it was cold and windy. The cougar kept us awake, by growling. We could hear him panting as he walked back and forth on the top of that rock face. My Uncle Night Walker knew he had the cougar cornered. Uncle Night Walker got where he could see the cougar if he started down off of the rock face. We kept the fire going. Its flames shot up the side of that rock, and at the top we could see the cougar pacing, pacing.

"Our food was getting low, and we were low on water too, but the cougar had no food or water. It got to the point where it was the cougar or Uncle Night Walker; something had to give.

"So in the light of the flames, my uncle could see the cougar coming down the rock face. He would have to jump the last twenty feet over the flames of the fire. So my uncle readied his bow and waited. The cougar came down, and my uncle waited, with his bow drawn back. When the cougar jumped, my uncle released his arrow, and the cougar landed on top of him.

"They got in a terrible fight, my uncle and the cougar. They rolled down the mountainside, neither one wanting to let go of the other. We could hear my Uncle Night Walker's war cry, and we could hear the roar of the cougar's growl. We could hear the skin ripping from my uncle's back and the thud of the tomahawk at the cougar's head. Finally, they rolled to the foot of the mountain and into a big creek, and there my Uncle Night Walker drowned the cougar.

"We ran down the mountain to see what had happened, and when we got there, my uncle was standing in the middle of the creek. He was bloody from head to toe, but held in his arms the dead body of the cougar. The cougar was a mess with wounds from my uncle's tomahawk. When the tomahawk, broke he used his hunting knife, and when that broke, my uncle used his fist and his teeth. You, my young braves, see that it was a fight to the death. And one of these days you will also find yourself in a fight to the death, and you must never give up, because to give up is to die."

It was stories like this that were drilled into the minds of the braves from the time that they started to walk. The Indian braves, like the wild animals in the forest, had a mindset that was there to insure their survival and the survival of their species. With the animals this was instinctive, but with the Indians it was learned, as well as instinctive.

The cries of a newborn baby could be heard by people passing by the menstrual hut of Waving Willow. The child was a male, and he was laid on a cougar skin, because the cougar skin could impart the qualities of the cougar to make him a strong hunter.

Three Baskets was working on a cradleboard that would be given to Waving Willow, so that she could carry the baby, while she did her work. Cradleboards were wide boards that had a skin attached to them, forming a pouch. The babies were strapped into these and carried on the mother's back, or they could be laid down beside where the mother was working. She had gotten Red Talon to cut the board for her, and she was now attaching the deer hide, with the soft hair facing the inside.

The hunting party had just come into the village. The deer they had killed were taken by neighbor women who would clean it and butcher the meat. As the women took the deer, they informed Wolf Eyes and Red Talon of the new arrival.

Wolf Eyes and Red Talon looked at each other with smiles on their faces and hurried to the area of the menstrual hut. They waited some distance away for someone to come out. When Three Baskets appeared, they called to her and motioned for her to come over.

It was against their belief for men and women to mix company in times of childbirth. Since men and women were opposite, it would pollute their spirits for them to come in close contact with the new mother and child. This pollution would bring bad luck.

Wolf Eyes asked of Three Baskets, "How is Waving Willow?"

Three Baskets replied, "She is strong and doing fine."

"And the child?"

"You have a fine son."

Wolf Eyes congratulated Red Talon, who would teach the boy when he came of age. Red Talon congratulated Wolf Eyes on the new arrival of his son. The two men went off together to celebrate at the council fire, where they would be brought food and enjoy the talk. Maybe they would smoke the pipe.
Chapter 8: Springtime Journeys

Spring had come to the village of Nuktala. There was much work going on, and everyone was happy that the winter had passed. Wolf Eyes, Red Talon and all the other braves were breaking the ground in the fields that were to be planted. They used a forked limb that had one branch that was long with handholds attached to it where they pulled. One branch was short and sharpened, so that it could be put into the ground to plow the furrow. The stump end was for a brave to hold the plow upright, so that the point would always be pointed down. Several braves worked together to plow the field. In this way it saved them time, much hoeing and digging. If everyone worked hard, it would be no time before the work was done. Then they could hunt and fish to their heart's content.

The men had been working hard all day when Three Baskets came across the field with a skin full of water. She looked heavy with child, and they knew that it would not be long before she would go to the menstrual hut. They could not help but notice how happy she was, and in such a good humor. It meant that the time was close. They all thanked her for the water. Then they started plowing again.

Red Talon said, "Wolf Eyes, how did it feel to be a father when the child came?"

Wolf Eyes answered, "The way it feels when something very good has happened to you. It is also a great relief that the wife is over her time. Three Baskets looks to be in very good spirits. She will make a good mother."

This spring there would not be much hunting and fishing for Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle. They were selected to go get support for making war against the Creeks. Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle would go to Tuscaloosa. They would ask for volunteers to raid against the Creeks at the Yellow Leaf, to avenge the massacre at Nunnimingo. Lonely Bear had been there and had already met with the council of Tuscaloosa. It had been agreed to make war against the Creek village. The time for making war was in the summer, but this year they were starting early. Most of the other needs had been met. Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle would go west, to Tuscaloosa, to lead the war party back to Nuktala and to make strategy for the battle.

They went to the aliktce with the chief and told him to be ready to prepare a large quantity of black tea. The warriors would have need of it when they came to prepare for battle. The aliktce and his aids spent a large amount of time in the forest gathering the ingredients.

Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle left the village. They traveled at a half run, and it would not take them long to reach the big town. They would travel through the forest until they reached the river, and then it was the trail by the river that they would follow. They were both armed with war clubs, bow and arrows – only as a precaution. They did not expect to run into any trouble between the two towns, because it was well within the Chickasaw territory. The closer they got to Tuscaloosa, the safer the travel became.

The woods were fresh. New leaves were just beginning to emerge from the branches of the towering oak trees that lined the river. The spring rains had come, and the ground was soft and pliable for the new shoots that would pop out of the ground in search of the sunlight. Ferns were looking hardy, having recovered from the frosty winter. The dogwood was in bloom.

They stopped at a place on the bank of the river and went for a swim. The water was cool and refreshing as they swam underneath the surface. It was just a short swim that broke up the morning's travel. They climbed out and resumed their half run to the west.

Time passed, and two days later they came into the village of Tuscaloosa and were greeted by the town's people they did not know. They asked to be taken to Chief Tuscaloosa, and were told where they might find him.

They wound their way through the paths that led by the houses until they came to a big plaza. To one side, in the back of the plaza, was a mound with a council house on top. They went to the foot of the mound where there were guards who asked what was their business. When the guards learned who they were, they were immediately passed through to climb the steps of the mound. At the top of the steps there were more guards. They again asked the business of the visit, and when they were told, they sent a message to the chief.

It was not long before Chief Tuscaloosa sent the messenger back out to escort the guest into his chamber. They passed through the large council house and into a covered walkway that was the entrance to the chief's house. The chief's house was built onto the side of the council house.

They came into a room that was about twenty by twenty feet and were shown seats at the hearth, where there were pillows covered with deerskin. Servant girls brought them trays of food and tea to refresh themselves. The girls raised shutters on the sides of the room to let in the light and breeze.

Chief Tuscaloosa made his entrance through a doorway in the back of this room, followed by wives and servant girls that carried large fans. Some of his wives must have been sisters, for they had family resemblances, and it was not uncommon for a man to marry all the sisters of a family. As he approached the visitors, they rose and made the sign of peace and bowed to one knee as he took his seat. He spoke to them with a warm greeting, "Ayukapachi, shilombish holitopli ishno kahtah minti anokaka mot holchifo Nunnimingo." (Welcome, and the spirits bless they that come in the name of the Nunnimingo.)

Wounded Eagle spoke, "Thank you, Chief Tuscaloosa, and we bring greetings from Chief Silver Eagle, of the village of Nuktala."

Chief Tuscaloosa said, " How is the old warrior, is his health as strong as his spirit?"

"Yes," said Wounded Eagle, "he is very well. The winter was good to him."

"That is good news, he is a favorite vassal of mine, and I look forward to seeing him again. We have smoked many pipes together."

"What are your names?" asked the chief.

They introduced themselves. The chief was handed a pipe, which he accepted from one of his wives. He pulled a long drag from it and then handed it to Wolf Eyes. Wolf Eyes accepted it with a nod, and he pulled a long drag of the smoke. He then handed it to Wounded Eagle, when motioned to by the chief. After they had made compliments to the chief about his house and village, the talk became more serious.

Wounded Eagle spoke, "It has been seven moons since spirits of the slain villagers of Nunnimingo were so distastefully angered, and they cry out for vengeance, oh Great Chief. We are but a small village, and we wish to make war on the Creeks of the Yellow Leaf, who so unmercifully slaughtered them in their beds on that early morning."

Tuscaloosa said, "We are aware of the unrest of the spirits of those slain in Nunnimingo; that village paid me much tribute. We wish to help you in your war effort. What do you know about the village of the Yellow Leaf?"

Wolf Eyes spoke, "We made a rescue, from the village of the Yellow Leaf, of some of the people taken captive in the attack on Nunnimingo. It is a village with a palisade around its borders and has about six hundred inhabitants. They have strong defenses that include watchtowers with ports, for firing arrows around the perimeter. The village is located within an arrow shot of the river. The Yellow Leaf Creek is located on another side, so that only two sides are open to a large attack. It may be, though, that after an attack is started, that another offensive could be made from the river and the creek and catch them by surprise on those two sides."

"How was it that you were able to rescue the captives from the village with that type of palisade?" asked the chief.

Wolf Eyes explained how it was done, and the chief grunted his approval.

"How many warriors can your village supply?" asked Chief Tuscaloosa.

Wolf Eyes answered, "We have about forty braves – some seasoned in battle, and others not. We would make all of them available."

"Very good," said the chief.

"Would two hundred of our braves be sufficient to do the job?" asked the chief.

"It should be," said Wounded Eagle. "We can take the village with that number if we use tact."

Chief Tuscaloosa rose and said, "I will call a council meeting for tonight, and you can have the number of warriors that you need. Wait here, and I will see that you have someone to look after you, while you are here in our village."

Wounded Eagle and Wolf Eyes both rose and bowed to one knee as the chief exited the room. In a minute there was a young brave who came in and introduced himself as Wohowa Ofi. He made a welcome gesture to them and told them to follow him to a restful place, which they did. There was an open pavilion where they could relax in the shade of its roof, while they waited for the convening of the council. They were still on top of the mound, and from their resting place they could see the goings on of the village below. Wohowa went away and then returned, followed by servant girls with more trays of food and beverage. The girls placed the trays within easy reach of Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle, and then they left, but Wohowa stayed and made himself a seat nearby. He told them he was there if they needed anything.

That afternoon there came a procession of braves up the steps of the mound. Wohowa told them that these were council members, and that in a minute, they would be asked to come inside and join the council meeting. They sat and waited, and then another young brave came out and said something to Wohowa. He rose and asked them if they were ready to go into the council house, as the council was ready to hear from them. They answered yes and were then led back inside.

When they came into the council chamber, all the members and elders were already seated. They were now standing before the whole body of the council. Chief Tuscaloosa told their story in a loud voice, exactly as they had told it to him. He added much praise and honor to such bravery in battle as they had shown when they rescued the captives. Then he told the council that it was their duty to help the small village of Nuktala to revenge the deaths of the victims of Nunnimingo.

All the braves and elders in the council house shouted their approval of the heroics of Wounded Eagle and Wolf Eyes, and they shouted their commitment to revenge the deaths of the victims of Nunnimingo. The shouts became louder and louder until the whole village could hear the shouts that were coming from the council house on the mound.

Finally, the chief stood, and the house became, immediately, quiet again. The chief spoke. "We, the village of Tuscaloosa, will furnish a small army of warriors to go and fight the Creeks, who are our longstanding enemy, and this will be to destroy the village of the Yellow Leaf and avenge the village of Nunnimingo. We are the great warrior nation, known as the Chickasaws, and we will not be put to shame by the dirty Creeks, who live in partners with the spirits of the underworld. Prepare yourselves, you mighty Chickasaw braves, that you will be brave in battle and uphold the honor of the ancient elder Chickasaw warriors. Those ancient warriors who have gone before you, and whither they be now still living in this middle world or have gone to the land in the upper world, they look to you to uphold the honor of your heritage. Their spirits are with you. Go now and form the tushka chepota (Army). Follow Wounded Eagle and Wolf Eyes and the warriors of Nuktala to reap havoc on the Creeks of the Yellow Leaf."

The army that formed was strictly a voluntary force. But so many warriors volunteered that some of the generals of Tuscaloosa had to lessen the number. It was that time of year when the warriors took to the battlefield to make a prestigious name for themselves, and this seemed like a worthy cause to go and fight.

By evening the warriors had been chosen, and the ranks had been formed. All there was left to do was to dance by the great fire in the plaza that night and to call on the spirits to be with them.

At daybreak they were already on the trail to Nuktala, with Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle in the lead, the generals were close behind. The leading general was Isht Ayukpa Kio Ishto (the Proud Cougar), who had his position because he was a recognized veteran of many wars. Proud Cougar was a tall man of forty winters who wore eagle feathers in his hair crest and had grand tattoos on his body. His war club was one to be desired because of the strength of its construction. He was always in the thickest part of the battles and had saved many lives of his fellow braves. His men would follow him into hell, if that were where he was to go.

The large war party made its way through the forest, in a half run. They only stopped for a swim in the river and to drink fluids. They would eat on the run. Those meals usually consisted of dried meat or dried fruit, and sometimes a piece of bread. When they reached Nuktala, they would have time to rest.

The forest was wet, soaked by a spring rain. The drops hung in the leaves of the tall trees and only fell through when shook out by a breeze. It was humid, but also the rain had cooled the air down a bit. It made the forest have a dank smell to it – like the smell from rich earth that comes from newly turned, black compost. The ground gave up its heat in the form of small clouds and vapors that rose like spirits from the under world. They enjoyed the coolness while they could, because they knew that it would not be long before the sun burned its way through the clouds and fog to once again make the air uncomfortably warm.

When they reached the fields of Nuktala, they turned the heads of all those who labored there as they came out of the forest, still in the half run. They did not stop until they reached the plaza of the village. Now they slowed their pace to a walk and walked around the plaza – like athletes letting their bodies cool down.

The village people started gathering at the plaza to greet the newcomers. Even though their stay was going to be short, they were made to feel welcome. They were appreciated by all. Food was prepared and brought to them, and it took a lot of it, because their number was almost three hundred. The food was hominy and corn bread and venison, with jellies and honey and dried fruit. It was food of a large variety, because it came from all the households in the village.

The warriors found seats in the pavilions at the plaza and began to eat their food. It was now at midday, and the sun was warm, and the warriors sought the shade of the pavilions and other places of shade in the village. Their bellies were full, and now when they stretched out and relaxed, they began to slumber. Some of the villagers loaned them hides to make themselves more comfortable, as the people wanted the warriors to gain strength back from their traveling ordeal.

The sun started to hide behind the mountain, and a large pile of firewood was laid down by the villagers in the middle of the plaza. It was almost dark now, and the fire was lit by the aliktce, who had made a booth from which to operate. In the booth he would store the potions that were used to bring on the spirits to entice the warriors in to a frenzy of madness.

Chief Silver Eagle was there too, and he was walking among the braves, giving them encouragement and telling them how great they were, as the darkness came over the village.

The firelight flickered and did strange things to images around the fire. Things appeared different than they were known to be during the day. Odd shapes took their place just outside the perimeter of the firelight. Could it be that the spirits were already gathering?

Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle attached rattles to their legs at the knees and ankles, then got up and started to do the war dance. Around and around the fire they danced, singing the chants to the beat of drums and tambourines. Now others joined them, and then more. The crowd that was dancing grew large and wild. In to the night they danced, aided by some concoctions made by the aliktce. The drink would make one feel good all over and make you feel like you could conquer the world.

Then the aliktce, now a masked figure with the hawk wings, the dried head in one hand and the war club in the other, appeared and began to dance. As the aliktce began to dance the drumbeat changed, and it was the signal for the dancing warriors to take a seat. The dancing warriors, though drunken and having such a wild time, started to make their way out of the circle one by one. As the aliktce would dance around, he might attack a dancer that was too full of the stuff with his war club or with the head. It was bad karma if he touched one of the other dancers, so it was better for them to find a seat.

Now the aliktce was dancing around by himself. He would throw something into the fire, and it would blaze up and send clouds of dense smoke into the air. One of the aliktce aids would start handing out the black tea. It was served in elaborately designed cups that had faces on them that would impart a spirit to the drinker. The warriors drank their portion, and as they did, the faces on the cups became magnified as they tried to focus on them. One by one the warriors would roll over and regurgitate, cleansing their insides. Slowly turning back to face the fire and its warmth, they would lose their focus, and their eyes would roll back in their heads. They would fall backward on their backs, and unconsciousness would take them into a land of dreams.

Wolf Eyes, in his dream, was on a high mountain where he was looking out over the land. The land was a land of peace and tranquility. There was a lushness to the land that let him know that this was an abundant land where one could live and have everything that one wanted; a utopia and it was all good – maybe it was in the upper world. He languished there for a long time. But then, no – something was going wrong. He was wrong about the utopia, for he could see in the distance that blackness was forming, and it was spreading. The blackness was spreading and subduing the land, turning the lushness into black burning ashes as it spread across the land. The blackness consumed the land, and now it was at the base of his mountain. It was coming up the mountain, and he began to run – in fear. He ran all over the top of the mountain, but there was no escaping it. It was coming for him, and it was here. He had nowhere else to run. Then his body shook.

Someone woke him up. It was Wounded Eagle.

"Get yourself together," he said. "You were dreaming, and it must have been terrible."

Wolf Eyes was still groggy, but sat up and tried to get his eyes open. The dawn was breaking. "Yes, I was dreaming," he said.

"You were fighting the ground," said Wounded Eagle.

"I can believe you, it was a bad one," he said, shaking his head.

He got to his feet and saw that Wounded Eagle was starting to stretch his limbs to get loose, so he did the same.

The stretching helped him wake up, and then he found himself following Wounded Eagle toward the stream. It was still a little ways off, when they started to run. They ran to the bank of the stream and then dove headfirst into the cold water. They swam under the water until they were in the middle of the stream, where they surfaced to shake the water from their eyes.

"Now I'm awake," said Wolf Eyes.

Wounded Eagle, laughing, said, "Whew, I had a bad one also, but now I feel good."

They were not the only ones in the stream and were joined by others as more warriors woke up.

When they got back to the plaza, they had their medicine bags and their weapons laid out and ready to go. They also picked up a bag of food, which had in it dried meat, parched corn, bread and persimmon pulp cakes. Each warrior had one, and as they picked it up, they found their place in the formation.

They were joined by Red Talon, Giant Owl, Deer that Stares, Laughing Wolf, Loot, Fire Cub and a lot of other braves from the village of Nuktala. This would be Loot and Fire Cub's first experience in battle. Red Talon would watch out for them as best that he could. He knew how he had trained them and knew what they were capable of better than they, themselves, knew. He also knew that they would watch out for each other. They were both strong, agile and were well on the way to being men. This was where an uncle just had to let go and let them learn by experience. It would be wrong to hold them back, better to let them grow up. This was harder for Red Talon and Wolf Eyes than it was for the young braves.

When they were ready, Proud Cougar gave the signal, and Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle led the way out of the village, through the palisade and into the forest. They headed north on the trail that led to the river. Their destination was the landing, and then after that, the village of the Yellow Leaf.
Chapter 9: War Party

The forest was deathly quiet, and you would not know that a force of three hundred warriors could move through it so swiftly and silently. Leather moccasins hit the ground, almost in unison, as faces painted like demons passed by the trees. The faces were grim and determined – set like stone. Each ear was tuned to the sounds that came from the forest, and the slightest deviation would bring and alert halt to the movement of the party.

Their bodies were hardened by continuous physical exertion, which was normal to the lifestyle of a Chickasaw brave. They would have been an awesome sight had anyone been there to observe them. The idea was for them to go unobserved as they made their way toward the river.

A branch fell from a tree, which brought the party to a halt. They dispersed into the brush, off the trail. They disappeared, and now there was nothing seen but the path. One brave, someone pre-designated, would leave the group and investigate the noise. Once it was determined that it was not a security risk, the "all clear" would be given, and the party would resume its course.

As they neared the river, a signal was given and the party halted. They hid in the foliage along the path. Wolf Eyes left the group and went, alone, toward the shore, to make an observation of what or who might be staking out the river. There might be enemy eyes there. He watched for unusual movements, sounds, or a sense that someone might be there as a concealed sentry. He took pains to blend in with the foliage that lined the bank. He stayed there in camouflage, listening and looking. He could see the far side from his vantage point, observed everything – every leaf that moved. After a while, he saw the Creek sentry. The Creek was off the path, higher up on the hill, well camouflaged himself – well blended in.

Had the sentry seen Wolf Eyes? Wolf Eyes did not think so, because the man was making movements like he was comfortable with his surroundings. He was moving about somewhat and had probably been there for sometime. He definitely had gotten lax with his methods.

Wolf Eyes stayed there and watched him for a long time. He also watched for other eyes, maybe there was more than one. Why was the sentry there? Was he watching the river or the path from Nuktala? Were they planning an attack on Nuktala? The answer might never be known, but the question was all the more reason for a successful raid on the Creeks of the Yellow Leaf.

Time passed, and the day faded into evening. After it became dark, Wolf Eyes slowly moved away from his post and back to his own party. When he reached them, they only talked in low whispers. The wind out of the east would carry any human voice sounds away from the enemy.

He told them of his discovery of the sentry, and that he would take the enemy brave out.

After Wolf Eyes ate a bit of food and drank some water, he left the party and returned to the river. There he waited until the darkness of the night made it impossible to see anything. There was no moon, only starlight.

Along about midnight he slid into the water and swam to the other side. He pulled himself up on the bank and slowly made his way to a vantage point. Then he waited until it was light enough to see his prey. In all of this, he made no sound.

When dawn broke, the birds started singing, as was always the case on spring mornings. The mockingbirds and the finches were filling the air with their melodies. A slight fog came off the river and drifted eastward. The sun had not yet come over the horizon.

Wolf Eyes looked down the slope, toward the river. He was now behind his enemy. The man was unaware of his peril. Wolf Eyes was like a cat ready to spring, watching his prey intently – unblinking like a cat.

He sprang through the air toward his prey, only about twenty feet away. It was too late for the man to get an arrow knocked in his bow, too late for him to react to the noise, for by the time the man turned to see what the noise was, half the distance had been closed. It was too late to scream, for by the time the man saw him, Wolf Eyes had thrown his war club. The man was knocked backward and was unconscious. A second blow with the war club finished the attack.

Wolf Eyes signaled for the party to come across the river, and then he stood there, studying his dead foe for any clues that might answer his questions. The man was wearing war paint and had provisions for several more days. This meant he was probably not expected back soon. Wolf Eyes took his scalp and left him for the vultures. He then went down to the bank of the river to wait for the others.

The war party, some of the braves using the old canoes, made its way across the river. Most of the braves chose to swim. When Proud Cougar reached Wolf Eyes, it was decided that a scouting party be formed. The scouting party, made up of Wolf Eyes, Red Talon and Wounded Eagle, would be sent to reconnoiter in the direction of the Yellow Leaf. Loot wanted to go, but was made to stay behind because of inexperience.

It was midmorning and the sun was warming up the air into a sultry type of day. There was only a slight breeze in the tops of the trees and barely a ripple across the river.

The scouting party had gone out in front of the main war party. They had traveled several miles. Wounded Eagle, in the lead, threw up his hand to halt the scouts when he heard a sound in the water. It was a soft sound that could barely be heard. It was more of a sense that something was there, something on the river. The three scouts took cover behind a giant chestnut tree. They waited, crouched in the roots of that giant tree, for several minutes, while the sounds came closer.

Canoes appeared through the leaves of the bushes that lined the river. In the canoes were Creek warriors with their faces painted – ready for battle. Wolf Eyes sent Red Talon back to their war party to tell them to take cover and get ready for an ambush. Red Talon made his way before the Creek war party got close enough to see him leave.

Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle watched the canoes pass silently on the river. There were ten canoes with four warriors in each of them. They were armed with bows and war clubs. Were they headed toward Nuktala? Was it payback for the rescue of the captives of Nunnimingo? These were all questions that would probably never be answered. War between the two tribes had been going on for eons. War was a natural state of being, and there had never been a time of peace. It was the law of the survival of the strongest that so often occurs in nature.

Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle stayed crouched in the roots of the Chestnut tree and kept an eye on the river. They talked in sign language as they watched a hawk circle overhead.

"The hawk fishes the river," said Wounded Eagle.

"The river is full of quarry," said Wolf Eyes.

"The Creeks are very active, they may be on heavy guard."

"We will proceed with caution," said Wolf Eyes.

"When we get to the Black Water, we will leave the river."

"Agreed," said Wolf Eyes.

Down the river, as the Creek warriors rounded a bend, they saw a single canoe paddled by two braves. The braves were members of the Chickasaw war party. They were paddling away from the Creeks and acting like they were unaware of the war canoes coming up behind them. The Creeks pointed at them and paddled quickly to overtake the non-suspecting two.

They failed to see any of the Chickasaw war party that was taking cover in the bushes on the nearby riverbank. The ambush was set and triggered, when Proud Cougar gave his war cry. Out of the bushes came a volley of arrows.

The only defense that the Creeks had was to turn over their canoes and swim away underwater, trying to avoid the arrows. Some of them did not get the chance to swim, and only one made it to the other shore.

Proud Cougar called the name of a young brave, "Iskunosi Okfincha (Little Mink), "go chase the offender," pointing to the escapee climbing out on the other bank.

Little Mink dove into the river, swimming across in hot pursuit of his prey. It was not long before he was seen climbing out of the water and going into the bush on the other side of the river. He would not quit the chase until he faced his enemy in battle.

It was bad that one had escaped. If he made it back to the village of the Yellow Leaf, he could warn them of the Chickasaw war party. For this reason, now they set the pace to a half run, toward the village of the Yellow Leaf.

The party soon caught up with Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle at the chestnut tree. They moved ahead with caution, as forward scouts. They took great pains to be elusive. The rest of the war party followed at a distance, with stealth.

Little Mink had found the trail of the object of his pursuit. The man was in a hurry and did not bother to cover his tracks. He was headed up into the hills, but Little Mink knew this was only a ploy and that he would eventually return to the river. Little Mink hurried on, but always kept to the river side of the arched path being made by his prey.

He realized that the man's route over the hill would him take him into the valley on the next side, so Little Mink returned to the river. He went to the trough made by this hill and the next – a valley that drained its waters into the river. He found a good spot where he could observe the floor of the valley and waited. It was like hunting deer, as swift as they were, one could never catch them. But if you knew where they were going to circle, you could cut them off.

From his vantage he could see the streambed that ran down the center of the valley. This part of the forest had not been burnt off, so it had brambles and obstacles to avoid if one was to travel through it. His prey was bound to make noise as he ran, so Little Mink listened for these sounds.

As Little Mink peered out of his camouflaged spot, his black eyes looked like hardened jewels. His face was ruddy and weather beaten – painted with the war paint of the Bear Clan; red and black sweeping from the eyes and forehead, back to the ears. His cheek had a scar from a previous encounter that badly disfigured his face.

They had been at battle with the Creeks on his first war party. He, as a young brave, had been hit with a hatchet. The blow was partially blocked by his left forearm, or it would have caused his death. He had finished his enemy, that time, with his hunting knife by wielding an uppercut gouge to the man's lower chest. It went up under the ribs and up into his victim's lung. He had been in many fights since that time and was now a seasoned veteran.

It was not long before the man came down the stream in a hurry. Little Mink had shortened the distance between them and now had his prey in sight. The chase was on, as Little Mink left his vantage point and was in hot pursuit.

The man was in sight now, but was a good runner. He had shed most of his weapons. All Little Mink could see was a knife. The man was naked from his waist up and well tattooed, meaning that he was a warrior of some prominence. Below the waist, he was clad only with a breechcloth and high moccasins.

Little Mink was armed with a spear, throwing stick and his war club. He had left his bow and quiver with his friend, Smiling Lion (Ayukpa Koi Ishto), at the river. He was running as hard as he could, and now his enemy knew that he was there. The man ran for his life. Little Mink could out last him, but he had to catch him before he got to the village.

The sun was high in the mid-day sky. Little Mink was picking up the pace, as he sensed that the Creek was tiring. He could see the sun glistening off of the sweat on the man's back. The sweat ran off Little Mink also, as both men's face contorted and grimaced from the strenuousness of the race. The gap began to close.

Little Mink had chased the Creek for miles. Both men now could hear the footsteps and the breathing of the other. The enemy's legs were weakening, and he began to stumble. Little Mink could feel the tiredness in his own legs, and his lungs burned, and he drank in air like it was water.

He was now in striking distance. He pulled his spear from its leather tie on his back. He positioned it and threw it from a dead run. The spear flew with its point in an upward slope, but the point did not hit home. Instead, the shaft of the spear glanced off of the enemy's right shoulder and hit on the path in front of him.

His enemy stopped and got the spear, and now Little Mink only had his war club. The distance now closed very quickly between the two men. They each let out a blood chilling war cry as they charged each other.

Sentries of the Creek village heard the cry. They were some distance away, but came to investigate the fight. Cautiously, they came upon the scene. They found both men lying ten feet apart in the path. The Creek who they knew as Snow Wolf was lying in his own blood. A massive head wound had been his end, the war club lying at his feet.

Little Mink, whom they only knew as an enemy, had a spear in his side. He was still moaning, and they watched him die. They looked at each other and pointed toward the village. They left the scene in great haste.

**~**

Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle now were seeing the river bottom begin to change color. It had gone from a greenish gray to a dark brown and black. It was time for them to leave the river path and take to the ridges, where there were fewer eyes. Wolf Eyes led the way, and Wounded Eagle marked the path so the rest of the war party could follow.

They climbed to the top of the ridge. From there, they could see the river below and the opposite bank and the hills that rose above them. The top of the ridge was covered in large and small pines that made for good concealment. The forest floor was covered with pine straw, which made the walking quite good. They traveled this ridge until it began to drop off. It would be downhill now until they reached the banks of the Yellow Leaf.

Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle, with the war party behind, made their way down the slope of the ridge and across the creek of the Yellow Leaf. They were very close to the village now. They had bypassed several sentries that had been positioned around the village. They had avoided discovery to this point, which had cost some of the sentries their lives.

The war party now surrounded the rear side of the village, from the opposite bank of the Yellow Leaf, on the western side, to the hill that looked over the river and the village, on the eastern side. The river side of the village was the only way to escape for the Creeks.

The time of the day was dusk, and night would follow shortly.

Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle were talking in conference with Proud Cougar. They used sign language to be silent.

"We need a small contingent across the river to capture any escapees that might swim the river," said Wounded Eagle.

"Agreed," said Proud Cougar.

"Wait till nightfall to get the warriors across the river," said Wolf Eyes.

At this moment they heard a great commotion of people talking loudly from within the palisades of the village. The attention of the conference was drawn to the heightened commotion in the village.

After a moment, Wounded Eagle said, "They know we are coming."

Women and children started to run from the palisade and into the woods. A large number of people escaped. They still remembered the night raid that happened the previous summer by Wolf Eyes and Wounded Eagle. There were more guards placed at the entrance of the palisade, and more warriors manned the towers.

"We must attack now," said Proud Cougar.

Thus the order was given, and the war party charged in, from three sides, to the walls of the palisade.

The dusky, almost-night air filled with war cries terrorized the village inhabitants. Many of the villagers ran out the entrance of the palisade. Women and children, the too young, the too old ran for the forest and to the river. The river was full of people fleeing the attack. Most of the Creek braves stayed behind to defend the village.

The war party charged out of the forest and through the cornfield. The corn was new seedling, just breaking through the ground surface. The attackers were met with volleys of arrows from the walls and the towers. They found safety close to the wall, where they worked their way to the entrance. The entrance was so well defended that they made little progress against it.

They assaulted the towers and made progress there by shear numbers, shooting arrows into the ports of the towers.

Proud Cougar sent torch throwers to throw torches over the wall, onto the tops of houses and the roofs of the towers, setting them on fire.

By staying close to the wall, they were able to hold these positions by picking off Creeks as they leaned over the wall to shoot. Some Chickasaws attacked with arrows, while others took on the task of dismantling the wall. After a while, the number of defenders lessened to the point where they could throw ropes with shafts attached to try to pull the walls down. This was met, for some time, with opposition until the ropes were used to scale the walls. When Chickasaw warriors gained entrance to the walls, the fight was short. Because the Creeks were outnumbered, they were quickly defeated. Some were killed trying to escape.

As the dawn light came over the land from the east, the smoke from the charred village filled the river valley. Scalped bodies of Creek warriors littered the ground. Chickasaw braves threw these enemy bodies on the fires that still burned. The braves combed the remains of the village for anything of value. The Chickasaw casualties were light, primarily because of the attack at night. Setting fire to the village had made the defenders vulnerable, because they could be seen better than the camouflaged war party of the Chickasaws. Being surrounded, the defenders could not escape the lights of the fire and thus could not escape the attack of the Chickasaws.

Since morning had come, they searched the surrounding forest for any survivors. Women and children that they found hiding in the forest were taken captive. There were no male survivors over the age of thirteen that were captured. There were male survivors that escaped. One person that Wolf Eyes was primarily interested in was the aliktce, a known consort of the underworld. The old man, witch doctor had put the curse on the village of Nunnimingo. How was it that this old man escaped? His body was not among the dead. Wolf Eyes put out the word that he would like information about this man, and everybody in the war party searched and kept their eyes open for any clues that might lead to his whereabouts. The house of the aliktce was found in the burned out village, but no clues to his whereabouts were discovered.

The captives were terrorized to the point of mental submission. Not to submit to every demand would mean instant death. Many of the captives watched as every act of defiance was met with extreme cruelty. The adult women and preteen boys were held down and had bones broken in their feet, so that they could not run. They were beaten and cursed with every threat imaginable. Then they were tied, hobbled and gagged for the return trip to Nuktala.

Litters were prepared to carry the bodies of slain Chickasaw warriors. The stored corn was bundled and put into captured dugout canoes, readied for transport. The Chickasaws left nothing at the site that could be used. Runners were sent back to Nuktala to bring the news of how the battle had gone.

When all was ready, the war party moved out and made their way back to Nuktala. They brought with them their slaves and the bodies of their slain brothers. The slaves were made to walk on their broken feet. If one were to survive this journey, it would take perseverance of the pain. Falling out of line could be construed as an act of defiance, punishable by death.

Because of an east wind, the Chickasaw war party traversed a smoke filled valley, but their hearts were joyous, and they celebrated victory. Wolf Eyes, Wounded Eagle and Red Talon strutted, showing off their collected scalps. They sang a victory song as they traveled.

In times of peace, the Chickasaw braves could be very compassionate with strangers that were in trouble, or friendly with tribes that they had good relations with, but in other times of war, the call of the wild demanded savagery that was necessary for survival.
Chapter 10: Victors and Refugees

At the village of Nuktala, there was great joy as the sentries proclaimed the return of the war party. Women and boys ran to and fro, across and between the houses and pathways. They were making quick preparation for the return of the braves.

Everyone was assembling in the plaza, where in the center of it had been built a huge fire. The village people made a circle around the sides of the plaza. Chief Silver Eagle and the aliktce came out and took their seats under the pavilion. The elder men took seats behind them. All waited for the first warriors to come through the entrance of the palisade.

It was not long before the first of them appeared. The column of warriors was led by Wounded Eagle and Wolf Eyes. Next came Proud Cougar, and he was followed by the rest. The warriors who were able to walk came in and made a circle inside the crowd, strutting their manliness. Last came the slow ones in the column, the wounded, the slaves and guards, followed by the rearguards.

The people were singing and waving mimosa branches in a salute to the victors. The slaves were herded to a place like a coral that was partitioned off, so that it could be guarded from one side.

The braves that were healthy danced around the fire for a while. One by one they quit the dance to retire to blankets and bear hides that had been placed on the ground in the front row of the crowd. There still remained a few dancers, and now to keep the mood going, as one brave retired another would join back in the dance. There were always at least four braves doing the war dance around the fire.

Wolf Eyes came to Waving Willow, who was by his blanket on the ground. After a warm embrace, he settled down on the blanket, and she began to clean his wounds.

Red Talon came to his blanket to be with Three Baskets. She was glad to see him, but she immediately started to take care of his wound, which was severe. She left and came back with water and started to clean around the gashed entrance point of the arrow. It was a deep wound. The arrow point would have to be dug out and the wound bled.

Wounded Eagle, Wolf Eyes and Proud Cougar met with the chief in low council, while the dance continued. They told him of the alarm that upset the surprise attack and of the many Creeks that escaped.

The chief stood up and faced the elders and motioned them to meet in the council house. All the elders rose from their seats and followed the chief and the leaders of the war party to the council meeting.

Everyone there took their seats as the chief lit and handed out the pipes. They smoked first and then heard the story as explained by Wounded Eagle and Wolf Eyes. Wolf Eyes spoke first and began with the story of the spy that they had killed, who had been watching the path to the river and the river crossing.

Next, Proud Cougar spoke. "We then proceeded up the river until about midday, when we were warned from our forward scouts that a war party of Creeks were coming down the river in canoes. We took cover in the brush until they were well within our striking distance. We ambushed them with a volley of arrows. They, immediately, turned their canoes over and tried to swim away. One did escape to the other side of the river, and we sent Little Mink after him. Little Mink did not return."

Wounded Eagle said his part. "We made haste, but were careful not to be discovered and advanced to the hill overlooking the Creek village, before dark. We were waiting for dark to send a contingent across the river, when the village became noisy with people in alarm. We knew that we had been discovered and attacked, immediately. Some of the people escaped by swimming across the river. Our attack was successful in destroying the village and many defenders. We also destroyed all the cornfields. So the village is completely unusable. Then, the next morning, we burned the bodies of the slain Creeks. We captured many women and children that were hiding in the woods."

Wolf Eyes added, "The old aliktce managed to escape. He was the main instigator of the war on the Nunnimingo. I also believe that he is the one who murdered my Uncle Dark Walker. He has an evil spirit that controls him. It is bad that he escaped. We need to keep up our guard and sentries, because they may seek revenge."

Chief Silver Eagle spoke, "This is none the less a great victory, and we will keep our sentries out and be ready for an attack. We will send a party to track the survivors and try to learn where they fled. They probably went up the river to the Talituca village. It is a larger village than Yellow Leaf, but it is some distance away. We will not worry too much about a counter attack now, for we have attacked them with a much superior force. It will not be long until the time of the Green Corn Festival. Rest up, let your wounds heal, and then we will make plans."

The council meeting was over, and the braves returned to the celebration in the plaza. There was much merriment, food and dancing.

The spirits of the Nunnimingo dead had been revenged. The firelight lit up the plaza. The silhouettes of braves dancing in the firelight were intoxicating, and all who were there were lulled into a spiritual trance. Wolf Eyes was relaxed, and after a while, he and Waving Willow made their way to her house.

Up the great river, in the Creek town of Talituca, the refugees were coming out of the woods. There were a great number of them. Chief Broken Bow was caught by surprise, as the visitors hobbled into his village. Some were wounded and barely able to walk; some on makeshift litters pulled by others. He was not surprised when he found out that the Yellow Leaf village had been attacked, because of the war-like nature of some of the braves.

There were a few principal men from the Yellow Leaf who had escaped. One of these was the old aliktce who was called Black Scorpion. Black Scorpion pretended to be very ill, so ill that he could not walk or talk. The reason for this was that he and Chief Broken Bow were political enemies.

Black Scorpion was carried into town on a litter by four young boys. The boys were a new group of his understudies. He had chosen them from other boys in the old village because they had no uncles. These boys were loyal to him and were very worried about his illness that came on suddenly.

The refugees were all helped to the plaza, where they were given medical care. The townspeople came to help out. They picked out refugees to take into their houses for care and shelter, for the time being. It was almost dark, and they would sort everything out the next morning. Black Scorpion was taken to the home of Morning Star. She had tried her best to make him comfortable, but he seemed to be in much agony.

Sometime the next day Chief Broken Bow was sitting in his summerhouse listening to stories of the refugees and how they escaped. He already knew of the attack the Yellow Creek warriors had made on the village of Nunnimingo. He was a wise, old chief and was not surprised to find out that the raid was instigated by Black Scorpion. He had been on opposite sides of many political arguments with him before. In his opinion, the old man had bad medicine. Some of the survivors knew that Black Scorpion and some of his henchmen had escaped with the rest of them, but they did not know what had happened to his group.

Chief Broken Bow met with his principal men and let them know that Black Scorpion would show up at his village, sooner or later.

"When he arrives, I want to know it," said Broken Bow. "When he arrives, we will make like we are welcoming him, but we will surround him and take him prisoner."

It was later that Chief Broken Bow learned that Black Scorpion was already in the village and that his condition appeared to be serious. He came to the house of Morning Star to see the old aliktce. He would judge for himself as to the condition of the man.

Upon his entrance to the house, he smelled an acrid, stinking fragrance – almost like dead, rotting flesh. He looked at Morning Star. She looked bewildered, as though she did not know what to do. She could not stand the smell of the house since he had been brought there. But she was a kindly lady and had pity on the old man. She did not remove him from her house, but rather than that, she would, regrettably, bear the stench.

Chief Broken Bow looked down on Black Scorpion with a harsh stare. He had in his hand a lance. He used the tip of the lance and threw the covers back. Black Scorpion could see him through the slits in his eyes. Chief Broken Bow poked the old man in the ribs, and the old man's reflexes moved with a deadened jerk, and he made the sound of a moan. Chief Broken Bow wanted to endure the stench no longer, so he turned and left the house. He was halfway satisfied that the old man had some illness and was in a bad way.

There was a meeting held that afternoon by Chief Broken Bow, his own aliktce and the chief's trusted general. "The aliktce, Black Scorpion, is in our village at the house of Morning Star. He is very ill," said the chief.

The aliktec said, "Is he going to die?"

"I do not know, but he looks very bad. He cannot talk and is incoherent."

"If he dies here," said the aliktce, "we would be haunted by his spirit, and this one has ties to the demons of the underworld."

"I think we are already having visits from demons of the underworld, as he has a great stench."

"Then it is bad already, he should be taken where his spirit could not bother us."

"This one is not worth what he could cost," said the chief. Turning to his general, he said, " Take this man back to the village of the Yellow Leaf where he made this trouble. Place him on the ashes of the burned out village and leave him there."

The aliktec said, "He may still live and come back on us for revenge, if he recovers."

"General, when you leave him, send the others away, so that they will not see; take your spear and nail him to the ground, so that he cannot come back. Maybe his spirit will be nailed there, too."

"It will be done," said the general.

"Do this immediately," said the chief.

The general took two braves, and they went to the house of Morning Star. They got the old man on a litter and took him to the river. They loaded him in a canoe and were on their way to the village of the Yellow Leaf.

Black Scorpion, lying lifeless in the bottom of the canoe, thought, now what are they doing with me? What should I do? I could wreck this canoe and escape, but then I would be hunted. I'm sure that no good will come to me from this. Maybe it is better to remain still and see what is going to happen. They may just leave me somewhere to die. But why all this effort? They could have moved me anywhere to do that. This is strange that they would go to this trouble. There must be other reasons, but what? Chief Broken Bow is a crazy old dog. I'll just keep playing this game.

The canoe continued on down the river until the wind changed, and the general was getting the full force of the stench.

He made the braves beach the dugout on the bank, so that he could change places with them. Having done this, the air was better for the general, and the canoe continued on down the river.

They reached the village of the Yellow Leaf and pulled the canoe up on the bank. They took care in getting the old man out, and the two braves carried him to the spot the general picked out. There, they laid Black Scorpion on a pile of ashes, amongst the bones of fallen warriors.

Skulls and bones were everywhere. It was not where the two braves wanted to be. They looked to the woods and around to detect any evil spirits that might be lurking. The breeze came up, and there was a coolness to it that was unusual for this time of year. Night was coming on now as the sun sank down to the horizon. Even the general was uneasy.

He sent the two braves to find wood to pile on the body of the old man. They did as he said, hoping they would not have to spend the night in this place.

The general stood at the feet of the lifeless body of Black Scorpion. He took tobacco out of his pouch and put it in the nose of the old man. He raised his lance, horizontally, above his head and stretched his arms toward the sky. He looked up at the sky, which was turning a gray color with streaks of red that originated from the setting sun on the horizon. He began to chant a death song and began to stomp in place a dance of death. He prayed to the Great Spirit for the forgiveness of the act he was about to commit. And then he looked down on the limp body of Black Scorpion. He may be dead already, he thought, so he prayed to the spirit of Black Scorpion for forgiveness.

Then after a moment of silence, he raised his lance to deliver the thrust that would go through the body and into the earth, below the bed of ashes. He thrust the lance down hard with all his might. At that exact time the body of Black Scorpion rolled over. The lance went into the ground and stuck so hard that it could not be retrieved.

Black Scorpion was up on his feet and threw his blanket over the head of the general. Then he threw the general off his feet with a leg kick to the back of the general's knees.

By the time the general got the blanket off his head, all he could see was Black Scorpion running into the woods – as fast as a deer. The general cried the alarm, and the braves came running. All three ran to the place the general had seen Black Scorpion disappear into the woods.

When they got to the woods, they stopped and looked for signs as to the direction that Black Scorpion had gone. No signs were there. They followed the stench. Their noses could lead them. They went deeper into the woods. They had gone over the hill from the old village. It was completely out of sight. And then they stopped dead in their tracks. What was that they saw? Was it some movement at the top of the next hill?

Then they could see what it was – a silhouette against the last light in the sky. It was a wolf, then another appeared and another. The silhouettes of the wolves appeared as evil spirits, dancing along the ridge top. At that point the chase was over. The three made quick time in their retreat back to the canoe.

They did not bother to rest that night in the woods, but made all speed that they could muster back to Chief Broken Bow.

The tales that were spun from this event would be told over and over in the lodges of the Creeks. It would be a long time before someone from the village of Talituca returned to the site of the village of the Yellow Leaf.
Chapter 11: Black Deeds

Wolf Eyes awoke with an eerie feeling. A feeling that somewhere in his world there was something wrong. It was a sixth sense that he possessed. It sent shivers through his bones, but he did not know what it was. He slipped off of the bearskin that covered their bed. He glanced at the morning light that came through the entrance to the house. He took two steps, and then stopping for a moment; he glanced back at Waving Willow. He could see her brown body, partially uncovered. She was beautiful lying there – her slender shoulder and back visible in the morning light. He went back and covered her, kneeling down to give her a kiss. She did not awake completely, only turned a little and then was again in slumber.

He came out of the house and walked around the perimeter of the palisade. All was well. What is it, he thought. Are the spirits of Nunnimingo still un-avenged? Maybe that was it. He felt his muscles at the back of his neck tighten. He walked back, toward the houses.

There was movement at the house of Three Baskets. He knew that Red Talon had a bad wound. He heard painful groans inside that he knew were made by Red Talon. He looked in the door and saw Three Baskets at the hearth that was in the center of the room. She was heavy with child. To the right side of the room was Loot and Fire Cub, sitting and looking grim. They did not know what to do for their uncle.

Three Baskets looked up and saw Wolf Eyes. Her face looked worried. She nodded toward the bed at the left side of the room. There in the dark was Red Talon. He was lying on his stomach, facing the doorway. His shoulder was a bloody mess.

Three Baskets said, "I am glad you are here, I need help with this."

She brought a pot of hot water to the bedside and began to wash the wound. The wound was turning red around the edges, showing infection. Wolf Eyes put his left hand on the back of Red Talon's neck and held down. With his right index finger he probed the wound. He could feel the arrowhead still in the shoulder. Red Talon's body contracted with the pain.

"The head of the arrow is still in his shoulder," he said.

Wolf Eyes and Three Baskets both knew what had to be done. They moved Red Talon to the summer shed, a roof supported on posts, with no sides. The light would be better out here. Loot and Fire Cub helped with the move, because Red Talon could barely walk. Three Baskets heated a pot of bear fat on the hearth until it became very liquid and started to smoke. Wolf Eyes dipped his hunting knife into the bear oil and stirred it around.

Red Talon was lying on his stomach again. Several village people began to gather around the summer shed. A boy was sent to get the aliktce. Red Talon would need strong medicine.

"Help hold him down," said Wolf Eyes, to Loot and Fire Cub.

Loot lay across Red Talon's feet, and Fire Cub put his weight on the upper half of his body. Several bystanders came in to hold his arms.

Wolf Eyes withdrew his knife from the hot bear oil. The blade of the stone knife was smoking.

"Hang on, Red Talon. I'll be as quick as I can."

Wolf Eyes probed the depth of the wound with the knife. Red Talon's body pulsed and contracted with the pain. Wolf Eyes felt the edges and the barbs of the arrow with his knife blade. The knife blade turned parallel with the plane of the arrowhead and sliced the meat that was shoulder muscle to clear the point of the barb. Wolf Eyes withdrew the knife and put it back in the hot bear oil. He let it stay just for a moment. Then he was probing again. This time for the other side. Another slice, and then the arrowhead was loose. The butt of it popped out, above the surface of the skin. Three Baskets pulled it the rest of the way out with her fingers. Then the wound was treated by pouring in some slightly cooled bear oil. Three Baskets made a bandage compress from some cloth that was soaked in the oil and allowed to cool. The cooled oil congealed and made a salve.

Everyone released his or her hold on Red Talon. He made a sigh of relief as he relaxed from the tension.

Three Baskets thanked everyone for their help. They all nodded and went about their business.

The aliktce arrived with his helpers, the hopayes. The aliktce was dressed in his devil garments. He turned his face away from everyone, and when he turned around, his face was covered with a mask. He lit fires around Red Talon and began to dance around inside the post of the shed. He turned this way and that, making sure that he faced in every direction of the perimeter of the summerhouse. He wanted to leave no direction unexplored as he sought out the evil spirits. When he saw one he would dart at it with all viciousness, shaking his rattles. When the evil spirit was frightened away, the hopayes would come between it and Red Talon to guard against its return. He had Red Talon to himself now, and he worked his magic. This would go on, intermittently, through that day and the night. The aliktice was a busy man, with all the wounded that were in the village.

The aliktce made potions from herbs that he, with the help of the hopayes, had gathered from the forest. He would give this to Red Talon to drink. The hopayes would sit Red Talon up and hold him as he drank the potion.

Three Baskets would come by to check on Red Talon periodically and to see if the aliktce needed anything. It would not be long before her child came.

Wolf Eyes walked back to the house of Waving Willow. She was outside her house with their son, putting him in the cradleboard.

"Nitaki" (Morning), she said. "I did not know where you went earlier. Will Red Talon be all right?"

"Yes, I think so. He will have a very sore shoulder for a while, but the wound is not life threatening anymore. Nitaki impa?" (Breakfast)

"Yes, It is ready."

He had a seat under the shade of the summerhouse. The sun was already beginning to warm the day. He would eat and then go for a swim, he thought. He sat there, watching the breeze flow through the trees. He was relaxed and felt good.

Waving Willow brought him a tray full of food. There was a bowl filled with grits and some dried venison on the side, also some cornbread and bear grease with fresh blackberries mashed into a jam sweetened with a little honey.

"Afehna chukma" (very good), he exclaimed, with wide eyes. It was then that he realized he was very hungry. He ate until it was gone. Waving Willow sat and watched him eat, as she nursed her baby. Wolf Eyes thought, life is afehna chukma.

He went to the river and swam for a while. He was still tired from the battle. Returning to the house, he found a spot in the shade and lay down. It was not long before he was asleep.

In the deep forest a trail runs beside the Yellow Leaf Creek. It passed the burned out village and kept on going beside the creek for a long distance. There, on a hillside, underneath rock bluffs, was a cave. It was a new home for some refugees of the Creek village. The cave was large enough for many people to live inside. It had ancient drawings on the walls. Some of the drawings were depictions of past hunts, showing a party of hunters surrounding tigers and bears. Other drawings depicted wars. They showed captives, being tortured by surrounding warriors. In one of the drawings a man was shown as a captive. He was tied with his four limbs, arms and legs, stretched tight in four directions between the members of a square frame. Although the drawings were ancient, these methods were still practiced.

The cave was now in use by some of the people of the defeated tribe. They tried to recover from physical wounds and psychological ones such as sorrow from the loss of loved ones.

Black Scorpion had crossed the hills and valleys after his escape from the general. The wolf pack had been thrown off by the discard of the putrid smelling essence. He had tossed it on the trail to stop the wolves from chasing him. It was only a small bag of rotten fish skin that he had hidden on his person. It was used for the sole purpose of keeping anyone from checking him too closely. The stench would be enough to deter the curiosity of unwanted attention.

He made his way to the cave, where he expected to find shelter and subsistence. This cave was well known by Black Scorpion, as he had been here many times. As a young man, he had been brought here by his teacher. As a hopaye, he learned the ways of the spirit world conjures and spells, the dances, the properties and medicinal values of herbs. He had also learned some unethical practices such as calling on the spirits of the underworld.

Later in life, he had gone back to the evil ways and used powers he called up from the underworld. Here, over the years, he practiced his witchcraft in the cave. He held ceremonies of devil worship with his hopayes in the cave. These acts were frowned upon by all the people that wanted to live in peace. He kept his witchcraft secret, so that his tribal status would remain high.

The Creek refugees did not know the evilness of the cave they now called home, but they did not want Black Scorpion to come there. It was said that he lived in darkness. He had been accused of making bad medicine that caused the destruction of the Yellow Leaf village. The people knew that he had the ear of the wildest of the Creek braves – the one known as the Raven. And that he had incited Raven to raid the village of Nunnimingo.

Living amongst the people in the cave were some of the braves that had participated in the raid of Nunnimingo. This group was supporters of Black Scorpion. They would be his followers again, and were glad to see him when he arrived.

The people who were not supporters of Black Scorpion had a name for this group. They called this group of evil renegades – the Lomuts. The Lomuts would not hesitate to cause others hardship, if they found it to their advantage.

When Black Scorpion returned, some of the older people left to find a new home. They could not tolerate the unsettled atmosphere of the cave since Black Scorpion had arrived. Some of the people in the cave were sick or wounded; they could not readily leave. They stayed, and some of the ones that looked after them stayed.

Some of the younger ones stayed, because they were more impressionable and did not know the tricks of Black Scorpion. All in all about twenty people stayed.

Black Scorpion had five young braves to do his bidding. Two of these were recovering from wounds. Black Scorpion did attend the sick that would allow him to do so. He pretended to do things that were normally done by an aliktce such as frighten away evil spirits, make poultices and potions and cure the sick. At one time he was a valued member of the tribe. Jealousy had caused his demeanor to change; his attitude toward some members of the tribe became bad. He was mentally sick and blamed others for his non-popularity. Once he started causing people trouble there was no way of turning back, unless he had made a real effort. It would have taken a long time for some of the people to trust him again. He did not care to put forth the time or the effort to change. He was resigned to remain a bad seed.

Still, he managed to influence some of the braves that aspired to make a name for themselves. Raven was well on his way. He had more scalps than any other brave that had lived at Yellow Leaf. Not all of these scalps had been taken when on a military campaign. He was kind of a loner. Frequently, he would go to the woods by himself. These scalps would just appear by his lodge without much notice. There were no questions asked by the elders, and there would be no information volunteered by Raven. He was regarded by the people of the village as a devious man who needed to be watched.

The cave was not a shallow one. Its passages went deep into the earth. The caverns were the haunts of Black Scorpion, who would disappear into the black depth of the caverns for days at a time. He had been doing this for years. It was here that he sought the alliances of the spirits of the underworld.

Today he was preparing to go and seek the Black Spirits. He would take some of his trusted young hopayes and journey into the unknown. They would light their way by torches. Raven was an interested party on this journey. He was a frequent participant in the activities of the aliktce, especially when it came to ceremonies involving the underworld.

The night was very dark. There was no moon or stars in the sky. They sat as five figures around a fire a distance from the cave and shared a drink of dedication to their ill purposes. At the fire were the aliktce, Black Scorpion, three hopayes, Long Fang, The Fox and Five Toes. Five Toes was the newest member, who had just been recruited by Black Scorpion. Five Toes was defective from birth. He was born with a clubfoot, and he only had five good toes. The fifth figure was Raven. They were swearing an oath of dedication to the Devil Spirit of the underworld. Their bodies were painted white.

When they arose from their places by the fire, they appeared as living corpses. The fire was quenched, and a flash of orange flames rose as a small ball of fire. It rose as a burning cloud. This in itself was an evil act. Water was never used to quench a flame, because flames were a holy gift from the spirits of the upper world. The water in any quantity bigger than a raindrop was an element of the underworld. The fire had been polluted.

The whole group now ran into the cave. As they ran, they gave war hoops and catcalls. The unsuspecting people in the cave were startled, and those that could, left their fire and ran out in fear. Black Scorpion and Raven lit torches from the fire, and then the five began their journey into the cave.

The distances between the walls of the cave became smaller as they went farther and farther back into the cave. The once great room was now a narrow passageway. The surface of the floor was uneven.

Stalactites hung from the ceiling, and stalagmites stood up from the floor. They appeared as lost warriors who turned into rock, long ago. Water coming out of the ceiling formed puddles and pools on the floor. Farther back, these pools were linked together and then became a stream with current. They kept following the stream until it emptied into a large, underground river.

They stumbled on the bleached bones of an old corpse. Black Scorpion looked grotesque from the shadows cast by the torch. He declared, as he looked back at the other four.

"All who come into this cave belong to the Hottuk Ooproose for eternity."

Black Scorpion stopped and gathered another torch that had been left there on a previous journey.

"We are about to enter the chamber of the Devil Spirit," said Black Scorpion.

The men, with their bodies painted white, were almost iridescent. They were all, with the exception of Black Scorpion, filled with dread at this announcement. Five Toes almost turned to run out, but realized that he was trapped because he had no torch. He knew there was no darkness like cave darkness. The sunlight never made it down this far. To leave the group would be suicide. The caverns were endless, and no one knew the way out but Black Scorpion.

They now entered into a great room, and the sound of the flowing water was deafening. Black Scorpion lit other torches that were mounted to the walls. The river was a torrent, and the crashing of the waves echoed from the sides of the room. Now they could see the room and the river. The ceiling of this room was a hundred feet high. They were on the edge of a great abyss. They were on a ledge that sloped down to the edge of the river. The river became a waterfall here and fell into a deep, deep, black hole. No one knew where the water went. Apparently, it disappeared forever.

Black Scorpion showed them a pile of driftwood that had dried for some time. They gathered this and built a fire at a designated place, where countless fires had been built before. The fire was placed in the middle of a circle – a circle made by men, dancing for endless ages around a fire.

Black Scorpion had a pipe. He put in it a special tobacco and lit it by a stick that he picked up out of the fire. Now the men sat by the fire in the roar of the river. The pipe was shared and passed around. There was no talking here, and if there was, no one could hear what was said. The tobacco had an intoxicating effect. Soon the men were seeing double.

Black Scorpion walked to a pool, and from it he produced a jar of evil potion, which he brought back to the fire. With the jar in hand, he began to dance once more around the fire. He danced and drank. Raven got up to dance and was handed the jar. One by one the rest followed. As all the men got up, they were given the jar and they danced. As the last man sat down, being unable to dance more, all were thrown on their backs. Once they were on their backs they found that they could not move – as though held there by some restraint. Their muscles were limp, and extremities paralyzed. They were still conscious of their surroundings and aware of all things happening, but their power to move was not there.

They could do nothing but stare at the ceiling and the column of smoke that rose from the fire. In the dim glow of light that shown against the ceiling, the smoke was gathering, and the men watched in horror as it formed the face of the Devil Spirit.

The Devil Spirit looked down on them with a glare that made the men cry out. Each one wanted to run, but that was impossible. They could not shut their eyes, but were forced to look at it as it came down from the ceiling, closer and closer.

The men were shouting in fear, not knowing what was to come next. The Devil Spirit wanted their souls. He had their souls separated from their bodies, as they lay there witnessing the horror, but not being able to run. They felt themselves being pulled deeper into the earth, as the blackness fell over them. They could no longer hear the rush of the river. They no longer could see the face of the devil. There was total darkness. They now could only hear the voice of Black Scorpion as he talked with the Devil Spirit.

"Oh Great Demon of the Deep, Hottuk Ookproose, how long I have been your servant. You know the things that I have done for you, and that I am at your bidding. We are cast here in the middle world and are searching for ways that your spirit wishes. Do you remember me, oh Great Demon of the Deep?"

The devil replied. It had all the coarseness of an ax splitting wood.

"How dare you come to my abode! You know the rules. No one is to come to this hallowed hole in the earth. You know what the costs are for coming here. All who come here belong to me...however; I do remember you, Black Scorpion. What is it that you seek?"

Black Scorpion replied, "We have come to obtain your aid and blessing, as we have been banished from our tribe. We have been unchained as far as the deeds we can do, oh Great One."

"You are not banished alone. Who is with you? Never mind, I sense their presence. One is new for the first time. You have done well. Which one is mine?"

"The one called Five Toes, Master."

" Very well. So you are free now to do my will more than ever?"

"For all eternity, Master."

"I will aid you then in your endeavors. You have been a faithful servant to me thus far. There are good souls in the village of Nuktala. Those people are working for the spirit of the upper world. You must do as much to them as you can in the coming months to see that they are caused much trouble. I will withhold no evil deeds from your power. They are the ones who made war on the village of the Yellow Leaf.

"We will cause them much trouble, oh Great One."

"There is one who lives there known as Wolf Eyes. He is a great warrior. His forefathers foiled my plans to destroy the entire Chickasaw nation. I have never forgiven them for that. You remember the one called Night Walker? He called on the spirits of the upper world, just in time, although it did not save himself. You have his scalp on your pole. He was the uncle of Wolf Eyes. The underworld will be in great appreciation to the one who defeats the spirit of Wolf Eyes.

If you can defeat Wolf Eyes I will make you a new race, and your people will multiply. They will become the most populated of the earth... but if the spirit of Wolf Eyes is not broken, he will single-handedly destroy you. His defeat will determine whether your race lives in the middle world or in the underworld. The future of your own race is in your hands."

"We will defeat Wolf Eyes. His spirit is going to be trodden into the earth, with your help, oh Great One."

"You will have my help, Black Scorpion. Now be on your way, because I am tiring of you. It is not enough that you come to my abode, but you tire me with these endless requests of trivial matters. Be gone with you."

The darkness went away, and there was torch light again in the cave. All the men had their movements back now, except for Five Toes. He still lay on the ground with a horrified look in his bulging eyes. He was still unable to move.

"Sorry, Friend," said Black Scorpion. "There is always at least one that we have to leave behind."

They formed a line and walked by Five Toes; each one sprinkled him with tobacco. His horrified expression said it all, as he struggled to move, but could not. He was trying to scream, but he could not make a sound. They left him and took the torches with them.

And then the cave was dark.
Chapter 12: Evil Comes

The water felt refreshing, as the face of Wolf Eyes appeared, rising to the surface like that of a gator. He blew his breath out and sprayed water in a mist in front of him. He turned over on his back and made slow strokes, toward the bank. He climbed out and shook off. He was thinking of going to the cornfield with Waving Willow. He had not spent much time with the children in several weeks. The war had taken much of his time. Sometimes you suffered through bad times so that you could have good times, he thought.

He looked toward the house and could see that Waving Willow was not yet ready to leave. He had time to go by to see how Red Talon was healing.

He arrived at the summer shelter, and he saw that Red Talon was sitting up and eating. "Hilito," said Red Talon, looking up from his dish.

"Hilito, what is for breakfast?" replied Wolf Eyes.

"A little cornbread and honey, have some?"

"Maybe a pinch, how is the shoulder?" he asked, as he broke off a little cornbread.

"Stiff, very stiff."

"I would not move it much yet. It needs time to heal, or it may start bleeding again."

"I plan to take it easy."

"Where is Three Baskets?"

"She is in the menstrual house."

"Oh, her time has come then?"

"Yes, you will be a new uncle before long, Wolf Eyes."

"It's about time, I thought you would stay a bachelor forever."

Waving Willow came out of her house. She had the baby on her back in a cradleboard. The three other adopted children followed her. They were all carrying baskets. As she walked toward them, Wolf Eyes said, "I'm going with them to the cornfield today. I have not had much family time lately."

"Good, enjoy your day," said Red Talon.

"Maybe by the time I return I will be a new uncle."

"Maybe," said Red Talon.

Red Talon watched as Wolf Eyes walked with Waving Willow down the path through the houses and out the gate at the palisade.

The cornfield stretched out in a long section, bordered on one side by the creek and on the other side by woods. It was land that got refurbished when the rains caused the creek to flood. The corn was tall and had tassels that had turned brown.

"This corn is ready to pick," said Waving Willow.

"I thought you would need some help today," said Wolf Eyes.

He played with his baby boy in the cradleboard, trying to get a smile out of him. Then he grabbed the others that were walking close. He threw them in the air and gave them a tickle. They laughed. Waving Willow laughed, and Wolf Eyes laughed too. That day he picked corn and played with the family until dark. It had been a truly, enjoyable day.

Other eyes had been watching them play from the woods that day – concealed strangers that had evil intentions. Hiding in the woods were the spies – Black Scorpion and Raven. They had learned enough that day to know the identity of Wolf Eyes and Waving Willow. They would make their plan to eliminate Wolf Eyes, and then start to cause all kinds of problems for the village. When it was dark, they went into the cornfield and helped themselves to some corn.

That night they made their plans. Their plan was to isolate Wolf Eyes from the rest of the village and take him, by ambush, in the woods.

"If we can get Waving Willow in the cornfield alone we can frighten her. Wolf Eyes will come out to look for the one who scared her, and we will be waiting for him," said Black Scorpion. "I will scare her, and when he comes, I will make sure he follows me into the woods. I will lead him by you. The three of you and I can kill him, easily." He said this to Raven, Long Fang and The Fox.

The next morning Wolf Eyes and Waving Willow were awakened to the sound of the strong lungs of a new baby.

"That is a birth cry," said Waving Willow. "I must go and see."

"I'm surprised that you are not there already," said Wolf Eyes.

"I was being a good wife to you," she said. "Anyway, she had enough help, and they knew I was here, just in case."

"Well, you have been a good wife to me, so go and see, like I know you are dying to do."

With that she crawled out from under the cover. They were sleeping in the summer shelter. She had to crawl over him to get off the couch where they were sleeping. He could not help himself but to grab her, as she struggled to get off the couch, for one last hug. He was still entranced by her beauty as she readied herself to go. To him, she was so perfect, graceful as a young deer. He watched her long, slender body as she wrapped her skirt around herself. She was bare above the waist. She picked up the baby boy and took him along, not worrying with the cradleboard, because it was time for feeding anyway.

By the time she came into the menstrual house Three Baskets had the baby by her side.

"We need a rug of mink fur for this one," Three Baskets said, smiling.

White Flower, the old midwife and Jiuha, her trainee, were smiling, too.

"She has a new little girl. I never get tired of them," said White Flower.

The new baby lay nestled close to her mother, as White Flower and Jiuha prepared to leave. Waving Willow stayed for a long time, sitting with Three Baskets.

Wolf Eyes had gotten up and had his swim. Then he hunted around the house for something to eat. Now he was starting to build a new bow. He had cut a young ash tree, about two inches in diameter. Then he started to shave it down, working with a scraper that was made from a muscle shell. He was well occupied by the time Waving Willow came out.

She saw him working on his project and checked with him. Then she got the children ready to go to the field. Having done that, she ate a piece of cornbread and put the baby in the cradleboard. Then she headed out for the field. It was just she and the children today. But that was fine. She would pick several baskets of corn. She felt invigorated by the new baby.

In the field, she started at the end closest to the village. The rows of corn were long and stretched away to the woods at the end of the field. Waving Willow was working between the high rows of corn. She would feel the ears corn to make sure they were full. If it felt full and had the silk turning brown, she would pull the ear.

Her basket was half full, when she heard the child whimper. She looked up into the mask of Black Scorpion. She let out a scream and threw the basket at him. She grabbed the baby and ran toward the village, calling for help. The other children were running behind her.

Wolf Eyes heard the scream and was already coming out the gate of the palisade when he saw her running.

When they met, she told him, "I saw a devil man. He was there."

"Go back to the village and stay there," he said.

Wolf Eyes only had the piece of ash that was going to be his bow, but he gave chase, anyway. He ran through the cornfield and could see the figure as it went into the woods. He felt unarmed as he proceeded toward the wood. "Was this wise?" he asked himself. No, no harm has come to Waving Willow. His experience told him this was an ambush. He turned and went back to the village. I will get my weapons, he thought, and talk to Waving Willow to learn more.

"It was a man dressed in buzzard feathers," she said. "He had a mask of a devil. He startled me so, my heart jumped."

"I know who this devil was," said Wolf Eyes. "It is the old aliktce of the Creek village at the Yellow Leaf. I knew he would come."

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"I'm not going to run out into those woods, unarmed, like I almost did. That is what he wanted. It was most certainly an ambush. It might have worked had he not been wearing the devil mask. That made me think about what I was doing."

"Get some help to go with you," she begged.

He got Wounded Eagle, Giant Owl and Deer that Stares to go with him. They were all armed with bows, war clubs and spears. They saw to it that a double guard was put on the entrances of the palisade. They got four more braves to go with them.

This time they left by the other gate. Four braves were stationed in the forest, to the north of the village. These were placed there as a trap. Wolf Eyes took the others with him. They would try to make a wide loop around to the west of the intruders and come in behind them. Wolf Eyes would try to drive them toward the others. It was an old hunting trick. To the south, there was a creek, and to the east, was the village. The trap might work.

Wolf Eyes, Wounded Eagle, Giant Owl and Deer that Stares thought they had gotten behind the intruders. They spread out and moved through the forest like a comb. They worked eastward. The air was still, and the forest was unusually quiet. They looked far ahead, looking for anything that moved.

The cornfield could be seen to the south now. Wolf Eyes knew that he had to be getting close, but they had seen nothing move. They moved on, slowly, taking their time not to miss any signs.

The four crossed a path where someone had stepped. It was not anything that blared out at you, just leaves that looked like they had been moved out of position from where they had been for a long time. Giant Owl was the first to see it. He made hand signals to the rest that the trail led straight ahead. Wolf Eyes and the others nodded in recognition. They were all on the trail now.

They followed the trail for some distance. They began to hear an eerie sound, like the wind. But there was no wind in the trees. There was wind somewhere; they could all hear it. And then, for no reason at all, the trail stopped. They stood there and looked, in bewilderment. There were a lot of signs in this one spot, and then no signs anywhere around it. Had the intruders vanished into thin air?

Wolf Eyes could still hear this wind; a curious sound that appeared to be coming from the ground. They were all puzzled and stood there, not knowing what to do. The trail clearly ended here.

Wolf Eyes got closer to the ground. He could hear it better now, and it was coming from the ground, just a few feet in front of him. He was on all fours and crawled forward, listening. The others stood back and watched.

Suddenly the ground under Wolf Eyes gave way. A hole opened, and he was almost lost in it. The others watched as Wolf Eyes fought furiously for a second, trying to grab onto anything he could reach. The others were awestruck and temporarily paralyzed by what was happening.

Wolf Eyes was losing his grip on loose grass and roots that were giving way under his weight. He disappeared into the hole. The wind entering the hole was like a strong hurricane. Leaves and debris were hitting him in the face. He squinted his eyes to keep them clear. He had one last root onto which he was clinging. It was a good-sized root, and it appeared to be holding, as he hung there. His feet were dangling, and he could not tell how deep the hole was. He could hear the debris bounce off the sides of the hole somewhere in its depths. He could see Giant Owl and Wounded Eagle, peering into the hole, about seven feet above him. They were trying to reach a spear handle down to him. He hung on to the root with all that he had. He could not reach the spear handle.

Wounded Eagle was trying desperately to reach Wolf Eyes with the spear handle. Giant Owl was looking for a long limb or piece of wood, anything to hand down. Giant Owl found a limb and got back to the hole, just in time to see the root give way and Wolf Eyes disappear into the blackness of the earth.

The wind was now rushing into the hole with great force. They called down into the hole, "Wolf Eyes, Wolf Eyes," and listened, but there was no answer. They kept calling for a long time, with no results. They heard nothing but the wind gushing down into the hole.

They sent for torches, so that they could see down into the darkness. When they came, Wounded Eagle tried to use one to look down, but it was quickly extinguished by the wind. The spirit of the underworld had taken their friend. He would not even let them see the abyss he had fallen into.

How quickly life changes. The braves stood there, in bewilderment, and began to weep at the loss of their leader. This was hard. They hung their heads and walked back to the village, weeping as they went.

They went to Chief Silver Eagle and told him the story. Then they brought people to the hole to witness the wind. It was still gushing into the hole. The crowd milled around the hole, in a state of depression. The chief, after some time, gathered the people, and they all walked slowly back to the village. Waving Willow would not leave the hole so Wounded Eagle stayed with her, while she mourned. She would not leave until nightfall, for she still had hope that Wolf Eyes would come back.

Wolf Eyes was engulfed in total blackness. He had fallen and rolled until he was senseless. His fall had ended in a splash, and he was now being swept along by water. He watched, as the hole of light on the ceiling moved away and disappeared.

The whole thing happened so fast that he did not have a chance to get scared until now. The darkness was terribly disorienting. He fought to keep his head above water. Sometimes he could feel the floor of the stream touch his feet. The bottom was so slick that he could not slow himself down.

He would hit what felt like a big rock, once in a while, which would turn him over, and he would have to tell himself not to panic until he once again got his head above water. This was totally out of control. He took stock of his situation.

He thought, I've fallen into this hole, and an underground stream is sweeping me along. I feel good so far, no broken bones. I can kick my feet, and I can move my arms. As long as I'm alive, I have a chance. I still have my war club and my knife. I think my bow and my spear are broken.

He found that his spear had been broken, but he still had the half of its shaft with the point on it. He had no arrows in his quiver, so he got rid of that. His bow was broken, but he thought, I may be able to use it somehow, so I'll keep it.

There was something ahead in the darkness. He could see a tinge of light. He was moving toward it. He could not tell what it was because he was bobbing up and down in the water. As he got closer to it he could tell it was torch light. There was more than one; there were four torches. The torches were carried by four figures. He was being swept toward them, and now he could tell more about his situation.

The figures were his enemies. It all began to make sense now. Black Scorpion and his hopayees had escaped down the hole. They were traveling on a path that was beside the stream. If he could get out of the stream, he could follow them to somehow get out of here. They knew the way out.

He got the half spear from his back. He was approaching the four too fast. Getting out of the water was impossible before he got to them. He could not let them see him. He would float on past them and then get out somewhere downstream. Then he would find a place out of sight and wait for them to pass. This would be tricky. His best hiding place was in the water. Now he was glad for the darkness.

As he went by them, he ducked under, just enough, so they would not notice. He stayed under for a while and then surfaced. The light was just a tinge of light again now. He was in front of them, in the direction they were traveling.

His half spear would really come in handy now. He took it in both hands and stuck the point into the slimy bank. He used it to pull himself out of the water. He felt around and found a big boulder by the side of the stream. He knelt behind it and peered out. The torches were coming closer. He wondered, am I concealed enough so that I won't be discovered? There was little time. He did not know where the path ran, but he was sure it did not run on his side of the boulder.

The men came by, as Wolf Eyes remained crouched. The torch lights went from one side of the boulder to the other, as the men passed. His plan had worked. Now he would let them get a little more ahead of him, and he would follow them on the path. It felt good to be out of the water. It felt good to be alive.

The men were not moving fast because they had to watch their steps. The path was rugged with rocks and boulders. There were also stalactites and stalagmites that had to be maneuvered around. Wolf Eyes had to be careful because he had almost no light. He did not want to make any sound that might give him away.

He kept following at a safe distance, and the hours past. The immenseness of the labyrinths was amazing to him. Now they had come to a larger opening. He could see that the little stream had opened into a large, underground lake. The light from the men's torches did not shine on any wall to the left, but was lost in the spaciousness of the caverns.

Occasionally, he would cross other small streams that emptied into the lake. The four were able to move faster now, because the condition of the path was better. Wolf Eyes had to work hard to keep up. He still had to feel his way, as he had little help from the light of their torches.

He could see now that they were coming to the end of this lake. The walls were narrowing. They now entered a smaller passageway. He would have to stay a little closer, because the narrow, quick turns would cause the torch light to disappear. This was still a wider stream than that before the lake. Now it was a good size creek that flowed. In the distance he could hear the sound of rushing water, like that of a waterfall.

They now entered a larger room, and the sound of the water was deafening. The creek had emptied into a larger river; the water rushed as a torrent. The men paused for a minute, for some reason, and Wolf Eyes stopped as well. They looked at something on the ground. Then he saw Black Scorpion wave the men on. The four took a passageway that left the river. It followed a small stream. The path was ascending. Now they were going up. Wolf Eyes had hope that he would soon be out of this cave. He had all he wanted of the underworld. Later he would think about this and shiver, but now he had to keep up and get out.

Wolf Eyes knew that they would come to the surface soon. He thought about what his next move would be. Up ahead, leading the group was a man he had been hunting for years. Black Scorpion had killed his Uncle Night Walker. He did not know about the rest of the men. It could be that they had powerful medicine also.

Wolf Eyes' adrenalin flowed hot, as they traveled up the pathway, closer and closer to the surface. He could see now that the torches showed the entrance to a larger room. He could hear voices - angry voices, cursing. He moved closer. He now could see that they were at the mouth of the cave. It was daylight outside, late afternoon. Just inside the mouth of the cave were people sitting at a fire. He stayed back in the darkness of the cave, out of sight. He would have to make his plan. He thought; there are too many people here to stay and fight. When I make a break, I might kill one or two on the way out, but after that, I must flee and live to fight another day.

He stayed there and watched. He learned from watching that most of the people were sick and invalid. It was obvious that they did not like Black Scorpion. He thought, the only ones I will have to fight are the four I've been following. From the little patch of sky that I can see, I know that it is almost dark in the forest. I think now is as good a time as any to make my escape.

Wolf Eyes only had his war club and hunting knife left. He had been carrying the war club in his hand now for some time, not knowing when he might have to use it. He paused there and prayed to the Great Spirit to give him strength to defeat his enemy. It was time.

Wolf Eyes charged by the people inside the mouth of the cave. The people were so surprised that they could only gasp. Then they were relieved when the frightful warrior went on by them. Once out of the cave, Black Scorpion and Raven were not to be seen. The other two rose to the attack. They had little time and were surprised at what they saw. Wolf Eyes hit The Fox with a glancing blow because the man managed to dodge. He went rolling away. The second man, Long Fang, was not so lucky; the blow hit him square in the left temple. His skull burst at the impact.

Wolf Eyes did not stop, but kept running. He could tell he was traveling south. Black Scorpion and Raven had heard the fight and were quickly in pursuit of Wolf Eyes. Wolf Eyes had a good start on them, and dark was coming, as the sun set behind the mountain, in the west.

Suddenly, the wolf pack appeared in front of Black Scorpion and Raven. The wolf pack had their attention on Wolf Eyes. It mattered not to them that darkness was falling, for they hunted even better then.

Black Scorpion and Raven stopped and watched, as the wolf pack followed the trail where Wolf Eyes had run.

Black Scorpion said, "They will take care of him before much longer. They will be gnawing his bones before morning."
Chapter 13: Return of the Spirits

Near the village of Nuktala, Chief Silver Eagle walked alone by the creek. The spirits of the underworld have taken their revenge on our village, he thought. Should the village be moved from this place where the earth is angry – so angry that it opens up and swallows us? No, before we take drastic steps we should take a step back and relax in patient contemplation.

It is the time of year for the Busk. It is when we celebrate the renewal of all things. It is time to have it, and then maybe the people can have a renewed spirit. Gather all the people and make the announcement. Let the healing begin. He returned to the village and called all the people together.

So the whole village started making the preparations for the Green Corn Festival. The plaza was swept and cleaned. The people cleaned their houses and made the village beautiful. New wood was gathered for the new fire. The white garments were cleaned and made ready. Loot and Fire Cub went to hunt the carrier pigeons. Red Talon went along for company. His shoulder was still mending. They could not help but miss Wolf Eyes when they went on this hunt.

Red Talon said, "His spirit is with us. I can remember last year's hunt so well – it was like it was yesterday."

"Last year we shot more than we could carry," said Loot.

Fire Cub added, "Remember what Wolf Eyes taught us last year. It seemed like the pigeons circled us forever, but they would not land in our trees."

"Yes," said Loot. "He taught us patience in the hunt. He said to wait and eventually they will land in our trees. And they did. We killed many of them and fed the whole village."

They lay in the gully, and before long the pigeons were circling overhead. This year, while they waited, their thoughts were on Wolf Eyes and the many things they had learned from him.

Back in the village, Waving Willow cleaned her house. She tried not to think of Wolf Eyes because it was too painful. She still believed he would show up alive. She kept this inside her, and let no one know her thoughts.

When she had her house clean, she went to Three Baskets' and cleaned her house. Three Baskets' baby was beautiful. She picked her up and held her close. Three Baskets watched her for a while.

"There is nothing like a new baby," said Waving Willow.

The baby stretched and smiled, then yawned.

They both laughed.

"It is good to be here," said Waving Willow. "I don't want to be alone right now."

"You are welcome here," said Three Baskets. "You stay as long as you like. I don't want to be alone, either."

Three Baskets got the baby boy out of the cradleboard.

"Oh, let me see you," she said. "You will be a big, strong brave, yes, you will." She played with the boy's lip. Then squeezed his cheeks.

The whole village was busy, putting on a new face and making ready for the festival. They all hoped for a renewal.

**~**

Wolf Eyes was running for his life. He had just looked back over his shoulder and had seen the wolf pack. He would have to stop and make a stand soon. They were gaining on him.

He could not afford to let them separate and cut him off. He had to find cover. There was little time. It was almost dark. He wondered about Black Scorpion. Had he given up the hunt? Was the wolf pack his doing?

He came to a clearing, and suddenly he knew where he was. This was the burned out village of the Yellow Leaf. He ran down the right side of the clearing, next to the creek. He had to keep track of the wolves and where each one was. He made it to the river and ran down the trail. One wolf, a big one, separated itself from the other. Well, that is it, he thought. The big one is making his move to cut me off. I must find a place to make my stand.

The trees were big there by the river. Wolf Eyes saw his refuge – a big tree standing, with its hollow trunk facing south. The hollow trunk was big enough for a man to stand inside of it. The trunk of the tree would protect his backside. Facing out the hollow part, he had enough opening to swing his war club. He got inside just in time to get ready for the first wolf.

The wolf stopped at the sight of Wolf Eyes, who stood motionless inside the big trunk. The second and the third wolf showed up. They were growling and showing their teeth.

What a show, Wolf Eyes thought, none of you have the guts to come in and try me.

Then the big one showed up – the leader of the pack.

"A big one you are," said Wolf Eyes. "You have been hunting these woods for a long time. You are old and wise."

The wolves started digging at the sides and the back of the trunk.

"I know you guys," said Wolf Eyes. "I know the way you hunt."

A young wolf dug too close to the entrance of the tree.

Wolf Eyes waited. "Come on now, a little closer... little closer."

A crushing blow was dealt the unsuspecting wolf. He did not see it coming. The wolf was dead on contact. Knocked cold as a wedge.

That was luck for me, thought Wolf Eyes.

It was getting dark. The wolves were still digging at the back of the tree. Wolf Eyes looked up and saw that the hollow went on up into the trunk a good ways. If worse came to worse, he thought, and if they were successful digging under the roots, I could climb up and wedge myself in higher. I can get higher than they can jump.

Darkness came, and the wolves continued to dig at the roots and circle him. But a full moon looked over the mountain and lit up the forest. He could see well now.

Another wolf attacked from the front. He charged in; almost close enough for Wolf Eyes to get a lick on him. But he stopped just short.

Wolf Eyes lay back. "That was just a test," he said. "You just wanted to see me swing. Well, you will have to come closer. I will not show you where your boundaries lie, Little Man. Come closer, and you will find out."

Seeing no reaction on that one, the wolf tried again. And he tried again. Each time he tried he got a little closer. Wolf Eyes could feel his hot breath on his knee that last time.

Little Man made one more charge, and the war club met his skull as he came in. His teeth made it to Wolf Eyes' leg and drew blood, but the wolf called Little Man did not know it.

Wolf Eyes grimaced with the pain of those sharp teeth on his shinbone. He was mad at himself. He had underestimated that one. He grabbed the carcass of the wolf and threw it at the other wolves. They dodged the flying hulk. He got a good look at the others that time. There were three left. They do not look too desperate, he thought. Would they keep up the attack, he wondered. I seem, to them, hold out in this tree, like an easy prey. Yet, two of them are dead, but the others keep on. Such is the life of a predator. They are use to easy meals.

Wolf Eyes reached out and got the carcass of the Little Man. He dragged it into the hollow of the tree. He used his butcher knife and cut off the right hind leg. He skinned it back and bit into the raw meat. He preferred his meat well done, but now there was no time for that. He had to keep his strength up.

He tried to think when the last time was that he ate. That morning in the village, he thought. Waving Willow fed me well. The thought of Waving Willow rekindled his resolve to fight.

He ate most of the meat by biting in and pulling it back and forth until it came off the bone. He looked at his hands. They were a bloody mess. He painted his face with the blood off his fingers.

The wolves smelled the blood. Two wolves circle the tree, while the third one digs, he thought. I will prepare a meal for you. He cut off the other hindquarter and skinned it. "Who would like dinner?" he asked.

He threw the piece out to them. "Come on now, don't be bashful."

They ran from it at first, but then got more curious. Then one small one came in and smelled it, with caution. He picked it up, carried it off and began to eat. The others observed this. The big wolf went over and took the meat away from the smaller one.

"Come on now, I have some more."

He cut off some of the loin and threw it out, this time a little closer to his reach. The other small wolf got it and ran off to eat his meal in private.

Wolf Eyes untied the leather cord from his waist. It was just the right length for what he had in mind. He cut off more of the loin meat, and this time he tied the leather cord around it. This cord had a special knot in it that was placed a little bit in front of the bait. The cord made two passes through this knot. If the wolf picked up the bait, no matter how hard he pulled on it, he could not draw the knot closed. But when Wolf Eyes chose, he could release one loop of the cord and snare the foot of the wolf.

After he threw it out, he waited. The other small wolf came up, and just as he got a smell of it, Wolf Eyes pulled the cord. The meat came closer to the tree. This way he inched the wolf in close. This wolf had already tasted the blood, and he was salivating for his piece. The wolf was now as close as Wolf Eyes thought he would come. He let the wolf have the bait. When the wolf grabbed the meat to run off, he stepped in the loop, and Wolf Eyes pulled hard to close the snare. The wolf was caught and let go of the meat to attack whatever had him by the foot. Wolf Eyes jerked so hard on the cord that the wolf was snatched into the hollow of the tree.

This operation had required the use of both hands to control the cord. Wolf Eyes now had the wolf by the throat. The wolf snarled and thrashed about, but then lost its strength. He crushed the larynx, cutting off the wolf's air supply. He held on until he was sure the wolf was dead. The other wolves had finished their meal by now and were coming back to the tree.

Wolf Eyes was exhausted. The adrenaline rush was too much. He would rest for a while.

The big wolf now approached the tree. He stopped, just out of Wolf Eyes' reach. His mouth dripped with saliva. He held his head low. This was a staring match between him and Wolf Eyes. The wolf was panting.

Wolf Eyes said, "It's really between you and me now. You're wondering if you want to take the chance, aren't you?"

The wolf looked back at him. He was a supreme predator. He had known no equal in this forest. This man that he now faced was, at this moment, his enemy. There was no backing down now, because he saw the man and he hated him. For this reason he would not leave, but had to fight.

Wolf Eyes recognized the challenge. He stepped forward out of the tree, and at the same instant, the wolf lunged at his throat. When the wolf leaped, he seemed almost as tall as Wolf Eyes stood. The war club was cocked and ready. The two bodies met in midair. The snarling row of teeth gaped open and were snapping rapidly with an unending viciousness that would only end in death.

Wolf Eyes' hands were on the wolf, trying to control the uncontrollable. The wolf was strong. His teeth sunk into the left forearm and ripped and tore the flesh. But now the predator was on his back, and the hunting knife pierced his heart.

Wolf Eyes said, "Predator, your hate has killed you."

He removed his arm from the mouth of the wolf. The bone was not broken, but the muscle was badly chewed. No arteries were cut. He could still move all of his fingers.

"This night I will not forget," he said.

He looked up and saw the other small wolf leaving. The wolf did not look back, but his shadow kept pace with him in the moonlight.

Wolf Eyes sat down and leaned back against the tree trunk to rest for the night. Then another wolf appeared. This one looked familiar. He stayed off in the distance about twenty paces. The moon shined on him brightly, and the two looked the other over. Then the moon went behind a cloud and the wolf's eyes glowed in the dark.

"Ah," said Wolf Eyes, nodding his head slowly, "this one is the Spirit Wolf."

The rest of the night passed peacefully. He wondered how many days he had been away from the village. He did not know how many days he had been in the labyrinths of the cave. He longed for Waving Willow.

Wolf Eyes got the rest he sorely needed, as he fell asleep in the roots of that hollowed out tree.

**~**

The next day, Black Scorpion and Raven were following the tracks that Wolf Eyes had left when he was running from the wolves. They came around the edge of the field of the burned out village, just like he had done. They crossed the Yellow Leaf Creek and got onto the trail that ran by the river. They were on his trail and had not missed any signs. They were both concentrating on the signs, looking at the ground. But then the signs stopped, as though the man had vanished into thin air.

They looked up and were startled at the horrifying sight. There, hanging in the trees, were the bodies of the wolf pack. They formed a kind of gate, through which ran the path by the river. The meaning was apparent. Do not go beyond this point.

Black Scorpion said. "The warrior survives. We were warned of his greatness, and now we have witnessed it."

"The hunted became the hunter," said Raven.

"There is no use in following him farther today. He may have set a trap for us. Let's return to the cave and make plans for another trap for him."

Wolf Eyes watched from his concealed spot, high in the branches of a tree. He could not hear their words, but saw them talking. Then he saw them turn and leave.

He climbed down from the tree to a campsite he had made. He sat down to ponder what would be their next trick. Knowing their devious scheming, he had no clue as to what they would try next. He had to get them first.

He pulled the predator's hide onto his lap and began to scrape the inside with the sharp edge of a mussel shell. He removed all of the fat from the inside. With sand and a stone he polished the flesh side, at times he added a little water. Then he put it in the sun to dry. It wasn't the best job, but he needed it by tonight, so it would have to do. He then lay back to get some rest and wait for the sun to get low in the sky.

When Wolf Eyes woke, he was hungry. He decided to dig some tubers and eat them raw. He found some growing close to the river. He dug them with a stick and his fingers. He peeled them and ate them like nuts.

The sun will be gone soon. It is time to move, he thought.

He picked up the wolf hide and put it over his shoulders like a robe. The hollowed head was now his hat. The upper jaw, still containing the teeth of the predator, stuck outward from his forehead. He checked his knife. The edge was good. He picked up his war club. It was well made and still in good shape.

He left the camp and traveled back in the direction of the burned out village. It grew later in the afternoon and was dark by the time he crossed the Yellow Leaf Creek. He turned northward and followed the creek. The smoke from the cave fire could be seen rising from the hill. It was gray in the moonlight against the dark sky. Wolf Eyes slowed his pace, being more careful, like a cat.

Now he could see the cave, its mouth glowing, as the fire inside crackled. He moved closer to observe what was going on. From his vantage he could hear and see all the activity in the mouth of the cave. He was well concealed and lay there, motionless as a gator waiting for its prey.

An old woman bent over the fire. She was cooking some squirrels over the open flames. There were several pierced with skewers, sizzling over the fire. He could smell the aroma of the meat as it browned. She began taking them off the fire. They were ready to be eaten.

"No!" she screamed, as she jumped up. Black Scorpion, coming from a hiding place, had stolen one of the squirrels off the fire. She picked up a stick from the fire and began flailing with it like a club. She chased him out of the cave – cursing him for all she was worth. Black Scorpion ran out of the cave, laughing, as the old women threw the burning stick. He looked back at her and laughed. Then he picked up the burning stick and walked out to a pile of wood that he had raked together for his own fire.

Black Scorpion's fire began to burn, and he sat there and enjoyed the old woman's squirrel. He was soon joined by Raven, who had his own squirrel. It was already on a skewer, ready to be cooked. They sat there eating and lounging.

Wolf Eyes thought he could take them at any time. But he would let them get more relaxed. He waited until they lay back, and the fire had died down some. The moon was coming up over the mountain, in the east. He thought, the moonlight would spoil my attack if I wait any longer.

Wolf Eyes sprang to his feet – His war cry waking the night. Raven was the first to rise. He scrambled, looking for a weapon. Pulling a flaming stick from the fire, he met Wolf Eyes. The stick could not match Wolf Eyes' war club. It was shattered to pieces in a second. Raven turned to run, and Wolf Eyes turned his attention to Black Scorpion.

Black Scorpion had retreated to the mouth of the cave. Now he was left all alone to face Wolf Eyes. He turned and ran into the darkness of the cave.

Wolf Eyes followed him into the cave. The people there were frightened at the invasion of this warrior. He had the legs of a man, but the head of a wolf. They showed cowardice and retreated against the walls of the cave, but the attacker paid them no attention.

Wolf Eyes' face showed the strength of his intention. He grabbed a torch from the wall and started down the passageway, looking for Black Scorpion. He could hear Black Scorpion running from him, farther down the path. He could see the faint glimmer of a torch bouncing along. He pursued him into the caverns.

Raven had found a weapon and now wanted back in the fight. He followed Wolf Eyes down into the maze of tunnels. His torch flame was buffeted by the cave winds.

Wolf Eyes knew where this path led, and that his prey was a canny competitor. He was expecting, any moment, to be jumped on from behind a stalagmite as he passed. He had lost sight of Black Scorpion and had to slow his pace.

Patience and caution, he thought, as he slowly moved down the path. He had the sixth sense that he was being followed. He stopped to listen. Hearing the footsteps of someone coming behind him, he listened harder. The man following had splashed through water. The damp feet made a slapping sound on the clay of the path. Ahead of him he could see a mineral formation. It looked like a good hiding place. He ducked behind it and extinguished his flame.

It was Raven, coming to join the fight. Wolf Eyes let him pass. Raven never knew he was there in the darkness. Now he followed the torch light of Raven. They went deeper and deeper into the caverns.

The puddles became a stream, and the stream got larger the deeper that they went.

Wolf Eyes could hear the roar of the torrent waters now. They were approaching the room of the river. He had some difficulty in keeping up with Raven, because he could not follow too closely. When Raven stopped, he stopped. When he moved forward, Wolf Eyes made the same move.

Black Scorpion had entered the room of the river and the great abyss. He knew that Wolf Eyes was only seconds behind. Here somewhere, he had hidden the general's spear. He had to find it...now here it is, the general's spear. He brought it down here for just such a circumstance. Here, at last, would be the ambush that would set him up for eternity. At last, the spirit of Wolf Eyes would be defeated. He picked up the spear and hid himself behind the boulder, where he could see the entrance to the room. He extinguished his torch. He would wait here in total darkness for Wolf Eyes to come into the room.

The short time that he waited seemed like an eternity to Black Scorpion. Now he was there in the door.

He thought, that torchlight is blinding me, but I cannot miss from here. It is now or never.

Black Scorpion threw the spear.

The roar of the water was deafening. Wolf Eyes saw Raven enter the room of the river. The next thing that Wolf Eyes saw was the torch held by Raven hit the floor of the cave.

Wolf Eyes advanced to the entrance of the room. The torch still gave enough light for him to see. He saw Raven slumped to the floor. The man had a spear point protruding from his back. Black Scorpion had mistaken him for me, he thought.

Black Scorpion looked up and saw the hulk form of the man-wolf standing in the entrance to the room. In the torchlight he looked horrifying – the white fangs dripping with blood.

Black Scorpion turned to run, and as he did so, he tripped over something lying in the floor. He stumbled; trying to keep his footing but could not. He fell, headlong, into the black hole of the abyss. His terrifying cry echoed from the rooms of the caverns above the noise of the torrent.

Wolf Eyes picked up the torch and went to look. He approached the edge cautiously and held the torch out as far as he could. He could not see the bottom of the cavern where Black Scorpion had fallen. Spray and vapor filled the void. Black Scorpion was gone.

"Black Scorpion, you have sought the aid of the Hottuk Ookproose, the devil himself, and now he has called in your soul as payment. This great hole is the passageway to the lair of the devil, from which there is no escape. I will consider you dead in both body and spirit. And I will no longer seek revenge for my uncle Night Walker. Unless I, in the future, learn otherwise, the matter is now closed. The spirit of Night Walker is at peace, and he can fly with Hottuk Ishtohoollo, the Great Spirit of the upper world, forever."

Wolf Eyes turned to leave, and as he did so, he looked down on the horrified face of a man. The eyes blinked, but nothing else was said. Wolf Eyes looked, but could not find anything wrong with the man. His body was as stiff as a bow, yet the man was breathing.

Wolf Eyes pulled off the wolf robe and bent down by the man. He took the man by the hand and put him on his shoulders. He left the room and climbed to the surface.

When he came to the mouth of the cave, all the people had run away. He put the man down by the fire. As he warmed, the man started to have some movements in his body. Wolf Eyes looked at the man with a smile. "I won't hurt you," he said.

The sun was beginning to rise, in the east. The sunlight entered the mouth of the cave. The squirrels on the spits were done and still smelled delicious. Wolf Eyes handed a piece to the man, and the man took it. He is coming around, thought Wolf Eyes. He was paralyzed with fright.

"Your friends will be back after I leave," said Wolf Eyes. "You will be well now. The evil one is gone."

With that Wolf Eyes took one of the squirrels and gathered his war club. He walked down the path toward the river, going home.

In the village of Nuktala the people were dancing around the New Fire – a gift from the spirit of the upper world. They did not see him enter the gate of the palisade. He came directly to the plaza. When he walked into the area of the fire, the people thought they were seeing a ghost. The flute quit playing, and after the initial gasp, the people were quiet. Then Waving Willow ran to him.

"Wolf Eyes, I knew you would come back," she said.

"I am back," he said. "Uncle Night Walker is revenged."

She hugged him and squeezed him. He held her tight. Then the village people gathered round to hear the tale of what happened in the cave. It was a tale that would be told many times again by uncles teaching their nephews how to be brave.

As the night got old, most of the people went home, but Wolf Eyes sat and talked with Chief Silver Eagle at the fire. On the opposite side of the fire was Waving Willow with his baby boy sitting on her lap. Wolf Eyes and Chief Silver Eagle were startled by a cougar that walked into the firelight behind Waving Willow. It stood there in the night, looking at them. Its eyes were glowing in the dark. Wolf Eyes jumped up to defend his mate. But the baby boy just smiled.

####
– About C.R. Coburn

C.R. Coburn lives a reclusive life for the most part in a small, mountain lake community in East Central Alabama. His loves are boats, baseball, books and the outdoors His first novel Wolf Eyes is about the Indians that once lived in the forest, before Europeans discovered the North American Continent, where C.R. grew up as a boy.

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