Stands His Ground often rode out alone to bring meat to the people and to scout the land ahead, leaving behind more warriors and hunters to protect the camp. He had been out three sunrises on this occasion, and had decided to begin hunting as he headed back to camp.

Off to the place where Father Sun rose every morning, a tiny spiral of smoke drifted up from a narrow valley. As he rode closer, he spotted a lone figure atop the steep hill. He rode the long way around to reach the opposite hill, where perhaps he could look down on the camp.

He tied the second mustang to a tree at the bottom of the hill beside a large boulder, where a few trees shaded the ground-covering plants, which were full with ripening red berries.

Father Sun had journeyed to the top of the sky by the time Stands His Ground reached a small area of grass near the crest of the slope. He slid off his mustang. The animal had been his since birth and had been taught to remain near until he returned. If the scouts of these strangers noticed his animal, they would think him to be one of the lone Stallions looking for a herd.

At the crest of the hill, he peered down at the camp, far larger than the one led by Eagle Thunder. He lay watching until Father Sun reached the edge of the land.

After he returned to his mustang and retrieved the other animal. He headed toward the opening of the valley in case he had to make a run for it. If these people were not friendly, they would have a hard time catching him.

Large iron pots hung over small, nearly-smokeless cooking fires as Stands His Ground rode into the camp.

Young children raced to hide behind their mothers. Older children grabbed rocks in their hands, determined to prove themselves worthy as warriors.

A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. The thuds of mustang feet on packed earth sounded behind him, but he did not turn around; if they had wanted to put an arrow in his back, they would have already done so.

A woman with obsidian hair hanging in long, thick braids that reached her thighs made her way toward him. A light brown, short-sleeved tunic decorated with elk teeth and long fringe along the bottom swayed with her movement. Fringe ran down the sides of her leggings from hips to knees. By her clothing, she held a high place among these people, and possessed some wealth. She waved one hand and held a feather-decorated lance in the other. Her muscled body, the way she stood, and the way she moved spoke of a seasoned warrior.

In response to the woman’s motion, her band moved closer behind her. Warriors stood watching him, waiting for some sign from her.

“Come, brother, sit at my fire circle and speak of where you come from and why you are here.” She stabbed the lance deep into the ground, so that it stood on its own. “I am called Dances In Storms, Holy Woman of our people.”

He slid off his mustang and let the nose rope of the pack animal drop to the ground. “I am called Stands His Ground, warrior and hunter for my people.” Both warrior woman and Holy Woman? Always before, he had heard of women who became warriors, like Blazing Fire, or who became Holy Women, but he had never heard of a woman who carried both burdens for her people.

She led him to the main campfire and motioned for him to sit close to her. After they had given him food and water, the Holy Woman waited until he finished his meal for him to tell his story.

When he set his bowl aside, he spoke of his band seeking a new land, and that he had ridden ahead to scout and bring back meat.

Dances In Storms cocked her head. “I see in your eyes, Stands His Ground, that there is more to say. Speak.”

Something in her voice allowed him to speak all the tangled feelings in his heart. “My band is broken. Many of our people drank the white man’s fire water. There was much fighting and stealing.” His head dropped to his chest, with shame covering him as snow covered the ground in the cold season. “Now, our band is broken. Many followed Eagle Thunder, who is a good man and a good leader, to find a land where the hairy-faces and their poisoned water do not live.”

The Holy Woman nodded, her deep-set eyes shining with Power. “The fighting you speak of... it used to be seldom heard of, but now that hairy-faces invade our land, our lives, there has been much more fighting among people of the same band. Mostly, the people fight over the drink, and one of them does not walk away. Among the Sister Wolf Band, we make the one who wins gather their belongings and we cast them out.” Pain showed in her eyes. “One cast out was my younger brother. He took the life of my other brother.”

Anger narrowed her eyes. “These enemies overstep their welcome. Our people have banned them from our camp and from the camps of our sister bands. Still, they lurk on the edges, hiding and taking our women who walk alone. We have lost girls as young as ten summers. When we go to their camps and show our weapons, they let us search for our missing women and girls, but they are never there. I fear they are being sold as slaves to other pale ones.”

Stands His Ground frowned. “Is that why your people camp here—to leave behind those in your band who drink the poisoned water? Do you also have a broken band?”

“There are many reasons why a person might be in a certain place, but we did not come here to flee a broken band. Your people, Stands His Ground, have much courage to search for new lands. It is hard when bad things come between the people of a band. It is as if fire from the sky in a bad storm splits the body of a tree. There is much pain. The tree is weakened. It takes great strength for the tree to heal and to continue to grow.”

She pushed up and stood. “Your people are welcome to join us. We will be stronger traveling together. When we return to our band, Sister Wolf Band, I will speak for your people. We have need of those who are brave of heart and strong of Spirit.

“You can sleep by our fire tonight. When Father Sun rises, we will give you dried meat for your people and a deer skin tunic for your leader, Eagle Thunder. Take these gifts and speak with your people. In four sunrises, I will travel to where your people camp to speak with your elders and your leader. If they agree, I will return and lead my people to your camp. We will come together as one people.”

***

With enough dried meat to feed the camp for many sunrises, Stands His Ground rode hard on his return to camp. The excitement of having more warriors and hunters filled his chest. Perhaps, the Holy Woman could also heal some of the people.

Well after the second sunrise since leaving the Holy Woman, he neared camp. The smells of cooking meat floated in the air and made his mouth fill with water. His stomach growled. His mustang slid to a halt in the center of camp, and he leapt off, tossing the nose rope of the pack animal to a young girl who stood close. “Unload the gift of dried meat, and then rub both animals with dried grasses. They have run hard. Where is Eagle Thunder?”

The girl pointed toward the lodge of the sick ones. A second lodge had been erected next to it—Deer Woman’s lodge. His sister had come.

Without looking back, he took the gift robe and hurried across camp.

Before he could step inside the first lodge, Eagle Thunder slapped the flap aside and grabbed his arm. “Good! You are here, Stands His Ground. An elder’s mind wanders and his body jerks hard. I have tied him down, so he cannot hurt another or himself. Go inside and help the women while I go to Sky Bird. If this elder is to live, we need more of her medicine.”

A short span later, Sky Bird ducked into the lodge, where Deer Woman already squatted across from the elder. Sky Bird shouldered Stands His Ground aside and pulled out a flask of poisoned water. Not long after, she dribbled a few drops into the elder’s mouth.

The elder’s shaking stopped, and he fell into an unnatural sleep.

Stands His Ground followed the women out of the lodge. “You gave that elder poisoned water!”

“Brother!” Deer Woman gasped in shock at his rudeness.

With a nod, Sky Bird agreed. “If an elder is very old and weak, the bad Spirits of the poisoned water will take his Spirit as they leave his body. When I feed the bad Spirits a few drops of poisoned water, they are fooled. This gives the other medicines time to heal the elder’s body. When the elder is strong enough, we can use medicines to cast all of the Spirits from the poisoned water out of his body.” She pushed the flask into the medicine carry-all that hung from her shoulder.

His cheeks flamed hot. “I... I am sorry, Sky Bird. I did not know this.”

She patted his shoulder. “You are a great warrior and a fine hunter, Stands His Ground, but you are not a healer.” She turned her attention to Deer Woman. “Go to where my medicines lay on my sleeping robe, and find the small, rounded spiked plants I showed you. The hairs on top have dried, so the whole plant will have full Power to help the sick. There are only twelve left. It is the plant that came from the trader moons ago. Bring only enough to give half a plant to each of those sick from the poisoned water. The plants will make the people vomit before they work. Give them only to those who can stay awake. Watch them and help if they choke.”

As soon as Deer Woman hurried off, Sky Bird started toward the cooking fire in the center of the camp.

Stands His Ground walked next to her. “Can we find the spiked plants around here?”

Wearily, she shook her head. “I have never seen them. The trader said they only grow in very hot places.”

Eagle Thunder waved Sky Bird over to where he sat near the cooking fire. “Eat, Daughter. You cannot help others if you let yourself become weak.”

Stands His Ground quickly waved for her to sit. “I will dip food for you.” After he handed her a bowl of meat and tubers, he prepared one for himself and sat next to her.

“Stands His Ground, I am glad you have returned.” Eagle Thunder sipped broth from his bowl. “As you can see, more of our people have joined us. When you are done eating, I will be glad to hear of your travels.”

When he set his bowl aside, Stands His Ground untied a plain pouch from his waist. “On my way to look at the land ahead of us, I gathered flowers for you to dye quills, Sky Bird. I am sorry I have no quills to offer.” Even as children, he had offered her little gifts. It pleased him to see her smile and blush, as she did back then.

Eagle Thunder cleared his throat. “Stands His Ground, what news do you have?”

The warrior handed the robe he had been carrying to Eagle Thunder. When the elder raised his brows in question, Stands His Ground told the story of how he had found a band of people. He spread his hands at the end of his telling. “Dances In Storms leads this camp of Sister Wolf Band people. She will come here in less than three more sunrises. If the elders and you decide to join with the Sister Wolf Band, we can travel with them back to their home. She will speak for our people with the elders of her band.”

“We will tell our warriors and hunters that a Holy Woman is coming.” He held his hand up when Stands His Ground started to protest. “This is to be prepared if Dances In Storms is not what she seems. I have great respect for your ability to see the heart of others, Stands His Ground, but many of our people are sick and unable to help defend our camp.”

Grudgingly, Stands His Ground nodded his acceptance.

“The elders and I will meet with Dances In Storms. After that, we will see what path the Great Mystery tells us to take.”

Stands His Ground glanced from Eagle Thunder to Sky Bird and then back to Eagle Thunder. “I see my sister has joined our camp.”

Eagle Thunder stood. “Sky Bird will tell you news of our people. I go to help in the lodge of the sick ones.”

“My sister... she seemed well.” Stands His Ground’s shoulders grew tight.

“Deer Woman is well. Do not worry so.”

“Others came?” A heavy weight lay in his stomach as he waited for Sky Bird to answer.

“The second lodge is not for those who are sick from poisoned water. It is for those who heal from injuries of the body.”

“I know Golden Fox worried for Running Girl. Was Running Girl among those who came?”

Sky Bird’s eyes swam with tears. She dashed them away with the heels of her hands. “Strong Knife, with his younger brother riding in front of him, brought Running Girl and their mother on drags. Both were beaten, as was Strong Knife. Only the little boy escaped being beaten. Running Girl and her mother lay among others in the trees, wrapped in robes, waiting for Eagle Woman to come for their Spirits.”

He looped an arm around her shoulder and hugged her to his side. “I am so sorry, Sky Bird. I know how Golden Fox must hurt, and you for her.”

“She blames herself for not staying to protect Running Girl, for not going back to get her.” A silent sob shook Sky Bird.

Stands His Ground pulled her tighter. “We will help her understand that no fault lies with her. She is young. She will heal, though she will carry a scar inside.”

Sky Bird pulled away and sat up straighter. “I know this is true. For now, she works with the injured and the sick. Her sleep is broken by dreams of blood and her friend’s voice.”

“Could the people who came tell you more about what happened?”

“Strong Knife said he and the other hunters had returned to the band with much meat. Several of the hunters, after leaving the meat they carried, packed up and took their women, and left. As we know, they came here. He remained behind to help Running Girl prepare the meat for winter for their parents, while he tried to talk their father into letting him take Running Girl and his younger brother, Little Knife, with him and leave.

“His father had drunk much poisoned water, but after a while he agreed. The next morning, as Strong Knife and Running Girl packed their mustangs, five hairy-faces came to the Sun People with much poisoned water. The Holy Man and Running Girl’s father met with them in the center of camp. The people brought many furs to trade and laid them in front of the pale ones.”

She wrung her hands and stared into the fire. “The whites packed the furs on their pack animals, then got on their riding animals. Running Girl’s father demanded that they pay for the furs with the promised poisoned water. The leader of the hairy-faces tossed a few flasks to the ground and told Running Girl’s father that is all the trade he would give. When the whites turned their mustangs to leave, Running Girl’s father and some of the other men and women ran at the mustangs and tried to pull the packs from the animals. The white men pulled fire sticks and the fire sticks made great noise. Several of the band fell with holes in their chests, and their faces nearly gone. The rest of the band attacked. Running Girl’s mother ran into the fight. Strong Knife and Running Girl ran to help their mother, and it was then they were badly beaten.”

For a short span of time, she fell silent. When she began again, her voice sounded rough. “Warriors and hunters grabbed their bows and finally killed all the white men. The Sun People—hurt—pulled the packs from the mustangs and fought for the flasks of poisoned water.”

Her face grew pale, and Stands His Ground wanted to tell her to stop, but knew she would not heed his words.

“One woman grabbed two flasks of poisoned water. A man demanded the woman give the flasks to him. When the mother refused, he pulled his knife. The mother ran at him and as they fought, the arm of the woman’s young daughter was slashed open.

“All over the camp, people fought. Nine of our hunters and their women gathered children, their own and as many of the others as they could. They hid away from the band for two sunrises. When they returned, they found many dead. The others were sick, too sick to care about or to help the young ones.

“The hunters and their wives packed what they could and rode from the camp. The child with the cut arm and her mother came with them. Other children came here with no mothers and no fathers. This is not our way—to take children from their parents—but what else could the hunters and their women do? They could not leave the children to starve.”

Stands His Ground rubbed circles on her back. “It is not our way to take children from their parents, this is true. But it is our way that a child belongs to every person in the band. We are all their mothers and their fathers. The children belong with those mothers and fathers who will care for them. What happened to the child with the cut arm?”

“The little girl is but five summers. She cannot use her arm. The cut bled much and drained part of her Spirit. She will not make words, as if she sees only inside herself. There is little I can do for her, except keep the bad Spirits from her wound. I used salves and packed the wound with moss. There is nothing else I can do. Her mother cries well into darkness. She rocks the child, who seldom closes her eyes.”

Her fists lay on her lap and tightened until the knuckles shone white. “I have anger in my heart that burns like the heat of a great fire. The pale ones are as the white worm on rotting animals. They ruin a People and break the bands apart. If ever I see another white man, I will kill him.”

“Did Strong Knife have word about Yellow Moon’s brothers?”

“One of Yellow Moon’s brothers hurt the child that is with us, and one of the warriors took his life. Yellow Moon’s other brother jumped on a mustang and raced away. When Strong Knife told me this, I felt a cold wind blow through, but Sister Wind did not stir the leaves of the trees. I know he hunts us.”

Before he could reply, Golden Fox walked over to the fire, followed by a dog.

Stands His Ground’s brows drew tight over his eyes. “I have never seen this dog before, not even at the Sun People’s camp.”

Golden Fox ran her hand through the thick fur. “She is a blessing from the Spirits. The sunrise before Strong Knife came, I woke to find this dog sleeping next to me. Since then, she has refused to leave my side.”