Golden Fox took the carry-all from her mother. “I thought you and Grandfather and Blazing Fire did not want me to ride away from camp alone. You said you feared the whites would find me.” A frown twisted her lips. “This is what you said when I wished to go get Running Girl.”

Sky Bird sighed. “Yes, and I still do not want you to ride alone, but there is no one else to go. The dried meat Stands His Ground received as gifts from that strange Holy Woman will not last, and the hunters must gather more meat. The women who are not tending the sick and injured are gathering tubers and berries for our people. I would send a warrior with you, but the ones we could spare have gone with the hunters.”

Her mother put her arms around Golden Fox and squeezed. “My heart hurts for your sister-friend and for you, but it would have done no good for you to go to the Sun People. You heard what Strong Knife said—even he, as the elder brother and a good hunter, had a hard time getting Running Girl’s father to agree to let her leave the band. He would not have listened to a girl, and he might have harmed you.”

“I love you mother. I will ride Swift Arrow and go gather the medicine plants you need. There are few plants close-by, so I will pack enough for this day and for another sunrise.”

As she whirled to leave, her mother called to her. “Remember, you are no warrior, Golden Fox. If you see any whites, or even any of the Peoples, do not go to them. Not all of our Peoples wish for peace, and we do not know who would trade you for poisoned water. I will pray to the Great Mystery for your safe return.”

“Yes, Mother.” She quickly gathered a sleeping robe, plant pouches to carry the harvest, a pouch of jerked meat, and a water bladder made from the inside of a rabbit hide. At her whistle, Swift Arrow trotted to her. With the sleeping robe wrapped around most of her supplies, she tied it to the mustang. The sheath for her knife rode on a belt around her waist. She slung the water bladder over one shoulder, and the quiver of arrows and her bow over the other one. The mustang stood still as she leapt on his back.

With a light tap of her heel, Swift Arrow moved into a trot, but barking from behind caused her to swivel her head around. A grin stretched her mouth. “Hurry, Dog!”

***

By the time Golden Fox found the plants, Father Sun had lowered behind a hill. If not for the tall stems of the old cattails from last warm season towering over the new green shoots, she might have ridden past them as the light grew dimmer. The plants she sought grew in the damp ground near cattails.

Head cocked, she listened for any sounds that might belong to people. When she heard nothing, she slid from Swift Arrow and quickly pulled the pouches from within the rolled sleeping robe.

After singing to the medicine plants and making offerings for the sacrifice of their bodies, she filled the pouches.

Along the distant edge of the land, Father Sun painted the sky a red-orange with streaks of bright yellow. A high bank that ran beside the river led down to a strip of land many feet from the water. Golden Fox guided Swift Arrow down the steep slope, and then slid from his back.

“Grass grows even down here. This is good. The river’s bank will hide a small fire.” She patted the mustang’s shoulder, mostly black with a splattering of white. “I will rub you down after I find wood.”

Around a bend in the dirt bank lay a fire circle. Golden Fox gasped and spun around, looking for the one who had left the rocks in place and a stack of wood close-by. Her legs urged her to run, to leap on Swift Arrow and race away, but she crept closer to study the remains of the fire circle. Small plants grew between the stones, which meant it had been a long while since anyone had been here.

Why did they leave the fire circle and the stack of wood? Mother always cleans up and scatters the ashes of a fire, and tosses the unused sticks of wood here and there. The stones she always returns to the places where they had lived. Does this mean the one who left meant to return?

Her heart began to pound again, as if trying to escape her chest. She peered around and tried to see through the gathering darkness.

Why has this person not returned?

Many frightening stories were told around the campfires about huge cats, giant wolves, and bears that stood as tall as two men. Perhaps, one of these wild ones had eaten the person.

She licked dry lips, and her fingers trembled as she lit the fire. When flames leapt among the wood, she brought Swift Arrow close and rubbed him with the grasses she had pulled. Afterwards, she laid her sleeping robe near the fire and pulled out the jerked meat and the water bladder, then scooted closer to the flames. “Good thing I brought a thick robe. There is a cool wind—strange for this late into the season of young animals.”

The howl of a wolf split the night.

She leapt to her feet, spilling her pouch of jerked meat. Her eyes probed the darkness around her. The wolf howled again, and a shaky laugh tripped from her lips. The wolf was far away, and Sister Wind carried his song on the clear night air. Joy welled up in her and she howled back, a wild sound full of contentment.

After she picked up the pieces of jerked meat, she sat back down. “Grandmother once told me that if I fear, it is because I let bad thoughts fill my mind. I must fill my mind with good thoughts, strong thoughts.”

A song wound its way up her throat and out of her lips, one Grandmother had taught her when she was a small girl given to fear of strange sounds in the night. The song soothed her. She stretched out on the robe with Dog curled against her side.

As sleep drifted through her mind, a coyote yipped from somewhere near. The ‘oonk oonk’ of night birds sang to her as they flew over.

***

Golden Fox bolted to her feet. The fire had burned out, and chill bumps rose on her arms.

I am so cold. Even with the fire out, I should not be this cold.

She pushed the robe aside and stood.

I feel... I feel... someone close.

Her eyes darted all around and she wrapped her arms around Dog.

Dog does not growl, and her hair is not raised along her back. Hah! I am a woman, but I jump at every shadow as would a girl!

Dark fog rose from the ground on the other side of the dead fire. Slowly, a figure took shape within the cloud.

Golden Fox gasped and rubbed her eyes, unable to believe what she saw. Knife unsheathed, she stared harder. “Yellow Moon? How is this so? Do I dream?”

Blood seeped from Yellow Moon’s wound. She stood in deep grass, which did not move with Sister Wind’s breath, as the surrounding grass did. Sorrow had replaced the cruel smile she had worn in camp.

“Yellow Moon, is this you? Why have you come to me?” She clutched Dog’s thick hair and scooted away, pulling the animal with her.

Yellow Moon reached out bloody hands. “Eagle Thunder spoke true words. When my Spirit left my body and rose into the sky, Eagle Woman flew down to me. She did not smile nor offer a human hand to me, as I was told she would when my time was ended on our Mother.”

The round face of Sister Moon shed silver light on the wet tracks of tears running down Yellow Moon’s cheeks. Head lowered, she continued.

“Eagle Woman forbade me to follow her to the campfires in the sky. She said I must do good things or I will walk alone forever. This dark fog is my shame. It surrounds me like a heavy cloak, and will never be lifted unless I do good.”

Her head came up and hollow eyes stared at Golden Fox. “Eagle Woman spoke your name.”

“My name? I wish nothing to do with you!” Golden Fox scrambled even farther away. “All my life you have been hateful to my mother and to me for having hairy-face blood. When I was a young child, you spit on me. During the past cold season, you treated us even worse. Mother said the poisoned water had taken your Spirit and ate at your mind.”

Yellow Moon floated closer, hands beseeching Golden Fox. “I am sorry for treating you and Sky Bird with hate. I... I could not see past my... my envy of all that Sky Bird possessed and I did not. The poisoned water made me forget. It gave me dreams that I thought were true visions. Forgive me, please.”

She glanced away, and then back toward Golden Fox. Shame dragged the corners of her mouth down as she bowed her head.

Anger burned hot in Golden Fox’s chest. Arms crossed, she glared at her aunt. “You brought much pain to my mother and me. The Sun People’s band was broken because of your hate. Our people have no home now. My closest friend spoke of you bringing the poisoned water to her mother and father every time you came back from the wooden fort. You drank it with them. Sometimes, after the poisoned water filled their bellies, they beat Running Girl until she ran from their lodge and hid. They beat her! The next sunrise, they would tell her they did not beat her. She is now wrapped in a humpback robe and placed high in a tree because of you!”

Lips trembling, eyes narrowed, Golden Fox dropped her arms. She leaned forward on her toes as if she meant to attack Yellow Moon. “From Grandmother’s teachings, I know this is not the way of our Peoples. I am sure she taught you the same, but you ignored her teachings and shamed her and Grandfather. You ask forgiveness, but forgiveness will not wipe away the pain you brought to us. Forgiveness will not give Running Girl and her mother their lives back.” She turned away from Yellow Moon, and stared at the brown of the dirt bank.

“Listen to me, please. I was foolish. Dreams came to my sister, Sky Bird. I wanted Mother to look at me the way she looked at Sky Bird, so I sought dreams, too. I prayed, I sang, I cut pieces of my flesh and offered it to the Spirits, yet no dreams came. When the hairy-faces told me the firewater would bring dreams, I wanted dreams so badly I ignored the feeling in my stomach that told me they lied. Please, hear me! I wanted so much to be as good as Sky Bird, to have our mother look at me like I, too, was special—the way she looked at Sky Bird as they talked about dreams. I am sorry, so sorry, Golden Fox.”

Her form began to waver and fade. “A Holy Woman comes your way, Golden Fox. Stay here and wait for her. She will help those who suffer from the poisoned water. Our people walk a broken path. For my part on placing our people on that path, I come to you and say these words. Listen well to the Holy Woman. She will help our people walk the broken path until they are healed.”

Golden Fox pivoted around. “I cannot trust the words of a woman who hated me when she walked our Mother—hated me so badly she tried to attack me with a knife!”

“You can trust the words of this woman because I must earn your forgiveness to save my Spirit. Someday, I wish to sit at the campfires in the sky with my mother. I wish to see her smile upon me.” Yellow Moon’s Spirit faded in and out. “The Holy Woman will not be able to save all. Plants can ease only some pain. There are those with too much poisoned water in their bodies. They shake hard and no longer see, though their eyes are open. I sorrow that I helped to lead them to this dark place, but there will be many the Holy Woman can help. Listen well to her, Golden Fox. She has much to teach not only about plants and sickness, but about matters of the heart.” Sorrow darkened her eyes as she gazed at Golden Fox. “Someday, I pray you find it in your heart to forgive me. Until you do, I will find ways to earn that forgiveness.”

Golden Fox bit her lip, her head shaking slowly from side to side.

Yellow Moon’s form thinned until Golden Fox could clearly see the river behind her.

Panic grabbed Golden Fox by the throat and she yelled, “I forgive you, Yellow Moon! Please, you do not have to stay. Go to Grandmother’s campfire in the sky.” Tears fell from her eyes as she dropped to her knees. “If we cannot find it in our hearts to forgive others, we will never be able to forgive ourselves. We will forever keep a piece of our Spirits bound to the earth, unable to travel to the campfires in the sky. This is what Grandmother taught me, and this is what I believe. Yellow Moon, wherever you are, hear me! I forgive you, Yellow Moon!”

The dark-grey fog fell apart, its wisps teased away by the soft night breeze.

After a span, she pushed up from the dirt and made her way over to the sleeping robe. Curled into a ball, with her arm tightly holding onto Dog who lay next to her, she drifted into an exhausted sleep.