A growl filled the air. Golden Fox jerked around but the darkness of the night kept her from seeing what growled. A chilling hiss answered the growl, and her heart pounded.

“I have to find them before it is too late!” Urgency filled her chest. Her breath came in short, hard pants as fear draped over her. “Oh, Sweet Mother, help me!” Her bare feet skimmed the ground as she raced toward the sounds.

The sound of fighting ripped through the night. Yet, no matter how hard she ran, she could not get there. Tears streaked down her cheeks and dripped from her chin. A cold gripped her worse than any she had felt during the cold season.

The night went silent. Not even a cricket chirped.

Her heart jumped into her throat and a cry of despair tore from her lips. “Too late! I am too late!”

Tears poured down her face and her nose clogged with grief. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, bent over, and rocked back and forth. “Too late!”

“Not too late.” Sister Wind whispered past her. “Not too late. Not yet.”

Golden Fox leapt up and began running, but fell as her feet tangled in roots.

***

Golden Fox tore loose from her tangled sleeping robe and leapt to her feet. Not taking time to put on footwear, she raced for the mustangs grazing close by.

With a hard shove of her legs, she jumped on Swift Arrow’s back, choosing her grandfather’s mustang over her own Splash because of his speed, and nudged the animal in the direction her dream had shown her. With a light tap, Swift Arrow lunged into a gallop. As soon as they cleared the rest of the mustangs, she urged him into a hard run. She wrapped her fingers in the animal’s mane, clamped her legs around his body, and leaned low over his back.

Sister Wind whipped her hair behind her, knotting the long strands. Her heart pounded from the fear the dream had stabbed into her chest. The mustang raced down a dry gulch, and loose rocks moved beneath the animal’s feet, causing him to stumble. He caught himself before he fell, and never slowed his wild run.

The gulch widened out and spread into an area of flat ground. With a hard lean, Swift Arrow swerved around large rocks, nearly unseating Golden Fox. Grimly, she held on. Cold water splashed on her legs as the mustang galloped through a stream. It chilled her skin, but not nearly as chilled as her heart felt.

A hill rose ahead, with shrubs growing thick along its slopes. As they drew closer, she eased up straight and loosened her legs, and the mustang slowed.

“It is somewhere around here, boy. I hope we are not too late.” Panic gripped her and beads of sweat started to run down her face. “Please, please, be safe!”

At the foot of the hill, she slipped off her animal and searched among the shrubs and along the base of the hill. Nothing.

Despair washed over her like a river in the wet days of the season of new growth. It nearly brought her to her knees. She stiffened her spine and, remembering how Blazing Fire taught her to push her emotions down, so she could better fight, she shoved the despair away.

She cupped her hands cupped behind her ears to better catch sounds, stopped, and held her breath. Sister Wind carried a faint whine to her on a light breeze. She walked on her toes, carefully, to make no sound.

There!

A little ways up, a rocky ledge jutted from the hill’s side. Flat grey stone lay scattered in a wide area leading up to the ledge, and several large trees had fallen and slid, partly blocking her view of the ledge. It appeared the sound had come from behind the dead trees.

The loose, flat, slick rock slid beneath her feet. She fell, cutting her knees on its sharp edges. Jaws clenched, she clawed her way up the hill on her hands and feet. Several times, she stopped and held her breath, but not another sound drifted to her.

Too late! Oh, Sweet Mother, I am too late.

Tears blurred her eyes, and she angrily blinked them away.

No! I refuse to give up. I will not believe I am too late unless I see it with my own eyes.

Nearly crawling, she made her way to the downed trees, but there were too many stacked upon one another for her to see over. Mouth a tight slash, she gripped the rough bark and climbed to the top. A dark hole had been dug close to the downed trees and back into the hillside.

Sister Moon chose that moment to slip from behind a cloud. Her silver light bathed the bloody scene on the ledge that lay in front of the dug-out hole.

A sob choked her, as tears broke loose and trickled down her face. “The noise I heard must have been Sister Wind crying through these trees. I am too late. Poor Mother Wolf, poor babies... there is nothing I can do.”

She gripped the bark and turned to leave, but a whisper of a whine caught her attention.

She whipped back around and continued her climb, slipping and sliding over the tree trunks on her way down. When her feet hit the narrow ledge, she skidded in the blood that had not yet hardened.

Why did Mountain Lion attack Wolf? That is not the way of life. Yet, this is what I saw in my dream. Perhaps, Wolf lived in Mountain Lion’s territory, or perhaps Mountain Lion needed this den for herself.

She would never know unless the Spirits told her.

Intent on gaining entrance to the hole, she gently pushed the body of the mother Wolf aside and knelt in the blood. The stench of death filled her nostrils as she got halfway into the hole....

A hand grabbed her leg none too gently and yanked her out and through the blood. “Golden Fox!” White Elk snatched her up. “You do not know what animal is in there. My heart would die—”

“I know what animal lives here.” Standing tall, she tipped her chin up, eyes narrowed. A wave of her hand took in the body of the wolf. “If you had looked, you would know, too. The one who claimed this ledge has traveled to her ancestors that sit by a campfire in the sky.” Her loose hair clung to her sweaty face. Agitated, she tucked it behind her ears, smearing a streak of blood along her cheek.

“I do not care that Wolf lies here.” He stubbornly crossed his arms and crunched his brows. “You do not know what else may live in this hole that Wolf dug.”

Chin thrust forward, she pushed until she was so close that her breath mingled with his. “I know. I dreamed of the fight between Mountain Lion and Wolf, but I got here too late. I am sure that Wolf’s babies wait in that hole for a mother who cannot come to them.” She whirled around to return to the hole.

Stands His Ground reached out and grabbed both White Elk’s and her arms. “Both of you stop. You act as children. Let us start a small fire, so we can use a burning branch to see. Do not glare at each other. Gather branches.”

Not willing to wait for the fire, Golden Fox yanked loose and crawled into the den. By the time she reached the back of the hole, Stands His Ground had a small fire built. White Elk held a burning branch into the entrance, shedding enough light for her to see the three pups. They appeared less than a moon old.

Easing toward them, she crooned. “Poor babies. Poor, poor babies, your mother fought a hard battle and kept you safe from Mountain Lion, who would have killed you. I wonder if the sound of Swift Arrow’s running feet scared her off before she could get inside here?”

She crouched close to them and reached out a hand, to let them each sniff her. “I do not know where your father is, but he cannot feed you—not yet. You are still too young and need the milk of a mother. You must come with me for a little while, until you are old enough to take care of yourselves.” As she scooped the pups into the cradle she made from the bottom of her dress, they snuggled close. “Poor babies, I wish there was some way to tell your father that you are safe with me.”

As she crawled to the entrance of Wolf’s den, White Elk reached down for the pups. One by one, she handed them to him, and then made her way out. On her feet, she reached for the pups.

He handed them over with a grimace twisting his face. “You are covered in blood, and I see no knife on your belt. How were you going to defend yourself if Mountain Lion or Wolf had decided to make a meal of you?”

Heat flushed her face. She knew her feelings showed on her face, and wondered if Blazing Fire might know of a way to keep the telltale redness from blooming on her cheeks. “I dreamed, and in the dream neither Mountain Lion nor Wolf harmed me.”

Nostrils flared, White Elk opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Stands His Ground stepped between the two. With a finger, he stroked the heads of the pups. “This was a powerful dream, Golden Fox. I feel much good will come of it. How will we feed these pups?”

The sound of galloping mustangs yanked their attention to where their own animals waited at the base of the hill. With a sigh of relief, Golden Fox realized that it was Sky Bird, Eagle Thunder, and Dances In Storms.

They flew off their animals and glared up at her. Eagle Thunder rode Splash.

Swallowing her nervousness, she made her way down the hill. The pups made soft whines from the cradle of her dress as she walked up to her mother. “I am sorry, Mother, that I made you worry. I had a dream and felt great urgency to come here.”

“What if the whites had found you?” Much anger flew from her mother’s eyes.

“My dream—”

“Dreams do not always tell everything!” Her mother swirled around, leapt on her mustang, and raced away.

Dances In Storms stepped up beside her. “You and I need to speak of how to use your mind as well as your heart. Let me see the pups. Ha! One is white and a female. The little grey one is male. The one white paw and the white splatter down his face makes him very good to look at.” She picked up the last one and held it before her eyes. “Pure black—not a speck of white—and another male.”

Satisfied with the pups, she returned them to Golden Fox. “These pups are no more than a moon old, if that. How are you to feed them? If we were not days from the rest of the band, we might find a woman who has a baby and would share milk with these four-legged babies. But, the band is too far ahead of us to catch up before these little ones will die.”

Eagle Thunder walked over, a scowl on his face. “Granddaughter, this is truly a Sacred Happening, but you brought great worry to certain ones among us.” His eyes flicked over to White Elk, then he picked up a pup. “There will always be times when others will worry about what you are called to do. It is best if you saved those times for when you cannot heed their worry, for when you must act quickly in spite of their worry. When there is no one around to call to. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Grandfather,” she replied meekly.

When she would have continued speaking, he held up the hand that was not cuddling the pup against his chest. “Blazing Fire will have harsh words for you when she finds out you rode away without even your knife.” He handed the pup back and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Your mother’s worry about whites is not so wrong.” He paused and stared into her eyes. “I rode your mustang. You will ride her back.”

He placed his hand on Dances In Storms’ arm, and they returned to their mustangs. He jumped onto Swift Arrow, and together they rode toward camp.

Only White Elk and Stands His Ground remained behind as she made her way to Splash. The mustang snorted at the smell of wolf pups and skittered sideways.

White Elk stepped close to her. “You can ride my male. He is well trained.”

She lifted her chin. “I will ride Splash, but you are kind to offer.”

Their eyes met and his hand reached for hers.

Stands His Ground walked over. “Hand the pups to me while you get on. It will help calm Splash.”

In Sister Moon’s light, red tinged White Elk’s cheeks as he stared up at her. “Perhaps, you should hurry. The male may not be far away, and he may not like that his mate is dead and you take his pups.” He eyed the top of the hill.

“You... you should get on your mustang and leave. Stands His Ground will ride with me.”

“Then you have no need of me, and I will see you at camp.” He leapt on his mustang, turned quickly, and rode away.

Stands His Ground helped her onto Splash. “Golden Fox, he only wishes to be your friend and, perhaps, someday to be your mate.”

Long hair hid her face as she climbed on Splash and made a cradle for the pups. Once they snuggled safely in her dress, she glanced at Stands His Ground. “I have no need of a mate. I will become a warrior woman.”

Without waiting for his words, she nudged Splash into a gentle trot.

She had not gone more than a few steps when a mournful howl raised the hairs on her arms. She twisted her head around and spotted a magnificent black wolf. Sister Moon shone on him, making his hair look frosted with white. Golden Fox answered with sorrow in her howl.

The male responded, and she again returned his call.

Stands His Ground stopped beside her. “What is this you do?”

Loss choked her, but she pushed the words past it. “I can feel his sorrow. I wish him to know that he is not alone in his pain.”

Stands His Ground shifted around and, with one hand on the rump of his mustang, watched as the big male slinked away. “We must leave before he catches up. I have no desire to harm him.”

Confidence oozed from her as she squeezed Splash into a trot. “He will follow us, but harm no one. He only wishes to know that his pups are cared for and safe. Perhaps, I should return to his hill and let him see his pups again—see that they are unharmed.”

“No, woman, the time is not right for such a meeting. Come, let us get the pups where they will have warmth and we can find some way to feed them.”

Reluctantly, she headed for camp.

When they reached the spot where the mustangs grazed, Golden Fox handed the pups to Stands His Ground and slid from her animal. With her feet planted on the grass, she took the pups back.

Sky Bird hurried to them, excitement dancing in her eyes. “Blue Spirit Dog has had her pups on Stands His Ground’s sleeping robe. She must have given birth right after we left. The pups are already cleaned and fed, and they sleep with fat little bellies. Perhaps, we can get her to take these pups?” A concerned frown marred her forehead.

Before Golden Fox could reply, Blue Spirit Dog trotted toward her. She hurried over to meet her dog.

Sky Bird rushed toward her daughter. “Golden Fox, no! Do not place the wolf pups on the ground. She may harm them from fear for her own pups!”

Golden Fox disregarded her mother’s warning, squatted on the ground, and lifted the pups from the cradle of her dress.

Blue Spirit Dog sat and waited until the last pup squirmed on the dirt. Head lowered, she sniffed the pups and used her muzzle to flip them onto their backs. With their little legs beating the air, the pups made pitiful mewling sounds. Blue Spirit Dog pushed them back onto their bellies, and closed her mouth around the back of the female’s neck.

For a heart-stopping moment, everyone waited.

The dog trotted off with the pup dangling.

Golden Fox quickly gathered the other two pups and rushed after the dog, arriving in time to see the animal lay the pup among her own two sleeping babies. Golden Fox laid the other two in the pile of pups.

Blue Spirit Dog let go a long breath and flopped down with the pups nestled between her legs. She cleaned each one and nudged the wolf pups toward her full teats. After they began suckling, the dog again sighed and stretched out.

Sky Bird chuckled. “She has accepted them. Wolves and dogs are not friends, yet she has placed them among her own babies.”

Sky Bird and Stands His Ground moved their sleeping robes away from the new mother.

Golden Fox lay on her side next to Blue Spirit Dog and watched the little ones breathe and snuffle against Blue Spirit Dog. She stroked the mother dog. “How did you know they needed you? Why did you accept them so easily? This is not the way of dogs with wolves.”

The dog blinked sleepy eyes, the blue rimming them shining bright in the light of Sister Moon.

“Why did you choose to come with us, Blue Spirit Dog? Where did you come from, for I never saw you until we were sunrises away from the Sun People’s camp?” Not expecting an answer, Golden Fox rested her head on her arm and let sleep claim her.

***

Blue Spirit Dog stretched out beneath a tree. Her pups wrestled with the wolf pups.

Golden Fox gasped and gazed around. “Where are we?”

Dog chuckled. “What silly questions you ask, Golden Fox. We are in the Spirit Land.”

Panic raced through her and she dropped to her knees, and ran anxious hands over Dog. “Have you died, Dog?”

Her tongue lolled from the side of her mouth as Dog laughed at her. “Foolish girl, tell me, are you dead?”

“No, I do not believe I am.”

She sat back on her heels. The black wolf pup ran into her and bounced off, gathered his fat legs beneath him, and raced off to join his brothers and sisters, very unlike a newly born pup.

“I bring you here—”

“You brought me here?” Her eyebrows shot high on her forehead.

“Of course, I brought you here. I brought you here to answer the questions you ask. After all, as Dog, I cannot speak unless we meet here in the Spirit Land.”

Dog licked her foreleg, then sat up. “All of life has a purpose. None are without this—not the trees, or the birds, or the very small ones that crawl, or the four-legged. Not even the white people. It is when all living works together that the Circle of Life has harmony—when all respect the other. I walk with you for a purpose, just as you have a reason for walking on our Mother.”

She licked one of the wolf pups. “We cannot know our whole purpose for being, for we would stop trying to become. Great Mystery lets us know what we need to choose the right path to walk. We may ignore the Great Mystery and choose to walk a different path. It is our choice.

“I choose to walk the path laid before me. Why this path brings these pups to me, I do not know. They will grow and I will teach them. We will know more as we need to know it.”

Dog stretched out again, resting her head on her paws.