"Everyone's nervous. That doesn't help, either." Choke-cherry settled herself, drawing her ancient knees up to her chest. "We've got to do something. If we don't, Heavy Beaver is going to destroy us."
"Us? I thought he was after Sage Root. She turned him down, you know. Refused to bed him. He's—"
"Bah! That's only the excuse. Like sneaking into a buffalo herd under a hide, it's misdirection. True, he's been grousing about that for years. You can see it festering in his . time he looks at her. You know, I even caught him one time.
He'd sneaked out after Hungry Bull and her, watching while they coupled outside of camp."
"No!" Makes Fun clapped a hand to her mouth to hide astonishment. "That's . . . that's ..."
"Rude? An understatement. But then, that's the sort of man he is. He killed Dancing Doe as surely as if he'd thrown the dart himself. And destroying Sage Root is another step. You want to live in a band he controls? Hmm? What about your children? How about your son, Mouse Runner? You want him growing up hearing Heavy Beaver's talk about how women are polluting the earth? You want your daughter growing up to marry a man who'd been raised to think that?"
Makes Fun braced hands on her knees, staring off across the valley of the Moon River. After a long moment, she asked, "What can we do to stop it? Black Crow's out hunting with Hungry Bull and Three Toes. I'm not sure what I can do."
"Back me up."
Makes Fun cocked her head, eyes worried. "Back you up? And if he Curses you, Chokecherry? You're my aunt. I don't—"
"Blood and dung! Listen to you. You're half knuckled under already! Think, girl! Heavy Beaver's just a thieving raven. He's found a bunch of mice head-sick from alkali water. Now he's hopping around, cawing and squawking to keep them confused. He's got his first mouse killed and eaten. The second is frightened and running in circles. Soon as Sage Root keels over, he'll get another one. And when it's all finished, the ways of the People will be gone forever. That's right. He's trying to remake the People to fit his image of what they ought to be. And me, I'm not going to play mouse for him! I'm going to remind him that he's nothing more than a scavenging raven."
"Careful, Aunt." Makes Fun looked around. "If he hears you—"
"Bah! Let him! He's been a festering pain for too long. Now, you going to back me up, or not?"
"But Black Crow—"
Chokecherry grabbed her by the chin. "You listen to me. If you back down, you'll find yourself with less standing than a dog. You want that? To be like a beast?"
"Black Crow wouldn't—"
"No, but Heavy Beaver would. He's got problems. His mother, for one. That boy's hated strong women all his life. Look at who he married! But I've been around long enough, buried enough husbands to tell you that after he's had a year or two to work on Black Crow, you'll be right down with the dogs as a pack animal and breeding bitch."
Blood burning, Chokecherry hoisted herself to her feet, wincing as her knees cracked. "You think about that, sister's daughter. You think hard, because that's what Heavy Beaver's working for. Sage Root stood against him. If he breaks her ... or kills her, there will be no stopping him. The People, for all that we've come unraveled in the last tens of seasons, will be no more."
She stalked off, aware of Makes Fun's eyes burning into her back.
Tanager sat wrapped in a robe next to Elk Charm. The peaks rose tall, ghostly in the moonlight. Behind them, the camp of the Red Hand seemed quiet, peaceful. A dog barked until someone threw something at it. After a yip, nothing but the soft murmur of voices bothered the night.
"I hate being in trouble," Tanager complained.
"Well, if you'd stay home and help your mother with the chores, and maybe stop beating up the boys, maybe you wouldn't be in trouble all the time."
Tanager lifted a shoulder, ears tuned to the sounds of the night. "I'll bet the elk calves are walking around. We could sneak off tomorrow morning and—"
"See!" Elk Charm giggled. "How are you ever going to find a husband if you never stay in camp?"
Tanager looked across at her friend. "Why would I want a husband?"
"Husbands are a great help. You can't get pregnant without one. They lift heavy things like logs to make animal traps
"I don't need a trap. I sneaked up to within a foot deer once. I could have driven a dart right into her. And besides, babies are trouble. There's lots of things you can't do when you have a baby. You have to find someone to look after them when you go hunt. And then you have to give part of the kill to whoever looks after the baby."
"Someday you'll be sneaking around out there and get caught by a Short Buffalo warrior and he'll eat you."