White Calf looked up, realizing Hungry Bull had spoken in Anit'ah. "You've got a lot of sense, boy." She nodded, smacking her old gums. "A lot of sense."
Rattling Hooves exhaled slowly, seeing the quick smile Hungry Bull gave her. As she turned, she noticed Elk Charm stood behind Little Dancer. The boy looked pale, a dart nocked in his atlatl. The look Snaps Horn gave him would have melted ice.
Blood Bear pushed past them, stalking up to the rock wall and hanging the Wolf Bundle on a peg. Arrogantly, he seated himself on a tumbled boulder below it and braced his hands on his knees, looking around with a hard expression.
"Now then, who are these Short Buffalo People? What do they do here?"
"Where's Two Smokes?" White Calf asked Elk Charm.
"He's still working on his net. I came down for another armload of bark. By now he'll be on the way, figuring something happened."
"The berdache is still here fouling the air?" Blood Bear asked in irritation.
Several of the warriors, Ramshorn and Never Sweat among them, flinched at the sacrilege. Snaps Horn looked like a compressed willow stick—ready to strike out in any direction.
"He's part of my family," White Calf said testily. She hesitated, propping herself as she looked at the Wolf Bundle. "So the Power hasn't come back to it yet?"
Rattling Hooves caught the drawn expression on Little Dancer's face, still pale, the total of his concentration on the Wolf Bundle. His eyes glittered—an expression of tears barely held back. The boy took a step, then another, one hand outstretched, his mouth working wordlessly.
Blood Bear cocked his head, watching as the youth came forward, step-by-step, a tear tracing his cheek. Oblivious, he reached for the Wolf Bundle.
Blood Bear's atlatl pushed his hand away.
Little Dancer came to, starting at the contact, staring down into Blood Bear's hot eyes.
"It's . . . cold," Little Dancer whispered. "You've made it cold. You don't smoke it in sweetgrass . . . don't care for it right. One day, it'll turn against you . . . just like it will against Heavy Beaver and everyone who doesn't respect it. You're strangling it."
The warriors shifted uneasily. They stared at Little Dancer and the Wolf Bundle, backing away a step at a time. Only Snaps Horn stood his ground, glittering eyes never leaving Little Dancer.
"And you're a heartbeat from dead, boy," Blood Bear's rejoinder came.
Rattling Hooves could hear Hungry Bull's teeth grind as he started forward. She reached for him, placing a hand on his shoulder, acting by instinct. Under her touch, she felt his bunched muscle barely restrained.
Hungry Bull glanced at her, worry in his eyes. She shook her head, knowing the anxiety he felt. No, Blood Bear wouldn't hurt the boy. She could feel it.
Little Dancer's hand fell, the pained look deepening. "You don't understand. It's waiting. It wants the right person to clean it, make it whole again. The Power's there, waiting for something ... for someone. Feel the flames? Feel . . ."
He started to reach for it again, and again Blood Bear blocked him.
Rattling Hooves couldn't be sure what had happened. Maybe Blood Bear had hung the Bundle with some kink in the straps that suddenly loosened. Maybe the light made it appear to move. It seemed to jump, then patted softly on the rock.
Little Dancer staggered as if slapped and shook his head He backed away, a dazed look in his eyes. "No," he whispered. "Not me. I'm not the one!"
Blood Bear cleared his throat, glad for the distraction. "And no one wishes to speak for these Short Buffalo People?"
"They've come to see White Calf." Rattling Hooves stepped forward. "From the moment they caught me on the trail, they've been considerate. I don't think they're here to make war."
Blood Bear studied her. A shiver danced up her spine on frozen prickly feet. Like it or not, she told herself, your life is changed. How will you ever manage to live in the same camp with him? What will that do to One Cast and Wet Rain?
"I'm glad to know you've become an expert on Short Buffalo People."
"They've come here because they can't go anyplace else," Hungry Bull added from the side, pronouncing the words thickly.
Blood Bear lifted a lip in a sneer. "I'm not finished with you, hunter."
"I'm here, Blood Bear." Hungry Bull stood easily, a slight smile on his face.
Rattling Hooves shot a quick glance in White Calf's direction. Where was she? This was her opportunity to . . . The old Spirit Woman seemed made of stone, gleaming eyes burning as she stared at Little Dancer. The boy had sagged to his knees, mouth open, while his gaze locked on the Wolf Bundle.
"White Calf?" Rattling Hooves reached for her, aware of the tension in the air. Black Crow's group shifted uneasily. The Red Hand waited, totally lost. Everything would turn on White Calf's words, and the old woman could only watch the boy, that burning interest in her eyes.