“Very good.” Moccasin Leaf sighed, slapping her thin thighs. “Then we understand each other.” She looked out at White Bird, who was gesturing with the digging stick, indicating the sack of goosefoot seeds he held. Resignation lay in the old woman’s eyes. “You have a great Power in your lineage. It is as if your blood has been blessed by the Sky Beings. To stand against you is to be like a forest in the path of a hurricane. In the end, only broken trunks and litter are left.”
Wing Heart waited long enough to be politic, then said, “I have given my life to the betterment of my clan. Under my lineage’s leadership, Owl Clan has risen above the others. All people look to us. All of our lineages, not just mine.” Thunder boomed across the sky, and the southern breeze stiffened. “If White Bird succeeds, we all succeed.”
Moccasin Leaf tucked a strand of gray hair back where the wind had worried it loose. “Indeed. What you say is true. But know this, Elder: Some of us worry about the risks you take to maintain your prestige. It is said that Water Petal will take your place when you follow your brother to the Spirit World. And if she carries a female child, or bears one in the future, that your lineage will be assured the leadership onward forever.”
“That is a matter for the future, Moccasin Leaf. In the time you talk about, neither you nor I will be in a position to influence who is Elder or Speaker. That is for our grandchildren and their grandchildren.”
“True. But know this as well: Many are disturbed that in marrying White Bird to the Snapping Turtles you also committed Mud Puppy. You may indeed have found a new ally and blunted other clans’ ambitions, but many within our clan think that including Mud Puppy in the bargain went too far.”
She smiled. “Mud Stalker insisted. Understand, Moccasin Leaf, in all dealings with the clans, there is an element of risk. Just as you, coming here today, gambled that I, being in a position of strength, would accept your offer of support and fish”—she gestured at the drying bass—“rather than turn you down cold. And it worked out to our mutual benefit. The Speaker and I will do our best to ensure your lineage’s position while you support us.” Lightning flashed across the sky, followed several seconds later by thunder.
Moccasin Leaf still watched White Bird. The Wolf Trader had turned, looking somewhat upset as he stalked off for the Men’s House again. White Bird resumed his course toward the clan grounds, face rigid in anger, the sack of seeds clutched in his strong hand.
The old woman said, “So, what would Mud Stalker gain by placing Mud Puppy in line for the Speaker’s position? Why would he insist upon that? He has to know that it would be the decision of Owl Clan to approve him as Speaker. Snapping Turtle Clan cannot tell us who our Speaker must be.”
“Exactly. He and his allies are working on many levels,” she said thoughtfully, fully aware of her own complicity in the deal. “He has always been a crafty one, Moccasin Leaf, and, finding himself beaten, he has done the best thing he could.”
“Which is what? Hope that White Bird dies mysteriously and that he can place Mud Puppy on the Council to humiliate us?”
“That is how it is supposed to look on the surface, but as you and I both know, it wouldn’t be the thing to gamble on. No, what appears to be an act of desperation is but the covering to conceal the fact that he is buying time. More than that, he has gained a great deal of prestige, moving to block Rattlesnake and Eagle Clans from strengthening their position with us. Our crafty Mud Stalker now has more room to maneuver, the ability to broker different deals with the clans depending on how the future plays out.” She nodded, half to herself. “It was a smart move, daring and rapid, given the sudden turn of events. Our clans come out ahead, the others lose.”
“Then he is a very dangerous man.” Moccasin Leaf seemed to have forgotten their antagonistic relationship for the moment.
“Yes, very,” Wing Heart agreed.
“What is he doing?” Moccasin Leaf indicated White Bird. The young man had stopped at the edge of the borrow ditch, laying his sack down before vigorously punching the digging stick into the damp brown soil. He used his chest, pressing down to drive the stick deep, and then levering the soil to break it.
“He has some idea about those goosefoot seeds. Have you seen them? Larger than the ones we collect around here. White Bird thinks that by growing them, we can tap the plant’s Power. That these larger seeds will be produced here.”
“Looks like a lot of hard work.” Moccasin Leaf shook her head. “Why go to all that effort when the plants grow wild everywhere. For all the work he’s going to have to put into it, he could just wait and collect the wild seeds with half the effort. And not only that, when you go around and collect the wild seeds, you find other things: turtles, rabbits, squash, hickory nuts. It looks like foolishness to me.”