Yes, this is fulfilling my destiny, she had thought.
That night she had been sleepless, her souls playing the events of the coming day over and over. Her friends and kin had been briefed on the route she would run. They knew what to do. The only worry had been the drizzling rain.
The first thing she checked after relieving herself in the brown ware bowl she reserved for such things was the sky. To her relief, the clouds were breaking, scudding off to the northeast. To the south, the horizon was a pale blue. The cool damp air would be perfect for her run.
She had gobbled breakfast the way a starving woman would. She even ignored Grandmother’s heckling. Of course she wouldn’t eat this way in front of Screaming Falcon. In the eye of her souls, she was already in the house newly constructed for her beside the tishu minko’s. She could see the fire, casting its warm yellow light onto the freshly plastered walls.
Screaming Falcon’s steady hands were removing the cape from her shoulders, his smile betraying his anticipation. She could feel her skirt sliding down her hips. Then her nimble fingers would pluck the knot free on his apron, letting it fall away to expose him, stiff and ready for her. A warm tingle spread through her hips, causing her to sigh.
“There will be time enough for that later,” Old Woman Fox growled, reading her expression. “I swear, I’ve never seen a woman as taken with a man as you are.”
If any cloud blotted her day, it was the death of two of the captives hanging from the squares before the palace. They had apparently succumbed in the chill rain.
She passed the interminable hands of time in the company of her friends, trying to laugh at their gossip, halfheartedly hearing the crowd as they chopped apart the bodies of the dead captives. The whole process bored her. The last thing on her mind was the disposition of war trophies. This night, she would take a trophy of her own.
Will his seed catch? she wondered. The timing might be right, even if she was only a week out of her second visit to the Women’s House.
The sun had dragged its way through the sky. Not even a young woman’s impatience could stop it entirely.
Sweet Smoke entered the house, a knowing smile on her face. “The people are assembling.” She looked at the expectant girls surrounding Morning Dew. “You will all make it a race to remember?”
A chorus of cheers came in return.
Morning Dew’s heart began to pound. “Is he ready?”
“As anxious as you, my daughter.” A look brimming with love and wistfulness filled her mother’s face. “Look at me. I’ve waited for this day, but now I hesitate. How did this happen so quickly?”
“Thank you, Mother.” Morning Dew stood, flexing her fists, nervous energy pumping in her muscles. She had chosen a short skirt that wouldn’t inhibit the run. It was white, made of light fabric, the pattern of a falcon woven into the front to impart swiftness to her bare feet.
“You have a blanket, Daughter?” Old Woman Fox asked Sweet Smoke, “You know, for the presents?”
“I do,” Sweet Smoke said, but she didn’t take her eyes from Morning Dew’s face. From the intense scrutiny, she might have been memorizing every line of her daughter. To Morning Dew, she asked, “Are you ready?”
“Too ready.”
“The rest of you girls, outside.”
Like chattering quail, they ducked past Sweet Smoke and into the sunlight.
Morning Dew’s mouth had gone dry. She gulped deep breaths, trying to still the anticipation. Mother leaned out the door, looking toward the tishu minko’s. She gave a slight nod, then beckoned. “Be fast, Daughter.”
For a moment, Morning Dew hesitated. Now that the time had come, it took all of her will to step to the door.
“Well … go!” her mother prompted.
Morning Dew ducked out, turned, and picked her path. She ran with all of her might, heading for the gap between the storehouses. She barely noticed her friends, gathered along the way. A great shout rose as she charged across the plaza. The cheers of her friends and kin were mixed with glimpses of them, all jumping, gesturing with their arms. She dared not glance back; a greater shout told her Screaming Falcon had begun his pursuit.
It’s too far! In a moment of panic, she feared that Screaming Falcon’s hand would fall on her shoulder at any moment. Redoubling her efforts, she sprinted full-out for the storehouses. She was still ahead as she flew between the buildings, only to find a basket in the way. It hadn’t been there last night.
She jumped it, almost stumbled, and careened around the storehouse. Turning to the left, she took off along the palisade wall.
“Right! Right!” the crowd shouted on cue.