“He definitely has some special power,” I say, “or we’d never have found him. He called us to him. Oki sounds like a good name.”
Tutelo shakes her head vehemently. “I don’t like that. What if somebody thinks he’s an evil Spirit? If somebody’s having a bad day, that name could cost him his life.”
“Well … then think of something else.”
Puppy licks my hand and staggers down to the river. He drinks with his eyes half-closed, as though deeply grateful for the water.
“I wonder how long he was in that sack?” Tutelo looks up at me.
“I don’t know. Bog Willow Village was attacked yesterday. So maybe twenty or thirty hands of time.”
“It’s a wonder he has the strength to walk.” Baji studies him carefully. “Odion, what’s going to happen to him if we show him to the others?”
“Mother and Father will let us keep him,” Tutelo says with a happy smile. “I’m sure they will.”
I am not so sure. Tutelo wants the puppy. Probably, we all do. After the horrors of the last moon, the puppy is like a special gift from the Faces of the Forest.
I rise to my feet. “Before we get too excited, let’s see if he’ll follow us.” As I start to walk down the shore, I call, “Come on, Puppy. Come.”
The puppy cocks his head, listening carefully to my voice, as though trying to detect anything threatening. He takes another drink from the river, and the dim rays of sunlight that penetrate the haze catch in his fur. He seems to be outlined with white fire.
“It’s all right, pup. We’re not going to hurt you. Come on, boy.” I pat my leg and walk away again.
The young wolf wags his tail, but he’s still not sure about this.
“Puppy, come on, boy.” I clap my hands.
When he hasn’t moved, Tutelo says, “Maybe he wants to go back to the forest to find his pack?”
Baji scowls at the puppy. “No, he doesn’t.” Sharply, she says, “Puppy. Get over here! Right now!”
The puppy’s ears prick. He trots forward to stand at her side, wagging his tail sheepishly. Baji gives me a pleased look. “He belonged to a woman.”
I study the puppy. He’s gazing up adoringly at Baji, waiting for her next command.
“Can you get him to follow you, Baji?”
“Come on, dog,” she orders.
As we walk down the shore toward Hehaka, the wolf happily trots along at Baji’s heels. Whenever he lags, she scolds him, and he catches up in a heartbeat.
Tutelo runs forward and slips her hand into mine. I clutch it tightly. Love swells my chest. Without my sister’s bravery, I could not have survived the past moon. I would have given up. So many times, all I wanted was to lie down in the forest and die. As I think about it, Manidos’ smile flits behind my eyes—Lie down, boy—and my steps falter. I release Tutelo’s hand and lift my palms again. The numb stinging has returned. “No, it never happened,” I repeat, barely audible, even to me.
“What’s wrong, Odion?” Tutelo whispers. She stares up at me.
“Nothing. I just … need a moment.”
… Stop crying or I’ll cut your heart out.
I think about the taste of the ghost medicine and concentrate on seeing Manidos’ mouth searing and charring, turning to black ash. With it, the sound of his voice dies. Forget, forget, forget.
Baji arrives with Puppy. Softly, she says, “Are you all right?”
I inhale a shuddering breath. “Yes. Let’s go.”
We continue down the bank. Father looks up from where he’s crouched and sees us with the puppy. He frowns.
“I don’t like that look,” Baji says.
Father rises and walks toward us. His black brows plunge down over his nose. Across the camp, the other warriors turn to watch him. Sindak wipes his sleeve over his hooked nose and follows Father.
When Father arrives, he props his hands on his hips and glances unhappily at Puppy, who wags his tail.
“Where did you find the wolf?” Father asks.
“In a sack by the canoe landing,” I say. “He was dying of thirst.”
“Um-hmm.”
Sindak walks up behind Father. His lean face is streaked with black, and a big splotch decorates his square jaw. He glances at Father. “What are you mad about? They caught lunch. Bring him here, Baji; I’ll club him for you.” He pulls his war club from his belt.
“He’s not lunch!” Baji says, and stands protectively in front of Puppy. “His name is Gitchi.”
I blink, wondering where that name came from.
Tutelo runs to stand beside Baji, shielding the puppy. “We found him, Father. He’s ours.”