The Cry of the Wolf Chapter 16

The men slipped out of their beds before dawn, leaving only the women and children behind with the exception of Thunder Cloud who stood guard. Chief Long Knife wasn't ready to leave the women defenseless again. The last raid was much too fresh in their minds.

Aquene and Small Bird had woken before the men preparing their breakfast, their voices raised scarcely above a whisper.

Chief Long Knife ate in silence, yet that was nothing unusual. The food supply was getting low with the additional mouths to feed. After last night, Chief Long Knife was anxious to be back on the water, the fresh air clearing his hazy thoughts. Scraping up the last drop of corn mash, he stood, waiting for the others to join him.

Small Bird noticed her son glance back over at Adelaide, sound asleep underneath the furs he had thoughtfully arranged over her pale shoulders before slipping silently out of the bed they had shared. As dawn approached, she finally slept serenely, the nightmares dispersing with the arrival of daylight.

"Light chased away the darkness," Chief Long Knife's spirit mused, contemplating the deeper meaning.

Falcon hunkered down alongside his mother, offering her a larger portion of dried fish.

She held her hand up, rejecting his offering.

"You will not be returning until nightfall," her excuse.

Aquene knew none of the men would eat again until they returned, requiring more nourishment than she.

"My woman is already with child," Falcon pronounced, his voice hushed so the women and children would not be awakened.

Aquene nodded. That would explain Maggie's constant bouts of illness. Rather than it being a shame, the thought of another baby being added to their midst was a source of great joy, Aquene's face erupting in a smile although the baby was not her son's. It did not matter, the child was already recognized as Wyandotte and claimed by his stepfather. No one thought of the baby's father they'd butchered only a few days ago.

"We will take greater care of your wife while you are gone," Small Bird spoke first as she joined her sister and nephew, "It is time these women learn our ways and speak our language."

The Iroquois women already spoke their language so their concentration would be given to the pale faces.

"You have done well," Aquene beamed, already thrusting out her chest with pride.

The raid had been successful, she was the first to become a grandmother.

They watched as the men disappeared over the horizon before turning back to the fire, preparing a fresh breakfast for the women and children who were stirring in their beds.

Maggie sat up, brushing long strands of ebony hair from her face. Flushed as pink as an English rose, she touched her kiss-swollen lip, avoiding Adelaide's eyes. What had transpired was not something any of the women wished to discuss. It was their fate, nothing more. Maggie, however, was torn between her betrayal of her husband's memory and the remembrance of being cradled in Falcon's muscular arms as he had tenderly convinced her that she could most definitely learn to love again. What would Adelaide think of her fickle heart?

Gently stroking the fur that was still warm from her husband's body, she savored the lingering memory of her wedding night before sliding her feet onto the floor. Every one of the young women had experienced the same fate, so Maggie straightened her shoulders as she stepped toward the fire hoping Adelaide wouldn't mention it.

There was a strained, uncomfortable shyness between the two women as they huddled around the fire eating a small dish of mashed corn

Aquene smiled, or more accurately, beamed down at Maggie, cooing over her as she held out a dish of corn mush. She gestured toward the platter of dried fish, shaking her head "No," before resting her hand on Maggie's womb.

She knows.

Maggie's face flushed a deeper rosy tint witnessing the joy radiating in the older woman's eyes before focusing on her golden-hued breakfast.

Adelaide and the children joined her, deciding it best to keep her secret to herself - she was the only woman who had made it till morning untouched.

Why she couldn't understand but was more than grateful. She'd woken up once in the night, discovering herself held tight, her head resting against Chief Long Knife's heart. Blanching, she hadn't struggled, more fearful of waking the chief up than she was at being held so close to the man who had led the raid and been the first to torture her friend's husband.

It might feel oddly comforting to be enveloped in his powerful arms, yet it was clear as day that Chief Long Knife was a savage that could not be trusted, least of all, with her heart.

There was only one answer. They must escape. With the men away, today looked promising.

Now, to get Maggie's attention.

****

They made quick work of their breakfast, the village patriarchs leading the women and children out into the dawn.

The younger women followed the older ones' lead, holding woven baskets against their hips, as they entered the forest. Plump mosquitoes buzzed around their ears yet the elder women didn't seem to be affected by the blood-thirsty insects, nor their Native counterparts for that matter it would seem. Clearly, the pesky insects preferred European blood, Adelaide thought ruefully, swatting them away with her free hand. Undeterred, they returned within seconds, buzzing around her neck.

Small Bird looked up, cocking her eyebrow at her daughter-in-law's vain attempts to thwart the swarms of mosquitoes that had joined them. The secret to their not being eaten alive by the parasitic bugs was their smoke-scented bodies, the smoke from the fire creating an unappealing barrier between them and the mosquitoes. The younger women hid their grins. Adelaide and Maggie would be preparing supper tonight.

Distracted, Adelaide wasn't paying attention to the other women, her basket all but empty. She reached for a cluster of shiny red berries, tossing them into the basket.

"Stan!" Small Bird reached into her basket, pulling out the strawberry-red cluster of fruit. "Stan!" she repeated again before tossing the berries onto the ground.

Well so much for that, Adelaide frowned.

"Aoo," Small Bird snapped off a cluster of deep blue berries, replacing the ones she had taken, then pointed to her own basket of dark blue fruit.

Adelaide flushed. It was painfully obvious she hadn't heard a word of the lesson.

Isabella giggled, popping a berry Small Bird held out to her into her mouth.

"Oh, Mom!" Isabella giggled again around the juices flowing from the fruit.

Small Bird smiled, patting Isabella's blonde hair before continuing to gather fruit.

"Maggie, we have to leave today," Adelaide lowered her voice, noticing with chagrin how full Maggie's basket was.

Was it only her who had clearly slacked off?