Savage Ecstasy

by Janelle Taylor

  There was no race anywhere who loved storyteling and talking more than the Indians. As with many past nights, they spoke of old glories and battles. Often, the one speaking would act out his tale or speech with great to-do. Gray Eagle’s people were a happy, easy-going, inteligent tribe who enjoyed their lives and existences as they were.

  When the time for sleep came, Gray Eagle lay on his back on his buffalo skin gazing up into the starry, clear night. He would be happy to get home and to again taste the sweetness of Alisha’s surrender. He recaled many things about her as he lay there. I wil teach her the ways of the Oglalas and she wil become as one someday, he dreamed. A final truce has come between us now. He smiled as he thought of the simplicity of things to come. White Arrow observed the mood of his friend closely. He saw the smile come and go. He thinks of Pi-Zi Ista and her defeat to him, he deduced. I do not fuly believe she yields her al to him yet for her suffering and pain are stil too great in her mind and heart. Wanmdi Hota sees as he wishes it to be, not as it truly is. Who wil suffer the most when the time for this truth is here? I fear our people may accept her as his kaskapi, but never as his winyan. My greatest fear is she wil not be able to accept this life of slavery forever. Only the Great Spirit knows and controls the truth and only he can help either of them now.

  Alisha’s image formed before his mind’s eye. He saw her soft, snowy skin; her proud, graceful walk; the sparkle of life and innocence in those grassy eyes; the fiery shine in her auburn curls; and her courage in the face of danger. She makes any man, Indian or wasichu, desire her for his own, White Arrow sighed. or wasichu, desire her for his own, White Arrow sighed. How does he bring himself to hurt her these many times? he asked himself. If she were mine, I would be firm, but gentle, with her. I would love and protect her from al shame and hurt. He thought angrily, she clings to me for comfort and understanding, not him. She begged me to go against him to help her. Wanmdi Hota wil never know how close I came to doing just that!

  Dreaming of how he would like to someday possess Alisha, White Arrow finaly dropped off to sleep.

  The warriors ate quickly the next morning and were hurriedly on their way before dawn broke. This time they rode swiftly, eager to be home after the long, fruitless journey. There was no need to conserve the strength of the horses or men.

  It was mid-afternoon when they reached their vilage, horses lathered and pawing loose dirt. The younger braves came running forward to take the horses. They would feed, water and rub them down in the cool stream water. The other warriors came out to hear the news of their ride. The group of men talked and laughed for a while.

  The younger braves joked and planned for the day when they, too, would be with the warriors on hunts and raids instead of caring for the horses after the excitement was over. They led the animals to the stream and entered a shalow area. It was their daily task to feed, water and exercise the warriors’ mounts. In this land, a man’s horse could mean his life, and the animal was treated with great care. After he had been cared for, he was exercised to loosen and firm taut muscles.

  The warrior’s horse was put through a daily regimen of selected drils for speed and agility. The bridle was used only for selected drils for speed and agility. The bridle was used only for securing and leading him. He was directed and commanded by knee-pressure and verbal commands from his master. When properly trained, an Indian horse could only be ridden by his owner. Unless verbaly ordered by his master, he would not alow anyone else on his back.

  This style of knee-pressure riding was necessary for their type of hunting and warfare. A brave needed the use of both hands for his weapons. His horse must be trained in alertness and nimbleness to adjust to sudden changes of direction when pursuing an enemy or game. The young braves knew the importance of their task and did it with great pride and efficiency. After the horses were exercised, they were tethered near the warriors’ teepees.

  Gray Eagle grew restless with the continued talking. He dismissed himself from the group of men to go to his teepee. He lifted the flap and entered. He looked about—she was not there. He went to find Matu and question her. Matu informed him she had done as he had commanded. She had left her alone. She had not seen Alisha since yesterday morning when she was returning from the stream. Alisha had gone inside his teepee and remained there. A quiver of apprehension disturbed Gray Eagle’s mind. He tried to brush it away. Alisha must have gone to the stream and Matu had not noted her passing. He walked there, but found no Alisha. He strained his ears and eyes for a sight or sound of her. Surely she must be close by. She could be out gathering berries, but why alone? He walked around, caling her name. There was no answer. He scouted the edge of the stream and forest for her. The incident with the trapper haunted his thoughts. Had something happened to her? Could she be hurt or taken prisoner by another?

  Had she gotten lost in the forest or been attacked by some wild Had she gotten lost in the forest or been attacked by some wild beast? He knew the answers to al his fears, for there would be some sign of danger or warning to his keen eyes. He must have just missed her in the vilage. There was no other place she would dare go. The camp was a large place …

  He returned to have another look around, trying not to show his worry. It did not take him long to realize she was not in the vilage, at the stream or in the nearby forest—the only places a kaskapi could go. That intangible feeling of danger touched him again and he fought to suppress it. He was gazing off into blank space when White Arrow came over to him. Gray Eagle explained his futile search for Alisha. White Arrow saw the black scowl mixed with anxiety on his friend’s face. They walked back to his teepee for a clue to Alisha’s disappearance.

  His eyes scanned the teepee thoroughly. They darkened in fury as they noted the missing mni skin, wasna pouch, the garments, the blanket—and Alisha. His face went almost white with shock and rage at the implication of the missing items and his Alisha. White Arrow observed a tic in the taut muscle of his friend’s jawline. As the ful truth settled in on his koda, he watched Gray Eagle’s eyes narrow, and his brow tense in rapidly growing anger. He could hear the gritting of his teeth as he clenched them together as he paced the close confines of his teepee. As he planned what to do, he continualy pounded one fist into the palm of his• other hand. When he spoke at last, he vowed ominously, “This day, she wil regret above al other days she has ever known, my koda! She has dared to dishonor my trust in her and make a fool of me before my people. She has betrayed me and my acceptance of her. To think of what I was going to tel her this very day! I wil shame her before the very ones she shamed and dishonored me. They wil see before the very ones she shamed and dishonored me. They wil see and know ‘Wanmdi Hota yields and bows to no winyan or man. She wil pay greatly for this betrayal. I wil never again make this mistake. I cannot forgive this thing, Wanhinkpe Ska. I cannot…”

  White Arrow listened to the words which were tinged with anger and anguish. He tried to reason with Gray Eagle and to help him understand Alisha’s escape, but Gray Eagle was past hearing any excuses or reasons. White Arrow comprehended the meaning of his premonition—the time had been too short to bring forgiveness, no matter how much love she felt for his koda. I tried to warn him, he thought, but he would not hear my words. She has betrayed not only his honor but his love. They wil both suffer for this deed, just as the warning promised.

  As he watched Gray Eagle gather his supplies in order to track Alisha, he feared what Gray Eagle would do to her when he caught up with her. I must force him to take me along, he decided. I could prevent his kiling her out of anger. He must not act before his hurt and rage have lessened. Wanmdi Hota is not a man to dishonor as she has unknowingly done. Can he not see how greatly she fears him, and rightly so? Can he not see she hungers for freedom and peace just as he did? It takes more than love to make a winyan stay here wilingly.

  Gray Eagle refused to alow White Arrow to go with him.

  “This is between the girl and me! No one can help or protect her from me, not even
you, my koda. The Great Spirit wil guide my path. He wil show me what to do when the time comes.”

  “Be sure it is the voice of the Great Spirit you hear and obey, my koda, and not the voice of vengeance within your own heart.”

  White Arrow knew it would not help to argue further with Gray Eagle for he was determined to go alone. White Arrow Gray Eagle for he was determined to go alone. White Arrow remained silent.

  Gray Eagle alowed White Arrow to help him search the surrounding area for signs of her escape. Now that they knew she was fleeing, they would know what to look for. It did not take long to discover her tracks near the stream. Each man went in an opposite direction to find where she had left the water to enter the forest on the other bank. She possessed a light step and smal foot which made her tracks easy to define and folow. Earlier, they had taken no particular notice of her tracks near the stream for it had not seemed unusual for them to be there. As Gray Eagle moved along in the stream searching the bank for her trail, he realized she had purposely tried to hide her tracks.

  He scoffed bitterly, knowing her ability to hide her passing from his keen eyes would not hold a twig to his tracking skils. There was no way she could hope to hide from his alert senses. When he spotted the place she had left the water, he whistled a signal to White Arrow to come and join him. They studied the tracks. It was evident she had passed here about mid-day the day before. He told White Arrow to return to camp and wait for him there. He stepped out of the stream and replaced his moccasins, then disappeared into the forest on the other bank. White Arrow knew it would not take his koda long to overtake Alisha. He is sure to move swiftly, he thought. He wil have her within his power and mercy by nightfal. I pray he brings his anger under control before he finds her.

  But the opposite thing was happening to Gray Eagle. The faster he walked, the greater his anger built within him. He snarled angrily, her love was a lie, a trick! I have not been a fool of a winyan’s deceit before. I have alowed no one to fool me with these winyan’s deceit before. I have alowed no one to fool me with these games. She is not unlike the winyans everywhere. Fool! It was unwise to trust a winyan and to open my heart to one, especialy an ista ska. She wil pay for this. She wil never have the chance to dishonor or trick me again—if I do not kil her first. Gray Eagle knew he must come to terms with the rage which gnawed at his insides and the fire which burned a message of revenge across his thoughts. She had dealt him an unforgivable, crushing blow. He knew if he did not bring his emotions under rigid control he would surely kil her with his bare hands. He concentrated on self control, but hardened his heart against Alisha. Gray Eagle was accustomed to covering many miles swiftly without food or rest when necessary. Even amidst his great anger, he knew he must find her soon before she came upon a wild animal or other warriors. To imagine a wild animal tearing at his Lese’s body agitated him immensely. He felt uneasy and tense. He instinctively quickened his pace. Her death was more alarming than her escape.

  Far worse were his thoughts of her capture by another tribe. After her reaction to the teepee sa, she would never endure many rapes and abuses. If they mistook her for an Oglala maiden, her beauty would be her downfal. No man could refuse to take her once he saw her; and after once taking her, he would not want to give her up.

  His anxiety mounted with each passing minute. He now traveled with new angers and concerns. She had no weapon to protect herself with. She would be powerless to ward off any kind of attack, by man or by animal.

  In spite of his attempts to prevent them, happy days and times began to storm his mind. Little things began to sneak in around the began to storm his mind. Little things began to sneak in around the edges of his heart and lodged there, unwanted and resisted. Many incidents of his cruelty and her resistance flashed vividly before his mind. For a brief moment, a flicker of understanding glimmered, but he quickly extinguished it.

  He asked himself if he were only trying to find excuses for her, trying to pretend she was innocent of blatant defiance and purposely trying to dishonor him, and trying to convince himself she did not love him and her response to him had not been deceitful. He knew it was beyond his power to protect and save her this time. He tried to force himself to accept the inevitable. His people would expect and demand her punishment for this deed and he could not lose face by refusal. What reason could he give for withholding it? He cried, if only there was some way to save you, Cinstinna, without the cost of my honor. This time my hands are bound by my laws and customs. You have chosen our destinies and we must live them.

  He came upon the place where she had spent a restless night. He could imagine her fatigue and fear. She could not be too far ahead of him now—her signs and tracks were stil fresh. The gap was closing fast. He must soon decide his course of action when he found her. An action which would affect the course of both their lives.

  The sun was slowly sinking on the horizon and blazed like a giant fire in the heavens. Darkness would soon be upon him. Suddenly, he sighted her. He halted instantly to quietly observe her, alerted by a sixth sense of impending danger.

  She was standing immobile, staring wide-eyed and whitefaced at the ground before her. His gaze folowed her line of vision. Coiled and ready to strike, a large rattlesnake blocked her path. Coiled and ready to strike, a large rattlesnake blocked her path. She was poised between two high boulders in a narrow gap, which obviously had only one exit—the one now occupied by the viper. Evidently she had intended to hide and sleep in the gorge, but had changed her mind. Perhaps she had felt trapped without another means of escape. It appeared to be a test of patience and courage between Alisha and the rattler as to which one would make the next move.

  He stood frozen in his hidden position until he was sure of his next move. He did not take the life of one of Wakantanka’s creatures lightly, He carefuly studied al angles of the scene from where he was. He could not afford one error. She was surely too scared and tired to remain stil and silent much longer. He dared not show himself for she might move or cal out, inciting the snake to strike. A snake-bite was a horrible way for one to die. Her death or life was his to decide…

  Had he been shown a way out for both of them? Had the Great Spirit sent one of his creatures to do what Gray Eagle did not have the heart and courage to do? He carefuly calculated the wind, the speed of his arrow, and the distance between them, knowing he would get only one chance to seal their fate. Fervently, he prayed to the Great Spirit to guide his aim and give his arrow true flight and speed, noping he had made the right decision. He was ready. … He gazed intently at the fragile white girl who had brought stirrings to his heart as no other winyan had.

  He silently and cautiously released the arrow from his bow, instantly knowing that now, al was in the hands of the Great Spirit. Alisha stared transfixed into the face of death. It was too late for Gray Eagle to come to her rescue. She had prayed he had already returned to his vilage and found her missing. Surely he already returned to his vilage and found her missing. Surely he would come to search for her, if only out of pride and anger. She knew it was too soon for him to have returned from his raid and have tracked her down. He had taken his bedrol. That meant he was planning on being gone for a couple of days. By the time he discovered her escape and tracked her here, he would only find her body, distorted in agony and death. What a stupid fool I was, she raged against herself. Perhaps he wil be glad to be rid of me. If he misses anything at al, it wil be my services in and out of his mats. She had once seen a man die of a rattler bite. It had been terrible to witness. His leg had swolen to twice its size, turning a flaming red, then a purplish greenish blue. His tongue became so enlarged he could not swalow or breathe. He had burned with a raging fever for days and ranted wildly in delirium. His eyes began to redden, bulge and glaze on the second or third day. After a few days, the leg began to turn a greenish-black and rot right off his body, producing a putrid stench. When the end came, he could no longer scream or even beg the men to kil him to end his torment. They couldn’
t even force whiskey down his throat anymore to assauge his suffering. The venom had traveled throughout him without mercy, ravaging him completely.

  Alisha now knew she should not have attempted to escape. She was no match for this savage land … or for Gray Eagle. If only he would come and save her from this horrifying death, she vowed she would never try to escape again.

  While standing off the rattler, thoughts rushed through her mind. If I do somehow manage to escape this snake, I could be attacked by other animals or starve or get lost forever on the plains. I could even be captured by another Indian and… Horror flooded her senses. The reality of this fate was worse than death by the her senses. The reality of this fate was worse than death by the snake. No man would treat me like he has, she realized. They would treat me like Kathy … the teepee sa… many men and nights of… She weighed the things he had done to her against the things she knew were done to other female captives. Nothing he had done could compare with the terror, shame and torment of those things. Please, Wanmdi Hota, she begged inwardly. Please find me

  … if I must endure a life of slavery, then let it be with you. If I survive this ordeal and you do come for me, I’l never try this again. If only I could go back to yesterday, I would be safe in your teepee, waiting for your return.

  But the day before, Alisha had thought only of escape. Gray Eagle had been gone when she awoke. She had

  immediately peeped out to see if he had left her guarded, but saw no one. She prepared the fire and did her daily chores. After she had cooked maize cakes, she took a pouch and packed it with food and a change of clothes. She clutched it tightly to her bosom and made ready to go to hide it for later. She took the mni skin and blanket, and concealed them in the wood sling. To anyone who noticed her, they would see only a kaskapi fetching water, wood and behaving as a good slave should.