Dan’s mind was furiously trying to translate what the Indian was saying. The words sounded familiar, even if the dialect was a bit different.
“Brother?” Dan translated out loud. The other words raced through his mind. Moose, deer, elk… elk running through the forest. Elk Runner!
“Jana,” Dan gripped her arm. “I think I know who this is.” She shook her head, her forehead wrinkled with incomprehension. “Daniel’s Shoshone brother, Elk Runner.”
Jana’s eyes widened, and she looked at the Indian, whose expression of bewilderment was almost comical. “Now I understand why he looks so perplexed.”
“Daniel Osborne,” Dan said, pointing his thumb at his chest. The Indian’s eyes widened, and he shook his head in a fierce gesture of denial. Dan slowly spoke in Shoshone, hoping this man could understand. “I come to warn White Wolf of a great danger.”
Elk Runner’s forehead wrinkled. “What tricks are the spirits playing, White Wolf? Have they punished you?” he asked. “I have warned you many times that you will make them angry. Now they have given your likeness to someone else.”
Dan wasn’t quite sure what Elk Runner was talking about. “I must find your brother.” He wished he could express himself more clearly. He wanted to tell this Indian that he wasn’t the Daniel who Elk Runner knew. If he had to guess, it sounded as if Elk Runner believed that the spirits had created another version of Daniel.
“You cannot find your way to your valley?” Elk Runner asked, looking stunned. “I have told you, have I not, that to stay with your wife at this time will anger the spirits. But you would not listen.” He threw his hands up in apparent exasperation. “The spirits have even given you a new wife.” He nodded toward Jana.
Dan shook his head, and ran his hand through his hair, frustrated that his communication skills were so limited. “No, she is not my wife,” he managed to string together.
Elk Runner grinned. “You wish for her to be your wife,” he stated knowingly. It almost sounded like a challenge.
Dan glanced at Jana, who listened to their exchange intently. He was sure she had no idea what they were talking about. “Yes, I do,” he said, and smiled at her. Her eyes narrowed on him, and he quickly looked toward Elk Runner. The man’s grin widened.
“Then do not make the same mistake you made last season, when the spirits gifted you with Dosa Haiwi,” Elk Runner said, and took several bold steps forward, finally holding out his hand to Dan. They clasped wrists firmly, and the Indian nodded in approval. “Perhaps it is good what the spirits have done with you, White Wolf. You are much more agreeable in your second form, even though your appearance, and your lack of knowledge is not to my liking.” He looked Dan up and down, and his eyes lingered on Dan’s hair. “You will come with us to our village.”
“I must go home,” Dan said for lack of words to tell Elk Runner he had to get to the Madison Valley.
Elk Runner shot him a perplexed look. “You will make the spirits angry all over again. You cannot go home yet. You cannot defy the ways of the spirits. Perhaps if you do as they wish, they will return your former self, after you fulfill your duty as a hunter of the Tukudeka. Tell me, what has happened to my true brother? Have the spirits taken him away?”
Dan had no clue what Elk Runner was talking about. Apparently, he was under the impression that the spirits were punishing Daniel for something he had done that went against tribal custom, but Dan had no way of asking what Elk Runner meant. For now, he decided to play along and go with the Indians. He hoped to get more information somehow. Maybe the words would come to him later.
“I don’t know what happened to White Wolf. How far away is your village from the valley of the Madison?” Dan managed to ask. At least he hoped it was what he’d asked.
Elk Runner looked annoyed. His two companions that he’d sent off earlier came back at that moment, nodding solemnly. The trappers’ wails had quieted, bringing an eerie stillness to the valley.
“Our village is close to your cabin in the valley, but you cannot return yet. Our mother will let you know when it is time. We go now,” he said. “It is best you come with us. The sky people have spoken.”
“What did they say?” Dan couldn’t help from asking. Either he was missing a key point here, or Elk Runner liked to talk in riddles.
“They have sent you here, just as they brought Dosa Haiwi to you . . . to your true form, one season ago. You and your new woman have the same manner of dress as she did. Tell me, is this woman gifted with the power of healing as well?”
“Yes, she is,” Dan said.
“The spirits work in strange ways sometimes.” The Indian shook his head. “They have gifted you with a mild-mannered woman this time. She does not look to be as disrespectful as Dosa Haiwi.”
Elk Runner abruptly turned and led the way through the forest. Everyone stepped around the dead trapper, and Dan kept himself between the body and Jana, so she wouldn’t have to take a close look. Dan stopped at the site where they spent the night, and kicked dirt onto the coals of the burned-out campfire. He grabbed his backpack, and nodded to Elk Runner that he was ready to go.
Single-file, the Sheeepeaters walked along some invisible trail heading south, skirting expertly around deadfall. The forest seemed to close in on them with every step they took. The canopies of the tallest lodgepoles blocked out the rays of the morning sun, making it appear almost like nighttime. No one spoke, and the silent way in which these people moved through the brush didn’t disturb the loud chirping of countless birds in the trees.
“Where are they taking us?” Jana asked in a hushed tone. She reached for Dan’s hand whenever she could. Most of the time, he nudged her to walk ahead of him. The path simply wasn’t wide enough for two people to travel side-by-side.
“Back to their village.”
“Did you tell him we need to get to Daniel and Aimee’s cabin?”
“Yes, but he says I can’t go there. Something about angry spirits. I think he believes I am another form of Daniel that was conjured by the spirits. He kept making references to something Daniel did to make the spirits mad, and I am his punishment.”
Jana glanced over her shoulder at him. “Sounds like an insult to me.” She grinned.
Dan frowned, and swatted her on her rear. “Are you saying I’m the inferior version of Daniel?” he asked in mock anger. “Maybe Elk Runner thinks I’m the new and improved version. He did say he liked me better.”
“I like you better, too,” she blurted, then quickly faced straight ahead. Dan stared at her backside. Waves of desire rushed through him suddenly, and his blood drained south.
“We have to get to Madison,” Jana said almost desperately, and Dan was glad that she was completely oblivious to his thoughts. She didn’t turn her head this time, and kept up with the hunter in front of her. Dan gave silent thanks to be bringing up the rear.
“I know. The village has to be on the way. Right now, I’m guessing we’re only another couple of days away.”
“What if Elk Runner won’t let us leave?”
“I’ll try and convince him again that Daniel and Aimee are in danger, and we need to see them.”
They walked for the remainder of the day. The Indians moved tirelessly through the endless forest, stopping only once along a shallow creek to drink some water and share strips of dried meat and handfuls of a mixture of nuts and berries.
Dan grinned at Jana’s dismayed look at the food in her hands. He leaned toward her and whispered in her ear. “You ought to be used to nuts by now.” They had eaten plenty on their trek through the wilderness.
“There are some nuts I’ll never get used to,” she said, and Dan clenched his jaw at the sensual teasing in her voice, and the twinkle in her eyes. He forced himself not to pull her into his arms at that moment. Her unexpected flirty side left his head spinning.
Without a proper comeback, Dan glanced up to distract himself from the images in his mind, images that included Jana’s legs wrapped around him. Elk R
unner stared at them from a short distance away. The satisfied smirk on the Indian’s face reminded Dan of a fox who’d just raided a henhouse.
Chapter 23
“Are we there yet?” Jana asked listlessly. The sun had almost disappeared behind the mountains, and Dan wrapped his fingers around her hand for encouragement. She looked worn out. It had been one very long day that had started out with a terrifying encounter with those trappers.
Elk Runner and his companions had set a steady pace all day. None of them gave any indication of being tired. Dan was just about to tell Jana it shouldn’t be much longer, when his nose caught the scent of wood smoke. Dogs barked in the distance.
“I think we’ve arrived,” he said, and gave her hand a light squeeze. Jana’s head perked up, and she walked a little straighter. Coming out of the forest into a grassy clearing, a group of nine dwellings appeared. Each was constructed of wooden poles erected close together to create a cone shaped hut. Most of them were partially covered with hides, while a few were merely thatched with grasses and leafy tree branches.
Children ran from the village to meet the returning hunters. Soon, chattering kids surrounded the four men. Dan stood off to the side, and slipped his arm around the back of Jana’s waist. “Now that’s quite a homecoming,” he remarked. Several of the children spotted them, and stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed. A couple pointed and whispered. Dan distinctly heard the name White Wolf mentioned several times. One little boy, the youngest in the group who appeared to have barely learned to walk, toddled up to Dan, and pulled at his pants. All the other children fell silent.
“Bia,” the child cried, and stared upwards. Dan knelt to the ground to be closer to eye level with the little boy. Chubby little hands reached for Dan’s face, and the tot smacked them against Dan’s cheeks. The little smile suddenly turned upside down, and his lips quivered. The boy sobbed, but didn’t cry out loud. Dan was lost for words, or what to do. Clearly, this youngster could tell he was not the person he had at first believed him to be.
“My son, Touch the Cloud,” Elk Runner said, and grabbed hold of the toddler’s arm. In one swift move, he pulled him up and set him on his shoulder. The tot grinned again, and grabbed his father’s hair.
“He misses his true uncle,” Elk Runner said.
“I am not his uncle,” Dan said apologetically, and stood to his full height.
Elk Runner’s penetrating gaze left Dan feeling uncomfortable. These people were strongly rooted in their spiritual beliefs, and Dan had no way of explaining his appearance to them. If Elk Runner believed him to be a copy of Daniel that the spirits conjured up, what did he think had happened to the original? And what had Daniel done to make Elk Runner believe the spirits were punishing him in the first place?
The men dispersed with the children toward the village, where women and other adults waited. Elk Runner’s eyes lingered on Dan. It was obvious he was trying to work things out in his mind.
“Come, brother. You and your woman will eat, and I make a gift of my lodge to you. If you keep the sky people happy, perhaps they will return you to the spirit world and bring the brother I know back.”
“And how do I make the spirits happy?” Dan asked.
“By following the customs of the people.” Elk Runner looked taken aback. “One season ago, White Wolf refused to take the woman the sky people brought to him as his wife. When the time came that he realized she was meant for him, the spirits took her away again. He has never told me, but I believe he brought her back from the spirit world. Now he defies the sky people again. Perhaps they have decided that he is no longer worthy of being a Tukudeka. I cannot explain your appearance. I do not possess the gift to speak to the spirits.”
The reaction of all the other adults in the village was the same as the hunters when Dan and Jana first came upon them in the forest early that morning. Looks of awe and disbelief showed on their faces when Elk Runner led him and Jana through the village. Jana clung to Dan’s arm like a tick on a hound.
Elk Runner led them to one of several cooking fires, and peeled his son from his shoulders. He set the boy down on the ground, who quickly toddled toward a short woman who held a flat pot made of clay in her hand. Her eyes were full of questions, looking from Elk Runner to Jana, and lingering on Dan.
“White Wolf’s spirit and his woman will stay in my lodge tonight,” Elk Runner said, addressing the woman. She nodded without speaking. Turning to Dan, he said, “This is my wife’s sister, Yellow Flower. She will prepare food for you. After you eat, this is my lodge.” He pointed to a large wickiup covered in hides. “I will speak to the elders. Perhaps they know the reason why you are here.” Without another word, he turned and headed toward several older men who stood in a half-circle, eying them curiously.
“What’s going on, Dan?” Jana asked in a hushed whisper.
“I’m not sure,” he said, expelling a lung full of air. He ran his hand through his hair.
“Are we prisoners?”
“No,” Dan laughed, and touched his hand to her back for reassurance. “We might as well make the best of it for tonight, and I’ll try and convince him again in the morning that we need to get to Daniel and Aimee’s.
The Indian woman, Yellow Flower, handed him an earthen bowl filled with some sort of soup consisting of chunks of meat, and root vegetables. Wordlessly, she walked away, the toddler at her heels. Dan sniffed. The food smelled delicious, and his mouth watered. He wasn’t going to tell Jana that she would most likely be eating marmot tonight.
“Let’s eat, then you can wash the trail dust off of you over by the creek. You might even get to sleep on something other than the hard ground tonight.”
While Jana left for the creek, Dan sought out Elk Runner. He sat in front of one of the wickiups, in animated conversation with several older men. They all looked up when Dan approached them.
“Spirit of White Wolf. The elders have agreed to welcome you as a member of our village,” Elk Runner said eagerly. “They have never seen the sky people’s power like this before. They all agree that you must do what my brother refused to do, so that my true brother can be returned to us.”
Dan’s forehead wrinkled. He was more confused than ever. “What do I have to do?” he asked.
“White Wolf must go on a hunt to gift the members of the village. He has refused to do so. The elders say that perhaps you were sent here to take my brother’s place.”
A hunt? That was it? Daniel had refused to go hunting, and now the spirits were mad at him? Dan mentally shook his head. There had to be more to the story than that.
“I must get to the valley,” Dan said, trying again to communicate that he had to warn Daniel and Aimee.
“You cannot go there,” Elk Runner said adamantly. “I have told you this. It is because your other self did not leave the valley that the sky people are angry.”
“Your brother White Wolf and his wife, Dosa Haiwi, are in great danger if I do not warn them,” Dan said forcefully.
Elk Runner dismissed his words with a wave of his hand. “I will send word to Dosa Haiwi, but she cannot leave her lodge.” He paused and smirked. “Knowing that woman, however, she will not do what she is told. Much like my brother.” He shook his head.
Dan wanted to hit something. He was frustrated beyond belief. Daniel shouldn’t be in the valley, but Aimee couldn’t leave? What key piece of information was he missing here?
Elk Runner placed his hand on Dan’s shoulder. He looked him in the eyes, smiling. “Spirit of White Wolf. I have made a gift of my lodge to you. Do not make the same mistake my true brother made last season. This time, follow my advice and spare yourself the misery he lived with. Take your woman to your lodge. She is now your wife.”
****
Dan held the mountain sheep hide away from the wickiup, and ducked through the opening into the dwelling, letting the flap fall closed behind him. The wooden poles in the center were barely high enough for him to stand up to his full height. He ran a hand th
rough his damp hair, some water droplets falling to his bare shoulders. He wiped at the back of his neck with the shirt he had slung over his shoulder. Washing the trail dust from his body had refreshed his tired muscles.
He squinted his eyes, and tried to focus his vision in the dim light. Outside, dusk was quickly giving way to the darkness of the evening, and it was even darker inside this hut.
“Dan, these hides are so comfortable,” Jana spoke out of the darkness. “I almost forgot what sleeping on something other than the hard ground feels like.” Dan followed the sound of her voice, and lowered himself to the ground.
“I hope there’s room enough for two,” he said, reaching out his hand. He made contact with the top of Jana’s head. Her hair was still damp from her own bath. She moved over, and Dan settled himself next to her. She was right. The soft furs beneath him did feel mighty nice, after weeks of nothing but hard ground. He sighed contently, stretched out on the furs, and clasped his hands behind the back of his head. Jana still sat upright at his side.
He stared up at the darkness for several minutes, listening to the sounds coming from outside. The village was growing quiet. Every now and then, hushed murmurs could be heard, and a dog yipped, but everyone seemed to be settling in for the night. Dan pulled his arm from behind his head, and reached for Jana.
“Come here,” he suggested, tugging on her arm. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”
She resisted for an instant, then lay down beside him, and rested her head on his arm.
“What if we’re too late?” she asked quietly. “What if something already happened to Aimee and Daniel? Why would Elk Runner think you’re another version of Daniel? Maybe you didn’t understand him correctly. Maybe Daniel is dead, and Elk Runner thinks you’re his reincarnation.”
Dan thought about what she said for a minute. “I don’t think so. I’m not sure these people believe in reincarnation. He simply sees me as someone the spirits conjured to right something that Daniel apparently did wrong, something that supposedly made the spirits mad.” He paused for a second. “At least that’s how I understood it.”
Yellowstone Deception (Yellowstone Romance Series Book 5) Page 17
