“My tobacco bag,” Talking Bird said, glancing over at Wolf Hawk.
Understanding that his grandfather wished to offer tobacco to the spirits before he used his medicine on Mia, Wolf Hawk reached behind him and grabbed the drawstring pouch, then gave it to Talking Bird.
He sat down then, folded his legs before him, rested his hands on his knees and watched. He hoped that what his grandfather was going to do wouldn’t bring fear back to Mia’s heart.
He was glad that she was alert now, aware of her surroundings, and of those she was with. She needed to be awake to see with her own eyes what was being done.
When Mia looked quickly over at him, he smiled and nodded.
His smile seemed to reassure her. She returned it and relaxed even more.
She now gazed up at Talking Bird, patiently awaiting whatever he was going to do.
Her eyes widened when he opened the pouch and took out some of the tobacco, then laid the pouch aside and held the tobacco above the fire.
Instead of smoking the tobacco, he held it aloft, and looked directly into Mia’s eyes.
“I will heal you, white woman, but you must also help yourself,” Talking Bird said slowly. “You are stronger than you think. The spirits know this, and you must believe it, too. As I make the offering of tobacco, remember what I have said. Believe it.”
Mia wasn’t sure what she should do…nod…or just wait and see what came next.
She chose to give the old Shaman a nod and a smile, then watched and listened.
She was quite taken by the gentleness of his voice and by his efforts on her behalf.
“Ha-ho,” Talking Bird said as he scattered the tobacco over the fire. “Fire, accept this offering of tobacco. Long ago, when I first learned of the magic that was given to me to use, you promised me aid if I offered you tobacco. Now I make that offering. I need your help to save this woman. Without your aid, she will die. This tobacco is my gift to you, and I pray that in return you will give her the gift of full health.”
He took up more tobacco in his hand and again scattered it into the flames, but this time there was a response. The flames sputtered and sent sparks flying heavenward.
He smiled, for he knew that he had been heard. The purifying smoke had driven away the evil spirits that had caused the white woman to become ill. And this was good, for he had not been certain that the spirits that guided his people’s lives would do the same for this woman, because she was a stranger and her skin was white.
Mia scarcely breathed as she watched what the Shaman would do next. He took several wooden vials from the many that he had placed on the floor around the base of his tepee.
She watched him take a wooden bowl and pour different liquids from the vials into it. Then he came to her and sat down beside her.
“I will now apply an herbal poultice to your legs to relieve your discomfort,” Talking Bird said, not hesitating to smooth the liquid over her rash. Mia gasped that he showed no fear of getting the terrible poison ivy himself.
“You can’t,” she suddenly said, scooting away from him. “You don’t want this on your body. Please…”
“I do not fear such things,” Talking Bird said, spreading the medicine across her legs. “I am protected by the spirits.” He gazed over his shoulder at Wolf Hawk. “As is my grandson.”
Mia glanced quickly past Talking Bird, at Wolf Hawk. Talking Bird’s statement reminded her about seeing Wolf Hawk step from that mysterious mist, appearing from nowhere.
She could not help thinking that there were mysterious things happening that she might never understand. But no matter what she might suspect, it did not alter her feelings for Wolf Hawk.
In fact, as each moment passed, she cared more and more for him. It was not just gratitude. She was in love with him.
She had been so lost in thought, she hadn’t realized that Talking Bird had finished putting the medicine on her legs, and had left her side for a moment. He returned carrying a wooden bowl.
She gazed questioningly at the bowl.
“I have brought you a bowl of Saskatoon berry broth to drink,” he said. He held it aloft in the smoke over the fire, then offered it to her. “Drink. This, too, will make your body heal.”
Unsure of drinking something that she had never heard of before, Mia didn’t accept it.
Seeing her hesitance, Wolf Hawk went and leaned over to help Mia up to a sitting position.
“You must drink what is being offered you,” Wolf Hawk softly encouraged. He took the bowl from his grandfather and placed it up close to Mia’s lips. “Open your mouth. I shall help you.”
“I…don’t…know,” Mia said, still hesitating.
Having unfamiliar medicine put on the outside of her body was one thing. But drinking it was something else. She was afraid of what she did not understand.
“You have put your trust in both myself and my grandfather. Why do you hesitate to drink something that will help your healing?” Wolf Hawk asked.
He gazed directly into her eyes.
He was glad when he saw trust returning to them, and was even happier when she smiled.
She turned to look into Talking Bird’s eyes. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I did not mean to look as though I don’t trust you. Of course, I will drink your medicine.”
She took the bowl from Wolf Hawk, and even though she was still afraid of it, she drank it, glad at least that it had a sweet, pleasant taste.
When she was finished, she handed the bowl back to Talking Bird. “Thank you,” she murmured. “Thank you for everything.”
“It is good of you to trust again,” Talking Bird said, then placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and urged her again to a prone position. “Now you must sleep. Sleep brings with it cures, too. Rest and sleep are all important to those who are ill.”
“I do feel so sleepy,” Mia said, wondering now if the drink had something in it that would make her sleep. She glanced quickly up at Wolf Hawk. “I…trust…you both.”
“I know,” he said, wanting to take her into his arms and hold her. “And your trust is good. It will be rewarded. You will be healed. Sleep now, my woman. Sleep. I do assure you that you will be well again and very soon. My grandfather has made it so.”
Unable to stay awake any longer, Mia fell into a restful sleep, no longer bothered by the hurtful itching, or fever.
Wolf Hawk and Talking Bird exchanged easy smiles.
“Take her to your own lodge now,” Talking Bird said softly. “I have done all that is required for her. The rest is up to you.”
“I understand,” Wolf Hawk said, nodding.
He gazed at Mia with much love, then slowly lifted her into his arms.
He and his grandfather smiled at each other again; then Wolf Hawk carried Mia outside the tepee.
Knowing that Mia would not awaken anytime soon, Wolf Hawk changed into a mighty hawk, then gently grasped Mia in his powerful talons, and took flight.
He flew up past the wolf willows, through the low-hanging fog, and soared across the river, until he came to a place in the forest where he could land without anyone seeing him.
After placing Mia on the ground, Wolf Hawk regained his human form, then again lifted Mia and ran with her toward his village.
When he entered, he took her quickly to his home, and soon had her resting comfortably on rich pelts close to the fire. He seated himself nearby so he could watch her.
“Soon you will be laughing and happy again,” he whispered. He reached to her brow and softly brushed her hair back from it. “Soon I shall be able to touch you all over, not only your face. And you will want my touch. You will want more than touches from Wolf Hawk. I know you will, for you love me as I love you.”
Mia seemed to hear his voice from somewhere far away.
She smiled at his words, for she now knew that he did love her. She now felt free to show her love for him.
Strange how a short while ago she seemed to be high in the air, floating and free, as though
something were carrying her across the river.
She knew that with fever came hallucinations. Perhaps the drink she had been given had made the hallucinations even more pronounced.
No matter, though. She sensed that she was safe now. All would be well.
She knew it now without a doubt, and she could hardly wait to tell Wolf Hawk, for he was the one who had taken her to his grandfather to be healed. Again she drifted into a peaceful sleep.
She smiled as she slept, and Wolf Hawk saw and wondered what was causing such sweet dreams. He hoped it was he she was dreaming about.
Chapter Nineteen
O dream how sweet, too, sweet,
Too bitter sweet,
Whose wakening should have
Been in Paradise!
—Christina Rossetti
The fire in the fire pit had burned down to glowing embers. Today it would be allowed to burn itself out because the warm air outside the tepee made it unnecessary.
Mia lay on soft furs in Wolf Hawk’s lodge, feeling quite comfortable. She was amazed at her progress. This morning she had discovered that her fever had broken and her legs were no longer swollen.
The poison ivy was no longer seeping, and even the sores seemed to be vanishing right before her eyes.
“My grandfather’s medicine works,” Wolf Hawk said as he entered his lodge and saw the surprise in Mia’s eyes as she looked up at him.
“I cannot believe how quickly I am healing,” Mia said, sitting up. She was so relieved that she felt better.
She was also glad to be away from Shadow Island. Although the Shaman had seemed to work miracles on her, the mysteriousness of the island had made her feel uneasy.
She had been surprised that Wolf Hawk had brought her to his own tepee to recuperate, instead of taking her to the one that had been assigned her. She could feel their connection strengthening and could no longer deny the feelings that overwhelmed her when she was with him. She had actually fallen in love with Wolf Hawk.
Even now, as he came over to her and knelt beside her, she could hardly control the rapid beating of her heart from just being so near him. Again she was keenly aware of the earthy, clean smell of him.
She loved the way his long, thick, black hair hung past his waist. She wanted to reach out and run her hands through it, but knew such boldness was not proper.
These feelings were new to her as a woman. She had doubted she would ever find a man she could love enough to want to marry.
Even though Wolf Hawk was an Indian and she was white, and she knew any relationship between them was forbidden, it did not matter at all to her.
She smiled at Wolf Hawk. “I do feel so much better,” she murmured. She gestured with a hand toward her legs. “And look! My legs are no longer swollen and I am almost totally over the poison ivy.”
She gazed up into his eyes. “How can I ever thank you enough for all that you have done for me, and…also your grandfather Shaman?” she said, smiling. “Had I not trusted you…”
“But you did, and you trusted my grandfather,” Wolf Hawk said softly, smiling himself. “I know that at first you were wary of my grandfather’s medicine, but it is good you trusted enough to allow him to care for you in the only way that he knows. I realize it is like nothing you’ve experienced before.”
“No doctor that I ever knew could do what Talking Bird did for me,” Mia murmured. “I would still be very ill had I gone to a white man’s physician. I might have even lost one or both legs. But now? Look at them! I don’t even believe I will be left with scars such as I have had in the past when I clumsily came into contact with poison ivy.”
“My people’s Great Spirit, which we call Earthmaker, looked down at you from his home in the sky. With his own wisdom he helped my grandfather heal you,” Wolf Hawk said. He sat down beside her. “I noticed that you brought what is called a Bible with you when I asked you to choose some belongings to pack. I have heard that white people pray over that sort of talking leaves. Do you?”
“Talking leaves?” Mia murmured, lifting an eyebrow in curiosity. “What do you mean?”
“My people call all of your people’s books ‘talking leaves,’” Wolf Hawk said. “It is because they talk to you and teach you.”
“That is an interesting way to describe books,” Mia murmured. She smiled. “And, yes, to answer your question…I do pray as I read my Bible, and even when it is not with me. I prayed last night as I lay on my pallet of furs, with the moon looking down on me from the smoke hole. You see, when I pray, I am also communicating with my mama and papa, who are now in heaven.”
She searched his eyes. “Do you and your people have something similar to a Bible that you use when you pray?” she asked softly.
“No, there is no written word for us to read as we worship and say our prayers,” Wolf Hawk said, pleased that she would want to know about his people’s beliefs. Surely that meant she cared for him.
“Then how do you pray, and when?” Mia asked.
She truly wanted to know. She wanted to learn everything about him, hoping that he, in turn, wished to know all about her. She wished he would openly confess his feelings about her.
She knew by his actions and behavior that he cared for her, but just how deeply? Would he ever let her know?
Or was it forbidden by his people’s laws that a powerful Winnebago chief have feelings for a white woman?
And for herself, did she love this man enough to marry him?
Until she knew the answers to these questions, she knew that she must guard her words.
“There is so much to tell you about our beliefs, but I will explain a little each day,” Wolf Hawk said.
“Please do,” Mia murmured. “I am truly interested.”
“The chief god we believe in is Earthmaker,” he began. “He is sometimes known to my people as Waxopini-zederea, the Great Spirit. We pray to the Earthmaker, and from him we receive many blessings.”
He paused, truly in awe of how interested she was in what he was saying. She gazed intensely at him while he spoke.
That was good, for he wanted to eventually teach her everything Winnebago.
“The women of the village also pray to the moon—” he began. He stopped abruptly when he saw Mia glance at the opened entrance flap, and heard her gasp.
“What is it?” he asked. He followed her gaze and saw nothing.
“Georgina,” Mia softly cried.
Her pulse raced as she listened intently to the sounds outside the tepee.
She looked quickly at Wolf Hawk and reached out to grab his arm. “Do you hear it, too?” she cried. “Or is it my imagination?”
“Do I hear what?” Wolf Hawk asked, his eyes widening as the beautiful song of a bird unfamiliar to him came wafting into the lodge.
“Oh, my Lord, Wolf Hawk, it is,” Mia said. She struggled to get to her feet, but fell back down on the pelts from weakness. “It…it…is my canary! It’s Georgina! How could it be? How can she have survived the days and nights since Tiny loosed her from her cage?”
She clutched Wolf Hawk’s arm more tightly. “Please help me find her,” Mia cried. “I can’t let her fly away or I may never again get the chance to save her. Surely she can’t survive much longer. She has never had to forage for her own food. And how has she eluded the night animals and the larger birds so long?”
Seeing her desperation, he gathered her up into his arms. As she clung to his neck with an arm, he quickly carried her outside.
Mia’s heart skipped several beats, for now that she was outside, she no longer heard Georgina’s song. Her bird had stopped singing.
She was filled with sudden panic, fearing that the canary had flown away. If so, she doubted she would ever find her again.
“She’s gone,” Mia said, suddenly sobbing. “As we stepped from your tepee the sudden movement must have frightened her away.” She lowered her eyes in quiet despair. “I will never have her with me again. Never.”
Suddenly a streak of yel
low flashed before Mia’s eyes. To her amazement, Georgina swept downward from somewhere in the trees and suddenly landed on Mia’s arm.
When Mia saw Georgina’s bold black eyes gaze up into hers, she felt that it was a miracle, for she had never attempted to train the canary to come to her.
“Georgina,” Mia cried softly, as Wolf Hawk stood there, stunned at what had happened.
She looked quickly up at him. “This is my canary!” she said. “The bird I told you about. It’s a miracle, Wolf Hawk. Look. She is sitting right on my arm. She is looking at me with such trust!”
“My woman, it is said among my people that if a bird comes to the door and gives its life up there, someone will die, but if it comes to the door and lives, it is a good omen…someone who is ill will live. Mia, your bird’s appearance here proves that you will soon be completely well. I believe Shaman grandfather willed your bird here, as a blessing to you.”
“Truly?” Mia said, her eyes wide as she gazed into Wolf Hawk’s. “But how did he even know about her?”
“My grandfather knows all,” Wolf Hawk said, smiling. “Even about this bird you call a canary.”
“Your grandfather is a wonderful, blessed man,” Mia murmured. “It is such a miracle that Georgina is with me again.”
“Just as it is a miracle that you have appeared in my life when I needed a woman to be there,” Wolf Hawk said, causing Mia a sensual thrill.
He knew this was not the time to go further into how he felt about Mia. At any moment the bird might fly away again.
If so, his woman would be terribly distressed and he could not allow that. He wanted everything good for her.
“Let us go inside my lodge with your bird,” Wolf Hawk suggested, already carrying Mia through the entranceway.
He gently set her down on her feet, stunned when the bird still remained on her arm. At that moment it began warbling a beautiful, soft, sweet song.
“Do you hear her?” Mia whispered, just loud enough for Wolf Hawk to hear.
Then she thought of something else. She glanced up at Wolf Hawk.
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