is it you know of my dreams, Cougar?”
“I think you know the answer to that Mother.” He said very softly, still watching her intently. He had decided he was going to tell her this night. It had always seemed to him that he should not speak of this to anyone. It was one thing for Grandfather to have dreams, and for her to have dreams, but he was not certain that as a Chief that he should acknowledge having some of the gifts. He knew how the white people felt about these things.
His beautiful and gentle Mother would face inquisition had she been born in England or even the Eastern portions of this new country. She would have been labeled a witch and subjected to scorn and hatred or worse, much worse. There were some of the things in the world of the white man that he liked, although he would not admit this to any but himself. Other things filled him with disgust and scorn. As when he thought of how white people treated things that were unknown to them with such hatred. As his Mother's gifts.
“I think it is time you spoke to me my son.” Winter Woman said very gently.
“Yes, I think you are right, my dear Mother, but it is so complex.” He sat deeply in thought for a moment before continuing, then looking at her, he spoke.
“To begin with, I do not think that I have the gifts to the extent of you and Grandfather. I have experienced flashes, of what I would call visions, but not only as in a dream. I have these flashes while awake as well. Grandfather's dreams, and yours, are complete. Mine are like scenes without a full picture of all that is around the picture itself. The white people have what they call hunches. To you this is the gift of The Sense, and in some respects, I do share this with you. I just do not feel that what I have is to the degree of your gifts.”
He sat deeply in thought for a moment. There were so many things unexplained.
“I have given much thought to all of this. I speak with you Mother, but not with my people of this. I do not feel that this is acceptable for their Chief. I am not even certain why I feel this way, but I do. Perhaps in a way this too is the sense. I sense that it would not be good to share the knowledge with others that I have any gifts at all. My most pronounced gift, if that is what it is, seems to be a kinship with my namesake. When I have these flashes of vision, it is, as though I am seeing them through the eyes of the Great Cat, not my own. I only see what his eyes see. It is almost a glimpse, so to speak.”
His face flashed with pain as memories came to this mind from times far past. “I did not know what was to happen to my Father, yet I knew that something was. I knew there would be something happen that was to sadden your heart heavily that morning, I went to Spirit Lake with Father. The Lake and I also share something. Before my Father and I went out upon the Lake I had looked into the water. There have been other times that this has also happened. When the Lake is the color of the eyes of the Great Cat, there are things that I see in it, I saw that morning in the water what was to come. When I balked, Father became upset, even angry. He felt the white man's way had softened me, taken the Spirit of the Brave from me. This was not so. I was too young to know how to tell him of these things and in the end, he went upon the water. As we were pushing out from the shore, I looked up and into the eyes of the Great Cat as He watched from His rock above. It came to me as if a voice had spoken. That is how clearly it came; telling me I could not change what was to be. I had a heavy heart when we were finally upon the water, and still too young to fully heed the meaning of the voice. Now as a man, I understand that what was meant to be, I could not have changed.”
“I saw the great storm coming down at us across the mountain, and again, I tried to convince my Father to return to shore. It was of no use. Father became outraged again saying to me that I had become soft, like a maiden instead of a brave. When the huge waves came and the lightning struck near us, again I pleaded with Father.” Cougar's face was showing the sadness he felt remembering that tragic day, he sighed heavily and looked at his Mother. He could see that she too was remembering and her heart heavy.
“Mother, there are times I have hated these gifts. To what use are they? If we cannot use them to prevent these kinds of things from happening, why do we have them? You knew what was to happen to Father, and when we were at the Lake, I knew as well. To what use was it? You lost your husband that day, and I lost my Father, even though we had both been forewarned of what was to be. Why? Why Mother? Do you know the answer?”
“No. I cannot give you the answer. Grandfather could not answer the same question when I asked it of him. It is part of the mystery. Yet, you must also remember that there have been other times that the gifts have saved many. Perhaps they are only of use as warnings. If those that should heed the warning do not, then we are not able to change what is to be. I have come to believe that in order for the gifts to help, they have to be heeded. It is for each man to make his own decision. We cannot do this for them. We can only warn them.”
Both sat quietly for a time, lost in their own thoughts as they looked into the flames. Both were troubled in their own way, yet not quite knowing why. Had they put their thoughts into words, perhaps they would have said they could sense there were things going on, things they did not understand. They knew that in a way, also unknown to them, that it was to greatly change both of their lives, and other lives in the future beyond them.
Finally coming out of her thoughts, Winter Woman looked at her son. She dreaded to ask, but at the same time must know his answer. She drew in a breath and looked back to the fire. She would be glad to have this mystery done with. This was not her usual dream pattern at all.
“Do you know this white girl from your days in their schools?”
He looked long and hard at his Mother. He was mystified about the girl himself. He knew without knowing that his Mother had seen the same girl in her dreams. Still, it was a mystery to both of them.
“I have thought about it many times. I do not know her, and I cannot recall having seen her before, not even so much as a passing glance.”
“She is the same girl for you? The girl with the eyes of the Great Cat, only younger, in an innocent way, almost those of a kitten. Her hair is like a winter sunset with the colors of the Cat streaking through it, shimmering like water. This is the same girl is it not?”
“Yes, this is the same girl I have seen. It seems that neither of us knows this girl. Nor can we comprehend how it is that we have both seen her. We do know, however peculiar it may be, we both do know. I have no idea why we are seeing her Mother. I wish I did! I find it frustrating, and at times I become very angry about these visions, but you know this too.”
Again, he sighed deeply, feeling the odd sadness lingering about them in the room.
“Mother,” he said in a gentle voice, “tonight the girl harmed in the dream was not the girl of your previous dreams, that girl still remains safe. She was still in the window when the other happened.”
Winter Woman's head snapped up to look at him. Now she was surprised! She did not think he had seen so much of this hideous dream of tonight!
“You saw all of this in the dream too! This dream of tonight?”
“Not exactly. Again, just flashes of vision. Visions of unspeakable acts. I woke from the dream feeling rage and disgust! I had glimpsed the girl standing in the window. It was not what I saw. I mean, not what I was able to actually view, that gave me these feelings. It was more what I felt, a very menacing feeling. Evil was all around the girl, threatening her, and yet there seemed no imminent danger. I only saw her. When I spoke these words to you just now that it was not her, I didn't even realize I was saying them until they were spoken. No, Mother I do not fully know of the dream that has plagued you this night. I only knew I had to say the words to you that the girl is not harmed. Harm hovers
