it for her. Patiently, Little Swallow filled the bowl again and again until her thirst was sated.
“Thank you,” Serena whispered, grateful to be laid back down on the robe. The effort to keep her eyes open drained her.
“Sleep now. You with friends.“ Little Swallow pulled the robe across her shoulders, tucking her in. “A warrioress should long rest after hard battle. Wolf is right—you a brave heart.”
Wolf watched Little Swallow hold the woman’s hand until she fell into a deep sleep. Then his sister placed the bowl next to the water gourd and got up, walking to where he sat.
“How badly did she scratch you?“ she asked, removing the cloth from his cheek to examine the injuries.
“She hurt my pride more than anything,” Wolf grumped. “I was playing with Dawn Sky when she awoke.”
Cleaning the wounds, Little Swallow sighed. “And she was confused, no doubt.”
“Fear,” he muttered, “I saw nothing but fear in her eyes. It was as if I were some hated, ugly thing to her. I tried to speak in her language to tell her I was her friend, but she became heyoka, crazy.”
“Well,” Little Swallow replied, making Wolf tip his head to one side while she applied the powder to stop the bleeding, “I don’t think her reaction is to you personally.”
He slid his sister a wry glance. “That makes me feel better.”
Giggling softly, Little Swallow patted his shoulder. “Her fear is of men. All men.”
“Because of the torture she has endured?”
“Exactly.”
Wolf managed a lopsided smile of thanks when Little Swallow completed her task. He motioned toward the woman. “What am I going to do with her, then? How can I treat her wounds if she fears me?”
“Let Deer Woman help Serena. You can see she does not fear her own kind.”
Grimacing, Wolf rubbed his brow. Where was Deer Woman? She ought to be in by now and sleeping. Was she out with Swift Elk, the brave who wanted her hand in marriage? Wolf shifted his thoughts back to his patient. “Is that her name? Suna?”
“Yes. I wonder if it means anything?”
Wolf shook his head. “The traders said their names meant nothing. The names are hollow, like all wasicuns.”
“Most wasicuns,” Little Swallow corrected, “but not her.”
The fire was dying and Wolf got up, moving over to the small stack of wood just inside the tepee door. He placed a few sticks on it and came back to sit down with his sister. “I worry that Deer Woman may become jealous and mistreat Cante Tinza…I mean, Suna.”
“Then I will care for her.”
Placing his arm around Little Swallow, he shook his head. “You do too much for all others, tanksi.” And then Wolf looked at her closely, seeing the ravages of the attack she had suffered hidden in her brown eyes. Little Swallow was just as upset as the red-haired one, yet coping with it better. “And what of you?“ he asked, squeezing her shoulders. “Have you rested this day after the attack? Or did you allow your husband and all your children to make their usual requests upon you?”
She rested her head on Wolf’s shoulder for a moment. “My way of dealing with the attack is to remain busy, tiblo. That way, my head and feelings won’t overwhelm me.“ Little Swallow gestured wearily to Serena. “This one mirrors what I feel inside, only she wears it on the outside. A while ago, my husband came over to hold me, and I shrank from him. I was shocked at my actions, and so was he. I told him how I felt inside, that I feared the touch of any man since the miner had his way with me….”
Wolf wrapped his other arm around his sister. “Do you feel fear now?“ he asked, his voice laden with emotion over her suffering.
Sighing, Little Swallow shook her head. “With you, I only feel peace and protection, tiblo.” And then she laughed. “But I have always felt that with you. Cante Tinza is fortunate.”
Snorting, Wolf muttered, “Why?”
“Because she has you. When she realizes that you are as gentle as a mother with her newborn foal, she will no longer fight you. She will cease to see that you are a man who might hurt her once again and begin to respond to you on a deeper, more important level—from her heart. I know you are a brave warrior who has counted coup many times, but in your heart you are a gentle man. Cante Tinza will sense that. She is a woman, and her heart will eventually outweigh her fear.”
Wolf wasn’t so sure, but his worry right now was Little Swallow. In the dim firelight he could see how washed out her skin had become. He loved his sister fiercely because she embodied all that was good in a woman. Little Swallow was unselfish and generous with others. Sometimes to her own detriment, he thought. Giving her another affectionate hug, he helped her to her feet.
“Come, I will walk you back to your lodge. Is there anything I can do for you?”
Reaching up, Little Swallow pressed a chaste kiss on his uninjured cheek. “You are a healer by simply holding me, tiblo. I feel better already. And no, do not walk with me. Stay with Cante Tinza. She needs you….”
“I must try and find a way to get her to trust me enough to help her.”
Little Swallow rolled her eyes. “Ho, tiblo, you are a great wapiya, but surely you realize your limitations. Give Deer Woman a chance to help Cante Tinza get used to us and our way of life. Deer Woman is a child not given to envy and jealousy.”
“No, just dreams that will never be,” Wolf muttered unhappily.
Patting his hand, Little Swallow moved toward the entrance. “I saw Deer Woman speaking with Swift Elk earlier. Perhaps he courts her more strongly than ever now that she lives with you. Call me if you need help with Cante Tinza.”
“I hope Deer Woman comes to her senses and marries the brave. If Cante Tinza refuses my help, I will call you,” he promised gloomily.
Little Swallow turned, a wistful expression on her face. “She is like a hurt child, Wolf, this red-haired one of yours. Your greatest gift as a wapiya is placing yourself within another person’s moccasins. Understand her fear and pain.“ Her eyes grew misty with love for him. “If anyone can earn her trust, it is you.”
Wolf wasn’t so sure of Little Swallow’s parting words. Getting up, he carried his parfleche across the tepee to where Serena now slept. Kneeling at her side, he carefully moved several strands of clean red hair away from her right temple. The injury was healing well. White Buffalo Calf Woman had answered his prayers.
But what had he prayed for? As he rested his hands on the hard surface of his thighs, he studied her face. The face of a proud woman. Just the angular shape of her features told him she was a spirited warrioress. Her cleft chin did nothing but confirm that even more. But it was the softness of her parted mouth that drew his attention. Wolf felt the heat within his loins stir as he stared in fascination at her lips. Despite the pallor of her flesh, they were the color of ripe red raspberries in season. The brown spots that dotted her skin across her cheeks and nose made her look childlike.
Pulling the robe down
