Daughter of the Eagle Page 6

  In addition, Eagle Woman felt that she could run better in a skirt. She could lift it high to allow her long legs room to stretch, to lengthen her stride, and to cover more ground. She had done so many times during her childhood years. This would free her of the hampering constriction of leggings around thighs and hips.

  As a precaution against the skirt itself becoming a problem, she had chosen her shortest dress. It was an old garment, well worn, one which allowed the fringe to fall above the knee. Then, as an extra precaution, she had taken a knife and slit the skirt up each side. There would be no danger of the garment restricting her stride.

  Eagle Woman had spent some time with her uncle, the medicine man, on the previous evening. Owl had always given good advice and comfort to the girl as she grew up. On this occasion he had little to offer. She had asked his advice regarding whether she should continue the contest. Owl knew that no other person had any clue that her resolve was weakening.

  “You must do as you choose, Daughter. Only this—if you continue, you must do your best. It is no loss of pride to lose, unless you have done less than your finest try.”

  Eagle Woman had slipped back to her father’s lodge, to rest and to try to prepare for the race. She had not actually considered abandoning her goal. It was only that in her exhaustion at the end of the gruelling second day she had begun to doubt herself a little. A bit of reassurance from Owl had been all that was needed. She was now ready.

  Standing Bird raised his hand for silence, and the confusion quieted. Solemnly he pointed to a flat-topped hill on the horizon.

  “You will run to that hill and return,” he stated. “There are warriors there already. They have placed markers on a flat stone there. You will pick up one of the markers and return it here.”

  The forms of a handful of mounted warriors could now be seen against the sky on the hilltop, barely distinguishable in the distance.

  Quickly Eagle Woman evaluated the situation. The most obvious route lay straight ahead, following the gully which meandered toward the hill. There would be one small stream to cross, some timber in the canyon, and perhaps a steep rocky shelf to climb, halfway there. It was not a truly difficult run.

  To her right, however, slightly to the west of the valley, the land opened upon a high, flat plain. It would be level and fairly smooth, reaching along the canyon’s rim almost to the foot of the hill that was the goal. This route would require, at first, that she climb a rather steep ridge to arrive at the level plain. She must also circle in a long arc to the west, following the canyon’s curving rim. That would make a longer distance but might save time by avoiding the rougher going in the ravine.

  Her decision was made by the time Standing Bird dropped the stone and called the signal to go. Long Walker, as she had expected, sprinted down the slope to follow the floor of the canyon. Eagle Woman turned to the right and began to jog toward the upland.

  The first hundred paces were easy; then the broken rock of the hillside confronted her. She had been to this ridge many times. It was a quiet place to be alone, to think. She knew of a game trail, skirting along the rim as it ascended, and it was to this path that she slanted her course.

  Even so, by the time she reached the top she was panting heavily. She caught a glimpse of Long Walker, running among the trees along the creek far below. He was well ahead of her, and she tried to reassure herself that she had accomplished a major part of the climb that Walker had yet before him.

  Eagle Woman sprinted along the game trail which skirted the canyon’s rim. How fortunate, the girl thought momentarily, that the trail was here. If she had had to study the terrain and plan the easiest route, much time would have been lost. As things were in the world, the trail had been there for many generations. Passing bands of deer, antelope, and elk had instinctively sought out the easiest course, and the hoofprints of their generations had permanently marked the path.

  The trail wavered only slightly, dividing in places and being joined by other paths, but basically it skirted the rim-rock. The going was good, and the girl could tell that she was gaining on Long Walker far below.

  There was one place that brought some delay. A shallow spur canyon lay in her path. Trusting the instincts of long-departed deer, she followed the path straight toward the obstacle. The trail dipped among jumbled boulders, and she slowed to jump from rock to rock. She saw the reason for this slight deviation of the trail. There was a clear, sparkling spring among the rocks.

  She would have welcomed a sip of the cool water but did not pause. She only moistened her drying lips with her tongue as she bounded up the other side of the gully and into the open again. Below her Long Walker was still in the lead, but he was now approaching an area of rough, broken rock and a forbidding outcrop which would slow him considerably. She smiled inwardly, trying to ignore the fact that her legs were beginning to ache.

  Knifelike pains stabbed at her muscles with every motion. The girl knew this would pass and that she must keep running. Her breath came in ragged gasps. She felt that she had been running forever, unable to stop, though she knew the entire race would be less than half a sun’s journey. That thought spurred her on, as she tried to ignore the pain in her chest and legs and the roaring in her ears.

  Now she adjusted her course slightly to the left, swinging the arc toward the flat-topped hill. It was looming closer, and she could see the individual figures of mounted warriors on the hilltop.

  She threw a quick glance to her left, where Long Walker now laboriously clambered over broken rim-rock to ascend the slope. Their paths would meet some distance ahead to begin the last ascent together. But, with a thrill, Eagle Woman realized that she was now ahead. Her strategy had been correct. She would start the last assault on the hill before Walker. Even more important was that he would be exhausted from fighting his way across the broken rock when he began the last slope.

  Her heart leaped in triumph, and she filled her lungs with the fresh air of the prairie. Almost, now, the pain in her muscles had become bearable. She looked ahead, slowing to pace herself for the last steep climb. The warriors at the top were yelling and cheering, motioning her onward.

  The last few steps to the flat summit seemed to take all the strength her tired legs could muster. The warriors pointed to a large flat stone, and the tired girl stumbled in that direction.

  “There is your marker, Eagle Woman. Hurry!”

  The speaker was her kinsman, Long Elk. Eagle Woman grasped one of the objects displayed on the flat rock. It was a small, smooth stone, polished by many summers of rolling in the stream. It was of a size to hold in one’s palm, and it was comforting to squeeze it there as she turned to start the second half of the race.

  With some amusement she noticed that there was a short strip of buckskin tied tightly around the stone and that it had been decorated with red and yellow paint. Standing Bird was taking no chances. None could accuse anyone of deceit, and none could question whether this was the proper stone or whether one had been substituted.

  She was starting down the hill when she met Long Walker. He was breathing heavily, and his face was ashen. He did not look up as they passed but continued to labor forward.

  Eagle Woman felt sorry. She longed to stop, to sit down together and talk, but she was not deceived. Walker would never give up. He would gain on her on the descent and might even be able to catch up.

  But she thought not. From the time that she met and passed the exhausted Walker, Eagle Woman began to allow herself to admit a little confidence. By the time she approached the rocky cleft with the spring, she risked a look backward.

  Long Walker had indeed gained somewhat, but she saw no way, short of accident, that he could catch her now. She even paused a moment to take a handful of water from the clear pool before she bounded ahead.

  The horsemen were overtaking her now, shouting and waving as they rode alongside. Through the aching in her chest, the burning lungs, and the sharp pains in her muscles, she began to feel the triumph of vic
tory.

  She had won.

  14

  Long Walker was only too aware that he was beaten. He realized that he had chosen the wrong route when he saw Eagle Woman on the slope ahead of him. When she passed him on her way back down, Walker despaired, but he still hoped to catch her.

  If only, he had thought for a moment, they could sit and talk. Perhaps he could make her understand that all his efforts were for her own good. The pursuits that the girl was proposing to enter were too dangerous. He wanted to shelter and protect her.

  Walker would have been astonished if he had known how close to his own fantasies were those of the girl. He imagined the two of them in their own lodge, Eagle Woman sometimes with him on a hunt, but above all, together. They had never yet finished talking. There were always things to discuss, to enjoy, to share together.

  But in the past few suns he had seen this possibility slipping away. Long Walker could imagine in his mind’s eye the two of them together, even if the girl attained warrior status. Only he was certain that Eagle Woman would not accept it.

  So, he had reasoned, he must stop her, and the Challenge had been his last resort. He had not been happy at its progress. Eagle Woman’s skills were even greater than he realized. Walker resented the attitude of the onlookers, the wagers, the ribald jokes. And now it had come to the last contest, and it would be over.

  He knew he was beaten by the time Eagle Woman stopped for a sip of water at the spring. He had elected to follow her course and had in fact gained considerably on her by the time they approached the camp. Horsemen rode alongside both runners, people yelled, dogs barked. Walker had managed to draw nearer, near enough for a respectable contest, but he knew that it was not good enough. There would be a certain amount of good-natured ridicule. That was not his primary concern. The depressing thought which weighed him down as he labored toward the finish was that he had failed in his effort to protect and shelter his friend, Eagle Woman. Worse still, she would always hate him for the attempt.

  The girl ahead of him sprinted across the finish line, skirt flying and long legs flashing. Walker put forth his best effort and pounded across to hand his marker to Standing Bird. A circle of people gathered around the exhausted contestants as the Elk-dog leader spoke.

  “Eagle Woman, you have met the Challenge. You are now ready to be one of us in the Elk-dog Society.”

  The girl nodded, panting heavily, trying to catch her breath. Long Walker struggled toward her, his color pale, sick from his effort but even more from his failure.

  “You have done well, Eagle Woman,” he gasped.

  She looked up and smiled at him. It was a triumphant smile, but friendly—a trifle surprised, perhaps. Long Walker permitted himself a glimmer of optimism. Was there, somewhere beneath the girl’s confident exterior, still a warm spot for him in her heart? The possibility was there, and he would pursue it.

  But later. Just now it seemed to require all his attention merely to breathe in and out. He sank to a sitting position, heart still pounding and lungs gasping for air. His muscles ached. He wondered for a moment if Eagle Woman could possibly feel this much pain and exhaustion. He looked over at the girl being warmly congratulated by friends and family. The pain of winning, he reflected morosely, is certainly less than that of losing.

  He was breathing more slowly now and managed to struggle to his feet. What would the girl do now, he wondered. Would she seek a vision quest and insist on going on a war party? His old concerns came flooding back into his mind.

  He could protect her, to a degree, in a war party; he could make her safety his primary concern. There was no way, however, that he could help her in the solitary aloneness of the vision quest. It was forbidden for any to follow her.

  Perhaps, he thought, she would stop here. She had won warrior status and might be willing to rest at that point. Even as these thoughts occurred to him, he knew better.

  Eagle Woman was sipping cautiously from a water skin held by her brother, Bobcat. Someone thrust a similar vessel at Long Walker, and he gratefully rinsed his parched mouth, spat on the ground, and sipped again.

  Standing Bird was motioning again to Eagle Woman and Long Walker. The two approached the chief, surrounded by excited onlookers and more serious members of the Elk-dog Society.

  “Now, Eagle Woman, how will you be called?”

  “I do not understand, my chief.”

  “What do you wish as your name? You may wait until after your vision quest if you wish.”

  Long Walker had not proceeded this far in his thinking. He had forgotten that it would be the girl’s right as a warrior to change her name to one of her choosing. She might choose to do so now or after her vision quest, or even at a later time to commemorate some important event. Walker was certain that she would choose to honor the events of this day.

  He was correct. Eagle Woman considered only briefly, then spoke to Standing Bird.

  “Yes, my chief. I will choose now.” She paused a moment, looking long at the flat-topped hill in the distance and all it had symbolized. “I will honor the race, the contest which has made me a warrior. I will be called Running Eagle!”

  Standing Bird nodded. “It is good!”

  He looked around the circle. “Know you all,” he proclaimed solemnly, “that she who has been called Eagle Woman will now be called Running Eagle Woman.”

  “No!” The girl almost shouted at him. “Not ‘woman.’ I will be called Running Eagle.”

  15

  The vision quest of Running Eagle was undertaken immediately. Her parents, her brother Bobcat, and her friend Long Walker all spent much time in worry and concern. The danger of her remaining alone in a remote place while she fasted and dreamed was considerable, of course.

  Sweet Grass fretted, and Eagle tried to pretend lack of concern to reassure his wife. Long Walker suffered in solitude, unable to share his worries with anyone. Bobcat came as close as any to a real understanding of the situation.

  “She is all right,” he assured his mother. “Has she not proved herself as a warrior?”

  Bobcat was enough older than his sister to have assumed a protective, almost proprietary air as they grew up. He had encouraged her in her boyish endeavors and had taken great pride in her achievements. It was he who had nominated her as a warrior sister.

  When the girl had requested warrior status, Bobcat was proud, yet mildly amused. Only during the increasing tension of the Challenge and its contests had he begun to feel strongly about it. By the time his sister had successfully proved herself, he was her most enthusiastic supporter.

  Even so, Bobcat understood her. He saw behind the busy, almost frantic activity to the sensitive emotions of the girl who had always looked up to him as an older brother, to be admired and honored. He was not deceived by her apparent anger, almost hatred, toward Long Walker. Bobcat had recognized the closeness between the two contestants in the Challenge and rejoiced in it.

  Long Walker was one of few young men he had ever known that Bobcat considered worthy of his sister. Walker was an acceptable brother-in-law, one the entire family could receive with pride.

  Bobcat knew his sister well. He was certain that once she had proved her point, Eagle Woman, now Running Eagle, would be ready to settle back and let her budding friendship blossom into marriage. Many young women rode with their husbands in the hunt, and this was the sort of mannish thing that would appeal to Running Eagle.

  He smiled to himself in amusement at the thought. He was perhaps the only one who knew how deeply rooted were her womanly instincts after all. Bobcat alone was aware of the contents of the hidden package behind the lodge lining. The girl had long ago confided to her brother that she was gathering cooking stones for her future as head of her own lodge.

  So Bobcat was unconcerned, in the long run, as to the ultimate outcome of all this. With tolerant amusement he knew that, when she was ready, his headstrong sister would reveal her plans. Until then it was no one’s concern but hers. Even though Bobcat k
new that young Walker need have no worry about the eventual outcome, he could do nothing to reassure him. To do so would betray the confidence of Eagle Woman.

  Running Eagle, that is. Aiee, he would have a difficult time until the new name became comfortable.

  The camp had been quiet since the end of the Challenge. It had been only a few suns when Running Eagle announced that she would go on her vision quest. It was her right to do so, but still her family was uneasy.

  Bobcat knew that the girl’s friend Walker would also be concerned, so he made occasion to spend time with him after Running Eagle had departed. True to their respect for her, neither mentioned the thoughts that concerned them both—the safety of Running Eagle. They discussed the weather, the hunt, tribal politics, and where they were likely to camp for the winter, but the girl was never mentioned. It was as if she did not exist.

  Running Eagle had taken no food, only weapons and a water skin to sustain her through the days of her fast. She chose for her protection her bow, her short knife, and a light war club. It was a weapon that had never appealed to her, but her brother had urged her to take it. It could do no harm.

  Bobcat had watched the girl set out, on foot and alone, with an odd premonition of danger. Strangely, though he felt that she was quite capable of taking care of herself, there was a sadness, a permanence, about this parting.

  He continued to be uneasy as the days passed, feeling moody and depressed. He could not have explained it, this vague sensation of loss and separation. He told himself that it was only because he now faced the loss of his sister, who would come of age through the ritual of the vision quest.

  He felt a great deal of relief, however, when a diversion offered itself. Bobcat had been for a cooling swim in the long, hot afternoon and was just stepping from the water when two of his friends rode up.

  “Ah-koh, Bobcat,” called Dark Cloud. “Get your horse and come with us.”

  “Where?”