She was a kind woman, a strong woman, and a very beautiful woman. He could not keep his eyes from her. And yet she belonged to another. If he could wipe her from his mind, he would, but she would not leave.
On his mother's dying bed, she told and retold her love story. Lone Wolf remembered it fondly. How she had been his father's slave, and slowly fallen in love with the man, a chief who governed his people with compassion and love. His father had grieved for so long when she died, his spirit dying with her to some extent.
Now Lone Wolf's mind wandered to the white woman from the feed store that had been beaten by her husband. She was beautiful, unforgettable, and certainly not his… but it did not stop his heart from reaching out to her. She was the only woman that had ever caught his eye like that. He had seen her many times, every time he went to the store in fact. She had waited on him and turned her topaz eyes on him with such a sadness. He secretly longed to wipe her sadness away.
How could he want someone that did not look upon him in the same way?
He thought about his white mother, had she cared for his father at the beginning when he took her from a wagon train and made her his slave. Had she loved him then, or had the love grown from his kindness to her? Perhaps he thought too much of this white woman, because of his mother.
He had gone there many times, just to look upon her. To see her generous nature to her customers. To see her feed a hungry dog. And to witness her strength when her husband would slap her, in front of people. She never cried, she never wailed, she buried her hurt inside her.
Her heart was scarred with her husband's meanness.
Lone Wolf's mind was set, he knew what he must do.
But before he acted, he would seek council from the peyote visions.
Chapter Two
Lone Wolf came out of the sweat lodge with renewed faith that he was on the right trail. He'd drank the peyote juice, seen the vision and was content now. He'd been there for four days, mediating, fasting, waiting for the vision he sought. His vision was strong and told much of his future. The woman he would marry was in that vision. It would not be an easy life at first, but in the end, he would sing praises to the Great Spirit for bringing him such a woman.
He was sure of his path now. The Great Spirit deemed it so.
He saw many obstacles in his way, but the Great Spirit would guide him, he was sure of that.
Although he had made some fantastic trades for his people, and had contributed to the food supply for winter, his father was displeased with his decision not to marry the Cheyenne girl. He'd expected it but wished that his father could understand.
In his older age, his father, Gray Eye had lost some of his spirit and much of his independence since he signed the treaty with the white man in Washington. In truth Gray Eye suffered from his surrender, but his reasoning was sound, he wanted to save his people from annihilation.
"And what vision did you see, my son?" His father asked him.
"I will not marry the Cheyenne woman. I will marry a white woman… it was in my vision."
"A white woman?" his father questioned. His father's voice held disappointment.
"Yes, a white woman."
"And do you know this woman?"
"Yes, I do."
"Then why have you not brought her here?"
"There are obstacles in our way?"
"Then it would be better not to bring her."
"She was in my vision father, I must bring her."
"But it would cause trouble."
"Perhaps! Does my father not look upon trouble as a challenge?"
"I am old now, and I do not seek a challenge." He scoffed.
"Well father, it is I who must seek the challenge. I am your only son, and I will be chief someday. Some decisions must be made by me. This is one of them."
Lone Wolf walked away, wishing his father's spirit was not so broken. The love of his life was gone, the ability to look upon the lands he once walked was gone. Faced with life on a reservation was good for his people, no doubt, but for his father it meant defeat, it left him broken. The one thing he looked forward to was seeing his only son marry. Now even that was a problem.