Paradise Valley 2, Homecoming

Paradise Valley 2, Homecoming


Tall Elk rode warily, with one eye on the sunset, the other on the canyon ahead. They were minutes from home now. The nearby canyon protected Paradise Valley from outsiders arriving from the south and it was a bad time to be approaching the canyon. With most raiding parties riding south, that is the direction of the greatest threat. Any pursuers would be ambushed there at the narrow valley. He looked around the herd to make sure everyone was present. Now was the time to count, just before sunset. His eyes wandered around the men near him, then those on the other side of the mixed herd. Bent Turtle rode with his usual humpback style. Sideways Walking Fox, was easy to recognize, as he was the smallest rider in the herd. Three other men rode point, one had the girth of Shadow Wolf, their leader. Most were too far away to identify in the dust and darkness. He mentally counted six more before he came to Camp Robber Jay, riding just ahead of him. Thirteen men, including himself. Everyone was present.

“Aaaaiiiiieeee!” Tall Elk shouted at the sky. Frightened by the sound, one cow tried to duck out of the herd, but Tall Elk waved a blanket in it’s face and turned it.

“Aaaaeee hup hup hup!” came the correct response from the nearby hills, signifying it was safe to ride into the treacherous canyon.

Tall Elk stopped and checked their back trail. With the darkening shadows it would be easy to miss anything, but he saw nothing. It was funny, he sensed impending danger. Were they being pursued? He would ask Shadow Wolf to add more guards to the valley.

There was happiness and shouting in the camp as they arrived. Tall Elk’s eyes wandered over the crowd until he spotted a figure which must be his wife… no, it was Small Fish, who was just as petite, and almost as cute. Their eyes met, he turned embarrassed and he continued searching until he found his wife and daughter gathered with the rest of his family, Winter Maiden and her children. Tall Elk was responsible for all of them, since his uncle Lame Bull had been killed by the Crows. Little Bull, Sitting Bull, Quick Falcon, and Silent Marmot were children to be proud of. The two boys were aggressive, skillful, and handsome. Tall Elk actually expected Sitting Bull to become a man first. He had the thoughts and demeanor of a chief. Now he only required the courage to go through with the ceremony and he too could display the chest scars of manhood. The two girls, Falcon and Marmot, would grow into exceptional beauties. They had the features of an Indian princess and would bring much wealth to his family when they wed.

“This,” he pointed at an Appaloosa horse, “this,” he pointed out a chestnut, “and those three,” he pointed at three horses tied together by a lead rope. One had four matched white stockings and a blaze on it’s forehead, making it easy to identify. All five contained huge bulging packs. Winter Maiden and her boys pulled the horses aside and began removing the packs of smoked meat. She would ensure that half went to her teepee and half to his.

“My goodness, we are rich. Do we own cattle?” Silver Quail asked in excitement.

“Ten cattle of your choice. Some are milking, a few are steers. I found the herd and five of us just gathered them all up and drove them off. A woman owned the ranch, she was alone and unable to pursue us. It was easy. There are 57 cattle all together. Ravenous Wolf wants them so we can raise cattle like the white men, so we won’t starve in the winter.”

“I know,” she said brightly with a smile. The smile reminded him of why he had been in a hurry to get home.

“I must bathe,” he whispered. She nodded eagerly. He slid off his horse and handed the rope to Sitting Bull. He turned and took two sacks off the horse and handed the heavy load to Silver Quail. “Guard these,” he whispered. “It is treasure beyond belief.”

She struggled back to the teepee, as he hurried down to the river. Even from the noisy camp they could her his whoop of shock as he fell into the cold water. Silver Quail smiled and hurried to the teepee to serve his dinner.

Tall Elk liked the darkness. It was the best time to bathe. The fires from the camp sparkled from the water. A clear sky overhead showed stars so bright that they could actually light his way in the dark. He grabbed handfuls of sand and scrubbed the smoke and sweat from under his arms and across his chest. He looked off across Paradise River, wary of any threat coming from out of the darkness. It was unlikely that an enemy would climb the steep mountains to the south and risk being trapped in the valley. But there were always bears and rabid skunks to deal with. Tall Elk ducked his head beneath the rapidly running water and came up snorting and shaking the water from his long hair like an old buffalo. He wiped the water from his eyes and took one last look around, before he outlined himself against the lights of the village. He pulled up his loincloth and hurried to the teepee with the rest of his stinking clothes in his hand. He shouted as he entered the teepee, before he dropped his clothes and hugged his beautiful wife.

“How were you?” he asked, holding her at arms length and staring into her eyes to be sure she had been faithful. His heart stopped when he saw something in her eyes he had never seen before, guilt.

“We must talk,” she said simply. He nodded and released her as his body went numb with shock. He crossed his legs and sat on the edge of their bed. He accepted the bowl of stew silently, while his mind rushed. Had she been unfaithful? If so, who with? There were very few men in their summer camp. Most had been in the raiding party. Ravenous Wolf… impossible. Ravenous Wolf was over 90. One of the boys then? That wouldn’t be too bad. There was an unwritten law in the tribe than any adult could curb any juvenile curiosity when it came to sex, as long as they didn’t force themselves on them. It was usually a parent’s job, but anybody could fill in if necessary.

“Who?” he finally demanded.

“Your daughter,” she said, turning away.

“My… but that means…” he chuckled and handed her the bowl for a refill. “You and White Fawn?” he asked with a smile.

“Yes,” she admitted.

“That should have been my job, but if you’ve grown a penis?” he said, raising an eyebrow.

“I didn’t use a penis, I used my tongue. Will you stop laughing at me?” she stamped her foot. He stopped with the spoon half raised to his mouth, staring at her foot with a raised eyebrow. He laughed again and resumed eating.

“So tell me,” he said around a mouthful of food. “I’m dying to find out what happened.”

“I borrowed Winter Maiden’s dog, White Fawn wanted to know if it would lick her, I told her to find out, but the dog stopped. I… finished her.”

“Why?”

“To make her feel good,” Silver Quail was exasperated.

“No, why do we have the dog?”

“Oh, I had a problem,” she waved it off.

“Oh, don’t tell me it’s THAT again,” he growled.

“Don’t worry, it’s all fixed. We can still do it. But you have to wash before we do, every time,” she said, pointing a finger at his face. He grabbed the finger and pulled her forward. He nuzzled her ear, then placed her hand on his penis beneath the loincloth.