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SHAMAN-WILLOW-BIRD-11 "Shaman Willow Bird" story series
Shaman Willow Bird (part 11) Copyright 2001-2002 by Vince Water
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* "Shaman Willow Bird" 06/02 *
* (part 11) *
We've been riding hard across the plains all day. It's nearly noon. I hope
that Shakes-like-the-ground will call for a rest break, at least for the horses
because I don't know how much longer I'll be able to hang on. My body is badly
shaken. I've nearly fallen off a few times from fatigue. Every part of my body
is hurting: arms, legs, thighs and especially my butt. It's very sore from
bouncing over the mare's back. I'd rather endure getting fucked by a line of
horny men than have it suffer this abuse!
Sweat covers my body. My eyes sting but I'm unable to raise a hand to my
face to wipe them clean. I have blurry sight. Breaths race through my mouth.
The exhilaration I'd felt earlier about our wild run has turned into a contest
of endurance that I'm slowly losing. Please, Shakes-like-the-ground, stop your
horse! To my surprise, my wish is granted.
The war leader raises his right hand to signal a halt. I pull on my mare's
reins and she eagerly responds by coming to a stop. She snorts for breath. Her
feet stomp the ground and she quivers below me. I'm too shaken from galloping
to drop from her back yet. I cling to her neck, my eyes shut tightly in pain.
My left leg is grasped. I see that it's Shakes-like-the-ground and there's
concern on his face for me. When he offers his hand to help me down, I slip
from my mare's back. My feet hit the ground but they don't support me. I'd have
fallen on my butt if not for the warrior's strong grip around my arm.
Pain shoots up my legs. My butt muscles are in agony! I release a groan
through my mouth and cut it off by squeezing my lips together. A grayness fills
my eyes when I become faint.
"Sit down, Willow Bird! I'll see to your horse."
Shakes-like-the-ground lowers me to the dirt. My eyes shut tight against
the pain that I'm trying to endure. Such agony! A water skin is pressed against
my lips and I gulp down water. "Thanks," I mutter. When my eyes open, I see
that it's Moss-stone-walker who attends me. His face is filled with concern.
"I'll be all right in a moment," I mutter half heartedly.
"Our war leader had set a hard pace. You're not the only one on the
ground."
Moss-stone-walker points down the line of horses to a man laying on his
side. I think it's Seeks-his-eyes, a young brave who's about my age. I'm not
feeling that shamed by my weak display when seeing him suffering too.
"Eat this," asks the brave.
I feel a stick of jerky against my lips but don't feel like eating. I'm
trying to lift my right hand to wave it away but the effort is too much so I
relent, my lips parting to chomp down on the smoked meat. Moss-stone-walker
kneels at my side. He's chewing on his stick.
A wave of dizziness strikes me. I angrily bite down on my jerky while
forcing my eyes to clear, blinking several times until my sight returns. The
brave grips my shoulder. I'm thankful for his concern but my weakness before
him is embarrassing. It's not like I've not ridden a horse before!
I look the brave over. He's about my height and wears his hair short as
any Moss-bowl tribesman. The features to his face are not what I've come to
expect from this mountain clan. He has a small nose. His eyes are sunken into
his cheeks. He has a pointed chin and a broad forehead. The man is not ugly,
exactly, but he looks strange when compared to the other young braves I've seen
from his tribe.
Moss-stone-walker notices that I'm studying him. His grim expression turns
plain and unreadable. What is he trying to hide from me? I know he's concerned
about me and explains why his face had been tense or perhaps he's angry with me
because of what we did last night. I don't know this man well enough to tell.
The brave eyes my breechclout. I remember that I'm wearing his front flap
with its painted designs turned inwards against my loins. He'd accidentally
took my deerskin flap last night during our love making. We'll have to find an
opportunity alone to exchange them.
Moss-stone-walker is about to say something but his mouth shuts. Shakes-
like-the-ground has come to our side.
"I have something for the pain," explains the war leader.
Shakes-like-the-ground holds a pinch of dried herbs he's taken from a
pouch and puts it in my mouth. It's very bitter. He lifts a leather flask above
my head and gestures for me to drink from its spout. A fiery liquid goes down
my throat that has me gagging. "What was that?"
"A Wah-ha drink called Wis-kee that I got in trade from the White Man's
trading post. It helps stop pain. The herbs I've given you are for strength."
I watch the warrior lower his flask and stop it. My vision is swimming.
Moss-stone-walker lifts me to my feet with his hands gripping my underarms. I'm
managing to stand on my own, though wobbly.
My eyes turn to the brown mare with distain. Riding her has been a source
of my pain but I remind myself that we have a need for speed. My People will
soon be under attack by Spear-bearing warriors. We must reach their encampment
before they do.
When all the horses have been watered, Shakes-like-the-ground lifts his
right hand to signal that we're to move out. The braves mount up. I reach for
my horse's mane and try jumping over her back. My legs don't have the strength.
On my third attempt, my butt is pushed on. Pain shoots through my body but I
manage to mount her. Moss-stone-walker runs back to his horse.
The war leader sets a walking pace. I look around to see if he's found
danger but the grassy plains are empty, not even buffalo. When I turn to look
back at the line of men, my head feels heavy and stars are seen at the edge of
my sight. I fight to remain conscious. There's a bitter taste in my mouth and
that burning liquid I drank has given me a sour belly.
I turn my eyes forward and down at my mare's neck. To look at the ground
makes me feel nauseous. After a while, my pain subsides. I'm feeling better.
Shakes-like-the-ground turns back to look at me. I lift my elbows to assure him
that I'm ready to ride faster.
The war leader kicks his horse into a gallop. I urge my mare to follow and
the sound of thundering hooves is heard behind me. Ahead are the forests. I'm
reminded of when Big Horn and I had taken this path home after our visit with
the Moss-bowl People but our pace then had been an easy one.
My eyes fill with tears from the wind whipping past me. I clutch the
mare's reins in my right hand and try rolling over her back when she surges
forward, faster and faster. My thighs grip her sides. The pain is ignored while
I concentrate on keeping my balance.
The low hills of the plains are left behind and we come to level ground.
There's recent signs that buffalo have come through here. The grass has been
trampled into the dirt. Dust is brought up from Shakes-like-the-ground's horse
that stings my eyes. It sticks to my sweaty body, making it itch. I endure my
discomfort. The men following behind must be suffering worse.
Shakes-like-the-ground slows to a canter when we approach the smaller
fingers of a river. He turns slightly to ride between them. This isn't the
direction Big Horn had taken earlier this summer but that's because we were
headed towards the original settlement of our tribe upriver. They've since
moved. We'll follow the lower branching where the Split Tribe can be found. My
People are settled just across the river from them.
My thoughts turn to that particular situation. I hope that the uneasy
peace between our tribes hasn't been broken. My attempts to rejoin some of our
People was a good thing. A grandmother, her grandchildren, daughters and sons
had come together for a happy reunion over the sandbar. There was talk
afterwards about arranging more visits between our People. I wonder if that's
happened in my absence.
My brother, Second Bird helped arrange that first clandestine meeting in
the middle of the river. I'm sure that he's negotiating for more reunions to
come about. That was our father's hope, to bring our two tribes back together.
After his death, we took up his sacred task. That meeting had reunited family
members long separated after our tribe was split and marked the first step
towards seeing our father's dream completed.
Shakes-like-the-ground changes direction again. He's following the lower
finger of the river that widens and splits in two. We approach the forest. The
warrior slows his horse to study the ground but nothing interesting catches his
eyes because he's not dropping down from his horse. There are tribes here that
are friendly to the Split Tribe and my own. They won't challenge us if we keep
to the river path.
I look through the tree tops for Father Sun. He's long begun His fall from
the sky but there's plenty of daylight remaining for our journey to continue.
My body is covered in dust. I'm looking forward to a swim in the river.
Shakes-like-the-ground signals a stop. He drops down from his horse to
study the ground for a moment before remounting. I look down and see signs that
horses have come this way. They look old though.
I recall being pursued by my tribesmen after I'd run away but that was
along a different river path. Worry squeezes my heart. How will my People react
upon my return? Will they be happy, relieved, sad or mad at me? Iron Bow will
be angry for my having struck him but he deserved it! He and Catch-fish-with-
arrows had taken my lover across the river to the Split Tribe so that he could
be killed. I was mind sick after his loss and filled with much hatred towards
those men. At my whole tribe! I've since recovered with the help of Deep-roots-
that-whisper. My heart is still in pain from losing my lover but I have
responsibilities to my People. These men riding with me helps fulfill one of my
obligations.
Pride swells in me. My chief will be glad to have these Moss-bowl men
added to the strength of his warriors when our enemies attack. I accomplished
this! If not for my visit, these Mountain People would not have known that we
needed their help until it was too late. In a way, Smiles A Lot's death had
brought this about.
My thoughts turn to Moss-stone-walker. I'm feeling some guilt about what I
had done with him last night. He stuck into my ass like Left-hand Bow but that
lusty warrior had only taken my body. I let the brave have a piece of my heart.
My left hand reaches down to touch his front flap that I'm wearing. I feel
connected to that brave by wearing his painted cloth. He's wearing a part of my
breechclout. I took his sperm in me and he accepted my embrace to release my
sperm to his belly. Our love making had been very satisfying.
Beyond having me physically, I know that this man wants to win my heart.
My gift of Mind Speaking from our Father had allowed me to peer into his head
and I Saw his desire for me. He's a good man. He reminds me of my monedo.
I'm surprised to be thinking that I want him too. Smiles A Lot's death
still aches in me but I don't feel much guilt about pursuing Moss-stone-walker.
I think Smiles A Lot would want me to seek a new love when I'm ready for that,
but not yet.
I notice that Shakes-like-the-ground has increased our pace to fast
cantering. We could gallop down this river path but I think he's wary of the
forest tribes, how they would react to a long line of men passing through with
horses painted for war. The Woods Tribes might not recognize us as friends.
Like the Kalinlepi and the Split Tribe, their men wear their hair long and
share our style of breechclout that differs from that of the Moss-bowl. I
recall the hostile reception given Smiles A Lot and myself by Tagalou warriors
when they didn't recognize us as friends.
I'm often peering through the trees for bowmen and I keep my ears alert to
suspicious sounds. If warriors do spring out to challenge us, I'll come forward
to announce that I'm Kalinlepi. The Moss-bowl Tribe is also on friendly terms
with these local People but arrows could meet us before we're recognized.
My thoughts turn to my tribe. I hope to reach them before war comes but
there are personal matters that need to be resolved. Namely, Iron Bow and
Catch-fish-with-arrows. I hate what they did! They thought they were acting for
the good of our tribe by handing over Smiles A Lot to the Split Tribe in the
hope of easing tensions between our People. It was done against the orders of
our chief though. I wonder if war leader Oaken Strength has punished them?
A shiver goes through me. What if those two men were praised instead for
taking matters into their own hands by allowing Smiles A Lot to be killed? My
chief had been in a difficult position. The Split Tribe demanded to have their
'captured enemy scout' returned to them but Smiles A Lot was needed to tend to
our injured shaman and train me in the use of our Father's gifts. The chief
also knew that Smiles A Lot was my lover. If he relented to the Split Tribe's
demand to take him back, he risked turning my heart against him and the People.
They need me to replace their aged shaman.
My chief has been spared that difficult decision. He had ordered that
Smiles A Lot be left alone so that he could heal our shaman but once recovered
from his injuries, that 'enemy scout' would have been returned to the Split
Tribe. Smiles A Lot knew that day would come and he accepted his fate. I
couldn't. Iron Bow and Catch-fish-with-arrows only made that happen sooner.
We didn't even have a moon to be together. I remember that last day we
spent by the river (with Day Rabbit sharing in our love making) and our ride in
the haunted woods before we were attacked by Tagalou warriors. Thump revealed
himself to be Mahyee-na and I shared my lover with him. That's how Smiles A Lot
was, quick to help others without a thought for himself. He tended to our
shaman even though he knew he'd be handed over to the Split Tribe when the old
man recovered from his injuries. Iron Bow and catch-fish-with-arrows couldn't
wait. They knew about us and found a way to put an end to it.
I feel such need to punish those two men! I'm no match in arms against
them but I possess the power to Change into a bear and kill them! Ah, but
doing so would put fear in the People. Words from Deep-roots-that-whisper echo
in my head. I'm not to use our Father's gift for selfish reasons.
My hatred slowly cools. I can find no good way to avenge my lover's death
without making things worse. Perhaps it was the Will of our Father. I must
accept what has happened and go on with my life. The concerns of my People must
come first.
I'm interrupted from my thoughts by yelling. Shakes-like-the-ground stops
his horse. I look back to see what is the matter. Men are passing hand gestures
forward that reach us through the brave behind me. It seems that one of the
horses has a problem. The war leader goes to investigate.
As the forward man, I keep my eyes alert to danger. A grim smile crosses
my lips. If enemy warriors were to spring out from the woods, I don't even
have a flint blade to bring out! Brave Fights-the-bear brings his mount along
side of mine. "What's wrong?" I ask him.
"A horse at the end of our line has suffered an injury," the brave answers.
"I don't know more than that."
We're both keeping our eyes out for danger. The river lies on our right so
our attention is directed at the woods and the path ahead. This man is properly
armed for war. He has a bow case within reach and both a tomahawk and a knife
are tucked in his thong belt. I notice the brave's eyes on me. He frowns.
"Ah, didn't you arm yourself for battle?" asks Fights-the-bear.
"I am training to be a shaman."
The brave's frown deepens. "I could lend you a blade. Even a man of peace
will act to defend himself. We're heading into war."
I shake my head at the man's offer. "I'll be able to defend myself if the
need arises." Pride had forced me to speak those words but I won't tell him
about my gift of Changing. Fights-the-bear turns his horse over the path. He's
looking down the line of men for our war leader.
Shakes-like-the-ground has his horse in hand when he comes forward along
the path. All the braves are dismounting behind him.
"We're making camp here for the night. Down-the-cliff's gelding has pulled
a groin muscle," he explains. "If the horse rests, he may be able to continue
in the morning."
Disappointment fills me. I feel badly for that brave's horse but we're
prevented from making use of the remaining daylight. We could have been that
much closer to home.
I slip down from my horse and to my relief, my feet support me. My body is
fatigued. Dull pain throbs from my legs. My thighs ache and my butt feels like
it has fallen asleep.
The men are leading their horses into the woods. I pull on my brown mare.
Her reins are tied into the roots of a gnarled hickory tree. She's not carrying
much on her back so I decide to let her keep those burdens through the night.
I see the other men setting down spears and shields within easy reach. Ground
mats are unrolled over the ground. I grab my nearly empty water skin and head
for the river.
Six braves are on their knees over the bank to fill their water skins. A
grin crosses my lips when I look low over them. From bending over, the men's
rear flaps have lifted to expose part of their butts. Two braves have spread
their legs enough for me to peek on their loins. I approach them slowly. My
eyes peer between their legs and I see their limp cocks hanging down against
their balls. A exciting thrill goes through me.
Flintstone gets to his feet with his filled water skin. He turns and glares
at me so I rush to the bank and kneel beside a brave named Climbs-far. My skin
is pushed under the water with its spout towards the slow current. Stone-legs
gets up with his water skin and returns to the woods. Two more braves get to
their feet with their heavy burden. Climbs-far glances at me. I smile at him in
greeting but it's not returned. He pulls his filled skin from the river and
leaves my side.
When my skin is filled, I tie its spout closed and carry it back to my
horse. Her thirst is satisfied. I pull my ground mat from her back and spread
it over the ground, dropping to it. I'm not ready for sleep but am glad to
being sitting over something that doesn't roll and bounce.
The aches of my body have settled down to dull throbbing. I'm not used to
riding a horse at a gallop for as long as we did. My thighs and legs hurt. The
muscles in my butt feel even worse. I stretch my limbs to soothe their tortured
muscles but I know that by tomorrow, they're going to hurt even worse.
I hear laughter, splashing water and someone 'shushing' them to be quiet.
Curiosity gets the better of me so I rise from my ground mat to check it out.
Warrior Drum-beater is standing on the bank. He's watching a handful of braves
taking a bath in the river but he doesn't join them.
The warrior is startled by my approach and gives me a sour expression
before he returns to the woods. My eyes go to the naked men. I notice that
Moss-stone-walker is with them and an idea comes to me. My breechclout is
pulled from my waist. I drop the painted front flap away from my rear flap.
That brave should see it and claim it for his own, leaving me to find my
unadorned cloth he was wearing.
Naked, I dive into the muddy river. It's a cold assault to my body but I
was expecting that. None of the men seem to be complaining about it. They're
used to living on the chilly mountain. Those who come from the plains like
Smiles A Lot don't relish the cold water as I recall him telling me, his teeth
chattering as if to prove his point. A pang of sadness fills me. We won't be
swimming in the river together ever again.
The joyful cries coming from the braves are ignored. I release a mournful
sigh and try to drive my thoughts of Smiles A Lot from my head. It would shame
me to cry in front of these men. I get to my knees in the river's shallows so
that I can take a bath.
Mud is brought to my shoulders, arms, chest, back, belly and my legs. I
splash water into my hair and face to clean them. The cold water helps lessen
my bodily pain. I'm often looking over the men swimming in the river. I glance
at their nakedness when they turn to dive (such pale butts!) but I've not spied
on anyone's manhood yet.
A few more braves come to the bank and shed their breechclouts. I give
their bodies guarded glances. Brave-hearted's dick flops over his balls when he
takes a running leap into the river. I check out the next man. Howling-wind
struggles to remove his leggings and that gives me a glimpse of his opening
butt. I see his asshole. He casts his clothes away, turns and dives into the
water with a big splash.
Howling-wind surfaces. He's splashed by a man beside him that starts a
war. All the braves attack each other with hand splashes and one man kicks up
water with his legs by floating over his back. I wade closer to join in the fun.
Two men splash water at my face. I was expecting their assault and hold my
breath. Not allowing that to go unavenged, I attack both of them. My left hand
splashes the brave on my right and my right hand splashes the man on my left.
Another brave enters the melee. He splashes water at me. Others join them.
Unable to defend against superior numbers, I dive under the water to escape.
I'm startled when a hand grasps my shoulder when I surface. It's Moss-
stone-walker. He releases my shoulder and treads the water with a grin. The
other braves spring away from us in all directions. What's wrong? Oh. We're
playing a game of tag! According to the rules, Moss-stone-walker is safe from
me because he was the one who tagged me. That explains why he didn't rush away.
I dive below the surface in pursuit of someone.
It's difficult seeing through the muddy water but that also prevents my
victim from being forewarned. I feel turbulence. There's a flash of someone's
legs kicking so I chase after it and manage to grab hold of the man's ankle.
We surface together. "You're it!" I announce. Fist-in-your-face growls in
frustration. He drops to his back and splashes water at me with his feet. I
wasn't expecting that. I'm forced to gasp for breath. The brave turns in the
river, his butt flashing for a moment when he dives underwater in search of
someone to tag.
I'm coughing water from my lungs. It's worse than I thought so I'm making
my way towards to the bank. Moss-stone-walker rushes to my side. He'd seen my
distress and pulls me to shore. A man grabs his shoulder to tag him. He's torn
between helping me or playing their game.
"Go ahead," I urge him. "I'll be alright." Moss-stone-walker nods then he
dives deep in search of prey. My feet press into mud. I walk up the bank and
find a mossy spot to sit over and watch their game. Moss-stone-walker hasn't
caught anyone yet so he's often swimming underwater to cover his attack. Fist-
in-your-face releases a startled gasp when he's surprised by Moss-stone-walker
behind him but he manages to swim out of reach.
The men begin calling out warnings to each other when they sight Moss-
stone-walker. He's often diving underwater. When he surfaces for breath, a man
cries out his location that warns the brave's intended victim to get away. That
doesn't seem fair.
A warrior runs to the river. He frantically hand gestures for the braves
to keep quiet. It's Drum-beater. He's a grim man. His face seems like the kind
that rarely smiles.
Moss-stone-walker springs onto shore and grabs the warrior's right arm.
They struggle for balance. Drum-beater's left leg is kicked out from under him,
sending them both into the river with a big splash. When the warrior surfaces,
he cries out angrily.
"I don't want to play this boy's game!"
A brave shushes him. Fights-the-bear splashes water at him and shouts,
"Keep quiet least you bring down enemy warriors upon us!" All the men laugh.
Drum-beater stalks back to shore. This man is dripping wet but he doesn't
remove his breechclout or stand to dry off. I catch his eyes looking at me so I
avert my gaze. The braves have ended their game in the river. Moss-stone-walker
refuses to remain 'it' after tagging the warrior and says that it's not his
fault that Drum-beater doesn't want to play.
Everyone gets out of the water. Naked men wander along the bank with their
arms lifted to the sunlight to dry themselves. I get to enjoy looking over
their nude bodies. Most of the braves are only a year or two older than myself.
I eye their swinging cocks, shriveled balls (because of the cold water) and
their wet slick asses. I'm often looking over Moss-stone-walker. His body is
very slim. He could easily be taken for a boy except for the bulging muscles in
his arms and legs. I stare at his cock. It's nearly hard, making me realize
that he's become excited from seeing naked men or perhaps it was from the game.
I peer down between my legs. My cock has lifted along my groin and in
spite of trying to control my reaction, it grows stiffer. I close my folded
legs to hide my excitement from the other men.
Someone laughs at Moss-stone-walker who points at his nearly stiff cock.
A brave named Flintstone covers his butt and runs from him as if fearing that
he'll get stuck. Moss-stone-walker's face burns with embarrassment.
Shakes-like-the-ground makes an appearance. He hand gestures at Fist-in-
your-face to scout out the path ahead. The brave dons his breechclout and goes.
When the war leader returns to the woods, I see the braves whispering amongst
themselves but their words are too low for me to hear.
Moss-stone-walker comes to my side and sits down. In his hands are two
breechclout flaps, thong belt, his sacred bundle and a knife. I see that he's
reclaimed his painted front flap. The brave sets them aside to give his body a
chance to dry.
I glance at the other men. They take no notice of us being together so I
face Moss-stone-walker and grin. He smiles back. His knees rise so that his
hard cock is kept from sight.
"Your flap is over there," the brave whispers.
I follow his eyes to a place over the ground and nod in understanding.
It's not far from where I've left my rear flap and thong belt.
"You should be warned about Fist-in-your-face. He is quick to anger. That
explains why he splashed you after being tagged."
My breaths still pain me from swallowing water because of that man's mean
act. A cough explodes out of me. Moss-stone-walker pounds my back a few times.
"Are you in much distress?" There's anger on the brave's face.
"No. Fist-in-your-face's splash had caught me by surprise but I'll
recover." I peek into the brave's lap to look at his cock. It's very long but
his knob is still tucked within, his tapered foreskin bending down towards his
belly. When the man catches where my eyes have fallen on him, I part my legs to
show him that I've been hiding my erection. He gives me a sly grin. We both
glance at the other men drying themselves on the bank to see if they're
watching us. No one is.
I press my right knee against Moss-stone-walker's. An exciting tremor goes
through my body when he rubs his leg against mine. We peek at each other's
nakedness some more.
"Yours is very thick," the brave remarks.
I nod slightly. "You have a really long one. If I'd been able to see your
'spear' in the dark, I might not have let you stick it in me!" The man laughs.
His expression turns serious though.
"Willow Bird..."
Fear squeezes my heart. I know that Moss-stone-walker is going to ask me
a difficult question.
"This morning, ah. You'd whispered in my head about wearing my front flap
and... How did you do that?"
I drop my eyes from his. I'm afraid to look at Moss-stone-walker's face
and find fear there, especially if I were to explain my ability to Mind Speak.
He would not see me as a normal person but someone to avoid. I want his
friendship!
I'm startled when the man touches my left shoulder. He fingers my knife
wound given me by Crumobia. His eyes drop to the seared wounds over both my
legs. Those were deep wolf bites that had nearly killed me from blood loss.
The man traces over the lined cuts crisscrossing my arms and chest. He
points out my many bruises that have turned dark in color. When his fingers
come to my face, I close my eyes and breathe deeply from his soft caress. The
brave's touch makes me feel good.
"Your body reveals many wounds, Willow Bird. Proud battle scars for any
warrior but you've not even been named a brave yet."
My eyes lift to Moss-stone-walker with pride. "I've killed a Shew-owa
warrior and have only to count coup before my chief to earn my feather."
"Why haven't you?" the brave exclaims.
"I am following a different path, one of peace. I'm training to be shaman
of my tribe."
"How does that prevent you from claiming honor for yourself as a warrior?"
asks Moss-stone-walker.
I cast my eyes towards the river. He's right. Deep-roots-that-whisper had
spoken to me about this very thing. I know why. I've been clinging to my
boyhood in the hope of avoiding responsibilities from coming to my shoulders.
In spite of all my efforts, those burdens have come to me. Our Father has given
me special gifts to serve my People. I've come to accept that, reluctantly.
Moss-stone-walker peers at my hair. Awe comes into his eyes and I remember
our Father's mark there. My eyes lower from the braves but not in shame.
"I didn't mean to... Ah, make you feel bad or to ask something if you're
under vow not to speak about it."
"No. But I'm not ready to talk about it right now." An uneasy silence
comes between us. The brave's arms become rigid and his leg stops rubbing mine.
My heart squeezes with fear that Moss-stone-walker doesn't understand what I
meant. I'm not trying to reject friendship or his offer to help me. My eyes
fill with tears. It's because of this man's compassion for me and how I'm
feeling for him that I can no longer contain my feelings. I bury my face in the
crook of my left arm to hide myself when I cry.
The brave's arm comes around my shoulders. He holds me close and that
makes me cry even harder. Anger grows in me. The other men are probably seeing
my weakness and laughing. They know about me. Moss-stone-walker risks his own
reputation as a man by being with me.
'They have gone.'
I Heard the brave's whisper in my head. My thoughts become guarded so he
can't read them. I don't want our Connection to frighten this man so I prevent
it from occurring, burying myself deep within myself. Nothing comes in and I
won't let anything go out, not even emotion. Darkness swallows me up.
I awaken with a pained bladder. There's something covering me that falls
down from my shoulders when I sit up. A strong hand grasps my shoulder.
"How are you feeling?"
I turn to Moss-stone-walker. "What... happened?"
"You fainted back there." He hangs his head with guilt.
"Thank you for caring about me." The blanket is tossed aside and I get to
my feet with the brave's help. I'm a moment getting my bearings. I see my brown
mare tied to the hickory. It's still light out so I must not have been sleeping
that long.
The brave hands me my thong belt and flaps. I don them. I'm staggering
over the ground until Moss-stone-walker grasps my waist. He helps me step
deeper into the woods. A tremor of excitement fills me from the man's hold
around my body so I walk further than is necessary to relieve myself. We've
left the camp far behind. I lean against a slim pine and lift my front flap to
piss. The man averts his eyes.
In a whisper, "I don't mind you looking at me." The brave smiles shyly.
A fond memory drops into my head. Only a handful of moons ago, I was too
shy to urinate in front of someone. Song Bird had stood with me to piss and we
both found it difficult. I notice this change in me.
Moss-stone-walker lifts his painted flap and lets go. I eye his semi-hard
cock. His shaft is slim like a boy's but it grows long like a stallion's dong.
A few pulls are given over its foreskin after he's done pissing. His knob
remains tucked within but I can see its outline. My breath trembles.
We eye our stiffening cocks. I reach down to roll my foreskin back,
exposing my oozing knob. Moss-stone-walker fingers the sagging end of his with
a grin. He has a lot of extra skin.
An idea comes to me. I step in front of the brave, aiming my cock into the
opening of his. I pull the man's tapered foreskin around my knob to slip it
inside. They kiss wetly within.
"You have a long foreskin," I remark. Moss-stone-walker laughs. His eyes
take on a distant look when remembering something.
"When I was thirteen, a young friend of mine had said the same thing. He
was disappointed with the small size of his pole and when I saw how envious he
was of mine, I offered to let him slip into my foreskin. Even when the boy grew
hard, his shaft remained swallowed in my long skin. I stroked his erection and
he told me how silky it felt around his dick. He couldn't shoot but I did. The
youth pinched the end of my foreskin against his balls and stood with me for a
while so that my seed could fill him through his piss hole."
"You performed a 'growing up' rite for the boy."
"That's done for the youths of your tribe?" the brave asks.
I nod my head. "The boy's father or uncle will stand with him in the
woods, pleasuring their dicks in hand. The man's release endows the youth's
balls with strength. I'm often doing that with boys. We belly rub or my cock
would get sucked on and I've even stuck into a few butts so that my sperm would
help their bodies mature."
"You've fucked a little boy?" asks Moss-stone-walker.
My boasting turns to reluctance when I hear the tone of the man's voice. I
only nod in reply. The brave gestures for us to get down to our knees. I slowly
follow him to the ground with my cock kept inside his long foreskin. He strokes
over it with his intent to get us to release.
I'm enjoying the silky sensation around my knob. My foreskin peels away
when I get erected so this is a new sensation. Thrills shoot through my cock.
The brave eyes the outline of my shaft and strokes it expertly.
"You have a big one, Willow Bird. How did you manage to fit inside a boy's
hole with it?"
Moss-stone-walker's breath is trembling. He's very excited. Me too. I pull
the end of his foreskin against my balls and stroke over my cock with my left
hand. When the brave's eyes flare, I remember to answer his question.
"Certain boys like to get their butts fucked. I kissed over their cheeks
to relax them. Spit was put into their hole to make our joining easier. There's
nothing tighter than a boy's asshole! My stabs were gentle and I gifted a youth
with my sperm deep in his body so that he'll grow up sooner." A slight pause.
"It's a very pleasurable act."
"I've not had the chance to do a boy," admits Moss-stone-walker. He looks
down at his dick and grins. "Last night was my first experience with butt
fucking." There's pride in the man's eyes.
My head nods with understanding. "I'm glad that you enjoyed taking me."
The brave becomes shy. We stare at our hands, knuckles bumping across his
foreskin. It almost seems that we're handling one cock between us.
We're Connected with our minds as well. I'm guarding my thoughts but our
emotions are being passed. He's feeling very excited. I Share my male thrills
with this man and enjoy his thrills. I don't think he realizes what I'm doing.
I begin holding breaths. Beating off with this man and sharing exciting
talk is about to make me explode! The brave realizes this and his fingers
squeeze my shaft. I cry out at climax. Sharp thrills race through my cock when
I pump sperm into his foreskin. He gives me a knowing grin.
My breath comes out of me as a loud huff. I'm feeling my male relief. When
my eyes clear, I watch Moss-stone-walker fingering down his shaft in lazy
strokes. I'm still in awe of this man's long foreskin. Even when fully erected,
his cock hasn't pushed mine out. There's a swelling between our knobs like an
overly-filled water skin. My cum has made it very slippery in there.
A clever idea comes to me. I pull my thong belt from my waist and wrap it
around our cocks to tie them together, beginning at my balls. I knot the thong
every five loops. My cock feels the tight constriction. The brave is holding
breaths. I pause from binding that part of his foreskin around his cock so that
he can have the freedom of motion to stab. It's a strange sight. Our bodies are
connected with one cock from groin to groin. I've already shot my load from my
balls. The man's balls shake when he struggles to get himself to shoot.
I reach around for Moss-stone-walker's backside and slip my hand under his
flap. My palm presses over his right cheek, enjoying its rhythmic humping. My
right hand keeps the thong's binding very taunt around our cocks.
The man's eyes shine. He's pinching his shaft and stabbing through his
foreskin. His swollen knob kisses mine wetly. It's a tickly sensation. His legs
swaying over the ground reminds me of fucking.
"Have you ever stuck into a girl, Willow Bird?"
I'm surprised he asks but I nod my head in reply. "I've mounted a girl who
is four years younger than me so there's no chance that she'll get with child."
I don't mention that I've Seen her pass my seed to an older sister who can.
"I've lain with a Mexicano woman at the White Man's trading post," admits
Moss-stone-walker. "Her cunt felt too loose for me to really enjoy. I prefer a
man's asshole. Tight!"
I'm relieved to hear the brave say that. I want him to be Mahyee-na so
that we could be lovers. Guilt squeezes my heart. Have I forgotten about my
Smiles A Lot already?
"My dick is too long to stick in a girl but I'd be curious to try that,"
adds Moss-stone-walker in afterthought.
I slowly nod my head, wondering if this man is attracted to both sexes.
I've fucked a girl and enjoyed it. If Rain Dancer was older with tits and a
hairy groin, my cock wouldn't get hard.
"A woman doesn't excite me," says Moss-stone-walker.
I'm startled by the man's words. Was he Reading my thoughts?! No. Only our
emotions Connect us. When Mind Speaking, I have to consciously pass thoughts
between us but it happens sometimes without me realizing it.
My excitement is being Passed to this man so he'll know how I'm feeling by
having our cocks bound together. I sense his nearing climax and warn him,
"Your foreskin is going to rupture like a dropped water skin!"
Moss-stone-walker laughs. "Maybe. Your cum has trickled down my piss hole
but when I shoot, mine will gush down into your balls!"
I slap the brave's flexing ass. He stabs hard, gulps in a breath and
releases it as a low throaty moan. I feel his knob throbbing against mine. Is
he shooting sperm into my cock to fill my balls as he said?
From our Connection, I'm enjoying his sharp male thrills. I feel a strong
release from my cock that surprises me to be releasing again. Oh, the intense
pleasure from doing that! My breaths rush through my mouth and my eyes are
fluttering. Too soon, the pleasure fades from our bodies.
When Moss-stone-walker relaxes his hand from around his foreskin, I
continue binding our cocks. My knots are tight but not where they'll hurt us.
The swelling has become more noticeable between our knobs. I gently squeeze on
our trapped cum. There's a warm trickle coming down my cock. It makes me gasp.
I realize that our mingling seed is entering my loins. Does the man's cock feel
this too?
Moss-stone-walker looks down at what I'm doing. There's awe in his eyes.
"Does this mean we're married or something?" Humor is in the brave's voice.
"No," I blurt out. "Mahyee-na men who pledge their hearts to each other
perform the pa-he-wat-che rite with hair cut from their heads and they speak
binding words."
I see Moss-stone-walker mouthing the strange words to himself. "Those are
rites from an enemy tribe," I explain. "My monedo was given this rite by a
Spear-bearing warrior he loved."
"I've heard the word 'Mahyee-na' before," says Moss-stone-walker. "That's
what the men of my tribe have whispered about you."
I'm not sure that they were speaking nicely of me. I finish the thong's
binding and clutch the man's balls. In a formal voice, "Our seed fills us. We
share male strength together." Moss-stone-walker nods with understanding. He
squeezes the bulge in his foreskin to fill our cocks with more cum. His right
hand clutches my balls.
"We share our male strength," answers Moss-stone-walker in a formal voice.
"I'm honored that you wanted to do this with me, Willow Bird."
I see the longing in this man's face. My head nods in place of the words
I'm reluctant to speak. Moss-stone-walker's face becomes tense and he giggles.
My fingering around his balls is tickling him. He gently rubs over my orbs with
love showing in his face for me. I tighten my hand around the cum-filled bulge
in his foreskin so that our loins will fill with male essence.
"It is a pleasant sensation," says the brave. "I didn't know if my sperm
had gone into my friend's pole when we performed this rite together."
"Did his body mature?" I ask.
Moss-stone-walker nods. "By the next summer, his dick was able to shoot.
He was proud to show me."
"Did you share any other sex rites with him?"
"No. He wouldn't let me touch him as much as I wanted."
"That boy probably isn't Mahyee-na. I was told that youths perform sex
rites together out of curiosity, to relieve themselves and also practice for
that time when they'll perform as men with their squaws."
"You've found willing boys," whispers Moss-stone-walker.
"I've shown them more than how to pleasure their bodies. We've bound our
hearts together, too."
"I'm glad to hear that, Willow Bird. Sex is too brief an act to satisfy
me. My heart longs to embrace love."
The man's eyes peer deep into mine, forcing me to drop my gaze.
"You're already in love with someone, Willow Bird?"
Pain squeezes my heart. I swallow nervously before answering his question.
"He was killed recently."
"I am sorry, Willow Bird!"
I peer into this man's face. He reveals compassion for me and that brings
tears to my eyes. "You are a good man, Moss-stone-walker. Can you be patient
with me... be friends?"
"We are already that," assures the brave.
I give him a weak grin, my hand wiping away my tears. Moss-stone-walker
looks down at our cocks. He starts a tugging game with them by lifting himself
slightly from the ground. I join into our tug-of-war. When the man gets to his
feet, I'm forced to join him by standing up. He grasps my hips.
"This is going to make it hard to ride a horse," jokes Moss-stone-walker.
"You can handle the reins and I'll sit backwards, facing you! Don't you
like being tied to me?" I ask teasingly.
"Yah. But how are we going to take a piss?"
I see his point. "We'll hold it in until I separate us." My fingers undo
the tight binding from around our cocks. The thong has left red marks over the
man's foreskin. The final knot is loosened but our cocks remain together. I'm
still somewhat erected while Moss-stone-walker's knob has withdrawn deep into
its foreskin.
I'm given a hug. The brave's hands lower to my butt and he fondles it
while the front of him grinds against me. My cock is forced to bend downwards.
Not painfully. I enjoy our embrace with my hands reaching low to clutch his
cheeks. One of my fingers slips between and touches his hole. "Have you ever
been stuck?" I ask.
"No. I've wondered what that would feel like. Probably hurts worse than
getting knifed in battle but I'd be willing to give that pleasure to my lover."
My hands slap over the man's butt. I peer deep into his eyes and see his
sincerity. He proves himself to be Mahyee-na by admitting that.
"You like getting your butt stuck."
I nod my head. "I'm Mahyee-na so it's my obligation to satisfy any needing
man. Only from the front of my body do I express my love for someone."
Moss-stone-walker nods with understanding. He's about to say something but
the words remain in his mouth.
I grasp the brave's hips and slowly step back until our cocks become
taunt. I'm surprised that they've remained stuck together. Moss-stone-walker
rolls his foreskin back from my erection. He pinches the tapered end to keep
it from spilling to the ground.
The man pulls a knife. I gasp. He points down at the ground near my feet.
"Fetch me your thong belt, Willow Bird. I want to hold our seed in my
foreskin for a while."
I'm rushing to the ground to do as he's asked. My thong belt is given him
and he cuts a small length from it. The man tucks his knife back into its
sheath against his waist.
"I'll need both my hands to tie a knot," explains Moss-stone-walker. "Can
you pinch the end of my foreskin?"
I replace the man's tight fingers with my own, preventing our cum from
escaping. It's causing a bulge in his foreskin. He wraps the thong around it a
few times and ties two knots. Before releasing my fingers, I drop to my knees
and open my mouth around the very tip of it. I'm given a small drink.
I get to my feet with a grin. "Don't be looking at naked men or you'll
burst like a dropped water skin!"
"I think that my knots are tight enough," he answers. "Even when I'm fully
erected, I have to pull my foreskin back to get my knob to pop out."
I'm staring at the man's tied foreskin. His gesture to keep our mingling
seed endears me to this man. I watch the expression on his face turn serious.
"Willow Bird. I may have to remain behind tomorrow morning."
My heart squeezes from strong emotion. "Why?" I plead.
"Sharp-peak and I will accompany Down-the-cliff to your tribe if his horse
can't be ridden tomorrow morning."
I remember that Down-the-cliff's gelding had suffered a groin pull. He'll
have to remain behind when the rest of us ride to my tribe. It makes sense to
leave two braves with him to ensure that he'll make it safely to the Kalinlepi.
That means I won't be seeing Moss-stone-walker for a handful of days! They'll
be forced to travel at a walk. The Spear-bearing warriors may come before then
and who knows what will happen. I may not see this man again!
"My war leader asked me to do this."
I stare at Moss-stone-walker and see the anguish in his eyes. He's told me
this to show that it wasn't his choice to be separated from me. I step closer
to the brave. His arms open and I enter this man's embrace. My mind opens to
feel his strong emotions for me and I allow mine to flow into him. Light fills
my being. I understand what had happened back at the river. By trying to deny
my Connection to this man, I had shut myself from hope, love and life.
My arms are tight around this man's back. His hands are locked around
mine, pressing our chests together that makes it hard for me to breathe. I
plant a kiss on his neck. Our embrace proves how we're feeling for each other.
Being Connected enhances that tender emotion, our hope for love. I'm having to
gasp for breath.
We separate. Moss-stone-walker wipes his face with his right arm. Were
those tears in his eyes? I cast my eyes away so he won't feel shamed that I'd
seen them. My thoughts turn to how to remedy this bad turn of events. Maybe I
could convince Shakes-like-the-ground to let me remain behind as well. They'll
need someone to guide them to the Kalinlepi.
No. That won't work. This path leads right to them so Down-the-cliff won't
need to be shown the way. Shakes-like-the-ground needs me with him in case a
Woods Tribe challenges his men's passage. That's how I defused the tense
situation when Tagalou warriors confronted Smiles A Lot and me. They were
suspicious of our presents near their tribe but I was able to convince Smoke
That Doesn't Lie that I was Kalinlepi by speaking my chief's name, describing
the peace treaty between our two People and naming a warrior from their tribe
who had visited us to look for a wife.
If only that darn horse hadn't injured himself! An idea comes to me. It's
daring and may reveal my gift of Healing unless I can disguise it with a ploy.
And even then, I may not be able to do it. Smiles A Lot isn't at my side to
help control my flow of power.
There's sadness on the brave's face. He looks down at his tied cock and I
realize why he wanted to keep a part of me with him when we separate tomorrow.
"Moss-stone-walker. Help me find some flowers."
"Why?" he asks, startled.
"I'm going to try to heal Down-the-cliff's horse."
"Shakes-like-the-ground has already examined his gelding. There's no
medicine to cure that kind of injury. Only rest and not riding the horse."
"Help me!" The brave shrugs his shoulders but he follows me through the
woods after we fetch our front flaps from the ground to cover our nakedness.
"Which flower are you looking for?"
"It doesn't matter. Anything will do."
"I don't understand, Willow Bird."
I turn to Moss-stone-walker. I've decided to share my secret with him.
"I'm training to be the next shaman of my tribe. Our Father has blessed me with
certain... gifts. You've already Felt what I can do. I'm also able to Heal but
I don't want the others to know. Telling them will only put pressure on me to
perform and I'll probably not be able to make it work."
I see confusion and doubt in Moss-stone-walker. "I'll make a paste of the
flowers. Say that it will cure his horse while trying to work my Healing."
"Down-the-cliff will just laugh at you or not even let you try."
I ponder over the man's words. "You've seen the injures to my body. They
were treated with herbs and fire branding but my life was saved through true
Healing. I can do that though it's difficult because I need to learn how to
control my flow of power."
Moss-stone-walker shakes his head. I can see that he doesn't understand.
"If I can Heal Down-the-cliff's horse, you won't have to be left behind. My
tribe needs every man to protect them when the Spear-bearing warriors come.
And... my heart aches if I'm separated from you."
"I'll miss you too, Willow Bird. It will only be for a handful of days so
why risk this nonsense with Down-the-cliff's horse?"
This man doesn't believe anything that I've been telling him. My heart
aches and anger fills me. I grab Moss-stone-walker's hand and Send my thoughts
into him. 'I can Heal just as you're Hearing my thoughts in your head.'
"Eiii!"
Moss-stone-walker jerks his hand away. There's surprise on his face. I
drop my eyes to his feet in anguish so that I won't see his fear of me. It was
stupid of me to do that.
The man presses his toes into the dirt, both heals lifting. Is he about
to turn tail and flee from me? I possess frightening abilities that I'm unable
to control. That's why I don't want to reveal them to anyone.
I watch the brave's feet turn over the ground. I'm expecting him to run
back to the river but instead, he walks towards a small clearing.
"I see some flowers growing over there, Willow Bird."
I rush to the brave's side with my eyes falling to yellow buttercups. He
helps me gather a handful. We don't look at each other. I'm relieved that he
doesn't ask me about what I did to him. I have trouble enough using my gifts
without explaining the how or the why of it. His eyes avoid me. I clutch the
flowers and follow him back to the river. We separate upon reaching camp.
I've been sitting over my ground mat to wait for the brave's return. This
has given me the opportunity to review all the times that I've performed
Healing. The power to do so is in me but I lack control. Smiles A Lot had
helped me with that, to prevent my life's energy from gushing out like a raging
river. I'll need to direct power slowly. The gelding's pulled groin is but a
small wound so it should be simple to cure. I must keep that in mind when I
make the attempt.
Moss-stone-walker returns with a wooden bowl. He helps me pull the flower
heads from their stems and they're crushed with my thumb. With a little water,
I form a paste in the bowl.
I get to my feet. The brave walks silently at my side when we go to find
where Down-the-cliff keeps his horse. I hope that he'll grant permission for
me to try healing his mount.
We pass men who are resting over their ground mats. A few look up at us
but no one says anything. Moss-stone-walker points at a brave in the distance.
I approach Down-the-cliff and swallow nervously. The man looks at the both of
us with curious eyes. He acknowledges my hand greeting by nodding his head.
"I've made a healing paste for your horse." I show him my bowl.
"Hmm? What is it?" asks Down-the-cliff.
"Buttercups and water," I answer. "If you'll let me apply it to your
gelding, you should be able to ride him tomorrow morning."
The brave shakes his head. "My war leader has told me that only rest will
cure that kind of injury."
I drop my head in defeat. Moss-stone-walker speaks.
"It wouldn't hurt to let Willow Bird try. He is training to be shaman of
his People and they have knowledge of healing that we don't know about."
Down-the-cliff looks skeptic. "Have you healed before?"
I return the man's piercing stare and with a strong voice say, "I have.
By letting me try, your horse could be ridden tomorrow or would you rather walk
the rest of the way to my tribe. Perhaps missing the battle." My last words
have hit their mark. The brave waves his hand sharply at me.
"Ah. Go ahead and try, Willow Bird."
I nod my head. Moss-stone-walker leads me to the gelding tied up nearby. I
gesture for the brave to hold his head while I tend to him. A groin pull is a
sensitive part of the horse. I don't want to get kicked.
This gelding is an appaloosa like Pai-alucia. His hide is mostly brown
with splashes of white across his back, rump and down two of his feet. I reach
out to caress him. That will put the horse at ease before I kneel beneath him.
I glance at Down-the-cliff. He's watching me from his ground mat. I'm
hoping that he'll remain there and leave me alone when I attempt Healing.
My right hand holds the bowl filled with paste. I work my way down the
horse with my other hand, caressing his body while talking to him in soft
soothing words. My palm feels his soft hide. I close my eyes and Connect
myself to this horse, Sending him emotional calm, safety and passing on the
sensual feeling of handling his big body in my hand.
I slowly drop to my knees. My left hand works it way down the horse's
belly to his loins. I finger his soft sheath. The perturbing knob to his dong
presses against my palm. It's moist and warm. My nose detects this geldings
sharp musk. It's an attractive smell and I feel my cock swelling. I grasp his
empty balls sack. No seed can come from there because he's been gelded, sadly.
I close my eyes to help deepen my Connection to this animal. My thoughts
try to be soothing while I read discomfort in him. The horse's pain leads me
towards the injury that comes from the attachment of his left leg muscles to
his groin. I feel the swollen lump. His hurt is also Felt in my head and in a
flash, I See what had caused it. The appaloosa had been trotting down the path,
struck an unseen stone with his left rear hoof and tripped. Pain!
My hand pulls away in alarm. I try calming my breaths and remember the
paste being held in my right hand. Some is scooped out from the bowl and I
apply it to his injury. My eyes close again. I concentrate on my heartbeats,
using their steady expected rhythm like a shaman's rattling to center myself
and I direct my flow of power. The lump is massaged in my fingers. I take a
deep breath, hold it a moment and release my Healing energy.
Someone's hand covers mine. His touch is so light that I almost think I'm
imagining it. My breath comes out slowly. With a trembling inhale of air, I
resume my flow of power. Slowly. Like pouring out water from a nearly empty
water skin into a mug. I don't want to drain my life.
I'm given that sense of otherness during my Healing. It's a familiar
warmth/spirit. Oh, my Smiles A Lot is helping me! Another trembling breath is
taken before I increase the flow of energy from my spirit into this animal's
hurt. My concentration deepens.
There's a twisting felt in my gut. I See a flash of Light that becomes
heat down my arm, into my hand and through my fingers. The gelding's pain is
taken away.
I release my breath in a rush. The lump is gone. Awe fills me for what
I've accomplished for this horse. I also realize that Moss-stone-walker won't
have to remain behind tomorrow morning. That makes me very happy.
My eyes open and I see that the gelding has become excited. His long black
dong is sticking out from its sheath, the end of it snaking down to the ground.
I can't resist the urge to wrap my fingers around it. A few pulls are given
over the horse's hard cock, moist and warm against my palm. I sense his thrills
from our Connection. My cock stiffens under my front flap.
"He's not hurting there, Willow Bird!"
I turn to Down-the-cliff standing at my side with alarm, my hand releases
the gelding's dong. His eyes are sharp on me. I drop mine to his feet in shame.
"I have allowed your foolishness, boy. Now go!"
I get to my feet and walk towards the river. Moss-stone-walker is at my
side. I'm glad that he doesn't say anything. My legs start to falter under me
and the brave grabs my right arm to prevent me from falling.
"I need to splash water over my face." Moss-stone-walker pulls me towards
the river and helps me sit over the bank. He cups his hands in the water and
gently splashes it in my face. That helps keep me from fainting.
The brave sits down close at my side. I don't turn to him, not wanting to
see his face or to explain myself. I'm not feeling ashamed. No. Awe fills me
when I remember Feeling Smiles A Lot's spirit in me; his warmth and guidance.
It's true! He is within me, not lost to the Underworld as I feared. We had
Connected during the Healing rite.
"That was daring of you," the brave whispers. "I watched you handling the
excited horse and tried blocking Down-the-cliff from seeing it with my body."
"That was stupid of me. Huh?"
Moss-stone-walker grins slyly. "When I was a little boy, a woman from a
visiting tribe had taken me into the woods with her stallion. She excited her
horse in hand. Watching you handle Down-the-cliff's gelding brought back that
forgotten memory about what she had done with me."
I peer into the brave's eyes. He is smiling. I'm glad that he's trying to
cheer me up. Moss-stone-walker clears his throat when he continues his story.
"I can't remember the woman's name. She was unmarried, I think, or maybe
her husband had been killed. It was such a long time ago. I was around six
years old and it was the summer season so like any youth at that age, I'd gone
about in the nude. The squaw had caught me playing with myself. She offered me
a ride over her horse and we went into the deep woods.
"The woman hobbled her stallion and I was asked to hold his head. She
pulled off her dress and stood beside him, pushing his snake-of-a-dong between
her legs. I remember how strange that seemed. It must have hurt because the
woman wailed a lot. As an innocent boy, I didn't know how wrong my thinking
was. It was difficult keeping hold of the stallion's head and I nearly lost
control over him when his rear end bucked again and again. The stallion's high
pitched shrill almost had me running away in fright!"
Moss-stone-walker pauses from his story to read my reaction to it. I give
him a smile and nod for him to continue his exciting account.
"The woman stood before me with a funny grin on her face. She looked down
at herself, her hands pulling the lips of her cunt apart to show me that the
stallion had spermed her. I'm sure that my eyes were wide as boulders. She
handled my pole like she'd done with the horse's dong until I grew stiff."
Moss-stone-walker becomes embarrassed. I'm wondering if there's more to
tell or that he won't share its ending with me. He takes in a deep breath,
his eyes staring at the river when he continues his story.
"The woman called me her 'little horse'. I remember laying over the front
of her, my butt savagely pulled on to force my stabs inside the woman's cunt.
She was hot and slippery in there. I was told that my small loins would mature
from mounting her body filled with the stallion's seed. I believed that."
The brave shuts his mouth. He stares off in the distance, leaving me
filled with tremendous excitement. I imagine what it would have been like to
let that stallion fuck me. His dong wasn't that stiff but long enough for my
hand to snake it up from his belly to push through my butt hole. I'd have been
fucked beforehand by some horny man so that my asshole would have been widened
and slippery enough to fit that horse's huge knob in me. I'd try to shove as
much of the horse's dong up my butt that it could handle. My hand would make
the necessary motion. In and out stabs until the stallion pumped lots of cum in
me to overflowing!
"Were you able to heal Down-the-cliff's horse?"
The brave's question takes me from my fantasy. I nod my head. "Ah. He'll
be able to ride him tomorrow." There's a smirk on my face when envisioning
Down-the-cliff 'riding' his gelding's cock but I'm sure that Moss-stone-walker
knows what I'd meant.
The brave studies me for a long moment. I feel uncomfortable under his
gaze and dread what he may say.
"It's true then," the man whispers. "You can do what you've told me?"
I suck in a trembling breath and nod. There's awe in the brave's eyes. I
look over his face and watch it fade from sight when Father Sun wanes at this
moment. The twilight has turned to night.
My right hand is taken into the brave's. He squeezes my fingers hard as if
to awaken me from a dream. I sense his strong emotions that have turned from
awe to his hope to have me as his lover. I flinch at this thought. Smiles A Lot
has revealed himself to me so how can I cast him aside for this man?
"I feel you in my head, Willow Bird. Almost, I can know what you're
thinking but you hold yourself back from me."
I'm surprised that Moss-stone-walker has accepted that I can Mind Speak.
He's not frightened of me. My thoughts are guarded from him but it's difficult
to keep my emotions back. I don't want to hurt this dear man by rejecting his
hope for love! A part of me wants him. Smiles A Lot is my lover and he's with
me in spirit but never again will we be together physically. There's intense
beauty in sharing ourselves spiritually. He will teach me what I need to know
about using our Father's gifts. His love radiates inside me but I won't be able
to kiss his lips or press his nakedness to mine in love making.
Tears fill my eyes. Anguish squeezes my heart when I finally accept that
my lover is dead. No longer will his arms come around me nor will I ever see
his smiling face with love in his beautiful eyes for me. I sob with despair.
My head is carried down to the man's chest. My belly quakes with sobs that
I'm trying to keep inside me. I'm losing myself to pain. Anger rises in me and
with its help, I put an end to my weak display. Tears run down my cheeks but
I'm not sobbing like a little boy anymore. I push against the brave's thighs
and sit up.
Moss-stone-walker peers at me. I put on a brave face and even feign a
smile for him. The man shakes his head, proving that I'm not fooling him. His
right hand comes to my eyes and he wipes my tears away.
"I understand you now."
I'm alarmed by the man's words but don't sense our Connection. We're not
touching. Oh. He must have Heard my thoughts during my moment of weakness. What
did he learn about me?!
"Oh, Willow Bird. You are so used to pain and disappointment that they
have become familiar to you. Like a favorite sleeping hide that keeps you warm
at night. That's not healthy. You've been hurt a lot but I see that you welcome
it, expecting the next blow as a kind of relief."
In a weak voice, "How can you know that about me?"
Moss-stone-walker nods. "I used to be like you. When I was a boy, I cried
a lot and secretly enjoyed it. The rush of strong emotion made me feel good."
I desperately need to drop my eyes from his but cannot. The darkness
helps. His face is in shadows so that means he can't see mine. But his words!
They strike me hard like the harsh glare of Father Sun at the height of His
sky. He believes what he's telling me but I don't want to accept what I'm
hearing. I don't like feeling sad. I don't want bad things to keep happening to
me! How can he say that I like being hurt?
"I am falling in love with you."
A sharp breath is taken into my mouth.
"There's a part of you that wants this but your loss holds you back,"
whispers Moss-stone-walker. "I can be patient. Please, let me teach you how
to grow up into a man."
I'm feeling mixed emotions from his words. A part of me understands but I
also feel stung. He sees me as a boy. If he only knew about all the things I've
accomplished. My suffering! How I've met the difficult challenges in my life.
"You are confused. My words have made you angry but truth is difficult to
hear, Willow Bird. Perhaps you'll listen to this..."
The man leans his face towards me to whisper something in my ear. Instead,
he's pressing his lips against mine. Kissing me! I want to pull away and deny
what he's doing but I cannot. I'm kissing him back. My heart swells and guilt
is tossed away like a gnawed bone. I open myself to this dear man. All my
feelings and thoughts are his for the asking and he Takes! I'm able to sense
his emotions and Read his memories. I learn much about him. The boy he was,
growing up on the mountain and his recent manhood that changed him utterly.
I understand what he was trying to tell me. He's managed to set himself
free from the repeating cycle of disappointments, fulfilling that expectation
and crying in wonderful pain only through a strong will of resolve. He no
longer seeks pain. This man has set goals for himself. Not things that he'll
attain in a day or by the next full moon but what he wants to achieve years
from now. He longs to earn an eagle's feather for his hair through honorable
feats, not relishing to kill an enemy but when he must to defend himself and
his People.
Moss-stone-walker is also seeking love. There's a need in him to share
what he's learned in life with someone a little younger so that they will
attain manhood more easily. He won't remove the challenges for them; only
soften the sharper ones. This man is not ashamed of desiring those of his sex
but he doesn't flaunt what he is. Those who can't accept him are ignored. He
strives to prove his manhood through deeds and being honorable. Not in the arms
of a squaw.
While I've been Seeing his life, Moss-stone-walker has viewed my memories.
He knows all of my secrets! I Sense awe in him, understanding of what I've been
through and he is very sad for me.
I break the Connection between us. It was difficult but I felt the need to
do so before we lose ourselves. The man holds me close in his arms. My face is
buried in his neck. I'm no longer crying or feel the need to. I've been given
some of his strength as a man.
"I have never met anyone like you, Willow Bird."
Moss-stone-walker grasps my shoulders and he gently pushes me away so that
we can face each other. It's too dark to see. Yet our souls have been bared so
there's no need for clumsy eyes. I know this man. And he knows everything that
I am and he accepts me.
"I hope that you'll get over your loss," the brave whispers. "There's much
for both of us to think about."
I understand what he means. In my head are memories not my own but this
man's. I'll need to sort through them. I've already decided something about our
relationship. It is a sad realization and difficult to explain in words but I
know this emotionally. We won't become lovers.
"You will always be my good friend," says Moss-stone-walker.
I draw in a sharp breath. He has made this same decision about me! My
words are but a sad whisper. "I value your friendship more than you can know."
"But I do, Willow Bird."
Yes. He would. Our Connection had us sharing one spirit and I'm feeling
the afterglow from that. I find the man's right hand and squeeze it. He looks
down at himself and draws my eyes to his front flap. The brave pulls it from
his thong belt. He unties the knots around his foreskin and cups his hand to
catch what flows out. In a dramatic gesture, Moss-stone-walker flings his left
hand towards the river. Our seed falls like raindrops.
My head drops to my chest. I'm not feeling shame, sadness or guilt. I
simply accept what he's done. The man rubs his fingers together. It's too dark
for me know why until I remember what he'd used to tie his foreskin with.
"I'll put your thong in my sacred bundle to remember this day."
Moss-stone-walker fumbles with his thong belt in the dark. I hear a
leather rubbing sound. The man sighs deeply and ties his bundle closed.
"I'll see you to bed, Willow Bird."
The man helps me to my feet and leads me back to the woods. I keep opening
my mouth to say something but I'm unsure of what words I need to speak. My mare
greets me with soft nickering. Moss-stone-walker takes me to my ground mat and
I fall to it, exhausted.
"It will be a long ride tomorrow so get some sleep."
"You too! Down-the-cliff's horse will be better so you'll need your sleep."
Moss-stone-walker stares at me for a long moment. I think he wants to tell me
something but no words spring from his mouth. The brave turns away and I listen
to his footsteps until they fade in the dark.
I'm shaken awake. Drum-beats is kneeling at my side and I realize that
it's early in the morning. That surprises me. I had only just closed my eyes in
sleep! My body is hurting. I'm not looking forward to more riding this day.
"Prepare you horse for travel," the warrior asks. "We should reach your
tribe by tonight."
I sit up in a rush. "How is Down-the-cliff's horse. Can he ride?"
Drum-beats nods his head. "His gelding has recovered from his injury."
I smile to myself, relieved that Moss-stone-walker won't have to be left
behind. Memories from last night return to me. We had Shared thoughts with each
other and learned that ours will only be a friendship. I'm not disappointed by
that realization. I still long for Smiles A Lot and am not ready for new love.
The warrior leaves my side. I hear the braves tending to their horses
around me so I get to my feet and go to my brown mare. She softly nickers.
Water is given to satisfy her thirst. I check on her girth belt and make sure
that my sacks of smoked buffalo meat are secured. A smaller sack contains the
elk skin garment given me by Deep-roots-that-whisper that I'll wear when
becoming a shaman myself.
I pull on my horse's reins and lead her to the path. Shakes-like-the-
ground has already mounted. He gestures for the braves behind him to get in
line. When I jump over my mare's back, the war leader kicks his horse forward.
I'm quick to follow him. The sound of hooves are heard behind me.
Fog hangs in the air. It covers the river and swirls at our passing,
covering me from head to toe in moisture. My body shivers. The horse is a
source of warmth so I cling to her. Shakes-like-the-ground keeps us at a walk.
I listen to the steady rhythm of hooves that is putting me to sleep. My
hands are around the mare's neck. There's no need to guide her. My body aches.
That prevents me from falling deep asleep so I close my eyes to rest.
"My father won't be coming back?" the boy asks. His high-pitched voice
denotes his alarm and growing disbelief. It had come as unexpected news since
Stone-crack was away to trade with the Wah-ha at their Big Wooden Lodge. Not on
the warpath where death was a possibility.
"I'm sorry my son. I'll miss him, too."
That was the boy's mother. She holds Little-crack close in her arms and
they both cry. I'm feeling badly for this youth. He's had to grow up without a
father (like myself) but he managed to reach manhood on his own. Even when he
discovered how he differed from the other boys and felt ashamed. Lonely.
Confused and hating himself. He found relief in crying.
I wish that I was there to guide Little-crack to assure him that his
sexual feelings were normal and embrace our needs together. But that was long
ago. I was even younger than him and didn't yet realize that I was attracted to
those of my own sex.
I'm not dreaming. I hear our horses pounding down the river path and when
my eyes open, trees race by me. That was a memory in my head that had come from
Moss-stone-walker when we Shared last night. Our Connection had been very deep.
He took all my memories, everything that I am as Willow Bird and I have his.
Little-crack was his boyhood name. He'd just learned of his father's death and
that particular memory is strong in him. There are more in my head that I'll
need to relive through his eyes.
I open myself to another memory.
Thirst! Father Sun's heated Hand brings a sweat to my body when I stand
over the Seeking Cliff. I've come to find my animal helper. This is only the
first of four long days and nights that I'll have to endure...
I pull back. I'd been startled by the intensity of that memory. Instead of
being an observer, I had become Little-crack when he underwent his fasting rite
on Moy Mountain. That was a bit too intense. I'm curious to learn what happened
so I return to his memory.
The boy had stood over the cliffs, waiting and he endured. No animal had
come to him so a fifth day came and went. Deep-roots-that-whisper found him and
the boy was carried down from the heights in his arms. The shaman told him later
that his animal helper was shy or that he wasn't ready to have it revealed to
him. No shame in that. Little-crack had proved himself worthy to be initiated a
brave. The following summer, he was given the name Moss-stone-walker because he
was often seen walking over the softer parts of a trail, zigzagging his steps
to avoid hard stone.
A smile comes to my lips. I had wondered why the brave was given such a
name. That memory of seeking our animal helper was hard to endure. It was so
vivid! I realize something. By holding part of myself back, I can view Moss-
stone-walker's memories and know that they are his. Living them makes me
confused. I won't be able to distinguish what I've done in my life from his.
More of the boy's memories come to me. I avoid living them and try to be
an observer. I'm Shown the difficulties Little-crack had growing up. Without a
father, answers were found on his own and he didn't have a monedo. Big Horn
became my second father and he helped me come to terms with being Mahyee-na.
A strong emotion fills my heart. It is love. A young boy named Swift-legs
is standing naked with Little-crack. Their dicks have been fit together through
my unusually long foreskin. I stroke over it to pleasure my friend. I'm feeling
strongly for Swift-legs in my heart.
I pull back, realizing that I'm not observing this memory but living it.
As a thirteen-year-old boy, Moss-stone-walker discovered his first love. This
is a sweet memory so I decide to live it as Little-crack had with his friend.
My spirit opens to fully embrace what had happened between them.
Love surges in my heart. Swift-legs has been my close friend for years
beyond count. He's ten now. His erection is exciting to look at while I note
his eyes on my bigger dick, awe seen in the boy's face for it.
"You have a long skin," Swift-legs remarks.
I stand proud before my friend. His pole is skinny and there's not much
skin around it. My hand is tempted to reach out and touch his but I'm afraid
that he'll get mad or tattle on me.
To my surprise, Swift-legs grasps his dick. He points it at mine as if
comparing their sizes so I step closer until ours touch. A sharp thrill shoots
through me. I'm pulling back my foreskin until my knob pops out. It's oozing.
I stroke over my dick and watch my friend's face for his reaction. He grins
knowingly, joining into my common boy's game. His knob bumps against mine. I get
an idea about trying something with him.
I pull on my foreskin to get my knob back inside. My fingers reach out to
Swift-leg's dick and I insert it in my dick. The boy's eyes shine. I lean
closer to my friend until our chests are nearly touching but he doesn't notice.
Our eyes are looking down at our male joining.
A trembling breath fills my mouth. I push my long foreskin further down
the boy's shaft until it's swallowed. Then my fingers stroke over his dick
caught in my skin. He gasps sharply.
"That feels really good, Little-crack. Kinda silky around my dick."
I'm glad that my friend accepts what we're doing. I stroke over his
erection for his thrill while my other hand strokes over my dick to get mine
feeling good. Our knobs bump inside.
I stroke over the boy's skinny dick. He begins holding breaths and his
eyes narrow as if the sensation is too intense for him. My thumb and forefinger
tighten around the outline of his knob. Swift-legs cries out. I feel his single
strong throb but he hasn't shot. He's too young.
My fingers withdraw to my shaft. I want to show my friend that mine can
come out. I see expectation in his eyes so I won't disappoint the boy. My
thrills are building up. He pulls the end of my long foreskin to his balls and
pinches it. The outline of my swollen knob is revealed.
I dare to reach out to my friend's butt with my free hand. His cheeks are
soft. The boy shyly reaches out to grasp my groin hair. I see him shy smile.
His fingers wander down to my balls and clutches them. There's utter worship in
my friend's eyes for my body and I begin stabbing through my foreskin when my
thrills become intense!
My held breath is releases as a moan. I hear Swift-legs gasp. I'm filling
my foreskin with cum and close my eyes to enjoy this moment alone. It feels
real good! My pleasure fades and I open my eyes to find him staring up at me.
We drop our gaze to my bulging foreskin.
"I wish that I could do that," whispers Swift-legs.
My breaths rush through my mouth. "If we stand together for a while, I'll
fill your dick up and my strength will flow down into your balls." My friend
nods in reply. He grasps my waist. I release his butt and pinch the end of my
foreskin while tightening my other hand around the bulge between our knobs.
I'm glad to be doing this for my little friend. We stand together for a
long while, our eyes looking down at our dicks. I've been trying to get words
out of my mouth to tell Swift-legs how strongly I'm feeling for him but I am
too afraid. I don't want to risk our friendship if he doesn't feel this same
way for me.
Anguish fills my heart when pulling myself away from Little-crack's sweet
memory of that day. He didn't get the courage to speak his love for his friend.
I can understand his reluctance. My boyhood friend, Song Bird was dear to me
and I had felt the same way for him but I feared revealing my heart because it
would have ruined our friendship. Eventually, he was told. Song Bird accepted
my feelings for him but he only feels a strong friendship for me and the
closeness we share as half brothers. The boy isn't Mahyee-na. Yet he loves me
enough to embrace my needs for expressing a deeper love for him.
I'm understanding Moss-stone-walker more. He and I had shared a tortured
boyhood when we tried coming to terms with our sexuality. Little-crack didn't
have a father. I had Big Horn as my monedo but my shame was kept from him until
that wonderful day when the brave revealed his heart to me.
I feel the pressure of other memories in my head that need to be lived.
Moss-stone-walker has given me a special gift of self so I gather myself and
plunge into another moment in his life.
Little-crack is gathering wood for his mother's fire. This gives him the
opportunity to reach under his front flap for his dick. It hardens. He thinks
about Swift-legs, what they did together and reliving that gets him to squirt.
I find many instances where Little-crack beats off while thinking about
his friend. It's always the same thing: standing together with their dicks fit
together except that he tells the little boy how much he loves him. Swift-legs
nods his head in agreement.
I'm sad that their acceptance of love was only a fantasy in Little-crack's
mind. He never did tell his friend about his feelings. Their friendship grew
apart. I can't tell why that happened and it's a mystery to him as well.
I review memory after memory of Little-crack growing into a man. There was
much loneliness in the boy's life. He tried turning to the men of his tribe but
his approach was often shunned. Some taught him manhood skills any boy needs to
learn but any attempt to get close ended in bitter disappointment. Little-crack
was often running to the cliff to be alone, crying out his frustration and
feeling unloved. He didn't even an uncle to turn to.
More of Little-crack's memories are observed. I'm not living them any more
because the effort is draining. There's much of Moss-stone-walker's life yet to
review. I'm understanding him more and more. When weariness comes to me, I stop
the play of images and rest. I'm in awe of this gift from our Father: Sharing.
I'm startled awake when my horse surges forward. I rush to grab her reins.
Shakes-like-the-ground is bringing us to a fast trot. I'm surprised by the
strong sunlight, my eyes lifting to see that it's nearly noon already! I'm
feeling refreshed.
I notice that my body isn't hurting as much. That comes as a relief but
with our faster pace, my muscles will become sore again. I try swallowing in
my dry throat and wonder when we'll be taking a break.
Shakes-like-the-ground speeds his horse to a gallop. The path is widening,
making a slow turn to the right. I notice that the forest has grown thicker. We
thunder down the trail and excitement fills me from knowing that I'll be back
with my People this night. I need to know that my mother is safe. I've missed
my friends: Song Bird, Crying Loon and the other boys I love. Has my shaman
recovered from his head wound?
Smiles A Lot comes to mind. My heart swells to be seeing him but in the
next moment, tears sting my eyes. I remember. He won't be waiting for me in the
shaman's lodge.
I savagely kick my horse from anger. Iron Bow and Catch-fish-with-arrows
should fear my wrath! I'm returning to my tribe with men from the Moss-bowl. My
chief will praise what I've done. I have acted for the good of our People so
how can those two men claim this same deed when they handed my lover over to
the Split Tribe? They did this to kill our love. I'll make sure that Oaken
Strength sees them punished!
Shakes-like-the-ground calls out to me in alarm when I pass him. Giving in
to my anger had me forgetting my place. I try pulling on my mare's reins but
she gallops even faster. The path ahead splits and the horse turns left,
leaving the river behind us.
I plead to my horse to stop! My hands pull harder on the mare's reins but
she struggles to be given her head. I Connect myself to the animal with my
thoughts and Will her to slow down.
Our wild run ends. The mare comes to a stop in the woods and I hear the
other horses behind me in the distance. When I'm about to turn and face Shakes-
like-the-ground, a feathered warrior steps out from the woods. He has his
tomahawk at the ready. My heart squeezes with fear!
He's not from the Split Tribe because we're still too far away. I look
this man over. He's wearing moccasins, a painted breechclout and six eagle's
feathers are tied in his long hair. This warrior is from a Woods Tribe. His
eyes look past me, at the Moss-bowl men riding up to us.
I spy a bowman within the woods. He has an arrow notched for flight! When
I peer at the trees on my right, another bowman is spotted. And another. Anger
swells in me. I fear that I've led Shakes-like-the-ground's men into an ambush!
No arrows have been flown so I hope that our arrival has only put them on
guard. There's a warning yell from one of our braves. He's seen the bowman.
This tense situation could get out of hand and lead to bloodshed. All my fault!
The six-feathered warrior catches my attention. He keeps his place over
the trail with his tomahawk ready to strike me. I raise my right hand to him.
Will he accept my peace gesture?
"Who are you?" the warrior commands. "Why have to enter our woods?"
"I am Willow Bird. These men have come from the Moss-bowl Tribe to help
protect my People from the coming war." The man lowers his tomahawk slightly
while he considers my words. He must have noticed that I'm unarmed.
I glance behind me. Shakes-like-the-ground kicks his horse to join us but
he hasn't pulled a weapon. Some of his braves brandish tomahawks and knives.
That is foolish of them! Those weapons won't defend them against arrows and
will make the tense situation even worse.
Many of our braves wear shields over their arms. Yet bowmen are targeting
them from both sides so this defense is meaningless. An arrow shot at close
range won't be stopped.
I hear a horse's angry snort. The woodland warrior reacts by raising his
tomahawk and he glares up at me. I realize something. I must appear as only a
boy while his six feathers make him greater in stature. It's not proper for me
to be looking down at him from my horse. We're not engaged in battle. I slip
down from my mare to greet him, hoping that my gesture to face him will put
this man at ease. "Will you honor your peace treaty with the Split Tribe?"
"Ah, yes. But you not from their tribe."
I shake my head. "Their People were once part of my tribe. We've settled
across the river from them to make peace talk so that we'll stand together
against the Spear-bearing warriors who are bringing war down upon us."
The man considers my words. I notice him studying me, my short hair and
the style of breechclout that I'm wearing. "My lengths were burned away by a
plains fire after I escaped a Shew-owa hunting party," I explain. "I've been
gifted with this breechclout by the Moss-bowl. Do not your People trade with
this Mountain People?"
The warrior nods his head. "Yes. But they stay on their mountain and not
come down but to war."
"Hear my words," pleads Shakes-like-the-ground. "What Willow Bird of the
Kalinlepi has told you is true. He's asked for our help to fight against the
Spear-bearing warriors. I am Shakes-like-the-ground of the Moss-bowl People. We
have no ill intent towards yours." He slips down from his horse to prove his
good will. His hands are empty of weapons.
"Why left the river path?" the warrior asks with his voice filled with
suspicion. "You disturbed the peace of our woods."
I'm filled with regret. That was my fault but how can I get this man to
believe me? Even Shakes-like-the-ground doesn't know why my horse took the
wrong turn after I galloped past him. It becomes very tense. I'm afraid to look
back as if that would signal a release of arrows on our braves.
A bold idea comes to me. I step closer to the six-feathered warrior and
extend my right hand. Will he accept my peace gesture? I see alarm in his eyes
but he switches his tomahawk to his left hand where it could still strike me.
His hand slips around mine.
"It was my fault for entering your woods," I explain. "My horse took the
wrong turn after I lost control of her. She galloped past my war leader who
gave chase."
"Ah. Your words join to my eyes when I see you ahead of the others. I
think they in pursuit to strike you down as enemy."
I Sense uneasiness in this man. He accepts my words but our arrival adds
to the tension his men have from something else. I probe his thoughts and learn
what it is. They've captured an enemy scout!
I can't reveal what I've learned from him. Perhaps if I try a round about
way to get him admitting this. "We've been riding hard for two days from the
mountain. I fear that the Split Tribe and mine will soon be under attack!"
"Hmm. That be so," the warrior answers. "We captured a Shew-owa scout."
"Have you been able to make him talk?"
The warrior shakes his head. "My men took him down late this morning. We
were on our way back to our tribe." Sadness fills his eyes.
That explains why his men were ready for battle. When the warrior's hand
tries loosening from mine, I rush into his mind with a strong command to let
me see the enemy scout they've captured. Not as worded thoughts; emotion only
because I don't want to scare this man by Mind Speaking with him.
"I will show this scout if you want."
My head nods in reply. I've been noticing this man's thick accent and how
he arranges words. They remind me of a certain brave from the Split Tribe. "Ah.
You speak like a man I know who is called Brings Word."
"Yes. He lived our tribe as a boy," says the warrior, "but go Split Tribe
when his mother remarried a warrior of them. How do you know him?"
I smile. "We met on the plains after my escape from the Shew-owa. He was
with war leader Stands Tall who was searching for his son. I found the boy when
a fire swept the plains. Brings Word cut off the burned lengths to my hair."
I see this man warming to my words. "He is also good with horses," I add. "My
stallion's burns were treated by him with healing herbs mixed with fat."
"Your words are good in my ears, Willow Bird." The warrior calls out to
his men, "Stand down. They not to fight us."
Shakes-like-the-ground signals to his men to lower their weapons. I sigh
with relief.
"I am war leader Climbs-the-tree. Come see what we caught in our woods."
Shakes-like-the-ground and I are led into the forest. There are five
horses tied to trees and a brave is bound hand and foot over one of them. His
mouth is also gagged. I recognize the features to his face. He is Shew-owa.
Seeing him brings back unpleasant memories of when Crumobia and his lover had
raped me. If not for my brother's help, I'd probably be dead.
I hear a moan. My eyes turn to a travois fashioned from tree branches. A
wounded man is laying over it who bleeds his life out to the ground.
"Hawk's Eye was shot," explains Climbs-the-tree. His voice lowers. "I
don't think he will make it back to our tribe."
Shakes-like-the-ground kneels beside Hawk's Eye and examines his belly
wound. A scrap of hide covers it but cannot prevent his blood loss. My war
leader lifts his eyes to us with sadness coming into them. I don't need to hear
him say the words. This man is going to die.
Anger fills me. The Shew-owa have joined their Spear-bearing brothers to
make war on us and they're already bringing death to our allies. I fear for my
People! Have they already been attacked?
Another moan escapes the man's lips. There are tears in his eyes and his
suffering brings the horrors of war to me. He's only a young brave, a boy who
has been recently named but won't see the day when he'll become a warrior.
Anger grows in me.
"Sing the song," the brave pleads.
Climbs-the-tree shows anguish in his eyes but he kneels beside the brave.
His voice lifts in song. I recognize it. When a man knows that he's going to
die, singing the Death Song helps lift his spirit from a broken body so that
it can take flight to the Above.
I drop to my knees with the men. Shakes-like-the-ground joins in the
singing that brings tears to my eyes. I'm about to sing too when a startling
thought comes to me. It scares me. I've not tried to Heal anyone who's been
this badly injured but I must try!
My right hand covers the brave's wound. He flinches in pain so I Connect
myself to him and block it. Blood runs against my palm, warm and sticky. I must
hurry with my attempt! My breaths tremble and I'm finding it hard to
concentrate. Smiles A Lot's words return to me. I had feared the difficulty
with Healing Rain Dancer's broken foot but he told me not to worry about the
task at hand but to simply be.
My eyes close. I use the men's singing to center myself when my inner
Sight peers inside this brave. In a flash, I See what happened. The enemy scout
pointed a black stick at him that made a big sound. Something struck the left
side of his belly. Pain! He dropped to the ground.
I Reach into Hawk's Eye's wound and find an evil thing there. It tastes
poisonous, like a bitter acorn this man has eaten. My fingers burn with heat.
I manage to remove it and concentrate next on Healing the damage.
A sense of otherness falls over me like a feather. I See his ghostly smile
and love bursts in my heart for Smiles A Lot. His hands are over mine. I take
in a deep breath, listen to the men's ending words to their song and release
power deep from within me to Heal.
I've become a raging river! My waters pour into this man's belly, washing
away sickness and cooling his hurt. More needs to be done though. I become
afraid! I'm risking my life to save the life of a stranger but that's what my
lover would have done. I Hear his words in my head.
'We will always be together, love so why fear death? It is not yet your
time to go Above. You can Heal this man.'
I'm strengthened to Hear this. My inner Eye is directed down at this
brave's grievous wound. I See his ruptured kidney, the torn abdomen muscles
and his blood release but I'm no longer afraid to do what I must. Light fills
my hand and strikes down. Smiles A Lot helps direct my flow of power that
weakens my own life. This man's fading energy is renewed, brought back into
balance and his body mends itself in a blink of an eye.
I gasp for air. Climbs-the-tree also gasps, his hand pulling mine from
Hawk's Eye's belly and he snatches the evil seed from my palm. I can't see the
expression on his face. My eyesight is fading. Before darkness takes me, I see
the war leader wiping blood from his companion's belly that reveals unbroken
skin. A loud buzzing fills my ears. My lover's voice urges me to grasp the
acorn hanging down from my neck. I manage to close my hand around it, awakening
its power to restore me. My neck thong snaps and I know no more.
Something cool wets my lips. I open my mouth and drink the water being
offered me. My eyes slowly open but it's too dark to see. I feel cool air over
my body that means it must be night already. I'm feeling confused. Where am I?
Someone lifts me into a sitting position. I feel the ground mat below me
and there's warmth from a fire felt against my back. Something is tied around
the palm of my right hand. It is my pouch containing the acorn. He is asleep,
drained of power that reminds me in a flash of what's happened!
"Are you alright?" asks the brave.
I recognize Moss-stone-walker's voice and am comforted that he's attending
me. My belly rumbles with hunger.
"Eat this."
A bowl comes to my lips but my left hand shakes too much for me to eat.
The brave pushes the fresh deer meat into my mouth. I hungrily chew it down. I'm
feeling ravenous and the bowl is soon emptied.
I gasp for air. Moss-stone-walker grasps my right arm and I Sense relief
in him mixed with awe. He's heard about what I've done for Hawk's Eye.
"I thought you'd sleep until morning."
That voice is unfamiliar to me. I can't find the man in the dark but Moss-
stone-walker knows who he is - this tribe's shaman.
"Working a difficult Healing drains your body," says the shaman. "I've
Felt the power in your bundle and had it tied to your hand."
Surprise fills me. This shaman acts like he knows what he's talking about!
"Do you Heal?" I blurt out.
"Yes. Our Father has gifted me with this ability but I've not met another
who can Heal... until now."
My voice is trembling. "Do you have other powers?" I'm hoping that this
shaman does and can help advise me to use my own.
"Isn't it enough that we can Heal?"
I'm groping in the dark to find this man so that we can Connect. Moss-
stone-walker lifts me to my feet. I lean heavily over him, my legs feeling too
weak to support my weight. A strong hand comes to my arm. I open my being to
the shaman and Hear his thoughts. He's curious about me. Thankful for saving
his tribesman and I sense his concern about my recovery.
'I only need to rest,' I assure the shaman. Surprise fills him yet he
directs his thoughts at me.
'You reveal another gift from our Father.'
'Yes. I have other powers but I'm untrained... Can you help me?'
'Does your tribe not have a shaman?'
I Show this man that he's recovering from a head wound. Disgust fills him
when he learns how he was attacked. Questions fill my head. I answer them but
more keep coming and I'm feeling the need to sit down.
Without asking, Moss-stone-walker lowers me to the ground. I realize that
he's Connected to us and Heard all our thoughts. There's no need to guard them.
I've Shared myself utterly with this man last night and he Showed me himself,
all his memories. I know him.
'You should rest, Willow Bird. I Feel your fatigue and confusion. You can
speak with the shaman in the morning.'
'Yes. Go back to sleep and we'll talk.'
My back is lowered to the ground mat. The shaman's thoughts fade and so do
Moss-stone-walker's. He kneels close at my side to watch over me. I close my
eyes and sleep.
***
Author's Note:
I've been asked by readers in what order they should read my 'Willow Bird'
series of stories. They are available on the Nifty Archive at: www.Nifty.org/
Scroll down their home page and click NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN STORIES BY VINCE
WATER, RICHARD AMORY... Click the appropriate folder(s) to read my stories.
Here's a list of my 'Willow Bird' stories in the proper order to read them:
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"Big Horn's Path into the Mahyee-na" (Ongoing series that takes place a year
before Willow Bird came of age)
"Crying Loon's Seduction" (This single story is part 3 1/2 to
"Big Horn's Path into the Mahyee-na")
"Willow Bird Finds His Love" (Eight {1-8} story parts)
"Song Bird's Story of Love" (Single story part found in the 'Pottery
Shards' series, story #5)
"Brave Willow Bird" (Nine {1-9} story parts)
"Willow Bird, Warrior" (Ten {1-9, 0} story parts)
"The Sisters' Rite of Passing Seed from One to the Other" (Single story)
"Willow Bird's Returning Spirit" (Single story part. It's an important
prelude to the 'Shaman' series)
"Shaman Willow Bird" (Ongoing series with eleven {1-11} parts
written to date)
"Willow Bird, Leader of the Mahyee-na" (A future series yet to be written)
I'm compiling an appendix containing descriptions for all the events, places,
people and Indian terms used throughout the 'Willow Bird' series. Background
information never revealed in the stories is also included. When completed,
I'll post it with the Nifty Archive as the file: APPENDIX.TXT
This appendix is included in "Artwork & Stories", a collection of three Windows
compatible cd-roms that archive ALL of my story writings, jpeg scans and eBook
versions of my originally printed booklets (long out-of-print), images of nude
American Indian men and boys, mpeg movie files from my favorite Indian films,
nude images of young Asian men and boys, etc. A lot of erotic material!
Details on how you can receive a FREE copy of "Artwork & Stories" is found at
the end of "Big Horn's Path into the Mahyee-na" story text, part 8. You can
also make an inquiry about how to receive this by addressing your email to:
ArtworkAndStories@HotMail.com
Questions, comments or suggestions about my stories should be addressed to:
VinceWater@HotMail.com
Oh, there's one more often asked question from my readers. They'll finish a
story part (like this one) and look below where I indicate that "The story
continues in: SHAMAN12.TXT" and not finding it posted, write me an email.
Please realize that this statement below is my intent to write the next story
part but it hasn't been finished yet. Be patient. --->--->--->--->---|
V
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End of file: SHAMAN11.TXT The story continues in: SHAMAN12.TXT