Cedar Woman (92 page)

o
f
a
n
e
w
relati
v
e,
h
e
saw
what
h
e
th
o
ug
h
t
was
a
s
m
all
c
h
ild
sta
nd
i
n
g
at t
h
e
f
a
r
ed
ge
of
t
h
e
g
ro
u
p
.
S
t
o
p
pi
n
g
an
d
w
a
iting
fo
r
her
t
o
n
o
tice
hi
m
,
he

m
u
r
m
ur
e
d
,

“
Co
n
gra
t
ulati
o
ns.”

As
s
h
e tur
n
e
d
,
h
e realized
t
h
at s
h
e was, in fact, t
h
e young
w
o
m
an w
h
o
c
au
ght h
i
s
attenti
o
n
t
h
e
first day of
t
h
e
p
ow
w
o
w.
Su
rp
rised
a
n
d i
n
trig
u
ed, Mic
h
ael waited
p
atie
n
tly as s
h
e
sl
ow
ly
raised
h
e
r eyes.

Was
s
h
e
tr
e
mbling?
h
e
w
o
nde
red
?
H
o
w
c
ou
l
d
I
tell?
he
answer
e
d hi
m
self,
for
the mom
e
nt
h
e
r
eyes
tou
c
h
e
d mine, even for
that
brief second, I was
lost.

Mi
chael
had
n
ever be
e
n
i
n
lo
ve be
f
o
r
e
.
O
h
,
t
h
ere were c
ru
shes
an
d i
n
fat
u
atio
n
s
,
a
n
d
Mic
h
ael dated
h
is
s
h
are
of w
o
m
e
n
,
b
o
th
N
d
N
a
n
d was
i
cu,
but
t
h
ese
s
o
ul-
s
hatt
e
ri
n
g
e
m
otions
were
n
e
w
t
o
h
i
m
.
It
w
a
s
if she
was
a
l
ready a
p
a
rt
o
f hi
m
,
his
heart,
his
s
oul,
his
v
e
ry
br
eath.

Michael
Young
Be
a
r
was
a tall,
attractive
man
of
t
h
e
L
a
kota,
his oyate of the
Wiacca
Sint
e
⁷⁹
or
Tail Feather P
e
ople.

⁷⁸
Lee
-
lah
Was
h
t
ay
W
een
-
y
an – Lo
v
ely yo
u
ng w
o
m
an

⁷⁹
we
e
-
ah-k
a
h sheen-tay
– Tail
Feather P
e
ople

S
t
and
i
ng
s
i
x
f
eet,
w
i
th
l
o
n
g
,
g
l
ossy black
hair
and de
e
p
, d
a
r
k
, b
r
o
w
n
e
y
es,
h
i
s chiseled
features
a
nd
m
u
scular
b
ody re
m
i
nd
e
d
m
any of the
iconic
ac
t
or,
Christoph
e
r
Ree
ve
.
Michael w
a
s unaware
of
his ou
t
wa
r
d be
a
u
t
y
.
His awar
e
n
ess
o
f hi
m
self was inw
ard
, rather th
a
n wr
ap
ped
u
p
in his
appear
a
n
c
e
.
C
are
f
u
lly plann
e
d, his
r
e
ga
l
ia
repr
e
sent
e
d his danc
i
n
g and
i
n
c
l
u
d
ed
de
s
igns and
s
y
m
bols wh
ic
h refl
e
cted,
n
o
t
o
n
ly his
chosen
d
a
nce
as
a
grass
danc
e
r,
but
his
f
a
m
i
ly
as
well.
How
he l
o
o
k
ed in
it,
as
far
a
s
wo
m
en
were
c
o
nce
r
n
e
d,
n
e
ver ente
re
d
his
m
ind.

Al
b
eit
o
n
ly
t
we
n
ty-
t
wo,
Mic
h
ael led
a
frequ
e
ntly
examined
life, reflecti
n
g
o
n
h
is
relationsh
i
ps with
fa
m
ily
and
fri
e
nd
s
,
ev
e
n
to
his
m
o
st i
n
ward th
o
ug
h
ts and
e
m
o
ti
on
s
.

He
g
azed
at
t
h
e
ti
p
i
i
n
to
w
h
ich
Le
n
a
h
a
d
f
l
e
d
.
S
h
e
is
bu
t
a
lit
t
le