Silken Savage (17 page)

Panther’s face underwent a series of changes, so unprepared was he for her reply. First it registered confusion, then surprise, and finally anger.

“Do you dare to question me, wife?” His tone sent shivers up Tanya’s spine, but she refused to back down. She watched as he set his dinner aside. For long moments they stared at one another.

When next he spoke, his voice was taunting. “She is very beautiful, don’t you agree?”

Tanya could no longer hold his gaze. Head bowed, she whispered, “Yes.”

“I thought I told you to look at me,” he grated through his teeth.

Tanya’s head snapped up, but now her eyes were bright with tears.

“Am I the head of this lodge? Do I make the rules and you obey them; without question, or argument, or recrimination?” he went on ruthlessly.

Tanya swallowed, but could not speak beyond the lump in her throat. She merely nodded.

“And if I bring this woman into our lodge, you will accept her, because I wish it.” It was more a statement than question, but Tanya responded with a reluctant nod, and the tears she longed to recall rolled down her cheeks.

Panther sighed heavily, and his long, lean fingers reached out to brush the tears from her cheeks. “Oh, Wildcat! What pain you bring upon yourself needlessly. If you had not stung me with your anger, I would not have responded in kind. Where is your faith in our love? Do you hold me in such low esteem that you think I would consider you unlovely when you carry our child within you? I have told you differently. I have told you I need no other woman but you.”

He gathered Tanya’s shaking body into his warm embrace. “The captive is for Black Kettle, to replace the one he had to trade for Melissa.”

All the pent up emotions she’d held at bay broke loose, and Tanya clung to him and sobbed. When at last she’d hiccupped her last, she lay quietly in his arms.

“I’m so sorry, Panther. My emotions run wild these days,” she explained. “You were late, and I was so worried. Then I saw her, and she is so slim and beautiful, and I was so jealous I couldn’t think straight. I swear I saw red!”

Panther drew slightly away from her so he could see her face. “Don’t ever doubt me again, Wildcat,” he told her solemnly. “It is an affront to my honor when you do so.”

“Never again,” she promised.

“Now, clear your face while I dress, and we will go together to present Black Kettle with his new slave.” The smile she bestowed on him warmed his heart to its depths.

When the braves were not raiding, they were hunting, bringing in more meat for the long winter. Then winter set in hard and fast. Almost overnight, the stream froze and the snow came down so hard, driven by a fierce wind, that it was impossible to see more than two feet ahead. Sheltered as the village was by the mountains, it did not get the brunt of the storm, but it was still unlike anything Tanya had experienced in Pennsylvania. Back home, a few inches of drifting snow slowed the city to a crawl, if not to a complete halt. Here the snowfall was measured by feet, not mere inches, and once you were snowbound, it could be spring before you could move about freely again.

The days grew shorter, and the pace less hurried. Once a day Tanya would pick her way carefully over ice and snow to Black Kettle’s lodge and visit with her parents. Usually the cougar cubs went along. They were larger now, but no less kittenish. Panther had taken over their training, and was having moderate success but they were still rambunctious little rascals.

Tanya and Melissa whiled away the hours making clothing for their babies. Unlike Tanya, Melissa was miserable, both emotionally and physically. Her pregnancy did not seem to be going well at all. Most of the time she was unable to keep food down, and her back ached constantly. Her skin had a sallow sickly cast to it, and she did not seem to be gaining weight as she should. Tanya worried over her endlessly.

Panther, when he was not in conference with the other warriors in the tribal lodge, spent a lot of his time in their tipi. Melissa was no longer nervous about him, and the three of them spent many peaceful hours together.

Panther set to work making a cradle for his child. Hour after hour he lovingly fashioned the wood, carving elaborate figures on it. He also fashioned the frame of the cradleboard Tanya would strap to her back or her saddle. Tanya covered it with sturdy leather, and then padded it with softer hides, decorating it with beads after Panther had hand-tooled patterns into it. While she sewed tiny clothes moccasins, and blankets, Panther carved miniature toys and rattles. He even made tiny wooden figures dangling from lines over the cradle to amuse the babe. These, in colorful array, would dance and clatter in the breeze, giving the child something to watch and listen to while he was yet too young to hold other toys.

The days were short and usually dreary outside, or too cold to do anything. The wind howled against the sides of the tipi. After the busy summer and fall, the quiet pace of winter did not suit Tanya. About the only thing she truly liked were the longer winter nights, wrapped tightly and warmly in Panther’s arms as he demonstrated his love for her night after night.

December came to a close with Tanya and Melissa spending their first Christmas away from their families. Here there were no holiday festivities, with caroling and eggnog and yule log blazing. There were no presents in gaily wrapped paper, no furious shopping and furtive hiding and wrapping of gifts;

no Christmas tree festively decorated and alight with candles. No church services were attended; no holiday dinner, with table groaning under the weight of turkey, dressing, pumpkin and mincemeat pies.

Tanya, in her role as Panther’s wife, had been so busy that she would not have known when Christmas Day actually was, had it not been for Melissa. She realized the holiday season was close at hand, but she had fallen into the Indian way of keeping track of time by the moon and the seasons, not days.

Melissa, on the other hand, had religiously marked off the days since their capture on a piece of bark.

“Only seven more days till Christmas,” she advised Tanya listlessly one afternoon.

“What did you say?” Melissa suddenly had Tanya’s full attention.

“It’s only a week until Christmas,” Melissa repeated with a deep sigh. “I wonder if everyone is celebrating without us? I suppose they are.”

Tanya blinked in surprise, then said thoughtfully, “Yes, I suppose so. Is that why you’ve been so gloomy lately? I thought it was because you weren’t feeling well.”

“It’s both, I guess. Don’t you miss it, Tanya? All the bustling about; all the excitement?” Melissa’s eyes filled with tears.

Tanya swallowed hard. “I miss my family. I even miss Julie, as irritating as she could be sometimes.” She laughed shakily.

“I wish Indians celebrated Christmas, at least,” Melissa complained. “I’d love to have even a small tree to decorate, a cup of eggnog on Christmas Eve, fellowship…” her voice trailed off in despair.

Tanya shook her head vigorously, as if to rid herself of the gloomy thoughts and feelings about to take root.

“Best not to think about it, Missy,” she advised, “though I’d give a sack of gold for a turkey leg right this minute. Being pregnant certainly does things to one’s appetite.”

Long into the night, Tanya thought about her conversation with Melissa. She wished she could do something to lift her small friend’s spirits, and finally decided on a plan.

The next morning, she presented her idea to Panther. He listened politely as she explained the Christian celebration of Christmas and its traditions. When she asked if they might cut down a small pine tree and bring it into the lodge, he balked. All living things were revered, and should not have their life cycles disturbed unnecessarily, but the pine tree was special beyond this. It was sacred to the Indians, as they believed it housed certain benevolent spirits. He would permit her to decorate a live pine nearby, but not to chop one down. In addition, he promised her a turkey.

For days Tanya secretly made small leather decorations and dyed them in bright colors. She sent Melissa to help Shy Deer for hours on Christmas Eve day. Using some of her precious supply of flour and salt, Tanya made pumpkin pie and a plum bread pudding. She made honey-maple candy and popped corn using honey to make it into popcorn balls. She fried corncakes and baked squash. When Panther arrived with the required turkey, she cleaned it and put it over the fire to roast.

When Melissa returned, Tanya dragged her out to the edge of the village, where she had located a small pine tree perfect for their purpose. With several bemused Cheyenne watching, she and Melissa proceeded to decorate the little tree. Then they stood back to admire their handiwork.

Melissa, her blue eyes brimming with tears, hugged her friend. “Thank you, Tanya! You are the best friend I’ve ever had, and this is the finest present you could give me this holiday season. Now it feels like Christmas to me.”

Tanya returned the hug and smiled. “Merry Christmas, Missy.”

She left her friend for a few minutes of privacy near the tree. Later that evening, she, Panther and Missy enjoyed a truly festive dinner together. Tanya swore she’d never been happier.

Two days after Christmas, Melissa got another of her most fervent wishes. She miscarried her child. A little more than halfway through her term, she was too far along to have an easy time of it.

The girls had just finished clearing away the breakfast bowls when Melissa gave a sharp cry and suddenly doubled over in pain, clutching at her stomach. Moving as quickly as possible, Tanya managed to catch her just as her knees gave way. With Panther’s help, they eased her onto her pallet. No sooner did they have her settled, than another pain knifed through her. Melissa drew her knees to her chest and moaned.

“Something is wrong, Panther. I think it is the baby.” Tanya gave him a worried look. “Perhaps I should go for Root Woman.”

Panther shook his head, “No. You stay with her. I’ll get Root Woman for you.”

Several long minutes later, he was back with the medicine woman. The old lady knelt and examined Melissa. Then she sat back on her heels and directed her words to Panther.

“Your slave is losing her child. She will have a hard time of it. Already she is developing a fever, as her body tries to rid itself of its poisons and the babe. It is possible she may die, for she is slight and has been weakened with carrying the child.”

Panther nodded. “Can you help her?”

“I can try to save her life, but the child is lost.” Root Woman slid a sidelong glance toward Tanya. “It is not good for your wife to witness this. I will take the girl to the birthing lodge and care for her there.”

All that day Tanya waited for word of Melissa. Finally, at dusk Root Woman sent word that the dead child had been expelled from the girl’s body. What Panther did not tell Tanya was that the child had been deformed, a grotesque little boy with nothing but stubs for legs. This pitiful thing was the product of Ugly Otter’s repeated rapes, beatings, and mistreatment of Melissa, and she was blessed to be rid of it, if she lived to know of it.

Throughout that night and into the next, Melissa barely clung to life. Her fever raged out of control. Her skin burning, her body racked with pain, she was delirious most of the time. It took all Root Woman’s skill to pull her through this crisis. More than once Tanya wondered if it wouldn’t be a blessing if Melissa would die. She would never be happy here as a slave, and Tanya had done all she could to better the girl’s life. She could not ask Panther to set the girl free.

On the third day, Melissa’s fever broke, and Root Woman sent word that she would live. The girl slept a restful, curing sleep for three more days, waking only when Root Woman forced broth down her throat. It was three weeks in all before Melissa was recovered fully and returned to Panther’s lodge.

By January, Tanya felt smothered by snow and her own fat. The baby was due in March, but Tanya was sure her stomach would burst by then, so huge was she already.

Being snowbound didn’t help much, especially with the biting winds and frigid temperatures that were with them almost daily. One rare, calm sun-sparkling day, Panther decided it would be safe for Tanya to venture out on the snowshoes he had made for her.

Tanya was ecstatic! It felt like years since she’d been able to move about freely or get even limited exercise. As they mushed along, Tanya asked, “Are you sure I won’t break through? I’m pretty heavy, you know. I could end up stuck in a drift until the spring thaw.”

Panther laughed. “The snowshoes would hold a horse’s weight, Wildcat.”

“Thanks a lot!” She shot him a dirty look from beneath her lashes.

They stayed out for more than two hours, walking and watching Kit and Kat romp in the snow. Tanya couldn’t resist making a snowball and pelting Panther with it. She showed him how to make a snow-angel by lying flat and waving her arms and legs back and forth in the snow. She even talked him into helping her make a snowman. It was a day of fun and laughter, and Tanya slept better that night than she had in weeks.

Panther, in consideration of her condition, was making fewer demands on her at night now. It took all of Tanya’s persistent persuasion to convince him he was not harming either her or the baby. Even once he was assured, he was extremely gentle with her, taking his time to arouse her and never fully forgetting his hold on his strength, even in the height of passion. This, more than any words, told her of his great love for her and their child.

Their lives changed in one important way for the better that winter. At a tribal meeting of the warriors, Panther achieved the status of a chief of the Cheyenne nation. After a lengthy review and recitation of his many achievements as a warrior, his astounding number of coup counted, his bravery and natural abilities as a leader, he was elevated to chief by unanimous decision.

Tanya was very proud and happy. Chief Black Kettle was no less pleased, for he had known his nephew would one day be one of their chiefs. Panther deserved the honor, and would execute his responsibilities well.