The Warrior (Perry County, Pennsylvania Frontier Series) Page 9

  He began by ignoring the early winter chills, and later by clothing himself as lightly as he believed safe. Hard exercising in the cold allowed him to extend exposure, but that was not his intent; he wished to adapt, as animals adjusted.

  By midwinter he had discovered important things. His body did toughen and he could endure cold that others feared. If he did not grow fur for protection, he did feel his skin thicken and supposed, that if allowed, layers of fat would also provide shielding. By avoiding wind and colder places he increased his ability to remain uncovered. The colder his lodge and the thinner his sleeping robes, the less readjusting he then required. He avoided direct fire heat and ate cold food. The disciplines toughened his spirit and he was sure that many in Aughwick believed that he went regularly without winter leggings, robes, or muffs.

  Late Star had long preached that legends making a warrior larger than he was were useful and gave uncertainty to enemies. Young Warrior hoped that it was true, but so far, he had known nothing of the enemies they had met and he suspected that few fighters heard many tales of their opponents.

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  Chapter 11: Age 18

  When he had trained alone it had seemed to Young Warrior that Friend Seeker went often to distant fighting. Now it appeared that the earth was at peace and the war arrow deeply buried. Friend Seeker and Late Star hoped its burying place would be forgotten and that a full summer without incident lay ahead. To Young Warrior that possibility was discouraging.

  During the cold months, he had again sprouted and suddenly he stood nearly a head taller than Friend Seeker. Late Star hinted that weeds also grew swiftly and that if he ate more reasonably he might remain of normal size.

  With the first thawings and warm southern winds the hunger to be gone from the stuffy winter lodges to the less confining Buffalo Creek camp nearly devoured him. Restless as a trapped bee, he became such a nuisance that Friend Seeker sent him on difficult hunts that would expend his energies away from the village.

  Game was always thinned by spring, and in years when winter preparations were poor it was called the starving time. Hunters ranged widely to find deer that had also survived the cold and they anxiously awaited the bear's return from winter sleep.

  Young Warrior found his animals with an ease that offended older hunters who prided themselves on their skills and hunting knowledge. That the Young Warrior should be deadly on the war trail was right, but his time at the hunt had been regularly neglected. It was galling to find him returning early with a plump doe while many others returned in the dark, empty-handed, or with game not worth noting.

  Late Star eased resentment by reminding that the hand of The Sky Father lay on Young Warrior, and it apparently aided him on the hunt as it did in battle.

  Less satisfied, Friend Seeker accompanied his surprisingly competent student to determine for himself why Young Warrior was successful. Then he explained it to Late Star, but not to the village hunters.

  "Young Warrior has all of the skills, Late Star. His step is light as a fawn's and his arrow flies true.

  "But he has a special concentration that I did not teach him." He smiled slightly, "Probably given by The Great Spirit."

  Star grunted and impatiently waved for The Seeker to continue.

  "In the hunt, Young Warrior's attention tightens like a striking hawk's. His nose points like a fox on a scent. It is almost as though he enters the mind of the deer or rabbit he seeks.

  "Suddenly his mind will know that the deer lies there, poised for flight. Or, he will turn to a thicket, bow drawn, certain that he will see the rabbit's eye before it darts. He is so often right one becomes surprised if the game is not waiting."

  Late Star shook his braids in wonderment. "Then he strides among the lodges bearing a deer so heavy most could not lift it, as though all should be able to do as he does. Of course the hunters grow testy. Find him a war trail, Friend Seeker, before he creates his own war here in the village."

  Return to the rich valleys erased the tensions. Away from the bustle of Aughwick and able to again run the old trails, Young Warrior's patience returned. So Late Star worried at other things.

  "Why does Young Warrior not take Pond Lily for his own? Are his eyes blind? She already nestles him like a mother duck."

  "He seems to care nothing for the things other men seek, Late Star. He accepts Pond Lily's attentions as though they were due him, as he expects shelter and rich pemmican without question."

  "In that he is a true warrior at least. All of you act as though your occasional services deserved the finest of everything."

  "I can remember when the lodge of Three Feathers grew hungry with neglect by this very village."

  "As yours would if it were not for my sons and those of Large Fish."

  "The family of Large Fish is generous. The sons of Late Star? Well, they must hunt for a father whose days are spent squabbling like a magpie with anyone who will listen, so another lodge or two barely matters."

  "Your insults do nothing to join Young Warrior and Pond Lily."

  "I will speak with him, oh counselor."

  "A good squaw would make him easier in spirit."

  "Rain is a fine squaw, but you are not easy to be near."

  Late Star's smile was triumphant, "Then imagine how you would suffer if I lived alone, oh friend user."

  Some subjects were thorny and needed to be touched gently. Except in joking, youths were overly sensitive at interference or even close interest in their love affairs. They could cloud quickly and withdraw like turtles into sullen silences. Resentment or embarrassment could rise without real cause, leaving misunderstanding. Which was why Late Star handed his concern to his friend for solving.

  The Seeker edged into conversation when they were alone in a favored resting place near E'shan's lodge on the Little Buffalo.

  Their glade was open, with enough spring warmth to make sitting comfortable. Young Warrior had spent himself darting backward among the great chestnuts, appearing and disappearing as Friend Seeker pretended to aim arrows at him. He was content to relax amid the bee's hum to let the sweat dry and muscles recover.

  "Have you noticed that the hunter called Tall Turkey is often in the village this spring?"

  Young Warrior had not.

  "He searches for a squaw among our maidens."

  There was no response.

  "He has eyes for the daughter of Finds Deer"- no interest - "and also Pond Lily."

  Young Warrior's head jerked as though he had been stung, but Friend Seeker seemed to be looking away.

  When the Seeker did not continue, Young Warrior nibbled at the bait.

  "Tall Turkey should search in his own village."

  "No, it is good that villages join. The lodges become as one and there is better understanding. The squaw of Tall Turkey will boast a strong hunter who will provide many hides and thick sleeping robes for them." Did Young Warrior's toes curl? The Seeker twitched the bait. "They will have brave sons to bring gifts to warriors and daughters to join with other sons. So it has always been."

  Young Warrior's voice was not wholly controlled, "Pond Lily is not yet of age."

  "Not of age? Her younger sister is already large with her man's child." He appeared to ponder. "It may be that Pond Lily feels unwanted and will accept the gifts of Tall Turkey."

  "Hmmph, what could Tall Turkey offer?"

  "It is not what is offered, Young Warrior, it is where the maiden's heart lies. Few fathers refuse their daughters' choices. Pond Lily? Many admire her strong body and ready smile. She is sweet of temper and has well served our lodge." He sighed resignedly, "I will miss her, and who can say what crone will replace her?" Another sigh. "They do say that the grandmother of Three Belts will come, but her tongue is like a crow's and her cooking is avoided by those who know." He placed a final stick on his pile, "I wish she were cleaner; lice travel great distances."

  Young Warrior could relax no longer. He disguised his concern poorly and paced pointlessly across the clear
ing. Friend Seeker allowed him to stew.

  Even then the words did not come and after a while Young Warrior resumed his seat beneath the tree. This time the Seeker's sigh was inward and it was genuine. Young Warrior was hard to maneuver, but his youthful hungers made him vulnerable. A new prod was needed.

  As though there had not been long silence he continued his thoughts. "More than two hands of maidens have warmed the lodge of Three Feathers since the time of Blue Duck. Only Pond Lily has fitted well. She is like a daughter to me and our lodge will be dark when she goes. But a maiden must find a man. It is her right and her duty.

  "Of course, many seek the eye of Pond Lily, for only a fool would not see her strength and her beauty. I wonder who she will accept? Tall Turkey?" Did Young Warrior's teeth grind? How much more did he need?

  "She could stay as she is." Hoarse was the voice of Young Warrior and he scrubbed viciously at the humus with a moccasined heel.

  "Pond Lily deserves a man and a lodge of her own, Young Warrior. You will agree to that I am sure.

  "If she were not so young in your eyes you could extend your hand to her and. . ." Young Warrior interrupted, and the Seeker was grateful for he had taken shaky footing.

  "I have no presents." The words were sullen but the hook had been set. The Seeker sensed victory.

  "You could offer her all that we have. Who could match such gifts? She need only move her robes across the lodge."

  "Perhaps she would not accept. . ." His voice trailed away.

  The gut-rending fears of rejection. How youth suffered them. He would quell them at least a little.

  "Young Warrior, Pond Lily will accept another only if you fail to speak. Does she not already share all but your robes?

  "Remember who you are. You are Young Warrior, slayer of Cherokee, companion of Friend Seeker, nephew of Late Star, student of Oak Neck, and friend of Turned Ankle.

  "Pond Lily will accept, but offer quickly. Who can tell when Tall Turkey or another will appear with gifts? Today or tomorrow? Now that you have decided, do not wait."

  They were well along their way and Friend Seeker had finished congratulating himself when Young Warrior chose to halt and toss stones into a creek.

  He turned to Friend Seeker, gazing sternly from his height. "Again you have maneuvered me, my teacher. Eagerly I leaped at the morsels you trailed until the snare tightened. Now, as usual, I do as you wish."

  There was chagrin, but no anger in his voice, so Friend Seeker allowed a smile to touch a single corner of his mouth.

  "A little push was needed, nephew. Pond Lily has shown her worth and she has waited with patience, but my words were true, and she could turn to another.

  "That you care for her has long been obvious. Men remember the hesitations of their own youths and wish others to be spared their discomforts. It is for you and Pond Lily that I have maneuvered." His eyes crinkled in amusement, "And perhaps for myself. In this manner, I have insured my own slower years, for now I will have a warm lodge with many children about."

  He pushed Young Warrior along the trail. "No more talk of it. Even now Tall Turkey may be offering pelts or wampum at our lodge entrance. Move swiftly, nephew, or it will be too late."

  The taking of Pond Lily as his squaw could be done simply or with great ceremony. Young Warrior decided to speak with one who would know the best way.

  Blue Moccasin had powerful opinions about bride taking, and after listening to Young Warrior's desires he enthusiastically announced his intentions to assume complete control of the negotiations and the ceremony itself. After all, who else had seen marriages from the Potomac to the Great Lakes, and who else possessed the charm and influence (along with the tact) to make certain a memorable occasion? Young Warrior had only to keep silent counsel of his wishes and allow his friend, Blue Moccasin, to prepare in his behalf.

  If Young Warrior harbored doubts, his friend's insistence that he do nothing squelched them, for though he might fearlessly storm in battle, approaching the parents of Pond Lily turned his thighs soft and thickened his tongue.

  During the wait, Friend Seeker drew his student aside for important conferences, one of which spoke to the very core of the warrior's way and the life he must live.

  "Has Young Warrior never wondered that Friend Seeker has taken no maiden as his own?"

  Young Warrior was uncomfortable in answering. "Many have spoken of it, Friend Seeker, and I have often wondered, but it has not been my place to ask."

  The Seeker nodded understanding. "It is a thing difficult to speak, for emotions chew at the voicing, but as a warrior you must be warned and you must be prepared.

  "When a man takes a woman as his own, many things change. Into his life come distractions with which he must deal. No longer can he snatch a meal and forget the next. Now there must always be meat, and storing for his lodge must begin. They may be easily handled, but what of the woman's fears for his safety? What of the thoughts of her honored mother and father? What of the weight of ideas, wishes, and hungers not his own? Do these things lean strongly against the demands of his duties and great obligations? I assure you they do.

  "Men have said that women weaken them and that is true. They dilute enthusiasms, they divert attention, and they suggest softer courses. That they may do these things without knowing changes little. Women and men see through different eyes and speak with separate hearts.

  "To the hunter, the women of his lodge may add strength and direction, for their concerns are close to his own, but for the warrior, it is greatly different.

  "The woman of a warrior takes great pride in his position as village protector but she may also be rankled by the need to accept gifts from others to feed her family while her warrior is away.

  "The woman of a warrior will be forever fearful that her man will someday not return and that she will be alone with their children. Her fears are honest, but they will pick at her man's patience and his willingness to go.

  "Even the most loving of squaws presents confusions, for through them, reluctance to be away is magnified, and hunger to be home struggles with needs of war—even when dangers threaten.

  "Do you see these difficulties, Young Warrior, and can you then feel others beyond our talking?"

  Young Warrior's serious-faced affirmation encouraged the Seeker.

  "For Friend Seeker, the Delaware, a squaw seemed unnecessary. In the early years there was Three Feathers and his squaw, Blue Duck, whom you remember. Always there have been maidens to soothe hungers without obligation. This lodge was once Blue Duck's. With the taking of Pond Lily, it will become hers. Still I will not need a squaw, for Pond Lily will be as my daughter. For me, this has been right; for Young Warrior, your teacher believes it is not right, and we will speak of that now."

  Because the words chosen were heavy with importance, they rose in silence and walked to a new place on fallen logs while Friend Seeker arranged the order of telling.

  "Oak Neck first spoke of special violence lurking within the mind of Young Warrior and since then others have sensed it or seen its shadow." Young Warrior's face displayed his astonishment and the Seeker placed a soothing hand on a muscle-thick shoulder.

  "The eyes of Oak Neck were sharp, my student, for the blackness is there. I have watched closely, and though your control is powerful, at times it rises like a boiling kettle and threatens to overflow.

  "Such darkness is known and it can prove valuable, but if it is allowed to flare or roam at will, it can destroy its possessor for it can become uncontrollable.

  "Think to your feelings when the stresses have been greatest. Can you recall the black rages that threatened to command your thoughts? Do you remember your efforts to force them aside, to remain clear thinking and aware?"

  Young Warrior was uncertain. It was true that at times he had shaken with fervor and experienced wild swellings of hatred or anger, but did not all suffer similar intensities? He had seen anger turn men's faces black and children often lost control in their small furies. He ex
pressed his confusions to Friend Seeker and listened intently to the answers. In them the Seeker sounded more like Late Star than himself.

  "Your thoughts are bright, Young Warrior; you know the rages of which I speak. These are difficult thoughts and few are the words to express them, but we must go beyond common angers and speak of rages of such depth that they drive away thought. During them mighty deeds have been accomplished, for the one possessed feels no pain and senses no dangers. Blows that could have killed may be brushed aside or deadly arrows remain unnoticed until the rage has burned away.

  "In hunting we have seen it in the buffalo or bear that fights long after it should be dead or even the deer that runs blindly for great distance though its heart is pierced through.

  "Within you burns fire of such intensity. I saw its shape in the Cherokee battle, although you did not let it rule.

  "Perhaps the black rage will never consume the mind of Young Warrior, but your teachers believe there is danger. There is danger because most who enter the dark places do not perform great feats. Instead, they fight with unguided blindness that allows a clear thinking enemy to maneuver and kill them.

  "What then has this to do with the taking of Pond Lily?" Again, Friend Seeker sought special words.

  "For Young Warrior, the attentions of his squaw will be forever calming. Pond Lily is wisely named for she floats without effort, helping to smooth the waters around her.

  "When the Delaware, Friend Seeker, no longer defends his village, and even later when his bones lie on the mountain Tuscarora, the lodge of Pond Lilly and Young Warrior will be a place of comfort where the pains and troubles of the war trails can be discarded as a snake sheds and abandons its worn out skin.

  "The heart and hands of Pond Lily will care for the spirit and body of Young Warrior, and she will drive further away those moments when black rage rears like a fire to threaten all that you are."