FAITH
FAITH (after an idea by Nesciri)
"Running Buck. Get up and fight," Song Bird commanded. It was the same voice she used when he was a child and she was exasperated with him. The same voice she used when he refused to sit still so she could dress him for the day or when he wandered too far from her.
A fleeting memory suddenly skittered across his
dazed mind. It was from when he was young, no more than six. He was in trouble.
He didn't even remember what for. All he knew was that he had found himself
sitting in his brother's teepee with both Song Bird and Red Bear staring down
disapprovingly at him. Song Bird was shaking her head at him as if he had disappointed
her somehow. Red Bear just stood above him, stoic but with that familiar look
on his face, a combination of regret and anger. He wondered what his big brother
would say to him now as he lay helpless watching his best friend die for him.
Buck slowly shook his head causing his sweat soaked
hair to fall forward into his eyes. He knew he had died and so he wondered why
he was still lying on the hard wooden floor. Death was supposed to be soft and
comforting once it had come. Why was his so hard and full of unrelenting pain?
Song Bird's voice again interrupted his rambling thoughts. "Running Buck.
Get up and fight. Now!" The pulsing hand grew uncomfortably hot, pulling
him out of his stupor and forcing him to action.
Buck labored to his feet, using his elbows and then his hands to support him. He put one foot under him and then the other. He was surprised when his legs stood firm underneath him but he didn't pause now to analyze why that was so. He took one clumsy step closer to Yellow Crane and then another. She was too busy fighting Ike to notice what he was doing. Now Buck moved quickly and quietly.
Anticipation welled up in his chest and made his
heart beat fast. It was the same feeling he had when he was hunting wild game
and was just about the make the kill.
When Buck reached her, he grabbed the handle of
his knife. It was the knife that was so precious to him. It was the knife that
had saved him from so much trouble and he wanted it back. He wanted it back
because it was his. He wanted it back because his best friend was going to be
killed with it if he didn't do something to stop it. He wanted it back so he
could kill Yellow Crane with it. When his hand closed over Yellow Crane's, she
startled and so did Ike.
The blade slipped and cut Ike across the chest right
below his heart. Blood quickly began to flow down his chest, seeping through
his shirt and dripping on to the floor. Ike stumbled backwards and sat down
hard as he almost fell over completely. He was exhausted and losing blood. His
eyes closed as he almost gently lowered his head to the floor. The last thing
he saw before he passed out was Buck engaged in a fight to the death with Yellow
Crane. A wistful half-smile flitted across Ike's face. One way or another, he
knew he was going to see Buck again. If Buck were the victor, he would see him
at the waystation when he woke up. If Buck were the loser, he would see him
in heaven.
Buck, who saw Ike go down, continued his fight with
Yellow Crane. He wrestled the knife from her grip, mercilessly bending her wrist
to the breaking point. She had taken no pity on them so why should he take pity
on her? Pity was for those who were weak and helpless. Yellow Crane was not
either of those. She struggled against his fury but she was helpless against
his killing rage.
Buck reached around her and grabbed her by the back
of the hair. She had done it to him just five minutes earlier so now he was
going to do it to her. Buck slowly bent her head back. Yellow Crane screamed.
She had a horrible memory of another brother who had done the same so long ago.
Yellow Crane felt the warm blade of the knife cut her deeply. It was different
this time though than the last. When Red Bear had cut her, it was her nose that
had gushed blood. This time, it was not her nose. It was her throat where Buck
slashed it. She briefly wondered why the spirits that she had spent her life
praying to had deserted her. She cursed them now with her last breath. Her last
thought though was of White Owl. She called out to him silently with her dying
spirit and told him that she had sacrificed herself for him.
Yellow Crane dropped heavily to the floor as her
eyes glazed over. Her face was frozen in an expression of extreme agony. Her
hands looked even more claw-like in death as her fingers curled upward toward
the sky.
Buck looked down at her with no remorse or pity.
He was glad she was dead. Months later he would wonder what kind of person he
had become to so openly rejoice at another's death, but not now. Now, he was
glad.
He suddenly felt the warmth of the hand disappearing from his back. It had stayed with him during the fight and now it was leaving. He closed his eyes to try to keep it there. It was no use. The hand was gone and that meant Song Bird was too. He always wanted Song Bird to have a hand on his back. The rush that made his heart pound and his blood race was leaving him. He sank to the floor exhausted. He wiped his eyes with the palm of his hand. With his last ounce of strength, he crawled over to Ike and lay down next to him. He closed his eyes and finally slept.
