It was several days later before Buck was taken before the Man of Dreams. The elders had wanted to make sure that all of the previous cuts Buck had inflicted were healed before allowing him to go through any further ceremonies.

By now Buck had decided to stay. The elders welcomed him. Red Bear could not have been happier at his announcement. He would find a way to let his Pony Express family know, but he was certain that they wouldn’t understand.

Buck followed the elders out onto the prairie, Red Bear at his side, his hair held back by Ike’s dark red bandana. The Man of Dreams had had his latest sweat lodge built a distance away from the village, saying that he had seen the isolation in a vision. And so far it had carried the weight of truth to it, as the Man of Dreams had achieved many useful visions for himself and for the elders and chiefs.

Buck was surprised to see Morning Dove working around the outside of the lodge, depositing an armload of wood near the door then moving several bowls closer. She would not enter the sweat lodge, it was forbidden this time. Her eyes met Buck’s briefly then dropped downward. This was a serious ceremony and not the time for flirting. Moving a leather bag closer to the door of the lodge she turned and walked away.

Red Bear took a brief moment to quietly explain that Morning Dove was the Man of Dreams daughter and had strong powers of her own. She showed great promise as a medicine woman and that she had had many visions herself. Buck knew that they had probably not been taken seriously by the villagers. After all she was a woman and men ruled the Kiowa. But Buck also knew his brother, and he was certain that since Red Bear had bothered to divulge this information to Buck, that Red Bear had probably listened to the girl’s visions more than once and trusted her.

The Man of Dreams moved into the clearing. The men stripped down to breechcloths and the ceremonies began.

Morning Dove sat a short distance away amongst the grasses. She had a small fire contained in a circle of stones and was passing a bundle of sage over the fire. She began a quiet chant.

~*~*~

Several hours later the men still sat in the sweat lodge. All the proper ceremonies had been completed, prayers said, the pipe shared. But because this was more than a purification or revitalization ceremony, they remained inside and the pipe was reloaded and passed around again. The Man of Dreams instructed Buck to take an extra puff on the pipe and began a special chant to the spirits, asking for guidance.

Buck was handed a knife, which he passed over the steam rising from the rocks. He then offered it to the six directions before running the sharp edge over his skin. He repeated the cutting over and over, then passed the knife once more over the steaming rocks before handing it back to the Man of Dreams. The pipe was passed once more, Buck drawing the smoke deep into his lungs as the Man of Dreams continued his chants, and the other men joined in as the doorkeeper removed the pipe and returned the bucket of water. The Man of Dreams poured more water over the cooling rocks and the lodge once again filled with steam.

Buck felt himself caught up in the chant. His head was buzzing from the steam and the smoke. Blood oozed from the wounds he had just inflicted. He felt dizzy and closed his eyes. The vision took over.

~*~*~

Morning Dove sat with her eyes closed the smell of burning sage and cedar reaching her nostrils. She could make out the chants from the lodge, knew her father was asking the spirits to guide Running Buck in his quest for answers. She breathed the scented smoke in deeply and added her prayers to those of the men below.

~*~*~

Buck’s head was filled full of flashes of pictures. His mother, Ike, Red Bear and he playing as children, the mission school. As the chants increased around him, Ike settled into view.

Buck approached his best friend. Ike’s smile covered his face as the two young men embraced. Buck was not surprised when Ike spoke.

"I have missed you Buck, but it’s time to let go. I’m happy here."

"You didn’t have to die Ike."

"Yes I did. It couldn’t have happened any other way. Please understand that. Please accept it."

"It’s not that easy."

"I know. But I died willingly to save Emily. You would have done the same. You need to move on." Ike embraced his friend once more. "I will always be watching you. You were like a brother to me. But you need to move on with your life."

Buck nodded in understanding. "I will always miss you my friend. But I understand."

Ike held Buck out at arm’s length. "There isn’t much time now. I need you to listen to me. Something is about to happen and you need to listen to me. The army is coming to the village. They are on the way right now. You’ve got to go. It may already be too late."

Buck knew that what his friend said was the truth. Ike started to fade. Buck reached out to grab him, but his friend was already out of his grip.

"The village is in danger Buck. The army is almost there…" Ike disappeared.

Buck’s eyes snapped open.

"Ike told me the village is in danger," he said urgently. "The army is on its way."

The men looked at him and as one they moved out of the lodge. They grabbed up their weapons and began to leave the clearing, running toward their homes. But they were stopped before they had even gotten started as numerous soldiers surrounded them, rifles raised and prepared to fire. Morning Dove was shoved into the clearing as soldiers tied the men’s arms behind them.

"These men have done nothing to harm you. Let them go." Buck called out.

"So, one of these heathens speaks English huh?" The officer said as he approached. He stood before Buck and suddenly slammed the butt of his rifle against Buck’s chin. Buck fell to the ground and Red Bear struggled against his bonds, trying to reach his brother.

Buck slowly sat up. "Red Bear! No! I’m alright." He called to his brother. One of the soldiers grabbed his arms and pulled him to his feet. Dirt and dried material clung to the still sticky blood on Buck’s chest and arms.

"Let’s join the others." The officer said and the Kiowa were herded back toward the village.

On to Chapter Four