Buck lay on his back watching the night sky fill with stars. He turned his head to glance across the fire to where Ike was resting. “Tomorrow,” he told himself. “We’ll get there tomorrow and Ike will get better. Everything will be alright once we get there.” Buck satisfied himself that Ike was resting comfortably and then drifted off to sleep.

Buck awoke with a start - something was wrong. He glanced across the ashes left from the fire. Ike was still there. Buck listened. He could hear Ike’s breathing - labored, but steady above the sound of the nearby stream babbling gently as it tumbled over the pebbles in its bed. The wind gently stirred the leaves overhead. After a few seconds, Buck realized what had woken him; he could hear someone else moving around in the trees that encircled the clearing where they camped. There was someone nearby- watching, waiting, possibly planning an attack.

Buck slowly sat up, stirred the ashes, added some wood to build up the fire, and then he crawled over to check on Ike. As he gently tended Ike’s wounds, he surveyed the area. He finally found his spy. He relaxed when he realized it was one of Red Bear’s lookouts. The village must have relocated, and they were closer than he had thought. That was good; help was near. Buck made sure Ike was comfortable. He decided to move his own bed closer to Ike so he picked up his things and put them right next to Ike. He lay back down, put one hand on Ike’s chest, and went back to sleep.

The next morning, Buck awoke to find Little Fox sitting in his camp. Buck nodded a greeting as he sat up. Little Fox nodded back. “He’s hurt badly,” Little Fox stated pointing at Ike.

Buck nodded. “I was hoping White Buffalo would be able to help him.”

“Why should he? This one is white; I should just kill him now,” said Little Fox standing and taking out his knife.

“He should help him because I ask him,” said Buck standing to let Little Fox know that he would protect Ike at all costs.

“You?” laughed Little Fox. “Why should White Buffalo care what you ask? You are almost as white as he,” Little Fox again pointed at Ike.

Buck glared at Little Fox. “White Buffalo is my uncle, my mother’s brother,” he replied. “And I am Kiowa.”

“Part,” said Little Fox.

Buck shook his head. “No. I’ve proven myself. You were there. I am Kiowa. My request should be honored.”

“We’ll see,” said Little Fox.

“Why are you here?” asked Buck, beginning to get angry as he realized that things might not have changed despite his most recent trials. There was a chance that he would be turned away because the others still regarded him as white. He thought that the test he completed a few months ago had changed that. He had proven his spirit was Kiowa and he was capable of being a warrior.

“Your brother sent me to help. He had a dream that showed you in pain. He wanted you to find us, and we have moved since your last visit,” Little Fox explained making it evident that he did not share Red Bear’s enthusiasm about having Buck back in the village.

Buck nodded. “You had better do as you were told then,” he said. “Red Bear will know if you don’t.”

Little Fox glared at Buck. “I will do what I was sent to do. You had best remember your place. You are still a half-breed and it seems you love white men. I watched you last night. I know how you feel about him.” He stood and began to walk away the disgust evident in his voice. 

Buck went to prepare Ike for the journey. He gently moved Ike to the travois lying on the ground next to him. Buck quickly packed up the few items from camp, put out the fire, and gave Ike a drink. “We’re almost there,” he told Ike. “You’re going to be fine. You have to be; I can’t lose you.” He gently kissed Ike’s forehead before hooking the travois to his horse and going to join Little Fox.

“Lead on,” he said calmly as he quickly mounted his horse.

Little Fox turned and headed into the trees. A few minutes later, they came into a clearing that overlooked the Kiowa village. It was nestled into a small valley, barely visible from the ridge above. Buck carefully made his way down the trail Little Fox showed him. As he entered the village, Red Bear approached him “Where are you hurt? I felt your pain, but you look fine.”

Buck dismounted and faced his brother. “I am fine; it’s my friend who needs help,” he said. “I share his pain.”

Red Bear looked at the travois. He immediately recognized the bald, silent, white boy Buck had come to save from him a few months earlier. “Why should we help him? He is our enemy!” Red Bear asked, contempt filling his voice.
Little Fox smiled as he stood behind Red Bear. This should show the upstart half-breed that things hadn’t changed.

Buck looked at Red Bear in shock and anger, “Why must you ask? You felt my pain enough to send help. It is because he is injured that I am in pain. Can’t you tell how special he is?” he asked. He knelt and took Ike’s arm in his hand. “Do you not see?” he asked holding it up so Red Bear could see that Ike wore a bracelet. It was Buck’s silver bracelet - the one their mother had given Buck to use as a gift to his intended.

Buck took a deep breath and stood. “He is injured because he stopped someone from hurting me. He must be tended. I brought him here because I thought you would understand.”

Red Bear looked at his younger brother with disappointment, “But he is white.”

“What difference does that make?” Buck asked. “At least part of me is also. Ike doesn’t care about skin color. He cares about me.” He paused and looked at his brother, “Please, he needs help. I can’t lose him. Please.”

Red Bear nodded. He turned to Little Fox, “Get help and take him to White Buffalo. He is to be treated as one of my best warriors.” Little Fox nodded doing his best to hide his surprise and disappointment at this turn of events. He and Stands Tall took Ike to the medicine man’s lodge. Red Bear placed a hand on Buck’s shoulder, “Let us go talk while White Buffalo takes care of your friend. You can tell me what makes him so special that you risk your life twice now for him.”

Buck watched as they carried Ike away. The worry was evident on his face. “No, I need to be with him,” he said as he attempted to shake off Red Bear’s hand and follow the others.

“White Buffalo never allows others in while he works. He will send for you if he needs you. Come,” Red Bear said as he led Buck away.

Once they were inside Red Bear’s home, he said, “Tell me about your friend. What makes him so special? Why should I not hate him as I do all white men? Why does he wear Mother’s bracelet?”

Buck sat where Red Bear indicated. He looked at his older brother. He could tell Red Bear was disappointed that he had given his heart to a white man. “He saved my life,” said Buck. “He didn’t even know me and he saved my life.”

“Explain,” said Red Bear sitting next to Buck. “It will help you not worry if you tell me happier stories.”

Buck nodded and took a deep breath. “When I left the village, I was going to try and find Little Bird. I took Mother’s bracelet with me to give to her when I found her; to show that I still wanted her as my intended.” 

When Buck paused, Red Bear nodded his encouragement.

“I tracked the men to a town, but couldn’t find Little Bird. It was difficult because I couldn’t go ask anyone about her. No one in the town wanted anything to do with me, unless it was to throw something at me or hit me. I didn’t speak very good English and they didn’t speak Kiowa.” He sighed and continued, “After a few days, I found the mission school. I decided to look there. I ended up staying because it was winter and I had not yet found her. I had told you that I wasn’t coming home without her. I felt I had failed you yet again by not finding her.”

Red Bear smiled at Buck, “You have never failed me. I am sure that if you couldn’t find her, no one could have found her.”

Buck nodded. “I know that now, but at the time I felt I had let you down by not being able to track her. Anyway, I stayed at the mission to keep warm and to learn more about the white man. I figured that if I understood the language they speak, I could find her because I could ask questions.

“Ike was already at the mission. He had been there almost a year. The other children were afraid of him. They told stories about how if he touched him your hair and tongue would fall out. He used that fear to keep them away from him.” Again Buck paused remembering the way Ike would act crazy and chase after the other kids. He smiled and continued, “Once a month we were allowed to go into town and go shopping. One day, when we were there, I accidentally bumped into a girl and knocked her down. I tried to help her up and apologize, but her older brothers wouldn’t let me. There were three or four of them. They pushed me into the middle of the street and started beating me. Ike jumped into the middle of the fight to help me. We both got beaten pretty bad, but because he jumped in I didn’t get killed. The sheriff came, put a stop to the fight, and told the nuns to leave the troublemakers at the mission the next time.

“As we were healing, we became best friends. I taught him sign so he could communicate and he showed me that not all white men hated Indians.” Buck stopped and looked at the door. Worry came over his face again.

Red Bear placed a hand on Buck’s knee. “That explains why I should not hate him. Tell me why you gave him the bracelet. Why do you have that type of relationship?”

Buck sighed. How could he explain his relationship with Ike? What could he say to make Red Bear understand how Ike made him feel?

When Buck didn’t respond, Red Bear continued, “When did you start liking men? You were interested in women while you lived here; you turned Little Fox away when he showed interest in you.”

Buck looked from the door to Red Bear. “Little Fox wasn’t interested out of love or concern, he wanted someone who could give him status in the village. As your brother, I could provide that. He also wanted someone he could hurt without retribution. Being half-white, I could also provide that. When I didn’t do as he’d told me, he and the others beat and tried to humiliate me whenever they could,” Buck said. 

“Besides, I still do like women,” he said thinking of his most recent encounter with a person of the female persuasion. It hadn’t gone well, and once again, Ike had been there to pick up the pieces.

 “It’s just Ike is special.” He sighed again. He caught sight of Red Bear’s wife and smiled realizing how to make Red Bear understand, “Remember when you first decided to court Summer Sky?”

Red Bear nodded.

“Remember how she made you feel? How her smile could brighten a terrible day? How everything was alright if she was with you? How you could do anything as long as she was there?”

Red Bear glanced outside his home to where his wife was preparing their next meal. He smiled and again nodded.

Buck continued, “You told me she made you complete, and that someday I would find a woman to make me understand what you meant.” 

Red Bear’s smile widened, “She still makes me feel that way.” He laughed gently as he remembered his much younger brother trying to understand why he wanted to spend time with Summer Sky instead of him. “I remember you didn’t like her.”

Buck blushed, “She took you away from me. Without you around, until Little Bird came, I had no one to talk to. The others didn’t want to talk; they didn’t really even want to have anything to do with me. They only pretended they did when you were around because you were older and already held a place of importance in the village. When you weren’t around, they either ignored or injured me.”

“I remember,” said Red Bear. “I remember you telling me that then also, but I still don’t see it. The others treated you fairly.”

Buck shook his head. This was an argument he wouldn’t win so he decided to not continue it. “If you say so,” he said defeatedly.

Red Bear noticed the change in Buck’s tone. He decided not to continue this old discussion so he asked, “What does this have to do with your friend and Mother’s bracelet?”

Buck looked at Red Bear. His face showed the turmoil he felt. “When the council agreed to let Little Bird and me get married, I thought I understood how you felt about Summer Sky. When Little Bird was taken, I thought I would never be happy until I found her and brought her back. Then, after Ike saved me, I realized I could be happy without her. I still cared for her and wished she was well, but I didn’t need her. I had found someone else to talk to, and he seemed to understand me even better than she did. 

“At first we were just friends. We spent time together, made plans on how to meet girls so we could get married, dreamed about our lives after the mission, and got ourselves into all kinds of trouble with the nuns just because it was fun to upset them.” Buck stopped talking as he noticed someone approaching the dwelling. The person gave Summer Sky, who was outside the dwelling, a greeting and kept going.

Buck continued, “One day, after a particularly difficult week, everything changed. I was feeling really unwanted, dirty, useless. . . I’m not sure how to explain it.” He paused and thought back to the day his whole world changed. “We’d been asked to leave yet another town because of me. I think it was the fifth town in the last three days. This one was different though; Ike could have stayed and had a good life. He could have found a good woman to settle down and start a family. The sheriff told him that as we were being escorted out of town. I remember it like it was yesterday. The man talked about me as if I wasn’t there or couldn’t understand. I think that was what hurt the most; I was no different to him than his horse or a piece of furniture except for him those items had purpose - I didn’t.” Buck again stopped his tale. He thought about the first time he and Ike had been together. He remembered how Ike had told him all he had thought and done before he approached Buck. Buck sat quietly and let his mind drift back. . .
 

After a few minutes of silence, Buck continued, “When we made camp, Ike approached me. He didn’t care if I was red, white, purple with pink polka dots. He loved me for my spirit, and myself. He showed me that. He made me feel complete, whole, like I had a place. Please say you understand.”

Red Bear sat quietly as his brother shared this tale of love and acceptance. He knew that he would have to look past the whiteness of this man if he was to keep his brother in his life. He smiled at Buck. “I understand now. He completes you and you complete him. Separately you are both less than whole; together you are invincible.”

Buck nodded. “He’s only injured because he once again tried to help me. The man who beat him was looking for me; Ike wouldn’t get out of the way. He kept this big mountain of a man from touching me, and me from getting to him. The sheriff finally had to put a stop to it because he didn’t want to have to explain to anyone what had happened. I think he had figured he could explain my being beaten severely, but not Ike. He just made them stop fighting and told me to get Ike out of town. He wouldn’t let me take him to the doctor. Sweetwater was too far away.” Buck stopped talking. He looked at Red Bear. “I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I’m sorry I disappointed you. I’m sorry if you don’t approve, but I need him to be alright. I didn’t know what else to do.”

Red Bear hugged his brother, “You did well. Coming here was good. If anyone can help him, White Buffalo can. Let us sit and pray for him.”

Buck nodded. He and his brother offered up prayers for Ike’s recovery. Soon, White Buffalo sent his daughter to Red Bear’s home. She took Buck back to White Buffalo’s lodge. Ike was resting. He was breathing easier. “He must rest a few days. He cannot stay here because the others will not come to seek my help,” White Buffalo said. “You must take him elsewhere. All he needs now is rest.”

Buck thanked White Buffalo and took hold of Ike’s travois. He pulled it from the lodge and headed towards his horse. Red Bear stopped him, “Stay with us until he is stronger. Let me help you take care of him. I must get to know him if he is so important to you. There is room at my home, or we could build you a home of your own.”

Buck looked at Red Bear. “Thank you, but the others will be worried. We really need to get back.”

“We will send word to your white family that you are both here and he is healing. They may come and visit if they wish, but they may not stay.”

“Thank you,” said Buck as he followed Red Bear back to his home. They settled Ike in, and Buck wrote a note to Emma and the others explaining what had happened. He asked her to send clothes with the messenger and told her not to worry; they were safe. They would be home as soon as Ike was strong enough to travel.

As Laughing Crow rode off carrying Buck’s note, Ike woke up. He tried to sit up, but had to stop when the pain in his side overtook him. Buck came and sat next to him, “Don’t move. You were beaten pretty bad. You have some cracked ribs.”

Ike looked around, *Where are we?*

“Red Bear’s. You needed help. It was closer,” Buck said. He noticed the panic in Ike’s eyes. “It’s safe. You’re wearing my bracelet. No one will harm you as long as it’s on. The bracelet lets them know you are with me. Red Bear has given us his protection. To hurt us is to go against the wishes of the war chief.”

*He knows about us?* Ike asked a bit worried.

Buck nodded. “The Kiowa do not condemn such relationships as much as white men do. They accept things as they are. He was a bit upset with your being white, but he understands now. We are safe and can be together. We can stay until you are ready to leave. It will be up to you to decide when we depart. Now you need rest. I’m right here.”

Ike reached over and took Buck’s hand in his own. He brought it to his mouth and kissed it. He asked, *Are you alright? No one hurt you did they?*

“I’m fine,” answered Buck. “The sheriff just made me leave town without getting you any medical attention. That’s why I came here.”

Ike smiled. *I’m glad you’re alright. I don’t know what I’d do without you.*

Buck leaned down and gently kissed Ike, “I know how you feel,” he said as he lay down next to him. “I know how you feel.”