Sweet Savage Surrender by Kathryn Hockett

upon that moment she had first seen the golden-haired soldier  instead.  Even then she had been drawn to him, had known somehow that he was special.  But in what way?  Why did the great spirit lead her to save him?  How was his life going to intertwine with hers?  Her grandfather had often told her that nothing that happened in life was an accident but well planned out by Man Above.  Did that include her meeting with t he white soldier?
    All her life Skyraven had held a resentment for her white blood, remembering that her father had deserted her mother and his child.  She had thought of the men with light skin as greedy and cruel and yet there had only been kindness in the golden-haired man's blue eyes.  "And a gentleness in the touch of his fingers," she murmured, conjuring up that moment again.  If only......
    She was so comfortable that she let her thoughts wander with imaginings.  Dreamily she thought of how it might have been were the soldier part Indian as she was.  For a brief instant she pictured him in buckskin, wearing  feathers in his golden hair, riding a strong horse, looking at her as boldly as Lone Wolf often did.  She would not give him up to Whispering Win d!
    "Never!  I would fight that she-wolf for him."  She listened to the constant drum beat and the soft far away chanting.  Suddenly  she shuddered, for the chants made her recall the fearful events of the day and the Ute's haunting singing.  Her eyes flew open.  If she had been captured she no doubt would have been forced to marry one of the disgusting Utes.  And the whiteman....  It was too fearful to even think about.
      Skyraven  turned her eyes upward.  She would not wait until the thanks giving ceremony to give thanks to Man Above but would thank him now.  He had given not only her but the whiteman protection from the Utes.  How awful it would have been for the yellow haired man had she not happened to be out collecting medicine  and been led by Man Above to that very place.  Or had Man Above planned every detail of what had happened?  Had the medicine pouch been torn by acci dent on the journey or...?               
    The drum beats, the chanting and the rattling of gourds became more and more intense, coming closer.  There was no more time left for pondering such a matter s .  The ceremony would soon begin.  Skyraven struggled to her feet, quickly donned her ceremonial dress, smoothed her long black tresses with a porcupine comb, placed the three feathers into the beaded headband on her head  and darted out from beneath the tepee  flap, closing it securely.  Quickly she went in search of her grandfather.
    She found Buffalo 's Brother standing in front of the huge buffalo robe that was stretched between two poles.  He was  now wearing  his ceremonial robe and buffalo horn headdress and seemed to blend in with that awesome sacred symbol as he  immersed himself in chanting.  Skyraven looked upon  the huge medicine wheel painted in the center  of the buffalo robe with pride, noting  the four symbols of the elements painted on each corner.   Fire, a bright orange triangle.  Earth, a red line.  Air, a white arrow.  Water, blue rippling lines.  The powers of the earth and Man Above's blessings.  A bleached buffalo skull hung in the middle of the painted robe. The buffalo, the provider o f all the necessities of life.
    Buffalo 's Brother was shaking rattles,  scattering sage and chanting thanks to Man Above for the buffalo when she came up beside him.  Skyraven walked quietly, hardly daring to breathe for fear of distracting him. Watching him , she felt the power of his wisdom and once again was tempted to tell him about the white soldier, but a voice inside her head told her that now was not the time and thus she made the decision to wait.
    When her grandfather had finished , he turned to  face her and stepped over to stand with her in the circle.  His wrinkled, leathery face relaxed into a