The One Chosen - Chapter Two - Part 3 - written by: Sandi99


“No white person or persons shall be permitted to settle upon or occupy any portion of the territory, or without the consent of the Indians to pass through the same. ”


- Treaty of 1868


“One does not sell the earth upon which the people walk.”


- Crazy Horse – Oglala Sioux


It seemed to Cloud Dancing that nothing in his world had been in balance since Washita. There had been battles before that, even massacres. Sand Creek happened shortly after Michaela came to Colorado Springs, when Black Kettle was wounded and he gave Michaela her Cheyenne name – Medicine Woman. Yet it was Washita that broke Cloud Dancing’s spirit. He lost Snowbird; he lost No Harm Comes To Him; he lost Black Kettle and his wife, Medicine Woman Later. So many losses. Many things had happened since that day but Cloud Dancing’s life never returned to normal. Nothing in the lives of the Cheyenne would ever be normal again.


A day after the dog soldiers rode out of camp to avenge Crying Eagle’s death, they returned victorious. Shouting and laughing, they sat on top of their horses as the animals pranced through the centre of the village.


Chief Two Moon ordered that all the warriors would receive the honours they deserved. There was a celebration ceremony around the bonfire that night. The best food was offered to the triumphant braves. There was dancing and singing. Stories were exchanged. Cloud Dancing stood back from the others, looking on sadly. His people seemed so shortsighted. He knew that the white men would never allow this victory to go unchallenged.


He had seen the visions and he had spoken with Two Moon on several occasions but the chief did not want to listen. Cloud Dancing was certain that this night would mark the beginning of an end to the Cheyenne nation.


Silver Wolf looked across the circle of faces and noticed Cloud Dancing lurking on the fringes of the group.


“Why do you not celebrate with us?” he challenged the medicine man. “We have killed the white men, just as they killed Crying Eagle. Do you not honour our victory?”


All eyes turned toward Cloud Dancing and he sighed heavily, relieved that he stood far away from the fire and the darkness hid his expression.


“It will be a short victory. The white men will take revenge. Fighting with them was a mistake, Silver Wolf. No good will come of it.”


Silver Wolf jumped to his feet. His face, in the light of the flickering flames, was angry and defiant. “What would you have us do, Cloud Dancing? Lie down and let the white men destroy us? They kill our buffalo so we will die of hunger and cold. They steal our land. They lie and break treaties. Do the Cheyenne slink away like a wounded dog and wait for the white men to kick us again? Is that what you want for our people?”


Cloud Dancing stepped forward and reached out to grasp Silver Wolf’s arm. The brave violently jerked away from him, cursing.


“I do not wish to see our people humiliated,” Cloud Dancing told him. “Neither do I wish to see them destroyed. Have you forgotten Sand Creek, Silver Wolf? Have you forgotten Washita?”


“I will never forget,” Silver Wolf snarled. “It is you who have forgotten, Cloud Dancing. You are the one who keeps a white man in our village. You are the one who spends all his time keeping our enemy alive.”


“Sully is not our enemy,” Cloud Dancing argued. “He tried to stop the miners and he was beaten. He has always been a friend to the Cheyenne. You know that as well as anyone here. You were part of Black Kettle’s village. You saw what Sully tried to do for our people.”


Silver Wolf had calmed down somewhat but the stubbornness remained on his face. “All I saw, Cloud Dancing, were his failures. He did not help our village. Many of us still died.”


“He tried,” Cloud Dancing said softly. “No one else did as much.”


The men held each other’s gazes until Silver Wolf backed down. He dropped to the ground once more and took up his cross-legged position in front of the fire.


“Well, I will no longer wait for the mercy of the white men,” he muttered, bitterly. “We will fight for our own people.”


“And you will die,” Cloud Dancing predicted, quietly.


“So be it,” Silver Wolf replied.


There was a roar of anger from the crowd over Cloud Dancing’s proclamation. Two Moon stood up and gestured for silence. The people quieted instantly out of respect for their new chief. Two Moon looked around at the upturned faces, then raised his chin and met Cloud Dancing’s eyes.


“We have spoken many times, Cloud Dancing, and I know what is in your heart. You, also, know what is in mine. We want the same things – safety for our people, a chance to return to our old way of life, freedom to live on our own land once more. You wish for a peaceful solution, just as Black Kettle once did. I do not see how this can happen. Not now. If we must fight, we will.”


Cloud Dancing nodded to the chief and stepped back into the shadows. He would never challenge Two Moon’s authority but he knew that the man was misguided. They all were. He was powerless to stop what would come, powerless to protect his people.


The conversation had taken place almost a week ago. In all that time, Sully had never awoken. His fever broke by the fourth day and the congestion in his lungs cleared after that. Cloud Dancing was able to move him from the sweat lodge into his teepee.


At night, just before he stretched out on his buffalo skin on the other side of the tent, Cloud Dancing would talk to Sully. He hoped that the man would respond somehow, show some sign that he heard Cloud Dancing’s words. He talked about Michaela and the children and everything he had shared with the family. He reminded Sully of the time they went to Washington together, and the time when he helped the children cook the Thanksgiving dinner, while Sully and Michaela were away. He talked about riding out to find them on Christmas Eve when they hadn’t returned from the Tongue River Valley on time, about how surprised Sully was when he saw Cloud Dancing at the homestead upon his return. He talked about tragic things too. Sully’s involvement in the uprising at Palmer Creek and how he helped Cloud Dancing escape; Cloud Dancing’s trial when Sully defended him; the time when Cloud Dancing was stabbed and Sully gave him his own blood.


“You said that we were truly blood brothers after that,” Cloud Dancing said, smiling. “I told you that we always were.”


He would watch Sully’s face closely after these stories, hoping for something in his expression, some small twitch of his lips or a wrinkle in his brow that would reveal he heard Cloud Dancing’s words. Nothing.


“What is wrong with him?” Morning Rain asked by the fifth day. “The pneumonia is gone. His wounds are healing. Yet he does not wake up.”


Cloud Dancing studied Sully’s face. There was bruising around his eyes and across his chin. The gash on his forehead had been treated and a strip of cloth wrapped around his head. The abrasions were swollen but not as severely anymore. His friend was starting to look normal again.


“I do not know,” Cloud Dancing admitted. “I believe the blows to his head have caused this. In a few days, when I am certain that he is no longer in danger, I will ride to Colorado Springs and bring back Michaela.”


This announcement quieted Morning Rain and she sat down beside Sully, her expression troubled and sullen. Cloud Dancing studied her but said no more.


It was now the seventh day. Cloud Dancing spoke to Sully again before lying down that night. He told the story of the time he taught Sully how to ride a horse, laughing over the many times Sully was thrown to the ground. He saw no flicker of response in his friend’s features and he instantly grew sober.


“If only you could laugh with me, my brother,” he whispered. “Sully?”


Weighted down with despair, Cloud Dancing grabbed his friend’s shoulder. “I miss you, my brother. When you get well, I will return to Colorado with you. I was wrong to leave there and come back here. I thought I was making things too difficult for Dorothy. Her friends turned against her because of me. I thought it would be best if I left all of you to live in peace. So I made the choice to leave and come back to the Cheyenne. But now I see the truth. There will never be peace … but you are my family – you and Michaela and the children. And Dorothy. It has been wrong of me to stay away. These people,” he looked toward the flap of the teepee, “do not understand. They do not know there is no future for the Cheyenne. They want to fight. I am tired of fighting. I want to go home. You must awaken and go with me.”


Cloud Dancing left his friend and lay down on his side of the tent. Tonight he was truly lonely. Tonight, like so many nights, he missed Snowbird … and he missed Dorothy.


He was sitting on top a horse at Robert E’s livery and Sully could feel the fear pulsing through his blood. Brian was perched on the fence of the corral, yelling out encouragement. The horse, sensing that he had the upper hand, began to buck and Sully was thrown, face down, into the dirt.


He looked up to see Brian covering his eyes, and Robert E. laughing. The memory shifted and Sully was with Cloud Dancing, their horses trotting side-by-side. Cloud Dancing was issuing instructions on what to do but Sully suddenly felt a surge of confidence. He broke away from Cloud Dancing and urged his horse into a canter. He felt his whole body merge with the rhythm of the animal until the two became one.


A smile of excitement formed on his face. Once more the memory shifted. Cloud Dancing and Sully were racing their ponies and Sully was far ahead of his friend. They came to a stop abruptly and both riders dismounted. Cloud Dancing said that Sully couldn’t be beaten, that the spirits were with him. When Sully gave the credit to his fast pony,


Cloud Dancing replied, “It is not the pony. What are you running from?”


They talked of love and a man being alone for too long, how hard it was to adjust to another woman. Then Cloud Dancing told him, “Once you were afraid of horses. Now you ride like the wind.”


It was a memory, just like all the other memories that had invaded his mind over the past few days. That was all he could do, lie there and remember. He couldn’t open his eyes or speak, couldn’t move his limbs or control the muscles in his body. Yet, tonight, he heard something – Cloud Dancing’s voice.


“I am tired of fighting. I want to go home. You must awaken and go with me.”


It was a long time before Sully’s eyes fluttered open. The village had grown quiet and the inside of the teepee was shrouded in blackness. He could not see Cloud Dancing across the tent but he could heard his deep breathing and he sensed, rather than saw, his friend. The breathing could have belonged to anyone but Sully instinctively knew that Cloud Dancing was with him – that he’d been with him all along. He tried to call out to him but no sound would emerge from his lips.


Exhausted from the effort, he closed his eyes once more. He was so weak. But he was conscious. This time it wasn’t just a dream. This time it was real. Content with the knowledge, Sully drifted back into sleep.


Dorothy Jennings felt the familiar knot in her stomach as she neared the Tongue River Valley encampment. She could not yet see the village but she could see the smoke on the horizon and she knew that the teepees would come into view over the next rise. She was frightened, almost as frightened as the first time she undertook this trip. She could never be certain if the Indians would be hostile or friendly. So much had happened over the past few years. White people were not a welcome sight in Cheyenne territory.


She never entirely understood why Cloud Dancing had to leave Colorado Springs, especially after they fought so hard to secure protected status for the Cheyenne medicine man. All he would say was that he was making her life too complicated, that people would never understand – not her people and not his. She insisted that it didn’t matter, that she didn’t care. In spite of her objections, Cloud Dancing left in the middle of the night. She thought her heart would break but she knew that he was doing it to protect her, doing it because he truly loved her. She held no bitterness toward him, only a deep and lasting sorrow.


As she expected, several braves appeared out of the woods and surrounded her on all sides. She swallowed back her fear and held out the leather medicine pouch that Cloud Dancing had once given her.


“Cloud Dancin’?” she said. She held her other hand over her heart.


“Navese’e. Friend. Navese’e.” As she repeated the Cheyenne word again one of the braves reached out, grabbing the pouch from her hand.


He examined it for a long moment then looked at her. Nodding, he gestured for her to follow him and he turned his horse toward the village. Dorothy released her held breath.


They entered the village at a slow trot and Dorothy looked around, hoping to spot Cloud Dancing. All that met her were hostile glares from the women and cautious stares from the children. The brave she followed climbed down from his horse and grabbed the reins of Dorothy’s mount. Dorothy looked down at him.


“Cloud Dancin’?” she asked once more. “Tosa’e? Where is he?”


“I am here.”


Dorothy spun around in her saddle at the sound of the familiar voice and her face broke into a relieved smile. “Oh… Cloud Dancin’!”


She scrambled down from her horse and cleared the space between them. When she was only a few inches away from him, she stopped abruptly. Her cheeks reddened. “It’s so good to see you!”


Cloud Dancing held onto both of her hands and looked into her eyes. “It is good to see you also. Why are you here?”


Dorothy’s blush deepened. “Well… it’s almost Thanksgivin’ and …. I was thinkin’ bout all the people I lov…care for,” She stumbled over her words. “and since you are ….since I feel …..”


Cloud Dancing smiled and placed a finger on her lips to stop her awkward speech. “Nemehotatse,” he murmured. “I love you also.”


She embraced him shyly, aware that every person in the village was watching, then pulled away quickly.


“After I talked with Michaela and I heard about what happened between her and Sully, well…it got me to thinkin’. I had to come here.”


Cloud Dancing looked confused. “I do not understand.”


“Oh, of course you don’t!” Dorothy took his arm and they began to walk through the village together. “I have a lot to tell you. Sully’s gone. Michaela and him had a big fight over the baby and ….”


Cloud Dancing stopped walking and stared down at her. “The baby?”


Dorothy nodded. “Yes. Michaela was ‘with child’ again. She lost the baby. It was the second one she’s lost.”


A dark sadness clouded the medicine man’s features. “I know how she must feel. I, too, was upset when Snowbird lost our child.”


Dorothy rushed on before Cloud Dancing could get entangled in his tragic memories. She resumed walking and urged him to keep pace with her again.


“Yes, well, Sully was upset too. Michaela said he was angry with her but … I just can’t see it. It ain’t like Sully to be that way. Anyhow, he just took off and … I got to thinkin’ that it was a terrible thing to be apart from loved ones at this time of year. Cloud Dancin’, I promised Michaela that I would find Sully. Do you know where he’s gone? ”


They had reached Cloud Dancing’s teepee and he gave her a strange look before nodding his head toward the tent flap.


“Oh!” Dorothy exclaimed, her fingers touching her flaming face. “I can’t go in there, Cloud Dancin’! It ain’t proper!”


“You must,” Cloud Dancing insisted. “It will help you understand.”


Dorothy glanced around at the people of the village but few of them seemed to be watching her anymore. They’d returned to their work and their conversations. Cloud Dancing held back the tent flap and, hesitantly, she stepped inside. The sight that met her eyes made her stop dead in her tracks.


“Sully!”


Cloud Dancing had stepped in behind her and he touched her shoulder, urging her forward. Dorothy moved over and knelt down beside Sully. His face was badly bruised and the cloth around his head was grimy. His lips were cracked from a lack of moisture. Dorothy reached out tentatively and touched his arm. Sully never stirred.


“Oh,” she breathed, “he looks just awful!”


Cloud Dancing knelt beside her. “He looks much better than he did a few days ago. He even awakens now, just for a few minutes at a time. He doesn’t say anything but it is good to see him awake. For a long time, he never opened his eyes.”


Cloud Dancing’s voice was thick with emotion and Dorothy looked at him. “What happened?!”


“He was attacked by miners, when he tried to stop them from building a dam on the river that flows past our village. Three of our women found him and took him to safety. That was ten days ago.”


“Ten days!” Dorothy exclaimed, shocked.


Cloud Dancing nodded. “For a long time we did not think he would live. He had pneumonia and ….”


Sully’s eyes slowly opened and Cloud Dancing stopped speaking, his gaze immediately focused on his friend. “Sully? Can you hear me?”


Sully nodded weakly and Cloud Dancing seemed relieved.


“Dorothy is with me.” Dorothy smiled as Sully tried to focus on her face. “I’m so glad you’re all right, Sully. Cloud Dancin’ told me what happened.”


Sully’s lips began to move. His voice was so soft that they were forced to lean forward to catch his words. “Michaela? She all right?”


“Michaela’s fine, Sully,” Dorothy hastily assured him. “The children are fine too. They all miss you.”


“Tell her I’m sorry.” It seemed to take a great effort to speak and Sully looked exhausted. “Tell her I’ll be home soon.” He closed his eyes and sighed deeply.


Alarmed, Dorothy turned to Cloud Dancing. “He’s so weak. Is that normal?”


Cloud Dancing frowned, clearly confused. “I do not know. This is the first time he has tried to speak. But he’s been many days without food and his body needs nourishment. He has grown very thin.”


Dorothy studied Sully. He was, indeed, thin. His face was pale and his cheeks sunken. With the dark bruises beneath his eyes, Sully could have been at death’s door.


The medicine man placed a hand on Sully’s shoulder and shook him gently. “Sully. I need to ask you questions. You must stay awake.”


Sully’s eyes opened again but the eyelids were weighted down with fatigue. He nodded.


“I want to see if you are able to move. I need to examine you.” Cloud Dancing grabbed onto his friend’s left hand. “Squeeze my fingers.”


Sully obeyed. His grasp seemed feeble but, considering his condition, they could expect little else. Cloud Dancing laid a hand on Sully’s left leg.


“Move your leg,” he ordered, softly. Once more, Sully followed his instructions. Satisfied, Cloud Dancing touched Sully’s right leg next. “Now, move this leg.”


He could see the muscles in the leg tighten but there was no movement. Cloud Dancing turned questioning eyes toward his brother.


“Sully?” Sully shook his head and Cloud Dancing frowned. He moved his hand to Sully’s right arm. “Can you move this arm?”


Once more, Sully shook his head. “No. I don’t think so.” Before Cloud Dancing could ask any more questions, Sully’s eyelids dropped shut. The medicine man patted his friend’s arm reassuringly and tried to smile.


“Hevaseme,” he whispered, “My younger brother.” Then he stood up slowly. “Dorothy, could I speak with you outside?”


Dorothy nodded before returning her attention to Sully. “We’ll be right back, Sully,” she murmured, leaning over to kiss his cheek lightly. Sully never reopened his eyes. She couldn’t be certain that he even heard her.


She rose and stepped outside with Cloud Dancing. “My friend Loren Bray,” she began in a whisper, “had the same symptoms after he took his spell. He couldn’t move one side of his body. Michaela said that the brain was damaged and, somehow, it wasn’t gettin’ the right messages or somethin’. I know it’s not the same thing but ….”


Cloud Dancing looked thoughtful. “Perhaps it is. Sully had several blows to his head. It could affect him in much the same way.” He hesitated before he asked his next question. “I remember that time. Your friend Loren, he did recover, did he not?”


“Yes!” Dorothy assured him quickly. “Michaela said that, given time, these things can heal by themselves. He took a long time but … yes, he’s fine now.”


Cloud Dancing nodded but he looked unconvinced. “I must find Michaela. I should have gone for her long ago but … I must go now.”


“Back to Colorado Springs?” Dorothy asked, a worried frown on her face. “Is it safe, Cloud Dancin’? The army is everywhere these days and they keep roundin’ up Indians. I know you have protected status when you get there but what about the trip? What if somethin’ happens on the way?”


“It does not matter. Sully needs Michaela. My medicine can no longer help him.” His face was set into stubborn lines and Dorothy knew that there was no point protesting. “You must rest today,” he told her. “We will leave in the morning, at first light.”


“What about Sully?” Dorothy reminded him. “Who will take care of him?”


Cloud Dancing’s gaze slid from Dorothy’s face toward a woman standing a few feet away. It was obvious that she had been listening to their conversation. She stepped forward now.


“I will.”


Dorothy looked at her suspiciously as Cloud Dancing introduced the woman. “Dorothy, this is Morning Rain. She has been a friend of Sully’s for many years.”


Dorothy extended her hand but the woman pointedly ignored the gesture of friendship.


“I will look after him,” she repeated, defiance in her expression. “He will be safe with me. I have looked after him many times before.”


Dorothy’s eyes narrowed. She didn’t trust this woman. There was something in her manner, something challenging, and Dorothy’s guard was instantly raised. The woman’s next words confirmed her suspicions.


“Sully is one of our people. He belongs with the Cheyenne. We will take care of him now.”