Savage Abandon

He knew that Mia would be thinking of her parents that day and wishing they could share these happy moments with her and Wolf Hawk, for women felt deeply about these things. He would reassure her that they were there, in spirit, holding hands, happy on this day that guaranteed their daughter would be loved and safe forevermore.

As he continued searching, he thought about the courting medicine. It was made of a plant that could be recognized by its blue flowers. The Winnebago believed that there was a male plant and a female plant.

He knew that when he found the plants, he could not dig them unless

he found them growing side by side, with the male growing to the east of the female. For this reason it was very hard to find the flowers.

As he continued to walk he heard a cardinal crooning loudly from the treetops. Hearing the bird reminded Wolf Hawk of Mia’s canary, whose song was as sweet as the cardinal’s.

Then suddenly his eyes widened. It was as though the beautiful cardinal had led him to the plants that he had been searching for.

Right there, at his feet, were the two flowers in question.

He gazed up at the cardinal, which still sat in the tree a few feet away, and said a grateful “thank-you” to him. Then he knelt and studied the two plants more carefully.

He looked skyward to judge the position of the sun. He was glad to see the two plants grew the way they should in order for him to be able to use them and know the magic would work for him. They grew close together and the male plant was at the female’s east side.

He smiled when he knew that all conditions had been fulfilled. He took his knife from its sheath.

Carefully, even prayerfully, he dug both plants from the ground, then laid the knife aside and tangled the roots of the plants together.

After that was done he pinched the blue flower from its stem and plucked off the center leaf of the female plant. Then he placed the flower, the leaf and the roots in the pouch tied to his breechclout’s waistband.

He held the small pouch in his hand and gazed heavenward and said a quiet wa-do, thank-you, to the Earthmaker, then tied the pouch to his waistband again and headed for home.

When he arrived at his village, no one was yet stirring from their beds. All was quiet except for the soft melodies of birds in the nearby forest.

Then a thought came to Wolf Hawk that made him stop almost in midstep.

The canary in his lodge. What if the bird was awakened by Wolf Hawk’s entrance into his tepee? Georgina might awaken Mia.

That would not give Wolf Hawk time enough to grind the plants together before placing the mixture on Mia’s body.

Then he recalled something else.

Mia had told him the bird would sleep until she lifted the cover from the cage.

Relieved, Wolf Hawk continued on inside his tepee.

He stopped and smiled down at the sleeping woman who would soon be his in every way.

She looked as lovely in her sleep as she did when she was awake. Yet he preferred her awake, for he loved to look into her eyes. They were mystically beautiful and seemed always to speak to him even when Mia was saying nothing aloud.

It was the sort of communication that was possible between two people in love, as he and Mia were!

He gazed over at the covered cage. He heard no sound from it.

Wolf Hawk stepped lightly past the cage to the back of the tepee and lifted a small earthen pot from many others.

He set it on the floor of his lodge. He removed the flower, leaf and roots from his small pouch, then dropped them all into the pot.

Taking a small rock, he quietly ground all of these together thoroughly, until a paste was all that lay at the bottom of the jar.

He put the rock aside, gazed at Mia again, then lifted the pot in one hand and tiptoed over to where she lay.

He watched her eyes for a moment, to make sure she was not awakening. When he saw that she was still very much asleep, he reached his fingers inside the jar and gathered some of the crushed remains between two fingers.

Then, ever so lightly, he touched several places on Mia’s body that were not covered by the gown she wore. Softly he slid a hand inside the gown and gently rubbed some of the mixture on the silken skin just above her heart.