Wild Whispers

Seeing red, Fire Thunder tensed, his long muscles knotted in his anger.

Lithe as a panther, he rushed so quickly to place his hands around John Shelton’s neck, half lifting him from the ground, there was a ripple of startled gasps from those who had come out to see what the commotion was all about.

That was followed then by a guarded silence as the Kickapoo warriors moved in closer on their horses, their weapons drawn.

“You must be the leader of this caravan or you would not take it upon yourself to step between this Kickapoo chief and his sister,” Fire Thunder snarled out, his nostrils flaring. “Order someone to release my sister at once, or my fingers will tighten around your neck. Slowly, I will squeeze your breath away.”

Panic filled John’s eyes. “Your . . . sister . . . ?” he managed to gasp out between choking breaths.

“Yes, and who do you think you are to treat her as less than an animal?” Fire Thunder hissed into John’s face. “Do you have no respect for children? Our Kickapoo children are a gift of Kitzihiat, the Kickapoo Great Spirit. We treat them gently. We cherish them.”

Fire Thunder leaned even more closely into John’s face. “Have her released at once or you will die with Chief Fire Thunder’s name on your last breath,” he said with stiff resolve. He tightened his fingers, causing John’s eyes to bulge and his tongue to partially protrude from between his lips.

Black Hair dismounted and came to stand beside Fire Thunder. He glared at John. “You must listen to my chief,” he said coldly. “When Fire Thunder el manda, commands, it must be done . . . or else.”

Seeing that he had no choice but to do as he was ordered, John looked past the two Kickapoo warriors. “Someone, anyone, come and let the little wench out,” John managed to gasp out.

One of John’s men ran to the cage. “I’ll release the child,” he said, his hands trembling as he removed the lock.

Kaylene rushed forth and opened the door and reached inside for Little Sparrow. “Come to me,” she murmured. “Let me help you.

Please forgive me for not doing this sooner. I feared my father’s wrath. I was wrong.”

Little Sparrow looked up at Kaylene and recalled how Kaylene had brought her food and blankets. A bond had quickly formed between them.

And she understood how Kaylene could be afraid to go against her father’s wishes. John Shelton was an evil-hearted man, who could put the fear of god into anyone’s heart. Surely even his daughter’s.

Little Sparrow flung herself into Kaylene’s arms and hugged her. Then she ran to Fire Thunder and jumped into his arms. Sobbing, her legs straddled his waist as she clung desperately to him.

Fire Thunder hugged Little Sparrow to him and gave her the comfort she so badly needed, reassuring her that she was now safe. He told her that nothing like this would be allowed to ever happen again. He would now guard her as though he were her shadow.

Fire Thunder’s gaze went to Kaylene, filled with wonder at how she had gone to help Little Sparrow from the cage.

Yet surely she did this only to fool him into believing she cared about the child, he argued to himself.

But in her eyes he could see a softness and gentleness. It was hard to imagine her as anything but genuinely sweet and compassionate.

Then another thought came to him that washed all of his wonder at this woman away. “The boy,” he said, glaring at John. “Where is the boy who was with Little Sparrow? Is he also in a cage?”

“There was no boy, only the little girl,” John said, rubbing his raw throat. He laughed mockingly. “And I’m glad to be free of this little wench. She was becoming more trouble than she’s worth.”

The man’s words about his sister stung Fire Thunder’s insides. Shelton would pay for them, and everything else he was guilty of. But first, Fire Thunder had to find out about Good Bear.

Placing a gentle hand beneath Little Sparrow’s chin, he lifted her eyes to meet the question in his. “Where is Good Bear?” he asked, the moon giving enough light for her to read his lips.

Little Sparrow, recalling how she had sneaked away from Good Bear while he had been watching the naked lady, hung her head.

Again Fire Thunder raised her eyes to his. “Little Sparrow, where . . . is . . . Good Bear?” he persisted.

Tears flooded Little Sparrow’s eyes. She shook her head, then gestured with her shoulders and spoke in sign language to her brother, explaining that she did not know where Good Bear was.

“Do you think he is here, hidden somewhere in a cage like the one you were in?” Fire Thunder asked. He squinted his eyes as he surveyed the shadows around the campsite, seeing no more cages.

Little Sparrow shook her head.

“Then why wasn’t he with the others who returned from San Carlos?” he asked, fear entering his heart over the welfare of the young brave.

Again Little Sparrow gave him a soft shrug.