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  “Doesn’t matter what happens later. I want to speak with him and I don’t want any trouble until I get the truth.”

  “Well once you get your truth, I’ll be getting my pound of flesh. Eye for an eye.” George tilted his brim down.

  “You will not touch Crouching Bear at all. This is my call on account it was my idea to come after him. You are supposed to watch over me and nothing else.” James surprised himself yet again for standing up to George. He expected George to hand him a beating or at the very least a tongue lashing. However, George just fixed his gaze upon James. James could feel the heat emanating from the large man. “I appreciate your help but I will not allow anything to get in the way of my mission. Especially, unnecessary violence.”

  George spat between the horses. “Tell Carson about unnecessary violence when you let him in on yer truth about his momma.”

  James couldn’t argue with George’s point. But he still had to find out what happened for his own peace of mind. And he also found that he didn’t want justice to be handed out by anyone outside the law, which directly contradicted his dreams of adventure and fighting off bad guys. He shook his head again at his naivete and childish worldview. He realized he had a lot more growing up to do.

  “My mission. My call.” He confirmed.

  George nodded sarcastically. “After you...chief.”

  James tugged the reins and his horse trotted forward. George’s double dig stung him. He was a phony leader of this expedition and he was a tribal leader looking after his braves. It was witty and James recognized it even though it was troublesome. Clearly, George didn’t agree with him. He hoped he could figure out how to persuade Crouching Bear to come along peacefully. And how to keep the peace with George.

  Chapter 24

  They saw him. He was sure of it. Crouching Bear felt a sensation in his gut that rolled around, churning. His instincts told him that the time had arrived to stand up to the consequences. It happened quicker than he had anticipated. He felt certain that he had another day, maybe two before the face-to-face meeting. Turned out, he completely underestimated James and the power of the vision quest. Of course, he had doubled back toward their direction, so he reminded himself that this change in course sped up the process too.

  Crouching Bear stood rigid against the breeze and the sun. His long black hair waved behind him. The lines in his face were deep with anxiety. He attempted to defy the spirits by standing firm. It was a somewhat hollow front as he didn’t feel completely brave inside. He kept his eyes focused on the horsemen along the ridge line.

  The distance between the men was bisected by the kindred connection. Once James’ spirit came to him, he felt a deeper pull toward his friend. A link which went beyond their brief friendship. An unseen symbiosis.

  The long stare bounded across time and space. He knew he was looking at James. He had no idea who the other man was but he was sure it wouldn’t be Carson. He knew James had seen him here too. It was a feeling, a certainty. And he understood the gravity of the situation.

  Crouching Bear watched the travelers make their way down the rolling hills. They would be here in less than half an hour. The time to prepare was short. There wasn’t much to do but draw from his inner strength to face the men.

  Whatever came of this encounter would be written in the heavens by the gods. He knew he was powerless to alter what would come next. But he was relieved to know that James would be here soon. As much as he feared the confrontation, he wanted to see his new friend again. The tears welled as he thought once more about how James and Carson took him in and gave him hope for a new beginning.

  Crouching Bear bent to the stream’s edge to take a sip of water. He saw his reflection in the slow, gurgling currents. It was warped and cloudy, just like his mind felt. The stranger staring back at him reminded him of a time when he ran wild with his brothers. Free to roam across the plains. Hunting for meat and sharing in the kill. Practicing his skills with his hands and his knife. Riding bareback over the hills with the westerly winds against his hair. The fire chats when the elders preached of the spirit world. The stories about the brave ones who came before them. The lessons of honor and loyalty. And of course the laughter when the children danced around the flames, tripping over themselves to learn the tribe’s way. Those times seemed simpler and free.

  Now he was faced with the prospect of being chained or dying. The thought of joining the spirits comforted him. Yet he was afraid that his warrior soul would be met with disdain, disallowed to fly with the ancients because of his mistakes. His gut told him that the answer would come sooner than he cared for.

  He scooped a handful of water and slurped it down. The chilly water cooling his body from his throat down to his belly. He drank several more times before running wet hands through his long, straight hair. The chill seeped through his scalp and cooled him off in the hot sun.

  The riders got closer and with their proximity the size of their silhouettes grew larger. Crouching Bear couldn’t make out the faces yet but the shapes clearly defined the personalities. James bounced high in his saddle. His large ears protruding in the sun. The short, fair hair catching the wind. The second rider was more of a mystery. He could tell the man was very large, probably twice the size of James. He wore a cowhide jacket and a large-brimmed dark hat. Crouching Bear ran through the inventory of people he encountered in the town who would fit the build of the man. The only white man he guessed it could be would be George, the big, nasty man from the saloon. He hoped he was wrong about this guess because if it was George then Crouching Bear would definitely be in for some trouble. The large man made it clear upon their first encounter that he did not like Indians at all, even Indians who befriended James and Carson.

  As he stood up, he unsheathed his knife, feeling the heft of the bone handle in his rough hands. The weight of the knife and the sharpness of the steel comforted him. He couldn’t always count on the tribe or his friends, but he could always count on his knife. It would never turn its back on him. Feeling more at ease, he re-sheathed the blade and let his hands fall to his sides. He remained stoic as the pair shortened the distance. The men’s faces coming into view confirmed it was indeed George and James. Crouching Bear sighed to himself and then stuck his chin higher in the air.

  The time of reckoning had arrived. His breath became shallower and stunted in his fear of what might come. He wouldn’t let the fear show. He would stand tall and accept the situation for what it was. He made eye contact with George for a long moment. The large man returning a hostile glare. Then he shifted his focus to James. He read confusion in James’ light eyes. Crouching Bear wondered what James could possibly be confused about. Wasn’t he here to capture Crouching Bear? Or was he here to kill him? He wanted the answer.

  Chapter 25

  The cloud of dust swirled around the horses and took its time dissipating in the warm late afternoon air. The riders remained in their saddles, sitting high above Crouching Bear. The Indian carefully watched the men as if he didn’t trust them.

  “Crouching Bear.” James nodded. He addressed the Indian with a slight croak in his voice, revealing his nervousness. He shifted in the saddle and glanced at George. George sat still until he leaned over and spat a wad of chew at the feet of Crouching Bear.

  “Injun.” He made no effort to hide his hatred for the man.

  Crouching Bear nodded back to James and seemed to ignore George and the tobacco-laden affront.

  “What happened back in town?” James paused to swallow. “Did you really do that to Minnie? To Carson’s mother?”

  Crouching Bear maintained his eye contact with James. “I did.”

  George slid off his horse and started to approach Crouching Bear. He drew his knife from the sheath on his gun belt. Crouching Bear never flinched.

  “Wait.” James shouted. “Wait. I told you we needed the truth.”

  “And you got it, kid. He just said it with own savage tongue that he killed her. Now he’s gotta die.”
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br />   The sound of a gun hammer cocking echoed behind George. He immediately halted in his tracks, unsure if the boy would use the gun on him.

  “I said wait and I ain’t gonna say it again.” James pointed the pistol at George who turned to face him. His hand trembled slightly with fear and adrenaline. Everything seemed to be rolling faster than he wanted. His head was dizzy and his stomach butterflies had returned.

  “Why, Crouching Bear? Why would you do it?”

  “It was not me. But it was me.”

  George spun toward Crouching Bear. His heavy breathing swelled his chest. He pointed in the Indian’s face. “He’s telling Injun lies. Lies! He did it. And he has to pay for it.”

  Crouching Bear shifted his gaze to meet George’s. “It was me. But it was neither my hands nor my spirit that killed her.”

  George smashed Crouching Bear in the nose. The Indian dropped to his knees, blood flowing into his mouth. George managed to control himself a little better after striking the man. He hovered over Crouching Bear but made no other moves to continue hitting him.

  Crouching Bear spit blood into the dirt and looked up at George. “The curse was inside me. It came out and made me do it. But I never wanted to hurt that woman.”

  James lowered the pistol. “The curse? The curse that your tribe gave you? But how?”

  The Indian wiped the blood that dripped upon his upper lip. “I told you the elders cursed me when they banished me from the tribe. But I didn’t yet understand what the curse meant. I knew what it was but not how it would reveal itself.”

  George kicked Crouching Bear in the stomach and he folded over into the dust. He gasped for air with his knees pulled up to his chest. James jumped down from his horse and ran to George. He grabbed the large man’s arm and spun him around.

  “What did I tell you? Stay away from him. Now.”

  George grabbed James by the front of his shirt and tossed him aside. James hit the ground with a thump, exhaling what little air he had in his lungs. Stunned, James lie in the dirt staring up into George’s wild, dark eyes. George’s teeth were gritted and he was bent forward as he was ready to fight James. James picked himself up and caught his breath for a second before charging George. The surprise of his reaction darted across his mind as he briefly thought how crazy it was that he was fighting this huge man who literally scared the crap out of him on a daily basis. The surprise was matched on George’s face as he stopped gritting his teeth and his mouth dropped open in awe. James barreled into George’s torso as hard as he could. A shock wave ran from his shoulder down to his boots.

  George flew backwards into the ground with James on top of him. He quickly punched James in the eye before the boy pulled his pistol from his belt loop. The boy raised the pistol high above his head and slammed the handle down upon George’s skull. It only took one strike to knock George useless. The large man wasn’t unconscious but he was stunned to the point of lying in the dirt and staring up to the skies, eyes searching for purchase. James looked down at his hand and felt like he was unattached from his arm. He grinned as he realized that he used his father’s infamous move to subdue someone and the move actually worked. He was proud of himself for a second and then realized that George was going to pummel him when he got around to feeling better. James quickly hopped off George and turned to Crouching Bear who was still on the ground.

  “Why? Why would you do that to her? To us?” James realized finally how winded he was and he rested his hands upon his knees as he awaited a response.

  “It was the anger. If I get angry, the curse turns me into a bear and I attack whoever is before me. I promise you. I would have stopped it if I knew how.” Crouching Bear sat up and rubbed his stomach. The blood on his lip drying with dirt sticking to it.

  “And what could have made you so angry that you would do something to hurt Carson so bad? And me? We were your friends. We brought you to our home even though the whole town wanted you gone.”

  “I know. I am sorry. I never meant to hurt Carson or you. You are my friends. I didn’t want to hurt the woman either. The beast took over. I was not able to stop it.”

  George was coming around slowly. He sat up but still appeared dazed. His eyes unfocused. Tobacco juice drooled from his lips. He lifted a hand to rub his scalp but missed.

  “What am I supposed to do now? The town wants you dead. And we know George wants you dead. Hell, sometimes I think I want you dead.”

  Crouching Bear was deflated and looked at the earth beneath him. He rested his arms on his knees as he sat.

  James huffed and looked around himself. He felt like he was searching for something. For an answer. For a way out of this predicament.

  “Maybe we can do something.” He scratched his head with the handle of the pistol. He nodded at Crouching Bear. “I might have a plan.”

  Chapter 26

  George swallowed some of his tobacco. His face turned a mild shade of green as his stomach fought to right the ship. Then he rolled to his knees with his arms supporting him up. He lifted his head at James then lowered it again with a gasp of air.

  James watched George struggle to get up. He started to panic. How was he supposed to handle all this? Things went from bad to worse. Moments ago he was chasing down someone who he cared for, to bring him to jail for a heinous crime against his best friend’s mother. Next thing he knows, he beat up a very tough hombre and he was fixing to do something even worse by helping his fugitive Indian friend escape. What was he thinking? How could he think of doing something so stupid? Surely, George would whip him and then drag him back to town to publicly shame. His reputation, the one that didn’t really exist, would be tarnished. He’d be thrown in jail or maybe even hung himself. His mother would be thrown out of town either by the sheriff or by the sheer embarrassment of having birthed such a terrible child. Carson would have to fend for himself. All alone in the world without a mother. Nobody else would care for the boy. They all shunned him and snickered behind his back on account of him being a “retart”. They knew he was slow and pretty useless in terms of supporting himself, or his ability to provide anyone else with some type of service. His whole world was upside down and it was going to hell in the high water.

  He glanced back at Crouching Bear who got to his feet. The size of his friend had never really occurred to James before. Crouching Bear was not as large as George but he had a formidable stature. Now that he stood face to face with the Indian and came close to wrangling him back to town, James was grateful that George had come along. He knew the prospect of tying the man up and forcing him back to town would no sooner happen than the rapture.

  “Uh, we will have to move fast if we are going to make anything work.” James turned to George who was working on stabilizing himself on wobbly legs. “You have to jump on my horse and go back that way.” He indicated the route behind him. “You’ll find a medicine man in a grove of hackle-berries. He knows about you. And us. You can stay hidden with him until I can get back out there. It might be a few days.”

  George wobbled over toward James and Crouching Bear. He stammered that he wanted to know what was going on. But then he crumbled back to his knees.

  “I cannot run away any longer. I must answer for my actions. The ancients will not accept a coward.”

  “Forget the dang ancients, will ya? If you wait a few days, I’ll bring Carson and the three of us will ride somewhere far away. Someplace where we can start fresh and not have to run or hide.”

  Crouching Bear crossed his arms in defiance. He stood straight and silent. His gaze never wavered.

  “Awww, why does everyone have to be so hard all the time?” James kicked a plume of dust up with his boot. “You aren’t giving me much choice here. If you don’t get going right now then George is going to whoop us both and then I am going to go to jail and you are going to hang by your neck until you are dead. And Carson will be left to die alone. And my mom will have to whore somewhere else. If she can.” James fought the frustration that bubble
d up in his gut. He felt the pressure of the seconds ticking away while Crouching Bear remained stubborn. James shifted from foot to foot with impatience and whined liked a little boy. As soon as he whined he noticed that he still sounded like a child rather than a grown man out on an adventure. This notion further exasperated him.

  George managed to stand up with less difficulty. He leaned to the right and then corrected his posture. His eyes had regained focus and he leered at James.

  “You have to go now.” James implored Crouching Bear to escape one last time. But Crouching Bear stood still, arms folded. James kicked dirt again and looked at George. George stared him down with disgust.

  “Yer one of them, ain’t ya?” George took a step closer to the two men. “Yer skin ain’t red though. It’s yellow.” He took another step.

  “You better stay right where you are, George. I don’t want to hurt you. And I’m sorry I hit you before, but you gotta trust me, okay?”

  George looked over at Crouching Bear who was stiff as a statue. The Indian felt George’s eyes upon him and turned to meet his gaze. Both men read each other’s intentions. George would not let Crouching Bear escape and he meant to administer his own version of justice on the Indian. Crouching Bear would only go quietly if James led the way. If George laid a hand on him, then he would show George what warrior spirit meant. The understanding apparent between them, yet neither man backed down from the other.

  James read the looks between the enemies and knew he had more problems to consider than he originally anticipated. “Listen to me. Both of you. This is the way it is going to happen. Any other way is the wrong way. Do you understand?” He looked at George who never stopped staring at Crouching Bear. Then he glanced at Crouching Bear who never diverted his eyes from George. “I am warning both of you. I will use this gun if I have to. I don’t want to but if you leave me no choice...” The words just hung in the air as he held the pistol in the air.