One would think that after the attack in the stairwell, chaos would take a step back for the day and give Kat a chance to breathe out. Well, maybe not so much when Big Crow with Little feet revealed what Kat never saw after she had been knocked out.
What he witnessed made it clear that Kat and the baby she carried were marked and at significant risk. As he has been known to do, he dropped some disturbing news and then evaporated in a curl of smoke, leaving Kat fuming mad with questions but no answers. Fear gripped her, and confusion over Big Crow’s revelation unexpectedly pulled a mother’s protective instincts to the surface that Kat did not know she had. It did not get any less confusing when she again smelled smoke. But then maybe it was more confusing when the visitor turned out not to be Big Crow with Little Feet.
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Chapter #13 – Then There Were Five
The hot spray from the shower felt like a blessing from heaven as she leaned back into the stream, scooping water deep into her hair with both hands, reveling in how good the warmth felt as it soaked into and pulled her beautiful black mane down her back. Her mind could not pass off the possibility that she might be…or soon would be…pregnant. What if she was? What if her pregnancy would not be ordinary, as Big Crow predicted? What did being hunted by Indian spirits even mean?
The hot water relaxed her body but did little to suppress her angst over the potential existence of something growing inside her and those whose task was to prevent it. The soapy bath sponge applied a lather of calm meant to rinse away the chaos of a very long day. After turning off the water, Kat wrapped herself in a thick cotton bath towel, then wrapped her hair in another, swirled expertly, and piled on her head. She stood still in the shower stall, chewing thoughtfully on the top edge of the thick cotton wrap and dabbed away drips, drops, and new tears. One lingering thought persisted: What am I supposed to do?
After drying off, Kat dropped the towel and inspected her body, standing before the big mirror that spanned over double bathroom sinks. None of what she looked for would show signs of pregnancy on the second day, but she scanned her body with a critical eye anyway, like she would find evidence that would remove all doubt. Were her breasts bigger? She never wanted more than she had but imagined how it would look, cupping modest breasts in her hands. Were her nipples tender, or was it an overactive imagination? Kat lowered both hands over her belly and silently asked the reflection in the mirror, Are you in there? Are you even real? Are you going to be my little baby boy? If you are, how much of you belongs to me?
Kat’s life plan did not include having a child to care for and share life with, but for some reason, there was a strange connection she could not define. Was it a spiritual connection, part of God’s plan? Or was this more of a prophecy she did not understand? Whatever the connection was, she did not understand it, but there was no doubt something preternatural grew inside her body and, more importantly, in her head and heart. If she were pregnant, if conception took place, she would become a mother. That possibility filled her head and heart with undefined implications she could not fully embrace. What am I supposed to do?
She lingered on the question. What was the connection? Was it spiritual? Prophecy? Big Crow said it would not be an ordinary pregnancy. She did not understand what that meant, but beyond any doubt, the child would belong to her if she were pregnant. A significant level of importance was there for some reason. Was it a natural protection instinct now that she was a fugitive from Indian spirits? Protection for her baby – that had to be it; why else would Big Crow come to her rescue? The child carried his blood, too. Was that what caused him to show up, to protect his blood interests?
Conflicting thoughts surfaced in her mind; wait a second; do spirits even have blood? Do they have DNA? If Shadow Eagle were only a spirit, how would there be a trace of the father’s contribution to my baby’s identity? Questions without answers sent her head spinning, needing the safety and comfort of her king-size bed. A yawn of fatigue creased her face, and her head hung low in resignation to answers not forthcoming. She stretched in a sleep shirt and pajama pants, arching her back with arms pushing overhead, and fatigue reminded her that she was well pasted for the day. Slipping between the sheets, she exhaled deeply and had to agree; this day was finished.
Her bed was a nest, a place of refuge, with several feather pillows under and around her head and a body pillow to hug tightly; what better place to crash peacefully after a day like she had endured? Kat’s exhaustion allowed deep sleep to claim her almost immediately. Unfortunately, deep sleep and peaceful sleep are not always good bedfellows, and peace would not be part of this night’s agenda. Everything changed when a whisper of smoke confirmed his arrival in her bedroom. Without looking, she groaned, releasing the body pillow, and rolled over, saying, “Crow, this better be good.”
He did not answer. Kat peered into the blackness of the room to see him, but it was too dark. She rolled toward her bedside lamp and pulled the chain to light the room. Big Crow with Little Feet was not there, but a different visitor, a young Indian woman dressed in deerskin leathers, sat silently on the edge of the bed near Kat’s feet. She was beautiful, the deep caramel tone of her skin flawless with thick black braids framing her face where dark eyes sparkled with light. Kat did not react in surprise or panic to this unknown presence as much as she feared who this person would turn out to be. “Don’t tell me, you’re Dew on Flowers, right?”
The woman smiled and nodded, “I am,” she said softly.
Frightening thoughts crowded into Kat’s mind: why was this woman in her bedroom, and what did she want? Was this woman one of the spirits who wanted to see her baby eliminated? Kat was not altogether sure she wanted to know, but part of her wanted to confirm if she could be a threat to her and who would soon grow inside her. Odd suspicions prevailed, ushering new thoughts that fed her fears and established new questions in her thinking. Whose baby would this be? Was he Dew of Flowers’ child because he had her spirit? Or was he mine? Her greatest fear loomed ominously: Is she here to take my baby?
Her mind told her to stop ruminating over what-ifs and unknowns and think logically; this child would have part of her spirit, right? And he would have Shadow Eagle’s spirit from his seed, but how much of that mattered when he grew in Kat’s womb? She had told herself for the last few years that being childless was an acceptable and permanent decision, but permanency oddly seemed a thing of the past. Despite the contradictions ping-ponging between head and heart, she never resisted or doubted childlessness was no longer an option. She knew in her core this would be her baby. Protecting what would grow inside her became the grounding perspective that overrode Kat’s desire to remain childless. No spirit would take him away from her. Thoughts crawled into her logic: You don’t even know if you ARE pregnant, so relax. She had no proof of conception yet, but there was a very real sense of possession over a potential, and the need to protect a potential baby was all-consuming.
Kat settled on a defensive position and calmly but firmly asked the silent woman, “What do you want?”
Dew on Flowers did not say anything. Kat wondered what sort of fairy tale this woman would conjure up in her head and decided to take a more proactive approach and work within her growing paranoia and hostility. “I have no evidence that I’m pregnant, so why are you here?”
“Conception has taken place,” said Dew on Flowers. “When my spirit united with the spirits of Shadow Eagle’s seed and yours, I felt it happen only moments ago when you slept at the truck stop. The prophecy continues toward fulfillment, and the stakes have increased, and you and our baby are at great risk.”
Kat sat up on her elbows, “Whoa, hold on there, sister! You and Shadow Eagle and Big Crow are adrift in the so-called ether, or spirit world, wherever that is, but let’s not overlook whose body is carrying this child. I’m not a spirit and never wanted a child, but now I have mingled spirits in my body. Supposedly, I was the one who received the seed from a spiritual union from your long-lost lover and I’ve been carrying your spirit from wherever I picked that up, but here’s a news flash for you, Dew. That spirit seed implanted itself into an egg from my body. Where does that leave you? I’m going to be the mother of this child, not you.” Kat said heatedly, half hearing the warning of risk.
A wave of warmth suddenly washed over Kat, disarming her defenses and melting hostility away. The sensation reminded her of the moment in Hardee’s parking lot when Big Crow seemed to take control of her body to divert her plans and drive to the Puye ruins. Dew on Flowers slowly rose, stepped closer to Kat, and asked, “May I touch you?”
Kat tried to scoot away in silent reply but could not move. Dew on Flowers stood next to Kat with shoulders slumped and arms down at her sides; tears formed in her eyes and began to slip down her cheeks. “Are you crying?” asked Kat.
“I’m sorry to make you so afraid of me. I felt you try to move away, which is troubling when we have something so powerful in common. Please, no harm will come to you, Katherine,” said Dew on Flowers softly and sat on the edge of the bed beside Kat. “I wish to place my hands over your womb to experience their spirits.”
“I…umm…not sure about this,” protested Kat weakly, pushing the covers down to her waist and pulling up her sleep shirt to expose her belly.
Dew on Flowers knelt next to her and placed both hands on Kat’s bare skin, causing her to flinch. A smile crossed Dew on Flower’s lips, and more tears slipped onto her cheeks as she remained silent for a short time. “He has a spirit that is strong like the eagle. This could never have happened, and the prophecy would never have come true without you, Katherine.”
The sincerity Kat heard in this woman’s voice touched her heart and caused tears of her own to well up in her eyes. Where was all this emotion coming from? “Can I ask you a question?” Without waiting for an answer, she continued, “Why now? Why have you come into my life now? Why have you not spoken to me until now?”
Dew on Flowers remained silent and kept her hands on Kat’s belly, and more tears slipped down her cheeks.
Kat pressed for more answers, “Big Crow said I was chosen to receive your spirit because I had Puye blood in my veins from many years ago. He said I received your spirit at the hunting camp when the blue legs rode in and killed you and the other two women who were with you. They dumped the heads of your men at your feet, and I heard your cries of anguish and the explosions of the guns that murdered all three of you. If I picked up your spirit, then why wait until now to appear?”
Dew on Flowers pulled one of her hands off Kat’s abdomen to wipe away tears. “I did not realize you were there that night.”
“Oh, I was there. Big Crow made sure of it. I will never be able to unsee what happened in my few minutes there. Did I mention this happened in 1864…while I was dreaming only one week ago? I did not know about you or Shadow Eagle or Big Crow with Little Feet yet, but he found me in a dream because of ancient Puye genetics in my blood from my mother’s side of the family. That’s history you don’t need, but I must get to the bottom of something. Tell me why you are with me right now, with your hands on my belly. This is getting a bit weird for me, and I’m sensing there is more to this story…sorry, prophecy…than I know about.”
Dew on Flowers smiled and asked, “There is much more. May I lie beside you?”
Kat was not under any spell or invisible power to resist but did not panic at her request. “Where is this going, Dew? I’ve already had a spiritual union moment with your Shadow Eagle and am a little concerned about what’s happening here.”
“I only want to share with you how this time yet to come will be…different…for you. I don’t know what Big Crow with Little Feet told you about your role as Duwit chonah mowna jawneek, but I would like to explain some things you do not know yet. What I will share with you addresses the intimacy of the spirits’ connections. Big Crow was a medicine man…a man…not a medicine woman, so he would not share with you intimate things because he could never know or understand such things as a man.”
“Yeah, Big Crow was definitely a man…a spirit man, that is,” agreed Kat.
Dew on Flowers did not wait for permission and stretched out next to Kat, laying on her right side and placed her left hand back on Kat’s belly. Kat tensed slightly but soon relaxed as the power of Dew on Flowers’ presence settled upon her. “My hand over your womb is a connection point with five spirits present. Being so close right now is so rewarding for me. Thank you for sharing so intimately with me. I’ve longed for this day and do not want to forget our shared moments.”
Kat half-listened to Dew on Flowers’s heartfelt confession, “Dew, did you just say five spirits?”
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I hope you enjoyed chapter #13! I’m still editing and writing, so this is a work in progress that may become a novel one day. I’ll continue to share each chapter, so keep checking back. I would love to know your thoughts so far at gdogwise@live.com Enjoy the read!
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