The Legend of Black Wolf - Sully's Journey Home

Chapter Forty Two

 The morning that the tribe was to depart for the summer hunting grounds near Colorado Springs crept into camp quietly, bringing with it a light veil of fog.  Sully had been up late the night before trying to finish a good sled that he felt he should make for Bright Spears family.  He did not know why the idea was so strong in his mind about giving them such a thing, but the more he thought about it, the more he wouldn't be able to stand leaving without helping them out.  So he had rushed to finish one that he could deliver that morning before they took down the teepee.

        As he hurriedly dressed, pulling up his buckskins impatiently, he realized it was the first night at the winter grounds where he did not have to pull the extra fur over himself in the night to keep warm.  He had rested just fine with only his old red and black coat.  It was a sign that winter was truly over and that spring was waiting in the wings.

        Wolf came in to investigate why Sully was up and about while there was still barely light in the sky.  Sully gave Wolf's muzzle a playful pat, then tossed him the last bit of dried meat from his pack.  He and Cloud Dancing had decided that Sully would eat with them before Cloud Dancing's sons helped him take down the teepee.  That way, the skins and furs could all be loaded up together and all Sully would have to carry was his old Army pack with his tomahawk, bedroll and other belongings.  Wolf happily took the snack and trotted back outside to watch the morning unfold.

       Giving a stretch in the dewy morning air, he raised his arms far behind his head, twisting this way and that with a groan as he prepared to drag the sled across camp.  He had only gotten a few hours of sleep and could feel his shoulders protest.  He dwelled a moment on the old mine collapse that had given him the ache in his shoulder.  A beam had struck him when the opening had fallen in suddenly.  Ever after, on certain days, he could feel that place where the beam had hit him.  Remembering that inky darkness made him send up a morning prayer to the Spirits, thanking him for bringing him back to a place of light.

     Hefting the sled up, Sully began dragging it around the teepees towards the dwelling of his former owners.  Some were coming out to watch, while others were just waking up to get something to eat before the journey began.  No-one spoke to Sully.  Bright Spears mother threw back the flap as he approached and watched him set down the sled, looking at him suspiciously.  He politely waited for her to emerge fully before he spoke the words he had been practicing for days.

       "Spirits tell me to thank you for my freedom."  Sully said in Cheyenne.  He hoped he had gotten the pronounciation correct.  She looked at him a long minute, and he was about to say it again, when she nodded solemnly.  It was a single nod, nothing more.  She then looked over at the pile of poles that was the beginning of the sled her family would have had to of finished constructing after taking the teepee down and he hoped that meant that she was grateful.  At least it would save them some time.  Plus, Sully picked as straight of saplings as he could find so they would have nice new tentpoles when they returned to Colorado Springs.

       With a final nod, he turned and walked back to Cloud Dancing's tent for breakfast.  He hoped she believed in the sincerity of his gift.

      Soon, the whole camp was a buzz of activity.  Teepees vanished quickly and skins were loaded up so fast that Sully mused to himself that it was like watching a flower pull back its petals, if such a thing could ever happen.  Horses snorted happily to be moving on, children ran and shouted excitedly, and Sully himself felt a rush of excitement at the thought of going home.  When it occured to him that he had thought of the old summer hunting grounds as 'home', it made him smile.  The sense of belonging, even among the people who did not always understand him, brought him such comfort.