The Legend of Black Wolf - Sully's Journey Home

Chapter Forty Five

    One morning just two days before talks were to begin between Black Kettle and the army, Sully awoke to find he had overslept.  The sight of the leanto above his head instead of the morning sky disoriented him for a second.  Rolling onto his side, a glance over his bare shoulder showed him that  the sun was already up and Wolf was off in search of breakfast.  His fire, long cold, was unnecessary in the unusually warm Colorado morning.  

      Blinking slowly, he tried to remember what day it was.  His thoughts were a jumble until it all came back to him in a rush.  The vividness of the dream made him sit up and scratch his head.  He had been dreaming about going hunting.  There was a weariness to his mind initially, as if he had honestly spent the entire evening trekking across the summer hunting grounds by himself.  Knowing he needed a good breakfast to figure things out, Sully slowly got up.

      Thinking it over as he dressed, the full account of the strange dream came back fully as he slipped on his moccasins.  He had been going fishing, but had encountered two deer.  Sully knew as he slipped on a fresh shirt that he needed to ask Cloud Dancing about it.  With an eager step to his stride, Sully took off towards the medicine man’s lodging.

      His stomach growled as he walked and he could see that most were done with their morning meals already.  Running his hands through his locks, he tried to make himself a bit presentable.  Usually, he went to the stream and did a regular morning ritual of bathing and exercise to get himself ready for the day.  But he knew there was no time while the haunting dream was still fresh in his mind.

      As the two friends greeted each other and shook hands, Snow Bird emerged from the teepee and shared a warm bit of bread with him.  She hurried on with her day without stopping to talk.  Cloud Dancing gestured towards one of the deer trails that led to a praying area he enjoyed.  He had been on his way out of camp for the day and asked Sully to join him.  The two walked for a few minutes in silence.

      “There is something you wish to say?”  Cloud Dancing asked finally.  He was unsure of what might be on Sully’s mind, but he was sure it was urgent.  He could hear his friend’s stomach grumbling in protest of the lack of a proper morning meal.  And the wolf was nowhere to be seen.  The two usually traveled together.  The medicine man grew concerned that something might have happened to the animal.

      “I had a dream that I went to fish and came upon two buck who had locked horns at the water’s edge.  But one had a white face and a patch across its nose.”  Sully began.  The area was so clear that, if he could only concentrate hard enough, he might be able to determine exactly where the dream area coincided with a similar area in real life.  “I didn’t have my arrow, so I hid in the trees and watched.  What do you think it means?”  Without the proper detail, Sully gave Cloud Dancing a vague overview of the dream impatiently.

      “The deer symbolizes freedom.  Your freedom in this new life with us will be challenged.   An opponent will match you.”  They walked on and Sully was strangely silent.  Cloud Dancing knew how his friend felt about altercations, but he wanted to tell the truth about what deer had always symbolized to the tribe.  Suddenly, another thought came to him.  “Was the water calm?”

      “Yes, the lake was still.  Why?”  Sully was confused as to what the calmness of the water had to do with the two buck who were fighting at the edge.  It hadn’t occurred to him that this was a crucial detail at all.

      “Dream waters allow the spirits to connect with our heart.  Calm water means a calm heart.  Spirits cannot cross angry water.  It is good, my friend.  The Great Spirit will be with you when you face the challenge.”  Clapping Sully on the shoulder, Cloud Dancing walked on.  It gave him hope that his day of prayer would be good.  If Sully was receiving signs in dreams, perhaps the Spirits would be in the mood to speak to him as well.  He was hoping to gain knowledge about how the talks with Colonel Chivington would go soon concerning the area north of Sand Creek.  Black Kettle was concerned about Sully’s participation in the event.