The Legend of Black Wolf - Sully's Journey Home

Chapter Twenty One

        The morning broke over the mountains cool and clear. As the late sun was climbing, Sully woke to find Wolf against his side exactly where he had been the night before when they had both fallen asleep. The pup's head was up and he was looking around, but he would not leave the warm protection of Sully's hand. Sully laid there quietly, smiling as he watched the pup take in the dawning of a new day. The air was quiet, hardly anyone was making any noise in the nearby camp, and even the trees were fairly still.  

        It occurred to Sully that, for the first time that he could remember, he woke up smiling. He could hardly believe the feeling. What power the growing pup had to bring him a bit of healing! And as he took in the warm fur beneath his fingertips and the contentedness of being safe and warm, Sully sent up a very short, small prayer of thank you that a day could possibly begin so simply.

        Unable to resist any longer, he began petting Wolf, who instantly turned to look up at Sully and gave a small yip of greeting. As Sully scratched Wolf's back in earnest, the pup slowly stood and stretched, leaning its head back to enjoy the attention. Sully's smile continued and soon they were both gently playing inside the lean-to. Wolf tried to wrestle Sully's hand, playfully nipping at his fingers in an effort to avoid being tickled. Sully tried to tickle Wolf's belly before getting nipped. After a few minutes, the pup stopped and walked off to relieve himself, so Sully sat up to start his day. The two had already built a camaraderie that would soon blossom into a deeply devoted friendship.

        As Sully walked with Wolf down the stream to wash, it occurred to him that he'd prayed that morning. Watching the pup take a drink, he realized that Cloud Dancing hadn't been talking about literal voices from the Great Spirit the day they'd gone into the woods to meditate. The medicine man had meant that everything has its own way of speaking to one's soul and that a person must be open to any way that the Spirits might use to communicate with man. He had gotten frustrated that day because he hadn't heard any literal noises except the woods around him, the breeze, and the birds. Sully had been thinking about it all wrong. He should have been thinking about how the outside world was speaking to his heart.

        "C'mon, boy!" He called to Wolf, who looked up at him a bit surprised. "Let's go." And the pup contentedly followed, sure they were on their way to scrounge up some breakfast.

        Sully walked into camp and over to Cloud Dancing's tent before Snow Bird had even finished with the morning meal. He poked his head into the tent to ask if he could talk to Cloud Dancing. They warmly greeted each other, and Sully was asked to join the meal with them. He and Wolf came in, and the pup obediently sat next to Sully, hungrily awaiting his turn to eat.

        "Before I got upset that day in the woods, you were tryin' ta tell me about listening when praying." Sully started. Cloud Dancing's eyes sparkled as his ears perked up. He had been saddened that Sully had stormed off that day before figuring out what he'd been trying to teach him. Their conversation had been good since then, but Cloud Dancing had been reticent in trying to teach more before Sully showed him that he was truly ready.

        "You didn't mean I should be listening for just sounds, though. Right?" Sully asked. Snow Bird sat back and watched the two. She didn't know all the English words the white man was using, but she could see her husband's interest in his eyes, and she knew it was important. Cloud Dancing took a moment to explain to her what Sully was saying before he answered. She appreciated being included in the conversation, since her husband had been so devoted to the white man since they'd met. It was still amazing to her to see the white man now. His face was completely changed from when she had first seen him in the woods. He was getting stronger and healthier the longer he stayed away from the great white war chief in the East. His hair was now beginning to curl around his shoulders.