Two Captives Ch. 03

"I see his horse and it looks like he is riding low," Summer Wind said. "Maybe he is hurt."

She took off in a dead run for Red Fox's horse which was being pulled by Two Bears. Sarah started running too and she could now see what Summer Wind had said. They both ran straight for Two Bears. Some of the first women to run were now walking beside the horses of their loved ones. Summer Wind was fast and Sarah struggled to stay with her.

Summer Wind yelled, "Two Bears, how is Red Fox?"

Sarah yelled, "Two Bears."

The war party's path was becoming jammed by on-rushers and they slowed to a walk. Sarah could hear women wailing as they found the dead. Four were definitely dead and three wounded. Two of the wounded did not look serious but Red Fox had an arrow stuck in his back.

Sarah could hear Big Claw over the noise proclaiming a huge victory. Apparently, they had killed eleven Crow and wounded many more.

Sarah ran to Two Bears and grabbed his leg. She looked up at him as they walked slowly forward. Her blue tear-filled eyes proclaimed her love for him and her happiness at his return. Two Bears smiled broadly down at her. Sarah could now see two scalps hanging from his spear. They were tied off with leather straps. She looked around and noticed several more on other riders. Sarah shifted her attention to Red Fox. Summer Wind was walking besides his horse talking to him but Sarah did not hear responses.

"Two Bears! Will Red Fox be okay?" Sarah asked.

"He is hurt bad," Two Bears said, with a grave look of concern for his brother.

Sarah left Two Bears' side for a second to go to Summer Wind. Summer Wind was crying and Sarah began to as well. Sarah could see the arrow protruding from his back. It was covered in blood and looked to be in his shoulder blade.

"Sarah, run and tell Running Water we need to nurse Red Fox," Summer Wind said between sobs.

Sarah ran back to Two Bears. He nodded and she took off. Sarah ran like she thought the devil was chasing her. She ran even when her lungs felt like bursting. She was panting severely when she got to Running Water. As she caught her breath, Sarah managed to get out, "Red Fox is hurt. He has an arrow in his back."

"And Two Bears?" Running Water asked with a stone cold face.

'God, she is a tough woman,' Sarah thought. "He is fine!"

Running Water ran into her tepee as Gray Cloud arrived. Sarah could see Two Bears and Summer Wind approaching now. Gray Cloud dismounted and Sarah informed him that Two Bears was fine but Red Fox had been shot with an arrow. Running Water came running back out of the tepee with several things in her hands. A buffalo hide, a metal knife, and several pouches of things. They all watched as the three approached.

Two Bears dismounted and White Flower was there to take his pony. Sally took the reins of Red Fox's as Two Bears and Gray Cloud lifted Red Fox down. Running Water had spread the buffalo hide and made a bed for them to lay him on. The two men carried Red Fox to the hide and laid him down on his stomach. The menacing bloody arrow was still protruding from his back. Summer Wind sat down beside him as did Running Water.

Sarah noticed Two Bears and Gray Cloud clasp arms and look at each other for a minute. Neither spoke but you could tell Gray Cloud was glad to see his son and proud of him. They both then turned their attention to Red Fox and the two women. With the Arapaho, the medicine man was more spiritual than actually a doctor. Real doctoring fell to the women. Sarah could see Running Water preparing to try to remove the arrow.

Sarah had wanted to be a doctor as a young girl. She had read several books on doctoring and medical procedures. These books did not have specifics for arrow removal that she could remember but it did talk about sterilizing instruments and wounds. Sarah saw Running Water about to cut into Red Fox and yelled.

"Wait! We need to sterilize the knife first."

"Everyone looked at her confused by what she said. Sarah took the knife from Running Water and took it to the fire. She held it over the flame. They all still looked at her confused and Running Water was nervous over the delay.

Sarah told Running Water, "Wash your hands with soap."

When the knife was sufficiently heated, Sarah handed it back to Running Water. Red Fox was unconscious so they did not have to worry about anesthesia. Sarah watched as Running Water cut the skin alongside the wound.

"Wait!" Again she screamed. "Two Bears give me an arrow!"

Everyone looked at her in disbelief but Two Bears handed her an arrow.

"Help me lift him a little!"

Sarah held the arrow up next to the one in Red Fox. Hers was at least six inches longer. Sarah reasoned the head of the arrow might be closer to passing through Red Foxes' body. She felt around the opposite side of his body and pressed hard. She felt the arrow tip below the surface. She had Two Bears cut the arrow at the skin line on Red Foxes' back and they rolled him over. She then told Running Water to cut at the spot she felt the head. Everyone looked at her with extreme curiosity but they understood what she wanted.

Running water made the incision and did not have to go too deep before she spotted the tip of the arrowhead. The arrow had passed right through the shoulder blade and nearly right through him. Suzie tried to remember where the vital organs were in the pictures in the books. She felt he might be okay if they could just get the arrow out whole. Sarah had Two Bears wash his hands too.

"Two Bears, push on the arrow shaft from the back with your finger. Running Water, see if you can pull the arrowhead out slowly," Sarah said.

Everyone kind of looked at Sarah with wonder at the way she was taking over, but they did what she said. Running Water had trouble grabbing the blood-slick arrowhead until Two Bears' pushing actually moved the arrow through until his finger was nearly buried in Red Fox's back wound. Running water could now grab the back end of the arrowhead and pull. She eased the arrowhead out of Red Fox's chest. Once the head was out the remaining shaft eased through as Two Bears pushed wadding that Summer Wind gave him into the back wound. Running Water removed the arrow completely. Sarah took it from her.

Sarah examined the arrow. The shaft looked intact other than where Two Bears cut it. The arrowhead also looked complete. Sarah thought they had gotten the entire arrow out. Running Water took over as she knew how to dress a wound. They wrapped Red Fox up and then moved him gingerly to the new tepee. Summer Wind offered to stay with him for the night to watch him. They covered him in buffalo hides to keep warm.

After they had cleaned up, they ate dinner. Two Bears ate like a bear, very hungry from the raiding party. As they sat eating, Two Bears told them about the battle. They had searched for two days but finally found a group of twenty Crows camped by a stream. They were not sure if they were the same group that had attacked the Arapaho hunting party recently, but it did not matter.

The raiding party waited till nightfall, then attacked the sleeping Crow. They snuck up and killed the sentries and then, on Big Claw's signal, attacked the camp. They caught the sleeping Crow by surprise and killed several in the first few minutes. The Crow, realizing they were outnumbered and caught by surprise, fought to their ponies and raced away. The Arapaho killed several more as they retreated. The Crow fought back bravely as they retreated, inflicting losses to the Arapaho as well.

Red Fox was fighting with the Crow leader and about to get the better of him when he was shot in the back by a Crow arrow. Two Bears immediately killed the shooter with an arrow as well but the Crow leader escaped with only half his men. The Arapaho pursued the fleeing Crow the rest of the night but they escaped. Two Bears doubted they would be back soon causing more trouble.

Gray Cloud listened intently to his son's recounting of the battle. He too worried if this problem with the Crow was over. The Crow had not been this aggressive before. They had other skirmishes together in the past but never this severe. Hopefully, Two Bears was right and the Crow would stop challenging their northern border.

The next two days were terrible on the family. Red Fox had still not regained consciousness though his breathing remained strong. Summer Wind remained by his side. Sarah relieved her when she could but otherwise Summer Wind sat with him.

The night the raiding party returned, when they went to bed, Sarah walked with Two Bears to his tepee. Gray Cloud watched them from the fire. They had kissed passionately several times. It was obvious to Gray Cloud and Running Water, watching too, that Sarah was very glad Two Bears came home safely. Two Bears was happy to see her too. Sarah had taken his hand and ducked into his tepee. Just before he followed her as she pulled him inside, Two Bears noticed Gray Cloud watching them.