Everything Happens for a Reason

"Tommy, what's wrong, baby," Laurie asked fearfully.

I suddenly stood and ripped my shirt from my body to find the front of it unblemished, and heard, "You are truly blessed and now one with the horse, my brother," as John Kettle, came from behind me with a smile on his face and Jessi following closely behind him.

"Would somebody mind telling me what the hell is going on here?" I asked, shaking the fog from my mind and my feet still a little unsteady beneath me.

Laurie smiled in relief, and after making sure that I was gong to be alright, she began, "After Jessi got spooked by the Grizzly and threw you off her back, we thought the Grizzly killed you, when…" she began to cry, "….from out of nowhere; Mo appeared and kicked the Grizzly hard enough to knock him away from you. As soon as the Grizzly was far enough away from your body, Mo began kicking him over and over again, stunning him long enough for John to get close enough to fire a couple of shots into him. Well, after the second shot hit him, the Grizzly stopped just long enough for John to bring him down with a shot to the head."

I walked over to where Mo was now standing next to Jessi and put my arms around his neck. Lowering his head and gently placing it against my head, he emitted a low and tender, whinny. I smiled, and with tears beginning to fall down my face, I said, "You saved my life, boy. That means we belong to one another, now." I held him a little longer until I stepped back. Then looking me in the face, Mo slowly reached up and softly licked the tears from my face, snorting playfully afterwards. "I know boy, I love you, too," I replied, stroking his neck. Suddenly I felt something gently biting my arm. Jessi appeared wanting her loving too. I laughed, and as I scratched her head with my other hand, I said, "I haven't forgotten about you, girl. You know that I love you, too." I heard a female giggle coming from behind me, and when I looked over at Laurie, who was by now smiling widely I replied, "You don't seem to be too surprised by any of this. What gives, darlin?"

She looked at John, and then back at me and, then reaching into the saddle bag on Jessi's back, she withdrew one of my shirts and handed to me, then giggling, said, "Mount up, I'll tell you on the way, Flat-Lander," and then continued giggling as she climbed onto Gus's back.

We continued riding in a northwesterly direction and the closer we came to Black Elk Pass, the more beautiful the scenery became. After about thirty minutes had passed, to Laurie, I said, "So, are you going to answer my previous question or not?"

Because I was riding right next to her, she leaned over in her saddle and kissed me briefly then began, "Mom already told you about how I was acted when we first moved out here so, I don't need to go into that again. Anyway, when John came to work for us, he noticed that I always kept to myself and hardly ever talked to anyone. Mom and Dad were really worried for a while. They let John take me to the reservation to attend a Va'ohtama (Welcome) ceremony being performed for me. When I was there, I met this woman who was the last living relative of Lone Wolf, one of the most famous leaders of the Cheyenne people. Anyway, she was very wise, and she told me that one day I would marry a man who would come to be known as Ve'no'taxeo'o, which means White Warrior. She also told me that this man was the chosen one, and that he would do great things for all the Cheyenne people……the man she spoke of was you, Tommy. You are the chosen one…….So, you see, I've known that you would be coming back to me not long after I left you and came here, my love. Why else do you think I waited for you for so long?"

I looked into her eyes and suddenly saw the wisdom that I had been previously blind to. All I could say in return was, "I love you, Laurie, and I always will."

We rode until we came to a trail that stretched high up into the mountains. The sun was getting lower in the sky, and right before it began to get dark, John turned to us and said, "You two get camp set up while I make the fire. We'll need to conserve our strength," and then he pointed up the trail, and said, "Tomorrow we will breach Black Elk Pass."

Chapter Twelve

Back at the ranch, Tara sat around the dinner table eating with Mike and Julia. And although she was trying not to let it show, she worried about Tommy and Laurie. "They're gonna be just fine, Tara honey. You don't need to worry about anything, sweetie," said Julia, noticing the worry on her friends face, and then reaching across the table and gently patting her hand for assurance.

"Hell, they're in the best hands they could possibly be in, Tara. No man knows this country better than John Kettle," said Mike, "Besides, I trust Tommy to protect my little girl. There's something real special about that boy."

"Yeah, he's special alright, just like his father," said Tara, smiling sweetly, "But don't sell Laurie short," then giggling, she added, "She's the only girl I've ever seen Tommy get so easily embarrassed around. Hell, I couldn't have found Tommy a better woman if I had hand picker her for him myself." Tara laughed again and said, "Even if I had hand picked his woman for him, it would've been Laurie. I've loved her eve since the first time I ever laid eyes on her at the hospital. She was so cute," and then after winking at Julia, Tara looked at Mike and said, "If I remember right, there was this real big macho guy, I can't remember his name, but his initials are Mike Watson, anyway, he came to the hospital and the minute he looked into his daughter's face for the first time, he cried like a baby."

"She was the sweetest little thing," said Mike, smiling.

"And she's had her Daddy wrapped around her little finger ever since," laughed Julia, while playfully slapping Mike on the arm.

"She sure grew up to be a beautiful girl, Jules," said Tara.

"Yeah, and about the time she turned sixteen, every young little rooster in the county came sniffin around," laughed Mike.

"What did you do about it?" asked Tara smiling.

Mike began to laugh uncontrollably so, after calming him down slightly, Julia grinned and said, "Tara honey, we didn't have to worry about her one bit. John Kettle started teaching her to shoot when she turned eight years old, as a means to help her keep focused on her studies. By the time she was twelve, she could outshoot everyone on the ranch, including John Kettle. So when the boys started doing what teenage boys do around real pretty girls," Julia snickered, "She brought out her deer rifle and ran their little asses all the way up to the highway, one shot at a time." When Julia had finished with the story, Mike was in near hysterics, laughing, with her and Tara not far behind him.

After the three of them had regained their composure, Mike stood up and, to Julia and Tara, smiled said, "You girls go in the den and drink some coffee. I'll take care of these dishes tonight."

"Aw, how sweet," said Tara grinning.

"Aw, it sure is," cooed Julia, as she kissed her husband, "Thank you, sweetheart." Then she looked at Tara, and with a mischievous grin, Julia giggled and said, "Come on, let's go down to the cellar and crack open a bottle of Apple Wine."

"Uh oh, now we're in trouble" echoed from the kitchen as they made their way outside to the basement door.

We ate venison stew, prepared by John, for dinner that night. It was tasted extremely good and was very filling. After we'd sat around the fire letting our food digest, John rose, then gathered the dirty pot and plates up and said, "There's a lake about thirty minute's ride from here. I'm going to take these dishes and wash them." Then looking at us with a knowing smile, he added, "I'll be back in about an hour or so. You two stay out of trouble while I'm gone," and then laughed as he walked away.

Laurie watched John as he walked away. Then once she was sure he was gone, her clothes were gone equally as fast. As she lay on the blanket naked, I was entranced by the way the fire reflected off her body. Mixed hues of yellow and orange danced softly across her body gave way to a an illusion or mirage, momentarily transforming her into a beautiful Indian Princess from a time long gone, and I was her warrior destined to protect her.

"Tommy, are you ok sweetie?" Laurie asked, bringing me out of my reverie.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine."

"Uh huh," she replied, "Wherever you were must've been a very beautiful place to take your mind off of me, baby."

"Actually, I was thinking about you."

"Well, I can tell by the lump in your jeans that you must be thinking the same thing that I am," Laurie cooed, "Why don't you take off those clothes and make love to me, here, in front of the fire?"

I shed my clothes at light speed and proceeded to do that very thing. We had more than enough time to make the gentlest, unrushed, and sweetest love we had ever experienced up to that point in our lives. When we were done, we put our clothes back on and layed together next to the fire, basking in a love that would forever burn, hotter than any temperature known to man. We drifted off to sleep, not even hearing John when he made his way back to camp. Normally I would've been sleeping with one eye open, but somehow I knew that we would be safe and could sleep restfully, cradled in the sweet gentle arms of mother earth.

The next morning we were up with the dawn. I don't know how or when he did it, but Laurie opened our eyes to the sight and smell of biscuits and sausage patties with sorghum molasses, that John had prepared while we slept. "Good morning, my brother and sister. Come and eat. Nourish your bodies as I'm sure you're going to need it after last night," snickered John.

"What're you talking about, John?" Laurie asked cautiously, both cheeks blushing brightly, and making me laugh.

"You two made enough noise to scare off the fish I was trying to catch last night, so we could have trout for breakfast instead of sausage," laughed John.

After a ride to the small mountain lake John spoke of the previous night, we watered the horse good and then proceeded up Black Elk pass. Just as we were about to go upward into the mountains near the snowline, Mo and I felt the same thing at the same time, and it was then we heard it. The sound of helicopter blades echoed in the distance as they churned the still air around us. Three minutes later it passed over head, turned around came over head again, hovering momentarily above us, and then retreating back the way it came.

"That would be old Zach Harper, or one of his minions in that helicopter, I expect," I said to John, eliciting a giggle from Laurie.

John continued to lead the way as we rode deeper into Black Elk pass. The terrain started to get extremely unstable, causing us to have to dismount and walk our animals through certain points in the pass. Others were easily ridden with no incident at all. We were basically climbing to an elevation of six hundred feet where a flat plateau stretched for well over two miles until we began the extremely dangerous and extremely unstable trek down the back side of the pass, not to mention climbing grades of twenty, to twenty five degrees both directions.

Up the pass we climbed, now having to walk the horses up the steep grade and onto the plateau. Once we were on the plateau we slowly took our time so as to allow our animals to rest for the descent down the back of the pass. As I looked around me, I saw a kind of hazy mist hanging in the air. It reminded me of when The Old one had me cast on the mountain top right before I sent his ass back to wherever the hell they came from. I never said anything to anyone until now, but looking back, I would, in all honesty, have to say that, that scared the living shit outta me. There, I said it, now, back the story.

"I don't know why that asshole, Zach Harper, is trying to find us. It's not like going to be able to catch Mo once we turn him loose in Weasel Canyon, and then it empties into The Ancient Land," said Laurie, "And nobody's been there in centuries."

"Ancient Land, what are you talking about?" I asked, wondering just what the hell was going to happen next.

But when I saw the look in John's eyes I felt an immediate peace overcome me, and I wasn't surprised when he said, "The Ancient Land is where our people first lived when they came to this land. At first they lived solely near the lakes and rivers, eating only what fish they could catch. Then they were forced to move here and this is the land that taught them to hunt game, and gave them their first taste of meat. So, not only is this The Ancient Land, it is also The Sacred Land, my brother." Then with a sweeping wave of his arm, motioning in front of him, he told me, "Tommy, you never knew this, but your mother's great great grandfather was born and raised right here, and like me, was full blooded Cheyenne Indian."

"Why didn't she ever tell me?" I asked John.

Laurie took my hand and said, "Because, until now, it never really mattered, Tommy."

"What do mean by, it never mattered until now?" I asked, becoming slightly perturbed that I had been kept in the dark about my heritage for so long.

"Why do you think it is, that you've been through so much up to this point in your life, and yet you have still come out of it alive and sane, Tom?" John sternly asked.

"I don't know. I was just lucky, I guess," I laughed nervously.

"NO! You were not just lucky," growled John, "You are the chosen one and were destined to be so, long before you were born, my brother. You are the last descendant of one of the fiercest leaders of the Hotametaneo'o, the dogmen. His name was Grey Fox and he was a warrior, just like his great, great, great grandson. You are the Chosen One, Ve'no'taxeo'o, the White Warrior. Please….search your heart, my brother, and you will find that which you have sought for so long."

Suddenly everything began to make sense to me and my mind, body and soul felt as if I'd been raptured. It was so overwhelming that I was brought to my knees in tears, and the funny thing was, that I didn't know why, either. Laurie went to kneel beside me until John stopped her, saying, "No, his spirit is not yet fulfilled, little one."

The last thing I remember seeing was Laurie looking down at me in alarm, and then everything went black. When I awoke, I found myself walking across a great plain. There was nothing but prairie as far as I could see in every direction. I kept walking until I came to a small rise of hills on the prairie. As I began go up the hill, a very tall man appeared at the top of it and made his way down to me.

He was very wise and very old, and was dressed in the same type of buckskin clothes the Cheyenne wore three centuries ago. Somehow I knew that I wasn't dreaming. It was as John said; my spirit was being fulfilled, as was my destiny being revealed to me. When we came face to face, the man looked familiar to me, and, speaking in Cheyenne, that I understood perfectly now, he said, "Welcome home to your land, my son. You've been here before, and now the time has come for you to be here again. There is much trouble in this land. You guard and protect the sacred horse, and that is good. He knows your heart, for within him he carries a hope, a hope that will heal you. As long as he lives wild and free, then so does the hope. If the sacred horse is captured, he will die, and the hope of all mankind will die with him. You are stronger than those who went before you, my son, and you will make right the wrongs done to your own people so many years ago. However, beware the voice of the trickster. You will know him when you meet him. His eyes will give him away. Look for the yellow star rising on a blue horizon with a red sky above it, and you will find his weakness and break his strength."

"What are you saying?" I asked, and then everything in sight began fading into darkness.

Right before everything went black I heard the man's voice echo the words, "Look for the yellow star….."

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself lying in Laurie's lap, with my head against her chest and her arms around me, holding me gently to her. The second I began to move, she said, "Hi, baby, are you back with us again?"

"I saw him," I said to no one in particular.

"I know you did. You talked to him, too. I felt it, my brother," smiled John, as he and Laurie helped me to my feet.

"Who?" Laurie asked worriedly. Then I turned and looked into her eyes as she looked into mine. She smiled, visibly relaxed, and said, "You lead, Tommy, and I'll follow. I love you."

"I love you, too," I said, as I gently brushed her beautiful cheek with the back of my hand. Then I turned to look at John and said, "Let's start making our way down the back of the pass."

"Follow me, my brother," smiled John.

The way down the back of Black Elk pass was as difficult as it was dangerous, and the shale path was even more unstable than the path coming up to the plateau. After a four hour trek wrought with intense peril and danger, we made it down into the canyon, only after a near miss that, had it not been for his quick thinking, would've thrown John and Sultan over the side and into the abyss.

Chapter Thirteen

By the time we made it to Weasel Canyon it was nearing the afternoon so, we decided to make camp early. Laurie had been strangely silent ever since e left the plateau. I sat down beside her, and putting my arm around her waist, said, "You're awful quiet. Are you alright, baby girl?"

She just smiled, and then leaned her head on my shoulder and replied, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just glad that everything I was told as a little girl is finally coming to pass," then putting her arms around me and holding me tightly to her, she buried her face in my chest and cried, "I've waited for you for so long, Tommy, and I'm so glad you're here now."

I felt an easiness and peace in this canyon. To the west lay a vast open wilderness, lush with life and greenery, looking as though it had never known the rape of civilized society. To the north lay the mountains, grand and as dangerous as they were beautiful. To the south was a bottle neck that emptied back out onto the prairies that led back to the highway by the airport. As I layed back against my saddle, I took the time to contemplate all the wonderful things that had happened since I'd been here.

"Tommy!" Laurie said, waking me from my reverie.

"What is it, baby?" I asked smiling.

Handing me a box that was about eleven to twelve inches long, and about four and a half inches square, she smiled and said, "Daddy told me to give this to you when we reached Weasel Canyon."

"What is it?" I asked, as she handed me the box.

"You'll know when you open it, silly," she giggled. To this day, I'll always love the sound of my beautiful Laurie giggling. Anyway, back to the story.

Imagine my surprise when I opened the box and found a genuine, Uneartl 5-25X50, Sniper's Scope. "Holy shit," I replied upon seeing it, "I only got to use one of these on the rifle range, when I was in the Navy. Uncle Sam wouldn't let have these in the field. They said they were illegal to use. Where did your Dad get this?"

"He didn't say and I didn't ask. He just told me to give it to you when we got here," she honestly replied.

"Never question a gift when it is given, my brother," said John, "It will bring bad omens later."

That night Laurie and I slept peacefully and the horses rested easy, as did John, serving as a look out.

The next morning, I awoke before the sun came up, feeling a great disturbance in the peace of this beautiful canyon. Mo could feel it, too, as I heard him stirring fitfully. I walked over to him, and gently rubbing his neck, said, "I know, I feel it too, boy. Just take it easy. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."