Jesse's Brand

"Oh, nothing happened, I'm fine," he told her, not wanting to let her know what he had been working on. With a shrug, Laughing Willow picked up the bucket and carried it over to Jesse. Grabbing the pelt she had used the day before, the girl began wiping the rivulets of sweat that had gathered on his brow. While she continued her ministrations, Jesse reached up to touch her cheek, feeling the soft skin under his hands. As he began caressing her beautiful face, Jesse could feel her heat start to mount. Pulling her closer, he kissed her tenderly, his tongue touching her lips, coaxing them to open beneath his mouth. After a couple of seconds of this, Laughing Willow pulled back, startled, yet fascinated at this white man's ways. Standing up quickly, she scampered out of the teepee, trying to collect her thoughts.

"Damn, I was beginning to enjoy that," he said, remembering the luxurious feel of her lips against his. After the brief respite from his exertions, Jesse decided to practice some more, hoping to make some kind of sense out of the happenings of the last couple of days. Concentrating once again on the bucket, Jesse began using his mind to lift the bucket and move it around the teepee. Continuing his exercises, the teen realized it was taking less concentration to use his new found abilities, allowing him to let his mind wander.

Jesse began thinking about the rustlers that had stolen their cattle and killed his father and the ranch hands that had come with them. As the memories of the attack on them crept back into his memory, Jesse cringed at the ferocity of the outlaws. Even knowing the cruelty of the animals, Jesse refused to think of the cowardly bandits as men, he knew he was going to go after them as soon as he was able to get on a horse. Making a vow to avenge the J-W crew, Jesse became even more determined to get well as quickly as he could. Deep in thought as well as concentrating on manipulating the bucket, Jesse didn't hear the medicine man come in.

"Laughing Willow told me you were..." Soaring Eagle started, only to be struck mute at the sight of the floating bucket. Startled by the sudden intrusion by the medicine man, Jesse lost his concentration, allowing the pail to fall. Stunned, the shaman stumbled toward Jesse, wanting to examine his patient. Removing the furs he had used for bandages, Soaring Eagle was pleased to see the wound almost healed. As he continued looking at the mending gash on the boy's head, Soaring Eagle noticed a greenish-blue glow emanating from the teen's scalp. Seeing this, understanding dawned on the ancient Cheyenne.

"Ah, I see what happened now. Did you notice any unusual rocks where you fell?" Soaring Eagle asked the teen. With a bewildered look on his face, Jesse slowly shook his head no, not understanding what the medicine man was talking about.

"What do you mean?" Jesse asked, his confusion evident on his face.

"There is a stone that my people consider very valuable that is found around here that your people call turquoise. When you fell, I think you may have gotten some lodged in your head. My medicine and that stone would give you very strong medicine. You must learn to use your medicine," Soaring Eagle told the teen.

"Medicine? What is this medicine you keep talking about?" Jesse asked.

"What your people would call magic, we call medicine," Soaring Eagle explained, hiding his laughter at the confusion written on the boy's face. As the medicine man's words sank in, Jesse realized the ancient Indian was referring to his newfound skills.

"Oh, ok. I see what you mean. Now, there is one other thing that was bothering me. Why is it that your English is so good?" Jesse asked.

"When I was young I was accidentally left behind when the tribe moved to winter quarters. I was found by a white couple named Davis. They sent me to school and then later to Oxford in England. While I was away, my parents were killed by a tornado. When I came back, I decided there was nothing left for me in the white man's world so I came back to my people. I was still pretty young and the medicine man at that time decided to teach me his skills so I could follow in his footsteps. I am glad to have a white man here so that I can practice," Soaring Eagle told him, speaking in a flat voice. Stunned, Jesse looked at the old man as if seeing him for the first time. He knew Soaring Eagle spoke English well, but he would never have imagined the medicine man to be educated.

"Okay, now you said I had strong medicine, how long do you think it will last?" Jesse asked.

"I don't know, maybe a few more hours, maybe the rest of your life, but if the turquoise is ever removed, you will probably lose your medicine," Soaring Eagle told him. Sitting cross-legged on the dirt floor, the old man motioned for Jesse to continue his practicing, wanting to watch the young man hone his new skills. While he observed Jesse's progress, his mind drifted back to years long past, remembering another time when this had happened. As the ancient medicine man's mind drifted even further into his memories, he was brought back to the present by the crashing sound of the bucket Jesse had been using to train himself.

"I can't seem to control it for long," Jesse told him, looking sheepishly at the medicine man.

"Yes, it will take a lot of practice, but I think you will be able to do it," Soaring Eagle told him. As Jesse began practicing again, Soaring Eagle remembered the young warrior that had been hurt in much the same way this young white man had been. That warrior had actually led his tribe in a fight against the hated Sioux. When they won an easy victory, the warrior was given a new wife and took over from the old medicine man.

"Keep it up. You will be able to do many things at once if you keep practicing. I'm going to go find Laughing Willow. You are going to need many bowls if you keep breaking them," Soaring Eagle told him as he left to find his daughter.

Upon seeing his daughter with the other Cheyenne women, Soaring Eagle stopped to watch the young girl help scrape the hides of the buffalo they had been able to kill during their last hunt. Her skill in the ways of the people would be a valuable asset for a young warrior. She would keep his teepee warm and give him many children.

Remembering her mother, the medicine man thought of the times when he would come back from a battle to find a bowl of buffalo stew waiting for him. He could only hope his daughter would do the same for her man when the time came.

Realizing he was letting his mind wander, Soaring Eagle called his daughter to him. When she came to him, he decided to see if she was indeed ready to share another man's teepee.

"Daughter, what do you think of the white man that has been brought to us?"

"I think he has very strong medicine," she replied. Soaring Eagle wasn't surprised by her answer. She had always seen things others had not. Yes, she would make a good wife for a warrior.

"If he asked you to share his blankets, would you want to?"

"He wouldn't ask me," she replied.

"Don't be so sure, I have seen the way he has looked at you," Soaring Eagle told her.

"Yes Father, I have seen this, too. Why are you asking me this?" she asked. Smiling, Soaring Eagle weighed his words carefully before he spoke.

"I think you should encourage him," he finally told her, looking into her eyes.

"Father, he is a white man and I am still a maiden. Why would I want to encourage him?"

"You said it yourself. He has very strong medicine and I think he may join our tribe. If he does, he would make a very strong warrior. I think if you convince him to take you as his wife, you will be able to guide him through our customs," Soaring Eagle replied.

"I will think on this," she told him. He couldn't help thinking of her mother as he watched her leave. She too had been asked to take a man that had very strong medicine. With his medicine growing weaker every year, it was about time for someone to take his place. The medicine man couldn't help thinking how much he had in common with Jesse. They would both be given wives because of their strong medicine.