Where Mountains Blossom

Chapter 16

Weayaya's Perspective

On my way back to my tipi, I decided to stop by the creek for a bath and a change into more casual attire. As tonight wasn't going to be a celebration; we would only be talking amongst ourselves and eating.

As I made my way back to the tipi, I grabbed a change of clothes and a washcloth before heading down to the creek. On my way there, my mind wandered to Rokiayah. Hopefully, she was still resting peacefully in my grandparents' tipi.

I understood that today had really taken a toll on her, but she had an ease to her when she hunted. You could tell that hunting was like second nature to her; her father had trained her well.

Even still, where she looked most interested and comfortable was when she was collecting the rocks and plants. She literally glowed every time she found a rock or a plant that she liked. It reminded me of an excited child playing with toys.

I could tell that that was really her element, reminding me of myself when I used to carve things with my father. We mostly carved boats, bows, spears, arrows, or other items needed for hunting, although occasionally we would carve drums and other objects like bowls or spoons.

But every so often, my dad would let me carve whatever I wanted. Sometimes I would carve animal bodies; other times, I would carve faces. I had a face carving for each member of my family and for everyone I considered family. Honestly, now that I thought about it, I needed to get back into my carvings; it was how I relaxed. Although lately, I had been too busy managing the tribe to have any time to myself.

I arrived at the creek, dwelling on those thoughts. Quickly discarding my previous clothes and washing myself with the warm water, I took the time to make sure my previous clothes also had a chance to get washed in the water. I speedily exited the water, drying myself, and put on the new clothes I had prepared. They consisted of long deer hide pants with no shirt or shoes, the way I felt most comfortable.

Hurrying back from the creek, I headed to my tipi to place my clothes on a rack where they could air dry. Once my clothes were hung, I headed out of my tipi and ventured to where my tribe met to eat, greeting people I knew here and there.

I also encountered Hota, who was grinning broadly and chuckling to himself. I wondered what had him so gleeful. His gaze met mine, and his smile widened as he made his way toward me.

He greeted me with an enthusiastic slap on the back before saying, "That girl you found, Rokiayah, she's quite intriguing. No wonder you're fond of her." I looked at him questioningly, waiting for an explanation. Judging my reaction, he continued, "Unlike the women in our tribe, she's very outspoken and doesn't shy away from making eye contact when she speaks."

It was true; she never seemed to back down. She always took things as a challenge. Like when I stared at her during a celebration in my honor for finding what I sought (her), she didn't look away but faced me head-on. Not turning away shyly like most women in my tribe would have done. Assessing me as I assessed her. It was clear that she was confident in herself, which made her so attractive.

He recounted their encounter and conversation, and I nodded in understanding, taking a moment to ponder his words. My horse, Takachwee, had approached her first and showed no apprehension, which I found strange. Then I remembered Hota saying that she seemed to be looking for something on the horse, likely the rocks and plants we collected.

Thinking aloud, I said, "I should give her lessons on horseback riding, and in exchange, I'll return her plants and rocks." But only if she agrees because even though she's confident, she's still quite wary of me. "Which is understandable, as I should be wary of her," I thought to myself.

"So I'll use the rocks and plants as an excuse, so she can agree to let me give her lessons on horseback riding, as it's necessary for her survival," I said to Hota.

Although it's true that she's wary of us, Hota said, I don't entirely think it's for the reasons we think. Sure, the tribe is interested in her, but she's still considered an outsider and not part of us yet. Don't think that she doesn't know and understand, and feel that. She is very observant and smart.

Many are waiting for her to make one wrong move to strike her down. Plus, she also has all your attention and somewhat your affection, and don't think that the men and women in our tribe can't tell.

Blushing, I looked away from Hota. Was I that easy to read, I thought to myself. Laughing slightly at my reaction, Hota said, "But don't worry; she's also wary because she likes you and wants to guard herself from falling for you."

Smiling at him, we continued to walk and talk until we both stumbled upon a sight that left us speechless. The sound of laughter and happy chatter drew our attention, and rounding the corner, we both froze in motion. Rubbing our eyes twice to make sure we weren't seeing things. There in the open field a little ways away from the tribe center was Rokiayah.

She was playing with the tribe's children, giving them piggyback rides and chasing them around. They seemed to enjoy the attention she was giving them, with bright smiles on her face and theirs. Hiding behind a small bush as we continued in our observation of her.

Boom..boom...boom, there she goes making my heart beat again. The whole time she was here I don't think I've seen her smile or laugh for that matter once, and here she was laughing and smiling with the children. Making me think about what my mother said to me she said, when you are trying to find your person bring them around children and see how the children react to them.

If they react negatively they are not the one for you but if they react positively then they are the one for you. You see, she would say children are innocent so they can see things we cannot, they can tell the difference between light and darkness and they always choose light.

Her words were echoing through my head when suddenly the children stopped moving and looked up. Trying to figure out what stopped the fun I realized that Rokiayah had spotted us, as she always somehow seemed to do.

Beckoning us forward with a wave of her hand we came forward slowly, both of us slightly embarrassed we had been caught. She looked at us up and down before surprising us with a question, "would you like to join us"?

Slowly we nodded our heads in agreement and joined her in playing with the children and even my sister and other tribesmen joined us. It was great and we played well into dinner time which was great as my body was begging for a replenishment of energy.