The Adventures of Cherokee (13 page)

“I can try,” promised Cherokee.

“Where did you come from?” Natas asked Cherokee.

“I’ve been watching you all morning. You have not been as well hidden as you thought. You leave a great number of ways to track you. You break leaves and branches, you walk always in soft dirt and you are noisy. If you want to hide, you need to change your ways.”

“Doesn’t matter,” pouted Natas. “I am going after the mares,” he shouted as he took off running down the hill.

“And I said you are not,” yelled Cherokee following him.

Both horses moved quickly down the winding trail. Sometimes trotting, sometimes galloping, sometimes sliding, they reached the bottom in very short order. Natas tried to outrun Cherokee, but the young pinto stallion moved up quickly to the big horses’s side and slammed into him, knocking him off balance.

Natas turned angrily. Baring his teeth he started for Cherokee, planning to bite him wherever he could reach. Cherokee twisted to the right and kicked hard with his hind feet. Natas moved quickly out of his way. Both horses turned toward each other and rearing up on hind legs, pawed the air, trying to land the first blow.

By this time the mares were aware of what was happening. The colts, too, were interested. When they tried to get closer to the fighting stallions, Sunee stepped in between them and the horses.

“Oh,
Ε
tsi
!” said Sunee. “Natas is much bigger than Cherokee. Perhaps he will be hurt.”

“Cherokee walks the white path. Natas walks the red path. I believe that good will always triumph over evil. Cherokee also has two sons to protect. Don’t worry about him. Whatever happens, he will do his best.”

“But what will we do if Natas hurts Cherokee?”

“Then we will be expected to be his mares and go where he leads us. We will have to do his bidding.”

“But he is not nice,” whispered Sunee.

“It doesn’t matter,” continued
Ε tsi.
“That is the way we must live.”

Meanwhile the stallions were battling even harder. They were kicking and biting and screaming at each other. For a while Natas had the upper hand. Then Cherokee would get in a good kick making the big horse grunt in pain. Natas was big, but Cherokee was young and strong. Blood began to fly from wounds inflicted upon both horses. It seemed they would fight forever.

Kangi ta
whispered, “Momma, who are those horses? Why are they fighting?”

“I know!” answered
Too hool’ zoout.
“That’s our daddy fighting the red horse. He can beat him, I know.”

“Boys,” warned Sunee. “Fighting is not a good thing. It is only done to save your own life or the life of another.”

“So, is Daddy trying to save his own life?” asked
Kangi ta.

“No,” said Sunee. “He is trying to save the herd and keep them free.”

“But you said...”

“Saving the herd means that
Ε tsi
can still be our mother protector. That our lives will stay peaceful and friendly. It means that we do not want Natas to be our leader.”

“And can Daddy do that?” asked
Kangi ta.

“Of course he can,” said
Too hool’ zoout,”
with confidence. “Our daddy can do anything.”

Sunee smiled to herself. She watched with concern as the stallions fought and kicked at each other, but she felt more confident about Cherokee winning. Her sons had confidence in their father,

so she should, too.

The stallions were getting tired. Every now and then they would back off, hang their heads and breathe heavily, trying to get more air in their lungs. Cherokee gained his strength back first, and gathering all his muscle and determination, he raced for the big horse, whirled and using both hind feet, kicked him in the left side with everything he had.

Natas fell hard to the ground.

“Get up!” said Cherokee.

“Can’t.” gasped Natas.

“Try.” said Cherokee.

“Wait a while,” asked Natas.

“No. You get up now and leave. We don’t want you here any more. All you do is cause trouble. You are mean to all of us. Grandfather told us you were backward, and I think I know what that means, now. Your name isn’t Natas. It’s
Satan!”

“How do you know?” asked Natas as he began to stand up.

“Your attitude for one thing. No one can be as mean as you have been unless you are something bad.”

“I’m not always bad and I don’t belong to anyone,” explained Natas.

“But you did at one time,” answered Cherokee. “Anyway it doesn’t matter anymore. You go away from this place and don’t ever return. You will never know where I am. I will always see you if you come in to this valley from any where. These mares and colts will always be protected from you. By me and by Grandfather and his many friends.”

Natas was standing now. “I will go now,” he said, “But I will return. You cannot always be here,” he added as he shook the dust from his body.

Cherokee watched him limp away, saying nothing more, knowing that the words the red stallion spoke were empty ones. He would not be back.

The colts raced up to their father. “Are you

hurt, Daddy? Can we help you?”

“No, sons,” answered the young stallion. “The fight is over and the herd is safe. So are you and your mother. We will not have to worry about him anymore. Let’s go see your mother, Sunee.”

Trotting happily along side their father, the colts accompanied him first to the stream where he got a long drink of water and then to see Sunee. Cherokee was tired, but he wanted to talk to her first.

Sunee watched him walk toward her. He was bleeding from bites and cuts from the other stallion’s teeth and hoof marks. But he held his head up and walked proudly.

“Hello, Cherokee,” she said softly. “Thank you for chasing Natas away for us. He was bad.”

“Yes, now you and the other mares can live in peace. I am going to stretch out on the ground near the forest to rest. I will come back this evening and graze with you.”

The colts watched their parents as they talked. They wanted to stay with their father, but when he said he was going to rest, they decided they did not want to sleep, so they trotted off looking for something to do.

Kangi ta
trotted a little way behind his brother in silence for a while. Then he said, “Your name is too hard to say. I am going to call you Thunder.”

“That’s not my name,” replied
Too hool zoout.

“Well, that’s what it means in Nez Perce. Momma said!”

“Daddy won’t like it,” warned the colt.

“We’ll just ask him when he wakes up,” said
Kangi ta.
“You can call me Raven, if you like,” he offered.

“I don’t have any trouble saying
Kangi ta,”
Thunder replied haughtily.

“
Ha wa,
” agreed
Kangi ta.
“Alright”. “Where are we going?”

It seemed that Thunder always took the lead. He was always ahead when they went exploring, always the winner in their play fights.

“I don’t know,” answered Thunder. “Got any

place in mind?”

“No,” sighed
Kangi ta.

“Let’s go over that hill and see what we can find,” suggested his brother.

Kangi ta
nipped Thunder in the rump and said, “Yes, let’s race!” And off he went. Thunder squealed and took off after him at a gallop.

-15-
O gi na li I, Old Friend
 

The next morning dawned bright and beautiful. Summer was full upon them and the colts were growing strong and healthy. Sunee found that twins were more than a handful and she was glad for the help of the other mares in caring for them. It seemed that what one of them couldn’t think of the other one did and they were running off all the time. “It is time for lessons,” she thought to herself.

Thunder and
Kangi ta
bounded up to their mother, out of breath, both talking at once.

“Momma,” they said in unison.

“One at a time, please,” suggested Sunee.

“Momma,” said
Kangi ta.
“I can’t say
Too hool zoout
very well. Can I call my brother Thunder instead?”

“Well, I will have to think about that. What did your father say?”

“We haven’t asked him yet,” said
Kangi ta.

“If you call your brother Thunder, what will he call you?” asked Sunee.

“He can call me Raven,” suggested
Kangi ta.

“I can say
Kangi ta,”
said Thunder proudly. I don’t have any trouble with words.”

“Let’s talk to your father the next time we see him. Since Grandfather suggested the name, he should decide.”

“O.K.” said
Kangi ta,
leaping and jumping around Thunder.

“Stop it,” said Thunder. “You leave me alone.”

“Too hool zoout!”
warned Sunee. “Don’t talk to your brother that way.”

“He was bothering me, Momma,” replied the

colt.

“You must learn that others will reflect your mirror image. You must always have pleasant manners.”

“Then tell
Kangi ta
to behave,” pouted Thunder.

“Did he hurt you?” asked their mother.

“Well, no. But he was being naughty.”

“I didn’t mean to make you mad at me,” sighed
Kangi ta.
“I just want to go and play with you, Thunder. I’m sorry if I did something wrong.”

“Well, alright,” agreed Thunder.

“If you are going off by yourselves,” reminded Sunee, “Keep your eyes open and also your heart. Watch where you are going, always keeping the herd in sight.”

“Ha wa,
Momma, alright,” they said in unison.

“Let’s go play,” suggested
Kangi ta.
And off they ran, down the valley away from the rising sun.

A short time later, the colts grew tired and stopped to rest. They grazed on the tall sweet grass and then dropped to the ground to sleep in the warm sunshine.

It was mid afternoon when Thunder woke up. “I hear a noise,” he whispered to his brother.

“What is it?” asked
Kangi ta.

“Let’s go see,” suggested Thunder. The colts stood, stretched and started up the hill to their left.

At the top of the hill they could still hear the sounds but there was nothing to see. Not looking back, they continued on toward the sounds that drew them like a magnet. Over the next hill and the next. Suddenly, below them they saw horses and cows and two legged creatures. Lots and lots of them. As far as the eye could see from east to west there were animals and those two legged creatures.

“What is that?” asked
Kangi ta,
turning to his brother for advice.

“I don’t know,” answered Thunder. “We better go get Momma.” But when they turned to go back to the herd, they discovered they were lost. “I don’t know the way,” said Thunder.

“Me, either,” whispered
Kangi ta.
They were both frightened and wondered what they should do. They turned every which way and couldn’t decide which way they had come. “What shall we do?” asked
Kangi ta,
almost in tears.

Thunder knew he had to be the brave one, so he said, “It’s alright,
Kangi ta.
I will take care of you. Let’s walk back up this hill and see what we can see.” The brothers walked, shoulder to shoulder, toward the closest hill and up to the top. Of course there was nothing to see. They had traveled a long way, careless and unconcerned about the direction they chose. They had not listened to their mother.

“I’m hungry,” said
Kangi ta.

“I guess we could stop and eat some of this good grass,” agreed Thunder. And so they did. But then, bellies full, they grew sleepy and lay down in the late afternoon sun for a nap. “We will go find Momma when we wake up,” said Thunder.

They slept a long time. When they awoke, the sun was setting. There was only silence around them. There were no bird or animal sounds. Even the breeze was quiet.

“What will we do?” asked
Kangi ta.

“Let’s go over the next hill and see if the other horses are there,” suggested Thunder.
Kangi ta
had no better suggestion, so the young colts began walking once more.

The sun had set and the moon came out. Still the colts walked on. Just as they were beginning to think they would never see their mother again, they heard a voice calling to them. “Thunder!
Kangi ta!
Where are you?”

“That’s Momma,” said
Kangi ta.
“Momma!” he called. “Here we are.”

Sunee bounded down the valley toward them, hooves silent in the lush green grass. “Where have you been?” she asked angrily. “Did you not listen to what I told you just hours ago? You are like
Sasa,
a goose in a wheat field that gobbles without a thought.” Snorting, she bobbed her head in anger and stomped her right hoof.

“We are sorry, aren’t we,
Kangi ta,”
Thunder said, facing his mother bravely.

“Yes,” whispered
Kangi ta,
head bowed, eyes looking at the ground.

“You will not be allowed to leave the herd for a long time. And you will tell your father what you have done when he comes again. You must learn that things that pin our wings help us to grow,”

admonished Sunee.

“Yes, Momma,” they sighed.

Sunee turned to lead her sons back to the herd and safety.

“Momma,” said
Kangi ta.

“Do not speak,” said Sunee.

And so they did not tell about the animals and two legged creatures they saw earlier in the day.

The sunrise was beautiful. The early morning sun lightened the sky with pinks and blues as it peeked out behind the frothy clouds. The colts were awake, but quiet and subdued. “Is Father coming to see us today?” asked Thunder

“Perhaps,” answered Sunee. She was no longer angry, but watched her sons carefully, making sure they did not wander. They were careful to stay where she could see them, not wanting to anger her further.

Cherokee had rested with the herd of mares for only a short time after chasing the red stallion away. Then he decided to go into the hills to be by himself for a while. He found a wonderful, peaceful hidden valley. From it, he could see high mountains covered in snow. He could see white birch trees and evergreen trees. There was a fast rushing stream with a small waterfall plunging over rocks every 100 feet or so.