Free Snow Eagle by Shirley A. Roe Page A

she stood tall and proud unaffected by the inspection. She stared defiantly into his eyes. He liked what he saw.
    “Is this woman Raven or Wolf?”
    “She is Wolf,” answered Snow Eagle.
    “We will take this one. Bring the others.”
    Little Fawn brought a small frail girl to the circle. Charging Elk immediately rejected her. Three others were presented and rejected.
    The Elders talked quietly amongst themselves as the slaves were presented. Everyone knew that disaster had been averted thanks to Snow Eagle's early arrival. The people sat on edge, hoping for a peaceful solution.
    Charging Elk was not making the peace offering easy. It was more a show of power than his opinion of the slaves. Snow Eagle was becoming impatient but asked Little Fawn to bring the last three captives. It was customary for the Tlingit to take slaves in raids on other tribes and at anytime they could have a many as two dozen slaves. Charging Elk accepted the next two women. She Wolf and Bright Star were muscular and young and Walks with Fire admired both of them hungrily. Three for one was a most generous offer and did not go unnoticed by the rest of the Caribou warriors. It was evident that these people were anxious to settle this dispute peacefully.
    “I can agree to take these three slaves but I insist that Songbird accompany us back to our village. She must be present at the Peace talks. It will be up to the Elders to make any final decisions.” Charging Elk's jaw was set; his very posture told Snow Eagle that he would not be swayed. Red Hawk rose and walked to the center of the circle.
    “If you are agreeable, we will remove your bindings. We do not wish to fight with your people.” Charging Elk and the others nodded and the leather bindings were removed. Gray Wolf's hand rested on his knife, not trusting the Tagish. The warriors rubbed their wrists as Red Hawk continued. “It is our hope that the child that Songbird carries will unite the two tribes.” The crowd gasped at Red Hawk's words. No one could know if Songbird was with child but Red Hawk was making a declaration that none would challenge; Black Rain, Clouds of Thunder and Raging Bull exchanged a knowing look.
    “Songbird is with child? How do you know this old woman?” Charging Elk looked towards the beautiful, young woman standing before him. His gut wrenched in pain knowing that another had defiled her. He did not want to accept the fact that she belonged to Gray Wolf, but if she was with child, there were more important things at stake. “Is this true, Songbird? Are you with child?”
    The rest of the tribe sat in silence wondering what the young woman would do. She had not made any attempt to blend in with them and from all outward appearances she did not seem to be resigned to the idea of being Gray Wolf's squaw. Gray Wolf stared at her, his breath caught in his throat. He had not considered that she may be carrying his child, but he knew that his grandmother had the gift of seeing into the future. He waited hopefully with the others.
    Songbird looked first at Gray Wolf and then Charging Elk, indecision on her face. A small ray of hope began to flicker in her heart. Songbird's stare settled on Red Hawk. Red Hawk watched the girl with interest. It was obvious that she realized the importance of her answer. Red Hawk's respect for the young woman grew. The very future of both of the tribes could be determined in the next few minutes. The Caribou warriors could declare the request for a Peace Ceremony a sham if Red Hawk was caught in a lie. Shame would befall the Tlingit tribe if one of their Elders spoke with a forked tongue and they would be at the mercy of the Caribou Hunters and possibly facing death. Everyone held their breath and waited. Songbird stared at Red Hawk; a silent communication was taking place. No one made a sound.
    Songbird hesitated; all eyes were on her. She swallowed; inhaling deeply and then threw her head back and fixed her gaze on the star-studded