Chapter 8

"I'm tired of all this walking," said Grandfather.

"Me to," said Shane Lodge.

So, they stopped and made camp outside, sleeping under the stars, with a fire going on a chilly night. Shane grabbed his blanket and wrapped his Grandfather in it.

"Thank you, so many look up there and see stars, I see our ancestors, and I see her, your grandmother, been a long time since I slept under the sky, far too long Shane," said Grandfather.

"What really happened to my father?" asked Shane.

"I hear him steal, sometimes, singing, songs of sadness. He's out there," said Grandfather.

"Why did he do it, why'd he leave us?" asked Shane in anger.

"He was a warrior once," said Grandfather.

"Not when I ever knew him," angered Shane.

"That spirit in the bottle robs everyone Shane. She's like "unchecula," she'll wrap around you and take you under. Some of us understand that having an enemy gives us a chance to be warriors again, in the days of the grandfathers, when our enemies came, we staked ourselves to the land, we faced who ever and whatever it was that made war against our people, if one of us fell, another one took his place, the question is not why did my son get off the red road, it is who will take his place, and not let the enemy take us down.," said Grandfather.

"You can't go back in time grandpa," angered Shane.

"I'm not talking about going back, I'm talking about right now Shane, before I leave this world, I want to know that you walk the red road," said Grandfather.

Shane sat up and looked up at the sky.

"I see them grandpa, I see the old ones, the way you use to make me see them," said Shane.

"Yes, there always there for us," said Grandfather.

Then they fell asleep.

"Shane wake up, lets ride, there waiting for me," said Grandfather.

"I was dreaming," said Shane.

"I know," said Grandfather.

So, they headed on their journey again, walking down the high way. Then a truck pulled up with a horse trailer.

"Where you guys headed."

"To Alberqueqe." said Shane.

"Long way to go, we have room in the horse trailer we can give you a lift," said the man.

"No, thank you, we will make it, we will get there alright, this horse is magic," said Grandfather.

"Are you sure sir, that's a long way to go," then they drove off.

"I can't believe you just did that, what is wrong with you." angered Shane.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Grandfather.

"Were going to die out here," angered Shane.

"Then we will die like warriors," said Grandfather.

"It's not a good day to die grandpa, it's a terrible way to die, its 100 degrees, were walking down a highway, there's nothing brave about it, you ask me I would of took..."

"That's enough, me, I, that's all I hear from you, there's no word in our language for me, I, just us! Where did things go wrong, must be when we stopped listening to the four legged and the winged ones, the animals, he removed himself from the circle see, he can't hear the Raven no more," said Grandfather.

"Can you?" angered Shane.

"Sometimes," said Grandfather.

"Ask him how much further it is to Alberqueqe?" asked Shane.

So, they were on their way again.

"I'm hungry, maybe the Raven will lead us to some buffalo," said Shane.

"I don't want a buffalo, I want a cheese burger," said Grandfather.

Then they spotted a stray cow.

"Hey, it's a stray," said Shane.

"He must belong to someone," said Grandfather.

"We haven't eaten since Santa Fe," said Shane.

"I got a little bit of cheese spread left somewhere, I can't wait to see this," smiled Grandfather.

"You have to feed us cow," said Shane slowly trying to catch the cow. Then he grabbed the tail and the cow ran away dragging Shane behind it, he let go and dusted himself off and they were headed down the road.

"Over them bluffs there, that's the road to the pow wow, there waiting for me, were getting close, if this is the right road, it might be the wrong road," said Grandfather.

"Might be the wrong road... "Might be going down the wrong road hey ha ha hey ha a ho, got to get to the POW wow of course, pony, and grandpa on his old horse." sang Shane.

"I don't know that song, is it Arapaho, hey I know this place," said Grandfather.

"Are you sure?" asked Shane.

"Follow that trail, were getting close," said Grandfather.

So, they did, they were on the trail and a couple of camper trailers were on the side and a couple of dogs came running out to them.

"Hey, why don't you tell them what us Lakota use to eat dog, maybe it'll inspire us," said smiled Shane.

"You couldn't catch a cow, how are you going to catch a dog?" asked Grandfather.

"Um, I'll bait him in with some cheese spread," smiled Shane.

They started laughing. Then a man came out of his trailer to get ready to work outside.

"Hey, you got any coffee!" yelled Grandfather.

"How could you do this to me," angered Shane.

"We follow the road that's all," said Grandfather.

"You set me up, all this time we were headed here, no POW wow, you ripped me off, you skunked me," angered Shane and ran off.

"Grandson."

So, Grandfather went up towards the trailer and came inside.

"Nice trailer house," said Grandfather.

"It isn't bad, I'm breaking wild horses for a rancher, Susan gets the money, doesn't she?" asked Ten Bears.

"Yeah, but its only money, they need you back there," said Grandfather.

"I had to find some work," said Ten Bears.

"The young man needs his father," said Grandfather.

"I'm riding it out dad, I'm riding that horse out," said Ten Bears.

"You can't do it alone," said Grandfather.

"We'd just drag each other down," said Ten Bears.

"We can pick each other up to, your grandpa once told me, one twig might bend, but the bundle of all will always remain strong, this horse you're riding now, we have no power over it, if you can face your defeat, and trust in "Wanka Tanka" you'll find your way back to the center, you're not alone on this road son, are you going to offer your son something to eat?" asked Grandfather.

So, Ten Bears got up and cooked him something to eat.

"So, he's still on the reservation yeah?" asked Ten Bears.

"You have to go over there one night, I'd like to win a million dollars," said Grandfather.

"What would you do with a million dollars old man." asked Ten Bears smoking a cigarette.

"Buy a sports car, buy me a young white woman looking for an Indian name, and drive to the all nations pow wow in style, they have a pizza joint on the reservation now to," said Grandfather.

"He got you all the way here?" asked Ten Bears.

"Yeah," said Grandfather.

"Did he know he was coming?" said Ten Bears.

"No," said Grandfather.

"He told me I was taking him to the pow wow," angered Shane.

"You are, it starts when the sun comes up and were going," said Grandfather.

"Maybe we should leave right now," angered Shane.

"No, the old man's tired, rest here, go in the morning," said Ten Bears.

"Great," said Shane.

"Your mother still at Lone Man's School?" asked Ten Bears.

"Eh, why do you care?" angered Shane.

"Maybe you should go now, you come here to tell me what I already know," angered Ten Bears.

"You don't know anything," angered Shane.

"I didn't know you were coming," said Ten Bears.

"I didn't know you were leaving, once a surprise always after another huh," angered Shane.

"No, no more surprises Shane, I give it to you the way it is, your old man is no good, so why don't you let him be no good by himself, and not hurt nobody else," said Ten Bears.

"That's fine with me, that's what I want to man, I don't need no one to tell me what road to walk either," angered Shane.

"That's enough, I didn't come all this way to listen to this bologna, I made this journey for one reason, the people want to hear the stories, that's all," shouted Grandfather.

"Like I said, stay the night, and rest, and get to the pow wow and tell your stupid stories," said Ten Bears.

"Our stories son, the ones that are leaving me, some I can no longer remember, before I leave this world I want...."

"You've been saying that for years dad, you're like the energizer rabbit, hand drum and all, take the bed dad, me and Shane will sleep outside, like Indians yeah," said Ten Bears.