For a time both boys were quiet. When Angry Wolf broke the silence, he spoke gravely.
“It is a long journey on foot to the winter camp,” he said. “Old-man-of-the-north might send snow to catch us on the prairie.”
Little Eagle shuddered. He knew what it would be like to be caught on the prairie in a blizzard. They had no tepee to shelter them, nor blankets to keep them warm. There were places where they might travel on foot for several suns without seeing a tree. If they were caught in one of those places, they would be without fuel or shelter.
“We must get horses,” Little Eagle urged.
“It is late in the season for hunting parties to be here,” Angry Wolf said. “There may be no one from whom we can take horses. Besides, our medicine is not strong. We didn’t get any horses from the Crows.”
“What are we to do?” Little Eagle demanded.
“Perhaps tomorrow we can decide,” Angry Wolf suggested. “It may be that while we sleep, you will have a dream to guide us. You have studied under Clawing Bear. You might have a medicine dream like a medicine man or a warrior.”
“I hope I do,” Little Eagle responded.
Little Eagle took the log away from Angry Wolf’s back. As soon as Angry Wolf had stretched out on the pile of leaves, Little Eagle put armloads of leaves over him. Before he crawled into his own pile of leaves, Little Eagle covered the fire with dirt.
When he awoke in the morning, Little Eagle could taste disappointment like bitter food. He had hoped that a dream to guide them would come to him in his sleep, but there had been none. He glanced toward Angry Wolf. The look on Angry Wolf’s face told plainly that he had had no vision either.