Their long agony was over at last.
Eagle Feather turned and walked back to her, straight and steady, as if he had not been lying all day long unconscious. She quickly handed Floating Lily to Wind Bends Grass, knelt down and held her arms out to her son. He ran into them, and they held each other tightly.
"It was good that you smoked the pipe. Very good."
Eagle Feather said, "When the eagles came over the lake, my spirit self whispered to me to eat from Grandfather's medicine bag. Then I went to many strange places and saw many very bad things. The long knives killed many people. At the end of it all, I lay in the lean-to and I heard a voice say that if someone would smoke the calumet there would be peace. And my father's spirit self, the White Bear, came to me and told me to smoke."
If White Bear had been here he would have smoked the calumet. I know he would.
Owl Carver put his hand on Eagle Feather's shoulder.
"The boy is the grandson of Owl Carver and of Sun Woman. He is the son of White Bear. He has had his first vision. It is foreordained that he should be a Great Shaman."
Redbird felt flames burning under the skin of her face.
"He is the son of Redbird as well," she said, her voice shaking.
Owl Carver put his other hand on Redbird's shoulder. "Yes, he is your son."