second names last names? Should I call you Mrs. Two Birds?”
The older woman laughed and lightly touched Glory"s hair, as if she couldn"t resist the pinkness. “Oh, no. My Christian name is Emma and my Lakota name is Two Birds. Most of us have both names. Call me Emma, please.”
Stands Tall Woman said brightly. “The older generation often was given two names like that. I guess that"s how they did it in the Times Before. Mother"s first husband, my father, was Carl Stensrud. My brother is officially Daniel He Continues To Leaf Stensrud, but townies call him the Tracker and we just call him Dan. We don"t use last names anymore here. If we need one, we just call ourselves „Wolfe." So my uncle Arthur Muddy Wolf would be Arthur Wolfe to strangers. But here we mostly call him Muddy Wolf. Is that clear?”
“Uh-huh,” lied Glory.
“Aunt Tara wanted to name Shadow Norman. He hates it, so if he"s being especially annoying, you can call him that and he"ll back off, roaring.”
Norman, huh? Glory couldn"t imagine Shadow being called Norman.
Shadow"s mom, Tara, came and sat with them. “What"s wrong with the name Norman?
It was my father"s name. You girls shouldn"t be so hard on Shadow. What has he ever done wrong?”
“Nothing,” said Emma promptly. “That"s just it. He"s so perfect. His hunts are always successful. He got his wolf when he was only twelve. He"s an alpha. The men look up to him.
Women think he"s handsome.” She glanced quickly at Sandra, then away. “There was that girl down by Kearney.”
“She wasn"t his mate!” Tara snapped, jerking her head at Glory meaningfully.
“Still, you see? Everything goes his way without him having to lift a finger for it. Glory will make him work to get her.” Emma nodded. “She"ll be good for him.”
“Glory, do you hate his wolf?” asked Stands Tall. “That"s not the reason you stopped Shadow last night, is it?”
Glory blinked uncertainly. “Wolf?” She shot a look at Jill. “No one has told me what that means yet.”
Jill rocked forward in her chair. “Glory doesn"t understand about us, yet. In the Times Before no one knew about our wolves, remember? And Shadow was too much of a coward to tell her himself.”
Tara made a wordless sound of protest, but backed down under Jill"s eye.
“Tara, you give in to the boy too much,” Jill scolded.
“He"s my first born. An Alpha.”
“Spoiled brat,” muttered Sandra, sourly.
Glory was surprised by her attitude. Emma and Stands Tall seemed fond of Shadow,
although they were hoping Glory would teach him a lesson about always getting his way.
Sandra, though, was bitter.
“Oh!” Emma nodded, ignoring the byplay. “That"s right, Glory"s from the Times Before.
Well, Glory, hundreds of years ago the Wolf Clan got its name because some of the warriors were wolves. About two dozen men in a generation were wolves. But after the Europeans came, fewer and fewer boys had wolves until during the reservation days the wolves within were just a memory. But with the first generation after the Terrible Times the wolves returned. At puberty a boy may turn wolf. Sometimes it takes as long as a year for him to learn to control his wolf, but once he does, he is an adult. It"s the wolf that chooses a mate.
Once he"s chosen, the man will never have another woman.”
Glory stared, trying to figure out what she was saying. Sounded like a Native American spirit religion, until she threw in that bit about mates. “That"s nice,” she said lamely.
Jill smiled toothlessly. “The men become wolves.” She nodded to the big dogs lying in the sun a few teepees over. “See?”
“What?” Glory"s eyebrow soared. “Werewolves?”
Instead of winking or laughing, Jill nodded solemnly. “When Muddy Wolf first turned, everyone was shocked. My husband and his brothers and cousins knew the traditional stories, but even they didn"t believe them until our sons began turning. Now it"s normal and natural for us.”
“Get
The older woman laughed and lightly touched Glory"s hair, as if she couldn"t resist the pinkness. “Oh, no. My Christian name is Emma and my Lakota name is Two Birds. Most of us have both names. Call me Emma, please.”
Stands Tall Woman said brightly. “The older generation often was given two names like that. I guess that"s how they did it in the Times Before. Mother"s first husband, my father, was Carl Stensrud. My brother is officially Daniel He Continues To Leaf Stensrud, but townies call him the Tracker and we just call him Dan. We don"t use last names anymore here. If we need one, we just call ourselves „Wolfe." So my uncle Arthur Muddy Wolf would be Arthur Wolfe to strangers. But here we mostly call him Muddy Wolf. Is that clear?”
“Uh-huh,” lied Glory.
“Aunt Tara wanted to name Shadow Norman. He hates it, so if he"s being especially annoying, you can call him that and he"ll back off, roaring.”
Norman, huh? Glory couldn"t imagine Shadow being called Norman.
Shadow"s mom, Tara, came and sat with them. “What"s wrong with the name Norman?
It was my father"s name. You girls shouldn"t be so hard on Shadow. What has he ever done wrong?”
“Nothing,” said Emma promptly. “That"s just it. He"s so perfect. His hunts are always successful. He got his wolf when he was only twelve. He"s an alpha. The men look up to him.
Women think he"s handsome.” She glanced quickly at Sandra, then away. “There was that girl down by Kearney.”
“She wasn"t his mate!” Tara snapped, jerking her head at Glory meaningfully.
“Still, you see? Everything goes his way without him having to lift a finger for it. Glory will make him work to get her.” Emma nodded. “She"ll be good for him.”
“Glory, do you hate his wolf?” asked Stands Tall. “That"s not the reason you stopped Shadow last night, is it?”
Glory blinked uncertainly. “Wolf?” She shot a look at Jill. “No one has told me what that means yet.”
Jill rocked forward in her chair. “Glory doesn"t understand about us, yet. In the Times Before no one knew about our wolves, remember? And Shadow was too much of a coward to tell her himself.”
Tara made a wordless sound of protest, but backed down under Jill"s eye.
“Tara, you give in to the boy too much,” Jill scolded.
“He"s my first born. An Alpha.”
“Spoiled brat,” muttered Sandra, sourly.
Glory was surprised by her attitude. Emma and Stands Tall seemed fond of Shadow,
although they were hoping Glory would teach him a lesson about always getting his way.
Sandra, though, was bitter.
“Oh!” Emma nodded, ignoring the byplay. “That"s right, Glory"s from the Times Before.
Well, Glory, hundreds of years ago the Wolf Clan got its name because some of the warriors were wolves. About two dozen men in a generation were wolves. But after the Europeans came, fewer and fewer boys had wolves until during the reservation days the wolves within were just a memory. But with the first generation after the Terrible Times the wolves returned. At puberty a boy may turn wolf. Sometimes it takes as long as a year for him to learn to control his wolf, but once he does, he is an adult. It"s the wolf that chooses a mate.
Once he"s chosen, the man will never have another woman.”
Glory stared, trying to figure out what she was saying. Sounded like a Native American spirit religion, until she threw in that bit about mates. “That"s nice,” she said lamely.
Jill smiled toothlessly. “The men become wolves.” She nodded to the big dogs lying in the sun a few teepees over. “See?”
“What?” Glory"s eyebrow soared. “Werewolves?”
Instead of winking or laughing, Jill nodded solemnly. “When Muddy Wolf first turned, everyone was shocked. My husband and his brothers and cousins knew the traditional stories, but even they didn"t believe them until our sons began turning. Now it"s normal and natural for us.”
“Get
Similar Books
