Greatest Change

Chapter Six: Through the Frontier

"Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs."

- William Shakespeare

Clara had a rough night sleeping; for one, she was knocked unconscious for some time, and two, the thoughts of Chayton and her guilt prevented her brain from shutting off. How badly she wanted to apologize and let him know that she didn't mean it at all, but would he believe her? Probably not. She felt like she had to apologize to all of them, both for her actions and the ones of her people. It was no secret white men and Native men got into violent disputes, and it was no secret the white men were usually the ones left standing. It was a clash of cultures, but the white men were not as lenient as Clara thought they should be. It was nearly impossible for them to assimilate, the Natives simply could not learn to live a white lifestyle within a week.

It probably took as long as it would a Negro.

Which meant it couldn't happen. Even if they could, they wouldn't be treated right.

When she did wake up, she did find several young native women near her, which surprised her because earlier they seemed rather terrified of her. If anything, they seemed very curious at her presence. It was true, her cotton colored skin couldn't compare to the darker coffee skin of the young girls. Although Clara did have some speckled freckles below her eyes and a few on her arms, that was as tan as she was going to get.

Wichahpi showed up and smiled, holding a folded deer skin dress. It looked rather uncomfortable at first but once they got her hands free of the loose ties, her fingers scraped gently over the brown garment. Soft. Softer than anything she'd ever felt. How could that be? Not even cotton could have been this soft and yet this came from an animal. Taking it from her hands, she let it drape and investigated her new item from them. Plain and simple. Well, it wasn't like Clara expected an extravagant, fully beaded ceremonial dress. She didn't even know what the damn dress was for.

As Wichahpi signaled for her to put it on, Clara knew that these young females weren't going to shy their curious eyes. She stripped off the corset which surprisingly survived all this action, and unlaced the back, letting it fall and the girls started to giggle. What? Did they not expect her to have breasts or something? She then put the dress on, knowing her ripped trousers would still be dressed on her body, but she knew they'd probably laugh at her underwear too. Did they wear underwear? The thought immediately raced to Chayton but she immediately shook that away, knowing that was highly inappropriate of her to do. This was no place to think such thoughts.

Once dressed and fully ready for whatever was happening, the women escorted towards the center of the gathering. A large fire lit up the sky, like the one she saw nights ago near the wagon. Her family. It was the first time she actually was a little worried. Not for her father really, just...if they were wasting their time looking for her. She told them not too, hopefully Charlotte took her advice. They had another life to return to, and they shouldn't be bothered with what she was doing. As she stepped close to the fire, she noticed everyone was there and circling the area, leaving her near the fire. Would they burn her alive? The thought made her shake slightly, seeing a mixture of eyes. Some were filled with wonder, others hatred, and some were just unreadable.

Scanning the area, she saw Chayton, who was simply looking at her. He looked calm, but assertive as usual. If anything were to happen, he would intervene right? A tall, thin man stepped into the circle with her. His skin was wrinkled from age and the blistering sun, his skin darker than the majority of the group; he was obviously an aged man. Above his face was a head dress with long and thin antlers. Either the headdress was a ceremonial thing or perhaps a symbol of his stature. This was not the chief. Clara would recognize his build, his face, his voice, in a matter of seconds. This man was much older, and he seemed to be calm about this situation.