True Grit Read online

  "Hush," said Nantan. "Why would I want to be alone without you?"

  Chayton got tears in his eyes. "We are a part of each other," he said. "I love you with all of me." They kissed until Wolfpack members came in to pick lettuce, speaking so loudly that Chayton couldn't hear himself think. They smiled at each other, then Chayton crept away.

  They brought Vu over to read to the boys, telling them her marvelous stories, and to stay with them as they slept. Nantan drove and Chayton drank hot coffee as they went back into Las Vegas to get their license. They drove back to the farm, and Nantan put the license in a frame and hung it on the wall of their bedroom on a hook. They both stared at it for a long while, Nantan's arm around Chayton's shoulders, and Chayton's arm around Nantan's waist.

  They took their time undressing each other, having to go through so many winter layers of sweatshirts and undershirts, jeans and long underwear, and then thick socks. They pulled back the covers, and Chayton took his pillow and dove under headfirst, making Nantan laugh. Nantan pulled up the covers, and reached down to find Chayton's balls. He groaned. Chayton did the same to Nantan, making his eyes roll up in his head. Chayton licked Nantan's balls, and took them into his mouth. Nantan kissed and stroked Chayton, careful not to bite him within his own ecstasy. They came, one right after the other, threw the sheets off, and ran to the shower to stand under the pounding heat of the water. When they were too tired to stand, Nantan turned off the water, dried them both off, and led Chayton back into the bedroom. They put on their boxers, fleece drawstring pants, sweatshirts, and held each other until dawn.

  The elders began arriving the next day, and kept coming for two days. They came from Arizona. Yavapai Apache, Zuni Pueblo, Tonoho O'oham (Navajo), White Mountain Apache, San Carlos Apache, Yavapai, and Hopi. There were Sioux from North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. There were Apache from New Mexico, and Southern Pauite from California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The Northern Paiute contingent came from Idaho, Oregon, northern California and Nevada. People from the Shoshone and Washoe nations came as well.

  They stayed at the farm, and overflow reached into the res and out to the Nighthawk members, who gladly made room for them. The old Wolfpack came, too, and slept on floors in sleeping bags. They went through an unbelievable amount of food, water and sodas. Nearly everyone was pressed into cooking duties. The chopping, grilling, baking, and roasting from dawn until dusk. Tito found a guy with a smoker, and they smoked up beef brisket and pork ribs, making everyone's mouth water.

  On the third day, they went on a sweat to purify themselves, and sang the old songs from many tribes. The Wolfpack listened eagerly, ready to learn new drumming and songs. They danced the sacred dances, and drummed. The Nighthawks, Valkyries and the Iron Knights arrived, making concentric rings around the First Nation elders.

  Finally, Chayton and Nantan came out of their tent, hand in hand, looking more than magnificent in Apache dress, with eagle feathers in their hair. They stood in the center of the circle, and David and Henry came out of their tent. Henry in the dress of an elder, David in his medicine man garb, with medicine bags hanging from his belt. David played the flute and sang a sacred song. The Wolfpack all had parts, in various languages. The drums pounded out the songs. The elders told stories and sang songs.

  Nico and Tam, resplendent in their new tribal clothes, gave rings to Chayton and David, and they exchanged them, to keep with what the boys thought a wedding should be. They did the Seven Steps, making vows to each other with each step.

  The Paiute elders came forward, southern and northern, and sang the sacred songs. Numa and Inola, beautiful in their tribal finery, had feathers in their hair catching in the breeze, their voices blending beautifully with those of the others.

  The Paiute Nations traditionally didn't have much in the way of wedding vows, so they spoke to each other in Ute, promising to love and shelter each other, to keep each other warm, and to see the best in one another. A tearful Numa translated; Inola had to take over when she faltered. Their joy was obvious.

  The Apache wedding blessing was recited by the Apache tribal elders in Apache, and by David in English, beautiful in its simplicity… Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other. Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other. Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you. May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the years. May happiness be your companion and your days together be good and long upon the earth. Treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves. When frustration, difficulties and fear assail your relationship, as they threaten all relationships at one time or another, remember to focus on what is right between you. Not only the part which seems wrong. In this way, you can ride out the storms when clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives, remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is still there. And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight.

  Ivy, Bella, Numa, Inola, and Callie all visibly wept. There was a final song, and then the Valkyries broke into loud ululations that the various Nations loved. They all took up the cries, and drumming and dancing began.

  The Nighthawks and Valkyries learned many dances in that sheltered canyon, where Henry's land touched the Paiute reservation, by firelight. Then, the feast began. The tables groaned with food --beef brisket, ribs, pulled pork, corn, squash, tortillas and fry bread, salsas, and salads. Everyone ate until they could barely walk, then they surrounded the fires once again for dancing and drumming. The Valkyries astonished everyone by jumping their fire to the beat of their drums. Some stayed in tents, but most didn't want to sleep on winter-cold ground, so they dispersed to their own houses, the res, or Henry's house.

  At Henry's farm, breakfast was at dawn, despite many having got almost no sleep the night before. Tito had already poured the concrete and left pallets of materials, and so the "barn-raising" began. They simultaneously built a breezeway and an entire second house, identical to the first. They framed all day, people in gloves wearing steel-toed or cowboy boots and tool belts everywhere. They got the entire thing framed, Amish-style, in a single day, because there were so many people there to help.

  They took turns framing, preparing hot corn chowder and pulled pork sandwiches, and still kept up with the picking, packing and deliveries for the greenhouse. There was music, drumming, songs, and piping to make the work easier. People spoke a cheerful polyglot of languages. Deals between nations to help one another, and to set up programs similar to the one that Henry and Nantan ran, were made. The roof went on and the windows went in as they brought out giant lights to keep working after dark. They put in bamboo floors, ran wiring, added finishing touches to the prep, and installed pipes deep into the night. All in preparation to put in insulation, before hanging drywall the next day.

  The next day, in the cold and dark just before dawn, they were already installing the "pink stuff" or the insulation commonly used in houses. They then went to install the outlets and drywall. The cabinets showed up and were installed. On the third day, cans of paint showed up; the Nighthawks wanted denim blue, maroon, cream, and a sunny yellow for the second kitchen. They tiled the bathrooms with blue and gold glass tiles, wired together into sheets for the showers and backsplashes, and the floors with gold-tinged tiles for the kitchen and bathrooms. Fixtures and lighting also went in.

  Then, Callie supervised as they built the sleeping pod bunk beds, that included LED lights, a bookshelf, and a fold-down table for tablets and laptops. The bedding came in, the sheets, towels, and pillowcases color-coded in white, black, green, blue, yellow, pink, red, almond, sky blue, indigo, lemon, yellow, and purple. They made a kitchen table out of drawers and a door. The rest
of the tables, chairs, sofas, and beanbag chairs were all from local consignment stores. The work was nearly around the clock for an entire week.

  Finally, the elders left, bit by bit, leaving behind twelve exhausted new teens: Shoshone, Apache, Sioux, Northern Paiute, Southern Paiute, Hopi, Zuni, and two Wyandot/Huron from Oklahoma that had flown in. They all fell into their new pod beds and slept the entire next day through. Cocheta Reyes, an Apache elder from New Mexico, and Chogan Little Deer, a Hopi medicine man from Arizona, took up residence. Both had teaching certificates and wanted to learn how to do what Nantan, Chayton, Henry, and Inola did, in order to copy it with their tribes.

  After doing the things that needed doing to make their new home perfect, they loaded up everyone into vans, and took the Wolfpack to the Hon-Dah Casino and the adjacent hotel for snowboarding. Two horse trainers from the res helpfully came to look after the horses and ponies while they were gone. The teens weren't shy about learning to snowboard, and the old and new Wolfpacks soon bonded over snowboarding and long sessions of board games and hot chocolate. Tam and Nico were their "little Wolf brothers" and were the center of attention.

  Chayton, Nantan, Henry, and David sat on couches and drank coffee, and watched the Wolfpack play games at four separate tables; two card games and two board games. Inola had the baby in a mommy pack, and was drowsing over her cards. Bella was at another table, winning at a board game called Splendor, trading for gems. Chogan played a mean hand of poker, and Cocheta loved Chinese checkers.

  "I am so tired," said Chayton, laying his head back on the couch where he was sitting, legs splayed in front of him, one hand on Nantan's leg. "First, we do the impossible and build a place for more Wolfpack in seven days. Then, we only sleep for a day or so before we pack up and drive all the way to Arizona. Whose bright idea was that?"

  "Only time they would give us both a block of rooms and a super-deep discount," said Henry.

  "He knows a guy," said David. They all snorted with laughter. Henry knew practically everyone.

  "They are truly wolves," Chayton said, and shuddered. "Have you ever seen them fight over the last bag of Doritos?" All four men laughed tiredly.

  "They're like herding cats," said Henry.

  "Worse," said Nantan. "Kittens. Always running off to play somewhere else."

  "Kits, or pups," said Henry. "Playing, some snarling and play fighting, but eager to please." He sighed. "We have so much to teach them."

  Chayton laughed. "They have already complained about the chores --picking vegetables, mucking out the stables, walking the horses, and brushing the rabbits to get their lovely angora for the sweaters. But, once they realized they only have to work for twenty-five minutes until they get a break, they are happy."

  "Thunderstruck by the horses, most of them," said Henry. "Once the weather clears, more people will move away, and we will have more rescues," he predicted. He sighed. "I wish it were not so."

  "And foals," said Nantan. Both a horse and a pony were pregnant.

  "And foals," said David. "I have sung to the mares. They are doing well."

  "Numa did as well," said Henry. "Where is she, anyway?"

  "Selling jewelry and those angora sweaters, mufflers, hats, and mittens to the gift shop here," said David. "Her own shop is getting too stuffed to find anything in the storeroom. We will have new bunnies in the spring, and the Wolfpack will have even more work, building a larger rabbit condo."

  "Learn how to swing a hammer, work for life," said Nantan.

  Chayton laughed. "Not me. I like coding just fine. Bao and I have the Mandarin Chinese stuff well in hand. I do the blunt work, she does the fine work."

  "Nice," said David. "I had forgotten that you taught there."

  "And learned Mandarin," Chayton said. "We're selling to the Taiwanese market as well. Our little non-profit is making a profit, so I talked to the elders while they were here about getting their languages into our books. They agreed to translate what we already have, and get songs and stories to be transcribed and illustrated into new ones. I've been getting calls from the First Nations in Canada, and the Inuit in Alaska, too."

  "You need your own office," said Nantan. "A project for when we get home."

  "We have an office," said Chayton.

  David looked at Chayton. "Have you not figured out you each need time alone? You have two dozen Wolfpack, two boys of your own, and zero time to yourselves."

  Nantan looked over at the boys, happily playing. "Chayton," he said.

  Chayton groaned. "The flesh is weary," he said. Nantan helped him up, and they headed toward the elevator.

  David stood. "Shall we, husband?"

  Henry smiled. "Yes, husband." Henry stood, took his arm, and both men ambled toward the same bank of elevators.

  Nantan and Chayton barely made it into the door before they started stripping off layers --boots, socks, jackets, sweaters, long underwear.

  Nantan laughed. "It takes longer to take off our clothes than to make love."

  "Not the way I do it," said Chayton, and jumped up, straddling Nantan with his legs, his hands around Nantan's neck.

  Nantan struggled to get them to the bed, and they both fell on it, gasping and laughing, and kissing each other's breath away. Nantan rolled away, struggled to the door, and set the security lock so no one could get in, even with a key. He leaped onto the bed, making Chayton scream with laughter. They kissed deeply, and looked into each other's eyes. Nantan put on a lubricated condom, and slid himself into Chayton, with Chayton's legs raised. He reached out and grasped at Chayton's balls, then held his cock in his hands as he thrust in and out, slowly, then quickly. Chayton groaned, gasped, and moved faster and faster. Both men came explosively, and Nantan carefully took himself out. He helped Chayton stand, and they both went to the shower.

  "I'm so tired, I can't even wash you," said Chayton.

  "I'll do it for us both," said Nantan. Then, he switched the water to cold, making Chayton scream.

  "Asshole!" said Chayton, and smacked him on the butt. Nantan laughed, switched the water back to hot, and washed then dried them both. Both men barely got themselves into boxers and sweats before someone tried to open the door.

  "Didn't even have time to put on my socks," said Nantan, and went to open the door to the boys, escorted by Cocheta. "I'm sorry," she mouthed over their heads as the boys still held their hands up, mid-pounding.

  "Boys," said Nantan. "No pounding on the door. This is a hotel. Other people are sleeping."

  "Not sleeping," said Tam. "Not tired."

  Chayton got one sock on, then another. "I'm going to be asleep in five, boys, so keep it quiet." They ran over to their bed, grabbed their tablets, and plugged in their earphones.

  "Who gave them cola?" asked Nantan.

  "One of the new Wolfpack," said Cocheta. "I didn't catch it in time. I did make them split the glass."

  "Tell that new Wolfpack member, he gets to come in here and watch them now that they're wired," he said. "My husband and I are going to sleep."

  "Fair enough," she said. "That'll teach him." She left to go find the hapless babysitter.

  Nantan got the boys bathed and into their pajamas before a very sheepish Wyandot teen named Leaford came in. He sat in a chair and kept the boys in bed, working on their tablets, until the long day of snowboarding counteracted the effects of the soda, and they went to sleep. Leaford was stunned at getting his own tablet, and he logged into the website Henry, Chayton and Nantan had created to help them get their GEDs. He decided to work on math, and lost himself in playing math video games. He fell asleep, then woke with a start, and let himself out to go to his own room at three in the morning. He was humming the song to the video game as he took the elevator back to the Wolfpack room where he stayed with three other boys. They were all up, playing video games. Leaford showed them the educational games site, and they had a tournament, then fell asleep around four.

  Falling Down

  Ace and Lily came up to the lodge, and
skied cross-country. They also played games with the Wolfpack, and stole Tam and Nico away for a special snowshoe hike. Lily complained about swollen ankles, and Ace spent time in front of the fire rubbing lotion into her ankles and feet, and putting his thumbs into her lower back. They snuck away again, this time to a cabin in the woods for special time before the babies came. Ace packed tidbits he knew his wife would like to eat, including the mint ice cream she consumed with every meal. They snowshoed in the woods, and saw winter hares, elk, squirrels, and deer. Lily worked on a baby blanket, and Ace surprised himself by doing passably well at knitting tiny baby hats.

  They talked deep into the night, and spent lots of time in bed, memorizing each other's bodies. Ace knew his wife was tough and strong, but they had been through an ugly few months that year. They needed the time to reset their minds and bodies. He rubbed cocoa butter into her skin and made love to her with her lying on her side. He took her from behind, careful not to go too deep. She moaned, loving every moment with him. They came together, and lay spread-eagled on the four-poster bed. The not-so-rustic, A-frame cabin had a giant clawfoot tub, and they soaked in it for hours. There was a round fireplace, and they roasted marshmallows and made s'mores and read books to each other in front of the fire. They fell in love again; a harder, sharper love from all they had been through. A strong love, but a supple one, not brittle.

  Lily had his arm around her, his leg over hers. "Honey?"

  "Yes?" he said, ready to pour himself out of bed and fetch more ice cream.

  "Don't get shot again," she said.

  "Wasn't planning on it," he said, kissing her neck. "You can't get shot again, either."

  "Deal," she said.

  "Do you want us out of the Nighthawks?" he asked, stroking her back. "It would be safer."

  "No," she said. "We're safer with numbers, being in the middle of the pack. Those on the edges get picked off."