PREVIOUSLY: My aunt looked very distressed. "I wouldn't say anything because you are known for your wisdom, but the Blackfeet are on the warpath. It is too dangerous for her to go off on a quest!"

Grandfather replied "Trust more in my guidance, Talking Goose. I wouldn't send my granddaughter into the world if I saw only darkness and danger."

I hugged my aunt, then left the tepee and I saddled Good Thunder, my brown and white pinto horse. Good Thunder had been one of my father's war-horses and was a small-headed, strong-bodied stallion. Wind Chaser stood beside Good Thunder, eager to be off on a new adventure.

Father had been a great chief and warrior and we had more horses than most other families of our tribe. Not only had father and Gray Eagle broken wild horses and bred them, but they had also stolen many horses from Crow and Blackfeet bands. It was a great test of courage and wit to steal horses, a rite of passage that all young boys were taught.

I was ready to set out on my quest, but I hesitated a moment, looking for Kicking Horse who usually came to see me off. I wanted to speak to him after what Grandfather had said last night. Disappointed I mounted up and rode out of camp.

Kicking Horse was waiting just outside the horse corrals. "I thought we could ride a short distance together."

I smiled. "I was hoping to see you before I left."

"I wish you wouldn't go on this quest. It's far too dangerous."

"Now you sound like Talking Goose! You and Gray Eagle have taught me to survive on my own. Come on let's race." Before he could reply, I pressed my knees into Good Thunder's side and the horse broke into a gallop. He was trained to be guided by the knees so that my father would have his hands free to shoot a bow and arrow.

I could hear the sound of Kicking Horse's stallion as he came thundering after us. Kicking Horse loved the freedom and speed horses gave and had gotten his name as a child because he had the spirit of an unbroken stallion. Kicking Horse rode up beside Good Thunder and lifted me off the galloping animal's back and onto his own horse in front of him. He slowed his stallion to a walk. "I'm not Talking Goose who is afraid of the dark. I've never interfered with your quests and I've helped teach you how to ride and hunt, but this time I'm worried. I have a strong feeling that you will run into danger on this quest. You're already weakened from the long hard Season of Howling Wind. If you fast and go without sleep for four suns and sleeps you will be even weaker and not able to defend yourself. It frustrates me that your Grandfather will not end your time of mourning and let us marry so I can accompany you. He's not blind; he must know how we feel about each other, everyone else in the band does."

"Vision Quests are gone on alone. My spirit guide guides me and I have Good Thunder and Wind Chaser to protect me. "

"You have grown into a beautiful woman. If the Piegan warriors find you, they will want you for a slave and for their sleeping couches.

"They will not find me."

"Grandfather is wrong, Red Willow. I do understand the importance of your training and your desire to be a medicine woman."

"I know you understand. I don't know why Grandfather said he didn't see you in my future."

"Did he say that?" He looked truly alarmed.

I nodded. "Yes, after you left the tepee."

His dark eyes were intense. "Will you be my woman even if your Grandfather does not agree to it?"

I could hardly breathe being held so close and with all the feeling he sent racing through me. "We belong together. Grandfather is very wise; he will see this."

"What if he doesn't?" His expression was fierce and his emotions raw and intense. His horse had stopped and was munching grass.

I slid my arm around Kicking Horse. "He loves me and wants me to be happy. He will not deny our marriage when he realize how I feel."

"I cannot wait much longer for you to be my wife."

His breathing was ragged and his voice thick with emotion. "When you return, I will asked Gray Eagle and Grandfather to end your time of mourning so we can marry."

"I will think of you often when we are apart." My body was tingling in every place where it touched his strong, vibrant body.

Kicking Horse called to Good Thunder. When the animal drew near, he placed me back upon my stallion's back. He smiled almost apologetically. "You are a chief's sister. We should not be alone like this. I will see you when you return." He turned his horse and galloped off toward camp. I stared after him, remembering every word and touch. He had finally asked me to be his wife and when I returned he would officially ask for me. A smile spread across my face and my joy was so great I could not contain it.

I urged Good Thunder forward and I felt as if I was flying as he raced across the plain. I crouched down low, clinging to his back, and felt him vibrate as his hoofs thundering along the ground. His mane streamed back and mingled with my hair and his body became an extension of my own, giving me power and strength. Our spirits merged as our bodies flowed together.

Wind Chaser ran swiftly alongside the horse, enjoying our race with the wind. The air was crisp and the sun felt warm and good on my skin. It was the season of year when plants begin to grow again after the long, cold winter and when animals are plentiful.

I was in high spirits and excited about going on this quest. Something special about it that made me feel that my life was about to be changed forever. I could feel Oapiche's inner presence, protecting and guiding me.

Toward evening, dark storm clouds rolled in across the sky. I took this as an omen of danger since it came at the beginning of my journey. I reined in Good Thunder and stared into the black clouds as they twisted and curled. A sense of sorrow and deep pain came over me. I realized that the emotions I felt were not mine, but those of the Nimi, the Shoshoni people. In that moment I pierced the veil between the physical world and the spirit world, and I experienced an overwhelming feeling of suffering and loss. I had no understanding or knowledge of what was causing this great pain, but I knew I had made contact with the future of the Nimi.

The sky lit up with irregular flashes of lightning, then thunder boomed around me. I shivered and nudged Good Thunder forward with my knees, looking for a place to camp for the night. Wind Chaser reappeared and stayed close as if he too sensed impending danger.

I camped in a wooded area and made a lean-to by tying a leather skin between two trees. I sat on my furs with Wind Chaser curled up beside me. Clouds moved across the setting sun, leaving us in darkness.

When the storm broke, it was fierce and wild. I walked out to meet it, enthralled by the force of the wind, which tore at my clothing, and by the driving rain, which pounded against my skin. The thunder rumbled through my whole being and I listened to it with my heart. I watched the lightning with reverence and although the storm's raw power filled me with a sense of awe, I could not escape a sense of doom and foreboding for the Nimi.

The next few days were uneventful as I traveled closer and closer to the Sacred Mountains; a range of especially high peaks in the Shining Mountains. All my life I had lived in the shadows of the Shining Mountains. Their rugged beauty was as much a part of my life as the sky, the earth, the wind, and the rain.

I traveled through dense forest and rugged mountain passes for eight Suns and Sleeps using land formations to guide me when the sun was out and the stars when it was dark. I felt the power in the mountains and it grew stronger I rode higher. I stopped at Sunrise Peak, for I had an inner knowingness that this was the place where I was to do my Vision Quest, and camped by a stream. That evening I fasted to purify myself and sang to Apo, giving thanks and asking for clarity in my quest. The sky was very clear, and as I sat there I studied the stars which I knew by name. I slept that night under two furs for it was cool in the mountains.

Just before sunrise I arose and got out my pipe. I walked over to the edge of the mountain with Wind Chaser following along behind me. I held the pipe up to Father Sky, Mother Earth, and then to the four directions of the earth, ending facing east. The sun rose as I stood there holding out the sacred pipe in prayer to Apo, splashing red and purple colors across the land. I felt a sense of deep inner peace and harmony with all life. Inwardly a soft humming sound filled me with joy and the knowledge that Oapiche was near.

After the colors in the sky had faded, I went to the stream and bathed, then combed out my hair with a pinecone. I let my hair flow freely down my shoulders and painted the center part with red, then painted red on my cheeks as a sign of peace. Once this was done I put on a light-colored, fringed leather dress and knee-high moccasins. I had spent many hours during the Season of Howling Wind sewing on quills and beads made of bones and shells to make it beautiful. Each design represented something sacred to me. Last I tied on my beaded belt and my medicine bag which contained sacred objects. I dressed in my best clothes to show my devotion to Apo.

I returned to Good Thunder and stoked his mane and explained that I would be gone for a few days on a Vision Quest. I untied him so he would be free to graze on the mountain grass or run from any mountain lions or wolves that might be roaming the area. I had no concern that Good Thunder would run away for we were brothers in spirit. I hid all my supplies under some bushes by the river, including my weapons and shield, and walked up the mountain, carrying only my flute and leather water pouch. Wind Chaser followed along beside me.

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