Summary: Dorothy and Cloud Dancing meet when they were teens. Well you can guess what is going to happen. They fall in love and then get separated and then have a happy ending.

Rating: M to be on the safe side.

Pairing: Dorothy and Cloud Dancing.

Dorothy Jennings had never been one to follow the rules. At fifteen she wondered what was left for her to do except get married to a man who would expect her to get pregnant and stay home. She had loved adventure and every opportunity she had she took her horse and rode off into the night looking for peace and quiet. Tonight was no different. Dorothy saddled her horse and snuck off into the night deciding to ride near Indian Territory. This was taking her life into her hands. Loren Bray had told her many stories about Cheyenne raiding parties. This night time excursion near their land only made it more appealing. She just wanted a thrill that living in the town couldn't give her. There had to be something more to her life here in Colorado Springs

There was rustling in the bushes to her left that startled her horse. Dorothy looked around in the dark barely able to see anything, but still she tried to find the source of the noise. For an instant there was an overwhelming fear squashing her senses. All she could think of was running back to her nice safe bed and hide under the covers. 'Stop it Dorothy.' She chided her self. Nudging her grey horse, Rain Storm, on Dorothy continued on through the dark, ominous woods. Every branch seemed to come alive in the breeze. The Bushes seemed to take on lives of their own making faces at her as she passed. It was her own foolishness she was sure of that. But that part of her mind that relied on the fear to keep her alive told her to flee for her home. Still she would not yield to it and kept on at her slow pace taking in the wonders of the night and the coolness of the air after a hot day. The stars were particularly bright and the moon was full illuminating her path.

Half way into the clearing she heard the rustling again and turned to look for the source. Dorothy was not prepared for an arrow to lodge itself into her right shoulder effectively throwing her from her horse. She had managed to land on her left side where she felt something pop. The pain threatened to overwhelm her and plunge her into darkness. Dorothy was about to let that happen when she felt strong arms lift her from the ground and place her back on the horse. With the darkness encroaching on her vision she didn't notice that the man masked in darkness was taking her in the opposite direction from which she had traveled. As the horse moved along Dorothy could feel the blood steadily dripping down her arm and her side. She was sure that it had soaked through her father's old white cotton shirt that he would wear under his work shirts. Her pants had to have grass stains and signs of fresh blood on them as well. There was nothing she could do except let herself fall into that darkness.

CHEYENNE CAMP:

Cloud Dancing saw the person get injured and fall from the horse. Something had driven him from his teepee and compelled him to come out into the night. The clearing was well lit with moon light and he was able to make out the flaming red hair under the hat. The clothes were of the white man but the form belonged to a woman. He watched as the arrow pierced her shoulder and sent her to the ground. Why was he helping her? The white men had taken much of the Cheyenne land and now he was rushing to the aide of one of their own who was foolish enough to come out into the night. Cloud Dancing had to be careful coming back to his camp. Fortunately for him most of his people would be asleep. Taking the path slowly as not to jostle her already injured body Cloud Dancing knew it would be near dawn before he made it back to camp.

"What are you doing?" The brave patrolling the woods near the camp came out of his hiding place and stopped Cloud Dancing.

"She is injured." Cloud Dancing responded and was prepared to go around his Cheyenne brother.

"You must not take her…" He insisted.

"I do not harm unarmed women!" Cloud Dancing shouted and led the horse around the brave who gave up and went back to his post. Lately foolish men had come out into this part of the woods looking for a fight with the Cheyenne, but the Dog Soldiers had chased them back to town.

As Cloud Dancing entered camp he saw a few fires still lit. When he past by the fires those older men of his tribe paused what they were doing to look at him and his burden. Stopping in front of his teepee Cloud Dancing thanked the Spirits that his parents were not here to see this. At sixteen he lived alone and practiced the medicine of his people that his father had passed down to him. He made sure not to jostle her as he helped her down from the saddle and into his home.

Dorothy felt the heat as soon as the stranger awkwardly carried her into the new space. Her body felt heavy as she was lowered to the ground. The arrow jolted as she fully settled against the fur mat. She willed her eyes to open and when her vision cleared a male face swam into view. He was Indian but Dorothy didn't feel fear. When she moved her head to the side the end of the arrow came into her vision and she quickly turned her head to the left side causing pain to radiate over her entire body. The pain abated she felt a hand resting gently resting on her left shoulder easing her to stay still. The man didn't speak to her but she could discern the meaning from his eyes. They watched her intently.

"Do not worry. I will not hurt you." His voice was even but held a certain melody to the words he spoke.

Dorothy couldn't speak; the pain was becoming too much. She merely nodded and tried to make her body relax. There was movement out of the corner of her eye and when she turned to look at the Indian who had brought her to his camp. In his right hand he held a knife and Dorothy felt the fear creep up inside her all over again, but she willed herself to stay still and allow him to help her. Why she didn't try to run was beyond her comprehension. Dorothy Jennings was in the company of and Indian. If her father could see her he would probably beat her for her foolishness.

The man rose and walked over to her right side close to her injured shoulder. Where the arrow pierced through her clothes the Indian placed the tip of the knife against the small hole to slice open the fabric. She assumed he was going to help her and… Well she didn't want to think about the 'and' of it. Dorothy felt the jerk as he ripped away the fabric enough to expose her pale bloodied shoulder and nothing else. He helped her to sit up with his right hand clasped in her left and his left steadying on her by being placed around her waist. Her head became fuzzy and Dorothy felt like she was going to be plunged back into the darkness once again.

"This will hurt." He whispered.

"Just do it." She said through gritted teeth. His hands released her and he put one hand closed close to the end buried in her shoulder and the other closed over the middle. He was ready to snap it off. She nodded and fisted her hand into the fur blanket she was placed on. When he broke the end off it jolted the arrow head lodged in her shoulder and sent pain cascading down her right side.

"I will have to push the rest of the arrow through to the back." He said close to her ear. Dorothy nodded and closed her eyes to prepare for the worst of it. It was as if she could see everything behind her eyes. She felt the motion of his hand as he gently laid it against the broken tip of the arrow. Dorothy gulped as she tried to prepare for the worst of it to start.

Cloud Dancing witnessed the strength this white woman displayed. He had seen the same looks on some of the Braves in the tribe, but he had never seen it on a white woman. It shocked him and fascinated him. For a moment he paused and felt a twinge as he thought about what he had to do next that would cause her pain. But the arrow needed to be removed. In a swift motion he pushed the arrow through and only heard a small scream from her. Cloud Dancing removed the bloodied arrow head and applied pressure to both wounds. Looking around he saw what he needed to dress the wound but he needed yarrow plant to stop the bleeding and help speed the healing. Cloud Dancing looked at the woman who had passed out from the pain. He wrapped the wound as best he could so the blood would not stain the ground. She stayed extremely still while Cloud Dancing gathered the herbs he needed to dress the wound and stop the bleeding.

Dorothy floated between the waking world and the darkness. She heard people speaking Cheyenne language. Her shoulder felt two sizes two big and when she went to roll over on her left side another wave of pain radiated through her body keeping her still. Well as still as she could be without breathing. As far as she could tell it was morning and she was still with the Indian. Dorothy hadn't thought to ask his name last night because she was in too much pain and she was trying to keep from falling into the black oblivion that threatened to take her every time she tried to focus on something.

"Good, you are awake." It was the same Indian who saved her last night. Dorothy moved her left hand up to shield her eyes when he opened the flap to accept something from another Indian.

"You need to drink this." He crouched down next to her and gently pulled her into a sitting position where he rested her against his bent knee so she wouldn't choke on the tea he had made for her. Willow bark tea relieved pain and reduced fever. Cloud Dancing held the cup to her lips and watched as she slowly drank what he offered. Her skin was paler than any of the others he had seen, but her hair was like the dying of the sun every night as it was chased away by the moon. He looked into her eyes and saw they were the color of a clear summer sky. The woman's eyes fluttered closed and her head lolled back to touch his thigh. Cloud Dancing set her back down and thought, 'I wonder what this woman's name is?' Why he would be thinking about that? This woman's people were responsible for the hardship he and his people now suffered. But how could he blame a young girl for the decisions of her Elders? This girl looked no more than fifteen and yet she was dressed as a man.

Cloud Dancing watched her for a few moments before leaving to get her a clean shirt. Earlier he had to cut her two shirts off her so he could properly dress her wound and when he was done he covered her with a Buffalo skin. Cloud Dancing had taken the time to check her left side for other signs of injuries while she was unconscious. Her left knee was bruised halfway down her leg and the left side of her ribs felt a little tender. He already knew that he would have to keep her here a few days. Chief Black Kettle had given him permission to keep the woman here until she was well enough to travel back to her town. Where they built the village was a day's ride back to Colorado Springs.

When Dorothy opened her eyes again her vision was clearer and her head felt calmer. Again the Indian who had saved her was there watching her intently. The next thing she became aware of was that she had no shirt on. The warm fur caressed her skin and made her shoulder ache. There was something in the way he was staring at her that made her heart leap into her throat. Why had she ridden off into the night like she had? The answer was simple. She wanted to get away from the caged in feeling she had with the town so close. Maude, her sister, was becoming even more insufferable with all of her talk about Loren. Then there was Loren watching her whenever she walked into town.

"Do you have a name?" He asked coming closer with a bundle of cloth in his hands.

"Dorothy."

"I am called Cloud Dancing." He offered her the bundle and moved back. He had handed one of his shirts. Risking a glance she saw him watching her. The warm glow of the fire light gleamed on his dark skin casting shadows across his broad chest. A lady wasn't supposed to notice such a thing but Dorothy couldn't help but see him in all his wild glory. His lean body said he could handle himself when he needed but his kind face denoted he was a man of peace. And a man is what he was. There was no denying that. As she tried to sit up the pain from her shoulder shot down to her hand and spread out into her fingers. Before she could stop herself a whimper escaped her lips. Cloud Dancing was over at her side in the time it took for her to blink. He placed both hands on her bare waist to help her sit up. When Dorothy was resting against Cloud Dancing's bare chest she had a moment to pause. His skin seemed hot to the touch but it could be that she just had a fever.

"I need to check the poultice." He whispered and Dorothy nodded. When his fingers grazed the edge of the bandage she inadvertently held her breath even though his touch was light and tried not to cause her pain. When the poultice was removed the air that flowed against the wound seemed to soothe ache momentarily. The wound felt as if it was burning, Dorothy wanted to cry out but she held off. Instead she clenched her fist but a whimper escaped her lips.

"I know it hurts."

"I'm no stranger to pain." Dorothy replied in a pain filled voice.

Cloud Dancing took a moment to consider her words. Why would a white woman say such words? That is when Cloud Dancing looked down her bare back to see old scars and some fairly recent. Who could do this to someone like her?

"Who has done this?" Cloud Dancing

"It's nothing. How does my injury look?" Dorothy didn't want to discuss what the scars meant with this Indian stranger, but some how he wasn't a stranger. Cloud Dancing replaced the poultice and moved her back so she was resting against his chest again while he changed the poultice for the second wound.

"Does it burn?"

"A little." Dorothy replied.

"Then this is good. It means the wound is healing. But you will have to stay here until you are ready to travel." Cloud Dancing settled her back down. He could see the strain the wounds had put on her. While she had been a sleep he had removed her bloody shirts and checked her for other injuries. He had found her entire left side was bruised from being thrown from her horse. Cloud Dancing reached out and put his right hand under the buffalo fur to feel the ribs. He had to make sure that ribs were not broken.

"What are you doing?" Dorothy asked quickly.

"I am making sure your ribs are not broken." Cloud Dancing replied.

Dorothy felt the sharp stab of pain and held her breath again. When the arrow had hit her she had made sure that she would end up on her left side. Now that he shoulder was on the mend all of her other injuries made themselves known. There was an ache in her left knee and her side.

"I need you to breath and to let me know when the pain is the strongest." He said and Dorothy let her breath out in a sigh and the pain started again.

"Right there."

"Your ribs are not broken. But they will be sore as they heal."

"Thank you." Dorothy whispered as she tried to still her body. Cloud Dancing froze at her words. Never had a white man thanked one of his people. But she was a white woman and there was something different about her. Why would the Spirits compel him to leave the camp and head out into the clearing at the exact time she was there?

"You are welcome." He offered her a small smile. Dorothy tried to rest but to add to the rest of the pain in her body her back started to hurt from lying down too long. She wondered how long she had been here with him as he tended to her wounds.

"My back hurts." Dorothy started to laugh lightly and Cloud Dancing stared at her. She held up her left hand and waited for him to help her sit up. "Please," Dorothy said.

Cloud Dancing sighed and moved around her back mindful of her shoulder injury and ribs. She had barely any strength to sit by herself. Cloud Dancing made himself comfortable before he pulled her back against him and tried not to feel the line of her flesh against his bare chest. The scent of her hair wafted up and into his nose. She smelled of Lavender and the cool night air.

"Is this better for you?" He asked.

"Much, again thank you. I know you didn't have to do this."

Cloud Dancing reached for a cup of Willow bark tea. It had been used to reduce pain and bring down fevers. She had been fighting the pain with out it but now it was time for her to drink it. The trick was reaching the cup without moving her too much and causing more pain to her already weak body.

He knew as soon as he reached for the full cup that her battered body moved a fraction with him. Cloud Dancing held the cup to her lips but she didn't drink. As he angled his head to look at her face he saw she was once again asleep. Her breathing was shallow and even. The sleep was a good thing. It would give her body the much needed rest to allow the wounds to heal. He would have thought that he would want to leave her side and let her rest but still he remained. Drowning out the rest of the sounds he picked out the beat of this woman's heart. The steady rhythm told him she possessed a strength that her people feared and she had a will of iron.

Cloud Dancing looked up as the flap opened revealing Chief Black Kettle. He looked at the sleeping Dorothy and then to Cloud Dancing. Black Kettle seemed intrigued that his Medicine Man took the comfort of a white woman into account. The young man sat with the sleeping girl in his lap and his left arm was draped over her waist.

"She is getting better?" Black Kettle asked taking a seat across from Cloud Dancing.

"Yes, her wound heals nicely. As do the other injuries she has sustained." He replied quietly.

"How long will she have to remain?"

"That I am not sure. She has serious wounds." Cloud Dancing told his chief the truth as he saw it. This woman needed rest. The ribs would heal in time and would hurt her when she rode her horse back to her town. But Cloud Dancing wanted to make sure her shoulder was completely healed before he returned her to her people.

"Will she try and return home?" Black Kettle wondered. He would not ask these questions if he thought there was any danger to his people.

"I do not believe she will leave."

"How can you be certain?"

"There are old scars on her back." That was all Cloud Dancing would say. He wanted to know what had had happened to her for such scars to mar her body.

"Old scars?" Black Kettle asked.

"Yes, she has whip marks on her back." Cloud Dancing replied and closed his eyes against the feel of the scars that stood out along the line of where his flesh met hers.

"She will be in your care." Black Kettle stated and Cloud Dancing nodded.

Black Kettle rose to leave and then said, "Do you believe she will run?"

"No I do not." Cloud Dancing answered his chief as honestly as he could. He hoped that as soon as the words left his mouth that they turned out to be false. When she woke he would hope she didn't flee in the night before she was healed enough.

THE NEXT MORNING:

Dorothy was roused from sleep by a stirring next to her. The warmth was all around her. The fur of the buffalo skin and the heat of cloud Dancing's body. If she had the same attitude as her sister Maude then she would have screamed at the top of her lungs. But she wasn't her sister, and Dorothy had to admit she liked the feeling of Cloud Dancing next to her.

"Cloud Dancing?" Dorothy whispered, but he didn't wake. She really needed to get up and stretch her legs. As she sat up the buffalo skin fell down to her waist. The wind whispered against her skin and she reached for it with her left hand drawing it back up to cover her. Still Cloud Dancing did not wake. Dorothy looked down at him and marveled at the inherent beauty. His hair draped over his face hiding his closed eyes. She barely knew him and yet she was seeing him in a new light. Strangers only see the surface but Dorothy was seeing something else. He risked his standing with his tribe to help her, and heal her wounds. There was a sort of peace on her face that she had often seen on her family's face while they slumbered; only it was Dorothy who was still awake. The night always made her feel more alive and it also made it difficult for her to sleep. Her musing on Cloud Dancing could wait, right now Dorothy really needed to get up and flex her tired muscles.

For a moment she had to look around for the deer skin shirt that he had handed her the other day before her damaged body dragged her back into the blackness of sleep. The problem she faced was getting the shirt over her head with out crying out in pain. Her right shoulder ached as well as her left side and her left knee was hurting just the same. Taking the shirt in her left hand Dorothy slid it gently up her right arm and bit back a cry as the deer skin brushed over her wounded shoulder. The pain was not nearly as intense as it had been the other day but it was still there. Slipping her other arm in the sleeve she gingerly lifted both arms up over her head and ground her teeth together against the wave of pain.

With the shirt firmly in place Dorothy got to her knees and placed the blanket back over Cloud Dancing's sleeping form. Quietly she got to her feet and nearly fell back to the ground when she put weight on her left leg. There was a lot of pain radiating through her body but she needed something other than the willow bark tea he ad been giving her for the pain. If she was lucky there would still be some dried meat in her saddle bag she could eat. Her stomach growled in response to her thoughts about food and that propelled her feet to carry her outside.

Once out in the fresh air Dorothy had to shield her eyes against the intense glare of the sun. She looked around and blinked several times to clear her vision. All of the other Cheyenne looked at her. Some of them sneered, glared, and out right ignored her. Dorothy looked around for a moment and then spotted her horse tethered right outside of Cloud Dancing's tent. Her saddle bag and canteen were right where they had been the night she had ridden off into the night. Dorothy's original plan had been to take a short ride just to free her soul, but her father's words to her that day had made her decide to run out and make a new life. Then she met Cloud Dancing, and her life was suddenly turned upside down.

Dorothy shook her head and tried to get those kinds of thoughts out of her head. She should be worried what her father would do to her if he found her. Taking the canteen and removing the cork Dorothy took a long drink of the still cool water. As she replaced the cork her stomach growled again. Fishing in her saddle bag Dorothy found a small piece of dried meat and instantly devoured it.

Inside the tent Cloud Dancing woke and stretched his tired body. What he felt next to him was nothing. Opening his eyes Cloud Dancing didn't see Dorothy. She couldn't have gone far but he needed to find her in case what he told Black Kettle had been false and she did try to run back to her people. He rushed out of his teepee only to fin her at her horse pulling a piece of dried meat out of her saddle bag. That was one thing he had forgotten to have on hand; something for her to eat.

"Dorothy?"

"Right here." She answered and moved so Cloud Dancing could see her. He felt and instant sigh of relief leave his body. She looked better than yesterday. More color had come back to her cheeks but he could tell she was still in pain. She wavered on her feet a little bit and it looked to him that her legs were about to give out. Rushing to her side Cloud Dancing scooped her up into his arms to keep her from falling to the ground.

"This must… reinforce your perceptions… about white women." Dorothy said in between gasps. Her left side was pressed up against his chest and that put pressure on her bruised ribs.

"Your body is still weak."

"I just wanted to get up and walk around. I didn't mean to make you worry." Dorothy said. She had managed not to gasp through the pain this time. Cloud Dancing did his best not to hold her too tight. The pain she must be feeling had to be overwhelming but still she said nothing.

"Do you hurt?"

"A little, but I would be better if I could walk around." Dorothy said and Cloud Dancing set her down gently on her feet, but still kept one arm around her waist just incase she fell again. Her head rested on his shoulder for a moment before she tried to take a step with him next to her. Cloud Dancing wrapped his arm more securely around her waist and allowed her to wander the camp. He had to look his people in the face as they walked.

"Look… I think I am going to try this on my own." Dorothy said and moved away from him. She stumbled and Cloud Dancing's arms were around her steadying her like before.

"Do not push yourself." He whispered and pulled her left arm over his shoulder. Cloud Dancing did not need her to hurt herself out of foolish pride.

If she was not careful then her father would find her. Dorothy didn't want him to find her here. It would be devastating for all these people and Cloud Dancing as well. She didn't want anything to happen to him.

"If I don't leave, then my father will find me. I need your help." Dorothy whispered and fell to her knees taking cloud Dancing with her. She had already put too much strain on her body. Again Cloud Dancing picked her up and headed back to his teepee. It would take time for her to gain her strength back. Cloud Dancing thought that she would be better off here than back with her people.

Once they were alone within the sanctum of his home Cloud Dancing took the time to admire her. She had managed to put the shirt on without waking him with cries of pain. Truly he under estimated this woman's strength. Dorothy had more color in her cheeks but last night she had started to show signs of a fever.

"Can I ask why you were curled next to me under the Buffalo fur?" Dorothy shifted and stretched her left leg out in front of her while the other stayed bent.

"You had started to shiver. I heard you say you were cold and I knew that the fire and the fur would not help. That is why I warmed you with my body." Cloud Dancing explained. He mirrored her position and watched her intently.

"Then I thank you… again." Dorothy smiled and sucked in her breath when Cloud Dancing came closer to her in one fluid motion. He was close that he could feel the faint exhale of her breath across his bare skin. 'He looks better than any other man in Colorado Springs.' Dorothy thought. She couldn't believe that she was thinking that about an Indian. He was being so kind and gentle with her. If he had wanted he could have left her in that clearing to suffer the full extent of her wounds. But the spirits had told him to help her.

TO BE CONTINUES:

A/N: here is the first chapter and I hope you all enjoy this. More to come soon.