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"They were made by my mother for them, but I know they wouldn't mind you wearing them. But if you'd rather wear something else, that's fine as well. I'll just make you some tribal clothes myself," she replied, leaning close to kiss his nose. "Besides, if you wear something of both of theirs, it wouldn't be like you wearing a full outfit that should only be worn by one of them. It would be a mix, so therefore, would be fine."

He slowly nodded, "Well, after our marriage tonight, you will have to make me something else. Probably a lot of somethings. The clothes I have won't last forever and after the stores and things in town are completely out, there won't be any more like those. And besides, once your brothers come back, I doubt they will enjoy lots of husky fur being inside them." He laughed, "So, just this once, I'll wear their clothes, but after this, the next ceremony that I attend, I'll need my own." He grinned.

Tisha grinned back at him, playfully nipping at his nose. "Yes, oh my lord, master and slave driver," she giggled, not meaning it at all. She knew what life would be like with the tribe, and they would have plenty to do. Underneath it all, she was nervous about the after wedding plans, but she was doing a wonderful job covering it up. She wasn't about to let fear of anything ruin her wedding. She might talk to the women about ideas to help her, or at least Saqui and the chief's wife. She didn't want to have any of the others look down on her for something that was out of her control. Which was one reason she only talked about it to those that needed to know. They understood she had no control over what happened, and even approved of her husky-love.

He grinned widely at her as she playfully chanted something about him being lord and master. He laughed and shook his big shaggy head, then kissed her on the nose as well and proceeded to strip off his shirt, tossing it on the bed lazily. He pulled on the ceremonial top that was Ian's, and the pants of Tristam's. Once those were on him, he pulled on a pair of soft shoes that she had found somewhere, he didn't know which of her brother's they were, but he didn't ask either. He figured it wasn't THAT important.

He was still worried about that night as well, but he was still formulating his idea, and right now he had two ways that he could think of to help her get over her fear of anything sexual. He would have to wait and see if they felt right later. Right now, he had an induction ceremony to attend, and then a double wedding.

When he was dressed, she took the brush and started brushing his fur, letting the actions relax him some before the big ceremony he was going to be heading to shortly. Besides, she loved playing with his fur, so brushing him was very enjoyable for her. After a few minutes of 'grooming' him, she set the brush down and walked up in front of him. "There you go. You're looking great. And just remember, we have a date with Wapasha tonight, along with Brielle and Theron. So no getting cold paws on me." Leaning up, she kissed his lips, a smile on her own lips. "I love you, Marco."

He smiled back at her as she kissed him, one of his paws coming up to hold her neck gently as his lips moved against her own. His tongue flicked over her mouth a moment, and then he pulled back and put his forehead on hers, "I love you too, Tisha. I'll see you tonight at the wedding." He kissed her again, and then sighed, standing tall and straightening his clothes, then walking past her to the hallway and down it, disappearing from view a moment later. He and Black Elk left the house then, heading for the ceremony for his induction into the tribe.

After Marco left, Tisha stood in the doorway to the room, watching him walking. A soft sigh escaped her and she turned to get her own clothing for the wedding ceremony as well as the bathing things that she and Brielle were going to need. Certain items that both Cetlali and Shikoba had made for their daughters, like the soaps to wash with and the ceremonial items needed to symbolize their care for their soon-to-be mates and homes. She put her things into a basket that she had handwoven a couple years ago and then waited for Brielle. Her nerves were stretched thin as the thought of the wedding night was starting to cloud her mind. How could she let him touch her the way those beasts... those thugs... had? She knew that she was supposed to have sex with him that night, but it didn't seem like something she could actually do, due to what had happened last week.

Tisha took a deep breath as she waited for Brielle, trying to only focus on the good events of the past week. The private time with Marco. The care he'd shown her. The playfulness they shared. The trip to the watering hole to swim. The horseback rides. Hunting the deer together. The bond they'd formed between them. It didn't seem like she'd only met him a week ago. It felt like she'd known him forever. They were a perfect fit for each other, and tonight would bring them together in a more permanent way. The spiritual and religious way of her mother's people. She knew that they were taking the right steps for them. Neither wanted to lose the other. And only with him could she be her carefree self, laughing and smiling. He'd kept that part of her alive when she wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. And her protective side was only for him.

Brielle entered Tisha's room, but saw that her cousin was lost in thought and waited, knowing that if she interrupted Tisha's thoughts, Tisha might just lost it all over again. After what happened, though, she understood Tisha's need for contemplation and calmness. At least her cousin hadn't completely lost it and shut down on the world and life afterwards. Instead, she'd formed a strong bond with the husky who owned her heart and they would soon be married, along with Brielle and her tiger.

Finally, Tisha snapped out of her thoughts and saw Brielle there and gave her a trembling smile. "Saqui, you know I love Marco and you know what happened to me. How do I go about handling the wedding night? I want tonight to be special, but I... I just don't know if I can do it. I... I'm scared about what's expected of a bride on her wedding night. What should I do?"

Brielle listened to her cousin's fears and smiled, moving forward to draw Tisha into her arms. "Darling, your love for Marco will help you through the night. After meeting him, I can tell he isn't going to push you to do anything you aren't comfortable with doing. He loves you too much. If you do have your wedding night tonight, it will be on your terms. But maybe you could both lay down and you could explore his body. Get to know your husband. Don't rush the sex part. It will happen when the time is right."

At that moment, Itzel, the chief's wife, arrived and nodded. "Many brides are nervous on their wedding day. And Nizhoni, you, more than most, have every reason to be nervous. But your Marco is not the same as those that attacked you. He is kind and considerate of your emotions. He is attuned to you in ways that most husbands and wives still strive to find after fifty years of marriage. You don't always need to be in charge in the marriage bed with your husband, but ask him if he will let you move at your own pace tonight. I think he'll be more than amenable to letting you control the wedding night. As long as you don't fall into that dark hole in your memory, you should be fine, and with you being on top, and in control, you shouldn't."

She paused and nodded to herself, smiling at the girls. "Yes, I said on top. There are many positions to make love in, and with the recent past, I would not suggest letting him be on top, in case that brings back memories. You want to replace the sica memories with waste ones."

After another pause, Itzel nods to the girls. "Alright, Saqui, Nizhoni. Let's go get you two ready for your weddings tonight. It's not everyday that the tribe gets a new member and a double wedding! The other women are cooking the feast for tonight, while Cetlali and I are getting you two ready." The two younger women follow the chief's wife out of the house.

~*~*~*~*~

While the women prepared for the weddings that would take place later in the evening, and while Tisha was pining over what to do that evening, Marco was busy with his own activity, namely, being inducted as the newest member of the tribe. As they had left to go begin the induction, Black Elk had filled him in on the process, including giving him a quick lesson on how it used to be done, as opposed to the modern day methods.

He explained that in the past, a blood offering would have been required in order to become part of the tribe. This had been mostly done away with in favor of a simple piercing that would be placed through his right nipple at the end of the ceremony, surrounded by a 'blood red' hand print.

After his 'crash-course' in induction, Marco was led over to a small hut that was out of the way. Tisha had never mentioned it and he had never thought to ask what it was for, but he was soon to find out. Known as a 'sweat lodge', it was basically like a sauna. Marco would spend the next couple of hours inside, naked, in order to purge any impurities from his body that might 'defile' him. This he accepted willingly, and Black Elk stuck with him so as to further fill him in on all the intricacies of the ceremony he was about to perform.

When his time inside the sweat lodge was over, he was permitted to dry with soft 'pure' cloths, and redress in the ceremonial clothing that Tisha had told him to wear. He was now brought before the assembled elders, and all members of the tribe who could be spared.

The elders were arranged in a semicircle in the middle of an open place of the field. In the center of the semicircle was a fire pit, that was stoked to a roaring blaze. Marco stepped toward the fire, and halted on the opposite side from the elders. The senior members of the tribe were behind him, and behind them all the other members. The chief rose from his place at the center of the elders, and stepped to the other side of the fire. His face was solemn as he addressed Marco.

"This day, Marco Cross, you wish to become a member of the Lakota people?"

"I do"

"And why do you wish this honor?"

"I wish this honor, this day, for many reasons, Chief. First among them is my desire to become wed to one of your number. Second, is to have a home and a place which to call my own through all the days of my life, wherever I may be."

"And will you, Marco, Swear loyalty to the Lakota people, and to me, their Chief? To uphold our laws, to protect our women and children, to aid in battle and to hunt with our warriors? Will you pledge your body and life to these things, prizing only your family and honor above them?"

"I will, My Chief."

The Chief now looked past Marco, addressing all of the people that were assembled, "My People...this man who stands before you has shown himself to be honorable, trustworthy, and willing to put himself into danger for one of our own. All of you know, and are fond, of Nizhoni. Last week, Nizhoni was attacked by several vicious thugs intent on doing her harm. Marco came to her rescue, saving her from them, and in the process taking vengance on them in her name. I ask you, People, if you are willing to have such a man among us..."

With one voice, all of them shouted in the affirmative, not one dissenting voice was heard. "So Be it...It is the decision of the elders, and My Decision, as Chief, that you, Marco Cross, are to be accepted this day into the ranks of the Lakota. You will become one of us, able to call our villages your home, our people your people, our honor, your honor. If there be any in this assembly, or in this council, who has a doubt, let him now step forward."

Silence reigned supreme. Somewhere in the distance a horse whinnied, the fire crackled, and laughter could be heard coming from the cooking fires and tents where some of the women were preparing the wedding feast. No one spoke, there was not a sound of dissent.

"Very well." The chief declared, raising his arms, "Let him be marked this day, as the newest member of our great tribe, let him pass through the fire, and be one of us."

At his words, three men rose and came toward the husky. Two strong warriors came up to him, and the third was none other than Tisha's uncle, Wapasha. He held in his left hand a long, sharp needle, and in the other a golden ring. The warriors removed Marco's shirt, stripping him to the waist, and held his arms, while Wapasha brushed aside the fur covering his right nipple, and swiftly passed the needle into it without delay.

Marco howled, as the alcohol coated instrument passed through his skin, his head thrown back a moment, before the needle was extracted, and the golden ring was pushed in. A moment later he felt a pinch, and it was clamped shut on him. The warriors released his arms and backed away, Wapasha chanted something in deep undertones, as he stepped aside, and the fire parted down the center.

Marco stepped forward, leaped, and passed through the fire, landing on the other side on his feet, unharmed, except for light singing on the fur of his arm. He stood tall, as the Chief dipped his hand in a bowl of red bodypaint, and slapped his chest, directly over the new piercing, giving him a red handprint circling it. "Now..you are part of our tribe... You will be known as... Kaneonuskatew, One that walks on four claws..." He said in a deep voice, slapping Marco on the shoulder.

Marco let out another long howl, which came out in a wavering noise that sounded very much like a feral wolf deep in the forest, and yet held a quality that reminded many who were gathered of their own ancient war cries.

Tisha and Bri were watching the ceremony with Itzel and Cetlali, having used the time when the males were in the sweatlodge to bathe and dress for the ceremony. Theron moved up with Marco in front of the Chief, and then the tribe's women came to join the men for the double wedding ceremony.

The last to come in were the four women, Itzel and Cetlali leading the two brides. When the women stopped, they stood between the grooms and the brides. The chief asked Cetlali, "Are you good with this pairing?"

Cetlali nodded, stepping aside. "Wapasha and I have agreed that Theron and Saqui are a good pairing. We do not stand in the way of their happiness."

The chief turned to his wife and asked, "Are you good with this pairing?"

Itzel nodded, stepping to the other side, saying, "Da tun fil azal budurwa ta carcar." The words sounded harsher than any that Tisha had taught Marco yet, but that was due to the dialect of the language was different than the words she had taught him so far. "Wapasha, Cetlali, Black Elk, Nahuel, and I have all agreed that Kaneonuskatew and Nizhoni are a good pairing. We do not stand in the way of their happiness. And neither does the tribe."

The chief looked startled by his wife's first words, but recovered well. It wasn't often that the bride price was talked about within the tribe, but he understood why his wife had said it, as did those who were in the know of what had happened to Tisha. He nodded, then bade Nizhoni and Saqui to move forward with his hand.

"We are binding the lives of not one couple, but two, together this moon. The lives of four people are changing from being mainly about themselves to being about each other and the families that they will have in the future. We often celebrate individual weddings, but this moon is blessing us with Kaneonuskatew as well as two weddings! Life has changed in this world, going back to a time when our people were the hunters, the gatherers, the warriors renowned for their ferocity. We shall be those people once more.

"We have seen Theron and Saqui growing up together, falling in love, and now, they celebrate their love for each other with us. And we have seen Nizhoni grow up with them, but her heart lead her to someone who we have welcomed into the tribe as a full member. Kaneonuskatew might be new to us, but his actions speak of a true warrior of the people. And they want to celebrate their love for each other with us.

"Nizhoni. Saqui. Do you take your males, Kaneonuskatew and Theron, as your husbands? Obeying them when it comes to the safety of your family? Counseling them when they ask for your advice? Forsake any other males in favor of your husbands?"

Tisha nodded, her eyes going to Marco as she smiled. "I do," she said, loudly enough for all to hear, her voice full of love for her husky.

Brielle smiled widely as she turned to look at Theron. "I do."

Nahuel looked to the males and said, "Kaneonuskatew. Theron. Do you take your females, Nizhoni and Saqui, as your wives? Providing and protecting them? Listening to their counsel? Forsake all other females in favor of your wives? Cherish them as the gift they are to you?"

Marco, silent so far as he listened to the words being spoken around them, Turning only to glance at Tisha, or Nizhoni as she was known, with a smile before turning to look at the Chief once again. When at last the question was directed toward the two men, Marco nodded with conviction, looking fully now toward Tisha as she looked toward him, "I do..." he said, his voice strong.

Theron was looking toward Brielle, eyes alight with joy and anticipation, and eagerness. "I do."

The chief looked to the tribe and said, "Do you support these two unions that will strengthen our tribe? Should something happen to either Theron or Kaneonuskatew, will you support their wives?"

The tribe looked back at the chief, all having heard the basics of Marco's rescue of Tisha and knowing both Theron and Saqui for years. "Yes," they called out in unison.

Nahuel nodded and Wapasha stepped forward. "I call upon the spirits of our ancestors, the elements, the trees and animals, and our gods. Bless these unions. Both unions are strong and will be beneficial to not just our people, but also our world."

A fine mist seemed to rain down on the tribe, then dissipated. Tisha felt the blessing of the elements and ancestors, and her back straightened, almost as if she knew what she was going to do afterwards - or was given the strength for the wedding night.

Nahuel spoke again, "These unions are recognized by the people as lasting. No one shall tear asunder what love had forged, both in time and in tribulation." He clapped his hands together to symbolize the closing of their unions.

Itzel looked out and nodded to the tribe. "Our usual celebration feast is much more this time. Not only are we celebrating the coming together of the tribe and Nizhoni's family once more, but two weddings and a new member of the people. Enjoy the feast, and celebrate with us!"

And so the Feast began, and a great feast it was. All around the house and the tents that the indians had setup, in every open space, crowds of the indians gathered, getting their food. Many of them went past the two new couples, where they were seated among friends and relatives.

Almost universally their words spoke of welcome to Marco, and of blessing and prosperity and congratulations to the pair of couples that were seated immediately beside one another. Theron had Bri seated in his lap, and the two of them were cuddling while they ate and thanked the people walking past.

Marco and Tisha were much the same, though instead of her in his lap, she sat immediately to his side, his arm about her, feeding one another and kissing occasionally, talking and even laughing a bit. It was clear to all that above all things, the couples were engrossed with one another nearly to the exclusion of all around them.