Bad Medicine

Many years ago, after the long ago people but before the white men came, there lived four friends: Rain Star, Golden Feather, Spirit Wolf and Thunder Shield. They had been friends since childhood, and always though they would remain friends even in the spirit world. Until one of them did something that was unforgivable.

The tribe was preparing for winter camp when rumor began going around that Spirit Wolf was planning to court Rain Star. The two of them had been spending more time together than usual, without Golden Feather and Thunder Shield, and people were beginning to talk.

When the rumors reached Thunder Shield, he became extremely jealous. He had always planned to marry Rain Star. Not only was she very pretty, he father was a rich and powerful man.

Thunder Shield went to Golden Feather to confirm the gossip. He knew the two women often talked of romantic matters when the men weren’t around. “Is it true Spirit Wolf is going to marry Rain Star?”

Golden Feather laughed. “You’re just now hearing that? I thought you would realize something was going on by now.”

“Don’t play your woman games with me. Just answer the question,” he demanded.

Her good humor disappeared. “Yes, he plans to ask for her hand after we finish setting up winter camp.

Thunder Shield stormed away without saying anything else. He decided to confront Rain Star and try to change her mind.

Rain Star was sitting outside her family’s lodge beading a dress when Thunder Shield approached. “Have you heard the good news?” she asked, giving him a bright smile.

“I have,” Thunder Shield replied. “And I’ve some here to tell you it’s a mistake. It will create bad medicine for Spirit Eagle, you and your families.”

Rain Star frowned. “We love each other. And love is the strongest medicine there is.”

Thunder Shield saw there was no hope in changing her mind, which only made him angrier and more jealous. He left Rain Star and went to the lodge of Black Night Eyes, the tribe’s medicine man.

The old man was sitting on the floor of his dwelling, calmly smoking a pipe. “You want to keep two people apart,” he said by way of greeting.

“I want to be sure they never marry,” Thunder Shield agreed. “And I want to punish Rain Star for choosing Spirit Wolf over me.”

Night Black Eyes rose and got a large, moldy rawhide bundle. He turned his back on Thunder Shield and began rummaging through the bundle. When he turned around, he had a small pouch is his dark, weathered hands.

“Put some of this into Rain Star’s food at tomorrow’s feast. At sunset, she will turn into a fox for the rest of her life.”
Thunder Shield grinned. “Spirit Wolf will never marry a fox!”

He grabbed for the pouch, but Black Night Eyes held it out of his reach. “Of course bad medicine like this will cost you.”

The younger man groaned in frustration. “I’ll give you ten hides and five horses, but only after I see that it works.”

Black Night Eyes seemed satisfied with this, and Thunder Shield left the lodge.

At the feast the next day, he shook the contents of the pouch into Rain Star’s food when she wasn’t looking. As dusk approached, she complained she wasn’t feeling well and left.

After the feast, she couldn’t be found at her parents’ lodge or the medicine man’s hut. Several of the men in the tribe went looking for her, including Spirit Wolf and Thunder Shield. They saw nothing out of the ordinary, except for a small red fox that followed them wherever they went.

Much later that night, when everyone was asleep, Thunder Shield took his payment to Black Night Eyes. He was just outside the lodge when he heard a small creature yelping. The same red fox came around the corner of the medicine man’s lodge.

“Be quiet!” Thunder Shield hissed. “Or I’ll kill you and make Spirit Wolf truly sad!”

But the animal kept barking and even started snarling. People began to come out of their homes to see what the commotion was.

Spirit Wolf was one of those people. He saw Thunder Shield, his offerings to Night Black Eyes and the fox. Realization came to him, and he glared at his old friend. But with so many people around, it would be impossible to confront him.

“This fox has a foul spirit in it,” Spirit Wolf told those assembled. Leave, and Thunder Shield and I will ask Night Black Eyed to help it.”

Everyone left, murmuring protective chants, and Spirit Wolf turned on the other man. “You had Black Night Eyes do this do her, now you make him undo it.”

“It can’t be undone,” the old man said, emerging from his lodge. “That was strong, awful medicine and nothing can reverse it.”

Spirit Wolf let out a sound almost like as soft growl. “Then it will come back and go rough on both of you. I would kill both of you, but it will be much worse to let the spirits get to you.”

And it was. Black Night Eyes soon began loosing his power, and Thunder Shield’s success as a warrior and hunter diminished greatly. Both eventually left the tribe in the middle of the night.

Spirit Wolf married Golden Feather a few years later, though some said there was sadness in his eyes that never quite went away. They had one child, a daughter who they named Red Fox because of the creature that always laid outside their lodge.