Chasing Her Dreams:Chapter 1

Deep in the heart of the Smoky Mountains stood the lovely Indian maiden, Little Fawn. Little Fawn, with her long black mane flowing down her back held back only by the hand-beaded head band, was now of sixteen winters.

To the onlooker of her Cherokee tribe she was just one of the beautiful red skinned, starry eyed, raven haired maidens that made up Little Fawn’s village. Every one of them a dazzling gem. Although the truth of the matter was this particular maiden was a diamond in the ruff.

The dream of her father, the peace chief Bold Eagle, was for his daughter to find a young brave and settle down with him. Then become the mother of his many grandchildren. What the great peace chief did not know was a secret kept bottled up deep inside of his daughter’s heart.

As long as Little Fawn could remember she had wanted to be a great warrior. She wanted to ride with the young braves into battle, her face painted with the colors of war. She wanted to ride onward with the mass of warriors atop a great black stallion. She wanted to be looked up to as the first maiden to be pronounced a great warrior.

Silly dreams she knew they were but she couldn’t help to hope that maybe one day she might get to accomplish her mere fantasies. She knew she would only be a dreamer of such things, for the moment she told her father of such, if she could ever conjure up the courage to do so, he would frankly tell her how foolish her dreams were.

Little Fawn had no doubts in her mind that she was strong and had the will power to endure such a task of becoming a warrior would bring. Her father had told her on many accounts that she was head strong and once she set her mind on doing something come hell or high water she was determined to do it. She knew she had the will power to do it; the only thing missing was the chance, the one word of approval from her father and the war cheif that she knew was the only thing that stood in her way. She knew she would never be allowed to go after her dreams because the idea of a woman as a brave was simply unacceptable.

The nudging from her horse Spirit, her black and white tabino companion, was her signed that the horse was tired of being tethered and wanted Little Fawn awakened from her daydream of such foolish things. Little Fawn had not realized that the sun had made its way behind the luscious green trees and the moon had started rising in the velvety sky.

Pawing the dirt with her hoof Spirit tried once more to let Little Fawn know of her annoyance of being tied and was ready for the run home.

“Yes girl you have succeeded in awakening me from my thoughts and showing me the annoyance of being tethered. We about to head for the trail back home,” Little Fawn said as she patted the gentle giant that stood in front of her on the neck.

As she mounted the mare, she couldn’t help but remember the stormy night four winters ago when the colt had been born. She was very weak for the first few days of her life. As Spirit grew stronger so did the bond between her and Little Fawn. The bond soon grew into a friendship that only the Great Spirit could have joined together.

As they galloped toward the village, Little Fawn was stricken with a sadness that she would never get to accomplish her dreams. As bad as she wanted it she knew that her dream was out of her reach.

The only person or thing she had dared breathed her dream to was Spirit. She slowed her mare to a walk as she entered the village. She saw the dancing flames of the fire that had been built in the middle of the village. She leaned down and patted Spirit once more on her neck. This pat was more of a thank you pat, thanking Spirit for guarding her secret so well.


In the log and mud hut at the middle of the village, peace chief Bold Eagle sat in deep thought. For some moons now his spirit had been greatly troubled over his only daughter.

Little Fawn was now of sixteen winters. A fine age of which she could start her search for the one brave the Great Spirit had picked for her long before her birth. Instead of letting herself be courted by the young warriors, his head-strong daughter had focus all her time on riding in the forest.

Bold Eagle was so engrossed in his meditation that he didn’t realize he was no longer along.

White Feather, his faithful wife of some twenty winters, was staring down at her strong husband. White Feather knew her husband better than, what seemed at times, himself. She could always tell when something was wrong with her husband. And looking down at him now she could tell that something was bothering him because he seemed some place far off, out of her reach at the moment. When White Feather spoke, Bold Eagle was revised from his deep ponderment.

“What is bothering you, my love?” asked his wife. The words spoken by White Feather were filled with love and concern for the great chief sitting on the deerskin rug.

“Oh, my White Feather. The uneasiness of my spirit is caused by Little Fawn. The fact that she is so head-strong about not being courted by any of the many handsome braves in the village. Surly there is at least one that she has her eye on. And you know as good as I do that a maiden of sixteen winters should be thinking of settling down and starting a family. Our Little Fawn shows no signs of wanting these things. Also, two moons ago I had a vision that was quiet strange. Little Fawn was riding a mount a majestic black stallion. On her face she wore the colors of war. Strapped to her side was a bow and arrows. In my time of prayer, I asked the Great Spirit for some guidance of what my vision meant. My answer was a most shocking one. The Great Spirit enlightened on me the news that was what truly lies in my daughter’s heart. A life of a warrior’s. Not one of a wife and mother.”
Before White Feather could respond, or take in, what her husband had just spoken to her in walked their daughter.

Little Fawn had been just outside and heard everything spoken of her father. She was taken aback that her father knew the secret she had guarded so well. The secret of her heart’s true desire. She was saddened by how troubled her father was about knowing this.

Although there was no reason for her to be so astonished of his disapproval. In their Deer Clan of Cherokee people women being warriors were absurd. Women were supposed to be wonderful wives and mothers. They were supposed to have the life her mother lead. How would she ever bestow her plan of going against everything that her upbringing had taught her if she couldn’t get it permitted by her father, their peace chief?

"I heard everything,” Little Fawn said finally getting up the courage to speak. "The Great Spirit told no lie about my heart’s desire father. It has been my fantasy to be a warrior since I was just a child. I know such a status is not normally held by a maiden but maybe with your appro….,” she managed to get out before Bold Eagle cut her off.

“Absolutely not! You are surly not in your right mind. No daughter of mine will be a warrior. You may be stronger than any of the other maidens but I will never allow you to be a brave. I would never send you to battle with the village’s warriors. Honestly Little Fawn, you should be thinking of settling down with a brave rather than riding by his side into battle. Oh how I had prayed the Great Spirit was wrong,” Bold Eagle said hanging his head in disappointment.

“Well father that is my heart’s desire and I can not change it. Do you not think that I haven’t tried talking my self out of such a silly idea? I hoped that it would not happen this way but it has. You now know the plan you have mapped out for my life is not what is truly in my heart. My only wish is that one day you can come to accept this. I can only ask of you now is there any hope of that coming to pass?” Little Fawn asked her father, her eyes now pleading with his. She was fighting back the urge to cry.

She looked upon her father’s angry face hoping to see some glimpses of understanding but found none. Wanting so bad to find some kind of something that would calm her, she looked to White Feather. When their eyes met her mother’s White Feather quickly turned her head showing her agreement with her father.
When Bold Eagle finally spoke his words were cold as ice.

“What do you want me to do Little Fawn? Do you ask me to go against many generations of the law stating that only men will serve as a warrior? Am I supposed to change what our fore fathers sat up for my daughter? I can only say to you there is little that could change my mind on the subject. My answer is no!”

“Father can’t I have one chance to prove how bad I want this to you?” Little Fawn voice wavering because of the tears she was holding back. That was something that a warrior just did not do was cry. It was said to show weakness. If she cried in front of her father it would be showing him how weak she really was.

“No! Little Fawn, I will not endanger you in such a way. Beside your mother, you are the only thing that I hold dear to me. Now drop it!” Bold Eagle spat at Little Fawn.

Feeling the tears could not be held back any longer Little Fawn ran out of the hut. When she was outside she just kept running.