And, not long after we’d arrived, my uncle had taken Charlie into his office. And then a few minutes later he came out of his office and had Jackie join him and Charlie. Then my aunt told us that he was also going to offer Jackie a job.

Ajie and I learned from Naainish that the sand painting that was on the floor of the hogan when Ajie and I sat our vigil represented the four sacred mountains. And, Naainish suggested that we try to visit them.

And, when my uncle offered to store all of our things for the summer break, we admitted that we might be looking for our own place in the spring.

Uncle Paul took Jackie, Ajie, Charlie, and me out to show us the apartments where Charlie and Jackie would be staying in this summer. While we were there, we ran into a Mr. Black. Mr. Black my Aunt Fanny. This guy was Dr. Kilmer who I’d had the run-in with at the university.

When we got back to the house, I told my Uncle Paul what I thought about his Mr. Black.

This guy dislikes Indians, so why is he here where there’s a lot of them? My Uncle Paul suggested he was hiding among the people that he hated because no one would look for him here.

My uncle then went into his office and made some telephone calls.

After dinner and a hike up the cliff trail to star gaze, I was meeting with three members of the Taos County Sheriffs Department. And, we were planning on how to get Dr. Kilmer, aka Mr. Black, to trip himself up.

They planned to have me, yes me, walk up to the registration desk while Dr. Kilmer was concentrating on his reading. And, only say, ‘Dr. Kilmer.’ and, hope that he reacted in a positive was.

It was getting late on Wednesday evening when Detective Hartman said, “Miss Nez. Gentlemen. Shall we do this?”

Ajie started to get up to go with us, and Detective Adakai said, “Miss, I think that you should stay here. The fewer of us that are part of this little posse the better.”

Ajie walked over to me, hugged me, and whispered, “I love you. Please be careful.”

I whispered back, “I love you too. And, I’ll be careful.”

The three officers from the sheriff’s department, my Uncle Paul, and I walked towards the hotel. As we walked up to the door, Detectives Hartman worked his way around so that he could see the registration desk. When he came back to us, he asked, “Does this guy have long hair and a beard?”

“Yes.”, I replied.

“He’s sitting at the desk reading.

“Detective Adakai and I will go in and get set up. Then, Miss Kai, you come in and do your part, and we’ll do the rest.”

“If you want something to do that will put you close to the registration desk, there’s a display of a Navajo silversmith’s work in a display case. And, it’s just the other side of the registration desk.”

“Thanks. Give us a minute or two to get set up, and then do your thing. Are you still okay with this, Miss Nez?”

“I guess.”, I replied.

“Kai, you’ll be fine.”, my uncle said.

We watched as the two detectives walked into the hotel lobby, past the registration desk, and stopped at the display case. They pretended to be very interested in the display. We couldn’t see if Dr. Kilmer even looked up from his reading. The uniformed deputy that was with Uncle Paul and me, said, “Okay, Miss Nez.”

Uncle Paul said, “We’ll be close Kai. Nothing’s going to happen.”

“I hope you’re right, Uncle Paul.”, I said.

Then I took a deep breath and walked through the door into the lobby. My mouth was very dry, and to heck with butterfly's, it felt like my two Eagle friends were flying around in my stomach as I walked up to the registration desk, looked at the man, and said, “Dr. Kilmer.”

He looked up at me, and said, “Yes. … I mean no. … No! I’m not Dr. Kilmer.”

I smiled, and said, “Got ya.”

The two detectives rushed from the display case to the door to the registration area, and it was locked. My uncle and the uniformed officer showed up, my uncle pulled out a key and started to unlock the door. I was still standing in front of the registration desk.

As I was watching the two detectives, the uniformed officer, and my uncle, I caught a motion out of the corner of my eye. I turned just in time to see Dr. Kilmer come across the registration counter, knocking everything off of it onto the floor. I was quickly able to back up a step or two.

As he yelled, “Get out of my way Indian.” His feet hit the ground right in front of me. Then he went to shove me out of his way. As he did, I grabbed his hand, twisted his arm behind him, tripped him, and slammed him into the floor. He let out a scream as I felt his wrist snap. Then I knelt on his back.

Everyone else rushed to where we were, and then I heard someone say, “Okay, Miss Nez we’ll take it from here.”

I looked to where the voice was coming from, and it was Deputy Atwood. As I got up, Dr. Kilmer said, “That dirty Indian broke my wrist.”

“I probably did this time.”, I said with a big smile.

Then Detectives Hartman said, “Dr. Milo Kilmer we have a warrant for your arrest.”

“I’m not Milo Kilmer. I’m Jonathon Black. I didn’t do anything. But I want that … that Indian arrested for assault.”

“Sir.”, Detective Adakai said. “From your picture and description, you are Milo Kilmer. And we’ll confirm that at the station when we check your fingerprints. We also witnessed everything with this young lady, and she was defending herself.”

Dr. Kilmer looked at Detective Adakai, and said, “Oh God! You’re one of those dirty Indians too!”

They got Dr. Kilmer up on his feet, read him his Miranda Rights, and we walked him out to the marked patrol car that was parked at the house. And, as they were putting him in the car, Detective Adakai said “Deputy Atwood, would you please also write up charges for assault and battery for his attack on Miss Nez.”

“That’s not necessary, Detective Adakai.”, I said. “I wasn’t hurt. Just letting the university and the students that he’s hurt have at him will make me happy.”

“You heard the lady. Forget the charges.”

“Yes, sir.”, Deputy Atwood said. “I’m going to take him to the hospital to have his wrist looked at and then I’ll book him into the jail. Do you want me to call the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s office and tell them that we have him?”

“Yes, but being a holiday, he may be sitting in our jail until Monday. But, be sure that he’s arraigned in front of Judge Hatathli.”

I saw a little smile from Deputy Atwood as he said, “Yes, sir.”

I looked at the detective, and asked, “Why Judge Hatathli?”

“He’s a dirty Indian.”, Detective Adakai said with a sly smile.

“I thought so.”

My uncle was going to cover the registration desk in the hotel until he was relieved at midnight. So he walked back to the hotel. Then as the detectives were getting into their car, Detectives Hartman said, “Thank you for your help tonight, Miss Nez.”

“Think nothing of it. And, it’s Kai.”

“Kai.”, Detective Adakai said. “That’s a nice display of silver in the hotel.”

“Thank you. It’s my great-great-grandfather’s work.”

“Very nice. -Goodnight, Kai.”

“Goodnight, gentlemen.”

As they got in the car, I heard Detective Adakai say to Detectives Hartman, “I’ve never seen anyone move as quickly as she did when she took that guy down.”

As I walked into the house and to the kitchen, everyone was sitting around the table. They looked at me, and no one said anything. Finally, I said, “What am I smelling?”

“We couldn’t let you have all the fun.”, Aunt Ruth said. “So, we made cinnamon crisps. I was putting them together while you were talking to the deputies, and you didn’t even notice what I was doing.”

“Fun? No. But, cinnamon crisps, Oh yum!”

“Where’s your uncle?”

“Watching the desk until midnight.”

“I should have guessed.”

“So where are these cinnamon crisps?”

“I’ll get them while you get the fruit salad out of the refrigerator.”

“Fruit salad too! Oh, double yum!”

I raced to the refrigerator, a race of maybe five or ten feet, and retrieved the bowl of fruit salad. I carried it over and set it on the table. Then as I sat, my aunt brought over the cinnamon crisps. And, we all dug in and enjoyed.

Finally, Charlie looked at me, and said, “You know Kai, there is never a dull moment with you. Is there?”

“It seems like there never is. You should be on this side.”, I said.

“So, what happened?”

“Let’s say, that this time Dr. Kilmer has a broken wrist. And, the last time I saw him, he was sitting in the back of a police car, and heading off to jail.”

“So, everything is all right?”, Aunt Ruth asked.

“It is as long as you’re not Dr. Kilmer.”

“So, what happened?”, Charlie asked again.

I explained that the detectives went in and looked at the silver display as a diversion to their real reason for being there, then I went in and just said, ‘Dr. Kilmer.’ He reacted by saying, ‘Yes.’ And, the cops went after him. Dr. Kilmer jumped over the registration counter where I was standing. He tried to push me out of the way, and I put him on the floor.

“Do you think that you broke his wrist?”, Ajie asked.

“I think so.”, I replied. “I heard something snap and he screamed.”

“You probably broke or dislocated something.”

“I’m just happy that they caught up with Dr. Kilmer.”

Just then Uncle Paul walked in, and I said, “I thought you were going to be there until midnight?”

“I had the midnight person come in early.”, Uncle Paul said. “Did you guys leave me any cinnamon crisps and fruit salad?”

“I hid some for you.”, Aunt Ruth said. And she got up, and retrieved Uncle Paul’s treat from it’s hiding place.

Then Uncle Paul looked at me, and said, “Kai, where did you learn to move like that?”

“Like what, Uncle Paul?”, I asked.

“You reacted to what that Kilmer guy did so fast that it was over in a flash.”

“I guess from the karate that Ajie and I have been studying. And, it helps to be small and wiry.”

“He didn’t have a chance.”

“That’s the way it’s supposed to work.”

A short time later Ajie, Jackie, Charlie, and I headed for our bedrooms. It had been a long, busy day. And, we wanted to be up reasonably early to go to the gathering tomorrow.

As I was lying in bed, with my hands behind my head, staring at the ceiling, and waiting for Ajie to come out of the bathroom, I was thinking of what had happened today. I was thinking of the good things that had happened, Charlie was at the resort, and he and Jackie have summer jobs, I was with my favorite aunt and uncle, and we’d put a bad guy behind bars. And, the most important thing of all, I was with Ajie.

When Ajie came out of the bathroom, she looked at me and asked, “What are you thinking about?”

“Just today and everything that went on.”, I replied.

“It was interesting.”

“It was, and I’m still wound up.”

“Oh. Just how wound up are you?”

“It’s going to take a while for me to go to sleep.”

Ajie sat her gorgeous naked body down on the bed next to me, leaned down, kissed me, then said, “Well my prince … ”

It was Thursday morning, and there was a soft knock on our bedroom door, and my aunt said, “Are you two awake?”

“Uh. Not really. What time is it?”, I replied.

“Almost six thirty. And breakfast will be on the table in fifteen minutes.”

“Are Charlie and Jackie up yet?”

“Yes, since about six. We need to leave by nine to be there by ten for the opening.”

“Okay, we’ll be right there.”

As we were eating a quick breakfast, we found out that Uncle Paul had loaned Charlie a pair of white linen pants, a bright red shirt, a red headscarf, and a pair of wrap moccasins.

“Charlie, you’d better get used to those.”, I said. “You’ll be wearing them when you work here.”

“No, he won’t.”, Uncle Paul said. “He’s on the maintenance crew, and its jeans, work shirt, and boots. But, when he helps with the barbecue and other events, it will be fancy dress.”

“How about me, Uncle Paul?”, Jackie asked.

“The girls wear long skirts and fancy blouses for most things.”, Aunt Ruth said. “Like what I’m wearing.”

“Ajie brought along a skirt and blouse for me to wear today.”

“And, I’ll loan you a pair of moccasins like I’m wearing if you like?’

“That would be great.”

At about eight-thirty, the six of us gathered in the kitchen. I carried out the case that had the two headdresses with the Eagle feathers in it. And, Ajie carried some jewelry for Jackie.

My aunt and uncle were both in fancy dress with some jewelry. Aunt Ruth was wearing a long fancy skirt, a gorgeous velvet blouse, wrap moccasins, a Concho belt, and a beaded headband.

Uncle Paul was in his usual white linen pants with a red sash, a bright red shirt, a red headscarf, a pair of wrap moccasins, and a Concho belt. And, Charlie was his twin, except for the Concho belt.

Jackie was wearing one of Ajie’s fancy long velvet skirts and a fancy blouse, and a pair of Aunt Ruth’s wrap moccasins. Ajie had brought some jewelry from our bedroom for Jackie. She’d brought a Concho belt, earrings, a ring, a bracelet, and a beaded headband. Ajie handed them to Jackie. Jackie looked at the jewelry, and said, “I can’t wear those.”

“Why not?”, Ajie asked.

“I’d be afraid of losing them.”

“Honey, you won’t lose anything. The clasp on that belt is a good one.”

“If you say so.”

“I do.”

Ajie then helped Jackie put on the belt and earrings.

I wore the white Biil dress, with a Concho belt, a squash blossom necklace, earrings, two bracelets, and a few rings. And a pair of wrap moccasins.

Ajie wore the black Biil dress with the fancy red design around the bottom, wrap moccasins, and her jewelry was about the same as mine.

My aunt looked at Ajie and me, frowned, and said, “What! No headband or headdress of any kind for you two.”

“Oh. We have something.”, Ajie said. “But, not until we get to the gathering.”

“A big secret.”

As I showed Aunt Ruth the case with the headdresses in it, I said, “Sort of.”

Since my aunt and uncle were leaving the gathering early to finish packing for their trip, they drove by themselves to Taos and the gathering. Ajie, Jackie, Charlie, and I followed my aunt and uncle in our car.

When we arrived at the high school, where the gathering was held, there was a large number of cars and pickup trucks there. We found a spot where we could park next to each other. After we’d parked, I retrieved the case from the trunk, set it on the trunk lid, and opened it. My aunt saw the headdresses, and said, “Oh my! Those look wonderful.”

“They do look good. Don’t they?”, I said.

“Put them on. I’ve got to see this.”

I helped Ajie put her headdress on. Then she helped me put mine on. Then we stood side by side. My aunt just shook her head. And, my uncle said, “Those are the Eagle feathers aren’t they?”

“Yes, Uncle Paul, they are.”, I replied.

“You don’t very often see Eagle feathers, especially Bald Eagle feathers, in that prime condition.”

“I know good Bald Eagle feathers are hard to come by.”

“Seeing how you two look, you’re going to get a lot of attention.”, my aunt said.

“Too much?”, I asked.

“No, honey. You and Ajie look just wonderful.”

“Kai.”, Jackie said. “I’ve seen you dressed up before, but this takes the cake. You and Ajie look amazing.”

“Thanks, Jackie.”, I said. “We both like to dress up for things like this. We even do it for the barbecue at the resort.”

The six of us walked towards the high school gym, where the main part of the gathering was. When we walked in, there was a registration table, and they would ask you your name and clan. And if you were not a member of the Navajo Nation or a clan, they would ask you for a five dollar donation towards food. Those that were members of a clan had the cost of food covered by the clans.

Once we got to the registration table, my uncle went first, and told the lady sitting at the table, “I’m Yiska Biakeddy of the Tsin yee na'álo'íí - (Tree Stretcher People) clan. I forgot that Uncle Paul wasn’t a member of the Azee'tsoh dine'é – (The Big Medicine People) clan.

Aunt Ruth was next, and she said, “I’m Sahkyo Biakeddy of the Azee'tsoh dine'é – (The Big Medicine People) clan.” Ajie was next, and she said, “I’m Ajie Nez, and I’m also a member of the Azee'tsoh dine'é clan.

I was next, and I said, “I’m Kai Nez, also of the Azee'tsoh dine'é clan.”

For the first time the woman looked up from the ledger that she was writing in, and I smiled at her. Then she said, “You did say, Kai Nez. Didn’t you?”

“Yes.”, I said. “Kai Nez.”

“Oh.”

Then I said, “These are my friends, and they are not a member of a clan.”

“Can I please have their names?”

“It’s Charlie and Jackie Hamilton. And, I’ll pay their fee.”

“Kai, no you won’t.”, Charlie said.

“Charlie, you and Jackie are my guests. So, I’m paying for you.”

I opened my purse, and took a ten dollar bill out of my wallet, and handed it to the lady. She took it, and said, “Thank you, Miss Nez.”

We walked into the gym, and I was amazed at the number of people who were there. We looked around for a couple of minutes, and then we heard someone yell, “Kai! Ajie!”

We turned and looked to where the voice was coming from, and we saw Dibe running towards us. Her dance regalia was gorgeous. She almost knocked me over as she hugged me. Then she gave Ajie the same kind of hug.

Dibe then said, “Kai, Ajie. Come on. You have to join me for the grand entrance.”

“We’re not dancing.”, I replied.

“So, other non-dancers will take part in the grand entrance. And the dancing is just for fun.”

“Kai.”, Charlie said. “Go with her. We’ll sit with your aunt and uncle.”

“Okay. We’ll find you after the grand entrance.”

Dibe grabbed our hands and pulled us back out into the hall. When we got there, and Dibe finally calmed down, I got a chance to ask her about school. And she told us that school was wonderful and that she was doing great. I asked her what great meant. And she told me that she was pulling straight A’s so far. I hugged her. Then I looked at Ajie and smiled. Then, Ajie congratulated her with a hug.

Finally, Dibe looked at us, and said, “I just love your Biil dresses, and those headdresses are wonderful. What are the feathers?”

“Bald Eagle.”

“Oh wow! How did you get them.”

I started telling her, but the drums for the grand entrance started, and I couldn’t finish. But, I told her that I’d finish my story later.

We were towards the front of the grand entrance, and as we slowly walked around the gym, Dibe and her friends danced. And I think her dancing had gotten better if that was possible.

After we’d made the slow loop around the gym, we told Dibe that we’d see her later and that we needed to find our friends and my aunt and uncle. We again received big hugs.

We started walking around the gym looking for my aunt, uncle, Jackie, and Charlie. We finally found them waving at us, and we worked our way towards them. And, my aunt was right, I noticed a lot of people giving us more than a quick glance.

When we reached them, they had two seats reserved for us. And Jackie said, “That was amazing. Some of those people dance their hearts out.”

“That they do.”, Ajie said.

“And their costumes are something else.”, Charlie said.

“Oops, Charlie. Never call what they're wearing a costume. It isn’t. It’s part of their heritage. It’s called regalia.”

“I stand corrected. Regalia it’ll be.”

“Who was that girl that attacked you when we first got here?”, Jackie asked.

“That was Dibe Bylilly.”, I said. “She’s the first recipient of the Chief Nastas Todachine Memorial Scholarship.”

“She also looks like she can really dance?”

“She can. She’s won a lot of awards. And, her drive to be a doctor is as strong as her drive to be a good dancer is.”

Just then I heard, “Yá'át'ééh, Kai, Ajie, Sahkyo, dóó Yiska. Nizhonigó íiná aadóó hozhónahasdlíí.” - (Hello, Kai, Ajie, Ruth, and Paul. It is good, and all is harmony around us.)

It was Chief Kinlicheeny. I heard Ajie tell Charlie and Jackie what Chief Kinlicheeny has said. And, he was dressed in fancy clothes.

I said, “Yá’át’ééh, Naat'áanii Kinlicheeny. Nizhonigó íiná aadóó hozhónahasdlíí.” - (Hello, Chief Kinlicheeny. It is good, and all is harmony around us.)

Then I said, “Chief, these are our friends from the university Charlie and Jackie Hamilton. Charlie and Jackie this is Chief Kinlicheeny, Chief of the Navajo Nation.”

Chief Kinlicheeny said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Charlie and Jackie.”

“Chief … it’s … it’s a pleasure to meet you too.”, Jackie said. And, the Chief and Charlie shook hands.

The Chief then said, “I hope these two aren’t getting you into any trouble.”

“No. sir.”, Jackie replied. “Not yet.”

“Don’t let them.”

“We won’t.”

“Enjoy the gathering. I’ll see you all later.”

“Yá’át’ééh, Chief.”, I said.

After Chief Kinlicheeny had walked away, Jackie asked, “Kai, who don’t you and Ajie know?”

“A lot of people.”, I said.

“But, the Chief of the Navajo Nation?”

“He likes a good barbecue, and we met him at the barbecue at the resort, and we’ve become friends. Do you two feel like walking around.”

As we walked away from my aunt and uncle, my aunt said, “Kids, have fun. And, we’ll see you back at the house later.”

“Are you sure Aunt Ruth?”, I asked.

“Sure honey. We have many friends here that we want to see, and we’re going back home early to finish packing.”

“Okay, we’ll see you at home.”

The four of us started walking the halls of the high school, and they had vendors set up in various classrooms. So, we wandered in and out of classrooms looking at the wares that people were offering. And, there were some very lovely things. Ajie found a flat basket that she just loved and after talking to the vendor we bought it.

Then we found Mrs. Cyl and her mother. When Mrs. Cyl saw us, she smiled, said something to her mother and a teen aged girl that was with them. As we made it to their stall, Mrs. Cyl said, “Kai Nez, I’m so happy to see you, and the two of you look so nice.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Cyl.”, I said. “And most of it is because of yours and your families craftsmanship.”

“Mom, Mai come over here.”, Mrs. Cyl said. “I want you to meet some special people.”

Mrs. Cyl introduced us to her mother and daughter. And, Ajie and I thanked them for all of their beautiful work. Mrs. Cyl’s mother said that it was us that made their work look so good because we were so pretty. Ajie and I smiled at her and, Ajie said, “Your work is fantastic, and we’re just the canvas.”

We talked for a few minutes, and then we moved on. After a short time, Charlie asked, “Is there someplace that we could sit.”

“Are you okay?”, Jackie asked him.

“Just getting a little tired.”

“Let’s head for the cafeteria.”, I said. “They’ll have places to sit. Besides its almost lunchtime.”

“Kai, are you thinking with your stomach again?”, Ajie said.

“Sure. They should have frybread tacos.”

Ajie shook her head.

We made our way to the cafeteria, found a place to sit, and Jackie and I went and got lunch as Ajie stayed with Charlie. And yes they were serving frybread tacos, along with other things. As we finished going through the line, there was a box for donations. I pulled a couple of bills out of my purse and put them in the box.

We made it back to Ajie and Charlie. It was nice that you could hear the drumming and singing coming from the gym while you ate.

Just as we were finishing our meal, a younger man walked up, and said, “Are those Eagle feathers.”

I didn’t have a bad feeling about this guy, but I just replied, “Yes.”

“Where did you get them?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“You shouldn’t have them.”

“Why not?”

“What did you do that was brave?”

“We were given the feathers.”

“Given. By who?”

“Again, it’s none of your business.”

Just then we heard a familiar voice say, “Hal. I see you’ve found my friends.”

It was Dibe. She ran up, and said, “Kai. Ajie. I see you’ve met my boyfriend.”

“Not exactly met, Dibe.”, I said.

“Oh. I saw you talking.”

“We were, but he was questioning our wearing of the Eagle feathers.”

Dibe looked at the guy in a stern way, and in Navajo said, “Ata’halne, these are my friends Kai Nez and Ajie Nez. I’ve told you about them. Please be nice.”

Then in English, Dibe said to us, “I’m sorry. Ata’halne or as we call him Hal, has strong feelings for traditional things.”

“Dibe.”, I said. “It is good to have strong feelings for the traditional things.” Then looking at Hal, I said, “But, Hal, it isn’t good to come up to someone like you did and confront them that way.”

Hal looked at me and timidly said, “So … So … You’re the Kai Nez that Dibe has told me so much about?”

I smiled at him, and said, “Yes.”

“I’m sorry Miss Nez.”

“If you have time, why don’t you and Dibe join us, and I’ll tell you our story of the Bald Eagles and why we wear the feathers.”

“We were going to grab lunch.”, Dibe said. “Hal. Honey, why don’t you go and get us some lunch.”

I said, “The frybread tacos are great.”

Hal ran off to get lunch, and Dibe sat with us. When Hal was out of earshot, Dibe asked, “What did Hal do?”

“He came up to us and started questioning us as to why we were wearing Eagle feathers.”, I replied.

“He does that. He has a strong sense of our heritage. And, sometimes goes overboard.”

“He needs to be careful. He came close to crossing the line today. And one day he may pick on the wrong person.”

“I know. I keep telling him to stop doing it.”

“Is he a Navajo?”, Ajie asked.

“Yes, and he’s from southern Colorado.”, Dibe replied.

“Did you meet him at the university in Denver?”

“No, he was with the group that I started dancing with. But, then I found out that he was also going to the university and is a sophomore.”

“And, he came down here with you for the gathering?”

“Uh huh. I wanted mom and dad to meet him.”

With a smile, I said, “Oh!”

She smiled back, and said, “He’s nice.”

“Maybe more than nice?”

Dibe blushed.

We talked some more while we waited for Hal to come back with their food.

When Hal was back, and they were eating, I said, “Hal, you asked about the Eagle feathers that we’re wearing.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to come across like I did.”, Hal said.

“That’s all right. Ajie and I have a long history with a pair of Bald Eagles. We first met them back home in Ohio when we were in junior high school. … ” And I went on to tell not only Hal and Dibe the story of our relationship with the Bald Eagles, and I think Charlie and Jackie heard the full story for the first time.

I finished with, “ … Then Sicheii Uskilith, who is a tribal elder and the Speaker of the Navajo Nation Council, told us that we are the protectors of the Eagles and that they are our protectors, and that they have blessed us. And, that they are our connection to the Great Spirit.

“He also suggested that we have the feathers added to a headdress and wear it here, at the gathering as the feathers need to be displayed.

“Hal, know you know why we have the Bald Eagle feathers and wear them with pride. Did that make sense?”

Hal looked at me for a couple of seconds, then said, “Yes. Dibe has told me that you are a Nádleeh and that you’re special. And, I see that. And, your story of the Eagles is amazing especially if the ones out here are the same ones that were in Ohio. And, I’m very glad that you told me that story. But, more so I’m glad that I met you and Ajie. And, the two of you deserve to wear the feathers.”

“And, I’m glad that I met you too Hal. One last thing, don’t confront people the way you did me. I could sense that you meant no harm. But, you need to find out everything that you can ahead of time. And even then be careful.”

“Miss Nez. You’re right. Dibe has been trying to get me to stop confronting people the way I do. But, I think today I learned my lesson.”

“I’m glad Hal. I like you, and I don’t want to see you hurt. And, it’s just Kai.”

Just then I heard a male voice behind me say, “Yá’át’ééh, Ata’halne. I see that you’ve met Kai Nez.”

“Yá’át’ééh, Uncle Bidzii.”, Hal said. “Yes, we’ve just had an interesting talk.”