and saw the little bright red figure in Sun Woman's arms,
its eyes screwed shut, its mouth wide open, at the joining of its legs
the life-giving crevice. A glistening blue cord coiling up from the
baby's belly joined her still to Redbird's body.

She felt another pain now, and pushed out the afterbirth with a groan.
Wind Bends Grass and Yellow Hair helped her to stumble to the bed
against the wall of the wickiup. They wrapped her in a light blanket,
while Sun Woman cut the cord and set it aside to be dried and put in the
baby's medicine bag. Then Wind Bends Grass bathed the tiny body first
with water, then with oil. She put her granddaughter in her daughter's
arms.

"What will you call her?" she asked.

Redbird had thought of a name in the lake where she and Yellow Hair had
been bathing several days ago. "I will call her Floating Lily."

"A good name," Sun Woman said.

Floating Lily's voice was strong. Hungry already, and she had only been
in the world a few moments. Redbird pressed the little mouth against her
breast. She prayed that she would have milk. She had eaten as much as
she could; now she must give nourishment.

She felt the rhythmic pull on her breast. The baby's mouth was full of
milk; no more crying. A warm feeling spread through Redbird's body.

After Redbird had fed Floating Lily, they both slept. It was near
sundown when the three women attending her helped her limp with the baby
back to her own wickiup. Each time she took a step it felt as if a club
hit her between her legs, but her heart rejoiced that the ordeal was
over.

Yellow Hair said that she would go and look for Woodrow and Eagle
Feather. She was crying. Redbird was not sure why.

In the wickiup, White Bear was waiting for her. As she lay on her bed
with Floating Lily, his eyes lit up with joy at the sight of his
daughter. He picked the baby up, which made her cry, and he laughed and
handed her back to Redbird.

"I was not with you to see our son born," he said. "I have never been
happier in my life than I am at this moment."

The hide curtain over the wickiup doorway was pulled aside and Owl
Carver entered, holding his owl's head medicine stick in one hand and a
bowl of smoking aromatic herbs and wood shavings in another. His white
hair was getting thinner and thinner, Redbird noticed, and he walked
with a permanent stoop. He blew the smoke over Redbird and Floating Lily
to bless them.

"May she walk her path with honor," he sai