She turned for a closer look at him. His steaming breath obscured his face. He stopped. He swayed, and the bear's skull fell back from his lolling head. She screamed, a sound that rang distantly in her ears. Gray Cloud dropped to his knees, then fell forward on his face, sending up a great puff of powdery snow that glittered in the moonlit air. The silence after his fall was as stunning as thunder. Redbird felt tears stream from her eyes--and freeze at once on her cheeks. That he should have lived through two nights of blizzard and cold, that he should come down alive from the sacred cave, only to die within sight of the village under her very eyes, was more than she could stand. "Oh, no!" she whispered. "He must not die." She fell to her knees beside him. He lay face down, half buried. She put her hands under his shoulder and pushed to raise his head. He was heavy, but her fear and her love for him made her strong enough to move him. She lifted his upper body and turned him on his side, and she saw the beloved features, frost-white. Hope made her heart beat faster as little clouds of warm air puffed from his nostrils. But his breathing was ragged and shallow. She had to get him in out of the cold. Gasping with the effort, she rolled him over on his back. She would have to try to drag him to the village. Sobbing with near-exhaustion, she sat by his head, shoved her hands under his shoulders and tried to stand, pulling him up with her. All at once there was no weight on her arms. Someone else was there, lifting Gray Cloud. She looked up, thankful, yet afraid she might see Wolf Paw returned to do them harm. No, it was Iron Knife. Seeing the broad face of her half brother, a cry of relief burst from her throat. "Oh, Iron Knife! It is so good you are here." He smiled grimly, grunting as he hauled Gray Cloud to his feet. Gray Cloud's eyes were shut, his mouth hanging open. "Lucky for Wolf Paw that Gray Cloud came when he did," Iron Knife said. "I was getting an arrow ready for Wolf Paw." He jerked his head at the bow slung over his shoulder. "Even the son of Black Hawk?" She vividly remembered Wolf Paw's threats, but the thought of Iron Knife murdering him horrified her. "Do you think I'd let him drown my sister?" Iron Knife put an arm around Gray Cloud's shoulders, bent down and picked him up under the knees, bearskin cloak and all. Blowing a cloud of steam out of his mouth, he straightened, cradling Gray Cloud in his arms. Though Gray Cloud was nearly as tall as Iron Knife, he was much lighter. It was Iron Knife, she realized, whose eyes she had felt on her after Wolf Paw ran away. They started off for the camp. She heard the voices of men and women raised, calling to one another. Wolf Paw must have given the alarm. "How did you know I was out here?" she asked. "You were sleeping when I left the wickiup."