Dances with Wolves Page #23

DUNBAR:

That's my hat.

At the sound of these words the cheerful talk around the

fire begins to fade.

Dunbar touches the top of his head and points to his hat.

DUNBAR:

My hat.

BIG WARRIOR:

I found it on the prairie. It's mine.

A silence falls between the two men. wind In His Hair speaks.

WIND IN HIS HAIR

That hat belongs to my friend here.

BIG WARRIOR:

He left it on the prairie. He didn't

want it.

WIND IN HIS HAIR

You can see that he wants it now.

The Big Warrior shakes his head. He won't budge.

WIND IN HIS HAIR

We all know that is a soldier hat.

We all know who wears it. If you

want to keep it that's alright. But

give something for it.

The other men around the fire murmur their assent. The Big

Warrior thinks for a moment then abruptly gets to his feet.

He looks at his waist and unfastens a knife in a beautiful

worked scabbard. He tosses it across to Dunbar.

The lieutenant examines the trade item a moment. Now he looks

back at the big warrior. A smile breaks slowly across his

face and Dunbar nods. At last he smiles back. It's a trade.

And at that, the cheerful voices around the fire are at it

again.

Dunbar takes his new knife out and as he watches the light

flicker off the blade a voice comes into his ear.

WIND IN HIS HAIR

(pointing to his head)

Good trade.

Dunbar looks into his smiling face. He laughs.

DUNBAR:

Yes, it's good. But, I have to sleep.

He excuses himself and walks away from the light of the fire,

finds himself alone in the shadows, still marveling at his

breastplate.

EXT. TEMPORARY CAMP - NIGHT

Wind In His Hair finishes sucking on the rib bone and tosses

it to a dog that's been trailing him. Kicking Bird is walking

toward him. He notices the new tunic and gives wind In His

Hair a dubious look.

KICKING BIRD:

Where is loo ten tant?

WIND IN HIS HAIR

I ate him.

Kicking Bird reaches out and feels the strange material on

either side of Wind In His Hair's chest.

WIND IN HIS HAIR

I traded for it.

KICKING BIRD:

Does it scratch the skin?

WIND IN HIS HAIR

A little. But do you see how good it

looks. Everyone says it looks good.

Everyone.

EXT. TEMPORARY CAMP - NIGHT

Dunbar keeps to the shadows as he makes his way through camp.

Now he slows his step.

Light from another fire is spilling into his path. There's

music too. And singing. The voices are high and feminine.

Dunbar peers around a lodge. A group of young women are

dancing in a clockwise circle. Their steps are light-hearted.

This is dancing purely for the fun of it.

One of the young women spots him standing behind the lodge

and there's a wave of shy giggling as news of "loo ten tant's"

presence is passed along. Embarrassed, Dunbar starts along

the fringe of the fires, nodding politely to the women as he

goes.

One has more courage than the others. She breaks out, takes

his hand and steers him gently into the dance circle. Whatever

resistance he might have is buried by the girl's insistent

encouragement. She keeps showing him the step and the

lieutenant tries to pick it up.

The movement is simple and the music is mesmerizing. Awkward

at first, Dunbar quickly gets the hang of it. In short order,

he's keeping up with the others. And he's enjoying himself.

Soon he has relaxed enough to shut his eyes, carried along

by the eternal sound of the drums. He doesn't notice that

the circle has begun to shrink. There is a touch of the devil

in their eyes.

He bumps into somebody and the woman behind bumps into him.

But the girls just laugh and so does Dunbar. It was a pleasant

accident. But quickly there's another accident. And then all

their bodies are squeezing against his. The girls are

murmuring good things to him. Their hands are touching him

everywhere.

It's okay with Dunbar. Everybody's having a good time. The

drumming suddenly stops however, and the women scatter away

from the fire, leaving Dunbar suddenly alone. Kicking Bird

is standing not far off.

DUNBAR:

They asked me to dance...

The medicine man says nothing.

DUNBAR:

I was just dancing...

The lieutenant does a step or two, trying to explain. Finally,

that strange half-smile appears on Kicking Bird's face.

EXT. KICKING BIRD'S LODGE - NIGHT

Stands With A Fist has been watching everything from the

tipi flap. Now she ducks back inside.

INT. KICKING BIRD'S LODGE - NIGHT

The fire is still burning in the center of the lodge. Dunbar

is sleeping soundly.

It's not a moment later that we hear the soft sounds of

mumbling somewhere in the lodge. Then it's quiet. There's

that mumbling again. And now a woman's giggle.

Dunbar stirs, waking and curious, sits up a little and looks

across the fire. There is movement on Kicking Bird's platform.

The medicine man's head and that of his wife come into view

for a second or two before they sink back down into shadow.

The movements and sound that follow become more forceful.

They're having sex.

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