A Penny Saved is a Love Earned Pt. 03

"Horses? Trail? Up where?" Penelope insistently asked, "Do you think that maybe now you two could tell me what in the hell is going on?"

~~~~~~

Long before Penelope and I had gone to Washington D.C., I'd called Rich when I decided who the perfect ally would be in my plan to help heal my beautiful Penelope's heart. He and I discussed how to lovingly guide her, without making it look like we were, in any way; trying to make Penelope do anything against her will, God forbid.

Facing one's fear has always been difficult, and the same would be for Penelope, as the next morning, she would take the first step onto the path that would lead her to her own fears. I was going to be right there beside her, and I'd pledged my heart to my beautiful Penelope, and would now gladly give my own life before I would ever let any harm come to her ever again.

~~~~~~

Once we'd been taken from the airport to the hotel, the three of us sat in the dining room of our suite, drinking coffee and talking with Penelope being the first to speak up.

"Okay, you two," she asked, smiling at me and Rich, "Because of yesterday's events, I know that our being here has something to do with my mother, am I right?"

"Damn, she's pretty smart," I teased, eliciting a chuckle from Rich, "What do you think, Rich, should we tell her?"

"Tell me what?" she smiled, "Come on, you guys."

"I don't know, Bryan," Rich grinned, playfully ignoring Penelope, "I'm not real sure about that, man. Besides, you know how women are."

"You two are such assholes," she giggled, "Okay, you win, now tell me...boys."

Of course her remark caused another round of laughter to burst forth from all three of us. After the laughter had abated, and we'd calmed down, still smiling though, Rich looked at Penelope and said, "Tomorrow we're going to a place that only a few people have seen. It is a seventy hundred acre tract of land cradled in between three mountain at an elevation of just a little under twelve thousand feet above sea level. Your father took me there once, a long time ago when you were just a tiny baby."

"That's all well and good," Penelope replied, "And I'm not trying to be mean when I say this; but what does this have to do with my mother...or me?"

"You are spiritually bound to this land," Rich told her, "You are the last female of your mother's bloodline."

Okay, Uncle Rich," Penny smiled, "Now I'm really confused."

"This may sound a little crazy, but I swear it's the truth," Rich began, "This particular piece of land has been in your family for eleven generations now. Your great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandmother, whew," he smiled, as he continued, "Was one of the few holy women in the Northern Cheyenne Nation at that time, and like you, was of the So'taa'eo'o People, and, she and your mother shared the same name."

"Nala," I said.

"That's right," Rich smiled, "Anyway, Nala would spend days on end at this place, meditating and seeking enlightenment. One night as she was preparing to sleep after a long days meditation, she heard voices coming from below an escarpment that stretches across the northern facing of the leeward mountain base. Out of curiosity more than anything else, she slowly crept down a hidden trail to find an Apache war party bedding down for the night. She knew that it had to have been a war party, what else were the Apache doing this far north?'

"Holy shit," Penelope gasped, "She could have been killed."

"Yes, she was a very brave woman," Rich smiled, "And even though it was very dangerous for her to do so, she still managed to ride back to the village and warn the people."

"What happened after that?" I curiously asked.

"Oh, that's easy," Rich chuckled, "The chief sent the Dogmen out after the Apache."

"The Dogmen?" I asked, "Who were they?"

Before he could respond, Penelope put her hand on my leg and proudly said, "The Dogmen, or, Hotametaneo'o as they're called in Cheyenne, were a militaristic society of very honorable, yet very brave and fierce warriors which existed within the tribe. And out of the six societies that existed within the Cheyenne nation as a whole, the Dogmen were not only the most respected, but also the most feared."

"So, what happened to Nala?" I smiled, holding Penelope's hand.

"She was credited with saving the village," Rich told us, "The chief gave her a warrior name, Hota'ma'ehoohe, which translated means; Sly Fox. Nala was also given the tract of land that sat in the mountains, and it was dubbed, holy land, forbidden to all but those who carried Nala's bloodline."

"What does this mean?" Penelope asked, "Does this land belong to me?"

"Yes, and no," Rich said, "It's still Cheyenne land, but you and your immediate family are the only ones who can set foot on it?"

"Okay," Penny answered, "I think I understand, or at least I'm' trying to."

After looking at his watch, Rich smiled and said, "We're going to meet with the head of the Tribal Council in about an hour. His name is Robert Crowhorse and he and your mother were good friends in school."

~~~~~~

"Oh, my goodness," Robert Crowhorse smiled, upon meeting Penelope, "You look so much like your mother, child."

"Thank you, Mister Crowhorse," Penelope smiled, "That was very kind of you to say."

"Not at all," he grinned, "You come from a long and honorable line of great women, all of whom possessed souls as pure as the fresh driven snow," he began to blush, "Not to mention beauty beyond compare, Miss Penelope, or is it Missus Penelope..."

"It's Doctor Penelope Brennan, Mister Crowhorse," Penny sweetly giggled, "And thank you for the compliment."

"Please," he smiled, inviting us into his home, "Come in and take a seat. I just brewed some wildflower tea."

~~~~~~

"I still can't believe how much you look like Nala," Robert Crowhorse kindly said, "We were all so very sorry when we heard that she had died. She was just as beautiful inside as she was outside, and...she was a good person and a great friend."

He suddenly turned to Rich, surprising Penelope and I both; and then with a knowing smile across his face, he chuckled and said, "You were right to bring her here, old friend. She will find peace in the place that only her ancestors have gone before her."

"What was she like as a teenager," Penny excitedly asked, "Did she have a lot of friends, Mister Crowhorse?"

"Please Doctor Brennan, call me Robert, or just plain old Rob if you like," he chuckled, "Mister Crowhorse makes me sound even more ancient than I already am."

"Okay, Rob," Penelope sweetly smiled, "In that case call me Penelope, or Penny to my closest friends."

"Thank you, Penny," Rob grinned, "The answer to your question about your mother is yes. She had a lot of friends, and was very well liked by both the students and teachers alike."

"How did she and my father meet?" she anxiously asked

"It's funny you should ask," Rob now openly laughed, "I introduced the two of them to each other.

"So, you also knew my father then," Penny asked smiling, "What was he like before he met my mother."

"Silly as hell," Rich chuckled, "Wouldn't you agree, Robbie?"

"Hell yes," Rob laughed, "But that all changed the moment her met Nala, your mother, Penny. I've never seen two people who loved one another the way those two loved each other."

"Really," Penny wistfully asked, both Rob and Rich nodding their heads, "The only memories I have of them are very kind and loving."

"The only other time I saw him cry before your mother died, was the day she put you into his arms," Rob said, "You should know that your mother and father loved you very much, Penny."

"I do," Penny sweetly grinned, "But you still haven't told me how they met."

"I was already in the Navy when I met your Dad," Rob smiled, and nodding at Rich, "He and Rich here were my instructors when I went through BUD/S."

"So, the three of you were SEALs then," I asked, as up until now, Rich had never given any indication as to how he'd known Penelope's father; he'd simply said that he knew him.

"That's right," Rob proudly smiled, "We were members of SEAL Team One, Underwater Demolition Team Eight."

"Hoo-Yah," Rich quietly chuckled.

"Anyway," Rob continued smiling, "I brought Rich and David, your dad, home on leave with me. Everyone here welcomed them with open arms, and were glad to meet two of several honorable men I served with."

"I remember," Rich smiled, "That was a lot of fun."

"Your grandparents were alive then," Rob told Penny, "And they absolutely adored your father. And per your grandfather's request, I took Rich and Dave to their first Pow-Wow the following weekend, which is where your parents met for the first time."

"Yep," Rich chuckled, "And the two of them went crazy over one another the minute they laid eyes on each other."

"Yeah, they did," Rob laughed, telling Penny, "Nala didn't allow us to go anywhere that she wasn't right there beside your father; and that was the whole time we were here."

"I think it's sweet," Penny giggled, "It sounds like they loved each other very much."

"That's not even the half of it," Rich laughed, "Tell him, Robbie."

"He's right," Rob said, "Your mother had just graduated high school the year before, but couldn't afford to go to college so; what does Dave do? He pays for her tuition at the University of California in San Diego so that they can be together. They got married during her Senior Year and then you came along a year later. You were barely two months old when they moved to Saigon."

"I only wish that I could've know them better," Penelope sadly replied, "Mom took me to my grandparent's funeral the year before she was killed herself. And then after Dad died, I just..."

By this time Penelope's eyes were beginning to fill with tears, but as opposed to letting her feel anything but goodness, I placed my arm around her waist, pulling her to me, and said, "But think of how proud of you that I know they both are, sweetheart."

"That man speaks the truth, Penny," Rob smiled, "And knowing your Dad as well as Rich and I did, I'd say that he would be very proud of the woman you've turned out to be," and then nodding at me, "And from what I've heard about young Bryan here, your father would've been very proud of the man you've chosen to be with."

"Thank you, sir," I humbly replied, "That was very nice of you to say."

"Hell, kid," Rob chuckled, Rich standing next to him snickering himself, "It's easy to tell the truth. Just keep loving Penelope the way that me and Rich can tell you already do, and you'll stay off of our shit list."

"Thanks guys," I politely, but firmly replied, wanting them to know how I truly felt, "I swear that I'll never let anything happen to her, ever."

"Hoo-Yah, kid," Rob smiled, patting me on the shoulder, "You're our kind of guy."

~~~~~~

That night back at the hotel, I could sense a feeling of calmness about my beautiful Penelope that had never before been there. She seemed to be relaxed, the feelings of apprehension that she once harbored now gone.

However, according to both Rob and Rich, it was still imperative that she make the journey to that sacred place which had now become hers. "It will do her more good than you can ever know," Rich secretly told me.

And as she and I lay down to sleep that night, I felt blessed in the realization that God had allowed me to be a part of all this...the healing of my beautiful Penelope.

~~~~~~

We were on the road by six o'clock the next morning, driving one hundred miles west to Lame Deer, where we would meet the guide that was going to lead us, on horseback, up the mountain to the opening of the path that led to the sacred land.

"I'm getting excited about this," Penny smiled, seemingly in good spirits, "It's going to be nice to see something that was handed down through my family."

"I'm glad that you're in such a great mood, Penny," Rich grinned, "And I want you to keep smiling, okay?"

~~~~~~

"Hello, Richard Boles," our guide smiled, "It's good to see you again."

"You, too, John," Rich smiled, then turned to Penelope and I and said, "This is John Tobias. He's also Cheyenne and not only is he the best tracker this side of the Mississippi, but he knows these mountains like the back of his hand...and he's a good friend, too." Then Rich turned to John, and introducing us, said, "John, this young lady is the daughter of David and Nala Brennan, and the honorable young man with her is Bryan Rogers."

"So, Bryan," John said, smiling knowingly at me, "You are the Great Ve'ho'notaxeo'o I've seen in my dreams."

"What?" I stupidly asked, "The Great what..."

"When Richard called me two days ago," John began, "I sought the counsel of one of our Shaman. He told me that you, Bryan, A Great White Warrior, would come to protect Miss Penelope on her journey to the sacred land. I saw your faces in my dreams, and in those same dreams a voice told me that the two of you have been together before time began...and will be together after time ceases to exist...and only the two of you can enter the sacred land...where you will both find peace."

~~~~~~

All was quiet during the first part of the ride, and it was only Penelope that noticed something the rest of us did not.

It's awfully quiet here, don't you guys think?" she pointedly said, "I mean, I haven't heard a single sound since we started out, no birds, no animals, even the wind isn't blowing."

"That's because the animals, birds and even the wind all respect the sacred ground we're going to," John stated, "It's been that way for well over two thousand years."

"That sounds a little scary to me," I cautiously replied, "It's been my experience that birds and animals alike, all leave when something bad is about to happen."

"You're right to be afraid, my brother," John forebodingly replied, "And if you're not afraid now, you will be, I promise...you will be."

"I won't let anything happen to you, baby," Penelope replied, bringing her horse beside mine and holding my hand, "I love you, Bryan."

"I know you do," I smiled, "And I love you, too."

"Hold on tightly to that love, my children," John said, "For the strength of your hearts will be what guides through the mighty storm you're about to face."

"Damn, John," I laughed, "You make it sound like we're never coming back."

"Take what I've told you in there with you, my brother," John menacingly warned, "If you don't...you will never return."

~~~~~~

We rode for three more hours until we came to the snowline on the mountain. After the signal from John to dismount, we got off of our horses while he and Rich began to set up camp.

"What's this?" I asked, as they continued setting up," I thought we were going to the sacred land."

"Look there," John said, pointing to a dark and foreboding cave, some thirty yards up the snowline, "Soon will be the time that you and Penelope must enter that place. It is the way that leads to the sacred ground."

~~~~~~

After John and Rich had set up camp, we all sat around the fire drinking hot wildflower tea.

"I can't get over how good this stuff is," Penelope smiled, "And it makes me feel so good, too."

"It is called Ya'she'sha'me, my child, John smiled, "It takes away bad feelings and replaces them with good ones, especially if the person drinking it has a pure heart, like you do."

"I don't know about all that," Penny smiled, "But thank you, anyway."

"You are a healer, like your mother before you, little one," John told her, "And the great father in the sky only allows a pure heart into they that have the power you hold."

"Okay," Penelope smiled, "I guess I can live with that."

~~~~~~

That night as we slept, I didn't feel the cold, as my beautiful Penelope lay closely against me, sharing her body warmth with me, and me with her.

I know that I dreamed about her before, but this time Nala didn't come to me in my dreams, only her voice telling me, "All is well, my child, for you and my daughter shall see the light soon..."

~~~~~~

I was the first one awake the next morning, opening my eyes only seconds after the dawn's early light broke across the western horizon. I looked over to where Penny lay sleeping beside me and prayed, asking God for the strength that John said I was going to need on the arduous trek that lay before Penny and I.

~~~~~~

The next morning we set out to the cave entrance, trudging through the cold and deep snow until Penelope and I came up on it. It was dark and mysterious as we looked into the cave and saw that the darkness within only faded into an infinity of darkness beyond the entrance.

"I'm scared, Bryan," Penelope whispered, taking my hand as we walked into the darkness before us.

"Me, too," I said, pulling her closely to me, "But I've got a feeling that it's going to be alright, just you wait and see."

~~~~~~

We'd been in the cave for about twenty minutes, our flashlights on because the light from the cave entrance had long since vanished when all of a sudden; a strong wind began to blow within the passageway, almost knocking us off our feet.

"Bryan, hold me," Penelope cried, "I'm really scared."

"I'm right here, baby," I told her, becoming angry at whatever was making her feel afraid, "Hang on to me, I'll protect you."

~~~~~~

We walked further into the cave and all at once, the wind stopped. However, a neon green colored fog began making it's way to where we stood, staying primarily on the ground, until it finally reached us.

Suddenly I heard a loud thundering BOOM coming from somewhere ahead of us. All at once I saw what looked like a huge opening appear before us, followed by what I can only describe as the most beautiful light I've ever seen.

"Momma," Penelope suddenly said, looking into the light and walking ahead of me, "Momma, Daddy...I'm here," and then she took off at a dead run toward it.

"PENNY, NO," I shouted, trying to run to catch her; but the faster I ran, the further away the light drifted.

I kept running until I came to the edge of a great precipice, but when I tried to stop; the weight of my body with the momentum I'd built up from running pushed me over the edge and I was falling into what looked like a bottomless abyss.

"PENELOPE," I yelled, to no avail, "PENELOPE, PLEASE HELP ME, I LOVE YOUUUUU..."

I fell for seemed like hours through the cold darkness inside the mountain, until I felt something warm. I turned my body to realize that I was rapidly falling into what looked like an inferno of fire, lava, and molten rock.

"AHHHH, GOOOOD,"I yelled in pain, as I continued falling through the molten earth, that had to be somewhere between two and three thousand degrees Fahrenheit, as it burned my skin, which was now dripping from my body to expose my bones.

This went on for seemingly hours on end until, out of the blue it stopped. I could immediately feel the ambient temperature around me cooling off, when, without warning of any kind; my body fell into a cold, refreshing pool of clear water. I managed to swim to shore with what little bit of strength I had left, and then fell into a painful and dreamless sleep.

~~~~~~

Chapter Five

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself laying face down on the floor of the same forest from my dreams of Nala.

All at once I saw many Cheyenne people, dressed as their eighteenth century ancestors in buckskin clothing, standing around me in a semi-circle. And as my eyes came into focus, I saw Penelope laying on a bed made of soft pine needles and ferns with her eyes closed, almost like she were sleeping. However, I noticed something distinctly different about her.

~~~~~~

She wore a content smile on her face, and her body seemed to glow, emitting a kind of light unlike anything I'd ever seen before, almost similar to the light we'd encountered in the tunnel.