Waterstrider was the son of Crooked Back, and like his father he was crippled from birth. He could not stand up straight but must be always bent like a juniper twig. In the time of the spilling moon he kept to himself on the river, grieving over the death of the girl Pretty Mouth, who had been trampled by horses. Enemies came to the river, and Waterstrider frightened them away with his shield, stealing two of their best weapons. His shield was made by Many Magpies, a young man among the shieldmakers.
In the night, in the moonlit water, the girl Pretty Mouth appeared to Waterstrider. She was beautiful and graceful beyond his belief. Her supple body was curved and shone like the moon. She approached upon the bank and stood very close to Waterstrider. She reached out and touched her fingers to the shield. And then the time of Waterstrider's grief was ended.
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In The Presence of The Sun: Stories and Poems
