Having married Red Paint and thus become Yellow Kidney’s son-in-law, White Man’s Dog joins a raiding party that advances on the Crows to avenge Yellow Kidney’s attack. White Man’s Dog quickly becomes a respected member of the tribe, while Yellow Kidney, who has finally made it home to his family, lives the remainder of his life in shame. Mik-api leads White Man’s Dog to Skunk Bear, his elusive spirit animal, who gifts White Man’s Dog the power of the wolverine in the form of a battle song.

White Man’s Dog also unwittingly becomes an apprentice to Mik-api, the Lone Eaters’ many-faces man, and learns the magic of healing and purification. In Yellow Kidney’s absence, White Man’s Dog begins to hunt blackhorns for the older man’s family and soon falls in love with his daughter, Red Paint. Yellow Kidney is subsequently captured and tortured by the Crows, who cut off his fingers. The greedy and “reckless” Fast Horse boasts loudly during the raid, giving away the Lone Eaters’ location. Both White Man’s Dog and Fast Horse are plagued by disturbing dreams and visions in the lead up to the raid, however, and while White Man’s Dog proves himself a brave and powerful warrior during the event, it goes catastrophically wrong. Fast Horse’s father, Boss Ribs, possesses the coveted Beaver Medicine bundle, the most powerful of all the Pikunis’ medicine, and Yellow Kidney believes that the bundle will bring them all luck.

White Man’s Dog is soon invited by Fast Horse, a fellow young Pikuni, to join a horse raid on the Crow camp organized by Yellow Kidney, an accomplished warrior and horse-taker. He also lacks the strong medicine of the other warriors and his spirit animal refuses to talk to him. Wealthy and successful warriors, such as White Man’s Dog’s father, Rides-at-the-door, have many horses and wives, but White Man’s Dog has only three scrawny horses and no wives. White Man’s Dog is an “unlucky” and “weak” member of the Lone Eaters’ band of Blackfeet Indians.

Fools crow book