Arrowpoint. Suzanne Ellison

the subject of his background, Michael had gotten a bit testy. She wasn’t at all sure what to say when he was the one who brought it up. She wasn’t at all sure he was teasing.

      Uneasily she asked, “Why were you fasting?”

      “My grandfather was determined to give me a traditional Winnebago upbringing,” he explained, “even though most Winnebagos don’t honor the old ways very strictly anymore. When he was a boy, Winnebago youths were trained to fast as part of their vision-quest ceremonies.” He gave an expansive gesture that seemed to embrace the world. “Personally, I think they also did it as training for times when food was scarce, so they’d be accustomed to starvation and still be able to hunt or fight or whatever.”