I sat on my knees in front of my mother and father, their faces wrinkled with worry. Their anxious faces sparked my heart to flutter like the wings of a humming bird.
"Ayita, my child. The white men have crossed onto our land, they will be here before the sun sleeps behind the mountain. You must go, before they come to burn our village." My father; the chief, has never been the type of leader to mask truth. After all, we were the clan of Bears. I let my gaze fall from my father's eyes to my mothers, her delicate brown eyes were filled with sadness. The scar that had run down her face made her appear like that of an old tree. I reached over and held her hand in mine, and looked back to the painted face of my chief.
"Father, I do not understand. We had made peace with the white men, why must I go?" My voice held urgency, I was the daughter of chief Enyeto who walks with bears, and daughter to my mother Winema, the medicine woman of our clan. I could not desert my village and my people.
"You are protected by a spirit that is not the Bear of our clan. You were saved from the spirit of the Crow, you must find your path.." her mother's voice was lost as she squeezed her daughters hand. Taking a deep breath, Winema spoke again "you have fought as a silent warrior, despite the Bear not blessing you with his spirit.. you, are in their favor." Ayita was stunned into silence, her mother's words rang true as she moved her fingers to the mark tattooed into her skin above her beating heart. Winema glanced towards her chief and husband, before reaching towards a roll of furs. "The spirits have warned me, this day is written in the sky.. We have gathered all things you need during your journey." Ayita looked towards the bundle as her mother's wrinkled hands held it out to her "Ayita, my little dancer. Take it." Winema insisted, forcing the girl to take it into her arms. It was heavy. Unwrapping the bundle, she layed it out to reveal weapons and medicine pouches. Her dark green eyes widened as she ran her hands along the series of small throwing knives, hunting clubs, tomahawks and a skin quiver of arrows. She then turns her attention to the beaver skin pouch full of poisons and medicines. Her stomach twisted, how far would she have to venture?
"Mother, please. Tell me where I am going." Her eyes wide with tears. Winema looked away, too pained to look into her adopted daughters eyes.
"You were a cub when we found you. A mix between dark and white skinned people. I had not brought you into this land, but you were a good omen sent from father sky and mother earth." Winema ran her aged hand through Ayita's hair, the most beautiful black hair her village has ever seen. With a grunt, Chief Enyeto grabbed a satchel, woven together by the elder women of the Bear clan as well as a black blanket like hooded cloak and white man clothes, made from a material used by the white men called wool.
"You must go my daughter, grab your belongings. The sun has began its sleep" And with that, both Winema and Enyeto hugged Ayita before stepping from the teepee. Ayita took many steadying breaths before changing into the white man skins. They felt uncomfortable against her skin, unused to the confinement. She braided her hair quickly, her bird feathers remaining in her hair. Brushing her bangs behind her pointed ears, she grabbed her belongings, old and new. she put the knives in a small pouch strapped to her thigh on top of her breeches. Her two tomahawks and axes were tied securely onto the satchel, where she put her blank leather books and coal, fire making rocks, moccasins, more skins and the medical pouches. Once slung over her shoulder she grabbed her bow and quiver of arrows before hiding it all beneath the wool cloak. Before stepping out, she glanced around her little home.
"This shall forever be in my memory.." She murmured before opening the flap and stepping out. Her bare toes dug into the dirt and grass, dew already forming on the delicate blades. Closing her eyes, she breathed in the smell of pine, smoke and cold air. The chirping bugs and little frogs singing as light bugs flew about. She looked to the left to see the little children chasing a pup around, playing.
How could she ever leave this?
She began to walk to the fire, where her clan sat as the sun lies sleeping behind the mountains. Ayita loved more than anything, to watch the sun breathe fire across father sky, erupting in colors of pink, orange and purple. But tonight, the suns fire did not calm the twisting of her belly. Soon her clan members spot her and all stand in silence. Many with faces slack with grief. They met her eyes and nodded, reaching to touch her shoulders and mutter prayers to the spirits for her safety while on this journey. Her father and mother stood and began to speak, she couldn't understand what they were saying. She only knew some words and phrases of their ancient language, but English was hers. In the middle of his speech, they heard the tell-tale whoops of battle.
The white men had come.
She felt her body grow cold, as if the Crow had come to take away her soul as it had tried to all those years ago. She felt hands grip her shoulders, she whipped around to see her mother. Her face showing fear, "Ayita you must go! NOW!" And shoved her daughter towards the darkness. She ran a few steps before turning. She wished she hadnt. White warriors had thrown fire sticks to the homes, and pointed and fired their thunder weapons at her people. Screams erupted from her clan as blood was spilled. "No! NO!" She screamed, her mother looked back at her and made a shooing motion, begging her daughter to run. Ayita was about to take a step before a large man ran at Winema lifted a shining blade, her mother screamed "Ayita! RUN!" before the man grabbed her by the throat and pushed her to the ground, one hand strangling Winema and the other reaching to his breeches. Ayita screamed, knowing what he was going to do, her mind suddenly flashed back to a place she had long forgotten. Rage consumed her soul as images flashed through her head. Before she knew it, Ayita grabbed an axe and shrieked her battle cry. She cry of her peoole at war. She jumped on the man's back and repeatedly hit his head with the axe just as her mother's eyes glossed over. Ayita screamed as she bashed in the white man's skull, jumping off as he rolled to the side, blood creating a puddle around him. The girl breathed heavily, running to her mother's side.
"Mother! Mother!" She grabbed her mother's shoulders and shook her, tears clouding her eyes when her mother didn't respond. "Mama.. Mama no.." She lays her head on Winemas still chest. A sob wracked her body as the screams of her people filled the night air. "Spirits.. Did the spirits speak of your death mother?" She cries silently, not hearing the footsteps of another man walking to her, a gun in hand. She lifted her head as his shadow blocked out the light of the fires. Ayita let's put a scream of fear, staring into the barrel of the gun and into the man's cold blue eyes. "No!" She cried and put her hands out.
Suddenly, her chest erupted with a firey hot pain.
"You called?"
Her cries were cut short just as a creature of black swept over her. That was the last thing she saw.
Alright my devoted readers. Please please PLEASE review and give me any ideas to help develop the next chapter!