Chapter One:
Black Bear felt the rough hands of the white man rain down on his arms and chest, beating him into submission.
He cried out for the man to stop, "Inaji! Inaji! Iyokipi inaji!" ((Stop! Stop! Please stop!))
The man's fists rained down harder upon the young boys face.
"Shut yer trap, filthy injun!"
The white man spit onto Black Bear as his fists let up the assault. Blood covered Black Bear, oozing from welts and bruises all upon his body. Black Bear, only ten summers and winters, had been kidnapped by the white man whilst playing outside the camp of his tribe. There the white man stole Black Bear and here he has lain for nearly a month.
Black Bear sat up slowly, taking in his surrounding. He was in a large tent of some sort with four walls and doors on two of them. A table sat in the middle of the room with chairs surrounding it. The white man sat in one of these chairs. There was bedrolls to the right of Black Bear, and the white mans supplies to the left of him. The two doors were out of reach to him since the man sat by one and the other was guarded by more boxes of supplies.
Black Bear was scared of the White man and his strong fist's. Even through his fear, Black Bear watched the white man as he slowly closed his eyes and started to sleep.
As soon as the white man's eyes closed and loud noises escaped his open mouth, Black Bear quickly tried to come up with a plan. Before he could begin to think, the door flap slowly opened and a bow-and-arrow was placed through the opening, pointed directly at the white man.
The Indian holding the arrow back, let it fly straight into the black heart of the white man. Black Bears heart soared. His people had came.
Black Bear let the exhaustion of the last month catch up to him and he passed out cold, barely glimpsing a long-haired Lakota warrior padding through the door flap.
*~NINE YEARS LATER~*
Black Bear quietly snuck up behind the small group of Fox Warriors. He stared down at the warriors from a cliff only five shadow lengths away.
Black Bear raised a hand in the air palm flat. As soon as the warriors settled down against the mossy ground his hand clenched and he jumped from the cliff, whooping and yelling, with ten warriors close behind.
He fell upon what looked to be the leader of the warriors an grabbed his head before smashing his skull against the rock wall behind the Indian. He then grabbed his knife from his sheath on his lower leg and scalped the man.
He stood slowly and turned around seeing his warriors hold the five Fox cowards down, their cries of pain only fueling his hate. He held the scalp up high, staring into the eyes of his enemies.
"Te itan, Toka." ((Die proud, enemy.))
Black Bear then clipped the scalp to his belt and turned around to find their horses.
As he walked away be heard the sounds of their death and smiled. He whooped loudly to commemorate the proud Fox warriors who had broke the agreement by hunting on Lakota land.
His warriors followed him to the group of horses only a few shadow lengths away. They mounted the horses and rode quickly back to the tribe.
As soon as they reached the camp their people emerged from the tents whooping at the warriors success.
Black Bear led his warriors to the clan chief. He waved to his people in pride at being praised by them.
His warriors each branched off as they reached their tents but he rode with his people following to the Chief's tent.
As he reached the brightly painted tent he dismounted from his horse and stood in front of the tent with the scalp in his hand.
An Indian went inside the tent to alert the chief and elders of the warriors arrival. Black Bear took a deep breath when the flap opened and glanced up at the Chief.
As soon as he saw the white man standing next to Chief Standing Bull his heart stopped beating and his vision grew red. Images of the white man's fists raining down on him assaulted his brain. His teeth clenched in hate ad he stared at the man
dressed in dark blue trousers and coat with a red necktie.
He was about to move forward and attack the white man when two Indians grabbed him and held him down.
"Ya miye kté kin Paleface!" ((Let me kill the pale face))
His people shouted with him and the Indians holding him began to release him when the Chief raised his hand in the air and yelled, "Inaji, Black Bear!" ((Stop))
Black Bear ceased his struggles to get at the pale face and stood back up, shaking off the hands of his people.
He walked up to Chief Standing Bull and glared at the white man with a disgusted look on his face.
The Pale Face shuffled but remained nervously staring at the ground.
Chief Standing Bull reached out to Black Bear and grabbed his hand. Standing Bull then offered Black Bears hand to the Pale Face, which ignited a fire of rage deep inside Black Bear.
Standing Bull gestured at the white man and said, "General George Armstrong Custer has traveled far and wide Black Bear. He speaks of peace with the Sioux Nation. This White Man is our friend, Black Bear." Standing Bull said to Black Bear, still offering Black Bears hand to the white man.
The pale face shifted on his feet nervously before shaking his head at Standing Bull.
"The boy shall not come to harm-"
Black Bear cut the mans words off. "I am not a boy. I am a Shirtwearer of the Lokota tribe and son of Standing Bull."
Black Bear looked down his nose at the Pale Face. He pulled his hand out of Standing Bull's grasp and turned around, beginning to walk away with his long black hair flowing in the breeze and his black bear fur trousers surrounding his muscled legs. His bear tooth necklace laid on his bare chest where scars laced up and down from the attack of the white man.
Black Bear walked the remaining shadow lengths to his horse and then jumped on Crazy Horse. He turned his head to Standing Bull and Custer and grimaced in disgust.
He stared straight into the widened eyes of Custer and said, "A PaleFace like yourself once hurt Black Bear. Never again will the pale face's hurt Black Bear or his people!" Black Bear said to Custer, pain lacing through his voice, as he fingered his scarred face.
He whooped loudly in anger and three Warriors joined him on their horses. He raised the scalp he still held high in the air an let out a loud War Cry before his horse trotted off in the direction of his tent.
Custer stared at the retreating figure of the tall, scarred, Lakota Warrior he had heard so much about from the terrified farmers who say he killed their livestock and ate the animals hearts right in front of the farmers and their families.
He was intrigued with Black Bear, but also curious about what happened to him in a white mans hands.
He would find out from Standing Bull, the chief of the Lakota Tribe he was now asking to move to a reservation.
"Come, Pale Face. Let us finish our agreement."
Custer glanced at Standing Bull and then back at the retreating figure of Black Bear.
"Yes, Standing Bull, lets do that."
He turned around and followed Standing Bull into the tent.
Black Bears heart clenched in fury at seeing the white man talk to his father. He knew what was coming soon, but he did not want to believe it. The white man is spreading, growing, and with it grow disease and famine for the Lakota Tribe.
He reached forward to grab his knife that he had been given by a great Indian named Crazy Horse, the man he named his horse after. He stared at the gleaming knife in rage.
All Black Bear wanted to do is scalp Custer, and ride into the White Man's capitol holding the scalp high on a beautiful white stallion with war paint along the mares sides.
But he could not do that. His people needed him to make the right decision. They needed him to face his fear of the Pale Face.
Black Bear took a deep breath, put his knife in its holster, and stood up. He fixed his bear fur trousers and put his scalp belt back on.
He took another deep breath and walked out of his tent. His warriors who had been waiting for him to make a decision glanced at him.
"My people, we must listen to this white man for now, if we attack we die with no pride or scalps. We must wait." He stood proudly staring into the eyes of his fellow Indians.
They looked at each other in confusion and anger and might have began to argue if not for one Indian who stood up and gazed directly at Black Bear before smiling.
"Black Bear is right. We must listen to him!" The Indian glanced at him again before walking away.
Black Bear nodded to his people and walked to his fathers tent.
He took another deep breath before opening the door flap. Both his father and Custer glanced up at him but he nodded and sat down by them.
Standing Bull smiled at his son and said, "We are moving to the reservation at Big Hill. It is only a days walk from here. We will be close to the land of our people."
Black Bear stared at the floor, deep in thought. This was good news. If we were close then we would always be able to visit the land, no matter what.
Black Bear glanced up into the eyes of Custer and nodded his approval. Both Standing Bull and the white man relaxed visibly.
Custer smiled back at Black Bear and then said, "Why did you come back? Whatever happened to you was obviously enough to make you hate white men, so why did you come back to talk to one."
Standing Bull glanced at Black Bear and nodded.
Black Bear took another deep breath.
"When Black Bear was little, a Pale Face took him." He began. "The Pale Face beat Black Bear every day for an entire month. His fists rained down on Black Bears skin every day, and every night." Black Bear shifted and then took a shaky breath. "Black Bear was very, very hurt. O-one night was different though. One night the Pale Face brought another White Man. The new white man tortured and whipped Black Bear for an entire day, and an entire night. And then the new White Man raped Black Bear, and left scars that would never heal on Black Bears heart." He glanced angrily up at Custer. "This is what a white man is capable of, Pale Face."
Black Bear glanced down again as burning hot, angry tears pooled from his face.
He let them fall.
Custer grew uncomfortable and shifted before clearing his throat. "Well then why are you here? After all that why are you here?"
Standing Bull leaned forward and reached to wipe Black Bears tears, but Black Bear pulled back as if he was burnt.
"No, let them fall!" Black Bear took another shaky breath before willing his tears to stop.
His tears dried in seconds.
"I am here, Custer, because my people need me to make the right decision. If we had decided to not go to the reservation, you would have slaughtered us where we stand, raped her women, and beat our children!"
Black Bear said in anger.
"I-I protest Black Bear-" Custer began to say in defense of the pale faces.
"Stop, Custer. You know it is true!" Standing Bull said, joining the conversation.
Custer sighed angrily. "It would not have been my decision, but yes, w-we would have."
Black Bear nodded. He was tired of white men lies. But Black Bear's heart clenched against his chest in horror of the scene that he had just relived in his heart. Black Bear would never be the same again.
He stood up and lent his hand to Custer. Custer took it and Black Bear pulled him into a standing position, before letting his hand go an helping his father up.
Black Bear stood standing at the men on both sides of him. "The people must know, Standing Bull."
Standing Bull sighed. "Yes, they must."
Black Bear turned around and walked out of the tent with both men following.
He emerge in the bright sunlight, squinting as he saw his people surrounding the tent, waiting for an answer. He glanced back at Standing Bull and he nodded at Black Bear, urging him to talk.
Black Bear paced in front of his people. "My people, Chief Standing Bull has come to a decision. No one will like it but it must be done." He hesitated and glanced at his people again.
"Black Bear agrees with Standing Bull. We must go to the reservation, the Lakota must live on." Black Bear said, preparing for the onslaught of war cries.
None came.
He glanced up at his people and met their eyes. He knew that they did not like this but they had no choice.
So, instead of the cries for his scalp, there were cries for losing their home.
His tribe had quickly packed up their few clothes and possessions and then had gathered beyond the camp. Black Bear followed, but the only thing he carried was his bow and quiver.
Standing Bull led their horses, and Custer walked awkwardly with Standing Bull. Black Bear turned to face the camp, while his people starting singing a song of pain and loss.
A warrior, with a torch in hand, approached Black Bear as he mounted his horse. Once Black Bear was seated, the warrior handed him the torch.
Black Bear let out a fierce war cry, before kicking his horse to a gallop. As they passed through the camp Black Bear held the torch to the tents, lighting them on fire. He then turned Crazy Horse around and trotted him to his people.
The village burned for a day and a half.
The Lakota people watched it burn.