The Story of a Native

1668 A.D

The smell of cold, wet steel and gunpowder filled the atmosphere of a small cloudy Native American village on the outskirts of a colonial America. The stench of blood and mist, swept across the village, as the colonial soldiers rode through like wild fire. Commotion and chaos consumed the air, as the faint screams and cries of many Native men, women and children were heard from afar off. A baby only about a month or two, laid wrapped up in a teepee nearby. A native woman ran towards the teepee, but was pulled by a man and another woman telling her that they all needed to get out of the area.

"The soldiers are coming! Go!" The man turned and drew his bow, aiming at a soldier that rode up behind them on a horse. He released the arrow with a cry as a bullet pierced his shoulder. The arrow flew into the air and struck the soldier in the chest, knocking him off his horse.

Devastated, the woman pulled her arm free from the other woman and ran towards the shack screaming out in her native tongue. "NO…..MY BABY!" A large explosion suddenly lit up the area, and all the voices died out. The baby cried alone through the silence.

Five more large explosions were heard, before the army general dismounted his horse and stood before the land, still brimming with destruction. A large toothy smile stretched across his lips, hidden behind a bushy mustache.

"Men, fortune shines brightly upon us today. I, General Cornwell Stark, herby colonize this region in the name of the British Empire. It is here, that we shall raise a civilized town from the ashes of a savage village. This land, that we have purged clean, so graciously, by God's will, shall know war and strife… no more."

The piercing cries of a baby suddenly filled the air once more.

1700. A.D.

Autari's eyes suddenly spring open with a gasp that escapes his throat, as he jumps upright in his bed. He then shuts his eyes closed and throws his hands over his face, forcing his body to lie back down. His head ached from his dreams, which he had learned over time were the spirits of his people trying to relay to him the truth of his past. He unwillingly stood up and walked to a bowl of water to rinse his face. His dark hair hung well past his shoulders. His skin was deep tan, and Indian designs decorated his forearms, but he was dressed like a European in leather breeches and a simple shirt. A little over six feet, he carried a bundle of furs and what appeared to be a broad sword on his back. Around its handle was bound a strip of plaid. He was around his early thirties with a strong physical build. He grabbed a black cloak and concealed his features from head to toe. He would return to his homeland and to the colony that raised him, to finally lay the souls of his people to rest. Mounting his black rugged horse, Autari pulled his hood over his head, and looked far beyond the land. The clouds had fallen low that morning, and the humid air added to the gloom and dreariness of the barren land. Riding fast he spotted his destination. The Town of Vancold the gates to the village read. Autari strode up to the gate and dismounted his horse. He pushed the gates open and assimilated into the waves of people that walked the crowded streets. He made his way to the local church and situated himself into the far back.

"-AND IF YOU PRAY TO THE HOLY LORD YOU SHALL BE SAVED!" The preacher lectured on loudly. "If you trust in the way of God then he will lead you to salvation! Even the most tainted souls can be saved if they believe!"

"… Nonsense." Autari, hidden in the crowd, muttered to himself. He remembered this feeling well. The feeling of not being able to bring himself to believe the things that the preacher was teaching the people. The church itself was very familiar to him, for it was the same church that he was required to go to when he was a boy. Growing up in Vancold was an experience he would never forget. Everything was always full of confusion, alienation, and displacement. He could remember as bright as day his first visit to the church. He didn't know it back then, but his ability to connect with spirits had taught him many things about the ways of his people, without ever being directly taught. His first visit was when he was a little boy. His colonial mother took him and his brother to Sunday school. They stood with the rest of the congregation for the opening procession of the priest to the altar. The things that the priest would say about humans' relationship to God, to other animals, and to nature bewildered him. But what always bothered him the most was the things that were said about human interaction with other humans. They would often talk about the wars that were happening and the purging of Native villages as if it were a great thing. They seemed to kill just because they wanted to kill and take by brute force what wasn't theirs. At that time, Autari knew that he was different from the other kids that lived around him, because they always seemed to treat him like he was inferior to them. But there was one girl that never seemed to treat him badly. She was half native and half white. She had dark eyes and dark hair, but a fairly light colored skin. She was confused about what she was just like he was. Her name was Hegira.

Autari pulled his wondering mind back to the present. He heard the sermon come to an end as the preacher closed his book and everyone prayed in union.

"AMEN!"

Autari remained silently in the back of the room as the church emptied. After the he was sure he was alone, Autari finally stood up, his cloak still concealing his features, as he reached into his pouch and placed a square object down on the floor in the middle of the church. He silently left the building and re-assimilated into the crowed streets.

It began to rain. Autari stopped and looked up at the sky. "Do not cry, for I will soon bring you peace." He assured the spirits and continued on.

He soon entered on through the gates of the town cemetery and made his way to a particular tombstone. The grave read "Hegira Stone, 1669-1684". Autari eased down to his knees and removed his hood. His hair is quickly drenched by the pouring rain. He reached out and laid his hand on the top of the grave with remorse on his face.

He recalled the day she died. He was only 16 years old and she 15. It was a cloudy day and Autari and Hegira decided to retreat to a couple of hills just outside of the town. They did this often to ease their minds off of the tension and confusion within the town. It was here that they felt closer to nature. One day, after lying quietly on the ground for sometime, Autari jointed up when he heard someone call his name. Hegira sat up as well, but she did not hear anything. Autari then followed the voice to the edge of the hill and looked upon the little town below. But what he saw was not the colonial town of Vangold. He saw his native village and all the happy faces of his tribe as they celebrated. He saw himself as a baby cradled in the arms of his father. But with a blink of an eye he saw his village's destruction, and heard all the cries and gunshots that consumed air. And when everything else fell dead silent, his cries were still heard. With another blink he saw the colonial town of Vangold once again. Upon realizing what he had just saw, Autari shook his head in disbelief and trembled with anger. Hegira, not sure of what was happening stood up and walked over to him. She reached out to hold his hand but he quickly pulled away, suddenly real sensitive and aware of the white colonial blood running through her veins. It then began to rain heavily. But Autari hardly even noticed as he allowed the rage inside of him to consume him. Hegira suggested they head back to the village and turned to leave. But as she turned she her footing slipped on the wet ground and she tumbled to the edge of the cliff. She held on to the edge struggling to pull herself up.

"AUTARI!" The sound of her cry reached Autari's brain at the last second and he rushed over to help but it was too late. Her hands had slipped before Autari could reach her, and she fell to the bottom of the cliff.

Autari slowly pulled his hood back over his head. "I'm sorry…" He whispered to the grave.

He then eased himself up and returned to the gates of the cemetery. He reached into of his pouch and pulled out a square device and placed it on the floor in front of the gate.

"Rest now." He now left the cemetery and once again entered into the crowed streets.

The rain had stopped, but left behind a thick mist that hid many of the features of the town. Making his way to the market place, Autari walked through the streets like he wasn't really there. Nothing in particular was on his mind or caught his eye. He moved through the crowds like a phantom. He soon walked up to a food stand with his head down to further conceal his face.

"Water…" He ordered. The man behind the stand didn't seem to hear him. Every one around him seemed to turn their attention to a group of soldiers who came merrily passing by. The air was suddenly filled with the smell of gunpowder and steel.

"Another victory over those savages up north! Let us celebrate tonight, for new land will soon be open to us." The village cheered with joy and laughter, while Autari remained silent. His stomach turned at the smell of the battle field. His fists clenched at the word savages. But the voice of the soldier who had said it was very familiar. Autari turned his head to eye the soldiers. Felling an odd sensation in the air, one of the soldiers looked in his direction. But they saw nobody there, just an odd looking square device sitting on the abandoned food stand.

At night when the entire town slept, Autari stood on the top of a hill and reminisced the last time he saw his colonial brother, about twelve years ago. They had both been up on the top of the hill and they had a talk about the history of their village and the treatment of natives after his brother had recently been made a solider.

"We need this land, Autari, and the resources along with them. The natives can't build cities and towns like we can. They aren't doing anything with the resources, they're only wasting them!" His brother said.

Now knowing the truth about the town and his past, his brother's words struck Autari like a stone. He clenched his teeth and his hands tightened into fists. Autari decided at that moment that he was going to leave Vancold. His brother told him that he wasn't like the other natives.

"If you go, then you'll become just another savage waiting to be shot down. Here you have an opportunity like none of the others. Don't throw it away!"

"I'll be back one day to put an end to all of this and lay the spirits of my ancestors to rest. This I swear."

Autari bent down and placed the last of the square devices down in the middle of the hill. This one was slightly bigger than the others and was somehow rigged to all the others he dispersed in the town below. He then rode away on his horse and stood outside the village looking upon it with a firm gaze. No expression is show on his face. He suddenly dismounted his horse and lifted his head up to the sky.

"Life… death… then life again. This is the cycle of this world." He then lowered his field of vision and looked towards the town church. "From religious life…" He then looked towards the town cemetery. "To death…" And then finally to the market place. "And then physical life... This town is corrupt. Built upon the blood and bones of a civilization brutishly annihilated." Autari again lifted his head to the sky and whispered softly. "Their spirits now cry out for help, for peace, for rest. And so, as I promised, I have returned to grant it. My people, you may rest. Rest, spirits of my father, spirits of mother earth, and spirits of all my siblings in creation, rest now… rest… in peace."

He then pulled out his bow and arrow, and with his cloak and hood still concealing his features, he aimed high to the last device he placed high up on the hill, rigged to trigger the three other explosive when struck. He pulled the arrow back slowly meeting mass resistance from the bow. The cold air rustled through the trees, as a strong wind suddenly wept through the area. The wind suddenly blew stronger and stronger, removing Autari's hood and revealing his face. His eyes and brow showed clear focus, concentration, and determination, as he closed one eye aiming with the up-most accuracy. He stilled the bow, ready to release the arrow. A minor wave of hesitation ran through his body to his finger tips, but it was quickly dissipated. Memories of his life in Vancold suddenly washed through is mind, of Hegira, his brother, the Church, along with the visions of his people's destruction and his decision was solidified. His grip on the bow tightened as he slowly loosened his grasp on the end of the arrow.

Before he could let go, a piercing thunder clap fill the air and it began to rain. He slowly lowered his bow and looked up at the sky. His long hair now drenched, and brows frowning in contemplation, as he eyed a great bald eagle soaring down to the earth. As it reached the ground it transfigured into a native spirit that stood before him in the form of an old man in native, traditional, ceremonial garment.

"What are you doing, my son? Only the White man has come with explosives and guns and took our land away from us. Why would you follow him? You know of the destruction and desolation he has brought, yet you would do the same? How can any one wish to destroy the warmth of this land. The idea is strange to us… to fill the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water with smoke and debris. Every part of this earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine-needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clearing, and humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people. The sap which courses through the trees carries the memories of your ancestors. The white man's dead forget the country of their birth when they go to walk among the stars. Our dead never forget this beautiful earth, for it is our mother. We are part of the earth and it is part of us. Do not destroy it any more… than it has already been destroyed. The perfumed flowers are our sisters; the deer, the horse, the great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the juices in the meadows, the body heat of the pony, and man — all belong to the same family. You… my son, must remember this, and teach this and in time nature will heal. Do not lose your way… Do not let our way be lost to this world…" The spirit then transformed back into its animal form extending its great wings and flew across the land.

Autari dropped his bow and arrow and fell to his knees, suddenly exhausted. He closed his eyes and allowed the words of the old man to sink deep into the depths of his soul. The rain suddenly stopped and the sun, for the first time, shined brightly down upon the Town of Vancold. A rainbow also formed over the horizon and Autari gave a slight smile before pulling his hood back over his head. He then quickly mounted his horse and rode off, leaving Vancold far behind. He heads North West, far away from the colonial establishments, never to return.