In Boulder, Colorado, a young girl woke up from a nightmare.
She watched her parents die as they left the Native American reservation she lived on. The door opened and an elderly man with long gray hair rushed in. He was carrying a steaming cup of something.
"Here, child, drink this," he instructed, sitting on the edge of her bed and passing her the cup.
"What is it?" she asked before placing her lips on it.
"A small potion to ease your pain."
The girl took a sip and her worries instantly washed away. She went back to sleep and the man placed the cup on her nightstand if she ever woke up again.
She did wake up several times during the night. Each time, she would drink more and more of the potion.
As she sipped the last drop, she said in a hushed whisper, "Thank you, Grandfather, and was out again until the sun rose.
The girl sat in the middle of the meadow that surrounded her home. She had just finished her archery practice and placed the bow and quiver full of arrows around her back. A soft hum drew her attention.
She turned around and saw a magnificent white stallion.
"Hi," she said, pushing herself into a standing position.
She raised her hand and walked toward the horse.
"I'm Dani. What's your name?"
The stallion obviously didn't answer, but she got a sense that she should call the horse Brightwind.
"Dani!" her grandfather called.
"Coming Grandfather!" she called back.
She started running back home, Brightwind clopped behind her.
"Grandfather! Look what I found!" she called, entering the house.
But she stopped as she saw her grandfather being held by the neck by a pale woman with black hair and a a black dress. His veins where close to the surface where her hands were.
"Hello, Danielle," she said in an English accent. "I'd like for you to come with me."
Brightwind stepped behind Dani and the woman's smile faltered. A searing pain ripped through Dani's head. The woman screamed and Dani opened her eyes.
There were two of the woman now, but one was aged drastically.
"I do not fear this, girl!" the younger woman screamed at Dani.
"What. Are. You. Talking. About?" panted Dani.
The young woman grabbed the older one and lifted her into the air.
"Dani," her grandfather's voice said.
Dani looked up and saw it was coming from the older lady.
"Run," she said.
Dani jumped on the back of Brightwind and saw the woman change into her grandfather, then crumble into dust in the hands of the young woman. Her headache disappeared. The younger woman became even younger, a little older than Dani.
Brightwind ran away, faster than any horse should have. He carried her into a town Dani had never seen before. She suspected they were in another state.
"Where are we?" she asked the horse.
He nudged his head toward a small sign stuck in the ground.
Bison, Kansas.
"Kansas?" Dani asked the horse who nodded. "Where are we going?"
Brightwind pointed his head northeast. Somehow, Dani took that as New York.
"What's in New York?" she asked.
The horse didn't respond.
No one noticed the barefoot Native American girl with a bow and quiver on her back riding a white stallion through the small town. Her stomach growled, so the horse let her walk into a grocery store to buy whatever little cash in her pocket could buy.
They camped in the forest outside of town.
"I think I might be a mutant," she told the horse, passing him an apple.
Brightwind chewed in agreement.
"That lady back there told me she wasn't afraid of the old lady. I think I can show people their fears."
A strange rustling came from the bushes.
Dani drew her bow and aimed it at the bushes.
"Come out," she ordered.
A small red wolf cowered out. It had pretty gold eyes.
Dani lowered her bow a little.
"Are you friendly?" she asked it.
The wolf seemed to nod, so Dani retracted her bow and placed the arrow back into her quiver.
"You hungry?"
The wolf nuzzled her leg. Dani looked at Brightwind.
"Oh, she's harmless," Dani told the horse. She pulled out a pack of hotdogs from the bag she bought and gave the wolf one.
The three of them slept under the stars.
When the sun rose, Dani felt the heavy head of the wolf on her lap.
"Get off," she told it.
The wolf didn't move. She opened her eyes and found a naked girl with red hair sleeping on her.
She stood quickly, the girl rolled onto the ground.
"Ow," she said, waking up.
Brightwind looked at Dani.
"Yeah, I know. You told me so," she said to the horse.
"What's wrong with ye?" the girl asked, standing. She was Scottish.
"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?" Dani responded.
"There's nothin' wrong with me."
"Where are your clothes?"
The girl looked around.
"I left 'em a while back."
"Where's that wolf?"
Brightwind whined loudly. Dani felt a cold breeze rush through her. She took off the long shirt she was wearing over her jeans and zipped up her jacket. She tossed the girl the shirt and told her to put it on while she kicked dirt onto the fire. She wrapped her bow and quiver over her back and told the girl to grab the bag. Dani sat on Brightwind, who stood up, and offered the girl her hand.
"I'm not goin' with ye," the girl said.
"There's something evil coming," Dani told her.
"A demon?"
"I think so. We need to get out of here."
The girl grabbed her hand; Dani swung her up behind her. Brightwind took off at his super speed.
"What's your name?" Dani asked.
"Rahne. Rahne Sinclair," the girl answered.
"Mutant?"
"Are ye?"
"Yep."
"Then yes."
Next: Cannonball and Sunspot
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