The Prodigal Sister
This story and all ideas, themes and original characters are the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Any unauthorized use is actionable in a court of law.
To borrow a phrase: Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman and all characters and settings no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?
"Bri!" Brianna rolled her head to the side.
"Bri!" There was some kind of bug in her ear.
"Brianna, wake up!" Her eyes flashed open and she tried to sit up, but ran right into a brick wall. A brick wall made of flesh and blood and that looked an aweful lot like her brother.
"Sully? What is it?" she glanced out the window. The sun hadn't risen yet, be she estimated it wouldn't be long now.
"Get up" he ordered her, "Get dressed"
"What are you talking about?" Brianna asked, throwing the covers back and swinging her feet to the floor. He couldn't want her to go hunting with him, not like this. Her stomach protruded so far it had shortened her night shirt by a good two inches. Plus, she didn't seem to have the stamina she usually did. Mick had claimed it was all part of the experience, and if it was, Brianna would be glad enough to never go through it again. If Dark Moon had been there she would've yelled at him until she was blue for doing this to her, but he wasn't there. He'd been missing now seven months and she worried about him every day. Custer was on the hunt and no Indian was safe.
"Shhh!" he brother scolded her. The others were obviously still asleep. "Just get dressed. I'll meet you in the barn"
"Sully!" Brianna hissed but he was gone already. She rolled her eyes and grabbed her pants. She'd had to tailor them so that they hung on her hips instead of on her waist, but she hadn't even though of putting skirt on. She knew Michaela disapproved, but she'd been wearing pants for near on ten years and she wasn't going back to skirts now.
The sun was just starting to lighten the sky a bit by the time she got out to Sully. He was brushing down one of the horses.
"Now what's this all about?" she demanded, brushing her loose hair back from her face.
"We're going to see Cloud Dancing" he told her.
"Are you crazy? I'm not walking all the way out there, like this!" she exclaimed, laying hand on her stomach.
"You can ride then, come on" She just stared at him.
"You're nuts!"
"Come on, you can go bare back, it'll be easier" he said and pulled a box out for her to stand on so she could climb up on the horse.
"I can't ride like this, Sully!" Brianna objected again. Sully grabbed her hand and pulled her over, pushing her up on the box.
"I'll ride behind you" he said and offered her his hand for more leverage.
"Since when have you been riding horses?" she asked, taking his hand and working hard to heave herself up. Sully swung up behind her and grabbed the reins so his arms were holding her on the horse.
"Since now" he answered and moved them out of the barn. As they started across the field Brianna had to lean back into him.
"I'll get you for this, Byron Sully" she said and he moved the horse into a faster trot. They rode for a while until they reached the spot Sully and Cloud Dancing had agreed upon earlier. The sun was in the sky now, but Sully could still feel his sister shivering in the morning chill. He reigned the horse in and slid off, then reached up to help her down too.
"Here" he threw the blanket they had sat on across her shoulders. She drew it close and yawned.
"Where is he?" she asked.
"He'll be here" Sully assured her. They waited only a few more minutes before their Indian friend showed up. Brianna had her eyes closed, leaning against Sully in the still early morning.
"I was told the young sister of my dear friend was here" he said as he approached, "But there is only a woman here"
"Hey, Cloud Dancing" Brianna said, eyes still closed. She smiled and then opened one eye.
"Well, you sound like Cloud Dancing, but all I see is an old man!" she laughed and then hugged him.
"It has been a very long time, Crazy Woman" Cloud Dancing said, pulling back, "You are with child! This is good! Dark Moon will be very pleased, that the Great Spirits will finally grant you this joy" Brianna smiled, but it was a sad smile. The thought of her missing husband pulled at her heart. She was careful to keep her feelings to herself in public, but inside she was still a woman, and she loved her husband, and her nephew, dearly.
"Do you see my husband in your dreams, Cloud Dancing?" she asked, almost timidly. Cloud Dancing often had a prophetic dreams that he shared with few people.
"I do not" he answered, but put a hand on her shoulder, trying to reassure her with the gesture.
"Did you ride?" he asked, trying to change the subject.
"Yes" Sully answered.
"You are crazy, Crazy Woman, to ride a horse in your condition"
"It wasn't my idea," Brianna told him, with a glare for her husband, "And if it had been my idea, I would've made it for later in the day, when the sun had already risen!"
"These times are dangerous" Cloud Dancing said, "Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse make trouble in the Sioux nation, and General Custer craves violence"
"I know. Even I can smell the trouble that's on the way" Brianna agreed.
"You know that if Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse make trouble they'll only make Custer mad. They'll be signing their own death warrant!" Sully added. The three nodded. They all knew what was coming, though they couldn't name it exactly. The Indians would be either moved from their land, or killed off. The world as they knew it was ending, flying head first into the pages of history books.
"Come" Cloud Dancing said, walking slowly to a small knoll where Brianna could sit without too much discomfort, "Tell me of your husband and his brother's son"
This story and all ideas, themes and original characters are the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Any unauthorized use is actionable in a court of law.
To borrow a phrase: Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman and all characters and settings no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?
"Bri!" Brianna rolled her head to the side.
"Bri!" There was some kind of bug in her ear.
"Brianna, wake up!" Her eyes flashed open and she tried to sit up, but ran right into a brick wall. A brick wall made of flesh and blood and that looked an aweful lot like her brother.
"Sully? What is it?" she glanced out the window. The sun hadn't risen yet, be she estimated it wouldn't be long now.
"Get up" he ordered her, "Get dressed"
"What are you talking about?" Brianna asked, throwing the covers back and swinging her feet to the floor. He couldn't want her to go hunting with him, not like this. Her stomach protruded so far it had shortened her night shirt by a good two inches. Plus, she didn't seem to have the stamina she usually did. Mick had claimed it was all part of the experience, and if it was, Brianna would be glad enough to never go through it again. If Dark Moon had been there she would've yelled at him until she was blue for doing this to her, but he wasn't there. He'd been missing now seven months and she worried about him every day. Custer was on the hunt and no Indian was safe.
"Shhh!" he brother scolded her. The others were obviously still asleep. "Just get dressed. I'll meet you in the barn"
"Sully!" Brianna hissed but he was gone already. She rolled her eyes and grabbed her pants. She'd had to tailor them so that they hung on her hips instead of on her waist, but she hadn't even though of putting skirt on. She knew Michaela disapproved, but she'd been wearing pants for near on ten years and she wasn't going back to skirts now.
The sun was just starting to lighten the sky a bit by the time she got out to Sully. He was brushing down one of the horses.
"Now what's this all about?" she demanded, brushing her loose hair back from her face.
"We're going to see Cloud Dancing" he told her.
"Are you crazy? I'm not walking all the way out there, like this!" she exclaimed, laying hand on her stomach.
"You can ride then, come on" She just stared at him.
"You're nuts!"
"Come on, you can go bare back, it'll be easier" he said and pulled a box out for her to stand on so she could climb up on the horse.
"I can't ride like this, Sully!" Brianna objected again. Sully grabbed her hand and pulled her over, pushing her up on the box.
"I'll ride behind you" he said and offered her his hand for more leverage.
"Since when have you been riding horses?" she asked, taking his hand and working hard to heave herself up. Sully swung up behind her and grabbed the reins so his arms were holding her on the horse.
"Since now" he answered and moved them out of the barn. As they started across the field Brianna had to lean back into him.
"I'll get you for this, Byron Sully" she said and he moved the horse into a faster trot. They rode for a while until they reached the spot Sully and Cloud Dancing had agreed upon earlier. The sun was in the sky now, but Sully could still feel his sister shivering in the morning chill. He reigned the horse in and slid off, then reached up to help her down too.
"Here" he threw the blanket they had sat on across her shoulders. She drew it close and yawned.
"Where is he?" she asked.
"He'll be here" Sully assured her. They waited only a few more minutes before their Indian friend showed up. Brianna had her eyes closed, leaning against Sully in the still early morning.
"I was told the young sister of my dear friend was here" he said as he approached, "But there is only a woman here"
"Hey, Cloud Dancing" Brianna said, eyes still closed. She smiled and then opened one eye.
"Well, you sound like Cloud Dancing, but all I see is an old man!" she laughed and then hugged him.
"It has been a very long time, Crazy Woman" Cloud Dancing said, pulling back, "You are with child! This is good! Dark Moon will be very pleased, that the Great Spirits will finally grant you this joy" Brianna smiled, but it was a sad smile. The thought of her missing husband pulled at her heart. She was careful to keep her feelings to herself in public, but inside she was still a woman, and she loved her husband, and her nephew, dearly.
"Do you see my husband in your dreams, Cloud Dancing?" she asked, almost timidly. Cloud Dancing often had a prophetic dreams that he shared with few people.
"I do not" he answered, but put a hand on her shoulder, trying to reassure her with the gesture.
"Did you ride?" he asked, trying to change the subject.
"Yes" Sully answered.
"You are crazy, Crazy Woman, to ride a horse in your condition"
"It wasn't my idea," Brianna told him, with a glare for her husband, "And if it had been my idea, I would've made it for later in the day, when the sun had already risen!"
"These times are dangerous" Cloud Dancing said, "Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse make trouble in the Sioux nation, and General Custer craves violence"
"I know. Even I can smell the trouble that's on the way" Brianna agreed.
"You know that if Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse make trouble they'll only make Custer mad. They'll be signing their own death warrant!" Sully added. The three nodded. They all knew what was coming, though they couldn't name it exactly. The Indians would be either moved from their land, or killed off. The world as they knew it was ending, flying head first into the pages of history books.
"Come" Cloud Dancing said, walking slowly to a small knoll where Brianna could sit without too much discomfort, "Tell me of your husband and his brother's son"