CHAPTER 19
"The most precious gift was taken from us. The love I had for my brother. The love he had for you. The love you had for him was ripped out of our lives. This is the man who has done it. Tonight we are going to take back a life, for the life he has taken!" Paw whispers.
Numbness washes over Kiowa and drowns his fear. A small flame ignites in his heart. He looks at Moon Beam, who seems to nod. The confirmation from his demigod fans the rising flames of rage.
"I stole this power from him." Paw pats a bundle of furs wrapped around the golden lance. "I hoped he would again be a man. The white buffalo was a sign to me that he would be here," Paw whispers. "I am glad you are here with me, Nephew. I want you to see me use this."
The rage swells and shows in Kiowa's blazing eyes. He hears his uncle's words, but his mind is elsewhere. A gust of wind whispers, "Avenge me."
Across the prairie, Black Bear encourages his hunters. "Where the white buffalo is, great magic follows. If she is not killed and sacrificed to the Sun God, she will lead the buffalo away until our people starve out. We must kill her and put to death the man of magic who has brought her here."
"Ai hay!" the Cheyenne hunters shout in agreement, pursuing the white buffalo with fierce whooping cries.
Kiowa's predatory gaze fixes on Chief Black Bear. The fire turns to lava, coursing through his heart and blazing through his veins. His jaw clenches and his hands tighten into fists. Now he understands why Paw has brought him to this place season after season. It wasn't to observe the buffalo but to find Chief Black Bear.
The Kiowa warriors stalk the Cheyenne as they would the buffalo, with slow, steady motions. They stay a safe distance away. They watch. They listen. They pray for justice.
"A warrior should kill at least one buffalo before he kills a man. But I have sworn an oath to kill Chief Black Bear, and I will not betray my brother now. Your father's legs carried me here, and I will follow their tracks back to camp. I will need your hands, Nephew."
"What will we do then?" Makes Trouble asks.
"Summon a war party."
"They are bound to have dogs. What will we do if we wake them?"
"Then both of you will be warriors tonight."
Paw's words fall on deaf ears.
Rage explodes inside Kiowa and forces him to his feet. With zero regard for Paw or Makes Trouble, Kiowa exposes their concealed position. He removes his buffalo hide and lets his russet chest and tawny deer-hide pants stand out in stark contrast to his green prairie surroundings. The buffalo stir at the sight of him and scamper off.
"Turn your horse around and look at my face, Chief Black Bear. My heart is full of fire! My hands turn to fury. I wear the mask of death. Come! Receive it!"
Black Bear and his hunting party are so engrossed in their hunt that they don't even notice the lone warrior. They simply pursue the herd.
Black Bear skillfully rides alongside a sprinting bull. His horsemanship is unmatched. He lifts a long spear and thrusts. His warriors fire arrows. They each take turns. The hunters know their attacks won't drop the beast. For this reason, they taunt, tease, and run the buffalo to keep its heart beating and pumping the life force out of the open wounds.
The bull staggers, drops to its knees, releases one loud bellow, and falls to its side. Black Bear thrusts his spear deep into the beast's heart. For the chief, the death blow is the greatest honor.
Kiowa releases his rage in one loud war cry. "AAAHHH-HHHOOO!"
One of the Cheyenne warriors hears the high-pitched wail. He scans the horizon and spots Kiowa. The brave halts his horse by pulling on the reins. With a swift jerk of the reins, he makes a sharp turn and points out Kiowa's distant tiny frame. He cries out to Chief Black Bear, halting the hunt's momentum.
"What, Lone Horn? Don't you realize all I have left is the hunt? After two hundred winters of life, that is all that I live for. It is the only thing that excites me," Chief Black Bear shouts. He peels off and circles around. "There is nothing but the hunt!" His disappointment shows on his frowning face. He holds his spear up and aims at Lone Horn. "My blade is thirsty for blood. I haven't even begun to whet it!"
"Chief, look over there." Lone Horn points at Kiowa. "That foolish warrior challenges you."
Black Bear strains his eyes to see the distant figure wildly waving his arms and shouting like a madman.
"He must be crazy," Sitting Elk shouts.
"He could be running from something," Spotted Fawn, the youngest of the hunters, says.
"Could be?" Sitting Elk humphs.
"Maybe he's running from another tribe," Spotted Fawn suggests.
Serious stone-faced men turn their painted faces toward him. All at once they burst into laughter.
"He is not alone," Black Bear grunts, knowing that Indians, like wolves, travel in packs.
"What tribe?" Lone Horn asks.
"Does it matter? My spear beckons for more blood. Can it be drawn and offer peace?" Black Bear questions. His eyes flash. Humanity disappears. It is replaced by savage, wild eyes.
"No."
"He challenges me. I accept. That is all!"
Chief Black Bear adjusts himself in his saddle and boldly peels away from the herd. He kicks hard at the side of his horse. The mustang stands up on its hind legs and cycles its front hooves. It releases a high-pitched whinny and sprints away, shaking the earth and kicking up dirt clods.
His warriors send their horses into flight and take up diagonal flanks by their chief. The Cheyenne furiously speed across the grassy plain in an arrowhead formation. Black Bear releases a war cry that lets Kiowa know he accepts his challenge.
Kiowa shouts back, "My heart is full of courage!"
"You damn fool!" Paw cries out.
"I think perhaps you have the wrong name, Kiowa," Makes Trouble says, shaking his head.
Kiowa feels the distant thuds of horses' hooves, and a great anxiety swells inside his chest as the vibrations grow.
"Do we run?" Makes Trouble asks.
Paw shakes his head. "They will scatter us like the buffalo and kill us quickly."
"What is to be done?"
"Ready your bow and die like a man!"
Makes Trouble scrambles for an arrow. His trembling hand struggles to nock it. "I haven't even had a chance to earn my name!"
"If we can kill the strongest first, the weaker ones will retreat," Paw informs his men.
"If we can't?" Makes Trouble begs, drawing the string of his bow.
"They will kill us, scalp us, and follow our tracks back to the tribe."
Once the Cheyenne are within range, Paw flips his buffalo hide off and takes a knee. Drawing an arrow, he aims high and fires.
"Ha! You see. They are never alone!" Chief Black Bear says, still unsure of the tribe he rides against. He points his spear at Kiowa. "The crazy boy's scalp is mine. The rest are yours!"
Paw's arrow strikes true, dismounting a Cheyenne warrior. The warrior tries to stand up but loses strength. Blood spurts out of his abdomen. His knees wobble as he grabs the arrow with both hands and forcefully rips it out. Parts of his intestines protrude from the incision, taking him out of the fight.
Inspired by Paw, Makes Trouble quickly fires. His arrow rises high, then falls low and strikes the earth.
"I said do as I do!" Paw rebukes him.
Paw fires again, striking a warrior's horse in the neck. The stud bucks its rider. Paw quickly aims over the man's head and misses. Within seconds, he releases a second and third arrow, eventually hitting his intended target.
Makes Trouble fires and hits an enemy in the groin. The Cheyenne brave falls off his horse, screaming so loud it scares the horses and forces them to run faster.
Paw pauses for a moment, then smiles. "Hmmm…I like your way better."
The Cheyenne are nearly upon them. Too terrified to laugh, Makes Trouble reaches for another arrow. He backs up like he's going to run, but Paw holds him in place.
"We fight as one!" he orders the young man.
Kiowa doesn't back down. Instead, he shouts, "Come to me, Chief Black Bear. I will spill your blood and make it flow like a stream on the grass. I will take your scalp and imprison your soul!"
"Kiowa…" Paw shouts, tossing him the golden lance.
Kiowa looks at his uncle and sees the powerful object glowing in midair. Instinctively, he reaches out and catches it. The second his hand touches it, the sun ignites a blinding light that slows Chief Black Bear's charge. The Cheyenne shield their eyes.
Paw wastes no time firing another arrow. He hits a horse in the leg next to Black Bear but does not reach his intended target. The horse bucks its rider and neighs as it sprints away.
"Ah, I know this man!" Black Bear shouts, lowering his spear. "This is the brother of Lone Wolf. We will make him sing the song of agony. Then we will scalp him alive, the way his brother scalped my son. Let us cut off his arms, his legs, and take out his eyes. He will be our living trophy!"
A soft amber glow bonds to Kiowa's tanned skin.
Black Bear lowers the point of his spear and readies his thrust. "The hunt! It really is all that's left." As he gets closer, a wild, excited grin flashes across his face. "You have not unlocked its power, or I would be facing a worse enemy than three men."
His warriors follow close behind, whooping war cries as they go.
Makes Trouble takes aim at Black Bear, but Paw pushes his arm down.
"Let Kiowa prove whose son he is."
"What if Black Bear kills him?"
Paw draws a deep breath and feels the weight of his brother's loss transfer to his nephew. "Then it is his time to reunite with his father."
Fueled by a mixture of rage and vengeance, Kiowa sprints toward his father's killer. Everything seems to slow. He sees Black Bear orient his flint-tipped gray spear toward him. The feathers tied around the shaft wave wildly. With a quick hike of his shoulder, the spear tucks firmly beneath his arm. Now Black Bear can see the weapon steady and aim directly at Kiowa's face. The horse's head rises, and its powerful hooves fall. The spotted brown-and-white mustang splashes through the marshy grass, splattering waves of cascading water with each step. Thousands of water beads form perfect spheres, then drop down as the mustang shakes the earth with each thrusting sprint.
Kiowa can hear the mustang exhale and notices how its eyes are as fiercely fixed on him as Black Bear's are.
"Aiye-ahhh!" Black Bear cries, lowering his shield and dropping his black-painted jaw. His eagle-feathered bonnet flattens against his head. He leans forward and prepares for the final thrust.
With every ounce of strength he has, Kiowa's arm retracts, then snaps forward. He hurls the golden lance with all his might.
Chief Black Bear glares over his raised shield.
Authors note: Strike first! Strike hard! No mercy sir! In this dojo, mercy is for the weak. Well at least that's what Johnny's sensai thought in the Karate kid. Who will win? I can hardly wait! If you're like me, you should just go get the book already. Go to Amazon and type in "Harvest Moon," by Zachary H. Lovelady. Book/kindle format are readily available. Oh and if you want to see the characters as I see them, check me out on insta: harvestmoonofficial.