Chapter 3

A Fateful Mission

It were the final days of a very hot month of July, the sun was shinning brightly, and the heat was merciless. Summer hadn't been this unbearable before...at least not to me. I took cover under a small tree in order to seek some shade. My blues eyes darted towards Little Creek, hoping that he would soon finish his chores and we'd go away for a nice swim.

At the moment, the Lakota Village was bustling with activity. Then again, it always was, so this was nothing new to me or the rest of the horses that grazed nearby to witness our humans in a rush like that. I scanned the busy area in order to catch a glimpse of my friend and owner. There he was, struggling to lift three loaded baskets at once, and was trying to move them from one side of the camp to the other. Realizing that he may have taken on a bit too much, he set the baskets down and wiped his forehead, cringing at the amount of sweat that had gathered. I tried to retain my low snort at the sight of my unfortunate companion. No wonder that this horrible dry weather took a toll on him too.

I sighed heavily, knowing that our human friends were trying their best to improve our situation.

Few days ago, I had heard from Great Conquest that the tribe was low on supplies. We were growing bigger. More horses were captured or came to the herd. More humans were born. The buffalo herd had moved further away and way sooner than we thought, leaving the tribe stuck in the middle of the grasslands with little food. I had not realized exactly how bad off we were until I spotted the great chief of the Lakota himself approaching Little Creek and some of his friends. They talked amongst themselves earnestly... evidently, the conversation was quite serious. I pricked my ears, focusing on them for a longest time, not ripping my gaze of Little Creek or the wise chief.

I was so concentrated on the human conversation, that I failed to notice that Great Conquest and Dawn had trotted up to me. "Hey Rain." The stallion greeted me with a small neigh.

I looked back and acknowledged the presence of my friends in silence, and continued to eagerly and curiously watch over Little Creek as he spoke to our chief. Noticing where my attention was, Great Conquest spoke up.

"He is sending us on a mission."

What? The great Lakota chief had finally decided to appoint Little Creek and I on an important mission? He normally chose the most trusted horses and riders for such crucial tasks. Before I could make an excited reply, our human friends walked towards us. I whinnied happily upon seeing Little Creek stride ahead of his two other companions.

"Rain," He whispered gently, and began stroking my soft, velvety muzzle. I nickered admirably at him as the two other riders approached Great Conquest and Dawn. I turned my attention on my trustworthy friend again. "At last our wise chief has decided to set us out on a mission." He informed me, his voice almost shaking with pride.

My heart began to soar in pride also. I always wanted to demonstrate just how fierce and helpful I could be for the tribe, and so did my brave owner. It was our day! Today... our chance had finally come.

I nudged Little Creek in excitement, willing him to continue.

My friend smiled as the early and hot morning sunlight bounced off of his chocolate brown hair. "He has chosen us to raid the military's supply wagon. We'll be accompanied by Long Knife riding Great Conquest, and Singing Eagle riding Dawn. We'll finally have a chance to prove ourselves Rain, and bring back food for the tribe at the same time." He finished with a delighted beam.

I neighed in happiness. We both had been waiting for this moment for quite some time now. Little Creek was only twenty years of age. That's the equivalent of a four year old stallion or mare in horses. It was about time that the two of us honored the tribe with our courage and charisma. And besides, I was going to spend time with two of my close friends, Great Conquest and Dawn.

My crystal blue eyes slip from the grey stallion with three horseshoes painted on his shoulder, to the bright chestnut mare beside him. Dawn too was utterly excited. It was her first misson as well. She nickered at me and anxiously paced around.

Little Creek spoke a moment with the two horses' riders, Long Knife and Singing Eagle. The three of them were gesturing with hands and deciding something. He then turned to me, grabbing hold of my flaxen mane and swinging swiftly onto my back. As the other two mounted the horses, I danced in place, eager to set out on our very first mission. Once everyone was ready, we set off at an easy lope in the direction west of our camp, heading to the supply wagon.

It seemed like it took forever to reach the huge wagon loaded down with food, blankets, some weapons, and everything else those humans think it so necessary. We stopped and Little Creek exchanged few words with two of his companions. Afterwards, he dismounted me and told me to stay in the cover of the woods with Conquest, Dawn, and their riders. He went ahead alone, as my gaze followed him with a slight worry. Something deep down told me that this was not a safe zone. Little Creek crept up silently to the wagon, and cautiously reached out to open the back door. He glanced around to make sure he was alone, and his hand touched the wagon's handle. There was a pause. As if something was about to go terribly wrong.

To my great relief, Little Creek managed to open the door without causing a disturbance, and nodded to us reassuringly before jumping inside. Immediately, I turned to Dawn, my eyes sparkling. "He will succeed." She whinned and nodded happily. "You'll see, we'll be just-"

She was interrupted by Great Conquest, who cut her off with a nervous snort. I jerked my head up, focusing my vision on the supply wagon.

All of a sudden, two military men appeared in an instant flash out from behind the wagon and jumped at Little Creek. My Little Creek. My friend. My rider. My owner. My human! He was seized roughly and thrown in the dirt. Without thinking about anything else, I opened my mouth to let out a desperate cry but was shushed by Great Conquest.

"Stay quiet or they'll get us too and we won't be able to rescue him." He told me urgently as I tried to protest him.

I stared at the dark grey stallion with an evident anger, however, he was determined to keep me safe and apparently, so were the two riders. They silently observed the heartbreaking scene in front of us, not even flinching for a second. My gaze followed Little Creek again, as Dawn nickered softly in comfort; trying to assure me that we'd be able save my human friend soon enough. I nodded hesitantly and with uncertainty, my eyes never leaving the sight of Little Creek, who was being dragged towards and into a giant wooden fortress.

Were the men dragging him to his death? My body shivered at that thought. I let out a sigh of despair and my eyes grew wide as I watched them disappear. For the first time in a while, I began to feel the same dread I had on the day my poor mother passed away. I hung my head in sorrow, realizing that this might've been the last time I ever saw my caring two-legged friend.

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