Author's notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter two of "Not an Afterthought." This chapter introduces Cetan, Maste, Kihi, and Ohola. I decided to give Manippi and Kami Mila siblings and Luta a son as I felt Anna needed more Lakota to interact with. Having her do that with just Tokalah and Cetan would make the fic difficult to write. Stay tuned for chapter three.

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Chapter 2: Just Peaceful

The Lakota village bristled with activity. Children ran around while laughing delightfully or played with toys quietly. Many adults chatted with each other over various events, especially past powwows and bison hunts. Others tended to chores, including washing horses and clothes. Dogs walked along and sniffed at the ground.

Cetan sat on the ground next to a tepee. He was in the Indian style position. He had Maste standing in his lap. He moved her upward while chirping as if he were a bird. She laughed happily, her arms waving about. He brought her down to his eye level. He whispered inaudible words to her. He planted kisses on her forehead before rubbing his nose against it.

Maste placed her hands over her mouth. She was normal-sized for her age. She resembled Anna, except she had Tokalah's dark skin. She had no hair on her head whatsoever. Her eyebrows were thin to the point that they appeared to be invisible. A birthmark in the shape of a line could be seen on the back of her left hand. It had two circles on both ends.

Thirty-year-old Kihi made her way toward the duo. She bore a resemblance to Kami Milla, except she was shorter than her sister was. She had scars starting on the upper part of her arms and ending just past her elbows. Her cheeks contained tiny freckles. Bags were visible under her dark brown eyes. Her long black hair was braided down her back. Her nose had a small freckle on the tip of it.

Twenty-nine-year-old Ohola walked alongside Kihi. She was slightly taller than Anna was. Scars crisscrossed on the lower part of her right arm. Her long black hair happened to be in pigtails. Strands stuck out near the ends. Her dark brown eyes contained slightly dark circles underneath them. She and Kihi stopped before the duo. Cetan looked up at them and smiled.

"Hello, Kihi, Ohola," Cetan greeted.

"Hello yourself, Cetan," Kihi replied with a chuckle.

Ohola pointed her finger at the ground next to the boy. "May we sit with you and Maste?"

Cetan seated the baby in his lap. "Sure. We could use the company until Tokalah and Anna get back."

Kihi and Ohola got on the knees next to Cetan after going to his side. They laid their hands in their lap. Maste looked at them. She balled her hand into a fist and put it in her mouth. Kihi shook her finger at her.

"No, Maste. We don't eat our fists," Ohola scolded playfully.

"We punch things with it," Kihi added as she moved her hand toward Maste. She smiled at her taking her fist out of her mouth and touching the bottom of her palm with it. "That's right."

"Tokalah and Anna chose the perfect name for their daughter," Ohola said, a smile crossing her lips. "She is a ray of sunshine in their lives."

"She is the same with the rest of us," Cetan said, standing Maste on her feet and bouncing her slightly. "Isn't that right?" He laughed when she babbled. "I thought so."

"I have no doubt Manippi and Kami Milla would have liked her. They were always good with children, especially babies," Ohola commented while clasping her hands together.

"The biggest downside of babies is changing them," Cetan muttered and cringed quite a bit. "They can stink up an area. In fact, I nearly fainted while changing Maste twice."

"I hate that babies smell at times, but we can't do much about it," Ohola said, giving a shrug. "It's life."

"At least she sleeps through the night now," Kihi said and pinched Maste's cheek. "Isn't that right?"

Maste laughed softly and reached for Kihi, who took her and stood her in her lap. Kihi moved her upward while making bird chirps. Maste squealed happily as she moved her arms up and down. Ohola clapped three times with a big smile on her face.

"Yes, Maste. Fly away," Ohola shouted, happiness radiating from her face.

"She is such a great flyer," Kihi said, bringing Maste downward and pressing her lips against her cheek. She planted multiple kisses on it. "Yes, she is."

"I can't wait to tell her our people's legends. She will be so fascinated by them," Ohola said eagerly.

Cetan rubbed his chin. "The first legend I was told when I first came here was how the porcupine got his quills. The world was young. Porcupine had no quills. He was in the woods one day. Bear tried to eat him, but he climbed into the top of a tree and was safe. Porcupine was underneath a hawthorn tree the next day. He took some of the branches and put them on his back."

"Bear pounced on him. Porcupine rolled up into a ball. Bear ran away as the thorns pricked him too much. Iktómi saw this. He called Porcupine to him and wanted to know how he did that trick. Porcupine explained he was always in danger when Bear came along and that he thought he would use those thorns when he saw them. Iktómi took branches off the tree. He peeled off bark until the tree was white. He put clay on Porcupine's back and stuck the thorns in it. He sent him into the forest and hid behind a tree. Wolf came along and pounced on Porcupine. He ran away while howling in pain. Bear arrived, but he did not dare go near Porcupine due to fear of the thorns," Kihi said and cleared her throat.

"That is why porcupines have thorns," Ohola added, a chuckle leaving her mouth. "I hope our legends will never die."

"I hope so too," Kihi agreed and sighed heavily. "Unfortunately, the whites keep encroaching on our land and killing our people."

"Not all whites are like General Custer. Many are like Anna. I do not blame her for being scared of us at first. She was not sure how she would be treated by the tribe," Cetan said honestly.

Ohola scratched her ear. "Feelings are similar when Lakota are taken captive by whites. There may be hostility in the beginning. Then it turns to trust when the treatment is good."

"Anna came to trust our people to the point she wanted to be one of us. Sarah resisted during the entire year she was with us," Cetan commented while holding up his hands. "Her dress was in such poor condition that it would have fallen off completely if it had gotten caught on something and ripped it. I admired her for her stubbornness."

"If I had been here, I would have admired her too," Kihi admitted as she moved to her butt. She pulled her knees to her chest. She folded her arms and laid them on top. She bit her lip. "Stubbornness is so interesting. It keeps people from giving up."

Kihi breathed deeply. "We can't give up in protecting our land from the whites. It is important our ways never die. Of course, we have adapted a little bit to theirs by getting rifles to protect ourselves better."

Ohola handed Maste to Kihi. Kihi moved the baby to where she was facing her. She held her high and moved her from side to side gently. She brought her down, placing her face against her chest. Maste laid her hands on the woman's head.

"Oh, no. She has gone crazy," Kihi yelled in fake fear.

"Do not worry, Kihi," Ohola said and wiggled her fingers while moving them toward Maste. "I will save you."

Ohola tickled the baby's stomach, making her laugh joyfully. She pushed on her in a very gentle away. Kihi moved Maste back somewhat. She rubbed noses with her.

"You are such a sweet baby," Kihi cooed, laughing to herself. She moved Maste up and down three times. This made the baby smile. "Yes, you are. Yes, you are."

"I hope we have children with our husbands someday," Ohola said, pressing her lips together.

"I do too," Kihi agreed, giving Maste to Cetan. She observed him turning her around and sitting her in his lap. "Children are our future. We must protect them with everything we have. No two are the same. Each one has its own wants and needs."

"Father did not give a shit about my wants or needs. He was all about himself. He treated Mother like crap before he killed her. He blamed me for her death and tried to kill me. I escaped and found shelter here. The tribe treated me like one of their own from the start," Cetan commented, sighing in a heavy manner. "Sometimes, I wonder if I could have tried harder to save her."

"You could only do so much, Cetan. You were so young," Kihi assured in a gentle voice. "I can tell you one thing. Your mother would be proud of you for growing into a strong warrior." She touched his shoulder, causing him to look at her. "If she had managed to escape with you, the tribe would have taken her in too."

"We may be aggressive, but we do have peaceful moments. We must cherish the peace we do have," Ohola murmured, moving to her butt and planting her foot into the ground. She slid the latter forward a tiny bit. "It may last for a long time. It may not."

"One thing is clear. Life can come at you so fast that you do not have time to react. We must take each day as it comes. We are not promised tomorrow," Cetan added in determination.

"Yes," Kihi agreed with a nod. She began talking about the time Ohola tricked her into petting a wolf.