M.D. Robinson's Blog, page 4
January 9, 2016
Series Cover for Way of the Horse Series
So excited that DigitalDonna.com has designed my series cover.
Check it out at:
Way of the Horse Series
Or here:
Check it out at:
Way of the Horse Series
Or here:
Book 2, Here and Now Cover Reveal.
HOT OFF THE PRESSES...
Actually because this is an e-book, not really but I am excited to take this next step in getting Book 2 out.
So here it is!!!
Actually because this is an e-book, not really but I am excited to take this next step in getting Book 2 out.
So here it is!!!
January 1, 2016
Here and Now, Book 2, Chapter REVEAL!!
TADA!!! Here is a Chapter from my upcoming book. It is in Beta Review right now and I am hoping for a February release if all goes well.
Check out Book 1, Memories of a Distant Future in time for this one's new release...the links to the other retailers are below the link to my publisher to the right.
Note, this is still a draft version of the book so I noticed a few errors that will not be in the upcoming one. Proofreading comes right before it publishes.
Chapter FiveThe Way of the HorseThe whole camp seemed to be holding their breath as they waited for news of the buffalo herd returning to the area. Black Moose had told no one about his dream except Old Crow and Blue Jay and they had not let on that anything more need be done. He wanted to ask but knew that they had heard his story and would answer him in their own due time. Still the camp seemed to get more and more edgy as the summer wore on with tempers flaring over petty things and even the children wondering at the feeling. When Black Moose would walk out to the horse herd to visit his horses and give them tasty morsels he would ponder on his dream and the two's reaction.One afternoon he felt he could sit still no more and he set to readying himself.Then he went to his friend, Flying Hawk and spoke to him, "The buffalo are not coming and we must prepare for another winter without their bounty."The young man jerked as his friend spoke as if he had been dreaming. "HO! I will gather my things and we shall meet at the horse herd."Black Moose smiled at his friend and his willingness to be off on a hunt. "Where is Rising Star and Sacred Bear?"Flying Hawk smiled turning and pointing across the camp at the far ridge to the south saying, "Chasing Lovely Rose's charms..."Black Moose looked across the valley and saw two young men following a young woman as she walked west up the slope searching for tubers for the evening meal. Black Moose shook his head and said, "After you, Flying Eagle and Little Antelope pack and are ready, ride by them on your way out south and laugh at them! The fools need to see that we are going and they can choose to stay here with the long dresses or come with the men!" Flying Hawk laughed heartily at the joke and set to quickly gathering his things.At this he turned to see another set of eyes on him, a set that he hoped would be on him for the rest of his life. Those dark eyes shone with that little something some called love. Black Moose smiled at her and signed that he was going hunting. She winked at him and smiled as she turned to enter the tipi. I know I break her heart when I leave, he thought, but she says she is proud of me. I must talk with her to see if that is real or not. Then he looked at the scrambling Flying Hawk, maybe he could tell me.With a shrug, Black Moose set off for the other brother's family tipi, "I will get the other two brothers.""Where shall we meet, brother?" came the question at his back.Black Moose turned and signed, if you can't find me, you will sleep with the coyotes.Flying Hawk laughed louder and set off for the horse herd.Black Moose smiled again, feeling the familiar Flying Hawk returning. He had not been the same since the attack on the camp. He had been badly beaten and his ego crushed as the result. Black Moose had become a sour memory of this failure but as friends usually do, they had gotten over it, mainly by returning to the things that they like to do together.As he approached Flying Eagle and Little Antelope's family tipi he yipped like a coyote and they tore through the flap in excited anticipation."Brothers, we hunt until the snow flies!"They both yelled out, "HO!" and began scrambling for their belongings. The father, Summer Badger, strode out of the shade from the behind their tipi and stood watching them quietly. Both boys were almost exact copies of him, short and stout with high brows and round noses.Black Moose signed with respect to their father. His nod was enough to let Black Moose know that he approved."Meet Flying Hawk at the horse herd.""Ho!" came the dual reply.Black Moose turned and set off for his own horses hobbled near Old Crow's tipi. He leaped onto Red and set off for to the south with a train of his horses.On this outing, as Black Moose had left before the rest, he found himself alone with his thoughts. He wrestled with the idea that the band did not trade horses with the Dog People. It would seem that a horse would be able to command a better price than some of the skins and food stuffs that they had traded. He wondered what the People had missed by not offering to trade horses.
Several nights later, after returning to the camp, Black Moose quietly hung his endeavors on the drying racks by the light of the dying fire outside his old friend’s tipi. Before Black Moose touched the tipi flap, an old gnarled voice spoke from within, “Come in young brother.”Black Moose shook his head thinking to himself, how does he do that? He opened the flap and slid into the interior space. His nose was immediately assaulted with all the varied herbs and medicines that hung from the poles and ropes within. The assault always carried a welcoming feel to it and his body immediately relaxed.“Old brother, why do you not sleep. It is late.”“Young brother, when you get to my age, you will s' that sleep is like the thunderstorms on the prairie, it comes when it wants, not when you want it,” at which the old man chuckled to himself at his wit.Black Moose stood smiling at his old friend, then he noticed that they were not alone. Blue Jay sat next to Old Crow with her eyes closed and humming a chant. Black Moose made to leave saying, “Sorry to interrupt…”Blue Jay’s eyes opened and engulfed him in their warmth and love, “Hold son, do not go," her singsong voice advised, "We both have been in discussions concerning you.”Black Moose paused and sat back down with a curious look on his face. “You were waiting for me?”The old man huddled deeper into his robes and nodded while Blue Jay continued in her high singsong voice, “The spirits whispered to us that you were coming…” her voice trailing off.Black Moose sat back and waited as was the custom of the People. He knew that to ask questions would rush them and put a damper on whatever they wanted to talk of. He had learned much of patience since being adopted by the People, especially as he lived with the old medicine man.The silence spanned on for what felt like half the night although Black Moose was sure it was only half of what would be called an hour in the future. Finally, Blue Jay began looking up into the poles above their heads, “Something troubles your spirit. You have questions concerning the People and our ways. Your ways are as strange to us as we are to you. But we as the People have adopted you and you have taken well to being a part of our band”. She paused and then went on more humbly, “I and my family have directly benefitted from your strength and skill. Your sacrifice on our behalf has caused me to become more of your kin than many of my own.” Her voice changed again, more humble if that could be accomplished, “I am proud that you have chosen my daughter as your lifelong companion.”Black Moose sat listening to this introduction, remembering every part, knowing what each word meant and how much feeling she put behind each statement. His heart was once again full of the love for the People, but still doubt crept in.“Yet, having been through all that, you are still troubled…” Black Moose looked up startled that she knew something about how he felt. Her gaze was fixed on him now and her eyes bore into his soul. He felt that familiar passing of spirits as his spirit shared his memories and hers with him. He felt her fear of being a medicine woman, the fear of being called a…witch was the only word that he could describe it as although the translation wasn't right. He could feel the fear of losing her family and of them losing everything, of them being cast out. But there was something else lurking in the background…a gift that she had, a gift to be able to discern the spirits and to see into a living spirit's soul and hear what they said. He marveled at such a gift…Then it was all gone.Black Moose blinked as did Blue Jay but her sly smile told him that his secret questions were known to her. He looked down into the fire ashamed of having doubts and questions.“Old Crow,” at which the old man almost jumped out of his robes, “the young man is ready to learn of the Way of the Horse.”The old man eyed her closely then looked back to Black Moose. “THAT is reserved for only the one or two in the band to learn and guide us. H' has not been selected."The silence stretched on as the old man finally filled it with, "H' is young. H' will not b' able to retain what h' is taught."Her look told the old man her answer as he looked back at Black Moose, “It is like I am married to her, not her to Brave Elk,” he grumbled as he retreated back into his robes.Black Moose’s interest stirred and he felt his attention hone in on this new concept, “What is this Way of the Horse?” Blue Jay looked to the old medicine man who seemed to be hiding in his robes now. “If you do not tell him, I will.”The old man grumbled something intelligible about only men knowing of such things. She looked at him kindly as a knowing smirk crept across her face. As it lit up her face, the wrinkled old face changed to a question, then doubt, then disbelief and finally to astonishment.“You don’t…” his words trailed off into his furs.“My grandfather taught me,” was the soft reply as she turned back to stoke the dwindling fire.“HOW! Your grandfather was not of the Way of the Horse. I knew your father and his father. They were great medicine men but they could not have known.”She looked down and smiled into the fire, memories dancing in her face while her eyes seemed to glow. Old Crow watched as she turned back to him, “I had two grandfathers…” letting her voice trail off.Old Crow sat up straight and blinked and sputtered as if he had been doused in the ice cold water from the nearby cold mountain stream. Black Moose sat watching the exchange, being forgotten.“Your mother’s father?”She turned back to the fire nodding...The old medicine man watched her closely. He searched his mind but it betrayed him now. It did a lot of that lately. He dug through old memories but still found nothing.When she looked back to him, tears rolled down her cheek. Her eyes glistened as she said, “You were not part of the band when he was with us. He moved on with another band after he and my paternal grandfather began teaching me the ways of the medicine man. He was a sacred Elder of the Horse as well as a powerful medicine man and taught me much of their ways long before I knew what it all meant. I have never known what ever happened to him or where he crossed over to the spirits. It is the one thing I never forgave my mother for...”Old Crow sat listening and piecing things together. “Why would h' leave the band and where did he go?”Blue Jay looked back into the fire, “My mother would never tell me. She only said that grandfather had left and would not be returning. That was the only explanation I ever received. My other grandfather saw the devastation that this had on my young mind and realized that I needed to focus my talents on things that were more to my liking instead of my ill feelings for my mother and her secrets. He listened to the spirits and they told him where I needed to be led to keep me safe. He focused my mind on much of their teachings.”The old man sat thinking, knowing the story of her father, the old medicine man knew better than to ask why he did not offer an explanation to her.His old mind returned to the problem at hand. To teach a man the Way of the Horse would need the approval of the elders and the chief, in fact he did not even know who the present Master of the Horse and Apprentice were. Those were usually closely kept secrets for only the elders and the chief to know. Their acceptance of Black Moose as a member of the band was enough in their eyes. To even ask to teach this stranger the Way of the Horse would not be looked upon with any kindness and could damage a lot of what had been built over the last season. His status in the band was not enough to be elevated to that. He may be ready but the band was not.His mind went on, but Blue Jay knew the Way of the Horse and therefore could teach him. If she were found out her family could be cast out but she was already on a similar path in preparation to be a medicine woman. She had nothing to lose but what would the band gain by having Black Moose learn of the Way of the Horse? Old Crow could see nothing and even the spirits refused to whisper to him on this wise. He looked at Blue Jay, she would not offer such a thing if the spirits did not whisper it to her. His skin began to crawl at the realization, the student may not be the student much longer, he thought. The spirits began dancing and singing around him.“Black Moose, Blue Jay has something important to teach you. You will need all your skill to keep from revealing these things, for it is forbidden knowledge, to b' shared only with those prepared and ready for such things. It is dangerous to even speak of it. Blue Jay feels you are ready, therefore I do as well,” at which the old man sat back in his robes and began chanting. Black Moose noticed that this chant was different from any he had ever heard. Blue Jay noticed it as well.Blue Jay spoke up louder than before, "Enter my dear sister."Both men jumped as the flap pulled back to reveal Yellow Meadowlark sliding in effortlessly to join the trio. She took her place at the fire near the entrance, placing a bundle next to her. Black Moose and Old Crow eyed the bundle having already heard that she had given Black Moose the sacred items of her family, both wondered what this new item might be.All waited for the calm and harmony to enter their hearts before anything was said. Eventually Blue Jay spoke up, "Yellow Meadowlark Singing Joyfully in the Morning, you have brought a petition to the medicine woman to adopt an orphan of the People."She nodded gravely."You understand that this will cause great concern with your family, that it will cause strife and unrest with your family?""Yes, I understand but I invoke the love of a mother to overrule the ways of men in this sacred matter. I have been blessed with a single son and he is not worthy of the birthrights promised him. His father has also broken my heart with the teachings of a deranged mind, bent on pain and suffering to gain power and influence. I cannot allow my birthrights to pass to those that are unworthy. As a daughter of Great Buffalo Chief of a Grand Herd and as granddaughter of White Elk Standing on the Red Ridge, I desire their sacred rights be passed to one who is worthy of their names and will follow their teachings."Blue Jay's singsong voice answered, "But how shall their teachings be passed along if he is not allowed to openly speak with you?" Her question opening up the real problem in the arrangement proposed. Yellow Meadowlark looked up at her friend somewhat shocked, then understanding raced across the face as she paused to answer."I will accomplish this task with the spirits help."Blue Jay looked to the old man who nodded and then at Black Moose, thinking to herself. Finally she made the decision, "Ho, the spirits whisper that is it good that you adopt this orphan before he is married to my daughter. May their marriage further solidify your place at our fire and in the band.""I see that you have also brought something else?"Yellow Meadowlark, taking her cue picked the bundle up and cautiously unwrapped it. Inside has a thin horse hair rope with a handle attached to one side and beads and quills wrapped within."As is also passed from my family, the rights of the Way of the Horse may also follow my family's line. I seek to convey those rights also on my son."Old Crow gasped and sat up looking between the two women, his mind landing where this plan had come from. He said, "But that can only b' passed to the oldest," came the words from Old Crow. The other three sat forward at the statement. Nothing had been said about it being a right or that it was passed to the oldest, thought Black Moose. There is something more here, he thought."As part of the ceremony tonight, I seek to have He Who Fights the Black Bull Moose Alone adopted as my eldest son."The pause from the old man was long as the tension in the tipi rose. His heart ranged far between the feelings of pride for having his friend chosen, to the angst of being caught in a web of intrigue from this family who always had plans for power. His mind sought the oral histories locked up within and he found several instances where this had been done. Every time it destroyed the family, he found."I remember counseling you to b' like the rock in a stream," he said, changing the direction of the discussion and diffusing some of the tension in the air."Yes, grandfather, you spoke truly but sometimes the rock has to move as the earth below it is scoured out by the unrelenting stream. I seek to move in such a way to protect the People and my own ancestors from the poor decisions of others."The wind suddenly rose outside the tipi to howl in the tipi poles at the top. The spirits seemed to be making their own statement.Old Crow looked up through the opening at the stars and then back to Yellow Meadowlark. He nodded at Blue Jay and said, "They are her rights to convey to whomever sh' wishes but," turning back to the mother and throwing his cloaked arm out to point at her, "b' forewarned, these types of decisions tear families apart."Yellow Meadowlark sat forward and pulled on the opening along the left side of her long dress, baring the ribs below her still covered breast, saying coldly but respectfully, "Grandfather, this is how I am rewarded for being a part of that family." There were several long wide scars there, length wise following her ribs. Behind the skin could be seen dark, deep bruises from more recent injuries. Old Crow sat forward, his robes falling from his shoulders, trying to get a clear look at all of the scars and wounds. His frown turned to fear and disbelief."Those look to b'..." his voice trailing off in fear.Yellow Meadowlark finished his sentence for him, "The work of a small man with no heart," letting the dress return to its place and turning the discussion away from what their true meaning was. The old man's face showed fear as he looked up into her face of determination, the silence rolling on. Finally he nodded at her in respect and sat back pulling the robes back to their places around his shoulders.He turned to look at Blue Jay with a look of sorrow. He face was one of careful contemplation. She too was shocked to see the scars and wounds and was wondering what they were. She had never heard of them but it was obvious Old Crow knew.Black Moose sat watching all of them. The scars and wounds on his mother worried him and he wondered how she had gotten them. More than anything, he was worried about the reaction of the old man. The old medicine man seemed to be truly concerned with them and their meaning. Something about them worried him.Yellow Meadowlark returned to her seat and sat looking down into the fire, lost in her own thoughts and memories.The old medicine man nodded at Blue Jay and she began the ceremony while the wind beat upon the camp outside.
All four talked long into the night, each of the three imparting some preparatory knowledge to the young man for him to study, ponder and learn. Eventually Yellow Meadowlark was the first to leave, with kind words of encouragement to her new son and the customary show of love from a mother of the People. Blue Jay asked to stay and chant and pray with Old Crow so Black Moose, feeling overwhelmed and exhausted from the emotional evening in addition to the previous days' hunts, crawled into his sleeping robes and was fast asleep before the other two could finish their first discussion. They talked in whispered tones as he snored loudly on the other side of the tipi.The next morning, Black Moose arose early and was ready to leave as the light in the east began to color the horizon a lighter blue. As he prepared to set out for the horse herd, movement behind him startled him and he turned to find five shapes emerging from of the darkness. Flying Hawk whistled their standard call of a bird and Black Moose smiled to himself. He whistled back and the group shouldered their equipment, setting off at a brisk pace for the horse herd.They headed south on their mounts with pack horses lined out behind them as the eastern sky shown in a whitish yellow. Black Moose led them and by mid-morning they were just beyond his camp and heading around the south side of the mountain that jutted from the foothills. The six had very rarely made it this far south and were excited to be farther than any had been before, well five of the six anyway. Black Moose had other reasons for picking this camp.As they arrived he spoke, "Brothers, I propose that we set this camp up as a semi-permanent place for us to stage our hunting. There are now six of us since Laughing Cub has ventured on to be with our ancestors." The other five dropped their heads in sorrow as they remembered the youngest of their group.Black Moose let the sorrow and his words set in as he prepared to make the next statement. Then he said, "My brothers, the spirits have granted me a vision."They looked up in curiosity. He continued, "I trust you with my life by telling you this. The People will not understand if one so strange as I were to talk of spirits and visions but I have the gift. I have talked with Old Crow and..." then his heart jumped into his throat. He almost said the other name! It took his breath away that he almost let it slip that Blue Jay was a medicine woman.He recovered quickly enough though and said, "...and he knows of my medicine. He has counseled me not to tell anyone."He paused to let that sink in. Then said, "But you are my brothers and I have shared sorrow, pain, joy and happiness with you. I share this not to boast or institute myself as your leader. I share this in the hopes that you will understand the serious work we have ahead of us.""Winter comes soon, the summer grasses are brown and the water in the streams are beginning to trickle. One day soon, the mountains will show red, yellow and orange and we will know it is too late to hunt much more.""I have seen a vision and the buffalo are far to the east by now. I believe that they will not be here by winter. Old Crow has been performing the buffalo dances and other ceremonies that he believes will bring the buffalo.""I believe in him and the spirits but I cannot watch as our band is brought to starvation with another long spring like the last one. Therefore I will spend the rest of this summer and as much of the fall as I can hunting and hauling it back to the camp."Flying Hawk joined in, "You will not do it alone, my brother. We will help." The other four chimed in with a hearty "HO!"Black Moose smiled as he looked each in the eyes and they stared back with something he had never seen before, courage, loyalty, admiration?"How should we do it?" came the always curious Little Antelope.Black Moose replied, "We will divide into three hunting pairs. As you bring the game in, you will cut and hang it up here. After we have enough for all the pack horses, one pair will load the meat on the animals and trail back to camp returning with the horses in the next day or two. Each pair of hunters will take a turn. That way hunters are always out bringing in more and do not have to stop for trips back to camp.""HO!"By midday they had the spike camp set up and were ranging far and wide in search of game.That night, after they had returned and compared notes of where they saw herds of game, a plan was made and each rolled into their buffalo sleeping robes, except Black Moose. He waited for a while, then set off in the direction away from their hobbled horses. Once he was far enough away, he whistled lightly hoping no one in the camp could hear him and waited in the dark, looking up into the starry night above him. He heard his mount, Red come sauntering over towards him."So you do know how to get out of that hobble when you want to, don't you?"The horse nickered softly as if in answer and her muzzle nudged his right hand."Your nose is way too keen," we whispered back as he slid the tender morsel he had been saving all day for just this moment. The horse snorted softly as she chomped at the dried fruit, then threw her head as if to say, let's go.Black Moose patted her lightly, grabbed her neck and slipped up onto her back in a fluid motion. Then he turned her towards the eastern edge of the mountain to the northeast.
As he approached a familiar grove of trees near a trickling stream, he cooed lightly like a dove and heard the same call respond from the depths of the trees. He dismounted at the edge of the trees and let his horse go without a hobble. He looked at the proud animal's dark silhouette against the lighter grasses of the prairie behind her and thought, why bother if she can get out of the hobble when she really wants. She stays because she likes to. She had long since moved over to munch on some tasty grasses without another look in his direction.He turned and entered the trees and further on, his old camp. Two forms arose from a log near the unused fire pit."Mothers?""Son," they replied in unison.He smiled in the darkness unable to see the beaming smiles from the other two women but feeling them as well as their love anyway.Blue Jay's singsong voice started, "Come and sit here on the log. Your mother has much to teach you of your birthrights. I will return at the rising of the moon and we will begin your study of the Way of the Horse.""You will not stay, mother?""Your real mother has much to teach you and I should not hear it. It is sacred between a mother and her eldest son. She will explain."He moved towards the black log where Yellow Meadowlark stood while Blue Jay disappeared in the trees to the south of them.Yellow Meadowlark sat quietly and he followed, then both sat waiting for the calm. Black Moose spoke first when it was time having prepared this statement for days, "Mother, I am grateful that you have adopted me but I am confused. I am not of the band or the tribe. I have been an enemy to your real son ever since I have come. I do not understand why you would adopt me when I am nothing to you.""You are my real son," she clarified with happiness in her husky voice and he felt a smile from the dark shape although he knew not how he did. Her husky voice continued, "Black Moose, from the time that you were discovered at our camp fire after the buffalo dance, I have felt the spirits drawing me towards you. Your bravery that night as I watched you stand among the hunters and warriors was something of legends. Then, even more courage was shown to cast aside the weapon you had so forcefully taken. There was something in those actions that hinted at who you are. I have watched you much since. You are all that a mother would want in a son and I am surprised that none in the camp have taken you as their own yet.""I have watched you as your brother has antagonized and tormented you. You have never initiated an attack although you have finished a few. When I saw you stand against him and allow him to attack you with his knife after the raid and you not defend yourself, I knew that I needed you to...be my salvation. I have been living in a nightmare since I was married. Every day has been painful, some more so than I thought I could bear. When I thought of my ancestors, it pained me to look upon my son and know that their legacy lay with such a man. His father is...mean and small minded. I thought when I had my son that I could protect him from his father's evil influence..." her voice trailed off as she bowed her head.After a time her head arose and she said, "I was wrong and as the winters have progressed the doubts have grown to fear in my heart that lives and breathes in my every waking moment. How can I allow such evil to be linked to my ancestors? How could I be placed in such a situation? Why have the spirits treated me this way?" her voice broke into sobs.Black Moose started at the show of emotion and put his right arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. She seemed to lean into him as the many winters of pain and suffering swept up from her heart to engulf her consciousness. He sat comforting his mother and letting the tears and sadness drain from her.It took quite a while before she calmed and regained control. She slowly sat up and looked at him in the darkness. "I was right," she stated softly.Black Moose patted her on the back and she nodded, "The spirits ways are not understandable to our minds but by following them we can be led in ways that seem miraculous. Remember that my son. You have a long lineage of leaders in your line. They learned to listen to the people, the spirits, the medicine men...or women, as you may have to now. Leading is not about power and threat. I will teach you these things in the coming nights. You will need to pay attention but unlike the path of the medicine ma...people, you will not have to remember every word for the stories, songs and lessons will be remembered as you encounter similar or new situations. Yes, some things will need to be remembered but not all. And, as the spirits of our ancestors are nearby, they may well teach you more.""We will begin with your line. It is what will establish you as a leader among the People and will stay any power struggles within the band. At least most of them..."Sometime later, as the darkness around them began to lighten at the rising of the moon, a high, soft dove call came from the darkness to the south. Yellow Meadowlark called softly back.Movement from within the trees in that direction coalesced into a form that came close and sat on the log beside Black Moose. He noticed the scent of a flower he could not quite place on the breeze as she sat down, that and the scent of a horse.Her singsong voice began, "Son, you have been selected by the spirits of our ancestors and your lineage to learn the Way of the Horse. It is a sacred right not granted to many within the People for it is our livelihood, it is our way. We are the sacred keepers of the horse. No other tribe has been selected. Many once had them but they treated them in ways that angered the spirits." As she paused, Black Moose turned to look at his adopted mother thinking of the wounds in her side, wondering at such treatment by her husband.Yellow Meadowlark's husky voice shocked him back from his wandering train of thoughts, "The way we treat our animal brothers is the way in which we treat our loved ones. I have watched you as you have been with your horses, Black Moose. You already know much but there is always more to learn."She paused, then continued, "I did not come to my decision to pass the Way of the Horse on to you lightly. It is a heavy responsibility, one fraught with heavy decisions, for the life and death of the horse is the life and death of the People and all that we are. That was one reason that my ancestors were either Masters of the Horse or great leaders of the People. Long ago, our family decided that is was important that the Way of the Horse be merged with the leadership of a chief. Both are essential parts of the People and having two individuals possessing each was bound to drive them to eventually compete for power within the band and tribe. They thought that People could not afford to have such strife, for it could tear us asunder and the Way could be lost."Black Moose sat thinking as the spirits whispered on his skin.His mother continued, "The unhappiness I have experienced came from my father's desire to again bring the Way of the Horse back under our ancestor's influence."Black Moose felt a sudden movement and the swish of braided hair on his arm next to him as Blue Jay turned to look around him at the speaker.The husky voice continued, "Yes, my sister, I was the union that finally brought these two sacred ways together again..." her voice breaking and sobs escaping her chest. Black Moose put his arm around her shoulders and she leaned in again. She sobbed for a time before she sat up and continued."My ancestors wanted the union long ago and various Masters of the Horse are a part of our linage, but not recent ones. My grandfather's grandfather was one but it was time to rebind the two into one once again. It seems that when Red Alder came to my family the opportunity presented itself."The silence stretched on for a time before she continued, "My father had counseled me that if I would follow the spirits and marry this man that they would guide me. He has long since taken the journey to be with our ancestors but his words still ring in my heart. But as the winters stretched on, the words became hollow and meaningless. How could the spirits offer me to one such as him? For what? Why?" and her sobs overpowered her again.Blue Jay put a hand on Black Moose in comfort as she saw him again comfort her. No one said anything while the woman wept.When she again regained her composer she continued, "Blue Jay, I know some of the Way of the Horse and with the birthright I have conveyed on my son from my husband and grandfather's grandfather, I know that he will have the right to the Way of the Horse. But I ask you to teach him what he needs to become a Master of the Horse. I have done all I can for him in bestowing him this right, it will be up to you to teach him the Way," at which she slid from under his arm, arose and walked north towards the trickle of water that was the stream.Blue Jay waited a time to allow both to calm from the emotional energy that had charged the air, then she began, “It is time to begin your studies of the Way of the Horse.”“Studies?”“Yes, studies. It is a way that requires you to study the horse always. It is a way that requires much of you. The People have always had the horse unlike other tribes who may have gained it at one time and lost it. We have had them from almost the time of the People's creation. The history of the Way of the Horse is rife with mistakes and problems in the beginning. In the beginning, many other tribes also had horses but they did not care for our brother. They rode him and ate him. He was not honored or sacred in their eyes. Their abuse and neglect led to the decline of the horse in those early days until only our tribe continued to raise them and prospered because of it. We tried to trade the horses but whenever we did, the People would...suffer therefore showing spirits displeasure."“Thus, the horse is not traded with outsiders nor eaten?” he questioned.Blue Jay smiled warmly in the dark even though he could not see her face, “Your wit will serve you wisely. Yes, that is why trading or eating of the horse is not allowed. We learned to guard the horse and to not allow them out of our care. This method came to be known as the Way of the Horse and is a sacred society in our culture. Few know of the way and even fewer are allowed to practice it. Each band has a Master of the Way and he is entrusted with the secrets that he passes on to the next before he journeys on to the spirits.”“The Way of the Horse is all the knowledge and abilities that we have learned over the generations to keep our sacred brothers safe. It is also the way in which we breed them and keep the herds healthy and abundant.”The lesson continued well into the night with her pausing only long enough to answer questions. The moon set on their lessons and still she kept teaching him. Blue Jay would pause to allow the young man to signal that he had had enough but he would only ask questions or encourage her to continue. She glanced up at the eastern sky and saw the brother star that signaled the coming of dawn. Black Moose followed her gaze and inquired of the star.“We must return to camp before the sun rises or the consequences could be dire, but I will teach you what I know of the skies someday soon as well.” She whistled slightly into the night and the figure of Yellow Meadowlark strode up from the creek below."Sister, we must go," said the singsong voice, the other nodding.Black Moose sat quietly on the log, thinking of all that he had heard and learned this night as the women walked into the darkness. He could hear them mount horses on the other side of the creek and set off at a brisk pace into prairie beyond.I better slide back to our spike camp and come up with a story to tell, he thought as he walked south to his waiting mount.
Blue Jay, Yellow Meadowlark and Black Moose talked much during the following nights that they met him in his old camp. Each woman had lives to portray during the day but every other night or two they would meet him to impart the knowledge that they had.
As the summer wore on, Black Moose watched as the band's stores of meat increased with each of the hunter's return. He knew that with more hunters out, the stores would be more than full before fall so he decided to approach another group that could help.After returning from his hunting rounds one morning, Black Moose approached Raging Buffalo as he was sitting in the shade of his tipi chatting with his friends. The young man was taller and bigger than even Black Moose, but Black Moose had bested him enough times to know that most of that girth was fat from his lazy lifestyle. His friends, who Black Moose had never met and clearly did not want to, were similar, big but not due to their strength. They bullied where friendship could be won and raged against those that were better in any way.These three friends, who Black Moose thought of as thugs, stood abruptly and stepped up to intercept him as he approached their leader. Black Moose paused and looked each in the eye until they averted their gaze, but still they did not move to let him by. Behind them Raging Buffalo sat in the shade smiling at the confrontation.The smaller of the three who happened to be flanked by the other two spoke up, "Go away, strange one."Black Moose turn his gaze to this one and said in a menacing tone, "What is your name?"The youth, shocked at such a question in such a tone, looked down into Black Moose's eyes. Black Moose stared coldly up into his eyes. The young man took a step back reflexively. Black Moose let a smile creep over his face."You heard Dark Porcupine, go away strange one.""I invite you and your hunters to join us as we hunt. Together we can accomplish more and be ready for the winter. No one will have to starve this winter and the band will be grateful for your service.""HA! You think we are stupid. We know that the buffalo will come soon and then there will be plenty for many winters.""No, the buffalo will not be coming this summer.""How do you know that! Are you a seer? I think not. You are a stranger, you know not of our ways. Go, you and your little hunters go practice stalking antelope. The real hunters are here, preparing for the buffalo hunt." The other three laughed at his retort.Black Moose stood stone still as he watched Raging Buffalo stand and walk around the other side of the tipi away from them. The three stood their ground, although they avoided his gaze."Come brothers," he whispered to them, "we can hunt together and be what our ancestors have always taught us, useful to all the band."The three of them stepped back almost in unison and followed their leader.Black Moose watched as they left.A noise at the tipi flap brought his attention there. Yellow Meadowlark slipped from the tipi and looked at him. Her smile told him her heart as she continued on to the cooking fire without another look or a word.He turned towards his tipi.
Check out Book 1, Memories of a Distant Future in time for this one's new release...the links to the other retailers are below the link to my publisher to the right.
Note, this is still a draft version of the book so I noticed a few errors that will not be in the upcoming one. Proofreading comes right before it publishes.
Chapter FiveThe Way of the HorseThe whole camp seemed to be holding their breath as they waited for news of the buffalo herd returning to the area. Black Moose had told no one about his dream except Old Crow and Blue Jay and they had not let on that anything more need be done. He wanted to ask but knew that they had heard his story and would answer him in their own due time. Still the camp seemed to get more and more edgy as the summer wore on with tempers flaring over petty things and even the children wondering at the feeling. When Black Moose would walk out to the horse herd to visit his horses and give them tasty morsels he would ponder on his dream and the two's reaction.One afternoon he felt he could sit still no more and he set to readying himself.Then he went to his friend, Flying Hawk and spoke to him, "The buffalo are not coming and we must prepare for another winter without their bounty."The young man jerked as his friend spoke as if he had been dreaming. "HO! I will gather my things and we shall meet at the horse herd."Black Moose smiled at his friend and his willingness to be off on a hunt. "Where is Rising Star and Sacred Bear?"Flying Hawk smiled turning and pointing across the camp at the far ridge to the south saying, "Chasing Lovely Rose's charms..."Black Moose looked across the valley and saw two young men following a young woman as she walked west up the slope searching for tubers for the evening meal. Black Moose shook his head and said, "After you, Flying Eagle and Little Antelope pack and are ready, ride by them on your way out south and laugh at them! The fools need to see that we are going and they can choose to stay here with the long dresses or come with the men!" Flying Hawk laughed heartily at the joke and set to quickly gathering his things.At this he turned to see another set of eyes on him, a set that he hoped would be on him for the rest of his life. Those dark eyes shone with that little something some called love. Black Moose smiled at her and signed that he was going hunting. She winked at him and smiled as she turned to enter the tipi. I know I break her heart when I leave, he thought, but she says she is proud of me. I must talk with her to see if that is real or not. Then he looked at the scrambling Flying Hawk, maybe he could tell me.With a shrug, Black Moose set off for the other brother's family tipi, "I will get the other two brothers.""Where shall we meet, brother?" came the question at his back.Black Moose turned and signed, if you can't find me, you will sleep with the coyotes.Flying Hawk laughed louder and set off for the horse herd.Black Moose smiled again, feeling the familiar Flying Hawk returning. He had not been the same since the attack on the camp. He had been badly beaten and his ego crushed as the result. Black Moose had become a sour memory of this failure but as friends usually do, they had gotten over it, mainly by returning to the things that they like to do together.As he approached Flying Eagle and Little Antelope's family tipi he yipped like a coyote and they tore through the flap in excited anticipation."Brothers, we hunt until the snow flies!"They both yelled out, "HO!" and began scrambling for their belongings. The father, Summer Badger, strode out of the shade from the behind their tipi and stood watching them quietly. Both boys were almost exact copies of him, short and stout with high brows and round noses.Black Moose signed with respect to their father. His nod was enough to let Black Moose know that he approved."Meet Flying Hawk at the horse herd.""Ho!" came the dual reply.Black Moose turned and set off for his own horses hobbled near Old Crow's tipi. He leaped onto Red and set off for to the south with a train of his horses.On this outing, as Black Moose had left before the rest, he found himself alone with his thoughts. He wrestled with the idea that the band did not trade horses with the Dog People. It would seem that a horse would be able to command a better price than some of the skins and food stuffs that they had traded. He wondered what the People had missed by not offering to trade horses.
Several nights later, after returning to the camp, Black Moose quietly hung his endeavors on the drying racks by the light of the dying fire outside his old friend’s tipi. Before Black Moose touched the tipi flap, an old gnarled voice spoke from within, “Come in young brother.”Black Moose shook his head thinking to himself, how does he do that? He opened the flap and slid into the interior space. His nose was immediately assaulted with all the varied herbs and medicines that hung from the poles and ropes within. The assault always carried a welcoming feel to it and his body immediately relaxed.“Old brother, why do you not sleep. It is late.”“Young brother, when you get to my age, you will s' that sleep is like the thunderstorms on the prairie, it comes when it wants, not when you want it,” at which the old man chuckled to himself at his wit.Black Moose stood smiling at his old friend, then he noticed that they were not alone. Blue Jay sat next to Old Crow with her eyes closed and humming a chant. Black Moose made to leave saying, “Sorry to interrupt…”Blue Jay’s eyes opened and engulfed him in their warmth and love, “Hold son, do not go," her singsong voice advised, "We both have been in discussions concerning you.”Black Moose paused and sat back down with a curious look on his face. “You were waiting for me?”The old man huddled deeper into his robes and nodded while Blue Jay continued in her high singsong voice, “The spirits whispered to us that you were coming…” her voice trailing off.Black Moose sat back and waited as was the custom of the People. He knew that to ask questions would rush them and put a damper on whatever they wanted to talk of. He had learned much of patience since being adopted by the People, especially as he lived with the old medicine man.The silence spanned on for what felt like half the night although Black Moose was sure it was only half of what would be called an hour in the future. Finally, Blue Jay began looking up into the poles above their heads, “Something troubles your spirit. You have questions concerning the People and our ways. Your ways are as strange to us as we are to you. But we as the People have adopted you and you have taken well to being a part of our band”. She paused and then went on more humbly, “I and my family have directly benefitted from your strength and skill. Your sacrifice on our behalf has caused me to become more of your kin than many of my own.” Her voice changed again, more humble if that could be accomplished, “I am proud that you have chosen my daughter as your lifelong companion.”Black Moose sat listening to this introduction, remembering every part, knowing what each word meant and how much feeling she put behind each statement. His heart was once again full of the love for the People, but still doubt crept in.“Yet, having been through all that, you are still troubled…” Black Moose looked up startled that she knew something about how he felt. Her gaze was fixed on him now and her eyes bore into his soul. He felt that familiar passing of spirits as his spirit shared his memories and hers with him. He felt her fear of being a medicine woman, the fear of being called a…witch was the only word that he could describe it as although the translation wasn't right. He could feel the fear of losing her family and of them losing everything, of them being cast out. But there was something else lurking in the background…a gift that she had, a gift to be able to discern the spirits and to see into a living spirit's soul and hear what they said. He marveled at such a gift…Then it was all gone.Black Moose blinked as did Blue Jay but her sly smile told him that his secret questions were known to her. He looked down into the fire ashamed of having doubts and questions.“Old Crow,” at which the old man almost jumped out of his robes, “the young man is ready to learn of the Way of the Horse.”The old man eyed her closely then looked back to Black Moose. “THAT is reserved for only the one or two in the band to learn and guide us. H' has not been selected."The silence stretched on as the old man finally filled it with, "H' is young. H' will not b' able to retain what h' is taught."Her look told the old man her answer as he looked back at Black Moose, “It is like I am married to her, not her to Brave Elk,” he grumbled as he retreated back into his robes.Black Moose’s interest stirred and he felt his attention hone in on this new concept, “What is this Way of the Horse?” Blue Jay looked to the old medicine man who seemed to be hiding in his robes now. “If you do not tell him, I will.”The old man grumbled something intelligible about only men knowing of such things. She looked at him kindly as a knowing smirk crept across her face. As it lit up her face, the wrinkled old face changed to a question, then doubt, then disbelief and finally to astonishment.“You don’t…” his words trailed off into his furs.“My grandfather taught me,” was the soft reply as she turned back to stoke the dwindling fire.“HOW! Your grandfather was not of the Way of the Horse. I knew your father and his father. They were great medicine men but they could not have known.”She looked down and smiled into the fire, memories dancing in her face while her eyes seemed to glow. Old Crow watched as she turned back to him, “I had two grandfathers…” letting her voice trail off.Old Crow sat up straight and blinked and sputtered as if he had been doused in the ice cold water from the nearby cold mountain stream. Black Moose sat watching the exchange, being forgotten.“Your mother’s father?”She turned back to the fire nodding...The old medicine man watched her closely. He searched his mind but it betrayed him now. It did a lot of that lately. He dug through old memories but still found nothing.When she looked back to him, tears rolled down her cheek. Her eyes glistened as she said, “You were not part of the band when he was with us. He moved on with another band after he and my paternal grandfather began teaching me the ways of the medicine man. He was a sacred Elder of the Horse as well as a powerful medicine man and taught me much of their ways long before I knew what it all meant. I have never known what ever happened to him or where he crossed over to the spirits. It is the one thing I never forgave my mother for...”Old Crow sat listening and piecing things together. “Why would h' leave the band and where did he go?”Blue Jay looked back into the fire, “My mother would never tell me. She only said that grandfather had left and would not be returning. That was the only explanation I ever received. My other grandfather saw the devastation that this had on my young mind and realized that I needed to focus my talents on things that were more to my liking instead of my ill feelings for my mother and her secrets. He listened to the spirits and they told him where I needed to be led to keep me safe. He focused my mind on much of their teachings.”The old man sat thinking, knowing the story of her father, the old medicine man knew better than to ask why he did not offer an explanation to her.His old mind returned to the problem at hand. To teach a man the Way of the Horse would need the approval of the elders and the chief, in fact he did not even know who the present Master of the Horse and Apprentice were. Those were usually closely kept secrets for only the elders and the chief to know. Their acceptance of Black Moose as a member of the band was enough in their eyes. To even ask to teach this stranger the Way of the Horse would not be looked upon with any kindness and could damage a lot of what had been built over the last season. His status in the band was not enough to be elevated to that. He may be ready but the band was not.His mind went on, but Blue Jay knew the Way of the Horse and therefore could teach him. If she were found out her family could be cast out but she was already on a similar path in preparation to be a medicine woman. She had nothing to lose but what would the band gain by having Black Moose learn of the Way of the Horse? Old Crow could see nothing and even the spirits refused to whisper to him on this wise. He looked at Blue Jay, she would not offer such a thing if the spirits did not whisper it to her. His skin began to crawl at the realization, the student may not be the student much longer, he thought. The spirits began dancing and singing around him.“Black Moose, Blue Jay has something important to teach you. You will need all your skill to keep from revealing these things, for it is forbidden knowledge, to b' shared only with those prepared and ready for such things. It is dangerous to even speak of it. Blue Jay feels you are ready, therefore I do as well,” at which the old man sat back in his robes and began chanting. Black Moose noticed that this chant was different from any he had ever heard. Blue Jay noticed it as well.Blue Jay spoke up louder than before, "Enter my dear sister."Both men jumped as the flap pulled back to reveal Yellow Meadowlark sliding in effortlessly to join the trio. She took her place at the fire near the entrance, placing a bundle next to her. Black Moose and Old Crow eyed the bundle having already heard that she had given Black Moose the sacred items of her family, both wondered what this new item might be.All waited for the calm and harmony to enter their hearts before anything was said. Eventually Blue Jay spoke up, "Yellow Meadowlark Singing Joyfully in the Morning, you have brought a petition to the medicine woman to adopt an orphan of the People."She nodded gravely."You understand that this will cause great concern with your family, that it will cause strife and unrest with your family?""Yes, I understand but I invoke the love of a mother to overrule the ways of men in this sacred matter. I have been blessed with a single son and he is not worthy of the birthrights promised him. His father has also broken my heart with the teachings of a deranged mind, bent on pain and suffering to gain power and influence. I cannot allow my birthrights to pass to those that are unworthy. As a daughter of Great Buffalo Chief of a Grand Herd and as granddaughter of White Elk Standing on the Red Ridge, I desire their sacred rights be passed to one who is worthy of their names and will follow their teachings."Blue Jay's singsong voice answered, "But how shall their teachings be passed along if he is not allowed to openly speak with you?" Her question opening up the real problem in the arrangement proposed. Yellow Meadowlark looked up at her friend somewhat shocked, then understanding raced across the face as she paused to answer."I will accomplish this task with the spirits help."Blue Jay looked to the old man who nodded and then at Black Moose, thinking to herself. Finally she made the decision, "Ho, the spirits whisper that is it good that you adopt this orphan before he is married to my daughter. May their marriage further solidify your place at our fire and in the band.""I see that you have also brought something else?"Yellow Meadowlark, taking her cue picked the bundle up and cautiously unwrapped it. Inside has a thin horse hair rope with a handle attached to one side and beads and quills wrapped within."As is also passed from my family, the rights of the Way of the Horse may also follow my family's line. I seek to convey those rights also on my son."Old Crow gasped and sat up looking between the two women, his mind landing where this plan had come from. He said, "But that can only b' passed to the oldest," came the words from Old Crow. The other three sat forward at the statement. Nothing had been said about it being a right or that it was passed to the oldest, thought Black Moose. There is something more here, he thought."As part of the ceremony tonight, I seek to have He Who Fights the Black Bull Moose Alone adopted as my eldest son."The pause from the old man was long as the tension in the tipi rose. His heart ranged far between the feelings of pride for having his friend chosen, to the angst of being caught in a web of intrigue from this family who always had plans for power. His mind sought the oral histories locked up within and he found several instances where this had been done. Every time it destroyed the family, he found."I remember counseling you to b' like the rock in a stream," he said, changing the direction of the discussion and diffusing some of the tension in the air."Yes, grandfather, you spoke truly but sometimes the rock has to move as the earth below it is scoured out by the unrelenting stream. I seek to move in such a way to protect the People and my own ancestors from the poor decisions of others."The wind suddenly rose outside the tipi to howl in the tipi poles at the top. The spirits seemed to be making their own statement.Old Crow looked up through the opening at the stars and then back to Yellow Meadowlark. He nodded at Blue Jay and said, "They are her rights to convey to whomever sh' wishes but," turning back to the mother and throwing his cloaked arm out to point at her, "b' forewarned, these types of decisions tear families apart."Yellow Meadowlark sat forward and pulled on the opening along the left side of her long dress, baring the ribs below her still covered breast, saying coldly but respectfully, "Grandfather, this is how I am rewarded for being a part of that family." There were several long wide scars there, length wise following her ribs. Behind the skin could be seen dark, deep bruises from more recent injuries. Old Crow sat forward, his robes falling from his shoulders, trying to get a clear look at all of the scars and wounds. His frown turned to fear and disbelief."Those look to b'..." his voice trailing off in fear.Yellow Meadowlark finished his sentence for him, "The work of a small man with no heart," letting the dress return to its place and turning the discussion away from what their true meaning was. The old man's face showed fear as he looked up into her face of determination, the silence rolling on. Finally he nodded at her in respect and sat back pulling the robes back to their places around his shoulders.He turned to look at Blue Jay with a look of sorrow. He face was one of careful contemplation. She too was shocked to see the scars and wounds and was wondering what they were. She had never heard of them but it was obvious Old Crow knew.Black Moose sat watching all of them. The scars and wounds on his mother worried him and he wondered how she had gotten them. More than anything, he was worried about the reaction of the old man. The old medicine man seemed to be truly concerned with them and their meaning. Something about them worried him.Yellow Meadowlark returned to her seat and sat looking down into the fire, lost in her own thoughts and memories.The old medicine man nodded at Blue Jay and she began the ceremony while the wind beat upon the camp outside.
All four talked long into the night, each of the three imparting some preparatory knowledge to the young man for him to study, ponder and learn. Eventually Yellow Meadowlark was the first to leave, with kind words of encouragement to her new son and the customary show of love from a mother of the People. Blue Jay asked to stay and chant and pray with Old Crow so Black Moose, feeling overwhelmed and exhausted from the emotional evening in addition to the previous days' hunts, crawled into his sleeping robes and was fast asleep before the other two could finish their first discussion. They talked in whispered tones as he snored loudly on the other side of the tipi.The next morning, Black Moose arose early and was ready to leave as the light in the east began to color the horizon a lighter blue. As he prepared to set out for the horse herd, movement behind him startled him and he turned to find five shapes emerging from of the darkness. Flying Hawk whistled their standard call of a bird and Black Moose smiled to himself. He whistled back and the group shouldered their equipment, setting off at a brisk pace for the horse herd.They headed south on their mounts with pack horses lined out behind them as the eastern sky shown in a whitish yellow. Black Moose led them and by mid-morning they were just beyond his camp and heading around the south side of the mountain that jutted from the foothills. The six had very rarely made it this far south and were excited to be farther than any had been before, well five of the six anyway. Black Moose had other reasons for picking this camp.As they arrived he spoke, "Brothers, I propose that we set this camp up as a semi-permanent place for us to stage our hunting. There are now six of us since Laughing Cub has ventured on to be with our ancestors." The other five dropped their heads in sorrow as they remembered the youngest of their group.Black Moose let the sorrow and his words set in as he prepared to make the next statement. Then he said, "My brothers, the spirits have granted me a vision."They looked up in curiosity. He continued, "I trust you with my life by telling you this. The People will not understand if one so strange as I were to talk of spirits and visions but I have the gift. I have talked with Old Crow and..." then his heart jumped into his throat. He almost said the other name! It took his breath away that he almost let it slip that Blue Jay was a medicine woman.He recovered quickly enough though and said, "...and he knows of my medicine. He has counseled me not to tell anyone."He paused to let that sink in. Then said, "But you are my brothers and I have shared sorrow, pain, joy and happiness with you. I share this not to boast or institute myself as your leader. I share this in the hopes that you will understand the serious work we have ahead of us.""Winter comes soon, the summer grasses are brown and the water in the streams are beginning to trickle. One day soon, the mountains will show red, yellow and orange and we will know it is too late to hunt much more.""I have seen a vision and the buffalo are far to the east by now. I believe that they will not be here by winter. Old Crow has been performing the buffalo dances and other ceremonies that he believes will bring the buffalo.""I believe in him and the spirits but I cannot watch as our band is brought to starvation with another long spring like the last one. Therefore I will spend the rest of this summer and as much of the fall as I can hunting and hauling it back to the camp."Flying Hawk joined in, "You will not do it alone, my brother. We will help." The other four chimed in with a hearty "HO!"Black Moose smiled as he looked each in the eyes and they stared back with something he had never seen before, courage, loyalty, admiration?"How should we do it?" came the always curious Little Antelope.Black Moose replied, "We will divide into three hunting pairs. As you bring the game in, you will cut and hang it up here. After we have enough for all the pack horses, one pair will load the meat on the animals and trail back to camp returning with the horses in the next day or two. Each pair of hunters will take a turn. That way hunters are always out bringing in more and do not have to stop for trips back to camp.""HO!"By midday they had the spike camp set up and were ranging far and wide in search of game.That night, after they had returned and compared notes of where they saw herds of game, a plan was made and each rolled into their buffalo sleeping robes, except Black Moose. He waited for a while, then set off in the direction away from their hobbled horses. Once he was far enough away, he whistled lightly hoping no one in the camp could hear him and waited in the dark, looking up into the starry night above him. He heard his mount, Red come sauntering over towards him."So you do know how to get out of that hobble when you want to, don't you?"The horse nickered softly as if in answer and her muzzle nudged his right hand."Your nose is way too keen," we whispered back as he slid the tender morsel he had been saving all day for just this moment. The horse snorted softly as she chomped at the dried fruit, then threw her head as if to say, let's go.Black Moose patted her lightly, grabbed her neck and slipped up onto her back in a fluid motion. Then he turned her towards the eastern edge of the mountain to the northeast.
As he approached a familiar grove of trees near a trickling stream, he cooed lightly like a dove and heard the same call respond from the depths of the trees. He dismounted at the edge of the trees and let his horse go without a hobble. He looked at the proud animal's dark silhouette against the lighter grasses of the prairie behind her and thought, why bother if she can get out of the hobble when she really wants. She stays because she likes to. She had long since moved over to munch on some tasty grasses without another look in his direction.He turned and entered the trees and further on, his old camp. Two forms arose from a log near the unused fire pit."Mothers?""Son," they replied in unison.He smiled in the darkness unable to see the beaming smiles from the other two women but feeling them as well as their love anyway.Blue Jay's singsong voice started, "Come and sit here on the log. Your mother has much to teach you of your birthrights. I will return at the rising of the moon and we will begin your study of the Way of the Horse.""You will not stay, mother?""Your real mother has much to teach you and I should not hear it. It is sacred between a mother and her eldest son. She will explain."He moved towards the black log where Yellow Meadowlark stood while Blue Jay disappeared in the trees to the south of them.Yellow Meadowlark sat quietly and he followed, then both sat waiting for the calm. Black Moose spoke first when it was time having prepared this statement for days, "Mother, I am grateful that you have adopted me but I am confused. I am not of the band or the tribe. I have been an enemy to your real son ever since I have come. I do not understand why you would adopt me when I am nothing to you.""You are my real son," she clarified with happiness in her husky voice and he felt a smile from the dark shape although he knew not how he did. Her husky voice continued, "Black Moose, from the time that you were discovered at our camp fire after the buffalo dance, I have felt the spirits drawing me towards you. Your bravery that night as I watched you stand among the hunters and warriors was something of legends. Then, even more courage was shown to cast aside the weapon you had so forcefully taken. There was something in those actions that hinted at who you are. I have watched you much since. You are all that a mother would want in a son and I am surprised that none in the camp have taken you as their own yet.""I have watched you as your brother has antagonized and tormented you. You have never initiated an attack although you have finished a few. When I saw you stand against him and allow him to attack you with his knife after the raid and you not defend yourself, I knew that I needed you to...be my salvation. I have been living in a nightmare since I was married. Every day has been painful, some more so than I thought I could bear. When I thought of my ancestors, it pained me to look upon my son and know that their legacy lay with such a man. His father is...mean and small minded. I thought when I had my son that I could protect him from his father's evil influence..." her voice trailed off as she bowed her head.After a time her head arose and she said, "I was wrong and as the winters have progressed the doubts have grown to fear in my heart that lives and breathes in my every waking moment. How can I allow such evil to be linked to my ancestors? How could I be placed in such a situation? Why have the spirits treated me this way?" her voice broke into sobs.Black Moose started at the show of emotion and put his right arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. She seemed to lean into him as the many winters of pain and suffering swept up from her heart to engulf her consciousness. He sat comforting his mother and letting the tears and sadness drain from her.It took quite a while before she calmed and regained control. She slowly sat up and looked at him in the darkness. "I was right," she stated softly.Black Moose patted her on the back and she nodded, "The spirits ways are not understandable to our minds but by following them we can be led in ways that seem miraculous. Remember that my son. You have a long lineage of leaders in your line. They learned to listen to the people, the spirits, the medicine men...or women, as you may have to now. Leading is not about power and threat. I will teach you these things in the coming nights. You will need to pay attention but unlike the path of the medicine ma...people, you will not have to remember every word for the stories, songs and lessons will be remembered as you encounter similar or new situations. Yes, some things will need to be remembered but not all. And, as the spirits of our ancestors are nearby, they may well teach you more.""We will begin with your line. It is what will establish you as a leader among the People and will stay any power struggles within the band. At least most of them..."Sometime later, as the darkness around them began to lighten at the rising of the moon, a high, soft dove call came from the darkness to the south. Yellow Meadowlark called softly back.Movement from within the trees in that direction coalesced into a form that came close and sat on the log beside Black Moose. He noticed the scent of a flower he could not quite place on the breeze as she sat down, that and the scent of a horse.Her singsong voice began, "Son, you have been selected by the spirits of our ancestors and your lineage to learn the Way of the Horse. It is a sacred right not granted to many within the People for it is our livelihood, it is our way. We are the sacred keepers of the horse. No other tribe has been selected. Many once had them but they treated them in ways that angered the spirits." As she paused, Black Moose turned to look at his adopted mother thinking of the wounds in her side, wondering at such treatment by her husband.Yellow Meadowlark's husky voice shocked him back from his wandering train of thoughts, "The way we treat our animal brothers is the way in which we treat our loved ones. I have watched you as you have been with your horses, Black Moose. You already know much but there is always more to learn."She paused, then continued, "I did not come to my decision to pass the Way of the Horse on to you lightly. It is a heavy responsibility, one fraught with heavy decisions, for the life and death of the horse is the life and death of the People and all that we are. That was one reason that my ancestors were either Masters of the Horse or great leaders of the People. Long ago, our family decided that is was important that the Way of the Horse be merged with the leadership of a chief. Both are essential parts of the People and having two individuals possessing each was bound to drive them to eventually compete for power within the band and tribe. They thought that People could not afford to have such strife, for it could tear us asunder and the Way could be lost."Black Moose sat thinking as the spirits whispered on his skin.His mother continued, "The unhappiness I have experienced came from my father's desire to again bring the Way of the Horse back under our ancestor's influence."Black Moose felt a sudden movement and the swish of braided hair on his arm next to him as Blue Jay turned to look around him at the speaker.The husky voice continued, "Yes, my sister, I was the union that finally brought these two sacred ways together again..." her voice breaking and sobs escaping her chest. Black Moose put his arm around her shoulders and she leaned in again. She sobbed for a time before she sat up and continued."My ancestors wanted the union long ago and various Masters of the Horse are a part of our linage, but not recent ones. My grandfather's grandfather was one but it was time to rebind the two into one once again. It seems that when Red Alder came to my family the opportunity presented itself."The silence stretched on for a time before she continued, "My father had counseled me that if I would follow the spirits and marry this man that they would guide me. He has long since taken the journey to be with our ancestors but his words still ring in my heart. But as the winters stretched on, the words became hollow and meaningless. How could the spirits offer me to one such as him? For what? Why?" and her sobs overpowered her again.Blue Jay put a hand on Black Moose in comfort as she saw him again comfort her. No one said anything while the woman wept.When she again regained her composer she continued, "Blue Jay, I know some of the Way of the Horse and with the birthright I have conveyed on my son from my husband and grandfather's grandfather, I know that he will have the right to the Way of the Horse. But I ask you to teach him what he needs to become a Master of the Horse. I have done all I can for him in bestowing him this right, it will be up to you to teach him the Way," at which she slid from under his arm, arose and walked north towards the trickle of water that was the stream.Blue Jay waited a time to allow both to calm from the emotional energy that had charged the air, then she began, “It is time to begin your studies of the Way of the Horse.”“Studies?”“Yes, studies. It is a way that requires you to study the horse always. It is a way that requires much of you. The People have always had the horse unlike other tribes who may have gained it at one time and lost it. We have had them from almost the time of the People's creation. The history of the Way of the Horse is rife with mistakes and problems in the beginning. In the beginning, many other tribes also had horses but they did not care for our brother. They rode him and ate him. He was not honored or sacred in their eyes. Their abuse and neglect led to the decline of the horse in those early days until only our tribe continued to raise them and prospered because of it. We tried to trade the horses but whenever we did, the People would...suffer therefore showing spirits displeasure."“Thus, the horse is not traded with outsiders nor eaten?” he questioned.Blue Jay smiled warmly in the dark even though he could not see her face, “Your wit will serve you wisely. Yes, that is why trading or eating of the horse is not allowed. We learned to guard the horse and to not allow them out of our care. This method came to be known as the Way of the Horse and is a sacred society in our culture. Few know of the way and even fewer are allowed to practice it. Each band has a Master of the Way and he is entrusted with the secrets that he passes on to the next before he journeys on to the spirits.”“The Way of the Horse is all the knowledge and abilities that we have learned over the generations to keep our sacred brothers safe. It is also the way in which we breed them and keep the herds healthy and abundant.”The lesson continued well into the night with her pausing only long enough to answer questions. The moon set on their lessons and still she kept teaching him. Blue Jay would pause to allow the young man to signal that he had had enough but he would only ask questions or encourage her to continue. She glanced up at the eastern sky and saw the brother star that signaled the coming of dawn. Black Moose followed her gaze and inquired of the star.“We must return to camp before the sun rises or the consequences could be dire, but I will teach you what I know of the skies someday soon as well.” She whistled slightly into the night and the figure of Yellow Meadowlark strode up from the creek below."Sister, we must go," said the singsong voice, the other nodding.Black Moose sat quietly on the log, thinking of all that he had heard and learned this night as the women walked into the darkness. He could hear them mount horses on the other side of the creek and set off at a brisk pace into prairie beyond.I better slide back to our spike camp and come up with a story to tell, he thought as he walked south to his waiting mount.
Blue Jay, Yellow Meadowlark and Black Moose talked much during the following nights that they met him in his old camp. Each woman had lives to portray during the day but every other night or two they would meet him to impart the knowledge that they had.
As the summer wore on, Black Moose watched as the band's stores of meat increased with each of the hunter's return. He knew that with more hunters out, the stores would be more than full before fall so he decided to approach another group that could help.After returning from his hunting rounds one morning, Black Moose approached Raging Buffalo as he was sitting in the shade of his tipi chatting with his friends. The young man was taller and bigger than even Black Moose, but Black Moose had bested him enough times to know that most of that girth was fat from his lazy lifestyle. His friends, who Black Moose had never met and clearly did not want to, were similar, big but not due to their strength. They bullied where friendship could be won and raged against those that were better in any way.These three friends, who Black Moose thought of as thugs, stood abruptly and stepped up to intercept him as he approached their leader. Black Moose paused and looked each in the eye until they averted their gaze, but still they did not move to let him by. Behind them Raging Buffalo sat in the shade smiling at the confrontation.The smaller of the three who happened to be flanked by the other two spoke up, "Go away, strange one."Black Moose turn his gaze to this one and said in a menacing tone, "What is your name?"The youth, shocked at such a question in such a tone, looked down into Black Moose's eyes. Black Moose stared coldly up into his eyes. The young man took a step back reflexively. Black Moose let a smile creep over his face."You heard Dark Porcupine, go away strange one.""I invite you and your hunters to join us as we hunt. Together we can accomplish more and be ready for the winter. No one will have to starve this winter and the band will be grateful for your service.""HA! You think we are stupid. We know that the buffalo will come soon and then there will be plenty for many winters.""No, the buffalo will not be coming this summer.""How do you know that! Are you a seer? I think not. You are a stranger, you know not of our ways. Go, you and your little hunters go practice stalking antelope. The real hunters are here, preparing for the buffalo hunt." The other three laughed at his retort.Black Moose stood stone still as he watched Raging Buffalo stand and walk around the other side of the tipi away from them. The three stood their ground, although they avoided his gaze."Come brothers," he whispered to them, "we can hunt together and be what our ancestors have always taught us, useful to all the band."The three of them stepped back almost in unison and followed their leader.Black Moose watched as they left.A noise at the tipi flap brought his attention there. Yellow Meadowlark slipped from the tipi and looked at him. Her smile told him her heart as she continued on to the cooking fire without another look or a word.He turned towards his tipi.
December 27, 2015
For this NEW Year...
...Memories of a Distant Future is free! See the right column, "Where to Buy Memories of a Distant Future" for retailers links.
I will also be releasing a chapter of Book 2, Here and Now, in January in preparation for its upcoming release!
I will also be releasing a chapter of Book 2, Here and Now, in January in preparation for its upcoming release!
December 26, 2015
Book 3, Suspicion of a Distant Future
Having taken a little time yesterday, I was able to delve into Book 3 and find where I am. It required some moves and chapter reorganization but looks pretty good. Excited to see how far I can get with it in the coming days while I await some of the Book 2 reviews and cover designs I am also going to get a design for the series done as well.
