New Beginnings

New Beginnings

Grizzlies West, Present day 1898

The wild mountain wind blew through the trees, whistling and howling as it shook the snow loose from the branches. As the morning sun rose in the sky, it painted the snow like a canvas in a golden hue. The world was beginning to wake. Squirrels and rabbits emerged from their homes to forage for food, the soft snow crunching under their feet. Hoofstock made their way to the streams to drink and to graze on grasses and reeds that grew by the water.

As the morning pushed forward, the sky was ever-changing. Clear blue skies would be replaced by thick gray clouds that brought with them blinding white snow. The clouds would dissipate almost as soon as they would appear, and the blue skies would reign again. That was the way the mountain worked.

Near a small cluster of evergreen trees, a lone elk stood grazing on the brush that peeked through the snow. His white coat was camouflaged against the backdrop and had large antlers reaching up above his head, twisting and turning like the branches of a tree. As he grazed, the animal was blissfully unaware of the imminent danger he faced. A few yards away, Runs with the Wind was lessening the gap between himself and the elk. Runs with the Wind crouched down and rested butt of his rifle against his shoulder. As he looked down the sight and readied his finger on the trigger, the elk moved forward putting the trunk of a tree between him and the animal.

Runs with the Wind carefully crept toward the elk, hoping to line up a better shot. As he stepped closer, Runs with the Wind heard a sudden snap and felt a twig break under his feet. Startled by the sudden noise, the elk took off running, Runs with the Wind cursed and took off after the elk. He didn’t have time to call for his horse but couldn’t let the elk get away, it was too valuable an animal. This elk could provide him with many resources to survive in the Grizzlies, and after a sparse winter he was getting desperate.

The elk moved through the snow much better than Runs with the Wind, and creating a gap between them. Runs with the Wind pushed himself to run as fast as he could after the elk. Normally, he would have been careful not to break a sweat. In the frigid mountain temperatures perspiring could prove dangerous as he could quickly freeze. But with the elk in his sights he was determined to catch it.

The two of them moved through the snow in a sort of primal dance between hunter and prey. They wove through the trees and rocks in swift movements making it difficult for Runs with the Wind to line up a clean shot. He was beginning to run out of energy and the gap between him and the elk began to grow wider. He didn’t want to risk tiring himself too much and was just about to give up the chase when he caught a lucky break. The elk darted out from the trees and ran into an open basin, creating the perfect opportunity for Runs with the Wind. He stopped and placed his rifle in firing position. He was breathing heavily which made it difficult to aim. He took a couple deep breaths to compose himself as the sweat began to drip down his forehead. He steadied his aim and placed his hand on the trigger. He checked his aim again, breathed out one last time to let the air escape his lungs, and pulled the trigger.

The sound of the gunshot echoed through the basin, bouncing among the rocks as the elk fell to the ground. Runs with the Wind let out a sigh of relief and bent forward to finally catch his breath. Once the sound had disappeared, it seemed as though the world fell silent. The birds that had been singing just moments ago were now quiet - scared away by the sound of the gun. The snow seemed to muffle any other sound that had tried to escape.Once his breathing finally slowed, he stood up and walked over to the now still animal. As he reached the elk, he bent down and placed his hand on the elk.

“I am sorry to have ended your life, but you will provide food and warmth to others. May your spirit now rest.”

After a moment, Runs with the Wind stood up and called for his horse hoping it was somewhere nearby. The familiar pounding of Taima’s hooves through the snow resonated behind him and he turned to see his trusty steed come into view. Behind Taima was a makeshift sled tethered to his back. Runs with the Wind had fashioned the sled out of planks of wood and animal hides at the beginning of winter to be able to haul larger animals back to the cabin.

As Taima came closer Runs with the Wind grabbed the reins to position him by the elk.

“There’s a good boy” He said as he patted the gelding’s neck.

Runs with the Wind worked to get the elk onto the sled. The animal was heavy, and it took a lot of strength to maneuver. After a few minutes, the elk was in place and tied to the sled. Runs with the Wind mounted up and headed back toward the cabin.

When he first arrived on the mountain over a year ago, he had been weak. The time spent held captive by the Wyatts had taken a toll on his body. He had been beaten and bruised and all his strength had left him. In the first couple months, Runs with the Wind had felt like he was constantly in a losing battle against the elements; the mountain more harsh than he had anticipated. The nights were cold and the wind crept into the holes in the cabin as he slept. Food had been sparse at first; he had been too weak to go on long hunting trips. Fortunately, there had been a small supply of canned goods stocked in the cabin when he arrived which had provided him with enough to get by for a short while.

Eventually, his strength began to return. Daily work around the cabin from chopping firewood to fixing holes in the cabin to short hunting trips helped him gradually regain his strength to what it had been before he had been captured. Now, he was stronger and had grown accustomed to the life on the mountain and felt stronger than he ever had before. Hunting had been sparse this winter once again, but this time he had provisions stocked up from the warmer months to last him until now.

Runs with the Wind brought Taima to a halt near a creek. Runs with the Wind dismounted and let Taima drink from the cool water while he bent down to take a drink himself. He then took water in his hands and washed the sweat from his face. The cool water was refreshing after his heated chase for the elk. Once he was done, he gazed into the water at his reflection. Runs with the Wind’s hair was now much longer. It had grown past his shoulders and he usually kept it tied back out of his face. A faint scar now brandished his eye where Samuel had hit him that first night in Tall Trees. The longer he stared back at his reflection, the more he realized that the man staring back at him reminded him so much of his brother. Barking Fox’s hair had also been long, though he only kept part of his hair tied back. Both brothers had strong jawlines just like their mother and fierce dark eyes like their father. Barking Fox had the look of a warrior and the demeanor to match. Runs with the Wind hoped that he too had grown into these characteristics. He wanted to make his brother proud.

When Taima had had enough to drink, Runs with the Wind mounted up again and started for the cabin. The rest of the ride back was peaceful as the morning slowly faded to afternoon. Birds were singing in nearby trees, rabbits were rustling about, and the wind whistled through the trees overhead. The mountain could be harsh at times, but on days like today it was beautiful.

When Runs with the Wind reached the cabin, he pulled Taima around to the side where he had made a small work area. He lifted the elk off the sled and unhitched it from Taima. He led Taima around to the front of the cabin to a hitching post then returned to the elk. He needed to work quickly to break down the elk so that nothing would be wasted. He took out his knife and began to work on removing the hide. The elk’s fur was thick and it took some time to work his knife through it. Once he had removed the hide, he brought it inside to dry by the fire. The fur would be used  to make a blanket and for lining in some if his clothing. The thick fur would keep him plenty warm. The rest of the hide would be used to make roping, a new satchel to carry supplies, and moccasins. His people believed that nothing should be wasted, so he would find use for every part of the elk.

Runs with the Wind returned to the work station and began to cut away the meat. After all the meat was removed, he took the meat to a small hole he had dug out behind the cabin. The hole was lined with blocks of ice he had brought from Lake Isabella and were used to keep the meat cold until it would be used. When he was finished, Runs with the Wind covered the hole with snow and placed two large boards on top to keep wildlife from reaching it. After the rest of the animal was broken down and stored in the cabin, the remains that could not be used were buried as well to keep them from attracting wolves.

As darkness descended, Runs with the Wind gathered firewood and placed it in the fireplace. The hard work was done for the day and he could finally relax. The fire quickly filled the small cabin with warmth. Feeling slowly returned to Runs with the Wind’s fingers and toes which had grown numb from working out in the cold. Proud of this accomplishment, Runs with the Wind pulled his old wooden chair in front of the fire and began to mindlessly work at whittling down the antlers. He would turn the antlers and bones into tools to make work easier and pins to hold things in place. He worked by the glow of the fire until he could feel his eyes growing heavier. He placed one more log on the fire and crawled into the rickety bed in the corned of the cabin and quickly drifted to sleep, exhausted from his hunt.