Men of Two Worlds
Introduction For all you History buffs, I have made loose with the Karankawas and made them more evil than they probably were. This is due partly to the need of and antagonist and stories I was told by my ancestors. What I am trying to say is don't nit pick...just read the story. Also if you are only looking for sex look elsewhere. I said Non Erotic and I meant it.
Part 1
Chapter 0ne: Running Wolf
Running Wolf, a Comanche brave of average size of 5'9'' 163 lbs, was sitting in the tribal smoke lodge with his adopted Father and the tribal Medicine man. Running wolf had just passed his sixteenth summer and he was preparing for his medicine walk.
It was time for him to find his totem, his spiritual guide. Once he had meditated for two suns it would be time for him to bathe in the chilled spring waters of the medicine lake. Then he would depart the Village with only his knife. Bow and arrows would have to be made by his hand alone.
Running wolf was very happy to begin his trek. For many moons he had practiced the making of his weapons and of making fire. He was not to eat until his weapons had been made, until that time he was only able to drink water. And now his story begins.
His parents had been killed in a raid by the Apaches when he was nine summers. He had been taken in by a very low ranking tribesman, Little Coyote. His low rank was due to a crippled foot that limited his ability to hunt. They depended on other hunters giving extra meat to them. Little Coyote had tried to train Running Wolf.
He began to hunt at age ten with that small amount of training. He became very good with a sling and the making of snares. He hunted alone none of the other boys would have any thing to do with him. Chief Grey Sky had lost a son a few years earlier, he still had his son's Bow and arrows. He felt sorry for Running Wolf and gave him his Son's Bow and a quiver of Arrows. It was too large but he made do.
The time had come... He walked out of the smoke lodge. He dropped the Buffalo robe that had helped him sweat out the impurities from his blood. He ran his nude body flashing in the morning Sun. He dove into the chilled Lake waters he remained neath the water as long as he could. The medicine man and Little Coyote Watched him as he entered the lake, shook their heads and walked away.
When he surfaced he used reeds he ripped from the waters edge to cleanse his body. He was not to speak to any of his tribesmen. It was he and his knife against the world. He swam to the other side of the small lake. He shivered when his nude body was caressed by the chill wind.
Although he was not allowed to eat there was no rule that he had to remain naked. His solution was to set snares this would solve more than one problem. He needed sinew for threads and the skins would make him at the least a breech cloth. He worried about his man hood dangling into the thistles and briars.
While his traps were set he begin to search the area for fire stones. First weapon he would make was a spear, sharpened and hardened in the fire. It was still days til he would reach the area where the best wood for making the bow was to be found.
While searching for fire rocks I found a dead female wolf. I read the signs and they told me that wolf had been protecting her cubs when she was attacked by a panther. She fought hard but the panther won. I assumed the panther got the cubs.
I had no intentions of wasting the pelt. I skinned it as well as the three rabbits . I threw the rabbits into the bushes and began to work on the skins. I had been working on the skins for about an hour when I heard something growling. I picked up my knife and made my way around the bushes where I had thrown the rabbit carcass. I smiled when I saw two wolf cubs tearing into the rabbits.
I left them alone and went back to my skins. I was becoming thirsty and made my way to a spring I had found. I worked a while longer then leaned against a tree and begin to doze.
I began a Medicine dream … The She wolf came to me she told me of a long journey I was to take. I was not to return to my tribe I would have an odd spiritual guide that will speak to my mind. As she begin to fade she gave one more command...Take care of my cubs.
I had drifted to a deeper sleep when I felt the tiny prickling of my heel as if it were laying in a bed of cacti. I opened my eyes, looked at my foot and one of the pups was biting on my heel. I laughed and picked them up and lay them beside me. They snuggled up to me and after a few minutes they were asleep.
The next morning I began my trek to the ash grove. Once I arrived I began to search for proper piece to make my bow. I also found a scree and among the rocks I found a pair of fire rocks. Now at least I would have fire. I set my snares and caught the cubs breakfast.
Chapter Two : Sean Murphy
Sean had just turned eighteen the day his parents were killed. His Dad had given him Grandpa's Powder and ball Kentucky Long Rifle for his birthday. He had been so happy he planned to go hunting the next day for big game. Up until this time he had done all of his hunting with a bow. Grandpa told him it was a Cree bow.
Sean was riding in the back of the wagon watching his baby sister.
The trail was snaking between and around the mountains. Well at least I called them mountains actually they were hills. Pa got careless and got to close to the edge the right rear wheel rose upon a large piece of rock causing the wagon to shift to the left. The left wheel slid off the rock and begin to go over the cliff.
Pa was fighting the wagon but it tilted. Ma and Pa both were thrown from the wagon and the wagon landed on top of them about fifty feet down. Sean was tossed against the side of the wagon and there was a burst of light and he went out. His baby sister was still in his arms when he awoke. He crawled out. It was daylight but he could tell it was morning. He looked around and tried to climb back up to the trail. He couldn't... he bet no one from the train had made their way down to see if anybody was alive. They all begrudged us a place on the train. They were all Mormon and we were Shanty Irish and we were the last in line and a ways back also.
Dad had made a baby carrier that could be strapped on your chest he got the idea from and Indian at one of the villages they had passed. Sean tried to salvage what he could. Both horses were dead as was Ma and Pa, Grandpa. lasted about two hours after I found him. Before he died I felt the strangest feeling in my head.
It was like grandpa was in my head. He told me of the family curse the hearing and speaking into someones mind. I was in his mind when he screamed and his life's blood ceased to flow. But inside my head the echos seemed to go on forever.
My major worry was what to feed the baby. I began gathering seeds, fruit and berries. I found a piece of cheese cloth. I put the items on the cheese cloth and wrapped them then I took a rock and crushed them. The liquid from the plants I would squeeze through the cheese cloth. That was the way I fed the baby.
This type of diet, till her constitution got used to it cause many changes of diapers and the smell was hard to stomach. I even squeezed small pieces of meat and she gobbled down the meat juices. I searched for the rifle and my bow. The rifle had the stock broken. I still decided to take it with me along with the powder horn and lead and molds. I also found the bow but no arrows.
I decided to stay close by for awhile I had my family to bury and lots of things in the wagon. I built a lean to to get out of the weather. This time of the year the showers were sporadic. I would drag everything I could to the lean-to including the leather harness off the horses. It was three days before I emptied the wagon enough to reach the tool chest.
I chose a site near a spring fed creek I cleared the and smoothed the area the best I Could and...
Now I could start on a permanent structure. I started with trees that were already down I stripped the limbs and bark and cut them to the size I needed. Louise was a great baby as long as she could see me she was happy. I notched the ends of each log and pieced them together.
I didn't try to finish before I could use it. I first finished the kitchen dining area and enclosed it. I made a cot to fit there as well. We moved in and I continued to build. I used natural stone to frame out the fireplace and a mixture of mud and pine straw for the hearth area and the fire area. I lit small fires inside to dry out the adobe mix. I checked the Chimney and it seemed to draw nicely.
I completed another area and begin bringing things from the wagon. Pa planned ahead one of the tools I found in the chest was a block & tackle. This did wonders on the roof. And then the thatching and covering the roof with dirt and planted ground cover. It took me almost 6 months to complete three rooms with two more under roof, which I would finish later. I dug a root cellar with an emergency exit.
I was always talking to Louise but was pleasantly surprised when she tried to say my name... It came out as Sha... but that was good enough for me. Then the day came when she was 10 months old, she stood up and took two steps. I was as proud as if I had been the one to do it.
It was still in the back of my mind that I needed to do two things. One, I needed to make some arrows. Two, I needed to make a new stock for the rifle.
