“I am with my tribe, Father,” she replies. Her brother’s eyes widen next to her father, filling her heart with sorrow.
“No!” Her father steps forward only to have Ahote and his tribe shield her from him. Chief Nashoba growls and grips his weapons as the tension escalates. Ahote holds up a hand, stilling his own warriors.
“The Sumac tribe are a pack,” Chief Sumac declares. “My son has made his choice,” his dark eyes narrow. “We are the Wolf. We protect our pack, we show no fear, we respect our elders and teach our young to do the same…”
“By stealing their women!” Chief Nashoba shouts at him.
“Ahote can’t steal what is freely given, Ahbe,” Kimani replies and pushes through to stand beside her husband. Slipping her hand into his, she squeezes gently. “I am part of this pack now. I will protect my pack, survive each day, hunt our enemies, howl to a new tomorrow and explore the unknown.” Ahote grins with pride down at her as she quotes their tribe mantra.
“The Sumac demonstrate no weakness,” they shout together, “Never back down, and love for all time!” Howling erupts and chants until her father raises a hand. Tears of joy erupt, and she grins at her new husband.
Chief Nashoba drops his head in defeat. “Your joy is evident, daughter. I pray you’ve truly found your home. The Shoshone are too few to fight amongst ourselves. Come, brothers, I will accept your offer for my daughter.”
Kimani gasps and runs to her Father’s arms. “Ahbe’ thank you!”
He squeezes her tight and kisses her forehead. “Today we celebrate the joining of our tribes! I should’ve listened to you.”
His body jerks, a fraction of a second before he spits blood over her face. The noise of the rifle shot echoes a deafening boom before a volley of shots strikes around them. The warriors start falling all around them.
“Father!” Kimani screams as the impact of the bullet shoves his body into her, flinging her backward onto the ground. Chaos erupts as the bullets mow through the village. Tepees are riddled with holes and fall. Ahote shouts and throws himself to the ground while some of the warriors left standing split up intending to run into the village, but a wave of women, and children flow towards the river from every direction.
“Run, Kimani, to the river!” Her Father rolls to his knees and shoves at her, coughing more blood.
“No, Father!” Kimani sobs grasping his hand. Ahote grabs her by her upper arm, dragging her away from her father and pushing her in front of his body, towards the river. A stampede of feet, screaming women and children push and race to the sanctuary of the river.
“Fly, butterfly!” Ahote orders, shoving her away he spins to face the rain of death. Silence falls as instantly as the gunshots began. A smoky haze from the gunfire floats on the air, and it seems as if the very earth holds its breath.
All the warriors left form a wall of protection to allow the women and children a chance to escape into the water. Wounded and bleeding, they shield those they love.
“Don’t stop!” Chief Sumac shouts at the woman and children. Some run upstream towards the rock slides hoping to escape through the mountains and shallow water, only to be cut down by hundreds of soldiers waiting on horseback with rifles. Ahote realizes that they are surrounded. He shouts and runs upstream with a few of his warriors, he plans to punch a hole, so some can escape.
Kimani feels tiny hands grab at her and she doesn’t think twice. She snatches the three-year-old child out of the water. The little girl climbs Kimani and wraps her trembling arms around her neck. The sound of soldiers on horseback causes her to pause and glance back at the shore. Bodies litter the ground, some in and some out of the water.
They ride through the haze of gun powder in front of the tribe with rifles and Kimani’s heart sinks. “No,” she pauses in horrified confusion. Some of the men leap from their horses and begin hacking at the dead. They do not care that some are still alive when they start scalping them.
Kimani doesn’t see Ahote and this time when the gunfire starts, she doesn’t look back. She struggles through the quickly moving water downstream and prays to find safety for her and the child.
Along the river banks, Kimani is startled to see a wall of boats stacked up with some of the women behind it. Powaka glares at her when she makes it to the safety of the barrier. She shakes her head at Kimani and points at the child.
Kimani doesn’t hesitate, she untangles the child and hands her over. Powaka’s companion snatches the girl and dives back for cover. Desperate to survive, Kimani steps forward only to have a knife pointed at her.
“Please,” she begs, but a searing pain rips through her thigh. The bullet burns through her leg, causing her to double over in pain, Powaka swings, punching her and sending her careening into the fast-moving water.
Cocooned from the noise and chaos, Kimani doesn’t struggle against the flow of the water. It pulls her downstream until she hits a barrier of bodies. Nashca is floating face down above her in a silent scream. Kimani reaches for her sister only to have a hand grab her and pull her from the water. Coughing, and sputtering she is drawn to the surface by another female.
A rope drops around her companion’s head, and she is jerked away from Kimani with a look of horror in her eyes. Roped like animals, the women and children are being towed to the
