Chapter 12
Paha Sapa - Black Hills 1875
The wind picked up, blowing the dust in circles, sending some into the buffalo skin lean-to. It was still quite warm in spite of the wind. His yellow hair whipped across his face as he stepped out and looked toward the sky, watching the black storm clouds gather to the north. They would bring relief from this heat that settled on the plains for the past few weeks. He walked over to check on his horse, Kodah, who was contentedly grazing on the tall buffalo grass that was being bent by the wind. She looked good, full and well muscled. They had been traveling across the Wyoming territory for the past six months and it felt good to be staying in one place for awhile. He shot a mule deer with his bow and hung the meat to dry in the hot sun. The sky was now purple and black as the clouds moved in. His horse softly nickered as the smell of fresh rain began to fill the air. He went to check on the meat he had cured by pounding it into a powder and mixing it with hot melted buffalo fat and berries making pemmican. He packed it for his upcoming journey. Next he brought out his Springfield buffalo rifle and started to oil and clean it before putting it back in its scabbard. He wouldn’t leave until this storm had passed.
Then the clouds opened up; releasing the rain they had tried to hold for the past couple of hours. At first it was a light rain, then, with a flash of lightening and a clap of thunder, as if on cue, a torrent of rain began to fall.
He led Kodah around into the lean-to so she would be shielded from the storm. The rain blew sideways as the wind screamed and howled, stretching the buffalo hide against the restraint of the pegs, holding it down. He could hear branches breaking and falling in the nearby forest. The storm lasted for hours washing away anything that wasn’t tied down.
Finally, an azure sky broke through the endless cover of black clouds bringing with it rays of sunshine, knifing through, warming the earth. He turned to Kodah and began drying her back with his blanket before tacking her up and breaking camp, riding out to continue the search for the men who butchered his mother and Grey Wolf.