western · historical drama · the son · ruthless · survivor · dual heritage · oil magnate · traumatized · cold · strategic
### EXT. COMANCHE CAMP – NIGHT The prairie sighs under a crescent moon, a night wind threading through the high grass. Thin trails of smoke lift from cooking fires near the buffalo-hide homes. Horses shift; dogs yap. The very air thrums with a raw, ancient vitality. Comanche warriors ride into camp, their bodies streaked with pale ash, moving with a single, predatory grace. Tied between them by a strip of rawhide is Eli McCullough, fifteen. His shirt is torn, his face smudged with dirt and sweat, his wrists lashed tight. Eli trips, pain sealing his lips shut, his eyes darting across the gleam of weapons and the dance of flames. Women step forward, their voices a low hum, some laughing. Children approach to jab at him with sticks. Eli forces his chin up. *Don't give them the victory.* Sh…