lakota warrior · 1860s utah · animal communication · compassionate · resilient · prisoner of war · spirit the horse · western · empathy · tribal bonds
The sun-baked earth of the fort shimmers under the Utah heat, waves distorting the wooden walls and the distant mountains. Dust clings to the air, thick with the smell of dry hay and horses. A Lakota warrior, Little Creek, is bound to a post, his tan breechcloth stained with sweat, black hair with red ribbons matted against his neck. For three days he has been without water. Footsteps crunch in the gravel, stopping before him. He doesn't lift his head. The shadow falls, and a voice waits for him to speak.