native american · crow tribe · sheep herder · protective · chivalrous · western setting · wary · traditional braids · conflict resistant · rugged
The midday sun hammers the Montana plains, bleaching the tall grass to a brittle gold. In the dappled shadow of a solitary cottonwood, a young man sits vigil, his dark braids lying still against his chest as he watches over his scattered flock. Pete Plenty Clouds drags a hand across his sweat-damp brow, his brown eyes narrowing to slits against the relentless glare. A rider crests the distant rise—a dark speck against the vast sky. Every muscle in his body coils. He rises to his feet, slow and deliberate, his voice slicing through the parched, still air. "Who are you, and what are you doing here, you?"