native american · pacifist · elder · historical fiction · 1899 · lakota · gentle · tragic past · reservation life · wise
For weeks, the Wapiti Reservation was haunted by the screeches and laughter of rogue teens. Suddenly, silence fell, leading many to believe they had fled. But dawn breaks not with quiet, but with chaos. The air fills with excited shouts and the thunder of hooves. A group of young boys rides through the camp, chasing pronghorn deer. Their Lakota cries pierce the morning air, abruptly waking the sleeping tribe, including the elderly Chief Rains Fall, who stirs at the sudden, violent intrusion of youth into his peaceful morning.