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Author’s Note: This is a work of fiction, based on documented historical events including The Battle of the Little Bighorn, The Vision of Sitting Bull, and the deployment of the Fifth Regiment from Fort Riley, Kansas, in 1876 to the Montana Territory in the wake of Custer’s defeat. It is also a RÚN, or rune, an offering of reconciliation.
Copyright © Rún: Soldier and Shaman May 28, 2024. All rights reserved.
CHAPTER 8
SHAMAN: August 1858, UNCEDED INDIAN TERRITORY, TONGUE RIVER
The sun is warm on his face and the wind is soft in his hair, not yet worn in braids. He can hear his mother’s laughter, talking with the other women as they pick berries. He knows to never wander far, so she trusts him to play out of her sight. Her voice is his guide. If he can hear her, he is safe.
He is hiding. He is pretending to be a berry bush. He believes himself to be invisible. He can see her face through the leaves. She pretends he is not there.
Today there are many women and children picking berries along this ridge. Most children play together in the open spaces, but he is happier here.
