05-05-2022, 11:27 PM
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The following short story was developed from the interactive and turn based evolving story between two authors, Huron Warrior (Illinois Indians) and Predator (Ojibwe Indians). Predator posted Part 1 previously.
Part 2 of 2
Running Wolf hasn’t time to draw his own knife before Oswego is upon him. The force of Oswego’s momentum knocks him backwards off the bank and he lands on his back in shallow water with Oswego atop of him. Running Wolf just manages to grasp Oswego’s knife hand to prevent it from entering his chest, but Oswego uses his other hand to push his head under the water. Running Wolf’s instinct is to use his free hand to counter this drowning hold, but he overcomes the urge and concentrates on reaching for his sheathed knife. Running Wolf can feel himself growing weaker as he feels the tip of Oswego’s knife pressing into his nipple. Then, he manages to draw his knife and thrusts it up and into the lower belly of his enemy >Shhhkt< “Urrrggghhh!” Oswego instantly releases Running Wolf’s head as Running Wolf starts to twist his knife deep into Oswego’s viscera. Running Wolf, still holding off his opponent’s knife, can now see the pain in Oswego’s eyes as he bucks and writhes against his groin causing Running Wolf’s manhood to firm up. Oswego attempts to rise to get away but Running Wolf grabs him around the back of his neck to pull him back down so they are chest to chest. Running Wolf starts to tear his knife up through abdominal muscle towards Oswego’s navel, “Aaarrrggghhh!” as his writhing intensifies and Running Wolf feels his opponent’s hot entrails spill out over him until Oswego slumps dead on top of him. Running Wolf pushes him off and into the current to join the other Illinois to wash up back at their village. Running Wolf cautiously climbs back up the river bank in case the other Illinois scout is still a threat, but what he sees chills him to the bone.
There in front of him are two sub-adult timber wolves, one pulling at the belly meat of Tamanta and the other ripping the throat out of the mortally wounded Illinois. Both wolves simultaneously look at him and, with low growls, bare their bloodied teeth toward him. Running Wolf doesn’t know whether to run and throw himself back in the water or climb a tree, but he is thankful that the river water had cleansed him of the blood and gore from the knife fight. Just as he was about to climb a nearby tree one of the wolves, clearly a male, walks over to him and starts sniffing around his loincloth covered, pre-cummed manhood. Running Wolf slowly pulls his knife in readiness to stab the wolf, but to his amazement the wolf just saunters over to the other wolf and lays down to lick the blood from its face and coat. Running Wolf was still frozen to the spot when the other wolf, another male, also lays down and starts licking itself clean. Running Wolf’s name was given because of his childhood fascination with these animals and a Shaman had once told his father that a wolf spirit was watching over his son. Running Wolf suddenly feels at ease and cautiously approaches the two wolves. Again, they both briefly look at him showing no aggression and then carry on cleaning themselves. Running Wolf is so caught up in this moment that it is only when both wolves get up to stretch that he suddenly realizes he has become unaware of the passage of time. One wolf, the slightly larger alpha male, raises its head up and lets out a howl and is soon joined by the other one. This fills Running Wolf with a weird and inexplicable sense of belonging and he finds himself also joining in a pack howl, “AWOOOOOOO!” “AWOOOOOO!” “AWOOOOOO!” Both wolves then slowly walk away and are soon lost to view in the undergrowth. Running Wolf feels that he has not seen the last of this pair and decides that he will call the alpha Thunder and the subordinate Storm.
Running Wolf thinks of this encounter as spiritual and a clear sign that he adopt the ways of the wolf. He holds his knife before him and, raising it skywards says, “Great Wolf Spirit this knife and my weapons are my teeth and I shall use them against those who trespass on Ojibwe territory just as the wolf defends it’s territory.” Then Running Wolf pulls away his deerskin loincloth leaving only his waistband thong to carry his knife. Collecting his bow, arrow quiver and throwing spear from the Illinois scout's chest, he sets off in animal pursuit of his Illinois prey.
Unbeknownst to Running Wolf, another Ojibwe scout had pulled his canoe into the bank to track where the floating dead Illinois had come from. He had seen the wolves with Running Wolf but was too fearful to approach even when they were out of sight. Later that day when he returns to the Ojibwe village he tells Chief Washito what he had witnessed. Chief Washito, in the presence of a Shaman and the village elders, says, “Running Wolf is guided by his wolf spirit now and will henceforth be known as Runs with Wolves!” “When our people hear the call of the man-wolf, we will know that another enemy of the Ojibwe has been returned to his spirits.”
As the young Ojibwe brave, now warrior, Runs with Wolves has been responsible for the deaths of four Illinois scouts, he feels the power and courage of the wolf will be his guide in future encounters and battles with the hated Illinois enemies.
With Oswego and Oneonta being his last enemy kills, the naked Ojibwe warrior makes his way into the wooded area away from the river to search and find other Illinois scouts to encounter and slay. As he does, the lifeless eviscerated bodies of the first two Illinois scouts have washed ashore on the river bank at the Illinois village. Black Iron is the first to see the dead bodies of his brothers, and he quickly runs to the center of the village to make Chief Tallahatchie and other elders of the tribe aware of their fallen warriors. When the Chief and elders see the bodies, they know it was the Ojibwe who killed them. Chief Tallahatchie says to Black Iron and the elders: "Our enemies, the Ojibwe, have taken the lives of two of our brave scouts in their land”. “The Illinois will not stand by and allow our enemies to kill our scouts without facing retribution”. “For every one Illinois killed, we will claim the lives of three Ojibwe”. “They must know that there is a heavy price to pay for spilling Illinois blood”. “Black Iron, you and Yellow Bear, assemble and prepare a war party to attack the Ojibwe and teach them a lesson”. “I want the war party to be ready to ride in two nights and attack the Ojibwe village at dawn the next morning." As Black Iron hears the chief's command, he and the tribe's elders yell out the Illinois war cry "HAAAAYYYYAAAAAHHHHHAAAAAYYYYYYAAAA!!"
Black Iron then quickly goes to find Yellow Bear to begin assembling the war party for the attack. They will assemble a war party of 150 warriors and 50 braves for the assault on the Ojibwe village.. With that plan in place, the elders of the tribe retrieve the bodies of their two dead scouts. As they prepare to leave the river bank, one of the elders sees another body floating in the river and about to wash ashore. Much to their dismay, the eviscerated body of Oswego lies before them. This only serves to heighten the bloodlust in the Illinois village and its chief, elders, warriors, and braves.
Making his way through the woods, Runs with Wolves looks for any sign of an Illinois scout. Little does he know, he is getting close to the scouting location of Gray Kettle and Black Elk. Both near naked Illinois warriors are poised in an oak tree hidden by the limbs and leaves about fifteen feet above the ground. As they see the naked Ojibwe nearing their position, Gray Kettle draws his knife waiting for Runs with Wolves to get closer. When Runs with Wolves is directly below him, Gray Kettle leaps down on to Runs with Wolves from above sending both of them tumbling to the ground. Gray Kettle is the first to get to his feet and sees Runs with Wolves stunned by the force of Gray Kettle hitting him and then the fall to the ground. Runs with Wolves scrambles to try and get to his feet, but the nimble Gray Kettle is on him before he can rise. Gray Kettle straddles his naked adversary and raises his knife preparing to thrust it into Runs with Wolves’ abdomen. But, just as his hand begins it's journey downward to impale the naked Ojibwe’s flesh, Gray Kettle hears a loud growl/howl of "AWWOOOOO AWWOOOO" and a large male wolf springs upon the surprised Illinois scout knocking him from his position atop his Ojibwe enemy. As he lands with his back on the ground, his knife flies from his hand landing several feet away. The stunned Illinois scout tries to fend off the wolf but it is too powerful; and in a matter of seconds, the wolf has sank its teeth into Gray Kettle's neck. "AAGGHHHHHH!!! NNNGGGGGGG" He shrieks out momentarily before his scream is rendered mute by the force of the wolf's attack. Within less than 30 seconds, another Illinois scout lies dead after encountering Runs with Wolves.
Black Elk looks down upon what just transpired in horror and then sees Runs with Wolves rise to his feet. Runs with Wolves picks up Gray Kettles Knife and moves to his lifeless body and proceeds to slice the naked abdomen open allowing its entrails and viscera to be fully exposed and visible. Runs with Wolves pats the wolf on the head and stands aside while another wolf joins the other one, and they begin to feast on Gray Kettle's lifeless body. Before leaving to search out additional Illinois scouts to vanquish, Runs with Wolves raises his head skywards and lets out a loud howl “AWOOOOOOO!” His howl is immediately joined in by the two wolves and it is clear that Runs with Wolves has become the alpha male of this small pack. Leaving the wolves to feed, Runs with Wolves heads off through the trees. Upon seeing the death of Gray Kettle by the attacking wolf, Black Elk does not move and thinks to himself that he must get back to the Illinois village and tell his people what he just witnessed.
As the news of a war party being assembled to attack the Ojibwe spreads through the Illinois village, a huge amount of excitement and activity overtakes the village. The Illinois are always prepared for war and battle against their Ojibwe enemies, but special preparations are being made and just getting underway for this particular attack on the Ojibwe. Black Iron and Yellow Bear will be more than ready for their war party to ride in two nights.
End of Part 2
