September 12th, 1880. Noon. The Black Hills.

The next day passed fairly uneventfully. Those traveling with Wovoka make their goodbyes to those heading to Deadwood, then follow the Sioux on foot off the trail and away from the Black Hills. Only Sky Hawk has a horse...the other horses the Lakota had were killed in the ambush.

There is talk of reaching a nearby village to negotiate for new mounts, in order to reach Bear Butte quicker.

As they travel, Wovoka speaks with those who came with him, offering insight into the world of the spirits and the Ghost Dance to any who ask. His attention seems mostly focused on Li, and he offers any answers to the young chinaman's questions.

It's a beautiful fall day, crisp and clear. Everything is still green. Birds chirp, and the sun is invitingly warm.

And yet...

There's something just a little off. The cool breeze is just a shade too cool to be comfortable, and when it dies down, the sun is just a shade too hot. The birds are strangely discordant, just slightly off-key. It should be a nice day, but...it feels more like the calm before a storm.

The feeling of unease grows as, around noon, a column of smoke is seen rising from somewhere along the creek.

"Look!" Sky Hawk says. "Is that not where Little Bear's people dwell?"

There's a murmur of concern among the Sioux as they near the rising column of smoke...

((OOC: Everyone who went with Wovoka make a post here, either to ask some questions of Wovoka or deal with the situation. I'll move the thread forward once I've heard from everyone.))

Xiao, scrubbed as clean as dewy grasses would permit this morning, straightens with alertness: clearly this fire was too big for the normal run of native life. The youth looks to the Sioux to see whether this merits moving faster to help with a tent fire or leaving the trail and circling in case of cavalry attack.

Thunder Walker was contemplative as they made their way to Bear Butte, thinking less of events in the recent past disturbing as they were, and thinking of the greater part of his life. His travels, his disconnection from the people, and the joy of his return here and return to what he thought would be a simpler life. That brought him back of course, to the realities of what they had recently experienced with those of the Raven who had killed their own people for little cause.

"The smoke is too much for something good," he said. The day was too ill aspected for it to be anything else.

Moses had been quiet most of the day, only occassionaly having small chats with himself. Or with someone who was invisibly, as he clearly carried only half the conversation.

He kept looking left and right, shaking his head but wouldn't answer to any question, no matter who addressed him. After a while, the indians made sure to give the crazy man some room.

But when the smoke was seen by all, Moses stopped and looked for a long minute. When he finally spoke, his voice was strong and deep.

"And there arose a smoke, as the smoke of a great furnace. And the sun and sky were darkenend. And there came locusts out of the smoke upon the earth. And unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power."

He nods, his face carrying a grim expression.
"It has begun, Black Jack Boudreaux. The Lord has brought us here just in time."

Sky Hawk and the other two braves ready bows, while Wovoka and Horn Chips mutter invocations to the spirits.

[Language unknown: "Io sanul ri is ndwhe paith allarehasere."] Sky Hawk says to Thunder Walker. [Language unknown: "Ilpres nc outantll, aill wit eses ha n? Ll te ain enc u strsancom Alceou i Tho Forbleine meie stihatnde hores."]

Xiao fetches the razor out at the braves' wariness, stepping back nearer Wovoka protectively and taking the opportunity of the others' alertness to the immediate surroundings to peer through the trees to see if there are birds circling - or Moses' flying scorpion-locusts.

Though Xiaohan was not sure what kinds of birds did what in the Americas, the English term crow-bait did seem to refer to corpses, and American crows were probably no less adept than Chinese ones at coming to where there might be killing on the off-chance of a meal.

[[Tan Xiaohan rolled 3,4 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,4. counting crows. ]]

Thunder Walker nodded, feeling no reluctance to put himself in harm's way. "Let us go," he said to Sky Hawk, gesturing in the indicated direction.

There are a number of crows circling the column of smoke rising from the village, though none of them seem to get too close to the ground.

Thunder Walker and Sky Hawk creep toward the village. It looked like a Nakota village - earth lodges around a central square, with the occasional tipi here and there. Most of the tipis had been set to the torch, and great plumes of smoke rose from the shattered and torn remnants. Two of the lodges had also been destroyed, the loam and wooden timbers set ablaze.

A group of white men and women were gathering Sioux bodies, placing them near a row of open grave pits and covering them with blankets. There are at least a dozen bodies laid out near the graves, and twice that still scattered about the area. The bodies are mostly women and children.

One of the white men stands near the grave pits and recites something from an open book, possibly a bible. He's a tall, thin man with a bushy beard and a preacher's collar, dressed in simple, plain clothing. His face is heavy with sorrow as he reads.

Xiaohan points with the razor at the crows, speaking low and rapid to those nearest:
[Language unknown: "Ere outforvir, his day it ie to, diat ni m t alisil ng ev siadna ithnceugh. I ar fopa int?"]
Xiao looks to Moses with uncertainty: the man was as hard to corral or predict (and easily as dangerous) as a tempermental water buffalo, but it was worth a try.

The little stray gazes at a point around Moses' middle and addresses him. "Ah...in the sky, they are crows, but perhaps 'locusts' of vision are the white man's army, who take all when they come together, and power of scorpion is power of sabre, that stings at its point...things hidden sometime, between awake-world and other, and come like riddles so, please excuse that I, ah, humbly remind Moses who knows this." Xiao gestures down the path. "If bluecoats or other men come, they will not fear Moses like the damn-yankees, so I think we will do a better thing to move off the trail, and have surprise."

Then, in explanation: "In Deadwood, people say Sioux and bluecoat fight, or will fight, all the time...I do not know another enemy that makes crow-bait and fire near - Raven Men steal from homes maybe, not burning them."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:26, Mon 29 Oct 2012.

Thunder Walker frowned slightly, considering the sight before them. He leaned over to whisper to Sky Hawk.  He waited for Sky Hawk's response. Sky Hawk was one of the more fair minded of his people that he had met, which seemed to be something of an anomaly considering their recent experiences.

Sky Hawk nods. [Language unknown: "Nteeth om ndevorard o onany mande fowa, hiit urwi ousno intli toacei eve? Ai si etson ouous Adurwaan, venth ic acolur artstavir ureoreoer her inhis ethat e os peenevnc omouun ec omto undameiveant u ie wer icrone utroac."]

He nodded, considering what Sky Hawk said. [Language unknown: "Atiwe nand allticons. O eauon siofom waen dind liwil int ugh urulhe no en ectthowas nc tho u urilbe i inchng son mipaei el asprhi ouosos, li caplla oveshenot...T astoreithout isadwa man. Pe th eeic enutthel, Ho ain wilnotlarame enno he hosta itrili pe notowell k ing osfint, anour not roesfiri siie li hebela."]

In reply to Tan Xiaohan (msg # 9):

Moses looks at the young Chinese with an expression that is hard to read. Then he shakes his head.
"No. Moses does not believe that there is the work of the army. They follow orders of mortal man and are not followers of War. There are rules for them and they abide by them. And there is nothing to gain for the government in attacking the white calf of the prophesy. At least, nothing that Moses can see."

He gazes back at the smoke column.
"But you are right, young Li. There are people still there. Moses should have seen it before, but, alas, he was lost in thought. Thunder Walker and Sky Hawk are not in immediate danger, or the Lord would have warned me against their going alone. But we should follow them now, to reinforce them if need be."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:57, Sun 28 Oct 2012.

Sky Hawk nods at Thunder Walker. [Language unknown: "K pastr oreresdayrut ev, T acan leines."]

---

Wovoka nods. "The souls of the departed must be tended to, no matter what has happened. Let us enter the village, though we should remain vigilant."

The other Sioux Warriors nod, and the group begins to move cautiously towards the burned wrecks of the lodges.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:01, Sun 28 Oct 2012.

Xiao looks a bit confused and very much as though fighting an instinct to run far away from Moses, but keeps quiet and follows the braves' lead, concentrating on walking and remaining alert. Man-eating forest devils and bounding ghosts burn no houses...but perhaps someone fleeing disturbed a fire, or it was bandits. Is bandits. The little stray grips the razor.