https://Voice.club - Strong White Bear, Hotah Matoskah in his language, sits cross-legged by the shores of Hora Juthin Imne. The Warrior has travelled over a thousand miles through Utah and Montana before arriving here at Lake Louise. An intense weariness fills him.
The long journey and numerous skirmishes have decimated his tribe, the Lyarhe Nakoda, the People of the Mountains. Despite winning many battles against the US Army, there always seemed to be more and more of them, and the enemy had finally cornered them at Bear Paw Mountain, where Chief Joseph was forced to surrender. A few managed to evade capture, and Hotah set out alone, travelling a further 400 miles, crossing into Canada.
He stirs, kneels, and looks down at the lake; its turquoise surface is reflecting the snow-capped mountains. A glacier snakes like a giant umbilical cord to feed the icy placenta below. There is no breeze, and the still waters of the lake are like glass. The dense fir trees on the steep slopes are framed in symmetry, upside down in the clear mirror of the water.
The warrior peers over the edge and sees in the water his own face looking back at him. It shows the deep hollows of his eyes, and on his face every battle scar is etched in perfect reflection. He looks much older than his years; the fighting has taken its toll.
He considers the future. He could try to seek the vestige of his tribe, but there are no women or children. Perhaps he should head to Saskatchewan, where he knows Chief Sitting Bull and the Lakota Tribe have their reservation. He might be unwelcome, but he wouldn’t be alone. There is no fight left in him; sadness and exhaustion have drained all his energy.
Behind him, a rifle shot rings out, piercing the solitude with a sharp crack followed by a tumult of cawing crows rising from the emerald pines. Hotah Matoskah tumbles forward into the water, and the mirrored glass of the lake is shattered into a maelstrom of swirling blood.