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"Revenge, Renewal and the Promise of a New Year" (Boot Hill/D&D)
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<blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 1808964" data-attributes="member: 8530"><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-two, “Apache Ambush”, January 6th, 1882:</strong></p><p></p><p>Nanuet steps in front of Joe and holds up his empty hands. He says softly to Joe "These people and mine are allies, but they will not recognize me. Let me talk to them, and don't do anything stupid." </p><p></p><p>Turning back to the Apache Nanuet speaks in the Apache tongue "Greetings great warriors. I am Nanuet of the Yavapai, although my appearance does not show the truth. We are looking for men who have stolen cattle and we have followed them here. Have you any knowledge of this?"</p><p></p><p>A warrior answers "Lay down your weapons and step away from them." Nanuet does as ordered and translates for Little Joe who reluctantly does the same. </p><p></p><p>A quarter mile away a similar situation has presented itself in that the Indians surrounding the other six have intentionally made themselves more visible and there are at least fifty. Katherine kept her hands very carefully in view as she tried to keep Meribel still. Her own nerves were being communicated to the horse, and she was restive. She didn't dare turn to look behind them, but there had to be at least ten Indians surrounding them, and those she could see didn't look happy at their presence. Especially after her faux pas earlier, she waited for someone else to take the lead. 'What am I doing here?' she wondered to herself.</p><p></p><p>Flint has put his gun back in his belt, but still within reach. One Indian steps forward and speaking broken common orders the six "Intruders. Get off of your mounts and set your weapons on the ground." "Like Hell" Flint mutters under his breath. He then whispers over to Hoss, Al and Katherine "I've got a dozen sticks of dynamite in my mule's saddlebag. All I need is a short distraction to get and light them."</p><p></p><p>"Don't be an idiot," Katherine hissed back. "You'd kill us just as fast. Do as they say." She slid down from her saddle and slowly reached for Tom's pistol. She laid it on the ground at her feet and became very aware of the Derringer hidden in her bodice. For a moment she considered keeping it, but what good would two shots do her against fifty armed men? Kate kept her mind very carefully away from any circumstance that might lead them to finding it in it's hiding place. Finally, her face turning scarlet, she reached into her bodice and pulled it out, placing it next to the pistol.</p><p></p><p>Al, too, slides off her horse and lays both her pistols on the ground at her feet. Then she takes a step away from her guns, standing almost directly in front of Katherine. "We don't mean no harm, gentlemen," she says guilelessly.</p><p></p><p>Ben, Adam and Hoss do likewise. Flint very reluctantly climbs down from his mule. As Flint is sliding down from his mule, Kate remembered that she was still carrying her small dagger. It was meant for work, not fighting, but if the Indians found it on her it would probably upset them. She had just pulled it from her belt when she noticed Flint glaring at her and Al. </p><p></p><p>The Indian then commands the six to move away from their weapons and mounts. Flint gives Al and Katherine an angry look and mutters "Cowards." The dwarf then bends his legs and it appears that he's about to make a diving leap towards his mule's saddlebag. In that split second Katherine knew he was going to try to do. The dagger was still in her hand. She held it steady where Flint could see it. "You try that and I'll use this dagger to shave more than your beard. I'm not keen on dying today and I'm beginning to think you weren't worth all this trouble." </p><p></p><p>Flint takes a look at her dagger. Alone he would have laughed at the weapon, but with dozens of Indians also surrounding him he backs down. </p><p></p><p>The Indians come forward and collect the weapons and mounts. “Follow me” the leader states and marches back in the direction of the canyon. An armed Indian falls in on each side of the six, with mounted Indians also accompanying them. They join up with Little Joe and Nanuet and the eight are marched down into the canyon. </p><p></p><p>It takes nearly fifteen minutes to reach the bottom far end where they then veer left and into an area that is a natural amphitheater. In the center of the opening they see what appears to be the ashes of what must have been a large bonfire the night before, as a small amount of smoke is still coming from it. There is also evidence of a prior day’s feast, with the a large pile of charred bones near a firepit and two large wooden frames, each with a stretched out cowhide drying on it. The hides are facing away from the group so the Cartwrights cannot make out if there are any brand marks on them. The eight are motioned to sit upon some logs near the center. </p><p></p><p>Indians start to enter the amphitheater and take places along the rim. This continues for the next twenty minutes, until nearly every available space is taken. Katherine does a quick calculation of row length and depth and concludes that over two thousand of the Apache are now present. She gives Flint an “I told you so” look. He just glares back at her. </p><p></p><p>Nanuet looks at the others and explains that he can do very little with his current appearance. He tries to jog his memory and attempts to notice if he has any knowledge of Apache rituals and what they might be doing now.</p><p></p><p>An Indian shaman comes out. He makes a hand gesture and the thousands of Indians all start to chant “Gonolkal”. Nanuet recognizes the word as one that translates into the phrase “the battle is over”, however he knows that in some dialects it just means “battle”, so is unsure of what context it is being used here. </p><p></p><p>He walks up to Nanuet and says in the Apache tongue "You say that you are one of the people yet you come into our land dressed as our enemy. Were you unaware that Geronimo's family were killed by the wood elf?" </p><p></p><p>The shaman commands two Apache to stand Nanuet up and strip him of his Mexican garments. He does not resist, and is soon stripped down to his tan cloth pants. The shaman then orders the two Apache braves to hold Nanuet as he casts a spell. The magic that had been used to change Nanuet's skin tone is stripped away and his hair re-grows back to its original length. The shaman says, "Now you are presentable for an audience with the chief."</p><p></p><p>Nanuet feels somewhat relieved to be back to his normal appearance. He stands proudly with his chin up. He squints against the sun, the wrinkle of years spent in the hot sun show on his face and says, “I am ready.”</p><p></p><p>The shaman calls three Indian warriors who bring out firewood and arrange it on the smoldering ash pile. They soon ignite and a fire starts to roar up. Fling softly mutters “They’re gonna roast us.” </p><p></p><p>The Shaman walks to the back of the fire then reaches both hands into a pouch on his belt. He takes out two hands full of a green powder and dramatically throws it into the fire while reciting an incantation. A bright flash of multi-colored light rises up. The incantation of the thousands of Indians immediately changes from ‘Gonolkal’ to ‘Battle done’. The Shaman motions for them to cease chanting and announces “All present should now understand the languages of each other.” Always the skeptic, Flint decides to test this and whispers to Al in dwarven “Are you really a man or a woman?” </p><p></p><p>The shaman reaches into his pouch and takes out a small clay pot. He makes another gesture and tosses it onto the ground. A grayish-white cloud of smoke erupts on the spot. When it dissipates an Indian with a full headdress of feathers is standing there. </p><p></p><p>The shaman gestures to Nanuet and says “Geronimo, this one has led these humans onto our land.” Flint softly mutters “Do I look like a human?” Geronimo and the Shaman both move closer towards Nanuet. The Chief stares Nanuet in the eye and says "Explain".</p><p></p><p>Nanuet looks Geronimo in the eye: "Great chief Geronimo. I lead them in search of cattle that were stolen from them. Also a man was murdered because he may have seen the thieves. We only seek these men, and justice. We have no intention of taking anything from your land and we do not mean to impose."</p><p></p><p>Geronimo replies, "Why should I care about the white man's cattle. The Apache did not take them. The Apache did not kill any man. Why do you cross our land and make these false accusations against us?" While this exchange is taking place the Shaman is looking very intently at the other seven. He begins to walk towards them.</p><p></p><p>Katherine kept her body still and her mind moving. Geronimo was obviously touchy. If she was required to speak, she would have to choose her words very carefully. It was obvious to her to Nanuet had not meant to imply that the Apache took the cattle, but it was the assumption Geronimo made. </p><p></p><p>It was strange to see Nanuet back in his original appearance, and even stranger to remember her first fear-filled reaction to him. Perhaps that was why she had overreacted when she thought Mr. Cartwright had insulted him. She hated the thought of that kind of ugliness inside herself. And yet here she was surrounded by what seemed her every fear realized, but somehow she wasn't terrified. Scared yes, but not out of her wits. </p><p></p><p>The Shaman had stopped watching his chief and had turned his eyes to the other members of the party. Kate appeared to keep her attention on the Chief and Nanuet, but from the corner of her eye she watched the Shaman approach. Her only reaction was the quickening of her heart. Outside, she kept completely still.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Silver Moon, post: 1808964, member: 8530"] [B]Chapter Twenty-two, “Apache Ambush”, January 6th, 1882:[/B] Nanuet steps in front of Joe and holds up his empty hands. He says softly to Joe "These people and mine are allies, but they will not recognize me. Let me talk to them, and don't do anything stupid." Turning back to the Apache Nanuet speaks in the Apache tongue "Greetings great warriors. I am Nanuet of the Yavapai, although my appearance does not show the truth. We are looking for men who have stolen cattle and we have followed them here. Have you any knowledge of this?" A warrior answers "Lay down your weapons and step away from them." Nanuet does as ordered and translates for Little Joe who reluctantly does the same. A quarter mile away a similar situation has presented itself in that the Indians surrounding the other six have intentionally made themselves more visible and there are at least fifty. Katherine kept her hands very carefully in view as she tried to keep Meribel still. Her own nerves were being communicated to the horse, and she was restive. She didn't dare turn to look behind them, but there had to be at least ten Indians surrounding them, and those she could see didn't look happy at their presence. Especially after her faux pas earlier, she waited for someone else to take the lead. 'What am I doing here?' she wondered to herself. Flint has put his gun back in his belt, but still within reach. One Indian steps forward and speaking broken common orders the six "Intruders. Get off of your mounts and set your weapons on the ground." "Like Hell" Flint mutters under his breath. He then whispers over to Hoss, Al and Katherine "I've got a dozen sticks of dynamite in my mule's saddlebag. All I need is a short distraction to get and light them." "Don't be an idiot," Katherine hissed back. "You'd kill us just as fast. Do as they say." She slid down from her saddle and slowly reached for Tom's pistol. She laid it on the ground at her feet and became very aware of the Derringer hidden in her bodice. For a moment she considered keeping it, but what good would two shots do her against fifty armed men? Kate kept her mind very carefully away from any circumstance that might lead them to finding it in it's hiding place. Finally, her face turning scarlet, she reached into her bodice and pulled it out, placing it next to the pistol. Al, too, slides off her horse and lays both her pistols on the ground at her feet. Then she takes a step away from her guns, standing almost directly in front of Katherine. "We don't mean no harm, gentlemen," she says guilelessly. Ben, Adam and Hoss do likewise. Flint very reluctantly climbs down from his mule. As Flint is sliding down from his mule, Kate remembered that she was still carrying her small dagger. It was meant for work, not fighting, but if the Indians found it on her it would probably upset them. She had just pulled it from her belt when she noticed Flint glaring at her and Al. The Indian then commands the six to move away from their weapons and mounts. Flint gives Al and Katherine an angry look and mutters "Cowards." The dwarf then bends his legs and it appears that he's about to make a diving leap towards his mule's saddlebag. In that split second Katherine knew he was going to try to do. The dagger was still in her hand. She held it steady where Flint could see it. "You try that and I'll use this dagger to shave more than your beard. I'm not keen on dying today and I'm beginning to think you weren't worth all this trouble." Flint takes a look at her dagger. Alone he would have laughed at the weapon, but with dozens of Indians also surrounding him he backs down. The Indians come forward and collect the weapons and mounts. “Follow me” the leader states and marches back in the direction of the canyon. An armed Indian falls in on each side of the six, with mounted Indians also accompanying them. They join up with Little Joe and Nanuet and the eight are marched down into the canyon. It takes nearly fifteen minutes to reach the bottom far end where they then veer left and into an area that is a natural amphitheater. In the center of the opening they see what appears to be the ashes of what must have been a large bonfire the night before, as a small amount of smoke is still coming from it. There is also evidence of a prior day’s feast, with the a large pile of charred bones near a firepit and two large wooden frames, each with a stretched out cowhide drying on it. The hides are facing away from the group so the Cartwrights cannot make out if there are any brand marks on them. The eight are motioned to sit upon some logs near the center. Indians start to enter the amphitheater and take places along the rim. This continues for the next twenty minutes, until nearly every available space is taken. Katherine does a quick calculation of row length and depth and concludes that over two thousand of the Apache are now present. She gives Flint an “I told you so” look. He just glares back at her. Nanuet looks at the others and explains that he can do very little with his current appearance. He tries to jog his memory and attempts to notice if he has any knowledge of Apache rituals and what they might be doing now. An Indian shaman comes out. He makes a hand gesture and the thousands of Indians all start to chant “Gonolkal”. Nanuet recognizes the word as one that translates into the phrase “the battle is over”, however he knows that in some dialects it just means “battle”, so is unsure of what context it is being used here. He walks up to Nanuet and says in the Apache tongue "You say that you are one of the people yet you come into our land dressed as our enemy. Were you unaware that Geronimo's family were killed by the wood elf?" The shaman commands two Apache to stand Nanuet up and strip him of his Mexican garments. He does not resist, and is soon stripped down to his tan cloth pants. The shaman then orders the two Apache braves to hold Nanuet as he casts a spell. The magic that had been used to change Nanuet's skin tone is stripped away and his hair re-grows back to its original length. The shaman says, "Now you are presentable for an audience with the chief." Nanuet feels somewhat relieved to be back to his normal appearance. He stands proudly with his chin up. He squints against the sun, the wrinkle of years spent in the hot sun show on his face and says, “I am ready.” The shaman calls three Indian warriors who bring out firewood and arrange it on the smoldering ash pile. They soon ignite and a fire starts to roar up. Fling softly mutters “They’re gonna roast us.” The Shaman walks to the back of the fire then reaches both hands into a pouch on his belt. He takes out two hands full of a green powder and dramatically throws it into the fire while reciting an incantation. A bright flash of multi-colored light rises up. The incantation of the thousands of Indians immediately changes from ‘Gonolkal’ to ‘Battle done’. The Shaman motions for them to cease chanting and announces “All present should now understand the languages of each other.” Always the skeptic, Flint decides to test this and whispers to Al in dwarven “Are you really a man or a woman?” The shaman reaches into his pouch and takes out a small clay pot. He makes another gesture and tosses it onto the ground. A grayish-white cloud of smoke erupts on the spot. When it dissipates an Indian with a full headdress of feathers is standing there. The shaman gestures to Nanuet and says “Geronimo, this one has led these humans onto our land.” Flint softly mutters “Do I look like a human?” Geronimo and the Shaman both move closer towards Nanuet. The Chief stares Nanuet in the eye and says "Explain". Nanuet looks Geronimo in the eye: "Great chief Geronimo. I lead them in search of cattle that were stolen from them. Also a man was murdered because he may have seen the thieves. We only seek these men, and justice. We have no intention of taking anything from your land and we do not mean to impose." Geronimo replies, "Why should I care about the white man's cattle. The Apache did not take them. The Apache did not kill any man. Why do you cross our land and make these false accusations against us?" While this exchange is taking place the Shaman is looking very intently at the other seven. He begins to walk towards them. Katherine kept her body still and her mind moving. Geronimo was obviously touchy. If she was required to speak, she would have to choose her words very carefully. It was obvious to her to Nanuet had not meant to imply that the Apache took the cattle, but it was the assumption Geronimo made. It was strange to see Nanuet back in his original appearance, and even stranger to remember her first fear-filled reaction to him. Perhaps that was why she had overreacted when she thought Mr. Cartwright had insulted him. She hated the thought of that kind of ugliness inside herself. And yet here she was surrounded by what seemed her every fear realized, but somehow she wasn't terrified. Scared yes, but not out of her wits. The Shaman had stopped watching his chief and had turned his eyes to the other members of the party. Kate appeared to keep her attention on the Chief and Nanuet, but from the corner of her eye she watched the Shaman approach. Her only reaction was the quickening of her heart. Outside, she kept completely still. [/QUOTE]
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