Post by Opal on Jul 24, 2014 14:19:37 GMT -5
I wrote this forever ago and just reclaimed it from my old computer. If you guys like enough I'll continue with further chapters.
Ch.1
An emerald jewel, thrust eons ago out of the golden plains that stretched over much of what was the American Midwest. The Black Hills of South Dakota and the surrounding lands had remained mostly unchanged, at least to look at. In almost every other way it was like the rest of the world. Chaos.
Once people had come from all over the world to enjoy the simplicity the area had to offer and to see such things as Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Devils Tower, and Deadwood. As well as some of the natural wonders of the world. It literally was the place where the buffalo roamed and the deer and the antelope played. Well, technically they still did. They were just unrecognizable now.
Kimimila White Tail smiled grimly and flicked the butt of her cigarette down into a granite chasm and stood precariously at its edge as she watched the little ember disappear into the rushing waters below. The wind died and allowed new life to the foulness of the air and forced her to replace her mask. With a shrug she quickly glanced around continued on her way.
Jumping clear of a group of boulders she joined the rest of her group and raised a hand in greeting. They were all like her, Lakota. If you wanted to be specific they were Oglala Lakota Sioux. Her tribe had called this place home long before the white man came and would still be theirs long after they were gone. Her people would do as they had always done and endure. Even surviving this fucking shadow of the land they used to worship.
“The bison and elk herds have moved to the other side of the valley.” She began as she moved more fully into the small rocky clearing that was set up as a day camp for groups like theirs. It overlooked much of the grasslands that had once made up Wind Cave National Park. It took its name from a large cave system that was now sealed up tight and used as living quarters for some of the area’s survivors. The Hills were scattered with cave systems and old Cold War missile silos so communities where scattered and communication was limited but they were there.
“Good.” Replied a gruff looking man. He wasn’t old, but lines of grief and hard times settled on his face and made him look much older than he was. His raven black hair was long, sprinkled with silver, and pulled back with a piece of leather. Tomas White Tail was their leader, their Chief, and her father. “I’m sure we all look forward to sleeping in our own beds tonight! Let’s not keep your mother waiting any longer then we have too.”
He placed a warm and gentle hand on her shoulder and squeezed it softly. It was an old gesture of affection that had her smiling even as she picked up her rifle.
The small group, heavy with new supplies, gingerly made their way down into a dried up creek bed that was lined thickly with dead pine. Shortly they wound their way along the path and into a canyon that opened up into the grasslands. It was miles of open space, no trees, no rocks, no buildings, no cover. The only thing that could save them if attacked was speed and firepower.
Taking off at a cautious jog their eyes scanned for movement of any kind. In moments they crossed the asphalt of the old road and into the Prairie Dog Town. Although the animals now were the size of a mastiff and covered in scales, they remained skittish and dove for their giant hills of earth and into their tunnel systems when the group passed. Kimi could remember going out and killing them with a pellet gun when they burrowed too close to her families old cattle ranch. Now it took a couple hits from a semi-automatic, and it was Wind Cave they now guarded.
The sun was filtering through the trees of the horizon as they finally made that last curve into the small gulch that housed the weathered Visitors Center and main entrance to the caves. From the outside there was no sign of life and beyond the odd animal call in the distance there was no sound. At least that was if you didn’t know what to look or listen for.
They would have been spotted by their lookouts and the doors where unlocked as they made their way through. The group paused and suddenly braced themselves just in time for a sudden explosion of movement. Out of what was once a gift shop two gigantic ferrets charged, one tackled Kimi to the ground. She landed on her back in a fit of laughter as she wrestled the over-sized weasel to his back by grasping tightly to his harness.
Black-footed ferrets had once been nearly extinct in the area before being reintroduced and now were used in the Southern Hills as the perfect guards. Trained from birth they were fearless and merciless to anything they didn’t recognize and could slither in the caverns passages with ease. They had developed razor claws, and hard scale-like plating down their spine making them something terrifying to believe.
“There now!” She said still smiling. Getting up back on her feet she reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of dried meat and gave it to the creature’s clever and waiting paws. With a wave to the handler that walked into view they exited out the back entrance and down a small wooded path. Even through the seal, the smell of cook fires filtered out through the cracks of hillside. A man, unrecognizable through his gas mask and hoodie, stepped out of the shadows and began working the large mechanism that opened the thick door.
Instantly the sound of drums and singing filled the twilight stillness. She felt an instant loosening of her shoulders that she hadn’t even realized were so tense. Kimi opened up her arms as a small woman pushed out of the milling crowd and embraced her mother.
“Mitakuyepi Kimimila emaciyapelo nahan iyuha cante wasteya nape ciyuzapelo.” The older woman’s voice was soft as she kissed her daughters cheek. Kimi smiled at her use of Lakota, not many people spoke it anymore.
“It’s good to be home, Mom.” Kimi responded with a light kiss of her own as her father came and bodily picked her mother off the ground and swung her around with a laugh before setting her down to a passionate kiss.
“Two weeks is too long to be away my Love.” He said when he finally released her. Maire only smiled, everyone knew that some groups could be gone for a month or more on trading trips to other areas of the Hills. And every 6 months the leaders of each established colony met in a central location and that could last even longer. New threats were discussed, trading, newly rediscovered tech, and mail was divided and passed along.
Shaking her head in amusement she handed her pack off to someone who would store the new supplies and left her parents too each other and wandered off in search of her own small family. It didn’t take long before small 4 year old bolted out of nowhere and launched herself at Kimi with a cry of happiness.
“Mama! You’re home!” The little girl beamed happily as Kimi hefted her up on to her hip and hugged her tightly.
“Yes, I’m home now. Ooooh I missed you so much! But, Mel, where is that brother of yours?” Looking for the tell-tale signs of chaos and destruction that followed Mel’s twin Derek, she heard something crash. Automatically wincing she turned to look at the damage. And there he was, her boy, in all his glory, sprawled on the floor after tripping over his own toy in this rush to secretly beat his sister. Derek’s lower lip pouted at the injustice of it all.
With an understanding smile she put Mel down and helped her son up to his feet. “If you want to beat your sister in a foot race you gotta make sure your hands are empty, alright?” She whispered in a conspiratorial fashion that had him grinning. Bending down she gave him a tight hug as well.
Her babies, she thought, it wasn’t fair that they were growing so big and so fast. Every time she had to leave it seemed they had grown so much and a part of her grieved for the lost time. But her skills as a tracker and hunter called her out in great frequency.
“Where’s Dad?” Derek asked as she held one of their hands in each of hers and led them away to their living quarters.
“You know he went down to Hot Springs to trade. He’ll be back tomorrow.” Or at least she prayed to the Great Spirit that it would be so. Strange things had been happening at the hot springs the town had its name for and it made her uneasy. The feeling wasn’t anything more than a gut feeling but she tended to trust her instincts. He had left a few days after her and wasn’t scheduled to return until a day or two after Kimi had arrived home herself. It was always a risk to leave the shelter of the caverns but she had to trust that the Great Spirit would keep them safe.
Ch.1
An emerald jewel, thrust eons ago out of the golden plains that stretched over much of what was the American Midwest. The Black Hills of South Dakota and the surrounding lands had remained mostly unchanged, at least to look at. In almost every other way it was like the rest of the world. Chaos.
Once people had come from all over the world to enjoy the simplicity the area had to offer and to see such things as Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Devils Tower, and Deadwood. As well as some of the natural wonders of the world. It literally was the place where the buffalo roamed and the deer and the antelope played. Well, technically they still did. They were just unrecognizable now.
Kimimila White Tail smiled grimly and flicked the butt of her cigarette down into a granite chasm and stood precariously at its edge as she watched the little ember disappear into the rushing waters below. The wind died and allowed new life to the foulness of the air and forced her to replace her mask. With a shrug she quickly glanced around continued on her way.
Jumping clear of a group of boulders she joined the rest of her group and raised a hand in greeting. They were all like her, Lakota. If you wanted to be specific they were Oglala Lakota Sioux. Her tribe had called this place home long before the white man came and would still be theirs long after they were gone. Her people would do as they had always done and endure. Even surviving this fucking shadow of the land they used to worship.
“The bison and elk herds have moved to the other side of the valley.” She began as she moved more fully into the small rocky clearing that was set up as a day camp for groups like theirs. It overlooked much of the grasslands that had once made up Wind Cave National Park. It took its name from a large cave system that was now sealed up tight and used as living quarters for some of the area’s survivors. The Hills were scattered with cave systems and old Cold War missile silos so communities where scattered and communication was limited but they were there.
“Good.” Replied a gruff looking man. He wasn’t old, but lines of grief and hard times settled on his face and made him look much older than he was. His raven black hair was long, sprinkled with silver, and pulled back with a piece of leather. Tomas White Tail was their leader, their Chief, and her father. “I’m sure we all look forward to sleeping in our own beds tonight! Let’s not keep your mother waiting any longer then we have too.”
He placed a warm and gentle hand on her shoulder and squeezed it softly. It was an old gesture of affection that had her smiling even as she picked up her rifle.
The small group, heavy with new supplies, gingerly made their way down into a dried up creek bed that was lined thickly with dead pine. Shortly they wound their way along the path and into a canyon that opened up into the grasslands. It was miles of open space, no trees, no rocks, no buildings, no cover. The only thing that could save them if attacked was speed and firepower.
Taking off at a cautious jog their eyes scanned for movement of any kind. In moments they crossed the asphalt of the old road and into the Prairie Dog Town. Although the animals now were the size of a mastiff and covered in scales, they remained skittish and dove for their giant hills of earth and into their tunnel systems when the group passed. Kimi could remember going out and killing them with a pellet gun when they burrowed too close to her families old cattle ranch. Now it took a couple hits from a semi-automatic, and it was Wind Cave they now guarded.
The sun was filtering through the trees of the horizon as they finally made that last curve into the small gulch that housed the weathered Visitors Center and main entrance to the caves. From the outside there was no sign of life and beyond the odd animal call in the distance there was no sound. At least that was if you didn’t know what to look or listen for.
They would have been spotted by their lookouts and the doors where unlocked as they made their way through. The group paused and suddenly braced themselves just in time for a sudden explosion of movement. Out of what was once a gift shop two gigantic ferrets charged, one tackled Kimi to the ground. She landed on her back in a fit of laughter as she wrestled the over-sized weasel to his back by grasping tightly to his harness.
Black-footed ferrets had once been nearly extinct in the area before being reintroduced and now were used in the Southern Hills as the perfect guards. Trained from birth they were fearless and merciless to anything they didn’t recognize and could slither in the caverns passages with ease. They had developed razor claws, and hard scale-like plating down their spine making them something terrifying to believe.
“There now!” She said still smiling. Getting up back on her feet she reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of dried meat and gave it to the creature’s clever and waiting paws. With a wave to the handler that walked into view they exited out the back entrance and down a small wooded path. Even through the seal, the smell of cook fires filtered out through the cracks of hillside. A man, unrecognizable through his gas mask and hoodie, stepped out of the shadows and began working the large mechanism that opened the thick door.
Instantly the sound of drums and singing filled the twilight stillness. She felt an instant loosening of her shoulders that she hadn’t even realized were so tense. Kimi opened up her arms as a small woman pushed out of the milling crowd and embraced her mother.
“Mitakuyepi Kimimila emaciyapelo nahan iyuha cante wasteya nape ciyuzapelo.” The older woman’s voice was soft as she kissed her daughters cheek. Kimi smiled at her use of Lakota, not many people spoke it anymore.
“It’s good to be home, Mom.” Kimi responded with a light kiss of her own as her father came and bodily picked her mother off the ground and swung her around with a laugh before setting her down to a passionate kiss.
“Two weeks is too long to be away my Love.” He said when he finally released her. Maire only smiled, everyone knew that some groups could be gone for a month or more on trading trips to other areas of the Hills. And every 6 months the leaders of each established colony met in a central location and that could last even longer. New threats were discussed, trading, newly rediscovered tech, and mail was divided and passed along.
Shaking her head in amusement she handed her pack off to someone who would store the new supplies and left her parents too each other and wandered off in search of her own small family. It didn’t take long before small 4 year old bolted out of nowhere and launched herself at Kimi with a cry of happiness.
“Mama! You’re home!” The little girl beamed happily as Kimi hefted her up on to her hip and hugged her tightly.
“Yes, I’m home now. Ooooh I missed you so much! But, Mel, where is that brother of yours?” Looking for the tell-tale signs of chaos and destruction that followed Mel’s twin Derek, she heard something crash. Automatically wincing she turned to look at the damage. And there he was, her boy, in all his glory, sprawled on the floor after tripping over his own toy in this rush to secretly beat his sister. Derek’s lower lip pouted at the injustice of it all.
With an understanding smile she put Mel down and helped her son up to his feet. “If you want to beat your sister in a foot race you gotta make sure your hands are empty, alright?” She whispered in a conspiratorial fashion that had him grinning. Bending down she gave him a tight hug as well.
Her babies, she thought, it wasn’t fair that they were growing so big and so fast. Every time she had to leave it seemed they had grown so much and a part of her grieved for the lost time. But her skills as a tracker and hunter called her out in great frequency.
“Where’s Dad?” Derek asked as she held one of their hands in each of hers and led them away to their living quarters.
“You know he went down to Hot Springs to trade. He’ll be back tomorrow.” Or at least she prayed to the Great Spirit that it would be so. Strange things had been happening at the hot springs the town had its name for and it made her uneasy. The feeling wasn’t anything more than a gut feeling but she tended to trust her instincts. He had left a few days after her and wasn’t scheduled to return until a day or two after Kimi had arrived home herself. It was always a risk to leave the shelter of the caverns but she had to trust that the Great Spirit would keep them safe.