King Chronicles: When Darkness Falls

Chapter 5 - New Frontier

As Hawk lingered by the pond, Savannah began to wonder what the real reason was for his distraction. They had volunteered to take part in the Tomahawk recovery team and join their neighboring Komabi tribe to locate their missing warriors. They also planned to get an update on their ally, the Miramee village, who have not been heard from for some time. Normally, the Miramee and Kombai people kept to themselves, but with the heightened sightings of Jinkuw it wasn't looking good. Hawk had told the Kombai to forge ahead, reassuring them that they would catch up once he and Savannah collected a few "extra things". Savannah was dismayed to find that their side quest consisted of pond-lingering and what seemed to be little else.

"Hawk, it is obvious you are stalling," Savannah said, combing her fingers through the mane of their large white horse. "Big Bear has had enough water for some time, what are you waiting for?"

Hawk scanned the area and frowned. "I thought they would come, but I guess I was wrong," he responded, picking up his pack and returning it to his horse.

Savannah was already on her horse by the time he had reached his. She immediately caught on to the hidden meaning behind his words. "Hawk, you know that the King brothers are responsible for their town. They have other priorities. Plus, the Jinkuw wasn't part of their vocabulary until late."

Suddenly, in the distance, Savannah caught sight of a looming cloud of dust accompanied with the unmistakeable sound of hooves heading their way. She smiled when she recognized the Cowboys as they got closer. "Hawk, you can get on your horse now. It appears the Kings have decided to join the party."

Hawk turned his head and grinned. "I knew they would come!"

As the brothers approached, Savannah noticed that they were carrying different weapons than their usual guns. They were replaced by hunting weapons that were much more familiar to her own.

Instead of the rifle usually slung across his shoulder, Joseph was carrying what seemed to be a much larger electrically charged net shotgun. His side arm, she recognized, was one of the guns with silver coated bullets that she and her father had altered for Sam in the past. James also carried the altered same side arms, as well as a crossbow Hawk's tribe used that deployed exploding heads.

"Sorry we're late, we got carried away with the new weapons," James grinned, sheepishly.

"It's about time you joined us," Hawk said impatiently with a little frown. "Come on, we need to catch up with the Kombai."

As he led the way, Savannah placed the back of her hand to cover her lips as she whispered to the newcomers. "Hawk's feeling a little tense because he tasted the food cooked by one of the elder's wife and he fell in love... with her cooking."

The brothers tried to hide their laughter as they followed behind Hawk, knowing full well never to argue with his stomach.

The time it took for them to catch up to the Komabi was quicker than expected. The elders were surprisingly happy to have representatives of the "Fair-Haired", as they called the Kings, and were even more excited when Hawk informed them of their appointed authority as Sheriff and Deputy. The younger warriors, however, were not as forthcoming as their parents.

The Kombai had not been as lucky as the Tomahawk when it came to the Territory Wars. While the Tomahawk had immersed themselves in treaty and alliances, the Kombai had dealt with rogue trespassers and reckless cavalry action. Ten years ago, the government had proclaimed a "free-for-all" takeover of the new lands, provided that they were not already inhabited or owned. This led to an influx of hopeful foreigners who never questioned the ambiguity of this rule behind Native American property. They took from the tribes when all could have been avoided if they had only worked with them. The government had not anticipated this mass movement and, in turn, did not have the capacity or the power to handle them. Many of the Kombai saw only greed and violence from these foreigners and rarely did they socialize outside of war. After the war, tribal affairs were discussed and controlled by the elders alone, who were more open-minded about external collaborations. The Warriors, however, never forgot what they had to fight for. Their loss was paramount in terms of their loved ones, believing that all had been wasted because of an unnatural and heinous lust of land. The Kombai warriors continued to distance themselves more and more over time, and despite the Tomahawk assurance that not all foreigners are untrustworthy, their reliance still remained on their allied tribes.
[www.maveriswift@wordpress.com]