Shattered

Coyote

Lucky.

They had all been incredibly lucky after the Mist was lifted from human eyes. The initial thought was that if they all laid low for a few days after the pipeline fiasco that it would all blow over. They had all thought that that eventually someone would claim the footage was doctored, it was just some kids in costumes, or even mass hysteria, because that was how it always played out. After all, it was how they handled the Ts'emekwes and their attention seeking ways.

But things had not gone the usual way. 

Not even close.

After the abduction of the Gayegogi, those gathered at the former Keystone pipeline had rushed back to the Nation's capital, conveniently located within and under Crazy Horse Memorial. He had initially been skeptical of building something so large and, in his humble opinion, lavish, but the Gayegogi had some remarkable foresight. The great stone memorial had shielded him, the council, and hundreds of others from the devastation that followed shortly after.

Shortly after their own news broke out, reports started flooding in of creatures, gods, and even demigods attacking innocent people all over the world. Now it was only natural that the younger folk would want to get out there and fight the good fight, because they were good kids, but he could smell a trap. His innate ability to sense trouble the reason why he stayed close to all past Gayegogies, and his senses hadn't led him astray yet. The attacks had just seemed too in synch, too widespread, and way too damn public for them to be random. So, with a heavy heart, he and the rest of the council issued orders that all members of the Nation were to not intervene and to take shelter immediately.

While it did condemn thousands of mortals to death, his decision had saved hundreds of Nation lives.

Maybe I really ain't no better than old lighting britches...

As in less than twenty-four hours after the initial attacks, the mortals 'discovered' a weapon that purged the Earth of all but the strongest gods, and leaving the surface uninhabitable to anything with a drop of the other world in them. They still lost quite a few of their own, with the number steadily increasing by the hour, but the great Lakota chief's stone shielded a great many from the signal.

"Dad?" a small voice cried out, snapping Coyote back to the harsh present.

He slowly turned around to see his youngest son, Levi, standing at the chamber's entrance, clutching a blanket in his hand. He resisted the urge to frown, as the boy was getting a little too old to carry a blanket around, but given the circumstances they were in, he'd let it slide. "Yeah, champ?"

The dark-haired boy wandered closer, and stood next to the trickster. "What is this place?"

Leave it to a kid to walk into someplace and have no idea what it is. He took his gray ten-gallon hat off and placed it on his son's head, noticing that it no longer fell below his eyes. "The Hall of the Brave," he answered, glancing at its two newest inductees. What a terrible name though. Should have never had that write in... "It's where we bury our heroes, so that they may return to the Earth, while still being honored."

"Oh," Levi replied, clearly not understanding. "What are you doing down here then?"

Coyote twisted the hat on the kid's head, making the boy laugh. He loved kids, their innocence was always a breath of fresh air. Plus, they enjoy my stories. Real big boost to the old belief base. "Just pay'n my respects to the newest members."

He flashed back to that terrible night, recalling everything in vivid detail; the curse of being a god. He had been searching for Piper and her friends, as he was going to have them ride with him. But he had just rounded the corner, coming into view of their tent, when he saw the feisty Roman's body fall lifeless to the ground. Acting purely on instinct he shifted into his bestial form and bounded over and through any obstacles, only for Piper and her assailants to disappear in the blink of an eye. He had wanted to run off and search for his friend's granddaughter, but he had no leads and two bodies that needed attending to.