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Post by Cautious Horse on Oct 11, 2015 12:14:42 GMT
The silence of the Gila Forest offered Cautious Horse a brief respite from the bloodshed of El Paso. However, his mind was not at peace, it had long since directed itself to the agenda of vengeance. Thus he had to learn the truth behind the destruction of his village.
He is headed to the Apache camp where the two children who were rescued from
the orphanage had been taken. He knew the two boys and their late mother and he didn't doubt that their energetic disposition had been robbed from them following the devastation a week previous.
Cautious Horse makes his way to the Apache village, and proceeds to find the boys.
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Post by Admin on Oct 11, 2015 13:42:31 GMT
Cautious Horse and his party entered the village, where they were warmly greeted by a lowly ranked Chief known by the Whiteman as Nana, a name he had embraced and made his own.
Over Eighty years old, Nana was married to Geronimo's sister and had fought at the battle in which the former Chief Victorio was killed. Since then his own reputation grew. Lame in one leg, suffering from rheumatism and with his eyesight failing, his raiding party of around fifteen men had been responsible for the deaths of at least twenty settlers since Victorio's death. More recently, he had been pursued by a combined posse of civilians and Buffalo soldiers into a canyon to the North of Grants County. Outnumbered and outgunned there seemed to be no escape for the Apaches. However, Nana and his men immediately ambushed the posse as they entered the canyon, killing their leaders and injuring some others. A six hour gun battle commenced in which Nana and his men killed at least four other soldiers, and wounded a great deal more. Most of those who were injured later died as a result of the fight. Nana and his men took no casualties. Thus, Nana gained his Apache name Kas-Tziden, or War-Leader.
His clan of Apaches had taken in the orphans when they had nowhere else to go.
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Post by Cautious Horse on Oct 11, 2015 16:56:27 GMT
Cautious Horse pays Kas-Tziden all the respects that are worthy of such an accomplished warrior and leader. Cautious Horse also speaks well of his brother-in-law, Geronimo, whom he fought beside at El Pase. He asks that before he sits down to talk with the chief that he might see the children and speak with them about the massacre at the village.
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Post by Admin on Oct 11, 2015 18:37:15 GMT
Nana looked sorrowful, but he agreed to let Cautious Horse speak to the children under the supervision of their new guardian. He warned CH to be gentle, as the children had seen their mother murdered before their eyes, and were in a very delicate place spiritually.
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Post by Cautious Horse on Oct 12, 2015 16:27:38 GMT
Cautious Horse thanks Nana and vows that he will heed his advice. When the children are bought to him he recognises them immediately and gives them a reassuring embrace and reassures them that they are safe. He allows the children to cry (with Sitting Duck now unashamedly doing the same) a while before asking them what he needs to know.
"Children, tell me of what you saw, tell me of the injustice visited upon us so that I might bring those responsible to account."
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Post by Admin on Oct 12, 2015 16:42:26 GMT
The children were slow to speak. But they described an elderly man, wearing a gold star on his chest and a white beard adorning his face. He didn't talk much, but he was the man who ordered the death of their mother. They were about to leave, when the elder child turned and mentioned that some men from the rail company were sniffing around the camp. He said that their former Chief had argued with the men on more than one occasion, though they knew not what it was about.
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