Book in Progress
~ On silent feet~
In a flash, a blink of an eye I go back in time. My moccasins making little sound as I walk silently down a narrow trail. I look around, my long black hair whipped behind my back, the beads on my leather dress softly clank as they hit each other with each sway of my hips. My eyes searched the horizon as I know it will soon be sunset, making it dangerous to be out this far from the camp, other tribes would scan the area for females making them their mates if young or slaves if not suitable for bedding. Fear quickened my steps. Each sound in the dimming light brought fear of what could happen.
The sound of distant howling brought a shiver up my spine, my breath caught in my throat. Nervously I ran the palms of my hands slowly down my dress. My feet frozen to the spot in which I stood as I listened. Slowly I sank down into a crouching position. I knew that sound too well; to the untrained ear the howl would have been taken as a lone wolf. In our camp we were taught at a young age to recognize natural sounds to those of a man made one that was mimicked as an animal.
The Woshoo tribes where always scouting for women and the young for slaves from surrounding camps along the granite cliffs, as well as along the rushing Nannie River. The Woshoo were tall darkly tanned people with muscled bodies. They were warriors and skilled at fighting. The men were very handsome, powerful, and arrogant and they held themselves in high esteem. For a Kionna woman to become a captive or slave of a Woshoo man was to live a life of complete servitude. She was to have no will of her own other than to do the Woshoo mans bidding or bedding.
I was given the name of Hoahnihah at my birthing, a name meaning “on silent feet”. My people, the Kionna lived a quite existence; hunter gathers that meant no harm to the land in which they lived. They were people with long black hair and searching eyes. The women were quiet beautiful and well sought after by the Woshoo men. The spirits filled their souls and talked to the ancestors of long ago, planted memories at birth which guided and connected each of the people together as tribe.
to be continued.......