Born into a society tolerant of homosexuals, River Otter is confused by the white culture’s persecution of such men. As the war begins to wind down, Otter leaves the only home he has ever known to help Major James Morrow, commandant of Ft. Yanube, build a farm north of the fort. He begins a new life with the handsome major while coming to grips with growing hostility toward natives and rising danger from a local militia bent on eliminating all bloods from the territory.<br><br>As his physical attraction for the blond soldier slowly grows into a love perilous to both of them, Otter is distracted by personal challenges. As he struggles to survive the social and political upheaval sweeping the plains, can remain true to his own set of values?

River Otter

As we approached the large two-storied brick building occupying an entire block on a street now called Main Avenue, a man exited the store and came to a complete halt, almost blocking our way on the boardwalk. He was a stranger, a thin man with stooped shoulders dressed entirely in black. He reminded me of a Black Crow, a name the Canadian Cree gave Jesuit friars who came among them.


As we grew nearer, he lifted his head, and the impression of a carrion bird was heightened. Small round eyes gleamed as if from an inner light. His nose was so long and hooked, it almost drooped over his bloodless lips. I had thought him old, but as we approached, it was evident he was a man of no more than thirty snows. He had little color to his skin and none to his attire save black.


“Sinful!” he spat in a stentorian voice that took me by surprise. Thunder like that should have come from a big man. “Cover your flesh, young man! Do not flout your nakedness before Christian folk.”


Chapter 20