Dispute of generations

To describe the beginning of that year´s winter as unusual would have been quite an understatement. During the second day of their journey to the tribe, the snow was gradually disappearing right in front of their eyes just as quickly as it appeared during the storm. The white layer was getting thinner under the warm sunbeams, and soon they didn´t need to use the snowshoes at all. Despite that, it took them the whole day to get to the Blackfeet´s new sanctuary.

Jin was surprised at first, when they started to descent from the mountains after a few hours of marching. Liwan explained that when their tribe resided on the higher place last year, it was very difficult for them to handle the harsh winter conditions.

Just a few years ago, the tribe had enough of capable warriors who were able to feed everyone without any bigger problems. But considering the current situation, there were not enough young Indians to hunt, as they were outbalanced by children and older generation. That was one of the reasons why Manipi´s rebellion was so dangerous for the future of them all. If even only a part of remaining young warriors went to fight against the white nation and they would have been killed, the tribe wouldn´t have lived through the next year.

Blackfeet´s current village was located near the east creek of the lake, which Jin adored not so long ago from that awesome view, where he found Kazuya sinking in depression. It was hard to believe they had to walk that long to get there. The water of the lake covered the incredibly spacious area. Two sides of the pueblo were protected by the high rocks and other two by the thick forest, through which it was possible to get to the lake. It was almost impossible to notice that somebody actually lived on that place.

They passed by two attentive patrols on the way. One Indian was watching the surroundings from the spot high on the rock above them, and Liwan gave him a signal with his hand. The second patrol of two red men was placed right in front of the rock crevasse, which was the only entrance to the pueblo from their direction. A few words from Liwan were enough for the Indians to let all three of them enter the natural gate.

Jin felt anxious, as they walked through that naturally created and very narrow crack one after another. He felt as if both sides of the mountain wanted to squash him like an ant.

Suddenly, the rift ended and they found themselves on the short slope above the wide glade full of the familiar wigwams. The kids were still running outside, chased by their mothers around a few fireplaces, while their tall fathers were working on the woods supplies and furs. The setting sun was pouring the scenery with the orange light, making the view in front of their eyes so nice and peaceful; nobody would have thought that some serious issues were in the air.

They entered the village leading their horses on bridles and Jin was looking around curiously. As Liwan went first, the Indians greeted him nodding their heads, as well as they called Kame by his name. But when they spotted Jin behind them, they were not sure how to react and they just observed him carefully. To Jin´s relief, there was no hostility in their faces, just prudence.

Only the boy whom Jin saw in the previous village once, when he was still raving in fever, waved at the young gunman. Other Indian kids were astonished by the boy´s courage, as they were always taught to behave very carefully in front of White Faces. And their jaws dropped even more, when Jin raised his hand to respond on the greeting. The Indian boy started to laugh at the useless fear of his small friends, when the white newcomer did that. It made Jin smile to hear the excited voices of those cute children, who flooded the boy with curious questions.

But right after that he noticed that the adults were very serious and the atmosphere in the village was somewhat heavy. It seemed that Liwan and Kame realized that too, as they exchanged the worried glances.

They were just in the middle of pueblo, when a loud calling stopped them. A small girl in warm, colorful jacket like clothing with cape ran toward them, saying something in the Indian language.

When she reached Liwan, he crouched down and asked something. The girl continued hastily, in a high voice and according to her tone Jin could say that she had no good news. One glance at Kazuya´s face, which turned quite pale, only assured him in that.

It will be very inconvenient for me not to understand a thing here… Jin realized cheerlessly.

"What had happened, Kame?" he asked, when the girl finally stopped talking and Liwan took her into his arms, lifting her up.

"More problems…" Kazuya replied unhappily.

"Manipi?" Jin guessed.

"Yes," Liwan confirmed, while his small sister observed Jin wide-eyed. "He left our village with a dozen of others this morning."

"They went to join the rebels," Kame added, with the deep worries engraved in his face.

***

Up until a few weeks ago, whenever Kame visited the Blackfeet Tribe, it was like returning home for him. Despite he and his beloved mother lived in their own house in Bozeman, it had never felt as familiar as in the Indian village. And he would never thought it could ever change…

It was hard to admit, that just such a little thing was enough to make him feel like a stranger among the people he considered his second family. But that was the fact now, and he couldn´t deny it, even though he tried to ignore it at first.

They were sitting in the biggest wigwam of the pueblo, when the realization hit him. Not being for Liwan, his father Cloud Dancing and for Jin, he would have been ruefully alone against the whole Council of Elders.

The atmosphere under the ceiling made of tanned leathers was getting heavier with each second, which passed in thick silence. Despite that a big part of the whole story was already told by Liwan before, once again Kame informed the Council and the Chief about everything, starting with Manipi in the group of Sioux, which ambushed him and Captain Walker´s soldiers, through what had happened in Bozeman with Grenet and he ended his speech with the result of the negotiation with Major General Ord.

After that, they were sent out, leaving the Council to discuss in secret. It took almost one hour before they were asked by Cloud Dancing to return. By that time, Jin, who was not used to Indian habits, was already so impatient, that he almost left to smoke, if Kame didn´t ask him to stay.

When they settled in the wigwam again, there were no comments to Kame´s previous narration at first. The Elders were silent, as well as Flying Feather, who was just sitting there with his eyes closed. Liwan´s father, the shaman, approached the fireplace in the middle of wigwam and threw some herbs into the flames, murmuring inaudible words. Liwan´s place was right behind him, from where he watched his teacher´s actions carefully. Kame and Jin were sitting next to each other, only the two of them creating the unspoken opposition of the whole meeting.

Kame urged himself for patience, forcing his hands to remain motionless on his crossed legs. Not as Jin, who took one twig from the small pile next to the wigwam´s exit and with a glum face, he started to dig with it in the coal. Only when Liwan kept stabbing him with the indignant look for a long minute, the young gunslinger noticed it and put his toy away unwillingly.

The shaman finished the mysterious procedure, nodded his head toward the Elders and stepped away from the fire, taking the place next to his son. After that they still had to wait for more than two minutes, before Flying Feather spoke finally.

"Did you tell us everything, Kazuya?" he asked in Indian language.

"Yes, Chief," Kame replied slowly, feeling a little aggrieved by such a question.

"You were informed about what had happened here meanwhile, is that correct?"

He nodded, noticing that Jin was piercing the old man with the annoyed look. Obviously, he was not happy about not understanding a thing from the conversation.

"I believe you acted in good faith, when you went to meet the leader of white soldiers," Chief stated, but Kame didn´t like that Flying Feather avoided his eyes while saying that. "You are a good person and reliable member of our tribe. But we don´t agree with your solution."

"It is not my solution!" Kame burst out, justly upset by the statement. "It´s the only possible way for you to…"

Flying Feather raised his open palm and Kame stopped talking at once, obeying the gesture. But he had to take a deep breath to keep himself calm.

"It is true that my son Manipi joined Sioux against my will," Chief said slowly. "But even the men of Sioux are our Brothers and they fight against the White Thief of our lands and our lives. There is no way I would support their surrender."

During their talking, Liwan showed some mercy to nervous Jin and very quietly, he started to translate the old man´s words to him.

"But if you help them, it will be considered as a crime!" Kame reminded urgently. "The whole tribe will be blamed for this! Not just your son!"

"We do not help them," Chief stated stubbornly. "There is no blame on our tribe; the white soldiers cannot accuse us from this."

"They can and they will!" Kazuya opposed immediately.

All looks focused at the young man, who urged on the Chief and Council with obvious desperation in his voice.

"Don´t you realize that?" Kame continued his insistence. "They need a culprit for those murders. They will come and all Blackfeet´s will suffer until they get one. The only thing we need to do is to hand the Sioux´s leader over. They don´t even want your son, Flying Feather. Why don´t you want to solve this peacefully?"

"It would be the ugliest betrayal of what we believe in," Chief replied, looking right into Kazuya´s eyes this time. "The Great Spirit Manitou should make a judgement over Sioux and my son Manipi, not White Faces!" the tone, which the old Indian used, didn´t give any space to objections. The members of Council around the fire murmured in agreement.

Kame was really trying to avoid the useless argument, but that discussion already started to be over his borders for patient attitude. After everything what he had done and said, he received only this simple rejection. He was clenching his hands into the shaking fists and he also felt Jin´s worried look, as the older one carefully listened to Liwan´s translation meanwhile.

"I would assume that you already understand, young man," Flying Feather added strictly. "But you do not, and I cannot reproach it to you. You are not Indian, anyway."

Kazuya´s face went deadly pale, while Jin´s one red, as soon as gloomy Liwan translated the last sentence.

"This is enough!" Jin exclaimed furiously, which made almost everyone flinch and look at him. "Are you kidding?!"

"Akanishi!" surprised Liwan tried to stop the young gunman, with a strong warning in his voice, but Jin didn´t care.

"Now I will talk!" the upset youngster insisted on having a word. "Translate to them so that it will get into those thick heads properly."

Liwan frowned not exactly happy about Jin´s request. First, he looked at worried Kame, then at his Chief. And when Flying Feather didn´t object anything, he nodded slowly.

"I will do it, go on," he stated firmly and right after that Jin started to talk again.

"Kame is doing everything he can just to help you and this is how you thank him? With distrust and disrespect? Since the very first moment, I´ve got to know him, he has been fighting for you! He stood up against those stupid bastards in the city, he got bullied, but he didn´t give up even when Karnaka himself was his opponent. In the end, he even lost his mother! And that´s still not enough for you to trust him and his judgement?!"

Kazuya was shocked by the sudden speech of the young gunslinger and stared at his furious face, not able to say a word. Liwan seemed baffled too, but he kept translating.

"This is a damn different world from the one you knew once!" Jin continued harshly. "I´m sorry, but you´re not alone in this country, not anymore. And if you do not accept that, you will die and your children along with you! Is that what you want? You think that one Sioux is more important than the destiny of your whole tribe? Well, fuck me, but I don´t understand!"

Liwan interpreted Jin´s words in a completely different tone, but very precisely and that earned the stabbing looks from the serious Indians toward the young man.

"If you do not adapt, you´re finished," Jin added in the end, a little out of breath. "Not to mention that some gratitude to the only person, who truly stands behind your tribe, would do no harm."

The silence following after the Shaman´s son finished the translation was even deeper than before; it felt as if the air could have been cut in the slices.

Liwan was not upset about what was just said, right the opposite. Akanishi´s words made him ponder their current situation more carefully. Even his father seemed quite calm and Liwan suspected that the old man was suppressing a smile. The Council of Elders was deadly silent and most of them were literally killing Akanishi with their stares for disturbing their discussion like that. Flying Feather was looking at the young man too, but his expression was unrecognizable. As if he was not sure if he should be upset, angered, or grateful...

Kame couldn´t tear his eyes off Jin´s face. Those words… Almost each of them made his heart clutch into a painful ball, making him remember everything what had happened so far. And at the same time, it made him happy to know Jin thought about him that way.

"Young Akanishi…" Flying Feather said finally, his voice forcefully calm, cold and surprising to everyone around, since he spoke in English, which nobody expected from the Chief. "You proved yourself to be good man too. But you cannot decide about this and you have no right to judge us."

Jin had the urge to grit his teeth, but kept silent. No other words could make the situation better.

"There is no disrespect towards Kazuya. I appreciate his great help and he will always have his place in our tribe. But I will not order my warriors to chase after Sioux. I do not believe it would be right," Chief stated, making his final decision.

Kame lowered his eyes to the ground, as he didn´t want anyone to see his desperate expression. His mind had already started to make up the various scenarios of how horribly might that statement affected the tribe. Jin was still upset as hell, but somehow he kept his tongue on the short leash, knowing that anything, what might have helped, he had already said.

"And what if they volunteer?"

The sudden question made everybody stare at the Shaman´s apprentice in surprise. Liwan repaid the glance of his Chief without hesitation.

"If Kame is still willing to go after them and bring their leader to General Ord, I will go with him," the young Indian stated relentlessly. "And I know about at least two others who would join us."

"Liwan… Do you realize what you´re saying?" Cloud Dancing asked him seriously, looking directly and only at his son, while Flying Feather seemed quite upset.

"Yes, Father, this is my decision," Liwan stated without any doubts.

Already emotional Kame was really touched by the statement of his friend. He knew Liwan enough to know that he spoke from his own conviction and not just because of their friendship. Jin just stared at the young Indian, with his face unreadable.

"You don´t have to order anything, Chief. I understand your position," this time Liwan lowered his head in front of his leader. "But we can deal with this in another way. We can spare troubles for our tribe and we can persuade Manipi to come back home... Just your permission will be enough."

This statement caused growing up murmurs in the row of Elders, who were already so angry, that some of them were willing to take all three young men pulling their ears and drag them out of the wigwam.

"Wait outside. All three of you," Flying Feather ordered sharply, silencing the general fuss. "We will call you back."

Liwan nodded and got up on his feet. But he stayed on his place and focused the significant look on Jin, who was not so eager to leave. The Indian let the gunslinger go out first and followed him right after that. Kame moved as the last one and before going out, something made him glance at Cloud Dancing. And he would swear that the old man was smiling...

*

Kame still pondered about that mysterious smile, when he got out the wigwam and let his eyes get used to the daylight. He couldn´t figure out the meaning of it. It was more than visible that the whole Council and the Chief were quite upset, only the Shaman seemed to be in a surprisingly good mood.

When he looked around, he found only Liwan waiting for him a few steps away. His Indian friend smiled at him encouragingly, when Kame came closer.

"Don´t worry, my Brother," Liwan raised his hand and placed it on Kame´s shoulder. "Even if they say no, I will go with you."

Kame sighed. He was not happy about the consequences, which might Liwan´s attitude have caused.

"I appreciate that, Liwan, really... But are you sure?"

"Of course," the Indian nodded firmly. "The future of my whole tribe is at stake. If stopping our so-called Sioux brothers and handing their leader over to white General keeps us safe, I will not hesitate to do it. Also, I know you will not miss this chance and as I am sure that he will go too…" Liwan indicated to the side with his head. "I cannot let the two of you go alone; I would spend nights in nightmares that you got yourself into some troubles again."

Kame looked in the direction, which Liwan referred to and he spotted Jin leaving the wigwam, in which they were accommodated the evening before. It was Liwan´s and his father´s space as well, and they shared it with them. The young gunman headed to the forest with the fast steps, without looking around. It was such a good feeling to see Jin moving on his feet just as freely as before his captivity on Karnaka´s farm...

Liwan observed the face of his young friend for a moment, before he slowly pulled the hand away from his shoulder. Kazuya didn´t seem to notice it. It happened again, just like a repeated history. Somebody was stealing Kazuya´s attention from him. At first, it was always energetic Wenity, now this hasty and hot-blooded Akanishi. Liwan couldn´t help but feeling jealous of them.

Liwan knew that Kame would have jumped into the fire for him and he would have done the same for his handsome white brother, but it wasn´t difficult to understand, that he was not on the first place for Kazuya Kamenashi... Not anymore.

Unnoticed, Liwan let go of a short uncomplaining sigh. Seeing his friend´s face closely, he realized, there was something stronger than jealousy inside of him. He wanted to see Kazuya happy. And if it was supposed to be thanks to that uncontrollable, stubborn and childish man, then… Then what could he do?

"Just go," the Indian said simply, overcoming his own disappointment.

Kazuya looked at him a little surprised.

"I guess you want to talk to him," Liwan shrugged. "I will let you know, when the Elders call us back."

Kame nodded, patted Liwan across his shoulder gratefully and without any hesitation, he set off in the direction, in which Akanishi disappeared between the trees.

*

Kame didn´t have to search for the older one for long. On the last few meters, except the steps in the disappearing snow, the light cigarette´s smell led him to the old stump, from which Jin made his seat. It could always amaze Kame, where the hell Jin was able to get this kind of stuff. Maybe he should have checked his bag properly, before he handed it over to him...

Jin didn't seem to be disturbed by Kame´s arrival; he just kept smoking that coffin nail and was staring somewhere into the space quietly.

Kame approached the stump and sat down on the other side of it, leaning over Jin´s back, only very carefully, aware of his barely healed scars. But Jin leant back over to him right away, without any restraint, assuring him that position was all right. Kame felt the movement of the muscles, when the older one inhaled from his cigarette again.

It took a few minutes before finally Kazuya spoke slowly, not very willing to interrupt the nice atmosphere.

"Thank you for what you said, Jin…"

"There´s nothing to thank for," the other one reacted right away. "I just said what I think. Not to mention I hate the idea that Karnaka and those bastards of his would win. I will do anything possible to prevent that and that includes keeping this tribe away from troubles."

"Me too…" Kame agreed. "But you still surprise me."

"What?" Jin huffed amused. "You thought that you´re the only one, who can make a speech?"

"Well, I wouldn´t be so vulgar," the younger one replied with the smile playing on his lips.

"Complaints?" Jin asked loudly, pretending to be offended.

Kame shifted and leant back a little more, letting his head rest on Jin´s shoulder.

"No… No complaints at all..." he breathed out, closing his eyes and focusing only at the warm sun on his face, and even the warmer connection with the older one.

"All right, then... But your friend was good too," Jin admitted, not commenting Kame´s position. Just his voice was somehow deeper now.

"His name is Liwan," Kame reminded him.

"Hmm... I think I´ll call him Sleeping Bear," Jin reacted.

"It´s Bear Sleeping," the other one corrected.

"I don´t see any difference," there was a stubborn reaction.

"You should sort this out with him yourself, you might be surprised…"

"I´m not afraid of him!" Jin stated confidently.

"I didn´t say you should be," Kazuya reacted calmly.

This time, Jin had to suppress the amused laugh; Kame could feel it in the movement of his body. The younger one was glad he was able to improve Jin´s mood, as well as his own. Jin finished his cigarette and put it out slowly, not moving much, so that Kame could stay in his position.

"Does it take long for them to decide?" Jin wondered.

"It depends if we were able to persuade them or not…" the younger one assumed after a while.

"I will gladly repeat it to them, if necessary," he grumbled.

Kame chuckled at that idea, imagining the stiff faces of the Elders again: "I don´t think they would have let you…"

"It doesn´t matter, actually," Jin murmured. "I´m with you, no matter what they say."

Kame kept silent for a while, before he opened his eyes, straightened up and shifted at the stump, turning to face Jin, who moved his head toward him too.

"What? Did I say something…?" Jin asked hesitantly.

The younger one shook his head: "No... It´s just... I´m glad that you´re here, Jin."

The face of the older one brightened up: "Likewise, Kazuya."

Jin locked their eye contact and Kame couldn´t help but let himself fall into those warm eyes, almost drowning in them, but with no desire to fight back for some air. He would gladly lose consciousness if he knew those eyes were watching over him.

Kame felt his own heartbeat like heavy drums in his ears, when the older one moved forward slowly, closer to his lips. He realized how naive it was to think that he can get used to the other´s presence. His whole body was affected so easily only by Jin being close to him… And he obviously intended to make that space between them even smaller...

But suddenly, those eyes flinched to the side and Jin jerked back from him, letting Kame sitting there and staring at him in surprise, as he jumped up on his feet. Then Kame noticed that Jin was focused at something behind his back and he turned. Liwan was approaching.

Kame felt his face turning red, despite there was nothing to be ashamed of. Liwan´s face was unreadable and he couldn´t tell if his friend noticed something about the scene before or not.

"We can go back now," the young Indian informed them, as soon as he reached the stump. "They decided."

"It was about time," Jin murmured, but it didn´t sound content at all.

Liwan stared at him: "Someday, I have to teach you how to control your impatience, Akanishi."

Jin grinned mockingly, trying hard to cover his discomfort: "And who says I would be interested in that?"

"I do," Liwan replied and it sounded quite confidently, before he turned again, heading back to the village as the first one, to face the decision of the Council.