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None but the Apaches walked these mountains before Shadow came. The Apaches might need to move. His square face a mask chiseled from stone, Gunsi's dark eyes glinted with rage as he knelt over the body of Sotli. Gunsi was not an attractive or pleasant man. He led others by sheer force of will, size, and an utter ferocity that stemmed from his total freedom from fear. The one weakness of Gunsi was Sotli, and the adoration the fourteen-year-old boy bestowed upon his older brother. But now, Sotli would not see his fifteenth year because Gunsi had made a mistake. Kos-nos-un-da, Gunsi's father, had protested when Gunsi offered to take Sotli on the raid. But Gunsi held firm, saying the boy had earned the right to go. As is common with young warriors of all colors, they dreamed dreams of victory and of inflicting suffering on their enemies, and never of defeat or suffering themselves. The Llanero brave reached out and scooped the body into his arms. He would face his father and accept whatever punishment Kos-nos-un-da meted out, but first he must bury Sotli and then kill the white man. Turning to Desan and Goso, Gunsi spoke. "Come cousins, it is our burden to bury my brother." Leaving the remainder of the Indians behind, the three men walked quickly and quietly into the forest. Tinde custom required immediate burial of the dead, with only close relations knowing of the site. Gunsi carried Sotli to a high point and lay the body upon the ground. Setting the boy's tomahawk and other possessions on his chest, the three men covered Sotli with rocks and brush. The order to send Sotli and Kitchi circling through the trees came from Gunsi. Except for the rutting season, bucks often moved in groups of two or three, and as leader of the band, Gunsi wanted two deer to feed his nineteen men. He knew the buck grazing in the open meadow offered no challenge, but maybe if there were another buck in the woods, Sotli would get him. He'd wanted Sotli to make a kill, and rise in the esteem of the warriors. Kitchi was five years older than Solti and should have kept him from attacking the white man alone. Had the white man not also killed Kitchi, Gunsi would have done so himself. The three Indians made their way back to the meadow and waited until Toh-Yah returned from burying his brother, Kitchi. Toh-Yah and Gunsi were friends, and fierce rivals. Gunsi wanted to grieve for his friend's loss, but was too angry with the dead Kitchi to feel any sorrow now. Toh-Yah's eyes showed his anger at Gunsi for sending Kitchi with the boy instead of with a more capable brave. The two men exchanged a short nod of wordless agreement. Together, they would revenge their brothers—and settle their argument afterward. "Goso, you will carry word of Sotli and Kitchi to the village and tell Kos-nos-un-da that I will return to his lodge only after the white man is dead," ordered Gunsi. "No!" shouted the warrior. "Send Desan. I am the oldest and I will hunt the killer of my cousin." Gunsi was tall for an Apache, broad and powerful. Of all the warriors, only Toh-Yah, on occasion, had been able to defeat Gunsi in games of cunning and skill. It was the reason the two were friends. They presented each other with a challenge, one worthy of complete respect. They both possessed the intelligence, strength and courage to become the Llanero's next leader, yet leadership could fall to one only. Toh-Yah had once spoken to Gunsi of a belief he held that one of them would die in battle, remembered by the tribe with stories and songs. The other would become leader. Gunsi had not mentioned it, but he held the same belief. Both friends were too powerful and capable to be less than chief. An honorable, warrior's death was the only fitting reward for the one who did not become leader of the Llanero. Taller than Goso, Gunsi stepped to the chest of the refusing warrior and towered over him. Piercing Goso with a withering glare, he spoke in a low voice crackling with energy and impatience. "You may be older than your brother, but Desan is a superior warrior. I will send Desan if I must, after he has buried you." Goso fidgeted and glanced at his younger brother. Desan stood impassive. Goso's answer would determine his status as a warrior. If he accepted the order, then he accepted Gunsi's statement that he was inferior. If he challenged Gunsi and the slur on his name, he would die. Desan pitied his brother, but held no animosity toward Gunsi. Goso refused to see his own shortcomings, so he never worked to overcome them. Gunsi glared at the warrior, waiting. He knew Desan would have fought him for saying such things, and he knew Goso wouldn't. It was the very reason he wanted Desan with him. Doc's body trembled as he watched the Apaches emerge from the brush. He wasn't afraid, it was cold in the mountains.
