Grizzly Killer: Under The Blood Moon

by Lane R Warenski

  From up on the ridge he could see a column of smoke rising through the trees from where Lost Creek emptied into Weber’s River. He figured that was the camp of whoever had been riding their horses down the creek.

  Not knowing which way the bear had gone he continued on staying high on the ridge to try and get a look at who was camped there below him. He worked his way to a position above the camp and could tell there were two teepee’s set up under the trees but the trees were too thick to tell who was there. As he was surveying the area trying to see a way to get closer without being seen, a warrior stepped out of the trees and he could tell right off he was Shoshone.

  Zach stood and waved then held up his right hand palm facing the Indian in the universal sign for peace and friend. The startled brave slowly made the sign back to him then called for his friends. Zach slowly made his way down the hill as six other young braves came out of the trees with weapons in hand. When he was about fifteen yards from the group he stopped and spoke in perfect Shoshone, “I am Grizzly Killer, husband of Sun Flower Woman, daughter of Bear Heart of the village of Charging Bull and friend to all Shoshone people.”

  The seven Shoshone Braves glanced back and forth at one another then one stepped forward, “I am Runs Like the Antelope but am called just Antelope and we have heard of you. We welcome you into our camp.” Zach figured they were all in their teens, proud and out to prove they were men. He turned and started toward the teepees and the others parted to let Grizzly Killer through as they brought up the rear.

  They sat around the fire as Zach told them of the giant Grizzly that had been following their tracks and how it had attacked his camp several days ago killing the two horses. He told them of the Blackfeet trying to kill him and how the bear had attacked and killed the Blackfoot leader, how he thought the great bear was wounded when his wives had shot at it but did not seem to have hurt it bad. He let them know his camp was just little ways up the creek and his brother Running Wolf of the Uintah Ute’s and their three wives were there now.

  Antelope told him, “We are scouting this area to find new hunting grounds. Our village is camped where the Bear River leaves Willow Valley. We traveled south along the west side of the mountains and turned up this river into these valleys. We have seen much game and many bears but none of the great white bears.” Antelope thanked him for the warning but told him they were good hunters and warriors and one bear did not scare them. But if Grizzly Killer and his Ute brother needed their help with the bear they would gladly help.

  Zach wasn’t really surprised by the arrogance of these young men for they were out to make a name for themselves as great hunters and warriors. They did not want to appear as young and inexperienced as they really were to someone like Grizzly Killer who they had heard so much about. Again Zach told them he was camped just a little ways up the creek, bid them good hunting, then left making a wide loop up on the hill covering different ground than he had coming down the creek.

  Jimbo met him about a quarter mile before he got into camp and as always there was a happy reunion between the two of them even though he had been gone only a couple of hours. Jimbo ran ahead into camp letting them all know Zach was back.

  They spent the next hour gathering fire wood for the night. Because of the Grizzly being this close again they built three fires in a triangle around their camp and figured to keep them burning throughout the night. With that being completed they sat around their small cooking fire and ate a stew made from the Mountain Sheep and plants and roots the women had gathered as they traveled throughout the day.

  While they ate, Zach told them of the seven Shoshone hunters that were camped just below them where Lost Creek entered Weber’s River. He described them as arrogant young men out to prove they were men by showing no fear of the bear.

  Just before dark they brought in the horses and mules to a picket line Running Wolf had set up right in camp between the fires. They kept the roan and Ol’ Red on opposite ends again tonight. Zach checked the wounds on his mule and could see they were healing well but he still thought they needed another day or two before he was ready for the saddle again. But with the trouble the big mule had caused today he wasn’t sure he should wait.

  They rolled out their robes between two of the fires with the stock on one side of them and Jimbo on the other then settled in for the night. Again Zach and Running Wolf traded off getting up and putting wood on the fires to keep the flames high enough to discourage the bear from coming in close.

  Just after midnight, Jimbo started to growl and the hair down his back was standing up again. Then several of the horses started to stomp the ground and Ol’ Red let out a bray that echoed through the canyon. They all got up with weapons in hand and watched out into the darkness for the next hour. They never saw or heard a thing. Although Jimbo was mighty alert, he had stopped growling and the hair down his back was once again lying flat.

  After building the fires up again they crawled back under their robes but kept their weapons with them. About an hour later, Jimbo started to growl again looking right down the creek. They were all up and alert instantly and then they heard a voice crying out in Shoshone for help. Zach and Running Wolf with rifles at the ready started down the creek and when they were only a hundred yards or so away from the light of the fires they could see the forms of several of the Shoshone hunters coming up the creek toward them. As they got closer Zach could see at least two of them were hurt and being helped along by the others.

  He called out to them telling them to stop. Three of them were alright with two of them helping one that was hurt and the other uninjured one helping the last one. At the sound of Grizzly Killer’s voice, they stopped with startled looks. And one of them asked, “Will you help us, the great bear attacked, Antelope is hurt and Yellow Hand is dead.”

  Grizzly Killer replied, “Yes come to our camp.” He then whistled for Jimbo and the Shoshone Hunters all stopped again when Jimbo came running up and one of them asked, “Is that the Great Medicine Dog?”

  This time Running Wolf answered speaking Shoshone as well, “This is Jimbo, the Great Medicine Dog of Grizzly Killer.” Then with only a quick hand signal Grizzly Killer sent Jimbo down the creek along the Shoshone’s back trail making sure the bear was not following them.

  As they came into camp the women had the fires built up bright. Zach had the two that were helping Antelope set him by the fire where they could see how bad he was hurt, while Running Wolf was helping with the other injured brave.

  Raven Wing and Shining Star went right to work on Antelope, getting the bleeding stopped from a deep claw cut down his back and across his hip. He was pale from the loss of blood and was in a lot pain but never cried out as they cleaned the cut then stitched it closed with sinew they had stripped off the last two deer they shot.

  Zach went over to where Sun Flower and Running Wolf were helping the other injured Brave and Sun Flower said, “I fear the bone in his leg is broken”. He looked at Running Wolf and he just nodded in agreement. Zach knelt down and slowly ran his hand over the swollen leg and could feel the bone was broken just above the young man’s ankle. He looked at Running Wolf saying, “We will wait for light to find what we need for splints for his leg.” Running Wolf just nodded. He asked the young man his name and was told it was Swift Hawk.

  Sun Flower started coffee as Zach had the four remaining Shoshone hunters come and sit around their much smaller cooking fire. Then, he and Running Wolf joined them to find out just what had happened. The one that started talking told them his name was Little Deer. Zach figured he was a year or two older than the rest of them and that although quiet and not boastful like Antelope, he was an impressive young man.

  He told them, “Yellow Hand was on guard out by the horses when they all started to get real excited, stomping and blowing. Then they all got up and got their bows and went out of the lodges. When all of a sudden we heard a horse scream, then Yellow Hand ran toward the horses and so did Antelope. I saw Yellow Hand pull his bow
back and shoot, then the horses were running in every direction and Antelope came running through the horses back to the rest of us and he was bleeding from his back. Then the giant bear stood up and he looked as tall as our lodges.

  We all shot arrows into him but he didn’t act like they even bothered him. Then he was gone, one horse was on the ground with its side ripped open and when we couldn’t hear anything but the horse struggling, me and Gray Owl went over and cut the horse’s throat. Then we found Yellow Hand and the whole side of his head was ripped open. We didn’t know what to do but find you.”

  Zach told them, “You did the right thing. It will be safer for us all to stay together now. Tomorrow we will take care of Yellow Hand and find your horses.” He told them he was sure that Antelope and Swift Hawk would heal just fine, that Raven Wing, Shining Star and Sun Flower were good healers and Raven Wing knew of the healing plants. She had learned from Blue Fox the Medicine Man of Chief Charging Bull’s village. Little Deer replied, “I have heard of Blue Fox, Gray Eye the Medicine Man from our village, has talked of him before.”

  Shining Star and Raven Wing covered the two injured Braves with their own sleeping robes then came over and joined the rest of them. Just as Zach was introducing Shining Star and Raven Wing to the young braves, Jimbo came up to the campfire and all four of the young men jumped. Gray Owl was on his feet and ready to run when the others started laughing at him. Sun Flower stepped up to Gray Owl and said, “You are not the first to be surprised by the size of the Medicine Dog.” She then motioned Jimbo to her and she said, “Jimbo meet Gray Owl” and Jimbo sat on his haunches. He raised his right paw up to Gray Owl’s hand to shake and a smile appeared on the young man’s face, he shook Jimbo’s paw and with an embarrassed look sat back down.

  Zach told them the Grizzly did not follow them but that did not mean he was gone. Little Deer asked how he knew the giant bear had not followed and before he could answer Running Wolf said. “The Great Medicine Dog told him,” and the four young men just looked at Jimbo with amazement on their faces.

  As the stars faded away with the coming dawn Sun Flower made up a big batch of biscuits while Shining Star was heating up a smoked mountain sheep shoulder. Raven Wing was checking on Antelope, he was lying on his stomach and the cut across his back and hip was over a foot long. It was seeping, red and ragged. Raven Wing knew she had to get the healing plants on it fast or it would get hot and angry and if it got into his blood it could even kill him.

  She looked in her medicine kit and mixed several of the powered plants into a paste with hot water in a coffee cup. Then cut a strip of soft tanned deer hide, soaked it with hot water, then smeared the poultice down the center of the strip of hide and laid it along the wound gently pressing the warm poultice into the jagged cut. She then mixed a tea and asked Running Wolf to get her some more aspen bark, but Little Deer jumped right up and said he would get whatever she needed.

  While Little Deer was getting some aspen bark, Running Wolf took Gray Owl along the creek finding a tree they could peel some thick bark from and finding several good straight sticks. Zach, along with the other two Shoshone hunters who were called Smiles a Lot and Dancing Feet cut wide strips of the deer hide from the last two deer that had not been tanned. He had Smiles a Lot soak the strips in the creek until they were soft while Dancing Feet helped him get Swift Hawk ready to set the broken bone.

  In just a few minutes, they were all back and he had Dancing Feet and Smiles a Lot hold Swift Hawk’s shoulders as he advised Swift Hawk to put a stick between his teeth to bite down on and when that was done he placed one hand on the top of the foot and the other on the heel and pulled the bone out straight. Swift Hawk let out a moan and was turning pale as Zach held his foot. Running Wolf and Shining Star wrapped the softened deer hide with the hair toward his leg around the break then the bark pieces and the splint sticks and tied it all up with more of the hide strips. As Zach slowly released his foot Swift Hawk dropped his head back to the ground and tried to control his breathing.

  Raven Wing had ground up the aspen bark Little Deer had brought back and boiled it along with several other plants into a tea and she and Little Deer were helping Antelope drink it. Grizzly Killer walked over to Antelope to check on the young man and he could see extreme sadness in his eyes. Antelope slowly looked up at the big Mountain Man and said, “It is my fault Yellow Hand is dead, I see the way you set up your camp to protect everyone and the horses with fires to keep the bear away while I did nothing different than usual. You warned us of the bear and I wanted to prove we were great hunters- not afraid of a bear. I am not fit to be the leader of this hunting party.”

  Zach smiled and told him, “The first thing a good man does is learn from his mistakes. Some mistakes are harder to get over than others but if you and the others learn from this and help your village by finding good hunting and teach others what you have learned then Yellow Hand’s death will not be for nothing.”

  “I will do my best,” replied Antelope then he looked at Little Deer and said, “Little Deer, you have always been a good friend and I know the only reason you came with us was for my sister, you are now leader and as soon as I can, I will follow you.” Little Deer nodded and said, “I do love your sister but I came with you because I believed we would find good hunting and we have. You have led us to better hunting grounds than we have had in the last year. I will do as you ask but none of us could have known how big the giant bear really was.”

  Zach called them all together and told them, “It is time to go care for Yellow Hand and find your horses.” Then he asked Running Wolf to saddle Ol’ Red and let Dancing Feet take the Roan and Laughs a Lot he told to pick out another of the pack horses. Then he turned to Little Deer and Gray Owl and asked them, “Will you two stay here and protect our wives while the four of us go after Yellow Hand and the horses?” Although he thought he could see some disappointment in their eyes both of them said it would their honor to protect the women of Grizzly Killer and Running Wolf.

  While the rest were getting the horses ready Zach pulled the balls from all four of their rifles and put an extra charge of powder in them and replaced the lead balls. He told his wives to aim only at the shoulders hoping to break the bone if the bear came back. He kissed Sun Flower and then Shining Star and as he walked over to his big red mule, Ol’ Red kicked his back legs and nodded his head letting Zach know he was ready.

  They mounted up and headed right for the Shoshone hunter’s camp. It was still morning but was going to be another warm summer day. As they rode toward where the teepees were set they couldn’t see them and as they got closer Jimbo slowed right down until he was only a few feet in front of Ol’ Red then all the hair down his back stood up and he started to growl.

  The Grizzly

  Zach could feel every muscle in Ol’ Red was tense and he pulled the hammer back on his Hawken to the fully cocked position. The brush was thick before they got under the cottonwoods where the teepees were set up and they were all scanning every inch of brush for any movement or other sign of the bear. Jimbo slowly continued on and the rest followed. When Ol’ Red stepped out into the clearing where the teepees were, Zach could see at a glance they were ripped to shreds. That bear had totally destroyed their lodges and tore up their sleeping robes. At a glance, it looked like these Shoshone hunters had nothing at all left. The hair was still up on Jimbo’s neck and down his back and he was still growling that low soft growl letting his master know trouble was close by.

  Smiles a Lot rode up to Grizzly Killer’s side and pointed just to the edge of the clearing saying Yellow Hand was over there when he had last seen him. They could see the dead horse from where they were but there was no sign of Yellow Hand. Zach was watching Jimbo closely knowing he would be the first to hear or smell the bear. He slowly walked Ol’ Red over to the dead horse but could still see no sign of Yellow Hand. He gave Jimbo a hand sign to circle the area and as Jimbo headed out into the brush Zach climbed down off Ol’ Red to better loo
k around. Dancing Feet shouted, “Look!” and they turned around to see him pointing up on the hill across the river where they could see three of their horses.

  Jimbo was gone only a couple of minutes and came back without the hair on his back standing up, letting Zach know it was clear, at least for now. Dancing Feet and Smiles a Lot then got down but Running Wolf stayed mounted as he could see further around the area from on his chestnut than he could from the ground. So he stood watch while the others looked for Yellow Hand.

  Yellow Hand was not there and they all knew the giant Grizzly must have carried his body off. Zach found the huge bear tracks entering the river along with some blood but there was no way to tell whether the blood was from Yellow Hand or from the arrow wounds in the bear. Zach told them, “We must follow the bear if we are to have any chance of findin’ Yellow Hand.”

  There were nervous looks between Dancing Feet and Smiles a Lot but they both nodded, Zach mounted up and led them across the river.

  The tracks were plain where the bear climbed out of the river on the other side and there were also drag marks in the soft mud at the water’s edge. Jimbo put his nose to the ground and followed the trail faster than Ol’ Red and the horses could keep up. Zach had to keep whistling to keep him in close. They had traveled less than a mile when Jimbo stopped, dropped down on his belly and started the low deep growl that told Zach trouble was close ahead. Ol’ Red stopped and blew then shook his head letting them all know he didn’t want to get any closer.

  There was a small draw just ahead of them going back down to the river and they all stopped and dismounted tying the horses to the oak brush they were traveling through. Jimbo was still in the lead as they started forward on foot with the rifles of Grizzly Killer and Running Wolf cocked and ready. Smiles a Lot and Dancing Feet brought up the rear with their bows and arrows ready to shoot. Jimbo was only about ten feet in front of Zach with all his hair standing on end down the center of his back. As they got to the edge of this little draw Jimbo stopped and not more than fifty yards in front of him this huge Grizzly stood up out of the brush.