Tahmahnaw

The wind blew low, carrying dust and the scent of an old storm. He had gone out alone, with his bow on his shoulder and his soul a little weary. He wasn't looking for anything… or so he thought.
My horse, Natahka, walked leisurely. She twitched her ears as if she were listening for something I couldn't hear.

Then I saw him.
In the distance, by the stream, someone moved clumsily among the stones. She wasn't one of us. Her skin, her clothes… everything about her seemed to have been conjured up by someone else's dream.
Natahka whinnied softly, almost as if greeting her.
And for some reason, I didn't feel afraid.
Just curious.

I stood there for a moment, watching. Her hair shimmered in the sunlight peeking through the clouds.
He wasn't carrying any weapons, nor did he seem to know where he was.
When I took a step, the floor creaked and she turned around.
Her eyes searched for me… and the world fell silent.

"Tzé'tsa?" I murmured without thinking. ("Who are you?")

She didn't answer. But her gaze said many things I didn't understand.
I walked slowly toward her, the horse behind, alert, as if it understood that something important was happening at that moment.
And when I got close enough, I felt it wasn't a coincidence.
The air had that smell that only comes when something changes forever.

I don't know if the spirits wanted to play with me, or if she came from another heaven… but from that moment I knew that nothing would ever be the same again.