Buck was sitting on the porch of the bunkhouse sharpening his knife when Jimmy came up the steps and stopped next to him. Not looking up, Buck waited for him to speak. When the other rider just stood there, he looked up from under his eyelashes. "What do you want Jimmy?" he asked still moving the knife back and forth against the stone, not changing the rhythm he had going. Jimmy shuffled his feet and looked slightly embarrassed. "I was wantin' to ask you about something," he said. When he didn't ask, Buck looked up once more at him. "Well?" "Oh," Jimmy said in a bit of a surprised voice making Buck wonder what was up. "You know I just got back from the run that goes by that big rock... you know the one, I think you called it a mesa?" Buck paused his actions for a moment and gave his fellow rider a guarded look. He knew of the spot Jimmy was talking about. It was considered sacred by several of the Plaines tribes. "What about it?" he asked, not sure where all this was going. Shoving hands in his pockets, Jimmy looked a bit uneasy and wondered if he should tell Buck what happened out on his run. I was just wonderin' if you've ever heard stories about the place...maybe of people seein' something...strange?" Setting his knife on his knee, Buck leaned back in his seat. "Seein' what exactly Jimmy?" he asked, his curiosity aroused. Jimmy looked around to make sure no one else was around. He'd hate for Cody to overhear him and tease him endlessly over what he was about to tell Buck. Seeing no one around, Jimmy leaned against the post and began his story. "I'd just left Split Rock station and was heading back when I heard a loud screeching. It was unlike anything I'd ever heard before...in fact I ain't never heard anythin' I can compare it too. Well, I pulled Sundance to a halt and started lookin' around when I seen it." Jimmy paused, looking at Buck, trying to see what the Kiowa thought of what he'd said so far. Buck's face was void of expression as he listened to Jimmy's tale. With a nod, he encouraged Jimmy to continue. "Up on the edge of the rock...mesa, whatever you call it, was the biggest bird I'd ever seen. I guess it was a bird," he said, still not sure if what he'd seen was real or not. "The thing was huge Buck, I swear." Buck gave a knowing smile. "It was dark...not really black but not brown either. Just dark. It had to be at least six or seven feet tall, and that might be small. I watched it for a few minutes, as it seemed to be looking out over the countryside. All of a sudden it let out a terrible screech, wings went out from its side and it took off. I swear its wings had to be at least as long as the bunkhouse Buck!" Jimmy stared at Buck, who continued watching him for several minutes before speaking with respect in his voice. "You have been blessed my friend. You have seen a sacred bird, one that very few have seen, but many know of. The Comanche call it ba'a' and have many stories about the creature. But those of the Plaines have another name for it...Wakinyan. To many it is known as Thunderbird." "Thunderbird?" Jimmy said confused. "What's a Thunderbird?" "It is believed by many of the tribes that a Thunderbird brings the thunder and rain with it as it flies by the flapping of its wings, and lightning by closing its eyes. You have seen the sacred bird...for some reason you have been blessed in being allowed to see it." Jimmy wasn't sure what he believed about what he'd seen and surely wouldn't go so far as to say he'd been blessed in seeing it. More like scared, but he'd never admit that to Buck. He respected Buck and the beliefs of the Indians, even if he didn't subscribe to them personally. Sighing, he gave Buck a little grimace. "Let's not tell the others what I saw, all right? You know how Cody is about such things. He'd either scoff at it or insist we go searching for it." Understanding Jimmy's reluctance to share his experience with the others, he nodded. "To bad we couldn't send him out looking for it. That way we'd have some peace and quiet around here for a while...." Grinning at Jimmy, a twinkle in his eye, Buck added, "A l-o-n-g while!" Jimmy laughed with the Kiowa and clasped his hand. "Thanks, Buck." "Anytime Jimmy," came the reply as Buck picked up his knife once more and began moving it back and forth, picking up the rhythm he'd had before he started talking with Jimmy. Drop me a note and let me know what you thought!