Shapeshifter

Three men from Whiteclay, Nebraska lay dead on the ground. The trio’s leering malevolent eyes were missing, leaving hollow eye sockets. Maggots fattened themselves on scattered entrails and nearby; severed genitals withered in the afternoon heat.

Amanda Yellowtail found refuge on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation; in the grasslands where her journey began. She thanked ‘Wakan Tanka’ for her sacred gift, dropped six vitreous orbs onto the ground and crushed them with her boot heel. Still thirsting for vengeance, the proud Lakota woman disappeared into the dense undergrowth.

A snarling puma emerged from the shadows, sniffed the air and roared.