The land was alive, and it protected the Nahuati tribe on all sides.

Mountains lay to the west, dense forests lay to the east, a river boarded the south, and to the north was a great chasm with no end in sight, leading the Nahuati to believe that no man could traverse it. For generations the tribe lived in peace, slowly growing their community and experiencing harmony without much worry. So long as they respected and did not overtake from nature, All-Mother returned the favor.

This day, Atohi ran wildly through the forest. He leapt over rocks and fallen trees and dodged under branches. He zigzagged deeper and deeper into the forest, and as he did the afternoon sun crept higher and higher, it's rays blocked by the ever thickening canopy of leaves and boughs overhead. It was dim, and if he continued on eventually it would be dark. Atohi stopped running, slumped over with his hands on his knees, and his chest heaved and struggled to catch his breath. Suddenly, from behind, there was the sharp fluttering laughter, and two hands were upon his shoulders.

It was Aiyana, quiet as ever until the last second. She could never hold her laughter. She was screaming in delight and twirling around. Atohi sucked in his lips to quiet his laughter as they ducked together when they heard twigs cracking under a heavy foot. From behind the bushes they saw it was their friend, Alo, who was "it", and the running joke between the three of them was that he was always it, and would always be it, given that he was a bit too large to catch either of them. Though, unlike most other children, Alo liked being it.

As they waited, Atohi looked to Aiyana and noticed her hand on his shoulder still. The best way he could explain the feeling was warm. He loved the way Aiyana's hands felt on him, a thrill of excitement shot through him whenever she grabbed his arm during their jokes. His father had said this was because Atohi was nearly a man, and was starting to see Aiyana for the woman that she too was becoming. Atohi had been too embarrassed to agree, yet would find himself playing with her as often as possible.

Aiyana calmed her giggles and turned to Atohi. Before she could notice, his gaze snapped to a different direction.

"Atohi," she whispered. He again looked at her, smiling and pretending he hasn't been. "Let us split up again, then return the way we came. We will get way from Alo, and still be near the village."

Atohi nodded and in the spur of the moment placed his hand on top of hers. Her eyes squinted for a moment and she took a short breath. "We can, but we always do that. Why don't we try something new today and stay together?" He didn't know exactly what he was saying, he was only looking for an excuse. Aiyana squeezed his arm and looked him square in the eye, the corner of her lips tugging to a smile, and stole a kiss before sprinting off through the forest. He froze; the kiss sent every nerve in his body reeling with glee.

Yet instead of following through with Aiyana's plan, Atohi soundlessly jogged deeper into the forest. He was going to have a bit more fun. After a few moments, he saw something he'd never noticed before. Up ahead were two massive boulders that appeared to be stacked. As he approached it, he discovered that the boulders were gaping by about three feet. He stuck his head into the gap. Inside it smelled like moss and dirt, and felt humid. Atohi's eyes flashed when he realized these boulders made up the mouth of a cave. He took a deep breath to flatten his stomach, wedged himself between the rocks, and used the moss to help him slide inside.

The fall was only a few feet, but it was unexpected and he landed on his hands and knees. The cave floor felt slimy under his palms, as if the it was painted with moss. He stood and his ears flinched when they heard an odd chirping. It was too dark, so he narrowed his eyes and lifted his arms in front of his face to feel for what might be lurking. Then, the chirping sounds twisted into volatile screeches, and Atohi was bombarded with a solid cloud of tiny creatures hitting him repeatedly in the face and torso, their warm wretched bodies assaulting him, tangling into his hair, clawing at his clothes. He screamed and frantically swatted at them, but he couldn't tell whether or not he was having any effect. He huddled his head under his arms and let his eyes adjust

Atohi's eyes adjusted and he could finally see across the cave. The ceiling looked high, well over ten feet, and was overgrown with stalagmites and stalactites. His first thought was that it was beautiful.

Then he noticed, at the far corner of the cave, a fog like substance rose from the rock bed. It looked like a white cloud, and he felt drawn to it. The longer he stared at it the more it appeared that the cloud was constantly shifting and shaping itself into something. Suddenly he was seized by a strong sense of trepidation. The cloud formed into a face. It was otherworldly. He shouldn't be here, he thought, so he backed away.

When he reached the mouth of the cave the cloud began sweeping towards him, alarming him. He frantically scrambled to grab hold of the boulder. He got a secure grip and jumped, but failed. Then once again, he jumped and desperately tried to lift himself out, but failed a second time. He glanced over his shoulder and in horror saw the cloud was at his heels. In an instant it enveloped him as he screamed.

He felt as though he was frozen in a block of ice. It was deathly cold, and the chill seeped under his skin and into his bones; it filled him with rage. Atohi knew it wasn't his rage he was feeling, but the anger of the cloud. It invaded him. Then, a thought sprang into his mind. It was so loud that it stunned him.

"The black slaughter is coming."

He felt the cloud's hold in his body weaken for a moment and, with all his might, shook free from it. Atohi leapt as high as he could and pitted his elbows on the boulders ledge. He had to get out of there, to get away from the raw presence of evil that had enveloped him. Fiercely he swung his right leg up onto the ledge. This gave him just enough leverage to hoist his entire body out. He tumbled out onto the forest floor and rolled to a stop. Out of breath and terrified, Atohi jumped to his feet and bolted away, but he didn't get so far as three steps before he collided with Alo and Aiyana.

"You're not going to believe what just happened!" Atohi exclaimed, but when he saw the faces of his friends, the excitement plummeted. They were wide eyed with gaping mouths.

"What do you think you're doing? You're not supposed to go in there! No one is," Aiyana said.

"Why?" asked Atohi.

"The Elders said never to go in," responded Alo.

"Do you not pay attention when we are by the fire? The Elders say spirits dwell there" Aiyana said.

"And the spirits are pure rage," Alo added.

Aiyana shook her head, dismissing the thoughts. "Look, we have to get back. The battle horn sounded minutes ago, and we may have a bigger problem." She led the way as the three of them ran back to the village.

The entire tribe had been gathered around a fire pit. Atohi, Aiyana, and Alo were late to the circle, but quickly caught on to what the crisis was about. It was the ghost men.

Weeks ago the tribe had become aware that foreigners were encroaching into their land from the far east. The Elders came to refer to these foreigners as the 'ghost men,' because their skin was pale white like a ghost. The ghost men had been rapidly advancing in their direction, which wouldn't have been distressing to the tribe except that a recent drought had reduced the mighty river into a mere stream. It was feared that if the ghost men discovered the tribe there would be a battle for the land.

As they now sat around the circle, Elder Tuwa explained that their enemies were but a day away, and that they must all prepare for battle. Atohi looked at the worried and apprehensive faces of his people and a riveting panic began to stir deep within him. The black slaughter, he thought. The spirits know something we don't.

That night the women and children tore down the teepees and packed skins, blankets, and food from the harvest. Meanwhile the men sharpened their daggers and made adjustments to their shields and armor. The plan was that the women and children would leave tonight once everything was securely packed, and the men would stay behind, fight, and join them further west in the oncoming days.

It was fast approaching midnight, and Atohi's hands were shaking as he fumbled with a leather strap that was meant to secure his breast plate to his torso. Suddenly he felt the gentle touch of a hand on his shoulder and when he looked up Aiyana was standing there. She knelt beside him, and adjusted the strap.

"Promise me you'll be careful?" she asked.

"When I was in the cave," he said, his hand on his chest, "the spirits warned me of the black slaughter. They know things, they could help."

"Don't!" Aiyana exclaimed, the anger and worry burning behind her trembling eyes. "The spirits are madness. They are pure rage. They don't have the power to see into the future. They only have the power to drive men into irreversible insanity!"

She grabbed Atohi by both shoulders and stared deeply into his eyes, "Be careful and stay safe. And whatever you do, do not go into the cave." Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around Aiyana in a tight embrace and kissed her. When he let her go, she was smiling. She backed away to join the women, but before she could take so much as a second step, the thunderous claps of horse hooves pounded through the village.

The ghost men had arrived.

They swung their swords and slashed at the heads and shoulders of the tribe. The tribe frantically dispersed in search of safety. Women grabbed their screaming children and raced for cover, men scrambled to grab their shields and mount their horses. Atohi stood paralyzed from the sight of such chaos. The ghost men were murdering his tribe and there seemed to be nothing anyone could do about it. They hadn't been ready. They were taken by surprise. How would they survive?

Without thinking, Atohi began to sprint, but not towards his shield, or dagger, or horse like the other men. He found himself running full force towards the forest. Faster and faster he ran as the forest's edge grew nearer, until suddenly he heard the clomping sound of hooves at his heels. Atohi glanced over his shoulder and discovered to his horror he was being chased. The ghost man raised his sword then slashed down, but Atohi dodged to the right, narrowly missing the blade.

He sprinted in a state of raw determination across the threshold of the forest and flew deeper and deeper. The sound of the hooves receded into the background just as he had hoped. The forest was too dense for a horse to run through. It would have to walk, which would give Atohi enough time to reach the cave.

But the ghost man dismounted his horse. He was on foot, and Atohi heard the sound of running behind him. With the man fast approaching, Atohi saw the two boulders up ahead. He was nearly there, and his pursuer was closing in on him. Mustering all of his strength, Atohi pumped his arms, and his legs pounded faster and faster. The cave was only a few yards away. Finally, Atohi jumped with all his might through the narrow opening into the cave.

He slammed down against the ground inside, and slid across its slimy floor until a pile of rocks broke his momentum. It was a bad fall, but Atohi got to his feet. He could hear the ghost man outside clawing his way up onto the boulder's ledge.

"Help us," Atohi whispered into the darkness. "Help us survive the black slaughter." Just as he had hoped, fog rose from the rock bed, billowing up into a white cloud. But time was running out. Atohi glanced back over his shoulder and saw the ghost man standing just inside the cave. Instinctively, Atohi plunged his full body into the cloud. The ice cold chill penetrated into his skin, permeated his muscles, touched his bones, and infiltrated his brain. Then, he felt the rage swell within him. His eyes turned black and his body quaked with a thirst for blood as he clenched his fists.

He slowly turned towards the ghost man and was overcome with an incredible urge to tear him limb from limb. His enemy said something that Atohi didn't understand, then held up a metal object. Atohi saw the ghost man's hand was shaking, causing the metal object to rattle. He ghost man was scared. In an instant, Atohi seized the man and grabbed the object. The ghost man struggled to free Atohi's grip from the object until it fired with a loud bang. The sound echoed loudly down the cave. Atohi pulled it away and throw it across the cave floor, after which he latched two hands on the man's throat, adrenaline coursing through his veins all the while, and clamped down as hard as he could. He had incredible strength and knew this was the power of the spirits. He watched as his prey gurgled and sipped desperately for air, until finally Atohi's hands crushed the man's windpipe, causing him to fall to the ground dead. Atohi felt unstoppable.

Before he knew it, he took the ghost man's sword, ran out of the cave and through the forest to the horse. The horse neighed wildly as he mounted it and took off at a tremendous gallop. When Atohi reached the village, the epic batted raged on. Men fought against men, some with swords, others in violent hand-to-hand combat. Flames engulfed teepees, and Atohi watched as ghost men set a fifth on fire. Scattered on the ground were the dead bodies of his tribesmen. Suddenly his gaze landed on a child just up ahead. Her arm had been cut off and blood cascaded from her throat. Atohi watched as she dropped to the ground, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as she took her last breath.

More rage flooded through Atohi and he screamed in a harrowing cry of anguish into the black night. Clenching the sword in his fist, he stalked towards one of the ghost men and slit his throat in one perfect slash. He rushed to his next enemy, grabbed his head in his hands, and in one sharp twist snapped the man's neck. Atohi marched through the chaotic battlefield killing them one by one with chilling precision and unreasonable strength. No one succeeded at fighting back; he was untouchable. The spirits had taken over and they were doing the fighting. They were murdering the ghost men with a vengeance. Atohi loved it. He loved killing. He loved the way it felt to steal a man's life, and he hoped it would never end.

All of a sudden the rage swelled up to new heights inside of Atohi. He raised his sword then ran through the thick of the battle, screaming and slashing left and right, killing all who stood in his path. Just as he felt like he might explode in this feeling of ecstasy of his invincible slaughter, Atohi blacked out.

When he woke, he found himself standing dead center in the middle of the village, or what was left of it. The earth smoked, the ground was nothing but charred rubble. The village had been burnt to the ground. Dead bodies poked out of the debris. Slowly he turned full circle and saw that in every direction all that remained was devastation. He was the only man standing. Even the horses lay motionless on their sides. He looked down at his right hand. In his fist was a blood encrusted sword. He dropped it. Then he looked down at his left hand, and saw to his absolute horror that he was holding a decapitated human head. He gasped. Terror sliced through him. He dropped it immediately. The head rolled, and Atohi soon saw who it was.

It was Aiyana.

He screamed, he couldn't believe he'd done this. This was the work of the spirits. This was what the rage brought, a thirst for blood, pure insanity. Remorse filled his heart and took his breath away. He looked at Aiyana's head, as he choked back the sobs.

Suddenly, he felt a cool blade at the back of his neck. Foreign words were spoken after. He slowly turned and saw the bloody and swollen face of a ghost man. It was all over. Atohi dropped to his knees and closed his eyes. As the ghost man's thick sword hovered above his skull, Atohi realized what the black slaughter truly was.

The black slaughter wasn't the bloody battle that had been fought.

The black slaughter had been Atohi.