The Plot Thickens!

The sun was burning hot on his back, as the Emperor Zalcoata passed back and forth.  The first of his steam dragon spies and returned.  He had learned of multiple places to raid for new workers for the mills and factories, but even more interesting was the valley of orphans.  "Now that will be perfect.  No one will miss them."  at least thats what Zalcoata thought.
"Oh dear, where is Senor Soren when we need him?" though Flick who was out of the factory being oiled on his off shift.  "I must let Mia know."
~  Flick

Steam Dragons!

As winter was fast approaching, with the first snows having already come to the San Juan Mountains, making things even more urgent for stocking our winter meat stores.  Word from A'ts'inna was that many of the elk have come down to graze due to the early heavy snows up near the Three Cities: Durango, Silverton, and Ouray.  Silver and I had been out for two days hunting, and had two elk already.  That was when I started noticing strange prints again in the sand.   It was the same strange, machine-like, lizard tracks.  We were nearly to the edge of the cliffs, where we could climb down into the safety of the cave house, when we heard it.
"Wryn!  St-st-steam....Dr-dr-dragon!" Silver stammered in shock.
"I see it.  Silver, get your butt down into the caves, now!  Take the elk, and keep Clove, Luna, and Murk inside till the dragon is past... No mater what you hear up here!  Now GO!"  I order.  Every bone and muscle in my body shifts into archer mode.  I draw my bow, but never shoot.  The steam dragon just flies slowly by me, eyeing me with my bow drawn, and goes on its way.  Apparently, we are not part of it's plan... today anyway.

~ Wryn Kasa

Lillian, Soren, and Ion

It was a cold day, and Lillian had brought Ion to the hospital.  "Why exactly are we here, Lillian? Are you still hunting for Soren?  Your father says he is as dead as a door nail."  Ion asked.
Lillian smirked, "My father has to say that.  He is hiding Soren and my secret."
Ion looked at Lillian puzzled, "Secret? Like what?"
Lillian giggled like a school girl, "Like that Soren and I got married... wait you know that one."  She paused.  "Ion, when Soren and I got married, we headed out the next morning to return to Yetim.  He placed me on his good steam speeder, and he road my old one, in part because he was planing to work on fixing it as soon as we got home."  Lillian paused, "But we didn't make it.  Two miles out from Yetim, my steam speeder exploded. Soren lost 3 fingers on his right hand, and 2 fingers on his left. His face is badly burned, and his right leg is mangled.  He has been in the iron lung in a comma ever since."
Ion thought for a moment, "First, that explains why communication stopped about 6 months ago."  He paused, "Has anyone tried making a portable breathing tank for him?  I know for a time they made them in the 1950's through the 2030's, until the plague struck.  It might help him heal faster."
Lillian shook her head.  "No, none of us here have any knowledge of how that was done."
"I have some old blueprints, and I am sure I can come up with something workable.  Maybe we can get you

and Soren home to Yetim, and he can awake at home and not in this ucky place."
"Ion, Soren and I would be forever in your debt if you could, and even more the orphans back in Yetim." Lillian huged him.  "I am sorry.  It is just, you have given me hope for the future for the first time in ages."
"I bet get to work then."  Ion said.  "While I am at it, I will make a mask for the half of his face burnt and a brace for his leg.  It wont be pretty, but he will walk again." with that Ion headed back to his smithy hut, near the airstrip where the A'ts'inna Celpins took off and landed, perfect inspiration for his work.

~ Ion 'Kles

Mia's Trails

Meanwhile somewhere in the Aztec Empire...

A wee automaton sat guarding his senorita's bed as she slept,  "Mia's hands are raw.  The gloves that had been sent via airship donations to factory workers via Soren and Lillian Kasa had long since worn out.  A few more days, and Mia's will be bleeding again."  Little Flick just sighed.  He wished his senorita could be free.  But until some one could figure out how to deactivate their tracking tags, he and Mia would remain factory working slaves of the Aztec Empire...  "I wish with all my steam powered might I could help Mia more.  Making the sandblaster work, and standing guard over her at night while she slept seems so small... but I am just a foot and a half tall. La sigh!  Where is the help Soren promised?"

~ Flick

Strange Tracks...

It has been a bit since my trip to A'ts'inna, and I have been swamped with trapping.  As I return to the cave home, I pull Clove and Silver to the side, "I have been trapping along side my brother Soren Kasa since I was 8.  I know every track that should be in the desert around Yetim Caves, but these new tracks are strange.  The are unnaturally large and seem to be a cross of a lizard and a machine.  I must investigate more. Dont let Luna or Murk explore without one of you until we find out what this thing is..."
Clove and Silver both agree with deep worry written on their faces.

~ Wryn Kasa

The World as It Is...

When I was at A'ts'inna I picked up the "Airship Traveller Times" which covers news and events from the major Airship Ports around the World.  Let's see what is going on around the world in 2113...

Wichita - 200 Years as the Air Capital: Coming in 2120! The current Airship Capital of the World, the City-State of Wichita, which has been the Air Capital of the World since 1920.  Apparently they are in desperate in need of more workers in the plants, especially with the gearing up for there 200th anniversary as the Air Capital.  Watch for more updates from this major event; the next 7 years should have alot of excitement!

Cairo, Egypt - After the great Cairo fire of 2106, the city is pleased to announce the opening of both the Hotel Bristol and Shepherd's Hotel have opened after years of work and rebuilt based on their counter parts from the late 1800's and early 1900's.  Tourist and diggers are reminded that Egypt is once again the land of the Pharaohs, and to remain respectful of Egypt's restored greatness.  Audience with the Pharaoh is held for tourists only 4 times a year.  Please see your local Airship Tour Guide for details.

Ulan Bator, Mongolia - The emperor Bataar Khan reminds travelers be tolerant of the Tibetan Buddhists, Christian missionaries, Hindus, Muslims, and Taoist monks who visit to advise the emperor as the Khan follows in the footsteps of his forefather Genghis Khan.  Visitors are welcome to take part in horse tours, archery hunting, and other traditional activities.  The newly renovated Yurt Camp and Visitor Center is ready to host your visit!

Allert! - No airships of repute will be travelling to the Aztec Empire after the sacrificing of the trade ship Comerc's crew last month by the Aztecan religious leaders.  An investigation is on going by the Airship Trade Authority to see if any Aztec or Trade Laws were violated warranting the deaths.  All trade and travel via Airships are suspended until farther notice.

Belfast, Ireland - Ireland is pleased to announce not only the re-founding of Tara Hill Palace and the Kells, Kildare, and Glendalough Celtic Church Monasteries have been rebuilt, and are again centers of learning.  Kildare Lace will soon be available for traders to order along with hand copied books from Kells and Smoked Salmon from Glendalough.

Well that is enough for tonight.  Time to turn off the oil lamp, and get some shut eye.  I have to go back to fixing my trap lines again tomorrow, as I have been for the past few weeks, so it might be awhile before I write again.

~ Wryn Kasa

Ion 'Kles

Ion 'Kles got off the Ceplin at A'ts'inna, and looked around at the mesa top community.  Avery Trading post, that is were he had to get to.  He kept practicing what he would tell Soren and Lillian, " I have been a airship pirate, cowboy, and am now a farrier.  I have headed out from the Blue Mountains, having stopped over in Ozarks for my training in horseshoeing first, towards the desert southwest.  I was invited by Soren Kasa, to head out to a trading post he and his future wife were planning to start near a system of orphan caves.  I was not an orphan, but might as have been..."

He saw Lillian heading into the trading post, draped in her black cape.  He caught up with her, "Lillian, I have not head from Soren since he last traded in A'ts'inna, but you have kept me posted, and insured me your father can use me till it is time to build the post.  Oh, I am Ion 'Kles..."
"Oh, of course.  You work for me now.  Father cant say no." That girl has some guts.  I just trust she is correct.

~ Ion 'Kles

Lillian's Update

Lillian was sitting beside a bed in the A'ts'inna medical clinic where she volenteered speaking to a man in an iron lung, "My heart is crying.  I was suppose to be safe in the Yetim Caves with you, now.  My hands are still healing.  There is so much I wish I could tell Wryn Kasa everything I know."  Lillian paused holding his hand through the rubber portal.
"Soren, we were heading out from A'ts'inna towards Yetim Caves.  Our wedding was only hours old.  I was on your good land speeder with the trailer hitched to it.  You were ridding my older land speeder, that the steam engine acted up on from time to time.  Then just 2 miles from Yetim the boiler exploded.  Soren, you lost 3 fingers on you right hand. and 2 finger on your left.  You not awakened!  Please, return to me!  I don't care that your face is scared and your right leg will never totally heal, but you never wake!"  Lillian cried.
"I know my Soren... you will rise again out this machine to restore Yetim strong again, and I will work right beside you.  For now, I will work quietly for my father who guards our secret, and prays for your return to us."  with that she pulls her black cape hood over her head, and disappears into the night.

~ Lillian Avery Kasa

Sweet Home Yetim!

Bleska and I came in to our cave home in Yetim, "Home sweet home at last!"  I look around our main room, there is Clove's cooking stove with steam boiler, Silver's work bench with his silversmithing tools strewn about, Luna's books for translations sitting on her barnwood bookshelf, and Murk's toy box.  Soren's chair still sat in his spot, though a layer of dust covered it...
"Wryn!"  Murk came running and bolted into my arms.
Clove shook her head, "It took 2 extra days to get home, what happened?"
 I shivered, "I had to camp out waiting for the Puerco  River in the Gallup area to go back down from a heavy monsoon rains."
"Well ,now that that has passed. Bleska and you must dry off and get warm in the cave for a night." Clove instructed.   "Besides, nothing is like a cup of Navajo Tea to warm the body and the soul after camping out for 5 nights. True?"
"True, Clove." Thus we sit on our pillows, and warm up while the others unpack.  The look on Murk's face when he saw his Ceplin was priceless.  Time to rest.

~ Wryn Kasa

Trading Day

Trading Day is always exciting.  Back when it was just Soren and me, before the other orphans joined our clan, while I was still little.  Soren would always let me get peppermint sticks.  But that was then, and this is now.  Now I am the trader, and Soren lays dead in our Yetim graveyard, or at least his fingers do, as we never found his body.

So, I walk up to the counter and old Trader Alpheus Avery, and he just glares at me.  His daughter Lillian, smiles, and says, "Don't minded my father.  He is still bitter that we lost Soren."  My brother had been sweet on Lillian, and old Trader Avery much to the surprise of everyone had seen Soren a good match for Lillian because he had picked himself up out of nothing, and become a good trader.  They had even talked of setting up a story atop Canyon above the Caves of Yetim. Then came the accident and Soren's death.  Sometimes I still think Lillian thinks she is my sister, and I wonder if Soren had proposed or something.  Well, what ever it was, it is good for business.

"$152 for the skins, $100 for the saddle, $75 for the rug, and $45 for the solar panels."
"What of Silver's items?" I ask.
 "$50 for the lot." Lillian replies, with a hint of special treatment.
I am getting nervous, "What does Trader Avery think?"
"The Kasa trades are mine from now on." Lillian assures me.
That is all I need hear.  I give her our list.  "100 lb of flour, 50 lb of spaghetti, 10 lb of coffee, 2 lb of cloves, 1 lb of nutmeg, 1 lb of ginger, 10 yards of Brown Calico, 2 yards of Black Calico, 1 Stetson hat, and 4 pairs of jeans.  Also, add in one cast iron dutch oven and one cast iron griddle."
"Your trade total was $422, and your change from your purchases is $300.18.  I am throwing in a lb of peppermint sticks in honor of Soren."  Lillian quickly makes me the change. "Oh, and the A'ts'inna Ceplin toy Soren order for Murk is in.  Paid in full, so no charge today."
It is then as she hands me Murk's Ceplin, I see the bad burn on her left hand.  Strange, as it looked like about 6 months old and like it was from an older type of steam-land speeder, a flash of hope crosses my mind, 'Was Soren driving Lillian's speeder, and Lillian following?  Could Soren be alive?' but I dare not ask.
"Any thing else?" Lillian asks, drawing her hands into her serapie.
"Not today, Lillian.  My thanks for the very fair trade.  You are welcome to visit the Kasa Cave in Yetim, any time.  If you wish, you can even move into Soren's cave, the agreement to open a post for Yetim stands, Soren living or not." I tell her.  That will make her father Trader Avery happier and life easier for all of us.
Lillian gasps, "I am honored.  I know that is a rare offer, not many non-orphans are invited to live and work at Yetim."
With that Lillian and I silently load Bleska with the purchases and Lillian gives Bleska a mutton jerky treat she keeps for her.   I am of again.  Always good to do an early trade.  If weather holds, I should be home in 2 days.

~ Wryn Kasa

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

* Sale prices are based on actual prices from 1880's for dry goods, and 1880's to 1920's on furs. Check trade prices page for more info.  ~ MMN

At A'ts'inna

The trip here was without event, other than a small monsoon rain*.  "Bleska, I am glad to be inside and not camping tonight."  A'ts'inna is always busy this time of year.  Many families with funds are prepping to send their children off to boarding school and the next pueblo over, Zuni, has their fair around now.  "Bleska, I am glad I can spare the Kasa clan orphans of Yetim the pain of boarding school.  Boarding schools were bad in the 1880's, and they are bad again in the 2110's.  'Tis not an experience I would wish on my worst enemies, let along fellow orphan's I call my 'children'.  They force everyone to learn only English and learn proper society.  Out here that finery will just get us killed.  No, Clove, Silver, Murk, and Luna are safer at home being taught from the land and the books my mother left us; just as I was with Soren as my teacher."

My lodging is modest.  A simple one room with a wash bowl, oil lamp, rope bed, and floor rug.  On the

bright side, they let Bleska sleep in the room.  This is all a trader like me needs.  

As I sit looking out the window, I sigh, "I wonder what the valley looked like 100 years ago?  I know the Beale's Railway Station use to be the El Morro National Park Ranger Station, now it is home to numerous passenger and supply trains.  Beale's Railway itself runs along Beale's Trail and old HWY 53 from Albuquerque to Flagstaff past A'ts'inna and Zuni."  I yawn.  "They even brought camels back after nearly 240 years of not using them here.  Imagine, not using camels in a desert!"
Bleska looks at me like, "Come to bed. Tomorrow is for trading and visiting."
"Alright, alright, I'll go to sleep.  Sleepy head tiger."  I tease Bleska.  She just flicks her tail and doesn't open her eyes. Two more days and we will be back on the road.  Good night for now, big day of trading tomorrow.

~ Wryn Kasa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*It rains hard nearly every day during the American southwest desert's monsoon season.  In the desert we call a "small monsoon rain" one that does not last long and doesn't over flow the rivers. ~ MMN

Packing for A'ts'inna

 As I am prepping to go to A'ts'inna, Silver walks up from the bottom of the canyon, to our cave home.  "So you head to A'ts'inna, this Bini’anit’aats'osi, Time of Lean Harvest?"
"Yes, Silver, I am heading to A'ts'inna in the Time of the Lean Harvest.  If I remember right, the older timers called this month August."
Just then, Bleska, my beloved friend and Desert Tiger raises her head.  
Murk looks at me, "What is a Desert Tiger? When did they come to America, sissy Wryn?"  Murk never triers of asking me this over and over, but as he does have ongoing memory issues, I tell him again.
"Well, Murk, before the Great Plague, they did not exist  and where and when exactly they came about no one is really sure.  It is though that the Great Plague morphed the Vegas White Tiger genes to where they could breed with both the effected Mountain Lions and effected Black Jaguars, thus creating a new breed totally fit for the desert southwest."
Luna asks, "Wryn, how did Bleska become part of our clan of Orphans?"
I smile, "Bleska befriend me when she was just a wee tiger.  Her mother would watch us play together.  When Bleska came of age, she had bonded with me, and I became a tiger rider."  A good thing, since after Soren's death, I will not touch a land speeder.

I throw my ridding blanket onto Bleska, something we use only for longer trips.  Then I throw on the saddle bags.   First Silver comes, "Here you are, Wryn, the last 6 months worth of my silversmithing, both jewelry and stirrups and two rebuilt travel sized solar panels."
Next Clove walks over to the saddle bags, "One Navajo Rug that took me six months to weave. Be sure Lillian Avery trades with you for it.  Her father is not fair with his prices"
Luna comes skipping up. "Here are the translations of old Anasazi pictographs from the First Chacoian Age (pre-1492)."   
Murk comes running up, "Turkey feathers." He runs back off, lost in his own little world.
Personally, I  made several tiger harnesses, and  a detailed leather tiger saddle.  I also packed the remainder of last winters furs, which I had saved for an emergency, including a rare white coyote fur.  
"Silver, as eldest you are in charge while I am away.  Clove, make sure Murk eats and gets at least one bath while I am away.  Luna, don"t you or Murk go to far from the safety of the Caves of Yetim.  The other orphan clans will keep an eye on things for us while I am away."  with that I climb up on Bleska back.  "Let's be off, Bleska!"
She bounds down the canyon wall, follows the stream, and then up the narrow trail out of the Caves of Yetim.  After we are out of Yetim, it is open desert most of the way to A'ts'inna.

~ Wryn Kasa

"Mother" Wryn, the Trapper Gal

Greetings from 2113 or there abouts.  My name is Wryn Kasa, "the little bird dressed in furs".  I am just 19 years old, and have been an orphan since I was 9.  I watched both of my parents die of the "Great Plague" before my eyes.  My elder brother, Soren Kasa, was a tinker and land speeder builder.  He died on his way back from a major trade event, less than 6 months ago, leaving me the "mother" and sole trader for our clan of orphans.  So it is in this hard land of the Anasazi Desert I dwell.

As I sit thinking how we are going to survive without Soren, Murk, the youngest of the 4 other orphans that dwell with me in our 5 bedroom cave dwelling, climbs in my lap, "Wryn, when you going to A'ts'inna? I want peppermints and a toy Ceplin."  Ceplins, also called A'ts'inna Ceplins, are smaller airship holding about 30-40 people, compared to full sized Zeplins which hold over 100.
"Soon, Murk, soon.  But first I need to figure out what we need."  I tell him, rubbing his white hair.  He cant remember his parents, and all he has is us and his sister Luna.
Luna pipes up, "Murk found some pictographs by the Anasazi, while we tracked the turkey yesterday.  I went back and translated them.  We also saved all the turkey tail feathers, we could trade half of those."
Silver shakes his head, Luna is just 9 and tries to be too grown up sometimes.  "We need some games for the coming winter, plus I need some more silver to melt down.  Any cheep tools.  Oh, were not you needing new tips for your arrows?"
I shake my head, "No, I have the tools to make new tips, but thank you Silver, that is more what I was thinking of."  He is 17, and just two years younger than I.  He has been like a brother to me for the past 8 years along with Clove.  "Now, my cook and weaver, what are you needing, dear Clove?"
"I will make you a list.  My food trunk is nearly empty, though the root cellar and smoke house is full our garden and hunting items, all our store bought items are gone...lost when brother Soren died."  Clove replies, ever practical, sometime to a fault, even though she is just 16.  "Oh, and I need some sewing fabric.  We will need new dress shirt and dresses soon."
I make a icky face.  "Very well.  I will go inventory what we have to trade.  I will go soon, like in the next few days. Make do with what we have until I figure out."  Well, it appears if we will survive this winter, I best be planning a trip to A'ts'inna, the Chacoian city atop El Morro.
~ Wryn Kasa   

Introduction

The year is 2113.  A "Great Plague" swept through the world nearly 75 years ago, with flare ups happening still in 2113.  A kin to the Black Plague, but this one many of the Native American, Gypsy, and Desert Dwelling cultures seemed to have stronger immunity to than other cultural groups, in part some scientist theorize because they had dealt with the same plague generations before.

Many great nations fell to the plague, but other like England, Ireland, France, Egypt, Mongolia have thrived...  England even tried to regain her colonies in the in the former USA after the nation collapsed.  Little did Queen Victoria II (granddaughter of King George Alexander Louis, the grandson of Princess Diana) know that she would be met with the revived Iroquois Confederacy, rebuilt Tsalagi Nation, and strong Seminole Nation.  Even  the Lakota Nation and Apache Confederacy of the prairies sent warriors.  So wisely Queen Victoria II signed a trade agreement, and left the new Native Nations in peace.  The Chacoian Confederacy and Dine' Nation at the time had been preoccupied with the Aztecan Empire in one of the Emperor's many attempts to invade their nations.

While the USA as it was known did fall, some of her larger cities and some of her smaller ones too, grew into strong city-states.  Among these are Wichita, the Air Capital, of the former state of Kansas.  Another is Chicago which had burnt down for a second time, and her Water Tower withstood for a second time and much of her Uptown survived. Phoenix, Flagstaff,  Albuquerque, and Gallup are boarder towns to the great Native Nations of the Southwest.  Other city-states exist, but are not well known at the present, as trade route are still in development.

It is this strange new world that the Orphans of Yetim dwell in...

Writers Note: Creative Commons Info

Anasazi Desert Chronicles: The Orphan Caves (CC) 2013 by M. Morria Nickles

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/.

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing, 2013

Anasazi Desert Publishing
Farmington, AZ 87499

anasazidesertpubl@gmail.com

Please contact us for more information, and we will be happy to work with you

Anasazi Desert Chronicles: The Orphan Caves  are supplemental works that fall between, Anasazi Desert Chronicles: Soren's Lament  and Anasazi Desert Chronicles: Secret of Yetim, both of which are in the works.