BILLY STEELE: KID RANGER, CHAPTER THREE

Many felt White Eagle’s friendship with Billy was an act of one who spoke in forked tongue and would later give tribal treasures and secrets to a white invader.

His tribesmen’s suspicions and accusations were too heart wrenching for White Eagle to endure. His ears burned form hateful gossip and his soul sank from persecuting fingers from his own people. Soon White Eagle was forced to escape his tribe’s trial to join Billy on his quest. White Eagle wanted to bring peace to all men and if he could stop the Indian renegades employed by The Trinity Of Terror from going on the war path, he could redeem himself in his people’s eyes.

White Eagle had been forced by his tribesmen to prove his loyalty to his people through trial by combat-the elderly brave would walk through a gauntlet where braves would strike him with fearsome weapons until the truth was revealed. Billy, however, discovered his mentor’s prison teepee and freed White Eagle. Although White Eagle wanted to prove himself via the gauntlet, Billy convinced him to find the Indian renegades and persuade them to smoke the pipe of peace. Undetected by the warrior guards, Billy freed White Eagle and they hit the troubled trail.

But Billy had lost too much time in rescuing the ancient Indian medicine man from his imprisoned camp in Pinto Basin. Billy daringly saved White Eagle from his own tribe’s trial by combat-a tortuous contest that would end the ancient medicine man’s life. But a wrong turn later on saw Billy and White Eagle lose Holt Rangers’ trail. As Billy and White Eagle tried to pick up the ranger’s mount’s horseshoe steps in the desert sun, they heard gunshots coming from over the canyon’s rim.

Bang! Bang! Crack! Crack!

The Dark Skull’s masked minions, the hooded horrific horsemen were in the process of robbing a small wagon train. Like an infernal general, The Dark Skull looked down upon his wicked minions ravage their prey like locusts. From The Dark Skull’s hideous white mask, he shined a lurid light upon his innocent victims that marked them for murder in the deadliest of ways. The few pioneer males, inexperienced with guns, haplessly tried to defend themselves and their families from the masked marauders’ deadly firepower.

Billy and White Eagle witnessed the attack as pioneers fell to the Legion Of The Lawless. And this reminded Billy of how his parents were attacked while crossing the prairie years ago. Without consulting with the ancient medicine man of wisdom, an enraged Billy left White Eagle’s side and took the magical black arrowhead from his pocket.

"RAMSFEW," Billy shouted to the heavens, and miraculously, the 12-year old Billy felt the power of the rain, the animals, the moon, the sun, fire, Earth and the wind throughout his body, heart and soul. Where Billy once stood, there now stood the boy’s alter ego, The Lightning Warrior, the great super heroic Native American god. The Lightning Warrior became the avenging spirit acting through the young Billy Steele.

Billy Steele: Kid Ranger, the small, 12-year old white boy, wearing the spit and polish uniform of his army unit became the super sized Native American superhero, The Lightning Warrior, the wild, wrath of god himself. Where Billy is bound by rules and regulations, The Lightning Warrior is unbridled by these man made limitations. Where bigger and stronger foes may stop a young Billy, The Lightning Warrior, possessing nature’s fury is unstoppable. Where Billy is sometimes confined for his own good, The Lightning Warrior is unrestricted. And can break all barriers impeding his path.