Two Paths, One Spirit
About
Wyoming Territory, 1864. Two boys from enemy worlds hunt the same legendary buck. When wolves attack and the wounded deer stands helpless, they face a choice that will define them: Is courage found in the killing—or in what you choose to spare?
Twelve-year-old Caleb Tanner wakes on his birthday to frost on the sagebrush and weight in his chest. His father has been gone two years, fighting Confederates somewhere south. Pa promised they'd hunt together when Caleb turned twelve, but Pa isn't home. The ranch needs meat before winter locks them in. And that legendary buck with the notched ear—the one Old Tom swears is half ghost—is waiting in the Bighorn Mountains.
Caleb promised himself he'd bring it home. Prove he's man enough to keep the ranch running. Show his absent father that some promises don't need to be kept in person to be honored.
Ten miles north, Tsen slips from his Shoshone camp into the same mountains, carrying his father's bone-handled knife and three winters of grief. His father lies dead, killed by Lakota raiders. The great buck isn't just a hunt—it's a chance to prove he's worthy of his father's name, to bring honor to his people, to finally become a man.
When their paths cross in the high country, rivalry ignites.
When wolves attack, alliance forms.
When the wounded buck stands cornered before them, everything changes.
Praise for this book
"I bought this for my 13-year-old son and ended up reading it in one sitting myself. Thompson writes with the heart of Wilson Rawls and the frontier authenticity of Louis L'Amour. This is storytelling at its finest."
"Finally—a YA Western that doesn't talk down to young readers or simplify the complexity of Native American culture. Caleb and Tsen feel real, their friendship feels earned, and the choice they make resonates with timeless truth."
"As a Christian parent, I'm always searching for books that integrate faith naturally. Thompson does this beautifully. God and the Great Spirit are present without being preachy. My whole family loved it."
"Our book club had the best discussion in months. The questions this story raises about mercy, prejudice, courage, and what makes us human sparked conversations that went well past our usual meeting time."