The Secret Origins of Breaker

At first glance it seemed like any other cave in the mountains and it seemed safe enough. Although dark and foreboding, it was no more dark and foreboding than any other that he had been to. Kid Boots dismounted, taking the reins of Old Crow in tightly as the horse was even more skittish than normal - more skittish than in any other thunderstorm.

A jagged bolt of lightning illuminated the valley giving Sam a split second to see the layout of the cave. It ran deeper than he could see with the flash, so the first thing he did was strike a match to light a spare piece of dry cloth and then light a torch.

As Sam, also known as Kid Boots, led his horse further into the cave, the damp smell of rain-soaked apparel and horse hair began to give way to a drier scent of dust. The cave walls of the outer part of the caverns were fairly smoothed by wind and sand, but the inner caverns were a bit rougher. Yellow and brown spikes of rock occasionally protruded from the ceiling and floor, their tips and parts of their canes moist.

A large hairy brown spider leaped ahead of him and around a cavern bend. Was it the wind, or did he really hear voices coming from further inside?

As he turned the bend, Sam had to quickly stop his steps else he would have knocked over an Indian maiden. Her eyes were captivating, dark pools that seemed to examine him and know him. Her hair was loose but did not flow. She wore deerskin leather that seemed hairy.

Standing in the middle of a large cave with many cavern entrances, she continued to stare into Sam's eyes and simply stood there. A smile, gentle and small, came upon her face as she said, "Tse Tsahaszih, Son of Nayee Neizghani, Son of Patricia Sable. It has been a long time since I have seen you last."

Sam straightened himself but could say nothing. There was something familiar to him about this woman, but at the same time, he couldn't recall meeting her. Stranger still, she knew his real name. But what she said next made him wonder.

"Your father is Nayee Neizghani the Monster Slayer. Your father's father is Sun and your father's mother is Changing Woman," she said. Seeing the look of confusion mixed with disbelief on the face of Tse, she added, "as for who I am. I am a friend and guide to your father. I am Spider Woman."

Spider Woman, Changing Woman, Sun, Monster Slayer. These were all names of Navajo gods. Either this woman was mad or... In some ways, this explained some of his incredible - some called it super human - talents. And, it explained his dreams. He said, "well, lady, you've caught my attention, that's for sure. Tell me what you want."

With a gentle, sincere smile, the woman who had called herself Spider Woman simply said, "to teach you... And certainly, you will not comprehend everything now, but you will at some time. Yes, that is my purpose, to teach you as I did your father."

Tse simply nodded his head. He hitched Old Crow to one of the rock spikes that rose from the cave floor and then waited. The teaching consisted first of philosophy and then of exercise, mental, physical, but mostly spiritual. It was fascinating and he could certainly use some of the physical things against enemies - perhaps some of the mental things, too. Time went by in a strange sort of way. It seemed both to take too long and pass too quickly.

Still, in the end he was skeptical. This woman knew a lot, but the things that ranged toward the supernatural were clearly things that he either had to accept on faith or not accept at all. In the end, he tested her. She claimed to be a seeress of sorts, so he asked her a simple question, "how is she doing?"

"Your partner..." said the woman. It almost seemed as if her eyes became as dark gems with facets cut by a jeweler.

"Bess?"

"Yes, that is the name that she uses, just as you use the name Sam Sable..." her voice carried an air of mystery, but he could tell that was not an affected tone. "Your partner... will die by the time you have left this cave."

Kid Boots leaped up immediately and bounded past the saddle and bag, past his treasured boots, toward Old Crow. Bess, whatever her real name was, deserved a long and happy life. She had spent too many days living the life of one of the lowest of the low. She had a good heart and had helped him save many innocent people and making life better for thousands. If he was, indeed, son and grandson of gods, he would implore them to help her. Abruptly he said, "Tell me two things: Where do I find my father and his parents? And what is Bess going to die of?"

"The gods of Dine have faded away. Some like me live in obscure places and have far less power than in the old days. Others live in other places. You will easily find your father and his father and mother. But you can only ask yourself what to do." Still calm and sitting near the campfire, Spider Woman's hairy brown tunic shifted. "As to the second question... She will die of old age."

Leaping easily onto Old Crow, Tse tapped the horse's sides and whispered in his ear, "Yozons! Shil-loh!" He shouted to Spider Woman, "Crazy woman. You make no sense at all!"

A look of concern and irony came to her face, "beware Tse, you are going through the wrong cavern."

Kid Boots only shook his head. He had come in through the cavern nearest his boots. He was leaving through the cavern nearest his boots. But was he? The cavern continuously went from warm to cool several times and it took several minutes before he was out once again in the red dirt hills. It seemed like the ride was longer than it should have been, but then again, his head was filled with thoughts of how he was going to find Bess and what he would do to help her... if indeed she was in deadly trouble.

It was daytime now and the rain had stopped. In fact all traces of rain were gone. Funny, the area looked similar, but not the same. Of course last night, it had been storming. In any case, East was to the right and that was the way he headed. He'd ride hard to Phoenix and then catch the train from there.

Biographical Summary

The promise of land and hope for a better life sent many a man and woman to the west. Harold Sable and his new bride, Patricia, left the crowded city of New York to go to Santa Fe. All settlers took pride in the fact that their prosperity was in their own hands. Hard work would lead to a better life. But, life in the west was rough, too. All the benefits of a bustling civilization were diminished. Services were perhaps a day's travel away, law was nearly nonexistent. Harold was slain by a roving gang and Patricia was left to fend for herself.

Another roving gang nearly completed the task of pillaging the settlement of Golden Valley, but a mysterious Indian, who gave the name of Nayee Neizghani, wiped out the gang. He stayed for a brief time until the settlement was back on its way to recovery and then left saying that he was no builder, only a destroyer of monsters.

A strapping boy was born to Patty Sable, whom she named officially Sam Sable, but also named him Tse Tsahazish as a mysterious Navajo woman told her to. Eventually, Patty married a neighboring widower farmer and enjoyed some degree of prosperity.

At the age of 16, young Sam left. He had too much of his father in him. At first he lived the life of a cowboy working for a nearby ranch. But, after leading a posse to track down some rustlers, he found his calling in life.

Over the next two decades, he wandered the southwestern United States, tracking down villains and bringing them to justice, living off of the occasional bounties that were paid. During that time, he picked up a nickname, Kid Boots, for the turquoise-studded boots that he treasured for his mother had given it to him on his 18th birthday. He also picked up a partner, rescuing her from some despicable men. Bess had a keen eye and good hand and quickly became a sharpshooter and a great horse rider. With one horse to ride for distance and another to ride for action, the nearby Indians referred to her as Two Saddles. The pair became known as Boots and Saddles throughout the region.

After defeating the banditos and El Lobo Rojo, Kid Boots and Two Saddles left the town of Las Puntas, riding into the sunset. As they left, a telegraph operator approached and handed Bess a note. Bess left for Boston. The message was from her mother. An orphan, she had never known her mother, but Bess just knew it was from her mother who was dying. She set out East to Boston.

Kid Boots went with her to the next town, but heard rumors that an old enemy, Rotary Gun Ralph, was in the area east of Los Angeles. There was no doubt that if the rumor was true, Ralph was up to no good.

In a thunderstorm, Kid Boots sought shelter and met a mysterious woman who knew his real name and who told him of his past. She told him of the present and taught him the Navajo ways. She then started to tell him of his future and made the dire prediction of Bess' death. As he stormed out of the cave, he mistakenly took the wrong direction and the tunnel led him on a journey through time.

At first he was disoriented, but Tse/Sam easily found a job as a ranch hand. He learned about the new time that he was in and all of the new ways. Once he figured out what had happened, he tried to visit the cave again. Again he met Spider Woman, but was not able to travel back to his own time. He was wiser since his previous meeting with the goddess and he listened to her advice. His purpose here was to carry on the work of his father, Monster Slayer, to defeat those who posed a threat to the Dine and to other people.

For three years, Tse began to carry on the task. In many ways it was much as he had done Kid Boots, but this time with no sharpshooting partner. He looked for trouble or trouble looked for him. Through investigation and an inevitable clash of arms he defeated the modern monsters... most of the time. And while he could not turn them to stone as his father did his enemies, he did send them to stone places. Tse was carrying out the family task, or so he thought.

Then, the dream came. Tse had long had dreams and waking dreams, but did not understand their relevance until Spider Woman taught him. This dream of the woman and the coyote was important, too. And this dream came every night. After the second week of the dream, he awoke and whispered to no one in particular, "Grandmother..."

Vanquishing evil and riding out in the sunset has always been Tse's style. Part of it comes from what inevitably follows - law enforcement officials moving to the scene. They didn't trust Kid Boots; they don't trust Breaker, either. Tse doesn't really trust them either. He'd seen too many of them corrupted by power or money. The other part is that once the job is done, he sees no reason to stick around. As a teenager he had his share of accolades and appreciation; he just doesn't need that anymore.

Tse also misses the past. Mostly he misses his partner, Bess. But things were simpler, too, in general. Yet, he knows that his duty and destiny both lie in the present.

"Some are monsters not by appearance, but by their selfish and malicious blackened hearts."

Tse has always been stronger, faster, quicker and tougher than most humans. He also has the natural ability to erode an enemy's defenses in combat. Since his training under the tutelages of Spider Woman, Tse has learned to listen to the spirits more and utilize their aid. He has also become a much more effective hand-to-hand fighter to the point that he no longer carries a gun.

As Sam Sable, he dresses in jeans, longsleeve shirts, a buckskin vest, a western hat, and work boots. As When he visits any Native American residence or any residence of a Native American spirit, he prefers to dress in traditional Navajo attire. As Breaker, he wears a white western hat, a blue bandana over the lower half of his face, a Navajo warrior headband, high leather boots, and a buckskin pants and jacket.