Head In The Clouds
"I ASSUME YOU have good reason for trespassing in the home of the Animiki," the threatening voice said, and Charmian started hastily digging in her tobacco pouch as Nigankwam, ogimah of the Thunderbirds, stepped out of the shadows of the great lodge, his yellow eyes fixing on hers. Charmian opened her mouth to address him, only to find her voice stuck. She stared at him in surprise, glanced at Manabozho, and then back at the lead Animiki.
"...Huh...?" she finally managed to get out, and that was it. Based on Kenu's size, she would have assumed that Nigankwam would be probably the hugest bird she'd ever seen, possibly as big as an airliner. And so the fact that she found herself staring at a human, probably about the same height as Snow Bear--and looking much like him, with long gray-white hair and deerskin robes and leggings and hard lines etched in his face--confused her very greatly. He wore several long silvery feathers cascading down in his hair, and patterns much like the ones Geezhigo-Quae wore, clouds and birds and stars, adorned his clothing...but other than that, and the fact that his eyes were the same shade of yellow as Kenu's, she would have sworn he was a human just like herself.
When she continued staring at him she felt Manabozho's elbow suddenly meet her ribs, then when she wheezed, Nigankwam--was that really Nigankwam?--frowned, the lines around his eyes and mouth growing sharper. His arms were crossed and he gave them such a disapproving look that she felt like melting into the floor, and probably would have, had she not been so confused.
She peered very timidly at Kenu, who crouched next to them, his own head lowered. "That's the mighty Nigankwam...?" she whispered.
Kenu made a face as if telling her to shut up. "Kenu?" the old man said in the same threatening voice as before, and Kenu ducked his head almost to the floor of the lodge. His frown grew. "What have I told you about frightening the humans in your Animiki form?"
Kenu looked as if he would have been biting his lip and squirming, had he had any lips to bite; as it was he just squirmed. "Not to do it," he said in a very small voice.
"And so the reason why you come back, in your Animiki form, frightening humans? How many times have I told you, Kenu, to reserve use of this form for when we are flying? You are aware that your Animiki form is NOT for impressing or frightening others?"
Kenu gave a small nod. "I'm sorry, Grandfather," he just about squeaked.
"And how many times have I told you to pay attention to your surroundings, so you do not end up lost and left behind as you were this time?" Nigankwam--was it really?--went on, just about scowling; even Charmian and Manabozho began to fidget guiltily. "What have you to say about this?"
"I'm sorry, Grandfather," Kenu peeped.
The old man gave him a reproachful look, then a sharp nod which made them all jump. "You will take your regular shape again, and apologize for interfering with the lives of these humans."
"Yes, Grandfather," Kenu eeped, and started glowing.
Charmian turned back to the old man. "You mean--you're Nigankwam?" she blurted out, Manabozho making a face. "You're the leader of the Thunderbirds?"
Nigankwam's frown deepened. "I assume that Kenu has told you all sorts of misleading stories about us...?"
"Well..." Charmian rubbed her neck. "Not really, it's just...I was kind of expecting...a big huge Thunderbird!"
"This is the form we take only when we are flying or creating storms," Nigankwam said. "The rest of the time, this is our true form."
"Oh," Charmian said, puzzling over it. "Well...I guess that makes sense. I'm sorry I was expecting something else, it's just that, after hanging out with Kenu for so long, I kind of assumed all of you looked that way all the time..."
Nigankwam raised his chin a little. "Kenu will apologize to you now, for misleading you so. It is not befitting of Animiki to act in such a manner, as he is old enough to know by now."
Charmian turned to address Kenu, only to find nobody there. She blinked, then thought to look down...and there he was, still standing right beside her, and now fiddling his fingers rather than his wings. He peered up at her uneasily, his yellow eyes and feathered outfit telling her that it was still him, but--
"You're--" she managed to get out. "You're a--you're a little kid--?"
Kenu winced and took a tiny step away from her. He must have been all of three feet tall, if that, and looked to be only about five or six years old, his face still round and his legs short and stubby in their little leggings. His eyes were large and watery, as if he were ready to cry, and his lower lip slowly started to stick out as his fingers moved.
"I'm not a 'little kid'!" he retorted, giving her a defiant look. "I'll have you know I'm KENU, grandson of the mighty Nigankwam, and a great Thunderer myself!"
"You're a LITTLE KID?!" Charmian bellowed again, making Manabozho and even Nigankwam start, just a little. She clenched her fists, the little boy cringing away from her; her eyes flashed. "ALL THIS TIME YOU MEAN I'VE BEEN TAKING ORDERS FROM AND KOWTOWING TO A LITTLE KID?!"
Kenu glared back at her from a safe distance. "No, you've been taking orders from and kowtowing to an ANIMIKI!"
Charmian threw up her hands, still balled into fists. "YOU WANNA SEE SOMETHING GET KOWTOWED?!"
Kenu opened his mouth, looking ready to say something unpleasant; "Kenu," Nigankwam said in a warning voice, and the little boy blinked; he glanced at the old man and his lip quivered.
"But, Grandfather--!"
Nigankwam's look grew positively unpleasant itself. "What did I tell you to say?"
Kenu's eyes watered even more, but he somehow managed to keep the tears in check. He gave Charmian and Manabozho a defiant glare.
"I'm sorry!" he snapped.
"KENU," Nigankwam said again, his voice making the lodge shake; the other three winced, but Kenu turned hurriedly and ducked his head as if bowing.
"I'm really sorry," he said.
"You'd better be!" Manabozho growled; Charmian elbowed him this time, making him sputter.
"Apology accepted," she said, and he lifted his head to peer at her suspiciously, as if expecting a trick. She turned back to Nigankwam.
"Seeing as he carried you here," he said, "then he will be more than happy to carry you back, and not to bother your people any further. I apologize myself for losing track of him, but he is at the age where one has a tendency to not use one's head." He gave Kenu a withering stare.
"Um...actually..." Charmian started, and he looked at her again. She bit her lip. "It was kind of my idea to come here...and I kind of wanted to talk to a Thunderbird. A senior Thunderbird." She grimaced and waved her hands. "By that I don't mean OLD! I mean--older--not that there's anything--"
Manabozho's elbow met her ribs once more. Here "OLD" is a COMPLIMENT! Shut up already!!
"What business would you have speaking with Animiki?" Nigankwam said with a frown, apparently not caring about her slip.
She cut herself off and fiddled her fingers just like Kenu had done. "Well--it has to do with a--"
"The Island story, Grandfather!" Kenu suddenly exclaimed, and he hopped up and down, feathers flapping. "You remember! The one you always used to tell me--? With the flood and the big scary manitou--?"
Nigankwam's frown grew. "What has this to do with anything--?" he demanded, glaring right at Charmian.
She wilted a little. "Well...it's kind of a long story..." She stiffened, eyes goggling, when Manabozho reached around her back as if hugging her, and stuck his hand in her pocket. The blood fled from her face and she was ready to tear his arm off before she caught his eye and he scowled.
How do you address an elder?! Are you COMPLETELY stupid today?!
She shut his voice out and smacked his hand away; Kenu and Nigankwam frowned at them both as she dug in her pouch, before deciding to pull the whole thing out; she held it out toward the elder Thunderbird. "Um--I hope this is enough," she said hastily. "I've kind of been having to use it a lot..."
Nigankwam leaned forward to peer into the pouch; Kenu started hopping up and down to see it. He clapped his hands together.
"Tobacco! The little humans bring us tobacco! OW!" Charmian jumped when Nigankwam reached out and calmly clasped onto the boy's ear, pinching it hard. The tears welled up in Kenu's eyes again and he squirmed but Nigankwam merely stood back.
"And what is this for?" he asked.
Charmian blinked. "Well...information, I guess." She fidgeted. "I wanted to ask you more about this flood story..."
"Where do you plan on going after you leave this place?"
"Well...north, kind of...to talk with Kabebonikka...the North Wind...then--"
Nigankwam took in a deep breath and got a look that plainly said he was finding this situation wearisome. "You may keep it this time," he said, and Kenu's mouth fell open. "But the next time...if there is a next time, which I strongly hope there is not...you may think of bringing more of it."
Charmian shrank a little but obediently tucked the pouch away. "Okay...thanks, I guess..."
"But Graaaaandfatherrrrrr," Kenu whined as Nigankwam turned away, "we ALWAYS accept the tobacco--!"
"Not when two pathetic humans come to us with barely a crumb of it, begging for assistance," Nigankwam said.
Now Charmian's and Manabozho's jaws both dropped. "EXCUSE ME!" Manabozho yelled, and the two Thunderbirds looked back at him. He clenched his fists and stomped forward before Charmian could pull him back. "I'll have you know that I'm only HALF human!" he snapped, and jabbed a thumb at his chest. "And half MANITOU! I'm hardly some little piddling HUMAN!"
"Thanks," Charmian said.
Nigankwam's frown grew again and he turned back. "You say you have a manitou parent--? Who then is this manitou you claim?"
Manabozho drew himself up to his full height. "Kabeyun, the West Wind!" He lifted the rabbit pendant he wore. "Perhaps you know me as the 'Great Rabbit'--?"
Nigankwam's brow furrowed. "You are the one called Manabozho--?"
Kenu's eyes went wide and his mouth opened wide to match. "YOU'RE Manabozho--?" He promptly came forward and looked Manabozho up and down while Manabozho puffed himself up a little. "You're not really what I expected," Kenu said after a moment, his lip sticking out a bit. "I kind of figured you'd be a lot bigger and scarier..."
Manabozho's face started going red. "I knew that Kabeyun had three sons," Nigankwam said, drawing Charmian's attention, "but I was not ever aware that there was a fourth..."
Charmian saw how the blood immediately drained from Manabozho's face, a stricken look replacing it; "I can vouch for him!" she hurried to say, taking a step forward. "It's the truth!"
Nigankwam gave them both a critical look, then let out a mild snort. "He carries himself like a manitou," he said, "so I will not say you lie." He started to turn away. "Perhaps you should have brought this up sooner. Manitous are welcome here...and seeing as you are his guest, then you are welcome as well." He gestured and started walking. "Come. And we will discuss this story of yours."
Charmian and Manabozho let out their breath; Kenu began hopping along after him, and Charmian tugged on Manabozho's arm. "Come on," she whispered, then added, "You should throw your weight around more often!"
He scowled a little but said nothing.
"Where exactly are we?" Charmian asked, looking up at the impossibly high beams of the lodge again.
"The home of the Animiki," Nigankwam said, rather obviously.
"You mean you guys live in bark lodges, just like on the ground...?"
"We have been living in bark lodges since before ever people lived on the ground," Nigankwam replied. "This is as we have always lived. You expected something different?"
Kenu started hopping higher. "She thought we live in the CLOUDS!" he exclaimed. "Can you BELIEVE it, Grandfather--? I mean, where would we SIT?"
Charmian scowled now and glared at Manabozho from the corner of her eye. "You could've tipped me off!" she hissed.
He glared right back. "As if I'm supposed to know? I thought they lived in clouds TOO!"
"I'm going to remember this day! The day you first admitted you were wrong about something!"
He bared his teeth. "I have never admitted I am wrong!!"
"You have been sent here or you seek this information on your own?" Nigankwam asked.
They both straightened up and picked up their pace. "Kind of both," Charmian said. "Geezhigo-Quae sent us."
The Thunderbird glanced at her over his shoulder, and she saw the guarded look in his eyes. "Geezhigo-Quae...?" He turned away again, not elaborating, so she was left somewhat puzzled about what the reaction might mean.
Manabozho started walking a bit faster. "How did you know of my older brothers--?" he asked, and Charmian furrowed her brow at him.
"The West Wind spoke of them at times," Nigankwam replied.
Manabozho clasped the rabbit pendant in his hand. "And--he never mentioned me--?"
Nigankwam shook his head. "Only the eldest, and the two younger ones, the Grasshopper and the White Rabbit. I heard the name Manabozho from tales, but never as the son of Kabeyun."
Manabozho slowed again, his hands falling to his sides and a look coming to his face that made Charmian's heart ache; she took hold of his arm to keep him from falling behind too far. "Maybe you weren't born yet," she said under her breath, hoping it would at least get rid of that awful look.
Nigankwam, for his part, glanced over his shoulder at them. "Perhaps," he said, and turned away again. He gestured ahead of them, and Charmian blinked when she saw light start to appear; she and Manabozho both shielded their eyes when an immense entryway appeared at the end of the lodge, and the four of them headed for it. "You are both new to Animiki land, so I suggest you watch yourselves carefully. There are reasons why land people are not usually allowed here."
Charmian tugged again on Manabozho's arm, hurrying along; Kenu skipped along as well. The light grew brighter as she realized that it must be fire, and she swallowed hard, hoping that they wouldn't emerge right in the middle of a blazing thunderstorm!
Nigankwam exited and they followed him across the threshold and into the light. Charmian and Manabozho had to blink several times just to adjust their sight, and then blinked some more, too confused to stop. They craned their necks and started looking each way in astonishment.
They had set foot...in what looked to be an immense camp, many more of the lodges, not quite as big as the one they'd exited but still pretty sizeable, scattered in a disorderly fashion. Charmian glanced down almost immediately at the "ground" and found it to be just that--solid ground, covered with grass and soil and pebbles, and her mouth fell open in surprise--she'd fully been expecting to fall through a cloud! They started looking around again and now she was struck by the number of people in the camp, walking, running, doing chores, playing--there were not only younger men, tall and strong in build, and older men with silver hair like Nigankwam, but women, both old and young, and children as well, of all ages and sizes, boys and girls, everyone seeming to be doing something different. In the midst of the oddly orderly chaos Charmian managed to catch sight of a stout old woman sitting out front of one wigwam and working on some fibers; a pair of young men comparing their axes to each other with much animated discussion; a pair of older men seated playing a game; a mother carrying her baby in a cradleboard; and a group of variously aged children, striking a ball and chasing it around between everyone else's legs. The only similarities between them all, the only sign she could find that they were more than human, was the fact that they all wore the same white deerskins, decorated with clouds and lightning bolts and birds, and they were all adorned with long silvery feathers, in their hair, on their dresses and leggings, dangling from their tools and weapons and homes. She at last spotted a giant bird, and halted in her tracks, staring at it with her mouth hanging open as it glared back at her with its immense yellow eyes; she blinked, and an instant later, there was nothing but a lean man standing there, giving her the same glare. Manabozho grasped her arm and started pulling her along before anything else could happen.
"Probably best not to stare," he said between his teeth. "Remember that Animiki aren't always the most levelheaded!"
Charmian shook her head abruptly and then nodded, letting out a breath. "Got it," she whispered back.
"Hey! Look!" Kenu exclaimed, running over to one of the groups of children; he pointed at Manabozho, who halted and blinked. "THAT'S Manabozho! THE Manabozho!"
Charmian turned her head in time to see him get mobbed by the children, who crowded around him and started tugging on his arms and pulling him further into the camp, yelling and laughing. Manabozho yelped in a panic and tried pulling himself free, to no avail; all that Charmian could do was watch as he was dragged off out of her sight. She saw Nigankwam still walking, and bit her lip before following; Manabozho would just have to look out for himself.
"So...what exactly is this place?" Charmian asked, panting a little as the ground was sloping upwards; Nigankwam may have looked old, but he got around pretty well. "I mean, I know it's where you guys live, but...how is it that we're in the sky..."
Nigankwam stopped and turned his head to look at her. He pointed ahead of himself and somewhat downward. Charmian frowned, then scrambled up the slope. She nearly vaulted over it before jerking to a halt and gasping. Her eyes felt ready to fall out of her head.
The other side of the slope...was no other side. The land ended abruptly and she could see the patchy edge of clouds...and more clouds spreading out into the distance...and patches of color below them. She blinked a few times. Night had fallen, but she could still make out the black of the land and the glittering blue of the river, bodies of water, treelines, hilly rises...it looked just like the view from an airplane, and at that moment a cool gust of damp air decided to buffet her, and she gingerly raised her hands to rub at her arms. She had to force herself not to chatter. She looked skyward at the glittering stars still overhead, brighter and closer than they'd ever been, then down at the land again, seemingly further away than she'd ever seen. She tried to take it all in, awed beyond belief.
"Wow," was all that she could whisper.
"Our land travels upon the clouds," Nigankwam explained. "It is never in one place for long, nor in another. We move with the storms and the rain. In the winter, we head back into the west, and stay above the mountains, until the ice thaws again. Then we head east, over the great lakes, and keep the Underwater Lynxes in check. This is our duty, as it has always been. This is where we live, and what we look like, and all that we do." Charmian reluctantly turned away from the view and faced him again. His stare was as unfriendly as Geezhigo-Quae's had first been, and she briefly wondered if they might be related. "You mentioned that you wished to hear more of this flood story," he said, and she hurriedly nodded.
"I...I already know how most of it goes," she said. "But that's kind of it. What we're doing has to do with that story."
"This is an old story, which happened many moons ago beyond count," Nigankwam said.
She nodded again. "I know...but...well, we keep running into dead ends."
"Perhaps you had best explain yourself," Nigankwam said. "Briefly."
Charmian took in a breath. "Well...basically, the manitou in that story, he's come back. The one who flooded the Island. You remember? I was told some Animiki fought the Mishupishus."
Nigankwam nodded. "I was a young Animiki then, but this is so. The Sky Mother sent for us and informed us of a manitou dressed in shells who was attacking her Island. We arrived too late to be of much help, though we did try to fight off the Lynxes. We managed at last to beat them back, but the Island had already been lost. I was informed that she had created a second one to take its place."
Charmian nodded. "She did...that's where I just came from. But this manitou is threatening it again."
Nigankwam frowned. "He is still alive? I had thought that when Kabeyun fought him, it was his end."
Charmian shook her head. "Not really...I guess he just beat the cra--um--beat him up, and left him, and now he's back. He kidnapped Manabozho's daughter, and says that he'll kill her if we don't find Kabeyun to fight him again. So we've been looking...we already asked the South Wind and the East Wind...and were on our way to speak with the North Wind...when we ran into you guys and thought maybe you could help."
"Help?" Nigankwam echoed.
Another nod. "Since you fought Megissogwun and the Lynxes the first time around...maybe you know something that can help us? I was told that it was you guys who found Kabeyun and brought him to the Island..."
"You claim you seek this manitou?" Nigankwam said; when she nodded, he shook his head, and she felt her heart sinking again. "I must tell you that we do not know where he lives. He was traveling when we crossed him, and it was likely purely by luck that we found him when we did. If you are considering seeking his assistance, I should tell you to spare your breath. It was all we could do just to convince him to bother."
"He cared about the Island that little--?" Charmian asked.
Nigankwam raised his head a little, his arms folded in his robes; she noticed how the sleeves were fringed and looked like bird's wings. "He cares about most everything that little, based on what I have heard. He is not a manitou one goes seeking lightly."
"But you guys live in the west," Charmian protested.
Nigankwam gave her a peeved look. "We dwell in the sky. Where this manitou lives, I know not! In any case, I had heard he liked to spend time on the land with some human woman!" He straightened a little bit, then an odd look settled on his face. "Oh," he said, as if just realizing, and wrinkled his nose.
Charmian decided to shove down the indignation she felt. "Where was it that you found him then, the last time?" she asked, somewhat desperately. "Because maybe even that can help--?"
"He was in a place with great wide meadows, and many bizhiki," Nigankwam replied.
Charmian blinked. "Bi...bizhiki?" she echoed.
He nodded. When she just stared at him in confusion his stare rose skyward and he let out a deep sigh. "Large creatures," he said wearily. "With horns."
"Oh! You mean elk--?" He gave her a quite foul look and shook his head. "Um...moose then?" Another shake. "Caribou...?"
Nigankwam's eyes flashed. "WHAT SORT OF EDUCATION DOES YOUR SORT GET THAT YOU DO NOT EVEN KNOW A BIZHIKI WHEN YOU SEE ONE?!" he bellowed, and she cringed and threw her arms over her head.
"I--I don't know!!" Charmian cried. "Those are the only horned animals we ever had where I come from, besides deer!!"
Nigankwam gave a sigh so gusty that her clothes ruffled. "They are nothing REMOTELY LIKE deer! Great giant animals with horns, and humps, and shaggy pelts! Fool child! Do you never TRAVEL anywhere--?"
Charmian was grimacing by now. "We don't HAVE any animals like that!! Except on ranches--!!" She blinked her eyes open suddenly and took in a sharp breath. She lifted her head to look at the Animiki, surprised. "Wait--wait a minute! Do you mean--do you mean buffalo--?"
"If THIS is the odd name you have for bizhiki," Nigankwam said in a peevish voice, "then YES, buffalo."
"Great big shaggy things with humps and horns," Charmian said, and he nodded; she held her fingers up to her head. "Little bitty horns. And they all wander around in great big herds." Another nod. She lowered her hands. "Wow...buffalo? I mean--I've never even SEEN buffalo except on a ranch! You mean there are buffalo west of here--?"
He rolled his eyes. "Where ELSE would they be?"
Nearly extinct, maybe? Charmian thought, but kept it to herself. "We have to travel that far west...?" she asked instead, and when he nodded she let out a sigh of her own. "Well...thanks then. At least it's an idea..." She glanced at the slope. "Um...how exactly do we get down from here...?"
"Kenu will be more than pleased to carry you back down himself," Nigankwam said.
Charmian frowned. "He didn't seem very pl--"
"KENU WILL BE MORE THAN PLEASED TO CARRY YOU BACK DOWN HIMSELF," Nigankwam said, much louder this time, so she winced and bobbed her head hastily. He turned, gesturing, and she followed him as he headed back down toward the camp. Manabozho was still surrounded by a gaggle of Thunderbird children, who were busily tugging on his ornaments and yelling. Charmian had to hurry just to keep up with the senior Animiki.
"By the way," she panted, "have you seen any activity from the Lynxes--? Anything weird?"
"The Lynxes always act up at this time of the year," Nigankwam said. "It is nothing unusual to face them in great numbers."
"But...are they acting just the least bit different--?"
"It is not something you or ones like Kenu would notice, human, but there seem to be somewhat more of them this year than usual. Nothing we cannot handle. Our own numbers are good, there were many chicks this year, and there are many of the men seeking to hunt a Mishupishu for the first time. Do not worry. They are insignificant beings."
Glad to be in their company, Charmian thought, but again forced it down. "But Megissogwun's controlling them again," she said. "You said that the last time this happened, you could barely fight them off..."
"This is because we were caught by surprise. We had not known the Lynxes to be smart enough to pool their efforts in such a way. In fact, they never would have done so had not that manitou given them the idea, for their minds are very small." He glanced at her. "You doubt we can withstand them?"
She shook her head quickly. "Um--no! Not at all."
Nigankwam turned away again. "I would not even waste my time worrying about this Island again," he said. "Now that we are aware not to underestimate the Lynxes, we know sufficiently how to fight them. They will not destroy it again. There is nothing to waste concern on."
Charmian chewed her lip. "But...Geezhigo-Quae is worried about it," she said, again having to catch up. "And the Red Swan keeps warning me, too--I rather think she--"
She halted, nearly tripping over her own foot. Nigankwam had stopped as well, and she saw how the feathers adorning his head flared, like Manabozho's tended to do; he slowly turned to face her, and his eyes were flaring yellow. She swallowed and took a tentative step back, but his voice, harsh and grating, stopped her.
"Maanaabiziiquae?" he said, and she blinked.
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