Change Of Direction
THE STRANGE TEMPERAMENTAL girl with the fire hair came back shortly after the tribe of Animiki arose into the sky and flew away. She was rubbing at her arms as if cold, accompanied by the man with the two upright feathers, and they were talking under their breath about the Wintermaker. They'd already sent away the wolf-thing and the little Animiki and the two strange talking loons; they looked up at the falling snow every so often, and completely ignored him as they passed. Little Wind rubbed his own arms and wondered if now would be a good time to run away from them.
He then turned his head and noticed the little fireball hovering in the camp with them, and let out a miserable sigh, his spirits sinking even further. He turned back to look at the emerging field of snow and suppressed a sniffle.
Six days, he thought, and tried not to scowl. Six days gets me this--a manitou who doesn't even obey me! Six days wasted!
He sighed and huddled into his robes, his stare falling on the flakes drifting to the ground. He'd sought his vision in winter. It wasn't considered very wise to do such a thing, as many useful manitous were asleep at such a time, but Mishosha had strongly suggested it, and he'd set up his perch in a tree and sat there for six days and nights, shivering and starving and wishing that he could just head back into the warmth of the cave. He'd gone without food before--Mishosha had taken it from him several times, to better train him for his fast--but never for so long. By the sixth night he was numb and whimpering and seriously wondering why it had been anyone's idea to seek a manitou in the middle of winter, of all things. Everyone knew that the most powerful manitous tended to sleep then. Even Mishupishus grew more sluggish in the cold, and didn't move about as much, and he felt that a Mishupishu would have made Mishosha proud of him, if one selected him to be the patron of. But though he was near the water, no Mishupishu arose, nor any water manitous, nor any snow manitous or ice manitous nor Wendigoes nor Kabebonikka or anyone else of the sort. As dawn neared Little Wind was certain that he would start crying, and then his eyes would freeze shut, and that certainly wouldn't be a good ending to a miserable fast.
Not long before the sun arose, while lying upon his side and shaking hard enough to make his bones ache, he'd felt the icy chill upon his exposed shoulder subside somewhat. Blinking blearily, he'd turned his head and his eyes had widened to see a tiny fireball hovering overhead, its flames warming him just slightly. At first he assumed that it was Mishosha or Makwaquae, until he realized just how small it was; neither wabano would appear in such a diminutive form. He'd sat up slowly and stared at it curiously for a moment or two before a fit of shivering overtook him, and when the fireball moved closer it was out of pure instinct that he cupped his hands around it for warmth. It didn't even burn him. He sat in the top of the tree holding the little fireball and trying to stave off the cold until Mishosha appeared later in the day to retrieve him and ask after his vision. Until then, Little Wind hadn't even considered that his strange visitor might be what he'd been waiting for all along.
On seeing it clasped in his hands, the wabano had at first been surprised, then a leer had come to his face. He'd grasped Little Wind by the arm, pulling him along back to the cave as the boy's legs refused to work properly on their own. Back at home, Little Wind had stood in the cave staring meekly at the floor, the fireball flickering in his hands, while the other two crowed at each other about what a good sign this was and what a great wabano he would be someday, for it was rare for a fire manitou to choose a wabano willingly--and of course, he'd been told ever since being taken in that that was exactly what he would be. Mishosha was quick to remind him of how weak his own powers truly were--so far Little Wind hadn't shown any real aptitude for anything, no matter how hard he tried--and so the arrival of this spirit was a double blessing. He would never have to coerce other fire manitous into doing his bidding, as long as he had his own. Sure, it was just a small one, but perhaps with time and training it too would grow stronger, as he surely would. And so Little Wind was fed and sent to bed at last, though--despite being stuck up a tree in the cold for six days--it took him a while to doze off, as he'd just lain on his pallet and stared sleepily up at the little fireball which hovered just above the floor like an odd nightlight, keeping him company even after he'd fallen asleep. It had been with him ever since.
Until that maddening fire-haired girl had taken it away in one sweep.
He looked up at the tracks that they'd left in the snow. None of this made any sense. Manitous didn't just run away, and why was it snowing anyway...? He knew that they'd been to see the Wintermaker themselves, and they'd been let go safely...even the winter-haired girl was with them again, when Mishosha had been so confident that she was in danger from Kabebonikka. How had they gotten her back? Why was everything going in their favor? Mishosha and Makwaquae had been planning for this event for years--so why was none of it turning out as they'd said it would...?
"It's none of your business! I've learned from the very best!"
"Well, I just thought you should know that the very best seems to have tossed you out...
"You did lose your power not long after he left you behind..."
It can't be true. He took me in and raised me as his own. There's no way that he would just leave me behind. Surely the only reason they left is because they were under attack, and had to flee...but they would have come back for me, if they'd been able to...I just know it...
He grimaced and rubbed at his shoulder just to give himself something to do to distract him slightly. Perhaps he should look at this as an opportunity to be seized. He was right in the middle of their camp now. Injured, and presumably harmless. He might not have had a manitou, but he could still keep watch on them, and gather information to take back to Mishosha. Nobody seemed to really be paying attention to him, so that already worked in his favor. He could keep an eye on the winter-haired girl and the fire-haired girl and learn everything they planned to do, and all that he had to do was simply travel with them and wait until Mishosha arrived to take him back. Then it would be an easy matter to leave them, and let the wabano do as he wished with them, just as the Pearl Feather had asked.
He then remembered the fireball again and made another face. He doubted that another manitou would come to him so easily now. Especially if what that girl had said was true.
"It doesn't matter whether you ask or demand something from a manitou. After a while, if you ask or demand too much, eventually it's going to stop giving! Especially if you don't give it anything in return...!
"You want it back? Then you have to promise to treat it properly! The only one responsible for all this is you! Your manitou wouldn't have any reason to leave you if you treated it right...!"
Is that true? Is she right? I've never treated it any differently! It's always worked for me before! Why does it leave me now...?
He turned his head to stare at it again, hoping that it would at least notice. When it finally flickered a little bit, and he knew that it must be looking, he gave it his most plaintive look, even shivering in the cold as he had the first time they'd met. The little fireball wavered and moved a little bit forward, then halted, hesitating. When the fire-haired girl called out, "Time for all of us to get moving now," it flared, then went sailing back into the camp and out of his sight.
Little Wind let out his breath and slumped disconsolately against the tree. He stared at his knees now but didn't even see them. All those years, he'd been so proud to have such a useful manitou...how could it have never known how he'd appreciated it...? How could it just turn away from him like that...?
Something thunked against the tree behind him and he yelped, jumping to his feet with a wince of pain. "That means you too," a voice called, and he glanced back to see the fire-haired girl looking at him. She'd thrown a pinecone against the trunk, and was giving him a look that made him want to start scowling anew. But she'd turned away before he could.
"If you want to stay, then fine. I'm sick of dealing with drama. But if you plan on surviving long I'd suggest tagging along with us until we reach another camp, at least."
Little Wind ground his teeth and made a rude gesture. "I saw that," she said, without even turning her head, and the blood drained from his face. Did she have more powers that he didn't know about yet--? She could already throw fire and sense others' presences--the two things that he could do. At least, used to do. He didn't want to find out if there was more. He cowered by the tree as everyone picked up their belongings and headed out into the snowy grassland, and waited until they'd gone on ahead a bit before timidly following.
This is all for Grandfather Mishosha, he told himself as he paced along, still rubbing his shoulder. Even if I never get my manitou back...I'll make him proud of me!
"I saw that," Charmian said as she walked away from Little Wind, and Thomas and Winter Born both frowned, seeing the gawk she got in response. She stepped past them to check that everything they'd had was being picked up and nothing was being left behind but footprints. They turned to face her, watching her adjust her own pack.
"Charmian," Winter Born said, "how did you know he was making that sign at you...?"
"Did you suddenly sprout eyes in the back of your head...?" Thomas asked, reaching out to poke at her hair.
"No," Charmian said, and pulled her hands away from her pack straps. "I just figured what would I have done if somebody just talked to me like that. He throws fire, he senses people, I just figured maybe we're alike in more ways than that, is all."
Thomas and Winter Born stared at her for a moment, then shared a look.
They began heading in the direction that Ishkode-Aanakwad had pointed out, and Charmian eventually found herself rather wishing that they were again taking canoes. At least canoe travel, while tedious, was faster, and allowed for resting, as long as one wasn't paddling. She kept her eyes on the little stands of trees they here and there came across, and it sometimes took so long just to reach them that it felt like they were barely moving at all. She'd never minded walking, but walking this much, she'd never been a fan of that.
A few times one of the loons would come flying back to report on Mishupishu's progress along his own river, which for the most part seemed roughly parallel to the course they were taking. Charmian also wished that they could head south to meet up with him and Kenu and X'aaru, but didn't know how long it would take, or if it would be wise. At last, when Kwemoo (or Maang?) returned, to inform them that the river had at last taken a detour further southward, they halted in their trek, uncertain of what to do next. Not long after, Maang (or Kwemoo?) arrived and stated that Mishupishu and X'aaru had located an underground river, and the Lynx would now be taking it as far westward as it would go. Not to worry, the birds assured them. Although Lynxes preferred traveling through aboveground rivers, they were adept at the underground ones, and even if the current one came to a dead end, they could surely find another until they all met up again. X'aaru and Kenu in the meantime were going to fly overland, keeping in touch with the Lynx through their minds. By these means they hoped to all meet at the great plain, and Kwemoo and Maang would continue to correct the courses of both. And Kenu and X'aaru both sent along a little hello in case anyone missed them.
Charmian smiled and sent a little hello back, knowing how they would appreciate that. And they continued heading westward.
At last they came to a large fast-moving river and halted again, looking north and south; it was far too wide to cross as they were, and Charmian doubted that even one of Francois's canoes could make it. They decided to rest here for a bit, and when Kwemoo--or Maang--came along to give a progress report, they sent him back with the news that they might be delayed a little, but it was best if the three others continued on their way ahead of them. Then Charmian tried to think.
"I can't believe I never even took a river into account," she mulled aloud. She glanced at Marten and Manabozho. "You're sure you two can't turn into rowboats?" When their faces slowly went red she turned to the others. "Any ideas?"
"Maybe we should call Mishu back and have him carry us across," Winter Born suggested.
"He's probably long gone by now," Thomas said. "Maybe we should invest in trying to build a canoe after all."
"That would take at least the rest of the day--probably longer, even with manitou help," Charmian said. "And we could never make one big enough to carry us all in one trip. Do you think there might be a place where the river isn't so wide or rough...?"
"Can go and look," Pakwa volunteered, and floated up into the air and drifted off.
"Be quick about it!" Charmian shouted after him, and with that the GeeBee vanished in a puff of wind. She sighed and sat down a little bit away from the riverbank, the others stretching and rubbing their feet as well. "Cripes. When I get home I'm going to soak in the tub for a week."
"You'd get more wrinkles than Old Mother Manitou!" Winter Born exclaimed.
"Now wouldn't that be a lovely sight," Thomas said with a smirk.
Charmian nudged him. "If you keep this up I'll never give you your other present! Now we need to think of wh--AAGHH!!" She jumped back and nearly fell into the river when Pakwa appeared right beside her, blinking and wide eyed. Everyone else jumped as well, his appearance was so sudden. Charmian gawked at him for a moment before clenching her fists and scowling. "Pakwa! What the hell are you doing back already?! I thought you said you were--"
"Well..." Pakwa stared off into space for a moment, then got a very odd look and reached up to rub at his neck. "Went looking and...ended up back here." He shrugged.
"What?" Charmian snapped.
Pakwa just shrugged helplessly again. "Don't get it! Started going north--along river. Came to some woods and went inside. Float, float, float, see some rocks, then poof--right back here." He got the odd look again and Charmian recognized it this time--it was confusion. She wasn't used to seeing him look like that. "Maybe took a bad turn?" he suggested, his head swiveling around in every direction.
Charmian tried to calm herself to think about what she'd just heard. "You mean it's like something kicked you back here...?" she asked, and when he nodded she furrowed her brow and looked to Moon Wolf. "Do you think it was Mishosha--?"
"If he had such medicine he probably would have used it by now," Moon Wolf said. "I don't feel that it's him."
"He said that whatever this thing was, it was in the woods?" Singing Cedars asked; when Pakwa nodded, he whistled and waved, and his two okis appeared, whistling themselves before trotting away. "Maybe they can see what's going on, and let us know when they come back."
Charmian let out a breath. "Good idea. In the meantime I'll see if I can..."
"There's some sort of spirit back there."
Charmian blinked, then her mouth shut. Everyone turned to look. It was Little Wind who had spoken; he stood near the back of the group, looking quite forlorn huddled in his stained robes, his face wan and pinched from the pain in his shoulder. He winced a little as he rubbed at it again. Charmian turned around to face him.
"What kind of spirit?" she demanded.
He shook his head. "I don't know. But it's strong."
Charmian frowned. "You can feel it but you can't tell?" She turned back northward and shut her eyes, throwing out her net. It took her a try or two, as whatever it was was so far away; yet eventually she sensed the two okis, then felt beyond them, and began to sense...something...before whatever it was seemed to cut her off, and just like that her eyes snapped open and she blinked in surprise.
"Hey--!" Her brow furrowed again. "Whatever it is--it just cut the connection!"
"'Cut the connection'...?" Moon Wolf echoed, frowning just as she had.
"Yeah." She squinted north. "That's weird. It must be able to sense us too!" Her eyes widened. "It must be a manitou! Whoever it is, maybe they know something about Kabeyun."
"Or maybe they work for Mishosha," Moon Wolf countered.
She turned to face him. "We can't just go on without finding out, can we--?"
"I thought we were supposed to move quickly," Thomas said.
"The Pearl Feather was adamant about this," Niskigwun agreed. "He is growing impatient with all of our side actions."
"Well then--" Charmian waved. "You guys keep looking for a way west and I'll go north! I want to find out who's trying to hide from us and why. No decent manitou has any reason to hide itself like that. It's almost like it--"
WANTED us to know it's there, but not exactly WHERE...?
She didn't say this aloud, just closed her mouth and bit her lip. The others didn't seem to notice her expression as they were quietly arguing by now, and getting nowhere.
"You're hardly going north alone," Thomas said. "Not with how you got hit in the head!"
"But we have to keep moving west," Niskigwun insisted.
"It's not even that far," Charmian exclaimed. "Look--how about a few of you come with me? Even if I get killed, Kabebonikka promised to help out as long as SOMEBODY makes it west!!"
Thomas looked ready to bite her head off. "I'll go along," Manabozho said, startling her; she was so used to him just sulking in the background--aside from his stunt with the Animiki--that to hear him speak up now was a surprise. He stepped forward with the look of a long-suffering martyr on his face, and Charmian had to fight not to roll her eyes. At least he was volunteering for a change. "I happen to agree," he added as he halted beside her, and looked at the others as he crossed his arms. "No decent manitou would have a reason to hide itself so! It's almost like it's challenging us! What OTHER manitou keeps hiding himself even as he watches us--?"
That argument nearly convinced Charmian to keep going west instead. "Then I'm going too," Singing Cedars said. "Seeing as my okis are already involved!" He said this and he and Manabozho commenced glaring at each other. Charmian saw Winter Born start to speak, but quickly spoke up before she could.
"Winter Born--seeing as I'm not going to be here, do you think you could take charge? Just to keep things in order until we get back."
The girl blinked a few times, then Charmian saw her face go a little pink. Then she bobbed her head quickly, white braids flying. "S--sure! Okay!"
"I'll lead the way, of course," Manabozho said as he turned northward. Charmian got ready to snap at him when Singing Cedars spoke up instead.
"No, I believe my okis are already leading the way."
Now Manabozho blinked. Charmian smirked to herself at the shade that his face turned.
They started walking north along the river, Marten and Winter Born waving goodbye. After a time the low roar of the river drowned out any other noises there might have been, and they spotted the woodland ahead that Pakwa had described. Manabozho moved to walk ahead of the other two and they both glanced at him before deciding to ignore him.
"Let me guess," Singing Cedars said after a while, as the trees loomed within sight. "You don't want her throwing another one of those strange fits, should you run into that spirit."
"I'm worried that whatever that is, she might not be able to control it after all," Charmian murmured. "How the heck do I train somebody to control something when I'm not even sure what it is? It's like she turns into Ocryana herself when she does that. Ocryana...you don't know her." She paused to think when the Onondaga gave her a curious look. "She's a lot like X'aaru...that big dog guy who greeted you. Only a lot nastier. She tried destroying the Island the first time I was there."
"It seems a lot of people are interested in destroying your Island," Singing Cedars said with a frown.
"I can't explain it," Charmian admitted. "I can't say it's just an Island, but still, you'd think the Holy Grail is buried there or something! Um...something really, really important," she said when he just looked puzzled again. "Sorry, it's hard for me to think of metaphors for your time." She glanced up at the trees as they stepped into the woods; almost all of the trees in this area were pines, so they offered shelter from the fat flakes of snow which still fell, and their footsteps were muted upon the soft bed of fallen needles. There were small patches of snow here and there, but nothing like what they'd gone through outside. They rubbed their arms and peered at the trees standing silent all around them.
A whistle came from ahead, and they lifted their heads. "Ha!" Manabozho called, and when they caught up with him somewhat they found him pointing at something which stood further away among a thick stand of trees. "Look," he said. "Stones, just like that GeeBee said. For once a GeeBee is good for something besides knocking upside the head."
"He said he got this far before whatever it was kicked him back," Charmian said, and started walking toward it. She looked it up and down; the trees were tumbled about in a sort of deadfall here, so that she couldn't even be sure of where the rock formation ended, but it seemed to be almost as big as Devil's Kitchen. The stone was waterworn but not brecciated, though that was about all that Charmian knew of geology; she couldn't make out any caves or entrances in it, at least. They stared at it for a moment before she rubbed her head.
"It seems so out of place yet...well...natural, for some reason." She furrowed her brow. "Do you sense anything from it?"
The two okis whistled and flicked their ears. Singing Cedars turned to Charmian with a frown. "They say that they did, but not right now."
Charmian started to reach out for the stone, then thought better of it. "Same here...I kind of sensed something, until we got within sight of it! Like whoever's here wanted us to get this far, but after that..."
"Oh, for spirits' sakes," Manabozho groused, stepping forward again. "Just start checking it out already! At this rate we'll never find out what it is or who's here. You honestly expect to get far just standing around talking--?"
"It's served us well enough before!" Charmian retorted as he reached out and placed his hand against the rock. "And don't you think you'd better--"
The words abruptly died in her throat when she found herself staring at the rock itself, Singing Cedars jumping a little bit as well, eyes wide. For all of a sudden, Manabozho was no longer there.
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