Bare Bones
CHARMIAN SUCKED IN a breath and took a step back. The Shadow Wolf that appeared before her was bigger than any wolf she had ever seen, its eyes alone the size of her head. It stared down its muzzle at her and they glowed sapphire blue.
Charmian could only stare back, eyes wide. "You're...a whole lot bigger than I thought you'd be," she managed to say at last, her voice very small in the great cavern.
The Wolf's eyes dimmed a little bit in a look of amusement. You saw me in your dream, over and over. Why are you so surprised?
Charmian fiddled her fingers, feeling stupid now. "Well...it was a dream. I kind of...figured...it was symbolic, or something." She paused, then made a face. "Psychology was never my best subject! Okay?"
The Wolf took a step toward her and she gasped when she saw a puff of dust rise up around its foot. If she hadn't been certain if it were real before, now she was pretty sure. "Cl...Cloud...showed me the way here," she said, taking another step back, trying to keep the distance between them; she shut her eyes tight and cringed when the creature leaned its head down so its great nose was right above her, and took in a big sniff, making her hair rise in the air. "I don't know what you guys call him..." She bit her lip now, the Shadow Wolf lowering its head even more so its nose was right in her face; she could have stuck her entire hand in one of its nostrils, and this thought made her grimace. "Anyway, I did exactly as you said, and now I'm here...so if you would please let me know why all this hassle..."
The Wolf's nostrils flared. You do not know yet...?
"I thought that's what you were going to tell me."
The Shadow Wolf rose and turned about, starting to step from the room. Charmian's mouth opened, then shut; she bolted after it. "HEY! Ogimah-Quae! Where are you going--? I thought you had something to tell me--!"
The Wolf glanced over its shoulder. You call me that as if it is my name, it--she--said in a neutral-sounding voice.
"I...I thought maybe it was." Charmian flushed, but had to keep jogging after her, as she covered a good distance on her gigantic legs. "It's not like we've been introduced."
We are the ones who were left behind, Ogimah-Quae--or whatever her name was--said. Instructed by the Sky Mother to keep watch over the Turtle Island, under the hand of the humans. We have dwelled here for hundreds of years, always watching, and the Island has spoken more closely to us than to your own. We gave up our shapes, our selves, in order to perform this task. It is a thankless job, hiding away from the world, changing our shapes, drawing the anger and hatred of your people upon us. And, as if this alone were not enough... she glanced back at Charmian again, her one visible eye flaring ...now we have this additional nuisance to deal with, because humans do not understand what they should not deal with.
Charmian's brow furrowed. "Chakenapok's not human! You can't blame him on us!"
Chakenapok is half human. His mother did not understand the ways of manitous, and now you see what resulted. The Wolf stopped and her tail swished from side to side, creating a breeze which ruffled Charmian's hair. Come and take a look here, for yourself.
Charmian had to walk around her legs, which were as big as tree trunks. She slowed to a stop when she saw the set of tunnels branching ahead of them, crystals glowing dimly from within. She frowned a little.
"What...?" she asked, puzzled. "What am I supposed to be looking at?"
The Shadow Wolf stretched out her neck. Ask your guide, and tell me what you sense.
Charmian wondered how she knew about Apakwaanaajiin, but didn't ask. She shut her eyes and "felt" along the tunnels, at first sensing nothing, but after a moment an entire group of very faint feelings came into her awareness. Her frown grew as she tried to figure out what they were. A second later her eyes popped open and she gasped, glancing up at the Ogimah-Quae.
"Manitous--!" she blurted out. "A whole lot of them!" Her brow furrowed. "What are they...the other Shadow Wolves...?"
The Ogimah-Quae shook her head. You can tell they are different. You've sensed these ones before.
Charmian stared at her, then felt the presences again. "Lake manitous," she murmured after a moment, and her eyes grew. Her mouth opened but at first no sound came out.
"Devil's Lake," she finally said. "The tunnels...that's where they go." She looked up again in awe. "They're all connected--? Devil's Lake, and Croghan Water, and everything--? They're all connected beneath the Island?"
More or less, the Ogimah-Quae said, and turned to take a tunnel just left of middle. Follow me this way.
Charmian obeyed. They walked for a very long time, several of the smaller Shadow Wolves occasionally trailing along, and Charmian stared at the crystalled walls in silence. No wonder this place had looked so much like Devil's Lake...they were practically neighbors. She bit her lip and wondered what Ocryx would think if he knew of the Shadow Wolves living so close to his own domain.
The demon does not wander this far, the big Shadow Wolf said, as if reading her thoughts. He too is afraid of the dark, as you are.
Charmian flushed. "I'm not afraid of it," she insisted. "Just when it's got big scary things in it." She paused. "Ocryx is afraid of this place...?"
For good reasons. They slowed as they came into a great cave, its far wall so distant that Charmian couldn't see it. The Ogimah-Quae stopped and pointed with her nose toward the far right corner.
Go and take a look.
Charmian bit the inside of her mouth--would this visit ever have a point?--but obeyed once more, walking carefully as the room was so dark. She ended up feeling her way along the wall, until her foot bumped into something; spreading her hands, she felt more stone ahead of her, and knew that she would turn left if she kept going. She fumbled in her pack to pull out her flashlight again and flicked it on, pointing it at the ground.
She promptly let out a scream and leapt back, dropping the flashlight with a terrible racket. Its beam flickered crazily over the walls before it rolled out of her reach, coming to a stop near one of the Shadow Wolf's giant paws.
The Ogimah-Quae tilted an ear. So you see it now.
Charmian stood where she was, gasping for breath, one hand to her chest as if she were having a heart attack. She couldn't stop shaking. The pile of rocks just before her hadn't bothered her that much, but the sight of the tiny skull resting among them, its large hollow eyesockets staring up blindly, certainly had.
"That...that's..." She shuddered and chewed on her lip. "Is that...who I think it is...?"
The Ogimah-Quae's face remained as impassive as ever. You recall the tale of the wabano of the cave. What he told you of what became of the body of Chakenapok.
Charmian crept back toward the pile of rocks, easing herself down into a crouch and leaning forward tentatively. She chewed on her lip the entire time and picked up her flashlight when the Wolf nudged it forward, her hand trembling as she shined it upon the pile so that the shadows flickered on the walls behind it. There was no mistaking the tiny skull now. She reluctantly moved a smaller rock away, and saw where it had become detached from the jawbone; the upper jaw itself was so small. She made a face as she gingerly picked it up between thumb and forefinger, and looked at it more closely. The jaw was narrow, the eyesockets huge and the cranium itself oddly out of proportion, bigger and rounder than the skull was supposed to be. The color slowly drained from Charmian's face.
"A baby's skull," she murmured. She noticed the small pointed teeth protruding from its jaw and peered at them with a frown, then turned the skull around in her hand. She jumped again and almost dropped it when she noticed the gaping hole in it, and bit hard on her lip, thoroughly rattled.
This is his resting place, the Ogimah-Quae said, needlessly.
Charmian was already busy poking at the rocks, nudging some away to try to locate the rest of the body. She cleared it of the rubble and looked over the little ribs and spindly limbs. She carefully lifted one hand and inspected the tiny claws lining the fingers.
"Noko wasn't lying," she said to herself, and set the hand back down. "He really did look like a monster." She looked up at the Ogimah-Quae. "Why did you bring me here? What is this supposed to do?"
Every part of the body is connected, the Shadow Wolf said. A hair, a clipping, even your shadow cast on the ground behind you. Each is part of the same whole, and with one part, you may have powers greater than you imagined. She nodded at the little skull that Charmian still held. This is his secret--his "skeleton in the closet," as your people would say. He has not wanted you to find this.
Charmian frowned. She glanced at the skull and back. "But...what good does that do me? So I know where Moon Wolf put his skeleton. So--?"
You cannot defeat Malsum without defeating Chakenapok, the Ogimah-Quae said. Eventually, you will need power over him. You cannot fight him as he is. He is a lost spirit, beyond your reach. You cannot imagine the things you will have to go through just to get to him. With this, you at least hold a part of his form in your hands. She tilted her head to indicate the skull. It is not much. He was separated from his skeleton long ago. But it may help you when you finally face him. This is the only suggestion I can give you for him. We have never faced a spirit like this, as even we were caught unaware. His power is immense, and even the old manitous cannot fight it.
Charmian's brow furrowed. "So...you're telling me, you don't even know if this'll help...?" When the Wolf did nothing more than stare at her she sighed and set the skull back down. "Thanks anyway, I suppose..."
The Wolf's eyes flared. Do not sound so discouraged about that. As it turns out, facing him is the lesser of your worries at the moment. Charmian lifted her head. You have lost a brother, the Wolf said, and Charmian flinched. Without four, he is unlikely to go down. Malsum follows the same tale as before. Even should Chakenapok be defeated, so long as the four do not fight him, his power will remain, and he will be sure to track down every last one of them the way he did the White Rabbit.
"So what do I do?" Charmian asked.
The Ogimah-Quae stared at her for a moment or two. You already have the answer to that, she said after a long while. One who is a friend to you told you.
Charmian frowned again. She tried thinking of who had recently told her something that could be construed as a hint, but nothing came to mind. "Are you sure...?" she murmured in puzzlement, rubbing at her head. "Lots of people have told me things, but nobody's said anything about how to fight off Chakenapok...at least, not in a way that worked..."
Not to defeat him, the Shadow Wolf said. To face him. You forget so quickly? She turned her head to look at the side wall, and Charmian followed suit. The stone rippled before her eyes and she watched as a very vague image began to form, similar to the way that she had seen Malsum sleeping deep beneath Glooskap's cavern. She squinted at the image before it slowly began to clarify--a long winding path, green grass sprouting on both sides, trees in the distance. Her expression changed. She knew she'd seen it somewhere before...
Think, the Wolf said, of a deep, dark place...and then you'll remember.
"A dark place..." Charmian's voice faded as she stared at the image. Just as it began to fade from view she sucked in a breath and glanced up at the Shadow Wolf with wide eyes.
"Scott's Cave--?" She jumped to her feet. "The Spirit Land?" She scowled and waved her hands. "I TRIED that already! Remember? Yellow Turtle said Chakenapok hadn't gone that way! I even talked with the Spirit Road!"
Not the way that Chakenapok went, the Ogimah-Quae said neutrally. But the way that the White Rabbit went.
Charmian's speech cut off in midsentence, and she found herself standing deadly still, her eyes large with disbelief.
"What are you saying...?" she managed to whisper after the longest time.
The Ogimah-Quae tilted her head, eyes as impassive as ever. You need four brothers, she said.
"But--Wabasso--he's dead," Charmian cried. "We saw him fall! I can't bring him back!" The Wolf continued staring at her and her brow furrowed slightly. "Can I...?"
In response the Ogimah-Quae looked down at the skull that Charmian held. Charmian followed suit and stared at it for a long time, not sure what to think. When she lifted her head the Wolf was staring at her again.
Her face went white. "I...I have to walk the Spirit Road...?"
This is the way one reaches the land of the dead, the Shadow Wolf said.
Charmian clutched the skull. "But--I'm not dead yet!" she exclaimed in a panic. "I CAN'T go that way unless I'm dead! All I did before was see it! I wasn't really there--!"
Use your head! the Wolf snapped, silencing her. No bodies walk the Spirit Road! Only spirits! You have already sent your spirit to the Road in your vision. Why is this so difficult for you now?
Charmian hooked her fingers in Chakenapok's eyesockets and clenched her fist. "Because that was just one little trip to talk to the Road and you're asking me to WALK the whole thing! You have to be dead to do that! I'm hardly dead just yet!"
For ages medicine men have found ways to walk the Road and return once they are done, the Ogimah-Quae said. This would barely be different. So long as you can make it safely, and gain passage from the guardian of the Road, you should be admitted to the Spirit Land. The only thing is that you cannot stay. The longer you stay, the more your spirit will separate from your body, until you truly are dead. One need not be dead to reach there--it merely helps.
"And then what?" Charmian retorted. "Once I get through to the stupid place, THEN what am I supposed to do--?"
Fetch the White Rabbit, the Shadow Wolf said. And then the brothers will be four, and you can face the Flint.
Charmian opened her mouth, but no words came as soon as the Ogimah-Quae's finally sank in. "You mean I...can bring him back...?" she murmured in disbelief. It seemed too easy.
The Wolf's eyes flared. Yes, or no. Only you can answer that. All you need do is ask yourself, if it is important enough for you to try? She took a step back and nodded her nose at the skull. Gather his bones, and take them with you. The Island is uneasy from his stirrings. He does not belong here.
Charmian paused before stooping to carefully pick up the bones from beneath the rocks. "What do I do with them now, then--?"
Keep them safe, until you should have the chance to use them. Should you make it through this, you will need to bury them properly or he will never know rest.
Charmian halted in her motions, one arm outstretched to pick up his femur. "But where will I bury him?" she asked, confused.
The Wolf's nostrils flared. That is a matter for you to decide later on.
Charmian bit her lip but finished picking up the pathetic remains, taking off her pack and carefully tucking them inside it. She wrapped the skull in the skin that she had used for her dreamcatcher and made certain they were all stored properly before slipping the pack back over her shoulders and getting to her feet. "That's all you can tell me?" she asked in obvious disappointment.
The Shadow Wolf didn't seem to take offense, though she did tilt her head with a seemingly amused air. I am afraid it is, she said. All you need do is gather the brothers together again to go through with your plan, and then call upon the Liar to finish the task. Doing this, however, will be the difficult part.
"I kind of figured," Charmian sighed, making sure the ties on her pack were secure. "Thanks anyway, then." She turned and looked toward the exit from the cave and frowned a little. "Um..." She peered meekly at the Wolf. "How do I get back up...?"
The Ogimah-Quae just stared at her. The same way you came down, she replied.
Charmian grimaced. "Swim? But that water has to be...!" She sighed and adjusted her pack. "Oh fine! Whatever." She muttered under her breath and walked from the cavern, trying to retrace her steps back through to where she'd first come in.
Along the way she began spotting the Shadow Wolves trailing her again, and only by that knew that she was headed the right way. She glanced at them anxiously as she went, still not quite able to separate the idea of them from that of the Wolves roaming the Island far above. She slowed her step as she warily watched them pass through the adjacent tunnels, before a thought struck her and she dug in her pocket. She pulled out the pouch that Laughing Lynx had given her and sprinkled some tobacco behind her as she headed out of the tunnel and toward the shore of the underground lake. When she turned to look again, the Wolves were gone.
She sighed to herself and put the rest of it away, looking unhappily at the black water rippling before her. She leaned over it and saw her reflection, as normal as ever, and wondered why none of this made that much sense anymore.
Just as she stretched out her foot to dip her toe in the water, a voice spoke in the back of her head.
Remember where the barrier is thinnest, and when. This will help you.
Charmian gasped and pulled her foot back toward herself. That was the same as the other voice that she had heard before, arguing with the Ogimah-Quae! She glanced around herself but saw nothing, not even another Shadow Wolf; her brow furrowed and she rubbed her suddenly icy arms.
"Who is that?" she called out, not sure if she wanted to know.
Just remember, the voice said. It started growing fainter even as she listened to it; she could tell it was a woman, but not where it was coming from, nor even how far away it might be. And remember also. Your fear is not your enemy.
Charmian's confusion only grew and she turned in circles, scanning the entire cave system. "Who are you?" she called, more loudly, and she even looked up at the ceiling, draped in darkness. "WHERE are you--?"
Do not be afraid of being afraid, the voice said, almost impossibly faraway now, and the cave fell silent, so she was left staring at and listening to nothing. She listened until her ears rang from the silence, and still nothing else presented itself, so she was forced to step into the icy water, shivering and bewildered.
My fear is not my enemy--? What is this, a talking fortune cookie? Who is that and why is she interested in me--?
She was arguing with Ogimah-Quae before--but she was trying to tell me the same thing back then. Is she trying to help me?
Can I trust her...?
She waded into the water until it was up to her knees, then gasped when she plunged into a dropoff, her head going under the water. She bobbed up long enough to take in a breath, chattering, before closing her mouth and plunging under again. She sought out what she assumed to be the same tunnel that she'd come here through--at least, she hoped it was the same, else she could be in trouble--and began swimming, stroking her arms through the water as hard as she could. The same dizzy lightheaded feeling that she'd gotten before started to come over her, and just as before she fought against it, yet it was even more difficult this time, considering that she still hadn't thoroughly recovered from her last little dip.
I'm not a polar bear...how am I even supposed to make it back up? What if I drown? I'll end up just like...
...Wabasso...
She vaguely felt herself exit the tunnel, and when she looked upward, saw a tiny circle of very dim light. It was so very far away, obscured by rippling frigid water...she moved her arms, and kicked her legs, and started up toward it, but the water felt like lead on her limbs, and even the little circle of light grew even hazier and less distinct.
I...don't think...
...I'm going to...make it...
Thomas will be mad at me...
Her eyes drifted shut and her paddling slowed. The cold sting didn't sting so much anymore, and now that she thought of it, she felt nothing more than sleepy. She still shifted her legs back and forth, but even that she did slowly, and her progress upward began to wane. She dragged her eyes open a few times and the little light didn't look any closer despite any of her hard work. She shut them again and a bubble escaped her mouth.
What's wrong, Mainlander? After everything you've been through, a tiny little mudhole is going to do you in? Charmian's foot twitched. And all this time I thought you actually had some mettle to you...
Her brow pinched slightly and she opened her eyes. The blackness of the water greeted her, but even as she watched, a light formed just ahead, growing into a small orange flame, and it grew and expanded and flared, opening itself up into a well-lit cave. Chakenapok stood there looking at her, his mouth twitching in amusement.
"What's the matter?" he asked mockingly. "A little bit of water going to do you in?"
Charmian narrowed her eyes at him. I don't see you trying this.
He smirked. "And I don't see you bringing back Big Brother. All of that trouble you go to, for it to end like this? Rather anticlimactic, don't you think?"
She glared at him and opened her mouth, expecting bubbles to fly out, yet none did; in fact, she took a step toward him, and felt her foot strike stone, and she clenched her fists, which were perfectly dry now.
"Just like you to say something like that! You know I actually felt SORRY for you? I take back EVERYTHING I ever said! And I'll get Wabasso back, just wait and see!"
Chakenapok crossed his arms and tilted his head. "How long do I wait? Because you have been here an awfully long time, and all you manage to do is make this even more entertaining. This Island will be dreadfully dull without you."
She gritted her teeth. "Just wait," she retorted. "I still have a few surprises left."
"Like what?" He waved at her backpack. "Oh. You mean that old thing, don't you."
Charmian glanced at her strap, then gripped it in her hand. "And so you dug up some moldy old bones," Chakenapok went on, and rolled his eyes. "Truly terrifying. I'll have you know, I have not thought about those old things in so many years, but you are welcome to have them as a keepsake, if you want."
"I have my own plans," Charmian said. "And you won't be so amused then. Wabasso will be back, and then YOU'LL go down."
"Oh really." It didn't even come out as a question, which truly irritated her no end. Chakenapok gave her the same infuriating amused look as before. "So...what is your next move, Mainlander? Take another little trip to your Spirit Road, talk with your old ogimah, or perhaps your other Ogimah gave you some good advice...?" Charmian sucked in a startled breath and he smiled. "Oh, that's right...your dream. I hardly need to steal it from you anymore, as you gave me quite a nice show the last time around. Between you and everyone else on the Island, I've learned quite enough to keep me entertained for a long time."
"It doesn't matter anymore," Charmian snapped. "I have what I need. Can you say the same?"
Chakenapok's smile grew. "As a matter of fact...I believe I can." He took a step to the side and gestured at the cave wall behind him. "In fact, I think that right here is everything I will ever need."
Charmian stared at the wall but saw only rock. "Oh, really scary! A cave! Like I've never seen one of THOSE before!"
Chakenapok's eyes flared yellow, though she could tell not from anger. "No, not the cave," he chided. "More like something a little...closer to home...you might say." He lifted his hand. "Would you like to say hello to an old friend?"
Charmian opened her mouth to demand to know what he was talking about, when he waved, and flames roared up around the cave wall. She squinted and shielded her eyes from the glare of them, but they quickly receded; and it was as if the cave wall opened before them, and the sight that Charmian saw revealed therein made her question change immediately into a shattering scream.
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