|
Escape From Manitou Island: Part 154 |
|
(DISCLAIMER: This part, and all parts hereafter, are works in progress (WIPs) and have not been proofread or checked for plot inconsistencies. I've decided to present them "as is" for now, as there is a significant amount of unfinished material; yet this story has been on hiatus for a long while, I've forgotten certain details, and I have no plans to resume work on it any time soon. Please keep in mind while reading that details may change in the future. Should you spot an inconsistency, however, please feel free to point it out to me for possible correction.)
ONE OUT OF TWO "TURTLE," MANABOZHO WHISPERED in disbelief, and immediately both he and Charmian pressed close to Mishupishu, causing the Lynx to retreat back further into the little river. "How did you see Turtle down underground?" Charmian exclaimed. "Was she all right? Where was she?" Manabozho cried. "Was she drowning--?" "Did she look all right--?" "What did she say--?" "Can you find her again--?" Mishupishu's eyes squeezed shut and he started blowing bubbles out of his nose, letting out an awful whining noise. Kenu splashed down into the river and threw his arms over the Lynx's muzzle. "Stop it!" he demanded, giving them an angry look. "You're upsetting him!" Charmian and Manabozho opened their mouths to protest, only to find themselves being accosted--Manabozho by Peepaukawiss and Niskigwun, Charmian by Thomas and Moon Wolf. "Brother!" Puka exclaimed. "Find your head! You're absolutely losing it!" "Charmian, settle down," Thomas said. "He might answer if you give him a chance!" The two of them looked ready to protest again, then bit their tongues and let out their breath. Charmian started fidgeting while Manabozho looked almost ready to cry. No one really seemed sure of what to do, so Niskigwun let go of Manabozho's arm and took a step forward. "I will do the asking, all right?" he said, and turned to Mishupishu. "Firstly--when and where exactly did you see Turtle?" Mishupishu's eyes shifted toward Kenu; the little Animiki nodded at him encouragingly and let go of his muzzle so he could talk. "In...down in the tunnels," the Lynx replied hesitantly. "I was swimming around looking for Manabozho's wolf brother...I didn't find him in the tunnels...I'm sorry," he added, giving Manabozho an apologetic look. "Keep going," Niskigwun prompted. "Oh," Mishupishu said, and blushed. "Well...I was swimming along, when the water began to feel warmer, and I kept smelling manitou. I just assumed it was the dead one down in the water--you know--the one the wolf got. I found it, but not the wolf. But anyway. I couldn't see because of the seaweed I had caught on my horns--and I ran into a wall--which is rather strange, because there was a nice good current, yet nowhere for it to go! I have no idea where that wall came from!" "What does this have to do with Turtle?" Manabozho demanded. Niskigwun waved at him with a dirty look when Mishupishu flinched and sank a bit. "Well...I had to brush the seaweed off to see the wall, and I was quite confused, but then I saw somebody staring back at me from behind it--I think. It was this little girl...she waved at me and talked a lot, but I couldn't hear her, and she couldn't hear me...and I couldn't really tell what she was saying, though she did seem greatly agitated about something." He peered at Manabozho. "This is the one named 'Turtle,' the one who's your daughter? If so, I do so wish I could have figured out where she is! But neither of us could speak to each other." His spines sank. "Did she look okay?" Charmian asked before Niskigwun could silence her. "Oh--yes, she looked quite well," Mishupishu assured them. "She seemed simply to be upset by her surroundings...and I wouldn't have blamed her...it looked like a nice decent cave, but I prefer water! It was as dry as a bone in there, which is doubly odd, because it was underwater where I saw her!" "Perhaps you were seeing her through a crystal wall?" Niskigwun suggested. "Hm," the Lynx said, then shook his head. "No, it was solid rock; I know, because when I looked again, there was no more wall! That was what convinced me to head back--oh--that, and--" He cut himself off now, then grimaced a little and sank a bit more. "That and what?" Charmian and Manabozho both asked. Mishupishu's whiskers quivered. "It was most unpleasant! I don't want to get anyone upset." His eyes shifted toward Manabozho, and he sank until only they and his horns were visible. Manabozho's eyes grew, then a glow started to surround him and he clenched his fists. "If you don't start TALKING--!" "STOP SCARING HIM!" Kenu yelled, so loudly that the ground throbbed and the others nearly lost their balance. He gave them an awful look. "If it concerns you so greatly," he went on, "then he shall relay his information to me, and I shall relay it to the rest of you! That is--if that's all right--?" he said, biting his lip and looking at the Lynx, who nodded a little. Kenu then sloshed forward and put his ear right against Mishupishu's mouth, and the others tried not to fidget as the Lynx either whispered something to him or tickled his ear--they couldn't be sure which--as Kenu giggled a little and squirmed before clearing his throat and stepping back. He composed himself before speaking. "The Lynx says that the little girl Turtle revealed something to him down in the cave!" "Revealed WHAT?" Charmian and Manabozho yelled, making him jump. Kenu quailed, then hurried up the bank and to Niskigwun, tugging on his arm. The Michinimakinong furrowed his brow but obediently leaned down and let Kenu whisper in his ear. Kenu then ducked behind him while Niskigwun frowned and rubbed at his head, giving Charmian and Manabozho an odd look. "He says...that Turtle showed him the skin of a freshly killed wolf, one that matches the appearance of the one which was lost in the lake." Charmian and Manabozho both stared at him, eyes wide and faces suddenly pale. "My wolf...?" Manabozho whispered after a moment's silence, and his stare drifted, confusion settling over him. "But...how could he have reached Turtle? Turtle's with the Pearl Feather..." "Hold on a minute though," Charmian said, her own brow furrowing. "None of us really know where Megissogwun is. All we know is he's able to see what we're doing at least part of the time." She chewed on her lip. "What if what Mishu ran into wasn't Turtle at all--but a window looking over her?" "He just said it wasn't a crystal he was looking through!" Kenu protested. "No--that's not what I mean," Charmian said, shaking her head. "Like the Sky Tree. Geezhigo-Quae has crystals she can look through, which show her places far away. This is how she keeps watch over the Island. All this time we've assumed that Megissgwun has some sort of power to see what we're doing--well--what if that's his power? He has a window to look through just like Geezhigo-Quae has. That's how he's been watching us. Somehow Turtle and Mishu accidentally got access to that window, at least for a minute." Her puzzlement grew. "Which means that Megissogwun must've lost track of her for a minute." "That doesn't explain how the wolf reached him," Moon Wolf said. "The Lynx said there was a current, but a dead end. What would explain this?" "I wonder if perhaps this 'dead end' was not merely a mistake," Niskigwun said thoughtfully. "You know how Grandmother Geezhigo-Quae's Sky Tree opens into different lands..." "Right! You can never be too sure of where exactly one doorway will open up!" Charmian exclaimed. "That happened to me a few times before. It has a sort of sense to it, but once in a while it's like the wires get crossed--it goes all funny." "I'm getting the feeling this Weaver medicine isn't an exact science," Thomas commented. "If Megissogwun lost track of Turtle for just a minute, then she might accidentally have opened up a window so Mishu could see her," Charmian went on. "The same window Megissogwun uses to keep track of us. If Megissogwun has windows..." "Then it stands to reason that he has doors as well," Niskigwun said, and frowned. "Could Turtle have accessed a doorway? If she did, then why did she not escape through it--?" "We both looked for a way through," Mishupishu insisted. "Neither of us could find a single crack! Which again is odd, because there was that current..." "I don't think Turtle's the one who opened a doorway," Charmian said. "If she knew how to do that, she would've taken her chance to get free. Megissogwun must have been the one." "That could explain it," Niskigwun said hesitantly. "He would have closed it afterward, and Turtle could still have found an unguarded window..." "He opened it to get my wolf through," Manabozho murmured, and they all looked at him. He stared off into space. "He skinned him and left his fur there with Turtle," he said. "To make a point." His fists clenched, then he whirled toward Charmian so abruptly that she jumped. "We have to find those others--and get moving! If he did that to my wolf then what will he do to Turtle--?" "Geezhigo said he didn't have plans to hurt her," Charmian insisted. "At least not until we fail to reach the west! And I fully intend on getting there. Don't worry. She's fine for now." She waved and started trekking up through the snow again. "Mishu, you follow along underground as best you can. Let's hope Marten found a decent shortcut for a change!" They started on their way through the woods again, peering around for any signs of disturbance or a shortcut. They thought they spied the tracks of a bear once or twice, and shied away from these areas, splitting up somewhat but always keeping within sight through the trees. Every time a possible tunnel or opening was found, they'd go over to inspect it, though these were usually the burrows of wild animals, or natural indentations in the ground. Manabozho fidgeted awfully the whole time while Little Wind strayed along at the very back of the group; Charmian peered from one to the other, then frowned at Thomas and Moon Wolf. "What sort of crap have I missed...?" "Just the regular old stuff," Thomas said. "People throwing fireballs, voodoo dolls, blood drinking..." Charmian made a face. "Remind me never to go missing again!" She adjusted her pack strap. "So you were Mishosha's next target? I kind of hate thinking how that went." "I thought I saw you in the snow," Thomas admitted somewhat meekly. "But you weren't anywhere around here...I must have been seeing things after all. I really did believe it was you." "This could have been a trick of Mishosha's," Moon Wolf said. "To convince you to follow Charmian, as that was his plan." "He wanted you to kill me or something?" Charmian frowned. "He must not know you too well...I take it he got one of Kabebonikka's Wendigoes, then. It's a good thing Niskigwun brought along some of his elemental medicine, I never would've been able to stop Mishosha's fireballs otherwise." A whistling noise caught their attention, and they looked off to the side. Singing Cedars was waving, his two okis standing below a tree and looking up into the branches. "There are some little people here!" he called, and they turned to head his way. "Mizauwabeekum...?" Charmian asked, before spotting the small group of Pukwudjininees perched up in the limbs. "We're looking for somebody," she managed to say, before they started chirping and squeaking. We received word from our esteemed subterranean comrades not long ago, one said. Word that a strange company indeed had commenced heading east under the earth! Among this company were a girl with hair as of winter snows, a man clothed in the red of blood, a small one much like ourselves... "That's them!" Charmian exclaimed. "They're heading east? They must be trying to find us." She grimaced. "Are the Mizauwabeekum leading them along?" We were informed to assist a certain strange party in its endeavor to head west, the Pukwudjininee said, yet the girl with hair as of winter snow insisted on heading east, so that she might find a girl with hair as of summer's fire...I take it this would be you? It tilted its head curiously. Charmian blushed. "Yeah, that's me," she muttered. "Why are you all so interested in my hair?" she demanded when everyone looked at her. "We really need to meet up with them. If there's any way you can get in touch with the Mizauwabeekum and tell them to head west again, we'd appreciate it." Very well, the Pukwudjininee said; then, as it turned away and hopped down from the branch, Silly humans never seem to know what they want... "I heard that," Charmian said under her breath as the little people disappeared. "Meanwhile we'll keep heading west, but a bit slower so they can catch up with us. The terrain is all weird around here--I wonder if we're actually getting closer." "That Mishosha fellow is likely to be pretty upset that we got away from him again," Thomas said. "If he's met up with that wretched woman again, they're surely coming after us." "At least they didn't get Winter Born," Charmian sighed. "I hated being separated. I couldn't even sense exactly where any of you guys were! It must be my time away from the Island." She bit her lip pensively. "Speaking of...I haven't spoken with Chakenapok or the Red Swan in ages. I've had trouble getting through to them too. Though we always seem to part on kind of bad terms lately..." "I have never trusted either of these two," Moon Wolf said, earning a puzzled frown from Charmian, but he didn't elaborate. "I hate to admit it," Thomas added, "but I don't feel too chummy toward them either. They've been terribly evasive, and one of them we don't even know, and the other one--well--let's just say we know him too well. Maybe whoever helped us out with Mishimakwa is the one keeping them at bay." He shrugged when she gave him a look. "Just a suggestion." "Well, not one that I like," Charmian retorted. "I know it sounds weird...but I'm pretty sure we can trust Chakenapok." "And the Red Swan?" the other two prompted at once. Charmian winced a little. "She hasn't done anything really weird yet," she said after a moment. "And even if we don't know her, she's still being held prisoner, and she's still tied in to this." Her frown grew. "That's right. Mishosha's the one holding her prisoner...so how come he hasn't said a word about her yet? With the way Little Wind talked about her, you'd think he considers her terribly important...but he only seems interested in Winter Born or Moon Wolf." They heard cracking noises nearby, and Mishupishu just barely managed to raise his head from a half-frozen pool in the middle of the woods. "The wolf demon!" he exclaimed. "I hear him coming! He said they're on their way!" He began descending again, squinching his eyes shut and letting out an awful sound as he squeezed back down into the pool. Apparently forgetting her earlier request, Charmian stopped and turned to look back the way they'd come. Manabozho stopped only reluctantly, shifting from foot to foot, before turning and heading off without them; a few of the others watched him go but said nothing. Thomas and Moon Wolf shared a look. "He won't go far," Charmian murmured, to their surprise. "Let him walk it off. You can't really blame him." Her face lit up. "I think I see something!" "Chaaaaaarmiaaaaannnn!" a voice called, and something that looked like a small brown tumbleweed came dashing through the woods, hurling itself up into her arms. Marten gave her as big a hug as he could muster, grinning from ear to ear. "KNEW WE'D FIND YOU! But we kind of thought you'd be in the OTHER direction! OOPS!" "Charmian!" another voice called, and X'aaru came bounding through; Charmian had just enough time to gasp before he was licking her face all over. "I'm so glad to see you again! It's been so long! We were so worried!" Thomas crossed his arms and smirked as Charmian was mauled by the two. "We all must be chopped liver, then," he said to Moon Wolf, who could only look heavenward a little. "Hooray!" a third voice called, and Charmian craned her neck to see Winter Born come running their way, her eyes huge and her smile as big to match. "Charmian! You're okay! I knew you would be!" She threw her arms around Charmian's waist, while Charmian struggled to keep her balance beneath the assault of the three. "I'm--glad to see all of you too!!" Charmian managed to get out, patting Marten's head, then X'aaru's, then Winter Born's. "OKAY! OKAY! I have to breathe!!" The others relented; Marten hopped down and went scurrying over to Peepaukawiss to get another willing hug, while X'aaru went to Kenu and started licking him all over just because he was there. Only Winter Born remained, looking up at Charmian with her eyes alight. "I was so scared I wouldn't see you soon!" she exclaimed. "I knew you were okay, but still--we found this dead Wendigo with its heart missing--and Makwaquae came after us like a big bear--oh--and there really was a big bear, but the man in red took care of it..." "Red!" Charmian exclaimed with a gasp, then grasped Winter Born's arms. "Winter Born! Where's Barrington and your dad? Were they with you?" "Huh? Oh," Winter Born said, frowning a little. "Well...yes...the red man was with me almost the whole time, then Father showed up with that noisy stick--" "Where are they now?" Thomas asked. "Oh." Winter Born pursed her lips and pointed behind herself. "They were both somewhere that way." "Together?" Thomas, Moon Wolf, and Charmian all exclaimed at once, making her jump; they all started to make a run eastward, when the sharp report of a gun going off made them stumble and nearly trip over themselves trying to stop. Everyone froze, eyes goggling, the echo of the blast still ringing in the air. "Oh...crap," Charmian whispered after a moment. Winter Born furrowed her brow. "What are they shooting at now...?" she asked, peering over her shoulder, but Charmian grabbed her arm again and hurriedly passed her back to Stick-In-The-Dirt, who clamped his hands over her face almost as if to smother her; she wriggled and let out a muffled startled noise but didn't break away. Charmian and the other two took a step forward to stare anxiously into the woods; Francois and Baptiste joined them, their own guns at the ready, though nobody seemed quite sure of what to do. "Which...which one do you think that was?" Charmian whispered after another moment had gone by. Francois shook his head with a frown. "No telling...they both seemed pretty good with guns, and pretty adamant about using them!" "I knew those two should've been kept separated," Thomas whispered. "They've been at each other like cats and dogs since this all started..." He trailed off when tramping noises started coming from among the trees, and they all tensed. "They're coming," he said, then winced a little. "One of them, at least." "I wish we had Justin with us!" Charmian murmured, trying hard to control her anxiety. They strained their eyes staring into the snowy branches of the trees, at last able to make out a dim form making its way toward them, but it was too indistinct to make out yet. They could see the long barrel of the gun it held in its hand, though, as it approached. "Just one of them," Moon Wolf said, and Charmian shrank in on herself. The silence resumed and several of them squinted a little to see better. After several more paces, Charmian could at last make out Black Elk Horn's face, which was scowling as usual. There was a nasty cut on his cheek but other than that he didn't look injured in any way. Winter Born let out a breath, wriggling from Stick-In-The-Dirt's hands. "Father...?" she murmured, obviously perplexed. She glanced around as if looking for something. "But...where...?" Charmian took a step aside and opened her mouth as the ogimah approached and stalked past within a foot or two of her. She didn't get to address him, however, as he answered the question nobody got to ask. "I got rid of that nuisance once and for all." |