|
Escape From Manitou Island: Part 171 |
|
(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.)
PUPPET MASTER TRAVELING AS A ball of fire or as a bear had its benefits, but it was certainly draining after a while. So for the moment Mishosha and Makwaquae were walking, despite the way that Makwaquae kept grumbling under her breath. For a long time Mishosha ignored her, focusing instead on the strangely evolving landscape around them--even the spirits felt different by now--and every once in a while tentatively reaching out to try to sense the others as they traveled to the north. He had no desire to go after them just yet. He felt he could kill the fire-haired girl easily, as she was so full of herself and lacking in prudence, that killing her would be simple. It was just this reason why he decided to let her live for now, though; it would be interesting to see what she had up her sleeve once they met at the plains. Her and her teacher, of course. Mishosha's mouth twitched at the thought of meeting her teacher. No wonder she was so amusing, she'd been his student. "I'm getting tired of walking," Makwaquae muttered at last, shaking off one snowshoed foot. "My legs hurt! I thought we would just swoop in on them like we usually do. Why are we walking around like common little worms?" "Worms don't walk, Makwa-dear," Mishosha replied, "and you know how much medicine it consumes traveling like that. I'd like us to be in at least somewhat good form for taking them on." "But we have more medicine in our little fingers than they do combined," she complained. "They seriously worry you now?" "Keep in mind, Makwa-dear," Mishosha said, "even though I know it galls you to do so--we're still not quite manitous just yet. And so sometimes, yes, we have to conserve our power for bigger things. Don't give me that sour look," he said when her mouth started to purse up. "It doesn't befit you. You knew going in that we were going to have to face some ignoble things in our quest for this, so perk up, and think of what fun you'll have dipping your hands in a makuk full of their blood." Makwaquae tucked her hands into her sleeves and started grumbling again. "Taking far too long to become manitous...I thought we'd be there by now." She abruptly fell silent, then Mishosha heard her thoughts in his head. Do you think he's watching us right now? Listening? I can't help but feel we should trust him less and less. Her stare wandered vaguely skyward and she seemed worried at last. Mishosha's own amused look faded. He hadn't told her about how the fire-haired girl had sought him out, and told him of what Megissogwun was supposedly planning for them; even though she had her suspicions, it was best not to irritate Makwaquae more than she already was, else she might reconsider their plans or, more likely, act on them far too soon. Patience had never been her virtue. Just watch what you say of him, he advised her, even what you think. We needn't worry about him until after this is through. He started speaking aloud again. "Remember, Makwa-dear, when I first took you under my wing and started teaching you the way of the wabanos? You got this glint in your eye like a weasel catching a mouse. There it is, right there," he said when a smile started to creep up her face. "And you got that same look when we started out on this mission. I should like very much to see that look when we meet those little rodents again." "You could see that look much sooner," Makwaquae said, "if you'd bother to stop for a bit and find a nice place to hole up in." "As much as that thought appeals to me, Makwa-dear, we do have bigger things to tend to at the moment; but not to worry, once we get back to our island we can see about replacing Little Wind with somebody a bit more relative." He lifted his head as if to sniff the air. "In any event, those 'plains' can't be too far away by now. So you can do all the rat catching you'd like. Except to leave the two girls and their teacher. The winter-haired girl is Megissogwun's, and the teacher is mine." "And the fire-haired girl?" He couldn't quite suppress a flinch when she looked at him, and a frown came to her face. "What exactly is so special about her?" she demanded. "All she is is a pest! She isn't even the one who killed our manitou. All she does is open her mouth and let stupid things come out. I'd love shoving my fist in her mouth and breaking out all her teeth." Her lip curled back in an ugly look and she clenched her fist as if envisioning this scene. For some reason, Mishosha found that the thought didn't appeal to him, and he shook his head. "It's merely that she has some connection to this Island of theirs, is all. She's defended it twice before and it keeps calling her back. There must be some sort of power to her, that she keeps getting involved in things that shouldn't be her business. I'd like to find out what that power is." Makwaquae's frown grew and she stared at him, but he kept his thoughts closed to her. The truth was, the fire-haired girl had been troubling him ever since she'd first come straight to his cave to speak to him. Nobody ever faced him down like that. At least, no children ever did. Especially not girl children. Makwaquae was the only one who'd never been terrified of him. He knew she was ignorant, and full of herself, but there had to be some reason to make a mere girl confident enough to face down a wabano unassisted. "Oh! Look!" Makwaquae's voice cut into his thoughts and he shook his head a bit, turning to look at her. She was pointing northward; at first he assumed that they'd wandered within sight of the others, but Makwaquae seemed far too cheery now for that. She glanced at him with a wide smile, and kept pointing, hopping up and down now. "It's some sort of manitou! Way out in the middle of nowhere!" She took a step back so he could see the distant shape lumbering their way and he frowned again. "It looks like some kind of insane cross between a bear and a moose," he said skeptically. "Who cares what it looks like? They actually have manitous here after all. I just KNOW those other little vermin are going to make use of them; just look, I bet they're the reason why this one is all by itself!" She whirled to face him, hands clasped. "Can I kill him? Please? I'm so bored!" "Makwa-dear," Mishosha sighed, "what have I told you about randomly killing spirits?" Makwaquae started pouting. "You're getting boring, too! If this is what it takes to become manitous then I'd rather be doing something else!" She held up her hand as if to throw a fireball at the spirit. "Makwaquae," Mishosha said in a sharp voice, and she jerked and tensed before lowering her arm somewhat meekly but sullenly. She gave him a dark look but didn't protest as he moved to stand beside her, shielding his eyes from the slight wind. "You may not kill it," he said, and her dark look grew even darker and she stuck her hands in her sleeves; he doubted that she'd be interesting in finding a spot to hole up in now. "I've thought of something a bit more fun," he added, and at last she peered up at him again, though her angry pout didn't disappear. "Like what...?" "Nothing new." He lowered his hand and likewise tucked them into his sleeves, watching the spirit's approach. "But it's a game I know you like. Look at how it's sniffing the air at us. I can't help but feel they sent it out themselves. This is the first spirit I've seen here and they don't seem to like just wandering around by themselves." He tilted his head and whistled loudly, making the spirit halt in its tracks, ears flicking; he frowned, then simply raised an arm to point behind himself. "Elder Brother! Greetings! I notice you seek somebody." He gestured. "Would it be a great winged wolf with horns, and a spirit of the water? If so, they travel just south of here, under the ground in a tunnel of water." The spirit blinked, then he saw its eyes grow a little. It let out a lowing sound at the same time that a thought entered their heads. Have seen them? You travel with them then--? "Not quite," Mishosha replied, "but we too are travelers, and I thought we could be of help. They're not too far that way." "This is boring," Makwaquae muttered between clenched teeth. "Just wait for it," Mishosha whispered back, the spirit resuming its odd lumbering gait. Makwaquae's fingers twitched but she managed to hold her place as the creature came close at last, and Mishosha saw the look of disgust flit across her face when they finally got a decent look at it. Ew! This is what passes as a manitou around here--? I think I'd rather do things on my own! But where would the fun be in that...? Mishosha replied, and he stretched out his arm to point again as the spirit reached them. "Right over that way," he said, "a sort of little pit in the ground...a sinkhole. It has some ice over it, and we sensed those two under the ground." Very great thanks, the spirit said, dipping its shaggy head, and went past. Makwaquae raised an eyebrow when Mishosha used his outstretched hand to snatch at some of the fur trailing from its side, and managed to pluck some loose with barely any effort at all. The spirit halted and looked back at him in puzzlement, but Mishosha was already shaking his hands and making a mortified face. "Forgiveness, Elder Brother! I should have watched what I was doing..." The spirit let out a neutral sound, then went on its way. The two wabanos watched it for a moment, then Makwaquae stood silent while Mishosha hurriedly untied one of his pouches, dug a bit, and pulled out a medicine doll. His wife raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you actually have one suited for one of those things...?" "'What passes as a manitou,'" Mishosha echoed her. "Recall? The same principle should still apply, no matter how ghastly those things look." He tied the bit of fur around the neck of the doll and then they both looked up at it again. The spirit had slowed down some distance away and was peering back at them again, its eyes strangely wary. Mishosha could tell that it must be realizing something, as it slowly turned around and stared at them, then began coming back, although it meandered somewhat off to the side as if to avoid them, which was exactly what it was doing. Mishosha's mouth twitched. "Stupid brute. Surely those brats informed these dumb spirits that they have a couple of undesired followers. I wonder what took it so long to figure it out?" "Can't I just hit it in the leg or something...?" Makwaquae pleaded. "Don't need to." They watched the creature pick up its pace and start trotting away, northward again. "Here, I'll let you have some fun with this instead." He handed her the doll and Makwaquae snatched it up with glee. "Wonderful! First I'll snap off its hind legs..." Mishosha rolled his eyes and stopped her from breaking the doll's limbs. "Makwa-dear, you seriously need to learn to use your wits sometime. Think for a moment and come up with something a bit more amusing than just slaughtering something!" "But slaughtering is fun," Makwaquae pouted. However, her eyes lit up as an idea apparently struck her, and she actually hopped up and down a little and let out a cackle. "I know! This should be a lot more fun, and witty." She pinched the doll hard, and they both looked up to try to see the spirit, but it was out of sight by now. Still, they knew that the doll should work, and Makwaquae laughed again. "Hurts, doesn't it?" she shouted. "This should hurt a whole lot more!" She held up the doll and commenced running with it, arm stretched over her head, and the wind blew through both the bit of fur and her hair as she did so. Mishosha's mouth twisted a little and he crossed his arms to watch her do so, letting out crowing sounds as she ran. "I wish I had a whole little camp of those dolls," she exclaimed, "so I could see this for MYSELF!" And she swung the doll as if to throw it, then began turning in mad circles, arm jerking every which way as if she'd just lost control of it. Mishosha started laughing at the maniacal look on her face. "What are you doing now?" he called out. "Easy!" she called back, and halted long enough to strike the doll against the snow. "Killing a little rat! And now--killing another little rat!" She swung again, spun in another circle, and continued this crazy dance for so long that Mishosha thought she would surely collapse from exhaustion. "Don't you think you've rather killed them all by now...?" he asked after a few moments. "Well, there's no such thing as overkill, is there?" she retorted, halted, then grinned from ear to ear. "It's the little fire-haired brat," she said, as if Charmian stood right in front of her. Mishosha could tell that she was just pretending, but lost his smile just the same. "Hello, brat!" Makwaquae crowed, and swung the doll at the invisible spot in the air. "MAKWAQUAE!" She halted so abruptly that she nearly lost her balance, having to hop forward a step or two to avoid falling. Her head jerked up and she blinked at Mishosha stupidly, then her face paled when she saw the look on his own. "I already told you!" Mishosha barked. "You will LEAVE her alone!" They stared at each other tensely for a moment or two, then she at last stood down, lowering the doll in her hand. The sullen look started to return to her face but he was too irritated now to placate her. He jerked his hand and she slowly came toward him to give the doll back; he tucked it back in his pouch. "We have no way of even telling if this ruse worked," he muttered as he did so, "without a camp full of their dolls like you suggested. So for now, we keep heading west. And if we run into them or any of those horrid spirits again, you can lop off as many heads as you like, but three of them you will leave alone." She didn't even say anything as they resumed walking. He could tell that she was expecting him to say something, make some sort of snide comment that would put her in a good humor again, but he didn't have it in him right now. That brat is more powerful than she deserves. She isn't even a wabano, so why has Wabun graced her? And why does that Island call to her? And my Red Swan...how does she know what her spirit looks like, when that Swan doesn't even know, herself...? SOME sort of manitou is watching over her...and I'll have to keep her alive until I find out exactly why and what it is. Perhaps it would benefit us, too... He almost told Makwaquae this, to settle her somewhat, but noticed the look on her face and decided not to. They'd had spats before, they'd have them again; this was nothing new. Makwaquae was a good partner, but somewhat simple when it came to such things as the politics of manitous. As soon as she had the chance to dip her hands in someone's blood she'd be in a better mood. And perhaps they'd be able to think more clearly. Saying nothing, he picked up his pace, knowing that she would follow even if she decided to drag her feet a little. Charmian pivoted on one heel, seeing the others gawk before whirling around themselves. "He's charging us! RUN!!" Everyone scattered, some of them crying out, others grabbing at their weapons or preparing to fight even as they ran. Charmian glanced back over her shoulder at the buffalo spirit racing toward them, its bobbing head and frantically scrabbling legs a sight that would have been amusing at any other time. Despite its task of heading south to locate X'aaru and Mishupishu, it seemed to have changed its mind and targeted them, though the look in its eyes told Charmian that something wasn't right. It seemed panicked, as if it couldn't even control what it was doing. As if to confirm this, it let out a loud blaring lowing noise, and Manabozho, leaping through the snow like a rabbit, glanced back as well, blinking in surprise. "He says--he says he can't stop running!!" he exclaimed. "Like something just took hold of him and made him run!" "Took hold--?" Charmian echoed, then sucked in a breath, which wasn't much as she was already starting to tire. "Something did! He went south to find Mishu and X--well what ELSE is south of us--?!" Manabozho blinked, then the color drained from his face. He whirled around and halted where he stood, though the motion nearly made him fall over. Charmian stumbled to a stop as well when she saw him do this, and she waved frantically. "COME ON, stupid! You're going to just stand there--?!" "If that wabano has a medicine doll on this thing then it's NEVER going to stop attacking!" he shouted back. "Not until we're all trampled to bits! It stops only when its dead, or we're dead. Go on! I can take this on easily." Charmian ground her teeth. "That's what I'm AFRAID of, dumbass! We just got on these guys' good side! I hardly need you RUINING that--!" He gave her an awful look even as the spirit drew closer. "Oh, for GITCHI'S SAKE!! Would you GET GOING already?!" Charmian opened her mouth, then just yelped when someone grabbed her and began half-dragging, half-carrying her away. She glared at Thomas even as he tried to shrug, Winter Born keeping pace beside him with wide eyes. "Sorry," he said. "But you know he's right." "Well--" She managed to wrest herself loose. "I at least want to see what's going on! Mishosha has to be nearby if he got hold of this buffalo. Does he have Mishu and X too--?" She grimaced at the thought of the two of them being forced to attack them like the buffalo spirit was obviously doing. "MANABOZHO!!" she yelled as loudly as she could as the spirit raced at him. "Find out what he's thinking!" "Like I have TIME for that--?" Manabozho snapped, then gasped and dodged aside. The buffalo spirit started coming at the rest of them, but he raced ahead of it so that it had to skid to a halt, even as Charmian realized that that wasn't what it was doing at all. The buffalo spirit jerked and raced around as if blind, lowing in panic, like a chess piece being moved crazily and randomly across a board. "He can't see us right now," Charmian said under her breath, so just Thomas and Winter Born could hear. "He's just guessing! He's hoping it'll just run us down by chance!" "Seems like that could rather be more dangerous than just attacking, couldn't it--?" Thomas countered, and as proof, the buffalo spirit jerked sideways so suddenly that it plowed straight into Manabozho and practically ran him over. Charmian gasped and felt the blood drain from her face, but he quickly got back to his feet, albeit with an awful grimace. "OW!!" he yelled, and shook a fist. "I'll teach you to trample ME, you stupid--" "'BOZHO!!" Charmian screamed so that he jumped. She waved her arms. "It's NOT in its right head! Figure out what it's thinking, and FEND IT OFF!" Manabozho rolled his eyes in an exaggerated manner but started jogging after the zigzagging spirit nonetheless. "Oh, what a PAIN you are when I'm trying to put up a decent fight!" "'Decent fight,' my ass," Charmian muttered, as they stood at various distances and watched Manabozho and the buffalo spirit as they charged and dodged each other. There was no pattern to the buffalo's movements that Charmian could see, but in her mind's eye she could easily imagine some giant invisible hand grasping onto it and moving it back and forth and around and around like a child playing with a toy car. The thought made her a little bit sick, and the frightened noises that the spirit was letting out didn't make her feel any better. Manabozho took a great leap to the side--she was surprised by how agile he could be, when he really tried--and landed in a crouch. "He says he went looking south just like he promised," he shouted, watching the buffalo warily as it spun in a dizzy circle and tottered a bit. "He met somebody who told him where the other two could be found." He jumped again when the buffalo spirit zipped toward him, trampling the spot he'd just vacated. "When he tried to go past, this person scratched his side and then apologized! He thought he should come back and warn us as they seemed kind of suspicious--" another jump, this one rather awkward, and Manabozho had to roll over to avoid the spirit's horns "--but before he could reach us, he just started running like somebody's making his legs go!" "They?" Charmian echoed. "It was more than one person--?" When the buffalo spirit let out two loud blaat sounds she chewed on her fingernails. "Mishosha and Makwaquae! That's how they got control of it. He must've taken some of its fur or something. How the heck long is this going to take--?" "Why are you asking me?" Manabozho retorted, then yelped and ducked and the buffalo spirit raced right over him, its hooves just missing his back. He popped up again like a gopher from a hole and gave her an irate glare. "You just wanted to know what he's thinking, well, THAT'S what he's thinking!" He got to his feet to face the spirit down when it turned again. "NOW can I brain him--?" Charmian clenched her fists and Thomas took a step back from her, seeing the look on her face. "For the LAST frigging time--" The buffalo spirit let out a loud distressed noise and charged, but veered sideways at the last moment. Manabozho was left standing in the snow with a surprised look on his face when it ran straight at Charmian's little group. Winter Born grasped Charmian's wrist and let out a little yelp of her own--Charmian didn't know whether to be relieved or worried that she wasn't powering up for one of her fits--and Thomas bumped into Charmian's other side, knocking them all over. He managed to scramble out of the way to avoid getting his legs crushed when the spirit breezed by, though the blood drained from his face and when he took Charmian's other arm he was shaking. "I honestly don't think we can afford to just dodge this thing all day!" he exclaimed. "We have no idea when Mishosha's going to STOP, though!" Charmian cried. "Isn't he going to get tired--?" Winter Born asked; when Charmian looked at her, thinking that she meant Mishosha, she pointed at Manabozho. "Running around like that--?" Charmian looked at Manabozho and saw that, despite his best efforts to look lively, he did seem to be tiring somewhat, his leaps and bounds not quite as graceful as before, and bit her lip. He was somehow delaying actually attacking the spirit, which halted just long enough to trample something imaginary on the ground, but she had no idea how long he could hold out without striking it some kind of debilitating blow. She bit her lip, then opened her mouth to tell him to go ahead and do so, since nothing else would fend the spirit off, though she had no clue how they would ever explain this to the other spirits of this region... Manabozho must have been thinking the same thing she was, for he skidded to a halt, one foot burrowing down into the snow so he sank to his knee, and held up his hands toward the spirit when it raced at him again. Charmian saw his eyes light up and then-- A gust of wind knocked into Charmian and the other two so hard that they yelled and collapsed where they stood. The brunt of the gale just missed them, for when Charmian's head popped up, she saw the buffalo spirit go flying sideways, leaving Manabozho's line of attack clear. Manabozho's jaw dropped and he gawked at where it had just been. Charmian opened her mouth again to ask him how he'd done that when he shot to his feet, fists clenched, and shook his head wildly at her. "It WASN'T ME!!" |