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Escape From Manitou Island: Part 175 |
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(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.)
MESSENGER SERVICE A BRILLIANT BLAZE and a gale of wind like nothing Turtle had ever felt before suddenly filled the cave, and the little girl yelped and tumbled into the pile of furs, seeking shelter. She peered out over the back of the dead wolf, eyes wide, to see the great glowing shape appear before her, and she had to squint a little as it hurt her eyes so much to look at it. Still, she was too curious to look away, and when the glare faded Megissogwun stood there, just as she'd expected, but she hadn't expected him to look so furious, or to see blood running down his arm. Turtle let out a little gasp and her head popped up. "You're hurt--!" Megissogwun didn't even appear to notice that she was there. He stared down at his arm, fist clenched, and Turtle watched fascinated as the blood streamed from what looked to be hideous bitemarks, dripping from his elbow and spattering against his moccasin. She'd never been particularly nauseated by certain things, so she was more surprised and curious than queasy, and even crawled out of the fur pile to edge a bit closer to get a better look. He still took no notice of her, even though she peered up into his face and saw the fury simmering there. "That bitch injured me," he growled between his teeth, and Turtle took a hop back, letting out a soft hiss and making a nonsense gesture at the bad word. Megissogwun's eyes began glowing like two blue suns and she slowly edged back toward the furs and eased herself into them. She'd seen Manabozho get a look just like that right before attacking him, and that had been one of the strongest attacks she'd ever seen, despite its complete failure to do anything. Her fingers fiddled at the wolf's fur as Megissogwun continued staring at the bite, the glow surrounding him growing brighter and brighter, and she wondered if he was going to blow up the cave itself, he looked so enraged. Then...something strange happened. The cave wall, where images had appeared before, began to flicker and shimmer faintly. Turtle's head came up again and she stared at it, wondering what she would see now. It puzzled her that Megissogwun didn't look at it, until she realized that he wasn't even aware that it was working. He seemed so fixated on the wound to his arm that he didn't notice the images that began flickering across the stone, and didn't notice Turtle's attention fixed on them. She squinted and frowned as the scene didn't make much sense to her--but some dim part of her mind realized that it might be important, so she tried hard to remember what she could. She felt for a moment as if she were flying, as the scene she saw first made it seem so, vast expanses of land and water rushing by beneath her; they grew further and further away, and she saw clouds and birds flying, and she almost reached out to touch them, they seemed so near. She'd always wanted to fly that high, but her little wings weren't made for it, and Manabozho had always discouraged her from going too far from the Island. She let out a little gasp which she quickly stifled when she saw, through a break in the sparse clouds, a shape that was familiar, far below in the water--the Island itself! She recognized it from Megissogwun's earlier image when it had flooded, only now it was intact, shining under the sun, and she had to restrain herself from clapping her hands and crying out in glee. She missed it so much... Abruptly the vision swung away from this, back into the clouds, only now there was grass, and trees, and lodges, and there were people, too, only she couldn't see them clearly; they were all too far away. She felt/saw herself moving toward the trees, into the woods, and the scenery started shifting from side to side as if she were looking for something. A glint of color caught her eye and she fixed on it immediately and moved toward it. It stood out as it was bright red, against the darker green, and at first she wondered if it was some sort of large flower, until she came up close and saw-- It's--it's a little girl! Like me! But bigger!-- The girl before her, dressed all in red--red doeskin, red beads, red shells, red feathers--was running, tinkling sounds escaping her, but she halted and turned to look right at Turtle. Only now did Turtle notice how high above her she was, as the girl in red had to look up to meet her eyes, and an immense shadow fell over her so that her red clothing didn't glimmer as brightly as before. She blinked, as if surprised to see Turtle--then Turtle gasped again when her eyes went wide and a panicked squeal escaped her throat, and suddenly the image went crazy, swinging every which way. Turtle's teeth chattered at the way the trees spun around her, and now she did feel queasy, and had to clutch at the wolf furs for support. The images on the wall grew too confusing for her to make out for a moment or two, but then they swung back into perfect clarity--she saw the color red again, but this time it was blood, and the girl in red was racing away as fast as her feet could carry her, a strange glow billowing out around her as she disappeared from view. The scene began growing hazy then, and Turtle lost interest, as she was wondering what Megissogwun would think of it...yet he was still staring at his arm, and she could tell from the way he stood that everything she'd seen must have taken only a matter of seconds. His back was toward the cave wall. He hadn't seen any of the vision at all. Turtle considered telling him, reconsidered, then shut her mouth. Megissogwun took in a breath of his own and slowly let it out. The glow around him began to fade, and the blue glow faded from his eyes as well; Turtle began to relax, realizing that he wasn't going to blow up the cave, at least not yet. He narrowed his eyes a bit and stared hard at the wound to his arm until it began to glow softly, and she watched in awe as the ragged tears started to grow smaller, drawing in on themselves like a pouch being cinched shut, until nothing was left but some ugly scars. Megissogwun lowered his arm, the blood beginning to dry black on it already, and only now did he turn and look at the cave wall. Turtle expected him to say something about what she'd just seen, and was hoping that it would explain some things, but yet again it was obvious that he hadn't seen anything that she had. "She is the second one who has done that to me," he said in a mild voice, "but nowhere near the first in power. No matter. She is dead now, and the first, I'll be finding out where she is soon enough." The wall shimmered and Manitou Island appeared again, making Turtle crane her neck forward as if to reach it. "This should wound her well enough, seeing how it worked the first time." He waved his arm and the image of the Island was swept away by the waves, so Turtle bit her lip hard enough to hurt and dug her fingers into the dead wolf's ruff, eyes filling with tears. Megissogwun turned from the wall and she opened her mouth to say something--what, she wasn't sure, maybe she would just call him a name--but without a word to her he walked through the other wall and vanished from sight. Turtle blinked. He'd done that before, so it was no surprise; but she was surprised that he would leave again, so soon after returning. He never walked through the walls, she realized, unless he was going to be gone for a bit, meaning that he was truly gone, and not just in another nearby cave or tunnel; she knew; she'd been keeping track. She held perfectly still for a moment, straining her ears, trying hard to sense him even though she'd never had that power, then, finding the cave empty, she tumbled out of the furs and scampered toward the vision wall, placing her hands against it. "Please please please!" she begged, hopping up and down pleadingly. "I know you work, I know you do! I know he makes you show him stuff--and he said manitous can see! I'm part manitou! I can see stuff in you, I know I can! I did! You showed me the big friendly snake thing, and you showed me this--I don't know how but I know it's what he was thinking, when he was looking at his arm and stuff, just like that! You showed me what he was thinking, didn't you? He didn't even know it but I saw it! I know I did! You can show me other stuff, right--? Important stuff? Please please show me something while he's gone! I don't know when he'll be back--so please hurry! I don't even care what it is--I don't even care if it's not Papa--just help me help them somehow, please please!" She bit her lip hard and forced herself to remain silent for a moment, straining to hear as if the wall should talk back to her. She heard nothing, and began fretting, shifting from foot to foot...but there was a flicker, and she took in a breath and leaned forward until her nose touched stone. She stared and stared until she began to see again. "I'm--I'm flying!" she whispered, seeing the snowy landscape passing by beneath her. "No...I'm not flying," she corrected herself, struggling to sort out how this must work. She'd never thought about things so hard before in her life. "Someone else is flying...but I can see them..." She squinted, but the landscape was the same all around. "Snow, snow, snow...where are we going? Where are you taking me...?" She watched as the land came up close, there was a glow, and then whoever she was watching was apparently running close to the ground. "Run, run, run," she murmured, still looking around, taking everything in. "Oh! We're stopping--? Huh...?" She frowned now when she saw paws start digging in the snow, tossing up rocks and dirt. "Digging a hole!" she exclaimed, and jumped up and down. "I love digging holes!" She shook her head to focus again. "This isn't for fun, Turtle! Why are we digging a hole? Going underground...? That's it!" She gasped and tried digging her fingers against the wall. "Somebody's going underground! Oh! That big snake-thingie was underground in a tunnel! Just like me! Just like this person!" She pressed her cheek to the wall. "Please let him see me! Please? You did it before, I know you can again!" And, without even knowing what she was doing, she shut her eyes and concentrated, throwing her thoughts as hard as she could at the strange presence that was out digging in the snow, hoping they would notice. There was a small flutter of gray, and then the jay landed in the snow, transformed into a badger, and began to dig furiously. Wisakedjak had to stop and sniff every so often, but he was fairly certain there was someone under the ground in this area. They weren't manitous, so they were harder for him to find, but they weren't human either, and that was exactly who he was seeking. "'A water serpent and a wolf demon,'" he said under his breath, hunks of frozen earth sailing past him. "What strange company they keep! Well, it's not for me to judge..." He wrinkled his muzzle. "Though they certainly smell strange enough!" With his massive claws he dug into the hard soil quite rapidly, and it wasn't long before he had a decent tunnel going. He lamented that this one couldn't replace his old tunnel under the river, then mulled over the idea of expanding it so that it could...it would be nice, and useful, to have a tunnel that went into all sorts of places, including perhaps where those strangers had come from...this thought cheered him up considerably, and he worked his way around a large rock, using it to help support the roof of his emerging tunnel. The rock flashed, and Wisakedjak yelped and promptly bumped his head against it. He jerked back, shaking his head and grumbling. "Stupid stone!" he rebuked it, shaking his long badger claws in warning. "I should take you out and break you into..." He trailed off when he saw that there was an image in the rock, and it was staring back at him. Wisakedjak blinked at the sight of the little girl with the big eyes. He tilted his head a bit, then tapped the rock with a claw, seeing her mimic the gesture. He took in a breath. "A little stone person! No, wait..." He frowned. "She's not nearly ugly enough! Hm." He paused in thought, then snapped his claws. "Ah! She's trapped within this obnoxious rock!" He tapped the stone again and saw her eyes light up. "Never fear, little one! I'll dig this thing out and dash it to pieces to free you...though after that I really have to get going..." He grasped onto both sides of the rock, ready to pull it loose, but as soon as she saw this gesture her mouth grew wide and she began hopping and shaking her head wildly. Wisakedjak's frown returned as he watched her. "Ah," he said again, nodding to himself. "If I do that, she'll break into pieces too! Thoughtless of me. Well..." He sniffed at the stone. "Has to be something I can do..." Only now did he think to actually pay attention to what the girl was doing. Her mouth was moving, but he couldn't hear anything; that made sense, seeing as she was trapped, but what she started doing next made no sense to him at all. He saw her retreat and then come back with a dead wolf in her arms, and he made a face as she hurried to carry it back to where it belonged. "Eugh. Children these days...picking up and playing with every little dead thing they find on the ground! Wait a minute..." He squinted and now saw that she seemed to be in a room, or a cave, which was much bigger than the rock itself. That could be explained--maybe it was similar to his deadfall lodge--but the way she acted didn't seem to indicate that she was trapped in the rock. He noticed that she didn't even seem aware that she appeared to be trapped in a rock, as her attention was focused merely on the cave she was in, and on him; when she came back she began pantomiming things, and, just like her, Wisakedjak found himself concentrating as hard as he could for the first time in his life. Something about this seemed deadly serious, and he had to figure it out. When she saw that he was paying attention, she began making her gestures slower and clearer. First, she spun in a slow circle, holding her arms out to indicate the cave she was within; she turned back then, and held up her arms, making an awful face. She waved her fingers at her eyes and stomped. "Oh. A big manitou. Well, that's easy," Wisakedjak said mildly, and flashed his own eyes and bared his teeth to show that he understood. The girl nodded. She moved her hands around in front of herself, pointed at her eyes, then stared in his direction, mouth hanging open, as if she'd just lapsed into a trance. Wisakedjak was silent for a moment, waiting for her to make her next move, before realizing that this was the move. "Hm," he mused. "This one's a little harder. Well...seeing? Vision?" She moved her hands around in front of herself and he frowned. "What, are you trapped in a box...? Box!" His head popped up and he hit it again, grimacing. "Wall! I see!" He traced his claws over the rock, examining it curiously. "It's a vision wall! How interesting! I've always wanted to put one of those in my lodge...a nice big one..." He nodded and waved at her, noticing her look of relief as she began gesturing again. "Fortunately for you, little child, I am quite wise in the ways of things and can easily understand your--for Gitchi's sake, slow down!" he snapped when her motions grew almost frantic. She must have noticed his agitation, for she did as he said, and he focused again. "Feathers. Bird," he said; "Red," when she dipped her finger in what looked to be a bit of blood on the floor and flourished it at him. "Red bird?" he said, changing into a cardinal, and she nodded so that he changed back. "Ouch," he said when she ran her fingers down her own arm and made an awful face. "Wounded. Broken wing?" She nodded at the first, then shook her head at the second, so he shrugged. She mimicked a manitou again, and ran her hands over the vision wall between them, and he nodded. Then she made begging gestures, pointed at her eyes, and then began drawing a long, undulating line across the wall. "That's different," Wisakedjak murmured, watching her finger's progress. "OH!" he exclaimed as soon as she drew horns upon the imaginary figure's head. "A Water Lynx! A serpent!" He had to restrain himself from trying to jump up and down in his excitement. "That's who I'm looking for!" He coughed, realizing that his behavior was unbecoming, and settled somewhat. "I mean--I too am seeking this creature! And a wolf demon..." He gestured at the pile of furs dimly visible behind her, and her face practically lit up with joy, and she hopped up and down herself, nodding wildly. "I take it you know them, then," he said, as she put her fingers to her head to pantomime horns and ran in circles. "Well...say no more. I'm going to find them, as soon as I dig this tunnel here, and then I guess I may as well just stop talking because you can't even hear me," he interrupted himself in midsentence, fighting a scowl. "Hold on--why is a little underground girl seeking them too?" He racked his brain trying to put it all together. The voice of the fire-haired girl, back in his lodge, came back to him. "This is even more important to him than to us because the Pearl...um...Shell-Feather took his daughter..." Wisakedjak gasped. "Daughter!" He pressed a paw to the rock. "That's who you are!" He mimicked rabbit's ears over his head, and her enthusiasm just about turned into hysteria, she jumped and flailed about so vehemently. "Well why didn't she just say so?" he growled. "Would've saved me all this trouble!" He waved to catch her attention. "Fear not, little niece! For that's who you are to me, your Uncle Wisakedjak!" He ignored the perplexed frown she gave him. "I'll find these two and convey your message...whatever in Gitchi's name it all means." He made his own face, and hoped that this wasn't just an immense waste of time; children could be quite silly, he'd learned. "Meanwhile, you just stay put! Your father--" he pantomimed the ears again "--and the others are all on their way!" She must have understood, for her eyes filled with tears and her lip trembled a little, and when he placed his claws against the rock again she did the same with her little hand. "Farewell! It was an honor to meet the daughter of my esteemed brother!" And he resumed digging, albeit a lot more quickly now, burrowing his way under the rock and sniffing the odd scent of the Lynx and the wolf demon the entire way. When his claws at last poked through into water, which promptly began pooling in the tunnel he'd dug, he sighed, but burrowed into it nonetheless, changing into an otter and sealing up the hole the best that he could before swimming along. After a moment or so in near-total darkness, he saw faint glowing shapes, and another moment later, when he opened his mouth to let out a noise to attract the creature's attention, he instead found himself biting the end of a finned tail, and he gagged on it. The tail immediately whipped upward, slamming Wisakedjak into the tunnel ceiling. He let go and drifted toward the bottom, his tongue dangling out and eyes goggling; the water was filled with quick motions then, as whatever was ahead of him drew further away and something else came to take its place. He found himself face to face with some strange creature with horns and glowing eyes, and it was baring its teeth at him, its snake tail snapping through the water. Wisakedjak shook his head dazedly. Wolf demon...? he though, his mind hazy; the creature stopped snarling and blinked at him, then he at last shook himself out of his daze and let out a furious blaat noise which made it shrink back. HOW DARE YOU! How dare you treat an important manitou thus, you big--stupid--dog thing! Oh! Manabozho--? I didn't recognize you! the demon replied, his voice quite apologetic. Wisakedjak fumed. NO I'm not Manabozho! Why does everyone keep thinking that? We're nothing alike! The wolf demon looked ready to say something but didn't get to. I am Wisakedjak, the Gray Jay, the great Hero of the North! I'm obviously somewhat out of my range! But I've come on an important mission from your friends, you know, this 'Bozho fellow you all keep yammering so much about, and a girl who looks like her hair is on fire... OH! Charmian! The demon turned his head toward the large dark shape which was now squeezing to turn itself around in the tunnel. Did you hear that, Mishu? Charmian sent this fellow to say hello! Oh how lovely! the Underwater Lynx exclaimed, and Wisakedjak made a slight face to hear such courteous language from a creature like this. Yes, well... He swung his otter tail from side to side a bit, flustered. I wasn't so much sent to say hello as to inform you of her group's progress, so you may know where and how to find them...do you know how manitous speak...? When the demon nodded, Wisakedjak held out one little paw, and the demon touched his nose to it. His eyes widened as Wisakedjak told him everything he knew so far, and when he finally pulled away he looked quite awed. So much has been going on out there! I'm glad they're all right. So they're still on the way west--? Do you have any idea how much longer we'll have to travel? We've been lucky so far, the Lynx said, fins swishing, seeing as we've managed to find a tunnel that leads this far; but I haven't a clue how long it will hold out! Well... Wisakedjak shrugged. How would I know! I'm not from here. He scowled when they gave him perplexed looks. Just keep swimming! I'm certain you'll all find a way together in the end. You two obviously know far more about slinking around in tunnels than I do. In any case, I have important things to do, but first, I was asked to convey another message by that little girl, you know, 'Bozho-whatever's daughter or whatever her name is. TURTLE? the two exclaimed in unison, making him jump. They both crowded so close that he let out a startled bubble and pressed himself to the tunnel wall. Oh! Oh! Is she all right--? the Lynx cried, spines flexing every which way. I saw her myself some time ago and she was all by herself, the poor little thing!--I wanted so much to help her out, but I'm here and she's there, you see-- For Gitchi's sake! Let me talk!! Wisakedjak yelled, and they both fell silent, heads drooping guiltily. Firstly, she appears to be fine, he said, glaring at them. Secondly, I'm not certain what exactly it was that she wanted me to tell you, but she seemed quite adamant about getting herself across, so...I'll just tell you what I could make out of it. She was looking at me through a vision wall, that much is certain. So wherever she is, she has access to one. It was underground where I saw her. That's what the others said, the Lynx verified. They mentioned a "window." But then again, they also mentioned a "door." I'm afraid I didn't fully understand, as I could find no way through to her. It was just a vision I saw, Wisakedjak replied. There was no way through, at least, not at that moment. In any case, she told me something about a big powerful manitou--I assume that's the Shell-Feather who is holding her captive--and something about a red bird, and someone's arm being dreadfully injured, and then she told me about you two. Here. He had the demon touch his paw again. See if you can make any more sense of it all, since I haven't the patience. Oh, the demon said, furrowing his brow. She did seem quite insistent about something! I guess as soon as we meet the others again, we should tell them, he added, to the Lynx, who nodded in agreement. It must be very important! Of course it is; I wouldn't have bothered with it otherwise! Wisakedjak said. Anyway, this is what I promised to do, and now that I'm done, I have to get going back home and see to things there. Very important things! In the meantime, I wish all of you luck in defeating this beast once and for all! As long as I get some of the credit, he added, in case they'd forgotten. The other two just stared at him blankly, and he remembered that they hadn't been present at the time. He scowled. Oh...of course, the demon said after a moment, and the Lynx nodded. Of course you will! Thank you so much for going to all this trouble, really...er...what was your name again? WISAKEDJAK!! Wisakedjak snapped, making them flinch. He whirled around to paddle away. How can anybody forget such a simple yet outstanding name? The rudeness of some people...! He sensed the others watching him swim back up the tunnel. I don't know, he heard the demon murmur to the Lynx, it's just as odd a name as "Manabozho"... Certainly, the Lynx replied in full agreement, nowhere near as easy and graceful as "Xrr'grra'nghraghu"! Wisakedjak rolled his eyes and let out the sigh of one weary of dealing with such inferior creatures. He paddled a little faster and hoped he'd have better luck with his next tunnel. |