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Escape From Manitou Island: Part 187 |
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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.)
MISHIBIZHIKI EVERYONE IN THE little plains camp had come forward by now, abandoning their little fire and their food, to join Charmian's small group, staring at the clouds moving in from the northwest. Nobody spoke now--not even Stick-In-The-Dirt, who'd been shaking his rattle and singing atop the little rise where Charmian had left the copper. The clouds slowly broke apart and started drifting away. The main cloudbank had been in the shape of a massive buffalo, bigger than an elephant, bigger than ten elephants put together--Charmian guessed it had been bigger than a whale, it was so gigantic. Remembering Mishimakwa's appearance, she held her breath and waited to see what Mishibizhiki would look like. His horns alone would probably be longer than an elephant's tusks... She watched the pieces of cloud drift away from where the horns would be, but there was nothing behind them. Likewise when the top of the cloud buffalo's head and hump broke apart and faded, and where its face would be, and its broad chest and legs...Charmian was sure more than a few of them were by now furrowing their brows in puzzlement when no giant buffalo was revealed behind the dispersing clouds. Was it hiding? Was it invisible--? Everyone's stares slowly moved downward as the clouds dissipated from top to bottom. The cloud buffalo's legs broke apart last, and then... "Oh!" Winter Born cried, grabbing Charmian's hand. "Look! Mishibizhiki!" Charmian sucked in a breath. Then let it out when the clouds that made up the great buffalo's foreleg crumpled to pieces and evaporated, and something came trotting through the grass, letting out a loud bleat. Everyone stood watching stupidly as a little spindly-legged buffalo calf made its way toward the rise upon which Stick-In-The-Dirt stood, equally little baby cow sounds coming from it as it went. It approached the rise first from the far side; but, when it kept tripping and stumbling and rolling back over itself, it trotted toward the gentler rise at the back and began ascending that instead. Every so often one of its legs flew out from under it and it would nearly topple over, only to push itself back up, its little tail flicking through the air. Dead silence from the others. After a moment spent watching the calf struggle on its way up, Charmian ventured, "That's it?" Nobody answered at first. "Would probably make some decent veal," Lieutenant Barrington offered at last, but she was too dumbfounded to bother yelling at him. "I kind of...thought he would be a little bit bigger," Winter Born murmured as the spindly calf reached the top of the rise, trotted toward Stick-In-The-Dirt, and fell head over heels. The medicine man blinked a few times, and his mouth fell open when the calf bleated, picked itself up, and came to a stop before him. When he did nothing else, it lost interest, turning instead to the hunk of Cheengwun's copper. It started capering in little circles around it, emitting little cheerful sounds. "It's kind of cute," Marten remarked. "How can something like that be the great Guardian of Bizhiki...?" Niskigwun asked, confused. "I don't know..." They all looked at Charmian and she gave a flustered shrug. "Well, we've seen lots weirder things! I mean, why not?" She waved to catch Stick-In-The-Dirt's attention. "Stick! Have any idea how to talk to him? Tell him why we're here and what we need him to do!" Stick-In-The-Dirt blinked again, then flushed and nodded. He held up his rattle and tried speaking to the buffalo calf, though it seemed more interested in capering around the hunk of copper. "Great Mishibizhiki! Greetings! We've traveled so far from the east...in the hopes you can lead us to the west...er...Mishibizhiki..." He took a few steps to the left, then the right, as the calf continued its cheerful leaping. "Ahm...Mishibizhiki...?" "Really does not carry itself about like a great Guardian of the Bizhiki," Niskigwun said with disapproval. "Appearances aren't everything!" Charmian protested. "If I've learned anything it's that. If Mishibizhiki is a little kid, then we talk to him like a little kid. He seems to really like that copper--we just--" Stick-In-The-Dirt screamed and turned away from the dancing calf, promptly plummeting off the edge of the rise and landing with a smack in the pit below. Charmian winced and opened her mouth to ask what had happened, but then found she didn't have to. Something else was appearing on the other side of the rise, apparently out of nowhere, and they all stared with goggling eyes as it came into view. Charmian thought that another hill was spontaneously arising from the earth, if the thick clumps of grass and the great curving trees and little pools of glimmering water were any indication, until she realized that the water must be standing on its sides, and then the water flicked and was staring right at her. "Oohhhhh," Winter Born breathed. "THAT must be Mishibizhiki!" Everyone's mouths slowly fell open. The hill rose taller and taller and now she saw that it wasn't a hill at all, but fur, and horns, and eyes...only the fur was various shades of brown and gold and green, and the horns were the same appearance and texture as wood, with small twigs and leaves protruding from their sides. When the massive creature's face appeared, she saw its nose--shining black rock--and its beard, ropes of grass dangling longer than she was tall, swaying in the breeze. Stick-In-The-Dirt scrambled away from the pit at the base of the rise just as the earth around it shuddered and moved. Charmian stared in awe as the hill arose as well, and now she understood why she'd been drawn to leaving the copper atop it. It looked just like the hump of a buffalo's back...and that was in fact exactly what it was. Nobody spoke as the hill grew taller and wider, rising from the ground and then breaking free of it, though it left behind no pit or crevasse; the grassy plain came back into view beneath it, not even crushed from the weight of what had been resting upon it--as if it hadn't even been there. Charmian watched the vast creature's legs appear and pull free of the ground, and its hooves looked to be made of boulders. It turned about slowly to face them--Charmian braced herself for the ground to shake and rumble when it did so, but this didn't happen. She couldn't believe how lightfooted it must be to not cause any earthquakes. Its tail swept through the air, and she saw that it was as massive as a giant tree, as thick around and with a brush that extended from it like the branches of a willow. When its head loomed far over them, it snorted, but instead of a huge wet blast, Charmian felt a warm gust that smelled like sweet grass. "So...is that it...?" she murmured from the corner of her mouth, unsure what to do next. "We'd never even heard of the bizhiki before coming here," Niskigwun murmured back. "Your guess is as good as ours!" "Well, seems impressive enough," Barrington whispered. He was looking straight upward, like the rest of them, the thing was so tall. "Hey!" Winter Born exclaimed suddenly, making them jump. "The little bizhiki!" she cried. "It was running around the top of the hill--which is up there by now..." She pointed, then went jogging off as if to go around the massive creature, though this meant that she headed east and started running in a large circle. Charmian doubted she could get very far very fast. "Did it fall off or something...?" she asked, craning her neck from side to side. "I thought that--AAGGH!!" She noticed that Winter Born had stopped running around to the Great Buffalo's other side, if in fact that was what she'd been doing, and was now trying to climb up its foreleg. Stick-In-The-Dirt's face went gray and he started rattling again; Charmian ran like mad after the girl, but before she could reach the spirit's hoof, it had lifted its leg into the air, and Winter Born was carried hopelessly beyond reach. That didn't stop Charmian from jumping up and down futilely where the immense hoof had previously been standing, waving her arms at the air. "HEY! LET HER DOWN! Winter Born! Are you okay--?!" Winter Born clung to the giant leg like a tick; Charmian panicked on seeing the terrified look on her face, but within seconds this had faded and she seemed more curious than anything; she even tilted her head back to look up toward the spirit's face. As soon as she started smiling Charmian felt like tearing her hair out. Of course she wouldn't know to be good and frightened when she was supposed to be. The Great Buffalo tilted its leg a little to peer down at the girl, and she stared back up at it. The others reacted in various ways. A few, like X'aaru and Peepaukawiss, cowered back; most of them seemed to not quite know what to do; while Barrington brought his gun up into position and aimed it. Before Charmian could scream at him, however, he lowered it again, an uncertain look on his face; at first she thought he must have realized how useless such a tiny weapon would be, but then something gave her the feeling that another reason entirely was keeping him from shooting. It took her a moment to notice that he seemed just as awed by the spirit's appearance as the others did. "Charmian! Look out!" Charmian blinked. She saw Barrington do the same, then he scrambled backwards, shooting her a bewildered look--"Will you bloody MOVE already--?!"--and only then did she notice how much darker her surroundings had gotten. She jerked her head back and looked up at the gigantic hoof coming straight down at her. It looked like a tree trunk descending over her head. That was all she got to see before something struck her hard in the back and she went sprawling in the grass. She rolled over a few times and saw the hoof land with a gentle thud right atop Augwak--she caught a glimpse of his eyes goggling before he was lost from sight. Charmian gasped and pushed herself up, running at the spirit's leg. "HEY! Lift up! Lift up! You're squishing him!!" She reached the hoof and started hitting it with her fists, not expecting any reaction from such an impressive creature, but after a few blows it obliged and lifted its hoof again. Charmian's face screwed up in anticipation of seeing something truly awful, but the GeeBee still crouched where he'd been left, now with his arms thrown over his head. He let out a bloodcurdling scream that made her skin crawl. "OH MY INSIDES!! OH MY BONES AND GUTS!! I'M DYING! I'M DYING!! IT'S KILLED ME!!" He clutched at himself and started wailing and sobbing so piteously that Charmian couldn't decide whether she should laugh or sympathize. Another soft thud came, and the spirit's hoof descended several yards to Augwak's side. Winter Born detached herself and hopped off, jogging toward Charmian. "Charmian! You should see it!" she exclaimed breathlessly. "Everything looks so different way up there..." "Are you okay?" Charmian asked, looking her over. "Don't do stuff like that! Cripes! You scared the liver out of me!!" "--Huh? Oh, I'm fine." Winter Born glanced down at herself and shrugged. "I just wanted to know if the little bizhiki was okay! But he tells me--" "Wait--tells you? You mean you talked to him? But I didn't hear anything..." "Oh--well, that's because he talks like a manitou does! You know, with pictures in your head. I think I'm getting the hang of it now. He'll probably talk to you too, if you want him..." "Well--maybe after he shuts up--" She whistled loudly to snap Augwak out of his wailing. "HEY! STUPID! Take a look around! You're still making noise so you're still in one piece, moron!" She picked up a rock and hurled it at him, hitting him on the shoulder and making him fall over in a heap. "I didn't mean it! I didn't mean it!" the GeeBee cried, cringing and cowering. "I'll never do such nasty things to people again if I can just live a little longer, and not die like THIS! I--" His howling cut off and his head popped up; he glanced around himself, eyes wet and wide, seeing the others staring at him; when he noticed the glare that Charmian gave him, he blinked a few times, sniffled, then gingerly peered upwards. As soon as he saw the buffalo spirit looming overhead, he let out a tiny squawk and leapt backwards, colliding with Barrington and then bouncing back in another direction like a giant green pinball. He jumped over the heads of the others and disappeared somewhere beyond them, out of Charmian's sight. Charmian let out a breath, feeling suddenly drained. She turned to the Great Buffalo just as it started to descend, its legs folding under it as it slowly settled back to the ground, looking again like a small mountain. The little buffalo calf came into view, capering along the great creature's spine and leaping down its side, tumbling and rolling head over heels before landing sprawled out on the ground. It promptly picked itself up and came trotting toward them, bleating cheerfully. My grandson tells me that strange beings are wandering through my land, with strange spirits in their midst, an unfamiliar voice said, and Charmian gasped and jumped a little. It seemed to come from everywhere around them, throbbing in her head, but there was no echo. And what should these strange beings do but leave a strange offering upon my back...? "Your...your grandson?" Charmian looked down at the buffalo calf; its ears swiveled and it bleated again, tail wagging. She noticed that its eyes were blue like those of a manitou; before she could stare at it too long it turned and went racing off again, back up the Great Buffalo's side and up to its hump. Its head turned and Charmian saw her reflection dimly in its great glimmering blue eyes. My people had told me of a group of strangers wandering through, the voice went on, but this is the first my grandson has seen of such beings, and of course, he is greatly curious as all children are. As your own are. And the great eye swiveled downward, catching Winter Born's reflection. Charmian blushed and hurried forward to grasp Winter Born's arm when she waved at the spirit. "Um--we didn't mean anything rude by it! She's just--well--this is her first time west, and--" "Are you Mishibizhiki?" Winter Born asked, having to yell upwards since the spirit towered over them even lying down. The buffalo spirit's nostrils flared and another warm breeze gusted over them. Charmian caught the scent of flowers this time. This is a strange tongue...but from what I have been told of your people, this is the name you would call me. I keep watch over the people of this land, the people whose meat and whose hide you have recently sampled for yourselves. And its eye flicked toward Black Elk Horn, still clasping the buffalo skin that Barrington had given him. Charmian found the mention of buffalo as people to be vaguely disconcerting but said nothing of it; they were certainly acting like people, at least. "Um...sorry about that," she said, rubbing her neck. The eye turned back toward her. What reason for apologies? They were given already. Now, this matter here, the matter of this piece of red stone upon my back... It leaned sideways just a bit, so they could see the tiny buffalo calf still jumping in circles around the hunk of copper. My grandson seems to be quite fond of it, and I can hardly go without offering something in return for seeing him so joyful. My people had mentioned that the strange beings were seeking passage to the western mountains which travel as if with the fog. Charmian sucked in a startled breath, so sharply that Winter Born jumped. "Yes!" she shouted; when Mishibizhiki raised one great eyebrow, and Winter Born furrowed her brow at her, she checked herself, blushing furiously and coughing. "I mean--yes, that's exactly what we're looking for! There was a group of Animiki...um, Thunderbirds..." The Thunderbirds travel past our land every year with the storms, the giant buffalo said, thus we know them better than your strange people. The two-leggeds of this land take after some of them, the same as I suppose you two-leggeds take after some others. Those who lately passed through are not too familiar to me although I always see them from a distance and at their great gatherings. Charmian puzzled over this for a moment. "I think what he's saying," Francois said after a brief silence, "is that there are different Thunderbird cultures...ones who are like the people where we came from, and ones more like the people here. He must be speaking of Kenu's people." "Oh," Charmian said. "Nigankwam did say that his people lived in camps before humans did*, so I guess it makes sense that people take after their local Thunderbirds and not the other way around..." She shook her head. "So they've gone through already. We're supposed to follow them, but don't really have a way to reach the mountains. I was hoping you might help us out!" If that is the reason for this little stone which my grandson is so fond of, then I will gladly lead you there, Mishibizhiki replied. I admit, I am impressed that beings as small as you are have come so very far. You must wish to visit these mountains quite badly. Charmian felt a vibration in the air, and stepped back when the giant creature began to rise into the air again. If you follow in my hoofprints, I will take you to the entryway. "Entryway"...? Charmian thought with a frown, but said nothing. The relief of finally securing a way to the mountains overwhelmed any confusion she might have still felt, and she forced down the remnants of the tiny niggling voice that insisted it couldn't quite be over yet. She waved at the others, unable to suppress a huge smile, and they all started following the massive beast as it began walking westward. She noticed that it left hoofprints behind it, but they weren't great indentations in the earth like a Wendigo would leave; instead they were the mere shape of its hooves, and the grass and flowers within them seemed to shimmer briefly before fading out. When she looked back, she saw that it had left no permanent markings behind. Winter Born and Marten were making a game out of trying to hop from hoofprint to hoofprint, although it was next to impossible, considering how far apart they were; as if noticing this, Mishibizhiki slowed its--his--step and they were able to leap from print to print, cheering each other as they went. X'aaru and Remy joined them, but Charmian contented herself with just walking through the grass; she didn't know if she'd ever fully recover from all this traveling. "There's one more part that's kind of bugging me," she admitted to Thomas when he came close beside her. He cocked his head and she nodded her own toward the back of the group. "The reason we let him come along in the first place." They peered back toward Mishosha, and she blinked, then couldn't keep from making a face at how even he was hopping from hoofprint to hoofprint before they could vanish; she turned back, deciding not to question it, and ignored the wabano when he hopped right past them. "Do you really think we'll even need him by now? I know it was my decision and all, but knowing him he's blown his knowledge all out of proportion and probably knows squat* about approaching Kabeyun..." "Well...it was your decision," Thomas said; he quickly jerked his arm away when she made as if to hit him. "You said it yourself! You know him better than I do." He paused to watch the medicine man hop his way toward Winter Born and the others, necklaces jangling. "I hope. I guess we'll find out one way or the other soon enough." "I just hope he doesn't introduce another snag," Charmian muttered. She looked upwards, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Animiki, but of course they were nowhere to be seen; if they'd really already passed to the mountains, they would likely be invisible to her from here. She shivered. The thought of stepping from one dimension straight into another was still a weird one...at least with a place like the Island, one could prepare themselves for such an event by crawling through a tunnel or passing through a gateway in the Sky Tree, but here... She blinked again. "'Entryway,'" she said, understanding finally hitting her. She took in a breath. "Mishibizhiki's going to take us right through the entryway!" "I figured that was common knowledge by now," Thomas started to say, when Charmian noticed another change in the air--it took her a split second to realize that things seemed to have gotten lighter, brighter, less crowded--and she lifted her head, letting out a small cry and halting in her tracks. Everyone else did likewise, blinking in surprise to see that Mishibizhiki--as well as Winter Born and the others who had been following closest to him--had utterly vanished. |