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Return To Manitou Island: Part 95 |
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The Second Denial CHAKENAPOK SMILED, STARING into the wavery image before him. His smile grew the longer he looked, and he waved his hand to bring up another image beside it. One image, of the East Bluff; the other, of the interior of the Island, near the great field not far from Crack-in-the-Island. He did not even care that he couldn't see the mainlander. "You win the playing piece," he said with a smirk. "I will just call up my reserve! Switch." And he glanced at the second image, near the East Bluff, and started to laugh. "What do you say?" Peepaukawiss was whining, hopping around Chepi in little circles as she walked through the woods, her face blank. "Oh, come on! A prank is SO much more fun when you have someone to enjoy it with! I thought we had something--you know! I thought perhaps we were kindred spirits of a sort!" Chepi continued walking. Puka stuck out his lip. "What became of all our talk? I'm not good enough for your company now--? And here I thought you understood!" He sniffled and his eyes watered up. "I was SO looking forward to an entire LIFETIME of wonderful jokes--I just KNOW you would be fantastic at it! You're just insincere and conniving enough to pull them off PERFECTLY!" Chepi continued walking. Puka hopped from one side of the path, then to the other. He clasped his hands together. "OH!! Don't let it end like THIS! Not after ALL we shared! At least one last joke before I must go--? And you to join me? Oh, please please please? It would hardly be anything without you!" He stopped right beside her and waved his arms. "At least SAY something to me--!!" Chepi halted, turned her head, and held up her hand. A gigantic blast of wind blew Puka through the air and slammed him straight into a tree. He collapsed to the ground beneath a pile of snow, and Chepi continued walking on her way. Puka's legs and arms stuck out of the snow, and after a moment of wriggling he managed to free his head as well. His feathers bent out every which way and his eyes goggled dizzily. "Wh...what a...w...woman!" Thomas and Charmian trudged through the drifts of snow back through the woods, seeking the great forest road which would lead them closer to the shore. Charmian rubbed at her arms the whole way. Thomas glanced at her every so often, but she didn't speak up. "We could've gone east," he said after a while, "if you're so cold." Charmian shook her head. "I left Mani back there...without even saying a word! If I were him, I'd be pissed off with me." Thomas's mouth twitched. "Somehow I get the feeling he's a more forgiving chap than that." "Besides," Charmian added, and pulled Moon Wolf's silver amulet out of her pocket, "I have something else I have to do...and it happens to be along the way." Thomas took the amulet and looked it over. "A moon, and a wolf...now why does that sound familiar?" "He was wearing it when he died," Charmian murmured, and that effectively ended all conversation. She sensed that he wanted to continue talking, yet refrained; and she knew she wouldn't be good for conversation, anyway. That spirit stone, she thought uneasily. If Niskigwun is right and it wasn't there, then it could be ANYWHERE on this Island. So how then are we going to find out where it went to...? Will it come to us, like Augwak did...or will we have to go to it? How will we even know for sure who has it? Maybe Chakenapok just took it back...? She sighed at the naiveté of this thought and looked down at the snow they walked through. A soft wind still whistled overhead, but the blizzard had abated, and it was nowhere near as bad as it had been before. This didn't make her feel much better, though; instead she lifted her head to look skyward. Night was falling. She bit her lip. That's right...since Augwak doesn't have it anymore, then the snow should all be gone! It should at least be warm again...but it isn't...so that must mean... Somebody else has it... She rubbed her arms again. She nearly paused in her steps when she felt Thomas slip his arm through hers, but then continued walking as before. For some reason his touch didn't seem as cold as it had been before...or maybe that was just because she was freezing already. In any case, she felt a little bit better because of his company, and didn't hunch in on herself quite so much as they made their way along the trail. The sound of the GeeBees cackling and gibbering grew louder the closer they came to the west shore, and she had to shiver again; without Augwak they were an even more bothersome bunch than they were with him. She hated thinking of what they might get up to should he remain away from them for much longer. The woods grew thicker and darker until they were completely shielded from overhead by snowy tree branches, and Thomas peered around them a bit nervously as they walked. "I thought you'd said this was the part of the Island people tried to avoid," he commented. Charmian nodded. "Pretty much. But it's not so bad if you keep your head." A low singsong came from ahead and she stopped, putting her fingers to her ears and gesturing at Thomas to do the same. "You might want to plug them...this shouldn't take too long." Thomas frowned in puzzlement but did as suggested, and they kept walking. It wasn't long before the trees parted and a small lake came into view, its black water rippling in the breeze. Charmian blinked in surprise. "I can't believe it's not frozen over!" she yelled, not sure if Thomas could hear or not. "What are we here for exactly--?" Thomas shouted in return. "I have to give something back to someone!" Charmian shirked off her backpack the best that she could and it fell to the ground. She pulled it open with her foot and nudged it over, scattering its contents in a small heap before separating a little box from the rest of the items. Thomas watched as she got down onto her knees and picked it up in her teeth, and by the time that she got back to her feet the look on his face was very strange. "I hope you know what you're doing," was all he shouted, which was just as well since she couldn't speak. She turned to the lake and walked toward it, removing her hand from her right ear and canting her head to the side to press her ear to her shoulder as best as she could. She hurled the little box out into the lake and plugged her ears again...after a moment the singsong which they could still dimly hear faded away, and Thomas blinked, looking around them. He glanced skyward, then at the water, then at the woods. "That noise," he blurted out. "It just...stopped...?" "That was just Mitchi. The watchdog," Charmian said, replacing her backpack, and he still seemed confused but didn't ask. They stood and waited on the shore for a while before the water started roiling out toward the middle of the lake; Thomas leaned forward to watch as it came closer, until it was just several yards offshore, when the disturbance grew and then changed into a great gush of a fountain. Thomas stepped back now though Charmian held her place and watched as a shape emerged from the gush of water, giant wings flaring and then relaxing back behind it. Thomas's eyes went wide when the spraying water revealed Ocryx, his wide horns spanning out to the sides and his glowing eyes narrowing slightly. He looked down at them both with an unfriendly expression, though by now Charmian knew that was about the only expression he had. "The..." She turned to look at Thomas when he tried to speak, his voice quavering. "The...lake demon," he murmured. "Ocryx," Charmian said; then when he looked at her, "That's his name. Ocryx." She turned back to the wolf demon and took a step forward. "I came here for a reason," she said. He stared at her for a moment, then lifted his right hand. They saw that his fingers were wrapped around something; he opened them, and the little box Charmian had just tossed into the lake sat upon his palm. Thomas's brow furrowed. "What's in that...?" he whispered, leaning toward Charmian. "A necklace I bought," she whispered in response. "He likes gemstones, and I thought it'd be best to come prepared." "What kind of gemstones?" Thomas asked, curiously. Charmian fiddled her fingers, then said, "Amethyst and jade." Thomas's brow furrowed even more. "Well, what do you expect on a teenager's salary?" she exclaimed defensively. "And it's not like he's the pickiest person in the world!" Your purpose for coming here, Ocryx said, and they both snapped back to attention. "He doesn't sound incredibly friendly!" Thomas whispered ever so quietly. "My last time here he almost bit my face off," Charmian whispered back. "So I rather think I'm making pretty good progress!" She cleared her throat and stood straighter. "I wish to go down into Devil's Lake," she said. The demon's ear flicked. The reason? "I have to speak with Shadow Water." His look grew even more disapproving, and for a moment she expected him to start snarling and bellowing; yet he simply fell forward onto his hands atop the crest of the water, and rode it as it descended toward the shore. He stepped onto land, tail swinging from side to side, and the two of them took a step or two back as he did so. He didn't even pay Thomas any attention whatsoever, focusing instead on Charmian. She stared at him just long enough to begin feeling nervous, then dropped her stare. "Um...it's a personal thing," she said in a small voice. "The two of us are good. I mean, we've met again, already, and we aren't still fighting, or anything..." Ocryx's ears flared, his eyes still unfriendly, but he turned slightly to the side and lowered one wing. Charmian blinked. "You--you want me to climb on you--?" she exclaimed in surprise. The demon's eyes narrowed. Either this, or you'd prefer putting up with that manitou...? Charmian flushed, remembering what Mitchi Manitou had had to do just to help her breathe all the way down to Ocryx's caves; suffice it to say that she didn't exactly relish the thought of having a manitou perform mouth-to-mouth on her, again. "Okay," she said in an even tinier voice, and stepped toward him. Thomas took a step forward, holding up his hand; Charmian glanced at him just as Ocryx turned his head and growled, hackles prickling. Thomas halted where he was and cast Charmian a confused look. "Um..." She rubbed at her neck. "It's...an alpha male thing. I'll be okay. Promise." She gingerly took hold of the fur of Ocryx's ruff and pulled herself up. "You'll stay here, though, right--?" Thomas opened his mouth, then shut it. He nodded, looking exactly as if he were ready to run forward and yank her off of the demon's back, but he held his place as Ocryx turned and stepped out into the water. Charmian barely had a chance to suck in a breath before they plunged beneath its surface, and she dug her fingers into the demon's fur, holding on as tightly as she could as they descended into blackness. She had never managed to get used to the feeling of water in her eyes, and her cheeks puffed out as they dove deeper and deeper into the lake; yet it felt as if they were moving much faster than Mitchi had been able to carry her, at least. The water was chilly but not nearly as cold as she'd remembered, nor as cold as she'd expected. After a moment or two the vague forms of caves began to appear and Ocryx swept down into one of them; everything went black, then suddenly Charmian was gasping and choking, her head breaking the surface of the water. She clung shivering to Ocryx's back as he swam toward the shore of the underwater cave, climbing upon it on all fours. Charmian stayed where she was, chattering, until he snorted and she looked up at him. He was giving her that same look. She noticed that his fur was drenched and flushed, climbing off. "Oh...sorry." No sooner had she let him go than he was shaking himself off like a giant dog, and she had to shield her face from the spray of water. He started walking away into one of the tunnels and she gasped and hurried to catch up with him. Jeez, how rude! Ocryx's tail flicked to the right as he walked. She is within, he said, and continued on his way. Charmian slowed to a stop to watch him go, then peered into the tunnel he'd indicated. She briefly wondered whether or not he was being truthful, then shook her head and turned right. He might have been cranky, but the demon had never struck her as devious. The short tunnel led into another cavern, well lit by strategically placed crystals set in the walls. They were yellowish in color so that the light seemed almost natural; Charmian paused when she heard a soft singing, and almost plugged her ears, until she realized it was human and not manitou. Peering in, she saw a figure seated upon a pile of furs at the far side of the cave. Shadow Water sang under her breath as she sewed something, her needle working at a piece of deerskin. Charmian stared at her for a moment or two. She had changed in many ways since her last time here...but in many ways she was still the same. Charmian still wasn't used to seeing her not covered in cuts and bruises, and bit her lip; judging by the way the other woman sang absently and paid attention to her work, not minding her odd environment, Charmian guessed that Ocryx must be taking good care of her. Her nervousness faded on watching her. Ocryx, too, had changed a lot since she'd seen him on her last visit. He hadn't even roared in her face, yet. It looks like they're both to blame for how they've changed! She tentatively stepped into the cave, leaning forward and craning her neck. Shadow Water didn't notice her at first, still humming quietly and working on her piece of deerskin; Charmian coughed politely and the woman's head popped up, her eyes wide. As soon as she saw Charmian her face lit up. "Charmian--?" She set the deerskin aside and stood, picking her way out of the pile of furs. She even smiled as she came close, and Charmian couldn't help but smile in return. "How did you get here--? I didn't even know you were coming..." "It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing," Charmian admitted. "Ocryx brought me down." When Shadow Water furrowed her brow she made a gesture at her neck. "I gave him payment, of course..." Shadow Water's face split in a grin and Charmian furrowed her own brow in puzzlement. "What'd I say...?" "Oh...nothing." Shadow Water seemed greatly amused. "It's just that...he doesn't like to bring anyone down into the lake. If anyone comes down here...they usually jump in on their own, or don't come at all. And Mitchi will chase off those who jump in." Charmian blinked. "You mean he doesn't regularly do that--?" she blurted out, and flushed when Shadow Water started laughing softly behind her hand. "I don't know whether to feel flattered or freaked out!" "I think he must like you," Shadow Water said, and Charmian blushed even harder. Her smile dimmed a little and she tilted her head. "Why did you come here...?" She looked slightly ceilingward. "It hasn't grown worse out there...has it?" "You mean you know?" Shadow Water nodded. "We can see through the crystals...and the manitous sometimes swim up to the surface and look." She frowned. "We've seen what Augwak is doing...and thought it might be safest down here." "Well...Augwak's pretty much done by now," Charmian replied. "Though there's...still a few things that need clearing up." She dug in her pocket, where she'd stuck the necklace before climbing atop Ocryx. "Actually I came here for another reason." Shadow Water tilted her head again. "What is that...?" Charmian lifted out the amulet, but found that she couldn't bring herself to uncover it. She paused for so long that Shadow Water's look grew slightly concerned, then clasped the amulet tighter and lifted her head to meet the woman's eyes. "The last time I was here," she blurted out. "Before I left I made a promise." She lowered the amulet. "You remember what you told me back then, don't you...? You said that you never knew your father, and Ocryana was your only family." As soon as she mentioned the name Ocryana Shadow Water started shrinking in on herself, averting her eyes. She picked at the sleeve of her dress as if it bothered her. "This...this is no longer true," she murmured softly. "I have other family now." Charmian nodded hastily. "Oh--I know. Khiieta, and Ocryx, and X'aaru...don't worry, I know." She had to avert her own eyes, as Shadow Water looked so embarrassed that she knew she'd never be able to continue if she kept looking at her. "Um...well, I made a promise to somebody, the last time I was here, that I would give you something. I tried to give it to you...but...well, you kind of tried to kill me." She pressed the amulet to herself and waved her free hand when Shadow Water opened her mouth. "I know! I know you didn't mean it. Er, don't mean it now. It's okay, it's not about that. It's just that I left it in someone else's care, and I never did get to give it to you before I left. And I kept forgetting it all the time I've been here, so I thought I'd finally bring it by." She lifted up the amulet, looked at it, then held it out toward Shadow Water. "Here...here it is." Shadow Water looked down at the silver pendant, and her brow furrowed. She carefully took it from Charmian and tilted it so that the light glinted off of its shining surface. "The necklace of the medicine man," she said after a moment. "He who lived in Cave of the Woods." Her finger traced over the ragged hole and her face grew perplexed. "That's where Ocryana hit him," Charmian said quietly, "right before he died." Shadow Water's look grew even more confused and Charmian added, "He made me promise to give it to you, before he died." "But..." Shadow Water paused, then shook her head. "Why would he have you give it to me? I barely knew him. I recognize this only because I once saw him wearing it. I never even visited with him." "That's kind of the reason why," Charmian said, then found that her voice was stuck; and so fell silent. Shadow Water stared at the amulet a bit longer, then lifted her head to meet Charmian's eyes. Charmian could tell she was still confused...but after a moment or two a strange look started to enter her eyes, and she slowly lowered her head to look at the necklace again. Charmian bit her lip, trying to gauge her reaction, but she wasn't certain what to think of the look on Shadow Water's face now. She still held the amulet in one hand, but slowly drew her other hand away from touching its surface. The silence grew so thick in the cave that Charmian felt like squirming; surely it couldn't have drawn on as long as it seemed, yet it seemed to go on forever. When Shadow Water finally spoke, it was so sudden that it almost made Charmian jump. "He..." Charmian's eyes darted back up to Shadow Water's face, trying hard to tell what she was thinking; she saw that Shadow Water's eyes were glittering, and felt like hitting herself for making her cry. Yet before the tears could start falling, Shadow Water's face set and she held the amulet out toward Charmian. Charmian's brow furrowed. "Huh...?" "Take it," Shadow Water said; then, when Charmian frowned in confusion, said, "Take it back." "Take it where...?" She stood as Shadow Water took a step forward and pressed the pendant into her hand, even folding her fingers around it so it wouldn't drop. Shadow Water stepped back again and Charmian lifted her head to look at her, perplexed. "Shadow Water...?" she murmured uncertainly. Shadow Water didn't meet her eyes. "I have to go," she said, and turned away slightly. Near-panic surged up in Charmian's breast. "Wait a minute--!" Shadow Water paused and Charmian held the amulet out again. "Moon Wolf--he--he wanted you to have it. It was the very last thing he did. He made me promise to get it to you. That means it meant something! I know--I know it's not much, but it was all he could do--and he's back now--so I thought maybe..." "I have to go," Shadow Water interrupted her, and Charmian trailed off at the look in her eyes; she'd seen that exact same look, back when she'd found Justin and Shadow Water together, right before she'd seen Shadow Water change into an Ocryx for the first time. The look was betrayed. "I have to be alone," she added, then turned away and strode toward one of the tunnels leading from the cave, quickly disappearing from sight. Charmian was left standing alone with the pendant dangling from her hand and a heavy feeling in her chest. She stared at the tunnel for a very long time, hoping that she would come back, but nobody did. After a while she sighed and numbly pushed the necklace back into her pocket. I can't blame her...especially not after all she's been through...but still, he did try...and he's been trying all along...won't she be able to see that? He's the only parent she has left...won't that ever mean anything...? She turned from the room and headed for the tunnel she had taken inside, staring at the floor as she went. She wasn't even certain how she'd get back to the surface, but didn't really care to think about that right now. The look on Shadow Water's face occupied her thoughts, and she hated having been the one who had put that look there. She had hoped she would never have to see that look again. Leave it to me to make her feel like dirt...and Moon Wolf, along with her... A sharp growling noise made her head pop up, a gasp escaping her. Ocryx stood in the tunnel before her, wings flared and hackles prickling; he bared his teeth and his growl grew even uglier. Charmian winced and took a step back, drawing in on herself. "I...I didn't mean to upset her! Honest!" she exclaimed. "I just told her what I had to say...and she said she had to be alone...so I was just leaving! I won't bother you anymore, I promise!" Ocryx's tail lashed back and forth. You leave ME in charge of that little strumpet--? he snarled, and Charmian blinked, her jaw dropping open. "What--what did you just call her--?" she asked in disbelief. Ocryx let out a barking sound, ears flaring. There is SOME reason why that tramp shows up at my lake, IMMEDIATELY after YOU arrive! Do not tell me you have no part in this! I do not care who her business is with, but I am hardly going up there to chase her off on my OWN! "Huh--?" Charmian managed to get out, before he reared up and grasped hold of her arm, turning and dragging her along after him. She yelped and stumbled, trying hard to keep up before he could yank her arm out of its socket. "Ow! That hurts--cut it out, let me go--! I don't know what you're even talking about--!" "That hussy little WINDLING wench!" Ocryx snarled out loud as they approached the underground lake. "She has not set foot near this lake ever since YOU were last here! And now you are here, and AGAIN she arrives! I have better things to do than chase off little brats like her! You are the great protector of the Island--YOU get to take care of her!" And without any further ceremony he pushed Charmian into the water, and she let out another yelp which was cut off as soon as her head went under. She opened her mouth and bubbles flew out; then she closed it and clamped a hand over it, only to feel him grasp her arm again after he plunged in. A moment later she was being dragged down, then upward, through the dark and out of the caves and toward the surface. Her lungs had begun burning from want of air by the time they broke through the surface, and she gasped and sputtered, then gasped again when she felt him dragging her toward the shore. She started kicking and flailing, indignation surging up inside her now. "I said--" she coughed "--I don't know--" *cough* "--what the hell you're--" *cough* "--TALKING about!!" She bit off a wince of pain when the demon stepped up onto the shore, still pulling on her arm; then he dragged her ashore and onto her feet, and gave her a hard shove so that she nearly fell on her face. Charmian stumbled and nearly tripped before someone grabbed her arm; she looked up, coughing, to see Thomas looking at her with wide eyes, and reached up one hand to wipe the water from her own. "What the--" *cough* "--what the hell is going on?" she screeched. Thomas made a face. "Something's...apparently come up, since you went down." And he glanced over his shoulder. "You didn't tell me the two of them have a history!" "Wha...?" Charmian's brow furrowed, then she shifted her stare in the direction Thomas was looking in. And blinked when she saw that Chepi stood not that far away, her hands at her sides, her wings pricked, and the strangest look ever on her face. Charmian would have said that she looked pissed, except...her eyes were completely blank, and the wrong color. Charmian sucked in a breath and stiffened. Yellow eyes--! Just like--just like Moon Wolf's--! "Chepi...?" she whispered, and at the mention of her name, the small woman lifted one hand, and a haze of icy mist formed in her palm, solidifying into an icy prickly ball. "I said no one treats me so shabbily," she said in an odd monotone, and lifted the ball up over her head, ready to hurl it. |