by Inmon, Shawn
Senta-eh put two fingers to her forehead in agreement, remembering.
“Then we came through the gate and you were there, holding onto horses that you gave us. If you hadn’t done that, the Lasta-ah almost certainly would have caught and killed all of us, instead of just Werda-ak. Our mission would have been for nothing. You saved us, and it has cost you everything. You’ve lost your boat, your way of life, and been forced to exile yourself from your home. All because you helped us when you didn’t need to.”
“It was the right thing to do,” Harta-ak said. “Lasta-ah was our home, but we had acted in an evil way. I could not support our city when we were doing evil.”
“Because you are a good person,” Alex said. “But the reality is, you both are now having to seek a new life because of us. I want to help you do that.”
“How?” Senta-eh asked. “How does ridding the area of the godat-ta help them?”
Alex smiled, pleased with himself. “When I met with Rinka-ak, I asked him for two concessions if we can get rid of godat-ta and the wasta-ta. One is the goal we initially set out for—to allow Winten-ah to come and gather as much of the danta as we want. But, the second favor was the more important.”
He glanced around, enjoying his moment of drama. The three human’s eyes were locked on him. Monda-ak was less impressed. He put his head between his paws and went to sleep.
“If we succeed, Rinka-ak agreed that Harta-ak and Versa-eh can also have the rights to take as much of the danta as they want, and they will be the only people who have the right to trade it wherever they want.”
He didn’t need to explain the implications of that to Harta-ak or Versa-eh. Their eyes lit up.
“A commodity that no one has access to, but that has many benefits, and we will be the only ones to trade with it?” Harta-ak asked. “That makes what we did for you look puny by comparison. That is too much.”
Alex touched his fingers to his forehead. “It is our gift to you, for giving us the gift of life when you did.”
Soon after, Harta-ak and Versa-eh wandered off to the stream to get water for the camp. Their heads were close together, already making plans for the future.
“This is a good thing,” Senta-eh said. “I didn’t know how we would ever be able to repay them for what they did for us. Now all we need is another Manta-ak miracle.”
FOR MUCH OF THE NEXT few days, Alex felt like he was watching a marathon nature movie focusing on an impossibly huge bear and bees that were so big they shouldn’t have been able to fly.
Godat-ta wandered around the basin like it was his kingdom. A few times each day, the bear climbed the tree, shaking it and driving the wasta-ta inside mad. They circled around his head like a crazily buzzing cloud, but he ignored them. He tore off chunks of bark, then reached his paw inside. He pulled it out with a sticky-sweet substance dripping from each long claw. And bees. Dozens of giant bees also clung to the honey. Godat-ta paid them no mind. He stuck the entire paw inside his mouth, honey, bees, and all. If the stings he no doubt absorbed in his mouth and throat bothered godat-ta at all, he didn’t show it.
He repeated this process two or three times a day, treating the hive like his own personal food storage.
The tall tree that the wasta-ta had built their hive in was the only tree in the area, and it had been killed by the salt water long before. Its branches were bare and to Alex’s eye, it looked like nothing so much as the kind of tree that stood in front of the haunted houses of his childhood. Its wide body did cast a shadow that allowed godat-ta to escape the worst of the afternoon sun. Like Baloo blown up ten times his size, he squirmed down into the cool dirt and fell asleep in the shade.
This again infuriated the wasta-ta, who buzzed and dive-bombed the bear, who ignored every attack. Alex guessed that these insects were more honeybee than wasp, and that a sting meant the end of the creature’s life. From time to time, one would land on the bear’s wide back and plunge its stinger into him, then would immediately fall to the ground. The bear’s hide was so thick that he never noticed.
At one point, the bear turned butt-first toward the tree, raised up and scratched its mighty back up and down on the bark. When it did, it turned its face directly toward Alex and Senta-eh and both felt a shock of recognition. Where the bear’s left eye should have been, there was only a dark socket.
This wasn’t just a godat-ta, this was the same godat-ta Senta-eh had badly wounded on the trail to Denta-ah.
Alex leaned his head in close to Senta-eh. Quietly, as though the bear might be able to hear them across the distance, he said, “You don’t suppose he can smell us up here, do you? And if he can, do you think he remembers us?”
Senta-eh who was normally good at everything except humor, looked very serious and said, “Yes, I think he has memorized our very scent and at this very moment, he is planning how he can come and eat us.”
Alex pushed her away and said, “Hey, this is how I get my ideas, you know. I think up crazy ideas and once I’ve figured out what the worst one is, I give it a try.”
“And do you have a crazy idea now? Or are we going to leave the Winten-ah and start our own little tribe here with Harta-ak and Versa-eh on this very spot?”
The idea of starting a little tribe with Senta-eh gave Alex an electrical charge that ran through his body. He felt his face growing hot, so he turned away and looked back at the bear.
He had been straddling the top of the cliff, staring down, and stood suddenly. When he did, he knocked a few pebbles loose and watched as they ran down the steep side of the cliff.
“I have an idea. We need to go and scout the area where the godat-ta comes and goes.”
“You mean the area where he can smell us, chase us, and eat us?”
“That’s the place.”
“Let’s go.”
“Wait. We need to prepare first. Follow me to the stream.”
They dropped down to the camp, where Harta-ak and Versa-eh were stretched out, taking an afternoon siesta.
Harta-ak opened one eye and said, “Come up with a plan?”
“Of a sort.”
Harta-ak sat up. “Ready to go.”
Alex reached a hand out and pushed him back down with a smile. “We’re just going on a scouting mission first. You two stay here. Keep an eye on the horses. I’ll need you soon enough.” Alex, Senta-eh, and Monda-ak walked to the small stream that wound past their campsite. At the edge of the flowing water, Alex scooped up some mud and slathered it on one arm, then another.
“This is your plan?”
“Umm... yes, it is. A small part of it. We’re going to cover ourselves in mud from head to toe. You reminded me how good Godat-ta’s sense of smell is, so we’re going to do what we can to cover up our scent, so we can get a little closer.”
Senta-eh didn’t hesitate, but stepped to the edge of the stream and covered herself in mud from head to toe.
Nothing you do can cover up your beauty. Not even mud.
Alex shook his head to clear it and try to focus on the problem at hand.
When they walked back to camp, Versa-eh couldn’t help herself. She laughed and pointed at them. “This is your plan, Manta-ak?”
“I know, I know.” Alex bent down and put his face close to Monda-ak. The dog stuck his snout in Alex’s neck, inhaled, and sneezed.
“Stay here with Versa-eh. We’ll be right back.”
Monda-ak looked hurt at being left behind, but padded to Versa-eh’s side and curled up beside her. Alex could almost read his thoughts: At least she smells like she is supposed to.
“We’ll be back before dark.”
Alex and Senta-eh walked a wide path around the opening to the basin, stopping and listening every few strides. They wanted to avoid running into godat-ta in the open, which would have terrible repercussions for them.
THE BASIN WAS ALMOST a perfect bowl, with a single easy access point where the wall had crumbled away. Alex and Senta-eh climbed up on the west side of the bowl as quietly as po
ssible then slowly peeked their heads over the edge.
They were much closer—an uncomfortable distance closer—to godat-ta. From their normal perch, they were at least a hundred feet above the bottom of the bowl and several hundred strides distant. Here, by the entrance, they were, at most, seventy-five feet above the bear. That distance shrunk even more when Alex thought that fully stretched to a standing position, the bear himself was almost thirty feet tall.
From their new vantage point, they were able to get a new perspective. The tree with the wasta-ta loomed above them and the bear was asleep less than a hundred strides away.
Alex moved to the very edge of the bowl above the entrance. The lip of the bowl was wide—at least five strides across, and relatively even. Alex peered down and saw that it was an almost sheer drop off to the ground below. If godat-ta saw them, though, Alex estimated that he would be able to climb up and grab them with ease.
The area around the top of the rim was filled with rocks of all sizes, from boulders too big for Alex to be able to move down to pieces of granite the size of his fist.
Just as Alex was peering over the side of the cliff, something roused godat-ta from his slumber. With a snuffling sneeze, he sat up suddenly and tested the air.
Alex froze and Senta-eh melted back from the edge of the cliff. Slowly, inch by inch, Alex did the same until his head once again disappeared behind the rocks. They both sat stock still, listening.
Godat-ta stood, shook himself mightily, throwing dirt, small plants, and rocks in all directions. Alex strained his ears to try and hear if the bear was approaching. He could hear him shuffling around, but couldn’t tell which direction he was moving. Sounds tended to echo and re-echo in the basin.
Finally, he couldn’t take not knowing anymore and poked his nose above the rocks.
Godat-ta had moved to the tree and was once again scratching his side against the bark and driving the wasta-ta crazy.
As quietly as possible, they dropped back down the outer edge of the bowl and hurried back to their camp. By then, the mud had hardened to a paste and was cracking and itching their skin.
As they walked, the itching got worse and worse. Finally, it felt like it was permanently attaching itself to their skin.
They ran through camp and Alex said, “We’ll be back!”
Harta-ak jumped to his feet and stared in the direction they had come, wondering if something was chasing them. Monda-ak woofed, thinking this was some new game, and chased after them.
When they reached the stream, Alex and Senta-eh plopped down into the deepest pool they could find. The stream was shallow, or Alex would have dove in head first. Instead, he sat, leaned back, and scratched the hardened mud off himself.
Senta-eh did the same, but doffed all her clothes.
Alex did his best not to stare as the mud came off, but couldn’t stop himself from glancing her way time and again.
Finally, she looked down at her nakedness, partially covered in mud and red streaks where she had scratched it off and said, “What?” The Winten-ah did not have the same ideas about nudity and bodily functions that good Lutheran boys born in small towns in Oregon in the twentieth century did.
Alex blanched at being caught staring, said, “Nothing!” a little louder than he intended, and turned his back on her.
Both of them sat in the stream for long minutes, letting the moving water sooth and calm their irritated skin.
Senta-eh was the first to give up the comfort of the water. She stood casually and walked to the edge of the stream, naked. She sat on the bank, threw her head back and let the sun dry her. After a time, she stood, dressed, and said, “I’m going back.”
When Alex didn’t answer, she said, “Do you have a plan yet?”
Alex kept his back turned to her and said simply, “Yes.”
Chapter Seven
Alex vs. Godat-ta
They spent the next few days preparing to execute Alex’s plan.
Versa-eh and Harta-ak spent most of the time twisting vines into rope. Harta-ak had spent his life on ships, and so tying knots and creating rope was second nature to him. Versa-eh was proving adept at learning whatever new skills were put in front of her.
Alex and Senta-eh, meanwhile, returned to the spot above the opening again and again, arranging things. There were rocks and boulders of all sizes scattered along the lip of the caldera, and between them they were able to lift and move all but the very largest.
The biggest stone of all sat just a few feet back from the lip of the opening to the bowl. It was what had inspired Alex’s idea. After he had the rocks arrayed just the way he wanted them, he went in search of a long piece of wood to act as a lever. A few hundred strides from their camp, Alex saw the tallest tree he had seen since Tonton-ah—where the entire village was built in giant trees.
It was a sugar pine. The same kind of tree that Alex had climbed six years earlier, when he was trying to prove that he could be a useful member of the Winten-ah. This specimen wasn’t as tall as the one Alex had climbed that day, but it was plenty big enough.
Alex climbed up several branches until he found one long enough for what he needed. He stood on the branch below and hacked at it with his two-sided axe.
Eventually, he got the limb on the ground, hoisted it on his shoulder and returned to camp. Once there, he set to stripping it of smaller branches and peeling the bark off it. When he was done, he had a twelve-foot long pole slightly pointed at one end and thicker on the other.
Alex ran his hand along it, feeling the strength and vitality of the pole.
The next day, he showed Harta-ak, Senta-eh, and Versa-eh how to make a lasso out of the long rope they had made, and they all practiced throwing the loop over rocks and stumps. Alex was sure he would be the best for the job of lassoing, but Versa-eh once again proved him wrong. She was awkward in her first few throws, then something clicked for her and she immediately became more accurate than any of the others.
After five days of preparation, during which they managed to avoid drawing the attention of godat-ta, Alex declared them ready.
Sitting around the campfire that morning, Alex went over the plan with everyone again and again.
Finally, Harta-ak looked at Senta-eh and said, “Is he always like this before he performs his miracles?”
“Unfortunately.”
“If it works, it works,” Versa-eh said. But then she laid a hand on Alex’s shoulder. “But we all know where we are supposed to be and what we are supposed to do. Now you have to just let us do it.”
Alex smiled, chagrined. “You are right. Let’s go.” He, Senta-eh, and Monda-ak returned to the spot on the lip of the caldera where they looked down on the opening. Versa-eh positioned herself on the top of the lip on the other side.
Harta-ak mounted his horse. Even looking at him from a distance, Alex could see that he was battling nerves. He had the most dangerous job of any of them.
When everything was in place, Alex peered over the edge of the cliff and saw godat-ta was in his normal place, sleeping in the shade of the wasta-ta tree.
Alex pointed at Senta-eh, and she threw her head back and loosed her eerie yodel that was the signal to Harta-ak to start things in motion.
Harta-ak spurred his horse away from camp, found the trail that led directly into the salt deposit, and rode straight toward the gargantuan, sleeping bear.
When the godat-ta heard the pounding of the horse’s hooves, it sleepily opened its one eye, then sat straight up. It blew out an incredulous blast of air and sprang to its feet. Harta-ak’s horse saw the bear and from that point forward, Harta-ak was no longer in control—he was simply trying to hold on.
The horse skidded to a stop and reared. Before it could turn and run, Harta-ak nocked an arrow in Senta-eh’s bow and shot it at the bear.
It was the equivalent of a squirt gun on a three-alarm fire. The arrow lodged briefly in godat-ta’s throat, then fell harmlessly away. It may not have injured him, but it did give an inst
ant reaction. The bear stood on its hind legs, threw its head back and roared with a ferocity that echoed around the basin and made every animal within half a mile go into hiding.
The horse did not have a place to hide, so it relied on its sole asset—speed. It raised a cloud of dust as it found its footing and scrambled away. It was at full speed after just a few bouncing strides. The bow flew out of Harta-ak’s hands and clattered to the ground.
Godat-ta dropped back onto all fours and tore after the frightened horse.
Harta-ak hit the opening with a lead of seventy-five yards and the horse was doing everything it could to lengthen the lead.
As the bear ran through the opening, Alex felt the ground shake beneath his feet, and he reached out and touched the huge boulder on the lip of the opening. If the vibrations sent it skittering over the edge, everything they had done was for naught.
The rock held and Alex rushed to the back edge of the lip, watching the impossible scene of the largest bear to ever exist chase after a frightened horse. Under normal circumstances, Alex gauged, the bear might have been faster. Its legs were so long that each stride ate up the ground. But in this case, it was chasing an animal that was also built for speed and saw its own mortality coming up fast behind it.
Seconds later, both the horse and the bear had disappeared from view.
Alex held his arm out and Versa-eh tossed the lasso over it from across the opening. Alex pulled the loop open wider and wider until it was big enough to fit around the boulder perched on the edge.
When he had accomplished that, he signaled Versa-eh, who pulled the rope taut.
Alex dropped down the back of the hill. Alex grabbed his axe and chopped at the base of a tree that sat next to the opening. It wasn’t exactly a sapling, but it was a young tree—no more than forty feet tall.
Senta-eh and Versa-eh stood guard on top of the berm on either side of the opening while Alex worked. They had no idea how far godat-ta would chase Harta-ak. It was possible he would tire of the chase very quickly and might turn around sooner than they wanted. The last thing Alex wanted was to get caught chopping at the tree when godat-ta ran up on him.
