by Dani Hoots
The wind whistled through the tree branches, while I hummed along with their tune. I stepped as quietly as I could on the leaves, not wanting to disrupt their song. Small creatures, such as chinchillas and viscacha not wanting to be spotted, hid quickly away in the foliage,, not that I was looking for them. The sun shined brightly today, but the leaves blocked the rays from beating down on me, which made me feel almost perfect.
My hair was pulled back, out of my way, as I searched for the herbs the machi have been using for generations and generations for medicinal purposes. I had learned at an early age how to spot them and where to look. It was like second nature to me and I didn’t even have to think about it as I went along. I was able to meditate peacefully without having to worry I would forget something.
It was nice to have time to myself, without anyone disrupting my day with questions and advice. Sure, I loved helping people, but at times I just wanted to be alone. I just wanted time where I could let myself dream and reflect on the things I loved most, not the things that needed to be done for other people.
It was hard to just think about things I wanted and not worry about the welfare of other people. I mostly just emptied my mind, allowing it to be calm. That was all I really needed sometimes, just to get some mental rest while I was out with nature. Walking through the wilderness was my passion; I could live here for the rest of my life, just taking in everything it had to offer. It was tranquility.
That is, until I heard leaves crunching as if someone was coming over the hill towards me.
I looked back to find Micos running at me. He wore his hunting attire, thick hide-pants and shirt, sandals, and he had his bow and arrows connected to a bag on his back. His face was in a panic, and he appeared out of breath by the time he reached me.
“They’re back, Apachita, They’re back!”
My heart felt as if it had stopped. I had prayed to the gods that those strangers would leave us alone—let us be. I had heard stories of past battles against men who tried to come over the mountains, very powerful men, who would lay tribes like our own to waste. But even in those stories, it didn’t seem like that they possessed the magic that these people had. These men had strange objects from which fire would come out of in an instant, projecting incendiary objects to great distances away from them that caused death upon impact. Without the help of the gods, I didn’t think we could stand a chance against them.
Now they were here, threatening our very way of life.
“We must hurry, then. We can’t let them press further into our land. You must show me where they are so I can decide if they are going to stay or bypass this place,” I said as I grabbed my basket of herbs and started down the hill.
“I knew you would want to see, that is why I came straight here,” Micos explained. “No one else knows, at least not to my knowledge anyway. I just came across a clearing in the forest and saw their ship heading towards the shore,” he paused, licking his lips. “Do you really think there will be a war?”
I nodded. “Yes. You were just a small child when the first outsiders came. You don’t remember how much turmoil there was in the tribe. The only answer this time is war.”
He nodded. “Okay. I will follow you to the end, Apachita. You can count on my loyalty.”
I placed my hand on his shoulder and thanked him. “Now, show me where exactly you saw these outsiders.”
Micos led me back towards where he had been hunting. It was a long trek, and he had to have been running for a while in order to have found me. It was at least an hour before we arrived to the clearing he had told me about.
We reached the cliff’s edge, the thundering waves crashing against the wall of rocks below. There, in the distance, I saw the large boats coming towards the shore. Our tribe wasn’t far from this shore, I prayed that they would decide to keep on going past our shores and not stop here.
But I knew that wasn’t going to happen.
“This isn’t going to end well for either of us, Micos, neither us nor them,” I whispered.
“Do you think their gods have blessed them more than us? Have we not done enough?”
I shook my head. “I do not know. I will communicate with the spirits tonight, I will perform a Machitun straight away.”
He nodded. “It is the only way we can find answers. But do you have all that you need?”
“Yes, I just picked up those herbs before you came. It was as if it was meant to be. Now, we have to warn the tribe and get ready. We don’t know if these strangers want peace or war. I will find out answers soon. Let’s go.”
Micos nodded his head and followed me back to our camp. We hurried as fast as we could through the wilderness, branches snatching on my clothes, ripping away at them, but I didn’t care. I would fix them later after I didn’t have to worry about the mess that we found ourselves in. The mess that could end up resulting in a devastating war.
Although I didn’t know for a fact that these strangers came in hopes to conquer our people, I could feel the unease eating at my core. They were not going to be friendly. There were rumors going around since the first people came, that they came to destroy the land, that they were cannibals and would kill our men, take our women, and eat our children. They were depicted as monsters—such grotesque beings that were even worse than the creatures that lived in the darkness. No one knew where they came from or why they were here. All we knew was that they wanted to destroy the things that we loved most.
Truthfully, I had been having dreams of bloodshed for many cycles since the first ones came to our land. I didn’t tell anyone, though, in hopes that they were simply fears instead of premonitions. I was constantly afraid that the strangers would return after the first time they appeared, and that my people would look up to me for guidance, and that I would fail them. It was my worst fear, that I would let them down somehow. I was not ready or emotionally-prepared when the machi that trained me passed away, even though she assured me on her deathbed that I was ready. I never felt that way, and even now, at the age of 37, I still felt insecure about my position. I didn’t let it show, though, as I kept my head high and gave advice where need be.
Ever since my dreams started, I had been asking the spirits of our ancestors for guidance, but so far they had been quiet on this matter. That was why I thought all of this was just my worries. I damned myself for being so naive. All I wanted now was answers and I wouldn’t leave the spirits alone until I got them. The fate of my entire tribe was at stake. I couldn’t let something happen to them while they were under my protection.
When we arrived back at the camp, Micos pulled everyone together, telling them that I had an important announcement. He didn’t tell them what was going on, knowing that no one would stop asking questions and we would get nowhere. No, I had to be the one who delivered the news so that I could answer all their questions at once. Then at least we would be able to get somewhere today and begin the Machitun.
I didn’t particularly want to be the person who told them that the strangers were coming, to be the bearer of the bad news, but I had no choice. I was the best person to do such a thing, but to give bad news during such a peaceful time was hard. We thought they had left, and that life would be good for us. Apparently, we were wrong.
A few of the tribe members tried to ask me what was going on, but I didn’t answer them. I wouldn’t give the news to anyone before the meeting. It wouldn’t be fair. They all looked worried, knowing it would be serious news. They could probably see it on my face, even though I was trying my hardest to keep my composure. But I was frightened and lost, and that was two things that were hard to keep to one’s self.
There were about forty people within my tribe. We were a close knit group of people, everyone knowing each other very well. Families stood side by side, friends as well. They all looked up at me as I stood in front of them. Micos nodded that everyone was there and I cleared my throat.
“Friends, families, as we remembered twenty years before today, strange men ste
pped upon our land and left as swiftly as they came. We prayed that they would not return and not bring misfortune to this land, but I regretfully have to inform you that they have returned and that we must ask the gods for help as we decide between peace and war within a very short amount of time. I will be performing a Machitun later tonight, Inti and Killa, will you help me prepare for the ceremony? The rest of you, get your weapons ready. We do not want to start this without being prepared. We could be looking at war soon.”
Murmurs rippled through the tribe as they discussed intensely amongst themselves what could happen within the next few hours. They didn’t ask questions, or at least not to me. They knew that it was important that I prepare for tonight’s communication with the spirits. Only then would we know what we needed to do. Inti and Killa followed me to my hut to start the preparations for the ritual. They both were training to become machi themselves. Neither of them were ready to take on the task of becoming leaders of this tribe just yet, but I was thankful to know that if something happened to me, that they would be ready to take my place. They were also quick at preparing anything I needed, and I would need incense to be readied, new drums painted, and a sacrifice for the spirits of the other world. It was a lot to put together in such a short amount of time, but it had to be done. The strangers were on their way as we did everything we could in the very little time we had remaining.
Inti and Killa finished helping with the preparations. Many worrisome people waited outside the tent, wondering when we would start the Machitun. Sometimes when we performed the ceremony, people could sit in and witness the proceedings of the ritual, but this time there were too many people that wanted to be inside the hut. So it would only be the three of us and once it was over, I would announce to the tribe what we had seen.
Although they had only performed a Machitun three times, I let Inti and Killa join me. I figured any help would be greatly needed. As we had prepared everything, I prayed silently to myself that we would be gifted with answers. Extra prayer wouldn’t hurt, I knew, and since I believed that with more intention behind doing any task brought greater results, I made sure Inti and Killa did the same.
I could hear some of the tribe members outside the tent, talking about their fears of what could happen in the coming days. Rumors had spread throughout the neighboring tribes about the strangers being monsters, kidnapping some people to eat them in their far off land. Even though I didn’t quite believe that was true, I still feared what they might do to us.
I had been worrying for years now, my dreams adding to that worry. I had asked the spirit world for help many times, but I hadn’t heard any response. But this time I knew it would be different. After all, I still had hope. I had hope that the spirits would not let us down.
We were almost ready as Inti and Killa lit the remaining incense. Inti was a little bit older than Killa, with dark straight hair, a contrast to Killa’s curly hair. They both were fit, smart, and eager to learn. Killa was a little quicker at remembering things, which made Inti jealous at times, I could tell. They didn’t know, but sometimes I would hear them argue about it. I didn’t play favorites, and they both understood that. None of their fights lasted for more than ten minutes so I was never worried they would become adversaries.
As for now, they both prepared silently as I sat down on the mat. They both joined me and we each held hands, Killa on my right and Inti to my left.
I took a deep breath, letting the incense fill my body with calmness and direction. I needed to feel the connection with the earth, and with all the elements to guide my thoughts towards the spirit realm. It was difficult to clear one’s conscience, to let pure will guide them. It took years for me to train like this, but it was well worth it. I deeply wanted to help my tribe and nothing else mattered to me more than them. I held on to that fact, as I slowly let my breath out.
“Spirits of those who have passed into another world, those who used to be our friends, our family, our loved ones, we have come here to ask for your guidance. We need your help as we are facing new enemies. We don’t believe they come with peace, we don’t believe that they want to be our friends. Please, give us guidance!” I yelled out to the heavens.
A gust of wind whipped around the three of us, coming out of nowhere, and I let my dark hair fly around me. I closed my eyes and tried to listen, as did Inti and Killa. I could feel their presence, as if they surrounded us in the hut. I felt almost warm, like all those who had passed were trying to give us their comfort. I wondered if my own parents were with them, as they had passed when I was only two years old. I wanted to call out their names, but I knew it wasn’t the time or place. I didn’t say anything else, but just waited for them to answer what I had said before.
“Death...”
That was the clearest word I had ever heard in all my years performing the Machitun, and that was a lot of ceremonies, at least a hundred. I was taken aback, of course, that a spirit would say such a dark thing. It immediately made me open my eyes to see if Inti or Killa had heard the same word. From what I could tell, they did not. They both still meditated there, waiting for an answer, or for me to receive one.
So only I could hear them this time. This was interesting.
Since Killa and Inti started performing the ceremonies as well, they could hear whispers when the spirits talked. But this—this was very powerful and if the spirit wanted them to hear, they would have heard. I closed my eyes again, listening for anything else they had to say.
“You will find death...”
My heart was racing. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Death? How could we be finding death, how could the spirits allow this? I wanted to know why such a thing would happen to us, why would we be so unfortunate in a time like this.
“This will be your end. This will be everyone’s end...”
Everyone? That wasn’t possible, that couldn’t be. I was the leader of my people and I couldn’t deliver them the news that we would be facing our demise. No, there had to be another way. I would not go down without a fight. I would not let my people down. There had to be a way out of this.
“No, this cannot be the end. There has to be a way for us to fight,” I whispered, hoping that Inti and Killa wouldn’t hear me as the wind seemed to be growing stronger around us.
“There is no way around it. Life as you know it has ended. This will be the death and rebirth of your people. But in all of it, you yourself will meet death. There is no way around it...”
The wind stopped as fast it had come and the communication with the spirit realm had been cut. My hair dropped back down against my skin and I opened my eyes to find Inti and Killa staring at me with confused glances, wondering what they should do next, as they had not heard anything whatsoever from the spirits.
“What did they say?” Inti asked.
I thought about what I should say. I couldn’t believe the betrayal the spirits had left with me, how they could say such a fate was inevitable. But I didn’t want anyone to know about this fate, I didn’t want them to lose absolute hope.
“They said we must fight—keep our heads up high and never give up,” I finally answered. I stood up. “Now, we must tell the rest of the tribe.
I stepped outside the hut to find nearly everyone in the tribe had been waiting all this time. I smiled, knowing that they had faith in me to communicate with the other world, that I would lead them to peace or war.
Unfortunately it was going to be war, and by the sounds of it, it wasn’t going to be pretty.
I didn’t believe that our entire tribe would be destroyed, I couldn’t. We had worked so hard against other enemies over many generations, and we had survived. These strangers couldn’t defeat us, I wouldn’t allow it.
I stood tall and called out to them all. “We must fight the strangers. We must go to war, all of us fighting for our way of life. It is what must be done.”
There was a murmur heard throughout the hut, as if they didn’t want to fight back, knowing that these people
had objects that were blessed with some type of dark magic. The strangers could make small objects fly faster than any arrow could ever travel. They have taken the lives of animals that reside in our woods, without the express blessing of the spirit that creature possessed. It was sickening in and of itself to think that they could easily take the life of an animal without any guilt, and then destroy this very land quickly. I wouldn’t allow that to happen.
“Prepare your weapons, ready the tribe. We will attack on the night of the full moon for extra guidance and strength,” I said as I turned to my own hut. “Sleep well, my friends. We shall have our victory soon.”
The full moon was in three nights. It was enough time to prepare, I knew, and it would give us a moment to take a breath and understand what exactly we were facing. I would send a group the next day to keep an eye on the strangers, to see what they were doing. The rest of us would ready our weapons and plan out how we would attack the outsiders. My heart was still pounding, and feeling broken that the spirits had let me down. They had led us through so many trying times, I didn’t understand how they could just send me the message of death. I prayed as I lay on my bed, that I would get some premonition in my sleep that would help me answer all the questions that were running through my head.
Such as how we were going to defeat these strangers.
All throughout the night, I dreamed only about darkness. I felt lost, as if I couldn’t move without losing touch with the world. No matter which way I looked, it felt as if no path would lead me where I needed to go. I felt absolutely and utterly alone. My feet couldn’t move, no matter how hard I tried. I was stuck, destined to die alone in this nightmare. A chill fell over me, as the wind rushed through the area. Normally I would love the feel of wind, as it makes me feel alive, carrying the world around it, but this wasn’t like that. This wind only carried the stench of death. I shuddered and tried to cover my mouth to relieve myself of the stench. It didn’t work, I could still smell that deadly odor.
