by Sheryl Seal
Although I was disappointed, I hadn’t seen anything about Grey Wolf in my vision, I did realize that at times my happiness was not that important in the wake of all the evil in the world. “Yes grandfather, I think the trouble lies with White Bear.” I explained to grandfather my vision and all that I had seen. He listened thoughtfully, while he clicked his tongue. He normally did this while he thought on the words of others and what they might mean. Nodding his head, he stopped the clicking and gave me his opinion. “Often secrets are not revealed in words, they lay concealed in the silence between each falling tear.”
It frequently drives me crazy that grandfather talks in riddles. I know this is the old way of speaking and he likes me to figure things out on my own. Grandmother says it will make me a most ingenious Queen. She has spoken in the old ways all my life. I respectfully listen and try to work through their riddles, but often times I feel inadequate. I can’t help smiling though and occasionally it’s accompanied with an eye roll. I realize this is only because I am young and inexperienced. So, I try to refrain from the eye-rolling and really listen so that I will learn all they are trying to teach me. After all, life is full of lessons, all to be learned.
“Do you think that White Bear is being possessed by this old man, grandfather? How would this happen?”
He was shaking his lowered head and his shaggy hair whipped back and forth. He looked at me under his gray bushy eyebrows and replied to my questions. “I believe that this could be the case. Have you witnessed other strange behavior from Matoskah recently?”
I thought on all the times I had felt or seen peculiar behavior from White Bear. I decided it was just his eyes that were strange, until today. He was certainly acting weird. “It could be just a feeling I have. A few times I thought that his eyes had a red glimmering to them. One day a while back, I noticed he had this necklace with a red gem in it. At the time I just thought the sunlight glinting off of it made his eyes appear red. Today however, he had the necklace tucked in his shirt. His eyes sparked red for an instant so it couldn’t have been the sun shining on it. He also seemed different somehow. Could this necklace be a part of my vision and what’s going on with White Bear?”
Grandfather was nodding his head yes. “What did this necklace look like, Oria? Can you describe it to me?”
“No grandfather, only that it’s a red stone. I only had a quick glimpse of it the one time.”
Grandfather leaned on his staff and I waited while he came to some conclusion. Finally he answered. “I think this could be some kind of trap for a different agenda and this red gem that also burns in his eyes is clearly part of this mystery. The feeling I have is one that leaves a chill deep in my bones but I cannot grasp the whole picture. You know you must not meet him alone Oria?”
Now it was my turn to nod my head. “Yes, this is why I was suspicious of going there alone. It is a very cold feeling grandfather. Do you think this could have anything to do with the Ale? I have noticed the change in White Bear and his eyes since that day.”
“I don’t believe this has to do with the Ale. Although there can be many Ale, this does not seem to be related. Remember what you have learned and that there is always evil out there. It will always find a way in, no matter how good our wards are. This is why we often double the wards, so that if evil is indeed here; it will not escape into the world of man.”
“Could the music that sounded so sad really be evil grandfather? I felt it needed my help.”
“Evil comes in all forms and is very shrewd; one can never be too careful, Oria.”
Although I was concerned, I felt a bit braver. I stood up straighter and asked grandfather if we should go and meet White Bear at the cave. I wasn’t necessarily feeling like I wanted to take on my friend, especially not knowing what this was about, but it still needed to be dealt with. I need not have worried though, because grandfather wasn’t about to let either one of us go to the cave. We needed to know more of what we were up against.
“I will consult with the ancestors and see what we all come up with. In the meantime, do not be alone with White Bear. I will see what I can find out about the cave diagrams on the wall, which clearly were not there before now. I know that you felt the cave is calling to you, but we need to know why before you enter. There are new Dwellers coming in for training and White Bear will understand that you are needed here in the village.”
I left grandfather’s lodge hoping White Bear was not in danger, and that he wasn’t purposely trying to put me in danger. I decided to go and sit at the pool by Bridalveil Fall and think on everything I had learned today. I should be safe at Bridalveil because it is right behind the village. I didn’t know what was going on with White Bear. I sure hoped I hadn’t saved my good friend from a crazed magic bear, only to have him try and harm me in some way. In the beautiful warm sunshine, I felt suddenly chilled as a foreboding hit me like an electric shock.
I stopped where I was and tried to steady myself. I felt dizzy and swayed on my feet for a moment. I took a deep breath, swallowed the lump that had grown in my throat and continued on the path. Chills ran all over my body and I tried to once again push away the foreboding.
White Bear
“I am Matoskah; I will not hurt those that trust me. You are using my body but you will not take my soul. I will fight you like the warrior you once were.” My mind goes back and forth as I try and fight to stay in control of my sanity of what is going on. I understand what needs to be done. If I could just do it on my own, I know I could get the help we need. But he will not take any more chances and I feel him taking the control away from me again.
How will I ever get her up to the cave unnoticed by the others, I wonder? I had so hoped that she would come when we said we would meet. I should have known that she had suspected something. Oria is young but very wise for her years. I had thought the music coming from the cave might draw her in but as I watched nearby, I knew when the moment had passed. She fought off the melody, shook her head to clear her mind and could no longer hear the mournful tune.
I am silent as a hunter stalking his prey as I come to Bridalveil Fall. I stay quiet as I watch the Golden Queen come to the foot of the falls and sit down. She looks up briefly at the top of the falls and stares at a certain spot. She appears to be envisioning something there. When I looked, I can see nothing, but I know that often our Golden Queen would see things that others cannot. I look closer to make sure nothing is there and seeing nothing myself; I decide this will be the perfect time. I will take her now.
I touch the scar on my chest that Oria had healed with her hands and having second thoughts, I almost turn away. The old man’s will is stronger than mine and my feet carry me closer towards her. I cannot turn back and this seems to be the only answer. She had healed me once by placing her hands on my wounds. Surely she was the answer to the old chief’s needs. He believes she is and suddenly he has full control over my body. I stand up and run at her and scoop her up in my arms. I am sure she will call others with her mind if I don’t do something and fast. I am prepared; I am a medicine man and I carry with me the herbs that can put her to sleep safely. I retrieve these from my leather pouch as I run.
As I carry her away from the falls, I put a leather cloth over her nose and mouth that I had presoaked in a natural sleeping herb. I whisper softly in her ear and pray that she will be able to help and that she will also understand why it must be done this way. I watch her closely as the questions she has on her face and lips fade away while she drifts off into a peaceful slumber. “I am sorry Oria, but you must come with me for a while to the old land. I will bring you back safely after we help this spirit that has come into my life.” I whisper in her ear although she is already out.
Racing away and shifting quickly into my spirit animal the great white bear, I hold the Golden Queen securely under one massive hairy arm. It is hard to run as a bear and carry her but I am strong and manage it. I am praying as we go that we stay undetected. As I speed through the forest,
I think of her and the day that we had first met. There were already many memories in this last year but that day was especially memorable for me. I knew that I was to start teaching her in the art of healing and how herbs worked with the body to repair it from wounds or sickness. We were to meet at Bridalveil Fall and she was already there waiting for me when I arrived later than I had intended.
I crept up on her, and poked her in the back with a staff that I had made. It had feathers all down it and I waved it around screaming nonsense like it had great magic. It was of course just a stick with feathers on it and had no great magic. It was very hard to keep a straight face after the look on hers. She seemed afraid, until the anger at being poked and chanted at crossed over her face.
She said later that I had looked rather terrifying. I had painted half of my face black with a white circle around my eye and the other half yellow with a black circle around that eye. There were feathers in my hair and I wore only my breechcloth and moccasins. I had on so many different charms and necklaces that they weighed me down considerably. I was yelling and waving the staff around like a crazy man. The apprehension on her face when she stood up and backed away from me was priceless. That was before I got a better look at her. I was immediately regretful. She was so beautiful, with her sky blue eyes with the silver flecks. She had all that auburn hair swimming wildly all around her.
“I thought you were going to eat me alive or something much worse.” She accused.
“Whatever could be worse than being eaten alive?” I had asked her.
“I’ve heard stories of your tribe of people, the Hunkpapas are very fierce.” Then she burst out in the most pleasurable laughter I had ever heard at the time. It was so contagious that I could not help but laugh along, and hoped that she had forgiven my childish prank. Then it hit me, what could be so funny, when a few seconds ago she really did seem terrified.
She held her hand up over her mouth as she tried to gain back some control so she could speak. “So Matoskah is it?”
I nodded yes and still giggling she asked with a snicker in her voice. “What does this name mean?”
I stood up very straight and I answered proudly of my name. “My name means White Bear.”
“Well White Bear, it would appear that your costume could use a few adjustments. Unless of course this is the way your tribe greets new people.” She started laughing so uncontrollably that I looked where she pointed and whirled around trying to find cover.
There was none. I spun around in circles, looking for a place to hide, showing her first one side and then the other. She was laughing hysterically as she realized I had simply forgotten this part of my costume.
“I’ll be right back, stay here.” I yelled to her as I walked very quickly back to the village. I tried to cover my body with my hands, and all the way through the village I got many more giggles. I did paint my face and had spent a while doing so. I had carefully placed feathers in my hair and I did have on all my charms and beads. I actually put on my moccasins, but how I forgot my breechcloth that day, when I never had before in my life, is still a mystery to me.
When I returned, she acted like it had never happened and wanted to know where we should begin. She is very compassionate that way. With the whole incident all but forgotten, I began training her in every art I could think of. We have been very close since that day and she has mastered everything that I have taught her. Her laughter still rings in my ears often when I think on this and all the many days we have spent together since then. Including the day she saved my life from the magical Bear that tried to kill me.
I feel regretful to be abusing our friendship this way and I would never want to betray her trust in me. I knew I had no choice in this matter. So I keep my paws in motion and charge ahead toward Oria Falls.
Reaching the cave beyond Oria Falls that I know can take me to the other world where the people wait; I wasted no time and shifted back into my human form. I held onto Oria and taking the necklace off, I put it in the contour in the wall where it fit flawlessly. I waited until the wall shimmered. It turned a vibrant red that transformed the wall into a doorway. I snatched the necklace back and walked through the entrance with the Golden Queen and into the ancient world of the Ahwahneechee.
This is the world where some lost souls have been living for thousands of years. I could hear the music and knew that the celebration was near. The Golden Queen was finally here and soon there would be peace in the land. I only hoped that all would forgive me for what I have done and I pray like I never have before, that The Great Spirit will show them all the way here when the time is near.
Grandfather
I could tell as I entered Huyana’s lodge that she was very well aware of my concerns. She sat sewing and nodded as I entered. She had her own worries about her granddaughter and I recognized the fact that she would already know everything that I would have to say. She had at one time been the Golden Queen and had all the powers of one still. She did feel like she wasn’t as strong as she once was but I knew that she still had plenty of her strength. This is what happens when we get older. We all lose our strength and some of our power.
Even in her golden years she is still the beautiful woman, which I have always loved. I put my feelings aside as I have always done. There have always been more important issues at hand than the love this old man feels for Huyana. She likes me to be direct and so I get right to the point. I know she has already seen as much or more than I have. This is the way it has always been between us. “Huyana, I have had a vision and your granddaughter is in grave danger. Our Golden Queen has been taken by our loyal and trusted medicine man Matoskah. You have seen this also, I would assume. All may not be as it would seem though.”
“Yes, I have also seen this Elsu. Only The Great Spirit knows what will happen in this world he has taken my granddaughter to. She is needed to help White Bear; he has taken her to the land of the dead. I cannot imagine why or even how he could do this thing. I can see no more myself. It is, as if the doorway has closed and my visions about them have stopped.” Nodding as she was speaking, she agreed that we both had the same picture of the event that had happened.
“I will call the Dwellers of Ahwahnee together and let them know what has happened and that they will be needed. The new Dwellers will be coming in tonight. The celebration we have for the birthday of all Dwellers will be interrupted with what has happened to our Queen. This is not a good time for trouble. There is never a good time for trouble I suppose. I will pray The Golden Queen is returned safely. I would like to have a look at this cave Oria described with the symbols on the wall. These could be signs as to what is happening and there may be a way we can help. This may be how Matoskah was able to take her from us.”
Huyana nodded and continued the beadwork that she was sewing into a new dress for Oria. I thought it odd unless it was for Aponi’s wedding to Red Thunder. I had yet to see Oria in a dress. She preferred the men’s tanned leather leggings. This alone told me how worried she was for her granddaughter. She was very silent, and if I know anything, I know Huyana is never just a silent woman. She is wise and speaks her mind… always. I have to figure out exactly what is going on and put her mind at ease. The loss of her granddaughter in her life could be tragic for her. She had already lost her daughter and her daughter’s husband. She has lost many people in her lifetime.
With my mind made up on a plan of action, I left her to her thoughts and went in search of Aponi and Red Thunder. However, my first thought was of Grey Wolf. He needed to know what was going on. I sent a message out to the universe in prayers, that wherever he may be, he would hear them and finally come home. Nothing could be more important to him than the other half of his soul. He had to feel she was missing from this land. Smiling to myself, I had a feeling he would be along soon.
Knowing this would also be hard for Aponi, I set my mind to the task of her barrage of questions that were no doubt to come. I knew that Oria and Aponi had become the best of friends. She wo
uld take the news of her best friend’s disappearance badly. They spent a lot of time together and Aponi had even talked Oria into letting her change her hair color occasionally like Aponi always does. I noticed this one day when they were out riding their horses and I almost didn’t recognize our Golden Queen. Her hair was snow white and right down the middle she had a stripe of blue. To that Aponi had added blue on the very ends. It was still curly and blew wildly in the wind and that was how I knew that it was our Queen. There was no one else here that had such wild curly hair.
Thinking again on what I needed to tell Aponi, I knew that she was in the middle of planning her wedding ceremony to Red Thunder. I also knew that all of that would be put on hold now. She would only want to get Oria back home to the village safely. I felt her coming up behind me. Stopping, I leaned on my staff and waited for her to approach. I could feel she already knew that something was amiss with our Golden Queen. “Grandfather have you seen Oria? She is nowhere to be found this morning!”
I turned around and watched as Aponi approached me. She had a pained look upon her face and her mind was like a beehive. Buzzing wildly with the many questions, I knew Aponi was about to assail me with, I smiled and waited.
A very pretty girl, Aponi is definitely unique. She is always doing something outrageous with her hair. Today it is a gold color with bangs and the rest is long and straight with darker golden stripes throughout. As usual it looks beautiful against her dark skin and it makes the freckles across her face really stand out. Dressed in a leather skin dress as usual, she has pretty little beads sewn all over the bottom in the shape of moons. A golden eagle that is her spirit animal is beaded into the middle. There is fringe at her sleeves and hem line. They bounce around wildly as she walks. I am an old man but not too old to notice when the pretty ones do all they can to be noticed by their young admirers.
