Grey Eyes

by Franks Busch

  “Easy,” said Blue Elk Man digging the paddle deep into the water. “We don’t have any other choice.”

  ////

  Singing Doe could stand her husband’s silence no longer. “Why don’t you talk? I am your wife. Has something changed?”

  “You know what has changed,” Brown Shield Man said.

  Flying Rabbit Boy snorted and muttered in his sleep, rocking the canoe slightly as he shifted.

  “Have your feelings changed?”

  “Motch,” he said. “You know they haven’t.”

  “Then why do you push me away?”

  “I don’t feel right. You wouldn’t understand.”

  “I want to understand,” said Singing Doe. “How can I…”

  “Please,” he pleaded. “Let’s not wake our son. He needs his sleep after what he has been through.”

  “He’s not the only one who is hurting,” Singing Doe said, resigning herself to her husband’s sorrow.

  ////

  Walking Moon Woman lifted her paddle out of the water and placed it across the two sides of the canoe with a thump. She reached into her satchel for a birch bark bowl and dipped it in the water. She took a few deep gulps. “When I lost my husband, it was my love for my five children that pushed me to get through those dark days. Soaring Star Woman lost her husband as well as her child. She was the strongest-hearted woman I have ever known.”

  “But how did Dark Cloud Man kill my grandfather if he had already been banished?” asked Little Grey Bear Boy, straining against the water as he navigated the canoe on his own.

  “Dark Cloud Man knew he was not strong enough with the magic to take on his mother, so he started acquiring followers from the surrounding villages. He promised them the power to control their destinies and fulfill all of their selfish desires. He had his followers paint their eyelids red to show their devotion to him and his teachings. Years later, when he had a large following, he returned to the village to take his revenge.”

  “And grandfather died defending the village?”

  “You could say that,” said Walking Moon Woman. “The Red-Eye and his followers did not defeat him in battle, but he was defending the village when he died. He was fighting off the Red-Eye warriors, empowered by Soaring Star Woman’s magic. When Dark Cloud Man knew his followers were being defeated, he used his magic to call down fiery rocks from the sky. I watched helplessly as my husband was destroyed by one of these fiery rocks. There was nothing left of him for us to bury, which made saying goodbye much harder. This is why I have never chosen another husband.”

  “You must have been so lonesome.”

  “Tapwe,” she said. “Until you came along. You remind me of him.”

  Little Grey Bear Boy’s muscles pulled with the effort of the paddle.

  “Mother Earth provides enough for all of creation, even for the Red-Eye and his followers. Somehow, nothing is ever good enough for someone who has only anger in their heart. They will always want that which others have worked hard to earn. They always think others live life so much easier or better than they do. There is just no way to make any sense of their motivations. We are not able to think the way they think, or feel the way they feel. So, in order to live in harmony we try to make it clear that they are not welcome among us as kindly and as gently as possible.”

  Little Grey Bear Boy paused both to take a break and to think about his grandmother’s words. A mother loon swam in front of the canoe with a chick on its back. Startled by the canoe, the chick jumped off and swam quickly for the shore. The mother called loudly, feigning injury in an attempt to lure the canoe away from its offspring. As the canoe passed, the mother quickly retrieved her chick.

  ////

  Yellow Hawk Girl sat at the front of Painted Turtle man’s canoe with her corn husk doll.

  “When I am in charge of the Bear clan,” she said to the doll, “I’m going to make sure everyone is nice to each other. I won’t let anyone say mean things about anyone else.”

  26

  nīstanaw nikotwāsosāp

  The canoes pulled up at the hidden beach of Otowhowin and the Bear clan unloaded the supplies. The shore was lined with long grey willows that obscured the view of the sandy shore from either side. The pine trees grew tall and thick here and the ground was covered in a soft moss. Brown Shield Man insisted they pull the canoes deep into the forest and cover them with pine boughs. The women got to work on a makeshift lodge as the men unpacked the supplies. Blue Elk Man scouted the area.

  “I have seen some moose sign,” he reported. “Judging by the tracks it is a big one.”

  “Can I see?” asked Flying Rabbit Boy, struggling to stand up.

  “Motch,” said Brown Shield Man. “You need to rest.”

  “How am I supposed to learn to track if I never get to go?”

  “You can help me pick out spots to set snares,” said Little Grey Bear Boy. “You are good at that.”

  “I’d rather get a moose than a rabbit…”

  “We can get started on that in the morning,” said Painted Turtle Man. “Right now, we need to get some firewood for tonight. It is already starting to get cold.”

  “Tapwe,” said Brown Shield Man. “I’ll stay here with my son.”

  “He’s perfectly safe with the others,” said Blue Elk Man. “We will need to carry as much wood as possible.”

  “I’m a Wolf,” snapped Brown Shield Man. “It’s my job to protect the camp.”

  “Tapwe,” said Painted Turtle Man, intervening. “We’ll manage with just the three of us.”

  Blue Elk Man stared disapprovingly at his brother-in-law. Painted Turtle Man kept smiling and led him away by the arm.

  The women were taking a long time to put up the lodge, though it was a task they had done many times before.

  “Pull the rope up higher,” said Walking Moon Woman.

  “This is as high as it can go,” said White Willow Woman. “Do you expect me to fly?”

  “I expect you to do it right.”

  “Would you rather do it yourself?”

  “Don’t speak to me that way. I’m still your mother.”

  “I know how to tie a lodge.”

  “Is that what you think?”

  “Stop arguing,” said Singing Doe. “We are all tired. Let’s just get the lodge up so we will have somewhere to sleep tonight.”

  The next morning, the Bear clan rose with barely a word to one another.

  “It is going to be a fine day today,” said Painted Turtle Man, smiling. “Why don’t we all greet the sun as a family?”

  No one responded.

  “I need to go find that moose,” said Blue Elk Man, getting up to leave. “The tracks I found were only a day or two old. If it is moving slow and feeding often I should be able to find it.”

  “Then the rest of us can pray for your success.”

  “I need to keep lookout around our camp,” said Brown Shield Man, collecting rawhide straps from his pack. “I’ll collect more wood as I do so.”

  “We have enough wood now to last a few days,” countered Painted Turtle Man.

  “My girl and I are going berry picking,” said White Willow Woman, taking her daughter by the hand. “If we don’t find cranberries along the shore, we will pick moss berries instead.”

  “I am going to haul water,” added Singing Doe, quickly untying her pack while looking in her husband’s direction. “All the water skins we brought are empty and we aren’t very close to the shore. If anyone is looking for us, we may get spotted if we are constantly at the water’s edge.”

  “Will you join me, cousin?” said Painted Turtle Man to the matriarch.

  “Motch,” said Walking Moon Woman. “I have work to do.”

  “Oh?”

  “Tapwe.”

  “Well boys,” said the old man with gl
assy eyes. “I guess it’s just us.”

  “Do we have to?” whined Flying Rabbit Boy. “My shoulder hurts.”

  “We would be happy to, Moosum,” said Little Grey Bear Boy, casting his cousin a frown. “Where will we go?”

  “East of course.”

  27

  nīstanaw tīpakohposāp

  Painted Turtle Man was distracted. Little Grey Bear Boy felt it even as they greeted Grandfather Sun. He changed Flying Rabbit Boy’s bandages quickly and without his usual gentle touch,

  “That’s too tight,” said Flying Rabbit Boy, gritting his teeth.

  “I don’t want it to get dirty,” said Painted Turtle Man. “You boys go set your snares and don’t forget where you put them. It would be ungrateful to Grandmother Rabbit for us to leave one behind.”

  “Tapwe, Moosum,” agreed Little Grey Bear Boy. “We will be careful to remember.”

  “Where are you going?” asked Flying Rabbit Boy.

  “I need to find some medicines.”

  “Don’t we have everything we need?” asked Little Grey Bear Boy.

  “Motch,” answered Painted Turtle Man. “Not everything…” The old man walked into the forest with purpose.

  “I think he’s getting stranger,” said Flying Rabbit Boy.

  “Awas,” said Little Grey Bear Boy. “Let’s go snare some rabbits.”

  When Grandfather Sun began to set, Little Grey Bear Boy and his injured cousin came home to find the camp empty. There was smoke spiraling up from the makeshift lodge, so they figured someone must be there. As they got closer, they noticed a sweet, unfamiliar scent emanating from the smoke.

  As they entered the lodge, they found the sleeping hides had been unrolled and arranged in a circle. Painted Turtle Man sat opposite the doorway, dressed in his finest ceremonial clothing. The deer hide shirt and leggings that Singing Doe had made for him after Little Grey Bear Boy’s birth still looked new. Fine quillwork and tufted moose hair designs had been added in a mesmerizing display of flowers and vines across the chest and back, and down the arms.

  Painted Turtle Man cradled his peace pipe in his right arm. His ceremonial objects he had laid out in front of him. A shiny red stone, an eagle wing fan, a rawhide moon rattle, an old black spear head, an abalone shell, and several small medicine pouches. His head was raised slightly and his eyes were closed as though he were deep in prayer.

  “Moosum?” asked Little Grey Bear Boy. Without a word, Painted Turtle Man extended his left arm, palm up towards his left hand side.

  “Tapwe…” said Little Grey Bear Boy, taking a seat next to the old man. He motioned for Flying Rabbit Boy to do the same. Little Grey Bear Boy closed his eyes, like Painted Turtle Man, and allowed his mind to clear.

  Flying Rabbit Boy looked around the lodge, unsure of what to do. He adjusted his seating position and tugged on the strap of his sling. He glanced over at Little Grey Bear Boy and saw that beneath his closed eyes a grey light was starting to glow. Flying Rabbit Boy felt a tingle in his spine, then a vibration in his back teeth. His neck turned his head on its own as his eyes were compelled towards the fire. He could feel the power of the Grey-Eye magic and could see the faint silhouettes of people in the smoke.

  Outside the lodge came the sounds of the happy chatter and footsteps of Yellow Hawk Girl. As the girl and her mother entered the lodge, the chatter stopped. White Willow Woman let out a small gasp and dropped her basket of cranberries. Little Grey Bear Boy’s eyes glowed as his left arm slowly rose and indicated, palm up, the spot to the left of Flying Rabbit Boy. Mother and daughter sat down. The dropped basket floated in the air and the spilled cranberries returned to it. The basket drifted gently over to White Willow Woman and set down softly behind her. Mother and daughter now looked to the vague figures in the smoke above the fire.

  Singing Doe entered the lodge quietly and set down her water skins. She had felt the Grey-Eye magic before she entered. Little Grey Bear Boy’s arm rose and indicated a spot to the right of Painted Turtle Man. She took her place and peered into the smoke.

  Blue Elk Man and Brown Shield Man came running to the lodge, bursting in with their knives drawn.

  “What happened?” shouted Brown Shield Man as he was stopped by an unseen force. The two men were directed by Little Grey Bear Boy to take seats next to their wives.

  Not far from the lodge, Walking Moon Woman was mindlessly scrubbing Little Hawk Girl’s other dress. She was startled by the echoed sound of a woman’s scream in the distance. She looked around and listened but didn’t hear anything. The birds chirping around her had not been disturbed. Was it her imagination? She returned to her task, scrubbing harder than before. A feeling crept up her spine and caused her to scrunch her shoulders together as she heard the scream again. She had the feeling that something wasn’t right. There was something oddly familiar about the scream and she was worried for her family. She shook out the dress and gathered the other clothes she had been washing and made her way back to camp.

  As she got closer and closer a strange panic made her heart pound and her legs move faster than they had in years. The scream seemed to come from all around her as the makeshift lodge came into view. She felt the vibration of Grey-Eye magic in the air and she threw the children’s clothing aside and burst into the lodge to see the Bear clan gathered in a circle with only one seat remaining.

  “What is going on?” asked a bewildered Walking Moon Woman. “What is the meaning of this?”

  Little Grey Bear Boy’s right arm rose and indicated the seat to the right of Painted Turtle Man.

  “I am the matriarch,” she said. “I did not pass tobacco for a sharing circle.” As she looked over at the fire she heard the same scream coming from one of the figures. She recognized the voice of the person screaming. It was her own.

  28

  nīstanaw ayinānīwosāp

  Walking Moon Woman took a seat to the right of Painted Turtle Man and looked deep into the smoke. Now that the circle was complete, the images became clearer. They were seeing Nisichawayasihk; the Bear lodge was ablaze with bright red flame.

  The Red-Eye intruder was attacking the Bear lodge, but this time he was not alone. He overpowered Brown Shield Man and threw him to the ground. Two more Red-Eye warriors pulled Blue Elk Man off the intruder and pinned him to the ground. White Willow Woman ran to help her husband but was stabbed in the belly. Yellow Hawk Girl tried to run but was caught at the door and dragged out by the hair. Little Grey Bear Boy charged the intruder and knocked him down. He tried to knock over the men holding his father down but was struck across the head.

  The two men who were holding Blue Elk Man stabbed him repeatedly in the chest as more Red-Eye warriors entered the burning lodge. Walking Moon Woman was still screaming when she was silenced by an arrow in the throat. Two of the men jumped on Singing Doe and tore at her dress. Painted Turtle Man dove over her body to protect her and was stabbed through the back with a spear. Singing Doe coughed bright red blood as the spear pierced her chest through the old man’s body. One of the Red-Eye warriors found a turtle and threw it into the fire pit, laughing. The remaining men gathered around Brown Shield Man, holding his arms behind his back. The intruder approached him and painted his eyelids red with his family’s blood.

  Blue Elk Man’s stern façade broke as a tear rolled down his cheek. Brown Shield Man ground his teeth and breathed loudly through his nose. Yellow Hawk Girl nestled into her mother’s embrace with wide eyes and Flying Rabbit Boy stared glumly at the floor of the lodge.

  “What we are seeing,” said Painted Turtle Man, “is the fear that has entered our hearts. We may think we are out of danger now, but the wound has not been closed. It will continue to bleed and become infected. It will fester and eventually destroy our clan.”

  The family hung their heads low. White Willow Woman sobbed.

  “I am an old man now,” continued Painted Turtle Man.
“I may not be able to fight off our enemies like a young warrior, but that doesn’t mean I am useless. I have gathered you all to share your thoughts and feelings with one another so we can begin to heal. We must restore our harmony in order to move forward.”

  Painted Turtle Man reached down and picked up his abalone shell and placed it before him. He placed a thin stick into the coals on the edge of the fire and left it to ignite. He took some sage from one of his medicine pouches and rolled it into a ball in his hand. He placed the little ball of sage in the abalone shell and lit it with the small stick from the fire. When the smoke rose from the shell he rubbed his hands together, then waved the smoke over his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. He waved the smoke over his head and through his hair. He wafted it over his arms, chest, and legs. After using the smoke to cleanse all of his sacred objects, he passed the shell to Walking Moon Woman.

  The matriarch paused for a moment and looked into Painted Turtle Man’s eyes. She cleared her throat and took the shell and began to smudge herself with the smoke. She passed the shell on and the rest of the Bear clan repeated the action. When Little Grey Bear Boy was finished, he placed the shell in front of Painted Turtle Man.

  The old man picked up his eagle wing fan and touched it to his chest four times. He paused for a moment but did not speak. He then passed the fan to Walking Moon Woman to begin the ceremony.

  “Tansi?” she said. “I am Walking Moon Woman, matriarch of the Bear clan.” She paused for a moment and held the fan to her heart. “I say those words but I feel no power. I am supposed to lead my clan but I feel so helpless. I can’t even protect the children in my home from danger. I don’t deserve to lead the Bear clan. If my mother had any other daughter, I don’t think I would be matriarch right now.”

  Walking Moon Woman started to cry, letting the tears and sobs come freely.

  “Let it go,” whispered Singing Doe as she embraced her mother. After a time, the matriarch composed herself and continued.