Spirit of the Lake

by Paty Jager

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  copyright

  Dedication

  Glossary

  (1)

  (2)

  (3)

  (4)

  (5)

  (6)

  (7)

  (8)

  (9)

  (10)

  (11)

  (12)

  (13)

  (14)

  (15)

  (16)

  (17)

  (18)

  (19)

  (20)

  (21)

  (22)

  (23)

  (24)

  (25)

  (26)

  (27)

  (28)

  (29)

  (30)

  (31)

  About the Author

  Spirit of the Lake

  by

  Paty Jager

  This is a work of fiction, Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  SPIRIT OF THE LAKE

  Copyright © 2014 Patricia Jager

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or Name of Press except in the case of brief quotations in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: info@windtreepress.com

  Windtree Press

  2660 NE Belknap Court

  Suite 101-O

  Hillsboro, OR 97124

  Visit us at http://windtreepress.com

  Cover Art by Christina Keerins

  PUBLISHING HISTORY

  First Published by Wild Rose Press in 2010

  Second Edition Published by Patricia Jager 2014

  Published in the United States of America

  ISBN 9781940064857

  Cover Art images:

  Background photo by Paty Jager

  Other images from Canstock and Dreamstime

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to the people

  who inhabited the Wallowa country

  and held it dear to their hearts.

  Special thanks to:

  Jade Black Eagle and Red Wolf

  Disclaimer

  The daily activities and beliefs of the Nimiipu in

  this book are factual—the spirits, other characters,

  and situations that evolve are only factual in the

  imagination of this writer/storyteller.

  Glossary of Nimiipuu words

  Anihm ---winter

  Blackleg ---Blackfoot

  El-weht--- spring

  Heel-lul--- winter

  Himiin (He-meen) wolf

  hi•sqi--- bad luck

  Imnaha --- Area along the Imnaha river in NE Oregon

  Keeh-keet --- an edible root

  Kehmmes --- an edible root

  Kouse --- an edible root

  Nimiipuu (Ne-Mee-poo) The People (Nez Perce)

  o`ppah--- a smoked bread made of kouse

  Pe`tuqu`swise ---Crazy One

  Qe`ci`yew`yew --- Thank you

  Sa-qan (Saw-kawn) bald eagle

  sekh-nihm---autumn

  so-yá-po (so-yaw-po) White man

  Thlee-than --- an edible root

  Tiw`et (Tee-wat) male medicine doctor

  Txiyak---power of the spirit

  Weippe --- meadow where root gathering and races were held

  Wewukiye (Way-woo-keya) bull elk

  Weyekin (Way-ya-kin) guardian spirit

  «»«»«»

  Ná-qc

  (1)

  Wewukiye stared at a fully clothed Nimiipuu maiden walking into the lake. Her measured steps continued as the water rose around her. Why was she clothed if she planned to bathe? Before he could conjure up a reason, her head disappeared below the surface of the water, and his chest tightened. She wished to leave this earth. He pivoted away from his sister and loped in his elk form to the edge of the lake.

  If not for his powers, he would not have seen the maiden on such a moonless night.

  He was on this earth to protect the Nimiipuu. Why did this maiden wish to disgrace herself and her family? Raising his face to the sky, he asked for his man form. A form he had not used in many seasons.

  Once the smoke around him settled, he plunged into his watery home. As the spirit of the lake, he resided in elk form at the bottom of the lake when not roaming the Nimiipuu country.

  He found the maiden’s limp body and wrapped an arm around her, drawing her out of the icy mountain runoff. Her cold body folded over his arm. He walked out of the lake, water running off him and the maiden. Her body convulsed. She choked and sucked in a great gulp of air.

  She fought the air with more effort than she fought the water. Why?

  He placed her on the soft summer grass, stomach down, and pushed on her back. She clawed at the ground trying to drag her body away. Her head raised, her face pointed toward the lake Nimiipuu village. A moan escaped her throat, and she collapsed unmoving but for the great draws of air filling her.

  Wewukiye sat back.

  She scrambled to her hands and knees, moving away from him.

  He captured her ankle, holding her in place. In her weak condition it didn’t take but a couple gentle tugs and she collapsed.

  “You will not dishonor yourself or your family,” he said.

  “Let—me—go,” the maiden panted, struggling against his hold.

  Wewukiye raised her from the ground and held her face to make her look at him.

  Panic widened her eyes, and her body shook harder.

  “Do not fear me. I am only keeping you from harm,” Wewukiye said, willing her to look into his eyes. As a spirit his eyes had a calming effect on mortals.

  Her wide brown eyes gazed into his. The tremors lessened, her body relaxed, and her breathing, though raspy from swallowing water, slowed.

  He loosened his grip, giving her more space.

  “Do not…take me to…the village. The cave…up there.” The maiden raised a shaky hand and pointed up the mountain.

  Wewukiye gazed along her outstretched arm to the area beyond. “I know this place.”

  The woman’s body slumped in his arms, slipping into unconsciousness.

  He stared at the maiden. Her strange request baffled as much as her attempt to drown herself. He would do as she asked. He gathered her in his arms and set off up the side of the mountain to a cave his brother had once shown him. It was the only one on this side of the mountain. He would take her there and learn why she refused to go to the village and wished to end her life.

  At the cave he found a blanket, basket of water, and a basket of herbs neatly placed against one wall. She must live here. Why was she not at the village?

  The maiden shivered and her teeth chattered. He may have saved her from ending her life, but unless he warmed her and watched her closely, he could lose her to sickness. The wet dress must come off, and her body must be warmed. He held her in his arms, and bent to grasp the folded blanket. With some effort, he managed to spread the covering upon the ground.

  He knelt, placing the maiden on the blanket, and slipping her dress up her body. She sat, leaning against his bent leg with her dress over her head. Tugging on her deerskin garment, he finally pulled it free. Her arms slid from the sleeves, one slapped against her body, the other draped over his leg. He glanced down to see if his rough actions awakened her.

  Her dark lashes fluttered on her cheeks, but her eyes remained closed, and her breathing rattled from the water within her. He tossed the wet dress toward the opening and gently lowe
red her to the blanket. He wrapped the other side of the blanket over her naked body, noticing bruising on her upper legs, inside her thighs, and on her breasts. What could she have done to leave such marks? He tucked the blanket around the maiden and sat back, watching her sleep.

  Good fortune had brought him and his sister Sa-qan to the lake to visit. His sister’s keen eagle eyes had noticed the maiden walking into the lake. At first he thought the maiden only stepped into the water to wash her feet, but when her determined steps carried her farther and farther into the lake, he knew she planned to walk into the water and end her life.

  The dark circles under her eyes told him she had not been resting well. The bruises…he shook his head. He knew of no way those bruises could be made. No way by accident.

  Where was this woman’s man? Why was she alone in a cave? He had not heard of any men being lost to the Lake Nimiipuu. Perhaps she did not have a man. Was there something about her—craziness or such that prevented a warrior from wanting her as a wife?

  Was that the reason she tried to end her life? If so, it was foolish. From what he knew of mortals, he found her pleasing to look at. Her wide hips and full breasts would produce many healthy children. If she were crazy, herbs and a firm hand took care of such things. No, there must be some other reason she had not been taken for a wife.

  Wewukiye stared out the entrance of the cave. The night would soon be over, and his man form would vanish. He glanced at the woman. If she did not awake soon, he would have to leave. He couldn’t care for her as an elk, and he couldn’t allow her to know he was not a mortal.

  Moaning and the scratch of the blanket turned his attention back inside the cave. Her head slowly moved back and forth as if she dreamed bad thoughts.

  “Are you waking?” he asked, edging closer to the woman. “I wonder why you would try to end your life and bring shame to your family, and why you wished to not go to the village.”

  Her eyelids flew open, and her head jerked, turning her gaze on him. The fear in her dark eyes reminded him of a cornered animal.

  “Do not fear me. I will not harm you.” Why were mortals so fearful?

  She started to sit up. The blanket fell, revealing her ample breasts. Shame clouded her eyes and gripped his heart with compassion. Something had brought her to taking her life. His gut told him it had to do with the bruises.

  She clutched the blanket and scooted away from him. Terror and humiliation distorted her face.

  To gain her trust he would need to keep his distance just as with an injured animal. He shifted his body farther away from her, giving her the space her frantic gaze sought.

  “I know it was wrong to have undressed you, but your clothes were wet and you were shivering from the cold. I did not want you to get the sickness.”

  She coughed and her body shook. His first reaction was to reach out to her, but the suspicion darkening her eyes kept his hands on his thighs and his body in place.

  When the coughing stopped, he continued, “I cannot stay any longer, but I will return later with food.” He stood, stepping toward the entrance of the cave. “I would like to find you here when I return.”

  The blank stare in her eyes, gave him little hope she would be here when he returned.

  Dove watched the retreating back of the man who interfered with her decision to end her shame. After being marked a troublemaker and sent to live the old women for telling lies which were the truth, she no longer wished to live.

  In her nineteen summers, she had never once caused anyone to be upset with her. How could they not listen to her words now? The Wallowa Nimiipuu trying to tread softly and not cause trouble with the so-yá-po,White man, hurt the people more than if they came out and said how they really felt. They could not go on ignoring the badness brought by the so-yá-po in hopes of keeping peace.

  Her stomach growled. She stared at her dress in a wet pile near the door. It would need to dry before she could roam the mountain for food. She stood and the cave blurred, her body swayed. The ordeal had weakened her already spent body. She put a hand on the cave wall to steady herself. If she did not eat and remained in the cave, her troubles would soon be over. If she had the strength to not seek food or water.

  She had the strength to walk into the lake and shame herself and her family when no one seemed to care. Her heart ached. But now that the stranger had pulled her from the water and knew of her thoughts…the shame ripped her heart twofold.

  The words of the warrior who hauled her out of the lake rang in her ears. “You will shame yourself and your family.” She had already done that. How could taking her life shame her any more than what had already been done? Had she followed through, the others would believe she had fallen in the lake and drowned. Now that someone knew of her attempt, she couldn’t shake the feeling she was a coward.

  Cautiously, Dove bent, picking up her dress. She walked to the entrance and hung the garment on a bush where the sun would dry it. Without thinking, she peered down the mountain to the shimmering lake below.

  Guilt sliced through her heart. She did love the lake and the Nimiipuu country surrounding it. Taking her life would bring as much shame as it lifted from her family, but it also would take her from the country which made her heart beat with pride. In a moment of rashness, she’d believed taking her life provided a way to bring an end to her torment.

  She searched the memories of her childhood, her heart grew sad. Should she go through with her plan, she would no longer walk this earth, and no longer voice her objections of Evil Eyes, who all the others listened to with tainted ears.

  But to remain on this earth, she would be alone. Unless she relinquished and lived with the old women who would relentlessly work at making her see things the way of the blindfolded leaders. No warrior would want her after what Evil Eyes did. She shivered remembering that awful afternoon she strayed from the others picking berries and Evil Eyes came upon her.

  How would she survive alone? She would not become so pathetic to follow along behind the band as they moved from camp to camp.

  Her stomach growled, but she returned to the cave and curled into a ball on the hard ground. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she tried to forget her troubles for a little while.

  «»«»«»

  Wewukiye could not get the maiden off his mind as he wandered the mountain in his elk form. His broad chest pushed him through the bushes in his path as visions of the bruised maiden and the fear in her eyes tormented him. He’d had very little contact over the years with mortals other than his brother, who became mortal to marry a Nimiipuu maiden, and the family they made.

  He snorted. How his brother could bring himself down so low as to become mortal for a woman was the highest form of foolishness to Wewukiye. Spirits were needed to make sure the Nimiipuu were cared for. He had wondered many times over the years how his brother could give up his mountain and his status to join the ranks of the average.

  The mid-morning sun beat down on him as he shouldered his way out of the brush. He found himself outside the cave. The maiden’s dress hung on a bush. If her clothing remained, she must still be in the cave.

  Mortals needed food. He would find her some nourishment and come back to ask all the questions banging around in his head.

  He returned to the trees and headed up the slope. Several suns back he had encountered a bear rummaging through a patch of huckleberries. The patch was not far from the cave. He could pick enough for the mortal in little time.

  Wewukiye hurried to the berry patch. He stood beside the bushes and realized though his elk form was regal and moved him about the mountain with speed, he would have to change into man form to pick and deliver the berries. He rarely used the man form, feeling uncomfortable and awkward in the two-legged vessel.

  Realizing the maiden’s intentions last night, he’d changed into a man knowing of no other way to get her out of the water and to safety without her discovering he was a Nimiipuu spirit.

  He raised his face to the sky and asked
for the man form. Smoke swirled around, covering the world in a gray veil before vanishing and leaving him as a man. He snatched a piece of bark from the ground and picked the small, round, dark berries piling them on the bark. When he could place no more without them rolling off, he walked quickly back to the cave, juggling the bark to keep from losing any berries.

  The dress no longer hung from the bush. Disappointment squeezed his heart. Had the maiden dressed and left? He hoped not. Unraveling mysteries was one of his pastimes, and even if he did say so himself, he had a knack for it.

  He stepped into the cave and heard the maiden’s raspy breathing. She remained. He spotted her sitting cross-legged beside the basket of water.

  “I have brought you something to eat,” he said, approaching her slowly. Suspicion replaced the fear in her eyes.

  “Why do you bother with me?” she asked. Her gaze clung to the berries he held out to her.

  She did not reach up to take the offering. He placed the food in her lap and sat down across from her.

  “Because life should not be thrown away.”

  The color darkening her cheeks told him she knew this. And yet, she tried to throw away her life.

  Her hand fluttered over the berries as though she fought with herself to take one.

  “Go ahead. You need to eat to build up your strength. Having swallowed so much water, you have weakened your body.”

  Her dark eyes stared at him. “My wish was to leave this earth.”

  “Why? There is nothing so bad you should want to fall in disfavor with the Creator or your family.”

  Anger sparked in her eyes as her lip curled into a snarl. “When your body has been taken from you, and your family does not believe you, there is nothing left to live for.” Large tears rolled down her cheeks.

  He reached out to pat her hand

  She jerked it back.

  “How was your body taken from you, and what is it your family does not believe?”