Part 4 (1/2)
The new resolve lasted all of aweeds and how theyhimself sternly as he walked ”I will do it I will! I know I can do it!”
”But you don't want to,” whispered a tiny voice, filling hisweeds and dusty scrolls that unfolded to his knees covered with tiny printing, all to be memorized
He pressed his hands over his ears to shut out the tiny voice inside hihts
He pictured how pleased Enor would be, as well as Celia Perhapsyes! Noas the time He and Celia would be married and would have children, all boys, of course, whom he could train to follow in his footsteps None of that nonsense about worew up straight and soic-users
Enor-oba and Whituk and the others would be dubious, of course, thinking it all a joke, but Mika would convince them eventually Soon, he would be a respected and valuable ht-hand ht even become chief hi would work out fine
It was curiously silent as Mika entered ca about their chores silently, eyes to the ground There were few children about, and those feere visible were playing quietly, no running around or loud gah he was invisible People see in the opposite direction as if they did not see hi him for some reason
He made his way to the center of the camp and there, just as he expected, were the re pyre The heavy scent of burned flesh still hung over the camp and Mika bowed his head and whispered, ”Be at peace, spirit of my father I will honor yoursideways nervously with the s is all right, old friend,” said Mika, dropping a hand to the head of the great beast ”Come, I must find Enor and tell him of my plans, relieve him of his concern I am sure that he will be anxious to have me don my father's cloak and responsibilities as soon as possible”
As he drew near to the largest dwelling, the building that housed the chief and his farew quieter still and a woman appeared briefly in the doorway of a hut, snatched the ared it hurriedly inside
A hush see its breath Mika looked around him, puzzled at the silence There was no one to be seen Not one child played in front of one ca her daily chores Not one wolf cub scratched at the midden heap for a bone All ere drawn and door flaps sealed as though the inhabitants were readying themselves for a stor happened while he was gone?
Mika approached Enor's lodge, a large wooden affair with tall painted posts beside the door, cleverly carved to depict generations of wolves, piled one atop the other's shoulders
As he drew near, the door creaked open and Whituk stepped out, an unpleasant srey locks were draped with a htly colored feathers and shells and croith the whitened skull of a great hose eleamed with the yellow of topaz
A heavy robe of black wolf pelts hung froed hite wolf tails The fa from a belt at his waist In his scrawny fist he clutched the shaman's staff of office
Mika stopped in h he had been dealt a blow to the head His mind whirled as he tried to think of some reason why Whituk would wear his father's robes and carry the staff of office which should, by right, be his
Rage began to build within hier he looked upon the vision of the lesser sha the familiar robes
Whituk, never a stupidthe staff tightly, stepped back and thrust open the door calling out: ”Mika-oba has returned, honorable chief Perhaps you ht step outside and speak to hier down, and resolved to speak cal that could easily be set right Enor was a just and intelligent
Enor eed from the hut, followed by Enor-oba and several of the lesser chiefs, all of whoh Mika also discerned a ses of Enor-oba's thin lips Celia peeked from the corner of the door, her small face shadoorry, before Enor-oba stepped in front of her, blocking her froht
”So, Mika, you are back,” said Enor, a deep frown creasing his forehead ”Whituk here thought you had gone for good”
”No, I a my farewells to my father”
Whituk snorted ”In the forest A dutiful son would have been at the funeral pyre where he belonged, saying the prayers that would speed his father's spirit to the land of our ancestors A good son would have”
”Would have what, Whituk?” de his voice as he moved within a pace of the sharieve in our own fashi+on and say our good-byes as we see fit No other ht at such a time,” said Mika
”What matters is that I have returned and aht To wear the mantle that now seems to be on your head To don the robe that sits on your shoulders To carry the pouch that hangs at your waist To hold the staff that is in your hands I have returned and now ask you with all due respect to give me that which is mine”
Whituk shi+fted nervously His eyes flitted sideways, unable to hold Mika's gaze, and his knuckles whitened as he clutched the staffto slip behind the body of the chief Mika's hand shot out with the speed of a ferret going for the kill, grabbed the sha him up to the level of his eyes so that the round
”Do not play with ive ht I do not wish to be unpleasant Do you understand ave the shaentle shake that tipped the wolf skull down over Whituk's eyes and rattled hih he were a sack of bones
”They're mine!” hissed the shaman ”I'm head shaman now Tell him, Enor!”
Enor stared at the shanaled for Mika to let the man down
”Co, he entered the building without even looking to see if Mika would comply
Mika's heart sank at the soround with only token roughness, which was still enough to send thedizzily into the embers of a nearby fire
Mika found the chief seated before the fire in the lodge
”As you know, it is the duty of the firstborn son to sing the death songs, lead the prayers, light the pyre, and send the spirit on its way to the hunting grounds of our ancestors With your brother's death, that responsibility became yours”
Mika opened his rief that had cos with anyone or take part in the ritual Enor held up a hand, silencing hi, once the pyre is lit and his spirit safely sung on its way, according to our custom, as you know, the mantle, the robe, the staff, and the pouch became yours, as well as the title of head shahtened and a weight lifted from his heart Enor had spoken the words he hi the custohtful place in the clan
”But you were not here and we could not find you, even though we delayed the building of the pyre and allowed your father's body to re place froer of his spirit slipping away and becoh we searched the farthest corners of the forest and called your name until our voices rasped in our throats You did not answer, though you must have heard us”
Enor stared at Mika with a keen piercing look froreat beaked nose giving hi his head and tried to s the lump in his throat, for he had indeed seen the torches and heard their voices and had not responded
Enor sat quietly, waiting for Mika to reply, stroking the long wolf tails that cascaded over his shoulder aht of Enor as an old man, but in truth, he was no more than in the middle of his years His body was firht, which saw far reat hopes for the young man to realize his potential, but the clan as a whole was his responsibility and no one member, no matter the circumstances, could be allowed to disrupt it
The silence stretched out to an unco sob somewhere in the shadows, and a pine knot cracked on the fire, spreading a bright shower of incandescent sparks that sprayed through the air and fell on Mika's legs, Enor spoke
”Failing to find you, we continued the ceremony without you You, as you well know, are the last of your line But your father could not go unsung into the spirit world, nor could his staff lie unclaiic-user; no clan would be safe or coed me to defy tradition and wait until you returned, others,that it was not possible In the end I bowed to their voices and Whituk inherited the staff”
Mika lifted his head, which had become heavy and unwieldy, and stared dully into Enor's eyes He saw pity and coe brown eyes, and he hoped hefor a reversal of the decision
But Enor had not beco off the younger in his plea
”There were other things that entered into our decision beside the fact of your absence,” he said And one by one, Mika heard a listing of his misadventures over the years since the time of his youth Taken individually, they had seemed no more than the pranks of an impish mind, but laid end to end, they made a formidable list that depressed even Mika
”And finally,” continued Enor, ”it was felt that you had no real interest in the study of herbs and healing Soht well rest in your hands one day They orried that you ht make some terrible mistake, by accident or intent, rather than heal them To be honest, I could not deny that it was a real risk
”Eventually, you would have recognized that the time for jokes was over and tried to do your best But Mika, you should have been studying these many years past, and none, not even you, can deny that you have spent your tiree that the well-being of the clan would be best served by other hands I am sorry, Mika I would that it had been otherwise”
”Whatdo I do now?” Mika asked quietly ”Am I still part of the clan?”