Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 13:14:09 +1200
From: Arthur <artcart65@vodafone.co.nz>
Subject: the prince of house vladd chapter 7 bk 3

			 THE PRINCE OF HOUSE VLADD


				 CHAPTER 7


				  BOOK 3


				 BY ARTHUR




AUTHORS NOTE:

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Peter stood alone at the side of the empty runway, the distant sound of a
small jet could now easily be heard by his sharp hearing, in his estimate,
it was still about five minutes away but this did not worry him, Sin Yu and
his mysterious passenger would soon tell him everything that had happened
in his long absence, there had still been no explanation about his
disappearance.

When the time had passed and Peter could at last see the small private jet
begin to taxi towards him, he tried to look into the blacked out windows,
the sun had set only half an hour earlier so Sin Yu should be awake by now,
for the first time in a long time, Peter felt the subtle thrill of
anticipation, it was an unfamiliar feeling for one such as him, the thought
of seeing Sin Yu hopefully well and healthy made him feel like a little boy
at Xmas.

The jet pulled to a stop only yards from where Peter stood waiting, the
side door opened and Peter saw the slim figure of Sin Yu standing ready to
disembark, Peter's face changed as he saw a small figure standing behind
Sin Yu, it was obvious that it was a young teen boy, on closer inspection,
Peter saw that the boy looked very much like Sin Yu only much younger, it
was also very evident that the boy was a newly turned new blood, Peter was
almost tempted to read the young teen but resisted the urge as he felt it
would be an insult to Sin Yu.

Sin Yu lifted a weary hand as he saw Peter waiting for him, he felt his
little brother step closer to his side as he started down the narrow steps,
there were going to be a lot of explanations to make with his boss, he only
hoped he knew Peter well enough to have his brother taken into the Princes
household.

Peter watched the young stranger follow Sin Yu down the steps only half a
step behind, it was as though the boy was Sin Yu's shadow, both in his
actions and his looks, Peter was pretty sure he had the answer but did not
want to presume too much, he well knew that Sin Yu would not have brought
the teen with him unless there was a very good reason.

During the flight, Sin Yu had told Lim who he worked for so that his
brother would not do or say the wrong thing in front of his Prince, as they
left the steps and walked up to Peter, Sin Yu bowed low as did Lim.

"My Lord, I am home, I am sorry for the delay in returning but much has
happened that we need to discuss as soon as possible."

"Welcome back Sin Yu, yes I assume you have a lot to tell me, and who is
this, he looks like your shadow?" Peter said with a smile.

"My Lord, this is my little brother Lim Soo, I hope you will allow him to
join us, I will vouch for him if it is needed."

Lim Soo bowed again, while his English was not perfect he was quite capable
of understanding most of what was being said, he stayed in the bowed
position as befitted a young one until he was told to stand by his brother.

Peter looked at the teen and smiled.

"You are welcome in my home young brother of Sin Yu, I hope you will join
us and it becomes your home as well, if you are half as dedicated as your
big brother then you will always be welcome."

Peter watched as the smallest of smiles came over the young teens face.

"Does your brother need to feed Sin Yu; I see he is just newly turned?"

"No My Lord, we have both fed recently."

"Good, then let's get to the car and back home, I need to hear everything
that's happened, we've had a lot of attacks on the Vaga houses and are not
anywhere nearer an answer."

"I think I might be able to shed some light on things although it will mean
some very sad revelations I am afraid, it will also bring into question
some peoples honour."

"Right, let's get home and we can go over everything."

Peter led the two out to the waiting car, within an hour they were back at
home and Peter was leading the way to the ground floor office, for Lim it
was one surprise after another as he saw the number of new species walking
around the house and the grounds, even in his wildest Manga dreams, a form
of game he almost used to live for, could he have imagined that these
species were real, what surprised him even more was that most of the ground
security were human, Sin Yu had explained all of the auras and what they
meant so he was able to tell the differences, it was one thing being told
about it but quite another to actually see it for the first time.

Lim's head swung around like it was mounted on a swivel, everything he saw
was new and in a strange way welcome, he also noticed that everyone he saw
would nod too him and smile, it was as though they already knew who he was,
Lim still had a lot to learn about the Prince of House Vladd.

Peter led the way to the conference room, Lim stayed one full step behind
his brother as custom dictated, he was the youngest and the most junior of
the threesome and therefore should not be seen nor heard, his place had
been defined as that of his brother's shadow, it was a position he was
quite happy to maintain, it was the way he had been raised.


Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Two Feathers was slowly making his way through the deep forest, he had left
his Haida village two days ago on his quest, some said he was too young at
fourteen to be doing such a thing but, he felt it was meant to be, the
Medicine Elder had said it was different for each boy, some went when older
and, the aged man had said when he was young, he saw a boy of only twelve
years go out.

The quest was not the all important Vision Quest, this one was to find his
Clan, his Father was Haida and of the Raven Clan but his Mother was Crow
and her clan was the Buffalo, although now days it was not unusual to have
such mixed marriages, in some quarters it was still looked down upon, for
Two Feathers it was a little of both, the Haida were renowned for their
more tolerant views but this did not stop some of the younger ones from
having opposite views, Two Feathers had had his share of fights over his
ancestry.

The forest felt inviting as he worked his way through it, he had no real
direction to follow and would take a turn here or another direction there,
it was the way of Creator to send the boy in the direction he needed to go,
it was times like these that a boy had to have full faith in the ways of
the Creator.

Two Feathers was dressed in the old traditional way, his moccasins were
made by his Mother and were a little different to those of the Haida, his
leggings were well tanned deer hide and stopped most thorns from pricking
him as he tried to silently work his way through one thicket or another.

His Jacket was beaded and the symbols held their own power or so his Mother
said, they were there to keep him safe, in his leather belt he carried a
new knife that his Father had bought for him at the store and in his hand
he carried only a long spear, over his shoulder was his carry bag, it also
had small designs painted on it and was made from deer hide.

Two Feathers wore no hat or feathers, he liked to have his hair blowing
free in any gentle breeze that might run through the trees, around his neck
was a single strand of leather with a red stone fixed to it, he had found
the stone when he was very small and he had taken a shine to it, his Father
had made the necklace for him and he had worn it everyday since then.

Two Feathers nose was the first thing to pick up the scent of trouble, the
heavy musky smell of bear filled his nostrils as he stopped to work out
where the animal was, from his left he heard the faintest of rustling, a
small shiver went through Two Feathers body as he realised he was upwind of
the bear, it would certainly get his scent and there was little he could
now do about it.

Looking around, Two Feathers considered the trees and his chances of making
it high enough to dissuade the bear from chasing him, if it was a Grizzly
he had a chance high up in a tree, if it was a black then he could be in
real trouble, two Feathers started to edge towards a likely tree, not even
the most foolhardy boy would consider taking on a bear with only a spear
and a knife, it was certain death.

Two Feathers moved as silently as he was able, not a leaf or stick made a
sound as he slipped closer to a tall fir tree, it was not long before he
could distinctly hear the snuffling sound of a bear on the hunt, it was
smelling the ground and the air around it as it moved closer, Two Feathers
was now at the base of the tree, as slowly as he could he turned around and
looked in the direction of where he expected to see the bear appear.

Slowly Two Feathers heart sank, the heavy dark head of a black bear moved
into the small clearing, its dark eyes now firmly fixed on the young teen
standing under the tall fir tree, the bear reared up on its hind legs and
glared at the small animal that had walked into its territory, did the
animal not see its signs of ownership on this land, the bear looked down at
the animal as it stood under a tree.

Two Feathers felt the very forest pause for breath, there were no more bird
calls and even the small things of the undergrowth had fallen silent, it
was as though the forest was holding its breath and waiting for the death
blow of the upright bear, Two Feathers mind was racing, he had to find a
way out of this situation, head to head he was no match for the bear, even
the promise of safety in the tall tree was now limited, black bears were
notoriously good climbers.

Two Feathers took a deep breath, if this was to be his end then he would go
down like a true warrior, if it was his time to be called to the mists by
Creator then so be it but he was not about to run like a frightened child,
even though his heart was pounding as he watched the bear fall down on all
fours and start to shake its head back and forth in a show of anger, its
large lips pulled back like a sneer at the small animal in front of it.

Two Feathers waited, when the bear made up its mind on what it was going to
do then Two Feathers would know for certain if he should jump and climb for
his life or stay and fight, he gripped his spear more firmly, as an after
though he placed the butt hard against the trunk of the tree and, with his
free hand, checked that his knife was loose in its scabbard, his eyes never
leaving the swaying bear.

The bear rose up once more and let out an angry roar, with a speed that
would have surprised many, the bear charged at the small figure, Two
Feathers sent a prayer to Creator and then began to sing his death song
under his breath as the bear grew bigger as it got closer, Two Feathers
could now smell the bears breath as the huge animal reared up again right
in front of the small teen, lashing out with its powerful paw, it came down
trying to crush the very life out of the small creature under the tree.

Two Feathers felt the spear enter the bears chest as it came down on him,
he also felt the searing pain of its claws as they raked down his shoulder
and arm, its huge head was within inches of his face as the bear growled
out in its own pain, Two Feather released the spear and frantically rolled
sideways, the spear wrenched from his grasp as it went into the bears chest
with the force of its own weight.

With his free hand, two Feathers desperately reached for his knife, his
last line of defence as the bear tried to twist to the side and get its
long sharp teeth into the small animal that had hurt it only too see the
animal rolling away and out of reach, the bear tried to rise up once again
but something was hurting it so much he had difficulty moving or breathing,
it began to feel the wetness of its own blood matting its black fur,
shaking its head in pain and frustration, the bear made a final lunge at
the small animal that was now struggling to get on its own hind legs.

With a final desperate lunge, the bear swiped at the figure, its huge paw
leaving another three deep gouges on the leg of the figure, as it pulled
back for a last try, the small figure jumped forward and slashed out with
its own paw, on the end of its paw was a strange shining claw, the bight of
the claw sent the bear back onto the ground, it was all it could do to lift
its head and look at the small animal that had defeated it, its eyes slowly
going misty as the figure tried to regain its own feet, the sight and scent
of fresh blood filled the air around the two combatants.

Two Feathers felt his head swimming as the blood began to drip from his two
deep wounds, he had little doubt the bear had done him some serious damage,
slowly he made his way to the now cooling body of the bear, taking a small
leather pouch from his bag, he sprinkled a small amount of dried tobacco
over the bear and sent a prayer to the Creator to carry the bears spirit
through the mists, as he finished his prayer a sudden dizziness came over
him and he fell on top of the dead bear, around him but unheard by him, the
forest came back to life, the death battle was over and peace reigned once
again in the land.

Slowly Two Feathers came around, his shoulder was throbbing and his leg
felt sticky and stiff under the torn legging, his knife was still grasped
tightly in his hand and the butt of the spear was projecting from deep in
the bears chest, his head was swimming as he tried to look around, the sun
had sunk closer to the horizon but he still had a little time left before
dark, it would have to do he had a lot yet to do too finish before dark.

Using his ears he heard the faint sound of running water not too far away,
he would have to bath the wounds before he did anything else, bears were
not known for their hygiene, Two Feathers looked down at his leg hoping
against hope that it was not too bad, the deep throbbing made him feel a
little light headed, his left arm and shoulder seemed to be working but it
was also painful, perhaps the bear had not done as much damage as he first
thought.

The sight of the three deep gouges in his thigh gave him a little worry,
they were deeper than he would have liked but, at least he could feel that
his leg still worked although stiff, with a glance at his shoulder he was
glad to see that he had only been grazed by the very tips of two of the
bears claws, he would have some very nasty scars to carry for the rest of
his life, perhaps they would even stop some of the boys from trying to
start fights with him when he returned home.

Two Feathers turned to the large dead bear, using as little energy as he
could, he placed his good leg against the chest of the bear and took hold
of his spear, it took a good five minutes before the spear finally sucked
free, Two Feathers now had something to lean on while he went to find the
water.

Two Feathers guessed he had been unconscious for about four hours, his
wounds had dried and the flow of blood had stopped but, as he forced
himself to his feet, he felt a sharp pain in his leg and the fresh hot flow
of blood, he had opened the wound again, with all his remaining strength,
Two Feathers hopped as best he could towards the sound of the running water
with the aid of his spear.

He had no idea how long it took to reach the small stream but he thought it
about ten minutes, stripping off his torn leggings and then his ruined
jacket, next he stripped off his store bought red cotton boxers, the only
item of clothing that was not traditional, he sat himself in the centre of
the flowing water, laying down so the clean water would get to his arm and
shoulder as well, the cold bight at first felt almost as bad as the wounds
themselves as the water rushed over and into them.

Two Feathers lay in the water for a good twenty minutes, the ice cold water
slowly numbing both wounds and washing the blood away, he still felt light
headed and knew he had lost a lot of blood but he was not going to give up
now, not after he had found his Clan Totem, he had to go back and finish
what he had started, with a grunt of pain he forced his limbs to work and
slowly left the water, sitting on the bank he started to slice up his
leggings into strips to cover the wounds after he had collected some nearby
moss as a pad.

Fortunately for Two Feathers, it was the height of summer and the lack of
clothing was not going to be too much of a burden, he looked at his now
ruined leggings and decided to use the well tanned leather for straps, his
jacket he would wear as it was, at least his body would be protected, he
only hoped his store bought boxers would stand up to the return trip back
home.

After putting on his moccasins, Two Feathers made the trip back to where
the bear lay, this time it was quicker as he felt better now his leg was
well bandaged with moss and the three gashes closed with the tight
bindings, his next work was to skin the bear, this alone was a trophy
worthy of the trouble of carrying back home, it would make a fine cover for
his bed once tanned, after the skinning he would have to take four claws,
two from each paw those that remained with the bear were for its spirit to
defend itself in the mists, these would be taken home and made into a
necklace by himself so that everyone would know he was now of the Bear
Clan.

Two Feathers set too work, as a young warrior he ignored the pain and
aches, just before dark he broke off the skinning to gather some dry wood
for a fire, he would need it for warmth and for cooking, after all, he had
some very nice fresh bear steaks for his dinner, if he cooked them just so,
he would also benefit from the bears blood.

Two Feathers finished his two tasks by the light of the fire, the skin was
rolled tightly and tied with some of the straps made from his leggings, two
large steaks sat over the fire on a green stick, the four long yellowish
claws sat in the bottom of his shoulder bag, he would place more meat on
the stick so it would cook slowly while he slept, he would have enough to
see him home.

Now that he had more time to stop and think as his two large juicy steaks
cooked, Two Feathers was able to think about his trip home, the skin was
green and heavy, with his injured leg it would be a hard trip, thinking
more on this he determined to reinforce the bandage on his thigh, taking up
what was left of his leggings, he cut a wide strip, enough to cover the
whole leg wound, soaking it in the water he had carried back until it was
fully wet and pliable, he wrapped it over the large moss pad and around his
leg as tight as he could make it, next he cut four thin lengths and bound
the wide bandage in place, he then sat as close to the fire with his leg
close to the heat, as the hide dried it would tighten and, with luck it
would stop anymore tearing open of the three cuts.

When his meat was ready, two Feathers began to eat, he could feel the new
bandage tightening as it dried, it felt a little uncomfortable but it would
certainly hold when he walked out next day, he decided to head straight
down towards the coast, it would be easier walking than up and down in the
trees and gullies, although it would make the trip a little longer, using
less effort would pay off in the long run, or so he hoped.

The sun had been up for almost two hours before Two feathers opened his
eyes, his head felt clearer and he could feel the tight fit of the extra
bandage on his leg, the extra meat he had cooked was now well done and he
could carry it in his shoulder bag, checking he had everything, he ate one
of the well cooked steaks and then slipped the two straps around the bear
skin over his shoulders like a back pack, his left shoulder protested but
he would be able to make it.

Using his spear as a semi crutch, Two Feathers began his journey, if he
could keep up a reasonable pace with his injuries and the weight of the
skin, he may make it to the coast before nightfall, for water he had no
worries, there were plenty of small streams between here and the place he
hoped to come out on at the coast.

During the long day, Two Feather had to stop a little more often than he
had at first thought, eating as he walked and only resting when the pain
got too much, Two Feathers slowly made it downwards, by late afternoon he
could, for the first time, smell the salt of the ocean in the air, in his
mind he well knew he still had a good two or three hours to go but he was
now closer to his target, tonight was a full moon so he would be able to
continue on until he was at the coast.

As the soft sound of wavelets came to his ears, Two Feathers felt the full
burden of the long day, his shoulder was now just a numb throbbing and his
leg felt hot and ached like nothing he had ever felt before, when he
reached his camp site for the rest of the night he would have to look to
both of them again, the slight glint of water through the thinning trees
gave him a last burst of energy.

At last his feet hit the black sand on the edge of the trees, with almost a
sob of relief he slid the heavy bundle from his aching shoulders and slid
down to sit on the soft ground under the tall tree, he had made it this
far, he could make it through the next two days back to his home but, first
he had to attend to his wounds then feed on one of the last two pieces of
meat, he thought about making a fire but decided the night was warm enough
to get by, besides he did not think he could get back on his feet to search
for wood.

Two Feathers thought he had only been asleep for a short time when
something disturbed him, it was the sound of angry voices down on the
beach, where he lay he was well covered and even with the bright moonlight,
he would be hard to see as long as he stayed still and made no sounds.

The voices sounded strange to his ears, it was a language he had never
heard before, that and the obvious anger in some of them made him keep
hidden, laying fully on his stomach to cut down any silhouette, it also
gave him a good sight through the undergrowth, on the beach below him he
saw a mass of men being landed on the beach, watching over them were a
number of foreign looking and sounding men with weapons, the larger mass
were all bound by the hands and seemed pretty dejected as they were pushed
forward onto the beach from the large barge that had its landing doors
open, Two Feathers could plainly see many more men inside the body of the
barge.

For over an hour, Two Feathers watched this strange event, what did it mean
he had no idea, perhaps he would tell someone back at the village when he
got home, his Medicine Elder would know what too do, Two Feathers stayed as
quiet as a field mouse as the men continued to be unloaded.

It was early morning, about four hours before sunrise, when he heard
another large barge approaching the beach, this one was even larger than
the first one, it gently nudged onto the beach and a new set of men started
to push the captives onto it, an hour before dawn and the beach was clear,
two Feathers could hear the deep throb of the barge engines disappearing
into the early morning darkness, he turned over and went back to sleep, he
would need to be strong for the next two days travel.


Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Michael Strong was happy to get the call that told him five hundred food
had been picked up off the deserted beach just south of the Canadian
border, he would now have enough to keep his men fed for a short time, he
had been promised more at five day intervals, at least that part of the
plan was working, his continual defeats at the Vaga houses did not make him
happy and now he had two strange meetings to attend, he called his leaders
in and told them the men would not have to do any raids until he returned
in a couple of days, they could do with the rest, his own new bloods could
use the time to train while he was gone.

Michael sat on the empty bench waiting for the mysterious wolf to make
himself known, the small park was unlit and, as far as he could tell,
totally safe, his nose quickly picked up the smell of wolf as his eyes
turned to his left, coming towards him he saw not one, but three wolves,
their aura clear and distinct in the night.

The largest stopped two of the wolves from going closer and set towards
Michael alone, the man was large and powerful looking, as he got close to
Michael he gave the vampire something resembling a smile which could also
have been a sneer, with a nod from Michael, the large man sat at the far
end of the bench.

"Well, wolf, I'm here, what do you want?"

"It's not what I want Vamp, it's what I can do for you, that is if it's
worth my while."

"So?"

"I know you're trying to kick that Prince out and take over."

"What makes you think that?"

"Firstly the fact that you're sitting here with me now, secondly, I've been
having you watched since the first time you took a boy for a new blood."

"How could you know that?"

"One of my cubs was going to feed on the boy then you got too him first, my
cub decided to follow you at a distance, not hard to do once he had your
scent and the blood of the three boys you had led him straight to your nice
cosy little silo, from there it was only a matter of waiting and watching."

"So where do we go from here?"

"I know you are not having much joy with the Vaga houses, you need some
better fighters, I've got them, not here but it will only take a few days
to get them all here, they're the meanest pack of wolves you never want to
come across."

"So what do you want for this, ahh, favour?"

"California."

"That could cause a problem; I have had to promise that part to some
others."

"What, them chinks, shit Vamp, we'll soon get rid of them when the Prince
is out of the way, so we got a deal or am I wasting my time?"

"How many men are you talking about?"

"Four to five hundred of the meanest wolves in this land, all we want is a
bit more land, where we are now is getting to crowded and we thought a bit
of sun would be nice for a change."

"Fair enough, if you can get me some real fighters you have a deal, by the
way, how did you stay out of the Princes notice, five hundred wolves can't
be that easy to hide?"

"Ha, even that fancy pants Prince doesn't come into the Adirondacks without
us knowing about it, we got numbers hidden up there that could make your
eyes water, so just a hint, don't try to cross us, you give us what we want
and you get what you want, deal?"

"Deal."

Michael watched as the large man got up and disappeared into the dark with
his two friends, Michael suddenly realised he did not even know the wolfs
name, still the wolf seemed to know where he lived so he would just have to
wait and see if they turned up, if it was for real then he would have
another chance at fulfilling his plan.

Michael walked away from the park and towards where he had hired a jet to
take him down to Mexico for his next and probably most dangerous meeting,
he should be able to make it to the Rialto before sunup if all went well.

The Rialto Hotel in Mexico City was well known by many foreign wealthy
although most did not know of its two special upper floors, this Hotel had
long been under the ownership of Vampires although it was run by very human
managers who were well versed in what, and who the upper floors were
reserved for.

Michael settled into his suite with little more than half an hour to spare,
as the lethargy overcame him he suddenly missed his little helpers, he
would have to correct that when he finally returned home, that is, if he
was able to leave here in one piece after the next nights meeting.


Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Two Feathers awoke to find his leg throbbing, with a light touch of his
hand he felt the heat coming from his thigh, somehow he had got an
infection, if he wanted to make it home he would have to attended to it
immediately, by the height of the sun he guessed it was mid morning, he had
lost nearly half a days travel already.

Two Feathers looked up to check that his bear skin was still safe on the
broken tree branch and out of reach of any vermin, he then planted his
spear next to the tree and began to carefully remove the wide and now stiff
piece of leather from his injured leg, just the sight of the large blue
flies and the slightly rotten smell coming from his leg told him he had
better hurry.

The last few inches of the make shift bandage were the worst, he gritted
his teeth in a grimace as he pulled it free and saw the mass of smelly moss
underneath, first he would have to bath it clean and then find some herbs
and leaves to make a new poultice, the leather bandage was now no use as it
carried infection, he threw it to the side and rose unsteadily to his feet,
with a hopping limp he made his way down to the sea, the strong salt water
was the best thing to clean it with.

Two Feathers limped into the calm waters, the sharp sting of the salt water
brought tears to his eyes as it rose up his thigh, gritting his teeth once
again, he slowly sat down and began to clean the three long wounds as best
he could, letting the salt water do its job, when he was sure he had
cleaned out the three gouges as well as he could, Two Feathers rose once
again and made his ungainly way into the forest.

It took another twenty minutes before he had found all he needed then,
sitting down he began to grind the herbs and leaves into a thick paste
between two stones, once this was done he lathed it on thickly and covered
the wound with a layer of fresh mud mixed with moss, with luck the mud
would draw out any infection still inside as it dried, using some wide
leaves he covered the wound and bound them in place with more thongs from
his cut up leggings.

Two Feathers now sat back under the tree that he had slept under, he had
water and a little food left, he decided to stay where he was for the next
night and start home on the following day, it would give the new poultice
time to work and his body a chance to gain a little strength, pulling dry
wood closer, he leant back and dozed until the last rays of the sun hit his
eyes, he then lit a small fire and ate half of his bear meat and drank a
little water, afterwards he slid down and tried to get as much sleep as he
could.

As the sun rose the next morning, the small figure of Two Feathers could be
seen already on the march as he limped his way towards home, the large
black bear skin held high on his shoulders like some extra hump, his spear
used to aid his unsteady steps, stopping only to drink from the occasional
fresh water stream that crossed his path as it spilled into the sea, Two
Feathers pushed on with gritted teeth and traces of pain written on his
young face.

Even after the sun sank into the horizon, Two Feathers pushed onward, the
brightness of the moon giving him enough light to see by, the flat
smoothness of the hard packed sand made it a little easier for walking,
near midnight, Two Feathers called it a day, finding a dry place back off
the beach, he lit
 a small fire and finished the last of his meat, his water bottle he had
topped off at each stream he crossed, as long as he had fresh water he
could easily get through the next day without food.


Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Thomas Bent Spear was now an old man, he had trained all his life as a
Medicine Elder, he was well respected in the village and around the nearby
town, his abilities were well known of by his people and even some white
folk, this night he had sat for a long time doing his normal spirit work as
he did every night, the time was coming when many tribes would gather for
the big Vision Quest it was the highlight of any warriors year.

Thomas had dozed off, as he was wont to do as he grew older, during his
short nap, his mind filled with a vision, outwardly there was no change in
Thomas as he slept, inwardly he was wide awake as the spirits talked to
him, in the mists Thomas could see what looked like a buffalo man, he was a
young warrior with a spear and a large hump on his back just like a
buffalo, he was walking along a stretch of black sand, behind the figure
rose a giant bear as though it was going to pounce on the smaller warrior.

Circling above the solitary figure was a larger than life Eagle, Thomas
then saw that the footsteps of the small warrior were tainted with bright
red blood, as the vision faded, Thomas opened his eyes, he had much to
think on, the vision was of the now and not of the past, in the morning he
would have to go for a walk along the beach towards the far off northern
forests, he was sure that that was where he would find his answers.

It was late afternoon and two Feathers was now stumbling along, his back
and shoulders ached with the weight of the skin, his leg throbbed in pain
as he placed one foot in front of the other, his eyes were downcast and
each step was now like fire in his bones, he knew he had to be close but
how close he had no idea, nothing around him seemed familiar as it should
be if he was close to home.

Somewhere in the back of his tired mind, Two Feathers heard a sound, it was
almost like the voice of an old man calling out, the young warrior lifted
his tired head and looked up the beach, coming towards him was an old man
holding a long stick that was used to help him walk, Two Feathers tried to
call out but his throat was too dry, the last few hours he had pushed
himself beyond his abilities to try to make it home, his hungry belly was
also complaining at the lack of food for such strenuous exercise.

With a half sob, Two Feathers fell forward onto the black sand, he was
beaten, he had not made it home and his victory over the bear would never
be known, with a soft breath and, for the second time in a few days, two
Feathers began to sing his death song, he had done all he could do.

Thomas had been slowly wandering along, he did not know what for or why he
was here only that the vision had said to move north, it was during the
afternoon he saw in the distance, a figure resembling a small thin buffalo
but walking on two legs, Thomas quickened his steps, as he got closer he
called out only too see the small figure with a hump on his back fall
forward onto the sand, Thomas hurried his steps, within minutes he was
standing over the young teen, the large rolled bear skin on the boys
shoulders now explained the hump, one glance at the blood on the boys leg
told Thomas he had better hurry if he was going to save the boy.

Thomas quickly understood the smell around the boys leg, it was infected,
he looked around until he saw a couple of small saplings on the edge of the
forest, using the boys new sharp knife, he cut two of them and formed a
travois, placing the boy and his skin on the improvised travois he lifted
the ends onto his old shoulders and began to make as fast a pace as he
could towards his home, it would be close to dark before he got home but at
least the boy would be safe and he could soon fix what ailed the boy, it
was what he did.


TBC.


Artcart65@vodafone.co.nz