Anarchistbanjo's World

Chapter 16

“Well, let’s just keep this to ourselves for a bit,” Rafe suggested. “Ellen all ready knows enough to make her more alert about things. Let’s see if she found anything out first before we tell her any more. She could get into trouble over this and we don’t want that to happen.”

Tobal agreed and they turned the conversation to other topics. “I heard you got lucky with your third chevron?”

Rafe snorted and began telling the story. They talked long into the night. Tobal never did get a chance to talk with Ellen and she wasn’t around the gathering spot the next morning when he tried looking for her.

He looked around for the girls but they had left already. Judging from their tracks in the snow they were about three hours ahead of him. He didn’t really care since he had a lot on his mind and wondered what Ellen wanted to talk to him about.

Tobal made the long trek toward sanctuary. The trail up the cliff was a problem since it was snow covered and so narrow. He cleaned the narrow ledge before crossing it and needed to make several trips because he couldn’t pull his small sled over it either. At the top of the cliff the terrain looked much different than it had two months before when he had last made the trip. It was also much more dangerous.

Brown shrubs with falling leaves and dried grass showed in open areas and there was drifted snow in others. The wind had a bite to it and he was glad for the warm fur parka, trousers, and snow boots. Even though they were bulky and cumbersome, they were warm. As long as he didn’t work up a sweat he would be fine and the open spaces free of snow made the going much easier than if he had to use snow shoes.

He took his time and enjoyed the solitude and the movement. It took four days to reach sanctuary but he was in high spirits when he got there. He had let the girls go on ahead of him and wasn’t really expecting anyone to be at sanctuary itself. He was prepared for a long wait. Snow was falling and the sun had already set although it was still light enough to see. Stepping through the door he stomped his boots and kicked them against the wall to knock the snow off. He proceeded taking off his furs because it was warm inside and the heat was uncomfortable. Then he waited for his eyes to adjust to the dim light. After his eyes adjusted he saw a small dark figure huddled on one of the cots in the other room.

Moving into the dimly lit room he saw someone that reminded him of Rafe clutching a dark fur blanket or robe around small shoulders and watching with big dark eyes. This boy’s hair was raven black and he looked Native American. He also looked small, scrawny and too young to be here.

“I’m Tobal.” He said extending his hand in welcome. “What’s your name?”

“Crow,” the boy replied. “I’ve been waiting here for three days and was beginning to think no one was going to come. The others already left. You have come for me haven’t you?” He stammered hopefully sitting up straighter on the cot.

Tobal didn’t know what to do. This kid was going to be a real pain and it was going to be during the worst part of the winter. He didn’t like the thought at all.

“How old are you anyway?” He asked rather brusquely.

“Fourteen,” the boy said. “My grandfather is a shaman and had a vision that I needed to come here.”

Tobal silently cursed the old shaman and his visions. “Where’s your stuff?” He asked at last.
“Stuff, what stuff?” the boy replied in puzzlement.

“Your pack, sleeping bag and med kit!”

“What do you mean?”

“Haven’t you processed yet?” Tobal was getting more and more irritated with this kid.

“My grandfather said I was to wait for you and that you would teach me what I needed to know,” Crow said hopefully.

Tobal groaned inwardly and winced at the thought of a two day delay waiting for the kid to process.

“Ok, Crow,” he said, “listen to me. The first thing is go through that doorway over there and get some tests taken. It will be a medical check up and you will be given some things to wear and use. That will take about two days and I can’t help you. You’ve got to do it yourself OK? I will be out here waiting.”

“OK.” Crow said meekly and headed for the door wearing the dark fur like a robe that reached to the ground. Crow turned and came back to Tobal. He reached inside the robe and pulled out a rumpled letter and handed it to him.

“This is for you.” He said and then disappeared through the doorway into the med center.

Tobal unfolded the mangled envelope and stared at the writing on the front as a chill swept up his spine and he shivered violently. Written faintly with pencil in an erratic hand were the words: “To the son of Ron and Rachel Kane.”

Tearing the letter open Tobal puzzled out the crabbed hand writing.

“You don’t know who I am,” the letter began, “But I am a friend of your mother and father. This is my grandson, Crow, of whom I am very proud. He is much more than he seems. I am sure you will take care of him just as I took care of both your mother and your father in their own time of trial. I trained both of them and grew to love them very much. It was I that hand fasted them together and taught them the mysteries of bi-location and shamanism.”

“I’ve told Crow many stories about your mother, father and their work. He will tell you these stories when the time is right. But he knows them as the Lord and Lady. He also knows what lies hidden at the lake. He doesn’t know directly but will recognize it when he is there. I hope this will help your search for the truth. I owe your mother and father that much. I wish I could do more. There is help coming and justice will prevail, you must believe that. Some things simply take time! We will meet when the time is right and your questions will be answered.”

Brightest Blessings,

Howling Wolf”

Tobal was stunned. He sat on a cot and reread the letter in the dim light. He wanted to tear open the door and find Crow. Only the certain knowledge that the processing area would not allow such a thing prevented him from such hasty action. He was forced to think things through and the more times he read the letter the more cryptic it seemed to him.

He realized Crow couldn’t answer any direct questions about his parents but only relate stories about the Lord and Lady, whoever they were. Also, while Crow knew something about the lake, the letter said he would recognize it when he saw it and not be able to talk about it directly. For the first time Tobal wished he had the freedom to meet Howling Wolf in person and learn the truth about his parents. That was not possible right now and he was committed to his current course.

Tobal thought back on his meeting with Crow. He had introduced himself as “Tobal” and not “Tobal Kane”. How had Crow known to give him a letter addressed simply to “The Son of Ron and Rachel Kane?” Had Howing Wolf somehow known he would be here and be the one Crow would find? Or had the girls told Crow who he was and that he would be coming soon. Such questions made him uncomfortable and it was a long time before he was able to sink into a troubled sleep.

Morning came and Tobal set about making himself more comfortable while he waited for Crow to get through processing. It was amazing what a load of furs could do to add comfort and softness to the otherwise uncomfortable cots. The relaxation was a pleasant change. It wasn’t until he tasted the strange water and food paste that he regretted being there. The mystery surrounding Crow and his grandfather offered no ready solutions and his thoughts gradually turned toward other things.

In particular the weather gave him concern. It had been snowing steadily for two days and there would probably be places where the snow had drifted over his head. This was his first winter in the mountains and he didn’t really know what to expect.

Still, he knew the terrain he had to travel to get back to his base camp and in good weather the trip was hard. He had no idea what it would be like on snow shoes. At least he had brought along snowshoes and winter clothing for the boy too or they would really be in trouble.

He found a dried maple branch outside and began whittling out of boredom just to have something to do. He had in mind some small wood carvings to give as gifts to Nick, Melanie, Sarah, Crow, and of course Rafe. With that in mind he rough cut the branch into five pieces to be worked as time permitted. He envisioned small figurines like charms to be worn on a thong or cord around the neck. He had gotten the idea from some of the carvings he had seen during the last circle.

He wanted to give Rafe a fox since it seemed so appropriate. Rafe was cunning like a fox. He worked the rest of the day on the tiny figure and it gradually came to life in his hands. The carving was simple and recognizable as a fox although it lacked a lot of detail. The real work would be gradually smoothing the rich maple and polishing it to a fine finish. He was in the smoothing stages when Crow finally came out of the processing unit with his equipment and clothing.

Tobal was a little nervous about his first travel in deep snow and wanted to get started early. The days were getting shorter and there was only about six hours of travel possible during the day. They took extra rations from the food dispenser, enough to last each of them a week just in case there were problems. The nasty paste was divided into small cubes that could be added to water or eaten individually after they had been frozen. The benefit of the cold weather was many perishable food items would keep much longer, especially if they were frozen.

They started out using snow shoes and made good time. The sled pulled easily and they took turns pulling it. The snow had stopped falling and it was a bright day. It was almost too bright as he squinted against the glare. Tobal decided to keep to his normal travel path even though the snow suggested taking shortcuts over ground that now seemed smooth and snow covered. It was not worth the risk of falling into open holes or being trapped in some crevasse. At least following his normal path he would be familiar with any hazards that might lie hidden beneath the snow or ice.

Crow turned out to be a tough, wiry kid that could run circles around Tobal with or without a pack on his back. He was much lighter than Tobal and took to the snow shoes immediately. He said they were like ones his grandfather used in the winter. The boy seemed to have an endless supply of energy and crisscrossed the trail ahead of him checking out things that caught his interest. Crow had obviously spent a lot of time in the mountains and knew how to travel by landmarks. He had an instinctive awareness of direction even in bad weather. This worked against him at times. He did have trouble with the map and compass and understanding how to use them together.

“I know where I am,” he complained to Tobal. “Why should I need to know where I am on this piece of paper?”

Tobal was frustrated, “See this ‘X’ ,“ he pointed at the map. “That is where my base camp is and where we are going. How can you find it if you can’t read the map?”

“How can this piece of paper tell me where your camp is?” Crow retorted growing angry in turn.

They finally compromised when Crow was able to understand the map and locate the different landmarks on it.

“If I take you to the spot you have marked will you leave me alone?” he asked resentfully. “Will you let me take you there my own way?”