Death on the Trek (18 page)

She began to come closer to Brother Earth to see the places where Brother Earth spit out the melted rocks. That is when she began to sleep with him and there became sun time and dark time.

Over a long, long period, the places where the melted rock poured forth became cool and became high places. Some were so cold that white snow collected on their tops.

Mootak fell silent. Jeek felt blessed. He had just heard a Saga, given for him and Fall only. He thanked Mootak for this and Mootak, looking like he wanted to rest, walked away.

I do not know how this Saga can help us understand what happened to Tikihoo, Jeek.

Jeek agreed.
We should go up there to see if we can figure out what happened, but we should not let anyone see us.

They wandered away from the group, still gathered around the broken body, giving it all their attention. The pair went around the jagged cliff until they were on another side, out of sight, and began to climb.

Chapter 27

“The living California Condor and the Pleistocene condors, especially the condor represented in the Rancho La Brea deposits, have either been considered as separate species (
G. californianus
and
G. amplus
) or the Pleistocene form has been considered a temporal subspecies of
G. californianus
. The primary difference…was size, the Pleistocene form being larger…
Although the distribution of modern condors is limited to California and introductions into Arizona and Nevada, past distribution of condors apparently was far greater, with the birds withstanding Pleistocene climatic conditions as far east and north as the state of New York (Steadman and Miller 1987).”

—from:
Gymnogyps
Lesson 1842—California/Rancho La Brea Condor, https://www.utep.edu/leb/pleistNM/taxaAves/Gymnogypscalifornianus.htm

Enga Dancing Flower noticed when Jeek and Fall Cape Maker left the group. She did not call attention to it because she guessed what they were doing. They were going to climb up to see if they could tell what had happened up there to cause Tikihoo to fall. She hooked into the thought-stream between the two, which was not shielded with care, to confirm her guess. They probably felt no need for a good shield since everyone was concentrating on the body of Tikihoo and wondering what had happened to her.

Enga hoped they would find something. It was obvious to her that someone had killed Tikihoo. That meant they traveled either with a person who could kill two people and mask such deeds from everyone, or with two such people. Should they keep traveling with such persons? Or should they stop and figure out who these beings were?

That was for the Elders to say, but maybe a council should be held. It would be good to hear from each person. Hama and the Elders could try to determine who any killers were. Enga had not gotten any answers in trying to search the minds of her tribemates. Hapa had learned nothing. Even Tog Flint Shaper, who was trying the same as Enga, to see into all the minds, had not found out anything.

Maybe Jeek and Fall would see something on top of the cliff that would give them information, would let them know who had been up there with her. In the mind of Enga was the certain thought that someone had pushed her. She did not know why she was certain, but she was.

Hama touched her thoughts.
Enga Dancing Flower, do you know anything about the death of Tikihoo?

Enga sent back her answer, that she knew nothing.

Will you ask your brothers and sisters what they were doing during dark time? Maybe an answer that is given will be false and you will be able to find the slayer of Tikihoo.

So Hama also believed Tikihoo was killed. That was interesting.
I will try to do this, my Hama.
It was also interesting that Hapa must not have shared with Hama the project he and Enga were working on.

She smiled a slow, slight smile. Now she had permission from the Most High Leader to work in the open to find out the truth.
As soon as Tikihoo is given back to Brother Earth, I shall start.

Hama agreed with that plan.

Since the poor dead female was not of the tribe, Enga wondered what would happen to her body.

Her question was answered when Hama thought-spoke to everyone a few moments later.
The Hooden female will remain here, where her life left her. We will continue our trek as soon as everyone is ready to go.

Enga frowned, facing away from Hama. That did not seem fitting. No, the Hooden was not a Hamapa, but she was still a person. A shadow passed over them and she looked up to see the black and white underside feathers on the wings of a flesh-eating bird. Many of them circled above, blocking out the rays of Sister Sun as they cast their large shadows on the small group of beings. Tikihoo would not remain undisturbed for very long after they left. She hoped that the birds would not swoop down before they were out of sight.

She sent an urgent message to Jeek that he and Fall should come back because the tribe was about to leave. She sensed Vala Golden Hair studying her and turned to see if Vala wanted anything from her. She could not read the expression on the face of Vala and could not read a single thought from her mind either. She was glad that her message to Jeek and Fall had been cloaked well.

As soon as they were underway, she would start asking the questions as Hama had requested. Should she deal with Vala first or last?

Jeek and Fall came trotting into sight. Jeek let her know they had not been able to reach the top. An easier path to the top lay within sight of everyone, but they did not want to be seen, so they had not taken it. The other, more difficult way, would have taken much time.

That told Enga that Tikihoo and the other person had probably gone up the rocks at dark time. If they had gone up after Sister Sun rose from lying with Brother Earth, someone would have seen them. Maybe everyone.

The trek that day was very hot. As they moved away from the Guiding Bear, with the large mountains always within sight, but getting farther away, Mother Sky breathed more and more scorching breath on them and Sister Sun shone more and more brightly. They found that their steps slowed and they did not seem to go as far that day.

Enga felt that her questions did not get far either. She asked many of her tribe the same questions. Did you sleep well last dark time? Did you hear anyone moving around? Did you get up and move around? Did you see Tikihoo get up? Most of the answers were the same. Yes to the first one and no to the others.

She did begin to suspect several people, though. Some had added their own opinions when she questioned them. Most of them had opinions about who killed Panan One Eye.

Vala and Hama told her they thought that Tikihoo had killed Panan. Even Hapa said he now thought this. Vala reminded her how Tikihoo had shunned his body when it was recovered. Enga had thought a lot about that, and had decided that it was probably a tribal thing for Tikihoo. She had heard of other peoples who did nothing with their dead. They thought bad things would happen if they went near them, or touched them. Maybe even if they looked upon them. But maybe Vala was right. Bodd Blow Striker at first stated that he thought the killer was Mootak Big Heart, but then changed his mind and thought it was Tikihoo who had killed Panan. He gazed into the eyes of Vala while he gave his changed opinion. She returned his intent look with a half smile.

Hama and Hapa would not say why they now thought Tikihoo had killed Panan. That made the mind of Enga confused. Could it be that Hapa had killed Panan? He had been on the other side of the river for a long time when he went to bring Mootak back. Was he the one Mootak saw? He could be asking for help from Enga in order to find someone else to accuse.

Enga had still not found out what bothered Hapa, the thing he did not want someone to know. In this time of confusion, Enga probed the mind of Hapa to see why he thought Tikihoo had killed Panan. She had more success this time in his mind. She found some thoughts of Tikihoo, but they were not thoughts that she had killed Panan. They were very different thoughts.

Ongu Small One and her mate, Sannum Straight Hair, both cast suspicion on Hama herself. It was true that Panan had opposed her in many of her decisions. Enga was not sure that would compel Hama to kill him. Enga always remembered, though, that the birth-mother of Hama had not been a good tribe member. Hama did not act like her mother had, but they were of the same line. She began to realize that, in the fog, anyone could have waded across the river to do it.

Cabat the Thick, along with the new male, Fall Cape Maker, made it plain that they thought the obvious killer of Panan had been Mootak Big Heart. He had not kept it private how much he wanted to have the storytelling job of Panan very soon, and Panan was not giving the job over to him. Mootak had also been on the other shore with Panan when no one else had been there that they knew of. Fall did approach Enga later and tell her he was not certain that Mootak was the slayer, but that it seemed he had to be. Also, he did not want to contradict Cabat, who was trying to convince others.

If Mootak did see someone, someone he thought was a spirit, Enga knew that it could have been a person. Hama or Hapa? Who could have sneaked away and crossed the river to kill him?

As to who killed Tikihoo, most thought that it was the same person who killed Panan.

That made sense to Enga. A sudden thought came to her near the end of the walking time. If Tikihoo had known who killed Panan, whom she had cared for, maybe she had been trying to tell Fall and Jeek who that was. Maybe that was
why
she was killed. But that did not tell Enga
who
killed her.

Chapter 28

Enga Dancing Flower was very glad when the trekking for the day ended. Her strength was returning, but she still felt more weak than had been normal for her before she had lost the baby seed.

As dark time approached and the breath of Mother Sky cooled, Ung Strong Arm and Lakala Rippling Water came to sit with her as they gnawed at the tough jerky. As terrible as it was, and as much as everyone disliked it, there was some alarm that it would run out soon.

It will be a good time and I will be happy when I can get back to hunting,
Ung thought-spoke.
I do not feel like I am doing what I am meant to do when I do not hunt.

I am the same with my singing,
Lakala answered.
I am supposed to sing for the tribe at every dark time. When I am not singing…the tribe needs to sing. And to dance.
She looked at Enga.

Enga agreed. Who would disagree? No one on the trek was being the tribe member they were supposed to be.
When we are settled in the new place, this will be far behind us. Our trek will be told as Saga. We will be like we once were. As soon as we reach our new home.

If they found a sizeable herd of mammoth and could do a kill soon after that, that would be excellent and they would be fed and content. After a time, they would need more than one good kill before Cold Season so they could make jerky to feed the tribe through the time of much dark and of short light times. Enga hoped Dakadaga would take care of them when they got to the new land. She clamped down on the thought that it did not feel like Dakadaga was caring about them on this trek.

They finished eating and Ung and Lakala moved away a short distance to lay out their sleeping skins. Hama had not called for a council or Saga or music and dancing. Tog Flint Shaper, who had eaten with Fall Cape Maker, Bodd Blow Striker, and Vala Golden Hair, came to sleep beside Enga. As she lay, falling asleep with the arm of Tog draped around her, she realized she had more tribe members to question. She had not asked her questions of the younger ones, Jeek, Gunda, Teek Bearclaw, Akkal Firetender, Mootak Big Heart, and the other young ones. She would start with Mootak when she awoke.

However, while it was still deep dark time, she was awakened by a rustling noise nearby. She opened her eyes and saw Mootak, lit by Brother Moon, crawling from his sleeping skin near his parents, and walking to the edge of the group.

Was he walking while still asleep? She had known some to do that. Sannum Straight Hair and Cabat the Thick both used to when they were younger, and Mootak was the child of Sannum.

If Mootak went outside the circle of sleepers, there would be danger to him. They had not seen a cat of sharp tooth for many moons, but the large animal with the heavy shell and the deadly tail roamed these parts, as well as wolves, bears, and other cats. A mouse scurried away as she raised herself onto an elbow. She had not secured her pouch well enough and the mouse ran away with a piece of her precious jerky. At least he had not taken all of it. She cinched her pouch tightly and stood to hang it on a nearby pine branch.

When she looked around, Mootak was out of sight. She must find him so he would not come to harm. She crept to the place she had last seen him and looked around. He was standing not far away, beside a white-barked tree and his shoulders were shaking.

As she approached him, she could hear his soft sobs. She did not want to startle him, so she shuffled her feet in the undergrowth. He looked up and she saw, by the light of Brother Moon, tears glistening on his cheeks.

Mootak Big Heart, are you troubled?
she thought-spoke to him, being sure to shield her conversation from the rest, some of whom might not be sleeping.

He nodded, his long, straight hair swinging forward. It was the hair of Sannum Straight Hair. He looked more and more like him as he got older. Sannum had been most kind to Enga and Ung when they were small and were first brought into the tribe. Enga would always love him, and so felt much warm feeling toward Mootak also. It made her ache inside that he was in such distress. He had been that way ever since the death of Panan, she knew.

I would like to ease your pain.
She ran her hand across his head and onto his shoulder. He still shook with sobs, silent now. She squeezed his shoulder to convey her goodwill. To her surprise, Mootak threw his arms around her and they stood, hugging, for a time.