Zomblog: Snoe's Journey (4 page)

“
Aho Mitakuye Oyasin
…All my relations. I honor you in this circle of life with me today. I am grateful for this opportunity to acknowledge you in this prayer…

“To the Creator, for the ultimate gift of life, I thank you.

“To the mineral nation that has built and maintained my bones and all foundations of life experience, I thank you.

“To the plant nation that sustains my organs and body and gives me healing herbs for sickness, I thank you.

“To the animal nation that feeds me from your own flesh and offers your loyal companionship in this walk of life, I thank you.

“To the human nation that shares my path as a soul upon the sacred wheel of Earthly life, I thank you.

“To the Spirit nation that guides me invisibly through the ups and downs of life and for carrying the torch of light through the Ages. I thank you.

“To the Four Winds of Change and Growth, I thank you.

“You are all my relations, my relatives, without whom I would not live. We are in the circle of life together, co-existing, co-dependent, co-creating our destiny. One, not more important than the other. One nation evolving from the other and yet each dependent upon the one above and the one below. All of us a part of the Great Mystery.

“Thank you for this Life.”

There was a moment of silence, and I almost screwed it up by speaking. Luckily, just as I was about to open my mouth, Angel Snow Owl spoke again after a nod from Erik.

“Greetings to you, Snoe Gainey. Daughter of Meredith and Samuel. I am Erik Greyfeather. I apologize for my appearance since I know it can be frightening to many the first time.

“I have waited many years for this day, and I welcome it as I welcome you. I see in your eyes the fire of your mother, yet it is balanced by the compassion of your father.

“I know that you must have many questions, and I am sorry to say that the time for those answers must wait. I have been visited in my dream by the spirits and they all tell me that it is not yet time to celebrate. Death rides once more in the shape of a man.

“You have come home without knowing it, and your people are prepared. We shall answer your call and face this dark spirit by your side.”

With that, Erik reached up with his right hand and took my wrist, pulling me close. He rested his ravaged face on my shoulder for a moment and gave enough of a squeeze that I was able
to realize he was hugging me. I should have been terrified…mortified. The man is a hideous wreck. But instead, all I felt was love and peace.

I did not even realize it until I had to wipe them away to clear my vision that my eyes had filled with tears. I can’t explain it any more than to say that I felt at home. It was a sort of peace that I never knew existed.

I was more than just a little surprised to discover that he had been here this entire time; and that, every night after I went to sleep, Kai would go in his little room and visit with him. Sometimes, they even came out so he could get a look at me.

I bet Meredith would be happy that he survived that terrible day. I know from her own words that she felt horrible about what happened.

In the morning, the Elders are supposed to arrive. I guess they will see this mark for themselves and decide what to do.

Oh…and this mark? No, I never knew that I had it. It is supposedly a white, or at least white-ish, mark on the crown of my head. Allegedly it is shaped like the head of a buffalo. I guess this white buffalo is a big deal to the Natives.

Thursday, July 21
st

It is still early, and we are waiting for the Elders to arrive. Erik was amused to discover that I have a journal. He made a face that I guess is his version of a smile.

However, the reason I am writing today before the Elders come is because I had a revelation and thought that it was important to write it down.

While I lay on my bedroll last night watching the glowing shapes dance on the ceiling, trying to make sense of what has happened in the past few hours, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I know more about my family and heritage now than I ever did before. I have been referring to the Natives as “them” the whole time.

I am
them
.

Friday, July 22
nd

We are riding west. I guess I will not be seeing Oklahoma…at least not right away. In fact, I may never see it, but that will be okay if it ends up turning out the way Angel Snow Owl predicted.

I should probably put as much down tonight as I can. I don’t know if I really understood it all. Maybe being able to go back and read it later will help.

The Elders arrived almost the moment that I finished yesterday’s entry. There were twenty-seven of them, which, oddly enough did not make this cabin feel crowded at all.

After Angel made the introductions, one of the Elders stepped forward. He gave me a look that made me feel like the wilted carrots on the cart of a vegetable vendor’s cart.

“I will see this mark before this goes any further,” he said with a tone that made it clear that this was a demand and not a request.

“I have no idea what sort of mark you are talking about. I don’t have any mark on me,” I insisted. I had heard the rumor, but I just did not care for his attitude.

Erik made some sort of noise and after a moment, Angel nodded and smiled. “You have a white birthmark that is in the shape of the head of a buffalo on your scalp, just below the crown of your head.”

I guess that would be why I never saw it. Still, I had no idea what the deal was about a birthmark no matter what color or where it might be located, or what shape it might look like.

This Elder, his name was—and I am not making this up—Bill Screaming Eagle, came up and I let Angel fuss around with my hair. I heard the gasp which I guess was the verification that I indeed had some sort of mark on the back of my head.

One by one, all of the other Elders came and looked at my head. I figured it was almost rubbed bald by the time the last few came to see for themselves.

Once that was done, the next bit of formality required that we all sit down and eat together. I guess Erik had everything ready on that front and we sat down to a venison stew, roasted vegetables, flatbread, and this berry spread that I may never forget.

After the meal, they started talking about my returning to the lands of the Confederated Tribes to be presented to “my” people as a sign of something to do with a Seventh Generation or some such nonsense. That was when I put my foot down.

“I’m not going anywhere with anybody,” I insisted. “I came here because the people that I have grown up with, the people who were
my
people way before you, are facing a force that will wipe them out if I don’t get help.”

This made everybody start talking at the same time. Actually, I was kind of glad to see this outburst. Up until that moment, there had been very little in the way of what I would consider normal emotional responses. Everybody was so…stiff. It was almost like they had turned the knobs controlling their emotions down to zero.

I let them holler and carry on for a bit. Finally, I stood up and folded my arms across my chest until every set of eyes looked at me and every mouth shut. (I learned that trick from one of my school teachers.)

“I have no idea what the heck you are talking about with this Seventh Generation prophecy. But what I do know is that you seem to think I am some sort of symbol. From the bits and pieces that I have picked up from your talking and that little prayer thingy, this is about coming together in peace and love.” I let my gaze drift over all of them as I spoke. I can’t swear to it, but I think Erik was smiling…sorta. “I will go with you, but only after I know that General Carson and this group of NAA lunatics have been stopped. If I know that everybody can go back to living a relatively peaceful life, then I will do whatever you want me to do.”

This did not go over very well. There was more yelling and arguing. At some point, I might have actually fallen asleep. Hey, I was full from dinner and the room was toasty warm. Whatever the case, Angel finally gave me a nudge and asked me to follow her outside.

“We must leave…now.” She only added that last word after I looked at her with what I can assume to be a look that expressed the fact that I was confused.

“But what about this council? Are the Elders against helping? Because I mean what I said when I told them I won’t go with them until I know that General Carson is taken out.”

“And that is where they are split. Erik sent Kai with a message back to the tribes. He is certain that some will come despite the fact that the Elders will not have ruled on it for the next few days at the least.” Angel gave me a quick smile. “He also says that if you are even the tiniest bit as stubborn as your mother, there will be no bargaining from your side. That is why he has taken it upon himself to call on some of the warriors that he knows will answer his call despite any decision reached by the Elders.”

“So we are just going to leave?” I asked. “We are not even going to wait to see what these Elders decide?”

“They will argue for at least a full cycle of the moon. Erik says that they have become complacent behind the walls we built and do not understand how important it is to act immediately when it comes to things going on in the world,” Angel explained.

And so we saddled up our horses and we left. When I say “we”, I mean Angel, me, and three of the people that were sitting around the fire that day I woke to find her in the cabin with company. There was no talking and we rode in a single-file line with me stuck right in the middle. At least I got to bring Mato.

We did not stop to make camp until well after dark. I could hardly see my hand in front of my face. Just as we did finally stop, I had a flash of paranoia. What if Angel was lying to me for some reason? What if she was getting me away from everything and everybody to do something terrible?

Right about then, as they were getting a small, covered fire lit, she handed me a note. I did not even bother to ask, since everybody seems to be able to read my face and know what I am feeling. I will just assume that it had nothing to do with how high I jumped when she tapped on my shoulder to give me the note, gave the briefest of dirty looks, and said, “I’m not your enemy, Snoe. Now take this and read it. It is from Erik.”

I unfolded the note and read:

Snoe Gainey,

You know that I travelled with your mother. What you do not know is that I have had people watching you for all of your life. Many folks, some that you call Travelers, and even some that live in and around the place you know as Sunset Fortress and Warehouse City, have kept eyes on you as you grew older.

There was a man you knew as Captain Vaughn. He was a guardian that has watched over you since the day that Meredith gave you to the two women who raised you.

I was sorry to lose him. Word returned to me that he perished on a mission he undertook with you. I was also told that he is one of the ones we call the
elun el nagi
, or present in the soul. Some of the undead that you call zombies manage to fight against their new nature. For a reason we can never understand, some of the zombies are so strongly driven by something in their living time that they will not seek to attack humans. The last that I heard, Captain Vaughn had somehow managed to attract a following of thousands of these zombies. He led them out into the desert of Eastern Oregon where they now simply stand until the wind and sun can reclaim their bodies. Even in death, his final act was to somehow see to your safety.

All who watched over you knew that you bore the mark of the White Buffalo, and it was because of that one single thing that it was important to keep you safe. You may not understand it, but you symbolize the peace and a return of our ways to our people.

I will not bore you with my own long studies of the prophecies that said you would come, nor will I ask you to believe in it as deeply as I do. What I will ask is that you draw upon the spirit and heart of your father.

You do not have to believe in something for it to be so. My people…your people…they believe in the power behind what you symbolize. Do not allow any of your own doubts to rob a nation of its hope.

Return to the place you know as Sunset Fortress. It is there that my warriors will seek you. I offer them to you. They offer their lives to your cause. In exchange, I ask that you finish what you feel needs to be done, and then consider all I have said. Act upon what you feel in your heart.

I can only pray that it will be to return.

Mitakuye Oyasin
. It is more than what you have heard.

Erik Greyfeather

So, after reading the letter, I don’t feel suspicious about Angel and her group. However, I am really struggling with this idea that I am some sort of symbol. If I was overwhelmed when people started putting me, an eighteen-year-old girl, in charge of things back in Irony…well…this is WAY more.

I am just not sure that I can buy into what they are selling. Still, I do remember some rough times growing up in The Corridor. I remember the community rallying around things, events, and people. I don’t think any who were there will ever forget Jenifer’s speech that July when the early rumblings of all this insanity was just beginning. I know they drew strength from doing so. It was not as if whatever it was they were using to motivate themselves had some sort of physical tangibility, it was simply that the belief in it was enough to push a person to try just a little harder.