The Windigo Story [for Spitz]

[Forte!]

BEWARE! This is from a few years ago, and it kinda stinks... just a little. I apologize for any eye bleeds...

Kewok huddled by a dwindling fire, half-asleep. He genuinely despised his time to watch the fire, and wasn't very good at it, apparently. The once crackling fire now whispered and huddled among the darkening ashes at the center of the ring. The soft kindling lay charred to a crisp now, that alone had caused the fire to seep away from the bare logs and twigs. The ground around here was nice and dry, fire was easy. A gentle wind gusted up then, blowing smoke into Kewok's face. He awoke, spluttering, to find the fire almost out already. With a huff of disappointment, he gathered some dry pine needles and bark to stuff in near the hot coals.

In no time, the fire was hot and crackly again, and Kewok was waiting for Ishina, the boy who was next, to wake up. Even then, Kewok would still be awake collecting wood. His friend Suhas and he would be out getting kindling when the sun rose. Kewok had slept his share of the night, and was looking forward to the day. Even though the tribe, The Band of Crossridge, was constantly on the move, every day brought joy. Kewok looked expectantly towards the woods, waiting for Ishina and Suhas to wake.

After about five minutes, Kewok opted that he would wake them up. Suhas was a very deep sleeper indeed, and Ishina's internal alarm clock must have been wrong. Stepping lightly around sleeping bodies, Kewok shook the two gently awake. Suhas snorted and sat up in alarm, looking around frantically. Kewok rose a doubtful brow and shrugged. Ishina had just woken up on his own, Kewok noted, helping still-sleepy Suhas stand up.

“Our turn already?” Mumbled Suhas groggily. Kewok nodded impatiently.

“Yeah, come on, I wanna get this over with.” The forest had suddenly begun to look oddly menacing. The amber firelight made the shadows look oddly thick and full of depth, but light. Velvet feathers, they looked like. Suhas, who was overly optimistic, didn't seem to notice, and was not to be hurried. Wood gathering wasn't all too laborious, but it was active enough to appeal to both Kewok and Suhas, not tonight, though. Some sort of spirits seemed to linger in these woods, and it was oddly hair raising.

The two boys began to pick their way around the edge of the forest, looking for the easiest available path. Poison ivy and poison oak were abundant, and bother were careful to avoid it as they wound deeper into the woods. Suhas held a hard stone ax in his left hand, trailing it along the ground absently, whilst Kewok was holding the two oxen that the traveling band had brought. The two animals were usually just big tan boulders standing around in a grassy clearing, but now they were oddly animated. Behind them was a sled-like cart that the larger logs and bits of wood could be stacked upon.

Usually, the oxen weren't able to go on wood gathering expeditions, and if they could, it was usually only one. However, there was a wide enough path through the woods and, besides, the road ahead was flat, with little trees. Even though they could go without fire, Kewok didn't much fancy the idea of eating cold for long periods of time. They'd need a lot of kindling to get through the rest of the trail. The tan oxen swung their heads impatiently, horns waving in the air threateningly. The trek through the forest was slow, making all of them (except Suhas) on edge.

Kewok looked back at the sled-cart, making sure it didn't jolt too much. The shaman of the Band of Crossridge sat there during the day. Ghasaan, as he was called, had always seemed incredibly, unbearably old to Kewok. He was the wisest of any of the band, the children feared him and avoided him. Upsetting Ghasaan probably wouldn't be a good idea. It was rumored that he could turn you into a vampire, or worse. Still, Kewok wished that Ghasaan's belongings took up less space. The cart could have held some of their stuff, or at least the young children. Not that Kewok's family had much. Their most valuable possessions were their dog harnesses. A white trader had given them to his family long ago, and all four still remained.

In the spooky forest, Kewok wished that he'd brought his dog along. Ma'awiya had a sort of calming air about her. She was a calm, patient dog, not at all what Kewok had expected when he'd found her. The poor pup had been trapped in a sort of steel-jaw trap that the white men had made. Shrugging off thoughts of Ma'awiya, Kewok refocused on the task at hand. He looked back nervously as the cart bumped over a tree root that stabbed and gnarled at the open air. Flinching as the cart landed with a thud and a puff of dust, Kewok looked nervously onward. Suhas strolled on, mindless of any of the noises behind him.

“Hey, look!” Exclaimed Suhas in a hoarse-but-excited whisper. A fallen tree lay across the path. “This monster could give us wood for weeks!” Kewok was forced to admit that the log was gigantic, and could have been the kindling of a few days.

“Okay, then, cut it into thirds or fourths, or whatever, and I'll help you put it on the cart.” Kewok strained impatiently. Suhas hefted the ax with a grunt, looking back at Kewok.

“You okay? You look kind of pale, buddy.” He pondered, making a neat cut in the wood, but not dislodging any pieces.

“I'm fine.” Answered Kewok, looking back at the oxen. The air was filled with a crack that was loud enough to make the oxen start a little. Birds burst from hovels and branches, filling the air with distress. Kewok moved towards the oxen to comfort them.

“Got it off.” Said Suhas, grinning foolishly. Kewok grunted with disapproval, tyeing the oxen around a branch so that he could help Suhas. He edged his way forward and swung to the opposite side of the log than Suhas. They were just lifting it when something burst from the forest next to them, screaming! The oxen panicked, straining against the branch.

“AAAHH! A werewolf!” Screamed Suhas, causing the oxen's panic to double. The branch snapped with a deafening crack. On instinct, Kewok ducked away from the creature that had burst from the woods. The creature was black and gnarled, wearing loose furs, it was howling... No, it was laughing.

“Wi'ntsigo! What'd you...” Kewok began in a yelling, scolding tone. Then he realized that the oxen were stampeding. “Suhas! Move!” However, Suhas was too late to move. He took a few steps before he was run down by a crazy ox. The ax flew from his hand and sunk deep into the bushes. Suhas blacked out instantly, but the oxen didn't stop.

They twisted and bucked in the harness. Tan heads bowed and horns thrashed through shrubs and bushes. The hunter-creature was still howling laughter, spooking them up. In an instant, the cart lay over turned and broken in the road, and the oxen were off in the woods. The harness lay useless in their wake. The dust began to settle, and Kewok realized what had happened.

“No! Ghasaan's gonna kill us!” He said, rushing over to the edge of the woods. His first though was to help Suhas, and attack Wi'ntsigo, who was a prankster from the Band of Crossridge. His second was to go after the oxen, they could always fashion a new cart. “Wi'ntsigo! Why did you do that?” The boy just grunted. Kewok's face flushed with anger as he went to Suhas's side.

The boy had fallen under the oxen's hooves, his right hand was completely smothered. The cart's runners had caught his side, making a scratch that was deep and bleeding profusely. Suhas was out cold, but his eyes were beginning to flicker. Surely he was in pain, a lot of pain. Kewok, acting fast, grabbed Suhas's shirt and ripped it off, using it to soak up some of the blood. Wi'ntsigo had stopped laughing, and was looking at Suhas, stunned. He didn't know how much damage his practical joke had done. He glanced at the cart eagerly, but it was done out.

“No! Ghasaan will turn us into real werewolves now!” Wi'ntsigo groaned, showing no emotion for the badly hurt Suhas. The boy had woken up, and was now glaring at Wi'ntsigo.

“I'll get him before Ghasaan does.” Suhas whispered hoarsely. Kewok shook his head.

“No you won't,” He pointed out, “I have to carry you back to camp.” Suhas barked hoarse laughter from the ground. That hurt him even more. He whimpered with pain and curled into a ball as best he could. Kewok flattened him out again with a scowl.

“Stay still!” He grunted, leaning down to pick Suhas up, “I've got to get you back before you bleed to death!” At that last word, Suhas fainted again and fell limp. Kewok wavered and almost fell, but managed to heft the boy up. Wi'ntsigo decided to follow him out of the forest. Kewok could hear his soft steps behind him, but he was angry at the boy. Suhas might die because of him! Good old Suhas, who always had a kind, joking word. Kewok's face flushed with anger as he recalled all the times that Suhas had pulled him from his deep sorrow.

He could almost feel the boy in his arms wavering between life and death.

The next few minutes found Kewok sitting by the fire again, back almost brushing the flames. The others moved and bustled around Suhas, seeing if he might be saved. Kewok pressed his face to his hands, beads of sweat trickling around his fingers. He was worried. There was no doubt about that. His black hair brushed his fingers, it tickled, but Kewok had not the energy to do anything about it. Butterflies fluttered somewhere between his chest and stomach, and that nagging, negative voice in the bad of his head nagged. It asked him what he'd do if Suhas died, over and over again, the same question.

Truth was, Kewok didn't know what he would do. He couldn't stay here and live in this misery. Never could he do such a thing as that. The mere thought of it sent little quivers along his spine, living with all the tears, the blame. Kewok knew that this was not his fault, but would the others? There was nothing he could know yet. Besides, Suhas would probably not die. Not Suhas! The very notion of it was ridiculous.

A gray-blue dog was curled at Kewok's feet, trembling and whimpering. Maybe she knew what was happening? Not likely, thought Kewok, gazing at Ma'awiya with the most loving eyes. He couldn't leave her behind, either, if Suhas died. His heart was thrilling with sorrow, and he doubted that anything would be the same after this. What would Ghasaan do about it? Was Wi'ntsigo right? Would they really become werewolves?

Kewok shook off these negative thoughts and looked over at Wi'ntsigo. The boy was sitting off in the shadows, watching the others' clever fingers do their work. Neither of them could see Suhas, that was sure. The boy hadn't woken up since he fainted in Kewok's arms. Acctually, they didn't know that, but it was true. Ishina crept up behind Wi'ntsigo and whispered something in his ear, then skittered away. Wi'ntsigo stood up, an uneasy look on his face. He beckoned to Kewok to follow him, and then slipped off into the dawn.

Kewok glanced at Ishina for confirmation. Ishina nodded, so Kewok quickly followed Wi'ntsigo. The air was heavy with stress, but that didn't change the beauty of the rising sun. Ma'awiya, her muzzle close at Kewok's heel, trotted along with the unconcerned gaiety that animals often have. Both Wi'ntsigo and Kewok had, by then, realized that they were heading towards where Ghasaan had taken up for the night. Worry consumed them as they walked on, at an ambling pace.

(and it was never finished....)