Son of the Moon
The howling of lonely wolves resounded too close in the silence of the night. The full moon cast its dull light over the land below, outlining the path to follow, but even so, making her way through the sinuous, thick forest in the dark was proving to be an ordeal. More than once she had clumsily stumbled over an overgrown root or some rocks, and her face was already sore after accidentally grazing against the branches she had not been able to avoid.
Wild Heart lifted her eyes and smiled at the moon hovering over her head. Her long, black hair shone, and her red skin looked almost as dark as the hard bark of the trees she whizzed past. The woman did not stop her fast pace as she meandered throughout the forest. It was tonight or never. She had to believe, and trust her faith would pay off. Everything was deteriorating around her, and the notion was enough to bring tears to her eyes.
The life she had known for years was close to disappearing and vanishing through her fingers like running water. She had barely lived to see sixteen springs when she joined her body and soul to the most eligible brave in the tribe, handsome, strong Deep River, the chief's son. Only a few months had glided by when she had found herself with child. Red Bear was born on a cold winter morning, strong and beautiful, looking like the chief's son he was. Wild Heart realized this was the climatic point from where her life had taken a tumble for the worst. Her dreams for a passel of children remained a fantasy. Years had flown by, and Red Bear was already fifteen, but she had failed to give him a brother or sister, and her man another child.
Deep River had never said a word against her, but she could feel his silent recrimination, his eyes telling him about what she lacked, what she was not granting him. Any other woman in the village bloomed with the life-giving gift of motherhood, but she felt as dry as a felled tree, as autumn leaves trampled over, just as dead bones. Jealousy burned inside her fearful, frustrated soul. How could she be deprived of the holiest gift? She who was the chief's wife… the woman chosen to fill this earth with her man's lineage, and her only duty to her people was snatched from her. How could this be possible? Lately she could feel Deep River's eyes on her all the time and she knew what his eyes hid. He was thinking of disowning her, repudiating her, kicking her out of his life… There were younger women who could give them the children she could not. Her time was running out, and she knew she had to do something.
From among the trees she spotted the silvery waters of the lake and her pace quickened. When she left the thick cluster of trees behind and reached the shore, the breeze blowing sent her long, black hair flying, and her naked feet slowly moved over the damp, rugged terrain. At some point she had lost her moccasins, but she had not noticed till now. Her feet hurt, but she did not care as her whole soul was focused on what she had come back here for.
Her jet-black eyes fixed on the moon, bright and round, which seemed to welcome her into her womb with open eyes. Wild Heart started to cry at the same time that the palms of her hands joined flat against each other. Her arms lifted and her hands rose above her head. One leg flexed, and as she started humming an old song, her body spun around several times. Her wailing tune was a begging plea, a sacred prayer, an imploring dialogue with the moon. She had grown up hearing old wives talking about the spirit of the moon as a divine life-giving soul. The moon that regularly got pregnant without fail, showing its blooming, round shape to every single soul. Wild Spirit invoked the moon's name in her language, uttering every syllable in a different tone and chant as tears continued trickling down her face. She wanted a baby, she needed a baby, and she believed the moon could make her a mother again.
Her lips closed and the chanting stopped as well as her ritual dance. Her hands reached behind her back and undid the knots keeping her deerskins together. The garment pooled at her feet and as she stepped out of it, her lungs filled with the cold air while a shudder coursed all over her naked body. Very slowly she walked closer to the lake on whose surface the big, white moon reflected. Another cold shiver ran down her spine as her feet touched the freezing water. However, she did not stop, and kept wading into the lake, the water rising around her body.
Her head plunged underwater just where the reflection of the moon swayed, and all of a sudden, the white light disappeared. When her head emerged, only darkness wrapped her naked figure, and as her eyes lifted to the sky, the full moon was not there. Her lips stretched into a smile and her lungs filled with air when she felt her soul swell with some strange force that she had never experienced before. It was as if a gap had filled, and as she kept watching the black sky above, she believed that the seed of the moon was inside her, impregnating her with life.
Wild Heart emerged from the lake. Darkness surrounded her like a thick cloak as she slid back into her clothes. The hides stuck to her wet skin, and her long, dripping hair soaked the back of the thick material as she made her way back to the forest. The moon and its guiding light had disappeared, so the route back in the dark wood became a complicated task. It took her twice as long, and when she finally made it to the village, her legs were covered in scratches, her teeth were chattering with cold, and her whole body was frozen. She dashed straightaway to her teepee, and a smile played at her lips as she heard the deep breath intakes of her man.
Cautiously she squatted down before lying down next to Deep River. Her hand crawled to his chest, waking him up. For a few seconds he winked his eyes repeatedly and looked visibly disoriented. Wild Heart snaked closer to him, coiling her arms around his broad chest, and burying her face in the crook of his neck. "You are all cold and drenched," he muttered as his hands crept under the material of her deerskins. "Is it raining outside?"
Wild Heart did not respond. She simply raised her trunk and removed her skins as she settled on his lap. Deep River stared at her in the darkness in astonishment, wondering what was happening to his shy, reserved woman. Yet, he had no chance to think as she very graphically showed him how she was his and reminded him of the reasons why she had been his faithful, loyal companion all these years. His eyes closed in ecstasy, and as she got physically reacquainted with her husband, her lips started to chant the same song as she had at the lake. A strong sensation started at the pit of her stomach, and her voice echoed in the interior of the teepee in crescendo at the same time he let out a loud yelp. Her body shook as the force in her body was sucked out of her body. She remained there panting, full and satisfied, and as she raised her eyes above her, she smiled as she could make out the outline of the moon through the hole at the top of her teepee.
In the following days the villagers fearfully talked about the strange, brief vanishing of the moon, and the oldest men and women claimed that it was a sign, and terrible omens were expected in the future. Wild Heart did not care about those scaremongers because she felt ecstatic, and knew in her heart that her conjuration was genuine, and not one of those old wives' tales her grandmother used to tell and nobody believed. She felt that thanks to the sacred moon's intervention her man had planted the seed for a new life in her earth; she believed the fertile powers of the full moon were strong and unstoppable, and time would surely be by her side.
True to her word, a few weeks later she missed her monthly, and soon she started feeling the first symptoms of the seed growing in her womb. Every morning she was shaken by intense sickness, her barren breasts started to ache, and her body gradually started changing. Wild Heart beamed with a glorious light of happiness. As her stomach grew in size, her happiness soared. Deep River had gone through a total change with the news of her pregnancy. His indifference and coldness of the last couple of years were a thing from the past, and he was as attentive and affectionate as when they had became husband and wife. He never looked at the other younger women, and only had eyes for his pregnant spouse. Wild Heart could not wish for anything more, and every month he scurried away to the lake and performed a ceremony of thanksgiving to the full moon above.
Red Bear, who would soon be betrothed to one of the eligible girls in the village, also fussed over his mother, babbling about the brother he would soon have. For a boy who had grown up alone, he was logically excited and buoyant. Wild Heart desired his hopes like hers would pay off, and she could present her men with a baby boy. A girl wouldn't do; Deep River wanted a son, and that was what he would have. A son, beautiful, dark, and majestic just like her men were.
It was in mid June when Wild Heart felt the first pains, and with a smile she let herself be steered to the teepee of her oldest female relative. She and some other women in her family had also helped her and been witnesses of the happy moment when Red Bear had been born. The baby in her womb pressed against her skin, and the pains racked her body, but she did not care. All her self was just imagining how sweet it would be when she could hold her beautiful son in her arms.
Hour after hour dragged, and it was night when she finally felt the baby pushing its way into this world. Wild Heart lifted her eyes to the sky, visible through the open hole above her, and a smile shone when she saw the fecund moon looking down at her. Now she knew it was time, and soon the baby slid out of her body, wailing loudly. Her smile faltered when she looked at the women and noticed the strange expression on their faces. "What… what's wrong?"
"It's a boy," the oldest woman said seriously. "Just what you wanted."
Another woman had picked up the child, and was washing him and his skin with a mixture of herbs, a special preparation for new-born babies. Wild Heart was unable to see him since the woman blocked her line of vision, and she deeply longed to touch and see his boy. Something strange was going on, and she was frantic. The women started going one by one, and when her baby was placed in her arms, she smiled happily, but suddenly, she was painfully bitten by what all these women had seen. The baby's skin clearly contrasted with her own. Instead of the brown shine that all her family boasted about, this child of hers was much paler, which made him look so alien. Wild Heart brought her arm against the baby's naked chest, and there was no doubt. His olive skin was nothing like her own dark coloring, and in contrast he was almost white… white as the moon.
As soon as the thought darted into her mind, a yelp escaped her lips as her lips lifted to the hanging, round moon. Whimpering desperately, she wondered what Deep River would say when he saw his new son. This was crazy. He would notice straightaway, and then what would she say? Would he believe if she told him that their son also belonged to the moon? He had taken after the bright moon that had helped in his conception. This was a sign, an astral revelation, almost a divine message that told them this boy was very special. It was an honor they had been granted, and there was no place for regrets or tears.
Wild Heart wiped her tears with the tip of her fingers, and stared mesmerized at her boy. His black eyes stared at her almost with the wisdom of somebody who was hundreds or even thousand of years old instead of a few minutes. He was a beautiful boy, and he would be as majestic as his father and brother. Everybody would praise and adore him, and she would swell with pride. Her very special boy.
Wild Heart's expectations crashed almost as soon as they were born. One look from Deep River, and her joy died instantly. He had only needed to glance at his boy once to see what the women and Wild Heart had already seen. His dark, irate eyes turned to his wife at once, and without a single word the woman felt her body covered with goose bumps and almost physical pain coursed all over her. Deep River did not stay, and fled from the teepee despite the urgent cries of Wild River. He never looked back, and ran as if he were able to escape from this hell that he had woken up to. This was the worst humiliation, and felt a terrible urge to strangle both the baby and its mother, but due to the wisdom of his state as people's leader refrained from following his instincts. That woman… that treacherous woman, damn her and her sin!
The weeks that followed were a total ordeal for Wild Heart. Deep River had not come back to their teepee again, and when Red Bear had asked her what was wrong with his father, she had nothing to say, and simply started sobbing disconsolately. Rumors spread around the village, and when Wild Heart dared to leave the seclusion of her teepee, carrying her baby, a sepulchral silence came down. Everybody turned to her with accusing, disdainful eyes, but she told herself not to let anybody scorn her because she had done nothing wrong. Raising her chin, she walked past them, rocking her son in her arms proudly. Nobody spoke to her, but she got to know about her husband. He was sleeping in his late parents' teepee, and in hushed tones she heard a group of women giggling about how Deep River would soon disown her and take another wife instead.
Wild Heart was at her wits' ends, wondering how she had reached this point. It made no sense. She had given her husband a strong, healthy boy, and instead of the big celebration they should have enjoyed, shame and humiliation ruled her existence. Deep River did not let her approach or talk, and she knew that by the way things were, sooner or later she would have to run into exile with her son, and then what would she do? Where could she go? Everybody in the village refused her and her boy, and not even had the baby been given a name by the elders as it was the custom and law; so she started calling him Running Buck after she had a lovely dream of her beautiful son running between the most graceful gazelles in happiness.
One night Wild Heart sat in her teepee while spying outside through the flap that made up the entrance. Minutes ago she had seen Deep River strutting alongside Fresh Wind out of the village. It was common knowledge that he was courting that two-faced woman, who had been one of her friends, thought Wild Heart hatefully. They would walk to his special place, and then he would adore her with words that up until that moment had only been for just one woman, the mother of his children. Yes, his children! They had two children, and it was outrageous he went chasing the first woman that crossed his way. It was so unfair! So unfair! Wild Heart was seething, and she had every intention to speak her mind, even only once.
Almost twenty minutes later Wild Heart saw the couple return. Her heart pounded in terror, dreading that woman might already be occupying her place in all senses, but to her relief Deep River and Fresh Wind parted ways in the village, each heading for their own teepee. Wild Heart waited for him to get into his, and after a beat, she wrapped the baby in deerskins, caressed the soft hair of Red Bear, who was already sleeping, and slid out of her home.
With resolute steps she marched to the teepee, and without any preambles, she darted inside it. Deep River naturally heard her steps, and as he turned and saw her, his eyes instantly lit up with intense fury. "What are you doing here?"
"You… you haven't come to see your son, and I brought him to you," Wild Heart said in a tiny voice, angling her body so that he could have a good view of the baby.
Deep River averted his eyes and crossed his arms majestically. "That whey-faced child is not my son."
"Don't say that! He is yours and mine, and if his skin is golden like bark tea while ours is smooth dark like birch tar or the sky, that… that doesn't mean anything."
Deep River flashed around, automatically reaching for the knife sheathed on his belt. In a waving motion he threateningly brought it closer to her face, its blade almost touching her skin. Wild Heart did not even flinch, and lifted her bright, black eyes to him. "Please look at him!" she almost implored, raising the bundle in her hands.
The strong brave kept his face inscrutable and did not deign to look at the baby. "Whose child is this?"
"Yours!" the woman cried in a loud voice. "He's yours!"
"Whose is he? What white weasel did you soil and trampled over our sacred marriage with?" Deep River demanded, bringing the knife against her neck.
Tears pricked her eyes as she could hardly recognize the man she had spent half her life. "He's your son!" she cried out, not bothering to lower her voice. Let the world learn her truth, the one and only truth. "He's yours and mine… but he… he also belongs to the moon! I conjured the moon to give you a baby, and that's why he looks different! It's the power of the moon!"
Deep River's eyes hardened as he heard the woman. "Stop raving like a mad woman!" he groaned, pressing the knife harder on her skin. "Isn't it enough for you to humiliate and disgrace me in front of my people? What kind of woman are you?"
"He's yours and the moon's!"
"Stop lying!" Deep River's voice boomed over the silence of the night. His hand squeezed the handle of the knife as he poked the blade into her flesh. Wild Heart let out a sudden yelp, and felt the pressure of the strong body against her, the baby in her arms started crying as the woman held it closer.
"Please!" Wild Heart begged in a choked voice.
"I want the truth… I need the truth."
The woman gulped, and as she looked into his wild eyes, she knew he could never believe her. Her eyes wandered off his, and in a labored voice, she muttered, "There was a white man, and he… he… he forced himself on me… the day the moon vanished from the sky, and I…"
Wild Heart's shocked eyes widened and turned to look at her husband horrified. The powerful, shining knife was now covered in blood… her blood. Suddenly, she felt weak and her legs started shaking. Her arms had no strength and the baby fell from her hold, wailing loudly. Her hand flew to her bleeding neck almost at same time as she keeled over and fell dead.
Outside the teepee the ruckus of voices of villagers had woken up in alarm echoed. Red Bear had been sleeping soundly when he was also aroused from his deep slumber. For a few seconds he was disoriented, and suddenly the loud voices outside sounded too familiar, and realizing one of them belonged to his father, he scrambled to his feet and bolted out of the teepee. His heart was pounding strongly as he could hear the cries of a baby, and he knew it was his brother. Never had he heard him sound so desperate. Without looking at the few men, who, curious, had also come outside, Red Bear scampered across the village and barged into his father's teepee.
As he took in the scene before him, he could hardly talk. His mother's inert body was sprawled on the floor as blood profusely oozed from her neck. Red Bear turned his eyes to the standing figure on his left. His father stood, staring at the unmoving body of Wild Heart in shock, and he had grabbed the baby by one of his small arms. The child's cries were deafening, and Red Bear could hardly hear the voice of his own thoughts, but the young brave managed to say, "Father, what have you done?"
The voice startled the older man. His wild eyes gaped at the bloody knife in his hand and also at the baby as if for the first time he noticed them at all. As if stung, the opened the fingers of his right hand, releasing the knife, and before Red Bear could do anything, Deep River darted out of the teepee, taking the child with him. "Father!" Red Bear called urgently as he sprinted after him.
Red Bear kept calling his father's name as he ran after his father. Even though he was not so young, Deep River ran like the wind and Red Bear had problems following his tracks, and ended up just following his scent and the cries of the baby. It was pitch black, but fortunately, there was a full moon that seemed to show him the right path to follow. At some point, he could not hear his brother's cries, and Red Bear felt lost. Yet, he did not stop, and follow his instinct and the moon. He was gasping for breath as he halted for a few seconds.
Suddenly, a piercing cry echoed ominously in the silence of the night. Red Bear bolted in the direction the horrendous scream had come from. As he ran and ran, he realized he was heading for the steep, rocky gorge he had always found so scary as all children in the village kept saying that deep in its bowels ferocious spirits lived. When he reached the spot, he carefully came closer to the edge. "Father!"
Almost at the same time as his voice called for Deep River, the full moon projected its light down the gorge, and Red Bear shrieked when he saw the unmoving body of his father on the rocks. "No!" he yelled at the top of his voice as he threw his arms to the black sky. Tears rolled down his cheeks in the blackest night of his life. What was happening? Why were the spirits doing this? The desperation he was experiencing before the turn his existence had taken that he felt the urge to follow his father and finish everything.
Suddenly, in the silence of the night gurgling sounds reached him, and his eyes then fell on the baby, who strangely was smiling and moving his chubby legs and arms contentedly. His black eyes seemed to be mesmerized by the round, big moon above. Red Bear came closer to the baby, and took him in his arms. "Buck," he whispered as a little light shone in the darkness his soul was wrapped in. "We are alone now… you and me, but don't worry. We'll be fine, and I'll take good care of you."
A guttural sound came from the baby as if he could understand the young man's words. Red Bear held his brother tightly against his chest as he started off back to the village. The moon continued shining and lighting the path he was traveling. His eyes looked up at the sky as he admired the beauty of the round sphere in the firmament. His brow furrowed for a second as he wondered, was the moon actually smiling?
The End
Based on the song "Hijo de la luna" by Mecano
Note: Thanks to Johnnylrider for beta-reading this story for me, and also the LJ and plus girls for their constant encouragement.