Noka
... and Noka was born.
In her 17th Season of the Melting, Noka found herself trudging through more wet snow that she ever wanted to see. The Drying Seasons were getting longer and longer, but they still seemed ever so far away when the wind blew and the waters froze. She had finally been able to get to the cave half a morning away, and found the sick woman she had been caring for had died in the night, clutching her frozen baby. No one else seemed to care that she had died and only seemed to be relieved that there was one less mouth to feed. Noka should not have been surprised since this was the prevalent attitude. She alone seemed to have the gift of compassion when a soul was no longer in their body. The people often mocked of Noka for her funny notions, but when they were sick or needing help understanding the signs of the animals, they didn't laugh at her then. Noka was the Healer, like her mother before her, and the tribe felt happy that such a good healer lived amongst them.
"Did you see a bear?" was her greeting when she returned to the warmth of her own cave.
"No" she answered.
"That is bad," the old people nodded among themselves, as they sat around the campfire.
There had been without food for days and were all awaiting the return of the hunting party. During the Drying Seasons, the people could always eat berries and bugs and other small creatures, but when it was cold and the ground was frozen, they were all dependent on their warriors.
"When will they come back, Noka?" her uncle asked.
"I don't know," she told him, looking lovingly on the old man who treated her as a daughter.
"Use your sight!" one of the women snapped.
Noka sighed. Even after all these years, they still didn't understand that she wasn't magic, she was just a Healer. When she was born, her green eyes caught everyone's attention, along with her red hair. Her mother had green eyes also, but looked like everyone else in complexion, so when Noka had emerged pasty skins with reddish brown specks all over her, and hair the colour of sunset, the people took it as a sign that she was a Spirit who had come back to life. As a child, she used to have wild dreams about falling through the stars and standing on shiny surfaces that vibrated and hummed. At first she used to tell her mother, who explained she was seeing another world that she was still connected to, and where she would return one day. Eventually, however, Noka even stopped telling her mother because others would hear and make jokes about her.
"I don't have the sight, Tatna, I don't. If I knew when our hunters would return, I would be at the front of the line to welcome them back. Remember my Radic is out there too."
Tatna dismissed Noka with a wave. "If we don't eat, we will die. The hunters are doing their job. You should do yours to."
"What am I not doing, Tatna?" she asked in frustration, a conversation that seemed to happen every time she returned from visiting other families in their tribe.
"You are Spirit Girl. Your job is to call food to us so we can eat and live another Season."
"I don't have that power, Tatna. I can only try to help people with medicines. I can't change the Spirits."
Again Tatna dismissed Noka. "Your people need food. You need to feed your people."
Noka shook her head, and moved away from the fire, closer to the mouth of the cave. How could she get mad at old Tatna when everyone wanted to eat? When would their men return? When? Noka lifted her arms to the sky and closed her eyes. When will we eat, My Mothers? She might not be magic, but she could certainly pray to her mother and grandmother and all the women who went before her.
Quieting her mind to hear the words on the wind, Noka listened for answers that never seemed to come, but she heard something else not far from where she stood, and her heart started racing. Were the hunters back? No, it didn't feel like that. Slowly she opened her eyes to see what was making the sound, and found herself looking into two large yellow eyes in the shadows. Panic grasped her heart and she tried to figure out what to do. If she moved further into the cave, the beast might follow and devour the weakened ones before they had a chance. But if she stayed where she was, she would certainly be killed.
Think, Noka, she said to herself, think... what did Madee always say about the cave bhera? Think...
... and on the wind the answer came. "Noka", the wind whispered "cave bheras don't like your taste, they just want your home. Remind them who has the Power of the Spirits."
Nodding to the voiceless words, Noka backed into the cave slowly, and watched the bear intently. At first it did not move, choosing instead to sniff the air inside. But eventually it followed her deeper into the darkness.
"Yes, Bhera," Noka said in a melodic tone, "come closer and see what we can do for you. Come." Then in the same tone, only slightly louder, she spoke to the old people around the fire "Tatna, everyone, rise slowly and protect the children. Bring me a torch. Don't move fast."
Tatna was about to complain about the orders until she heard the bear's huff. Doing as she was told for the first time in Noka's memory, she rose and grabbed a half-burn log from the fire. The rest moved the gathered children and old people to the side of the cave as far away from the bear as possible. Tatna moved slowly with the torch and passed it to Noka, all the while keeping her hand on the knife at her waist and wondering why Noka didn't have her knife in hand.
While this was happening, Noka's uncle grabbed a spear and moved around the end of the cave to help trap the bear between Noka and himself. If someone was to die, it would not be his niece.
"Keep calm, everyone" Noka continued in her sing-song manner, "don't move quickly, don't speak, don't cry, don't make the bhera look your way." Then to the bear she spoke "Why have you come Great Cave Bhera? Have the Spirits brought you here as a sacrifice? We are hungry and cold, and you are the answer to our prayers. You want to sleep, don't you? We can help you sleep and you will never need to know hunger or the cold snow again. Come lie down and let us free your Spirit."
As though it were mesmerized, the bear stopped moving and stood looking at Noka. No one in the cave dared breathe as they watched the small woman and the enormous bear stare at each other. Time stood still as they all waited and listened carefully to her lyrical instructions.
Without changing the tenor of her voice, Noka alternated between speaking to the bear and speaking to the people in the cave. "Uncle, do not move until I tell you to, we must act together. Tetna, kneel down slowly and push one of the spears towards my right ankle, I want to be able to grab it easily. Bhera, please make this easy for both of us. If it my time to die, please go first so I will know I have fulfilled my promise and saved my people."
To her side, closer to the end of the bear, Noka heard her Uncle making a guttural sound in response to her last comment. Again in the same voice, she said "Uncle, we must not do anything to distract Bhera until it is time, just be ready to plunge your spear into his hind leg when I say so. Tetna, the spear. The moment is coming"
Along the floor of the cave, she heard the spear being slid on something soft, and felt it touch the outside of her right foot.
"Ready everyone. Remember to stay silent. Bhera, I thank you for what you are about to do. NOW!"
In a quick flash, Noka threw her torch into the bear's face, who in turn raised on it's hind legs to push the burning log from it's nose. Then the roar of pain was heard throughout the cave as her uncle plunged his spear deep into the hind leg of the bear. At once, before the Great Cave Bhera knew what was happening, Noka grabbed the spear by her foot and shoved with all her might into the bear's heart, then backed away quickly as the bear fell to the ground, pushing the spear even deeper into it's bleeding body.
For a long time, no one in the cave moved as the bear twitched and it's eyes began to glaze over. Then Noka started to sing again, but this time words of gratitude and safe journey as the last moments of the bear's life melted away. When her song came to an end, she again approached the bear, lifting it's massive paw in her hand and kissing it.
Tatna was the first to speak once the moment passed. "About time."
Noka just shook her head and moved away from the dead animal, as the older women moved in to do the work of turning it into food and clothing. Her people would eat and she was responsible. Now she would never be able to convince them that she was only a Healer and not a Spirit Child.
"Your mother would be proud of you", her uncle said as he came up and patted her on the shoulder. "Someone else is proud of you too, I think," he continued, pointing to the baby still hanging on the peg in the wall, safe in her basket of fur.
Smiling, Noka removed herself from the chaos and celebration over fresh meat, and went to her daughter. "Are you proud of your Madee, little one?"
The baby started to fuss and chew on her fist when her mother picked her up. Noka laughed, "You don't care that your Madee killed a bhera, you just want your own food." So she sat down on the nearby rock, pulled open the skins around her and offered her nipple to her awaiting daughter. As the baby suckled, Noka started humming to her and stroking the little girl's face. Bright green eyes looked up at her, surrounded by tanned skin and hair with just a hint of red. "One day you will be responsible for these people too, my little Zeff, but today is not that day. Drink from your Madee and enjoy your simple world."
And these are the generations of Noka, descendant of Laura...
Noka gave birth to Zeff
Zeff gave birth to Bali
Bali gave birth to Nunn
Nunn gave birth to Sloff
Sloff gave birth to To'la
To'la gave birth to Jain...
