Old Growth Forest
Chapter 9
I found myself slowly sinking to the ground. My legs crumpled beneath me and I brought my callused hands to my face. We had worked so hard to get back here and they were gone. I wasn't crying, it was worse than that. It felt like someone had taken hold my heart and was squeezing it. When I felt Mulder's hand on my shoulder I dropped my hands to look at him. I was surprised to find that both he and Jack had crouched down beside me.
"It just means more walking, Dana, that's all," Jack's voice was earnest.
"What do you mean," I looked first at Jack and then at Mulder in confusion.
"I don't think she heard you," Mulder began to rub my arm gently.
"They've moved early," Jack smiled. "They were going to move in the spring, but I guess they thought it might be safer to go now."
"But how will we find them?" I wasn't consoled in the least.
"This new place, it was me that told them about it, so I know exactly where it is," Jack's smile broadened into a very toothy grin.
"You do?" my legs seemed to have regained their strength and I practically leapt to me feet. "How far is it?"
"About another four days," he shrugged as he got to his feet. "Far enough, but not too far."
Even though we were seven days out of Madison, another four days seemed almost too much too bear. I'd prepared myself for this trek, but I wasn't sure that I could face four more days of hauling this travois.
"It's probably a good thing that they moved now," Mulder took advantage of the break to stretch his back. I couldn't stop myself from watching his muscles as they moved over his frame. His skin had grown quite dark over the summer and he barely had an ounce of body fat to his name. He didn't looked like a bodybuilder though - his muscles were long and they rippled under his skin when he moved. "Don't you think?" I heard him finish.
"Pardon?" I looked up and smiled.
"I said, it would have been worse if we'd built a house here, and then they'd moved in the spring," he looked a me a little quizzically. "Are you tired?"
"Tired?" I repeated. "No."
"Is something wrong?" he took a step toward me, cocking his head to look at me.
"Nope," I smiled.
"Are we going to keep moving?" Jack seemed anxious to get going.
"Yup, I'm ready," I turned to retrieve my travois. "Who wouldn't be ready after seven days of looking at that ass?" I muttered as I went.
When I turned around to pick up my travois I found Mulder standing right where I'd left him. From the grin on his face and the gleam in his eyes, I assumed that he'd heard my comment.
"Only four more days, Scully," he winked at me.
"It won't be so bad," Jack was oblivious to what we were really talking about. "At least it's cool and there are no flies."
I pasted a smile on my face, picked up my travois and fell into my place at the end of our tiny train. I knew it would be pointless to try to explain it to Mulder, mostly because there was nothing he could do about it, but partly because I didn't want him to know how much I lusted after him. He had an inkling already, and that made him insufferable at times. There were some things he simply didn't need to know.
I couldn't even imagine how huge his ego would get if I'd told him what had happened to me yesterday. We had stopped to take a short break, and even though the weather was cool, we all had worked up a sweat. To cool himself off, Mulder had taken off his shirt and his vest. Squatting by the stream, he'd rinsed out his shirt and then threw on top off his travois. Still shirtless, he'd begun to splash water onto himself. The sunlight sparkled off of the water droplets that had beaded on his superbly-muscled chest.
As I sat watching him, my mouth had begun to water. If Jack hadn't been there I would have tackled him and had my fill of water right off his chest. And my mouth wasn't the only thing that had become moist. That was one of the many benefits of being a woman - no embarrassing bulges.
That was only one of the problems I was having with our abstinence. Mulder had been very concerned about how difficult this trip would be on me. His way of dealing with it was to make sure every night he massaged at least my back, if not my feet as well. A back rub when one is having regular sex is simply another way of expressing care and concern. When you've be celibate for over a week due to nothing more than the sleeping arrangements, a back rub becomes slow torture.
Mulder's hands had a way of turning me into a quivering mass of goo at the best of times. When I was starved for his attention, his nightly massages practically turned me into a steaming puddle of primordial ooze. I'd managed to console myself with the knowledge that once we got back to the village, I'd have more time alone with Mulder in one night than I'd had in the last month in Madison. Now I was going to have to wait another four days before I'd be able to get my hands on him.
Even though I knew that with every step we were getting closer to the village, those four days seemed twice as long as the first seven. Watching Mulder in front of me every day was torment enough, but then I started having dreams every night. They'd usually start with us ripping each other's clothes off, but before we got to the good stuff we'd be interrupted. The first night Skinner walked into our basement office, catching us naked. Another night the Gunmen walked into Mulder's apartment. Once it was Rosaline and Eben, discovering us in the hayloft. My final dream featured my parents surprising me at my apartment - except the surprise ended up being theirs.
In spite of how cold it got each night, I woke every morning damp with sweat, and usually draped over Mulder. I knew that it was just as difficult for him. When we crawled under our blanket at night and he pulled me close, I could feel his erection grow and throb against me through my deerskin dress. We didn't dare discuss it, but he must have been going through the same living hell that I was.
When the sun was low in the western sky on our eleventh day out of Madison I began to worry that Jack had underestimated how far away the new village was. It also seemed to me that he'd picked up our pace. Normally he would stop a couple of times after lunch so we could rest or have a drink, but he'd been pushing hard all afternoon. It made me wonder if we hadn't made it as far as he'd hoped, but I was afraid to ask because I didn't want to know the answer.
I was about to break down and tell Jack that I needed to stop for some water when a loud noise in the trees to our left startled me.
"Elan!" I heard a voice call out. It was followed by the familiar lilt of the language of Namid's band. I was immediately awash with relief. I dropped my travois where I stood. If we were close enough to the village for the scout to be there, Mulder could come back and get it himself. I was ready to admit that I was tired of dragging it.
"Wapi!" Jack's face lit up. He began to speak quickly in Mesquakie. I suddenly realized how fantastic it was going to be to have someone who could translate for us.
"Day-na! Mulder!" Wapi greeted us by giving us a slap on the arm. He and Jack continued to speak rapidly. I could tell that Wapi had a lot of questions.
I was surprised that it was Wapi who greeted us. I was almost expecting Nawkaw to be tugging at my hair again. Wapi had been learning how to make a bow and take care of it from one of the elders before we left. I remember him proudly dragging Mulder off to watch his target practice.
"Where's Nawkaw?" Mulder voiced my question.
Jack turned to Wapi to ask our question. While they were discussing it, I was surprised that Wapi walked over to me and picked up my travois. I could only assume that Jack told him to.
"Nawkaw is in the hunting party now," Jack explained as we started to walk again. "Wapi is very excited because he thinks it means that it won't be long before he'll be allowed to go with the men."
"What did he call you?" I was curious.
"Oh," Jack smiled. "Elan - my Indian name."
Of course, I thought to myself. Jack must have a traditional name. It just hadn't occurred to me before. We followed behind Wapi and Jack as they continued to talk in excited voices. Jack turned his head slightly to explain that Namid's band had moved early because they'd begun to hear the guns of white hunters in the distance that fall.
"They won't mind that I brought a gun, will they? Mulder's eyes grew wide.
"No," Jack laughed. "But they probably will want to try it. It wasn't the guns that worried them, but who was carrying them."
"That's a relief," Mulder sighed with a laugh. "And I'll be more than happy to let people try it out after you show me how to use it, Jack."
"You don't know how to shoot?" Jack turned to look at him in surprise.
"Not a gun like this one," Mulder shrugged.
"What kinds of guns have you used?" Jack was curious.
Wapi watched both of them with interest, but asked no questions even though I was sure he had no idea what they were discussing.
"Much smaller guns," Mulder told a white lie. The truth was that neither of us had ever fired a gun that had as much recoil as I expected this one to have.
"Do you mean pistols?"
"Yeah," Mulder nodded.
"If you're used to a pistol that rifle will knock you off your feet," Jack chortled.
"That's what I'm afraid..." Mulder began, but as he was speaking the trees suddenly began to thin out and a vast lake of glimmering blue water spread out before us. It was large enough that some of the waves had white caps. About 200 yards north of where we were standing I could see the familiar wigwams of the village we'd first stumbled across on the Fox River. They were laid out in exactly the same way they had before.
"It's so beautiful here," I sighed.
"And not so cold on this side of the lake - the winds come from the west. There will be a lot more snow on the eastern shore come winter. And this lake has lots of trout and there's plenty of game around here." It sounded like he was trying to convince us that it would be as good as the old village.
"What's this lake called?" Mulder wondered, squinting out at the water.
"I don't know," Jack shrugged. "I just knew where it was."
"It's not Lake Superior, is it?" Mulder turned to look at him.
"Lake Superior?" Jack laughed. "Heck, no. That's still another good 15 days walk north of here. I wouldn't want to live beside Gitche Gumee, anyway. It's too cold," he added. " And we wouldn't be able to see the other side" he pointed out with a wink.
"I thought we might be at the western end, where it's narrow," Mulder defended his question.
"Come on, you two," I tugged on Mulder's arm. "I can't wait to see everyone - let's go."
As we were trudging toward the camp someone must have seen us, because we heard several shouts and a stream of people began heading straight for us. When we met the throng there was a huge commotion. People were talking and laughing. I was being hugged to within an inch of life, but I could barely remember a happier moment. Mulder and Jack were liberated of their travois and we were almost dragged toward the village.
As we began walking again, I could tell that the circle of excited people surrounding us was asking Jack so many questions that he was becoming overwhelmed. Finally he said something in a loud voice that quieted everyone immediately.
"I told them that I'd tell our story after we had full bellies," he winked. "I told them you might have brought a few things from town, too."
Once we were in the encampment proper, I happily doffed my backpack and then we settled down by the central fire. The coolness of the early November afternoon was quickly offset by the large fire. While we'd been walking, I hadn't really noticed the temperature. We'd been working far too hard. It had been cool at night, but I hadn't noticed the chill in the air during the day until now.
Wanik brought over bowls of stew. Her face was beaming as she sat down beside Jack and I was sure I saw the sparkle of a tear on her cheek. I knew exactly how she felt. Every time Mulder had disappeared for days on end, I'd wanted to cry with joy when he came back to me.
As soon as Jack finished his stew he began to speak in a singsong way I'd never heard before. Even though I couldn't understand what he was saying, the rise and fall of his voice was very hypnotic. I was happy to see Omiga's wrinkled face and Namid's stern but proud countenance in the group. When he finally fell silent a few more questions were asked and answered.
"I think I've told them everything," he turned to us at last. "They know you want to build a cabin and stay here."
"So it's okay?" I wasn't sure how the news had been taken. Everyone looked so serious when they were listening to Jack.
"Of course," Jack looked puzzled. "Why wouldn't it be?"
"They don't think it's strange that we want to come back and live here?" I was curious.
"No, there's always been tales of white people choosing to live with Indians," he shrugged. "Besides, Namid says he knew you'd be back," he informed us with a wink. " And you can use my wigwam until your cabin is built," he finished with a grin.
"But where will you sleep?" I didn't want to put Jack out of bed. "Omiga has a large wigwam. He said I could stay with him," he reassured me. "Let's get your stuff over there now and then I'll unload my travois."
Jack turned back to the small crowd and said a few words. Almost instantly our travois and packs were being taken to a familiar wigwam. It suddenly became clear to me why there had been a spare one for us all those weeks ago. We had been sleeping in Jack's bed then as well.
The inside of the wigwam wasn't large enough to hold everything we'd brought, so we only took the packs inside. Mulder did bring in the small crate of salt pork in case in attracted animals. Since the travois were cover with canvas, they would be safe from the elements until the cabin was built. The only other things we took out were the gifts we'd brought. Mulder loaded them all into a blanket and hauled it back to the fire, looking like a native Saint Nick.
Jack was nowhere to be seen when Mulder sat down at the fire. It didn't take long for almost everyone else to notice that he was sorting out various goodies in front of him. It was only then that I realized how much we'd brought. There were 4 boys between 9 and 11 in the camp. They were the first to eagerly kneel beside the blanket. They immediately tried to grab for the large hunting knives we'd bought, but Mulder put a stop to that. Instead he handed them each a small knife that came with a leather sheath. They were a little disappointed, but then one of the women said something, making them smile guiltily at us and then dash off with their gifts. We'd brought rag dolls, clay marbles, carved animals and candy for the other children. It didn't take long for the toys and candy to be snatched up and the children quickly dispersed.
The women, who had been standing back while the children received their gifts, only moved a little bit closer once the children were gone. I could see their eyes roaming over the needles, colored thread and ribbons that I'd had Mulder buy and they were murmuring to each other. When I waved them closer, they looked at me like they weren't sure if they could take anything. As soon as I smiled and nodded yes, they knelt down and began to examine everything more closely. When they got up to leave I noticed that they hadn't taken the scissors, brush and comb or the tea. When I showed then what the scissors did, their smiles widened and Abequa, the woman who'd made Mulder's moccasins, took them, murmuring something to me.
Even though I'd showed them the brush, no one seemed to want it. When I held it toward them, they began to talk among themselves and then Migisi nodded and took it from me. That still left the tea, but I decided to wait and let Jack explain it. Now the only gifts that were left were the ones that Mulder and Jack had picked out for the men. They consisted mainly of pipe tobacco, hunting knives and a hatchet. The men had been much harder to buy for. Everything that would have been any use to them was very expensive. Even though we'd bought fewer things in total, their gifts cost as much as the gifts for the women and children combined. If there hadn't be so many men with ragged shirts in Madison we never would have been able afford this much.
I was quite surprised when there was more excitement generated by the tobacco than anything else, making me wish we'd bought more. There seemed to be a tacit agreement amongst the men that Namid would get the hatchet, because they passed over it and began to have a serious discussion about the hunting knives. There were only three of them and they were passed around, tested for sharpness and balance and then placed back on the blanket. That was followed by more discussion, and I'm not sure how it was decided, but the knives were then handed out and all of the men seemed happy. The only thing left on the blanket when Jack reappeared was the cheesecloth I'd brought for Omiga and the tea.
"Everyone is talking about what you brought. It was far more than anyone expected when I mentioned the gifts. Wanik loves the brush you gave her. She says it goes through her hair like water," he was beaming.
It hadn't occurred to me that Migisi was going to give the brush to Wanik. I'd brought something special for her - a silver thimble that I'd planned to give her in private. Wanik loved to do embroidery and beadwork and I thought the thimble would save her fingers from the ravages of 19th century needles.
"I'm glad she likes it," I smiled.
"What do you have left here?" he looked down at blanket. "Not much," he chuckled.
"Well, I brought tea for the women, but I don't think they knew what it was," I pointed to the brown paper package.
"I'll tell them," he picked it up.
"Have you seen Omiga?" I asked. "I brought him this for him," I held up the cheesecloth.
"What is it?" Jack furrowed his brow.
"It's for his poultices," I unfolded a bit of it to show him.
"His what?"
I explained by telling him about what Omiga had done for my feet when we first arrived. Then I told him how the cheesecloth would work better than the deerskin for holding his remedies.
"I'll have to explain it to him when he gets back. He left camp about an hour ago - I haven't seen him since," Jack shrugged, and then sat down in front of the blanket. "We are going to have to start working on the house first thing tomorrow," he changed the subject quickly. "I have a feeling it won't be long until the snow flies. The nights have been getting colder."
"How long will it take to build it?" I asked, looking first to Jack and to Mulder.
"Not long," Jack spoke first. "The part that will take the longest is cutting down the trees - we only have two axes. I've been talking to Namid about getting help. The next hunting party isn't going out for a couple of weeks. They have dried a lot of meat already and there is always fish for fresh meat if we need it. He wants to wait for a freeze before they go out again so they can make one trip and then the meat won't spoil."
"That's great," Mulder looked thrilled. "I hadn't expected any help, so I thought it was going to take about a month."
"Nah," Jack said with a wave of his hand. "Once we have the logs, it should only take a couple of days."
"A couple of days!" I think my jaw dropped.
"Well, not including the fireplace - that will take another day or two. The women are going to collect the rocks while we're cutting and a couple of the younger men will get the clay for us. The sandy soil here by the lake wouldn't hold - and we'll need the clay for chinking too," Jack seemed to have the whole thing planned out.
"Chinking?" I repeated.
"Yeah," he nodded. "You put it in between the logs to keep the wind out. If we mix it with some grass it shouldn't fall out when the logs shrink."
"I don't know what we would have done without you, Jack," Mulder shook his head in awe. "Which reminds me - wait here," he jumped up and ran toward our wigwam.
Jack looked at me for an answer, but I could only shrug. Mulder backed out of the wigwam quickly, but in the afternoon light was fading I couldn't tell what he was carrying. When he got closer to the fire I could see that he had a brown paper bag, and two boxes; one larger flat one and a smaller rectangular one. He handed all three to Jack with a smile.
Jack opened the flat box first and I could smell what it was right away.
"Cigars!" Jack's face lit up.
"I saw you debating about buying them," Mulder grinned.
"Wanik doesn't like them," he smiled shyly.
"Oh," Mulder's face fell.
"Don't worry, she won't complain about these - they're a gift. That would be rude," he sounded positively joyous.
"As long as she won't be mad at me," Mulder chuckled a little uneasily.
"It would take a lot more than a few cigars to get Wanik mad at either you or Day-na, Mulder. She was so happy that you came back," Jack assured him.
Mulder let out a sigh of relief making Jack smile as he turned to the other packages. The brown paper bag held ground coffee. Jack loved coffee and savored it over his breakfast every morning. We had to surreptitiously grind the beans with Rosaline's grinder because we knew we wouldn't be able to grind them here. When he discovered the coffee, he held the bag to his nose and inhaled deeply.
"Will you teach Wanik how to make it?" he looked at me hopefully.
"Of course," I smiled.
The small rectangular box held a deck of cards.
"But who will I play with?" he laughed when he opened them.
"I'm sure there'll be lots of long winter days when Dana and I would love to play cards. I can even teach you some games you can play by yourself," Mulder sounded pleased with himself.
"By myself," Jack was incredulous.
"Yeah," Mulder laughed and was taking a breath to explain when Omiga appeared in our circle of firelight holding a familiar wooden bowl.
End chapter 9