I was going to write this chapter sooner, but I was too busy not writing this chapter. I decided, while not writing this chapter, to watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries.

That being said, let's move on to the story you're here for.

My cracker just broke off in the cream cheese. I hate that.

…

The digging began the next day. Until the leaves began to turn and the first cold wind blew, the women of the tribe would gather in the great fields to dig the camas bulbs. Mokosewi Ohtuk had risen early the first morning to bless the fields before heading back to the hoghan to continue the 'iikaah ceremony.

Today, he would chant and paint the Earth Mother, his female assistant joining him to paint the four sacred plants. For him to do so himself would be a direct insult to the female Earth Mother yeibeichai and, more than ensuring lack of yei power in the painting, would most likely bring down great harm to the medicine man and the one sung over.

Kagome, having matured enough to don the digging hat of the women quite some time ago, was expected to take part in the digging of the camas. She rose at the same time as the other women and collected her hat – the one her mother had woven for her at the time of her Changing Woman ceremony – and digging stick before going to join the ikwaywug at the river. There they bathed and readied themselves for the harsh physical labor of the day.

Their spirits were light and their minds were free of all worries. The splashed in the cool water and laughed at each other's words and antics, with the knowledge that as time goes on, so must people; many of the women that had joined them in the past were gone, but that changed nothing. The camas grew and withered in the way of all living things, including people, and it was the job of the strong young women to live their lives and provide for the tribe. This was the way of the People; it had always been this way and it always would be. The sooner one accepted such truths, the sooner one could move on.

The digging participants' laughter did not falter as they emerged from the water. Drying off and dressing, they made their way to the fields, their light spirit filling the air and causing the glare of the sun to seem more friendly than harsh.

Kagome's voice joined that of the others in jest and laughter, not even noticing the approach of the young warrior.

"Kagome," whispered her friend, Tomahpiya, "Inuyasha's coming over here. I think he's going to talk to you!"

Kagome's head snapped up and she made eye contact with the brash warrior walking her way.

"No, he wouldn't do that," she said icily. Her voice wasn't loud, but she made sure that it carried enough to reach him. "He wouldn't do that because it's quite obvious that I have nothing to say to him." She watched with a sick mirth in her eyes as Inuyasha flinched. He didn't, however, stop his approach, only slowing down a bit at the sound of her freezing cold words.

Tomahpiya knew better than to say anything to that.

An angry Kagome is a dangerous Kagome.

Kagome stuck her nose as high in the air as she could while still being able to see where she was walking. The other women greeted the warrior that had begun walking with their group, though the warmth was absent from their words as well. Word circulated quickly within the tribe and everyone knew of Inuyasha's… misadventures.

Everyone had an opinion on it, but no one knew just what to do with him. They had come to the general consensus that it would be best to let the chief heal, and then let him deal with the stupid boy. Until such a time as a decision could be made, they would be nice to his face and keep their true thoughts concealed.

Kagome chose to ignore the rumors of retribution. Many of the People wanted to go to war with the Nótâxévestôtse, arguing that the dead would find no peace in the Happy Place if left unavenged. They would walk forever in the afterlife covered in burns and blood, an everlasting token of the way they died. She didn't say anything in response to those that wanted it, but deep in her heart she knew it could only bring bloodshed and death to a tribe that had already seen too much of such things.

The voices that rose in greeting toward the warrior grew closer behind Kagome, and she knew that meant he was also drawing nearer. Cringing inwardly, she maintained her icy exterior.

A work-calloused hand grabbed her shoulder and roughly spun her around. She found herself face to face with a very angry, very unpleasant, young man.

"Why are you ignoring me? I need to talk to you," he told her, his tone suggesting that she should be of a mind to drop everything just because he had something, most likely rude, to say.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha," the girl replied, obviously not sorry at all. "I was just on my way to go work in the field. You know, to provide for the people whose lives you endangered." She spun on her heel with every intention to walk away and leave him standing, mouth agape.

"Hey! Don't be that way. It's not very attractive. And I'm not about to let you talk to me like that, woman!"

That stopped her. 'Not attractive'? Who did he think he was? She turned back around and slowly began walking back to him, her voice deathly quiet.

"'Not attractive'? My apologies. It's always been my greatest desire for you to find me attractive, Inuyasha. After all, the fact that you got half of us killed just makes you even more appealing. I'll be sure to speak more respectfully next time. I hope you can forgive me," she said as she approached, her usually delicate tones heavily laced with sarcasm. She reached her previous spot, just about nose to nose with the man she had been betrothed to.

His eyes widened with every step she took and with every word that hissed out between her teeth. She was really mad, even he could see that, dense as he was. Putting on a brave face, he decided to pretend that he wasn't scared of this woman.

"Well, good. Be sure to remember that next time. Uh, anyway, your grandmother wants to see you. She said it's important."

Kagome gritted her teeth and focused on the message rather than his stupidity. "Where is she?" she asked, teeth still tight together.

Glad that she wasn't being difficult anymore and eager to be done with this conversation, he replied, "She's in her tipi with that other old one, Nahmana I think? She wants to see you before you start digging."

With a sigh, Kagome nodded. She walked away from the warrior without a word or gesture of farewell. She wanted nothing more than to metaphorically wash her hands of his troublesome self, and it was awfully hard to do so with him hanging around all the time.

Making her way to Nokomis' tipi, she pondered the reason for her summons. She had no idea why her grandmother would want to see her, never mind Nahmana.

She was consumed in her thoughts all the way to the other edge of the village where Nokomis' tipi rested. When Nimishomis had passed, Nokomis chose to stay alone in their old tipi rather than do the usual thing and move into the tipi of one of her children.

Lifting the flap of the tipi, Kagome poked her head in. She couldn't see anything, her eyes unused to the dim lighting. "Nokomis?" she called into the darkness.

"Yes, Noozhis. Come in, sit down so we may talk."

She nodded and ducked through the entrance. She was now able to see the faces of the elders that sat before her. Nokomis was old and wrinkled, but when Kagome looked at her all she could see was the beauty her grandmother once was. Her relative's pure spirit had made aging kinder to her than to most, as a sweet spirit often did. Nahmana had aged as well, her joints becoming stiff and painful. The years echoed in her sparkling black eyes and drifted in laugh lines about her face. Both of the women kept that same youthful spark in their eyes, but they were too old to do the work of the younger women. They had survived the attack through sheer determination alone, somehow making themselves run enough of a distance to take shelter in the trees.

The two had always been the greatest of friends, sharing stories, laughter, and family. Nahmana never married or had children of her own, eventually coming to adopt Nokomis' family as hers.

Kagome took a seat across from the old friends, waiting to hear why she had been called for.

"Aani, aabinoojii. Aaniin ezhi-ayaayan?" she asked with a smile.

Kagome beamed in return. "I'm well, Nahmana. I was just wondering why you wanted to see me."

The two niijikwewag glanced at each other before returning their gaze to the young woman that sat before them.

"You are troubled by what has happened," Nokomis said softly. It was more a statement than a question, but she still expected an answer.

"I… suppose. It's been difficult, but I'm getting better as time moves on. Mostly I'm just worried about Nindede. He seems so…"

She trailed off, her eyes taking on a faraway look.

"Yes, Kagome, your imbaabaa has been injured greatly. But Mokosewi Ohtuk has assured me that he will be fine, recovering fully and once more taking charge of the tribe. He also says that you have been quite nervous, watching your father like a hawk. We are worried for your health. And we also…" Nahmana left off there, preferring to let Nokomis finish.

"We think that you should not take part in the digging. You know that it is bad to participate in the digging with a heavy mind. There has been enough difficulty among the People. A tainted camas harvest is the last thing we need." She spoke gently, not wanting to hurt her granddaughter's sensitive heart, but the words still stung.

Kagome hung her head. "I know that digging with a sad spirit can harm the camas crop. But I feel like I will go mad if I don't do something. Not contributing anything to the tribe only serves to make me feel worse. What am I supposed to do, kunsi?"

Nokomis could feel her granddaughter's shame and sadness. A part of her felt that there was something more, more than just grief and worry for her parents. There was a certain dread, a foreboding in her eyes that made the viewer stop and look again, to try and make a connection between the smile she gave the world and the premature aging that hung in her deep brown depths.

Nahmana knew where Nokomis was going, having conversed with her at length before this meeting. "We think that perhaps it would be best if you left for a while. A bit like the time before your Changing Woman ceremony. I was a medicine woman once, in my youth. I can preside over a temni ceremony for you. After that, you can go and find peace for a few days. You can return when you have once more found the balance within your soul."

What? A sweat ceremony?... They want me to leave for a few days? Alone?

"Uh, I… are you sure? I don't mean to be disrespectful, and I appreciate your concern, but isn't this a bit… drastic?"

"Kagome," Nokomis said softly, "there is a pain in your heart that you have not admitted to having. Not only do you deny it to us, you deny it to yourself. Now is the time to remedy the situation. Before such a time as the pain becomes too large and you lose yourself to it."

How can she tell? How does she know that I'm not okay… That everything is wrong and it's all my fault. Wrong, wrong, wrong…

"Okay, Nokomis. If you really think I should…"

Wrong, wrong, wrong…

Then I will take your advice. Thank you for your help. When do I leave?"

Wrong…

Nokomis nodded and looked to her friend. "We will hold the ceremony tomorrow at dawn," came Nahmana's firm reply.

"Okay. Thank you," she whispered.

Everything… wrong…

…..

Ikwaywug – women (Ojibwe)

Tomahpiya – Blue Cloud (Lakota) I thought about naming her Maske ('female friend of a female') but I decided I didn't always have to be literal.

Nimishomis – grandfather (Ojibwe)

Aani, aabinoojii. Aaniin ezhi-ayaayan? – Hello, child. How are you?

Niijikwewag – female friends… notice the 'ikwe' denoting them as women. Male it would be Niijiiwag. A mixed pair would be Niiwijiwaagan.

Nindede/imbaabaa – father (Ojibwe)

Kunsi – grandmother (Lakota)

Temni – literally, "he sweats" (Lakota)

Digging superstition = true!

Just realized something. "Sota" in Lakota means smoke. Hm.

So anyway, I looked online at a name website in the Amerindian section, just for inspiration. It's nice that they don't have to worry about such trivial things as accuracy. They decided that "weeko" means pretty girl in Lakota. I give you an emphatic and resounding NO to that. Remember how Wikoska means venereal disease? Well, guess what word is slang for Wikoska. Mhhhhm. Poor children of the world…

Hey! It's a digging stick!:

http:/www(dot)anamp(dot)org/nescp_curriculum/illustrations/NP-nimiipum-digging-stick(dot)jpg

Hey! It's a digging hat!:

http:/www(dot)tomlaidlaw(dot)com/otkiosks/otcc/indiansofgranderonde(dot)jpg

It's the girl on the left.

Thinking about adding pronunciation keys at the end of the chapter. Yay or nay? Let me know.

I also forgot to mention: You guys are a bloodthirsty bunch! You all were eagerly awaiting the punishment of teh yusha. While amusing, it was pretty scary. Don't worry. No matter where you are, Karma's a b*tch and he'll get what's coming to him.