Chapter 24: Grandmother Willow's Advice
"First thing you should all know is that contrary to what you have seen, this land is not uninhabited by humans. For generations, this land has been occupied by the Powhatan tribe. They are a peaceful tribe and have lived with the land according to their ancient ways for as long as I have been here," said Grandmother Willow.
"Maybe we should go talk to them. We could use a guide around here if they know the land pretty well. No offense, Grandmother Willow, but we could use someone a little more mobile," said Donald.
"No offense taken, Donald. But at this time, I'm not sure it would be a good idea for strangers like you to go near the village. With what has happened recently will most definitely make the tribe wary even untrusting of strangers," said the tree.
"You mean the Heartless and the Nobodies?" asked Kairi. "More than that, I'm afraid, Kairi," said Grandmother Willow.
"What's been going on?" asked Riku. "The spirits of the land have told me of a group of strange pale-skinned men that have come to our shores from across the salt water. Since their arrival, they have caused much destruction to the land. They have felled trees and dug up the earth. For what purpose I do not know. But it looks like they intend to make the land their own," said Grandmother Willow.
"From the sound of things, we can assume that the Powhatan tribe is not going to welcome them with open arms," said Goofy. "If we know anything from what we've learned in school, sharing land is not one of human beings' strong suits," said Sora.
"The situation is more dire than you think. Around the same time these strangers arrived, the Heartless and the Nobodies showed up as well. And they've been attacking the Powhatan tribe," said Grandmother Willow.
"Gosh. Do you think someone among the settlers is controlling the Heartless or at least attracting them?" asked Jiminy.
"I do not know. It is certainly coincidental that the dark forces' arrive at the same time as the settlers. I am not going to place blame on anyone until I know more. But if I know the chief, he will blame the settlers for the attacks and retaliate. If that happens, I fear the worst for both the tribe and the settlers," said Grandmother Willow.
"Then we should investigate this further. We'll find out whomever or whatever is responsible for the Heartless and Nobodies being here and put a stop to them," said Sora.
Grandmother Willow chuckled and said, "I have no doubt about that. And fortunately for you, I know someone who might be able to help: Pocahontas."
"Park-ya-karkus?" asked Donald. "No, I believe she said Pocahontas, Donald," said Goofy.
"Pocahontas is the daughter of the chief. She is one of the most spirited and kind people I know. She often comes to me for guidance and I find her to be a little more open minded than the rest of the tribe so I am sure she will help you on your investigation. Knowing her, she's probably trying to solve the mystery herself at this moment. But she doesn't know the enemies as well as you do," said Grandmother Willow.
"Can you tell us where we can find her? Hopefully, not at the village where you just told us to stay away from," said Mickey.
In response, a gentle gust of wind passed through the glade. It carried several leaves and petals as it blew past the party.
"Follow the wind. Its spirit will guide you to Pocahontas. Tell her I was the one who sent you to her and I'm sure she will trust you," said the tree.
"We'll do that. Let's hope the wind doesn't take us through bad territory," said Sora as he and the rest of the party began to march in the direction that the wind was blowing.
Before she completely left the glade, Kairi turned back and called, "Thank you so much, Grandmother Willow. We won't let you down and we'll see you later hopefully after we find Pocahontas."
"I wish you all well and I have great faith that you will succeed. Stay together and be careful. The Heartless and the Nobodies may not be the only danger you face in this world," said Grandmother Willow as her face faded away into the tree.
Walking in the direction of the wind, the party set out on their mission. If Grandmother Willow was correct, they would find a new friend and ally in Pocahontas at the end of their journey.