Hello everyone! This is a companion story that introduces some original characters and reacquaints readers of Finding A Way Home with characters from that story who will eventually interact quite a bit with our Mohican family, and I thought they deserved a little story of their own. I just couldn't turn off the inspiration for it, so here we go. I hope everyone enjoys it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Last of the Mohicans.
Chapter 1-The Trading/Worlds Meet (Late Spring 1758)
"Make sure the canoe is secured tightly to the jetty, riionhwaten:'a." Ongewasgone called out to Anen:taks as he pulled the bow of the canoe closer to the shoreline. "Yes, rakenoha:'a." The younger Mohawk man answered as he tied the bow tightly to the jetty with the rawhide rope. Ongewasgone smiled and shook his head slightly as he continued to unload the bundles of furs from the canoe. It was hard to believe that his nephew was old enough now to come on the trading trip to Schuylerville with other men from the Bear and Wolf clans at Canajoharie. Just yesterday it seemed that it had been his traditional Kanienkehaka naming ceremony at the Green Corn Festival seventeen years ago now.
Anen:taks joined him, stacking the fur bundles on top of each other so that they could be secured onto their backs to take into the town for trading with the Dutch. In years past, Ongewasgone and others from Canajoharie had traveled to the Dutch settlement of Schenectady, which was fairly close to Canajoharie and twice in his life, Ongewasgone had gone with a group of other men on the long journey to the French city of Montreal where they had stayed with their French Mohawk kin at Kahnawake before returning to the traditional territory of the Mohawks in the Mohawk River Valley. The first time he had been only a little older than his nephew while the second time had been several years ago and Tsiron:iare had come with him. It had been an adventure both times, taking a trip so far away from their home. Such a trip now would be impossible, with the majority of the Mohawk on the side of the English in the war. While agreements had been made long ago that the Mohawk allied on either side of the conflicts between the French and the English would attempt to refrain from direct conflict with their Mohawk brethren, nothing was certain in warfare. Besides their agreement to stand as allies with the English would've made it impossible. His words from Fort William Henry to Hawkeye came back to him, 'We have given our word to our English fathers.'
At the suggestion of their Mohican friends, Chingachgook and his son Hawkeye, Ongewasgone had suggested to his kinsmen that they travel to Schuylerville to trade their winter furs this year. It was a fairly long journey, along the Mohawk River before paddling upstream along the Hudson for over a week but the assurance of good trading and competitive prices was worth it.
Lifting the last bundle onto his back, he reached into his journey bag and pulled out several strips of moose jerky. Tsiron:iare had packed quite a bit of the moose jerky for him when he was preparing to leave Canajoharie. 'I know it's your favorite kind.' She'd said, smiling at him. He smiled now at the memory, thinking of her dancing brown eyes and dimples. If it was possible, he loved her even more than when they'd first married.
He handed a few pieces of jerky to Anen:taks. "You should eat some now. The trading will be long and you need a full stomach to do well."
Later that afternoon, Ongewasgone secured his money pouch to his belt, noting with satisfaction that it weighed significantly more than before. The trading had gone very well and the Dutch traders had negotiated hard but fairly. In the end, the firm handshakes exchanged and the silver coins in his pouch signified a favorable outcome for both parties.
"Are we staying here for the night, rakenoha:'a?" Anen:taks asked him as they exited the trading post and paused for a moment on the front steps. "Yes, we will set up camp at the southeastern outskirts of town for the night and leave sometime tomorrow." Ongewasgone answered him. His nephew nodded, his eyes scanning the street eagerly. It was not surprising given that this was his first trading trip far away from home. He had done well with the bargaining for his furs, heeding his uncle's advice about striking a good deal. While he still had some things to learn, it had been a successful day for him.
"I want to go back and look at the knives in one of the shops we passed earlier, I could use a new knife." Anen:taks said, looking at him questioningly. Ongewasgone nodded. "Go on. I'll meet you later by the canoes. I want to look for a few things for your aunt." They would join their kinsmen there at the end of the day before selecting a place to make camp together. He clapped his nephew on the back as they parted. Seeing his nephew walk away made him think briefly about the son he and Tsiron:iare had lost years ago. If he'd lived, he would've been close to the same age as Anen:taks.
Turning away, he began to walk down the street in the opposite direction. He went slowly, pausing to look through the windows of different shops. He wondered what his wife would like him to bring back for her as a surprise this time. She always told him about a few things such as needles or glass bottles for him to get while he was away on trading trips if she wasn't with him, but he always enjoyed surprising her with something when he had been away that she wasn't expecting either. A length of silk fabric in her favorite color. A pair of golden earrings set with small jewels. A delicate china teapot that she loved to serve tea out of. She'd loved all of those in the past but this time he wanted something different, something she didn't have already.
Out of the corner of his eye, on the opposite side of the street, Ongewasgone saw a group of Abenaki men making their way down the street with fur bundles of their own to trade. He stiffened a bit, despite knowing that an altercation was unlikely to break out in the middle of the town. Still, the Abenaki were no friends of the Twin River Mohawks. As he had told the English lieutenant the prior summer at the Cameron's farm, the French had brought Abenaki onto the traditional lands of the Mohawk, ultimately leading to the Mohawk choosing to ally with the English to try and push them out.
The Abenaki men walked closely together, but came to a sudden stop as several fur bundles tumbled onto the street from the middle of their group. When their ranks opened, he could see a young white boy and girl at their center. The boy had dropped several of the bundles that he had been carrying. As he tried to pick them back up, one of the Abenaki men quickly grabbed them and shoved them back in his arms, speaking harshly to him in the Abenaki language. The boy's face was expressionless but his eyes grew darker while the little girl trembled beside him. The girl was about four, with light brown hair and skin that was dirty and too pale even for a white child. The boy looked to be about eleven or twelve with a tangled mop of reddish brown curls. He was as dirty as the little girl. They were captives, Ongewasgone knew, likely English and not with the Abenaki for long if they were still in their settler clothing. He thought for a moment longer before crossing the street and greeting the Abenaki in French.
"Don't cry, Livy." Ethan Webster whispered to his little sister beside him who was still trembling as the unknown Indian joined the band of Abenaki warriors. He was speaking to them in French, making gestures towards them.
"What does he want, Ethan?" Olivia piped up only to have Ethan hush her. Fear gripped his heart when he noticed one of the Abenaki warriors looking at her disapprovingly. Several times since their capture he had worried that the Abenaki would decide to kill her, since she couldn't keep up with the fast pace of the warriors. She cried loudly too, especially in the beginning. The images of Mother and Fathers' bodies, along with the remains of their other family members, haunted him too. The burning cabin and the loud shrieks of the war party as they'd forced them to march into the forest were never far away either. But he had to be strong for his sister. She was only a baby, just four years old now if it was past April which Ethan reckoned it was. Not that time mattered anymore.
For an unknown number of days now, Ethan and Olivia had been captives of the Abenaki. They hadn't stopped to rest long in any one place, keeping to the wilderness until today. Now they were in a town again but Ethan didn't hold much hope for ransom. There was no one left to make inquiries about them anyway. But perhaps they would be traded just like the furs to the Dutch and they would at least be among other colonials again even if it was as indentured servants. It was a dim hope but it lingered in Ethan. His father had mentioned it happening before to Indian captives.
One of the Abenaki warriors was speaking loudly now in French, gesturing to them proudly. Anger boiled inside Ethan. The Indians were proud to have him and his sister as captives. He knew it. They were signs of victory, the same way his parents' scalps were.
Trying to distract himself, Ethan looked at the new Indian who had joined them. He was dressed in broadcloth leggings and deerskin moccasins similarly to the Abenaki, and wore an English linen shirt. He didn't wear the pointed hoods that the Abenaki they were with did though. He spoke firmly back to the Abenaki and pointed to Ethan and Olivia. Several of the other Abenaki warriors began speaking French, almost sounding like they were arguing. The other Indian spoke back, his voice calm but firm. One by one, the Abenaki stopped speaking and looked at each other, some making grunts while others gave tight nods. The Indian pulled out a pouch from his belt and opened it, taking out silver coins and placing them in the hand of one of the warriors. The warrior nodded his assent and gestured to Ethan, while another warrior took the fur bundles out of Ethan's arms. Turning back to the other Indian, the warrior who had accepted the coins spoke in French again. "Ils sont a toi maintenant." The Indian nodded and walked over to Ethan and Olivia, gesturing to them as the Abenaki shoved them in his direction. "Come. You will be with me now." He said, speaking in English to Ethan's astonishment. It was the first English he had heard in days from another person except Olivia. 'It doesn't matter.' Ethan quickly reminded himself. Speaking English didn't matter. Their new master was still an Indian and they were still captives, slaves. Bought and sold.
Ongewasgone mentally shook his head as he guided the two English children he had just acquired back down the street to the canoes. He hadn't anticipated trading for them when he had gone over to speak with the Abenaki, but it had happened. The Abenaki were misusing them, clearly not intending them to be an adoptive son and daughter someday as frequently happened with captives but used as slaves until they could be ransomed back or traded away to the French or Dutch as indentured servants. As an English ally, it was the right thing to do as well, he thought. If nothing else, he could deliver them to the English at Albany who would reimburse him for trading for them. But it wasn't only that either. His heart wouldn't allow him to walk away from the children. Not when he could take them with him.
The boy watched him with suspicion and thinly veiled anger while the girl simply looked terrified. Both looked weak and thin, however and that was something Ongewasgone knew he could handle immediately. "We will eat soon." He told the children. They didn't respond but that all right. Immediate needs would be tended to, and then the rest would fall into place as it would.
riionhwaten:'a: my nephew (Mohawk)
rakenoha:'a: my uncle or Uncle (Mohawk)
Kanienkehaka: traditional name for the Mohawk people, literally "People of the Flint"
So there it is. To be honest, I may eventually do small one shot style chapters with this story but I couldn't get this plot bunny out of my head so it had to be written out. Thanks to all the readers of FAWH that helped me decide to do a companion story (BrynnaRaven, lovely102 and MohawkWoman) and an extra BIG thanks to Emory Rose who patiently listened and gave feedback to my ideas for this little companion piece and encouraged me to write it!