Hello again everyone! Thank you to everyone who continues to read/review/generally support this story; I'm so glad that people are enjoying this story that is largely based on original characters set in the world of the film we know and love. This chapter concludes the story arc started in the last chapter and then we are on to new territory! Enjoy, as always notes and translations are the bottom.

Chapter 5-Give & Take Part II

Maybe this will lead somewhere. Peering through the thick underbrush and trees, Ethan thought he could see some sort of path but he wasn't sure. But he had to try. Shoving aside the brush and tree limbs, he forced his way through them and onto the narrow dirt strip that continued on deeper into the woods. His stomach rumbled and ached in pain even though he had eaten a few berries he had found earlier. It didn't feel like hunger pains either. I hope they weren't poisonous.

After talking to Anen:taks that morning, he had been so angry. Knowing that Olivia was calling Tsiron:iare Mother and that he was being referred to as their son…it was too much. He couldn't stay in Canajoharie. As he had stalked to the woods, he had wondered if there was some way to sneak back into the fort and get Olivia. But he quickly realized he couldn't do that. The palisade walls were too hard to climb for him and the only entrance was through the main gate. If he tried to get Olivia out through there, they would be stopped. Besides, he didn't think his little sister would go willingly. She's becoming one of them. All English colonists had heard stories of how quickly English children became part of the Indian tribes they were taken by, if they lived. But he hadn't thought he'd have to watch it happen to Olivia. We've got to get away from here. But how? If I get away now, I can come back for her later.

No one had followed him into the woods. He had walked aimlessly without knowing where he was as he got deeper into the trees. Hours had passed and he had been so glad to find a brook and some bushes near it that had ripe berries. They had looked fine but had tasted bitter going down and now he was in pain. I've got to keep going. But where? He didn't think he could make it to Albany. It was too far. Maybe he could find a farm somewhere that might let him work there. But I don't know how to farm. Cousin Henry had started explaining how farming worked to Father and him but the Abenaki had attacked before it was time for them to plan the spring crops. But he could learn if he had to. Ethan had to admit that he didn't know much besides his studies. He had learned to ride, of course, even in Boston that was necessary at times and how to play chess and the violin but it was obvious those skills wouldn't be the most useful on the frontier. It was clear that both the Mohawk and Palatine boys alike his age were far ahead of him with those things. He hoped it didn't show too much but it was embarrassing and despite telling himself he shouldn't care, he did.

Shoving aside a particular strong tree branch, Ethan winced as it hit him hard in the back. He paused for a moment to catch his breath and noticed the area around him looked familiar. Did I come this way before? There was a craggy looking tree that he felt he had already seen and then there was dip through some thorny bushes. But the ground was covered in dead tree leaves so he couldn't see any footprints. He moved forward to the dip through the thorny bushes, ignoring their scratches as he tried to see past them. Suddenly, he saw his footprints from before in the damp clay soil that went over a ravine. I've been going in circles. Despair mixed with rage came over him as he tried to move forward, and suddenly he tripped and fell helplessly over the ravine's edge. Panic overwhelmed him as he tried to stop himself to no avail before he finally came to a stop at the bottom of the ravine. Searing pain came from one of his shoulders and he could not move. What will happen to me now?

Ongewasgone knelt beside one of the muddy footprints through the woods. It was undeniably Ethan's. His son had left a path wide and visible enough that even a very young child could have followed it without difficulty. But he was moving faster than he had thought he would through the woods. Over an hour had passed since he, Anen:taks and Gunter, one of Anen:taks' friends from the Palatine settlement, had set out in search of Ethan and they still hadn't found him. Other relatives of theirs and Palatine friends had offered to come but Ongewasgone had declined, telling them that if they weren't back by late afternoon to come then. It was mid-afternoon now. Hopefully we will be well on our way back to Canajoharie by then, with Ethan.

He looked up as Anen:taks and Gunter came back towards him. "His trail continues up ahead. It looks like he's been walking in circles." Anen:taks told him. Ongewasgone nodded. He had noticed the same thing. "There's no sign of him besides that." Gunter added. Ongewasgone rose to his feet and gestured towards the woods ahead of them. "We will keep looking that way. He must be somewhere near here." Taking the lead, he tried to push away his thoughts of what could have happened to his new son. Although there had been no sign or news lately of the war coming near them, there was always the possibility that another French-allied tribe or French Irregulars could find him. Or someone or something else. Ethan knew very little about the woods or any of the skills that were prized among the Mohawks. What little he had been able to show him so far was not nearly enough. We must find him.

Noting that there was dip up ahead through some thorny bushes, Ongewasgone saw that Ethan's tracks continued through them. When he reached them, he found a small, bloody scrap of blue homespun caught on some of the thorns. Ethan. Picking his way quickly through the bushes, Ongewasgone found the imprint of his son's knee and ankle leading off the side of the ravine. There were a lot of smaller trees and bushes down the ravine, but he could clearly see the telltale sign of Ethan's body have rolled down its side. Just then, a low moaning noise came from some of the brush at the bottom. He listened closer as it came again. Ethan. The sound filled him with relief and fear all at once.

Anen:taks and Gunter came up alongside him. "I think he's down there, rakenoha:'a." His nephew said. "He is." Ongewasgone answered. He turned to the younger men. "I will go down alone. Wait here for us. If I need help, I will call." They nodded. As he began to make his way down the ravine in the direction of the moans, Ongewasgone wondered what condition Ethan would be in. A tumble down a ravine like this could end very badly. Despite his concern, part of him felt annoyed as well. If he hadn't ran off, this wouldn't have happened. Nothing they had tried so far to help him adjust to his new life had worked. The look on Tsiron:iare's face as she had held the clothes he had rejected came back to him. He had known it would take time and patience but at the same time, he couldn't help hoping it would be shorter than it was. But it was what it was.

The moaning grew louder as he drew closer to the brush where Ethan was. "Ethan?" Ongewasgone called out softly. No answer. "Ethan. I know you are here." A low, pain-filled yes answered him. Pushing aside the bushes, he quickly looked over his son. Bloody scratches covered his arms and neck, and one of his shoulders was dislocated. Dark vomit with the remains of deep purple berries in it stained most of his clothing and the ground around him. Pokeweed berries. They were poisonous and too many of them could be fatal. Dropping to one knee, Ongewasgone pointed to them. "How many did you eat?" he demanded. "Only…only a few." Ethan rasped slowly. "About how many? A handful?" Ethan slowly shook his head, his face wrinkling in pain. "Not that many." Ongewasgone breathed deeply, relieved. Not enough to be fatal then. He took his water flask out of its deerskin pouch and handed it to Ethan. "Rinse and spit until I tell you to stop." He told him, his voice and eyes firm.

Ethan did as he was told. He was too weak to worry much about what his master would do to him now that he had found him. When Ongewasgone told him to stop, he obeyed and handed back the flask. His master dumped the rest of it on him, using his hands to help rinse away the vomit. Ethan was surprised by this. Why was Ongewasgone doing this? It was filthy, and even if he was an Indian, surely they didn't like filth either. But he continued, getting him cleaned up the best he could. He put away the water flask and motioned towards Ethan's left shoulder. "I need to fix that." Ethan trembled a bit and closed his eyes tightly as Ongewasgone pushed him down flat on the ground and gripped his wrist firmly. "Enhskat, tekeni, ahsen." Ethan screamed as he Ongewasgone pulled hard on his arm and all of a sudden, he heard a popping noise and his shoulder moved back into place. "Relax, Ethan." His master's voice came from somewhere above him. A hand brushed some of his hair off his face and he could feel his arm being placed into something and firmly bound. He opened his eyes as Ongewasgone helped him sit up and noticed that his arm had been placed into a makeshift sling of deerskin straps. "I will carry you home." Ongewasgone said, knowing that Ethan was in no condition to walk for long. He had carried grown men home before after being injured or wounded on a hunting or war expedition; a scrawny boy would be no trouble. Fortunately, Ethan did not protest as he picked him up and began to make his way back up the ravine. They would talk before they reached Canajoharie. Reaching Anen:taks and Gunter, he told them to wait a bit before heading back with them. The younger men had both nodded. Ethan had turned his face away from them and neither of them had spoken to him, seeming to sense that he was not fit to talk at the moment. Maybe now he will listen.

"We can start back now." Anen:taks gestured to the way that led back through the woods to Canajoharie. Gunter nodded and took one last sip of his water flask before standing. Grabbing their rifles from where they had propped them up against the tree they'd been sitting under, they started back the way they'd came. "Best go a bit slow. We don't want to catch up to them." Gunter said, giving his friend a knowing look. Anen:taks gave him a wry smile in return. His uncle would be giving his new cousin a talk while they made their way home and it wouldn't do to interrupt it.

"He and his sister are fortunate that your uncle traded for them. He should show some gratitude." Gunter said as they walked through the woods. Anen:taks shrugged. "He is struggling. I don't know that much will help him except time." Looking at his friend, an idea came to him. "Do you think that you could bring Ben by? They are the same age." Ben was Gunter's younger brother and had a group of friends that included both Palatine and Mohawk boys. Ethan might get along with them. If he would give them the chance, Anen:taks thought. "I could," Gunter answered, "but do you think it would work? Ethan doesn't seem to like us much either." Anen:taks had to admit that was true. Ever since Ethan had found out about the close relationship shared between the Mohawk and the Palatines, he had treated them with the same level of resentment. Still, it was worth a try. If he could get to know some boys his own age, he might start to feel more at home and begin to accept his new life.

"I know, but it might help him to have someone his own age to help him make friends. Someone he might be able to relate to more." Gunter agreed. "I'll bring him with me when we go fishing this week. Several of Ben's friends will be there and they can meet him too." Anen:taks thanked his friend. "We better hope they're not too much like we were at their age," he said slyly, "I don't know if everyone's ready for that." Slapping his friend on the back, they laughed together.

"You did a very foolish thing today, Ethan. You are fortunate you didn't die." Ongewasgone looked down sternly at his new son, wanting him to know that full weight of what he was saying. Ethan blanched and stiffened but his eyes didn't show their usual resentment yet. He continued. "You do not know anything about this land or this life yet, and you should not go so far alone until you do." "Why did you even come and look for me if I'm useless?" Ethan muttered, looking at him with a challenge in his eyes. Suddenly, Ongewasgone didn't know whether to laugh or to weep. It was hilarious that this scrawny boy would think he was a match for a Mohawk warrior but the hostility in his tone was hard to take. There had been enough of that already. The boy needed to be put in his place.

"I never said you were useless. You do not know the skills that you will need in your new life yet but that doesn't make you useless. You are my son and a father will always look for his lost child." Ongewasgone had stopped walking and was looking at Ethan straight in the eyes. A look of wonder came into the boy's eyes, but then it was gone and his eyes flashed with anger. "I'm not your son! You are my master, not my father!" The boy almost yelled. Tears welled in his eyes and he turned his head away. Ongewasgone said nothing but waited. A strangled, sobbing noise broke from Ethan's throat; it was the first real emotion he had shown in days. His heart ached for his son but he knew that if he was to get through to him, he couldn't interfere with it. It needed to be released first. Only then would he be able to really listen to him.

When the angry rush of tears had stopped, he reached down and wiped Ethan's cheeks clean with the back of his hand. It was time for them to have plain words between them. "Riien:'a, we are your family now. You are not our slave and we are not your masters. Refusing to acknowledge us as your family will not bring your English family back and it will not change your future or our decision. It is not up to you. In a few weeks, it will be the Ripe Corn Festival and you and your sister will be formally adopted into the Wolf Clan of your mother. Your new names will be sealed into the clan and you will become Kanienkehaka, Twin RiversMohawks of the Six Nations." Ongewasgone paused, looking as a gamut of emotions ran across Ethan's face. Anger, hopelessness, resignation and what might be a grudging form of acceptance. He started walking again, letting him take in his words. There would be time for more talking later.

"Where's Ethan and Rakeni?" Olivia asked again, her eyes wide with worry. She had been asking Tsiron:iare where they ever since Ongewasgone had left to look for Ethan. Tsiron:iare bent down and gave her daughter a hug. "Don't worry, little one. They'll be back soon." She said, trying to sound cheerful. "Why don't we make them a cherry pie for when they return?" Olivia nodded and Tsiron:iare began to gather the ingredients. Anna Hoffmann had shared her cherry pie recipe years ago, and it was one of Ongewasgone's favorites. It was a good distraction right now.

Ethan had run away. She hadn't been surprised when Ongewasgone had told her and had promised that he would find him. She worried for Ethan. Despite his disrespect that morning, he was still her son and he didn't know anything about the land around them or skills that would help him survive. He was hurting, and hurting people hurt other people. It wasn't right but it was what it was. He didn't want to let go of the past but he had to. She looked over to the chair where she had placed the clothing he had rejected, neatly folded once again. We love him. Surely he can see that somehow.

A knock sounded at the door and she went to open it. "You're back. Both of you." Tsiron:iare sighed in relief as Ongewasgone entered their house with a sleeping and very dirty Ethan in his arms. Dirt and vomit covered his torn clothing. "He is all right. He ate some poisonous berries but they came back up. He needs to bathe." Ongewasgone said and Tsion:iare nodded, telling Olivia to go fetch some water. She pulled out the wooden tub before leaving to help Olivia with the water. Ongewasgone set Ethan down on the bench and walked over to the iron kettle in the fireplace and helped himself to some of the stew in it. He eyed his sleeping son. It was time for more than plain words. It was time for Ethan to face his future.

Ethan woke up to the feeling of hot water surrounding him. He gasped and looked around him. He was in the kitchen of the house that Ongewasgone and Tsiron:iare had moved them into the other day. Ongewasgone knelt beside the wooden tub he was in, scrubbing him. Ethan tried to move his left arm and winced. "Don't move it too quickly." Ongewasgone said, continuing to bathe him. As strange as it felt to be bathed by someone else, he was glad to be clean again. Being covered in filth was disgusting.

Soon enough, the bath was over but as he moved to get out of the tub, Ongewasgone stopped him. He picked up something from a chair and held it out in his direction. "From now on, you will wear these." He said simply and held out the clothing that he had thrown back at Tsiron:iare that morning. Ethan didn't know what to say. His Palatine clothing was torn and stained beyond repair but to dress like an Indian…a Mohawk? Ongewasgone's words on their way back to Canajoharie came back to him that nothing would change his decision. He was going to become one of them and that was that. In a strange way, he felt better knowing that. Not really better, but at least I know it's going to happen no matter what I do. Suddenly, he felt very tired. "I don't know how." He said, embarrassed to admit it. But it was true. How did you wear Mohawk clothes?

"I will show you." Ongewasgone laid out each piece on the table and motioned for Ethan to step out of the tub. After he was dry, Ongewasgone picked up the deerskin belt and fastened it around Ethan's waist. "This will hold your breechclout and leggings in place." He said. Ethan nodded, but felt uncomfortable. A breechclout seemed indecent, if it flew up then everyone could see your private parts. After all, it was just a piece of cloth or animal skin hanging in front. But just then, Ongewasgone picked up the breechclout and showed him how it slipped over and under his legs. The only thing that could be seen if the flap was lifted was more of the breeclout. Looking at the surprised look on his son's face, Ongewasgone couldn't help but chuckle. Most settlers had many misconceptions about their clothes. "You're covered. Did you think you would be bare underneath?" Ethan just nodded. Moving on to the leggings, Ongewasgone helped Ethan get them on and secure them to his belt after which came an open-front shirt and then a sash to tie it together. Moccasins completed his dressing and despite his English coloring, Ethan looked like he had been born a Mohawk.

"You will eat now, and then got to bed. Your mother has prepared medicine for you and you will apologize for your disrespect to her today." Ethan felt too tired to protest, and let himself be helped to the table where a bowl of stew waited for him. As much as he didn't want to admit it, something about Ongewasgone reminded him of Father in a way. But he is not Father. Ethan was able to push that thought away, but not very well. Suddenly, he felt torn in two different directions and two different worlds. English and Mohawk. He didn't know how to feel about that anymore.

rakenoha:'a: my uncle

Enhskat, tekeni, ahsen: One, two three

Riien:'a: my son

Kanienkehaka: People of the Flint (traditional name for the Mohawk)

Rakeni: Father

Well it looks like Ethan has come to a bit of crossroads here! I hope his somewhat "change of heart" didn't seem too quick; there's still a lot of things to work out in his mind and it's going to continue to take time to adjust but he's reached something of a milestone here. He knows what's going to happen to him and that there's nothing he can do to stop it. I thought it was logical that Ongewasgone would have an honest heart to heart with him and tell him exactly "how the cow ate the cabbage" so to speak. Ongewasgone and Tsiron:iare really have the patience of saints to put up with all of this but I'll try to make it worth it in the end for them. At the same time though, it's hard for Ethan to accept that the life he knew is well and truly over and that this is a new life that he never thought about and/or believed was a fate worse than death but that he now has to embrace.

I did a lot of research into various things for this chapter including poisonous plants native to New York State (pokeweed berries are potentially fatal the more 'mature' they get so Ethan is very fortunate that he only had a few and that his body threw them up for him) and the relationship that the Palatines had with the Mohawks and vice versa (which by most accounts was mutually beneficial and resulted in cultural exchange and intermarriage/adoption at times). We will be seeing more of Anen:taks in this story as well as he could become quite a central character later on in the FAWH universe (and that's all I'm saying for now). Next chapter is going to be the official adoption and we will see more of Ethan and Olivia's adjustment to their new life before meeting some of our favorite family in the upcoming chapters. Stay tuned!