Chapter 2 Meeting Ursus
There was a shift behind him, and he sensed a familiar presence. Turning to see who it was his eyes widened as he gasped. "Jetamio."
Thonolan felt the surroundings fall away from him, as he focused on her. He had never seen her smile like that; it was as if her earthly smile was a shadow of what she now displayed. He yearned to hold her, but something held him back.
"Thonolan, we've been waiting for you." Her words were a siren call to his hungry ears. She beckoned for him to follow as she turned away, with a limpless gait.
"Wait!" He seemed to be moving at an agonizingly slow speed, and couldn't keep up. "Where are you going?"
She turned back and paused, "to our hearth."
"Where is this hearth? Please, wait, let me come with you now." Dignity was thrown aside at the fear of losing her again. She turned away again and it was then that he noticed the carrier on her back. "Jetamio," he gasped, "is that your son?"
She smiled and nodded. The boy cooed, but Thonolan did not get more than a glimpse of his child. "We will wait for you at our hearth. Come quickly, I miss you."
"How can I find it, if I don't know where to look?"
She lifted her head and pointed, "there."
His eyes followed, and they searched the sky, looking beyond the earth's atmosphere to the hearth fires she pointed at. "There's so many, which one is it? Jetamio? Jetamio!" He looked in her direction, but she was fading from his view. Frantically, he tried to reach her, desperate to be with the only woman he had ever loved.
"Jetamio!" He yelled as she disappeared. He was alone.
Thonolan sunk down upon the grass in despair. Day turned to night as he lay gazing up at the stars, his mind whirling in confusion. "What's wrong with me? Why can't I join Jetamio and my son?" He wrapped his sorrow around his heart and squeezed until no more seemed to come.
At last, shook of his mantle of grief and felt a quiet calmness returning. "If I were at home with the Zelandonii, they would have called Donii or other familiar spirits to help me. I just need to go home. No, that's not right; don't they have to give my body a burial? That's it! I need to have at least a basic burial for my body, and then a Zelandonii to bring spirits to help me. That's the way it's always been done for my people." Thonolan jumped up excitedly. "Jondalar! I'll just get him to go home and tell them about my death and then..." he slumped back down. "How are they going to find my body?"
The spirit/man wandered about aimlessly, roughly following a riverbed. "I don't know how, but I will get Jondalar to mark my body's location, and go home," he decided.
With his new resolve, he stopped and looked around for the first time at his surroundings. He had been traveling in the dry and windy steppes and was surprised to find himself surrounded in a lush green valley. Dawn was beginning to show its arrival, and the view was breathtaking.
When Thonolan had ceased to be encased in his limited body, a multitude of changes was made to his senses. He wasn't quite in his full "spirit" form; he was still in the in-between stage. The young spirit was just beginning to be aware of the fraction of the changes, when he realized that finding the valley was no accident.
A thin vapor trail was leading him, it was the essence of his brother's spirit where he had passed by earlier. Thonolan noticed another vapor alongside, and realized it must be from the blonde woman. The vapor trails were the spirits' fingerprints, not permanent, but one evidence of their presence.
Suddenly, a large gust of wind came through, carrying his weightless being with it. Another aspect of his new being was just about to make itself dramatically known.
"Help Meeeeeeeeeeeee!" He cried, not knowing if there was anyone to hear him. As the wind carried him across the valley, it shifted and took him upwards. Thonolan was as helpless as a baby being thrown up in the air. He flailed his limbs as he saw the ground rapidly retreating beneath him. He squeezed his eyes shut then opened them when he realized that he wasn't going to be sick. Fear was quickly being replaced by exhilaration. He was just beginning to enjoy himself when he became aware of giggling.
There was a shift behind him, and he sensed a familiar presence. Turning to see who it was his eyes widened as he gasped. "Jetamio."
Thonolan felt the surroundings fall away from him, as he focused on her. He had never seen her smile like that; it was as if her earthly smile was a shadow of what she now displayed. He yearned to hold her, but something held him back.
"Thonolan, we've been waiting for you." Her words were a siren call to his hungry ears. She beckoned for him to follow as she turned away, with a limpless gait.
"Wait!" He seemed to be moving at an agonizingly slow speed, and couldn't keep up. "Where are you going?"
She turned back and paused, "to our hearth."
"Where is this hearth? Please, wait, let me come with you now." Dignity was thrown aside at the fear of losing her again. She turned away again and it was then that he noticed the carrier on her back. "Jetamio," he gasped, "is that your son?"
She smiled and nodded. The boy cooed, but Thonolan did not get more than a glimpse of his child. "We will wait for you at our hearth. Come quickly, I miss you."
"How can I find it, if I don't know where to look?"
She lifted her head and pointed, "there."
His eyes followed, and they searched the sky, looking beyond the earth's atmosphere to the hearth fires she pointed at. "There's so many, which one is it? Jetamio? Jetamio!" He looked in her direction, but she was fading from his view. Frantically, he tried to reach her, desperate to be with the only woman he had ever loved.
"Jetamio!" He yelled as she disappeared. He was alone.
Thonolan sunk down upon the grass in despair. Day turned to night as he lay gazing up at the stars, his mind whirling in confusion. "What's wrong with me? Why can't I join Jetamio and my son?" He wrapped his sorrow around his heart and squeezed until no more seemed to come.
At last, shook of his mantle of grief and felt a quiet calmness returning. "If I were at home with the Zelandonii, they would have called Donii or other familiar spirits to help me. I just need to go home. No, that's not right; don't they have to give my body a burial? That's it! I need to have at least a basic burial for my body, and then a Zelandonii to bring spirits to help me. That's the way it's always been done for my people." Thonolan jumped up excitedly. "Jondalar! I'll just get him to go home and tell them about my death and then..." he slumped back down. "How are they going to find my body?"
The spirit/man wandered about aimlessly, roughly following a riverbed. "I don't know how, but I will get Jondalar to mark my body's location, and go home," he decided.
With his new resolve, he stopped and looked around for the first time at his surroundings. He had been traveling in the dry and windy steppes and was surprised to find himself surrounded in a lush green valley. Dawn was beginning to show its arrival, and the view was breathtaking.
When Thonolan had ceased to be encased in his limited body, a multitude of changes was made to his senses. He wasn't quite in his full "spirit" form; he was still in the in-between stage. The young spirit was just beginning to be aware of the fraction of the changes, when he realized that finding the valley was no accident.
A thin vapor trail was leading him, it was the essence of his brother's spirit where he had passed by earlier. Thonolan noticed another vapor alongside, and realized it must be from the blonde woman. The vapor trails were the spirits' fingerprints, not permanent, but one evidence of their presence.
Suddenly, a large gust of wind came through, carrying his weightless being with it. Another aspect of his new being was just about to make itself dramatically known.
"Help Meeeeeeeeeeeee!" He cried, not knowing if there was anyone to hear him. As the wind carried him across the valley, it shifted and took him upwards. Thonolan was as helpless as a baby being thrown up in the air. He flailed his limbs as he saw the ground rapidly retreating beneath him. He squeezed his eyes shut then opened them when he realized that he wasn't going to be sick. Fear was quickly being replaced by exhilaration. He was just beginning to enjoy himself when he became aware of giggling.