Chap. 6
They started off as soon after Koda freed himself from Bucky's death grip, and they headed past the mountain. As the day wore on, the weather hinted of snow. The summer thaw had already past and most of the ground was covered in a light sprinkling of powder. It wasn't long before the weather fulfilled its promise. As the trio paused by a stream for a drink, the first flakes of the day floated down.
Koda took a few sips before looking up. "Kenai, do you think we will find one today?"
"No, it will probably be another day or so. We need to find our own range, and I heard about a place from Tug, he said it was a couple days out." Kenai stretched, forgetting that bears don't have the same range of motion as a human, and almost fell on his face.
Koda tried to mimic him and slipped into the steam. Denahi held back a laugh and Kenai grinned. Koda came sputtering up out of the stream and shook himself off. Ignoring what just happened, Koda spoke again. "Do you think we could go find lunch? We could sit down and tell stories too! Or sing! Tell everybody I'm on my way..."
Kenai just shook his head. "Don't worry Denahi, he'll tire eventually...I'll go find some fruit and nuts." "That's okay Kenai, I think I'll do it, you should stay and listen to Koda, I mean you wouldn't want to miss this song, now would you?"
Kenai looked spitefully at his brother as Denahi went off into the surrounding trees.
Koda eventually finished the song, though he had added about 15 new verses since last time, and Denahi had arrived back with a few branches of berries. It was a light lunch, but the three brothers enjoyed it and soon they were on the move again.
They stopped at sunset, on a small bluff looking out over a valley. The mountain where the lights touched was behind them, significantly smaller than it was that morning. The lights themselves danced overhead, beautiful patterns of yellows and greens and oranges.
The brothers lay there watching the lights. "What do you think its like up there? My mom always said we went into the night rainbow, but she never told me what happened next." Koda turned to Kenai expectantly.
"The spirits up there watch over each of us, our totems are spirits to help guide our path so we can become who we were meant to be. Though sometimes it takes more drastic measures..." Kenai closed his eyes.
"That doesn't make sense Kenai. Why would humans only have spirits to guide them? Bears don't have totems. And if totems are spirits, what do the humans up there do?"
Kenai opened his eyes and looked over at his little brother. "I don't really know, it doesn't make much sense my way, does it?"
"Maybe it does," Denahi suggested. "As humans, perhaps we require more guidance than other creatures. Or perhaps it's that each creature has its own beliefs and the beliefs of our people require more tangibles, hence the totems, than other creatures." He reflected a moment before continuing. "The totem doesn't have to be a spirit guide though. It may be that all humans are once an animal and that the spirits return them to the earth for some reason, and their totem is a symbol of what they were. Or perhaps all creatures begin as humans, and they receive their totem so that they can begin to learn about what creature they will become. Then after they become spirits, they are returned to the earth as their totem. There are many possibilities, but we shouldn't dwell on it, when we intertwine with the spirits of the ancestors, we will find out. Either way, Koda, I wouldn't worry about it, the lights above must be a good place, both your mother and our brother are there."
Kenai and Koda just looked at him for a moment. Denahi shifted uncomfortably under their gaze. Finally, Kenai spoke, "Denahi, since when did you...I mean, I didn't realize that you..." "You're right Denahi; I shouldn't worry about it now, thanks." Koda piped in.
Denahi grinned sheepishly. "I guess I just think too much sometimes."
"No, that is definitely not your problem," Kenai joked.
Denahi playfully punched his brother before getting up and stretching. He looked up once more at the lights before turning to the other two still lying down. "I'm gonna go get some sleep; see you two in the morning."
"Good Night Denahi."
"Alright Bro, see you tomorrow."
Denahi walked over to a small tree on the other side of the bluff and lay down. The moon hung low over the mountains and Denahi soon was fast asleep under its pale glow.
Denahi looked around. He was standing on the mountain where the lights touch the earth again. Every thing was the same, Sitka stood a short ways away and Kenai was sleeping with a cub on his right. The boy still stood over him, and this time Denahi swore that he knew the boy. Just as before, after a moment of looking at Kenai, a spear appeared in the boy's hands and he raised it above Kenai...
Denahi jumped awake, and furiously looked around. A few spans away, Kenai was with Koda curled up by his side. They were on the bluff over the valley, not on the mountain. He breathed a sigh of relief. I wonder what it means...
They set out that morning soon after sunrise. It wasn't long before they came to some rock outcroppings. They came from the base of the mountains and seemed to trail around the valley. The cropping was full of small holes and niches as well as a few holes big enough to be small caves.
"What about this one Kenai? Oooh, no, how about this one?"
"Koda, you are the only one who could fit in those, and even then it would be really tight. I think we want one just a little bigger." Kenai shoved Koda farther along the rocks. Denahi followed close behind.
Kenai stopped suddenly and began to sniff the air. Koda also stopped and started to sniff. Denahi paused and began to do the same. There was something in the breeze, it smelled...familiar, but different. Koda gasped, "Monsters! Hunters!" Kenai Grabbed Koda in his mouth and scrabbled up the rocks. "com onm Dnhii!" Denahi climbed the rocks as fast he could, but before he reached the top he could already hear something behind him. For the first time, he realized that he no longer understood his language, as the hunter began to shout something to each other.
As Denahi reached the top, his grip slipped and he felt himself falling. A paw dug into his and with a heave, Kenai pulled him up the rest of the way. "Thanks Kenai." Denahi looked back down the rocks. There were three of them, no older than he and Kenai. Each had a spear and they were climbing up the rocks. Kenai had set Koda down. "Let's go!" They began to run off across the plateau. Denahi could hear shouts behind them and boots crunching stones.
The brothers turned around a cliff face and found themselves up against the side of a glacier. "Now what?" Koda looked worriedly at Kenai. He just shook his head. "I don't know...I just don't know..." Denahi looked over his shoulder. Though the hunters weren't in view, he could hear them getting closer.
"Then back the way we came!" Koda started running right back toward the corner. "Koda, No!" Kenai started off after him, but it was too late. The hunters rounded the corner just as Koda reached it. He skidded to a stop, and the hunters jumped back in surprise. Kenai came barreling up right behind him, tried to stop and instead crashed face first into the ground. The hunters hesitated a moment before raising their spears. Denahi acted without thought, standing on his hind legs,
"RAWWWRR!!!"
The hunters jumped backwards, one of them tripped over his spear and went down.
"RAWWRRR!!!"
Kenai got up and joined in.
"RAWWRRR!!" "RRAWWWWRR!!"
The hunters scrambled back down the rocks, forgetting their spears on top. They hit the ground and continued to run off into the woods. Kenai slumped down, rubbing his head. Denahi just fell forward, breathing heavily. Koda just sat there, a look of pure hatred painted on his face.
They started off as soon after Koda freed himself from Bucky's death grip, and they headed past the mountain. As the day wore on, the weather hinted of snow. The summer thaw had already past and most of the ground was covered in a light sprinkling of powder. It wasn't long before the weather fulfilled its promise. As the trio paused by a stream for a drink, the first flakes of the day floated down.
Koda took a few sips before looking up. "Kenai, do you think we will find one today?"
"No, it will probably be another day or so. We need to find our own range, and I heard about a place from Tug, he said it was a couple days out." Kenai stretched, forgetting that bears don't have the same range of motion as a human, and almost fell on his face.
Koda tried to mimic him and slipped into the steam. Denahi held back a laugh and Kenai grinned. Koda came sputtering up out of the stream and shook himself off. Ignoring what just happened, Koda spoke again. "Do you think we could go find lunch? We could sit down and tell stories too! Or sing! Tell everybody I'm on my way..."
Kenai just shook his head. "Don't worry Denahi, he'll tire eventually...I'll go find some fruit and nuts." "That's okay Kenai, I think I'll do it, you should stay and listen to Koda, I mean you wouldn't want to miss this song, now would you?"
Kenai looked spitefully at his brother as Denahi went off into the surrounding trees.
Koda eventually finished the song, though he had added about 15 new verses since last time, and Denahi had arrived back with a few branches of berries. It was a light lunch, but the three brothers enjoyed it and soon they were on the move again.
They stopped at sunset, on a small bluff looking out over a valley. The mountain where the lights touched was behind them, significantly smaller than it was that morning. The lights themselves danced overhead, beautiful patterns of yellows and greens and oranges.
The brothers lay there watching the lights. "What do you think its like up there? My mom always said we went into the night rainbow, but she never told me what happened next." Koda turned to Kenai expectantly.
"The spirits up there watch over each of us, our totems are spirits to help guide our path so we can become who we were meant to be. Though sometimes it takes more drastic measures..." Kenai closed his eyes.
"That doesn't make sense Kenai. Why would humans only have spirits to guide them? Bears don't have totems. And if totems are spirits, what do the humans up there do?"
Kenai opened his eyes and looked over at his little brother. "I don't really know, it doesn't make much sense my way, does it?"
"Maybe it does," Denahi suggested. "As humans, perhaps we require more guidance than other creatures. Or perhaps it's that each creature has its own beliefs and the beliefs of our people require more tangibles, hence the totems, than other creatures." He reflected a moment before continuing. "The totem doesn't have to be a spirit guide though. It may be that all humans are once an animal and that the spirits return them to the earth for some reason, and their totem is a symbol of what they were. Or perhaps all creatures begin as humans, and they receive their totem so that they can begin to learn about what creature they will become. Then after they become spirits, they are returned to the earth as their totem. There are many possibilities, but we shouldn't dwell on it, when we intertwine with the spirits of the ancestors, we will find out. Either way, Koda, I wouldn't worry about it, the lights above must be a good place, both your mother and our brother are there."
Kenai and Koda just looked at him for a moment. Denahi shifted uncomfortably under their gaze. Finally, Kenai spoke, "Denahi, since when did you...I mean, I didn't realize that you..." "You're right Denahi; I shouldn't worry about it now, thanks." Koda piped in.
Denahi grinned sheepishly. "I guess I just think too much sometimes."
"No, that is definitely not your problem," Kenai joked.
Denahi playfully punched his brother before getting up and stretching. He looked up once more at the lights before turning to the other two still lying down. "I'm gonna go get some sleep; see you two in the morning."
"Good Night Denahi."
"Alright Bro, see you tomorrow."
Denahi walked over to a small tree on the other side of the bluff and lay down. The moon hung low over the mountains and Denahi soon was fast asleep under its pale glow.
Denahi looked around. He was standing on the mountain where the lights touch the earth again. Every thing was the same, Sitka stood a short ways away and Kenai was sleeping with a cub on his right. The boy still stood over him, and this time Denahi swore that he knew the boy. Just as before, after a moment of looking at Kenai, a spear appeared in the boy's hands and he raised it above Kenai...
Denahi jumped awake, and furiously looked around. A few spans away, Kenai was with Koda curled up by his side. They were on the bluff over the valley, not on the mountain. He breathed a sigh of relief. I wonder what it means...
They set out that morning soon after sunrise. It wasn't long before they came to some rock outcroppings. They came from the base of the mountains and seemed to trail around the valley. The cropping was full of small holes and niches as well as a few holes big enough to be small caves.
"What about this one Kenai? Oooh, no, how about this one?"
"Koda, you are the only one who could fit in those, and even then it would be really tight. I think we want one just a little bigger." Kenai shoved Koda farther along the rocks. Denahi followed close behind.
Kenai stopped suddenly and began to sniff the air. Koda also stopped and started to sniff. Denahi paused and began to do the same. There was something in the breeze, it smelled...familiar, but different. Koda gasped, "Monsters! Hunters!" Kenai Grabbed Koda in his mouth and scrabbled up the rocks. "com onm Dnhii!" Denahi climbed the rocks as fast he could, but before he reached the top he could already hear something behind him. For the first time, he realized that he no longer understood his language, as the hunter began to shout something to each other.
As Denahi reached the top, his grip slipped and he felt himself falling. A paw dug into his and with a heave, Kenai pulled him up the rest of the way. "Thanks Kenai." Denahi looked back down the rocks. There were three of them, no older than he and Kenai. Each had a spear and they were climbing up the rocks. Kenai had set Koda down. "Let's go!" They began to run off across the plateau. Denahi could hear shouts behind them and boots crunching stones.
The brothers turned around a cliff face and found themselves up against the side of a glacier. "Now what?" Koda looked worriedly at Kenai. He just shook his head. "I don't know...I just don't know..." Denahi looked over his shoulder. Though the hunters weren't in view, he could hear them getting closer.
"Then back the way we came!" Koda started running right back toward the corner. "Koda, No!" Kenai started off after him, but it was too late. The hunters rounded the corner just as Koda reached it. He skidded to a stop, and the hunters jumped back in surprise. Kenai came barreling up right behind him, tried to stop and instead crashed face first into the ground. The hunters hesitated a moment before raising their spears. Denahi acted without thought, standing on his hind legs,
"RAWWWRR!!!"
The hunters jumped backwards, one of them tripped over his spear and went down.
"RAWWRRR!!!"
Kenai got up and joined in.
"RAWWRRR!!" "RRAWWWWRR!!"
The hunters scrambled back down the rocks, forgetting their spears on top. They hit the ground and continued to run off into the woods. Kenai slumped down, rubbing his head. Denahi just fell forward, breathing heavily. Koda just sat there, a look of pure hatred painted on his face.