Rifiuto: Non Miriena

A/N: Written: 2012. Rewritten: 2014. Found: 2018.- Licia

They stopped by the river's edge; gently, Tibbett helped her down.

That morning, as everyone else slept, they had quickly gotten dressed, and Nessa had written a note to her parents. She'd taken a few pieces of hardtack and some dried meat for the journey, before going to the stable and releasing one of the horses. Without a word, she and Tibbett had slipped out, disappearing into the night, headed for the Thousand Year Grasslands, and his tribe. Unbeknownst to them, along the way, they'd passed an envoy of three riders- a young woman from each of the three tribes- sent to fetch Nessa's sister and bring her home, for the chief's death was imminent.

Now, though, she watched as Tibbett knelt down, cupping his hands within the gentle rush of the river along the bank, and after a moment, she knelt beside him, glancing at him before putting her lips to his hands and drinking. The water was cool against her dry throat, and for the briefest of moments, she wondered why she had left, why she had so rashly fled the life she'd been so used to living the past near eighteen years. But then she quickly chided herself; she had left because she was in love, but it was more than that.

She wanted to help her husband- for though they were not married, and had only just started accepting the feelings they felt for each other, their actions that early morning in the barn felt more like a ceremony than any the white man could present, and so she considered them now husband and wife, for only men and women of married status joined as they had- find his tribe again, and perhaps, find her own home. Though what she had put in her letter was true- wherever Tibbett went, she would go, and as long as she was with him, she was home- she still wanted to help him return to his tribe, and perhaps, even meet the children her sister had borne, see the life her sister had lived these last seven years.

"Even now, you still know how to live off the land? You have been away from this world for so long, I'd have thought you'd forgotten it."

He shook his head. "An Arjiki can be away from his tribe for a hundred years, but the lessons they instill- to hunt, to fish, to survive- remain. As long as he can set foot in nature, he will always know how to survive."

She settled against him as they sat by the embankment, resting, for the next part of their journey would take hours, possibly another day, and they needed to rest. He slid his arms around her waist, holding her close. "You said last night that the Arjiki believe that everything comes from Mother Earth. Is that true?"

"Not just the Arjiki, but the Yunamata and Scrow believe as well. The Great Mother is responsible for the food we eat, the clothing we wear. She provides the animals we hunt, the berries we pick, the fish we catch, and in return, we use her gifts wisely, leave her as we found her; nothing goes to waste, for it can all be used. Each living thing possesses a spirit, and by using every part of that thing, we are thinking that animal, tree or river for giving themselves to sustain us."

She looked up at him, brow furrowed. "A spirit? So... the wood Papa used to build our house-"

"It too has a spirit, for it was once living. The whites believe that whatever land they land on is theirs to claim, that the earth is just a dead thing they can claim for their own, without any thought to the land or creatures themselves. But the tribes, we believe that everything- every single tree and creature, even right down to the smallest rock within the river, has a life, a spirit and a name, and we honor those." He kissed her softly before shifting, and reaching to remove her boots.

"What are you doing, Tibbett?"

Once her boots were off, he stood, getting up and helping her to her feet. Without a word, he moved behind her, sliding his hands down her sides and around her waist. "Close your eyes, Nessa."

"Why? Are you going to push me into the river?"

He chuckled softly. "Just close your eyes. Feel the earth beneath your feet. Feel my arms around you." He squeezed gently, and she giggled as he kissed her head. "Now listen."

"What am I listening for?"

"Shh." He pressed a kiss to her temple. "Just listen." They stayed silent for several minutes, before he next asked, "What do you hear?"

"The gurgling of the river. The breeze through the trees, the horse's hooves in the dirt."

"What else?"

She stopped, concentrating. "Birds, they're singing. And... insects."

"Good. Anything else?"

She started to shake her head, before stopping. "There's fish in the river. And..." She stopped, biting her lip.

"And?" Tibbett waited, knowing that she had heard it; knowing she'd heard what had taken him so long to hear.

"Something's beating. Like a heart... but... but it's... underground?" She opened her eyes, turning to him. "A heart, underground? Tibbett, that doesn't make sense."

A soft smile tugged at his lips, and he pulled her close. "Yes it does, Nessa. You hear the heart of Mother Nature- the Great Mother's heart always beats. It is continuous, because it beats for us, her children, who she provides for and cares for, as we care for her." He kissed her forehead. "You are thinking like the Arjiki now."

"I am?" A startled look flashed in her eyes, and he chuckled.

"You are. It took me many years to hear the Great Mother's heartbeat; it took you only a few moments. It took your sister even less time, I suspect. As long as we care for her, and thank her for the gifts she gives us, Great Mother's heartbeat will continue."

"It beats for us, as mine beats for you and yours beats for mine." He nodded at her simple conclusion. "Because she loves us, as we love each other." Another nod. A moment passed, before he kissed her forehead firmly and then pulled away.

"Put your boots back on, my love, we have a long journey ahead of us."