Mishibizhiw
It came from nowhere…it didn't exist….why? Because it had never been seen…..how….and why? It devoured the evidence.
-oOo-
"Yep….Gibbs," as the cell of one Special Agent rang. He listened.
"What we got Boss?" Tony enquired putting down the chewed pencil, and picking up a piece of pastami which he had appeared to have dropped, before devouring.
"That is so gross." Ziva replied, "I could or would possibly say you were a wild animal or some ogre in a past life."
"Grab your gear and stop arguing, Tim you're with Ziva. But we got two AWOL sailors."
"AWOL?" Tim questioned
"Absent without leave." Ziva answered.
"I know that but why are we investigating AWOL?" Tim now questioned more puzzled than ever.
"They were on leave…and they didn't return. Well a boot and a hand did." Gibbs replied as the elevator door shut.
-oOo-
The team arrived at one of the Virginia Lakes. Their two sailors had gone on a fishing vacation. They should have been back at their desks Monday morning. The two sailors were stationed at Norfolk. The call had come from some small town up near Lake Shawnee, West Virginia.
"This not Injin territory." Tony ventured, now thinking John Wayne movies.
"Yep, the Shawnee, and maybe the Conoy, but they are more Washington DC." Gibbs replied looking around. He saw the figure on the opposite shore. It stood tall, the hair flying in the wind, but the air still. Gibbs blinked. The figure, gone, when he refocused. His eye twitched. His gut hurt.
"Jethro, must say, this is all we have?" Dr Mallard asked looking down at the remains. The boot, you could just make out the ankle, as for the hand, well what was left of it, the fingers gnawed down to the knuckles. "If I didn't know better I would say an Each Uisge, the supernatural water horse found in the lochs of Scotland. It is sometimes compared to the kelpie, the mythical horse that lures children usually to their deaths, but they inhabit rivers and streams. The Each Uisge, on the other hand, is far more dangerous, it is a shape-shifter. It can be a man or a fine horse. You have, I'm sure having been a Marine and a sailor, seen the sea rough with waves, the waves breaking as they rolled. We as children, called them white horses, the Each Uisge, the manes. We always respected the sea."
"Know that Duks but what you think we got?" Gibbs questioned.
"I have no idea." Dr Mallard replied again.
"But I was going to finish by saying, the Each Uisge drags its victim into the loch, drowns it and then devours the whole body except the liver. This floats to the surface…..but I see no liver at present." Doctor Mallard replied.
Gibbs looked out over the Lake, yes he could make out the white horses playing in the distance. He heard a rustling in the trees, but no wind.
"McGee, find that campsite, and stay away from poison ivy. DiNozzo bag and tag, and give to Doctor Mallard." pointing to the remains." Ziva I want a word." As he walked down to the shore line, his eyes scrutinising the horizon and the distant bank.
"You wanted to see me?" she questioned.
"See anything on the opposite bank?" as he pointed, over the water.
"No but I do see a tall figure on that hill. He has long flowing hair." Ziva answered.
"Like a horse's mane?" Gibbs asked.
"Yes." Ziva replied.
"Boss, got the campsite" they heard McGee shout.
-oOo-
Gibbs and Ziva walked to the camp. There wasn't a lot to go on. The camp fire burnt out. Nothing looked disturbed, well as in a disturbance.
"Jethro, would you mind awfully if Mr Palmer and I return with what we have. If you do find anything else I will leave you a body bag, I'm sure Anthony won't mind sharing a vehicle with one." Ducky added looking at Tony.
"Nope. Just go and get Abbs to do any tests." Gibbs replied now looking around. The sailors pick-up still at hand, "I want this site picked clean."
"Like the body?" Tony started to say getting a slap on the head, "No, as in inch by inch search."
"Bad taste Tony." Ziva proceeded to say.
"Certainly is with some of these meals," now looking through the dehydrated packets.
"If you were away at sea, or in the army, you would soon learn to enjoy." Ziva added.
"Even spaced out." Gibbs added.
"Meaning Boss?" as Tony looked across at the small polythene bag, Gibbs was holding up.
"Looks like cannabis resin Gibbs." Ziva answered as she took the bag and placed in a bigger one.
"You think one killed the other and then….cannibalism," Tony replied his eyes glazed," Lord of the Flies, Lost."
"Nope, but I think they died happy." Gibbs answered.
"I would say the murderer certainly was." Tony answered as he heard a sound from behind.
"Boss…..I think you should see this." Tim stammered out of breath approaching Gibbs, before indicating that they should follow.
Gibbs' eye twitched. But they duly followed McGee to a clearing.
The Totem Pole stood tall, covered in ivy and vines.
"You touch anything McGee?"
"No….no Boss." Tim stammered.
"Anyone want to venture a guess?" Gibbs now asked looking at his Agents.
"The figures represent ancient myths and legends…..I do not know the exact names, but I would say your sea horses and…" Ziva didn't finish, she turned, as did Gibbs, the noise of the twigs breaking under foot, their guns poised. An old man appeared from nowhere, a wind circled the four. The face, of a Native Indian. The hair long, and grey, reminiscent of a horse's mane. The old mans' features chiselled like the totem.
"Sir?" Gibbs questioned.
The man lifted his staff to the skies, before lowering and indicating they follow.
-oOo-
In the clearing…..a tepee stood erect, a camp fire burning.
"Sir?" Gibbs again enquired, as they stood looking at the man.
"We pray…..we offer the Gods" as he stuck the staff into the ground, raised his hands to the sky and began to hum.
Tony was about to laugh when he felt fingers on his throat, but no-one there, only a wind.
The shaman continued to chant, swaying gently, his eyes glazed. What seemed ages drew to a close, he took the staff and faced Gibbs.
"Agent Gibbs, you and your people can stay here as long as you wish. My people will assist you with this terrible happening." He turned to face Tony, "Agent DiNozzo , I believe you are hungry, your stomach rumbles like the thunder in the sky or roars like the wild animals." Gibbs smiled at the expression on Tony's face.
"Excuse me toilet facilities….I do not camp." Tony whined, I will not sleep in a sleeping bag."
"No need Tony, there are camp beds made up, and a separate area for you, that is if Ziva doesn't mind sharing with us men." Gibbs replied smiling. There was a porta-loo as well.
"I'll sleep in the car." Tony ventured turning.
"If, you feel so inclined." Gibbs finished saying, turning to find the shaman had vanished into the woods.
Tim approached the tepee and looked in, "It's fine Tony, I wish we had this at Scout camp. Probie you cooking?" as he looked, at the dead rabbit, vegetables and the fish and rice.
"Gibbs why do I feel they are taking advantage of me?" Ziva replied.
"McGee, get DiNozzo…go and get some more wood…and Tim stay away from poison ivy." As he took a knife from the instruments, left by the old Indian, and began to gut the fish.
-oOo-
Gibbs rose early the next morning. The air was still, but the smell of the water. Ziva was snoring gently, and Tim, looked like a baby in a papoose, only the head sticking out. He wondered how Tony had got on in the car. He went to see. He looked through the steamed, or was it misted up window, to see Tony lying on the rear seat curled up in the foetal position, smiling he tapped on the window. Tony jumped banging his head off the roof.
"Morning sleepy head," he mouthed, "Coffee?"
Tony stumbled out the car and headed for the camp. The other two Agents were busying themselves with coffee. Ziva handed one to Tony.
"You smell, you need to wash." She said, looking at the dishevelled form.
"Boss, Ziva's being childish and nasty," he muttered, as he approached Gibbs who was looking down at the rubber inflatable which had washed up on the shore-line, but it was no longer inflated, but flat.
Tony and Tim, pulled it onto the shingle. "Bag and tag?" Tim enquired.
"Yep, but first turn it over, I want to see if there are any visible signs why it deflated." Their Boss answered.
As they turned the boat over, all became apparent, four holes, shaped in what looked like a bite mark.
"What could do that?" Tony asked.
Gibbs turned and looked out over the lake. He saw the figure standing tall, the staff held up pointing to the heavens, and then across the lake.
"Boss?" McGee whispered, "What's this?" looking down at what looked like shrivelled up rubber.
Gibbs looked at Ziva. She acknowledged, placed a bag over the object, turned inside out and wrote "LIVER!" across the label
"I'll drive back to DC with it," Tony ventured, "And the boat. I need a shower and burn these clothes."
"McGee, go with DiNozzo, take it to Abby and tell Duks." Gibbs growled, indicating Ziva pass to Tony, "Ziva you ok with staying here with me for a couple of days?"
"I would relish the open air and the open space." She replied, as they saw the two boys race to one of the cars, and drive off.
"What do you think Gibbs?" as they looked out over the lake.
-oOo-
Chapter 2
Abbs lab
"Where did you say you found this?" she asked.
"On the deflated inflatable…..by the lake shore." Tony replied.
"That lake….is it the one that is supposed to be possessed…by an evil monster?" she now questioned.
"Dunno, Duckman thought it was some sort of water horse. But what you got on that…lump of…"
"Leather…it is a leather wallet, but what is interesting are the marks on the boat…the DNA is not something I have ever encountered before…." She replied smiling.
"Meaning?" Dr Mallard now asked entering the lab.
"Meaning, it is animal, but vegetable as well as traces of mineral compounds." Abbs answered, "This totem pole you found. Could we get Gibbs to send me a picture?"
"Any reason Abigail?" Dr Mallard now asked.
"Nope just thought it would be cool."
-oOo-
Gibbs and Ziva looked out over the lake.
"What you thinking Gibbs?" she asked.
"Was wondering….our Shaman seems to have thought of everything….the canoe" as he pointed to the boat behind them, "…..fancy a look at the other side." As he pointed to where the old man had once stood.
Ziva nodded. Gibbs smiled. They launched the canoe, and crossed the lake.
They reached the shore, pulled the boat up onto the sand, and secured the canoe. They climbed the small hill to the place where they had seen the Shaman stand. In the clearing, another Totem stood. Again, the symbols, similar to the other one.
The creature at the base, the horns of a deer, but the body of a mountain lion, the legs or fore limbs looked like feathers, but the whole body carved as if in scales. Above a triple spiral carved into the wood. At the top a border what looked like a Greek pattern. Hopi. An arrow pointing to the sky.
"Ziva, you seen anything like this before?" as Gibbs looked out over the lake.
"Gibbs if we are at 6 o'clock and the camp 10 o'clock, then we should…" as she pointed at 2 o'clock.
"Another, totem." Gibbs replied, as they looked, they could make out a third.
"The eternal triangle, or I was thinking the triple spirals, the sky, land and sea…"as his cell rang, "Nice to hear you Abbs…." He smiled, "I will ask Ziva." As he closed his cell, "Abbs wants pics of the totems."
"Yes Boss," as she did as was ordered, and sent to Abby.
The paddled back over to their camp in silence.
-oOo-
The next morning saw Gibbs and Ziva drinking coffee round the camp fire.
"What now? I mean what we got to go on?" Ziva asked Gibbs.
"Nothing." Gibbs answered looking over the lake in the morning light it looked like a mirror.
They heard the screech of wheels before they saw the vehicle.
"Gibbs….Gibbs….Gibbs." Abby squealed as she jumped from the car and ran to Jethro, hugging him "You're alright….I have had such bad deja vus….and I had to come…I dreamt…Ducky had to help me…..I was so connected here the ley lines…the…" Abby said going on and on."
"Wooh…Abbs start at the beginning. OK. Sorry no caf-pow here but you probably brought your own. What is wrong?" Gibbs started to say.
"This place everything…..just look around…..the energy." as she twirled. Gibbs saw Dr Mallard and Mr Palmer exit the vehicle.
"You left the boys?" he asked.
"Oh yes they refused to come….something about manning the phones and trying to find out about the two sailors and, Tony was going on and on about his suit and his shoes and…." Abby continued.
"Abbs" as he placed his finger over her lips, "Come on I'll show you these symbols on the totems." As he took her hand, and led her to the clearing. The Shaman was standing by the pole, Gibbs' gut ached.
Abby looked at the figures, they were more beautiful and clear. But yes she knew they were definitely the underwater panthers. As she looked she began to speak, "Gibbs….in Ojibwe, the underwater panthers are believed to be helpful, protective creatures, but more often they were viewed as malevolent beasts that brought death and misfortune. They are called Mishibizhiw, sometimes referred to as the Spirit Otters. Water monsters appear in the mythology of most cultures."
"Agent Gibbs, the Loch Ness monster, would or could be classified as a sea monster, and there is Oggie, in Lake Okanagan, Ogopogo." Mr Palmer began to say.
"Oi, we are getting out of hand here, you'll be telling me next that, Magic in the Water was a true story, I thought it was a story about an aquatic monster named Orky." Gibbs replied.
"Yes Gibbs…..no Gibbs, all myths are based on fact." Abby replied dead pan.
"And you saying, that out there." He turned and waved his hand towards the lake, "Out there. There is a mythical creature?"
"Yes." Abby, Duks and Jimmy answered.
"Also the triple spiral called the triskele, was used in Europe as well as in the America's by the Hopi Indians. This spiral represents the cycles of life within the three fold, or the three spheres of the material world, such as land, sky and sea. The symbol had also shape shifting properties, it was or still is an integral part of Celtic belief, this symbol is found all over Celtic artefacts." Dr Mallard continued.
"We are not in Celtic land Duks…we are in America….in the 21st century." Gibbs shouted.
"Jethro…what I am trying to say is this. The land…this land…..America and Scotland used to be connected until the Jurassic age, when they began to drift apart. Some of the oldest rocks in Scotland have also been found here in the Americas."
"Gibbs, the rocks have feelings…..no they contain energy and when something, releases the energy then doom and foreboding comes its way."
They felt the wind stir the leaves, the trees beginning to sway in the wind. They turned and watched as the sky began to darken and the clouds roll in from over the hills. The lake began to effervesce, to boil and the white horses begin to rise up.
The Shaman began to chant, he lifted his staff to the sky, a thunderbolt struck the staff.
"Wow, I think we definitely got Red Indian here." Mr Palmer started to see before getting a slap on the head from Gibbs.
The shaman continued to chant, but they watched as he lowered the staff and began to point to the boiling waters. A flash flew from the staff and appeared to make the waters glow, as it did the winds dropped and the skies began to clear. The birds began to sing again.
The team turned to find the old man had again vanished into the air.
"Wow," was all Abby could say.
"So, what now Gibbs?" Ziva questioned, "What do you make of all this?"
"I don't know, and to be honest I don't think we will ever find out the truth. But I think we should make our way back to DC and file our reports. Maybe leave this case open. But we'll get Norfolk to clear the site." Gibbs answered.
"Gibbs there is, an energy here, but it is not evil….it was…..is good. Something or someone annoyed the Gods, the creature. But….." Abby contined.
"And therefore as a stranger give it welcome. There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." Ducky added.
"Shakespeare, Dr Mallard." Jimmy replied.
"Oh…this is so X-files," as something fluttered down and landed at Abby's feet…a feather. It appeared to have the colours of a rainbow dispersed through it. She picked it up and as she did, they heard a coyote or was it a mountain lion howl in the distance. Gibbs took one final look over the lake and whispered "Semper Fi", nature was faithful to itself….before joining the others in the vehicles.