He was always terrified of it. There was nothing but nothingness in the deepness of those two dark pits, they name eyes. There were two enormous horns attached to her head where her ears should be. Once Little Raven asked his parents why they skinned the head in difference with other hunts they replied, “we did not”. When, a puzzled face looked deep into her eyes, mother continued “it is how the wendigos head is”. The kid creeped up and after a few seconds of uneasy hesitation he asked again “What is wendigo?”. His mother explained: it is one of the malevolent spirits who inhabits the forest. She guards the deer of the forest and corrupts those who dare to enter it. She always disdains the offerings of men; she does abhor them. The troubled kid was curious “How a wendigo seems?”. “Well, my boy. She is a great spirit of no kind. She got the body of an ancient pine and legs of a sacred eagle. Its tail is of a snake’s and her head is tall with two horns just like an old deer. Her body got a mix of fur and skin as a thick layer, yet her face is skinless.” When the child heard these words, Raven was out of his cage. A few steps ahead of the Chief’s tent a familiar figure was eyeing him.
When Raven noticed the man, he did straighten himself up. “A chief’s son should not be afraid…” he talked to himself “…especially in front of others.”. He approached with a proud expression in his face just if he managed to kill a warband on his own. When he was close enough, a childish yet brave voice spoke up “Hi to you, Broken Spear!”. The man who had been grinning until that moment withdrew with a sudden uneasiness from the post he leaned on. The name “Broken Spear” lit up vengeful gleams which the Little Raven could not notice, on his orbs. “Hi to you, Little Raven, son of our beloved Chief” he murmured. Child called the name in purpose to agonize the Broken Spear. He was disliked by most of the tribe including the Little Raven. Best hunters never speak good of him. He always chased the tribe's children and prevented them from playing. Since Raven was Chief’s son Broken Spear always acted respectfully near him however, he knew that if he would be any other child, he sure be beaten by him when his parents are not nearby. When Little Raven thought of this, a bursting flame filled his heart and decided to annoy the repulsive left-behind even more. “Don’t you join the hunt? All men went why you stay here?” Raven spoke. Now he was the one who smirks. Spear felt a trembling anger move through his body. He growled “I stayed behind to look after the tribe” as if he could go with others to hunt. He was suffering in a silent shame in front of a boy who could barely reach his leg. Child was happy to know he did avenge the pain of his friends. Yet he could not proceed to enjoy the sweat taste of revenge.
Dawn was shouting his son “Here you are!” as if she did not know where he was. From the moment he left the tent, she was watching his son. When she noticed the misery, the Broken Spear suffered decided to intervene. Little Raven was caught in surprise. He turned back with a timid expression to his “Mama”. Dawn was looking down to her son with a desire to punish his mischief. Yet once she realized the newly re-emerging smirking on Broken Spear’s face. She turned her glazes over him. Broken Spear seemed indifferent to that action. Young woman felt the same urge that propelled his son to gibe the man. However, she pulled herself together, found remarking her position as the wife of Chief wiser. “Are you done with the walls; Chief commanded to do?” she asserted her, while roving her eyes on the stakes erected around the native residential. Now Broken Spear was in the doghouse he belonged to again. He left to proceed to his job by huddling with himself. Now “Mama” was dealing with her son again. “Did you do what your father said you to do?”. Little Raven shook his head to say no and ran by kicking his feet.
After several hours Dawn came to check on her son. In fact, her kind heart was troubled because of her frosty behavior to his son. “My sweet boy…” she thought. “What a wonderful child he would be…” she was getting closer to the skinning tent “…if he was more obedient.”. Like all mothers she was sick of her child’s spoiled behavior, yet it was not a holdback to love him. However, when she entered the tent, she was more disappointed than loving. The little rabbits were half skinned and the Little Raven was not in sight. She exhaled as if her lungs were breaking. “He needs a good lesson” Dawn whispered to herself and left the tent.
In the course of trying to locate her son, she recognized the formidable body of his husband. Right behind him Little Raven was carrying the bow and arrows of the Chief. He was following his father’s footsteps with his short head he tries to raise above the pile of arrows. Next to them his baby sister shambling with quick steps. Young woman forgot the misbehavior of his son when her husband approached to kiss her. Only, she remembered it during the dinner and did not hesitate to talk to the Chief about it. On the other hand, Chief contented himself with making a few jokes and ironizing his son. While all this going on Little Raven was not aware of anything, he was once again under the minacious influence of the head on the wall. The Chief was not late to figure out what was bothering his son. He could easily say that there was nothing to be afraid of. Nevertheless, it would imply that Little Raven was scared (which was a fact of course) and made him feel like a coward. The father, in purpose to make his son steady (by not breaking his heart), chose to tell the story of how he managed to become the Chief of the people who live in the Great Lakes Region.
When the family was done with the meal, the Chief laid several more carpets under himself and lit his calumet. Little children who know the meaning of it, gathered around their father. The vigorous Chief began to tell.
Comments