Stone river crossing, p.15
Stone River Crossing, page 15
Koi Losa’s chest pounded. He sat down hard as Funi Man looked to the sky.
“Yakoke, Holitopama,” Funi Man whispered. He made his way to the fire circle, dragging his feet. With a thin pine branch he stirred the embers to life. Yellow flames flickered beneath the ashes, a trail of smoke rose, and the fire burst to life.
“Come here,” said Funi Man, waving a tired hand at Koi Losa. “We’re not finished. We can’t leave his body here.”
“What do you mean?” Koi Losa asked. “Animals will finish him off. Look!” Koi Losa pointed to the sky, where seven buzzards circled.
“We have to hurry!” Funi Man said. “The buzzards won’t eat his bones, and somewhere among those bones is a lock of hair. Lil Mo’s hair, remember. We will never know who finds it unless we bring it home with us.”
“Oh, no,” said Koi Losa. “We have to get it, don’t we?”
“Yes, and we have to bring his body back with us. Shonti will know what to do, how to make it safe again for Lil Mo. And there is something else you should know, Koi Losa.”
“What?”
“After what we have done, we are no longer safe, not yet. We must be very careful, son.” Funi Man moved with urgency.
“Cover the fire with dirt,” he said. “No need to try to hide the circle. Anyone can smell the fire and know someone was here. Let’s just make sure the fire is out.”
While Koi Losa loaded the saddlebag with cooking items, Funi Man wrapped his blanket in a tight bundle. “Follow me,” he said. Taking his pony by the reins, he moved to a thick cluster of cedar trees a short distance from the fire, with Koi Losa close behind. They tied the ponies to a stout tree trunk.
“Easy, boy,” Funi Man said in a soft and soothing voice. “We’ll be back soon.” Turning to Koi Losa, he added, “We need at least a hundred feet of strong vines.”
“I know where to find them,” Koi Losa said, pulling his hunting knife from its leather pouch. “I will meet you at the circle.”
An hour later Funi Man and Koi Losa stood over the body of the witch. The vines dangled above them, weaving among the jutting rocks and boulders on the cliffside.
The old man was pale. His skin had claimed the whiteness of the owl. Feathers sprouted from his shirt collar, dotted with blood. Tufts of tiny white feathers emerged from his ears and nose. His eyes were the most hideous sight of all. They bulged from their sockets — black and yellow and bloodshot with thin red veins.
Funi Man reached for Koi Losa and wrapped his arms around him. As the two stared at the sight, Koi Losa’s skin crept with a strange chill. The eyes of the owl protruded from the face of the witch.
“Death is hard to look at,” Funi Man said, “and the death of a witch is the worst of all to see.”
“Yakoke,” Koi Losa said. “Yakoke for being here with me. I am afraid, but not like I would be if I were by myself.”
“Ilvppa ittibai foyuka,” said Funi Man. “Now, we have work to do.” He unrolled his blanket and placed it on the ground beside the body. Lifting the witch’s shoulder, he rolled him over and onto the blanket. Koi Losa stood back and watched.
“Help me with the legs,” Funi Man said. “Careful where you touch.”
Koi Losa took a deep breath and picked up one of the witch’s legs. It was thin and lightweight; he moved them both without struggling. Brown owl feathers poked from the bottom of the pants. One fell to the ground, and Funi Man stuffed it in the old man’s boot.
“We don’t want to leave anything behind,” he said. “No telling who might pick it up, what they might do with it.”
“If Lil Mo and I found an owl feather, we’d know to leave it alone,” Koi Losa said. “Only one thing would make me more afraid.”
“What would that be?”
“Paper money,” Koi Losa replied. “I think it is maybe worse than owl feathers.”
“Remember that when you grow up,” said Funi Man, laughing as much as he dared.
CHAPTER 42
Blue Shawl Woman
Once the body was on the blanket, Funi Man tied both ends with a rope. He wrapped the loose end of a dangling vine around the witch’s waist and pulled it tight.
“Think it’s strong enough to lift him to the top?” he asked.
“I think so,” said Koi Losa. “If we lift slow.”
“Now,” said Funi Man, “let’s find another way to the top.” He and Koi Losa walked along the creek bed for half a mile before the cliff dropped and became a steep, grass-covered hill. They glanced overhead and saw nothing unusual, no gathering of owls or flock of hungry buzzards.
“Looks like a good place to climb,” said Funi Man. Soon, they stood overlooking the cliff. The witch still hung from the vine a hundred feet below. “I’ll pull, and you watch out for any sharp rocks. We don’t want to cut the vine and lose him.”
He picked up the vine, wrapped one end around his wrist, and leaned backward, pulling on the vine.
“Looks good,” said Koi Losa, as the body rose from the creek bed. He knelt and leaned over the cliff to get a better view. “No rocks in the way. Chim achukma?”
“Ahm achukma hoke,” said Funi Man. “For now. He is lighter than I thought.”
With the body halfway up the cliff, Funi Man asked, “Still hoke? No jutting rocks in the way? I can’t see, remember?”
“I am watching,” said Koi Losa. “All looks good.”
Ten minutes later, Funi Man took a deep breath and gave a final strong yank on the vine. The body of the witch rolled on the ground at their feet. Funi Man dropped the vine and gulped for air. His chest heaved, and he grabbed his knees with both hands.
“I am too old for this, Koi Losa,” he said. “The next time we kill a witch, you get to drag the body up the cliff!”
“I’ll do it,” said Koi Losa. Neither laughed. Funi Man’s humor, they knew, was lost in the dark bundle that lay at their feet. Now they must carry this bundle through swamps, woods, and nahollo country.
Both Koi Losa and Funi Man stared at the body and shared a thought, though neither spoke it.
The witch is dead, but did Lil Mo survive?
“Let’s get started,” said Funi Man. “For now, I will drag the body behind my horse. When we get close to a town, we can carry it behind our saddles. We’ll attract less attention that way. And if we trade out, the horses will stay strong. I’d like to ride as long as we can each day. Are you with me?”
“Ilvppa ittibai foyuka,”said Koi Losa.
“Achukma,” Funi Man said. “Let’s get home.” He tied the vine to the saddlehorn and climbed onto Hawkeye. With Koi Losa following, they turned south, leaving the cliff and the fire circle far behind.
Avoiding main roads and towns, both Choctaw and nahollo, they moved swiftly through the pine woods. Koi Losa knew, without it being said, that his job was to look out for any followers. While Funi Man kept his eyes to the path ahead and the body behind, Koi Losa searched the treetops for owls.
Funi Man knew the land from times past, and by late afternoon they were halfway home. As they approached a swift-flowing stream, he pulled his horse to a halt.
“Let’s take a short break,” Funi Man said. “We can make the change here. Are you hoke with carrying him for a short while?”
“Yes,” said Koi Losa. “I want to do my share.”
“Trust me, Koi Losa, you have done more than your share.”
Koi Losa felt a glow of pride and kinship with his friend. They stepped from their ponies and led them by the reins to the water. The ponies drank eagerly. Funi Man untied the witch bundle and wrapped the vine tight around Koi Losa’s saddlehorn.
“Now, get yourself a drink, and I’ll get us something to eat,” he said. While Koi Losa knelt to the water, Funi Man took dried meat from his saddlebag. Soon they sat on the bank, sharing their meal and watching the ponies. Koi Losa scanned the surrounding woods and sky.
“One thing worried me about the body,” Funi Man said. “I have thought about it all day and it makes no sense.”
“What?”
“The buzzards,” Funi Man replied. “Remember how the buzzards circled the body after the witch fell?”
“Yes, they flew close to him while we were climbing down the cliff.”
“That’s right, Koi Losa,” Funi Man said. “But by the time we reached him, the buzzards were gone. I thought we might have to throw stones and send the buzzards flying, but they left on their own.”
Koi Losa did not reply for a long moment. He knew what Funi Man was thinking.
“What would make the buzzards leave a dead man alone?” he finally asked.
“That is what worries me. Why would buzzards leave a dead man?”
They both stared at the body. The blanket was worn from being dragged up the cliffside and through the woods. The body now seemed curled and shriveled.
“It is a good blanket,” Koi Losa said.
“Yes. I was hoping it wouldn’t tear. We don’t have another one. So far, it looks good.”
“Funi Man, something is worrying me, too,” Koi Losa said.
“What is it?”
“Do you know why I ran? When you were fighting the witch?” His eyes pleaded with Funi Man.
“Koi Losa, I understand why you ran. You were doing what I asked. The opposite of what the witch expected. You took his attention just long enough for me to pick up the shotgun without him seeing me. Don’t worry about that!”
“Yakoke,” said Koi Losa. “I was so afraid you would think I was a coward, I almost didn’t ask.”
“Koi Losa, you are doing more than most grown men would do. I respect you more every day.”
The moment was interrupted by what they feared the most. With a soft rustling of leaves, a female owl landed in a nearby cypress tree.
“Time to be on our way,” Funi Man said. “You get it started, and I’ll make sure the vine will hold, hoke?”
Koi Losa dragged the body for a short distance, and Funi Man rode around him, saying, “Achukma. Stay close and let me look for owls. You keep an eye on the body and where you are going.”
As they rode away from the stream, Funi Man lost sight of the owl. Soon she reappeared, in a treetop half a mile away.
For the next two hours, the owl played a game, flying so close that both Koi Losa and Funi Man clearly saw her. She landed on the limb of a low-lying cedar bush, then rose high and disappeared. Soon they spotted her on the ground, fifteen feet in front of them, scattering leaves and scratching the dirt with her claws. As they neared, she flew away.
The sun dipped below the cloud line, and Funi Man held up his hand. He stepped away from Hawkeye and motioned for Koi Losa to do the same.
“As good a place to spend the night as any,” he said. He cleared a patch of ground with his boot while Koi Losa gathered stones for the fire.
While they sat sipping tea and eating dried pork, Koi Losa said, “I didn’t think you would want to light a fire tonight.”
“No need to try to hide,” Funi Man said. “The owls know where we are. The ponies need rest, and I don’t want to travel at night.” They finished the meal in silence. The embers burned low, and Funi Man leaned against a tree trunk, pulling his hat brim over his eyes. Koi Losa sat against a nearby tree.
Koi Losa heard her first and jumped to his feet.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” said a woman’s voice. She stepped into the dim light. “I thought I saw a fire and came to see who was camping on my land.”
The woman wore a blue shawl wrapped tight around her shoulders. She was an older woman. Dark skin hung from her cheekbones, and her eyes were black. Funi Man rose to greet her.
“Halito,” he said. “Chim achukma!”
Koi Losa tilted his head with wonder. Why is Funi Man being so friendly? he thought. He’s acting like he knows this woman!
“Ahm achukma hoke, now that you are here,” the woman replied. “I was hoping for somebody friendly when I saw the fire. I live by myself and get so lonesome.”
“You have a house nearby?” asked Funi Man.
Koi Losa felt a chill. If Funi Man does not know her, she knows him, he realized. She knows who we are. He watched the woman closely. She wrapped the shawl around her face and her eyes turned to the blanket.
“Yes, my house is just through the trees,” she said, still staring at the dead witch owl. “Why don’t you young men come spend the night? No need to sleep on the hard ground.” As she spoke, the leaves rustled, and the wind picked up. Koi Losa looked to the sky and caught a last glimpse of the moon before it ducked behind heavy rain clouds.
“We don’t want to trouble you,” said Funi Man, still in his friendly voice. “I might snore and keep you awake!”
“You are a funny man!” the woman said. The wind grew stronger, whipping her shawl from her shoulders. Koi Losa chased it into a clump of bushes.
“Here you are,” he said shyly, returning the shawl.
“Please,” the woman insisted, “let me take care of you both. You would make an old woman very happy.” Fat raindrops began to fall, splashing in quick puddles on the forest floor. The embers hissed and smoked, and the ponies snorted.
“Your horses are welcome, too,” she said. “I have a covered porch where you can tie them.”
“I don’t see how we can pass this up,” said Funi Man. “I am thinking you were sent from the heavens!”
The woman did not reply. Funi Man shot a look at Koi Losa. For the first time, the young Choctaw realized this woman was not who she appeared to be.
CHAPTER 43
House of the Dead
“Koi Losa,” said Funi Man, as if he’d read his thoughts, “Let’s move! Bring the ponies. I’ll carry the bundle.”
The woman stepped aside and let Koi Losa and the ponies pass. She pointed to a narrow path, saying, “That way, son. Not too far.” She slowly approached Funi Man, staying in the shadows and keeping her shawl pulled over her eyes.
Funi Man took his time with the dead witch. He tightened the ropes on either end of the blanket. “I will be along soon,” he said to the woman. “Go on with the boy. No need for you to stay out in the rain.”
“I don’t mind,” she said, still standing in the dark and staring at the blanket. “Can I help you?”
She doesn’t want to leave the body, thought Koi Losa. I am not leaving Funi Man alone with this strange woman. He reached for his blow-dart gun and eased a poison dart into the hollow cane. Leaving the horses, he crept closer to the smoldering fire. Funi Man wrestled with the bundle, and for a brief moment turned his back on the woman.
Koi Losa watched as the woman eased the shawl from her head. She lifted her arms, and Koi Losa froze in fear. The woman changed before his eyes. A large owl woman now raised her wings and swooped on Funi Man, her claws outstretched.
Funi Man moved quickly. He raised his hands to his face and flung his fists at the oncoming owl woman. She staggered and stumbled, and Funi Man grabbed her by the neck. The owl woman sank a claw deep into his shoulder and raked it across his chest, sending a thick stream of bright blood down the front of his shirt. He dug his fingers into her neck feathers, revealing the smallest patch of white skin.
Koi Losa took a short breath and blew hard into the cane. The dart twirled and danced through the air, and sank deep into the neck of the owl woman. Her body twitched once, then dropped to the ground.
Still bleeding from the claw wound, Funi Man stood over the fallen woman. Her skin was wrinkled, and her hair was white and stiff as straw. As they watched, her feathers vanished. Her head fell backward, and her arms and legs sank into the soft mud. Koi Losa dropped his cane gun and fell to his knees beside the woman.
“Do not touch her!” warned Funi Man. “Koi Losa, don’t feel bad about what happened. You did not kill this woman.”
“I did,” said Koi Losa, shaking. “I shot her with my blow-dart gun. But she was trying to kill you, Funi Man.”
“I know you shot her. I gave you a small target, and you hit it, Koi Losa! Yakoke! Yes, you saved my life, but you didn’t kill her.”
“What do you mean?”
“Koi Losa, she was already dead. Dead and unburied. We came across her death place. The path through the woods maybe led to her old house, where she used to live when she was alive.”
“How do you know this?”
“Look at her.” The woman continued to shrink. Her skin turned to leathery flakes, which fell from her bones. Only her rib cage and a hipbone remained, poking up from the wet black earth.
A bolt of lightning crackled overhead, and in the flash of light they saw an old log cabin, sagging and rotting away.
“Look!” said Koi Losa. “That must be her house.”
“Yes,” said Funi Man, returning his gaze to the woman. “She probably died somewhere in the woods. I guess she lived alone. No one will ever know what killed her.”
The rain fell harder, and more mud washed away, revealing a white leg bone and a cracked skull, missing most of the teeth. Funi Man knelt down and picked up the skull, and as he held it high, the rain suddenly stopped.
“The owl used her,” Funi Man said. “He brought her back to life to use her. I don’t think she was evil.” He took Koi Losa by the arm and led him away. “Our business here is not over, not yet,” he said.
Funi Man found the ponies where Koi Losa had left them, exhausted and waiting in a grove of pines. He tied the bundle to his saddlehorn and patted Hawkeye.
“Good boy,” he said, as Koi Losa rubbed his pony behind the ears.
“They are good ponies for staying close,” said Koi Losa.
Funi Man nodded. “Now, Koi Losa, we have a job to do,” he said. “This woman is unburied. It is up to us to give her a good resting place.”
