Page 74 of Trapped: Between Sky And Wind

“The old Indian just shook his head. ‘There is no need to fear, grandson. Flaming Light and Darkness are the names of two wolves that dwell in the heart of every man.’

“The young Cherokee gave the old man a questioning look and the chief continued. ‘In the legends, there is an old story about the white wolf and the black one. The white wolf stands for everything good, like love, peace, justice, and compassion, and the black one embodies evil, like hate, fear, envy, jealousy, and feelings of inferiority. Bad qualities and feelings.’”

Nashashuk pauses artfully, and as if on cue, a plaintive, dark wolf howl erupts from the forest. Bren looks at me and sadness shimmers in his fire-lit eyes, burrowing deep into my heart. He hasn’t shown it much in the past few days, but I still know how much he misses Grey.

Nashashuk continues. “The white wolf and the black wolf are locked in an eternal battle, at war with each other.”

Yoomee, who is sitting on her mother’s lap playing with her hair, looks at the shaman wide-eyed. “And which wolf wins?”

Nashashuk smiles. “The grandson asked his grandfather the same thing and he replied: ‘The one you feed. But keep in mind, you must feed both wolves because as soon as you neglect the black one, he will starve. And when he’s starving, he’ll seek an opportunity to break free, but then his attack will be more furious and vicious than you can imagine. If he gets a steady bit of attention instead, he’ll be happy in his dark corner and leave the white wolf alone.’”

I’m pondering why it is a good thing to pay attention to feelings like hatred and envy when there is a ruckus on the outskirts of the camp.

Words in Navapaki are shouted and Darrow stands up and strides toward the edge of the forest. Nashashuk stands up as well.

“John and his men have returned from town.” Thea explains the excitement to us in her soft, melodious voice and I hear the tenderness in her words. John is her husband, Yoomee’s father.

With the little girl in her arms, she walks toward him, hips swinging, while Bren and I stay behind. Part of the group follows Darrow, Nashashuk, and Thea, but some older ones remain seated. A subtle welcoming ceremony follows, and at one point, Darrow whistles through his teeth and calls out something in Navapaki, and Amarok rises with a grumble and strides over to the edge of the forest.

Bren and I look at each other and Bren frowns in displeasure. I don’t know what the appearance of the chief means for us. If we’re lucky, they were in a small town and didn’t pay attention to the latest news—which is what Bren is speculating. And maybe the media isn’t reporting on us anymore. Maybe the men were merely running errands and didn’t have time to ask around. Perhaps they generally avoid these worldly things.

I sit tensely next to Bren and watch as the three Navapaki hand out various bags and items to the bystanders. A few of them likely make the pilgrimage to town from time to time to acquire things that the wild can’t provide or are too cumbersome to craft such as bowstrings. Do they barter? Maybe with animal skins? After all, how else would they pay for the things they need?

Coven and Aiyana carry a bulging leather bag into their tent and other Navapaki also lug their things into their teepees while Darrow talks to one of the Navapaki who has just arrived. I assume it’s Darrow’s father, John. Concentrating, I study him from afar. He’s a giant compared to the other Navapaki, looking stern and suspicious like one of the Indians in Dances with Wolves, Liam’s favorite movie. The man has short hair, prominent cheekbones, a hooked nose, and a sharp searching gaze, which he now directs at us and nods fleetingly, but it may be in regard to Darrow’s words.

I lower my head involuntarily but continue to secretly watch him. Please don’t let him be a fan of The Daily News! Maybe we should go over and say hello.

I get an uneasy tingling on the back of my neck when he suddenly turns to the two Navapaki he was traveling with. They talk to each other while glancing at Bren and me from time to time. The smaller of them rubs his forehead several times and the other, wearing a conspicuous colorful necklace, remains motionless.

“Fucking hell! I don’t like it,” Bren murmurs next to me. “They know something, I’m sure.” He stands and wipes his hands on his cargo pants. “We better leave right now.”

“What?” I ask, shocked.

“I’ll pack a few things, you wait here! It’s better if they don’t even see us together.”

“Bren…”

“It will definitely help to smile and talk normally to them when they come over. Tell them I went into the woods and you don’t know when I’ll be back. In about ten minutes, come to the teepee and we’ll leave.”

The next moment, he scurries away during the general commotion, unobtrusively and silently as a wild animal’s shadow.

I’m completely dazed. It’s all happening too fast. We can’t sneak away like thieves without saying goodbye or thank you. Then again, if the men actually do know something, we’ll have no choice. I don’t want to imagine what action they might take.

I shift nervously, my fingers clenching the hem of the leather dress. I can’t stop watching the Navapaki. They’re still talking, heads together now. Disbelief crosses Darrow’s face and his eyes narrow, I can see it even from this distance. Oh, no, that’s not good, Lou, not good at all! Bren’s right, they know something. Maybe everything.

Shit, I don’t know how to act.

As inconspicuously as possible, of course!

I’d like to bolt to our teepee, but Bren told me to stay here for now.

John glances over at me again, serious and probing like a doctor visiting a patient in intensive care. Cold creeps up my spine and I feel like he’s looking straight into me with his keen eagle eyes and hearing the voices in my head.

Still, she is a victim.

Yet he does not approach, instead, after a while, he disappears behind the oak trees by the stream along with Darrow, Nashashuk, and the other two Navapaki.

Only Amarok stays behind, arms crossed, eyes fixed on me like a bird of prey, but after a moment’s hesitation, he follows the group into the forest.

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