Children of the Dawnland (North America's Forgotten Past Series) by Gear Kathleen O'Neal & Gear W. Michael

Author:Gear, Kathleen O'Neal & Gear, W. Michael [Gear, Kathleen O'Neal]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates
Published: 2010-05-25T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 22

HALFMOON DREW HIS buckskin cape more tightly about his shoulders and ducked beneath the flap into Chief Gill’s lodge. Fifty hands across, it was the largest lodge in Buffalobeard Village, and the most opulent. Hundreds of prayer feathers hung from the pole frame, twisting gently in the wind, and painted rawhide shields lined the walls. Each bore the colorful image of one of Gill’s Spirit Helpers: Bear, Lion, and Condor. In the rear, a stack of buffalo hides the height of a man lay folded.

“Good evening,” Halfmoon said, and squinted. Though he saw better after Father Sun descended into the underworld at night, his vision was still blurry.

The three other elders already sat around the fire. The white-haired old women, Bandtail and Snapper, sat on either side of Gill. They both looked angry. Gill, on the other hand, looked tired. He had a golden elk hide over his shoulders.

“Good evening,” Gill greeted them. “Please sit down and dip yourself a cup of tea.”

Halfmoon sat on the buffalo hide near Bandtail. Though his vision was fading, he could still make out her bulbous nose and puckered mouth. She looked like she wanted to spit upon him for calling this late council session.

Gill gestured to Halfmoon. “Since you called us together to talk about your granddaughter’s dreams, Halfmoon, please begin.”

Halfmoon reached for the wooden cup and dipped it into the tea bag hanging on the tripod at the edge of the fire. The scent of tundra wildflowers rose. “Forgive me for being late. I’ve been speaking with our warriors most of today; then I met with my daughter, our Spirit dreamer, before coming here. She tells me that my granddaughter, Twig, is now studying with Screech Owl.”

A sour expression came over Bandtail’s face. “Yes, so?”

Halfmoon sipped his tea, stalling to allow them more time to think about what he’d just said. Their village had not sent a dreamer away to study for thirteen summers. It was a rare and important occasion, though the pinched expressions on Bandtail’s and Snapper’s faces told him they didn’t seem to grasp that fact.

He sat up straighter. “I know this council decided that we should not pack up and move our village, but I must tell you that Twig has been having powerful Spirit dreams that should make this council reconsider.”

“Bah!” Bandtail said. “She’s too young to have Spirit dreams. She is not even a woman yet.”

Halfmoon nodded. “I realize it is unusual for a child to have Spirit dreams so young. But do not forget that Cobia—”

Snapper interrupted, “Twig is not Cobia. Twig has always been a normal child. Cobia was terrifying from the instant you brought her here. If we’d been smart, we would have driven her away long before she had a chance to kill Minnow.”

“Yes,” Bandtail agreed. “Twig is just a girl. Power does not hover around her like it did Cobia.”

Gill held up a hand, asking for silence. “Please, before we make any judgments, perhaps we should allow Halfmoon to tell us what his granddaughter has dreamed.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.