Soulmates Across Borders

Chapter 21

Now what? Pango asked.

Now, we go find out what the wise women have to say about us. But first, I want to go see if there are any remnants of my people's sacred wolf adornments that we can use in the funerals. I never got to see if they destroyed the high teneti. This will also make a good excuse for why I came here in the first place. If I can find some things, it will help with the funerals.

Let's go then.

So Solí and Pango entered the charred village and walked past all the burned tents until they made it to the center where Solí's family had lived. The teneti was charred, just like all the others. But she wanted to see if the sacred stashes of items had survived the fire.

She worked through the long morning hours, trying to untangle the burned deer hide of the teneti so she could get to the sacred adornments. While she worked, she thought about how unfair it was that the beastmen had destroyed her village. She knew deep in her heart that she would need to reconcile these feelings with Aer'ehk somehow. Her village was in ruins and five people had died because he followed the orders he was given, to come burn her village.

Finally, when she was sweaty from the heat and famished from skipping breakfast, she located the sacred adornments. She unrolled the charred wolfskin blankets to find that though the wolf furs were all ruined, inside, four wolf skulls were still white.

Tears of joy sprang from her eyes. She pulled them out and left the tangled remnants of her home to set the wolf skulls in the dirt outside of the charred tent. Then she went back in to see if the wolf tails were also intact.

She found them and to her disappointment, only one had survived the fire. But she found wolf teeth that were still white. Her fallen people would be able to be buried with wolf teeth necklaces. Four could wear the wolf skulls on their heads, and one could have the wolf tail. Without the wolf cloaks the funeral attire would be incomplete, but this was better than nothing.

She gathered up the teeth and slipped them into a deerskin pouch tied to her belt. Then she secured the wolf tail to her belt. She went back to grab the wolf skulls, and then she returned to the lilac field and set her skulls down so she could make a circle of flowers to take her back.

Will we go straight to Panui? Pango asked, still in his mist form.

Where else would we go?

Perhaps back to the beaver village to get Tokah?

Solí felt a sting of shame. She'd completely forgotten that she left Tokah in the beaver village. He had no idea where she had gone.

It's not like you are shunning him on purpose, Pango said.

I suppose that's true. I still want to go straight back to Panui to speak with Waiata. Solí sat in her circle and unlocked her mana with a rush of bliss. She spoke the words to turn herself to mist, and then she floated to her misty feet and took off toward the bear tribe's village.

When they arrived, she removed her mist makutu and went to the nohonga where Waiata had been sleeping, Pango right behind her. There was no one there. So she went to the high nohonga to see if her father was with the bear king.

She found the two men engaged in a lively conversation.

"Ah! Solí!" her father said, getting to his feet to come to her. "What have you brought?" He held out his hands, and she handed him two of the wolf skulls. "Where did you get these?" Her father was overjoyed to see the sacred adornments of their tribe.

"I returned to the village to see if any of our sacred adornments had survived the fire. There's wolf teeth too and this one wolf tail. Though there's no wolf cloaks, we can still adorn the bodies of our people for their funerals."

"This is great news," her father said solemnly. He took the skulls to the bodies of their people. Since there were four skulls, and five people had died, her father would need to decide who could have the skulls and who would wear the wolf tail. But everyone could have a necklace made of wolf teeth.

Solí set down the items and then said, "I need to go speak with Waiata about something important. Do you know where she is?"

"She's been spending time with the bear tribe's wise woman," the bear king said. "My shadowman will take you to her." He gestured to one of the shadowmen, who always stood watch over the king. The man came forward. He had black paint under his eyes and wore bear paws on his shoulders.

"Thank you for showing me the way," Solí said politely, and she left the high nohonga and followed the shadowman through the village to a large nohonga. They walked in, and Waiata and the bear tribe's wise women looked up.

"Hello, Solí," Waiata said.

"Hello." She nodded to the shadowman, who left.

Pango came in and sat down near Waiata, and Solí came in and found a seat near the wise woman. "Did you and the other wise women meet last night in your mo-ay mo-ayah dream?" she asked, her voice shaking.

Waiata nodded. "Manaia was there," she said, gesturing to the bear tribe's wise woman. "And just about every other wise woman of all the tribes of our nation."

Solí felt her chest tighten. So many people knew about her situation now.

"What do the wise women say about my beastman soulmate?" Solí asked, and then she braced herself to hear what Waiata had to say.

~*~

955 Words ~ 24414 Total