{"id":980,"date":"2019-05-05T00:02:53","date_gmt":"2019-05-05T06:02:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/council-of-fools.com\/blog\/?p=980"},"modified":"2020-08-08T18:19:08","modified_gmt":"2020-08-09T00:19:08","slug":"line-in-the-snow-part-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/council-of-fools.com\/blog\/line-in-the-snow-part-6\/","title":{"rendered":"Line in the Snow: Part 6"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The storm had subsided a bit and the morning sun had begun to peek through the clouds. In this new light, Makkitu\u2019q could see the the remains of shiver corpses scattered all around the WayMound. They had already began the process of dissolution before the sun. They dissipated, tuning into a black, oily vapor which seeped away, into the air, fading into nothingness. There was no sound to it, nor any smell. The senses were devoid of any real evidence of it happening except for sight. The snow remained stained, for a while, sprayed with the tar-like nastiness that passed for blood, or whatever vitals, the things once contained. Even that would have quietly faded from existence by time the sun was high in the sky. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She looked over at M\u2019nwtsa, who sat beside her. They were wrapping their drum and humming some song that Makkitu\u2019q thought seemed familiar but she couldn\u2019t quite recognize. It was soothing, whatever it was. Returning her attention to the fading shivers she let out a heavy sigh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSoon,\nit will be like it never happened,\u201d she mused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

M\u2019nwtsa looked up at her and then\nacross the shiver covered snow and nodded. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s\nweird,\u201d They offered. \u201cThe curious thing about fighting shivers is that\nsometimes, when it\u2019s all said and done, there is not much that remains that\nshows the the monsters even existed. Though I think there is a poetry in it.\nThe world is always working to cleanse itself. It\u2019s a reminder that healing\nwill come. When healing comes, it is worth it to remember that there are often\nscars. Likewise, even though the shivers are gone, evidence of the battle\nalways remains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\nhave to look for the secondary signs. Look for things like places where the\nvegetation has gone brown and sickly from exposure to the creatures. There will\nbe places where they have torn up the ground and sundered stone with their\nbizarre claws and clumsy motions across the ground. Look also for the terrible\nwounds that they leave on the bodies of their victims. Of course, there are\nalways the nightmares.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNightmares?\u201d\nMakkitu\u2019q questioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes,\nyou know. The nightmares that come to those who survive. Haven\u2019t you ever had\nthem?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA\nfew, maybe, I guess. But not more than usual.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve probably always been behind the walls or someone else did the ugly part of the fighting. You haven\u2019t really had to stand. I don\u2019t mean that as an insult. When you get in there, face to face with them, tooth and nail, the nightmares always come. They remind survivors of the horrors they overcame that night. They remind you that you could have failed. Sometimes they show you what would have happened as if you had <\/em>failed. Over and over and over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou have to speak a dream like that to someone, or it will become w\u00f3\u010dha\u014bte\u0161i\u010da<\/em>, what some people call sorrow. This is why the stories are important. They let us know we can win and what we fight against. Without them, people would be caught unawares by the shivers. Some still are. They would have no tools to fight them and they would be taken in the night. We would only know that people went missing and never know the reason. That\u2019s the way it used to be before we began to share the nightmares. We learned that when enough people are having the same nightmares then there is something to be dealt with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank\nyou for the reminder.\u201d Said Makkitu\u2019q as she knelt beside M\u2019nwtsa to help them\nwith the drum. \u201cWe did not get to talk last night. . .\u201d She began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\u201d\ninterrupted M\u2019nwsta. \u201cBut we did sing together and you received my song. There\nis knowing in that. You stood atop the hill with your bow, beside me, and slew\nshivers. You never questioned my song. There is knowing in that. You shared joy\nand lifted your voice with me when the sun awakened. That too has knowing. From\nall of these things I have a sense of you. I know that I would stand with you\nagain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Makkitu\u2019q thought about their words and\nnodded. \u201cYes,\u201d she agreed. \u201cThank you for your song. I too would stand with you\nagain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood!\u201d\nM\u2019nwtsa smiled. \u201cAnd now we have talked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Makkitu\u2019q smiled back. That seemed like an\nend to the conversation. She respected the drummer\u2019s space even though she had\nwanted to ask them so many more questions about their medicine path and what\nwas it like to study with Ayalo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She helped M\u2019nwtsa carry the drum down the hill\nto the sled where the wicate-wa were bouncing about chasing each other. They\nhad already packed the sled full of stuff. She watched as the drummer carefully\naffixed the drum to the sled, treating with the tenderness that someone might\ngive an infirm elder. It reminded her of things she heard last night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe ones who traveled last night, said they could hear your song and your drum in Dream. How is that possible? I did not know one could make a thing happen in one world that could be experienced in another.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

M\u2019nwsta stopped working on the drum\nand gave Makkitu\u2019q a curious look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll\nthings affect all things, everywhere. You know this. You can connect to the\nMysteries. You said words that changed the lances so that they were more\ndangerous. Your words from here changed the lance\u2019s world, which in turn\nadversely affected the world of the shivers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTrue,\nbut that\u2019s not the same,\u201d countered Makkitu\u2019q. These things were all in the\nsame space and what I did was small.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\u201d\nsaid M\u2019nwtsa. \u201cYou saw them all in the same space. The truth of the flow of\nthings is that all things are made of overlapping worlds and small things in\nrelationship. If you can learn to see the overlap and understand the\nconnections of the small things, then you can create results where you wish to\ncreate results.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Makkitu\u2019q pondered these words in silence\nfor a moment, then worked to assist M\u2019nwtsa in affixing the drum to the back of\nthe sled. As they did so, BrownFox came to talk to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Hey!” She called out. “How are you two doing? I haven\u2019t seen either of you rest since the battle ended.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\ntold Nergui that I\u2019d ride on the sled and rest a bit as we traveled.\u201d Offered M\u2019nwtsa.\n\u201cHow is she doing by the way? How\u2019s the arm?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\nset it and instigated mending in the bones. She\u2019ll be fine in no time. Both she\nand Tu\u2019Urok have survived much worse injuries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She turned to Makkitu\u2019q with compliments. \u201cYour blessing\non the spears certainly made the difference last night. Without you we would\nhave never spotted the Y\u2019yahila until it was too late. Tu\u2019Urok and Dal have\nboth recommended to Ja\u2019qolimaq that he offer you places in his band on the\nline.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMe?\nOn the line?\u201d Makkitu\u2019q uttered a nervous laugh. \u201cMy stomach is still in knots\nfrom one night of this. I\u2019ve helped to slay one or two shivers here and there,\nbut never made a stand like that. I don\u2019t think that\u2019s my place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BrownFox smiled at her. \u201cYou\u2019d be a fine asset to any band.\nThe fact that you feel the effects of the fight in your belly says that you are\naware of your limits. That\u2019s a good attribute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHowever,\u201d\nshe continued, brushing loose snow from her hood. \u201cI believe you are correct in\nthe thought that the Line is not your place. I would actually like you to come\nwith me. Both of you, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith\nyou?\u201d questioned M\u2019nwtsa. \u201cWhere? Just us? Are the others coming.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo\nWisdom Keeping Temple,\u201d explained BrownFox. \u201cAnd no, they won\u2019t be with us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe\nTemple?\u201d M\u2019nwtsa returned. \u201cShouldn\u2019t we be prepping for the The Line?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis\nwould be prepping for The Line. Nergui told me you saw a Strand last night. The\nthing she called a Strangle. We need to deal with it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat weird, dark, threadlike shiver? It fled didn\u2019t it?\u201d Makkitu\u2019q recalled, looking to M\u2019nwtsa for comfirmation. They shrugged. \u201cI don\u2019t know. I was drumming.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes! That thing! It\u2019s not actually a shiver.\u201d BrownFox corrected as she pulled her bags and blankets from the sled. \u201cIt\u2019s far, far more dangerous than any of the shivers we slew last night. It\u2019s the smallest piece of one of the Sorrows. A Sorrow who is supposed to be imprisoned not far from the Temple. We\u2019re going to need some help and we\u2019ve been directed to seek it at the temple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWouldn\u2019t\nit be better to hunt the thing down and kill it?\u201d countered M\u2019nwtsa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BrownFox stopped to look at the drummer. She tilted her head and looked off into the distance in consideration. \u201cPerhaps, but I don\u2019t think this is the only one. If our sources are correct, it definitely <\/em>isn\u2019t the only one, and that would be a deadly underestimation for us. Besides, I\u2019m a decent tracker, I know you are too, but I doubt either of us could track a strand of hair through snow. Not to mention, there\u2019s going to be a lot more snow before this is over. So, we need people who are used to hunting bizarre, impossible stuff in the deep snow. Those people we\u2019ll find at the Temple\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d\nsaid Makkitu\u2019q. \u201cI\u2019ll go. I\u2019ve always wanted to visit one of the Woe Temples.\nWho else is coming?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\nwill be six. Yourself, myself, M\u2019nwtsa, Nergui and two of the warriors whom you\ndidn\u2019t meet, who went into Dream with us, Megis and Ma\u021fp\u00edya Zi.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOn\nfoot?\u201d questioned M\u2019nwtsa<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes,\nfor a bit.\u201d The Dove explained. \u201cThe others will take the sleds back into town.\nIt\u2019s much easier for me to cover our tracks if we\u2019re on foot. Anything that\nmight be inclined to follow us will instead be drawn to the tracks of the sled\nand the larger group. Ok?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

M\u2019nwtsa and Makkitu\u2019q gave a resigned\nnod of affirmation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood! Nergui should be functional enough to move by midday, a\u014bp\u00e9\u010dhokaya<\/em>, so we\u2019ll head out then.\u201d With that, BrownFox turned and strode back up the WayMound to finish making plans with the others. The two watched her for a moment, then cast glances at each other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“So much for resting on the sled,” M’nwtsa sighed. The two friends then returned their attentions to now unpacking the sled they\u2019d just packed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The storm had subsided a bit and the morning sun had begun to peek through the clouds. In this new light, Makkitu\u2019q could see the the remains of shiver corpses scattered all around the WayMound. They had already began the process of dissolution before the sun. They dissipated, tuning into \u2026<\/p>\n

Continue reading<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":981,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Line in the Snow: Part 6. After a long hiatus, the adventure in Ehdrigohr continues.","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5,102],"tags":[47,52,112,7,95,26,94],"class_list":["post-980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ehdrigohr","category-fiction","tag-crows","tag-doves","tag-ehdrigohr","tag-fiction","tag-line-in-the-snow","tag-mysteries","tag-urali"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/council-of-fools.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/20160403_173143.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2cHuQ-fO","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/council-of-fools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/council-of-fools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/council-of-fools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/council-of-fools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/council-of-fools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=980"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/council-of-fools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/980\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":989,"href":"https:\/\/council-of-fools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/980\/revisions\/989"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/council-of-fools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/council-of-fools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/council-of-fools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/council-of-fools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}