Reaching out, Luna gently pulled Hawkeye forward. With the tenderness of a spring breeze, Hawkeye felt her warm lips touch his forehead and the world spun slightly. Smiling at him, she whispered, “Now, you must go. Part of your soul is now a part of the Chosen One’s. He is now as much your son as your firstborn. Prepare him for the future. Always remember you have our blessings and hopes.”
Standing slowly, Hawkeye bowed deeply before picking up Tatianna and willing himself home.
* * * * *
Once Hawkeye and Tatianna were gone five other beings entered the room.
When Minos spoke his voice was like boulders rolling down a mountainside. “You didn’t tell him everything.”
Gaul’s voice was even deeper when he asked, “Yes… why did you not tell him about Hodios the Wayfarer?”
The twins, Bromios and Steropes, came walking up the floating steps flanked by Cheiron. Before reaching the landing Bromios asked, “Yea…why didn’t you tell the mortals about our errant brother?”
It was Hecate who answered them. “One should always keep an ace up their sleeve. If they should fail or be captured, then his existence on the outside will still be a secret.”
The others nodded at this thought.
As Aurora spoke, she gestured with her hands. A small pool of water appeared in the center of the room. “The wheel is set in motion. We can only watch and hope.”
All eight of the gods gathered around the pool to watch as all of their hopes rested on the backs of two mortals.
Chapter 16
After his return from the spirit realm, Hawkeye’s reputation grew. Stories of his encounter with Blackfang at the Shrine and his meeting with the Gods had spread across the Highlands and even to the dwarven kingdom of Darkmoor. Less than a month had passed since his return before the remaining members of the Great Council, representatives from every tribe and emissaries from the dwarves had arrived at Itasca. They were all anxious to meet Hawkeye and Tatianna. Even the heavy snow would not keep them away. Hawkeye knew that if the dwarves of Darkmoor could hear of the coming of the Chosen One and where he was to be born, then Blackfang and his Dark Alliance must also know.
Troubled about the future, Hawkeye went to Red Crow’s lodge early one morning. It was a small lodge built near the eastern shore of the lake and slightly apart from the rest of the village. Approaching the lodge, Hawkeye stopped to study the old warrior’s totem pole. It had at least thirty eagle feathers; many of them dyed red. The top of his totem pole was crowned with the skull and horns of a minotaur, a truly fierce opponent as Hawkeye knew from experience. Numerous broken swords and shields lay at the base of Red Crow’s totem pole. Hawkeye shook his head in amazement; Red Crow was indeed a great warrior.
Before he could signal his approach, the old chieftain came out of the lodge. “Good morning, Wolflord. I was expecting you. Come… walk with me.” Without waiting for a reply, Red Crow strode toward the eastern arm of the mountain.
Joining him, Hawkeye had to rush to match the old man’s stride. “Good morning honored chieftain. How did you know I would be coming to see you today?”
Red Crow smiled. “You are a great warrior Hawkeye and one of your greatest assets is your unpredictable nature in combat but I have been around a long time. It was only logical that you would come to seek my assistance with your upcoming problem.”
Hawkeye accepted the compliment and explanation with a nod. He waited for the older warrior to continue as they hiked up the steep path of the nearby mountain.
After several minutes Red Crow asked, “You want my help with the Great Council to reorganize the Highlanders into one deadly army. Correct?”
A look of surprise crossed Hawkeye’s face. “Correct. How did you know?”
Red Crow stopped and turned to face him. The morning light shadowed his face in such a way that several of the scars on his face glowed red. “Because young Hawkeye, I was once in your moccasins and tried to do the same thing you are going to try.”
“What are you talking about?” Hawkeye asked thoroughly confused.
Pointing at a nearby rock, he commanded. “Sit and I will tell you a story about the past. It is said that history repeats itself. Well, it does.” Pulling out his pipe, he began to fill it.
“Anasazi and I are very old; far older than you would believe. At one time we traveled the whole of the land, warring against those who would harm our land. I remember this one time there was an evil mage that went by the name Cigam. He enslaved all of the lands around the southern village and set up residence in the Black Falls Fortress. He was a cruel and malicious man, who tortured and killed any who dared to challenge him. The Great Council didn’t do anything, turning their eyes elsewhere. They figured if they ignored him and left him alone, he would go away.”
Lighting his pipe, he blew the smoke skyward. “Anasazi and I disagreed. We went to the Great Council and asked them to band together under one leader and crush this upstart. They refused. None of them wanted to get involved.”
Turning to the cliff face, he gestured to the landscape below them. From their vantage point near the top of the small mountain, they could see for many miles. The sun was just rising over the eastern horizon, bathing the sky and the land in a beautiful red glow.
“I love the Highlands and I would risk anything to save it. This mage was endangering my home and my friends. I would be damned if I were going to let him do anything to my home without me doing something about it! So, since I was the Warlord of the Red Raven…”
Hawkeye interrupted. “But there isn’t a Red Raven tribe.”
Turning back to look at him, Hawkeye could see that Red Crow’s eyes were full of tears. “There was once. They all died in the assault on the Black Falls Fortress. The Red Ravens attacked from the air while your father led the Black Wolves in the attack from the ground. I was captured and probably would have died if not for Anasazi. After being beaten back, he called on help from some friends of ours; the legendary adventurers known as the Wings of Justice. They stormed in through Cigam’s weakened defenses, cornered him in one of the towers and after a pitched magical battle, killed him.”
Red Crow turned and looked back over the beautiful landscape below. The morning sun was above the horizon now and glinted off the white blanket of snow that covered the surrounding land. Several hawks were drifting effortlessly on the updrafts created by the nearby cliffs.
“I have been convinced all these years, that if the Great Council had backed me and allowed me to command the whole Highland Nation, we would have won and many a brave warrior wouldn’t have had to die in a futile but worthy assault on the fortress.”
Staring at the beautiful landscape below, Hawkeye absorbed what he heard. Then something in the story hit him like a lightning bolt. Reaching out quickly, he grasped the old warrior’s shoulder and asked, “What do you mean, my father lead the Black Wolves into the fortress?”
Looking deep into his eyes, Red Crow shook his head. “I see that Anasazi hasn’t told you.”
“What hasn’t he told me?” Hawkeye demanded.
The scrape of a boot on a rock came from behind them. Whirling around, Hawkeye dropped his hands to his weapons only to find the old shaman standing there.
“What is it that you haven’t told me?”
Ignoring the question, Anasazi walked up to his old friend. They grasped forearms in the traditional greeting of warriors. Red Crow looked at his old friend and said, “I’m sorry. I thought you had told him.”
“I had planned to but there never seemed to be the right time.”
“Well, now is as good as time as any.”
Anasazi nodded.
Red Crow turned back to Hawkeye. “If you still decide to pursue your current action, come to the Great Council tonight and I will back your bid. Forgive your uncle, he only did what he thought was best for you and your family.”
Puzzled by his words, Hawkeye remained silent. Red Crow walked to the cliff face and stepped off. Hawkeye move
d to the edge just in time to witness his transformation into a beautiful black raven.
Turning back to his uncle Hawkeye asked, “What was he talking about? And what’s this about my father leading the Black Wolves into battle?”
Sitting down on a large rock, Anasazi studied his nephew. He was so much like his father, his looks with his dark hair and eyes, his stance and his style of fighting. Even his attitude was a lot like his father’s also, his thinking, his curiosity and that damnable stubbornness. Finally Anasazi asked, “What do you remember about your parents?”
This question caught Hawkeye off guard for a moment. Shrugging his shoulders, “Nothing much, only stories. I know that my mother disappeared shortly after I was born and my father died in combat with the cyclops before I was born.”
Anasazi nodded at this. “Red Crow is right. It is time you know the whole truth.”
“What truth? What do my parents have to do with anything?”
“Everything. What you know about your parents is true, for the most part and it does have an impact on the future. There is a saying; ‘The past is the doorway to the future’ and if that is true, then your past will directly affect your future.”
Hawkeye sat down in front of his uncle and waited for him to continue. Anasazi lit his pipe with a magical word and took a deep draw on it before passing it to his nephew, who accepted with a silent nod.
“Long before I became a shaman, I was a wanderer. One day I came upon this land and fell in love with your people. I was adopted by the Chieftain of the Black Wolf and became blood brothers with your father. We were the best of friends, nearly inseparable. At that time, we were the largest and most powerful pack in the whole wolf tribe. Our pack alone was larger than the other five wolf packs combined. Your father was a great warrior, yet one day he disappeared while hunting. He was gone for ten days and nights, leaving no tracks or signs that anyone could discover. On the eleventh day, he came stumbling back into camp and told us a story of being seduced by the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She had taken him into her bed for nine straight nights. He was never the same after that. He was still the fearless warrior of his youth but his heart was no longer with us, it was with that mysterious woman. Slowly he returned to his normal self until nine months later on the night of the spring equinox, your mother returned.”
Pausing to take another drag on the pipe, Anasazi’s eyes were full of tears and his voice broke slightly with the flood of emotions he was feeling. “You are so much like your father. You have his looks, his walk, his mannerisms, and so…” Pausing, Anasazi swallowed loudly. “So does your brother.”
Hawkeye’s jaw dropped as the world spun. “I have a brother?”
“Yes you do.” Anasazi told him quietly.
Hawkeye jumped up. “This is great! Where is he? Why haven’t I met him before?”
“You have met him. He has tried to kill you before.”
A puzzled look crossed Hawkeye’s face. “You don’t mean….”
Placing a hand on his shoulder, Anasazi spoke the words that Hawkeye didn’t want to hear. “Blackfang. Your brother is Blackfang.”
A wave of anger swept over Hawkeye and he jabbed his right index finger into Anasazi’s chest. “You mean to tell me, that the monster that killed my wife and kids, that left me to die and raped the woman I love is my brother! And you couldn’t have told me this before now!”
“I know this is a great shock to you but let me finish my story.”
Although Hawkeye was extremely angry, he forced himself to sit down and listen to the old man. Anasazi watched and waited as his nephew regained control of his emotions.
“Your mother was indeed beautiful. She had long black hair and pale white skin. I remember her wearing a white silk gown and carrying the eagle-headed staff. She didn’t speak a single word. She just walked right through the gathering, carrying the two of you. The warriors in our pack parted for her. She walked right up to your father, placed both of you in your father’s arms. Flashing him a brilliant smile, turned and walked out into the night.”
Anasazi looked to the heavens as if he was reliving those days. “Your father held the both of you for several minutes. I remember him kissing you on the forehead before he handed the two of you to me. Turning, he raced off into the darkness after your mother and never returned. We found his body several days later among the corpses of seventeen goblins and two jotens. Your mother was never seen or heard from again, the only evidence she had ever existed were the two of you and her eagle-headed staff which we found stuck in the ground next to your father’s corpse.”
Turning back to look at his nephew, his eyes were full of tears. “It was then that I decided to leave the ways of war behind me and become a shaman. I took you both with me to raise as my own. When you were two, the Great Council forced me to relinquish my parental rights to the both of you. According to tribal customs, a shaman is not allowed to have a family. So, I put the both of you up for adoption. Your brother was adopted by an old friend who was the warlord of the Black Wolves while you were adopted by the chieftain of the White Wolves.”
Hawkeye could see the pain this confession was causing his uncle and slowly his anger began to melt and fade away.
Anasazi continued. “I had planned to tell you both of your true heritage on your day of manhood but the Great Council forbade me to do so. They were concerned that the two of you would go off in search of your mother. They didn’t want to lose two valuable warriors. Then, Blackfang and the Black Wolves fell prey to the darkness that is slowly engulfing our land and the rest you know. After what Blackfang did to your family, I couldn’t bring myself to tell you the whole truth. Red Crow supported your claim for vengeance only if the Great Council allowed me to tell you the truth. They agreed but made me promise not to tell you for at least a year but you have been traveling the whole of the Highlands for the last three years, so I haven’t had the chance to tell you until now.”
Anasazi lowered his head in shame. “Now you know the whole truth.”
Standing slowly, Hawkeye walked over to the edge of the cliff. Several hundred feet directly below him lay Itasca. It looked so small from this height, yet it was now his home. After the death of his family, he had been on the hunt constantly but this one place had always remained constant. He had always had a place to come back to. His thoughts drifted back to the monster that was responsible for so many deaths of his loved ones and friends. Did it really matter that he was his brother?
Hawkeye shook his head. “No! A man is defined by his actions not his blood!” Forcing a weak smile, he turned back to his uncle. “I’m not angry at you anymore. You did what you thought was right. It doesn’t matter to me that Blackfang is my brother; his actions have made him a monster. He has chosen his path and I have chosen mine and it seems that our paths are destined to cross. Given the chance I will stop his reign of terror. We have met twice; he won our first encounter while the second was a draw. The third will be our last; only one of us will walk away from our next meeting.”
Anasazi stood slowly and embraced his nephew. “I know that must be a hard decision but I believe it is the right one. I told the Council you were more than you appeared to be.”
Hawkeye’s face grew solemn and his voice grew cold. “The Great Council is another matter. We are about to lock horns. It might not be wise to side with me on this. I’m sure to make many enemies tonight.”
“Do not fear for my safety. I’ll be okay. I am behind you in any decision you make.” Slapping him on the shoulder, “Besides, if I’m not around, who is going to take care of your bride and your son?”
Hawkeye raised an eyebrow in an inquisitive look. “Bride? Do you know something I don’t?”
Anasazi shook his head. “No, but you can’t blame an old man for hoping.”
Heading back down the mountain path together, they laughed and smiled the whole way. By the time they reached the village, Hawkeye was in a good mood. They parted company at the gate, Anasa
zi went to the medicine lodge to get ready for the meeting of the Great Council and Hawkeye went in search of Tatianna and found her in the Cave of Luna. Hawkeye stopped when he saw her floating in mid air about four feet above the altar with her legs crossed and eyes closed. Her lips moved slowly as if she was chanting or singing to herself. Her arms were lying on her knees while her sword was floating about a foot away unsheathed with the hilt toward her and the point toward the heavens.
Gently clearing his throat, Hawkeye waited and watched. A crooked smile came across her as she slowly floated down to rest on the altar. Turning to look at him, the cave suddenly echoed with her musical laughter as Tatianna got a good look at his face. “What? Don’t tell me that my brave wolfman is scared of a little levitation?”
“No, not really. It’s just a little unnerving. How? Never mind, why do you do that?”
“It’s just a way of meditating. I feel closer to Aurora that way.” She pointed at the surrounding cave. “This place is a natural crossroads of the Weave. I can access it easily from here. Watch!”
Wiggling her fingers, like she was knitting thread or weaving rope there was a slight popping noise. A split second later a beautiful white rose appeared in her hand. Walking over to Hawkeye, she tucked it into his headpiece. Suddenly reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down and kissed him.
Slightly shocked, Hawkeye felt the softness and warmth of her lips as they pressed against his. Responding immediately, he gently wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. He let his love and passion for her overwhelm him as he returned the kiss. After several minutes, Tatianna gently broke the kiss.
Reluctantly Hawkeye released her and asked, “Not that I’m complaining but why did you do that?”
Tatianna again flashed him that crooked smile he loved so much and said, “Because I wanted too; and so did you but you are bound by certain customs that prevent you from doing something so bold.”
Tales of the Wolf: Book 01 - The Coming of the Wolf Page 18