She let her play in her bead bag, which was filled to the brim with different colored stones and pretty things. Kii combed Mar-ee’s hair and helped her bathe in the river if mother was busy or wanted to spend time with father. Her sister was good to her in all things and Mar-ee knew at the tender age of four summers that this was a good thing.
She did not fear, she did not worry and she would not do so until her sister told her that she should. All things were good in this new land and Mar-ee was happier than she had ever known. So she settled down to play in the sand, waiting patiently for her family to return, glancing up now and then to find herself the center of attention under Kii’s watchful eyes.
Kii watched Mar-ee and thought about how well the little girl had adjusted to her new life in this valley. It was as if she was reborn, blossoming from the sad little girl who barely spoke, to this new child who bubbled with laughter on every occasion and knew without a doubt that she was loved by her family. Kii remembered the sick feeling she had gotten in her stomach when her mother had undressed the little one to bathe her and found Mar-ee’s back covered with old welts and bruises.
The little girl had been unaware of their horrified gasps, thinking only to splash in the water at her mother’s feet. Taikiuu lifted the child up, holding her close against her body until she squirmed to be put down and Kii stood there staring out into the distance, thinking of the cruel world that they had left behind. Mar-ee was a naturally jubilant child, prone to smiling and laughing at the simplest things.
But not only was she happy, she made others around her laugh and smile by her words and antics. Kii had found that her sister was very good with speech and could talk for many hands of time about many different things.
Several times Kii handed the child off to Anaay or her mother hoping for a respite from the little girl’s constant chatter only to find that when she did get away she missed her more than ever. Jon’lan was also under Mar-ee’s spell and was often eager to spend time with the little one, teaching her about the new land they found, sharing in her childish antics.
Anaay was not immune to the little girl either and had a special place in his heart for her. She was constantly following him around, certain that she could go anywhere that he could and she also had a special way with Rhea.
The panther seemed to sense that Mar-ee was still a baby in comparison to the other women. If Anaay did not watch her carefully Rhea would start to lick and clean Mar-ee as if she were a cub in her litter instead of a child of four seasons.
Anaay often carried Mar-ee high on his shoulder where she would hold onto his hair lightly for balance as he walked around with her perched there as if she were Hawk and he was Jon’lan. It was a game they played that Kii secretly adored. Even now Kii smiled to herself as she thought of Anaay knowing in her heart that he would make a wonderful father someday. This thought made her blush but she could not help but think of him in such a way.
Taikiuu cautioned her to be careful of her feelings since she had not yet come into her time as a woman, but Kii was unable to stop what had already been set in motion. She hoped as the season turned colder with each day that her woman’s time would come soon and Anaay might speak for her. Until then she would wait patiently.
Anaay set out ahead of Taikiuu though she trotted along behind and even as his own legs began to tire he sensed that she could easily continue. He turned to check on her and was not surprised to see that she was not even breathing hard, in fact, she seemed to be exerting very little energy in her efforts to reach Jon’lan.
Anaay was constantly amazed by both Taikiuu and Kii, because of the loss of the lives of so many women in his first band, he was not familiar with women at all. But Taikiuu and Kii still seemed to be exceptional women; he felt his face flame as he realized that he considered Kii a woman. Jon’lan had explained to him quite sternly that Kii was not yet a woman, even if she looked like a woman, she was still only a girl.
Anaay found this difficult to understand because although Kii was everything Anaay thought a woman should be her parents still considered her a girl. But Jon’lan had explained that with the People a girl was not considered a woman until she went into the woman’s lodge and stayed there for several days. Anaay had suggested that they build such a lodge so that Kii could become a woman and Jon’lan had only laughed with his shoulders shaking in mirth. Even as the day wore on this troubled Anaay and he wondered if perhaps he could ask Taikiuu. Walking at her side now, looking for any sign of Jon’lan he started to speak and then sighed when he realized that she could not answer him.
Seeing his discomfort Taikiuu tapped his arm lightly and shrugged her shoulders waiting for him to speak. They had not considered how they would communicate without Kii to translate, still Taikiuu had made an effort to learn a few words and she could say them clearly.
She waited for Anaay to speak and when he did not she tapped him on the arm again shrugging her shoulders once more and wiggling her eyebrows. This only served to make Anaay laugh though he quickly sobered as his mind went once again to Jon’lan, perhaps now was not the time to think of Kii. Still Taikiuu was stubborn and she needed a distraction, anything to keep her mind off of what could be happening to Jon’lan right now.
Anaay looked at Taikiuu, never breaking stride and finally the words came to him. “How can we make Kii a woman more quickly?” At her surprised expression Anaay guessed that Taikiuu had not been expecting such a question. He returned his gaze to the trail that they walked still looking for any sign of Jon’lan wishing now that he had kept his thoughts to himself.
Taikiuu thought about his words for several hands of time, the silence lengthened for so long that Anaay assumed that she either did not wish to answer him or could not do so in a way that he would understand. Finally just as he had given up she said, “Like Rhea.” Anaay waited but she did not continue and he finally asked, “How is Kii like Rhea? Rhea is a panther, a cat and she cannot be a woman.”
Taikiuu struggled to form the words and so she spoke but slowly, “Not yet woman.”
Anaay wanted to understand but he struggled with the concept. What was needed was a mate, once Rhea found another panther she would mate with him and produce a litter. Is this what Taikiuu meant? He spoke his thoughts aloud and then smiled when Taikiuu nodded.
“I would be Kii’s mate!” Anaay announced boldly, “But Jon’lan says she is still a girl even so.”
Taikiuu could not imagine how she could make Anaay understand that until a girl went through her first moon time she was not a woman. Therefore she could not be mated because she could not become a life giver until that time passed. It was too much to explain to the young man. Yet he waited for an answer. Finally she said, “Kii is not a woman yet. Wait for snow.”
Winter was still about three moons away. Taikiuu had noticed the budding of Kii’s body and the gentle curves of her hips, she was approaching her fifteenth winter and surely by then she would come into her time as a woman.
Anaay’s eyes lit as he understood Taikiuu’s meaning. Kii would be a woman by the time the snow fell and then he could be her mate, if she would have him. Taikiuu laughed to herself as Anaay stood taller, shoulders pulled back and chin held high, strutting ahead of her in joy. She was glad that she could bring a smile to Anaay’s heart, but as her thoughts returned to Jon’lan she could only feel fear trembling through her and she knew that she would feel this way until she was once again by his side.
Jon’lan was tiring due to the quick pace that they set but he noticed that Roark and the children were not even winded and without making comment they kept walking. Roark stopped only for a short rest and then he would usher them on. The baby had awoken and cried pitifully for several hands of time before the gentle sway of Yaa’s steps lulled him back to sleep. Jon’lan asked Yaa what was wrong with the baby and she only shrugged and looked to her brother who said, “He is a strong son, but he grows weak from hunger since his mother cannot feed him.”
Jon’lan nodded
in understanding feeling an ache in his chest as he thought of the infant’s fate should his mother die. The woman on the travois had not awoken though she had stirred and moaned aloud several times, but still she did not open her eyes. Jon’lan took the lead knowing that it would help Roark if he could keep an eye on his wife as he walked.
As they crested a rise Jon’lan gazed ahead and he made out the figures of two people walking towards him across the open plain. Even at this distance he could see the proud walk of Anaay and the graceful steps of his wife. His heart soared with happiness, they had received his message and had come to meet him.
Anaay also spotted Jon’lan, still he stopped when he saw the man and children. Sensing that there was no danger as Jon’lan smiled and raised a hand in greeting he allowed Taikiuu free reign and she took off, running to meet her husband.
Jon’lan set the travois down and clasped his wife to him, breathing in the soft scent of her silky hair and wrapping his arms around her small waist. It was so good to see her and he could tell she was overjoyed to see him as well. She checked him over for injury even though he assured her that he was fine. He explained that the people he traveled with had come through the passageway from her land and now the man’s wife had fallen ill. If Taikiuu desired to help the woman she would most likely also save the life of their small son, who still needed his mother’s milk.
Taikiuu immediately went to the woman whom she noticed was pale and bathed in sweat from her heated skin. She signed to Jon’lan and he asked the man how long his wife had been in this condition. Roark explained that it had been two days now that his wife had slept without waking. Taikiuu asked several more questions about the woman and her illness thankful that Jon’lan had learned so many signs in such a short time.
She knew that the man could understand her language if she could only speak fluently still she was grateful for Jon’lan’s help. He did not know all of her signs and so he waited for some instruction from her. He was startled when she said in a soft voice, “How long since baby?”
“More than eight moons have come and gone.” Roark answered quietly, equally startled that the Ada’na would deign to speak to him.
“Birth was good?” she asked while checking his wife’s head for injuries, he saw her wince when she discovered the bruise on Star Feather’s head and then she moved on.
“Yes, it was quick and the baby was born healthy.” Roark waited tensely for any further questions but when she asked nothing further he seemed to become more at ease.
Taikiuu motioned with her hands for the child and when Yaa looked at Giad for permission he nudged her and the little girl handed over the baby. Taikiuu removed the child's swaddling and she was glad to see that he was clean and so was the padding that covered his bottom. But she could see that he was hungry and that was something that she could not easily fix with the supplies she had on hand. With a child this young he needed his mother’s milk in order to survive, but she could not risk feeding the child until she knew why the mother was ailing.
If Star Feather had been awake she would have been in some discomfort as each breast was engorged with milk. Taikiuu was concerned with the woman’s fever and she asked Jon’lan with signs to bring cold water from the river. The young boy volunteered to do this once Jon’lan translated the words for all and they watched as he took off in the direction of the water. Yaa looked after him longingly but she was fascinated with the Ada’na and waited patiently to see what would happen next.
Chapter Seventeen
Jon’lan asked Roark to start a small fire and once that was done Taikiuu set about making preparations for a strong tea. He did not know all of the plants that she gathered from their travels, but he recognized willow bark when he saw it. Giad returned more quickly than Jon’lan thought possible with water from the stream.
The boy carried two big water bags that seemed to weigh half as much as him. Anaay helped him as he attempted to pour the water into the boiling bag that Taikiuu pointed out to him. She then mixed a tea and once that cooled she did her best to get the woman to drink it.
“What name?” she asked directing her question to Roark and he was taken aback once more by the woman’s ability to speak, her voice was pitched low as if she had not put it to much use and he could hear a slight accent to her words. He answered, though his voice came out as a mere whisper. “Her name is Star Feather.”
Taikiuu leaned over the woman who stubbornly refused to drink the tea and said firmly, “Star Feather drink.”
She repeated this several times as she tipped the cup up to Star Feather’s mouth and waited for her to swallow. To Roark’s surprise after several attempts his wife began to swallow though her eyes remained closed. He heard a soft moan and even though this sound was one of pain it gave him hope. Taikiuu smiled to herself as the woman swallowed the warm tea, her skin was hot to the touch and Taikiuu could think of no way to cool her. The afternoon sun was scorching hot and as she looked around she could see that they were well situated in the coolest place possible under the shade of the trees.
The only sound besides the small fire was the rush of the nearby river. Finally an idea came to her, but she had never tried it before and it seemed drastic even to her. Jon’lan sensed her anxiety and she told him with signs that she could see no other way to cool the woman except to fully immerse her in the nearby stream. She asked Jon’lan to lift the travois and started off toward the sound of the river. Roark was quick to do her bidding, careful of his unconscious wife as they lifted the carrier and followed after the Ada’na.
Taikiuu found a good place to enter and walked into the water which swirled up to her waist in icy torrents. Jon’lan gritted his teeth at the unexpected chill of the water remembering that only a few days ago when he had taken Taikiuu as his wife the water had been warm.
He trusted her skill as a medicine woman and if she wanted to have Roark’s wife enter the river she must have a good reason. Taikiuu had never tried anything so drastic to bring down a fever before, but she hoped that this would work. The woman was obviously suffering from some form of sickness, but by looking at her Taikiuu could not identify the problem. It was possible that she was simply exhausted, but Taikiuu could not be sure.
In her short life she had seen many things, but most people who went into a sleep that they could not awake from simply died. She assumed the first cause was starvation, without nourishment the person simply wasted away. She did not have all of the answers and her first thought was to break the fever and wait for the woman to awake on her own.
Roark stood silently gently lowering the carrier until his wife was covered by the water, he watched as the Ada’na supported Star Feather’s head, not allowing the woman to be completely submerged.
Star Feather began to shiver violently and Taikiuu also felt the chill of the water but she did not allow the men to retreat until she was satisfied that Star Feather was no longer burning with fever. When Jon’lan and Roark were both shivering Taikiuu motioned that they could leave the water.
The warmth from the sun quickly dried their garments but Taikiuu planned to settle Star Feather close to the fire so that the woman would not be too chilled. When they returned to the makeshift camp Taikiuu was grateful to see that the little girl had kept the tea over the fire pit.
Both men helped to settle Star Feather close to the fire. Taikiuu made quick work of removing the woman’s wet clothing and wrapped her in warm blankets. Her hope was to bring down her fever and discover the source of the sickness.
Roark waited until they were all settled around the fire and then he asked the couple if his wife would live. Jon’lan started to relay the message to Taikiuu and then stopped himself, realizing that she understood the man’s words perfectly, there was absolutely nothing wrong with her hearing. He waited for her to answer and smiled when she bowed her head in acknowledgement of Roark’s words. Jon’lan remembered the nights when he held her close to him under their blankets and she had begun to tentatively whisper h
er words to him. If she spoke too quickly the words would become jumbled, but Jon’lan encouraged her to practice.
He explained that because she had not spoken aloud since her sixth summer she was simply out of practice. His wife seemed pleased with the notion and each night insisted on practicing her new words much to his delight. All eyes turned to Taikiuu as she stood and rounded the fire, lowering herself next to Roark.
“Wife has fever, burning sickness.” Taikiuu paused to collect her thoughts. How could she best explain that it could be several things that caused the woman to sleep without waking? How could she tell this man that his wife may wake at any moment or not at all?
“We will wait, we will see.” After Taikiuu finished speaking she briefly bowed her head before rising and returning to sit at Jon’lan’s side. Taikiuu was unaware of her grace and poise. Each word from her mouth was something that each person around the fire strained to hear. She was unaware of her affect upon the group; it was as if just because she said the words, they would be so.
Jon’lan touched his wife at the small of her back offering her comfort as much as her nearness comforted him. Yaa and Giad settled themselves as close to Star Feather and Roark as possible. Taikiuu held out her arms for the little one and Yaa gladly relinquished her burden.
Though Taikiuu had been present at several births, as was the Ada’na’s place with her people, she had never held a young baby such as this. She carefully removed his swaddling and smiled in delight as he looked at her. Once his legs were free he gladly began to kick and squirm and Taikiuu could see that he was a healthy baby.
Keeper of the People (Book One) Page 20