by Dinah McCall
“No. I go, too. I have to. You can’t hear them and I can.”
He pulled her into his arms and then held her close.
She could feel the rapid beat of his heart against her breasts. He was afraid, and so was she, but instinct told her this was all part of the plan.
****
Three days passed and there was still no message from the boys. What if they sent the message and she had not heard it? What if Bazat killed them before they could get away? She was sick with worry, and also, beginning to be physically sick.
She had not bled since all this began, not in Layla’s time or in this one, and now she was beginning to feel sick every morning when she woke up.
Morning sickness. Cayetano had been right. She was pregnant, but she wasn’t going to announce it. In time, people would figure it out for themselves.
Cayetano was happy to keep this news between them. In the eyes of all around them, they would see this as his child, and in his heart, it would always be so. Nothing else mattered.
For Layla, the thought of a baby was both exciting and frightening. Before Firewalker, it wouldn’t have scared her. There had been hospitals, and doctors and nurses who knew what they were doing. Here it would be left up to her and whatever servants happened to be around. But, countless women had given birth since the world began, and countless would afterward. Any way she looked at it, it was still a blessing.
To pass the time, she thought of what she could do toward helping change the face of this lifestyle without interfering in the natural progression. Back on old earth, she’d been a school teacher. She decided that had not been an accident, either. She would need to teach these people new ways. It was good she knew how.
Excited about creating what would amount to a school here, she began planning what to use as educational tools and prayed a sign from the boys would come soon.
On the morning of the fourth day, Acat appeared with a small boy in hand. The skin on his shoulders and the bridge of his nose was not as brown as the rest of his body; obviously new skin. He was thin and listless, and his eyes welled continually, but it was his silence that had worried Acat most. He ate only what she put in his mouth and showed no interest in feeding himself. It was as if he was willing himself to die. She didn’t know what to do and slipped into Layla’s quarters, hoping for answers.
Layla heard the footsteps approaching, and when she saw the expression on Acat’s face and the little boy at her side, her heart skipped. She knew Acat was caring for the child she’d carried into the portal and she had wanted to meet him. It appeared today was the day.
“Good morning, Acat. I see you brought me a visitor.”
Acat dropped her head. “He does not eat and is too sad for a child to be. I am sorry, Singing Bird. I do not know what else to do.”
“Bring him to me,” Layla said, and when he stopped at her knee, she lifted him onto her lap and waved Acat away and lapsed into English.
“I am so glad to finally meet you. We came into this place together. Do you remember?”
Tears were rolling down his face. He shook his head and never looked up.
“How old are you?”
“I am eight. I was going to be in the third grade.”
“Where did you live?”
“Tahlequah, Oklahoma.”
“Tahlequah! That was a beautiful part of Oklahoma. Are you Cherokee?”
He nodded.
“Will you tell me your name?”
“Yuma Littlehawk.”
“I’m very glad to meet you, Yuma. That’s a good name. Do you know who I am?”
He shuddered; fighting back tears. “Daddy said your name was Layla Birdsong. He said we had to go with you, but I didn’t want to go. I wanted to stay home,” then he covered his face.
Layla felt his grief as sharply as if it was her own. She already feared the answer, but had to ask.
“Where is your daddy, Yuma?”
He began to sob. “He died in the camp when we were waiting for you to come.”
The answer shocked her. She couldn’t imagine how sad and afraid this child had been.
“And yet you waited alone?”
“Daddy said we had to go with you. I am eight. It was my time to be a man. Some people fed me and gave me a ride. But when we walked, I walked alone.”
The pain in her own heart grew stronger as she pulled him against her chest, and began to rock back and forth in a slow, gentle motion.
“Are you all that’s left of your family?”
He nodded.
“Want to know a secret?”
For a few seconds, he was silent, and then he nodded.
She put her lips against his ear. “So am I.”
She watched his eyes widen as he looked at the elegance of her clothes and the luxuries in this room that were hers alone, and saw the confusion.
“Yes, I belong here, but I also belonged there where you lived. I was born to lead the Last Walk. My grandfather was all the family I had left and he was with me. But he was killed as I fought the people who tried to hurt us. And so I stood alone at the portal as everyone went through. I had no one with me, either, and then I saw you coming. You were also alone and when you fell and didn’t get up, I ran to help you. We came into this place together, so that makes us a kind of family, don’t you think?”
She paused, watching the expressions coming and going on his face. He was interested, that she could see.
“What do you remember of the Last Walk?”
“I wanted water and there was none,” he said softly.
“I know. It was terrible, wasn’t it? What else do you remember?”
“The sun burned me even though my skin was brown. It never did that before.”
“It wasn’t the sun, Yuma. It was a meteor that fell from the sky we called Firewalker. Did you ever study about the stars and the planets in school?”
“Yes. I remember Ursa Major. That means Big Bear, doesn’t it?”
She nodded as she smoothed down the hair on his head.
“Do you like living with Acat?”
He shrugged and looked down at his hands.
“I know she’s not your family, but she was very nice to you, wasn’t she?”
He nodded.
“I know no one can take your daddy’s place in your heart, just like I’ll never forget my grandfather. His name was George Begay. He was Navajo.”
Yuma was listening again.
“Would you like to meet Cayetano? He is my husband here, and he’s also the chief of Naaki Chava. He is a good man. You don’t have to be afraid.”
He shrugged, but slid off her knee and then waited for her to get up.
She hid a smile as she took him by the hand.
“I had a tribe and a clan, but it is gone. You had a tribe and a clan, but it’s gone, too. One day, we will all be of the same tribe and clan, but for now, I think you and I need to make a new one. We are alone, like a lobo wolf. Do you know what that means?”
“A lobo is a wolf without a pack,” Yuma said.
“Right, so if you don’t have a clan and I don’t have a clan, we could be the wolf clan, but only if we stuck together.”
His eyes widened. “The wolf is a totem for the Cherokee.”
She gave his hand a slight tug. “It’s up to you. What do you think?”
He nodded. “I think that would be good.”
“You know that means you could live with me, if you wanted to, but first we’d have to thank Acat for all the good care and food she gave you.”
He nodded.
“So, let’s go talk to Cayetano. He will want to meet the newest member of our family, for sure.”
Yuma Littlehawk was no longer crying. The tears were still there, but they were drying, and when he walked at Layla’s side, there was just the slightest of bounce to his step.
****
The Shamans had asked for a meeting with Cayetano. The moment they started talking, it was all he could do to hide his sh
ock.
“One at a time,” he ordered.
Chak was the first to speak.
“For three sleeps, I have been dreaming about the Little War-Gods, the twins of Sun and Earth Mother.”
Cayetano hid his surprise. Twins, like Singing Bird had seen.
Naum, another Shaman, spoke up. “They are among us. I know this because I saw them as I slept, standing at my feet.”
“I did not see them, but I felt their passing,” Ah Kin said.
Cayetano looked to the last, a man called Chak, who remained silent.
“What of you, Chak? Have you seen the Little War-Gods?”
He frowned. “No. I did not dream them. I did not see them. I did not feel their passing. I don’t believe this is so. It is nothing but fear brought on by the coming of the New Ones in our midst.”
Cayetano leaned forward. “What of the New Ones? They are but more of our people. Just because you do not know their faces does not mean you should be afraid. You heard Singing Bird’s words. Do you doubt her truth?”
Chak knew any wrong words could mean losing his head.
“I do not fear them, but I don’t think they should be here. It makes more mouths for us to feed.
“We are not short of food now, and we will not be short of food in the time to come. We have been planting more for the last five seasons and storing it because two of you predicted that many strangers would come. Have you forgotten that?”
Chak refused to look at the other shamans as he continued.
“I do not doubt that your woman believes what she said. But I doubt that it is true. Firewalker only spits and fumes. Firewalker would never destroy the world.”
Cayetano frowned. “And how do you know this? Are you greater than these three? Are you wiser than a woman who has been where none of us have been? Singing Bird was not talking of next season. She was not talking of our next generation. She talks of thousands of years into a future we cannot see.”
Chak forgot to be cautious. “Once you were our chief and now you let your woman speak for you.”
Cayetano stood up. “She does not speak for me. She spoke for the thousands she brought with her. You saw their burns. They walked through Firewalker’s fire. You saw her scars. She came back a red feather warrior. She has killed her enemy. Are you her enemy? If you are, be warned. She does not take prisoners, and I do not take to threats against my woman.”
Chak felt the blood draining from his face.
“I am the enemy of no one. I read the stars. I see the people of Naaki Chava as strong and brave.”
Cayetano looked at the other three. “Do you hold his thoughts as your own?”
They shook their heads in unison and glared at Chak for being a fool.
Cayetano looked into each man’s eyes, looking for signs of deception.
“I have heard your words. We will watch for the twins. If they come into our midst, then I will believe that we are being blessed by Sun and Earth Mother. It would be a great honor if they have given their twins into our care,” Cayetano said.
“As do I,” Ah Kin said.
“As do I, Chac said.
“As do I, Naum said.
Chak hesitated. “As do I,” he said, but the hesitation was a moment too long.
He had lied and they knew it. And if a man lies about one thing, he will lie about another.
They were walking out the door as Singing Bird entered with a child.
They nodded cordially, anxious to get out of sight before Cayetano told her what had been said. If the truth be told, they were all afraid of her now; Chak more than the others, because he’d seen something in his dreams that none of the others had mentioned. She was with child, and it was going to be the ruin of their importance in Naaki Chava. That child needed to die, and if Singing Bird died with it, then that would be that.
Chapter Sixteen
The sight of Singing Bird sent the anger from Cayetano’s thoughts. He smiled at her, and then at the little boy hanging onto her hand. It was the first time since her return that he saw peace on her face. He was grateful, whatever the cause.
“Welcome. It is good to see happy faces.”
Layla arched an eyebrow. “Some are not happy?”
“Some are not, and it does not matter,” he said abruptly.
She stored the knowledge for when they were alone, and focused on the boy instead.
“So, love of my heart, I think you should know this boy. We both came into this place alone, and so we have decided to form our own clan.”
His smile widened. It was the boy Acat had been caring for. He had wondered how long it would take her to find him.
“Your own clan? Is this so?” he asked, looking down at the boy.
Yuma’s grip tightened, but he faced the great chief with a nod.
“How did you come to be alone?” Cayetano asked.
Yuma looked down.
Layla answered for him. “His father died even before the Last Walk began. He told me it was his time to be a man and so he made the walk alone.”
Cayetano’s opinion quickly shifted. The child was small, but he had a warrior’s heart. This was a big omen. He laid a hand on the top of the little boy’s head.
“That is a very brave thing,” he said softly.
Yuma nodded, but wouldn’t look up.
Cayetano decided it was time to change the mood.
“So, you and Singing Bird have formed a clan? What do you call it? Is there a place in it for me?”
Layla sighed. She should have known he would ‘get’ what was happening.
“Tell him, Yuma.”
“We are lobos. That means a wolf without a pack. We came to this place without our families so we made a family of our own.”
She quickly translated.
Cayetano felt a quick moment of pain knowing there was a part of Singing Bird he would never get back. She had given away a part of herself to Layla Birdsong, but he didn’t care. As long as he had just a piece of her heart, it would be enough.
“So, I, too, am a lobo,” he said. “My mother and my father are no more. I have no brother. I have no sister. I only have Singing Bird. Do you think I might join your clan?”
The boy’s eyes widened as Layla translated the chief’s words. The thought of the great chief being part of their clan was a big deal. He looked up at Layla.
She nodded her approval.
He puffed up his chest and threw back his head. “Yes, Cayetano, you can be in our clan.”
“Yuma says yes,” she said.
Cayetano tried hard not to smile. “I am grateful for the honor. Do you think we might walk to the marketplace and look for some sugarcane to celebrate?”
Again, Layla continued to translate for the both of them.
Yuma didn’t know what to think. “What is sugarcane?”
Cayetano shook his head. “You have much to learn about things that are good. It is a sweet food, like mango and berries.”
“I like berries,” Yuma said.
“Then you will like this, as well. Do we go?”
Layla felt like dancing for joy. Instead, she solemnly agreed.
“We go,” she said. “But with guards, I think.”
He frowned. So she’d already figured out something was wrong. He should have known.
“Yes, with guards.”
When the people in the marketplace realized that Cayetano and his woman were walking among them, it caused quite a stir. They had come with a child. Word began to spread that it was the boy Singing Bird had carried into Naaki Chava.
Cayetano went straight to the vendor who had chunks of the raw cane. The moment the man realized it was the chief, he puffed up with pride.
Cayetano pushed Yuma in front of him.
“See this boy. He is Yuma. He only has eight seasons, but he made the Last Walk all alone. He is a very brave boy from the wolf clan.”
The man eyed the boy. “All alone! That is a feat worthy of any great warrior. May I gift him wi
th my cane, Cayetano?”
Cayetano smiled. “That is why we came. He has never had this treat. Show him how it’s done.”
The man grabbed a chunk and stuffed one end into his mouth, chewing on it until it was soft, then sucking the juice from the pulverized stalk. A single drop of the sweet liquid stuck on his lip as he smiled.
“Like that,” he said. “You try.”
Yuma took one of the chunks and poked it in his mouth. By now, everyone in the market place was watching curiously. Yuma chewed on the end and sucked off the sweet juice; his eyes wide with delight. The people around him laughed.
Layla laughed with them. It felt good to be happy.
“You like it?” Cayetano asked.
“Yes,” Yuma said.
“So, we go. Thank you,” Cayetano told the vendor.
The man was still beaming as they moved away.
Cayetano continued their walk, showing him monkeys stealing fruit from the tables and the colorful macaws with wingtips trimmed, tied to perches and begging for treats.
Layla watched Yuma’s face and knew this was right. Cayetano said he would never be able to give her a child, so she’d given him one, instead. They didn’t know it yet, but these two would be bound at the heart by a love far stronger than the bounds of blood.
****
Acat became Yuma’s nursemaid. He slept on a mat at her side each night, satisfied that he had a place to belong, and during the day, prowled the palace either with Layla or Acat, learning every alcove and every hiding place. During their times of rest, Layla taught him the language of Naaki Chava and it was good for Yuma, but she was also uneasy. The lost boys had not spirit walked to her again, and she had not received a sign. Her heart was heavy, fearing the worst.
When morning came, she woke up to find herself alone. Cayetano had already begun his day and she had not. She dressed quickly, and was on her way to get Yuma for their first meal when she began hearing birds - all around her - above her, singing, singing, and there were no birds in sight.
It was happening! She ran for the throne room, calling Cayetano’s name as she went.
****