Onio

by Jeppsen, Linell

  Mel swam into consciousness with a groan. Every muscle in her body ached, she was parched with thirst and her stomach writhed with hunger. However, she realized with sudden clarity that she was no longer ill. The fever was gone and the sinking feeling of imminent loss had disappeared.

  She opened her eyes and looked around at her surroundings. She was lying in a pile of furs on a pebbled beach. A small river, dotted here and there with chunks of ice, flowed nearby. Tall fir, pine and cedar trees on both sides of the river rose into the horizon. Their branches sparkled in the sunlight like diamonds.

  Nose twitching, Mel looked to her right and saw Onio bending over a campfire, a skinny, chocolate colored dog sitting by his side. The sasq held a long stick festooned with fish over the flames. She had never been a big fish eater, but the smell made her mouth fill with saliva.

  She didn’t know where they were or how long she had been unconscious, but she vaguely recalled being carried while Onio ran, and ran some more. She remembered looking up at his sweating, worried face, feeling his heart thunder with effort; she recalled weeping with fear.

  Mel wanted to thank him. Opening her mouth to speak she remembered the soul song and her heart leapt with joy. “Onio, hi.”

  Onio turned around with a start and the smile that lit his face was breathtaking. She had seldom seen such affection in anyone’s face besides her own mother’s. The dog seemed to grin as well as they walked over to where she sat. Mel smiled back.

  “You better now?” Onio asked. “The Botix worked?” He still held the fish in one hand as he stared down at her. She couldn’t take her eyes off the feast and she licked her lips. Onio’s eyes grew big and he said, “Good! You are hungry. You eat!” Plucking a fish off the end of the stick by its tail, he handed it to her.

  Mel started to bite into the fish’s hide, but the sasquatch snatched it away. “No…not that way! Like this, see?” He opened the fish wide from a cut in its belly. There were no bones that she could see. The flesh inside was firm and slightly pink. She picked at the meat. It was indescribably delicious.

  Mel, Onio and the dog sat on the rocky beach in companionable silence, eating the fish and drinking deeply of the icy water from the mountain stream. Mel felt an almost unbearable surge of happiness well up from deep inside her soul. She knew she had been very close to death’s door, and was triumphant in her survival. Petting the dog that leaned against her thigh Mel asked, “Who is this, Onio?”

  Onio looked askance at the dog and replied, “She says her litter name is Smiles, although the small humans that kept her prisoner called her Sadie. I did not ask her to come with us, but I don’t blame her for wanting to leave those people. They were unkind.” He ruffled the dog’s ears affectionately. The dog opened her mouth wide, grinning with glee.

  “Where are we, Onio? For that matter, what happened back in the cave?” Mel could only remember bits and pieces of that horrifying time, like watching fragments of a scary movie on TV. The last thing she recalled was Ironhands’s announcement that Onio was to be put to death.

  Onio looked into her eyes and shrugged. “My mother, Petal, happened. She cast a spell of belief over the tribes.” He seemed to struggle with the words. “You see, Petal cannot talk so well with the soul song, but she is very powerful in other ways. She made everyone believe that you and I were dead so we could escape.” He started to cry.

  Mel was shocked. “Onio, what’s wrong? That’s good isn’t it? What your mom did…it saved us!”

  Onio nodded, “Yes, we are saved, for now. But the others will know soon enough, I think.” He looked past her into the trees.

  “I ran fast and far. We are in Canada now…many miles north of the city of Spokane. I thought I was being careful…quiet…but yesterday we were spotted by one of the tribes’ scouts. I knew you needed to rest and recover your strength. Also, I needed food so I can run some more.” Onio hit his forehead. “See? I am stupid, careless. Now my mother will be put to death!”

  Mel’s heart pounded with dread but she touched the sasquatch’s shoulder. “Onio, come on now,” she murmured. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You did nothing wrong. You saved me and got me the medicine I needed…you even saved this dog!” Onio’s mighty shoulders were hunched in misery.

  “It’s not your fault that Petal tried to save her son,” she added. “Most good mothers would do whatever they could to save their child. I think its Ironhands’s fault. He’s greedy and used my presence as an excuse to seize power from your grandfather.”

  Onio stared at her in surprise. Mel blushed, whispering, “I wasn’t asleep when you and Rain were talking. I heard what she said.”

  Onio grinned. “I must learn to shield my thoughts from you, little human. You see through me like a clear pond!” He stood up and the dog spun around in an excited circle. “We must go now. Do you need to relieve yourself…do you need help?”

  Mel suddenly realized that she was clean. She didn’t know how long they had been on the run or how many days she had slept in a fevered delirium, but her skin felt scrubbed and her underclothes were sanitary. She stared up at the sasquatch.

  “Have you undressed me, Onio?” Her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment, and with the shame came anger. Mel glared at the astonished sasquatch furiously.

  “Of course,” Onio exclaimed. “A person cannot lay in their own filth! They will sicken and die. I would not have you die of waste poisoning, stupid girl!”

  Mel saw that Onio was angry now, too. He stalked toward the fire. The dog followed with her tail between her legs. Smiles cast a glance back toward Mel and then sat close to the sasquatch while he placed large rocks on the flames. His back was stiff with outrage. She sighed.

  “Onio,” she said. “I’m sorry. You were right to do that…and, I thank you for taking such good care of me. It’s just that…well, we small humans are modest. I was embarrassed for you to see me with no clothes on.”

  Onio turned around, staring at her with a frown of concentration. “Embarrassed…you would rather be dirty?”

  Mel shook her head. “No, definitely not…thank you.” She saw the anger melt from the big male’s face and started to smile, but froze at the expression of fear that suddenly filled his eyes. The dog started barking fiercely at something behind her.

  Onio picked up a long, wicked looking spear. The gentle young sasq transformed into something Mel didn’t recognize. His eyebrows slammed down into a dark, slashing “V” of rage and his lips pulled up and back as he bared his teeth at the threat.

  Scrambling to her feet, Mel stumbled to Onio’s side and stared down the creek bed. Two sasquatches approached. One was enormous with silver fur, and the other was handsome with bones and teeth braided into his mustaches. Mel breathed a sigh of relief. It was Bouldar’s guard, Wolf, and Onio’s father, Hunter.

  Onio did not put down his spear, however. In fact, he brandished it at the two males and roared, “Do NOT come any closer or I will kill you!”

  The sasquatches stopped. Hunter stared at his son for a moment and said, “Why do you raise your spear to us, my son?”

  Onio quivered with rage. “Son…do not dare call me son! You ceased to be my father when you left my mother and me so long ago! Have you come to take me back to your king? I will kill you first!”

  Hunter sighed, and looking down at the ground in front of his feet, he nodded. “Onio… First Son…I love you.”

  Mel saw Onio draw back in shock. The look of longing that came over the young sasquatch’s face was painful to behold. “Then why did you leave us?” he whispered.

  Now the older sasq looked angry. It looked to Mel as if every hair on the sasquatch’s body bristled. The dog laid its ears back and snarled.

  Wolf made a sharp gesture and uttered something aloud that Mel couldn’t hear. Smiles lay back down with a thump. “Where do you find these creatures, Onio?” he muttered. “They crawl to you like fleas to a bear!”

  Onio blushed. “I did not find this dog…she came to me
. She was being abused by the small humans!” Onio’s defensive tone of voice made Mel believe that this was not the first time Onio had picked up a stray. She wondered uneasily if she was just another stray the young sasquatch had picked up along the way.

  Hunter looked calmer now and Mel realized that Wolf’s off-hand comment was a diversion. If so, it had worked. Both father and son regarded one another in a friendlier manner. Hunter looked his son in the eye and said, “I left you and your mother in the hope of keeping you alive.”

  Onio gaped, exclaiming, “How did that happen? If anything, Mother and I were in more danger than ever without your protection!”

  Hunter was growing angry again. “Listen to me, you foolish boy! You and Petal were never in danger from the members of Bouldar’s tribe. It was Ironhands…always Ironhands that posed a threat. Bouldar and I knew that something needed to happen to keep him in check! It was Bouldar who sent me away…Bouldar who wanted me to stay close, to spy on his conniving brother. It broke my heart to leave my family!”

  Mel saw tears fall from Onio’s eyes as he gazed at the older male. “Is this true, Father? You didn’t leave us because you were ashamed of us?”

  “Ashamed…skies above, your mother is the most beautiful female ever created! I love her with all my soul! And you, Onio, I am proud to call son.”

  There was only a moment’s hesitation before the two large males embraced. Mel could feel their fists through the soles of her feet as they thumped one another on the back. Mel grinned and the dog wagged her tail. Wolf rolled his eyes.

  “This is all very nice, but we need to leave before Two Horses’s people find us and slaughter us for dinner.”

  Onio stepped back, wiping the tears of joy from his eyes. “Are you coming with us Father?” he asked.

  Hunter shook his head. “No. I must return to the tribe now. Ironhands knows I grieve over the loss of my son. He gave me time alone to hunt. I stashed my kill to come here, but I need to get back to it now. The subterfuge has worked well so far, but even the smallest mistake could give us away.”

  Onio looked devastated at losing the father he had only just found. Hunter regarded him in silence. Then he spoke again. “Onio, I came with Wolf so I could speak to you once more before you leave for good. I think that you should go to the High Peaks tribe in Montana.”

  Onio’s mouth fell open in shock. “The High Peaks…Father, that is high royalty! They will never accept me there!”

  Hunter glanced at Wolf, smiling. “Did you know that Wolf is cousin to the queen?”

  Onio stared at his grandfather’s guard and shook his head. Wolf grinned.

  “Yes Onio, Wolf is royalty in his own right. There has been much talk lately in the conclave of a war between the small human’s military and the sasquatch nation. New Moon, the king, is very interested in you, Onio.” He glanced at Mel. “You and the girl both. He requests an audience with you.”

  Chapter 10

  Things moved very quickly then. The sasquatches had not lost sight of the fact that they stood in hostile territory. Wolf took off running, coming back a few minutes later with a hide sack filled with jerked meat. Hunter produced a bag of dried fruits and vegetables. Then the three males huddled around the cold fire and began to speak amongst themselves.

  Mel felt a chill. Were they going to leave her now? Had they changed their minds about taking her along? The silence was deafening, and she was thrust back into the cold reality of her life without the soul song. Once or twice Onio glanced in her direction. There was apology in his eyes, as though he understood that being left out of the conversation was almost physically painful for her.

  They could leave me now if they think I am a liability to the tribe. They could leave me outside of some town, she supposed. The problems for her would be huge, though. She couldn’t hear…she could barely speak. She had no money, or purse…no passport. Suddenly, her future loomed ahead of her like a frightful beast; one she had no idea how to conquer. Sorrow filled her heart at the prospect.

  Then the sasquatches rose as one, walked over to where Mel huddled on the furs, and went to their knees in front of her. Hunter said, “Girl, do you understand my words?”

  She nodded and used soul song to answer. “Yes sir, I can hear you.”

  Onio’s father replied, “What is your name child? My son says he doesn’t remember.” Onio cast his eyes down in embarrassment.

  “My name is Melody Carver,” she answered. “It’s not really Onio’s fault that he didn’t catch my name. Things have been kind of hectic.”

  Hunter smiled. “We have made plans for you, without asking for your permission or approval. Onio seems to think that you don’t mind going to the High Peaks with him and Wolf. I wonder though, what do you think about it? If you would rather go home to your people, I will take you to the nearest town, where you can seek others of your kind. The only thing that we would require of you is that you do not share information about us. Do you understand that?”

  Mel looked down, thinking hard. The sasquatches were, to her, a beautiful, mystical wonder. She thought that young Onio was handsome and sweet, and many others were mysterious…wise like Rain and Petal. Nevertheless, she also knew that, to many, she was a terrible threat, and any one of these creatures could crush her like a bug if they wanted to. Another thing that caused alarm was the fact that Onio’s people and hers were apparently gearing up for some sort of war. Would she be used as a pawn…held hostage…or killed outright in some sort of terror campaign?

  Then she thought of the gift she had been given. Would that gift fade with time or even work in the world of the small humans? The thought of losing the soul song was enough to break her heart. She wanted to hold on to her newfound abilities, despite the risks.

  Looking up at Hunter she said, “I would like to go with Onio and Wolf. I have no people to go home to, sir. I think that maybe I can help with the problems your people are having with mine. If nothing else, I know how my people think. Maybe I can help Onio and Wolf to understand the smalls better.”

  Hunter watched Mel’s face very closely as she spoke. Mel realized that not only was he listening to her words, but hearing the intention behind her words and the logic behind the intent. She understood that the soul song was truth incarnate. She also knew that if the small humans possessed this ability, there would be a lot less lying in the world. It was simply impossible to prevaricate with soul song.

  Satisfied, Hunter stood and said, “I agree with you, my son. The small one wants to go with you.” Onio grinned but the big guard stared at her.

  “Can you travel, girl?” he asked. “Onio told us you were ill.”

  Mel gazed at the huge sasquatch with her mouth open in dismay. It was true that although she knew she was on the mend physically, she was nowhere near a hundred percent. Just flying to Onio’s side when she thought they were under attack was enough to send her head spinning in dizzy circles. What if they refused to let her go because she was too weak to travel on her own? Tears filled her eyes, but she dashed them away in angry frustration.

  Wolf watched the girl’s face, understanding that somehow, out of the many millions of small humans Onio could have stumbled across, he had found one who truly wanted to be a part of their tribe. He was many, many seasons older than Hunter and Onio. He had been a guard to Bouldar when Bouldar was younger than Onio, and had seen the kindness of some smalls as well as witnessing their cruelty. His strong, cynical heart melted at the girl’s tears of fear.

  “Be easy girl,” he mumbled. “I only ask so we know how to pack for the journey.” With those words, he turned around and walked away.

  Hunter looked at her and said, “If you need to take care of private business please be brief. Onio and Wolf will be leaving shortly.” He paused and added, “It is good to meet you, Melody Carver. I wish you well.”

  Hunter and Onio walked away, while Mel scrambled to her feet and stepped behind a large rock close to the water’s edge to relieve her bladder. Not know
ing what else to do, she used water to wash herself and stood up with a shiver. She felt invigorated, thrilled, scared and gloriously happy. She stood back as Onio and Hunter embraced one last time. Then, without further ado, Hunter walked away, disappearing into the sheltering trees.

  “Are you ready, Melody?” Onio asked. He had rolled the furs into a bundle and carried it and the sack of vegetables over one shoulder in a sling. Wolf stood some distance away. His eyes scanned the forest around them with unerring accuracy. The seriousness in his face made Mel’s skin crawl.

  “I’m ready, but Onio…call me Mel, all right? Everyone does,” she replied. The dog went from one sasquatch to the other in a frenzy of excitement.

  “Come then. Climb onto my back.” Onio said.

  Mel shook her head. “No, I can walk.” She blushed at the thought of actually being a physical burden…again.

  Wolf glared. “Do as Onio asks, girl…we don’t walk at this time. We run. You could not keep up with us, even if you were healthy. And in future do not argue with us. Our lives depend on quick thinking and even quicker action!”

  Mel shook with shame. “I’m sorry, Wolf. I won’t argue again, I promise,” she stammered and walked over to where Onio knelt on the ground. She prepared to jump up on his back but the sasquatch simply grabbed her up by her ankles. Somehow, she found herself lifted high into the air as if she weighed no more than a gnat. Then they were running.

  The sasquatches flew over the wooded terrain as if it was a highway. For all Mel knew maybe it was. She held her breath as, on more than one occasion, Onio literally ran up the trunk of a tree to avoid an obstacle. Once, she almost screamed when Wolf and Onio took a mighty leap and flew across a river that was at least twenty feet across. They cleared the water by five feet.

  Mel had no way of knowing how far they had run but she thought it was at least fifty miles when Wolf came to a stop under a small copse of birch trees. The trees branches were bare and rattled their limbs together like bony fingers. Onio set her down near a boulder and she groaned at the stiffness in her thighs.