Makatai Plainstrider looked out from the peak of Earthshaper’s Grasp and a mild scowl marked his visage as he did so. Crouched as he was atop the earthen landmark, he could see for miles around and below him, his village. Somewhere amongst the tents and wooden structures, his mother wove rabbit traps and watched the children of the tribe at play. As he recalled it young Saddani had fallen ill a few nights ago, and she would no doubt be considering how best to treat her, what rites she could tailor to her affliction, and what herbs to gather. Down there it seemed like a large and immediate concern, but from where Makatai was it almost did not matter at all.
However, it was further than just his village that he could see, and this is what brought the scowl to his face. To know that the world was so much bigger than him, that it contained so much more than just this dull and comparatively trivial collection of scattered clans and villages, more than the dunes, outcrops, ridges and valleys, the fields and streams (and unimpressive hill ranges) that made up the huge plains of Navaho.
Upon second thought, he supposed it could be worse. He had heard the stories of Avalon and was certainly glad he was not born Avalonian. Even the tales, carried in Traders Tongue by travellers and swapped for a place to sleep at night made him think twice about wanting to leave even his Rising Bear clan, let alone Navaho.
The clouds and the horizon swam back into focus as he heard the ring of his mother’s voice from far below. “Makatai! Makatai, they need you at the Nine Cranes encampment to prepare the Harvest rites! Won’t you come down from there? You’ll hurt yourself worse than you or I can heal!” He sighed a lengthy sigh. Taking care of another job that shouldn’t have been his responsibility was not how he had wanted to spend his day. Mentally remarking that he was nearly 19 and that he absolutely didn’t need his mother to make sure he didn’t fall off a rock, he called back “Yes Mati!”, turned and leapt from his perch. He had earned his title fair and square, and a slope he had faced a thousand times would not best him now.
As he recalled it the Nine Cranes was directly opposite his Clan’s encampment, and this was confirmed to him as he saw their banners fly in the far distance. He hit the side of the slope, his coyote fur thigh-guards softening the blow as he slid, gathering speed. He hit the bottom, his knees taking the impact perfectly as they had a thousand times before and would thousands more, and set off towards the encampment with the wind whipping at his hair and his earned name, Plainstrider, well and truly preserved.
Drawing near to the Nine Cranes, he saw his friend Ahanu sitting on a log at the outskirts of the village, awaiting his arrival. A supremely skilled hunter and forager, Ahanu’s instincts and nose were second to none and so he was always a big hand in gathering the various supplies necessary to conduct a successful Harvest. But Makatai’s favourite thing about Ahanu was his infectious spirit, his face always resting at nothing less than a slight smile. “You’ve grown slow, Plainstrider!” He called out to Makatai, despite the both of them knowing that nobody in the nearby villages could match Makatai’s speed and lightness of foot.
Makatai, already grinning back, hadn’t the breath to reply and so the pair sat there gazing out at the plains, Ahanu bearing his trademark grin and the other boy collapsed on the floor. After a minute or two passed, Makatai stood and embraced Ahanu, and then the proceedings were underway.
“Alright brother, what’s to do?” Ahanu knew the usual proceedings but asked anyway. Makatai, settling into a more serious attitude as he noticed that the light was slowly fading and they hadn’t much time to joke around, replied quickly. “We need Soulsbane, plenty of offerings and animal bones. Well, we need animals. You’ll have to make them into bones tomorrow I’m afraid. The Spirits need a good hold on the Living World to act as guides". Ahanu, never one to enjoy extending an animal’s suffering beyond what was strictly necessary, grimaced slightly but understood the necessity. “Have you set the traps?” Makatai was never slow to the point, Ahanu thought to himself. “Yes, of course! I wouldn’t be a very good hunter if I didn't already have a few set up". “Good, we can look for Soulsbane as we check them. Let’s move". And with that, the two set off into the forest.
“Isn’t it a bit too much?” Ahanu asked, as the two followed a shallow stream further into the thick forest. They were on their way to a clearing which acted as a kind of central point for a lot of regularly used animal paths, and therefore was where Ahanu found most consistent results when setting traps. “What do you mean, a bit too much?” The question caught Makatai off guard slightly. “I mean, all you’re doing. You can’t seem to catch a break! Even I’ve been on one of the excursions, albeit only as protection. You’re a Shaman, by spirits! And finally a fully trained one at that. You could well lead an excursion! But you’re relegated to running between the local tribes each day, taking care of every last Shaman’s issues! The other Shamans nearby are growing lazy because they know you’ll just take care of things with or without their input".
“Long have I wanted to lead an excursion Ahanu, you know that". A sullen look clouded Makatai’s face. “But I have duties here! I’m the only shaman nearby who can get all of these things done from day to day. I leave the healing of the sick to the older, wiser shamans who can take care of those things most tentatively, and so I’m the only option when it comes to laying at peace restless spirits, and scouring the woods for herbs like this'' At the mention of the woods he gestured around him, as if to emphasise that the elderly would have far greater difficulty trying to pick their way through the branches and roots than he did. “And besides, My mother is growing older as well! Besides me, she’s the only person in the village who can perform rituals and services toward spirits. What will they do when she’s gone if I’m away as well?”
Ahanu gave him a sympathetic half-smile. “All I’m trying to say is that it seems you always have so much on your plate. You should see about trying to come on an excursion with me sometime. They’re constantly in need of shamans in the Helios Reef with all of that leviathan bone they pull up. It’s always beautiful weather there, and the girls are-” “Wait!” Makatai interrupted him in a hushed voice, signalling at him to keep it down. A sensation he knew very well was arising in his gut, a tugging sensation that always preceded the presence of a spirit in the wrong place. At almost the same time an unnerved look plastered Ahanu’s face as he lifted his nose very slightly into the air.
Crouching in a split second behind an earthen mound and pulling Makatai with him, he mouthed “Bear” and pointed further past a thicket into the clearing that had been their original destination. Sure enough, peering over the crest of the mound they saw the vast hind quarters of a brown bear. The creature faced away from them as it held its face to something in the long grass of the glade. Ahanu realised what had happened first, and when he did so his eyes widened in shock. It took Makatai a few seconds longer, but when he noticed the scattered pieces of what looked like a trap he too realised what had happened and his heart sank.
The bear had seemingly smashed open one of the traps that Ahanu had laid and had begun to feast on the poor creature inside. At least that was what he had thought at first, but after daring to stick his neck out slightly further he noticed that other animals had been slaughtered nearby, including a smaller bear. It lay on its side, innards discarded and otherwise very dead. Ahanu turned to Makatai again, his skin a shade lighter and mouthed another word to him. “Female”. The bear had killed one of its own. Even as the two looked on in morbid fascination, Makatai felt his Separation Dagger vibrate slightly against his hip. Its leviathan bone handle was incited to movement by the presence of a spirit in the living world, and as he drew it out and held it towards the direction of the bear it shuddered at a faster frequency.
That suddenly provided an explanation for the creature’s behaviour. It had by chance found itself host to a misguided spirit, one who had lost their way to the other side. Even as this revelation found root inside his head, the bear turned to face the two boys and Makatai saw a deep blue light burning in both of its eyes as it started to snuffle in their direction. Ahanu turned to leave, no doubt reasoning that the situation was quite beyond them, but Makatai did not move to follow. Instead he slowly started to rise. He did not see a rabid creature, as he knew Ahanu did, but instead two beings in pain, the spirit attracted to life and latching on to whatever living thing it could find nearby and the bear confused and desperate to be free of this foreign entity in its head.
Ahanu opened his mouth to give some kind of protest, but before he got the chance Makatai showed him his dagger and he understood, recognising the nature of its vibrations. Gritting his teeth and wishing he hadn’t left his tent that morning he shifted and moved off to the left, unslinging a bola from where it had previously rested at his belt and holding it tightly in his right hand as he crept slowly out of sight into the bush. The material was tightly woven and strong, but they both knew it would give Makatai likely no more than a couple of seconds to finish the job.
Trusting Ahanu had his back, Makatai stood all the way up, his friend vanishing entirely into the brush. The bear had now completely noticed his presence. There was no hope of backing out now, not that Makatai wanted to either way. Only now taking in the animal’s full size, he steeled his resolve and with utmost caution slowly lifted one leg, and then another, over the mound and all the way into the clearing, which started to feel more and more like an arena with every passing second. He held both hands high and towards the creature in an effort to signal that he meant no harm, despite clutching his Separation Dagger in a white-knuckled grip.
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Now as he stepped closer he noted the crusted blood at its paws and around its mouth, and a light sheen of sweat on its fur. The bear hung its head low to the ground, although it's burning eyes never left Makatai. Swaying from side to side, seemingly unsteady on its feet, it shivered ever so slightly every few seconds or so in a sickly manner, trembling and spasming. The still living body of the bear was heaving to reject the spirit, which was doing anything it could to cling to this side of the veil between the Living World and the Otherworld.
Makatai, continuing his approach, was about to speak out to it and try to comfort it when the creature emitted an ear-splitting shriek and reared up on its hind legs, shaking the earth nearby when it slammed back to the floor. As soon as its front paws hit the dirt it charged, blazing towards Makatai at a speed beyond his initial reckoning. His eyes widened again and he crouched low, not sure how he could duck out of this lightning-fast behemoth’s path in time.
It had made half of the distance across the clearing in seconds and would be on top of him in moments more when a white glint of light caught Makatai’s eye and Ahanu’s bola soared down from a tree, tangling the beast’s front paws together with almost heavenly precision. Makatai thanked his ancestors that it was Ahanu he had brought with him, as nobody else in any of the local tribes could have made that throw. The animal crashed to the floor, its face in the dirt, snarling and snapping at the bindings. Makatai knew he had mere seconds, and so in the same instant rushed towards it, heart pounding. He hit the floor, sliding over the wet grass, and with all his might slashed downwards with his Separation Dagger, leaving a deep groove along its muzzle and cheek, just below the left eye. The wound pulsed a bright blue and then the light cut out.
The creature fell still. He stood, never taking his eyes off of it. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Ahanu looking at it too, crouched on a thick tree branch with one hand closed around a thinner one for support. A few beads of sweat dried on both their brows, more nerves than exertion. Makatai let his guard fall slowly, but something was wrong. His dagger would normally grow still after a successful separation, but not this time. The vibrations had lessened but the hilt was not completely unmoving. Ahanu, still cautiously, called out to Makatai. “Is it over? Did yo-'' The bear thrashed to its feet in an instant, spittle flying from its maw as it wheeled on Makatai.
In a flash it was swiping at him and he barely managed to drop low enough for its vast paw and razor claws to whistle over his head, missing him by about a millimeter. It was about to strike again but Makatai was streaking towards the tree from which Ahanu hung before it got the chance, Ahanu with his arm already extended towards Makatai. “Come on!” he screamed. “Run!” The bear was hot on his heels as he reached the tree and, kicking off it, he soared upwards towards where Ahanu perched, both their faces completely taught with terror and adrenaline.
The bear swiped again, smashing through the wood where Makatai had been just milliseconds before. Ahanu’s hand made contact with his, and with all his strength he hauled Makatai upward, capitalising off of the adrenaline rush and Makatai’s momentum to throw him even higher than Ahanu was. The bear struck a fourth and final time, slashing upwards towards where Ahanu had left his leg exposed. The claws met flesh and he cried out in pain, quickly retracting the exposed limb. Makatai hung in the air for a split second, dagger in hand, before plunging down towards the bear again. The creature had exposed its back as it tried to maul Ahanu. Even as Makatai plunged towards it with rage in his eyes the bear still bucked and spasmed, its natural climbing ability impaired by the lack of coordination brought about by the possession. Both hands clasped tightly around the blade’s handle, he swung and buried it deep in the animal’s back, tearing a deep gash as he dropped past. The Avalon-forged dagger, a perfect fusion of form and function, did not waver and cleaved neatly through from shoulder to flank. Both beast and blade fell instantly still as the dagger exited its back and Makatai hit the dirt hard, landing on his side after having had no time to brace for impact. The Impact knocked the wind clean out of him as he bounced once and finally lay still, the creature slumped against the tree next to where the boy lay.
The light pulsing in the creature's eyes immediately cut short and the glade appeared to darken. That same light that had previously haunted the bear’s gaze started to spill from the wound on its back. Simultaneously, the small amount of spiritglass acting as the pommel of the separation dagger became pitch black, with the darkness of its surroundings seeming to congregate on it. More and more light poured from the mouth of the gash and finally an ethereal hand breached the wound, and shortly after came the rest of a spiritual form. It moaned in confusion and fear, and its eyes searched the two boys for any sign that it could cling on to the living world for a mere moment longer. But the Otherworld was calling to it from the leviathan bone handle of the dagger, of that much the young shaman was certain. Even he himself heard the faint whispers of other spirits long since passed. A whirlpool of shadows appeared in the spiritglass pommel, swirling faster and faster. With a terrible shriek the ghastly figure of the spirit leapt towards Makatai, misshapen fingers clawing at him and a pleading look on its face, begging for one last chance. But the call was too strong and the pitch black of the Otherworld gave no second chances. The spirit was hauled into the handle with a final moan and vanished entirely, with the dagger ceasing its pull in turn. The darkness slowly dissipated and the clearing lit up, and as Ahanu clutched his leg and winced in pain, the two looked at each other and exchanged a weak smile. It was finally over.
A few minutes later Makatai had helped Ahanu down from the tree and laid him against the trunk of another. With the bear finally defeated and the spirit at peace but their plans thwarted, they sat for a moment, the sun burning low on the horizon. Possessing only fairly basic experience in treating injuries, Makatai left Ahanu and foraged for a moment, returning with an assortment of herbs and leaves that he recognised would quell the overwhelming pain he knew Ahanu must have been feeling, despite bearing a brave face as usual.
He also took a cloth bandage from the pouch that hung at his hip and bound Ahanu’s wound after giving him the assortment of plant matter to chew on. He pulled a face, and Makatai knew it tasted vile, but would doubtless help ease the pain. Finally he placed his right hand on the wounded boy’s calf and started to chant, holding his blade in the left. This time however, instead of the darkness indicative of capturing a spirit, the Spiritglass started to light up, emitting a soft and warm glow. Closing his eyes to focus, the shaman began to chant softly under his breath. The palm of his hand in contact with the injury became warm, and the radiance emanating from the Spiritglass pulsed in and out softly. Slowly but surely the wound beneath the bandages started to seal until the skin had healed over. It no doubt still hurt like death and he would require proper rest to see it off fully, but he and the spiritual power he had harnessed had done their job.
The pair sat for a while, with Ahanu chewing and Makatai still catching his breath, their previous ordeal having taken its toll on both of them. After a while, Ahanu spoke up. Pointing to the blade that hung at Makatai’s belt, he asked “So your dagger… How did it do that? Truth be told, that scared me slightly..." Shaking his head and tutting, Makatai turned to explain. “Oh, Ahanu. You never were one to pay attention". He decided to give him a recap, since it was best he knew as much as possible about Makatai’s craft.
“The leviathan bone handle acts as a conduit between our Living World and the land of the dead, the Otherworld. Some say that leviathans swim between this side and the other, and that the seabed near Helios Reef is an opening to the Otherworld, but obviously no one has been down to find out. The separation dagger is a bridge that spirits can travel to pass over and be at peace, and simultaneously generous spirits can offer small amounts of their power to assist in various things depending on the size of the conduit. Which is why I can’t heal you fully. That, and channelling that much spiritual power through oneself without being ghostshifted is virtually impossible. The living body simply can’t accept that much. Therefore in summary the dagger is less a weapon and more a tool. Surely your shaman explained this to you?”
“Ah, that old toad? He’s too high and mighty to bother with a hunter like me". Makatai thought back to when they were younger. “Or maybe he just doesn’t like us ever since we stole his animal bones to play oracle?” The pair laughed heartily, remembering the scolding they had received from Ahanu’s parents and especially the old shaman. Reminding themselves of what they had set out to do before their slight sidetracking, Makatai again rose to his feet and began the search for Soulsbane. After a short time of searching a strong and putrid stench filled his nostrils, and he already knew what he would find. A body lay on the sodden earth, chest torn open with a large slash running diagonally across it from shoulder to hip, made by what looked to be bear claws. Another body, the body of a small bear cub with an arrow through its neck. A wave of sadness swept over Makatai, seeing the pair lying there, one life taken by fear and selfishness and another by anger and protective instinct.
He said a prayer for the spirits of the ursine family and the poor hunter, or whoever he was in life. Beyond the bodies, Makatai’s eye was drawn to dark purple and black petals, the characteristic colours of Soulsbane. He gathered as much as he thought the Nine Cranes would need, and then a little more for himself as his personal supply was running a little low. Heading back to Ahanu he scoured any traps that had been set a little further out, and luckily enough found ample small creatures captured, rabbits and mice and the like, to suffice for even the Nine Cranes’ harsh old shaman. Stringing the cages with the live creatures together with a length of cord, Makatai picked his friend up and leant him against his shoulder. With the cages under one arm the two started their slow progress back to the settlement, battered but triumphant.