Intended Ch. 03

~*~*~

Jakal woke the next morning with the first whistle of the morning birds. He looked around him and down at the woman still sleeping at his side. After their last pleasures of the night before they crossed into the Dream World. Perhaps the Spirits did not want us to see the way back to their realm when we departed, he thought, so they caused us to fall asleep for our return journey. He grinned wryly. After all, I am a Tracker.

Just to make sure, he sat up and opened the shelter's flap. The world looked the same from here. Carefully and quietly so as to not wake his companion, the man slipped out of the lean-to and plunged himself headlong into the beautiful, welcoming brightness of their world.

The man stretched and took a deep breath of the cool, clean air. It was nice to be back, he thought, looking at the landscape stretching before him with new eyes. I have taken this place for granted. It has fed us, sheltered us, given us refuge. At that moment he remembered it was Sala who had led them here.

"Did she know?" he murmured. Despite her assertions that she was not a Great Spirit, he was not so sure. At the very least she seemed to possess some special power or magic, as if the Spirits had touched her in some way.

Still, the Spirits did not protect her from the Spiritwalker, he reminded himself grimly as he recalled the abuse she had suffered at his hand. His fists clenched, jaw set with determination. He must answer for this crime. But what the Tracker did not know was how. Sala had no proof. The Spiritwalker had great influence, he was very powerful. He possessed knowledge, great magic he could use against them.

Jakal knew now that he could not abandon the woman. It was not out of a sense of duty to a wayward member of his Clan; he simply did not wish to be parted from her and would do whatever was required of him to ensure he did not lose her.

He truly wished that they could find a way so that both of them could return and live in peace and safety. As imperfect as they were and as uncomfortable his special status made him feel, Jakal did not really want to leave his people.

He knew the shaman would never allow it. It would cause him to lose too much face, cause him great humiliation. He might even try to kill one or both of them in the way Sala had speculated last night when she spoke of Mala's death. And Jakal could not let that happen. He sighed. The Spiritwalker was simply too powerful, had too many secrets...

Wait, last night Sala spoke of learning great secrets from her mother's mother, who learned them from the old Spiritwalker. He concentrated, trying to remember what she had said; it was difficult because she had been so upset and told him so much. As he reflected, his mind diverted to think about the woman who told him the incredible story. She does carry many heavy burdens, he thought sympathetically. I understand now why she needed to be certain she could completely trust me before revealing her secrets.

Their previous Spiritwalker had lived a very long time, long enough that he had to have had many more secrets than the new Spiritwalker. After the old man died, his successor clearly tried to fill the space he left behind.

Jakal recalled that in the beginning, the new shaman would make mistakes and then deny he had done so if someone dared to mention it. His ceremonies also seemed more...elaborate than the simpler and more elegant rituals of their old spiritual leader, even when they were performed for the same purpose as in times past. Was the Spiritwalker attempting to deflect their attention from his faults by covering them up with great bluster?

The Tracker had a sudden thought. The events of the night before not only helped him see the physical world with new eyes, he also saw the inner world more clearly as well. Just as I believe Light-Eyed Ones are only ordinary people, he thought, so too is the Spiritwalker! He has many flaws, flaws he tries to conceal from our people; I have been blind to them because I automatically assumed he was...better than the rest of us.

I think he also believes he is better than us. He often talks to others as if they are children, and practically demands deference from our people; like he did with me, he becomes angry if he thinks you are questioning him. He lavishes in the privileges of those with high status; I do not remember any Spiritwalker who displays more body ornamentation than he.

But a man who would hurt a woman the way he hurt Sala, a man who may have even killed the mother of her mother to protect his secrets and sovereignty, he cannot possibly be chosen by the Spirits to be their emissary.

Maybe that is why the old Spiritwalker chose to reveal his wisdom to Mala. Maybe he knew it was too much power for only one person to possess. Maybe he somehow knew his successor held a darkness within him and the old man wanted to make sure the sacred knowledge existed with an untainted spirit.

Jakal drew back his breath. The light! The light emanating from Sala's body in the lean-to the night before! She said I was seeing her spirit; never had she been more beautiful, more powerful as she was then. But I was never afraid of her; I knew from the beginning I did not need to fear her despite the great magic she revealed to me. Once again he was filled with awe for the woman.

Now he was certain they had at least one advantage against the Spiritwalker. Perhaps it would not be enough to defeat him, but it may protect us from harm if we use it wisely. I wish there was something I could contribute. She said I revealed my spirit to her as well, and from the way she acted in the lean-to... He shifted his stance a little as he felt his manhood twitch in memory of their many pleasures. She must have not found me wanting. So if the Spirits showed her that I was worthy, that must mean there is something I can do to help her.

The man wished he had something special about him like the way Sala was special. He had no desire for the great power she possessed, but... Wait, I am a Light-Eye! Even if I do not think I am something special, my people feel otherwise. If there is ever a time for me to be lucky, if indeed pieces of the Travelers' spirits live within me, it would be now. Perhaps there is...

Jakal jumped when he felt the silky skin of the woman's warm naked body pressing against his back.

She kissed one his shoulders and slid her smooth arms around him, resting her palms on his chest. "I am sorry to startle you, Jakal. It was just when I left the shelter and saw the beauty of your nakedness in this beautiful place, I wanted to feel you with my skin."

"There is nothing to apologize for," he reassured her. "I was just deep in my thoughts." He turned around to face the woman and slipped his hands under her arms to hold her. Looking down he continued, "You were right, Sala, about everything. The sacred journey changed me. I see the world, everything with new eyes this day. It is not unlike the owl you spoke of the night before; I can no longer see the Spirit World, but I do see ours more clearly. I do not know how to thank you."

"You just did," she responded, her dark eyes shining with a special glow he had not noticed the day before. She kissed him tenderly. "There is still some of that stew you enjoyed so much from our last meal. Would you like to have that this morning?"

His wide smile answered her question and they walked, bodies close together, toward the fire pit.

~*~*~

After bathing once again in the pool, the couple spent the day reflecting and talking about their experience, eager to share and listen to what the Spirits revealed to them both. They walked to the places, as best as they could recognize them, they had visited the night before and observed them as they were now.

Filled with wonder, they marveled at the magnificence and complexity of their own world. Jakal had been right; they both saw it in a new way, appreciated it much more. They joined bodies in the grass where Sala had had her terrible vision; as they both cried out with their shared release, the last of the remaining darkness dissipated from the area like smoke in the sky.

As much their pilgrimage to the Spirit World profoundly affected them, both were glad to be back in their own world. The journey, and the magic that took them there, was too powerful, too sacred to remain in that realm for long. Perhaps that was why the magic opened their eyes for only one night; the sacred knowledge would be too much for a visitor to comprehend if they stayed too long. Sala and Jakal were certain they had more than enough to digest, and it would take them much longer than this day to process all of it.

They were having such a pleasant time, strengthening their bond with one another, that neither wished to darken the day speaking of grievous things. After the evening meal, they mutually decided it was time to discuss the one topic they had been avoiding.

"Sala, I understand now why you cannot mate with the Spiritwalker. I want you to know something up front. I will never try to force you to go back to join with him. I do not care what the Spiritwalker might try to do to me; you will not join with him against your will. I will not let that happen," Jakal pledged with great conviction.

"I also want you to know that I do not wish to be parted from you. You were right; our spirits mingled in the Other World and I emerged with a piece of yours inside me. The feeling it gives me whenever I look at you, think of you, touch you... All I know is, I must be with you, and I wish to help and protect you."

Sala's eyes grew misty and her throat tightened. A few moments later she replied, "Thank you Jakal for telling me, both things. I already knew you would not try to force me to do anything; your spirit revealed that to me last night, though I had already begun to believe it was so before we took our journey." She looked up into his eyes, blue as the sky. "I, I wish to remain in your company as well. I, too, hold a piece of your spirit within me and it makes me feel so cared for, so safe. I feel...connected to you, and I cannot imagine myself parted from you."

"Imagine something else for me, my woman. Imagine our Camp, but without the Spiritwalker. If he were not at our Camp, would you still wish to leave?"

"Of course not. Some of them can be quite irritating, and some of our customs and beliefs I question, but our people are my people. I do miss them; I never wanted to leave. It was just the only choice I could make if I wished to remain free."

"Spiritwalkers can mate with whomever they choose among our people. With one exception: they cannot mate with someone who is already joined."

"Jakal, what are you saying?"

"If you join with me, Sala, and we go back to the Camp, the Spiritwalker cannot force you to become his mate. Once joined, it is a sacred bond, and only those within that bond have the power to break it. There is nothing he could do to sever our bond, once made."

"I appreciate what you are trying to do to help," she began slowly. "But there are some problems with what you suggest. The choice of one or both mates is not the only way the sacred bond can be broken. If one mate dies the other may join with another. I would never wish to put you in that kind of danger. Also, how can we be joined? Do you really think we can walk into our Camp and expect the Spiritwalker to perform the ceremony? He would never do that."

"No, he would not. But I did not say we would be joined at our Camp, only that we would be joined. Remember, there is more to our people than our single Camp; there are many others, and all of us together make up our People."

"But surely the other Spiritwalkers already know of the proclamation of our intended joining, that I ran away."

"I do not think they will. Our Spiritwalker is too prideful, too arrogant to reveal his humiliation to the others," Jakal argued. "It would diminish his status among them, no matter the reason, and I think he cares very much about his status. It is extremely rare for an Intended to resist a joining with a spiritual leader, and even rarer for an Intended to make that resistance so public by leaving.

"When he sent me out here, he became very angry when I asked him about your disappearance. He has probably already made up a story to tell the others of our Camp to cover up his embarrassment. He cannot avoid speaking to them about you because you lived there; everyone knows you. But I do not think he would want to draw attention to his predicament by speaking of it to the other Spiritwalkers," he asserted.

"Let us say we do as you propose. We go to another Camp and request a joining. Why would they? Do you not think they would question why we are asking to be mated at their Camp and not our own?"

"I am sure they will. But you forget -- I am a Light-Eyed One. We have special status among all our people. We are much rarer at other Camps; perhaps because the Travelers lived at our Camp more of their spirits wish to remain with us. But clearly their spirits sometimes go on journeys and touch the eyes of a few in the other Camps. Because there are so few of us among the rest of our people, I believe my status will be even higher than it already is. I do not think they will refuse my request. We may not even have to provide much of an explanation."

"Even if we are bonded, what about the danger to us after we return to our own Camp? The Spiritwalker will be furious, humiliated. He has knowledge of potent magic and may very well use it against us in retaliation."

"As do you."

The woman did not answer at first. Jakal was beginning to think he had been too overconfident about persuading her to consider his idea when she began to speak.

"I am...not a Spiritwalker, Jakal. I may have some of the knowledge and even understand part of it, but not all. I am not trained. I would be no match for his skills."

"I do not think that is true. I saw your spirit when we visited the Spirit World and it revealed to me the great power you possess within you. The secret knowledge of our spiritual leaders was taught to you by Mala who in turn was taught by the old Spiritwalker.

"He had to have shared his secrets with her for an important reason, Sala," he pointed out. "What he did went against everything he was trained to do. He was a wise man; I do not think he would have shared the sacred wisdom if he thought it would be used to dark ends. Perhaps the Spirits opened his eyes to the future and he learned the magic would be needed for a worthy cause someday.

"You cannot deny he was very powerful, more powerful than our current Spiritwalker. Perhaps you may not be able to defeat him with the wisdom you hold, but I truly believe you can at least match him, see his deceptions. That will help us while we search for a way to expose to our people what the Spiritwalker has done."

He paused. "I believe he must answer for this, Sala. I have a strong sense it is important that we do something, or at least try. Someone so dangerous has no right to hold a position of such authority. A man who could use his status to violate you in such a...heinous manner is capable of anything. I fear for the safety of the others if their eyes are not opened.

"You and I, if you wish it, could go on a great journey like the Four Travelers in the Elders' stories. Eventually we would find a new People. And I would go with you, willingly. But if it is possible to find a way to return, safely and in peace, I would prefer to stay with our people," he explained. "I promise you this. If we do return and you wish to go at any point, for any reason, we will leave. Will you at least consider what I have proposed?"

Sala sat for a long time, deep in thought as she contemplated Jakal's idea. She had many doubts; there were so many things that could go wrong every step of the way. And even if they went back joined, how could they possibly expose the Spiritwalker's crimes? That was one part of his plan to which he did not have an answer. She did not want him harmed, no matter what happened to her. Besides, despite growing up together, they had not known each other long in the way they did now; it had been only six days.

The man was growing ever more certain her answer would be no. Well, at least he tried.

"Jakal," she began at last, slowly, "I must ask you a question. Are you certain you wish to join with me? We have been together so short a time, I do not want you to feel..."

"We have known each other all our lives, Sala," he interrupted.

"But not well since childhood," she reminded him.

"Perhaps not," he conceded. "But do not forget we walked together in the Spirit World. We saw each other clearly and now share a piece of the other within us. I know you as well as, better than, anyone. Also consider this. If I am willing to leave our people in order to be with you, and if you desire my companionship enough that you wish me to go with you, in a sense we are already joined. I know what I suggest is unusual; if the circumstances were different perhaps we would choose another path. But the circumstances are themselves unusual, so we must think in unconventional ways."

"I am afraid, Jakal," she confessed. "I do not want any harm to come to you, to either of us. I could not bear it if..."

The woman felt his muscular arm slip around her. Pulling her close, he lifted the veil of her long hair and kissed the cheek which hid behind it. "I also have fears. I do not know if we will be successful. I do know this. All my life my status has made me feel different, apart from the others in some way. They gave me extra privileges I neither wanted nor requested. They told me I was special when I knew I was no better than anyone else. If our people wish to persist with this...notion that I am something extraordinary, then I can think of no better time to use that influence to our advantage.

"If anyone threatens or tries to harm either of us, we will leave immediately. Those of our Clan believe very strongly that a Light-Eye must live among us in order to retain the Travelers' lucky spirits. If they realize I am ready and willing to go at any time, I do not think even the Spiritwalker would dare inflame anything which may result in our departure. No matter what he thinks about me personally, he knows very well the importance Light-Eyed Ones have for our people."

Sala felt a little better. They had been spending so much time together away from the Camp that she sometimes forgot his status was elevated back home. She shared their belief that Jakal was extraordinary, only she did not think it was because of his eye color.

"You entrusted your life in my hands when you joined me on the sacred journey last night, and in doing so demonstrated I could trust you with mine. Even though I am fearful, even though I do not know how we can expose the Spiritwalker, I trust you with my life. I agree to what you propose."

~*~*~

A herd of horses grazed together in the middle of a rolling grassland. A light breeze tousled their tails as they flicked them in the air. On long, knobby-kneed legs, foals bounded from mother to playmate and back again when their mothers nickered to their offspring. On the perimeter of the group a white stallion and a black mare stood side by side, the contrast of their coats showcased beautifully against the green grass.

The horses whinnied and stamped nervously, a sudden shift in the air carrying a scent the herd had learned to fear. The lead stallion set a course, and the herd thundered after him, but not before the hunters had already closed in on their targets. White coats were special, and black coats were special, so both at one time was extraordinary. The terrified animals' eyes opened wide, bucking and kicking wildly as they pressed their bodies together, backing away, looking for an escape. One of the humans lifted a spear above his shoulder.