Crusaders Part 37

Present

I asked of my squire to tell me of his people and the story he weave was one of scary one which child no shall listen to. The creature is named Wendigo; a feared abnormality to be branded a creature. The Wendigo is of like the Lycan and yet the similarity ends on the similar looks of them. The later is more gigantic in size and ferocity in aggression. But unlike the Lycan, the Wendigo is hardly seen by the public or seen but not long to spread the tale. The Mons of which was part of the six tribes now is a sub-tribe of the Xeno. What was once a proud tribe of warriors now reduced to feeble servants and followers as my squire tells me. The Wendigo comes from the belief that human beings could turn into one with the Wendigo if they ever eat the flesh of human or cannibalism as known to man. Alternatively, he could become possessed by the demonic spirit in a dream. Once transformed, a person would become violent and obsessed with eating human flesh.

Soon the form of the Wendigo is replaced by splendor of the forest here. The forest housed more than the tall trees with soaring canopies of leaves that provides shades and also nutrients to the ground when they shed their leaves. In doing so, the trees survive better into the cold winter without much water loss. In addition to that and the flowing clear water that runs it the streams, the forest yield a panoramic array of creatures of large and small. Even its forest creatures like the trees knows how to deal with the ever changing seasons by storing or hibernate if need be. But the beauty was soon to fade as our journey come before the tribes welcoming lineup of ten warriors still in their human self.

"I find welcoming parties to be either a bore or targets for my pistols." Micheal is not himself and that I fear as he is more controlled than to let this outburst out on other days. I wanted to interject with more diplomacy but my squire rode out before me.

"I am back and who do I need to address as the Leader. Send him forth to me. I am Marcus of Mons." The one who called himself leader step forward to address me.

"There is a Marcus I know whom I am bring back for the tribes to be judged. But he is no more of Mons but an outcast and blasphemy if he would to said he is on the tribes. So address me again if you are who I seek?" The leader now stand not three feet in front of my squire.

"I am Marcus of Mons." The words left his mouth and he was set upon by the leader still in the human form. But not for long aas the leader is rapidly transforming into a Wendigo. But the as the transformation took place, the one named Marcus lashed out his leg to kick the man on top of him over to the side. Then Marcus got up himself and he howled out in pain as his body transformed before all that was present.

One of the followers of the Leader transformed into his other self but his attempt to assist was stopped by Micheal with a well placed shot at the heart. Its said that the steel ball of the Warriors of the Light on piercing the flesh of the demon would travel across and length wise of the flesh hitting at every vulnerable spots of the demon until its dead. Like the thrust of the rapier to represent a thousand thrust, the steel ball locks on the body as if its been hit by a thousand balls on the body. The Wendigo collapsed on the ground dead while his other companions hold backs theirs to suffer the same fate.

The two in the arena now fully transformed and facing each other. Marcus who was my squire now a returned fugitive fighting his would be captors in a duel of the old ways. In this fight, whoever wins walks freely from here. Marcus of late is more experienced in the ways of fighting now and more so when he dealt with many of them in the devious styles. Both challenger charged at each other and the clawing was seen in the fierce wounds inflicted by it. But Marcus was without a plan as he raised his knee to the Leader's lower torso causing him great pain. When the Leader bend down his body to the excruciating pain, Marcus jumped on his toes and stepped on the other's right knee to propel himself higher than the head of the Leader. On his completion of the height required, Marcus land both his hands on the head of the Leader and grabbed hold of the ears, before he twist the head off the Leader.

"Spread the word to the others. Marcus of Mons has returned but he seek not the leadership but a meeting with his tribes." Marcus has then transformed back to his human like and made that announcement. The remaining eight tribe men flee with the news to their tribes.

"A beautiful show of courage. Pray tell me now what do we do next." First I had Micheal and now Ben had to put forth his outburst before now.

"Ben, I would prefer you keep your remarks to yourself for now before we put forth our weapons at your throat to silence it." I glared at Ben to hold his tongue from more remarks as he may be tempted to do so against my advice.

"Sire, I seek your permission to return to the my people. I would meet you at the Great Lake." My squire seek my consent and I provide.

We journey not far when we were met by some natives who invited us to their homes. Its a small settlement by the Big Lakes and we were told to rest as their guests. Soon I was to know that they are part of the Huron tribes named as Wyandot. Their leader was to meet us when we came upon their camp. We were invited to their campfire and to share their food. All four of sat down and watched their singings and dancing.

There was one event which intrigues me till today when one of the elders came to sit by me. He asked if I understood the songs and dance, but I was polite to say I was not to know but I enjoyed the ritual.

"You sit on the sacred ground created by the turtle." He pat the land and smiled at me. "Do you know how the land was created?"

I nodded as I am from a Christian world and that I knew about are from the scriptures of old as shown in the book of faith. But I took to his words to hear what he had to say.

In the beginning there was only one water and the water animals that lived in it.

Then a woman fell from a torn place in the sky. She was a divine woman, full of power. Two loons flying over the water saw her falling. They flew under her, close together, making a pillow for her to sit on.

The loons held her up and cried for help. They could be heard for a long way as they called for other animals to come.

The snapping turtle called all the other animals to aid in saving the divine woman's life.

The animals decided the woman needed earth to live on.

Turtle said, "Dive down in the water and bring up some earth."

So they did that, those animals. A beaver went down. A muskrat went down. Others stayed down too long, and they

died.

Each time, Turtle looked inside their mouths when they came up, but there was no earth to be found.

Toad went under the water. He stayed too long, and he nearly died. But when Turtle looked inside Toad's mouth, he found a little earth. The woman took it and put it all around on Turtle's shell. That was the start of the earth.

Dry land grew until it formed a country, then another country, and all the earth.. To this day, Turtle holds up the earth.

I was amazed at the tale and I said my thanks to him. He then looked at Ben and back to me. He did not asked me but he continue on his tale.

Time passed, and the divine woman had twin boys. They were opposites, her sons. One was good, and one was bad. One was born as children are usually born, in a normal way. But the other one broke out of his mother's side, and she died.

When the divine woman was buried, all of the plants needed for life on earth sprang from the ground above her. From her head came the pumpkin vine. Maize came from her chest. Pole beans grew from her legs.

The divine woman's sons grew up. The evil one was Tawis-karong. The good one was Tijus-kaha. They were to prepare the earth so that humans could live on it. But they found they could not live together. And so they separated, with each one taking his own portion of the earth to prepare.

The bad brother, Tawis-karong, made monstrous animals, fierce and terrifying. He made wolves and bears, and snakes of giant size. He made mosquitoes huge, the size of wild turkeys. And he made an enormous toad. It drank up the fresh water that was on the earth. All of it.

The good brother, Tijus-kaha, made proper animals that were of use to human beings. He made the dove, and the mockingbird, and the partridge. And one day, the partridge flew toward the land of Tawis-karong.

"Why do you go there?" Tijus-kaha asked the partridge.

"I go because there is no water. And I hear there is some in your brother's land," said the partridge.

Tijus-kaha didn't believe the bird. So he followed, and finally he came to his evil brother's land. He saw all of the outlandish, giant animals his brother had made. Tijus-kaha didn't beat them down.

And then he saw the giant toad. He cut it open. Out came the earth's fresh water. Tijus-kaha didn't kill any [more] of his brother's creations. But he made them smaller, of normal size so that human beings could be leaders over them.

His mother's spirit came to Tijus-kaha in a dream. She warned him about his evil brother. And sure enough, one day, the two brothers had to come face to face. They decided they could not share the earth. They would have a duel to see who would be master of the world.

Each had to overcome the other with a single weapon. Tijus-kaha, the good, could only be killed if beaten to death with a bag full of corn or beans. The evil brother could be killed only by using the horn of a deer or other wild animal. then the brothers fixed the fighting ground where the battle would begin.

The first turn went to the evil brother, Tawis-karong. He pounded his brother with a bag of beans. He beat him until Tijus-kaha was nearly dead. But not quite. He got his strength back, and he chased Tawis-karong. Now it was his turn.

He beat his evil brother with a deer horn. Finally, Tijus-kaha took his brother's life away. But still the evil brother wasn't completely destroyed. "I have gone to the far west," he said. "All the races of men will follow me to the west when they die."

It is the belief of the Hurons to this day. When they die, their spirits go to the far west, where they will dwell forever.

( Taken from the tale of Huron Folklore http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/Huron-Creation-Myth-Wyandot.html )

"You can be Tijus-kaha and he the evil brother Tawis-Karong." The older man points to me and then to Ben. I looked at Ben and saw him smiling. Ben shrugged his shoulder and got up to leave the fireplace. I back to the older man but he was also walking away. Maybe he knows something that we did not tell or he could see through us as both brothers now and enemies at the end of our journey. I learned an important lesson that day as there many things in his world that can be seen if we know where to see of it.

Little would be we know that we would be seeing such challenges in the next dawn.