Chapter 23

It was early morning when a rattlesnake moved across the desert floor in front of John. He used his walking stick to keep it away. Even Rover gave a wide berth to the snake. There were few things lived in the desert that Rover wouldn’t challenge, but a rattlesnake was one. Together they waited until it moved well out of their path.

They were only a few minutes walk from the top of the hill. From there, they would be able to see for miles all around them. John knew his destination, but didn’t really care how long it took him to reach it. He was on vacation and had decided to visit Robert White Feather’s grandfather.

He looked around for more snakes. He didn’t see any so he started to climb. Rover walked along beside him. The cat’s eyes continually scanned the desert for signs of movement. He hunted along the way, living primarily off rabbits. The other day, he had brought down a white tail deer. John had eaten some of the venison, but had gone without food the past three days. With a surprising burst of speed the cat bounded into the sagebrush and returned with a rabbit. John settled down to wait for Rover to finish eating.

The cat finished the rabbit rather quickly. He’d probably catch another one before the day was over. John stood up and moved towards the top of the hill. They soon reached it. John knelt down and looked around. Below him was a breathtaking panorama of desert life. Cacti and sagebrush littered the landscape. The soil had a rusty tinge to it that hid the life that abounded there.

About two miles away, someone was watching a flock of grazing sheep. He was amazed there was enough food out here to support a flock of sheep. Of course, the person probably covered close to ten miles a day. He decided that it was best to met the person and let him or her know he was out here. This was reservation land, and it was good to be polite.

He headed down the hill. The two miles could be covered in thirty or forty minutes. Still, it made sense to take it easy. One didn’t live long in a desert by rushing around. Slow and easy was the key to survival out here. He took his time. Soon he could tell that it was a young boy watching the flock. By now, the young boy was watching him. John didn’t expect him to move in his direction.

John approached the young man slowly. About ten feet away, he squatted letting his thighs support the weight of his body. Rover knelt next to him. John said, “I’m John Carter.”

The boy looked at him for a minute before he answered, “I know. William Redman is waiting for you.”

“Thank you for telling me,” replied John. He guessed that was the name of Robert’s grandfather. He handed an open pack of cigarettes to the boy. The boy took one and lit it. John took one and lit it. He puffed on it like a cigar, avoiding inhaling the smoke.

The boy studied the cat for a minute. He had heard stories of wise ones that traveled with animal spirits in physical form. He hadn’t quite believed them. He said, “I’m called Awa Tsireh. It means Cattail Bird.”

John said, “The cat’s name is Rover.”

Awa Tsireh smoked the cigarette blowing the smoke up to the sky at times. It was quiet except for the bleating of the sheep and the wind blowing across the land. A hawk flew overhead. John watched it travel. Awa Tsireh asked, “Are you of our tribe?”

John puffed a couple of times on the cigarette. It was making him dizzy. He answered “No. I am a Druid.”

The boy watched the sheep slowly move away. “Never heard of that tribe.”

John pet Rover for a minute. He said, “We are a small tribe.”

The boy nodded and then moved off to follow the sheep. John carefully put out the cigarette and waited for the dizziness to pass. His stomach felt queasy. He put the butt in his back pocket. He took the time to watch the boy follow the sheep across the landscape. Feeling a little better he stood and continued on his way.

He figured he had another ten miles to travel, but he would rest in the heat of the mid-day. He would get there late this afternoon. He headed in the approximate direction. Rover followed along with him. It was starting to get hot when he finally stopped. After a few minutes of effort, his canvas tarp was set up to provide some shade. He sat down and took a small sip of water. He poured some water in his hand and gave it to Rover. The cat licked it up. He repeated giving the cat water a few times, then settled in for a long wait.

After the hottest part of the day ended, John packed up and headed on towards his destination. The cat left his side to hunt. He knew the cat would catch up after it had eaten. John topped a small rise and saw a couple of old men gathering dried cactus to make a fire. He knelt down to wait for the cat. The cat wouldn’t want to interrupt his hunting just because John was in a hurry.

The cat was a long time in coming, but it looked satisfied. John stood and slowly walked down to the men. The men continued working as though they weren’t aware that he was there. John squatted and waited for them to finish. Rover sat beside him watching the activity with interest.

The men finished and turned to look at John. John examined the men. All of them were old, their skin wrinkled from years in the sun. John reached into his backpack and pulled out a carton of cigarettes. He held them out. One of the men came forward and took the carton.

He said, “Hello, John Carter.”

John waited to answer, “Hello, William Redman.”

John pulled out the open pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He took one and handed the pack to the old man. The old man took one and lit it. John lit his. They smoked for a minute. William said, “We will take a spirit journey tonight.”

John accepted the pack from the William and returned it to his pocket. John looked at the pile of cactus. He said, “You waited for me.”

William looked at the pile and back to John. “You will join us.”

It was less a question than a command. John puffed on the cigarette. He nodded as he answered, “Yes.”

One of the other old men stepped forward. John handed the pack of cigarettes to him. He took one and lit it. He took a deep drag off the cigarette and asked, “You have fasted?”

John accepted the pack back. He slowly put it back in his pocket. “For three days, only water.”

The man smiled and nodded to the others. They moved over to the fire pit and sat around it. John joined them. He turned his eyes to watch the sunset. It was glorious with reds, greens, oranges, and purples spread across the sky in broad strokes. He took the lancet out of his pocket and drew two drops of blood. He threw them to the ground and said, “For the Gods and Goddesses.”

The old men watched him perform his sacrifice. William asked, “You give blood?”

John put the lancet in his pocket. He answered, “Only my blood. Great magic requires a great price.”

The old men looked at each other. One of them said, “We must cleanse ourselves.”

He stood up and stripped. He walked over to a barrel and removed a dipper from it. He used the dipper to pour water over his head, filling it three times. The men went to barrel one at a time. John waited his turn and then did the same. One of the old men remarked about his scars, “Are you sure you are a holy man and not a warrior?”

John looked down at himself and smiled. He answered, “Great magic requires a great price.”

William smiled at that. Robert had been right when he had told him that John would be interesting to meet. Robert had said that he was more Indian then most of the young men in the tribe. He definitely had patience and knew how to show respect. He asked, “The Medallion is magic?”

John studied William. The question was out of place. He answered it anyway, “It’s a gift from the Gods and Goddesses. Only they can remove it.”

One of the old men lit the fire. They sat around staring at the flames, waiting for full dark to arrive. The stars came out lighting the surroundings in a way that was only possible far from the artificial lights of the cities.

One of the men picked up a drum from the ground beside him. Another unwrapped a tortoise shell rattle. William pulled out a hand carved flute. They started playing and chanting. The effect was hypnotic. John let himself be carried away by it.

Much later, they passed around a woven bowl that contained mushrooms. Each man took a mushroom and ate it. John did likewise and handed the bowl to the man who had started it around the path. John joined them in chanting.

He stared into the fire. He found himself lying on his back staring into the sun. He sat up and blinked his eyes, trying to rid them of the spots that floated in front of his face. After a few minutes, they disappeared and he took time to look around. He was back at the meadow. The colors were overly bright, the sounds overly loud, and the smells overpowering in the intensity and diversity. He was surrounded by flowers. He watched as a bee went from one flower to another; spreading pollen and taking nectar as its pay. A butterfly landed on the back of his hand. He examined the butterfly trying to identify what kind it was. The shape of the wings was like that of a swallowtail, but the colors were all wrong. A bird landed at his feet. He watched as it listened to the ground and then pulled up a worm.

He sat still watching the magic of the meadow. A naked fat man came walking out of the woods towards him. John watched him approach. With a crash, the fat man fell to the ground in front of him. He rolled over onto his side and held his head in the palm of his hand. Parts of his body sagged and settled on the ground under him. He smiled at John for a minute before he said, “Strange company you are keeping.”

“Not really.”

The smile grew bigger. He asked, “It doesn’t bother you that they travel a different path?”

John tilted his head to his right side. He answered, “Different paths often cross.”

The fat man laughed. It was a high pitched laugh, almost like that of a woman. He said, “Well said, John Carter. Well said, indeed.”

John watched as a fox approached. “What will we talk about now?”

The fat man really laughed at that. He retorted, “We could talk about how well you’ve learned to use your strength. I was most impressed when you took down so many criminals in one day. You did it with compassion as well.”

“I thank you for the complement.”

The fat man grew serious. He said, “You are a puzzlement to me.”

“Why?”

“You have a male mate that came here to challenge us to provide greater protection for you.”

“Yes, I was pleased that you choose to let him survive.”

The fat man made a gesture with his hand, as if he were waving off a fly. “He proved that he was worthy.”

John winced as he wondered how Ed had proven himself worthy. He said, “You gave him a great gift.”

“Others are coming here to protect you, some invited and some not.” The fat man stared at John. “Were you aware that tonight is midsummer’s night?”

John nodded as he answered, “Yes. But who are these others that you talk about.”

The fat man laughed as he said, “That you will find out in due course!”

“If that is what you want, then who am I to argue?” replied John.

“Who are you to argue?” retorted the fat man. Suddenly the man changed into a fat woman. Her huge breasts sagged to the ground. She asked, “What are we to do with you? You command such allegiance from those around you.”

John answered, “Allow me to serve the Gods and Goddesses to the best of my abilities. I have never asked for more than that.”

She reached out and fondled his medallion. “That is true. You’ve never asked for more than that.”

The medallion fell from his neck. John stared at it for a full minute. He looked up as he asked, “Did I ask for too much?”

The fat woman replied, “Not at all. I’ll see you Midwinter’s day.”

John woke and found himself on his back staring up at the sun. William was seated on the ground next to him. He pointed to John’s chest and said, “Your medallion came off last night.”

John nodded as he remembered it coming off in the hand of the Two-sided One. He said, “I met the Two-sided One on my journey. He removed it from me.”

There was a long moment of silence. William finally said, “We saw that you walked a different path. We walked the desert with the animal spirits guiding us. You crossed the rocks alone and headed into the woods.”

“I am a Druid. We often walk alone.”

“Your cat left when the medallion fell.”

John felt a pang of loneliness, as he knew deep in his heart that Rover was gone for good. He had become used to having the cat around all the time. The other cats would be gone as well. He was hurt that he didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to the cat. He looked at William. Sadly, he said, “Great magic requires a great price.”