Onio (4 page)

She
brought Onio a mug of something to drink and Mel’s throat ached with thirst. She
watched as he set the mug down, staring at the floor in anger. Rain sat next to
him on the shelf of rock that served as a bed.

“Onio,
what you did was akin to murder. I know you know this, because I have taught
you these things myself!” She placed a hand on the male’s thigh. “I will teach
it again, Grandson,” she continued. “Maybe this time you will listen and truly
understand.”

Rain
slapped the young sasquatch sharply and stood up. Onio hunched his shoulders at
the reprimand, glaring at his own toes.

“The
small humans have small brains, Grandson. Also, their brains work differently
than ours. We are intuitive, telepathic and sensitive to the ways of nature and
the planet around us. They are none of these things, but they are creatures of
intellect. Look at the marvelous machines they construct, the technology they
have invented! In many ways their workings are like magic to us. Just as, I
think, our ways are magical to them.” Rain sighed.

“That
is why we hide from them, Onio. They are a covetous race, and would take from
us, by any means necessary, that which they desire. For many generations the
humans have tried to unlock the mysteries of our brains. They want to know how
to use the soul song, and would steal it from us if they could. Many times they
have tried…this you know, first-hand!”

Tears
were dripping out of Onio’s eyes and falling to the floor. He murmured, “I am
sorry, Grandmother. I wasn’t thinking properly.”

Mel
saw the old female smile as she fussed with some things in a bag, then walked
over to cook something on a fire set in the middle of the floor.

“Now,
finally, First Son admits to not thinking before acting.” Although the sasquatches
lips didn’t move, Mel could hear the sarcasm dripping from Rain’s voice, as the
smell of meat cooking filled the air.

“Onio,
listen and hear my words.” Rain’s voice was urgent. “There are as many reasons
as birds in the sky why we do not co-mingle with the little humans. Most
importantly, they
will
hunt us down and kill us for the gifts we
possess. They would experiment on us and dissect our brains, and all for
nothing! Even if they knew how to extract our abilities, their brains do not
have the means, or the capacity, for soul song. It is called neural pathways…or
some such. I have forgotten the exact words.” Now she glared at her grandson
again. “We think that this little human will survive what you did to her, Onio.”

Mel
slammed her eyes shut as she saw the big male glance her way. Guilt was written
all over his face.

“You
were lucky, I think, that this creature survived at all. Your gift opened
pathways in her brain…neural connections most humans are not equipped to deal
with, or understand. We believe that the only reason the girl hasn’t died is
because her ear canals are damaged. Our gifts are sense, rather than thought,
oriented. Hearing is a sense, so her brain was able to withstand the new
impulses. She is very ill, though, and will be frail for a long while to come.
She may not survive the change…someday her brain might break from the strain
you yourself put on it!”

Mel
saw Onio put his hands over his face and shudder. “Oh Grandmother,” he moaned. “Truly,
I did not think to kill this little human…I did not think at all!”

Rain
nodded, filled a wooden bowl with meat, and handed it to him. She glanced over
at Mel and sat down next to Onio again.

“You
are young yet, Onio, and perhaps foolish, but you will be a fine leader
someday. To lead well, though, you must learn to listen to the world around
you. Drak, your uncle, is also a fine man, but he suffers from jealousy. He
never thought that you would be declared king after Bouldar is gone…not with
the small human blood that flows in your veins. That he himself told you this
only serves to prove that he hasn’t the wisdom to lead the tribe.”

She
chuckled. “There is a thing the small humans call irony. It took me many, many
years of study to understand this concept, but I find it ironic that the very
thing Drak used to wound you with actually ensures your ascension to the seat
of leadership.”

She
stood again and moved around behind Onio to apply more salve to his wounded
back. “My husband believes that the human soldiers are renewing their efforts
to find us, and hunt us down. He believes that these soldiers want to use the
soul song as some sort of weapon. They are a warrior species who will use even
the most benign gift as a tool for destruction!” The old female apparently
forgot to be gentle in her application of the medicine on his wounds. Onio
winced with pain.

“He
thinks that the tribe needs a leader who can both sympathize with and
out-maneuver the humans who want to conquer us. The blood in your veins has
made you smarter than the rest of us…especially Drak. You still possess the
tribe’s gifts, like telepathy and camouflage, but your intellect will be the
thing that can save the tribe from the small humans’ greed.” She gave her
grandson’s shoulders a shake, not caring that he cried out in pain.

“That
leader will be you, Grandson!” she shouted. “But only if this little human
woman survives and you learn to think before you act!”

Rain’s
voice was pensive when she spoke again. “Before Bouldar became my husband he
was much like you; curious and compelled to seek out the small humans’ company,
despite the risks.” She threw her arms up with a growl of rage.

“Well,
you know how that turned out!” She glared down at her grandson, fists clenched
in fury.

“The
woman he took to wife ran home to her own people and talked about what had
befallen her. When it became clear that she was with child, whole villages of
our tribe were forced to go to battle. Many, many people were killed. Both
human beings like us and small humans perished in that terrible time. We were
forced to come out of our caves to find Bouldar and save your grandfather from
the small humans’ wrath. It is a lucky thing that he wasn’t killed!”

Rain
sat back down. She looked worn and very old. “This was many years ago, so long
ago perhaps you have forgotten the connection,” she sighed. “It was a close
thing, you know. Soldiers captured your grandfather and tortured him. He was a
shadow of himself when we finally tracked him down and brought him back home. He
has never regained his former health and vitality.” She wiped a tear from her
eye.

“Even
after everything happened, he claimed to love the human woman who had betrayed
him and his people. He was determined to find the child she carried and bring
it back home to the tribe. I had loved him from the moment I first saw him. It
was very hard, though, for me to love him again after he turned away from his
own kind and into the arms of that small human…even harder to raise the half
breed child he placed in my arms after her mother died in childbirth.”

Rain
caressed her grandson’s cheek and smiled. “As you know, Onio, that baby was
your mother, and a finer daughter than I could have hoped for. You must also
know, though, that life for her has not been an easy one. She has been shunned
and ridiculed. Her own husband, your father, left the tribe in humiliation
after you were born. I think he loved you both, but the tribe’s will was
strong. The only thing that has kept the two of you safe is the will of the
king. Although he loves you, he grows more fragile day by day. He punished you
the way he did in order to keep you safe!”

Rain
stared into Onio’s eyes. “You will be king one day, despite what Drak and his
followers think. But too many mistakes like the reckless one you committed with
this small human woman will result in banishment, if not death! You must grow
up now and learn to lead the tribe in the hard times to come. Your grandfather
is seldom wrong when it comes to small humans, and I believe him when he says
the soldiers are moving against us in the days to come.” She pinched Onio’s
arm.

“Now,
Grandson, you must stand tall. Take your injuries and wear the scars with honor
and pride. Lead your people in the days ahead with dignity and wisdom. Also,
keep your distance from the small human woman, at least for a while. The others
don’t like to see you worry for her well-being. If you are to be a king, you
must act like one! Now go!”

Onio
looked much calmer now. Although Mel could see that he was in a great deal of
pain, he straightened his shoulders and stepped out of the cavern with his head
held high. Her eyes widened as the light fell onto the bloody wounds on his
back…wounds she knew he would wear the rest of his life. Then she heard Rain’s
voice in her mind.

“How
long have you been listening?” the old sasquatch asked.

Chapter 5

Mel
stared up at the angry eyes that glared back at her. Although she understood
why the old female was angry towards humans, it was extremely intimidating to
be confronted with such open hostility.

“A
while,” she croaked.

Rain
shook her head and snapped, “Use soul song, child! I can’t understand a word
you say!”

Mel
blushed to the roots of her hair.
As if I don’t know that
, she thought
angrily. Then, strangely enough, she felt good about the sasquatches brutal
honesty. All of her life people had pussyfooted around her and her disability. They
looked appalled, or embarrassed, or downright disgusted when she tried to form
words. But they were never direct…not like this old female sasquatch was.

Angry
still, Mel spoke to Rain with her mind. “I told you I can’t talk…not with my
mouth anyway. But I was afraid I’d offend you if I used soul song! Jeez, you
can’t win around here.”

Rain
bent down over the fire and returned with a bowl of soup and some water.

“Eat.
You need nourishment,” she demanded, sitting on the edge of the pallet.

Mel’s
mouth had been watering since she first smelled the food cooking. She grabbed
the wooden bowl and started spooning the food into her mouth as fast as she
could manage. She had never tasted anything as good in her life.

The
old female sighed, “Not so fast child. You will make yourself sick.”

Mel
paused long enough to take a drink of water. “I’m sorry about what happened to
your grandson,” she offered. “I never meant for him to get into any trouble
over me.”

“My
grandson gets into enough trouble on his own, child,” Rain answered.

She
stared into the fire for a few moments and asked, “If we were to let you go,
would you run and tell others of your kind what you witnessed here?”

Mel
shook her head. “What others? I don’t have any friends, or…or family, now that
my mom is gone.” Her throat slammed closed. Suddenly she felt like choking on
the food that tasted so good only minutes ago.

“Gone?
Where did your mother go?” Rain asked.

“She
died,” Mel sobbed. “Just a few hours ago. I was coming home from the hospital
when I saw Onio on the road. I almost ran him over with my car, you know.”

Rain
rolled her eyes. “Child, you couldn’t have hit First Son with your vehicle if
you tried.”

“Oh.”
Mel set the bowl down on the fur. Suddenly her stomach was roiling and her head
pounded like a big, bass drum. She moaned, placing her hands over her temples. It
felt like she was dying.

“Am
I dying?” she whispered.

Rain
shook her head. “No, I don’t think so, but you are very ill. If you heard what
my grandson and I spoke of, you know that parts of your brain have been
affected by Onio’s touch. The soul song is not meant for small humans, and yet
the damage is done. I think it a good sign that your appetite flourishes, but
it will be a long while before you feel well again.”

Fear
and sorrow seemed to fill Mel’s soul. Tears that had been held in check poured
from her eyes and she howled in grief. She felt herself being pushed back down
amongst the furs and heard Rain’s voice in her mind.

“Rest
now, girl. Your body has been through a shock, and you need time to recover
your strength. Shhh…rest.”

The
last thing Mel saw was the silhouette of the huge female sasquatch as she fell
back into the dark and murky depths of despair.

***

Sometime
later, Mel awoke with a start. She stared around the cavern and saw a huge,
dark shape huddled against the wall.

“Who’s
there?” she whispered.

The
shape moved toward her, and she saw that it was the young sasquatch, Onio. Suddenly,
Mel was furious. If it wasn’t for him she would be home now sleeping in her own
bed. She wouldn’t have panicked and driven her car off the road. She wouldn’t
be the target of hostility between Onio and his uncle Drak!

“Onio,
what do you think you’re doing?” she demanded. “I heard your grandmother tell
you to keep your distance from me. You’re going to get both of us in even more
trouble!”

Onio
approached slowly and Mel could see that he seemed to be in a great deal of
pain. Glancing down she saw that he held a burning brand in one hand, and a
wooden bowl of something in the other. His lips were turned down in misery. Mel’s
heart melted in sympathy.