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jimmydragon) wrote2021-05-28 10:48 am
jimmydragon) wrote2021-05-28 10:48 am
Up On The Mountain
OOC: This takes place after THIS POST.
Grandfather Takawitha pronounced his blessing over Jimmy, Mark, and Walter. TIn turn the Adamses thanked the holy man and his assistant with offerings of tobacco, sage, sweetgrass, cedar, boxes of foodstuffs carefully packed, and an envelope of cash that would cover any expenses for their trip home.
Before leaving Grandfather Takawitha pulled Jimmy aside and told him, "Tonight or tomorrow, the spirit of the Faraway Mountain will come," the old man said in his low, gravelly voice. "Listen to their voice, but do not be afraid to follow what your ancestors and the people who have accepted you as theirs have to show you."
Jimmy nodded his acceptance of the holy man's words. He was filled with both a sense of relief and trepidation at once. Would he finally come to know who his real father was? With no further remarks, the old man and his younger assistant got into their old blue Chevrolet sedan and headed down the gravel drive toward the road. The heavy vegetation slapping the side mirrors of the old car as it lumbered off.
After a light meal, Jimmy and Mark mounted the two horses that they would take partway up the mountain to where the permanent tipi site was set up. Walter, Erica, and Lily had helped the two men check and double-check the things they would need that had not already been hauled up to the tipi site the day before. JImmy was mounted on Walter's black gelding, Marvin, while Mark would be taking the bay mare, aptly names Sassy, that both Lily and Erica tended to ride rode the most. Erica seemed almost chuffed by the thought that her new friend, Mark, would be riding what she considered to be her horse.
"You be nice to my friend, Sassy!" Erica pressed her forehead against that of her horse. "You know your way around and Mark is new here."
The horse blinked and let out a sigh, and looked back over her shoulder at Mark as if she had completely understood what the girl had said to her. Jimmy suppressed a laugh. In all probability, the horse probably did understand every word. At least, that's what he was always raised to believe anyway.
"Ah, don't you worry about us, Erica," Mark grinned as he patted the horse's neck. "I'm sure that Sassy and I will get along just fine. And if I'm not mistaken, I think I spied her watching me packing an extra apple or two as an incentive, so I bet she knows."
"We'll back tomorrow sometime, Kitten," Jimmy pulled back on the reins to back Marvin up slightly. "Can we count on you to keep an eye on the ridge and let your Mama and your Papa know when we're coming back down?"
Erica's face blossomed into a smile and she nodded in agreement. There was hardly anything that her favorite cousin could ask of her that she wouldn't agree to. That Jimmy set her about such an important task along the same lines as she had done in helping her mother for the sweatlodge was of particular importance. For Indigenous people, it was important to include the children the sacred and the spiritual into their daily lives from a very young age. It was how he was raised and he was pleased that the traditions were continued. The modern world always presented its own set of problems but Lily and Walter seemed to be managing the balance better than many others that he knew of.
The pair said their goodbyes to Jimmy's aunt, uncle and the kids and headed toward the well-worn trail that led to bluffs where the tipi was tucked. Of course, they could have hiked the nearly two-mile distance, but given how long the sweat lodge ceremony had taken, it was important that they get to where they were going by nightfall.
The morning fog had long since burned off and dappled sunshine shone through the leaves that sheltered around the homestead and up the mountain. After they reached the edge of the forest, Mark was the first to break the silence.
"You have a really nice family, Jimmy," Mark smiled. "Thank you for bringing me and for trusting me with something this important."
The sweatlodge had left Jimmy feeling oddly connected yet somehow removed from his usual consciousness. He was aware of his best friend's words but didn't respond right away. At last, a smile crossed Jimmy's face and he nodded. "You make a difference, Bro. Who else could I possibly trust with something like this?" Suddenly, he let out a soft chuckle aand grinned at Mark. "And who knows what we are going to find once we've got you settled at the tipi and me half naked on the side of the mountain under a full moon?"
Grandfather Takawitha pronounced his blessing over Jimmy, Mark, and Walter. TIn turn the Adamses thanked the holy man and his assistant with offerings of tobacco, sage, sweetgrass, cedar, boxes of foodstuffs carefully packed, and an envelope of cash that would cover any expenses for their trip home.
Before leaving Grandfather Takawitha pulled Jimmy aside and told him, "Tonight or tomorrow, the spirit of the Faraway Mountain will come," the old man said in his low, gravelly voice. "Listen to their voice, but do not be afraid to follow what your ancestors and the people who have accepted you as theirs have to show you."
Jimmy nodded his acceptance of the holy man's words. He was filled with both a sense of relief and trepidation at once. Would he finally come to know who his real father was? With no further remarks, the old man and his younger assistant got into their old blue Chevrolet sedan and headed down the gravel drive toward the road. The heavy vegetation slapping the side mirrors of the old car as it lumbered off.
After a light meal, Jimmy and Mark mounted the two horses that they would take partway up the mountain to where the permanent tipi site was set up. Walter, Erica, and Lily had helped the two men check and double-check the things they would need that had not already been hauled up to the tipi site the day before. JImmy was mounted on Walter's black gelding, Marvin, while Mark would be taking the bay mare, aptly names Sassy, that both Lily and Erica tended to ride rode the most. Erica seemed almost chuffed by the thought that her new friend, Mark, would be riding what she considered to be her horse.
"You be nice to my friend, Sassy!" Erica pressed her forehead against that of her horse. "You know your way around and Mark is new here."
The horse blinked and let out a sigh, and looked back over her shoulder at Mark as if she had completely understood what the girl had said to her. Jimmy suppressed a laugh. In all probability, the horse probably did understand every word. At least, that's what he was always raised to believe anyway.
"Ah, don't you worry about us, Erica," Mark grinned as he patted the horse's neck. "I'm sure that Sassy and I will get along just fine. And if I'm not mistaken, I think I spied her watching me packing an extra apple or two as an incentive, so I bet she knows."
"We'll back tomorrow sometime, Kitten," Jimmy pulled back on the reins to back Marvin up slightly. "Can we count on you to keep an eye on the ridge and let your Mama and your Papa know when we're coming back down?"
Erica's face blossomed into a smile and she nodded in agreement. There was hardly anything that her favorite cousin could ask of her that she wouldn't agree to. That Jimmy set her about such an important task along the same lines as she had done in helping her mother for the sweatlodge was of particular importance. For Indigenous people, it was important to include the children the sacred and the spiritual into their daily lives from a very young age. It was how he was raised and he was pleased that the traditions were continued. The modern world always presented its own set of problems but Lily and Walter seemed to be managing the balance better than many others that he knew of.
The pair said their goodbyes to Jimmy's aunt, uncle and the kids and headed toward the well-worn trail that led to bluffs where the tipi was tucked. Of course, they could have hiked the nearly two-mile distance, but given how long the sweat lodge ceremony had taken, it was important that they get to where they were going by nightfall.
The morning fog had long since burned off and dappled sunshine shone through the leaves that sheltered around the homestead and up the mountain. After they reached the edge of the forest, Mark was the first to break the silence.
"You have a really nice family, Jimmy," Mark smiled. "Thank you for bringing me and for trusting me with something this important."
The sweatlodge had left Jimmy feeling oddly connected yet somehow removed from his usual consciousness. He was aware of his best friend's words but didn't respond right away. At last, a smile crossed Jimmy's face and he nodded. "You make a difference, Bro. Who else could I possibly trust with something like this?" Suddenly, he let out a soft chuckle aand grinned at Mark. "And who knows what we are going to find once we've got you settled at the tipi and me half naked on the side of the mountain under a full moon?"