Coyote's Daughter Read online

  I grinned back at him and wiped my eyes while he stood. Jack reached down to haul me upright and we hugged for a long moment.

  "Come on. Let's go talk to the Old Ones." He took my hand and we walked back to the tree.

  Jack started in just as I opened my mouth; I guess I was too used to speaking for him.

  "I want to change back to how I was before. Can you do that?"

  Spider Old Woman smiled at him. "Are you sure, child?"

  Jack nodded. "Yes. I want my old body back."

  Coyote heaved himself up off the ground and rested an arm across Jack's shoulders. "Can't say as I blame you. I tend to prefer my other shape a trifle more than this one myself."

  He guided Jack away from us. "Come on. I'll show you how to make the change, far easier than when forced on you. It's actually pretty fun."

  They headed off around the corner of the cottage, and my eyes followed their every step.

  "Maggie." A sigh. Spider Old Woman slapped the ground beside her. "Maggie! They will be a while. Sit by me and watch me spin for a time."

  I sat, still staring towards where Jack and Coyote had gone.

  "First you twirl a bit of the carded wool between your fingers to form a lead. Then you wrap the lead around the spindle."

  I heard her voice, but only faintly, as if from a great distance. I dropped my head into my hands and the fit I had been keeping in a little box in my head for over a week, ever since I had stepped through the split cottonwood looking for Ash, crashed over me.

  I sobbed and Spider Old Woman laid aside her spinning to stroke my hair, and Ash patted my back in awkward circles.

  Chapter Fourteen

  In the next hour I started to get the hang of working the drop spindle. Then Jack stuck his muzzle against the spindle, setting it swaying and tangling the thread.

  "Well, we're done with our work."

  Coyote stood in front of me, and looked awfully pleased with himself. Jack grinned, his tongue lolling to the side.

  I looked back and forth between them. "Why do I feel I'm going to lie awake nights and wonder what you have been teaching Jack?"

  Coyote shrugged, and Jack rolled over for tummy rubs.

  * * *

  The next morning Spider Old Woman woke us early. "I have other things to do; I've certainly spent enough time with all of you. Up and on your way." But she said it with a smile, and I hugged her gently.

  "You did fine, girl. Do not worry about what you might have done differently."

  She kissed my cheek, and bent down to scratch Jack's head. "And you, my fine gentleman, behave yourself. No picking up any of Coyote's tricks."

  Spider Old Woman turned to Ash. "I will expect to see you in a few weeks. Come bring me news; I always like that."

  We started away from her cottage, and I could hear her puttering inside. I missed her already.

  As the three of us headed down the path, Coyote joined us. "I will go with you a while. I have things to do as well, but I may as well do them in this direction."

  I didn't ask what things he needed to do, afraid he'd tell me.

  None of us talked much on the walk. I think we all felt too wrung out from everything that had happened. From time to time Coyote would start to tell a story, but he could tell we weren't really listening, so he kept breaking off in the middle.

  As we approached Bear Girl's cave, Coyote said, "And here I will leave you."

  "What? Why aren't you coming in? Bear Girl's parents are nice, and her mom's a great cook, and . . ." I trailed off.

  Coyote shook his head and smirked. "I am sure they are very kind, and I am glad they are your friends. But they are a bit too respectable for the likes of me, and I do not think they would be happy with me as their guest."

  He was probably right, and I shook my head thinking of what tricks he would feel obliged to play on the serious Bear Man. So I hugged him tightly. His thin body stiffened at first, then relaxed. "You've been my friend from the beginning, even when I didn't know what was going on. I'll miss you."

  He patted my shoulder. "Who says I will not be around any longer, eh? Keep a sharp eye out. I like your world."

  Coyote broke away and nodded to Ash. "You, I will see soon."

  Then his form melted like water, and with his sharp teeth he nipped Jack on the shoulder. Jack sprang on top of him and they wrestled, going over and around in the dust. Finally they stopped, and Coyote shook himself and loped off into the scrub.

  * * *

  We found Bear Girl outside her family's cave, gathering firewood. She threw the bundle in her arms to the ground when she saw us, and grabbed me so fiercely I thought my ribs might break.

  "Careful! Unlike everyone else, I've only got the one shape; don't break it!" But I laughed while I said the words, I was so happy to see her again.

  Her parents greeted us at the door this time, and they seemed pleased to see us again. I had told them about Ash on our way through before, and they welcomed him. Before we knew it, they had fed us all and settled us in for the night.

  After we had all gone to bed, I lay awake, staring up at the darkness where the ceiling hid. I could hear soft breathing all around me. Bear Girl to my left, Ash to my right, and Jack at my feet. Safe, surrounded by friends, I still couldn't turn my mind off. My thoughts raced around like a hamster on a wheel, replaying the fight with Shriveled Corn Man, hearing again his screams of rage and frustration when he knew he had been defeated. I shuddered under my blanket.

  "Maggie." The barest whisper from my right. "Go to sleep."

  "I can't. I can't stop thinking."

  Ash sighed. "Then lay quietly, and I will tell you about how the first people emerged from under the ground, and spread out to all the directions of the sun, and came to live here."

  His voice was low and even, and sometime after the third explorer left on his magical journey to find a safe homeland, I drifted off.

  * * *

  In the morning I awoke to the sound of voices coming from the back of the cave.

  "So, he is truly gone now?" Bear Man's low rumble would have been frightening if I didn't know what a kind man he could be.

  "Yes. Shriveled Corn Man will bother the peoples no more." Ash sounded pleased.

  "How did you destroy him?"

  "I did nothing. Maggie fought him alone. But I will tell you the story as I have heard it from her."

  I winced. I didn't want to hear this, didn't want to think about the battle anymore, so I pulled myself out of bed, folded the blankets, and went out to the front of the cave where Bear Girl and her mother knelt laughing.

  When I got closer I could see they ground something between two flat stones. Maybe turning corn into flour, I wasn't sure.

  "Maggie, good morning!" At a nod from her mother, Bear Girl sprang to her feet and hugged me. "Come outside, it's a beautiful day. Jack is already out playing."

  We stepped into the light, and sat with our backs against the sun-warmed rock of the cliff face.

  "What will you do now? When can you come back?"

  I shook my head. "I don't know what to do. I never really thought past getting Ash back and defeating Shriveled Corn Man. I don't know if I'm going to be able to come back here again."

  Bear Girl gasped. "But you have to! I will miss you, and it will be terrible if you are not able to visit again."

  I held her hand. "I know; I'll miss you too. But I've been gone for weeks, and my parents must be horribly worried. I don't know how I'm going to explain this, much less tell them I want to leave every so often for a week to travel here. I can't seem to think."

  We sat in silence for a moment, then Bear Girl started to speak, slowly, sorting her thoughts as she went. "Ash's village is a short distance from you, yes?" I nodded. "Then we can ask Ash to let me know when you will visit him, and I can ask my parents if I can visit his village at the same time."

  She reached and grasped my shoulder, her face lighting with the excitement of the new plan. "I am sure they will allow
it. We have not traded our medicines much with his village in recent years, and this will let us reestablish old ties and make new connections."

  By the time Ash, Jack and I left, Bear Girl had talked with her parents about the importance of resuming trade with the village. She and Ash had discussed the best times for her to travel. I stood to the side, trying to get excited about seeing her again, but mostly worried about my parents.

  I pulled on my pack, and she came over for a quick, final hug. "I know you are worried now, Maggie. But everything will be all right, I am sure of it."

  I hugged her back. "Sorry. I just need to get home. Then we'll see what happens."

  We waved to her family as we headed off across the scrublands, and in a few moments they fell behind us, out of sight.

  Ash and I hiked in silence for most of the morning, content to watch Jack investigate the landscape. After a quick rest at noon, we started walking again. The scrub seemed endless, even though I knew we were less than two days from the village. Ash was tense, and by mid-afternoon even Jack stopped frolicking to jog silently beside us.

  "Ash?"

  He only grunted, eyes sweeping the ground ahead of us.

  "What's wrong? Do you think someone else will attack us here? Aren't we safe now?"

  He slowed his steps, but only for a moment. "No, we are safe. But I am worried about what we will find at the end of our journey, and wish for nothing further to delay us."

  "What do you mean? You became human again, why would anything different happen to the others from the village?"

  Ash made a sound more like a bark than a laugh. "Yes, I became human. I am sure they also became human when the spell was broken. But even as a bird I had been searching for the home of Spider Old Woman and was close, and so when I woke, and again was a boy, the distance I had to travel to friends and safety was short."

  "Shriveled Corn Man had you in a cage the last time I saw you. He freed you later?"

  "I have told you I remember little of that time. I was in a cage of branches, and the others, trapped as birds, were all around me. A wind came up, and scattered us far and wide. The cage fell over, and two of the branches broke. It was enough of an opening. I could not find the others, so went to look for Spider Old Woman.

  "Then it was dawn, and I was human again. When the light was full upon the land I saw I was not far from Spider Old Woman's home. I arrived while you slept."

  He never stopped walking while telling me this, didn't look at me, just pressed on towards the village.

  "I still do not know what happened to the rest of my people. The healthy adults and older children should be able to make the trip from the mountains back to the village without harm. But what of the elderly ones and the infants? What of the sick? Did the same wind that blew me to you scatter them across the land, where they lie helpless on the ground now, human but with no hope of reaching home?"

  He scowled, and I reached for his hand. "If that happened, we can't do anything to help yet. Worrying about what might be isn't going to help now. We'll get there, and then see how things are."

  Ash would have given me the exact same advice if I had needed it. Even if I never followed the suggestion when my parents made it to me, I hoped my words eased his mind.

  We didn't talk about the village and what we might find for the rest of the way. I think the possibilities frightened Ash. I hurt to see him like this, but I could do nothing else to put his mind to rest.

  We stopped for dinner at dusk. We had no need for hunting that night; Bear Woman had sent a parcel full of bread and dried fruits and jerky for the trip, as well as other gifts for the village packed away in baskets. I was glad Ash was carrying it. I still had the oxuwah in my pack, but I tried not to think about the new power within the figurine, buried in the clay.

  After dinner we stretched out to sleep on either side of the fire. I stared up at the stars. This would be my last night here, I hoped. But I would miss it, too. After a while it felt as if I were falling up into the sky, surrounded by stars and light.

  The last day of travel went quickly, almost too quickly. As we neared the village, I could see Ash tense.

  "Come on. We can't do anything about whatever has happened until we know what's there."

  He scowled, and stalked ahead of me.

  We heard them first, a murmur, nothing more. Then the sounds became clearer. People talking, laughing. We came out of the foothills, and the village was alive. Children ran around, adults passed each other in the streets.

  Ash stood as if rooted to the ground.

  "This is what you wanted, right? This is good."

  He sucked air in as if he hadn't taken a full breath all day. "I was so worried; I did not let myself hope. I was prepared for anything. Anything but this." And he waved toward the village.

  "What are we waiting for then?" I started walking ahead with Jack, sure that Ash would follow.

  Within moments he was beside me, a broad grin covering his face.

  "So, why don't we go visit whoever you were so worried about?"

  He stumbled a bit in surprise at my comment.

  "Come on, it was pretty obvious there was someone in particular you were anxious about. Let's go check on them."

  He shook his head, and with a smile caught my hand, and we entered the village together.

  As we walked through the streets, people waved and smiled at Ash, but when they saw me they looked worried. It hurt some, that they didn't trust me, but then again, they had no reason to know who I was.

  Ash glanced at my crestfallen face out of the corner of his eye. "Do not worry. I will tell them what happened, what you did for them, for all of us. When you visit next they will not be shy."

  The village children certainly weren't shy with Jack. He wandered between houses, and they rubbed his ears and patted his flanks, and I couldn't tell who was having a better time, him or the kids.

  Most of the adults were gathered in the open square under the spreading arms of the large tree, and within moments of our arrival we heard a shout.

  Ash bolted forwards toward the voice. I was left alone and panicking, but it was only minutes before he came back, tenderly guiding an old woman by the hand to where I stood.

  "Maggie. This is Olivella Flower Woman. She took me into her home and her family when I was found as a child." His mother. That was whom he had been so worried about.

  She smiled at me quickly, and then ran her hand down his face. "I am so glad to see you, child of my heart. I was so worried when I realized you did not wake from the nightmare with the rest of us."

  We found a place to sit in the shade of one of the buildings.

  "Mother, I have many things to tell you, but first tell me how you arrived at the village."

  She gazed at the sky. "I have no knowledge of how long the sorcerer kept us. We flew as birds, but could not leave the hills near his camp. At night we perched in trees all around him, tethered by invisible lines, desperate to be free, even if in the shape of crows." She twisted up her face and struck the ground with her fist. "I saw you come in, days after the last villager. He trapped you and beat you and I thought the last string of my heart would break."

  Ash patted her hand, and reached to wipe the single tear that fell down her wrinkled cheek.

  "I cannot tell you how much longer we were kept, until at last a strong wind came up, and blew us, every last one, away from that hateful place." She closed her eyes. "I feared I would never see the rest of my people, but dawn came, and we were together, not far from the edge of the village fields, and we were human once more.

  "I myself did not see, but many of the others say Coyote ran laughing at the edges of where we walked, guiding our steps. If it is so, we owe him a debt for bringing us home."

  She clutched at his hands. "Do you have the oxuwah safe still? You must have hidden it from him, must have defeated him."

  "Mother, I did not defeat him. It was my friend, Maggie."

  Ash freed one hand to draw me
next to him and I took off my backpack and drew the clay statue out. Giving it to her seemed right, a fitting closure to the circle.

  "Ma'am, here it is, safe and sound. Ash can explain what happened to us, and to the oxuwah. It's a long story."

  She looked confused, but cradled the figure in her lap without asking any questions. Olivella Flower Woman didn't take her eyes off Ash for a minute, and my heart lurched a little, thinking of how worried my own parents must still be.

  "Ash, I'm sorry, but it's time for me to go."

  He looked at me, startled. "Yes, I suppose it is."

  Ash whispered in his mother's ear, then stood and walked with Jack and me through the village. People touched us gently as we passed through. Someone must have overheard Ash's words and repeated them already. The change in the attitude of the villagers towards us was noticeable. A brush on my arm, a quick pat for Jack.

  There was little left to say, so we walked in comfortable silence. Halfway up the trail to the cottonwood tree, close to where the snake had attacked me, I stopped. "We can go on by ourselves from here; the trail is clear now. You should get back to your people."

  "Will you come back? Will I see you again?"

  I was surprised. "Of course! I'll be at the river, whenever I can." I looked up the trail towards the split tree, towards home. "Do you think I'll be able to come down the trail again, now that the war with Shriveled Corn Man is over?" I wanted to go home, but didn't want to give up this new part of my life either.

  "You will always know how to find me, Maggie." He leaned forward, and for a brief moment I thought he was going to kiss me. With the lightest touch, he put his hand on the necklace I still wore. "You'll find me."

  And then Ash stepped away, and Jack pranced at my feet, and it was time to go home.

  The path back was an easy stroll after the hikes of the last few days. I thought about how many days it had been, and how worried my parents would be.

  We stepped through the cottonwood, and the air was different, heavier. I could hear the faint sounds of cars on the neighborhood streets. A jogger went by on the path. We were home.