Chapter 7

Aftermath Big Creek Lake

Alex began giving healing and aid to Gunner. The wound on his upper shoulder and the side of neck had been bleeding heavily. His light healing barely able to slow the blood loss. Sam was talking with the Indian warriors that had come to their aid. He was told all the bodies needed to be gathered and burned or they would return to life and continue the attacks. Sam agreed to send Bull and maybe Tom to help when they got here.

The warrior band began to gather the bodies, removing heads and checking for crystals. Agot seeing what the men were doing sent a couple of dwarves to help while the others collected the dead and gave aid to the wounded. Bull and Tom with the mounts and dogs came up to join. Sam and Alex standing over Gunners body. As they joined together Alex shook his head and Sam had them join together for a heartfelt but short prayer for Gunner. They had all lost companions before. Fighting a war for Uncle Sam did that to a man, and gave the discipline to get on with the mission. Alex started to wrap the body to travel, when Wyome came up and interrupted. A short argument occurred as Wyome explained that burning the bodies included those killed by the beasts. After a short discussion Sam stepped away and asked Guide who said that burning was an acceptable burial. Bull carried the body with him as he headed over to aid in the creature disposal, Sam, Tom and Wyome went to join Agot. The  dwarves and Indians were trying to talk in gestures and pointing.

Sam began to explain to Wyome, that they had a way to help ease the conversation. Tom approached Agot and showed his empty hands. Tom slowly began to disarm, placing his firearms, tomahawk and Arkansas toothpick on the ground to one side. He reached out and offered his right hand to the Dwarven commander. They clasped forearms, not hands as Tom expected but Tom looked her in the eye, then raising his left-hand palm up in supplication and looking toward the heavens, at that moment a raven, the twin of the one they saw before, huge, larger than an eagle landed on the left shoulder of the dwarf. Slightly shaken Tom began the prayer/spell and as he finished the raven cawed. Tom looked to the dwarf who was looking from Tom to the raven as Tom asked “can you understand me?”

Eyes widening “Yes, this is a powerful spell” replied Agot. Looking over at the other two leaders she shook herself as she realized she could understand them also. Reaching out towards but stopping short of touching Tom she asked, “Maybe you can teach this spell to our rune-crafter?”

Tom shaking his head, “it is a gift granted by YHWH.” Hearing the question Sam and Wyome turned to include Agot.

Wyome, “Welcome I am called Wyome, my warriors came to fight the dogmen. They are an ancient curse upon the land.”

“Greetings, I am Samuel MacLachlan, my lance and I were sent to look for allies in these end times.”

“I am called Agot, are we on Earth? This land does not match what our tales suggest.”

“This is earth” said Sam” Western Montana. That is the Big Creek Lake. We heard you fight, how did you come to be fighting the dogmen?”

Wyome’s Story

The three leaders each told the story of the battle from the viewpoint of their group. Each voicing some concern over the difficulty the dogmen gave them and compliments on the Indian warriors effectiveness. Wyome answered ”the dogmen were once people. They long ago were part of our Society. They insulted Axxe (Water serpent spirit known to be at least somewhat hostile to people often attacking and to sometimes even eating them) while defending our people from him. In his anger Axxe cursed them to remain in dog form and to suffer the hunger that Axxe knows. Dog became upset with the curse on his warriors and made the white ash the bane of the cursed ones.”  

My warriors and I are Hotametaneo’o, what the white men call Dog Soldiers. We had joined in a sweat, a cleansing ritual of my people a few nights ago. We saw a dream of fighting the ones who suffered the curse long ago and have stalked the wilds for long and long. To understand you must know how our warrior society came to be. Sweet Medicine, a great prophet of my people told us of the coming of the white men long ago. He also told us we needed groups to lead our people in times of war and to act as you call police in times of peace. 6 Societies were formed. But our founder was a man with no status. Even though Sweet Medicine chose him to form a Society. None wished to join him. He was ridiculed and maligned. Sweet Medicine, made to speak but he insisted he would form a society on his own. He began to pray and to sing sacred songs, as he did the dogs. Large and small, male and female would whine or howl. He chanted and sang through the night and ass the sun rose he left the village, all the dogs from the village followed him. They came to a flat by the river and a medicine lodge sprung up out of nowhere. The dogs rushed into it, transforming into men who were dressed in the garb of what would mark the Hotametaneo’o. This miracle was soon reported back to the Cheyenne, who told Sweet Medicine. The prophet asserted he knew all about it. That we would always be able to change between spirit animal and man as the need arose. Though we seem to have lost that blessing, thus the story of how the Hotametaneo’o were born.

Sam’s Story

I and my brothers have been given several blessings from our God YHWH through his Son Jesus the Christ. But building a church may be just a bit beyond us. When The System came, and the events occurred, I found I had an Angel assigned to me and that I had been named Champion of YWHW. I was told to recruit companions numbering 5. I went to my brother’s ranch and recruited 3 of the men I served with in the Great War. When they agreed to follow me, the Angel told us we must swear oath, one to another which made us Members of The Supreme Order of Christ, a militant order answering only to God and the Pope. We were each invested as clerics, and I am now a knight. My men are sergeants and clerics.” My 4th man I recruited the next day. We were given a quest to come here, to this lake to find allies. We are called a lance, a knight and his sergeants and squire. Then we gather our support troops.

Agot’s Tale

 We are an exploring band of dwarves from the city mine of Kongsberg, in the Saggrenda Mountain on Nidavellir. A week past the Jutans began to attack the Aesir. The next day the gate to Midgard, to this world, a gate sealed beyond living memory, began to regain power. We put a guard upon the gate, pardon but humans have as often sided with the Jutan as the Aesir. When the gate opened 2 days past we sent through a troop to hold this side. Then we brought through bands like mine to see which side Midgard would side with.

While this conversation was going on the bodies of the dogmen were gathered, the heads removed and burned as the legends decried. New fires were built as the various groups set up camp and prepared an evening meal. During the meeting the raven while leaving Agot’s shoulder stayed near her and at some point a tahltan bear dog was noticed sitting near Wyome. The warriors noticed as they came to receive orders from the leaders that any within 10 feet of them could understand anyone else within the same distance.

As the sun set on the conversation the leaders went to their groups to settle them for the evening and post watches. The raven and the tahltan bear dog  each heading to the part of the encampment their charge went to.

Sam after taking the time to pay respect to Gunner’s body and see how his brothers were doing noticed Guide near Gunner. Becoming upset Sam asked, “why did you give us bad information on these creatures?”

“I gave you no bad information Sam, I answered what you asked.” Was the reply.

“You told us silver was their weakness” said Sam. “No” replied Guide, “You asked how to fight werewolves and silver is how to do that.”

“What?!” growled/asked Sam.

“The one you call Toothpick told you they were omitaa-dainah, he even said dogmen. You asked how to fight werewolves.” Replied Guide.

“You knew what we would be fighting” growled Sam.

“But you did not ask what they were or how to fight them” came the reply. Guide raising his hands to stop the argument, “Sam I am a messenger of the Most High God, of YHWY. I am not here at my own will and choice. I must follow the orders I am here under. YHWH gave humans free will. He gave you the power to choose. He prevents me from interfering beyond my place. Should I ignore my orders, unlike humans my punishment is not delayed. I do not wait until the great judgement but will be thrown into the ranks of the fallen.”

Sam paled and shut his mouth. He inhaled opening his mouth, then closed it blowing his breath out through his nose. Rubbed his face starting to say something again, and again stopping himself. Bowing his head “alright, I get it.”

“Sam” said Guide, “do not lose faith, look how YHWH worked with the others to amplify and strengthen his gift to you last night. The gift to communicate does not normally work over that number of people or for that length of time. Nor is it what you would call area of effect, normally it is between two people for no more than 2 hours, and for that long would wear you out costing almost all your fatigue.”

Sam stretched his back as he looked around at the work they had accomplished. These dwarves were excellent craftsmen, the Indians were also. The church and the bridge/ramp beside the falls should be done in 2 days. Then they could start work on upgrading the trail to a road. The dwarves should have the road to the church sometime tomorrow. He was glad they had agreed to help bury Gunner, though the dwarves were horrified when they refused to burn the body first. Until the Hotametaneo’o explained that those killed by the omitaa-dainah would come back as one of those beasts.

The tapping on the ridge pole of his tent rousing Sam from the dream and finding himself in his own tent disoriented him. Opening his tent to find Tom in the predawn light, “Time to get up and start the day.”  Said Tom

Sam finished dressing and arming, pulled on his coat against the cold and went out to get his coffee and rations. Looking around the cook fire was still banked and no one preparing breakfast, Alex called over, “Our new friends had a supply cart bring in fresh food.” Sam headed over and indeed there was a cart, doing a double take a cart drawn by oversized goats? They looked like goats. The size of Shetland pony. Looking towards the fire the dwarves were serving what smelled like pork, with potatoes and fresh fruit? It looked like fruit but nothing he had seen or tried before. But the Indians and his men were eating and looked fine.

“Guide, is the food safe for us to eat?”

“Yes, Sam you will come to no harm from the hospitality of the Troich (dwarves).”

“Thanks Guide, did any of the others think to ask?” “Yes, Tom asked before he delivered the invitation from the dwarves, and told the others.” Sam joined the group by the fire and served up a breakfast. He looked around and saw Agot, then Wyome. Sam waved to Wyome and gestured to join himself and Agot. When they were together Sam invoked Universal Communication. When he greeted Agot and she returned the greeting Wyome looked to Sam confused.

“Sam why do I not understand Agot’s words?”

Sam looked back and forth, I think it had to do with the raven and dog yesterday. I was informed that the way the spell worked yesterday was far more than the normal spell.” Sam could see understanding from both Agot and Wyome. “I will have to translate between you both, this will take longer than yesterday.”

“Maybe if your Tom were to try casting?” asked Agot.

“Agot wants to have Tom try the invocation again.” Relayed Sam.

“Let us finish this breakfast first” suggested Wyome. Sam relayed this to Agot who nodded yes with a smile. The leaders enjoyed the rest of the meal and then set their teams to work, caring for the animals, scouting the woods. Tom came over to where the three leaders sat yesterday, the leaders took the places they were in. Tom raised his face to the heavens and as he began the incantation was interrupted by Guide.

“Wait a moment Thomas”.

Tom stopped and looked around, shrugging his shoulders in confusion, “Guide said to wait.”

“Guide How long?” asked Sam.

“Here they come” said Guide. Looking around Sam saw two creatures, the raven from yesterday and a large, even for the breed, Tahltan Bear Dog. They took position around the men and Sam raised his hand to wait. “Guide, would learn language be able to be used?”

“Have Tom invoke his first” replied Guide. Tom again raised his face Heavenward and invoked universal communication. Once again all the leaders and those with 10’ were able to converse freely.

Agot “This blessing the Gods bestow is indeed helpful. Your God is most gracious and generous.” “Though we have been enemies, the Great War made us allies. This is an even greater war. Let us make peace between our 3 peoples.” Said Wyome.

‘If only we, the warriors who bleed for our peoples could make such pacts. Let us here join ourselves together to fight the true evil.” replied Sam. The leaders all nodded. “Guide, the messenger that taught us this invocation had also taught me another, if you agree I would use it now. It is much longer than the one Thomas used.” Again, the leaders agreed, and Sam began the incantation of Learn Language. When the incantation completed there was a brief flash of a headache and the leaders looking at their status sheets saw they had each learned the languages they did not speak. Wyome and Agot expressed their thanks for the knowledge.

Wyome began “I was granted a vision last night, even though I did not seek this vision it came to me. We must go to the falls by the end of Big Creek Lake and build there a sweat lodge of my people, and a way down the falls.”

“I saw instead that by a small falls we must build a Mead Hall, well stone longship and a mead hall.” Replied Agot.

“I also saw that we must build by the falls, but I saw a church.” said Sam. “What is this stone longship and why a meadhall?”

Agot smiled, “Our worship is not as formal as you humans seem to practice. Most of our worship is in the form of feasting hosting others. This of course is best done in a public place, a great hall, or a meadhall. The stone longship is a patch that is Holy Ground, a place for sacrifice. A place to burn our dead. We build the shape of the deck of our ships in stone upon the ground.”

“I think” said Sam, “we will need more people if we are to build up such a place.”

“We should all go to the falls and look over the ground then we can return to our people to gather workers” said Wyome. They all agreed and gave orders to break down the camp and head to the falls.

Most of the new dwarves who had brought the goat cart stayed and began to set up a watch tower, two joined the survivors of the battle formed into a marching order, Sam’s Lance in the lead, the dwarves following with the fallen in the goat cart, while the Hotametaneo’o acted as a screening force.