Clapping thunder startled my little breeze just about daybreak. It woke her with a fright. So, the wind wildly raged against the uproar; kicking up dirt, snapping limbs and pushing against me as I hurried for cover. Dog and I ran toward the ridge hoping to out wait her fury. “Please little breeze, make peace with the day and do not fear the thunder.”
Her reply swiftly came as she began to hurl stones of ice at me and I quickened my pace and tightened my lips, least I make her more angry. Lightning tore across the sky, and its drums of war sounded. I huddled against the ridge looking for a place to hide. There I found Cloud clinging to the rock. He shivered his long mane heavy with rain and dripping wet. I gave him a quick pat as we three began our search.
From the east a break in the clouds came, My little breeze gave me a speck of daybreak. The splash of light revealed an overhang, not deep enough to walk into. However, it was just the right size to escape the storm. Slowly the wind settled down, and the rain was no more. I found some moss growing on the rock, and last Autumns leaves piled up tall just waiting for me to build a small fire. It was more smoke than flame, but I welcomed it. I had no food to break the nights fast, so I sucked on my salt stone and cured in my smoky haze.
Dog, roamed off to find his own meal and I decided to dry a bit longer. A twig snapped just there in the dark, and I hoped dog had brought me a squirrel. Sometimes he shares his bounty with me as I do him. A warming smile filled my face waiting to see his return. However, the giver of the day had another plan for me. A small bear cub tumbled from the thicket. My eyes went wide in disbelief. “So little hunter of men, what do you seek this wet day?”
Before I could stand to my feet, his mother crashed through the brush uprooting most of the thicket. A vine dangled from her back. Her fur hackled down her spine. A titled head gave out a roar that allowed me to see each tooth. Her claws pierced the place where she stood. Then she made a deep gash on the ground. She huffed hot breath my way. Her little bear ran up the nearest tree, where he would stay till she called him.
In a flash of thoughts, I could hear my own mother call me Wind Walker. Her sweet voice like a song embraced me. I welcomed the reunion that my death would bring. “So great bear you have caught me here without a weapon. Will you have me for meat or just spill my blood upon the ground?”
She charged me with ease hot breath singed my cheek. The low rumbling growl made deep in her throat filled my ear. My mouth turned to sand, beads of sweat lined my neck. While a wild heart demanded action and I battled to still my breath. “It’s okay great bear, I’m ready,” I told her ever so gently.
Her own breathing slowed, and she grew still. She didn’t take her eyes from mine as she backed away. Now standing on her hind legs, she called to her cub. The little bear wasted no time climbing down the oak. Right before they disappeared from sight, my father appeared walking with them. “You are brave my son who walks with the wind.”
That smile of his broad like the river filled me with joy. A sweeping wave farewell hurried me to my feet. I stood to chase him, I felt like a small boy being left behind. By the time I stood the bears and he were gone. The drums of death stopped playing in my mind. I had been judged, and now must find a way to live.
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