Just a Little Later With Eevo and Sim. Henry Shykoff
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bad. They all cried when the big wind started. Everybody except me. I didn't cry." Then she added, "Well, only a little."
Eevo smiled. Giving Mee a little hug, she said, "You were very brave."
Shim, knowing that Kno would be most upset, said so. Perhaps, since the hunt area was so close, Mee could be taken back to her mother. But Dedu reminded them that it might be wise to keep some distance from their hunting camp because of the wolves. He suggested that Sim take only one. "Hunters who do not know about friendly wolves might attack them."
Sim had been quiet up to this point, "My plan is to wait out of sight of their hunters until Mee sees someone she knows. Then we could have her go to that person. I will wait until she is safely back with whoever it is."
Mee, who had been listening to all of this, said with alarm in her voice, "I don't want anyone hurting Wonderful Friend."
Sim smiled at her, "They won't. Here take the lynx fur — the one you call the bad animal. That way your mother will know that your story really happened."
"And tell her that Shim and her family will be coming soon so that she can tell Seer," said Shim.
Mee nodded. After having some meat she now liked so much, and a drink of water, she, Sim and Neeth set out to find the goose hunters.
During the storm, one by one the hunters and the women of the Wetlands group made their way back to the cave near the goose-hunting grounds. By the second day everyone was accounted for except for little Mee. Kno was frantic with worry, but here too, there was nothing that could be done until the storm ended.
On the evening of the fourth day, with the storm over, Kno intended to go to find her daughter. The hunt master persuaded her that it was useless for her to try on her own. He promised that, in the morning, he and his best tracker would try to find the girl. Kno should go home with the other women. She absolutely refused. Mee was only four years old and had now been lost for four days in the worst storm anyone could remember. There was no chance that she was still alive. But the hunter had promised that he and the tracker would do their best.
There was only one direction little Mee could be headed — the direction of the wind. So the hunters set out that way. They found where she had broken some twigs climbing down an embankment. They found a place she had stopped to pee, and then the place she had chosen to sleep. They also found a place where a wolf had been watching her. The wolf had been watching for a long time. Long enough for it to have urinated twice. Why would a wolf have waited so long before attacking? Attack it did. The places where its hind legs had torn the earth on its charge could clearly to be seen. Also visible were the drag marks where it had dragged the small body. Small blood stains had been left behind.
"I never would have thought she would have got so far," the tracker said. "Why did the wolf wait so long? It doesn't make sense. We have to tell Kno."
To their relief, Kno took the news calmly. She wanted to scream and shout and cry, but she did not do any of these. Instead, she left the cave and climbed a little knoll where she could be alone.
Little did she know that, a little higher up the slope, Sim and Mee and Neeth were watching. "That's my momma," said Mee to Sim." She looks sad."
"Run over to her," instructed Sim. "Neeth and I will stay here to make sure you're all right."
Mee started down the slope toward the knoll. As she came closer, she called out. "Momma, Momma."
Kno looked up. Her desire for her little one was making her ears play tricks. Then she heard it again. "Momma, Momma." She looked around. Coming down from the higher ground, she saw Mee. It couldn't be! But ghost or apparition, she didn't care. She ran from the knoll toward what looked like her daughter. The "Momma, wait till I tell you what happened to me" was too real not to be true.
Sim and Neeth turned back towards the cave.
Five Not Welcome
After waiting about two hands of days, Shim felt that her ankle was well enough to continue her trip. They set out, following the stream that ran out of the pond near the cave until it joined a small river, which in turn joined a larger one. Dedu recognized the river. This was the way they had come, some three hands of moons ago, on their first trip to find Seer, Shim's father.
By mid-afternoon they reached the wetlands. Before them loomed a large cliff, and in this cliff face were many cave openings set at various levels. These openings were joined one to the other by narrow paths. Fairly low on the cliffside were a number of large caves, the largest of which was the Flint Works Cave. This is where Seer lived and worked. Despite the size of the clan, all was peaceful.
"This clan is even bigger than your description of it," said Sim, awestruck as he looked up at the tier upon tier of caves.
With the arrival of Shim and her family, that peace of the place was shattered. Confusion broke out among the first people to see the wolves.
"Wolves are coming!" someone shouted. The cry of alarm was taken up by others. Quickly a group of armed men arrived. Dedu and Shim were also shouting, trying to prevent the spearing of Neeth and Grosh. Fortunately, one of the hunters recognized Dedu as a hunting companion, and tried to halt the attack. Unfortunately, his words were not heard in the confusion that followed. Some hunters at the rear surged forward. One of them was shouting, "Kill the wolves!" He pulled back his arm and was about to spear Grosh. Only Sim's and Eevo's spears stopped him. The situation was tense. These men, all of them good hunters, had organized themselves to protect their homes from any danger. To them, wolves were an enemy to be destroyed.
What might have happened next is not known since the hunt leader arrived precisely at this time. Right away he knew Dedu. He ordered his men to stop. What was going on? Someone could be hurt.
"Call Seer," Shim shouted. But before Seer could get there, Mee, pushing her way through the forest of adult legs, ran up to Neeth and hugged her around the neck. Grosh came up and sat down beside her. Mee turned on the hunters and said, "Leave my Wonderful Friend alone! Don't hurt Watchful either." Looking right at the hunt leader she said, "Wonderful Friend found me and killed the bad animal."
At first the Hunt Leader looked astonished, then he let out a great laugh. "Put up your spears," he said to the armed group. "These wolves are friends to people." Turning to the tracker standing beside him, he exclaimed, "That explains it! The wolf was her guardian. Now it becomes clear. No wonder that wolf was there so long. She was watching Mee and waiting for the two young people. She has talked so much about 'Wonderful Friend,' I thought she meant the young man."
Just then Seer arrived. He stared in surprise, then walked over to the group, unaware of what had happened. "You're back!" He greeted Shim and Dedu warmly, then turned toward Eevo and Sim. He looked at them, a smile on his face. "I'm delighted. You've brought the children as you promised. You two, I know are Eevo and Sim. You, Eevo, I would recognize anywhere. You look just like your mother did when I lost her many years ago." He approached Sim to make him feel welcome. "I feel I know you from what Shim and Dedu have told me. You are just the person I've been waiting for."
Suddenly, he caught sight of the two wolves sitting quietly by Eevo's feet. He looked at them with interest. "Now could you introduce me to your two other friends? It seems that you've done something I always thought possible. I just never have a chance to try. Did you find then when they were very small?"
"Yes," replied Eevo. "Their mother was injured by hyenas. Sim fought and killed the one that had wounded her. She was badly hurt and died three days later. We took the cubs back to our cave. They were only one or two moons old. We fed them eggs and a little meat. Since then we've lived together. Now they're part of our family."
She went up to Seer and said, "May I?" Eevo took his hand and led him to Grosh who smelled the hand and then pushed her head against Seer's leg. Seer was next introduced to Neeth in exactly the same