18/01/2006
Rainbow Lake
"Smell like I sound, I'm lost and I'm found, I'm on a hunt, I'm after you." A wobbly rendition of Hungry Like The Wolf precedes the cub as she prances around the lake. Her second-hand clothing is already dirty, especially on the elbows and knees. Veronica's rendition of Duran Duran is obviously in tune with the music coming from her earbuds. The cord trails down the front of her shirt.
From the woods near the cub, the song 'Hungry Like the Wolf' comes from the woods as clearly as if it were being played on the radio.
Veronica stops mid-twirl as the radio-sound misbeats against her recording. She pulls one earbud loose, then the other. Her eyes go wide, then she steps back towards the lake. "Hello?"
The apparent radio falls silent and is replaced by the harsh cries of a raven.
Veronica glances at the longhouse, and then off to the west, where all of her elders come from. "Hello? Who's there? This is a private area. You're not supposed to be here. You should go away before there's trouble." Talk about the least convincing guard-dog ever.
Finds-Stories chortles, head cocking to one side as she watches this unfamiliar girl from the trees. "Wolf," she croaks, speaking as a parrot would and as all ravens are capable of.
Veronica's eyes go WIDE. "N-n-no...that's over there. In...um...Wolf Woods. The park. Who are you? Are you lost? You should go back there?" She's starting to get the feeling she isn't talking to a normal human being. Her head cocks. "Who are you?"
"Raven," Finds-Stories replies in her harsh corvid voice.
Veronica says, "Raven?" She takes a step back towards the woods, batting her other earbud out and letting them hang against her chest. "A...spirit?" She says that part in a hushed, reverent voice. "A real spirit?"
Finds-Stories leaves the treeline and lands on the ground, where she turns in to a woman. "Not quite, I'm afraid. I am a Corax, on of Great Raven's children. I have seen you here a few time now. Are you kin to Jacinta or Circle Keeper?"
The cub's eyes stay huge. "Kin...to...I'm a Wendigo cub. Um..." She tries to pull herself together, crossing her arms over her chest and adopting an approximation of a proud pose. "I'm Veronica Fledgling Little-Bird." The cub nods to herself, then studies the other. "What's it like being a Raven-changer?"
Val smiles warmly, an amused half-smile on her face. "Well now, I find it quite busy. Always things to do and things to see. Busybusybusy. Come by here every few days, take a quick look around and continue on my way."
Veronica looks the woman over, her cheeks coloring a bit. "Oh. When were you here last?" She rubs her elbow with one hand and chews on her lip, her eyes straying west again. "Have..." She stops, her eyes snapping back to the raven-woman. "What are you looking for when you're here?"
Val shrugs easily. "Yesterday. I saw Circle Keeper and briefly said hello, but not you. As for what I look for, I look for everything, is is what I do. I watch, I learn, and when I learn something of value I tell others about it. Although, honestly, most things I find that interest the wolves are in the city. Not quite as many nasties out here."
"Nasties? There are some of those things out here?" She glances into the trees again. "Have there been any cops out in the woods? Any of those psychics that look for missing kids?" She licks her lips. "Anything like that?"
Val runs a finger along her rather prominent nose. "Not that I have noticed, although there is only so much I can see through the trees. Haven't heard of any big searches either."
Veronica taps one foot, looking disappointed at this news. "Nobody...no indians? Couple of teenage boys?" She scratches her elbow and starts pacing out a circle. "They should be looking..."
Val tilts her head to one side, in a rather bird like manner. "Well, if you want to tell me about them I could drop by their house and take a look-see."
"They live in Yakima, but they were going to Canada for a conference..." The cub kicks a stick into the lake. "They...they were driving a van. They were visiting one of dad's buddies in that little suburb, just away from the National Park." Veronica looks out towards the west yet again, disappointment plain on her face. "Dad's a shaman. I think. Maybe. He runs this healing lodge in Yakima..."
Val ahhs softly, then briefly looks up at the sky. "Well, you wouldn't know the address of this friends house, or his name? Need a touch more if I am going to find this fellow."
Veronica sighs. "My dad's name is Abraham Eaglefeather. His friend is..." She looks away, embarrassment obvious in everything from her foot grinding into the ground to her hands rubbing her arms. "His friend's name is Tiberius Rainbow-Buck."
Val nods, still smiling in a warm manner. "Okay. Umm. Small town you were talking about. You mean Kent Crossing, correct?"
Veronica says, "Yeah. I've never been here before... It's not too far away." She does a slow pirouette. "I saw a women's shelter or something."
"Ah, that'd be Kent Crossing alright," Val responds cheerfully. "I'll do what I can to see what is happening in the area."
Veronica lands in a dancer's pose, then straightens up. "Okay. Um...I just want to know what's going on. What they're doing. I...I don't know why they're not looking for me. Um...do I owe you anything?"
Val shakes her head. "Naw. This won't be much trouble at all. Hardly any effort on my part anyway. Tend to ask for things if something'll take a lot of time, or is dangerous. So, still going to be around here if I find something?"
Veronica says, "I don't think they're letting me go anywhere else. Just the woods, and the lake and stuff. So yeah...I'll be here." She absentmindedly taps at her earbuds, watching them swing back and forth over her chest. "Thanks for trying, in advance...""
Val smiles. "Not a problem at all. Feel free to tell people I'm helping out with the issue. Seeya!" The woman turns back into a raven and takes to the air.
Veronica watches the bird go, frowning a little as the words 'deal with the devil' surface in her brain. She scratches at her neck, then shrugs a shoulder. Not as though it'll come back to hurt her...
Then the cub turns and continues bobbing around the edge of the lake.
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