Monday, September 12, 2011

DAY 25

Woke up early to the pre-dawn light and to sleet and snow. It was cold, really cold, and Winter Hawk and Crazy Elk were still wrapped up in their furs, the fire in the center of the Tee-Pee warming the inside of the structure as the fire crackled from time to time. Chancey and Petey lay at their feet, curled up and warm as well.

I could hear the sleet bouncing off the hide that covered the Tee-Ppee as I looked out at the cloudy, overcast morning. Perhaps today would be different from every other day so far. My body was sore from the abuse and punishment I had endured, albeit unintentionally according to the two insane people in the Tee-Pee with me. I was think of the abuse I had endured at the hands of Winter Hawk and Crazy Elk, then I heard stirring behind me and a shutter of fear tingled up my spine at the thought of them waking up and what they could think of to do to me.

As I turn to look, Winter Hawk is sitting up, rubbing his eyes. "Click, click, whistle click" he says groggily. "Yes, there is snow on the ground, and sleet too." I answered, looking back out the opening.

"Whistle click, lip pop, Ho Ho Ho, click, click."

"No, I don't think Santa is out there yet." I reply. I hear the sigh escape his lips.

"Click...click, whistle, click...Cheek flip, whistle, lip pop, click!"

"No, I think when he shows up, you better not shoot one of the reindeer!"

"Click, click, whistle, click, click"

"I don't care how much meat one has on it, you don't shoot Santa's Reindeer. That is just wrong on so many levels! What happens if you hit Rudolph, huh?"

He think a moment, rubbing his chin, then his eyes light up.

"....Whistle, click, click whoop, click!"

"No, you won't have deer meat and a new flashlight!"

Crazy Elk wakes up during the exchange and looks around a moment, a sleepy confused look on his face. "Cold out. Crazy Elk not like cold. Cold make Crazy Elk shiver like Badger make Big Bear shiver" he says.

"The Badger, for your information, does not make me shiver!" I retort.

Winter Hawk whistles as he rolls his eyes and whistles as he looks up.

"Hey! Nobody asked you!" I growl at him, then look back at Crazy Elk. "And you, LAZY ELK, was suppose to bring fire wood in last night, now it is wet and iced over outside"

"Hmm. You bring in now, and sit by fire so it dry." he says, turning over in the furs.

"Me?...ME?!"

"Click, click..." says Winter Hawk as he pulls his knife, a sinister grin on his face, his eyes wide with an excited look..

"No, I don't want to use your knife to scalp him! Put that thing away!"

Crazy Elk looks over and stares at Winter Hawk as the latter sucks his teeth and puts the knife back in it's sheath.

"He nuts, Big Bear. He not talk, he just click. He get mad, he pull knife. He dangerous like Badger. No, he WORSE than Badger"

I start wrapping up to go outside. "Oh stop exaggerating. He isn't that dangerous."

I look up in time to see Winter Hawk pulling his finger across his neck slowly as he looks at Crazy Elk with a maniacal grin. "WINTER HAWK!" I yell. He looks at me quickly, dropping his hand, and replying with an innocent look, "Click?"

I step outside, pulling the furs around my head and looking around. Cold and grey. Ugh. I go back inside the Tee-Pee. "Forget it, I'm not going back out there."

"I not go, either" Says Crazy Elk.

"Click, click" Agrees Winter Hawk.

"Well" I say, throwing some wood that was in the Tee-Pee on the fire, "I suppose we will just stay in here today until the fire dies because someone didn't bring in wood like they were suppose to. May be a good thing, considering how many times the two of you have tried to kill me"

"Oh Big Bear..." Says Crazy Elk, sitting up now, placing his hand over his heart, "...That hurt Crazy Elk. We not try to kill Big Bear. Big Bear just in wrong place, wrong time"

"Click, whistle, click, lip pop, whistle" Nods Winter Hawk as he chews on a piece of jerky now, his cheeks pooched out and a grin on his face, half teeth, half jerky.

I settle back now, looking at the fire. I thnk Iwill change the subject for now. it makes m hurt just thinking about everything. "So, if we had Christmas, what would you guys want?"

Silence follows for a few moments as they get lost in their thoughts. Suddenly Winter Hawk jumps up, clapping excitedly, the piece of jerky hanging out one side of his mouth. "Click, click, whistle, click, jingle, jingle!"

"Huh?" I ask.

"Him say we need tree" says Crazy Elk, stretching now.

"I know what he said, I am just saying 'huh', as in, where would we put the tree?" They both look around the Tee-Pee now. "I say it would be better just to decorate one of the outside trees" They both nod in agreement. I add, "So in the morning, we are going to decorate the tree and you guys figure out what you want for Christmas...Well, As much of a Christmas as we can have out here"

"Click, whistle, click, click"

"No, we won't hang Crazy Elk from the top of the tree"

"Click, whistle"

"Oh, sorry, I misunderstood, and No, we will not stick Crazy Elk on top of the tree"

"Which worse?!?" Asks Crazy Elk incredulously.

Winter Hawk laughs as he starts to run around the small interior of the Tee-Pee. He then suddenly sits down, pulls out his knife and starts to sharpen it as he whistles a song. What song is that? Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer?

Tomorrow....We decorate the tree.