Weak in Body, Strong in Mind and Spirit

One by one, Elders, Forest People, Little People, Beasts, everyone appeared in Flori-duh. Everyone seemed astonished. Everyone was positioned as they were. The Elders were in their Circle, the audience was standing by, and all was as it was... only we were all in a strange place. It was hot.

Pamela looked around in amazement.

“Welcome to Florida,” she said. “This is my mom’s yard.”

Judi’s fenced in yard was packed with us Forest People . We looked around us and were confused.

“Everyone,” said Aurora, “please bow your heads and say a silent thanks to the Sprites.”

All did as asked.

“Now,” said Aurora, “Ocklawaha, take a small band with you to investigate what is happening. Madu, Puyallup, Ouragan, go!”

Okie stood and stepped over the enclosure.

“Be careful of Mom’s chain link fence!” yelled Pamela.

We were soon following Okie as he ran at full speed. Before long, we were traveling through a Forest. We stopped at the banks of a river. Okie scanned about with a worried look.

“No one is here,” he said. “They’ve left. My Tribe is gone.”

Ouragan sniffed the air.

“Your People have gone that way,” said Ouragan pointing to the north, “and something is approaching from that way.”

Okie sniffed the air and nodded.

“Skunk Apes,” he said. “They’re across the river and coming this way. Everyone into the water to hide our scent!”

Ouragan wasn’t particularly in favor of hiding, but did as Okie suggested. We all waded into the water and watched from behind a log in the river. Soon, strange creatures I had never seen before approached the river’s bank. There was perhaps a dozen of them. They resembled us in a way. They were almost our size, but looked ferocious. They walked stooped over, using their knuckles on the ground for balance. They had long fangs that protruded from their mouths.

“Skunk Apes,” said Okie in a low voice.

Ouragan started to tremble in rage. I looked to him and gently patted him on his shoulder. I sensed that we should pick our battles, and this wasn’t the right time.

The Skunk Apes looked about, sniffed the air, and then split up into two groups and one went east and one west. After a time, all was quiet.

“It is OK,” said Okie. “Let us find my Tribe.”

We left the river and followed Okie north. He was moving very quickly. After a time of traveling through dense Forest, as Okie followed tracks in the sandy soil, he stopped, holding up a hand to signal for us to stop too.

“Quiet,” he whispered.

The hair on Ouragan’s back raised.

“Okie!” said a sentry emerging from palmetto palms. “You’ve returned!”

“Alachua!” said Okie grimly. “What is the news?”

Alachua’s face became very somber.

“It isn’t good,” said Alachua. “The Skunk Apes are not only moving into our hunting territory, but they are being vicious.”

“In what way?” asked Okie.

“They’re killing everything. They aren’t killing for food for themselves, but they’re killing to deprive the Falling Water Tribe of food. They kill everything and leave it to rot. They’ve killed most members of our Tribe...” and here his voice trailed off.

“Who?” asked Okie.

Alachua choked back a sob.

“They sprang upon our Circle of Elders... and killed them all.”

“What? Inconceiveable!” said Okie. “Elders?”

“All of them. And all of the audience who couldn’t escape. Even the Females... who did their best to defend their Infants, but could not.”

We stood in stunned silence. Suddenly Ouragan screamed his outrage. He roared a mighty Warrior roar that shook the trees and the very ground we stood on. I had never heard such a roar in my lifetime.

“Who’s left?” asked Okie. “What of my family?”

“Okie... there are only twelve of us left alive. The Skunk Apes now hunt us to kill us.”

“My family? Mother? Father? Sister?”

Alachua looked at the ground.

“We did what we could, but there were too many...”

Okie began to sob loudly, and his great shoulders shook. I looked at Puyallup, and he was visibly shaken as well. Ouragan grabbed a nearby tree and ripped it from the ground and roared again, this time even louder.

“Madu, what’s happening?” channeled Pamela. “I heard someone screaming!”

“Pamela, this isn’t good. Skunk Apes have attacked Okie’s Tribe and have killed most of them. They are a threat to Okie’s Tribe, and perhaps even to you Little People.” I answered.

There was silence for a short time, and then Pamela answered “Please come back so we can discuss this.”

“I shall, quickly,” I answered.

“Okie, everyone, we need to consult with our Elders,” I said softly.

“I shall assemble everyone,” said Alachua. “They aren’t far.”

Alachua whistled. Soon, faces appeared and peeked at everyone shyly. There were no adult Males. A few Females, and Little Ones.

Okie was visibly moved. As were Puyallup and I. Ouragan’s rage seemed to boil over.

“You shall have the protection of our Tribes,” I said. “Mine and Ouragan and Puyallup’s here. I am Madukarahat. We are here, and I promise you that you are under our protection.”

Ouragan sniffed the air.

“Skunk Apes are approaching,” he said.

“Grab the Little Ones and run!” I hollered. We all took Little Ones and ran as fast as we could. We could hear the Apes getting closer as they also ran, but they could run faster than we could.

“Pamela! It is Madu! We need help!” I projected as powerfully as I could.

“Madu! What is it?” quickly answered Pamela.

“Skunk Apes! We cannot outrun them! We are few, and we have Females and Little Ones! We have to fight!”

“Where?” she asked in a panic.

“East, over the river!”

“I’ll get help!”

“Quickly!”

We set the Little Ones down, and commanded the Females to take them and to find someplace to hide. Ouragan screamed his outrage as the first Skunk Apes came into view. It was a frightful sight. They were almost our size, close to Puyallup, Okie, Alachua, and me, and snarled anger as they barred their deadly fangs.

Ouragan wasted no time and charged directly at them. There was a group of a dozen, maybe more. He swung his tree and sent them hurtling. More appeared and jumped on the giant’s back, sinking their fangs into his neck. Puyallup and I roared and charged and flung the Skunk Apes off of Ouragan. Okie and Alachua joined the fray and were smashing Skunk Apes with sapling clubs that they too had ripped down.

Suddenly the Skunk Apes were quiet and backed away. We watched in wonder. More and more Skunk Apes appeared and encircled us. They were hundreds. We were five.

The circle parted and a huge Skunk Ape approached. He was easily half again as big as Ouragan. But that did not deter Ouragan, who approached him.

“I am Zolfo, and none dare oppose me!” he bellowed.

“I am Ouragan, and I will oppose you!” answered Ouragan.

The two faced off and circled each other. The Skunk Apes and we Forest People respected the Protocol of Warriors and did not interfere with the Code of Combat.

Zolfo sprang at Ouragan who looped his arm under Zolfo’s armpit and twisting, smashed him to the ground. Ouragan stepped back, and Zolfo shook his head.

“Well played, but you shall regret that,” he said.

Ouragan growled. I’ve never seen him so angry. His eyes blazed fire.

Zolfo lunged at Ouragan. Ouragan grabbed him by his ears, rolled onto his back, and flipped Zolfo over his head with his legs.

Zolfo sprang to his feet. As he did so, he grabbed a rock and flung it at Ouragan, striking him on his forehead. Ouragan fell to his knees. Zolfo walked slowly up to Ouragan. He stood over him and and slapped him. He picked up the giant Warrior by his neck and stared into his eyes with a look of contempt.

“Prepare to meet your so called Earth Mother,” sneered Zolfo.

“Not today,” said Ouragan as he took his two fists and boxed Zolfo in each ear.

Zolfo yelled in pain and dropped Ouragan. Ouragan swung a mighty fist and caught Zolfo under his chin, sending him reeling.

Screams were heard from the Skunk Apes as they charged Ouragan.

“Protocol be damned!” I roared as I charged. Puyallup, Okie, and Alachua were with me.

We were surrounded, and overwhelmed. We fought defiantly, but we were hopelessly outnumbered. I heard a noise, and looked. Everyone stopped, even the Skunk Apes. That was a sound no one had ever heard... but then I recognized it. It was the sound of hooves. The hooves of Beasts.

Pamela and Kimberly were upon their backs, and rode into our midst. Bodies started flying in all directions as the Beasts charged through them, but the Skunk Apes fought back, striking at the Beasts. The Beasts kicked with their hind hooves, smashing many Ape skulls.

There were roars. The Beasts kicked still and scattered Skunk Apes everywhere. Gilyuk, Izee, and other Young Warriors appeared and joined in the battle too, but we were still outnumbered. We were losing.

A Skunk Ape pulled Kimberly from her Beast. Puyallup sprang upon him and opened his skull with a sapling. One ran at Pamela and I swung a sapling at his legs, breaking them backwards. But still, it seemed hopeless.

There was then a roar. A Warrior roar. It was Windago. Another, from Nakani. Roar after roar, as each Elder approached the melee. The Skunk Apes placed their hands over their ears and began to withdraw.

Zolfo alone stood in defiance.

“Are you Ape Warriors afraid of their puny Elders?” he sneered. “Old decrepit Males?”

“How about an old decrepit Female?” said Aurora as she stepped from the crowd.

“A wrinkled old hag of a Female?” scoffed Zolfo.

Zolfo flung a log at Aurora which missed as she stepped aside. Aurora stood with her arms raised over her head and placed her palms together. A Sprite soon appeared over her head. It paused for a moment as Aurora gazed at it, and in a blink of an eye, both the Sprite and Zolfo were gone.

More Sprites appeared, and one by one, Skunk Apes vanished. When they realized what was happening the Apes began to flee, pursued by Sprites who took them one by one, as we all watched in wonder. Soon, all of the Skunk Apes were gone.

“Pamela, are you injured?” I asked.

“No, not at all,” said Pamela. “And I really like Sprites a lot!”

“Where are they being taken?” asked Kimberly.

“I don’t know, but someplace safe,” said Aurora. “Sprites are incapable of harming anyone or anything.”

Ouragan looked at Aurora and frowned.

“I would have liked to have finished my battle with Zolfo,” he said.

“Ouragan,” said Pamela, “You are indeed a mighty warrior, but he was close to 15 feet tall and twice your weight!”

“It is not the size of the Warrior in the fight, but the size of the fight in the Warrior,” said Aurora with a smile. “But I simply wanted to end the violence. So I did.”

“You did well,” said Windago. “I’m too old to fight myself.”

“Me too,” said Nakani.

Kimberly looked around.

“Yet you did. Everyone OK?” she asked.

“Just a few bumps and bruises,” I answered, “but Ouragan was bitten on his neck.”

“Sit,” commanded Kimberly.

Ouragan looked at Kimberly. Her look said don’t-argue-with-me, so he sat. Kimberly looked him over, went to her Beast, and removed the white container with markings on it from a place on its back. She poured a lotion on a white skin and dabbed Ouragan’s wounds.

“Ow,” said Ouragan.

“Keep quiet you big baby,” said Kimberly, as she continued dabbing.

“OW!”

“Seriously?” asked Kimberly with a furrowed brow as she paused and glared at him.

Ouragan said nothing thereafter.

“Hey, what’s going on?” said David as he approached. “What did I miss?”

I simply shook my head.

Everyone gathered together. Panther, Lower Wolfjaw, and Falling Water Tribes, and Pamela, Kimberly, and David. Introductions were made.

“Where are your Elders?” asked Windago.

“Gone... killed,” said Alachua. “Dozens of my Tribe members are gone, killed by the Skunk Apes.”

This visibly moved Windago, who looked to Okie.

“You are welcome in our lands,” said Windago. “You may join us Panthers.”

“And us Lower Wolfjaw,” added Nakani.

“We cannot make such decisions,” said Okie. “We have no Elders.”

“My Father’s Father’s Father was a Falling Water,” said Windago. “And that makes me a Falling Water.”

“Well, I suppose it does,” said Okie.

“As an Falling Water Elder, the last remaining one, I proclaim that this is a good idea,” said Windago.

“Yes, I suppose so,” said Okie with a smile.

“Aurora, when you can, please summon your Sprites,” Windago said.

Aurora didn’t say a word. She raised her hands over her head, placed her palms together, and closed her eyes. Quickly, many dozens of Sprites appeared, and one by one, everyone vanished. Even the Beasts.