Part 28: Best Left Forgotten

Main story folder & table of contents: "Escape From Manitou Island" 
Previous chapter: "Part 27: The Haunted Wood" 

PART TWENTY-EIGHT:
Best Left Forgotten

THE TINY PEOPLE hefted their tiny spears, teeth gleaming, and came running straight at Charmian. She threw her hands down over her head, screaming in panic.

She felt the branch that she dangled from bounce as one of them must have jumped onto it, and screamed again when she felt the snare holding her leg give way. She started plunging toward the ground--only to stop so abruptly that her head jerked and she grimaced. Before she knew it, she was zooming upwards again, then she felt a score of tiny hands grabbing onto her and let out a yell of surprise. Her eyes popped open and she started fighting the strange furry creatures, hearing them hiss and squeak and make odd popping noises the entire time that she fought. She glanced up but couldn't see Marten anymore; everything was happening so quickly that she didn't think to look for any of the others.

She blinked and instantly several of the little creatures stood right in front of her, teeth bared and black eyes glinting. Her own eyes grew and she opened her mouth to scream at them when a loud whistle made her ears ring, and the little people's heads whirled around. Charmian followed their stares.

Mani was entangled in several snares which had grasped onto each of his legs and one of his antlers; Charmian gawked at the strange sight of the mooselike manitou hanging suspended from the trees, his legs flailing. He tossed his head, snorting and whistling, then let out a bellowing noise which nearly made Charmian fall from the branch she'd been dragged up onto. She couldn't remember if she'd ever heard him do anything other than whistle before.

As if that weren't surprise enough, Mani twisted his head around and managed to slash at some of the cords with his free antler. He snapped one and his right foreleg was freed; he started twisting and kicking again, whistling and snorting as he did so. The little people started hopping up and down, and several scurried out onto the branch that he dangled from and began hastily cutting at the ropes. More squeaking noises came from off to her other side and she twisted herself around to see them doing the same to Peepaukawiss; his eyes goggled and with barely a yelp he went plummeting to the ground with a thud. Charmian glared at the little people surrounding her and bared her own teeth; they hissed and shook their spears.

"You little freaks better let me go!" she yelled, noticing with great surprise that they'd slipped a noose around her wrist sometime during her struggles, and had secured her to the tree. How had they even done that--?

"What sort of OUTRAGE is this?" another voice shouted, and Charmian's brow furrowed when she recognized Niskigwun's voice. She twisted back the other way and saw that he, Moon Wolf, Francois, and the two children were still free at the edge of the clearing; Manabozho crouched nearby with a venomous look on his face, evidently having fought them off. Niskigwun stepped forward and glared up at the little people remaining in the trees; Charmian now noticed the others restrained in the trees at her sides, just as she was. The Michinimakinong gave the small creatures a dark look.

"Have you no sense of decency and respect anymore?" he snapped. "You treat a manitou like this--you think this treatment is suited for his companions, as well--?"

The little people started chittering, when Niskigwun flared his wings; instantly all chittering died, their big black eyes growing even bigger, and a moment later they were busily cutting all of the snares. Charmian gasped and started to fall, but the scores of little hands caught her again. She squinched her eyes shut when she felt herself being moved around in the tree, passed along from branch to branch; how did they not drop her? She decided not to even ask, and opened her eyes only when the sound of footsteps told her that the ground must be close. She blinked up to see the treetop overhead, then Niskigwun and Moon Wolf came into view, looking down at her.

"Are you all right--?" Moon Wolf asked.

Charmian blinked. "What--" She pushed herself up so fast that her head spun. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

They both winced. Charmian saw Manabozho stand up and go stalking over toward a small huddle of the little people, who stood at the base of one of the trees; they stared at him until he reached them, at which point he raised his arms and yelled, "YAAGGHH!!" With barely a squeak they vanished into the ground--at least, that was what Charmian assumed happened, since one moment they were there, then they were gone. Her mouth fell open and she started glancing around herself wildly.

"Wh--where did they go?!" she yelled in fright. She screamed when Augwak landed beside her with another thud, wincing; he shot to his feet and shook a bony fist.

"YOU LITTLE WORMS DID THAT ON PURPOSE! If you ever showed your faces on the Island I'd EAT them!!"

"What's going on--?" Charmian asked again, managing to shakily get to her feet with Francois's help; Remy and Winter Born stood at the edge of the clearing, watching all in great curiosity.

"A misunderstanding, apparently," Niskigwun grumbled, stepping toward her. He shuffled his wings; Charmian watched in confusion as the rest of her companions were lowered from the trees, unharmed. More of the little people appeared, then more, and when she lifted her eyes she saw what looked to be dozens upon dozens of them lining the tree branches overhead. They all stared down, chittering and cocking their heads. She didn't know whether to think they were cute or terrifying, with those big black eyes and their tiny yellow pupils. They looked like some kind of mutant monkeys which had acquired a knowledge of weapons.

"Misunderstanding--?" she echoed, dusting the leaves from her clothes and glancing around. Mani was just getting to his feet and kicking off the remains of his own snares, snorting as if greatly offended; a flock of little people danced around him, waving their arms and chittering. Mani paused to stare at them and they started pressing their heads to the ground, lifting their arms, then pressing their heads to the ground again; the manitou's nostrils flared and he jerked his head at them, making them scurry back, but they continued with the strangely remorseful gesture. Charmian's brow furrowed further. "Are they--are they apologizing to him--? AAGGHH!!" She jumped when she felt one of them climbing up her leg; she accidentally kicked it off of her, but a second immediately snatched something up from the first and came rushing toward her, holding it up with a squeaking popping noise. Charmian's eyes goggled when she saw the carved pinecone that Nokomis had given her; she patted at her pocket, finding it missing, then snatched it out of the small person's hands before it could retreat. "THAT'S MINE! What are YOU doing with it?!"

"I think you lost it," Moon Wolf said, and she looked up at him to see that he was frowning. "They never steal things."

"They--?" Charmian blinked. "You mean--you know what these things are--?"

"They are Pukwudjininees," Niskigwun said somewhat disdainfully, as a group of them gathered around him in a circle and started chittering. "Distant relatives of the Michinimakinong...very distant...yet relatives just the same."

"Pukwudjininees?" Charmian frowned. "I've heard that name before." Her eyes grew. "My last time on the Island! I saw leaves moving and thought I was hallucinating--Laughing Lynx said it was Pukwudjininees!!" She clenched her fists and glared at the one nearest her. "YOU guys did that?!"

"These ones are not from the Island." Moon Wolf leaned toward another and looked it over carefully. "I have never seen one on the Island show its face. These ones live here. They're the ones haunting the woods."

Charmian's face screwed up. "You mean that--these bitty little things are the cause of all the fuss?"

Marten landed with a small plop in the leaves before her; instantly two of the Pukwudjininees were righting him and dusting him off. He blinked at them in some surprise, until they straightened out his sash and replaced his cap, then a smile started to light up his face. "Pukwudjininees--?" he echoed, then beamed. "That means they're MY relatives, too!" He grinned from ear to ear and shook one's hand, then another--"Hi! I'm a Mikumwesu! You guys're my cousins!"--the little furry people chittering in response.

Charmian had to keep herself from running her fingers down her face. "Would somebody PLEASE explain what that was all about--?" she grated.

"You surely have little people stories where you come from--?" Manabozho started, and she frowned at him but nodded. "Well--that's what these are. The little people of the woods."

"Little people." Charmian took a step toward one and bent down to get a good look; she almost expected it to jump up and clamp onto her face like some sort of sadistic furry alien, yet all that it did was stand in place and squeak and shake its spear. Her mouth twitched faintly. "They're kind of cute...when they're not hogtying you and hanging you from trees..."

Manabozho took a threatening step toward a clutch of them and they scuttered back, disappearing into the leaves. "Irritating, is what they are!"

Niskigwun looked around the clearing at all of them and frowned as the others regathered themselves, shaking off their snares and looking around as well. "They usually live near the shores of lakes..." he murmured, and started walking southward again, seemingly lost in thought. A few of the Pukwudjininees followed him, squeaking and popping.

Charmian tilted her head and followed. "Why lakes--?"

"They warn people away from the Nebanaubae when they become careless," the Michinimakinong replied, still looking around himself. Charmian slowed her step and watched him disappear into the trees; she glanced back toward the others, puzzled.

"They don't like Nebanaubae?" she asked.

Moon Wolf shook his head, approaching; the others started to follow suit, though they looked just as puzzled as Charmian felt. "The two of them do not get along," he explained as he caught up. "The Pukwudjininees make it a point to warn people away when the Nebanaubae try to lure them into the water. They usually prefer that humans not see them. But they're close to the manitous and other such beings, which is why they reacted such to Mani when they recognized him." They looked back at the manitou, who was now pacing after them and snorting; a flock of the tiny people accompanied him, waving their hands and whistling.

Charmian's brow furrowed. "But if they're friendly toward people then why did they attack us like that? What were they planning to do?"

Moon Wolf looked down. "Perhaps you should ask them yourself. I don't speak Pukwudjininee."

Charmian flushed. "N--neither do I!" she protested. She glanced down at the little furry people trailing along beside her and winced. "For all I know they're making fun of us!!"

"Hey! Charmian!" Marten came hopping along, cheerily carrying a Pukwudjininee on his back. "Just use the necklace Glooskap gave ya! C'mon! He worked on that thing forEVER just to give it to you!"

Charmian blinked. "The necklace--?" She took in a breath as soon as she remembered it, and dug it out of her pocket--she couldn't even remember having taken it off, but she must have at some point. She glanced at the Pukwudjininee nearest her and bit her lip. "I have to hear them talk a little bit first. How do I get them to talk?"

"I figured that's what they've BEEN doing!" Thomas exclaimed, one of the little creatures busily clambering up his arm. He looked like he wanted to hurl it off into the woods.

"But I don't know how much I have to hear them talk! Oh, never mind!" Charmian stared at the nearest one before it started chittering and popping; she thought that its tongue sounded vaguely like the...language...so to speak...of the firelings, except that the firelings seemed lacking in any sort of intelligence whatsoever; she'd just assumed that like with them, these were merely noises. She slipped the necklace over her head and stared at the creature as it continued squeaking and clicking...eventually, it was almost like she heard a second voice, far back in her head, almost an echo of the Pukwudjininee but for the fact that it wasn't echoing the noises at all. It seemed to be echoing in English.

"Hey..." She frowned a little. "I think it might be working."

The others--in particular Winter Born and X'aaru, who seemed intensely curious--crowded around, peering down at the creature as if expecting to understand it for themselves. Charmian stared at it for so long that her eyes started to ache; gradually the clicking and popping and squeaking faded until they, rather than the other voice, seemed to be the echo, and she could have sworn that she heard the little creature say, You are like unto an immense skeleton of flesh, thin and pale and cold as the northern snows.

Charmian blinked, then her brow furrowed. "Huh?" she said, uncertain if she'd heard that right whatsoever.

The Pukwudjininee waved its spear and gesticulated. Not nearly as high as the grand vault of the heavens, but tall indeed, like unto the graceful cedars and birches in the frigid wintertime!

Charmian stood up straight and rubbed at her head. "I think maybe it's broken," she said, rubbing the little face necklace. "Because it sounds like that little guy's spouting Shakespeare at me or something."

The others crowded around even closer now and looked down at it. "Did you expect it to be stupid?" Manabozho asked, earning a frown. "Because the Pukwudjininees are among the smarter beings in the woods."

Charmian scowled. "Well, that's nice to know! They beat you out, then!"

"Is it saying anything important?" Winter Born asked, looking the little creature up and down.

Charmian turned back to it. "I thought you guys were supposed to understand too...? Glooskap must not've worked all the bugs out of this thing." She shook the necklace, then looked back at the little creature. "I don't know...I'm not sure if it understands me. What should I ask it?"

Peepaukawiss nudged his way forward. "Oh! Oh! Ask it where we can find Shawondassee!"

"I'm not sure if they'll know that..." Charmian trailed off when the creature hopped up and down and clicked and popped; it took a moment for the necklace to kick in again and she listened to it carefully. "He's talking about the lake," she said, then blushed. "Um--I mean, she's talking about the lake. Sorry," she said to the Pukwudjininee, and it--she--continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. "They attacked us because humans don't pass through this forest, so they thought we were bad manitous." She frowned. "I'm guessing they get bad manitous around here sometimes...they spotted a band of them a long time back, but they were heading north, not south like we are...they say that there's a lake not far from here...a big one...and a river leading into it...but it's not Nebanaubae we need to worry about. There's something else in the lake but they're not sure what it is because they've never seen something like it before. Apparently, whatever it is, they don't get them around here much." She stood up straight again and started digging in her pocket. "They didn't mean to be so rough with us, there's just been some strange stuff going on lately and they can't be too careful." She pulled out a pinch of tobacco and bit her lip, holding it down to the creature. "I don't know if they like tobacco any...I'm not sure what else to give them. Should I give them a candy bar or something?"

The Pukwudjininee hopped forward to look at the tobacco, then promptly shook her head and hopped back with a squeak. Charmian frowned and tried a candy bar but as soon as she did, the little creatures all started scrambling back up into the trees. Her brow furrowed and she stood, having to slap Pakwa's questing hand away. "Did I do something offensive...?"

"Pukwudjininees do not take payment," a voice said, and they turned their heads to see Niskigwun returning. "They offer all of their services for free, and to pay them is considered an insult. The only thing they will accept something in exchange for is a gift that they have freely given." He pointed in the direction he'd come from. "There is a lake some distance that way. The trees end after a bit and open out onto a great field of grass. There are wigwams upon the shore."

Charmian's eyes grew. "Wigwams--? A camp?" She straightened her pack and gestured for the others to follow. "Do you think they might know where to find Shawondassee?"

Niskigwun shrugged as he fell into step with the rest of them. "I did not go near enough to learn of them. It looks to be a medium-sized camp, not too many people. Their attire is similar to that of the Island's people. I believe they saw me, but I came back before they could do anything."

"Maybe we shouldn't go walking straight in then," Thomas suggested. "We don't even know if they're friendly or not."

Charmian chewed her lip. "Agreed...maybe we could go around and approach from the east or west."

"The river is to the west and there's nothing but open meadow to the east," Manabozho said. "You may as well just go walking in."

Charmian and the others looked at him. "How do you know what it looks like?" Charmian asked, puzzled.

Manabozho shrugged, looking bored. "I've been here before. A long time ago."

"You've been here--?" Charmian stepped around in front of him and halted so that he had to stop. "Well, how come you never TOLD us that? Didn't it occur to you to save us some of the trouble of showing up? Maybe YOU know where Shawondassee is--?"

Manabozho wrinkled his nose. "I didn't bring it up because YOU seemed to be doing just fine without me! And don't bother asking if I know where Shawondassee is, because I don't know! I don't even remember when and why I passed through here, just that I did. That's all. You want to wring any more information out of me?"

Charmian glared at him, then turned and started stalking through the grass. "It just FIGURES that you've been here before!" she groused. "I bet you ran right into Shawondassee and didn't even know who he was."

Manabozho clenched his fists, having to hurry as he was in danger of being left behind by everyone else. "I THINK I'D KNOW A WIND IF I RAN INTO HIM!" he yelled, but by then nobody seemed to be listening anymore.

They reached the edge of the woods and peered out at the landscape beyond; it was just as Niskigwun had described it, a long lake surrounded by meadow, a river snaking toward it from the right, and a cluster of wigwams settled on the shore. Charmian squinted at the sight of numerous small figures moving back and forth in the camp, smoke rising from the little buildings; as they approached, the figures started moving faster, and she could tell that their arrival had been noticed. She bit the inside of her mouth anxiously and hoped that they were friendly.

"You don't think they'll attack or anything, do you...?" she asked no one in particular.

"They could have done so by now," Stick-In-The-Dirt said with an anxious look of his own.

"The people in this area are friendly," Manabozho said, stepping to the front of the group. "I even met with them before. See--?"

As soon as he stepped into the lead, the people in the camp roiled to life, yelling and waving their arms; Charmian and several of the others halted immediately, uneasy about the sudden commotion. Before they could say anything, everyone in the camp was hurtling toward them, racing across the grass and gesticulating wildly. Even Manabozho slowed to a stop now, and Charmian hurried toward him to notice the surprised look on his face. He blinked, then started stepping backward. "Ah...then again, one can never be too sure," he started to say, and nearly turned on one heel, but by then it was too late; the great gang of strangers had descended upon them, yelling like mad and waving everything they could carry--spears, sticks, hatchets--and Charmian was nearly trampled when they surrounded Manabozho and grabbed onto him, turning and rushing back toward the camp. Manabozho let out a startled yelp before he disappeared from sight; Charmian dodged several of the strange people and hurried after them, craning her neck to try to see him, without success. What people hadn't caught up with them yet did so now, and they ran into the camp yelling at the top of their lungs. Charmian glanced back at the others to make sure that they were still with her, then followed them into the camp, dodging between the oblivious strangers. She crooked one hand, not sure whether she'd be able to call up a manitou, or if she even should. What were these people doing--?

Her anxiety started to fade when she noticed that, rather than assailing Manabozho, they were grasping onto him and cheering loudly, waving their weapons and beating their chests. It took a moment or so longer for Manabozho to realize that he wasn't in any danger, and he blinked a few times; when he pulled his arms free and stood on his own the cheering grew louder and a pipe was offered to him. He took it and looked at it with furrowed brow.

"Manabozho--?" Charmian yelled over the hubbub. "What's going on?"

"I'm--not sure!" He glanced at everyone and forced an awkward smile, which made their cheering grow all the more. "I must've done SOMETHING impressive--but I can't remember what!!"

"Elder Brother!" a voice cried, and an old man pushed his way forward, gesturing at the pipe and nearly putting it to Manabozho's mouth himself. He smiled from ear to ear; Charmian and the others mixed with the strangers without any incident, as the people of the camp didn't even seem to care one way or another that they were there. "At last the hero returns to us! So long you have been away, but we have waited always patiently! We knew you would return someday, just as you said you would! And look, the day has come! Just when you are most needed, you arrive, like the great manitou that you are!"

Charmian's brow furrowed. "Most needed? What the heck does THAT mean--?"

No one paid her any attention. The old man took the pipe and offered it to Manabozho a second time. "Please smoke with us and then resume your seat beside our fires! There is time for other things later! Right now you and your friends are more than welcome to rest among us. All that we have is yours, Elder Brother!"

"Ahm..." Manabozho took the pipe and stared at it, looking as confused as ever. "Well...I suppose it wouldn't hurt to stop a little while..."

"Manabozho," Charmian called in a disapproving voice, "aren't you forgetting what we're here for...?" She glanced at the ogimah, for that's obviously what the old man was. "And what's this about other things--?"

"Please!" The old man grasped Manabozho's arm and gestured toward the wigwams. "Please join us for supper! You've arrived just in time! Surely you recall that I promised you a prize when you returned, for all the good you have done us."

"Prize?" Manabozho's feathers popped upright and he suddenly seemed interested now, and stopped resisting being pulled toward the wigwams; Charmian ground her teeth. This entire camp was giving her a very uneasy feeling, especially with what she'd just heard from the Pukwudjininees. "What sort of prize...?"

The old man grinned, all crooked teeth. "Why, you remember! Just like you to pretend to forget! The greatest prize our tribe could possibly offer one of your esteemed standing!"

"Ooooo!" Puka rubbed his hands together. "I wonder if it's PRETTY!"

The old man finally noticed the rest of them, and smiled. "Only the prettiest prize EVER!" he exclaimed--and a wail suddenly arose in the air, cutting off everyone and making them freeze in their tracks.

"ManaboooooOOOZZZHOOOOOOO!!"

Manabozho jerked to a stop and his eyes goggled, looking ready to fall out; Charmian blinked when his face practically went white. Then she couldn't see him anymore--for somebody had thrown themselves at him and had him trapped in a bearhug that made his eyes pop even more, a wheezing noise escaping his throat. Charmian had to blink a few more times before she made out that it was a woman hugging him, shorter than he was by about a head or so, and just as plump and stout as Crooked Creek. From the look of it her grip was equal to Crooked Creek's as well, and everybody stared at the two, brows furrowed.

The old man beamed. "Just as I told you! The prettiest prize to be had! You do remember the second promise you made us as you left before, don't you, Elder Brother--? That you would take my Wazhashkooquae as your wife when you should return to us! Well, she is ready to be yours!"

Everyone's jaw dropped. Charmian's the furthest of all. "W--wife--?" she blurted out in utter disbelief; just as the stout woman threw her arms around Manabozho again she jumped to stand beside them, clenching her fists. "WIFE?!" she yelled, her voice making Manabozho grimace even more than he already was.

Manabozho shook his head wildly and started prying on Wazhashkooquae's arms. "I--I don't even REMEMBER making any promises!! I don't even remember what I DID the last time I was here!!"

"Oh, of course you remember!" Wazhashkooquae exclaimed, smiling up at him. "Don't tease me like that, sweet 'Bozho!"

"Sweet 'BOZHO?!" Charmian yelled, and leapt right up to her side when she stepped back, still not letting Manabozho go. "What the HELL is all this?!" she exclaimed, shooting him the most venomous look possible.

Manabozho shook his head, feathers flopping every which way. "I DON'T KNOW!!"

"Of course you do!" Wazhashkooquae cried, looking at him earnestly. "Remember? You promised you would take me as your wife, as payment for all you did for us!"

Charmian just about placed herself between them now, giving the woman an acidy glare that made her blink. "What's this about a WIFE?" she hissed.

"Who are you?" Wazhashkooquae retorted, her lip sticking out and her face forming into a scowl. "'Bozho? Who is this person--?" Her brow furrowed. "Are you a rival?"

Charmian's eyes nearly fell from her head. "R-RIVAL?!"

Wazhashkooquae looked her up and down with a disapproving frown. "Well--I SUPPOSE I could tolerate you, seeing as you're obviously so close! But you'll have to settle for SECOND wife, because he promised to marry ME first!"

All of the blood drained from Charmian's face, as well as from Manabozho's; he looked like he would have sunk straight into the ground, if not for Wazhashkooquae's iron grip on his arm. "S-s-second w-wife--?" Charmian sputtered, then the blood roared back into her face and her fingers curled into talons; everyone quickly backed away. Her eyes practically started glowing when she stomped toward Wazhashkooquae, her voice reaching an ear-shattering pitch. "WHAT THE HELL MAKES YOU THINK I WANT TO MARRY HIM?!!"

Wazhashkooquae pursed her lips again, seeming offended. "Who WOULDN'T want to marry him? A hero like him! He saved ALL of my people from certain death!" And she threw her arms around him again, with the widest smile ever, making Manabozho wheeze for breath.

Charmian blinked, then deflated, letting out her own breath and staring at the two of them with wide eyes and open mouth. "Hero--?" She looked at the camp, then back at the other two, Manabozho now struggling to free himself, a panicked look on his face as if Wazhashkooquae were a boa constrictor squeezing the life out of him. "Saved--? What are you talking about?"

"Just as I said! He saved us ALL!" Wazhashkooquae lifted her head to smile into his face; he bared his teeth, but not in a smile, and pried at her arms. "If not for him none of us would even be alive here today. And so of course I pledged my own life to him! I would be honored to be the wife of such a mighty hero as the great Manabozho!"

Charmian's face screwed up. "Are we talking about the same person--?"

"Of COURSE we are!" Wazhashkooquae finally stepped back from him, an affronted look on her face; yet she kept a tight grip on one of his wrists, which he ineffectually tried to twist free of. "He risked his own life for each and every one of us!" she insisted. "All here can tell you this is so! His very last time here to visit us, he did this, and we are forever grateful! No words can express the gratitude we feel for all he did to preserve this tribe!"

Charmian stared at her for a moment, then turned to Manabozho. "Manabozho--?" Her look of confusion grew. "What did you even do here?"

Manabozho shook his head again. "I don't have any idea! I'm trying to remember, but--I keep coming up blank!!"

Wazhashkooquae let go of him and took a step back, her eyes glimmering. "You--you mean--you don't remember a thing?" she cried. "You don't remember your promise to me--?"

"How could you forget what you did?" Charmian demanded. "It must've been SOMETHING impressive, if you got a WIFE out of the deal!"

"I DID NOT get a wife!!" Manabozho snapped, clenching his fists and taking a step toward the lakeshore. "Maybe if all of you would just SHUT UP for a minute and let me think, then I COULD remember what I did--!!"

A bubbling sound suddenly cut him off, and he blinked, then turned his head. Charmian looked in the same direction and noticed that the noise was coming from the lake just behind him. Everyone fell silent and stared at the surface of the water as it began to roil and churn, and Charmian felt a chill creep over her when the words of the Pukwudjininees came back to her, filling her with unease. She took a step back--just in time, for at that moment the surface of the water broke, two great spires of copper rising upward, then the glistening black top of a head, then giant gleaming green eyes, then flaring nostrils and dripping teeth and gaping jaws, followed by a long neck, the longest that Charmian had ever seen, rising up, up, up into the air, until the great monstrous snakelike creature with jagged spines cresting its serpentine neck loomed over them, a long wet hiss escaping its cavernous mouth and water cascading down its black scales. Its huge glowing eyes fixed straight on them and glittered, feral and menacing, and its giant catlike muzzle wrinkled as it grinned from ear to ear. Charmian nearly felt her heart fall into her feet.

"Oh," said Manabozho, somewhat belatedly, as the shadow of the Underwater Lynx fell over them. "Now I remember."

Continue:

Part 29: Water Battle  (13+) Manabozho does battle with a nasty Underwater Lynx, but Charmian smells something fishy... #1240287 by Tehuti, Lord Of The Eight

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