Chapter 2: The Native Tribe
“Well father what do you think?”
Henry’s father looks everything an old Shaman would be. Of course the old wore in jeans the man’s wearing kind of threw off the allusion.
The man’s hands traveled under her front legs; to change the position he had her in while he analyzed the pup’s body structure. The way he held her now, helped him get a better view of the pup’s face. His own stayed emotionless and the look in his eyes seemed to hold a certain awareness to it.
With a small smirk he nods “She’s going to be one good working animal?”
Chee came in from the kitchen with cups of coffee and an orange juice for Jake. Jake was on the floor playing with a toy car on the rug. “Here you go” she said gentle giving each cup to the men in the room.
Henry smiled at his wife as she left the room again back into the kitchen. “Henry this pup shall be named Mia Tuk” Henry was taken back, by his father’s sudden statement. He turned his head, seeing his old man in the corner rocking chair. The pup sat on his lap, looking into the face of the old Shaman.
“Mia Tuk the white fangs of a wolf” Henry listened. “Chibiabos the Lord of the Spirit Realm… has sent this wolf cub to you. We of the Inuk Tribe have had spiritual guides to help show us the way along our own path through life. Since the beginning my boy. Chibiabos and mainly his treasured wolves for centuries have taught us about ourselves and who we are; it is now our turn. You my son must show Chibiabos that this tribe still holds respect and honor to him”.
His father finally turned his sight to his son, showing him how serious he’s being. Knowing that his attention went elsewhere the pup, now named Mia Tuk jumped off. Not worrying about the pup running around in the house Henry continued to eye his father.
He had to tell his father about what happened. The scene from earlier wouldn’t stop playing in his head. With what his father was going on about, his guilt slowly began to creep up again. ‘Why would the spirits send a pup my way when I was part of what happened?’ sighing Henry looked up at his father “Father I… something had happened in the woods this morning” his father held a hand up to stop his story. “Son … you need not explain yourself to me…if you know what you have done, then grow from that”. The old Shaman started “This is not meant to be a punishment…. I call you Cameahwait not because you are pulled by your loyal dogs, but because you go through life so fast that you don’t stop and notice the little things around. Slow down your speed my son, and Chibiabos will help you”.
Henry turned to see the pup patting at Conzai head, trying to get him to play. He didn’t look too pleased in becoming a chew toy. When she felt his eyes on her, she turned to look. The scene before him helped make his decision on the pup. Her eyes didn’t look like they were focused yet. She was still partially blind, but the way that she looked at him made him believe that she could understand what he was going through.
‘The spirits must be testing me’ he sighs and rubs the back of his neck.
‘Spirits?’ A voice he has never heard before snapped his up. His eyes met with the pup’s; down on the rug. Mia Tuk tilted her head to the side, and walked off near Jake. ‘That was odd’ Henry had thought he heard something, but shrugged it off.
The pup didn’t seem that all scared her body’s relaxed showing no signs of discomfort. Henry glanced over at his father; the man turned his stare out the window, rocking his chair slowly. Henry had a feeling in his gut that having this pup here, was going to be the start of something knew.
In some of their tribal traditions, the wolf is considered the highest spiritual teacher in the spirit realm, even above the hawk and eagle. Wolves are well respected in their tribe along with his wife’s. It was said that their people copied the life of the wolf.
Henry was beginning to make his own assumptions on why he thinks his father believes the great Chibiabos sent this pup to him.
One guess is that Chibiabos wants to test an old soul. The second is that, this is really a punishment for letting one of his loved creatures die. ‘There has to be a twist in this’.
~~**~~
Since she got there Mia Tuk never left Conzai nor Henry. She may be too young to understand now but she knows that soon, she’ll be able to get her questions answered. And the only way to get those was going to be from these two. It was an instinctual feeling, she had to rely on.
Conzai couldn’t make out what the pup was. She had this air around her and for being so young it was strange. Conzai watched the pup, sniff the room, noticing that she didn’t even leave the area like a normal creature would do, coming into a foreign place. He was determined to figure her out.
Mia Tuk never had her back to anyone in the room, not even the five year old boy a foot from her. She may not want to be out of their presence, but she also did not trust them. None of them had her mother’s scent, or a gentle air that showed that they had maternal instincts. The one creature she had sensed that in had never stayed more than five minutes in the same room as her.
Mia Tuk felt alone; she curled herself up in a small ball not wanting to be a part of their world.
Conzai turned to see the fur ball. The boy Jake had been too occupied with his play story to notice. And the older men were too distracted in their thoughts. Conzai may be harsh but he isn’t cold hearted. The pup has had a rough start since she was brought into the world.
Trying to be nonchalant about it, and also discreet; he pushes one of Jake’s toy balls with his paw. Making it look like he pumped it when he laid down fully, the ball rolled towards the pup’s head bumping it. The pup lifted her gray head and just started at it.
The pup, Mia Tuk only saw a shadow object in front of her and she did not like it. She growled and yelped at the thing that dared to get her out of her down mood. She even got her body ready to pounce on it.
Conzai watched her from the corner of his eye. It amused him on how the rubber ball annoyed her so easily. But it did its job. The pup attacked it again and again, soon making a game out of it; which got her to wag her tail. Her little childlike growls and barks caught the attention of the other males in the room. Earning a giggle from Jake, he rushed in, to play in her little game.
~~~**~~~
Hearing from the kitchen the nose the pup was making, Chee walked in. Her long black braid of hair hung over her shoulder. She watched her son play with the wolf pup like he would do with any other puppy they would bring in to be trained. She stood there watching in the breezeway, which is the entry way to the family room; still wary of it.
It’s not that Chee is anti-wolf; it’s just she feels that a change is upon them starting with this pup. The night before, she saw the star. The Wolf Star (Sirius) is to her people a reflection of the wolf's coming and going down the path of the Milky Way. The wolf to her people is known as the bringer of life and death. They are the gods of the forest; they are honored bond to protect it. It’s a sin in her tribe to even touch it.
You can see why she’s so worried, the spirits and gods of her people had never intervene at such a level. She knew that something had accord just recently, and that her family had been chosen to become the guides of the pup’s road ahead.
~~~**~~~
At night the Woods family had all sat around the dining room table. Conzai sat up right on the porch, of the log cabin house just listening. He listen to the other dogs in the barn, that Henry had feed them and lock them up for the night. He listens to the crickets chirp, and the howls cry in the forest. He listened and watched the area like any good loyal guard would do.
The land there in Dawson YT is dangerous especially at night. Wild animals of the north did not fear man as much. And his job in being lead dog entitled him to have an eye out, for unwanted guests.
Little howls in the air, made him turn to the inside of the house. In the Great Room, the pup howled for its mother. He may just be a hybrid but he knew what each different howl meant. She’s hungry, she’s lonely and she’s missing her mother’s warmth. No matter how much time Henry spent trying to get her to take the bottle of milk he took from the goat, she will not take it.
She’s a stubborn pup and no dought that her other characteristics will immerge soon enough.
After a while the pup got too tired to howl anymore. Her cries where never answered back, no matter how loud she got. Without her daily vitamins and minerals she gets from her mother’s milk or that of the goats; the pup will grow weaker. Henry must know this; he must be waiting for her to take the milk herself. Soon she’ll grow so hungry she won’t care what kind of food she gets.
~~~**~~~
It’s been four days and the pup still wouldn’t eat. Conzai just watched from a far. During her time there he had picked on her; by barks and nips. Just trying to keep her fight in her, and then occasionally from a distance give her something to play with. That he showed no interest in, then land down pretending to ignore her.
Henry didn’t know what to do, he knew that she was lonely even the attention she gets from Jake and himself was soon no longer good enough. Henry wouldn’t even think about taking such a young pup to be acquainted with the other dogs.
Her eyes looked almost clear and focused, but she was still partially blind. The shadows had now morphed into blob dark and light figures. But if the other dogs got to her, she wouldn’t be able to bond; for fear of what was going on around her. Plus she felt so abandon that she didn’t even notice how weak she was. Henry knew that Mia Tuk wouldn’t last long if this kept going.
The house had been tense; Chee, she still kept an eye on her along with the rest of her family. She knew the poor pup felt rejected, by her mother. With Jake always at school, playing with his friends or having the men working in the dogs and company. Mia Tuk had started to sleep more than a pup her age should be. Chee knew for certain that the pup didn’t even acknowledge really any of them let alone the name they gave her.
Henry, no matter how worried he was about the pup, he could not help it. She was too young to start working; she couldn’t even see fully. The only way for her to make it through this is for her to acknowledge that they are now her family.
~~~**~~~
At the end of the fourth day, Conzai trots on the porch into the house; through the dog door. He’s been out all day with the men in town running errands and the sun was already setting. Walking in the foyer, near the bottom steps, he caught the pup curled up near the wood pillar. The spot is actually one of the warmest places in the house, and he had claimed it long ago.
She was practically underneath the steps, behind the rustic chairs on his big rug. Conzai’s been noticing the lack in her, the past few days. She wasn’t even drinking anymore water either. He let out a long sigh and made his way over to her. Conzai wanted to make another approach with the pup. ‘Maybe simply teasing her like a pack member wasn’t the right move after all’. The pup was simply too young, and the pups that he’s use to being around are six weeks or older. He now knew that for a pup at this age, they needed a parent to be comfort by.
Like all males, they don’t quite get the motherly instincts at the first moment. So Conzai know felt sorry for not realizing it. Conzai learned this he night before. He walked into a scene between a crying Jake and his mother holding him. He figured that he must have hurt himself or had a bad dream; but as Conzai watched, he sees that just having Chee there dried up whatever feeling he had. And he knew that that was what Mia Tuk’s waiting for.
For the past three days, the pup would howl out until her voice cracked and then whimper in her sleep. She wanted to at least hear her mother’s voice, if only it was for one last time. He knew Conzai knew that feeling; it was how he felt when he was taken from his own mother and litter mates. He felt so scared and alone, and all he wanted was his mother to wrap her tall around him and say ‘don’t fear I’m hear’ in her soft voice.
Not wishing to travel down memory lane Conzai stood above the pup, studying her for a moment while he could. Her body didn’t look healthy for her species and she was whimpering again. With a knowing look on his face, Conzai walked behind MiaTuk and curled himself around her. He subconsciously allowed his tail to flow towards her, like an arm to bring her closer into the warmth.
Mia Tuk’s shiver whimpers slowed to a stop, as Conzai’s presences soothed broken little heart.
~~~**~~
MiaTuk awoke with a very hungry stomach, and started to sniff around for what she would usually find on her mother. The fur was nowhere as soft or as thick as her fur, but the body is still just as welcoming.
Conzai behind her lifted his eyelids open, to find MiaTuk moving her nose around his belly. He knew that she was still blind and it was a possibility that she finally hit her limit on not caring where she’d get her source of food from.
Not wanting her to bite anything important, he stood up to stretch and began to go find someone that could feed her. Before he could leave the foyer however, MiaTuk let out a cry. The pup didn’t want the warmth to be taken away from her again. And the only thing that came to her mind to keep it with her was to cry.
Conzai looked over his shoulder at the pup, with her stomach on the rug searching for him. Sighing he turned back. He let out a dog like chuckle at the pup at his feet; he had to admit MiaTuk is cute. She didn’t even have to try to give a puppy dog face, hers was all natural. Binding down he nuzzled her with his nose. Mentally telling her, he’ll be back in a moment and stay put. He honestly didn’t want to leave her but now was the time to get what she needed to stay a life.
~~**~~
Conzai’s claws made a clicking noise to the Master bed room, without MiaTuk going after him. The whole cabin has a rustic interior theme to it, but still holding that warm homey feeling. Because the two other bedrooms are upstairs, Chee ask Henry to bring Jake’s crib into their bedroom. Till he’s old enough to be up there on his own; or until Chee agrees otherwise. Much to Henry’s demises he followed her orders.
The family must have gone to bed hours ago, while he and MiaTuk slept. As he walked toward the bed he saw Chee first. She slept closer to the door, with her back to it. Chee is a very sweet women and loving mother. She’d give the shirt off her back to the homeless children in the slums if need be. But he wasn’t so sure she would be willing to help him with MiaTuk. He noticed the distance Chee kept with the pup.
No matter how much he trusted is trainer Henry though, Conzai was a little afraid to wake him. Henry is the kind of guy that shouldn’t be woken up in the middle of the night for any reason. That is of course if it was for a major emergency. Not only that but he was a very heavy sleeper, and Conzai didn’t think he could even wake him.
Conzai shook his head, and made his way to the sleeping form of Chee. He had to at least try, to get her help. Conzai has seen her first hand without thinking; go up to a sick homeless child on the street. How can she not want to help a hungry pup?
Conzai looked up over the bed at Chee; he gets his two front legs up on the mattress. ‘Here goes nothing’ making a whimpering noise from his throat, he moved his nose to her face. Still not awake, Conzai starts whinnying and licking her face.
“Hmm” finally she begins to stir, so he continues. “Hmm … Conzai? What is it boy?” Chee petted him, and tried to push him away to go back to bed, but he wouldn’t have it. Getting tired of Conzai’s constant nagging, Chee gets up. “Alright, alright, what is it Conzai?” She said only holding back her tone, only to not wake Jake.
Not beating around the bush, Conzai grabs a hold of Chee’s sleeping long sleeve shirt and pulled gently. “Okay Conzai, you want me to follow you…huh?” Now that Chee was up and moving Conzai, tell go and walked out into the Great Room. On the left was a double sided fire place, which is the only thing separating the room from the Foyer.
Chee followed Conzai past the stone fire place to the foyer. She had thought that Henry forgot to feed him or let him out. Now though, after seeing that Conzai was leading her to MiaTuk near the steps; she thought the worst. Imagine her relief when she saw the young gray pup, moving around.
Conzai walked back to whimpering MiaTuk on his fluffy rug. Giving her a snort, telling her that he’s back, he then nudged her a bit. The pup rubbed her own to his, licking his muzzle asking for food.
Chee watched on at the two. She had thought that Conzai didn’t want her around, maybe he thought that his spot was beginning replaced. That had been what she had thought. Now though, she knew her mistake.
Conzai turned to see Chee with a gentle look on her face. With a snort to her, as if saying whatever he let out a whine and nodded his head in MiaTuk’s direction.
Chee awoke from her gaze and smiled again. This officially made her week, the pup finally wanted to eat. Everyone had been sick of worry with her, even herself. Going against her beliefs, only focusing on getting the pup feed; Chee moved over to kneel next to Conzai and scratched his head. “You’re such a good old boy Conzai; you got her started on the right path”.
Chee smiled and leaned in to peck his head. With one last scratch, Chee turned and picked up MiaTuk. Of course, she started to squirm, not being use to being manhandled in unfamiliar hands. Chee was having a hard time holding her, which all stopped when Chee started to rub her neck at the scurf.
Letting out a smile Chee stood with MiaTuk now relaxed in her arms. Looking down at Conzai, she motioned him to follow her. Turning around to face the fireplace yet again, she made a left down a small hallway that lead right into her kitchen.
Like the rest of the home, it held a rustic warm feeling. But it could be at times the scariest place in the house; the point is that it’s her kitchen. None of the men were allowed to bring any of their nasty things in it, unless Chee gives the O.K. Sometimes she wouldn’t let anyone go in at all, especially when she’s cooking.
MiaTuk never had come into this part on the house before. The lights that from under the cabinets gave off a gentle glow, didn’t burn the eyes. They automatically turned on when it got dark; powered by solar panels on the roof.
Chee settled MiaTuk in one arm, while her other warmed up the goat milk they have saved for her. Not understanding what’s going on, but smelling the milk warming up in the pot. MiaTuk started to give signs by wiggling that she’s anxious.
“Holding on girl, hold on its coming”. Chee said and with the hand holding the pup under the chest, started to rub. Conzai stood behind near the island, slowly swaying his tail in the air, at seeing MiaTuk.
Getting a bottle ready that they use to feed the puppies, Chee grabbed a towel. She made her way to the dining room off to the side of the kitchen. Pulling the rocking chair closer to the window, Chee sat and turned MiaTuk.
The pup was scrumming trying to get to the bottle. “Easy not so fast, not so fast” Chee smiled down gentle. She watched feed on her back, not wasting a single drop. Chee wrapped the towel around her loosely like a she did with Jake. MiaTuk held the bottle between her paws, letting light growls out when Chee moved it.
“Your such a little toddler”, Chee voiced out while she stroked the top of MiaTuk’s head. Calming down some, MiaTuk relaxed into Chee’s hold when she soon realized that no one was going to take it away.
Rocking away in the night, Chee started to hum, like she always does for Jake to get him to sleep. The warmth and motherly touch easily helped MiaTuk closer her eyes while she feed. Chee didn’t notice she was acting on motherly instincts until she heard herself.
~~~**~~~
Before the pup completely closed her eyes, for the night; her eyes cleared up. Staring up MiaTuk’s eyes focused on a face of a female. The shadow figures shaped into a picture before her, and the look the woman was giving off, comforted MiaTuk. It reminded her of her mother, a mother she had never seen but when far too well.
Both Chee and Conzai didn’t see how MiaTuk’s eyes shift in that moment. If they did, they hide their shock well. MiaTuk’s eyes glowed with colors until it settled to swirls of green and silvery blue gray. The moonlight that shined in through the window, bath her welcoming into the word. But as soon as it came, it was gone covered by clouds ran over it. Hiding the bit of magic, that came from life itself; from all to see. That moment was like a loved one; just taking a glimpse of a life that will soon start to live.
~~~**~~~
Conzai laid right next to Chee’s feet, keeping her warm. He was soon off in the realm of sleep, leaving Chee to watch upon the wolf cub, he was slowly warming up to.
Chee gazed down at MiaTuk, sleeping in her lap. She was thinking on how much MiaTuk responded like a human infant at times. Like when she would look at you, in a way that she understood. Then that got her thinking on why the Spirits had sent her their way. Chee concluded that she may never know, but that didn’t matter as much anymore, the pup was with them now.
“MiaTuk you don’t need to worry any longer, your part of our family now and I’ll help watch over you”.
Gently kissing the top of MiaTuk’s head and continued to rock with Conzai at her feet and her looking out into the dark but mysterious forest. Not realizing that they had a soft presence near watching over, out their beyond the dark but mysterious forest.