The ride out of Elka was calm. The weather was brisk, with the lightest of breezes adding a hint of chill. Doc wore his riding outfit, looking far from the socialite he’d appeared as in Furden. The only real things pointing to his wealth were the quality of his riding gear and the enchanted ring on his finger.
He’d have been worried for Rosa if she hadn’t flatly told him that she was comfortable in any weather. She was wearing a thin green sundress that covered her, but did nothing against the cool air. Besides the dress, she only had her collar on.
Lia had on her buckskins, but also a cape clasped around her neck to give some more warmth. It was made of rabbit skins that’d been sewn together to form the waist-length garment. She’d assured him it was warm enough for her.
“The gathering is at noon?” Doc asked as they rode, having stopped looking over potential gifts for a little while.
“That’s when the elder of the hosting tribe will call the pau-wau to begin. It’s at that point that the visiting leaders will present themselves to the elder. The three of us will meet him as visiting from the Treeheart tribe. We should be the last to present ourselves, as we aren’t traditional.”
“That’s fine. I’m surprised we pulled this together so quickly.”
“This is their annual gathering for the closest tribes. The biggest difference is that the Grouse tribes from Uta are attending. They came because of you— that will be a big thing when the leaders speak.”
“I know this is going to be wrong, as I’m working off my world’s information,” Doc said. “The pow wow… pau-wau? It’s dancing and drums, right?”
“There will be dancing, and the drums will not stop until the pau-wau is over. But there will also be circles of crafts for the tribes to trade knowledge, and some demonstrations of strength, skill, and courage for the hunters. The leaders will speak for hours each day, but always be there for the dances and tests. Tribal honor and pride are shown in those displays.”
“Are you going to represent the tribe as a hunter?” Doc asked.
Lia’s smile was telling. “I was planning on it.”
“Will Rosa being collared cause problems?” Doc asked.
“It will cause some tension, as you are human-looking,” Rosa said. “I have arranged a way to defuse the whole situation. Mother moves to assist you, Voice.”
Doc exhaled slowly. “Thank her for me, please.”
“I will,” Rosa said happily, pressing into the back of his duster.
“The pau-wau will last three days,” Lia said. “It might stretch past that if the leaders have issues to resolve. This is one of the ways the tribes can get through conflicts without blood between them. We’ve needed it more since we’ve been hounded and pushed into reservations.”
Doc nodded as they rode toward a hill. “It should be just over this rise, right?”
“Yes,” Lia said, looking at the smoke rising ahead of them. “The smoke welcomes those who are coming.”
Doc looked at the plume of smoke ahead of them. “How?”
“The color and density. See how it changes from white toward gray, then back? That is the smoke of welcome to guide those nearby to it. The people caring for the fire have to be diligent in their work to keep the signal as clear as it is.”
“Smoke signals were used by the Native Americans of my world, but I didn’t know how it worked,” Doc said. “Similar and different is how everything’s been here.”
A few minutes later, they rode up the hill to the ridge. Down on the plain, a great gathering of hide structures stretched out before them. Some were plain leather, but the majority had been dyed or painted with designs, mostly depicting animals or flowers. Doc smiled at the sight, as what he saw weren’t tents. The conical, tall shapes of teepees were just as distinctive here as on Earth.
Hundreds of people milled about in the camp, some brightly-dressed while most had on simple buckskins. Doc watched the gathering as they rode closer— he was sure the ones who stood out did so for a reason.
“Lia, the brightly-dressed people?”
“The ceremonial garb of the dancers,” Lia said softly. “There is only one dance we will participate in, but when we do, just copy me.”
“Gladly. I don’t want to offend anyone.”
“Because you are who you are. Expect some hostility to begin with.”
“Because I am not elven,” Doc nodded. “I just hope it can be put to rest early.”
“Trust in Mother,” Rosa giggled.
“Hmm… I think our arrival will be remembered for generations,” Lia chuckled.
~*~*~
A group of elves jogged toward them as they approached. Most had rifles, but one of the men carried a bow, instead. It was the bowman who spoke when they got close enough to speak, “Stop. This is sacred ground for the tribes only.” The words were said with anger as the man stared at Doc.
“I am Doc Holyday, shaman of the Treeheart tribe. I come with Lillianna Treeheart, former elder of the tribe, and have Rosa, Mother’s daughter, as my companion.”
“Death Flower?” the warrior spoke the name in Elvish as he stared at Lia.
“I carried that name during the Bloody Flower War and beyond,” Lia replied. “I am Lia Holyday now, married to the shaman.”
The warriors exchanged glances, but no one was raising their weapons.
Rosa slipped from the horse. “Mother approves of Luck’s Voice.”
The lead speaker’s eyes narrowed. “Collared. You would say anything he told you to.”
“Do you think I would marry a man who would force a dryad to do anything?” Lia asked with an icy tone, her hand resting calmly on one of her pistols.
The band of warriors backed up, their rifles half-lifting while the bowman pulled an arrow from nothing, resting it on the string. “Maybe he has somehow bewitched even you, Death Flower.”
The sound of a horse got everyone’s attention; an elven woman was riding their way with a raised spear. Doc considered using one of his gifts, as it looked like there was about to be a fight, but Rosa touched his leg. A glance at her got him a smile, and when he looked back at the rider, he saw that her angry expression wasn’t directed at him, but the warriors.
When she got close enough, she cast her spear into the ground just short of the men. “Red Hawk, what is the meaning of this?”
The bowman, Red Hawk, positioned himself to face her. “I am doing as I should: keeping the gathering pure.”
“Fool. Treeheart told the elder she came with her husband and a dryad. You were told not to stop them, but to welcome them.”
“He is human, and his dryad is collared!” Red Hawk snapped. “Death Flower must be bewitched to think we would allow a mage into our camp.”
“You speak for the elder now?!” the woman hissed, pulling a tomahawk from her belt. “When did you gain his voice?”
Red Hawk’s arm drew back slightly, putting some tension on the bow. “Gray Rabbit is fading as you know, Raindrop. You may be his daughter, but we will be choosing a new elder during this gathering. Every one of us knows that I am going to rise to his place.”
“Peace,” the new voice carried a soothing presence. “I have come at Mother’s command. Put down your weapons.”
Everyone but Rosa jerked slightly, as the newcomer hadn’t been visible until she stepped away from the stunted mesquite tree near them. She was nearly as striking as Rosa. Her hair was green and rose to form short spikes above her head. She walked away from the tree to stand between Doc’s group and the others. Her nude body was on full display, as she walked with no care for her nakedness just like Rosa used to.
“Sister,” Rosa smiled, “you came early. That is best for us.”
“I was going to wait, but this was becoming complicated, and if it continued, it would cause a disaster for the Voice,” the new dryad said, then gave Doc a smile. “Voice, I am Yucca. My place is farther south from here, but I was the closest to help you.”
“Yucca,” the female rider said, bowing her head to the dryad. “We welcome you to the gathering. It has been long since one of you has come.”
The warriors all lowered their guns, bowing their heads to the dryad. Red Hawk paused a second longer, the arrow vanishing after he removed it from the bow. “Caretaker, we are honored.”
“Rosa is collared so she can walk in the world of humans with the Voice,” Yucca explained. “Doc Holyday is favored by Lady Luck and Mother. He straddles the lines of worlds to bring the light back to us. Change comes— it will be difficult, but it is required. I will be attending the pau-wau to bring Mother’s word to all.”
“Welcome to our gathering,” Raindrop said. “I greet you in honor, Yucca. As you speak for Mother and you call him Voice of Luck, I hear and will bring word to my father. Please, join us.”
“I will walk with my sister; we will be presented alongside the Voice. Take your warriors and return to the camp.”
“Come. The Caretaker has spoken,” Raindrop said. She nudged her horse over to grab her spear after putting her tomahawk away.
The warriors, other than Red Hawk, went with her. Red Hawk stared at Doc’s group for a few more seconds before he left them.
“Thank you for coming, Yucca,” Lia said, finally moving her hand away from her pistol. “I was sure that Rosa was hinting at another dryad coming to help us.”
“Mother is doing what she can. We’ve hidden ourselves away since the great culling, but we’ll start moving more as tribes come to accept that the Gods have sent their Voices back to us. We fear moving too far forward… the more of us that are captured for others rather than the Voice and his helpers is a blow to Mother.”
Rosa stepped forward to hug Yucca. “It has been so long since we last spoke in person, sister. I am glad we will have this time to be together again.”
“As am I.”
Rosa led Yucca closer to Doc, who got down off his horse. “Doc, please meet my sister, Yucca.”
“A pleasure, Yucca,” Doc smiled. “I grew up around your namesake for most of my life.”
Yucca’s smile was bright as she moved closer to him. “I’m glad to hear that, Voice. I wonder if you might grant my wish, since we will be here for a few days?”
Rosa giggled as both her eyes and Yucca’s began to glow. “If you don’t mind, Voice?”
Doc shook his head, looking over to see Lia smirking at him. “You know our stance on dryads, Doc. Because this is to fully gather the tribes here, it will be as we discussed. All of us agreed like we’ve told you before.”
Looking back at the two dryads, Doc nodded. “Once only, as that’s all I’ve given any dryad other than my precious Weed.”
Yucca let out a sad sigh, then bowed her head. “I will accept that, Voice. Thank you for giving me even that much.”
“Shall we walk into camp?” Lia asked, having dismounted. “We have time before the pau-wau is called to order, but I’m sure we’ve already caused a stir.”
“We should,” Doc said. “Hopefully, that was the extent of the commotion for today, at least.”