Chapter 18 - The Jumlin

It was quite a task to get a meeting set up with one of the Navajo who was supposed to know the skinwalkers. Most of them only knew the legends but there were said to be a few of them who practiced the dark magical arts even still today. I set up a meeting with them to align with the coming full moon so that I could show them what I am and hopefully use it to my advantage if they would try to harm me or my family. I can't help but feel both extremely excited and fearful of the situation. On one hand, they might know something about the story Peanut told me, but on the other hand, they might not. They might not even be actual skinwalkers and just say they are to try and scam us, but even the possibility makes it that much more exciting to go and meet them. The trip was relatively easy to make save for the distance. It was a long trip all the way to Colorado. Though when we arrived the man we met told us that he was not a skinwalker but he knew of stories about where they lived. We walked into the woods for what seemed like miles searching for a cave known as the cave of dark souls, where skinwalkers are said to dwell. Nobody has ever gone looking for the cave for fear that the skinwalkers would kill them or worse, use their black magic to take control of them and destroy everything they have ever loved, built, or worked for. After a couple more miles there was a strange sound, like the sound of a thousand snakes all hissing together to make a single song. We all looked around seeing a strange snake-like creature coming down from the tree tops. The creature was massive with multicolored scales covering its entire body, it had long teeth and almost human-like blue eyes. As I studied it, it began to smoke like it was burning. Right before our eyes, the creature turned into a human adorn in a snakeskin jacket that was paired with a snake skull pendant around his neck. He began to speak saying, "Turn back or you will know immortality through the trapping of your soul inside my pendant." We quickly tried to explain why we were there. I said, "We are looking for the Navajo skinwalkers. We do not intend harm we seek their help and even guidance on a situation of our own." The man looked at me with now gold reptilian eyes and said, "You have found those with whom you seek. Follow me and we shall find council with my covenant." With that, he began to smoke returning to his previous form, and slithered past us hissing to inform the others of our arrival. We followed him to a cave with torches on both sides of its mouth. Many large creatures ran to the cave and black smoke began to pour out of it as they all began to transform into humans. The snake transformed and bowed to a man who had the form of an owl saying, "Night Owl I bring outsiders who seek counsel with you." Night Owl began to speak saying, "Rise Snake Guardian, what is it that you wish to speak of with me?" I stepped forward and said, "My name is Bethany, and I am a werewolf." At that, the many individuals that surround the cave gasped looking around as though they heard something that had genuinely surprised them. Night Owl said, "Quiet, I wish to hear the young wolf girl speak." The cave got quiet again as I continued, "I am looking for the tribe who fought against the men with long teeth." The cave almost seemed to shudder itself as the individuals around me gasped again. Night Owl again instructed them to be quiet and said, "You must be referring to the children of the Jumlin." "The Jumlin?" I asked. He began to say, "Yes the Jumlin; a Demon who was summoned with purest of intentions but resulted in the worst possible outcome. There once was a great medicine man whose wife could not bear him a child. He prayed to the great spirit for many years, yet he was never blessed with a child. After many years his wife was near the point of being beyond the age of bearing children, so the medicine man summoned the Jumlin offering his soul to the Demon upon his death in return for the Jumlin to give him a son. The Jumlin tricked him by saying that he would do as he asked, then took his soul and possessed the medicine man impregnating his wife. He then drank the blood of the soldiers in the tribe, after he went on to the women, then the elderly, and the children. When the medicine man's wife gave birth the Jumlin then drank her blood, taking and raising the child. The Jumlin traveled attacking tribe after tribe giving life to several children he begot. We are the remnants of those tribes he attacked. We gave up our humanity to have the strength to destroy the Jumlin. We are not only Navajo but a tribe made of many different types of natives who banned together to complete our mission. We found the Jumlin here with the daughter of the Respected Chief of a Navajo tribe the Chief helped us in destroying the Demon though could not condone our actions. So we became known as outsiders, witches, and evil doers. Though the Children of the Jumlin escaped and spread their disease across the plains." I didn't know what to think of this and began to ask, "Do you know what tribe fought against them, and do you know where they went?" I then told them about the story Peanut told me and how we hoped to find them to learn more about ourselves. Night Owl said that he didn't know where they went but he could tell me that they were a tribe that was long forgotten. Not even they knew the name of the tribe but they hired the Anasazi tribe to help them create a hidden home where they would be safe from the children of the Jumlin. That is when the Anasazi tribe left and why they left everything behind and didn't mind trading things for knowledge of the areas they went to. He said, "If you can find the Anasazi they can lead you to them. Otherwise, you will never find them."