This was meant to be fun. This was supposed to be only in my head.
Why is he here?
I frown and glare at him. I doubt he can see it, but I still do.
Even though I can't see him very well because of the sun. I know it's him by the way he stands and the shape of his body. He is probably one of the very few hunters in our village who was able to grow like the corn stalk.
This makes me even angrier.
His being gifted in height should not anger me, but it does. Quetzalcoatl must have not broken his bones in the fall. I must have been the first one he landed on. That actually makes me laugh a bit. I can see it now. My poor bones being crushed by the giant serpent.
My mood lightens a bit.
As I swim to the shore of the lake. I feel some movement by my side. I look over and I almost lose my calm. I try not to panic. I have dealt with coalt (serpent) in the past, but this serpent was way quite big and black as night.
what should I do? Am I going to die?
I have never seen this snake before. Will it bite or squeeze my last breath out of me.
I try to stand straight, the water reaches my neck. If not for the stone below me I would have been swallowed by the lake. As I try to stand still. The snake swims towards me. It coils around my neck and into my hair.
I breathe shakingly.
That's when it all hit me. This serpent is not of the water, but the land. It must have been taken by a bird and dropped into the water by accident. what a lucky serpent, but very unlucky me for I may die today. If this serpent really is of the land, then all it wants is to get back home. I gently move my head to see if there are any more stones below me. There were a few more stones that would make it able for me to walk to shore with ease if not for the snake in my hair.
I slowly move like the water. Hopefully, I confuse the serpent and make it think I'm a tree branch or something. As I get closer to land the water now reaches my waist. I'm able to walk now without the help of the stones. Walking with a serpent with its tail around your neck and its head in your hair would not be so scary if that serpent was able to kill you at any given moment.
The worst of the worst happened next. My foot slipped and I stepped on a sharp stone. I cried in silence. I wept for a moment, then continued walking.
I cried all the way to shore.
Limping towards a tree nearby, the grip of the serpent's tail tightened around my neck to the point of choking. I quickly raised my arm to touch the tree. The serpent's head dipped to slide to my arm that was extending. The serpent's movement flowed so smoothly, if not for the grip around my neck I would have not felt it slide off me and unto the tree's vines. As the snake slithered to the tree and its tail loosened.
My breathing finally became steady.
I wasn't crying anymore, But my foot still hurt.
I started limping through the path towards the village. there was only one path, that the people of my village used. I on the other discovered many that only I could see. The paths aren't really hidden, you just need to stop using your eyes as guidance.
Getting to the village with a limp foot would take some time. The path that I took will hopefully get time there fast enough. I also try to hop, this helps more than I thought it would for I can hear the children laughing. I'm close, just a few more hops and I'm there. One of the little children saw me hopping towards them. I probably look silly to him. He starts laughing at me, which I don't blame him, but when he moves behind me to see my foot, his smile and laughter fade.
He begins to call his Nantli.
This causes everyone to look over.
All they see, is their future healer soaking wet, standing with only one foot on the ground. Everyone stops with what they are doing. Even the Elders seem curious about what happened.
The little boy's Nantli (mother) appeared, along with a few other women. They gently carried me, so that m hurt foot was hanging while they grabbed my unhurt leg and arms. I turned my neck as best as I could to thank the little pitenzin ( little boy), as they started walking away from the children to our healer, who was also my teacher.
My foot stopped hurting. Small rays of the sun would blind me as the women walked. The sea of trees would end the closer we got to our destination. More stares of curiosity were shown by my village as we passed by.
The Elders were three steps behind us.
Lifting my head, there in front of the calli (house/building) I could see my teacher, washing roots. She has helped me with my gift. She crafted me into the woman that I am. She taught me everything I need to know about the flowers and herbs that heal. If not for her all I would know is how to heal the muscles of one's body and spirit. She has taught me about healing wounds, bones, and infections. without her, I would be lost.
She quickly stood up, dropping the water (atl) from the basin that she was using to wash the roots. She waved at the woman to lay me down beside her. My teacher was those born with no words. She used her hands and face to speak. I learned from the greatest healer. Her actions guided me. She speaks louder than anyone.
" I slide off onto a sharp stone at the lake." I respond when she looks at me and lifts her brows.
she keeps looking at me.
" I went to get Atl (water) and decided to swim. "
She looks down at my wound, studying it. By now the Elders have caught up with me. They don't ask what happened. They just sit by or stand and watch. I look at my teacher. Her hand glides over my wound without touching it. She looks at me again.
" It hurts a little, I wasn't able to see it. Is it deep? " I say with wide scared eyes.
She laughs a bit and shakes her head. she held her palm out facing me, as she gets up and walks to the entrance of her calli/chantli (house). She lives alone. She likes it that way. They say she had a child, a boy. They say he lives in Tenochtitlan. She never said anything about it and I never asked either.
Laying there by myself made me start thinking about how I got into this situation. I inhaled a large amount of air and blew it out loudly. I needed to calm down and just forget it. It had to be a mistake. I was not being followed.
I close my eyes and frown for this is the only thing I see. I sigh and open my eyes.
A small gasp escapes my mouth, my eyes widen like two pools of atl (water).
" What is it, child? " One of the Elders asks.
I quickly look at the Elder, who asked me what happened. I simply told them that I felt pain in my foot again. The Elder nodded and asked no more. I lied. I gasped because I caught Meztli staring at me from afar. He was with his hunting party. They were laughing and gathering the meat, except him.
I looked down, He was following me. He had to be following me.
I look up again. He was still there. still staring. I widen my eyes as much as I could to look threatening. This is was my defense against him.
He only smiled.
" Mazatl". I turned to the Elder who called me
" Yes (Quema)." I say respectfully.
" He is a hunter." he says looking at Meztli. "You've become his hunt." He turns to me as he says this.
I look back at Meztli, He stopped staring. He's skinning the catch and laughing with his hunting party.
" Do I look like the deer?" I ask as I turn to the Elder.
Tototl is his name.
Tototl, one of our Elders of the village.
He is the grandfather of Meztli.
" Yes".