January 17th 1830
Frozen wilderness, United States of America, Border of Canada.
Personal Journal of Leon Wagner.
Seventh Entry.
As Gliding Hawk and I stood lying in wait back to back by the wagon, with only the lone fire to illuminate our cold dark surroundings. I began to hear the many creatures start to surround us in the trees.
Their emaciated bones and elongated limbs cracked like the sound of ice as they twitched and contorted into the most revolting forms and poses imaginable. All were staring down at us with emotionless pure white eyes in the trees above hungrily as we struggled to keep track of them in the dark. Shrieking an ear piercing cry unlike anything I have ever heard in my life.
The five surviving children were the first to appear from the shadows. Three hideous daughters and two disfigured boy's. All abnormally tall. Nude. And donned with white hair coated with frost and dried blackened blood covering their large gaping mouths stuffed to the brim with rows upon rows of needle like teeth in-between a red flickering tongue. Their deformed pale faces twisted all the way around their necks in an unnatural manner similar to that of night owls as they looked right at us. I almost vomited, for I could see that both their noses, lips, and ears had fallen off from the intense cold. Whatever innocence's or childlike wonder they once had in their wide eyes were now dead and gone all too soon, along with the flicker of their humanity. Their hearts now frozen by nothing but the cold of their own unrelenting hunger and pain.
Their mother and father laid in wait, watching eagerly and silently from the safety of the shadows as their own children went first into the fray like pawns in a chess game.
A king and queen of a tragic evil.
The two sons screeched and ran on all four's straight toward me. The sisters held back in the darkness looking for an opening to exploit. I had placed flammable oil across the ground minutes before and hastily reached for a smoldering log from the campfire to set it alight.
A circle of flames suddenly surrounded both me and gliding hawk, briefly illuminating the battle and protecting us from their quick advance momentarily. The smaller son screeched in anger, repulsed and sickened by the blinding heat of the orange flames, causing him to sink back into the shadows along with his more cautious sister's.
The larger brother however was not deterred.
I saw horrified as it's skeletal body boldly charged right through the searing flames desperate to taste our flesh. Clearly unafraid with the pain it was feeling and letting it's blind hunger guide his actions. It continued in its suicidal charge even when engulfed in a blanket of fire before finally dropping to the snow charred and blackened, reduced to dragging it's burnt body toward me slowly through the snow. I removed my sword from its scabbard and thrust it right through the top of its blackened skull now coated to the brim with ash and smoke, but to my astonishment, the creature was still was not dead. I then proceeded to drag it's grotesque snapping face directly into our firepit to finish it off. The determined young creature kept fighting even as it's face burned and melted off it's skull, screaming and roaring with its last breath as it weakly grabbed onto my leg before finally growing silent. I uncurled it's long dead fingers from my leg one after another with immense difficulty.
It's touch was still as cold as ice.
I looked up gasping and saw that the heavy snowfall was beginning to smother the outer shield of flames. The enraged children crept closer toward the edges testing it's limits hungrily. I could see that these children could be patient in getting their prize. A frustrating realization to be sure. I knew full well that a cautious beast was far more deadly than a stupid one. And these creature's were anything but stupid.
The monsters began to pace one step closer right after another on all fours as the light began to dwindle, almost mocking us with their show of confidence. Staring directly at me through the flames, and not taking their emotionless eyes off me for a second. Not uttering a single sound other than the crunching of snow beneath their clawed feet. I was terrified they would attack my horse tied to the tree outside the dying glowing ring. But to my amazement they walked right past the animal, completely uninterested in him as a meal. It as now clear that the only flesh they wished to taste tonight, was the very flesh of what they themselves used to be. Nothing else mattered to them. Their fallen brother. Their own safety. Nothing. Just us.
For all intents and purposes. I was their entire world that night. And they would never stop until they had their prize. And neither would I.
Gliding hawk then shouted for me to use the tree branches as a torch. We both reached down and picked up two burning tree branches to keep the creatures at bay just as our wall of flames began to crumble leaving us with only the small dim campfire in between to protect us, and illuminate the dimming battlefield. Our line of sight was still quite poor so we had to let them come to us now. And come to us they did. They surrounded us within seconds.
We both stood back to back for minutes on end in the near pitch dark, waving the burning tree leaves wildly as the cursed children stalked closer and rushed in all around us, snarling and swiping their long talons hungrily at our feet hoping to drag us both into the forest to devour. They were silent no longer. They grew bolder with each passing second but still kept back from the fire we shone in their mutilated faces. Screeching and roaring as they circled around us on their spider like legs growing impatient and more bold. We couldn't wait any longer. It had to be now.
I informed gliding hawk to set the torches to the ground and prepare to fight. He agreed and we both reached for our weapons. With the creatures right in front of us we could at last see them clearly in the light. Now we had a fighting chance.
I fired my five shot revolver as they all charged one after another. But to my horror the bullets did nothing. Gliding hawk saw my difficulty and shouted for me to aim for the heart, informing me it was the only way to kill a wendigo other than fire.
I adjusted my aim, breathed, and carefully shot two of the daughters in their chests, near dead center with every last round I had. They dropped fast gasping and wailing but none had been a direct hit and had only incapacitated them for the bullets were too small. Gliding hawk however swiftly discharged a flaming arrow right through the center of the last sons heart with superb skill, killing it and setting it's body alight. He had clearly done this before. And his skill far outpaced mine when fighting these creatures. But still I would contribute any way I could. I then pulled two burning log's and staked the two daughter's through each of their hearts just to be sure. It wasn't clean. But it got the job done.
With my pistol now empty I raised my saber and attempted to decapitated the last daughter's boney head with one swift strike as it charged right for me, but the creature instead jumped wildly above me into the air to avoid my blade. Gliding Wolf and I both watched in horror as it make off with Mountain Wolfs body into the secluded safety of the woods, dragging the once proud warrior through the snow by his long hair in between its rotten teeth. Gliding hawk screamed enraged and immediately gave chase into the forest out of my view. The fearless old warrior would not see his son mutilated by these cannibals. I grabbed a burning log from the now dying fire and followed him into the darkness of the woods.
We both ran panting and exhausted through the scorched and bloodied snow for minutes still on guard. Following the faint trails of Mountain Wolf's blood as well as the victorious cries and footsteps of the creatures attempting to flee back to their lair to enjoy their new meal.
I wondered why the parents had not yet moved in to take advantage of us catching our breath. But still they stayed hidden in the shadows, waiting and watching us from high above. Almost grinning a most foul smile down at us as we left behind the corpses of their offspring and gave chase to their lone daughter.
We tracked the cursed child as it attempted to cross out onto a frozen river covered in fog and at exactly a quarter to midnight. The creature began to sprint across the slippery ground on all fours in order to escape. Causing the ice to crack and shift beneath its feet from its sheer speed and power. We followed right behind regardless of the obvious danger, not wanting to allow this beast to escape and consume its meal.
But to our luck The ice in front of the creature then began to break apart as it neared the edge of the forest on the other side. Trapping us all together on a floating island for a final standoff. We were so close to one another that I was surprised to notice that the creature's long snow white hair was still in its carefully woven braid from when it was a young woman. I sat there in silence, almost feeling sorry for this poor animal. A pity that this was the only thing from her previous life to survive her transformation.
The creature dropped Mountain wolf's bloodied body and snarled at us both viciously like a rabid dog. Scratching and dragging its long clawed fingers in frustration against the ice at being unable to escape. There we all stood. In the dark of night with only the light of the winter moon above us all trapped together. It was time to finish this fight once and for all.
It was time to end her suffering.
I slowly raised my torch in silence and ignited Gliding hawk's arrow for him. Seeing his stern melancholy face in the warm light. Utterly repulsed by this monstrosity he had let suffer in his homeland for so long and harm so many. He wanted to look away.
He didn't.
Gliding hawk unearthing a terrifying war cry as he plucked the string of his bow and sent his last flaming arrow speeding through the air. Hitting the Wendigo squarely in the tendon of its leg. I drew for my crossbow from my back and launched a bolt to become logged deep inside the other. The creature wailed in pain as it fell to its knees incapacitated. Clutching Mountain wolf's body in panic, wanting to consume it quickly before it died. Gliding hawk drew for his tomahawk and I my sword. We charged together in perfect unison enraged. Ready to cut the creature to pieces as it lowered its fanged jaw to the ground in front of us trying to taste human flesh one last time.
The wendigo screeched a blood curdling cry as it swiped its claws for the both of us trying to defend its last meal greedily and desperately. Gliding hawk dodged and swung his tomahawk straight into its eye. I in turn thrust my saber straight through it's frozen heart with both hands and twisted as it swung its long arms wildly in the air in agony. Wailing almost human tears as it collapsed atop the ice dead and eternally silent, still reaching out its emaciated arm for the body. I swear I could still hear the growling of her stomach long after the creature's heart had stopped. It was the last sound she ever made before her body slowly slipped off the ice and vanished into the frozen water forever.
I stood up atop the ice to catch my breath and turned to my guide invigorated by our success, but to my horror. He wasn't there.
I looked around frantically in the dark and saw that creature had knocked Gliding Hawk into the freezing water along with her as its last act of malicious intent. Gliding Hawk began to scream for help as the strong current began to quickly carry him down the intense stream. Without a second thought I left my heavy gear on the ice, held my breath, and dove in.
A part of me wishes I hadn't.
It was the worst pain I've ever felt in my life. As if a million daggers had became logged in every area of my body. I swam down pushing through intense agony and cold, desperate to find him. I barely managed to spot him slowly sinking into the dark freezing depths beneath me. I swam deeper and deeper finally latching on to his fur coat and with all my remaining effort, quickly began to swim toward the surface, feeling my lungs about to burst at any moment. As I approached the surface, my heart practically stopped as I saw that the ice was still frozen solid above us. I pounded my fist panicking against the frozen roof above our heads. My mouth forced itself open for air only instead to be filled with ice water. I drew for my sword and began to stab wildly through the ice.
I gasped in desperation for air as I at last broke through the barrier. Weakly dragging Gliding Hawk and myself to shore before collapsing to my side. Shivering and coughing up water. My hands freezing. My vision blurred and weak. I thought in that moment I might die in my first mission. No. I then thought to myself.
Not like this.
I turned over and saw that Gliding hawk was fidgeting from the cold and that his breathing was heavy and weak even more so than me. Hypothermia had set in and was affecting him severely. He wasn't going to make it unless I did something fast.
I weakly stood atop my feet and carried him atop my back through the forest toward the camp. Hearing him start to mumble in an insensible daze.
"Son...Son..." He called out weakly into the night air.
I looked behind and saw that Mountain Wolf's body was still on the small frozen island in the middle of the river. I cursed under my freezing breath in frustration. I then set Gliding Hawk down gently against a tree and unfastened his shaking fingers from his hand, still clutched tightly to his tomahawk.
I limped out to the edge of the water quickly. Unwrapping my rope and tying it securely in a knot around the closest tree to the edge of the water I could find. I then fastened the rope tightly to the wooden handle of his tomahawk and swung it in circles around my wrist like a sling to build momentum. Finally throwing the weapon to spiral through the air far into the distance and barely managing to latch onto the edge of the frozen island as it began to vanish into obscurity through the fog.
I heaved and gasped in effort as I pulled the floating glacier to shore with my numb quivering hands before stepping onto its slippery surface rocking back and forth against the waves to grab onto Mountain wolf's bleeding body. Ready to bring it back with the both of us at last. I would deal with the wendigo parents hiding like cowards in the woods later. Right now this cold was by far our greatest enemy. Not an easy decision. But a necessary one.
It took hours but we finally arrived back at my campsite with my horse still waiting patiently. I rekindled the fire and bundled Gliding hawk in my blankets as I set him by its warm glow to heat himself. I sat there in silence as we both continued shivering by the fire, struggling to stay conscious. He wasn't getting better. And neither was I.
I had to find help or else neither of us were going to leave here alive.
I looked down toward the ground and saw that the tracks Gliding Hawk and his son had made when they had first reached my camp were still barely legible. But the snow was beginning to cover them. I had to act fast before it was too late. I told the old warrior we were getting out of here in once piece and that I would not leave him behind. I would find us shelter. Or die trying.
I laid a blanket on the ground, punctured two holes in it's corners, tied what little rope I had through it to my horse and rested Gliding Hawk to rest atop the fabric in order to drag him through the snow behind. I then lifted Mountain wolf's body and laid it sideways to rest across the saddle dripping blood. As I began to follow the trail holding my horse by its reigns, Gliding Hawk began muttering utter nonsense from his hypothermia.
"Don't..Don't..." He kept saying weakly to me before slowly passing out in his wraps. Leaving me alone with the responsibility of leading us both through the storm to find his shelter. I did not know If I would be welcome by his tribe from his warning. I might even face death at their hands as an outsider. But If his people would not help me they would surely help him. I had to try.
I followed the trail up the mountain for hours in pitch darkness, barely able to see through the intense snowstorm right in front of me. I collapsed atop my knees constantly along my journey, almost falling into a deep slumber wanting to rest my weary eyes. But I knew that If I did, I might never wake up again. And so I dredged on.
I at last arrived shivering and weak in the dead of night, in view of a large wooded building resembling a barn. As I approached the Long house I collapsed into the snow devoid of all my remaining strength. My horse began neighing and licking my face trying to keep me awake as Hypothermia had at last claimed me as well. I was fearful my journey might end right then and there. So close to salvation laid bare bare before me.
I called out weakly for help before losing consciousness, with my face purple and now covered completely in frost buried in the snow. My weary eyes barely managed to make out numerous blurred shapes emerging quickly from the warm light of the longhouse to carry us inside to safety.