In the darkness of the night while everyone was still asleep, Xui suddenly sat up and surveyed around, locking eyes with her aiding soldiers. On all of their faces, staring back at her, the same eerie look implies the same comprehension. Earlier one of her men had advised her of Shaman Shao's urgent message from beyond the clouds, that the dragon star is behaving unusually for Xui to keep an eye out for certain uncertainties.
"The dragon star's power. She has been awakened… at last!! And she is not very far away from here." Xui said to her men. "We should find her as soon a possible."
Xui directed her chin to two men then swayed her head to the side, sending non verbally commanding them to search for the dragon star's owner without ever bickering a word.
Once the two men were out of sight, Xui waited for a little bit before she began to shout at Lei, "Wake up! We must head out. It is dawn and time isn't on our side any longer. We may have to dance with the wolves."
*
Mooji and a few of her followers rinsed me off with some warm water to gently wash away the dirt, grime, and blood enrooted into my skin. "My sister, what have you gone through?" Mooji muttered under her breath while holding back tears, acknowledging my ripped trousers on the floor, as she patted my open wounds on the palm of my hand, with a warm cloth.
I sit still as a rock with no responses to give.
Mooji hands off the towel and grabs the porcupine brush. She combs through my hair, brushing out all the debris lodged into my hair.
"My sister, Sereen, I must ask you for the Ma'ingaan's sake. Please don't get me wrong when I ask this, but when did you last bleed?"
Unknowingly, I place my palms on top of my belly.
"I see." Mooji nodded. "Please let me assess." She peeled my hands from my belly and laid me on my back. One of the Mooji's followers places a fur blanket on top of my naked upper body and another one on my lower body, displaying my full abdomen. Mooji very gently pressed my lower abdomen, moving from one side to another, then she rested her hands in the mid section above my pubic area.
For a moment, I thought she was praying, but then I felt a jerk from inside of me. It scared me and I tried to sit up, but Mooji's followers quickly assured me that everything was alright and held me down.
"Mooji, what are you doing?" I ask her.
"Almost four moons you haven't bled. It is strong, very strong. It kicks. I thought for sure it wasn't going to survive from all the stress you were under." she said, as silent as a whisper, again holding back tears.
I quickly reminisced, "The last time I bled, I had just met Giken. It was very cold and I barely had any clothing on.". "I'm so sorry I know how you feel about home. I've seen how you two look at eachother. Mooji, I'm so sorry I took him from you." Words blurted out from my lips.
"No, you are mistaken, my sister. Giken, I hold dear to me, but it is because he was trying to unite me with my onaabeman." Mooji responded. "...and he made it happen. He United me and Asin… he then cleansed away all of Asin's sins while under that horrific oath with Manji-Manidoo." Mooji assured me.
"You have an onaabeman?" My realization sends embarrassing flushes to my cheeks as I am reminded of my petty jealousy. "I'm so sorry for mistakenly thinking that you and Giken…"
"My sister," Mooji interrupts, "we are creatures of feelings and emotions. I acknowledge your feelings and your misunderstanding, for you didn't know me well enough before. But now you ARE Ma'iingan and you know me." Mooji gave me a big loving smile to break my silence, "Now, let's get you cleaned up and dressed."
"Thank you, Mooji. Thank you so much." I said with sincerity. Though the numbness of the traumatic events of today halted me from actually doing anything for myself, I am happy that I have gained a sister.
Finally, I had someone who wasn't a man to consult with about my most private issues. Also, I didn't have to worry about the consequences for my words or actions, because I know she will keep all matters to herself.
"All done." Mooji finally said in a giant sigh of relief. "Now, what would you like to do first?"
"Sleep. I'd like to sleep." I replied.
Mooji exits the teepee and returns with a fur blanket and says, "Sereen, Giken would like for you to rest with him in his teepee, instead of this one."
"What's wrong with this one?" I ask, but reality…I didn't want to see any men. Not Jerell, Giken or ANY other men.
"This teepee is the medicine space. We heal the wounds and cleanse others here. It is no place for an alpha." Mooji replies as she wraps the blanket around me and helps me up to stand.
My head hung low as we both exited the teepee together. Mooji's arms wrapped strongly around mine as she assisted me to keep me steady, since my knees were badly bruised along with other parts of my leg and body, then I noticed the silence.
I looked up and saw that the Ma'iingan had all gathered together to greet me. They all stood with their heads slightly nodded, while their eyes still met with mine. Their right hand balled up into a tight fist placed over their chests. This was the Ma'iingan way of acceptance, of peace, of respect.
One of Giken's followers, Bima'azh, walked up towards us and said, "Alpha, you were named the greatest to guide off wolf tribe and not just Ma'iingan. The great spirits of this land prophesied you. We, your brothers and sisters; we, the Ma'iingan, will follow you for you are our Alpha."
A thunderous whoop of cheers echoed in unison. I peered around looking at all the familiar faces that I have lived with for the past months, before Lei brought me back upon that ship. They accept me for who I am and have raised me up onto a pedestal, to lead them all. Tears begin to well up in my eyes and an emotional sense of family overwhelms me. I have never had a family, not really.
I felt a drop escape from the corner of my eye and in the midst of it all, failed to see Giken standing next to me. His callous hands touched my cheek tenderly as his thumb gently swiped away my tear.
"My Sereen…No more tears. You are loved and you now have all of Ma'iingan standing behind you. Your tears are as precious as the rivers that shape our home.' Giken moved in closer so that I could hear him loudly, "Niin zaagi'neta… I love you."
Another loud whooping cheer bellowed out, "Aiyiyiyiyiyiyi!" from the crowd.
As soon as the celebratory cheers started, it quickly died back down. Wawa made her way towards me until she was three feet away. I lowered my gaze when our eyes met, but with her staff she pushes my chin up.
"I knew you were special the moment I saw you. You had powers, even stronger than I. Now, you are the Alpha of all Ma'iingan, never lower your gaze to anyone. This is the only way to survive in this kind of world… And we, the Ma'iingan, need you, our Alpha, to survive so that WE may all survive.
"I don't know if I can lead us. Why not have Giken lead?" I look at Giken, my eyes weary of the Ma'iingan's choice.
"Sereen, this was a choice we didn't have to choose. The ancestors and the land had chosen you. We are simply the ones abiding by the rules in which they have bestowed upon us." Giken said.
I shook my head in disbelief. They want me to lead them, me… who haven't a single clue what to do or where to go.
"I don't know if I can! I'm not courageous nor am I strong." I announced resoundingly for all to hear.
"OH, BUT YOU CAN!!" a voice rang out loudly, hidden inside the crowd. The Ma'iingan began to part, giving this voice a face.
I examined the person, who was now dressed in Ma'iingan clothing, his beard braided, his hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, and all around arms and face scars revealed themselves on his pole and bare skin.
"Jerell?" I said his name.
Though Jerell knew no Ma'iingan tongue, he spoke with confidence that those who could understand his English would translate.
"I've seen you lead, without even knowing it. I've seen you amazing things when we were mere kids. I've seen you save lives… my life included! I've seen how you can lead us all victoriously even though you haven't the slightest clue to do so… and that is what makes you such a great leader. Most of us had always viewed fear as a weakness and so we toughen ourselves up to never feel fear. But it is fear that makes us strong. Fear is what keeps us going. FEAR is what forces you to face the unimaginable, to protect what you love. I've seen you protect what you love, Lady Sereen. And I will gladly bend my knee to serve you for as long as I'm still breathing."
Jerell bends the knee and bows down. The Ma'iingan in the crowd looks at one another in confusion and then one by one copies Jerrell. The whole Ma'iingan camp are all bowing down to me and as I turn to look at Giken, he bows too. I was disheartened by the honorary display, but knew that I must accept my fate.
*
Riverway was overtaken by Manji-Manidoo and Niiganii, but has now been deserted and turned into a ghostly town with no one inhabiting it.
Dead bodies laid spread out all over the place and the putrid odors of decomposing flesh consumed the little town.
The Ma'iingan's sense of smell is a thousand times more powerful than men's, which was probably the reason why they left the little town shortly after the massacre.
Back at the original Ma'iingan Grounds, Manji-Manidoo and Niiganii are having another dispute.
"They are all saying that your actions to annihilate that town would not bring balance to our tribe and that it was all done in vain. They are now whispering that you shouldn't be permitted to lead the Ma'iingain when your actions are unpredictable." Niiganii shouted.
"Shut your mouth old hag! I did what needed to be done to rid us and this land of the filth that will corrupt us all, that was the balance!" Manji-Manidoo replied, trying to justify his action. "You advised me to do so, didn't you?"
"I did no such thing!" Niiganii retorted, "You did what you did at your own free will. I am NOT the leader nor the Alpha anymore, remember?"
"Bangitoo! Shut up!" Manji-Manidoo snared and on and on they went. This brought turmoil to the other half of the Ma'iingan following Manji-Manidoo and Niiganii's lead, so many began to plan to leave the group.
Of course a few were caught trying to flee the half of the Ma'iingan followed Manji-Manidoo, and were publicly executed by Maniji-Manidoo and his followers for their "betrayal". The few Ma'iingan that were able to flee the group, were all hunted down like animals.
But with poor leadership, there will always come someone who thinks they can lead the pact much better than whoever were leading.
Without Manji-Manidoo's knowledge, the group of followers were beginning to believe they had made the wrong choice in following him. Whispers of giving Niiganii the title and demoting Manji-Manidoo to lower his power were traveling fast among their group. Most Ma'iingan had agreed to the idea of demoting Maniji-Manidoo after the massacre of the pale skin people, including his own henchmen.
When Niiganii first heard word of this scheme, she was appalled at the thought of the Ma'iingan's treachery as a whole, but the more she thought about it, the more she wanted the Alpha for herself. Old emotions, wants and needs began to resurface as she remembered the things she had to do to gain the Alpha title the first time.
"How is this time going to be any different?" she thought. "It was him and his followers that nearly killed me and had my Alpha title taken from me by the ancestors and gods. Why shouldn't I do the same to him?" Then Niiganii realized something. Spiritually, Manji-Manidoo was never acknowledged as Alpha nor had the spirits of their ancestors attempted to give signs of hope of the new alpha to its people. This only meant one thing… Manji-Manidoo was not the chosen one after all.
"No point in trying to kill him off now when he is going to die from the injuries he sustained when he was trying to kill me. Let fate run its wheel and when an Alpha is chosen, I will make my move again." Niiganii cunningly thought to herself.
*
Back at Sereen and Giken's Ma'iingan group camp they prepare to leave and to go back to Riverway. After seeing Bjork in his condition and fleeing from Riverway, Sereen became concerned for all the innocent lives that had helped her back at Riverway.
Meanwhile Xui and her men are trailing behind Sereen and her group, trying not to get too close. Lei is left at the base of the mountain to babysit the Englishmen, while Xui and her men go out to scout around.
Xui signals to her men to go back to the base as she tries to brand Sereen with a spell, that way Xui will always be able to track her.
The soldiers leave and she is left behind all by herself hiding in the woods, camouflage onto a bough in a tree.
After many hours have passed, Xui finally sees Sereen walk out of a teepee. Everyone was bowing down to her, it was the only chance Xui got to brand Sereen. Xui cups her palms to create the spell and as she was about to project the magic to Sereen, she saw someone.
An Englishman that didn't belong in the group of tan skin, dark hair man-wolf.
She was dumbfounded to see that very familiar face after so many years. Xui stops her magic and it dissipates. Quietly, she lips the name, "Jensen."