Jacinda Cross

[Jacinda]

       
2031

Jacinda laughed to herself as the hours passed on their way to Shirleen Begay's home. This is the closest? Jeez! The ride was rough going too. Not just because of rutted roads and washes, either. Obviously, this route wasn't traveled often. A couple fresh tracks through the snow was her only guide.

The ride was in four wheel drive and did alright. Only a couple times did it get bogged down. Which meant getting out the shovels and clearing around the tires. She was wishing she'd put her chains on, but Jill came to the rescue. She put on some gloves and took her knife and cut bunches of sage brush. Clever woman. Jacinda did the same and using the shovel, they wedged them under the tires. It gave enough traction to get them going again.

It was mostly small talk, in the cab. Kinds of hunts Jill had been on. Not many, but that was ok. In fact, it was kind of impressive. Not terribly experienced but willing to go on a hunt like this. Reading between the lines, Jacinda got the impression that her mother hadn't been too keen on letting her go off with her dad. Very traditional.

Which explained Sari a bit, at least in her mind. Old school. And the culture was matriarchal. Hosteen might have wanted to take his daughters but mom said no. End of story.

As the vehicle rocked back and forth, she asked. "And your husband? How'd you meet? High school sweet hearts?"
she said with a smile.

Jill quirked an eyebrow and smirked. "No. I didn't date much in high school. His father and mine were friends. After my mother died, my father started teaching me. And I got to go on a few hunts. Little things, you know. Exploring mesas and caves, mostly, to check out things people claimed to have seen. And we talked. And he was nice. A good friend."
She wore a small smile at the memory.

Jacinda thought about Regan. "Sorry. Didn't mean to bring up bad memories."


Jill looked at her and she didn't seem overly sad. "No. It's good to remember. He let me be myself. Didn't demand anything from me. It was nice."
Jacinda didn't know what to say about that. Regan had run her life. And since then, well, she never really let anyone get too close. Or maybe it was just her. She didn't know. It was interesting though. Only recently did she finally feel settled in her skin. Even liked herself. But she was mostly alone. Not like anyone demanded anything of her in that state.

Well, if she was ok..."How did he die? If you don't mind."


Jill was quiet for a moment. "Cancer. It was quick. Diagnosed and dead within six months."


Wow. "I'm sorry."


Jill shrugged resignedly. "Yeah. It was hard. He was my best friend. And I was his."
She paused, as if unsure whether to go on. "It was about friendship, with us. No one is going to make any movies about it."
Both of them laughed at that. "But it was nice. Going to live with my father, to help my sister, after, well..."
She trailed off, but her voice made it clear there was  difference.

Jacinda got it. Stifled. Then free. And now back in a box. She knew the box. She'd lived in it for many years. Until she had been set free. Or cast away. Always so confusing, thinking about that time.

"There," she pointed. They had gotten through the canyon to the other side of the mesa and now a large mountain loomed in the far distance. "Navajo Mountain. We're nearly to the Begaye's. The others are further south west on the back way to Lake Powell."


Jacinda nodded. It had been 3 hours so far. Her ass was getting sore from the bouncing around. And she wanted to stretch. All the driving over the last week was getting to her.

When they finally arrived, it was to a group of homes, similar to Jill's- government issue, probably- and a hogan. A pack of dogs came up, sniffing the tires and peeing. They both got out, but Jacinda hung back. Jill waited until the door opened. A little woman with her hair tied back and shielding her eyes stepped out. She wore a pleated light blue crushed velvet dress, a darker blue button down, and a turquoise necklace. Jill went forward.

"Ya'at'eeh. Shí éí Jill Benally yinishyé. Tódích’íí’nii nishłį́. Hashk’aan Hadzohí bashishchiin. Tł’ááshchí’í dashicheii. Hooghanłání dashinalí. Tsé Biiʼ Nidzisgaii déé’ naashá."


The woman nodded and looked at Jacinda. Jill spoke again and in a thin reedy voice the woman said "Wóshdę́ę́'" before turning into the hogan.

Jill said "I introduced myself and gave my clans. She invited us in."

The inside of the hogan was spacious. No separate rooms, but livable. The heat coming from the stove was strong, as was the smell of ceder. The logs looked freshly trimmed. Along the wall was a loom where a rug was being made. Wool, looked like, the weaving intricate. She'd always liked those. The patterns were symmetrical and detailed, in variation of black, white, turquoise and yellow.

The woman gestured for them to sit in the chairs near the kitchen table and the wood stove that probably doubled for cooking. She sat back on a rug and began weaving again.

She and Jill spoke at length, which of course Jacinda didn't understand. She watched the woman work, fascinated. The pattern continued to grow. Suddenly it occurred to her that the woman was doing this from memory. There was no paper or schematic or whatever you called it for her to use. Amazing.

She got the sense that they were discussing her at one point. She heard the word bilagáana. Caucasian. Jill seemed to smooth things over, though.

Finally, Jill stood and shook the woman's hand gently. "Ahéhee' shi ma."
Jacinda did the same, merely saying thank you in English.

When outside, Jill explained. "Shirleen was her sister. She told me where the body was found and what she saw- after I told her who I was- who my father is. We have permission to go check it out. It is mostly undisturbed except for where the EMTs took her. And the police examined a bit. Looked like a bear attack to everyone, after all. "
She paused, as if confessing something. "Well...death is a very sensitive subject for us. It disturbs the Hozho, the harmony and balance in nature. Bad energies and spirits are thought to feed off of that chaos. It more than bothers us. Fear, terorr of the dead is very ingrained into my people. It's why just the idea of skinwalkers has so much power over people."


Honestly, Jacinda was surprised. Not at what she said. That made sense to her. She didn't fear the dead, but she got how others could. Especially if there really were skinwalkers. A wefuke would probably be just as terrifying. No, what surprised her was how different Jill seemed. Maybe Jacinda had passed a test or something. Or maybe it was being out and exploring. But she was talking a lot more.

Either way. Jacinda liked it. She was interesting.

The ride to the place wasn't far. They got out. The fresh snow covered over it all. But in another way, that was good. The icy ground had preserved the prints of everyone and everything that was here. They could use brush to clear away the newly fallen snow to see underneath.

Before they did, though, Jacinda stopped, closed her eyes to get a feel of the place, expanding her senses. When she opened her eyes, Jill was looking at her, puzzled. Jacinda winked at her and then slowly turned in a full circle, to really see the land the way their prey might.

It took a few minutes for her mind to quiet and focus. Longer than normal. She was too aware of the other woman's gaze.


Edited by Jacinda, Jul 18 2018, 05:25 PM.