An enormous being, a thunderbird known by some as, “Wakinyan Tanka,” became part of my life twelve years ago. Our telepathic connection was the entire reason I met my wife, Secora, who recently brought our son, Steve, into the world.
We couldn’t be happier.
As Wakinyan Tanka lay dying on the rugged Armenian mountain, she asked telepathically, if I was willing to connect with one of her offspring.
Now we owe our lives to another Argentavis Magnificens, “White Feather”, one of Wakinyan’s last daughters. She, along with my nephew, Kyah, saved us that night.
But, finding out about the pregnancy was interesting…
******
My wife, Secora, had been in an automobile accident, and we were in the Jackson Hole hospital. I tried to rouse her. She groaned in response, tried to open her eyes, and attempted to sit up.
“Ow.”
“Just stay down for now. Can you see anything?”
“A little, but Gideon, it’s dark. Are we still in the cave?”
I was puzzled at first, and then asked her “Do you mean the
cave in Africa where our friend, Mosa, was killed by the scimitar-toothed cat?”
“No, the one Destiny sent me to, today.”
“Sorry, that was three days ago. Secora, you’re in a hospital. You’ve been kept asleep to let the swelling in your brain diminish before you start moving around.”
Our adopted daughter, Monta, interrupted, announcing, “Guess what Mom, I’m going to have a baby brother.”
“Gideon, what is she saying?”
“She’s been telling me that for the last hour.”
Secora didn’t respond, she’d closed her eyes and looked as though she was thinking.
“Mom, did you hear me?”
She winced and said, “I did dear. That’s wonderful, but it’s a little more than I can handle at the moment.”
Monta, was undeterred and continued, “He likes the name,
Steve – in case you are wondering.”
Secora did a double take, focusing on Monta’s words, until
the physician arrived.
Before he had a chance to speak Monta emphasized, “Don’t forget, Mom, STEVE.”
*****
The day didn’t start as a tragedy. Secora and I had been showing a listed property in the Plains area West of the Flathead Reservation. It seemed like a good idea for us to go on this outing together, to get Secora away from her stresses and worries.
In the fading sunset, the client waved goodbye. With a strange look on her face, Secora turned to me and said, “Gideon, I think my water just broke.” We hurried into the truck and followed an access road to the highway that would take us to Missoula.
Although it was evening and we were miles from the hospital, she was beginning to feel excited about becoming a mom. But things turned ugly on the access road when we had a blowout in the right rear tire. It was tough to retain control of the vehicle on the old, cracked pavement.
I knew the tires were practically new and that something was off. The moon had yet to rise, and it was pitch dark as I pulled over and cut the engine. Suddenly, we heard the roar of another truck, and headlights closing in quickly from behind. Then a shot rang out.
“Get out Secora. We have to leave, NOW!” I dashed over to open the door and led her off into the darkened
brush toward an obscured ravine on our right. A deer trail took us away from the lights. We stumbled along as quickly as we could.
Secora moaned, “Oh my God,”
Behind us we heard the other truck leave the road, and lights indicated it was headed in our direction. Three squeaky doors opened and then slammed.
Moving as quickly as possible over to the edge of a ravine, we dropped more than three hundred feet, in a series of layers. My eyes strained to focus as we jogged along one fork of a path that wandered along the top of a gully. We stopped to catch our breath and I dialed my nephew, Kyah, who was a part of the search and rescue team, and quietly let him know we needed emergent assistance. I asked him to bring his search dog, “Penny”, then I gave him the coordinates for our rescue from my Satfon.
Secora and I were now dodging unseen bullets fired over the rim in our general direction. We moved from bush to bush, running for our lives in the pitch-dark night. She was hurting with regular contractions and I was panicked. Hiding behind the tumbleweeds wouldn’t be good enough. Eventually, our pursuers would catch up.
Out of desperation, I tried to get her to climb a small hill. There might be places to hide up there. Then, the thought of a pack of dogs treeing a mountain lion came to my mind. When the cat runs out of rocks to climb, it sometimes climbs a tree on the top – it has nowhere else to go. The dogs and the hunters find an easy target in the end.
I turned back to check Secora’s progress. She had stopped about ten feet back. I tried to coax her but she didn’t look good. She was doubled over, and when she looked up, I saw that her lips were blue.
“Honey, we can’t stop here. At the very least we need to reach those rocks about fifty feet away. Maybe we could hide from these wild bullets.”
She moaned through gritted teeth in response, “Can’t move… contraction….”
“Let me try to carry you.”
Lightning danced across the road as thunder rumbled.
Secora growled and fell to her knees. “No… can’t believe this is happening here. Please go, Gideon, one of us should live.”
At a complete loss, I knelt beside her and made sure she focused on her breathing. I was pretty sure she already was, but I didn’t know how else to help. Things became even more uncomfortable when rain began to blow in sheets.
In some ways it seemed refreshing, but it was cold. Even worse, I could no longer hear how close our pursuers were.
I began to quietly chant. “He-a-hey, hey-a-hey. Grandfather, I offer up everything to you. You are the Source…You are the end. We thank you for all you have given us. We thank you for this child. We will care for it as long as we can, then ask that You take him tenderly into Your care when the time comes.”
Suddenly, I heard something else: Heyoka, the nestling is coming. So am I.
“I have to push… it hurts.”
“Concentrate…focus.”
“O.K.A.Y.Y.Y.”
I thought I heard another gunshot and bent lower as lightning pirouetted with the ground. Thunder roared and rumbled. It was then I felt the presence of White Feather, who’d agreed to keep the connection after the ancient bird’s passing.
A predator is close to you. That one is mine to take.
My heart sank at the thought a killer was already so close, and also, because of the impending loss of life.
Thank you, great protector.
To Secora, I said, “White Feather says there are only two attackers left.”
Secora screamed as she pushed with all her strength. “Ahhh…” She set her jaw and pushed again. I caught Steve on his way into the world, protecting his head and tiny body from the dirt, scratchy sagebrush debris, and the windy-cold rain. It must have been a shock for the newly entered being, because he cried out – daring the rain or anything else to stop his entrance.
“Grandfather thank you for the birth of this precious child.”
Secora weakly, added, “Thank you, Source of all beings. Welcome, Steve.”
The siren of a Deputy’s vehicle was shocking. I held my breath as I anticipated the approach of running boots and heard two voices only fifteen feet to our left.
“Are you kidding!”
“How’d they find us?”
They weren’t voices we knew.
From the dark, Kyah bellowed, “Drop your weapons and hit the ground!”
Two bodies thudded into the brush, and Kyah called the deputies to cuff the suspects.
Secora and I were both shivering, but somehow, we had to keep the baby warm. I cuddled Steve inside my coat.
“I love you Gideon Yellow Thunder.”
“I know.” My tears joined the rain.
There was sudden movement right beside us and Secora yelped despite herself. Our fear faded slightly as Kyah’s Rescue dog, Penny, sniffed our faces. She barked twice, signaling my nephew to our position. At that moment, two other sirens could be heard coming in our general direction – way too close.
Secora asked, “What if they don’t stop and run over us?”
How could I respond? It was tough for me to move because the wet clothing clung to my cold skin. I struggled to wave, then brought my arm back to encircle her. Together, the three of us made the best of the circumstance.
I was still mumbling prayers, but I could feel Kyah was nearby. I grabbed his hand. He immediately bent down and hugged me. I love my nephew like a son. Steve seemed curious when the paramedics arrived to help. Within fifteen minutes we were all on the way to Community Hospital in Missoula, grateful, but shivering from the ordeal.
*****
Within the week of his birth, Steve was able to save his mother’s life with a timely howl that diverted her from opening the front door for an unlikely assassin; Mosa’s enraged sister screamed as the bullets entered the wood, “You killed my brother in the Ennedi cave, then made up a story blaming an imaginary beast, a scimitar-toothed cat.
I am here to avenge my brother. I am your death, cave monster.”
*****
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Diane Olsen Award Winning Author 