CHAPTER TWO OLD GHOSTS #3
“But there are stories,” he continued. “Old ones. Stories rarely told and never spoken in the presence of children. Long before the white man came, and long before the tribes were driven from their lands, there were whispers of a splinter within the warrior societies. Men who believed that devotion alone was not enough. That their strength, their courage, their sacrifice were wasted if they remained bound to weakness. They sought something more. Power not given by the people or the elders but taken from something older.”
Jay sat down and sighed deeply.
“At first, it was said they went into the wilderness,” Jay said. “Alone. No songs, no ceremonies, no witnesses. They returned changed, not in body, at least not at first, but in spirit. They no longer served the people. They served the hunt. These men came to be known as the Makhótaneo’o.”
Greyeagle sat down, and Sarah gently put her hand on his shoulder.
“The name is not spoken lightly,” Jay added.
“Some say it means those who consume. Others say it refers to something deeper, those who have devoured their own nature and replaced it with something else. Whatever its true meaning, it is a name born of fear. The Makhótaneo’o did not fight like other warriors.
They did not defend camps or follow the decisions of chiefs.
They hunted, not for food, not for survival, but for purpose.
They believed the world had grown weak. That the strong must rise again, not to protect, but to claim what was theirs.
Where the Hotamétaneo’o stood their ground, the Makhótaneo’o claimed it.
Where one fought for the people, the other ruled over them.
It is said that in time, they learned to change, not just in spirit, but in flesh.
They became something between man and beast. Not wolves, not men, but something that wore both skins.
They could walk among people, unseen and unnoticed, then shed that form and hunt as predators.
Silent. Relentless. Bound not to a tribe, but to each other.
A pack. They do not retreat, because they cannot.
Their oath has twisted into something else entirely.
They are bound to the land they claim, to the hunt they serve, and to the one who leads them.
And there is always one who leads. The Alpha.
The Makhótaneo’o do not forget who they were, but they cannot return.
The longer they walk that path, the further they fall.
What remains of the man fades, replaced by something older, colder, and far more dangerous.
That is why the elders do not speak of them.
To name them is to remember. And to remember… is to risk calling them back.”
Everyone sat in stunned silence.
Alright,” Greyeagle said after a while. “We’ll prepare to track Kade and his pack. At least as far as we can. Perhaps we’ll get lucky.”
“If it is Kade,” said Jay, “he knows every trick that I taught you. He will not be easy to find.”
“I know, grandfather,” Greyeagle replied. “Let’s hope that I’ve learned a few new tricks since then.”
“We’ll find him together,” Black Fox said, placing his hand on Greyeagle’s shoulder. “And perhaps restore our family.”
Greyeagle nodded.
“We’ll try to reach him,” Greyeagle said. “I will not give up hope. I never would have believed we could reach you, yet here you stand. Perhaps together we can do the impossible.”
“Together, we can accomplish anything,” Black Fox said, gesturing at everyone assembled.
“I’ve learned that in my time with you. This group is stronger than we were when Macha and I led the Hotamétaneo’o.
My arrogance got us into a situation where we had no choice but to embrace the power of the Oolonga-Doglalla.
I believed we could do it and find our way back. I was wrong.”
“You’re wrong,” Jay said. “Macha fought her way back. She begged me to kill her before the darkness took her again. She knew she was losing control and could not last. She died in my arms. She died Hotamétaneo’o.”
Black Fox looked like he’d been struck in the face. He staggered back and slumped into a chair.
“She fought her way back,” Black Fox said softly. “She died free of the curse.”
“Yes,” Jay said softly.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” asked Black Fox.
“It is not easy for a father to admit that he took his own daughter’s life,” Jay said, weeping openly. “Even if it was at her request. It was the hardest thing I have ever done in my long life.”
Black Fox got up and walked over to Jay Matoskah. He stood there for a long moment, tears flowing unchecked down his face. Then, reluctantly, he put his arms around Jay and hugged him tightly. Jay returned the embrace. Both men were openly weeping.
“Thank you, father,” said Black Fox. “Thank you for giving her peace. At least now I know that if I continue on this path, I will see her again. One day.”
“She’s waiting for us both,” Jay said. “And we shall both see her again.”
Greyeagle walked over and put his arms around them both.
“Now, let’s save Kade,” he said softly.