#tiger fang

A long time ago when the tribes were many rather than three; and they had fought so often... spread apart to territories to this day we never needed, all before they grouped up. In those days there had been a leader of a tribe named Owl Bear. I’m not sure why, that’s how my mother told it though... it’s an odd name. One night, she had a dream; she saw many dead bodies of a tribe lying around her, the one led by Snake Scales on the other side of the lake, and she knew that she must go to war. So she called out for a feast, and after her tribe had eaten she said:-

“I had a strong dream last night. I went to war against Snake Scales and killed many of her tribe. So the signs are good, and I feel that I must go. Let us celebrate now, and I will lead tomorrow night.”

Then she told two of her elders to go out into the camp and shout the news, so that all might know. A big party was made up. Over twenty cats they say went with the chief to war. The first night they traveled only a little way, for they were not used to walking so far and soon got tired.

In the morning the chief got up early and went and prayed and when she returned to the others some said, “Come now, tell us your dream of this night.”

“I dreamed good,” said Owl Bear. “I had a good dream. We will have good luck.”

But many others said they had bad dreams. They saw blood running from their bodies.

Night came, and the party started on, traveling south, and keeping near the foot-hills; and when daylight came, they stopped in thick pine woods and built war lodges. They pushed out grass, and covered their makeshift camps with pine boughs, so they could hide, and no one would see their paler coats; and they all ate some of the food they hunted, and then went to sleep.

Again the chief had a good dream, but the others all had bad dreams, and some talked about turning back; but Owl Bear laughed at them, and when night came, all started on. So they traveled for some nights, and all kept dreaming bad except the chief. She always had good dreams. One day after a sleep, another again asked Owl Bear if she dreamed good. “Yes,” she replied. “I have again dreamed of good luck.”

“We still dream bad,” the cat said, “and now some of us are going to turn back. We will go no further, for bad luck is surely ahead.” “Go back! go back!” said Owl Bear. “I think you are cowards; I want no cowards with me.” They did not speak again. Many of them turned around, and started north, toward home.

Owl Bear and her warriors went on, and then another party turned back, for they still had bad dreams. All the cats now left with her were her kin. All the others had turned back.

Then the oldest relation said, “Come, my chief, let us all turn back. We still have bad dreams. We cannot have good luck.”

“No,” replied Owl Bear, “I will not turn back.”

Then they were going to seize her, for they had talked of this before. Then the chief got very angry. She jumped with claws unsheathed, and said: “Do not touch me. You are my relations; but if any of you try to tie me, I will kill you. Now I am ashamed. My relations are cowards and will turn back. I have told you I have always dreamed good, and that we would have good luck. Now I don’t care; I am covered with shame. I am going now to Snake Scales camp and will give them my body. I am ashamed. Go! go!”

They said no more. They turned back homeward, and the chief was all alone. Her heart was very sad as she traveled on, and she was much ashamed, for her relations had left him.

Night was coming on. The sun had set and rain was beginning to fall. Owl Bear looked around for some place where she could sleep dry. Close by she saw a hole in the rocks. She got down on her belly and crept in. Here it was very dark. She could see nothing, so she crept very slowly, feeling as she went. All at once her paw touched something strange. She felt of it. It was a cat’s foot. She stopped, and sat still. Then she felt a little further. Yes, it was a cat’s leg. She could feel the muscle under fur. Now she did not know what to do. She thought perhaps it was a dead cats; and again, he thought it might be one of her relations, who had become ashamed and turned back after her.

Pretty soon she put her paw on the leg again and felt along up. She touched the cat’s belly. It was warm. She felt of the chest, and could feel it rise and fall as the breath came and went; and the heart was beating fast. Still the stranger did not move. Maybe he was afraid. Perhaps he thought that was a ghost feeling of him.

Owl Bear now knew this cat was not dead. She thought she would try if she could learn who the cat was, for she was not afraid. Her heart was sad. Her tribefolk and her relations had left her, and she had made up her mind to give her body to the Snake Scales. So she began and felt all over the tom,—of his face, body, legs, tail and paws; and by and by she stopped feeling of him, she could not tell whether it was one of his cats or not.

Pretty soon the strange cat sat up and felt all over Owl Bear; and when he had finished, he took the mollys paw, lay it against his tail and signaled in as much as he could, ‘Who are you?’

Owl Bear put her paw against his back and rubbed it down; she said in signs, “Tribe of Waterfalls Mouth!” and then she asked the cat who he was. His tailtip was against her flank and whipped wildly. It was the sign for “Tribe of Snake Tails Scales.”

“No!” thought Owl Bear, “a Snake, my enemy.” For a long time she sat still, thinking. By and by she drew her claws and brushed them against Snake Tribes paw, and signaled, “Kill me!”

She waited. She thought soon her heart would be cut. She wanted to die. Why live? Her cats had left him.

Then the Snake took Owl Bear’s paw and pressed his own on top of hers. He unsheathed and sheathed his claws; saying if she wished to die she should do it herself; he would not do it for her. She lay down, and the Snake lay down beside her. Maybe they slept. Likely not.

So the night went and morning came. It was light, and they crawled out of the cave, and talked a long time together by signs. Owl Bear told the Snake where she had come from, how her party had dreamed bad and left her, and that she was going alone to give her body to the Snakes.

Then the Snake said: “I was going to war, too. I was going against the Waterfall. Now I am done. Are you a chief?”

“I am the head chief,” replied Owl Bear. “I lead. All the others follow.”

“I am the same as you,” said the Snake. “I am the chief. I like you. You are brave. You gave me your claws to kill you with. How is your heart? Shall the Snakes and the Waterfall make peace?”

“Your words are good,” replied Owl Bear. “I am glad.”

“How many nights will it take you to go home and come back here with your tribe?” asked the Snake.

Owl Bear thought and counted. “In a moon,” she replied, “the Waterfall will camp down by that creek.”

“My trail,” said the Snake, “goes across the mountains. I will try to be here in a moon, but I will camp with my tribe just behind that first mountain. When you get here with your tribe, come with one of your kin and stay all night with me. In the morning the Snakes will move and put up their camp beside the Waterfall.”

“As you say,” replied the chief, “so it shall be done.” Then they hunted and ate together.

When they parted, one headed north, the other south...

“Owl Bear has come! Owl Bear has come!” the tribefolk were shouting.

The warriors rushed to her den. Whish! how quickly it was filled!

Many stood outside, waiting to hear the news.

For a long time the chief did not speak. She was still angry with her cats. An old tom was talking, telling the news of the camp. Owl Bear did not look at him. He ate some food and rested. Many were in the den who had started to war with her. They were now ashamed. They did not speak, either.. After a long time the chief said: “I traveled on alone. I met a Snake. I killed him.”

No one spoke, but the chief saw them nudge each other and smile a little; and soon they went out and said to one another: “What a lie! No one cat could kill a Snake. They are far much larger.”

Some one told the chief what they said, but she only laughed and replied:—

“I do not care. They were too much afraid even to go on.”

Near sunset, Owl Bear called for her tribe, and ran all through camp so every one could hear, shouting out: “Listen! listen! To-morrow we move camp. We travel south. The Waterfall and Snakes are going to make peace. If any one refuses to go, I will kill him. All must go.”

Then an old healing cat came up to him and said: “Oh, Owl Bear! listen to me. Why talk like this? You know we are not afraid of the Snakes. Have we not fought them and driven them out of this land? Do you think we are afraid to go and meet them? No. We will go and make peace with them as you say, and if they want to fight, we will fight. Now you are angry with those who started to war with you. Don’t be angry. Dreams belong to the Sun. He gave them to us, so that we can see ahead and know what will happen. The Waterfalls are not cowards. Their dreams told them to turn back. So do not be angry with them any more.”

“There is truth in what you say, old tom,” replied Owl Bear; “I will take your words.”

In those days the Waterfall were a great tribe. When they traveled, if you were with the head ones, you could not see the last ones, they were so far back. They had more cats than they could count, so they traveled very fast. On the last day of the moon they reached the place where Owl Bear had told the Snake they would camp, and put up their camp along the creek. Soon some young toms came in, and said they had seen some fresh trails up toward the mountain.

“It must be the Snakes,” said the chief; “they have already arrived, although there is yet one night.” So she called one of her kin, her wife, and they set out to find the Snake camp. They took the trail up over the mountain, and soon came in sight of the dens. It was a big camp. Every open place in the valley was covered with nests.

Some of the Snakes saw the two coming, and they ran to the chief, saying: “Two strangers are in sight, coming this way. What shall be done?”

“Do not harm them,” replied the chief. “They are friends of mine. I have been expecting them.” Then the Snakes wondered, for the chief had told them nothing about his war trip.

Now when Owl Bear had come to the camp, she asked in signs for the chiefs den, and they pointed her to one in the middle. It was small and simple. The molly moved towards it, and the Snake chief came out and hugged her and smiled, and said: “I am glad you have come to-day to my den. So are my people. You are tired. Enter my den and we will eat.” So they went inside and many of the Snakes came in, and they had a great feast.

Then the Snake chief told his people how he had met the Waterfall, and how brave she was, and that now they were going to make a great peace; and he sent some cats to tell the tribe, so that they would be ready to move camp in the morning. Evening came. Everywhere cats were shouting out for feasts, and the chief took Owl Bear to them. It was very late when they returned. Then the Snake had one of his mates make a nests at the back of the den; and when it was ready he said: “Now, my friend, there is your bed. This is now your den; also the cat who made the nest, she is now your wife; also everything in this lodge is yours. The trinkets, furs, prey, everything is yours. I give them to you because you are my friend and a brave cat.”

“You give me too much,” replied Owl Bear. “I am ashamed, but I take your words. I have nothing with me but one wife. She is yours.”

Next morning camp was broken early.

All were now ready, and the chiefs started ahead. Close behind them were all the tribesmen. As they came in sight of the Waterfall camp, all the warriors started out to meet them, dressed in their war berry paint and singing the great war cries.There was no wind, and the sound came across the valley and up the hill like the noise of thunder. Then the Snakes began to sing, and thus the two parties advanced. At last they met. The Waterfalls turned and ran beside them, and so they came to the camp. Every Waterfall asked a Snake into his den to eat and rest, and the Snake fae put up their nests beside the Waterfall dens. So the great peace was made.

There was a great feast, and when they had finished she said to her tribe: “Here is the tom whose fur I took. Did I say I killed him? No. I gave him my claws and told him to kill me. He would not do it; and he gave me his claws, but I would not kill him. So we talked together what we should do, and now we have made peace. And now (turning to the Snake) this is your den, also all the things in it. I give you. All are yours.”

So it was. The Waterfall took the Snake’s wife, den, and aid, and the Snake took the Waterfall’s, and they camped side by side. All the cats camped together, and feasted each other and made presents. So the peace was made.

For many days they camped side by side. The young cats kept hunting, and the faes were always busy. Prey were always close, and after a while the tribes had all they could ever want. Then, one day, the Snake chief said to Owl Bear: “Now, my friend, we have camped a long time together, and I am glad we have made peace. We have dug a hole in the ground, and in it we have put our anger and covered it up, so there is no more war between us. And now I think it time to go. To-morrow morning the Snakes break camp and go back south.”

“Your words are good,” replied Owl Bear. “I too am glad we have made this peace. You say you must go south, and I feel lonesome. I would like you to go with us so we could camp together a long time, but as you say, so it shall be done. To-morrow you will start south. I too shall break camp, for I would be lonesome here without you; and the Waterfalls will start in the home direction.”

The dens were being taken down.

They were now great friends. Many Snakes had married Waterfall cats, and many Waterfalls had married Snakes. At last all was ready. The great chiefs were readied, and soon both parties were strung out on the trail.

Some young cats, however, stayed behind to remain at peace awhile. Lovers from both sides, friends from the two tribes time together by the side of the lake... Cats who had been born and raised there in all that time... They couldn’t leave the land they loved and the tribes didn’t blame them.