The first thing greeted her was the chanting.

Migisi sighed at the discomfort she was feeling, and then groaned when it turned to pain. The chanting got louder, and it took her a moment to hear the sound of something being moved over her.

What in the name of the spirit world?

What was happening above her?

Her eyelids were heavy, heavier than she had known them, but Migisi forced them to move. It was a difficult task, but she succeeded in opening her eyes, the first thing that greeted her being the warm light of a fire. Confused, she stared up into the top of the tepee, and then saw the hands.

Wait. What happened? Why was she hurting so much?

Then it all came back, and Migisi gasped, causing her to arch her back and for the pain to increase. With a cry, she fell back onto the mat, tears pricking her eyes as she felt arrows ruthlessly insert themselves into her body.

The chanting stopped, and someone approached her, kneeling by her side. Then came the big hands, hands she knew very well.

"Are you awake Migisi?"

The pain was bearable at this point, and Migisi opened her eyes to look into her mother's face, a face that shined with tears and eyes that looked red and puffy. Suddenly guilt struck her, and the tears increased.

"Mother, I..."

But Kwanita interrupted Migisi by gently taking her into her arms and embracing her as tightly as she could without disturbing her wounds. "Oh thank the spirits you're alright. Thank the spirits, thank the spirits..."

Through her blurry vision and the comfort of her mother's embrace, Migisi took in the rest of her surroundings. The tepee she was in was large, but she immediately recognized it as the one where the most important people of the Na'i would reside, such as the medicine men. Speaking of the medicine men, she recognized them behind her, looking upon her and Kwanita with calm, tired, yet relieved expressions.

Migisi glanced to Kwanita. "Mother, w-what happened? Where are we?"

Kwanita pulled away slightly to look at her. "You are in the Ela-tame, the medicine men's quarters. We brought you here to treat your wounds, and the little one who was with you."

Oh spirits, the boy! "I-Is he--"

"He's alright, though at the moment he is being scolded for wandering off when he should have known better." Kwanita then glared at Migisi lightly. "I told you not to wander off Migisi, and you almost got yourself killed! Do you know how scared your brother and I were when we saw you were gone?"

Migisi winced before trying to look at anything other than Kwanita. "I-I know Mother, b-but that child was wandering off. I...I couldn't let him get killed like that."

Kwanita's expression didn't soften. "And I understand that Migisi, but you should've woken me up. It's dangerous for children to be out during this time!"

"But--"

"Do you understand Migisi?" Kwanita stared hard at her, and Migisi suddenly felt like she was on fire again, a fire that left behind a humiliation that the pain she was feeling couldn't hope to compare to.

She looked down in shame. "I...I'm sorry Mother, i-it won't happen again."

Kwanita didn't reply at first, but after a moment, Migisi felt fingers lightly touch her chin, propelling her to look upwards into the older woman's softer expression.

"But I'm proud of you too Migisi. You managed to save that boy's life, and now we know that he won't ever do that again, especially after what almost happened to you."

Migisi frowned. "What was that thing Mother? It was imitating a woman's voice."

Kwanita shared a look with the medicine men before looking back to her daughter. "It was a Wendigo," she said.

"Wendigo?"

"Yes, the Wendigo were once human my child, but after they ate the flesh of their tribe to stay alive during a harsh winter, they turned into creatures who are punished to spend the rest of eternity starving, with anything they eat only making them hungry for more. They hunt the humans they once were, their morals lacking, and any familiarity they have had towards the humans they loved gone. They have become the prey now."

Migisi shivered, suddenly remembering the horrible scent the creature gave off. She had never seen it in all her years of existence, but she had been told that when a human dies, their bodies slowly rot until only their skeleton remains, and the smell it would give off as it collapsed into itself was horrible. She suddenly wondered if the creature's body was rotting, and it made her want to throw up.

Just then, one of the medicine men stepped up. "Holy One, we must continue the ceremony," he said. "If we do not, then evil spirits will infect the child and surely kill her."

Kwanita looked at the man before nodding and carefully placing her daughter back on the cot and stepping away. "Continue on then," she said. "Do what you must, and please relax Migisi, you will make your injuries worse if you do not relax."

Migisi tried her best to relax, listening to the medicine men continue their chant and the moving shadows in response to the fire nearby. The sight made her almost cry again.

She was safe, the child was safe. They weren't dead.