[Fiction] Pow wow: Sins of a Golden Apple.

[Wakinyan]

Over ten days had passed since his latest freak out but the time hadn’t diminished the guilt that still wracked his mind. Luckily most thought what had happened that night was part of the show. Codex’s collapse was written off as excitement over it. It did little to encourage him about it.

That morning he and Salamander had breakfast and made small talk. They didn’t come near heavy conversation. Neither of them seemed ready to go back to the night before easily. It was nice actually talking and flirting with a girl. Not bring up claws, fire or anything to deep or meaningful. It washed away just a bit of his thoughts that he had ruined any chance of ever having a relationship with her. It had to be enough. She told him she needed to head home and first wanted to tell Ronin she was sorry for yelling at him. He tried not to bristle at the name. Guilt and anger mixed but he played it cool and told her where to find Sakurako’s dome. Then with a kiss to the side of his beak Juri was gone from him. He wondered if she’d ever come back.

So here he was it was something he had to do although it wasn’t easy for him not anymore. A cooler day than usual for the time of year Totem thought. For a moment he wondered if Lemmy was behind it. There was another person he might owe an apology to he decided he’d have to drop him a PM online.

The Griffin stalked through the fairgrounds in the mid-afternoon sun. He spoke with anyone who approached him. He was friendly, he laughed. He went through the motions.

He formed images in the air with his new found ability, it entertained the children and they would stop crying when they where near him. So many flashes in his eyes as cameras took their toll on him.

After a few hours he took a break and hid out behind an old canvas tent that was being used as a beer garden. He fumbled with the Miller bottles, barely able to hold them, let alone pop the top off. He wouldn’t let the beast come out just because he was frustrated about opening a beer bottle. So preoccupied he was that he hadn’t noticed someone approach him until they spoke. “Need some help Danny?”

He flinched and fumbled the bottle nearly smashing it on the rocky soil. The voice alone told him who it was he didn’t need to see him. “Hi Will.” He rumbled as he picked the bottle back up and dusted it off. William Sanven was an old friend, or as old as you could get when you are seventeen. They had went to and dropped out of school together. Most of the time they had spent together had been looking for ways of wasting it. That included getting as drunk as possible as often as possible. “Let me get that Dan.” Will said approaching to take the beer bottle from the Griffin’s paw. “Yeah sure.” Totem relented. “I told you don’t call me Danny anymore Will. I am not Danny.”

“You still are to me.” Will said as he twisted the top off the beer and handed it back.

“Let’s not go into this again alright.”

“Fine. How’s the beer.”

It was already gone being less than a drop on the Griffin’s large palette. “Lousy I need to get a keg but I don’t want to go in there. Just more people I will need to talk to and I am sure someone will bring up my age.”

“That never used to stop us. Gimme a second.” With that Will turned and walked away.

Scoring booze just like old times Totem thought. It angered him that Will insisted on calling him Dan still. Dan was dead he died nearly nine months ago anyone could fucking tell he wasn’t Dan. He himself was reminded of it every day he looked in a mirror.

He waited for a bit and was starting to get impatient when Will came back struggling with a large aluminum keg. “Here you go Dani.. Er Totem.”

“Thanks.” The Griffin took it and with a smooth practiced motion inserted the tip of his beak into the top lip of the keg. Poking a smaller hole on the other side with a claw tip to allow the contents to pour out easily.

“I wish you would just let me call you Daniel. I dunno why are you are bein such a fussy bitch about it.”

“Do I look like Dan anymore to you?”

“No but you’re still a punk.”

“Fuck off Apple.”

Apple, pretty much one of the worst insults you could drop on an Injun. Red on the outside while white on the inside, an apple. The one true fighting insult, in the old days that would have started a drunken brawl. Now…. You just don’t brawl when your best friend has claws the size of your arm. So what do you do? You come up with a better insult.

“Fuck off yerself ya Golden Apple.”

Now that was new but the insult behind it was clear. Totem lashed and even while in mid swing he tried to stop himself. It didn’t matter, it connected anyway. He felt his fist connect with Will’s left shoulder. The snaps of bone and cartilage sounded louder than bombs in Totem’s ears. His old best friend just fell like a sack of bricks. Totem knew he broke his shoulder and several ribs.

“God no. Help me, someone help!” Totem screamed. People rushed out of the beer garden and where surrounding him immediately. Someone ran to summon the paramedics. Totem stayed by Will’s side. The wheeze of a collapsed lung tortured him as he watched his friend’s unconscious form.

,,

They where surprisingly quick the paramedics came equipped with all that Hinotech had to offer and began working on the broken Sioux teenager. Sheriff White-Elk and Sakurako showed up seconds after that but couldn’t get anything out of the distraught Griffin until they had loaded William up for his trip to the hospital in Rapid City. Totem explained what happened to them both in private. White-Elk was furious. “What the hell do you expect son. You can’t go horsing around like you used to do with William. You know I have to book you on assault now. At least until Will wakes up and decides if he wants to press charges or not!”

Totem wasn’t listening. He was looking at Sakurako she was watching him and he saw fear in her eyes. Smelled it on her soul. This chipper little girl that hugged him once now looked as if she was watching a demon and it shamed him.

“I understand Sheriff.” Totem was taken in booked and released, since they couldn’t keep him in a cell anyway. The press was told it was just an accident but of course rumors abound that Totem attacked will in a drunken stupor. Anyone of course realized that if he had really done so the boy would be dead so a measure of disbelief was cast over the whole event.

,,

The next day Totem went to see Will in Rapid City and found out that he had to be life flighted to Cheyenne. A blood clot from his chest had gone into his brain and nearly killed him overnight. He was now in a coma and signs didn’t look good of him recovering if at all.

Everything faded in the moment he was told. The world went black and white. He didn’t deserve to be here anymore. He couldn’t have a friend for fear of killing him. He couldn’t have a lover for fear of raping her. There was nothing left for him.

It took awhile for him to collect his thoughts as he flew back to Oglala. In the time it took he at least had one idea one what he needed to do next. Once he was at home he sat at his terminal for a long time before finally activating the speaker phone and dialing 617 area code.

“Neil. I need your help…..”