Widderkin V. O. E. - 5. Chapter 5

Widderkin VOE.

Chapter 5.

"No, Woorawa! The National Government claims ultimate sovereignty. Disregard any fine sounding words of recognition and cultural understanding. In the final analysis the government takes its sovereignty over the continent as a given. The prospect of so much wealth will make the sacrifice of a few minor cultural sites nothing more than the price of progress."

Tan arced up at that.

"Minor? You shouldn't say that, Professor. The whole district is protesting and the Council of Elders is going to hold a special consecration ceremony to try and build protection."

The professor nodded his approval.

"Well said, Tan. I was voicing the official justification Woorawa's people and the general public will be given."

"Aren't they breaking the law? The Council people showed us the map with the sites labelled protected and sacred."

"Laws are an expression of the society that makes them, Rhys. If necessary they’ll be rewritten, and if they’re enacted there is really no practical path for resistance."

"What about an impractical pathway?"

The professor stared.

"Only in the realms of wishful thinking, Kieran. The clash of cultures is too uneven."

He paused, puzzled by the sudden flurry of looks.

"??"

"Your choice of words struck a chord professor."

"Clash of culture? Yes, it’s a common term and very appropriate. The will of one group in contention with the will of another."

"It’s Auntie's view before her chant moment, Kieran."

"Yes, Mr B, and it’s exactly what we expected, but I had a light-bulb moment when he said realms."

"Yay! About time!"

"Shoosh up, Rhys stickybeak! The professor’s still talking."

"You have my support, Woorawa. I'm sure you know that and, if your uncle thinks it worthwhile, I could draft the wording for a petition and provide studied press releases for different forms of media."

Woorawa yelled the thank you term, making everyone jump as well as smile.

"That would be wonderful, Professor. This is a really big issue for us, and Uncle will be ever so grateful ..."

"Are you going to tell him you’re the leader?"

"Not yet, Kieran. He knows it’s elder business and I’m young."

"That was an exuberant response, Woorawa. Can I ask for a translation?"

"It is a kind of thank you, Professor. We have a storyteller who uses it with anyone who gives us support."

"A storyteller?"

"Auntie Arika. And she’s giving her voice to our protest."

"Auntie Arika? … Is she still alive? I have some of her work in my files."

Rhys answered.

"You should see her, Professor. She’s old but when she speaks everyone listens, and when she sings with Woorawa your brain gets sucked in."

Mr B spluttered.

"Rhys, that sounds gross."

"Well, it’s a good kind of sucked in and it's true."

The professor, intrigued, looked to Woorawa.

"You sing with her? That’s unusual isn't it?"

"I don't know why Rhys calls it singing. It’s chanting."

"Chanting? Ceremonial chanting?"

"It feels ceremonial but Uncle says it’s not one of the old chants the elders know."

"Demonstrate, Woorawa, that’s better than talking."

The professor was eager.

"Yes. Please go ahead, Woorawa. Except for campfire chants I would have thought this was knowledge for elders."

Woorawa pointed at Rhys.

"You can chant with me. You did really well at our practice last night so we’ll see if we really can suck the professor’s brain."

Mr B shook his head.

"More grossness. You’re a bad influence, Rhys."

Rhys, looking for Woorawa's lead, didn't react.

Woorawa, already working to set the right frame of mind, began to hum. His body rocked gently then came alive. The hum became the Tan chant, holding attention and fascination. Woorawa added finger clicking to his sound and movement, a new thing, and then the addition of Rhys’s voice strengthened the effect.

A soft exclamation took Kieran's attention for long enough to register the professor's expression, but then finger clicks close to his face called for his own inclusion. The professor was invited to join in.

"I don't understand."

"Professor?"

"I have listened to many chant recordings but none of them compare. I wonder if personal involvement overrides the ability to think analytically?"

Rhys rested an arm across Woorawa's shoulder and addressed the professor.

"Did we suck you in?"

"Completely, Rhys. Completely and utterly. This gives me a new understanding of the power and prominence of chanting in First People ceremonies."

Mr B was quick with a caution.

"Be careful with that assessment, professor. Woorawa already mentioned that this chant is unknown to any of the elders and it has qualities that set it apart from any ceremonial chant that Woorawa knows."

The professor turned a thoughtful eye on Woorawa.

"More to ponder! Aren't you rather young to know ceremonial chants?"

"Way too young! I learnt a few early on when Uncle broke the rules to help me in the darkness, then recently we were confronted with a very unusual situation which meant he had to teach me some very secret chants."

"I see! Well, I see there’s an explanation it’s not my business to know. Woorawa, would it be out of place for me to visit Mparntwe at some stage during the summer break from college?"

Woorawa said the thank you phrase again.

"How could it be out of place? Uncle will be really happy, and if you stay at the Cultural Centre you’ll meet lots of people and hear things."

"The Cultural Centre? I don't want to impose."

Rhys laughed.

"Get real, Professor! It’s the best place for finding out stuff, and you wouldn't be imposing because you’d look after yourself. We all stay there, so you might have to put up with Tan’s loud music and wild parties, but we’ve got earplugs if you can't cope."

"Tan? ... Hmm! That could be a problem. His disruptive reputation is quite legendary in the staffrooms."

Kieran shared a smile with Mr B. The professor would clearly have no problem coping with Rhys. Rhys was enjoying the long-suffering idiot look Tan was giving him.

"This is a wonderful opportunity, Woorawa. As soon as I clear my work backlog I’ll be on the way ... Can you describe how this chant differs from any others you know?"

"It’s time to finish up, everyone. The professor’s imagination is on fire and he’ll ask questions for hours if we let him."

"And I like answering them, Kieran, but I suppose we’d better go."

Woorawa reacted to Tan’s show of looking at his watch.

"We’ve already taken more of your time then we should, professor. We’ll talk more when you get to Mparntwe.

***

The next day was almost strange. For a start, when Rhys succeeded in having a real sleep-in and didn't properly surface till late morning, Kieran couldn't make a single stir because his own full wake up was even later when the smell of toast arrived at the bedside.

"Come on slugsy! Time to get up!"

"What for, Rhys? You said you were going to do nothing except read all day."

"I am, too. The Realms are barbaric. I don't think they have any ordinary books. But now I’m hungry."

"Make some more toast."

"That won't work. I’ve got the munchies for fish and chips."

"You’re a maniac! We lost count of how many times you said you’d had enough fish to last the rest of your life."

"That was Realms fish. I’m talking about fish and chip shop fish"

"We’ll have to walk ... I wonder if Tan slept in?"

"He’s taken Woorawa with him. They left a note on the kitchen table and we won't see them till tonight."

"What’s happened?"

"It’s your fault for talking about computers the other day. They’re checking out laptops before they visit Tan’s family. Tan says not to expect them back before ten o'clock tonight."

"And Mr B’s got staff meetings and college stuff all day. Weird!"

"Weird? What’s weird about Mr B being at college?"

"Not that. I mean the house is empty except for us."

"Kieran, you’re still in bed."

"I’m so used to a kind of buzz from their minds being close, Rhys. It’s strange without it."

"Oh! That makes sense then. We were always together in the Realms ... Wow! We were too. All that time ... Except when you went to get Ranevargar's Pearl, and another time when Maurice took me to the oasis while you were sleeping in. You can reach them with the network but."

He meant try, so Kieran did.

"Gods! Their minds really are full of computer stuff. They were going to get one each then changed their minds to sharing a super-duper one."

"Super-duper?"

"They’re both thinking it ... I see. The saleslady said it so many times it’s stuck in their minds."

"You did that in an instant, Kieran. Is it as easy as it was in the Realms?"

"I think so. It's hard to tell because memory stuff has been one of Ranevargar's big pushes."

***

The minivan, full of laughter and anticipation, hummed its way south along the freeway. The previous night Tan and Woorawa had returned much earlier than expected, and then been lost to their new toy, till about nine pm when they surfaced and announced an early night because of tomorrow's adventure.

"What adventure, Tan? You’ve found something good on the internet have you?"

"Not really, Rhys. It’s the adventure we promised Woorawa when he first arrived. The internet’s made it even more interesting and showed us lots of options."

"A promise? It must have been when my memory got wiped."

"Phillip Island and the penguin parade."

"Oh, yeah! That would be neat but we can't go tomorrow. Mr B’s got college stuff and then we’re getting our necklaces from your uncle in the afternoon."

"There’s plenty of time. The penguins do their walk at sunset."

Tan turned to Kieran.

"It would be like a fun holiday before we go back to serious things at Mparntwe. Have you ever seen a live koala, Kieran? If we stay the next day there’s a conservation park with a treetop walk for close viewing, and we’d also be able to visit the seal colony."

"Wow! Sounds unreal, Kieran!"

Aloud, Rhys said the opposite.

"No way, Tan. Have a bit of consideration for Woorawa. You know how bored he is about the ocean."

Tan and Woorawa ignored him.

"You always come up with great ideas, Tan, but I suggest we stay for more than just one day. The first big thing we’ve got is the public meeting with the town Council next Wednesday and we could go back on Tuesday. My own idea was to take Woorawa to Gariwerd but this would be really interesting."

"Four days? What else would we do?"

"Whatever we like, Rhys. You told me how much you like waves so we can explore the beaches."

"There are lots of beaches, Kieran. Surf beaches and wild beaches, as well as sheltered ones on the bay side of the island ... Except the internet says they're all boring."

Rhys gave Tan's arm a whack then looked concerned.

"The hatchback’s not big enough."

"Yes it is. We’ll leave you here."

"Ha very ha! … I know. We’ll hire a minivan or a station wagon and Mr B can drive if it’s too much for you. Hey, Kieran, what if Mr B’s still too busy to come with us?"

"Hmm! Hang on a sec!

"… He’s working late tonight and he’s flat out tomorrow morning, but he’ll be ready when we pick him up at two o'clock. He says you’re brilliant, Tan. Why are you all staring?"

"We’re only used to mind talk when we’re together, Kieran. Did he say anything about the driving?"

"No but that will be up to you because you’re the only one of us with enough skills."

"All the driving? Well, okay, but now we need to use the laptop again."

"Again? There goes the early night."

"Not really, Rhys. If we’re there for a while we’ll have to research where to stay."

***

The night had been reasonably early but the morning was an unexpected rush of decisions and organisation.

In the afternoon, watching Tan’s extra excited uncle demonstrate the clasp mechanism and fasten the necklace round Tan’s neck had been a wow moment in itself, but after the other three necklaces were almost ceremoniously bestowed, the mind blowing news that the quick sale of a set of three gemstones from Rhys’s little trove and over half a million dollars was pending credit to his account, added an element of disbelief to the whole trip.

Rhys and Kieran kept smiling at Woorawa's excited outburst with every new feature; glimpses of Port Phillip Bay, changes from suburban housing to farmland and pockets of forest, and crossing the bridge connecting island and mainland and the tide race surging beneath it.

There were outbursts of their own when they found their ‘cabin with a view’ and saw just how accurate that description was.

Elf packs were dumped and forgotten when Woorawa's yell brought everyone rushing through to a balcony and the view of the ocean.

"I don't believe this! Let’s check the town some other time and go exploring. We’ve got over two hours before the penguins arrive. Did you notice the sign that said coastal walking track?"

Fifteen minutes later and only a few steps from the door the raucous background bird calls suddenly stopped and half a dozen birds flew to perch on a railing beside Kieran.

"Neat! What are they?"

Kieran didn't know and looked to Mr B.

"Little Wattle birds, Kieran ... What are you going to do? We’ll have every bird and animal following us."

"The same as I did at college, Mr B. I’ll tell them to go on with their normal business."

"Hmm! All right, but give us time to enjoy them first."

Kieran chose the largest, asked it to land on his wrist, then sent the curious birds to look for the nectar he sensed they liked. Fifteen meters further on there was another pause for three tiny blue wrens.

"Good grief! You’ll have to turn everything off, Kieran, or we’ll never reach the beach. Look, there are two little skinks watching over there."

Rhys laughed because three small green parrots had landed on a branch a few metres ahead.

"Your animal magnetism must be getting stronger, Kieran. It seems like they’re extra interested."

Kieran blanked the skinks and sent the parrots looking for some different trees, and was about to answer when a group of finches came fluttering and had to be told to look for whatever food they liked looking for.

"Something is different, Rhys, but I’m going to acknowledge them all so I can get their patterns into my network like Ranevargar taught me."

"Acknowledge? Is that a Ranevargar term?"

"Sure is, Tan. It’s a message of recognition, assurance, welcome and belonging all mixed together that he drummed into me."

Five black ravens, stridently cawing their curiosity and welcome, launched from some kind of coastal vegetation and circled back to the white berries they’d been harvesting.

Mr B became thoughtful.

"Ranevargar rules all his animals, Kieran, so does using the same process make you the ruler of every type of animal you meet?"

Kieran had to think.

"It’s not the same, Mr B. I can control the ones I put in the network, I suppose, but that’s not ruling."

"Tell me then. Did putting those five ravens in your Opal network mean you’ve got every other raven as well?"

"Just those five, Mr B, but having their pattern means I can influence any others that are close by. I have to do the acknowledge thing to make a full link."

"Okay! You’ve got the raven pattern, so tell us how many you can sense in this area without calling on the Opal. It must be a big number because you could reach monsters fifteen minutes flying time away in Dead World, and that was before you did your practice work with Ranevargar."

"I had five days of practice with the monsters, Mr B, but it’s the same process."

Kieran closed his eyes to concentrate, reached, then opened them in shock.

"What? Didn't it work?"

"The opposite, Woorawa. There are thousands."

"That makes sense to me. How far are you reaching? You were practising that too."

"Not for long distance … I think it might be fifteen or twenty km."

Mr B was really pleased.

"I was going to suggest you call them all but that’s too many, as well as being too far. Limit your call to about one km."

Kieran had a think about that then laughed at Mr B.

"Ranevargar will like you, Mr B. He’s always carrying on about fine control and this is complicated."

Rhys voiced everyone's curiosity.

"With the fish you used to just call and they’d come."

"I never used a limit like Mr B wants, Rhys. I could make a weak call but that’s wishy-washy. I could select the ones I focus on but that would be slow and tedious. I wonder how Ranevargar does it?"

"Maurice will know. Ask him."

Kieran groaned with self annoyance, concentrated with query and answer, then nodded to Mr B.

"The ravens are coming, Mr B and it’s a real mind stretcher. Maurice set up a one-off plan for me to follow but it’s one of those Ranevargar specialties you can keep learning for ever. It's not even like my kind of calling."

"Okay, what is it then?"

"Sort of like building a net with the features you want, Rhys, and this one’s got distance, a message to gather with me, and the raven pattern of course. And then it gets cast."

"A mind net! Seems like a lot of complication compared to a straight out call ... And if it’s working why aren't those five coming any closer?"

"… Because the message is to gather, not land on me ... Maurice is clever ... Hundreds of ravens would smother us."

Woorawa's sharp eyes picked out a new group, and then another, all winging closer.

"Amazing, Kieran. This feels like in Ranevargar's Realm. Do we wait till they all arrive before we can move again?"

Kieran wasn't sure, but walking fifty m quickly showed that the gather focus went with them. Rhys had to lift his voice above the increasing volume.

"Why are they calling more and more? It’s getting unreal."

"… Flocking is naturally exciting for them, but they know something unusual’s happening as well and they’re sharing their curiosity."

The bedlam grew with every new arrival and made ordinary speech too difficult.

"Tell them to quieten down, Kieran. My heart’s pounding in symphony or something."

"I agree with Rhys. So much sound and motion is overwhelming."

Kieran, feeling nothing like that, stopped revelling in the communion of sensation pouring from all around.

"I don't know how to add a new message without disrupting Maurice's mind net, so join in till it ends naturally."

"Join in? With raven minds?"

The bird brain joke bubbling through Rhys’s thoughts grounded Kieran even more. The gathering would be complete in another couple of minutes and leave him with several hundred bewildered ravens. What to do? ... ah, yes.

"Sorry, everyone! You can't join in, so share my experience instead."

Four heads lifted as belonging and curiosity flowed from Kieran.

Four hearts raced with excitement and anticipation for some imminent event, and following Woorawa's instinctive lead, hands joined in their contact totem.

The Opal responded to a new call and every raven, glinting with the aura of Kieran's benison, leapt skyward in a wheeling triumphant display till individuality returned.

Questions flew while the friends watched the gradual dispersal.

"What did you do, Kieran? It looked like one of Ranevargar's blessings."

"A really simple version, Mr B. The mind net seemed to build all that expectation and I felt like I shouldn't just turn it off and leave them bewildered."

"I felt like they were extra excited, Kieran. Does the mind net do that?"

"Not just excitement, Tan. There was so much curiosity I was really surprised."

"Ravens are thought to be extraordinarily intelligent, Kieran. There’s research that rates their problem-solving skills very highly."

Rhys pointed to the group of ravens perched nearby.

"Five little dickie birds sitting in a tree.

Four watching you and one watching me.

Is your affinity thing turned off, Kieran, because they sure look like they’re trying to figure us out?"

"It is now, for the ravens, Rhys, but they’re the original five and this is their territory ... They really are curious."

Woorawa grabbed Tan’s wrist.

"On! On! Everyone ... to the next lot of animals. There’s only an hour before we need to be back at the cabin and I want to walk on a beach.

***