First Contact

Winona's eyes widened in amazement at seeing the mitten on her hand. "Wow!" she said, holding it up to admire. "A garmet for your hand, how unusual!" she commented smiling, enjoying the feeling of the soft fur of the mitten. She then removed the mitten and offered it back to the stranger.

Niels understood none of what she said though watched her actions and expression change. The subtle movements of her eyes moving over the thick glove before it was removed and handed back. Niels took the glove, giving it a half food before he placed it back into the pouch and buckling it shut to prevent loss of the mitten he fixed the cloak back around his body so that he was once again covered. "du synes å være en merkelig en. men jeg forstår deg. og du ikke forstår meg." his voice was more of a mumble, spoken to himself. He took note, quietly and to himself of her curious actions and movements seeming to have little to no fear of him though having never seen him or anyone else like him from what he could gather by the actions.


*you seem to be a strange one. but I do not understand you. and you do not understand me .

Winona frowned with confusion, still not understanding any of the stranger's words. "I'm sorry, I wish I could understand you." She said as she watched him put the mittens away. Her attention was drawn to his pale hand again and she slowly reached out to it, holding her reddish-brown one up to it, her palm against his. She was slightly surprised to feel that he was solid. "Well, I guess you're not a god then, huh?" she said smiling a bit. "You're human, like me, but....different." She looked directly into his violet eyes with her deep brown ones, trying to see if she could find any clue as to what was on his mind. "Your eyes are so strange. I've never seen such a color before." she said as they locked eyes for a moment. His giant canoe (ship) then caught her attention again. "You must be from the sea then, right?" she asked, pointing out to the ocean. "The sea?"

Put off slightly by the touching and closeness Niels took a half step back and followed her pointing hand out to the sea where his ship was anchored and pointed after her "mitt skip . mine. ikke din." he spoke frowning slightly causing his nose to wrinkle and cheeks redden. He couldn't understand a word she said but pointing to his ship and speaking in a way he did not understand. Niels, simply did not approve and grabbed her wrist to pull her hand away from the ships direction and back to her side he took a deep breath before releasing her wrist and crossing his arms defiantly, feet spread just enough and shoulders pushed back head tilted down slightly

Winona didn't take kindly to him grabbing her wrist and she yanked her arm back defensively. "Easy!" she said, scowling at him. "I was just saying that you must have come here by sea on that giant canoe of yours," she said, referring to the ship once again. It was truly an impressive sight to see and she couldn't help but stare at it, marveling in wonder at its great size and elaborate design as she pondered how many trees and men it would take to build a canoe so large. "Err, what did you call it? A 'skip'?" she said, trying to make some kind of progress in their communication by mimicking his strange tongue. "Big 'skip'?" she said as she held out her arms to try to sign the word "big" to him. The stranger's stone-faced expression made it difficult for Winona to tell if anything she was saying was making a word of sense to him and she was becoming frustrated. "Okay..." she said with a deep breath before speaking extremely slowly. "YOU..." she pointed to him. "SAILED..." she moved her hand up and down in a wave motion. "HERE..." she pointed to the ground below her feet. "ON YOUR 'SKIP'?" she motioned to the ship once again. She felt extremely foolish speaking in such a way, as if she was talking to a small child, but she had to get through to the strange man somehow.

Niels snoted, pulling a face. Knowing,neither could understand the other "ja,." he sighed placing a hand to his face with a small groan, her silly actions needed to stop. Blinking he turned to the beach where his crew had paused in set up and shouted at them to get back to setting up the camp and turned to Winona again pointing from the shop to himself and raising his arm and motioning at something a far away away

"Far away..." Winona repeated, understanding his gesture as she gazed out over the vast sea, trying to imagine what kind of distant, fantastic world Niels and his pale-faced people came from. Suddenly, she felt an arm grab hers and yank her back slightly. "Be careful, Winona!" she heard her brother's voice say sternly as he stood in front of her defensively, staring at Niels with his piercing black eyes. Nantaquas was a tall, muscular, and intimidating warrior with long black hair that hung down his back like a mane. She looked around and noticed that many of the other warriors had come out of their hiding places among the trees and were walking slowly and curiously towards Niels and his crew. She also noticed that several women, children, and elders from the village, who must have somehow caught word of what was going on, were beginning to appear, wide-eyed, open-mouthed, and whispering to each other with hushed amazement and fear as they gazed upon the band of mysterious strangers and their ships.

Niels turned, stepping away from the weapon that had appeared mere inches from his face. A hand moving slowly from under the cloak to grip his axe, drawing the weapon slowly from the belt he made sure not to disturb the cloak any until his began to raise the hand which held the axe handle, his eyes never leaving the man that faced him. His attention pulled away slightly hearing the two speak just to his right. Niels understood nothing, however constantly glanced between the man before him and the others behind the two to his right. The woman he had been talking to. And a tall stern looking man just behind her. They seemed strikingly similar. Though to him. They all did. As he must be looked the same as the rest of his own crew.

"Wait, stop!" Winona said, standing between Niels and her brother who was reaching for his own tomahawk. When she noticed the other warriors raising their weapons toward him, she stood defensively in front of Niels, holding up her hand. "Please. I...I don't think they intend to do us any harm," she said, though she was slightly unsure as she watched the rest of the pale-faced men approaching and putting their hands to their shiny silver weapons. She then turned back to face Niels' violet eyes. "Do you?" she asked, somewhat pleadingly as she looked at him wide-eyed and prayed to the spirits that by some miracle, he would understand what she was asking by reading it in her face. The last thing she wanted was any bloodshed between her people and the newcomers, especially now that she finally felt like she was beginning to make some progress in communication with Niels. Even though she couldn't understand a word he said, he was still human; not a god or a demon. He had not harmed her, nor had any of the others with him, so why would he harm any of them? What she felt around him was not fear, but rather intense curiosity and a burning desire to know more about him, where he came from, and his people's way of life. She then noticed how he tensed up and thought she even saw subtle movement beneath his cloak and remembered the long shiny silver weapon, along with many other weapons she didn't recognize, that hung from his waist. "Please," she said, keeping her eyes firmly locked on his as she raised and slowly lowered her hand in front of him, signaling for him to stand down and release whatever weapon he might be reaching for. Hopefully once her people saw him do this, they would believe what she was saying.

Niels was startled slightly when Winona came to stand in front of him and vegan making hand gestures. It seemed to be the easiest way to communicate at the present time and he watched her hand and it's slow movements to what he assumed, was to put the axe away. He followed, although reluctantly and brought his hands up to show he was unarmed momentarily before he put his hands down again, crossing his arms low, just below his chest and watching just past the woman, Winona, to watch the one who had been talking to her. Narrowing his violet eyes just slightly and turning to look at Winona he lifted an arm and pointed to her brother and quickly thrust his hand at the other man over her, Palm up and a confused look on his face as he looked at her. Though he was strong. He didn't quite trust the short woman yet, though had to rely on her for any communication making things dificult for everyone involved.

Winona was relieved upon seeing Niels release his weapon and hold up his hands. "Thank you," she said. She was also glad to see that the other men with him seemed to be following his lead. She then turned to her brother and the other warriors. "You see?" she said. "They've laid down their arms, it's only fair that we do the same." Nantaquas scowled at her. "Don't be so naive like a child, sister!" he said trying to push her aside, but she stood her ground. "Nda brother! It's you who is being childish! You always want only to fight first when you know very well that Chief Sequoya says that we must always accept the hand of peace when it is extended!" she said defiantly, remaining firmly in front of Niels. She turned her attention to the other warriors. "You all know that's true; these men have done us no harm. If anything, they are our guests and should be treated with honor, not with malice!" The rest of the warriors looked to Nantaquas who eventually, though reluctantly and still wearing a stern scowl, lowered his weapon as the other warriors followed suit and did the same. "There now, you see?" she said turning back to Niels, giving him and his crew a small smile. "There's no reason to fight."

Niels never took his eyes off the man she kept talking to. It didnt seem trusting enough, yet, things still seemed hostile, tense at the least. Using his best judgement, it seemed just as tense between the two speaking as it did with everyone else at the moment. Niels stepped back, slowly, in hopes of making it to his crew, the only ones he could understand on this new land. Keeping his eyes on Nantaquas with a small scowl wrinkling his nose. The slightly raised voices caused a pause in his step, one hand being kept close to his waist and belt. Fingers brushing the handle of the axe, the worn leather comforting beneath his fingers. Keeping his violet eyes locked on the foreign man, a pale violet smoke slowly forming an ethereal wreath, encircling his shoulders and neck. Glancing back to the woman as he turned to him with a smile he took a deep breath to let out a heavy sigh as the magic faded and he moved his hand away from the axe once again, rather he brought both hands up to undo the top of the cloak where it had been held together with a decorative, though sturdy, pin. Draping the cloak over his arm Niels turned, motioning at one of his crew which eagerly ran to his side, he was a young boy, frail from the journey. Niels set the cloak in the boys arms and quickly dismissed him with a pat to the head.

"Winoa." Niels spoke, facing her with his heavy accent, though hoping to catch her attention he motioned her closer, desperately hoping that none had seen the magic "essence" that had formed moments before being disolved

Winona was pleased to see the warriors lower their weapons as several of them began to curiously, though cautiously, approach the various members of Niels' crew, examining their strange appearance and dress and unsuccessfully trying to speak with them just as she first had with him, with the exception of Natanquas who remained steadfast and scowling. "Perhaps we should take them back to the village," another warrior named Tantoo said to Winona. "Surely Chief Sequoya will know what to do." Winona nodded. "Perhaps," she agreed. "But the problem is that they speak a very foreign and strange tongue. We can't understand a word they say nor can they understand us. I've been trying to speak with their leader, but it's been very difficult." Tantoo looked over at Niels. "But you are training to be a heyoka shaman are you not? And the language of spirituality transcends all tongues." Winona sighed and shook her head. "But I have only just begun my training. I thought I sensed strong medicine (power) in their leader, but perhaps I'm just being childish like Nantaquas says and letting my curiosity get the better of me." Just then, Winona was stunned to hear Niels call her name in his strange accent, as if he knew she'd just been talking about him. She approached him, wide-eyed with curiosity and astonishment as he motioned her over. "Yes, Niels Thomsen?" she said as she looked at his now uncloaked figure, surprised to see how much thinner and boyish he looked as opposed to great hulking figure she'd initially seen him as. She also could've sworn she saw some kind of strange purplish haze around his head, which both startled and intrigued her, but she dismissed it for the time being as it seemed to dissipate almost immediately.

Niels nodded, motioning her to follow, stepping away from the others as he did. Waiting not so patiently for her to catch up and turned on his heels to face her with a frown, ever unsure of the situation they were in. He paused, mouth agape as some of his men intermingled with her own, he was snapped back to attention, his eyes on her and bringing a hand up, motioning to where the smoke had been as discreetly as he could, using a finger to make a small circle motion before running the hand through his hair to seem as if it was a more normal, natural action.

"You saw.?" he mumbled, stepping close to her and leaning in slightly to keep their conversation as between them as possible.

"the..." he sighed, dropping his hand to his side again and frowning. He wasn't sure how to explain it to her without sounding like a fool or mad in the head even. He felt himself at a loss for words, and rolled his shoulders tossing a hand up and scowling. He was lost. Her language made little sense to him as he was sure the same was for her. However, not to dwell on the fact that he did not know how to explain he motioned towards the distance to get the topic changed.

'we go? see?" he asked, his speaking and pronunciation difficult and slow for him.

Winona listened intently, stunned to hear Niels trying to use her language. "Yes? I saw what??" she asked with tense anticipation, trying desperately to make out what he was saying. She cursed herself in her mind for not being further along in her shamanic training to the point where she could perhaps understand him, but then, as he made the motion of the circle around his head, something clicked. She remembered the purple haze she thought she'd seen before but wasn't sure if it was real or not, but now she was certain that it was. "Oh! The smoke!" she cried out in excitement at the revelation, but then she lowered her tone of voice when she realized that Niels seemed to be trying to keep their conversation private. "Yes, yes I saw. I was right, you do have medicine in you! I knew it!" she said with hushed excitement. "Magic, power, yes?" she said moving her hands and fingers in such a way so indicate something mystical and otherwordly. Winona was nearly bursting with curiosity and exhilaration at this point, feeling that she had finally made a breakthrough with Niels. Suddenly, his demeanor seemed to change as he motioned to the distant sea and indicated leaving in a way that she understood right away. "No! No don't go!" she cried out as she reached out to grab his arm which seemed to startle him. "Please...." she said, looking directly into his eyes. She didn't want him to leave, especially not now that she'd realized the power he possessed. She needed to know more, she had to. "Look," she said grabbing and pointing to the sacred shaman's necklace that hung around her neck consisting of a dream catcher with feathers and bear claws hanging from it and a turquoise stone in the middle. As she held it up to him, she inhaled deeply, directing all her spirit's energy into it until the turquoise stone began to glow a soft blue. "See?" she said. "I have it too."

Niels looked from the stone to her and back towards the sea. Though it would be a good idea to go, head home, say he had found nothing of interest. Though, finding she had the same powers as he. Niels pulled his arm away from her grasp and crossed his arms. Watching her with a small narrowing of his eyes, still suspicious and unsure of her and the others. Though his untrusting nature would usually get the better Niels nodded, with a sharp point to the ground at his feet. Saying he would stay put and not leave yet. His interest was somewhat peaked. Nodding towards the beach and the setting sun he turned to walk away back to his boats and crew who had set up a small camp and fires to settle in for the night and he intended to stay with them through the night as he usually did on new lands. Winona and her crew would likely return to their camp and not see niels and his crew again. Which he would ultimately be fine with due to the massive language barrier. (sorry its short oAo)

Winona was relieved to realize that Niels would stay, but she also realized that they would get nowhere if communication remained this slow. "We should leave them for the night," she finally said to the other warriors. "They are probably tired from the journey and need rest." They all eventually dispersed and headed back to the village. Once they arrived, there was much heated discussion among the people about the strange newcomers, especially among the chief and the council of elders. Finally, it came Winona's turn to speak. "These strangers are indeed very odd to me in many of their ways, but I have spoken to their leader, a young man who appears not much older than a boy, and I can confirm that he has medicine, much in the way I do," she said holding her necklace. "But I am still new to the shaman way, and communication between us is slow and difficult. I feel there is much to learn from these men, though what exactly that is, I can't be certain at the moment due to our very different tongues. I propose that tomorrow, I return to them alone, accompanied only by the one person who can hope to help us establish effective communication; the medicine woman, Awanata," she said looking directly at the elderly woman. Her brother Nantaquas began to protest, but the chief silenced him as he thought for a moment. "So you will, Winona," he said at last, much to everyone's surprise. Early the next morning, Winona returned to the strangers' campsite, the old shaman woman at her side. "Niels!" she called out eagerly among the slowly waking men.

Niels had taken a bed under a upturned boat wit ha near-by fire to keep warm through the night after a small meal of what the men had managed to fish from the shore and hunt. It was mainly sea birds, and fish. with dry, unappetizing bread with some strips of salted meat that had been brought along. It didn't feel like a long sleep before he heard a womans voice calling his name. Though awake, he hadn't yet left the small bed which was strung up between to planks of the boat seats where they had been sitting just the day before. To keep from anyone waking before they were too ready, Niels pulled himself from the boats underside and rubbed his eyes to help wake up and turned on his side towards the direction of the voice which had been calling to him.

Winona greeted Niels with an excited smile. "I hope you slept well," she said, miming "sleeping" by resting the side of her face against her hands, although she noticed he looked very weary. "This is Awanata; a holy woman," she said introducing the old woman and pointing to the sacred necklace she wore around her neck that was very similar to her own. "She can understand all tongues through spiritual power. I think she'll be able to help us talk to each other better," she said, pantomiming "talking" with her hands. The old woman nodded to Niels and then began to circle and examine him in much the same way Winona first had, trying to get a read on his energy. "You are right, granddaughter; I sense strong medicine in him." She then stood in front of him and stared deep into his violet eyes. "What did you say his name was again?" she asked. "Niels, Niels Thomsen." Winona replied. Awanata then raised her hand and gently put it to Niels' forehead as she kept her eye contact with him. Finally, she spoke to him. "Niels Thomsen, do you understand me, my grandson?" she says in his language to Winona's shock and amazement.

Niels nodded, though he had a good idea of what she was talking about he was still tired and waking up. From sleeping on a rolling ship to hard flat ground it would take a few days at least to get a good nights rest. Following her motions through tired eyes Niels nodded and sat against the boat, not certain he could stand yet on his tired legs. The touch of a hand pressed to his forehead shocked him and caused his eyes to go wide. He hadn't registered the fact the woman was circling him Much until she touched his forehead and began to talk to him. his movements where slow as he nodded and yawned. Rubbing hi s eyes he brought them to return eye contact with her and pressed a palm to his cheek it surprised him to hear her speak if caught him off guard and he nodded slowly as he sat up, waking quickly as he gabbed the the bottom of the boat and getting to his feet "How are you doing this?" he hisssed, speaking mostly through tightly closed teeth as he leaned close to her, brows furrowed and a small scowl he glanced between Awanta and Winona with confused, bewildered glances.

The old woman simply smiled in spite of Niels' scowling and suspicious tone. "The language of the heart and spirit transcends all tongues, my child" she said, removing her hand from his forehead and pointing to her necklace. "I can also see in your soul that you have much power of your own, and that you have traveled a very long way to come here," she continued. Winona, realizing that the two were communicating, became overwhelmed with excitement. "What is it?! What's he saying?!" she asked, grabbing and shaking Awanata's shoulder. "Does he plan on staying here for awhile? Where exactly is he from? Does he know I'm a shaman too? I tried to tell him before but I wasn't sure if he understood. Is he one as well? Is he in training like me or a master? He seems too young to be a master already. Ask him how old he is! Does he have enough supplies? Enough to eat? Tell him I can show him where to fish if he wants. Oh, tell him I'm sorry about how Nantaquas acted to him yesterday as well! Tell him..." "Patience, child! Patience!" Awanata said gently, hushing Winona before she turned back to Niels. "My young apprentice here seems to have taken quite a liking to you. She hopes you will be staying in our land for some time," she said as she gave a sly smile towards Winona. Winona suddenly became self-conscious and blushed when she noticed both Awanata and Niels looking at her. She had no idea what the old woman had said, but she knew it had been about her.

Niels eventually focused on one, Winona who had been doing most of the talking of the three of them and grabbing the old woman and shaking her. Niels nodded along with what the woman before him had been speaking before he returned his eyes to Awanata.

"So you are magic as well." he asked, relaxing slightly as he warmed up to the old woman and turned to begin dressing himself and changing clothes from the ones he had been wearing, merely a shirt from one of his men and a torn up pair of pants to sleep in he began with removing his shirt and half folding it and tossing it towards another mans sleeping spot, where he was sure that the shirt belonged to as he pulled on a new clean long sleeved shirt and a tunic over followed soon after by his pants he turned to the other two, his face turning pink, having forgotten they were woman as he was used to being around mainly males of his crew

"I apologize...I'm used to my men..." he sighed, motioning towards the sleeping men of his crew and gave a nervous smile to the women as he toed on a boot and pulled the hide straps tight before slipping on the second boot and repeating the process. Face pink from the embarrassment he crossed his arms tightly with a frown in hopes to hide his pinked cheeks.

Winona wrinkled her nose in a scowl at Awanata telling her to be patient. How could she be at a time like this?! As he spoke with the old woman, Winona tried desperately to focus on what they were saying in the hopes that her own spiritual power and energy might kick in to the point where she could communicate with him as well as her mentor. The more she tried and failed, however, the more frustrated she became, and she knew that frustration would only cloud her spiritual energy. Suddenly though, when Niels was disrobing right before her eyes, all thoughts of spirit and energy disappeared as she gawked, wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the tall, thin, pale body before her. Being an unmarried virgin, she had never seen so much of a man before and she felt her face burning as she blushed and stood there in a daze. It was only when Awanata finally clamped her jaw shut with a firm smack upwards under her chin did she snap back to reality. "You're forgiven, grandson," said the old woman with an understanding nod and smile. She was old enough to the point where nothing really phased her anymore. "Wait...." Winona said suddenly as she regained her sense of place. "Wait....I....I understood that!" she exclaimed with hushed amazement and growing excitement. "He said, 'I apologize, I'm used to my men!'" she repeated the words exactly as she'd heard them. Awanata laughed and gave her apprentice a smile. "As I've told you many times before, my young apprentice, trying too hard will only cloud your spiritual energy. You must forget your physical self and completely let go of all of your sense of time, place, and space in order to reach true spiritual power. And I think perhaps, with the help of Niels here, you just did!" she laughed slyly at Winona who by now was blushing yet again and turning her eyes away from Niels, mortified. So it took her seeing Niels practically naked to finally understand him?!

Niels' pinked cheeks began to slowly fade as he ignored the embarrassing incident and tried to focus on the moment ahead. He sighed arms crossed and face turned away from the women "ah...thank you" he nodded lips pursed with a half scowl the corner of his mouth raised causing his nose to wrinkle slightly with the action and raised hand to wave them off "is there a need...aside for....i'm not sure why you came in the first place?" he mumbled pulling his shoulders up in a shrug

"I have just woken up. As are my men. the cook will be preparing breakfast soon, if you would like to stay? It won't be much." Niels offered walking over to one of the bags that held the food and peeking inside he looked up and shook his head "How about we don't eat here. its mostly salted meats." he shook his head and grabbed his belt having various knives and other tools strapped to it which had been hidden under the cloak the day before he grabbed up again and slipped it around his shoulders "If I am shown where to hunt, I can get something better for breakfast than stale bread and meat." he offered, pulling a long knife from his belt and holding it up by the blade and gave it a few shakes "It will be quick. And fresh."

"I can show you...." Winona said, before she even knew she said it, flatly and almost in a whisper as she kept her eyes locked on the ground. When there was only silence afterwards for a few seconds, she turned her eyes slowly back up to Niels, who was also looking at her with a still slightly flushed face of his own. Hesitantly, she continued, speaking slowly as the new and foreign words seemed to form on their own accord on her lips. "I was a hunter before I began training as a shaman. I remember where all the best grounds are...." She could feel her heart pounding as she kept her eyes locked on Niels, waiting for any indication that he did indeed understand what she was now saying and that she wasn't just speaking gibberish. "That's a good idea, granddaughter," Awanata finally said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "But a trek through the woods is too much for my old bones. Why don't you show our guest where he can find some fresh meat and Niels, if you will trust me, I will stay and become better acquainted with your brothers here," she said with a gentle smile.