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"In my village we are only allowed clothing we have made ourselves, a water flask and a knife." Crow said, "when I went through processing the machine took all of my things."



Tobal thought back to what Crow had been wearing. He remembered seeing him sitting on a cot with a fur Robe wrapped around him in the dark room. He hadn't really seen the rest of what the boy had been wearing and for some reason hadn't thought too much about the fur robe because he had been wearing furs himself.




"What is the name of your village?"




"It has no name", Crow said, "We just call ourselves People of the Oak. The oak tree is sacred to us. There are many oak trees near our village."




"Where is your village located?"




"It lies ten days march toward the setting sun", Crow pointed to the West. "It took me longer to get here because of the weather."




"I have heard of such a village", Tobal said slowly. "It is said there are many children and many elders. It is also said many of the elders once came to our gathering spot and shared circle with us."




"That is not true!", Crow stomped his foot in anger. "Our elders worshiped at the Lake with the Lord and Lady of the Oak. We did not share circle with the evil ones ever! I do not want to join your clan and learn its evil ways but my grandfather says I must. He said the time is right and you will need help in fighting the evil. He also says you need to hear the stories of the Lord and Lady and need to know they speak with me."




"They speak with you?", Tobal said stunned.




"Yes, at circle and in my visions they come and guide me. I ask them for help and they protect me."




"The Lord and Lady come to me at circle too", he told Crow. "We ask their blessings. I see them within the circle and at times above the fire, but they don't talk to me."




"Grandfather says the Lord and Lady were once people just like we are", Crow babbled excitedly. "He says he knew them once. He knew them when they lived at the lake. He even says he hand-fasted them together. Grandfather is a powerful shaman and a good friend of the Lord and Lady. My parents were good friends of them too", Crow fought back some tears. "My mother and father went with the Lord and Lady and never came back. The Lord and Lady came back but my parents never did. Grandfather said you would tell me why." He looked at Tobal expectantly.




It was too much, it was just too much! Visions of the Lord and Lady at circle swept through his mind…they couldn't be his parents, they were the God and Goddess. They were there before he was. He thought of the mass grave down at the lake and the cairn of stones piled high around a large dead oak tree. He thought of Crow's parents and Howling Wolf who had hand-fasted his parents together. His head felt like it was going to split. He pressed his fingers against his temples rubbing furiously.




"I don't know yet", was all he could say. "I don't know yet but I'm going to find out somehow."




His gaze met and locked with Crow's.




"We will find out together", he said. "I am going to need your help and learn the old stories. Together we will find out about your parents and about my parents and what happened to them."