People of the Mist(158)

Old man Mockingbird nodded, head wobbling on his stringy neck. “Yes, it would have been good.” He licked his thin brown lips. “The only shot I ever missed was in battle with the Mamanatowick. I had a clear shot at old Blue Gill. For all the mischief he caused us, I wish I’d skewered his miserable heart that day.”

“Well, we’d have all benefited. His son, Water Snake, isn’t much better. Was that before or after the boy was born?” Mockingbird frowned, his face drawn into a strained pattern of wrinkles. “Can’t say. After, I think. But, with the old man dead, maybe the little whelp wouldn’t have learned some of the tricks he did, eh?”

“Maybe.”

Mockingbird smiled up at the sunlight, his faded old eyes looking into the past. “Those were good days. Yes, good days.”

Nine Killer let the old man relive his memories for a moment, then asked, “Elder, I have come with a question for you.”

“Yes. If I can help.”

“Do you remember the morning after Red Knot’s dance? White Otter said you were up early, walking around the plaza.”

“Huh? Yes. Walking, you say?”

“Very early. You were one of the first ones about.”

“Can’t sleep well, these days.” He sucked his lips and lifted a shoulder. “Age, you know. An old man doesn’t sleep so much. And all that noise, the singing and clapping. I got up. Stepped out so that I could get around before the plaza got filled up with people. I don’t see so well, you know. Bump into things. Get in the way. I like it quiet.”

“Did you see anything?”

“Eh? I just said, I don’t see so well.”

“I know, Elder. But that was the morning Red Knot was killed. Maybe you learned something that morning. She would have just left the—”

“Ah! Yes, I remember. I was out looking for my cloak. I’d laid it down the night before and went to find it.” He grinned happily. “Sometimes I forget things.”

“It doesn’t take age for that, Elder.”

“Huh? No, no, I suppose not.”

“Did you find your cloak?”

“Eh? Oh, no. No, it turned out that my niece brought it in the night before. She gave it to me the… Let’s see, yes, later that day.” He nodded seriously. “I did good by her. She was a handful as a youngster. Got that from her father, I think. Old Half Hand, remember him? Married my sister back, oh, let’s see, must have been four tens of Comings of the Leaves ago. He’s been dead a long time—and a feisty bear of a man he was. Thought I’d have to take a war club to him to teach him manners.

But that girl he gave my sister, she’s a good one. Takes good care of me.”

“Tell me about that morning, Elder.”

He rubbed a callused hand on his wrinkled neck. The fingernails were long, cracked, and brown. “I hobbled around. Couldn’t find the cloak, but it was cold that morning. Not so bad as recently, but my old knees sure gave me a pain. No, didn’t find the cloak, but I found a blanket.”

“A blanket? Who did it belong to?”

“Don’t know. Thought someone would come for it.”

“Where did you find it?”

“Why, over against the side of the House of the Dead. It was just lying there … on the ground. I’d have missed it, but whoever left it there just forgot it.. and it like to tripped me.” He shook his head. “Not so nimble on my feet these days, and it wrapped around my foot. Folks ought to have a care for old men like me. We fall over the silliest things, and these knees, they don’t forgive much foolishness.”

“What did you do with the blanket?”

“Eh? Oh, why I put around my shoulders. It was a cold morning, you see, and I didn’t have my cloak.” “Over on the far side of the House of the Dead? What were you doing over there?” “Why, I thought my cloak might have been there.”

“And why there, Elder?”

Mockingbird grinned, his timeworn face almost insolent. “It’s dark there, you see. And these knees don’t work. And during the dancing, there were all these people for me to fall over and get in their way. Even an old bear like me has to make water time to time, and, I tell the truth, War Chief, when you get old, your water don’t come as quick and easy as when you’re young. Takes me a while to drain the sack. Since that dark shadow was close, I could feel my way along the wall, and leak in private. An old man like me doesn’t want these silly kids talking about how long it takes him to pee.”

“I see. So you thought maybe you left your cloak there?”

“Well, it falls off my shoulders sometimes.”