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"You know Pocahontas. She has her mother's spirit. She goes wherever the wind takes her."
Ketaka's words echo in Nakoma's mind as she picks her way through the cornfields, shielding her face from the worst of the wind and rain. For someone with so much determination, Pocahontas is ruled by her whims, and Nakoma's quickly becoming irritated by this one. Going out in the middle of a thunderstorm, the worst they've seen in years- and for what? While she didn't consider herself completely serious- at least, she hoped she wasn't an old stick in the mud like Kocoum, there was a time and a place. When Pocahontas turned a peaceful canoe trip into a splashing game, she played along. When Pocahontas took them on wandering trips through the woods, far past the safety of their land, Nakoma put aside her doubts and tried to enjoy herself with a minimum of fuss. But this, going out in this storm for a reason likely to be along the lines of "I dreamed of finding a flower here", this was just lunacy.
And she was the lunatic out searching for her.
"Pocahontas?" she shouted, peering ahead. It was impossible to see through the thick downpour. "Pocahontas, this really isn't the time-" a figure ahead darted behind some tall stacks, and Nakoma's breath caught momentarily. "This isn't funny!"
The howls of the wind drowned out any reply she might have gotten. Mumbling beneath her breath, Nakoma fought her way through some of the thick stalks of corn. Some of the stalks had grown far too close together, and she was hopelessly tangled in them. Suddenly, a hand reached out from the center of the mass, yanking her in. A small squeak escaped her as she was yanked in.
"Sit down," Pocahontas advised, letting go of her friend. The mischievous young woman had twisted the tops of the many corn stalks, and now sitting comfortably under their cover. The hollowed out area was small, but when Nakoma crouched, she could just fit in the little hollow with her.
Before, she had been worried, but now that she had found Pocahontas, Nakoma felt her anger flare. "What are you doing out here in this?" she gestured dramatically to the outside. "Are you crazy?"
Pocahontas hesitated. Nakoma was pleased to see her friend at least looked apologetic, sheepish. After all the trouble she had caused!
"I know I should have stayed in, but it didn't feel right," Pocahontas explained. "This is the worst storm we've had in years."
'Which is why I expected you to have the sense to stay inside."
"We never get storms this bad, or that go on for this long. There's got to be something else going on, or some reason behind it- something. I don't know what," she admitted, "but I just.... felt like there was something, something I didn't want to miss. Something to look for."
'Your sanity,' Nakoma was tempted to reply, but she bit her tongue. Her friend's need to find 'something' was a long-standing quest. She didn't understand it, but she had stopped trying. At least with Pocahontas around she was never bored.
"Maybe I took things a little too far," Pocahontas admitted. The little corn stalk shelter was shaking wildly in the wind, and their feet were damp. Nakoma noticed with distaste that water was leaking in, running down the stalks.
Though she wanted to head back before the fields flooded, Nakoma found herself asking an entirely different question. "But why?" she asked. "I know you were looking for something... But Pocahontas, you've been looking for something all your life, for years. When your father finally let you have a canoe, I thought that was it, I thought travel was what you were looking for. When the white men came and you fought to create peace, I thought maybe that was it. But I don't understand what you're looking for." A loud crack of thunder split the air, and lightning illuminated the little hideout. Pocahontas was watching calmly, so Nakoma clung to the courage to finish what she was saying.
"You even passed up a chance for a good life when you refused to marry Kocoum, and I thought when John Smith came he was what you had been waiting for, but you didn't marry him either. Kocoum's a good man- maybe a little too serious, but he would take care of you, and I'm sure you could teach him a sense of humor. You could get a rock to smile." Another bolt of lightning, and she saw Pocahtonas watching her intently.
"Pocahontas... I know you love exploring, and being independent, but It's not good for anyone to be alone too long. You can't spend your entire life endlessly searching for something that might not even exist. Marry Kocoum, or someone else if you really can't love him, and settle down. If you followed a steady course, maybe you would find you like it." She sighed heavily. "At least you'd have time to reflect and figure out what you want. You've been searching and waiting and hoping for years, and you're no better off than when you started. I don't think you're ever going to find something to satisfy whatever is driving you, when you don't even know what you're searching for." She had tears in her eyes when the next bolt of lightning crackled, but Pocahontas didn't seem at all upset by what she'd said. Instead, Nakoma found herself looking into eyes full of tenderness, and a slight smile on her friend's lips.
"But I have found it," Pocahontas whispered. Before Nakoma could say a word, Pocahontas leaned in, planting a gentle kiss to her friend's lips.