The people stared in terror at the enormous thunderbirds flying above the great pyramid, but they knew they had to remain where they were, for the wakiya were heavenly birds of the god of the north.
Soldiers, slaves, priests, servants, merchants, even members of the human nobility—all of them, gathered together as equals, looked toward the great pyramid at the moment Wenabozho emerged from the temple like a majestic god.
“People of Cahokia,” the Anishinaabe god proclaimed in Pawnee, “my name is Wenabozho, and as you may have guessed from the four beautiful birds around me, I am the god of the northern lands.”
The people began to murmur nervously.
“Are those northern barbarians here to conquer us?”“Has our hawk god fallen?”“Is this a coup?”
“First of all, I hear your murmurs, and I wish to tell you that I have not come as a conqueror. I would rather be seen as a liberator,” the Anishinaabe god continued.
“Liberate us from what?” the people began shouting angrily. “Do you want us to live like the uncivilized northerners?”
“Many of you never realized it, but Heshuka’s tyranny forced you into hundreds of wars and demanded the blood of innocent people in sacrifice. Yes, you had prosperity—but it stood atop a mountain of corpses and dead bodies. That cannot be called freedom!” Wenabozho shouted.
“What of the crushing poverty in your cities? What of the children who go hungry after being abandoned? What of the inequality between the richest and the poorest?” the Anishinaabe god continued, his voice ringing out.
“That is still better than living in tipi huts!” shouted one of the nobles in the crowd, and several people applauded him.
But others began shouting back at the nobles.
“Of course! You sit in your palaces like lazy lords while my children died of hunger!”“I had to sell my children as slaves just to survive!”“I lost my sons in the last war!”“I do not want to remain a slave!”
The people were completely divided, and the first sparks of violence began to appear.
“I beg all of you, calm yourselves! Remember that each and every one of you is a functional part of this civilization. From the noble prince, whose decisions determine the well-being of the people, to the humblest farmer, whose labor gives strength to this great and prosperous nation,” Wenabozho declared once more.
For a moment, the people stopped fighting among themselves and listened to the northern god again.
“I have not come as a tyrant, as I have already told you. I want you to decide for yourselves what sort of life you prefer. Those who remain in Cahokia and its surrounding cities must work hard to reduce economic inequality. And those who are unhappy here may choose a life of peace like that of your northern neighbors. I want you to choose which way of life will be the most prosperous for you.”
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“He is right! To hell with this city!” one person shouted.
“I am not leaving this place for anything! I have a thriving business here!” shouted another.
“If you take the beggars out of the city, we will worship you as our god!” cried someone else.
Surprisingly, the people seemed energized by the idea of deciding for themselves whether to stay in Cahokia or leave it. Of course, there were still many classist and even racist opinions among them, but one had to begin somewhere. At least, that was what Wenabozho thought.
“Now that Heshuka is gone, I want all of you to help one another as much as possible, so that this land may become the most prosperous in the world!” Wenabozho cried at the top of his lungs, and the people responded with applause and cheers.
“It seems everything has turned out well,” Anpiel said in satisfaction.
“Yes, he certainly knows how to sell dreams to the masses,” Tania muttered, leaning against the wall in a foul mood.
“Did you understand what he said?” Tul asked in confusion.
“No idea, but it is obvious from the way he spoke, from the tone he used, that it was a speech meant to sway the crowd,” Tania replied.
“He is so... perfect,” Tul murmured, her eyes full of love. “My little heart was trembling with every word he said.”
Once again, Susanoo and Tania both grew furious.
“Still... I am glad it all turned out well,” the Punic goddess said, more at ease now.
“It seems I managed to convince them. I only hope I can live up to most of their expectations,” Wenabozho said as he entered the temple again, while cheers still rang out from outside.
“We are glad that a new golden age may begin both here and in Onondaga,” Anpiel said.
“Yes, and as for us, we must leave at once,” Tania interrupted sharply.
“What? You will not stay for the celebration we are going to hold?” Wenabozho asked in disappointment.
“No. One of our friends was sent to Tula, while another group went to the Adia territory, and we know nothing about them,” Tania replied.
“Haida, Tania. And it is not even a difficult word,” Anpiel corrected.
“Thank you, as always, for humiliating me, my dear friend,” Tania replied in weary annoyance.
“I understand,” said Wenabozho. “Then... thank you for everything.”
“When I can, I’ll come back to... see you again,” Tul said, her eyes still filled with sadness.
The Anishinaabe god took the goddess’s hand and kissed it. That immediately made Tania and Susanoo furious again.
“Of course, beautiful. We shall see one another again,” the god said.
“All right, that is enough kissing Tul,” Tania said, pulling the rabbit goddess out of Wenabozho’s hands. “I will let you see her again when you have matured.”
The Punic goddess then took on her manticore form, though only her wings of fire appeared; the rest of her body did not ignite. She embraced Susanoo, Anpiel, and Tul.
“Then we depart for the south. May fortune and prosperity be with you,” the goddess said, and flew out through the temple doorway.
Wenabozho came out of the temple and bid them farewell.
“Come back soon!” he shouted.
The gods hovered above Cahokia, surveying the majestic city from above, the beasts destroyed, and the destruction wrought. Yet, the people around the central pyramid seemed joyful, as Wenabozho made his grand entrance once more, his majestic Thunderbirds surveying the scene with a fierce deference.
“Do you not think you were a little harsh with him, Tania?” Anpiel asked, but then he noticed that the Punic goddess was crying with joy.
“We freed those people, did we not?” Tania asked in a weakened but nostalgic voice.
Tania had been holding back tears of joy and emotion. She had been very worried that a civil war would break out because of Heshuka's defeat, but Wenabozho had majestically filled the power vacuum left by the falcon god's demise. She was deeply grateful to the god Anishinaabe.
“Yes, Tania. You did very well,” Anpiel replied.
Tania smiled with pure joy as the sun vanished completely from the sky, giving way to the dark night.