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ACT II
FADE IN:
5. INT. CHIEFTAIN’S LONGHOUSE - PRE-DUSK
Chief Apenimon and other elders are sitting
cross-legged on the floor facing a similarly seated Gabrielle, her arm
tended to and wrapped in a bandage.
CHIEF APENIMON
(subtitles - signing)
Are you sure that's what you heard?
GABRIELLE
(subtitles - signing)
Yes, from what little I know of your language. He said
"All to die. Your warrior to die." I really think he's set a trap.
CHIEF APENIMON
(sighs, then signs - subtitles)
The only thing we can do is prepare to defend
ourselves. We can't kill him...we dare not.
GABRIELLE
(subtitles - signing)
May I have your permission to speak with him, Chief
Apenimon?
CHIEF APENIMON
(subtitles - signing)
If you think you could get through to him, you may do
as you please.
Gabrielle smiles and nods.
GABRIELLE
(subtitles - signing)
Thank you.
Chief Apenimon motions a young man over to them.
CHIEF APENIMON
(subtitles)
Take her to Crazy Wolf and tell the braves that
they're to let her in at any time.
The young man nods.
CHIEF APENIMON (CONT'D)
(subtitles - signing)
He'll take you to the hut. I've told him to tell the
braves that you're to go in whenever you want. Just be careful,
Gabrielle.
GABRIELLE
(subtitles - signing)
Thank you, Chief Apenimon.
She smiles again, and she and her escort leave.
CUT TO:
6. EXT. TUSCARORA VILLAGE
A messenger is being sent to the Mohawk, and the
village is bustling with people doing their last bits of business
before the sun sets. Gabrielle and her escort are gingerly picking
their way through the village. Gabrielle smiles at a pack of children
who run past her as she heads towards the hut where several braves are
guarding the door and windows.
YOUNG MAN
(subtitles)
Chief Apenimon says she can go in whenever she wants.
The brave nods and the young man runs off. She starts
to walk in, but a brave stops her.
BRAVE 1
(subtitles - signing)
No weapons inside.
Gabrielle shows that she has nothing and he nods once,
allowing her inside.
CUT TO:
7. INT. HUT
A brave steps forward when Gabrielle walks in.
GABRIELLE
(subtitles - signing)
I'm here to see Crazy Wolf.
The brave eyeballs her as if she's the one who is
crazy, but leaves to get the warrior. A beat later, Crazy Wolf is
brought out bound and bloodied, and forcibly sat down. His left eye is
swollen shut, his nose is bleeding, and his lower lip is fat and
split. These wounds are on top of what Xena gave him.
Her brow furrows in annoyance at the bloodied and
battered state of the captive Mohawk. The Tuscarora braves shoot
daggers with their eyes at the captive, hoping to get another chance
to rough him up, his pain nothing compared to what he's done to their
people...regardless of their prisoner-of-war traditions.
GABRIELLE (CONT'D)
(subtitles - signing)
You didn't give him a fair chance, having him tied up
like this.
The brave shrugs, but bares a satisfied smirk.
Gabrielle takes a rag from her boot and starts to clean him up a
little. Crazy Wolf spits on her.
GABRIELLE (CONT'D)
THAT was productive...
She wipes the spittle from her face with the rag, and
then continues to clean the angry Mohawk. Crazy Wolf glances smugly at
her bandaged arm, which she reflexively grasps. She frowns at him and
puts her arm down.
GABRIELLE (CONT'D)
(signs)
I hope you feel better now.
CRAZY WOLF
(subtitles)
Not better till Tuscarora all dead.
Gabrielle eyes a brave named Akando, meaning "ambush",
who reluctantly steps forward to translate Crazy Wolf's broken
Tuscarora into sign language as the Mohawk's hands are bound.
GABRIELLE
(signs)
Why's that?
Crazy Wolf says nothing. He yanks his face away from
the bard. She moves back, then sits on the floor in front of him,
cross-legged.
GABRIELLE (CONT'D)
(signs)
Why'd Chief Apenimon call you Pallaton?
CRAZY WOLF
(subtitles)
Not Pallaton. Crazy Wolf.
GABRIELLE
(signs)
Why'd he call you Pallaton, Crazy Wolf?
CRAZY WOLF
(subtitles)
Why do you care?
GABRIELLE
(signs)
I'm curious...
CRAZY WOLF
(subtitles)
No need know about me. You only need know death by my
hand.
GABRIELLE
(signs)
How do you expect to do that? You're helpless right
now.
CRAZY WOLF
(proudly - subtitles)
A war party will come, save us, and destroy the
Tuscarora once and for all.
GABRIELLE
(signs)
Why?
CRAZY WOLF
(subtitles)
Pallaton is a name for brave on mission of
peace...mission was mine. Pallaton’s blood brother killed by Tuscarora.
Pallaton’s spirit broke...Crazy Wolf came to be. No peace. No weakness
in our people...only strength.
Gabrielle sits back and absorbs what Crazy Wolf has
told her.
DISSOLVE TO:
8. LIMBO - TIMELESS
Xena and Lao Ma are sitting on the lip of the well,
watching things pass in the reflection.
LAO MA
I know the sheer amount of evil in the world baffles
you and frustrates you because you can't be everywhere at once, but
that is another reason why you fight: so you don't have to. The people
you've changed, the lives you've changed, go out there to make a
difference.
The flashes slow to a single scene of a young man to
be identified as IKUS from "Altared States." He's all grown up and
leading an army of uniformed and armored Greeks against an invading
battalion of Roman soldiers.
LAO MA (CONT'D)
You recognize those uniforms, do you not? Those are
the uniforms of the Roman legions. And you, of course, recognize the
armor of the Greeks.
The scene cuts to a close-up of Ikus as he's giving
orders to his men, encouraging their morale.
LAO MA (CONT'D)
That man is Ikus...do you remember him?
Xena shakes her head.
LAO MA (CONT'D)
His brother, Mael, had drugged his father with henbane
so he could manipulate him into killing Ikus as sacrifice to the One
God.
XENA
That's Ikus?!
LAO MA
Yes...and he is leading the Greeks into battle as we
speak. What if you had not saved him?
Lao Ma touches the water in the well and it ripples to
form a different group of scenes: Romans occupying Greek villages and
towns, the banner of the Roman legions flying in Athens and the Greeks
being pushed around by Praetorians and being enslaved for use by the
Emperor. It's almost as if the wind was kicked from Xena's lungs as
the shock is too much.
XENA
But he's alive, right?! And he's leading the Greeks?
LAO MA
Yes...he is alive. This is only what would have
happened if you had not helped him in his time of need. He was too
young and naive to do it himself...just as some of the people you have
saved are too old and weak...too afraid...too stupid...
(beat)
And what about Prince Morloch, Xena? Do you remember
him?
The warrior princess looks closely at the vision in
the reflection and we can see that it's Prince Vladicar Morloch of
Upper Haristan. Xena's face is unreadable when she recognizes him.
LAO MA (CONT'D)
If you hadn't killed him, this is what would have
happened...
The scene in the well goes from his death to the death
of Queen VARIA and a pullback scene of countless Amazon bodies.
Visibly frustrated, Morloch and Raczar walk off the site of so much
death and into a nearby village where he and his men start to
slaughter the people, looking for one good hunt.
LAO MA (CONT'D)
He would have gotten so frustrated in his search for
the ultimate hunt that he would have killed everything and
everyone...he did not because you stopped him.
The scenes fade away and Lao Ma turns Xena towards
her.
LAO MA (CONT'D)
One can never guess what will come of an action, but
if that action is in the name of good, then only good can come of it.
XENA
But what if what I think is a good deed turns out to
not be good for the people I'm helping?
LAO MA
Then you are not fighting for the right people... You
know better than that, Xena. I made sure of it.
CUT TO:
9. INT. HUT
Meanwhile, Gabrielle is still inside, talking to Crazy
Wolf. Food has been brought for the two of them - a stew of some sort
for Crazy Wolf and a comparatively sumptuous meal for Gabrielle. The
bard sniffs at the stew, then slides the bowl aside and starts to feed
Crazy Wolf part of her meal.
GABRIELLE
(signs)
Here...eat this...
Akando steps forward.
AKANDO
(subtitles - signing)
What are you doing?
GABRIELLE
(signing)
I can't let him eat that...
AKANDO
(subtitles - signing)
He is a prisoner, a Mohawk, and murderer of my
people...he does not deserve the food of the Tuscarora.
GABRIELLE
(signing)
If you want him to survive for the trials or for any
sort of justice, he should be fed properly.
AKANDO
(subtitles - signing)
If he dies, it is the will of the Creator...
GABRIELLE
(signing)
Or the will of a vengeful Tuscaroran. No...he eats
good food tonight. Regardless of what he's done, he's still human and
deserves to be treated as such.
(turns toward Crazy Wolf)
Here...
Akando backs off, more confused than mad.
CRAZY WOLF
(subtitles)
Why?
GABRIELLE
(signs)
Because I wouldn't give what they gave you to Joxer,
never mind you...
CRAZY WOLF
(subtitles)
What is Joxer?
GABRIELLE
(signs)
A brave but clumsy man who woke up one day and thought
to himself, "I think I'll become a warrior."
CRAZY WOLF
(subtitles)
Not the way to be a brave.
GABRIELLE
(signs)
I suppose not...c'mon, eat this. It's okay.
CRAZY WOLF
(subtitles)
Why? It’s yours.
GABRIELLE
(signs)
Hey, if you want to eat the stew, be my guest...
CRAZY WOLF
(hurriedly - subtitles)
No...no stew. Poison.
Gabrielle frees Crazy Wolf's arms enough to let him
feed himself. Akando stiffens and steps closer. Crazy Wolf is
surprised, but says nothing as he begins to eat the portions of
Gabrielle's food. The bard watches him eat, pondering what he has
said.
GABRIELLE
(signs)
Why are you picking on the Tuscaroras?
CRAZY WOLF
(subtitles)
Tuscarora were once strong warriors. Invaded Mohawk
lands, killed many Mohawks while I was in Farlands.
Realization dawns on Gabrielle. This isn't about getting rid of the
weak...it's about revenge.
GABRIELLE
But Chief Apenimon said that he made peace...
CRAZY WOLF
(anger overwhelms him)
He has not made peace with me! Tuscaroras killed
Langundo...Tuscaroras not have enough braves to take Langundo's place!
Langundo’s spirit must be avenged! Langundo is a name of peace!
Langundo hurt no one! Tuscaroras killed him anyway!
Akando comes over, tightens his bonds and pulls him
away to a separate room and ties him back up, then closes the door.
Gabrielle stands and walks towards the door to listen to Crazy Wolf
rant through a tiny window. He's speaking quickly, the wild fire
returning to his eyes. Akando steps forward to make sure she doesn't
go in.
GABRIELLE
(signs)
I'm sure we could figure out something, some kind of
justice that wouldn't involve slaying the village...
CRAZY WOLF
(speaking in Mohawk)
The time for talking justice passed when a Tuscarora
war club took my brother's spirit! Tomorrow, at the first light of
dawn, my war party will come, brought by the message runner you sent,
to raze the village and avenge my brother Langundo! You were good to
me, kind to your enemy...you should leave...but since you can't
understand me, you'll die like the trash you align yourself with.
Gabrielle walks away, unnerved by Crazy Wolf's anger.
She looks at Akando who returns the look, confused and on edge, as if
sensing the meaning behind Crazy Wolf's foreign language. Gabrielle
runs away from the hut.
CUT TO:
10. EXT. TUSCARORA VILLAGE
Gabrielle runs through the village and to the bonfire,
where the elders and Chief Apenimon are having a ceremony replete with
drums and dancers. Gabrielle slows herself to a stop, feeling like the
outsider that she is. She turns around and faces away in respect. An
old woman, hunched over with osteoporosis, who was part of the caravan
Gabrielle and Xena saved, shuffles over to her.
OLD WOMAN
(whispers while signing)
This ceremony is for you, young woman, and to wish the
medicine man more power to help your friend. You should go see Mingan...
The old woman points to a longhouse on the edge of the
village. Gabrielle signs her thanks and heads over there as quietly
and unobtrusively as possible.
When she gets to the longhouse, she knocks softly. The
door slowly opens and the medicine man, MINGAN - who is across the
house from the door - bids her entrance. His name means "gray wolf".
She walks in and the door closes behind her.
CUT TO:
11. INT. MINGAN'S LONGHOUSE
The longhouse is sparsely lit and the fire behind them
silhouettes Mingan and Xena. Jars and leather pouches abound, as do
various wood and stone utensils.
MINGAN
Come in and sit down. I'll be with you momentarily,
Gabrielle.
GABRIELLE
(astonished)
You speak Greek?
Mingan turns and smiles affectionately at the bard.
MINGAN
(mysteriously)
I do today.
He turns back to Xena's prone body and sings to her in
his native tongue, all in beat to the drums and chanting that is being
done out by the fire. He shakes a small leather pouch over her body,
which rattles with every movement, but is all in beat with the
ceremony occurring outside. His eyes and skin begin to glow blue, as
does Xena's skin.
The blue starts to intensify as the ceremony
crescendos then, after a beat of intense blue glow, all sounds and
activity stop, both in the longhouse and outside. The blue fades away.
Drained of breath, Mingan puts down the leather pouch and goes to sit
by Gabrielle.
GABRIELLE
Are you okay?
MINGAN
Yes...I'm fine. I just need to catch my breath.
(pauses, breath mostly caught)
Do you know why your warrior hasn't awakened yet?
Gabrielle shakes her head.
MINGAN (CONT'D)
She is fighting something internally. It's not a fever
or an illness...nothing that can be treated from out here. She has to
fight it within herself. If she wins, she'll awaken.
GABRIELLE
What if she loses?
Mingan doesn't answer.
GABRIELLE (CONT'D)
Hypothetically...what would happen if she lost?
MINGAN
She would not regain consciousness...she would be
forever part of the spirit plane, yet life would remain within her
body.
(pauses)
There is nothing we can do but wait.
GABRIELLE
Is the ceremony over?
MINGAN
Yes...for now. We'll do another tomorrow night, and
the night after and we'll keep going as long as we have to until we
know where she stands within herself. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have
to start working on a salve for my nephew...
Mingan stands and walks away to work on something
else. Gabrielle takes the opportunity and goes over to the warrior
princess.
GABRIELLE
(to Xena)
I can only suspect that you're fighting your doubt
right now...I've got my own I need to fight before I can even think
about helping this village tomorrow. No staff...no sai...no powder
puff blower and net... All I'll have, all these villagers will have to
fight by their side is me and I'm feeling like a few war clubs and a
couple of tomahawks aren't gonna help...
(whispers)
Hurry back to me, Xena...I miss you.
Gabrielle gives the warrior a quick peck, then leaves.
CUT TO:
12. EXT. TUSCARORA VILLAGE
Gabrielle leaves Mingan's longhouse and heads towards
Chief Apenimon and the other elders.
GABRIELLE
(signs)
Crazy Wolf told me of a war party that will be here at
first light tomorrow...signaled by our messenger. We have to get the
village ready for an attack.
APENIMON
(sighs, speaks as he signs)
We knew this was coming as soon as the Mohawks sent us
word that Crazy Wolf defected and took a large chunk of the tribe's
warriors with him...
GABRIELLE
(signs)
He's eager to get revenge for the death of his brother
by Tuscarora hands-
APENIMON
(subtitles - signs)
We settled that debt with the Mohawks...we sent the
three braves who killed him to them as sacrifices...three of ours for
one of theirs.
GABRIELLE
(signs)
You may have squared it with them, but not with him...
Apenimon looks pensive.
APENIMON
(subtitles - signs)
You're tired. Get some sleep, my warriors will get
everything prepared in the meantime and will wake you well before
dawn.
(to nearby young man)
Bring Dyami to me...
Gabrielle stands by the chief as the young man runs
off to bring Dyami - meaning, "eagle" - to the chief.
Apenimon looks at her.
GABRIELLE
(signs)
I won't be able to sleep...is there anything I can do?
APENIMON
(subtitles - signs)
Watch over your friend...we will not be able to.
Apenimon then walks away, followed by animated
discussion among the elders. A call is sounded and the village
suddenly comes to life as the warriors of the village come out of
their dwellings to get news and be assigned jobs. The elder women make
their way through the village to Apenimon's hut so they may be
briefed.
Gabrielle walks back to Mingan's longhouse.
CUT TO:
13. INT. HUT
Crazy Wolf is reveling in the sounds of panic from
outside.
CRAZY WOLF
(in native tongue to self)
Everything is going perfectly...
FADE TO BLACK:
END ACT II
ACT III
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