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ACT II
8. EXT. VILLAGE – NIGHT
Gabrielle is in the shaman’s hut, tending to
the wounded being brought in and placed on pallets on the dirt floor.
Some are conscious, others are not. Their wounds range from severe
lacerations, to broken bones.
Owl Eyes enters, and carefully steps over some
of the wounded and squats besides Gabrielle.
OWL EYES
Where is your friend, Xena?
GABRIELLE
(not stopping her bandaging)
She left with some of the other warriors to
hunt the Lake Demon.
OWL EYES
(shakes his head sadly)
Now that I finally found the means to defeat
the Lake Demon, the warriors run off without my counsel.
GABRIELLE
What do you mean?
OWL EYES
(places a hand on Gabrielle’s shoulder)
You, Gabrielle. Are the means by which we can
defeat this monster.
GABRIELLE
(turns and looks at the shaman)
Me?
The shaman smiles, a twinkle can be seen in
his hazel eyes.
OWL EYES
(pats Gabrielle on the back)
I will explain everything.
(beat)
But first we must finish helping the wounded.
CUT TO:
9. EXT. FOREST - NIGHT
Xena and several braves carrying torches
carefully make their way through the forest, following the trail of
fallen trees, left in the wake of the creature’s passage. One of the
warriors is Hawkeye.
The sound of falling water in the distance is
growing louder.
Xena stays close to the young man, watching
him as he makes his way with the others.
XENA
Hawkeye.
The young warrior turns and pauses until Xena
reaches his side.
XENA
I promise. We’ll destroy this thing.
HAWKEYE
(smiling)
At least we will give it our best try.
XENA
(smiling)
Yes. We will.
(beat)
Who are these other men?
The two walk together side by side, trailing
not too far behind the others.
Hawkeye points to a man wearing a white
feather on a leather armband.
HAWKEYE
That is Mahko. He is the last of his family.
Hawkeye points to a warrior whose feet are
bare.
HAWKEYE
That is Black Elk. His father was on the hunt
with mine and has not been seen for seven sunrises.
XENA
And Ahote?
HAWKEYE
He has lost two sons, a father and two
brothers to the beast.
The smell of rotting flesh waifs through the
air, and the sound of falling water rings loud in their ears.
Everyone comes to a stop at the top of the
incline.
XENA
It’s led us right back to where you found us.
Hawkeye merely nods.
HAWKEYE
This is where it lives.
Mahko is the first to make his way to the
embankment of the lake.
XENA
(calling down to Mahko)
I don’t think that’s a good idea! We need a
plan before we do anything.
Mahko ignores Xena’s warning. Instead he turns
to the water, raising his torch.
MAHKO
(peering into the water)
We’re too late. It’s escaped into the -
Suddenly, the Lake Demon rears its head out of
the water and grabs Mahko.
MAHKO
AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!
The creature pays no mind to the scream or the
other men with torches. It merely takes its prey and drags it
underwater.
AHOTE
MAAAAAAAAKKKKHOOOOO!
Ahote is about to rush down the incline when
Xena firmly grabs his arm. He wrenches free from her grasp and rushes
down the incline to the lake’s edge.
Hawkeye stands silently at a distance ready to
use his bow.
Black Elk grips his spear tightly.
Mahko bursts through the surface of the water,
screaming.
Ahote grabs hold of his arms and pulls
desperately, but Mahko is trapped between unrelenting, powerful jaws.
Blood pours from his mouth as he screams.
When Mahko breaks the surface again, Xena
throws her chakram at him, killing him instantly. The painful screams
stop.
The Lake Demon returns to the watery depths.
BLACK ELK
(raising a fist to strike Xena)
What have you done?!
Hawkeye rushes to Xena’s defense and grabs
hold of Black Elk’s fist.
XENA
(dispassionately)
The Lake Demon was baiting us. Mahko was a
dead man. I ended his suffering.
Black Elk turns away, knowing she is right.
AHOTE
You speak as if this beast thinks.
XENA
(gravely)
Whether it thinks or works on nothing but
instinct, remember one thing. As we are hunting it, it’s also hunting
us.
(beat)
It’s hungry... And we’re food!
BLACK ELK
Then what should we do?
XENA
Out-think it.
(beat)
Right now, it’s got us where it wants us. On
its turf. Between water and steep inclines with no room for sure
footing. We need to find someplace where we can take cover and where it
can’t get at us.
AHOTE
And then what?!
XENA
We watch and we learn until we can see its
weaknesses!
HAWKEYE
We could go to Spirit Cliff overlooking the
lake at the edge of the forest.
BLACK ELK
But that’s a burial ground.
XENA
(losing patience)
Do you want to put an end to this or not?
(silently daring them to reply)
Let’s go.
CUT TO:
10. INT. OWL EYE’S HUT - NIGHT
The injured have all been removed to their
respective families.
Gabrielle and Owl Eyes sit, crossed legged, in
the center of the hut, by the fire, talking.
GABRIELLE
Well, now that things have settled down, can
you explain what you meant earlier about me being the way to stop
this... this, lake demon?
Owl Eyes is smoking a long intricately carved
wooden pipe. The smoke waifs through the air.
OWL EYES
The Lake Demon must be conquered in the
spiritual realm... And you my young friend, have the power within you to
help me defeat it.
GABRIELLE
I still don’t understand, Owl Eyes...
OWL EYES
(patiently begins to explain)
I may be a medicine man, but I’m old and
tired. I would not last long in a battle, spiritual or otherwise.
OWL EYES
I saw what happened when you faced the
creature.
(beat)
Make no mistake, during the attack, the Lake
Demon sensed a great power in you. And for an instant, it sensed its
doom.
(beat)
You are the one.
GABRIELLE
But, Xena knows more about the spiritual realm
than I do. I think she would be the better choice -
OWL EYES
Xena is a warrior, first and foremost. But you
carry no weapon. I sense that you have chosen another path – one that
allows you to wield your spiritual powers as skillfully as she wields
her strange weapon.
GABRIELLE
I am also a warrior, Owl Eyes – I’ve walked
the path of the warrior.
(beat)
It’s only recently that I’ve laid down my own
weapons. I have seen friends die for foolish reasons.
(beat)
I’m not saying that I won’t fight if I have
to, but I have to other ways.
(beat)
So, trust me when I tell you - I’m no
spiritual guru. It’s just – there has to be another way.
Owl Eyes nods slowly and puts his pipe down.
He turns to Gabrielle.
GABRIELLE
(dropping her eyes)
I don’t think I can —
OWL EYES
Let me tell you a story.
(a long pause)
Naitaka was a benevolent spirit of the lake
who carried the souls of our tribesmen to the great hereafter.
CUT TO:
11. FLASHBACK SCENE:
– FIGHTING TRIBES
OWL EYES – VOICE OVER
But a war came upon our land. The other tribes
envied our rich hunting grounds. Our fertile soils and fruitful crops.
We attempted trade, but they did not want trade. They wanted our lands.
Soon, we were at war.
(beat)
We were outnumbered. And we were losing the
land of our forefathers.
CUT TO:
12. FLASHBACK SCENE:
- TRIBAL COUNSEL MEETING
OWL EYES – VOICE OVER
I had a young apprentice then. His name was
Bellowing Snake. He did not like that we were losing the land of our
ancestors. He begged the counsel to allow him to raise the spirits of
our ancestors, that they might fight beside us, and help us keep our
lands.
(beat)
Our dead are sacred to us. Nobody has the
right to command them to do as mortals bid - no matter how worthy the
cause. And so the counsel refused to permit it.
(beat)
This decision by the counsel did not bode well
with Bellowing Snake, and he decided to take matters into his own hands.
CUT TO:
13. FLASHBACK
- BELLOWING SNAKE’S HUT
Bellowing Snake drinking blood from a skull
and chanting.
Wraiths adorned in headdresses and brandishing
weapons suddenly appear, swirling around him.
OWL EYES – VOICE OVER
The wraiths ripped through the opposing tribe
in a savage whirlwind. No man, woman or child was spared. Only when the
other tribe had been completely destroyed did the wraiths return to the
spiritual realm.
CUT TO:
14. BACK TO PRESENT
Gabrielle sits, spell bound by the tale told
to her by Owl Eyes.
He raises his pipe to his lips, and relights
the tobacco, puffing until it catches.
GABRIELLE
What happened to Bellowing Snake?
OWL EYES
(a tear brimming forth)
By order of the counsel, I along with two
braves went into his hut and seized him. The high counsel sentenced him
to death.
A distant look falls upon the aging contours
of the shaman as a tear runs down his face.
CUT TO:
15. FLASHBACK:
- BELLOWING SNAKE’S HUT
A much younger Owl Eyes and two braves enter
Bellowing Snake’s hut. They seize the apprentice who offers no
resistance.
OWL EYES
(gravely)
You know what must be done.
BELLOWING SNAKE
I accept my fate. Though I only meant to save
our tribe from being slaughtered.
OWL EYES
Our dead are sacred to us. Nobody has the
right to command them to do his bidding – no matter how worthy the
cause. You should know that.
BELLOWING SNAKE
I beg you, let me die a medicine man’s death.
Offer me to Naitaka, the Great Spirit of the lake for I know he will
give me the chance to redeem myself in the next life.
CUT TO:
16. FLASHBACK:
- EXT. NIGHT
Owl Eyes and Bellowing Snake in a canoe. Owl
Eyes rows a bound Bellowing Snake out to meet Naitaka.
YOUNG OWL EYES
Let the Great Spirit guide you.
Owl Eyes helps Bellowing Snake overboard. As
Bellowing Snake sinks, and the bubbles of his life rise to the surface,
the young Owl Eyes spreads his hands wide.
YOUNG OWL EYES
Naitaka, carry my misguided apprentice to the
next life.
Naitaka surfaces, its brilliant green body
gleaming in the moonlight.
It bows its huge head to look closely at Owl
Eyes with large emerald eyes. It nods its understanding before sinking
slowly beneath the surface, barely making a ripple in the water.
CUT TO:
17. BENEATH THE SURFACE OF THE WATER
Naitaka circles the sinking Bellowing Snake,
who eyes the unsuspecting creature with malevolent anticipation.
BELLOWING SNAKE
(mentally chanting)
Swallow my soul. Swallow it whole, so that I
may possess you!
As Naitaka swallows Bellowing Snake, its
emerald eyes turn blood red, horns grow upon its head, and it transforms
into the Lake Demon.
CUT TO:
18. PRESENT:
Gabrielle places a comforting hand on the
shoulder of the tearful shaman.
GABRIELLE
You believe that Bellowing Snake took
possession of Naitaka, don’t you?
Owl Eyes looks deeply into Gabrielle’s green
eyes. He places a knobby hand on hers and smiles.
OWL EYES
You are very wise for one so young.
(beat)
I do. And I blame myself for not seeing that
Bellowing Snake had planned his revenge on the Counsel and our people
for denying his request to raise the spirits of our dead to help us in
battle.
GABRIELLE
But you had no way of knowing his intentions.
You shouldn’t blame yourself.
OWL EYES
Perhaps. But his behavior should have warned
me. He will punish us until the end of time. And if he cannot be
stopped, then the souls of our ancestors and those who have died
since... shall never meet their spirit guides so they may find peace...
or a new life. They shall be trapped in limbo.
(beat)
If Xena destroys the Lake Demon’s body, we
will all be lost.
(beat)
In my heart I know you are the one to help me
lift this curse. My people have suffered enough.
(beat)
Will you help us?
GABRIELLE
Yes.
CUT TO:
19. INT. SHAMAN’S HUT: NIGHT
Outside a low rumble of thunder can be heard
in the distance. The soft pitter patter of rain can be heard on the
rooftop of the hut.
Owl Eyes and Gabrielle are seated before the
fire. Owl Eyes is smoking a pipe and the smoke floats upward, taking on
the illusion of spirits.
OWL EYES
You must learn of our enemy’s past in order to
fight him in the present.
He reaches into his medicine bag and removes a
green powder-like substance, which he throws in the fire. A puff of blue
smoke rises.
OWL EYES
Behold!
Gabrielle stares intently into the flames as
images of the past begin to form.
CUT TO:
20. VISIONS UNFOLDING IN THE SMOKE:
There is a younger Owl Eyes sitting in at a
counsel meeting.
There is a warrior pleading his case before
the tribal counsel.
BELLOWING SNAKE
If our ancestors cannot help us in death, then
we will surely join them! We are being slaughtered and soon we will be
no more! You must permit me to invoke the spirits of our forefathers!
YOUNG OWL EYES
What you wish to do is nothing less than
sacrilege, Bellowing Snake! Our dead are sacred to us. Nobody, not even
I, as head medicine man of our people, has the right to disturb their
rest. We cannot... No, we should not, command them to return to life to
defeat our enemies. To do something as sacrilegious as this, could
release great evils into the world. You should know that.
BELLOWING SNAKE
Then you condemn us all to death, Owl Eyes!
CUT TO:
21. VISION OF BELLOWING SNAKE’S FACE
Bellowing Snake’s face is seen in the smoke.
His dark eyes stare straight ahead. There is a sneer on his lips.
His eyes begin to change. They go from dark,
to green, to blood red. His face begins to change from man to beast.
It’s mouth opens wide, yellow gnarled teeth, blood stained and huge snap
at her until she shuts her eyes tight against the imagery.
Gabrielle comes back to reality and notices a
red clay bowl in Owl Eyes’ hands.
OWL EYES
(setting the bowl before her)
This is your way to the spirit land.
Gabrielle raises the bowl to her lips and
drinks.
SOUND OF LIGHTNING CRASH
CUT TO:
END ACT II
ACT III
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