“Help us!” bellowed Old Hunter when he saw Timpoochee running toward them.
“Take her, quickly,” he shouted above the roar. “I will make it home by myself.”
Timpoochee had no time to argue. He scooped up Grandmother Ama and ran for the house.
The Beloved Woman of the village could not hear much of the commotion nor see much of the entire village scurrying to hide from the calamity.
The terror in her face was all Timpoochee saw. He grabbed her arms and legs with too much force, ran across the plaza and into his house.
He hurdled through the doorway and threw Grandmother Ama on a palate in the corner of the room. She screamed at the pain of her rough treatment.
“Uji!” he yelled to Swift Deer. “Quickly! Barricade the door!”
“Where is Cornstalk?” Swift Deer shouted over the din outside as tables and chairs were thrown against the opening.
“Why are you concerned about him? He is off somewhere hiding in the woods as always. He’s not the one who is home trying to save his family!”
“That is no reason not to be concerned about your brother, Timpoochee,” Swift Deer shouted back.
“Forgive me, Uji. As soon as I can I will go and try to find him.”
The thundering sound came ripping past the house. The structure shook and in the distance the crash of trees sounded the town’s disaster.
Just as suddenly as it began, the trembling ground grew still. The harsh echo of rampaging animals trailed off along the riverbank toward the north.
“I will return as soon as I can,” Timpoochee said in the strange stillness of the subsiding terror. “Stay inside until Yufala returns. Keep Grandmother safe.”