Who is Hijohn from The Fifth Sacred Thing and what is their importance?

Hijohn is one of the rebel leaders of the south, Hijohn is first introduced as a prisoner near death, thrown into Bird's cell. Bird helps heal Hijohn's wounds and, along with Littlejohn , the three escape prison. When Madrone heads south in the second half of the novel, she reconnects with Hijohn. Again, he is near death, this time from the common cold.