Spirit of the Wood

My second manifestation remains the toughest to describe. Neither as before nor as after, I existed as an undefinable, extraordinary entity.

 

            For time interminable, I remained static, ageless and without form, substance, or identity. I knew of no other like me from my confinement deep amongst the inert stone, rock, and soil, surrounded by my wards, the animate biota, insect, and animal. This place I inhabited was a remnant of the great ice floes that moved and scoured the earth located between two of the Great Waters of the North Country. Initially, in this my second manifestation, the only memory I possessed was of my imposed punishment. I knew only of The Earth Spirit’s chastisement for my grievous, though undefined transgression against nature. I simply existed, alone for untold eons without any other remembrance of my life before The Earth Spirit imposed my punishment and veiled my previous existence from me.

            I languished forever it seemed but over many seasonal cycles when necessities forced me, I learned to control the four elements. In dry times I could force water, the basis of life, up from the depths. To improve vegetation’s growth I could overturn earth, soil and rich humus by controlling the life that dwelled there. To cool and warm the environment, I could temper the air, the breath of life. Fire, the fourth and most unpredictable element, is a dangerous entity for control of it is fleeting, and I heeded it for my wards’ safety. I protected my wards as best I could with my weak but loving touch from the tiny to the large, from the slow to the fast, and from the beautiful to the ugly. My awareness touched all from the quick creatures that lived and expired here, to the great trees who reached skyward to absorb the sun and downward with deep roots that intermingled with my spirit.

            Emotions I did not experience though knew of fear from my wards. Fear came to them during the presence of man�"my first form, I know now. My ward’s fear instilled a discontent within me that I didn’t understand. I sensed man and in them both evil and good existed, yet their presence evoked something troubling deep within my veiled memory. Good men passed through my domain without harm, but others ended life with guns whose strident breath of fire threw metal stones that killed deer, my proud prancers. I learned this lesson quite well though remained powerless to interfere for the longest time. With time, I learned and grew stronger.   

            Two men with horses came into my domain during the before-rest season when the trees dropped their sun catchers you know as leaves. During a sunlight period, the clouds were thick above my trees blocking the warmth of the life-giver sun. Water fell frozen whiten as snow though returned to water upon the still-warm earth surface. The two men stood upon my domain’s banks that were well beyond my touch, nevertheless I could observe them. Water did not penetrate their coverings and their extremities carried the tough hide coverings of expired deer. I sensed concern within my being. They possessed metal tools with pieced remains of trees. I did not sense a gun in their possession. Though I did not understand their words at the time, I can now relate their actions and words to you. A mature man led an immature man on labors of some nature.

            “Compass seems true and steady in this area, no magnetic iron deposits here to deflect its needle readings.  Let’s move along, we have three hours to survey this basin,” the mature said.

            The other carried a burden and both crushed the low single-season, green-growth in their paths. This man gave a sound of high-pitched breath between his teeth before speaking. “My God, I never imagined this type of terrain out in these parts after all we’ve seen is flat. Look at the size of this virgin timber!”

            “We knew this basin was here. Now we’ll finally put it on the map. Look around at it,” he waved, “definitely an odd geological feature unnoted in the plats. It looks like a huge, dry glacial kettle, though I have never seen one quite so huge. See how steep the sides are, they must be at least three hundred feet high!” The mature one indicated my confinement’s borders and then the grand waters in the cold direction. “Look, you can see Lake Superior on the horizon. Go on and set up the transit at that last stake.”

This one made scratching marks on something that reminded me of the trees’ leaves. New recollections from before presented themselves in my memory. 

            “Ready,” the words came from the immature. “If the snow were any heavier we’d never finish in this terrain, eh?”

            “Aye, though this stand of timber makes it easy to shoot a line without so much of that blasted bramble.” This mature one said as he curiously moved the tools about. “Take note, Tom, huge yellow birch on the east with the triple of white on the south beyond the huge maple.”

            “Right. Did you want me to go ahead with the stick?”

            “Yes sure, I’ll tote the scope.”

            The immature one disturbed my earth banks as he descended and approached the center of my domain. Now within my reach and in an effort to remove his undesirable presence, I breathed cool breath upon him to remove his bodily warmth as I often did to discourage fur-bearing predators.

            The mature one approached as the other spoke, “Do you feel that wind?  Warm, musty like a breath, then cool�"cold, but look, strangely it’s not moving the leaves,” he pointed above.

            “Hmmm, it does feel several degrees colder down here,” the mature one spoke looking above at the trees. “I’ve got twenty more paces to go, stay put.”

This one went further and then placed a shard of a tree to the earth and struck it with a metal tool. My spirit quivered with concern.

            “Now listen to those quaking aspen rattle without any wind. What’s goin’ on here, earth tremor?”

            “Never felt one up here before. Blaze those four trees, note the stakes and let’s move.”

            The immature one struck the ancient yellow bark tree with the metal tool. I drew much colder breath from deep within the earth and blew vigorously to remove these man creatures.

            “Whoa, now where the hell did that come from? I can hardly stand up against it,” the immature spoke while holding onto a tree. I wondered if he’d somehow damage it. 

            My breath pushed them about and rattled their coverings but to my continued annoyance, I did not deter them from damaging my trees with their metal tools. My breath blew as cold as the winter, the rest season when the frozen breath blows across the north land, yet the men continued their hurtful labors.

            “Early cold snap, huh?”

            “What the�"my beard has frozen!” The mature one said as he touched his hairy face for my breath had frozen everything around the area of the men. “Odd place, look it is cold only right here. Let’s get going�"hard maple on the edge of the clearing.”

“Hey look, a doe and fawn.” They paused in their labors.

            I shook with expectation in their sensing a deer with her born of this seasonal cycle, her yearling, both consuming low growth beyond my cold breath’s influence. The men did not move toward the deer but did not depart. I gathered up my spiritual force when the less mature one held the metal tool poised to strike a tree. I brought myself to bear upon his being with my voice rumbling from the depths of the earth. With my cold breath, I blew at their warmth with all my might. The men fell, witnessing the extent of my power as my deer-wards sensed my infuriation. With a weaker touch of my strength, I parted the low growth aside for their hasty departure. 

            “Aye, that’s spooky!  I never saw that before but feel that under our feet�"that’s a tremor!”  The mature one said while getting to his feet and helping the immature.

            “What? I can’t hear you over the wind howling,” the immature shouted.

            “On your toes! This tree’s a going down!

            They quickly moved the other way from the fall of the sweet juice tree that could not withstand my violent vengeance. The tree expressed its knowledge of its own demise, as I returned what I thought as remorse. Its roots sprang free from the earth and from this deep earth confinement my presence was shown�"exposed to the men. I writhed in pain from this exposure above ground, and I learned the fear of pain. This exposed place was no longer part of me, and I began a new stage in my extraordinary existence.

            “Damn�"what is happening in this place?” The immature said. “I don’t like it.”

            I sensed increased concern in both the men, but they still did not immediately depart from my angered presence.

            “I don’t know but look at that strange soil in that hole, it is moving, oddly changing like some strange life I’ve never seen before. Besides, I never saw a blaze causing a tree to fall. Let’s get going Thomas, it is cold, windy and we have only a couple hours left to get back to camp.”

            “Right, we need to return to Negaunee tomorrow.”

            My anger and injury had weakened my spirit and though I did not understand their words at the time, nay-a-gau-nay awoke something that had slept in my memory. My strength in this encounter surprised me and enduring the pain, my memory cleared to reveal a marvel from before�"a white deer’s demise at the hands of a man. I contemplated my ordeal and rested.

 

                       *          *          *

 

            No disturbance occurred over many seasons and so, my wards remained unharmed to continue their cycles of birth, growth, and natural demise. I had much time to ponder the significance of the white deer’s demise.

            As still more seasons progressed, man returned during the season when trees drop their leaves. Man often bore guns during this season and knowing of this evil, I warned my deer wards of man’s approach before he detected them. This protection must have pleased the Earth Spirit for my memory veil thinned to reveal more. I remembered the great hunter.

            Numerous seasonal cycles passed and man began visiting my domain during the cold rest season on strident metal machines. Man rode these machines that moved on the snow and ice using the power of fire. Though fire did not consume or destroy the machines or anything in my domain, I sensed fire’s breath lingering after the beasts had departed. I did not fear for my deer-wards during these visits because man did not possess guns, but I remained ever vigilant. Man later began arriving during the summer growth season riding other fire-powered machines that moved on four orbs shaped like the sun and full moon. Ashamedly my diligence waned during one of these visits for I did not sense the gun until too late. 

            Man extinguished the life force of a proud deer with splendid fighting branches. I was ashamed and enraged though did not prepare my spirit for what was yet to pass for the Earth Spirit revealed himself to lift more of my memory’s veil. The Spirit taught me the loss of the deer was an important lesson for me because of an approaching storm. I saw a likeness to this deer’s loss due to my lapse of vigilance, and the first white deer’s loss at the hands of the great hunter.  I pondered this and now understood my obligation.

                       *          *          *

            When the second white deer appeared my emotions rose to the height of moon. She appeared as the snow of the winter season and was strong and proud.  I remembered the white deer from my memory that the Earth Spirit had revealed, and I knew this white deer was not the same for I had witnessed the first white deer’s life expire.  

             I strove to keep this white deer within my domain, so I enticed her by parting the low growth to reveal succulent grasses for her consumption and pushed the sweet cool water from the depths to quench her thirst. I felt the Earth Spirit had rewarded me with the white deer’s presence, but my happiness lasted only a short period before man returned. Man’s huge metal machines shook the very center of my domain.

            Beyond my reach, I sensed the machines’ merciless approach as black, vaporous fire breath and earth-dust arose high among the distant trees. In the colors of the sun and night sky, these machine-beasts stopped just beyond my touch. I heard the words of man and my might swelled in fury’s anticipation.

            “We have full access to this basin and have permission to clear-cut the timber to the markers. Sawyers make trails for the skidders. All of you remember there are big bucks in this timber and we’ll all profit from the harvest. Richard, you go east of Snake Creek and Marcus you go west. Let’s do this, men!” 

            Men outside the machines proceeded with fire-breathing cutters beginning with the trees on the edge of my domain. The trees fell to the ground as the leaves fall from the trees themselves in the autumn season. I turned my strength to the cutters and strained to distort the earth beneath their feet, but they stopped only shortly before continuing their terrible violence upon the trees. I roiled in my ineptitude and ineffectiveness. One machine moved to the direction of the rising sun and began picking up the fallen trees. First, I experienced sadness for the fallen, and then, my rage grew for those in the path of destruction.

I drew upon my strength’s reserves and focused all of my strength upon the first huge rolling machine beast. With my breath now hot, combining with the earth’s water, I surged a geyser of hot water beneath the machine and man. Pain struck the exposed reach of my being, yet I persisted in my struggle. The hot water rushed forth causing a cavernous void beneath the machine where a cauldron of bubbling, steaming water engulfed the machine and man. The machine’s wheels spun and sunk beneath the soil and rock floor, and the man emerged from the boiling water emitting loud, strident woman-like sounds.

            I experienced a deep satisfaction in my victory over this beast although my focused energy had diverted my attention from the other machine. I now became aware that it had paused in its destructive path. The man held spotting glasses to his eyes for he had seen my white deer! From within the machine-beast, the man withdrew a gun. I directed all of my remaining strength upon this machine and man for I strove to afflict my entire wrath upon them and sought to smite their ruination.

The man leveled the gun toward the white deer and pressed the trigger controlling the fire within. The trigger moved as I emerged completely from the earth exposing my full rancorous being that reached above the height of the trees and filled the entire width of my domain. My rage erased all my pain. Fear filled the man, but the fire within the gun had begun its deadly work, though I found, I was much faster.

            With all my strength, I erupted with an unrestrained fury of destruction, roared raw energy, and directed my breath of total hot consuming fire onto this machine and man. The gun sagged to the arc-shape of the early moon phase and flew from the man’s blistered grasp. Life blood sprang from the man’s missing finger and nose. The man screamed louder than any other creature had ever before in my presence as the machine began sinking into the cauldron of steam. Now my ally, fire ate at the machine’s wheels furiously and the machine reeked, engulfed in a thick, black fire breath. For moments, I gazed upon my vengeance with satisfied approval.

            However, it was not long before I writhed under the pain of my total exposure, though the fear I sensed in these men and the obliteration I had inflicted satiated me. Moments later, the extreme hurt extinguished my awareness. The final sight I saw was the white deer prancing to the north unharmed. All grew quiet and dark for my essence no longer existed. 

       

                       *          *          *

            The Earth Spirit’s loving capacity gathered me up, enveloped my essence, and caressed my spirit. As I became fully aware once again, I felt warm and satisfied in my ordeal, and the Earth Spirit smiled upon my existence with gentle restorative power.

Using a language I understood the Earth Spirit said, “You have redeemed yourself my son by sacrificing yourself for the preservation of the new sacred white one. She is now safe so the world can revel in her beauty and grace. All is as it should be and therefore, I will restore your earlier form with your before memories intact.”

 

                       *          *          *

            Now assuming my third form, I am learning the difficult and disorderly life of modern man. I am confused by this life and though I am alone, I know the Earth Spirit watches and guides my actions. It has become crystal clear to what purpose is in store for me. So now I walk the earth again as a man, in the world of man, though I am much more than a man as in my first life. I have gained great wisdom, knowledge, courage, and strength to sustain me in my new hunt for I was and always will be the Great Hunter. I walk the concrete trails sensing the abundant evil that lurks in this domain of man...