The Gift

A young Native American boy finds himself in his hunt for a mystical bear.

 

The Gift

 

 

Trotting Fox stooped slowly to the ground examining a deep impression in the moist dirt of the forest. The bear had been here, and from the freshness of the print, it had been recent. He raised, his tan body glistening in the midday sun. It was now his time to become a man, and he had been set on this quest of the hunt by his father; Big Bear.

Big Bear was a mighty war chief who was greatly known to all the neighboring tribes. His feats of battle were told to children still in the basket. Even with his amazing war achievements, his talent with the spear was not limited to battle. He was a renowned hunter as well. Legends of his kills ranged from massive moose to the great grizzly bear from whom he had won his name.

It was now time for Trotting Fox to follow in his father’s footsteps, yet forge his own way into manhood. The fact that he must trail one of the greatest hunters of his time made his quest all the more difficult. This knowledge was constantly on his mind, like a cloud that hangs in the sky. This cloud was not like those of thunder, those that impede the brain’s functions and make the outlook bleak. This cloud was of the kind that glided slowly and carelessly through the sky, never bothering, but always reminding.

Trotting Fox took great pride in his task and there was nothing short of death that would prevent him from achieving it. He was a great hunter himself, yet took more satisfaction in the search than the kill.

He swiveled his head from side to side, taking in the scene around him. He was surrounded by trees in every direction. These were great oaks with trunks as wide as boulders. He had grown up in the forest and was an excellent tracker. Not only could he use signs to find prey, but he had been given a special talent as well. This talent was one that many would strive to achieve their whole lives.

Trotting Fox could sense things. This sense was known as the Gift and rose above the normal human senses. Sight, smell, touch, sound, and taste all seemed to converge in to one inside of this young boy. He could feel things, not as an eagle feels a mouse in it’s beak but as a mallard feels the season changing and flies south. It was a type of intuition that allowed him to become one with the forest. He had been blessed by the gods and was not going to let the Gift go unused.

So as he gazed upon the great oaks, he could feel the nutrients being absorbed into the tree through its leaves. The sun’s rays seemed not only to give the tree energy, but to fill Trotting Fox with power from head to toe. He started forward, making sure not to crush any branches or twigs that would alert his prey. His prey was that of great stature, strength and ferocity, for he was pursuing a great animal. More instinctive and able than any other beast in the forest, it was the great grizzly bear.

Stepping over a small log, he felt something shift in the forest. Uneasiness had set in that Trotting Fox sensed through his Gift. He slowed to a stop under a great oak and listened. He not only listened with his ears, but with his mind as well. Opening his mind to become a kind of receptacle for the energy of the forest, he gained omniscience, but only in his immediate vicinity. “Range would come with time,” he had been told by the medicine man of the village, who had known another man with the Gift.

Trotting Fox could sense the consciousnesses of many animals and insects around him, but not that of the bear. He sensed a small fox and felt a strange connection with him due to their names. This fox had a much smaller mental capacity than a human, but much larger than a firefly. He could not communicate with these animals through words, but with feelings he was able to gain an idea of the foxes’ thoughts.

The fox had seen the great grizzly bear earlier that day, and was afraid. The bear had moseyed through the forest, a great beast with no natural predators, and scared all of the smaller animals into hiding. Even the fierce wolves avoided contact with the grizzly if they could. With these thoughts, Trotting Fox found a spark that made him even more ferocious than the great grizzly.

With unyielding vigor, he started forward once more. He did not take the time to stop and use the Gift. In a hurry, he now used only his normal senses which were still very keen. Another print caught his eye, one of the great bear. The smell of crushed pine needles tickled his nose. The sound of birds chirping and centipedes crawling reverberated in his ears like drums. He passed the print and knew he was on the correct path.

Keeping his head on a swivel he was sure to be ready if the bear was to come soon.  As his feet sunk into the soft dirt, he felt peace. Peace not only with the forest and all of its inhabitants, but within himself. He moved quickly on his trained feet. Once more he noticed a large print deep in the dirt. His feet lead him. They lead him past a waterfall that seamed to fill the forest with the music of life itself. They lead him past a great oak that had been split in two by lightning.

He knew this tree and knew which way he must go. To the left there was forest, and more forest. To the right there was destiny. He could feel it in the forest around him, he was getting closer. Pausing twice more to use the Gift, he gleaned knowledge from the forest creatures. One was a badger, yet its mind was filled with malice. Trotting Fox did not connect with this animal as he had done with the fox.

The other animal was a small bird. A red breasted robin came to land on a rock as Trotting Fox ambled through the now darkening forest. Birds were Trotting Fox’s favorite creature to connect with because they seemed to see everything. From their lofty standpoint, even the slightest motion caught their eyes.

The bird’s mind was filled with signs of warning, fear, and caution. Trotting Fox knew that he must be reaching his destination and slowed his pace. It was nearing dusk and eyes started to appear around him. Calculating gazes seemed to cast a forbidding air into the dim woodland.

Chills seemed to creep up Trotting Fox’s back as he slowed to a halt at the base of the juncture of two great monoliths, carved naturally in the rock face by time.  This was the place, and he could feel it. The great grizzly was residing in the depths of the stone cavern. The beast was hidden, but could be felt by Trotting Fox. This feeling was one of the slightest association, but he knew it was true.

Using the Gift he reached out in all directions with his mind as far as he could. He expanded his plane of thought further than he had previously. At first it started out as just the small area around the base of the crags. The range then began to grow as more and more creatures started adding their energy. He could now feel as far as he could throw a stone. Strange sensations occurred within him, for he was unable to separate the emotions of specific animals. This did not stop him and he pushed further with his mind.

He could feel the heartbeat of the forest, the song of the waterfall, and the grace of the wind. Engulfed in emotion he lost himself. He allowed himself to become one with the forest. As he achieved this tranquility, there was a sudden sting in his mind. Like a splinter in the foot, it forced Trotting Fox to abandon his harmony and concentrate on it.

It was not as an ache, but more as a pulse in his thoughts. As he focused on it, he came to know what it must be; the bear. It did not posses the same simple emotions as the other animals of the forest, but complex thoughts. These thoughts could not be understood, for they were behind a thick mental barrier.

Trotting fox centered all of his energy and thought onto the bear and broke through. A flood of emotion and images rushed over him and he could feel his mind unite with the beasts. In the few seconds during which they were joined, Trotting Fox understood the bear. This bear was not one of the mundane, but of extraordinary strength, not only physically but mentally as well. The Gift did not choose only humans, but inhabited beings of all walks of life.

With his connection, he knew that he had found a brother. A brother not by blood, flesh, or bone…but of mind. For this bear, this great grizzly, which was told to be the most savage of all forest beasts, had been blessed. This mighty animal had too been blessed with the Gift.

Their connection was broken, either by beast or man it did not matter. They were forever connected. Even as Trotting Fox turned and went in search of a new quarry he felt the bear in his mind, in his soul, and in his heart. He knew that his father would be proud and he knew that he would never be alone, for those who share the Gift shall never be unaccompanied.

 

Reviews

[Luke]

Absolutely amazing - I was caught up in the story from start to finish. I am honored to know this young man, and look forward to reading all he offers.
Ms. Piazza