Vision Quest: Visions and Dreams by Ed Becerra ________________________________ Kickaha was resting in his new lodge when a raven flew in the open door. He gave it a tired look. "That you, Old Man?" The raven gave a croak. "Who else?" "Sometimes you're a pain, Old Man, you know that?" The raven laughed and flowed into the form of an evolved coyote, taking a seat in an overstuffed armchair across the room from the bed where Kickaha lay. "Well, I've introduced myself to David. I really like the boy. He's got a sense of humor. A little on the vicious side, though. I'll have to teach him that the jokes have to be funny as well as nasty. After all, as one of my old students said: `If ya gotta go, go with a smile!'." "I told you you shouldn't have taken up with that `Joker' guy. Too unstable. And now he's dead." Kickaha grinned at him. "You should have checked for other spirits in the area, as well." "Hey, who knew that the spirit of the bat was hanging around with that rich guy in Gotham city? Besides, I never did like Bat. He isn't any fun. All the time, nothing but vengence. Way too grim. Heh. At least Bat has a follower who respects him the way he deserves, even if it _is_ just a white man." "I give you all the respect you deserve, Old One. It's just that you don't deserve very much. You ARE a spirit of mischief, you know." Kickaha gave Old Man Coyote a _look_ that he'd learned from Princess Sally. "So, he's gonna be coming to me then, asking questions?" "Not yet. He's still a child of cyberspace, pretty much. He's out looking through the networks for information on me. But when he's done there, he'll come to you. When that happens, call to me, Edward Two Lives. I'll come." Old Man started to stand. Kickaha stopped him. "Just one thing, Old Coyote." "What?" "You ought to think about getting on the net yourself. The opportunities for fun there.. are interesting. Oh, by the way. I'm headed over to Sir Charles' in a bit. They're going to fix my back and legs with the new Roboticizer. I've asked for Sir Charles to do it personally. Wanna watch?" "Don't mind if I do. But why Sir Charles?" Old Man asked. "Well, call me an old softy, but I figured since I'm to be the first person here on Mobius to be roboticized as treatment for an injury in a _very_ long time, Chuck ought to have the honor." Kickaha looked solemn. "Balance is important. Robotnik turned Charles' creation into a horror. He should have the chance to return it to the hope for the future that it was in the beginning. It only seems right." "Yeah, you're an old softy, all right. But I like it anyway. When you're done, come walk with the spirits. We've missed you." Coyote blurred into the form of a desert hawk and flew away. Kickaha watched as Old Man soared through the sky. He sighed. When he couldn't see the hawk anymore, he turned away from the window. "I've missed you, too, Grandfather." * * * >ROBOTICIZER READY TO ACTIVATE >SUBJECT DESIGNATE: KICKAHA >PROCEDURE: RESTORE BACK AND REINFORCE ALL FOUR LIMBS >PROJECTED % OF ROBOTICIZATION: 12% >PRESS ANY KEY TO BEGIN ][ "This baby's go for launch." he heard Davey say. "We'll have liftoff on three. Ready . . . *Three!!!*" Blue light surrounded him. He couldn't see. Gradually, it faded. The glass tube rose slowly into the ceiling. Kickaha was standing there, blinking. He looked around. "Hey, aren't I supposed to feel anything? It doesn't feel any different. I thought... I don't know. Just that I'd feel _something_." He looked a little surprised, and glanced at himself in a mirror. "It doesn't seem like anything has changed at all. I don't look any different." Sir Charles answered him. "Try stepping out and walking around. See what it feels like." Kickaha moved his arms and hands, and they obeyed him without even the slightest protest. His eyes widened. "Hey!! All right! It works!! It doesn't hurt anymore! I don't feel any pain at all! I was getting tired of all that pain." As Davey helped his new friend off the platform, everyone in the room noted that he still has a slight limp, not enough to be a hinderance, but noticable. Nevertheless, Kickaha smiled his approval, and so did Bunnie Buns. "Davey Dear does it *good*, doesn't he sugah?" "You got that right, Bunny!" He took a step out of the Roboticizer, and started across the room towards Charles. He got about a meter, then stumbled and fell. "Ouch! Damn! That smarts!" Bookshire Draftwood gave him a hand up, and passed Kickaha the cane he'd been holding for him. "Here. You'll need this for a while, yet." "You might be a little bit sore after a while," Davey warned as he reached for a bottle of asprin to give Kickaha. "and might feel cold in your bones until your new metal parts get the warmth of your body heat, but it'll pass." Chuck agreed. By now he was walking without a cane. He looked as if the roboticization and the heart attack never happened. "And take it easy for a while also. After all, you just underwent what I still call *surgery*. You'll have to practice walking with your new spine and joints for a short time, Kickaha. The pain may be gone, but you're not used to how your body can move now." Sir Charles smiled at him. "It's like learning how to walk all over again. Take it slowly, and use your cane. In a week or so, you'll be as nimble as you were before your accident." "I'd say that sounds like a good idea, Charles. I'll do just that." Kickaha rubbed his bruises. "Seems like good advice. Thank you. I don't think I can ever tell you how much this means to me." "You don't know how much this means to _me_, Kickaha. It's been a long time since I've been able to use the Roboticizer the way it was meant to be used. As a instrument of healing, not a tool of enslavement." Charles looked saddened for a moment. "Thank you for the opportunity to do this." "No big thing, Charles. Call it even. All debts paid, and everything is balanced." He shook Sir Charles hand. "Because that's what's important, my new friend. Balance. Remember that always. Now I need to practice walking. I'll see you around." And with that, Kickaha waved to his friends, and walked out into the sunlight, to enjoy his new, pain-free back. * * * Later that evening, as the moon rose over the Great Forest, the people of Knothole could hear a quiet song drifting through the peaceful night air from the direction of Kickaha's burrow. 'Where the mountain touches the valley, all the clouds are taught to fly. Thus our souls shall leave this land, most peacefully. Though our minds be filled with questions, still our hearts will understand. When the river meets the sea. When the river meets the almighty sea. When the river meets the almighty sea. The music echoed softly through the night, then slowly faded into silence. The Power Ring Pool rippled in responce. Then all was quiet. * * * The next day... "Hey, Kicker! How you doin'?" "Pretty good! No pain, and I'm moving smoothly. Give me a few days, and I'll be back in combat form. It's a pity Swatbots don't have any hair. I guess I'll have to settle for taking heads, instead of ears or scalps. I wonder if there's anyone in Knothole who knows how to mount a swat's head on a plaque?" Kickaha smirked. "They'll make nice trophies for my walls." Davey laughed. "Ooooh, nice touch. I'll have to give that a try sometime. Be a nice decoration for my hut. Wouldn't mind taking Snivley's scalp, myself! But I need to talk to you, Kickaha. I've got some questions I hope you can help me with." "Be happy to! Anything for a friend like you. What's on your mind, ole buddy o' mine?" "Have you ever heard of anyone called Coyote? A shapeshifter, maybe?" Davey asked. *Gotta get this right,* thought Kickaha. *Remember, LOOK SURPRISED!* He put a surprised look on his face and made a show of thinking the question over. "Funny you should ask that. Old Man Coyote is one of the totem spirits of my people. He's the spirit of trickery and mischief. He's also my spirit helper. I follow him, when I can. He has quite a few names. Wihio, Napi Old Man, Glooscap, Iktome, Saultaux, Raven, every tribe knows him by a different name." Kickaha looked very thoughtful. "He's a _very_ powerful spirit. A skinwalker. What you'd call a shapeshifter. And a little dangerous, sometimes. Someone you shouldn't offend. Have you had a vision of him, perhaps?" Davey looked a bit uncomfortable. "Ahh... not exactly. I just need to know a little more about him." Kickaha's eyes widened. "If you've seen him in a vision, it means that he's trying to speak with you. If you've seen him in _life_... well, you've got a bit of a problem, like." "What do you mean, a problem?" Dave was looking at Kickaha with a odd expression on his face. "Well... When he appears to you _outside_ of a vision, it means he WANTS you for one of his own. That's how he appeared to me. It was a long time ago, and I had stopped wanting to live. I was a Crazy Dog, wanting to die. As I waited on the hillside, for death to come for me, Coyote came instead. He took me for his own, and gave me a new life. As well as a new reason for living it." "What's wrong with a new life?" Davey looked a little puzzled. "Seems to me that would be a good thing." "Yeah, well, you gotta remember, it's life _his_ way, not yours. Life with Coyote is like life on a roller coaster. It's rarely peaceful, and it's always exciting." Kickaha laughed. "If you can imagine living like that, you know what life's like with Old Man at your side." "Hmmm. Can you tell me more? I really need to know all I can about this Coyote." "Sure thing. I'll tell you what. Come to my lodge after dinner. I need to break in the fire pit, anyway. What better way, than an evening spent telling tales to a good friend around a roaring fire? It is the traditional way, you know." Kickaha smiled. "I'll tell the old stories, in the old ways. Who knows? You might enjoy it. Davey and Kickaha went about their business. And as Kickaha walked away, he was deep in thought. *Got him. Now to reel him in. So this is what it's like to be on the other side of things. I fought Old Man _so_ hard, but he won in the end. I expect he'll win Davey, too. And if what I heard about his last raid on Robotropolis, with Kix and Ryan, is true, he's gonna need Old Man's help. Hey, he's gonna need all the help he can get. He's forgotten something. When you're hunting monsters, the greatest danger you face isn't always the monster. Sometimes the greatest danger is that, in order to win the fight, you become the very monster you were fighting against.* Another thought struck him about Davey's behavior during the raid. *It's so terribly easy to be seduced by the Darkness within. And who'd be more familiar with the danger in that then a Jedi. If it can happen to Anakin Skywalker, it can happen to anyone. I'd better talk to Kix about this. Knothole can't afford to lose David Kintobor to David Robotnik.* He shivered, despite the warm sun. * * * "...Old Mother heard Coyote and laughed at him. 'Silly Coyote,' she said. 'That thumping noise is the sound of your own heart beating. Listen to it. It is the sound of the drums. When you hear your heart you must think of the drums--the sound of home.' 'I knew that,' Coyote said.". Kickaha fell silent, and David could hear the crackle of the fire in the pit. "Thank you for the stories, Kickaha. I really appreciate you telling them to me." "No big thing, David. A story that isn't told, is a story that dies. By telling them, we keep them alive, in our hearts and minds. That's what's truly important." He looked at David. "But there is something else, isn't there? You're looking for Coyote. Why? Has he come to you?" "I don't know. I saw.. something, during the last raid on Robotropolis. Did you notice the raven on my shoulder that day? It followed me into the fight. Afterwards, it spoke to me." David looked as if he expected Kickaha to laugh at that. "And then..." "...then it changed into a coyote, and disappeared, right?" Kickaha finished his sentence for him. "How did you..." "...know? Been there, done that. That's how it happens. Old Man wants you. And I know why. I've known all along. You're like me in a way, David. You're a Strange Attractor. A weirdness magnet. Where ever you go, that's where unusual, bizzare things are going to happen. Old Coyote likes that. And he likes people who can do that. He's one, himself. So am I, though I'm not as strong as he. By ancient custom, you count as one of his children, whether there's a blood kinship, or not." Kickaha sat quietly for a moment, thinking. "Whether you like it or not, Coyote wants you, David. That's the real reason I came to Knothole. When King Acorn sent you to Mobius, Old Man noticed. When he found that you couldn't hear him speak, he told me to get off my butt, and come lead you to him, just as someone once did for me." He grinned at David. "What Coyote wants, he usually gets. I'd suggest you just accept it, and try to enjoy the ride. But it _is_ your life, and your choice. All I can do is advise you. And if you're willing, maybe show you the way." "I don't know. From what you've told me tonight, he sounds an awful lot like the `Q' in a fur coat." Davey made a sour face at that. "I've heard of the Continuum. And yeah, they have a lot in common. But Coyote _never_ hurts his children. We're too important to him. Without us to tell his tales, he fades away, powerless. A wailing in the wind, unable to do anything. That's the difference between Old Man and the `Q'. His need for us keeps him... well, honest might be a bit much, but you get the idea." Kickaha laughed. "He doesn't like it, but there's not much he can do about it." "Anyway, how can you tell that I'm a, what did you call it? A Strange Attractor? How do you know that I'm one?" Davey was a little skeptical. Kickaha lowered his head and stared into the fire for a time. He sighed deeply. "I didn't want it to come to this, Davey. Our friendship means a great deal to me. But if there is no other way..." He looked up and stared directly at David. His eyes had changed from their normal golden brown to a bright and firey gold. Davey started. *They look just like my eyes do when the heads-up display is running! Only they're glowing gold instead of red. And they look like they're getting wider. How can they do...* That was Davey's last thought for a while. * * * "...Wake up, Davey! WAKE UP! Jeez, I must've used a little too much. Damn you, Old Man! If I lose another friend and another home because of you, I'm gonna skin you alive! Wake up, Dave!" "Hey! What? What's going on?!" Dave was a little confused. Kickaha had been sitting across the fire from him. Yet now, he was shaking him by the shoulder. He hadn't even seen Kickaha move. And his arm was telling him that several minutes had passed. "I'm sorry, Davey. If you want to take a swing at me with your tin arm, go ahead. I deserve it." Kickaha was looking ashamed. "What did you do? I've never felt ANYTHING like that before." "I reached out and touched your spirit with mine. It's something I learned from Coyote. That's how I knew you were a Strange Attractor. I can _see_ it, see it in your aura. But I didn't think you were that sensitive. Most people would have simply felt a shiver, and said that it felt like someone walking over their grave. But you just sort of faded on me. I shouldn't have done it." Kickaha had a guilty look in his eye. "Go ahead, hit me. You've got the right." "Hey, I don't hit friends for making mistakes! Besides, I _did_ ask you for some proof. And you really delivered! So don't beat yourself up over it. No harm done." Dave could see how worried Kickaha looked. *Boy, I really must have frightened him. He's shaking like a leaf.* "So, I'm a weirdness magnet. That does explain a lot about my life." Kickaha had relaxed a little, now that David was awake again. "Yeah. In fact, I'm a bit surprised that Sonia hasn't noticed, already. She _is_ a mage. She should be able to see it for herself. On the other hand, it's not really something that a mage would look for. And you don't see it unless you go looking for it." "And I guess that puts the ball in your court now, Davey. You can try to ditch Old Coyote. But he's persistant. You could try ignoring him. I honestly don't know if that'd work, since I never tried it. Or you can try a spirit quest. And that's dangerous." "How dangerous?" "You ever tried putting out a fire with gasoline?" "Owch!" "Yeah. So it might be best if you went home and slept on the idea. If you want to try for the quest, well, it's best done when you're well rested. Think it over. And let me know tommorrow. We both need a good night's sleep." Davey had a lot to think about that night as he walked through the forest back to his hut. * * * ----------------------------------- Now for the legal stuff. Sonic the Hedgehog, Princess Sally, Knothole, et cetera, by Sega of America Blood and Metal, Davey Crockett, and The Wild Pack by David Gonterman Kickaha by Edward Becerra Sonia Hedgehog by Emily Smith Bookshire Draftwood by David Pistone Coyote is a spirit of the native peoples of the Americas. Please respect him as you would your own beliefs.