Vision Quest: Spirit Walking by Ed Becerra ____________________________ "You're certain you want to do this, David?" "I've never been more certain." "All right, then." Kickaha sighed. He seemed to be doing that a lot, lately. "We'll have to tell Sally that we're going to be gone for a few days. Bring a canteen, but no food. The clothing you're wearing now will do. And bring a staff, if you can find one. We don't have much time left." "What do you mean by that?" Davey asked him. "I'll explain when we get where we're going to. I have to fetch something before we leave. And something else..." "What?" "Ryan told me about that skeptical Greg Oppossum who had given him trouble in the past. This is something we have to do _alone_. If anyone follows us, well, it could be dangerous for them." Kickaha stared at Davey. "No joke, my friend. If someone stumbles into a dream quest without proper preparation, their bodies might survive, but their minds _won't_." "If it's that dangerous, then why does anyone do it?" "Because it's truth, the truth of one's _self_. Truth is always dangerous. And what we going to do is look for the truth of your spirit, David. If a person isn't ready for that truth, it can destroy them, mind and soul. My truth almost destroyed me. Yours _may_ destroy you. It's impossible to know until you try." Kickaha looked very old for a moment. "If you want to turn back, now is the time, Dave. Once we start, there's no turning back." "Let's do it." Davey's face had a determined look. "I'm not about to run from the truth now." * * * They made their goodbyes to Knothole, and set out on their way. Kickaha had a small bag slung over one shoulder, and his ironwood cane. Davey carried nothing but a canteen, his Power Rifle and a oak quarterstaff as tall as he was. As they left, they both noticed the suspicious looks that Greg shot at the coyote. But he didn't follow. Sally had made it clear that no one was to interfere. After leaving the village, they turned in the direction of the Great Unknown, and walked for some hours. About noontime they stopped for a drink, and refilled their canteens at a small spring they found trickling through some rocks. By that evening, they had traveled several miles into the Great Unknown and Kickaha began searching for just the right spot. The sun had begun to set, when he found what he was looking for. A small landslide from a nearby hill had created an overhang that sheltered the ground beneath it. Tall firs hid it from the sky above. It was a quiet, peaceful place. Kickaha could feel the spirits strongly here. This was the right place. Something deep within him knew that. He waved to Davey. "We'll stop here for the night. Let's gather some wood for a small fire. Once it's lit, then we begin." A full moon was rising over the fir trees, and the fire was crackling warmly. Davey was sitting across the fire from Kickaha, enjoying the beauty of the evening. "Now what?" Kickaha reached into his bag and withdrew several small pouches and a ceremonial pipe. "Now we appeal to the spirits. Normally, you'd be doing this alone, after a week of fasting and cleansing yourself. But that takes training you haven't had, and time that neither of us has. Like it or not, we ARE in a war zone. Snivley would just love to catch us alone like this. And a person is practically defenseless during a quest. Not a good thing to be, in the middle of a war." As he spoke, he opened one of the pouches and placed it's contents into the bowl of the pipe. Packing it tightly, he took a twig from the fire and lit the pipe, drawing on it until it caught. Once it was burning well, he stood and offered the pipe to the four winds. Then he passed it to Davey. "What do I do?" "Take several deep drafts, and offer the pipe to the four winds, North, South, East and West. Then return it to me." David did so. Then Kickaha put the pipe down and opened another small pouch. He sprinkled the contents into the flames of the small fire. It flared brightly, and David noted a pleasant aroma that he wasn't familiar with. "Now we wait." The night was clear and bright. Stars appeared, and joined the moon in the sky. Then Kickaha spoke again. "Do you know what legends are, David? Do you know _why_ we tell the old stories? Stories and myth are sacred to us. They tell us who we are and where we came from. They show us what we may yet become and where we may one day go. Listen, and hear what we are trying to tell ourselves." Kickaha began to sing, an odd, wordless song that reminded David of the times he'd heard the singing of coyotes on TV and movie westerns back on Earth. Strangely, he felt an urge to join in. When he did, though, like Kickaha, no words emerged. Only a howl worthy of any wolf, let alone a fox. It startled David at first, but seemed so natural, so right, that he didn't try to stop it. The two voices blended together, forming a mournful song that spoke of a cold and lonely freedom, a wild and timeless life spent alone and unafraid under the watchful spirits of Mother Earth and Father Sky. As they sang to the moon above, David slowly noticed something. Kickaha was changing. One moment he was the coyote David knew, the next, he was something else. He watched, fascinated. Where Kickaha had sat was now a human, dressed in Kickaha's clothes. It even had the same scar on it's forehead. Then, a four-legged coyote, with a jagged seam down the length of it's muzzle. Then, Kickaha again. "What's... happening?" David got out. The words seemed... fuzzy, hard to say, in a way he didn't understand. Kickaha noticed. *I think we're ready now, Davey. And you won't need to speak. Try it this way, my friend. It's not hard.* -This feels... odd. But nice, tho. What is this?- *You've just taken your first step into the other side. The world of the spirits.* -No. Not that. I mean, why are you ... changing ... like that?- *In this world, what you see is what _is_. There are no lies here. Here, one's innermost nature, one's soul, is visible. And every soul has many sides to it. Think of an emerald. Many facets on a single jewel. The spirit is much like that. You're seeing all the different sides of _me_.* -Do I look like that?- *Yes. Here, allow me.* Suddenly, David could see himself as Kickaha saw him. An ever changing kaleidoscope of man, fox and machine. It was beautiful. And hypnotic, as well. *Time to go, Davey.* -Where to?- *Nowhere in particular. Let's just run for a while, my friend. In my body, before you and Sir Charles helped me, I was a cripple. Here, I'm free. Free of the limits of the flesh. Stand up, and come race with me, Davey. As Sonic would say, let's juice!* With that, Kickaha stood, leaving his body by the fire. He walked thru the flames to Davey, offering him a hand up. Davey rose, and looked down at his body. It sat there, eyes closed, at peace with the world. -This is definitely strange, Kicker.- *Tell me about it. Heh! But you're taking it much better than I took it, my first time. I was in a total panic.* -Why? It seems like a lot of fun!- *Yeah, well, back then, fun wasn't real big on my agenda, you know? Now let's have a little fun. Once around Mobius. Last one back to the campfire has to cook dinner for the winner for a week!* And with that, they were off. Through jungle and forest, over plain and prairie. Past mountains and seas. Faster than any hovercycle, faster even than Sonic. They raced with the speed of thought itself. *Trippin', ain't it?* -It's a blast, Kicker! I see why you like this so much.- *Yup! If it weren't for my duties, I'd be doing this all the time. But there's jobs to do, and debts to pay. And speaking of which, there's some folks waiting for us back at the camp. See ya there, slowpoke!* -Yaright! You and what jet, Kicker?! You're gonna be cooking for me!- *You sure about that? You haven't eaten my cooking yet! You might be better off losing! Heh!* A blurr of speed, and they were gone. * * * -There's something I don't get, Kicker.- *What's that?* -Well, I can understand why _I'm_ a mix of human and fox when you look at me. I was born a human. But why do _you_ look human at times? I thought you were born here on Mobius.- *I was.* -Then I don't understand.- *As Old Man said to me about you, `It's a long story.' And right now, this is time for _your_ story, not mine. Don't worry. Someday, I'll tell you the tale of how I earned the name `Edward Two Lives'. Now back to the campfire. Your journey of discovery begins!* * * * When they arrived at the fire, the `folk' Kickaha had spoke of were there, waiting for them. Old Man Coyote, of course, in four-legged form. And with him, a large, russet fox. Next to the fox was something else. Davey had a little trouble telling what it was. It wasn't a gorilla or a chipanzee, or any other ape or monkey he knew of. Yet it was simian, and vaugely familiar Kickaha stepped foward. He held his left fist in his right hand, and bowed to the three. *Grandfather.* #It's good you brought him. Out for a little run, I see.# *Ahh... Errr... Well... You see, it was like this...* #Don't worry about it. A little fun never hurt anyone. But now it's time that we got to know this new child of ours.# *Yes, Grandfather. Grandfather...?* #What?# *David is my _friend_. I owe him much. May I remain for him?* #Only if the others agree.# *Fox?* %If you are truly his friend, you may remain. But if you would share in his quest, you must share in his risks, as well.% *I would have it no other way, Father Fox. Ape?* <> *You do me too much honor.* Fox turned to Coyote. %You have taught this one well, for a Trickster, Coyote. His courage and respect honors you.% #I _am_ rather proud of him. But don't let that swell your head, Kickaha.# *I would not, Grandfather.* <> -Who are you?- <> -So you all came for this, then?- %We care for our own, child. We could do no less, for our children.% -Well, let's get started then. Time's awastin'.- %Agreed. He was yours in the beginning, Ape.% <> And as David stepped forward everything changed. * * * The years--they must have been years, David was certain of it, had been a whirlwind, a blur. He remembered every minute he had spent with Ape, every day and night and yet if he tried to concentrate on the whole span of them instead of any particular memory, the whole package slipped through his mental fingers, like the contents of an hour in a busy day. He had been a newborn chimpanzee in a tribe, wandering their territory in the daily search for food. He could remember playing, grooming each other, learning, growing, fighting with the other young males, winning a tribe of his own, growing old, and in the fullness of time, finally losing a battle to a young male. And with the battle, his life. He staggered for a moment, and Kickaha was there, holding one arm and steadying him. He looked around. He was back in the small clearing. Ape was gone. Fox and Coyote remained. -Whooo! How long have I been gone?- *You never left.* -Then how...?- *Don't ask the question if you don't want to know the answer. And, believe me, Davey, you REALLY don't wanna know. At least, not right now. Trust me on this one. Okay?* -All right. But I want to talk about this later.- *You got it. Now you belong to Fox.* David stepped forward to stand before the fox spirit. %Now you will learn the life of the fox, David. Prove yourself worthy and you will honor me, child.% * * * And as the world again changed around him, Fox's words echoed in his ears. %Live in fear. Or join the Hunt!% * * * His mother's milk. The warmth of her fur. The squeals of his littermates around him. Growing. Playing. Being taught the way of the Hunt. Leaving her den for the last time. Searching for a territory of his own. Memories and dreams. A lifetime of them. The taste of blood in his teeth. The scent of a vixen in the wind. The joy of the Hunt. The taking of a mate. The white fire of the moon, rising over the forest of the night. The cries of his prey as he attacked. The baying of the hounds chasing him. The silence of his den. Were years passing in a single second? Or had a second been stretched out for decades? He never knew. And the life continued. The prey grew faster. Or had he grown slower? No matter. It was harder to catch them. And the younger foxes came to take his territory. In the end, he understood. He sought a quiet place, one where he wouldn't be bothered for a time. And another hunter came. Hunting for him. He struggled to rise, but his legs failed him. Then he knew. His struggles ceased. This was the final hunt, the hunter that none could hope to escape. And he went quietly into that gentle darkness, with the final hunter. * * * *YO! GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR TOM! ANYBODY LISTENING? YOU IN THERE, DAVEY?* -Ow... Turn down the volume, already!- *Sorry about that, Dave. You seemed a little slow coming around.* -What a rush! Is that what happened to you, Kicker?- *Don't talk about it, Davey. Not yet, anyway. Each person's quest is different; personal and unique. You should hold it to yourself, and try to understand what you've just learned. Use it to grow in spirit. They're not things to be talked about casually, ya know?* -I understand. I think. Fox is gone.- *He's done. You survived. You're one of his, now and forever. And he'll always be there for you, when you really need him.* -So I guess it's Old Man Coyote's turn now.- *Yup. And this time, I can go with you. After all, since you _are_ one of his kin, that makes _us_ cousins. Although, how a fox and a coyote can be cousins boggles the mind. Heh! You just rest for a minute, now. Once you're okay, we'll get started. Old Man's gonna take the two of us on a little trip.* -All right. Where are we going?- *Would you believe Robotropolis?* -That's nuts! We're alone and we don't have any weapons except my Power Rifle.- *Oh, yeah. I forgot to tell you. We'll be leaving that here.* -Right. Uh-huh. Anyone ever tell you you're crazy, Kicker?- *All the time. It goes with being one of Coyote's kids. We are gonna have us some serious _FUN_ here, Davey. Trust me. I know what I'm doing!* Davey shrugged. -Now where have I heard that one before? What the hey. You only live once. Let's do it!- * * * On all fours they raced, leaving their bodies behind, as they'd done before. Old Man led the way. The forest flowed past them, then the grasslands. They were at the gates of Robotropolis before Davey had time to think twice. -Okay, what's next? They can't see us like this, but I don't think we can do much without our bodies. Or can we? I don't know much about what I can and can't do like this.- *We don't need to do anything, Dave. Old Man's gonna do it all. We're here to watch, listen, and learn. Coyote wants you to understand that you don't always have to blow things up to win the battle. Sometimes you can get better results by making the enemy look like a fool. You make someone look stupid, and they lose their temper. Angry people make dumb mistakes. Remind me to tell you about a book I read once, by Eric Frank Russell, called `Wasp'. Teaches you all about dirty tricks like this. They can be a lot of fun.* Coyote was leading them inside the city. A few twists and turns and they were headed for a place Davey remembered. It was the Swatbot factory where the Void had dumped him, the spot where he'd met Sonic and Princess Sally. Coyote turned towards them. #Wait here and watch. Kickaha, you should enjoy this one. I stole it from you. After all, "Oil's well, that ends well!"# *Oooooohhh... You oughta be shot for _that_ one, Grandfather! And folks say _I_ make terrible puns!* Suddenly, where Old Man had been standing was a Worker Bot. A Worker Bot that had obviously been roboticized from a coyote. The Bot walked up to the assembly line and pulled a bottle from thin air. When no one was looking, he added the contents to the vat of oil used to top off the Swatbots as they came off the end of the line. Then the Worker Bot vanished. No one noticed. Coyote was standing beside them again. #We'll have to wait to enjoy the results. Time to go. Let's head back to camp. You're still new to spirit walking, David. Too long outside your body without practice isn't good for you. Now run!# With that, the three headed back for the campfire in the Great Unknown. *Tung oil, Grandfather?* #Yes. It's a classic. And always fun, when you're pulling pranks on machines. That manual of yours was fun reading, Grandson.# *Yeah. One of my favorites, too. Can't wait until Sally starts hearing about the results!* -What results?! What did you do, Coyote?- #Oh, just call me Grandfather, Davey. You're kin, now. And I think you'll like this one. Kickaha can explain when we get you back to your body.# * * * At the campfire... #Well, I'll be seeing you around. And remember Davey, if you need me, call me. I'll come, if I can.# -All right... `Grandfather'.- *It's been a hoot, Grandfather. It's been too long since we've had a romp like this. I've missed walking the spirit way with you.* #And I with you, Grandson. Now that you're healed, I expect to see you here more often.# *As often as I can, Old Man. Besides, when I walk the spirit way, I can do a pretty good job of spying on Snivley, Packbell & Co. After all, how are they gonna stop me when I'm like this? Who're they gonna call? Ghostbusters?! * #Take care of yourself, Grandsons. The both of you. I plan on having a lot of fun with you two in the future.# With that, Old Coyote vanished. *Well, time to go back to the flesh, David.* -Phrack! I could really get to like this.- *Well, there's nothing stopping you from learning to come here on your own. I'd be happy to teach you. I've always wanted to make the jump into cyberspace. Tell you what. You teach me about the Digital Realm, and I'll train you to go spirit walking on your own. Deal?* -Deal!- They walked back to their bodies. -Uh... How do we do this?- *Just relax, and step inside your body. It'll happen naturally.* * * * Davey groaned. "Oh, phrack! Nothing like sitting crosslegged for a entire night to make you stiff as a board." Kickaha moaned in agreement. "You should try it from my side! Getting roboticized helped a _lot_, but doing this always makes me ache." By now the sun had risen. "So what was that bit with the bottle, Kicker?" "Let's put out the fire and start back for Knothole. We could both use a good day's rest in a soft bed. I'll explain once we're on our way." And as they walked Kickaha told Davey about the wonderful little trick you could play with tung oil. "See, Dave, if you mix tung oil with regular motor oil, say, oh... the 10W40 kinda stuff the Swatbots use, nothing happens. Not at first. But about two hours later, when the two oils start warming up, they turn into a sort of _rubber_! Thick, gooey, and _no_ good at all as oil. Do this to a motor, and it just kinda freezes solid. Can't move at all. Do it to a Swatbot and I figure about two or three hours from now sniveling Snively is gonna have a whole buncha expensive statues that used to be Swatbots!" "You mean all of the 'bots that used oil from that vat are going to just stiffen up and stop moving?!" Kickaha paused for a moment to enjoy the look on the cyberfox's face. "Yup. They're gonna lock up tighter than a bank vault." Davey started laughing so hard he fell down. "That's perfect! That's just phracking perfect. Hahahahahaha!!!" Kickaha smirked. "And here's the best part. There's no way to get the stuff out. You have to take the whole 'bot to pieces and scrape it clean. And you _can't_ clean the oil lines at all. You have to throw them away." David was laughing so hard now, he couldn't breathe. He gasped for air. Kickaha started snickering himself. Soon, they were both howling with laughter, tears rolling down their cheeks, as they headed back to Knothole and a well deserved day's rest. * * * ----------------------------------- 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 Ryan Nightweaver and Greg Oppossum by Ryan Huber Coyote is a spirit of the native peoples of the Americas. Please respect him as you would your own beliefs.