Trepeeset's mother died while he was very young - in fact while she was giving birth to him. Because he never knew her, and because he had the opportunity, Trepeeset wanted to look at Pocohono's memories of his late wife. Trying to look at the mental images, Pocohono/Trepeeset frowned. The pictures weren't coming, it was as if his subconscious was fighting him somehow, trying to tell him that he really didn't want to see what he was about to see. After enough concentration, the show finally began.
Pocohono was obviously much younger - this happened many years ago. The details were a lot fuzzier, and there were gaps in the sequence of the remembered events. When the memory began, Pocohono was at the lake, idly fishing. The memory then jumped to Pocohono seeing a human figure falling out of a boat and then thrashing about in the water. Pocohono was in the water in no time, swimming quickly towards it. After a minor struggle, Pocohono helped the woman back to shore.
After being rescued, the woman remained gagging on the shore. She was a stranger - a Pale Woman. Pocohono would ordinarily leave her and let her recover on her own, but some force compelled him to stay. He looked her in the eyes. "Are you all right?" he asked, realizing she would not understand him.
She coughed a little bit more. "I am fine," she said in Pocohono's language.
Pocohono was surprised. "How do you know our tongue?" he asked.
The woman sat up. She had long blond hair and she was wearing a pretty dress, both of which were drenched. "I know...a little," was all she could say. "I know Wecoosak men. They teach me." She was talking about the former Wecoosaks that had converted to the Pale Man cause. They were to be considered enemies. The memory then blurred and jumped ahead to Pocohono walking through the woods in the dead of night. Soon he came across the Pale Woman - Beth, her name was. They approached each other, smiling deeply. They kissed. They were deep in love.
In disbelief, Trepeeset saw the memory continue. They met about once a moon - usually when the moon was full. They would build a fire and sit with each other, halfway between the Wecoosak village and the Pale Man settlement. Pocohono was uneasy with his tryst with Beth. She was married, and the Wecoosaks and the Pale Men were not on good terms. If they were discovered, it would mean both of their deaths.
But they did not care. Pocohono and Beth talked for hours each meeting, Pocohono helping Beth master the tongue of the Wecoosak. The conversations blurred together, both usually lamenting the poor situation between the Indians and Pale Men. They kissed often, a seeming universal gesture of love.
One night they had sex. Then another, then another. The nights were spent The memories blurred together in a streak of passion, until one night when they met. Beth stood to greet her lover, her stomach quite large. Pocohono gasped and stared at her midsection.
She patted herself. "He is yours," she said quietly. "I am..." she searched for the word in the Wecoosak tongue.
"Pregnant," Pocohono supplied grimly. What would this mean. "Are you sure he is mine...ours?"
She nodded. "I have not had sex with anyone but you, my love. This is your baby."
Pocohono held his head. "I have a child," he said. He didn't know how to be a father.
Beth continued. "You have a child. I want you to raise this baby. My husband..." Beth began to tear up. "My husband is a bad man. He hits me. He threw me in the water for raising my voice to him on the day we met. He left me to drown, and when I finally got back he hit me more. I fear what he would do to our child if he knew a Wecoosak was the father and not him."
Pocohono clenched his fists. "I will kill him!" he said, teeth gritted. The thought of someone hurting the love of his live made his blood boil.
Beth grasped his hands. "No. That will do no good. Our families --" meaning "tribes", "are already fighting. This will put them at war." Beth wiped away more tears. "I want no more war."
"What are we to do, then?" Pocohono said, looking into Beth's teary eyes.
Beth thought for a moment. "I will have the baby in five moons. I will have to give it to you as soon as I can after that."
"But what of your husband? He will think it is his baby. You cannot just give it away."
"I will tell him ... ugh, I do not know! I will think of something. But I love you, Medicine Man Pocohono. I will love you forever. You are the only one I know that listens to me and understands me," she cried, leaning onto Pocohono's shoulder.
Fast forward to the middle of autumn, with Pocohono waiting to see his love. Beth approached, with a bundled up infant in her arms.
Pocohono gasped as Beth presented him with the newborn. "It's a boy," she said.
"He is beautiful." Pocohono took the child in his arms. He had his mother's eyes and his father's dark complexion. "What will you do with your husband?"
Beth looked at the ground. "When I go back, I will wake up my husband and say I saw an Indian savage running away with our baby." At Pocohono's hurt glance, she blurted out, "I am sorry! My people do not understand your people. I hate it! But it is all I can think of." She glanced back. "I must go," she said. "I will try to visit whenever I can. I love you, Pocohono!"
"I love you, Beth," Pocohono said, beginning to tear up.
"I must go," she repeated. "But first, you must tell me, what will you name the baby?"
Pocohono looked down at the beautiful child. "Trepeeset," he said.
The word "Trepeeset" reverberated around in Trepeeset's mind as he subconsciously shifted back to his normal form. His hands flew to his head. He was the spawn of a Pale Woman! He couldn't believe it! Here he was, fighting them, waging war with them, when he was one of them! His mind was torn apart.
Trepeeset looked at his hands, stunned to learn that there was Pale Man blood in there. How could he be expected to keep up the war? After all, from his father's memories, some of them were genuinely good people.
Not knowing what else to do, he transformed into an owl and began to fly around, trying to clear his head. His father always said that his mother died during childbirth. Trepeeset was stunned that Pocohono would lie to him. And why didn't he remember his mother at all? Looking at his father's memories only led to more questions.
Trepeeset flew around aimlessly until the sun rose. Allowing the owl instincts to take over, he swooped down from the sky to snatch a mouse from the floor of the forest. He smoothly brought his talons toward his beak, swallowing the mouse whole. He could feel it wriggling in his maw for a few minutes, then it was still. Trepeeset continued flying.
Soon it began to get brighter around Trepeeset. He turned towards his home (he instinctively knew where it was). His head was still swimming. Coming upon his village, he landed, changed back to his own body, and numbly walked to his teepee. There were people beginning to mill about outside as Father Sun began to rise. He received strange looks for walking around naked outside, but Trepeeset did not care. He walked back inside and collapsed, exhausted.