Trepeeset finally awoke around noon. Finally getting dressed with a different (non-ripped)
pair of pants, Trepeeset wandered back into the forest. In the span of one day, his life had
completely changed. His dead father gave him a magical medallion that allowed to him to
turn into any man or animal, he flew as an owl, his father appeared to him in a dream and
asked him to avenge his death, he dug up his dead father to transform into him and look at
his memories, and in the process he found out that his mother was a Pale Woman. He
shook his head, now understanding why Pocohono never mentioned anything about
Trepeeset's mother, except for her death.
Hearing a rustling in the trees, Trepeeset looked up. He saw Chotsalak lounging on a
sturdy tree branch, smoking a pipe of marijuana. He seemed at peace. That made one of
them.
Trepeeset climbed the tree up to Chotsalak. Sitting up, he made room for Trepeeset. "You
look like you've had a rough night," Chotsalak observed.
Trepeeset shook his head. "You have no idea. You still use that crap?" Trepeeset said,
looking at the pipe Chotsalak had in between his lips.
He took the pipe out. "You want some?"
"Of course."
After a few puffs Trepeeset began to calm down. Eventually the entire story spilled out,
from Trepeeset's father to his mother. Chotsalak was rapt. "Your mother is a Pale Woman?"
he asked, incredulously.
"Yes," Trepeeset said. He held his arm against Chotsalak's. His skin was a few shades
lighter than his friend's, showing his Pale Man roots. He had never noticed that before.
Staring at his arm, he changed into Pocohono, watching his skin darken.
A startled Chotsalak nearly fell out of the tree. "Don't do that!" he cried.
Remembering what happened to Pocohono's knee, Trepeeset quickly changed back to
himself before the changes hit below his waist. "I am sorry, friend. But look at what has
happened to me!"
Chotsalak blew a few smoke rings. "Look, friend, I think things will be fine. Once we get
back to defending against the Tadafek and the Pale Man, you will not be thinking about
such things." Trepeeset remained silent. Chotsalak looked at him. "What?"
Trepeeset shook his head. "I don't think I can fight the Pale Man anymore."
Chotsalak's brow furrowed. "Why?"
"Because my mother is one! I mean ... was one! I just ... I cannot!" Trepeeset cried.
"They steal our land!" Chotsalak roared. Several birds flew away in fright. "They kill our
game! They rape our women!" Chotsalak shoved Trepeeset. "What sort of warrior are you?!
They are demons, and you defend them!"
Trepeeset shoved Chotsalak back. "SOME of them are! The rest are good people! There
were two men that tried to help my father when he was shot. And my mother, Beth!"
Chotsalak crossed his arms. "While they may do good, they still steal our land. They must
be stopped." Chotsalak looked at his friend, who was looking more and more plaintive.
Trepeeset buried his head in his hands, looking like he was about to cry. Chotsalak sighed.
"Look," he said. "There is one Pale Man you must kill. The man who killed Medicine Man
Pocohono."
Trepeeset nodded. "Weasel," he muttered.
"Huh?"
Trepeeset looked at Chotsalak. "Short, fat, brown, and hairy," he said with contempt for his
father's killer. "I call him Weasel." Even though Trepeeset could not at the time access
Pocohono's memories, the image was burned into Trepeeset's memory. He would likely
never forget his sinister face.
"Ah. So what will you do?"
Trepeeset shrugged. "We need to find him, somehow. I do not know where the Pale Man
camp is."
Chotsalak looked thoughtful. "One will turn up soon. You can be a bird and follow him and
find out where the rest of the Pale Men lives."
Trepeeset nodded again, then looked Chotsalak in the eyes. "WE can be birds and fly in
search of him."
Chotsalak's eyes widened. "Really?"
Trepeeset took the medallion off his neck and handed it to Chotsalak. "Really."
He looked at Trepeeset. "Are you sure? This is supposed to be your quest."
"It is my quest. But I will need your help along the way, friend."
Chotsalak smiled. "I would be honored to help you, friend." He looked at the turquoise
medallion. "So which spirits do you have in here?"
"An owl, a gopher, and my father."
Chotsalak kept looking at the medallion. "But what happens when I take it off? You need to
use it as well."
"You can take it off, but you cannot Change back until you put it back on. And if you take
it off, the animal's instincts get stronger." At Chotsalaks quizzical look, Trepeeset said "I
learned that when I was in my father's body and I had the stone in my hand. I could feel
the magic in it."
Chotsalak was silent for a few moments. Then he slowly placed the medallion around his
neck, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and concentrated on growing wings. Trepeeset
gasped as his friend shrunk on the branch, growing feathers. His arms melded into wings,
and his legs shortened into sharp talons. Chotsalak's eyes grew large on his face as his
mouth hardened into a beak. Now an owl, he shook violently, trying to free himself from
the clothing he was wearing before. Placing his hand behind the bird, Trepeeset prevented
Chotsalak from falling off the branch. He grasped Chotsalak's top and threw it down to the
ground. His breechclout fell off on its own.
Now freed, Chotsalak let out a mighty "Hoooooooot!" and shot into the air in a brown
streak. Trepeeset watched in wonder, now knowing the feelings Chotsalak was having
when he first saw Trepeeset Change. And Chotsalak now knew the feelings Trepeeset had
when he first flew. Trepeeset smoked some more from Chotsalak's pipe, seeing the owl fly
by occasionally.
Chotsalak flew for a much longer time than Trepeeset's first time. Eventually, he returned
to the tree. Chotsalak tried to land on the branch, but missed. He fell to the ground below.
Trepeeset, now quite high, giggled uncontrollably at the sight. Chotsalak's owl body grew
as the feathers retreated back inside. Trepeeset laughed hard as Chotsalak reappeared
face-down, his bare butt in the air.
"That was amazing," Chotsalak gasped, sitting up. "I could fly! I was a bird!" He suddenly
covered up, realizing he was naked. "Umm, can you toss me my clothes, friend?"
"Oh, your clothes?" Trepeeset said with a smirk. "Here they are," he said, throwing them
away from Chotsalak and deeper into the forest.
"Oh, you..." Chotsalak growled. "Did you smoke all of my grass?!"
Trepeeset took another deep rip and exhaled. "Now I did."
Chotsalak tried to look angry. "Oh, your medallion?" he echoed, and feigned a deep throw
into the woods. But eventually a smile broke through on Chotsalak's face. The joy of flight
broke through all other emotions. "I can't believe I was flying. This is a wondrous
medallion," he gushed, holding it in his hand. He gathered his clothes and quickly got
dressed. "I don't know what we will do with our clothes when we Change, though."
"I know," Trepeeset said, climbing down clumsily from the tree. "I don't have many more
clothes."
Chotsalak handed back the medallion and they both walked back to the village, Chotsalak
smiling widely and chattering about his flight.
***
The rest of the day passed quickly: the marijuana helping Trepeeset keep his mind off of
his troubles. However, Trepeeset had another nightmare that night: he was attacked by
wolves as tall as he was with shining white fur and blood red eyes. He awoke with a start in
his teepee and found it impossible to get back to sleep.
Sighing, he decided to take a flight as an owl to calm himself. If it worked for Chotsalak, it
works for him. He reached for his medallion, which he took off and placed next to him
before he fell asleep. It was gone!
In a panic, Trepeeset searched his teepee. It was nowhere to be found. Dashing from his
teepee, he entered Chotsalak's teepee to wake him up. He opened the teepee and there
was no one in it. A scowl crept across Trepeeset's face as he realized where his medallion
had gone to. Chotsalak had taken it!
Trepeeset stormed out of Chotsalak's home and back to his own teepee. He would really
give it to Chotsalak in the morning. He wouldn't have minded lending it to him again, but
he just took it! Angrily, he laid down in his teepee and eventually fell asleep once again.