tonight?”
“Oh, something I shot on the other side of the creek. Thought I'd prepare the meat over there. Saves me messing up the camp.”
Jesse could sense that his uncle was, in fact, protecting him. Uncle Matthew knew that he wouldn't be interested in watching him skin and clean an animal. Jesse didn't mind, however. It was an experience that, he was sure, he could live without. He preferred his meat being presented to him in round patties or cuts of steak. That's why he looked questioningly at the meat strips Uncle Matthew pulled out from a plastic bag.
“What is it?”
He shook his head. “I'm not going to tell you until you try it.”
Uncle Matthew placed a pan over the fire and rubbed grease into the metal. He then threw the slices of meat onto the sizzling surface. Jesse was put in charge of keeping an eye on the meat while Uncle Matthew again disappeared into the forest. Concentrating on flipping and shuffling his mystery meat as it cooked, Jesse barely noticed his uncle returning with a handful of plants.
“What's that?” asked Jesse, glancing from the meat to the greenery.
“Wild onion and cow parsnip. I've already washed them in the creek. Just give me a minute to chop them up, and we should end up with a pretty good stir-fry. Sound good?”
“Sounds great!” Jesse was so hungry, anything sounded good.
Jesse passed Uncle Matthew the pan, who tossed in the vegetables and finished cooking the meal. Each plate was filled with heaping amounts of food. It was delicious! Was it the fresh food, the clean air, or maybe just the adventure of being in the woods with his father's family that brought alive the flavours within his mouth? Then he remembered the meat. He tapped his plate with his fork.
“All right, Uncle Matthew, I have to admit, this is the best stir-fry I've ever tasted. So what is the meat?”
“Rabbit,” he mumbled, between chews.
“You're kidding,” stammered Jesse, looking down at the browned bits of meat on his plate.
Uncle Matthew tapped his knapsack. “If you don't believe me, I can show you the skin I saved.”
“No, thanks,” said Jesse, surprised that he still had his appetite. “What are you going to do with it?”
“I'll give it to your aunt. She'll make it into a pair of earmuffs or perhaps some fur-lined gloves.”
“Oh,” said Jesse. “I think I'll pass on rabbit mittens and stick to my ski gloves.”
Uncle Matthew shook his head. “Out here in the woods during winter, you'd want a pair of your aunt's gloves, believe me. Synthetics have nothing on well-made, animal hide winter clothing. You'd freeze to death in that high-tech stuff long before I would even start to shiver.”
After finishing off with a hot chocolate, they cleaned the dishes in the creek, then prepared for the night. Jesse thankfully crawled into his sleeping bag and closed his eyes. This trip was turning into an incredible adventure. As he drifted off to sleep, he tried to imagine the look on his father's face as he stumbled upon his first artifact from the ancient village. Suddenly, he wished it were his father who was here today to show him the secret mounds. It wasn't hard to dream that it was his father, instead of Uncle Matthew, who was curled up beside him. His mind tried to reach out to the image of his father. He could almost touch him. A tear trickled down Jesse's cheek as the vision faded and darkness carried him away.
Four
The angry bantering of nearby squirrels brought Jesse back to the land of the living. He opened his weary eyes and blinked into the morning light. The slight movement of his body caused the squirrels on the branch above him to jump, then chatter at him in annoyance before scampering away. Groaning, he rolled onto his side. Jason, facing away, was lying next to him, his ribs gently rising up and down with each sleeping breath. He must have returned to camp in the middle of the night, thought Jesse. So…the vision quest was over. With their goal accomplished, Uncle Matthew would now lead them out of the woods, and Jesse would be back on a bus to Toronto by tomorrow.
For the first time all trip, Jesse wasn't eager to return home. Not only were his legs still tired from the hike in, but he really wanted to spend an extra day or two with his dad's family. Something was happening between the three of them. It was a sense of an extended family that had been missing in his life. Something his mother simply couldn't provide. It was a sense of male companionship and brotherly trust.
Jason stirred, so Jesse nudged him on the back. “Hey, Jason. How did it go last night?”
“Wha…?”
Suddenly, Jason threw his head around and faced him, his frightened eyes staring at him in disbelief.
“What's wrong?” asked Jesse, still waking up. “Do I have hot chocolate all over my face?”
Jason awkwardly crab-crawled away from him. It looked as if he had seen a ghost. “You…you're talking! This can't be happening!”
Jesse then noticed his face. The young man looked remarkably like Jason, but it was not him. Each cheek was marked with a jagged, charcoal line that angled down towards the back of his jaw. A worn, fur-lined blanket slid off his shoulders, exposing his muscular body. His legs were bare, and his lower half was covered only by a leather loincloth. His feet were bare.
With a sickening feeling growing in his stomach, Jesse looked down at his own feet. Instead of sweatpants and socks, he saw slender, golden legs that ended at a pair of elegant, ebony hooves.
“No!” shouted Jesse. “Wait! Don't be afraid!”
The young native man fiercely pointed a finger at him. “I know you! You are the one my grandfather told me about. Stay away!”
His grandfather? “What are you talking about?” asked Jesse, confused.
“I can tell by the white mark on your chest,” he accused. “It is shaped like a bolt of lightning, just as he described. During the hunt many years ago, you destroyed our deer pen by attacking us and leaping as no deer had ever done before!”
“Okay,” Jesse had to admit. “Now that you mention it, I do seem to remember trashing a deer pen a while ago.”
“It was you,” the young man growled.
Jesse shrugged inwardly. “But come on, that was a long time ago. And can you blame me for not wanting to be your grandfather's dinner? Tayna and I were just trying to escape.”
He shook his head violently. “No! You are a bringer of death and destruction! My people nearly ran out of food that winter because of what you did. You destroyed our trap, then vanished before their eyes. You are an animal spirit that must be avoided.”
“But I can't go yet,” said Jesse, thinking he must have just fallen asleep.
The young man's eyes narrowed into a wolf-like glare. “Then you are here to challenge me. I am not afraid of you!”
Suddenly, a knife appeared in his hand and he spun into a crouch, ready to pounce. Jesse gulped with fright. He backed up a step, wondering if he could escape with another mighty leap as he had
