Читать книгу KEOKEE, THE CHEROKEE BOY - Greg Monroe - Страница 6

THE BEGINNING

Keokee was only ten summers old when he first met Otter. His father, Stonega, told Keokee that Otter would teach him many valuable things. Keokee did not understand this at first, but later, he grew to understand what Otter, and other animals of the forest, could teach. But he was only a little boy then and cared more for adventure and having fun than learning lessons of life.

This came later.

Keokee lived in a valley nestled in the mountains called by the Cherokee the “Land of a Thousand Smokes,” or the Great Smoky Mountains. His people had lived in the place as long as they could remember. They also called themselves the “Principal People,” or “Original People,” because according to their legends, they were the first people in the Great Smoky Mountains.” Keokee’s village was nestled in a little valley between two high mountain ridges and a beautiful river, teeming with fish and freshwater mussels, that flowed swiftly through the valley—gurgling clear, deep, and pure—running right by the log and earth lodge where Keokee lived. It was a very beautiful place indeed, and a perfect place for his village, because the forest and the fields provided much food, and the rivers and springs provided clear, cold water and fish to eat.

There was little time for a Cherokee boy to play because it was very hard work to provide enough food and water to feed an entire village, and Keokee had many responsibilities. It was Keokee’s job to see that the water jar inside the family lodge was always filled with fresh cold spring water, which he carried from a nearby spring, which bubbled forth straight out of the ground, and it seemed, at least to him, he was forever kept busy gathering hickory nuts, walnuts, acorns, and berries when they were ripening. If that wasn’t hard enough, Keokee was taught how to plant and harvest corn, beans, and squash from the vegetable fields along the river, and when he wasn’t doing that, his father or mother were always calling for him to do other stuff, like carry firewood to keep the cook fires going, bringing more water to cook with, and other chores which weren’t very fun to do.

Keokee’s father, Stonega, was one of the leaders of the Cherokee people. He was not a chief, but he was one of the village elders who gathered in the great Council House of the Cherokee people to discuss and decide on important issues, such as enforcing tribal laws, maintaining the Sacred Fire of the Cherokee, and other such issues. Keokee’s mother, Cheoah, was a very beautiful woman. Keokee was very proud of his father, and he loved and adored his mother. He was an only child though, and sometimes it seemed that there was more time for chores than for fun and adventure.

Keokee often got into trouble with his parents because they just didn’t seem to understand that work and chores were no fun at all. You see, like most other ten-year-old boys and girls, Keokee was a very adventuresome little Cherokee boy, and he loved to sneak away from his chores and go exploring every chance he could. But it never seemed he had enough time to go on real adventures. It seemed that he never had enough time for real fun.

Keokee’s homeland was a great place for a little Indian boy to grow up in too. There were beautiful towering mountains full of oaks, hickories, and other beautiful trees; clear, fast-running streams, which came tumbling out of the mountains to form the river that flowed past Keokee’s village; and rich cane fields to explore. There were white-tailed deer, squirrels, bears, and all other kinds of critters to investigate. There was a multitude of fish, crawdads, and other water creatures in the rivers and streams, just waiting to be caught and played with. It was a place full of fun and adventure just waiting to happen, and it was so, so exciting to live there. So you see, living in such an exciting place just made Keokee’s heart burn more and more for adventure.

Sometimes, Keokee tried to play with the other Cherokee children, but he soon grew bored with that because the kids in Keokee’s village weren’t very much fun. Most of the children in Keokee’s village played games like stickball, a game where two teams each tried to roll a ball using short sticks into the other team’s goal. Or they wanted to shoot play arrows at play targets or play silly hiding games, nothing that was real fun. And whenever he suggested that they go on a real adventure, like exploring in the forests, everyone was afraid to get too far from the village because they were afraid they would get punished if their parents caught them. So it swiftly became obvious to Keokee that if he wanted to experience real adventures and excitement, he’d pretty much have to do it alone.

Well, Keokee wanted real adventure—he wanted to explore new places, fight fierce animals, and do all the brave grown-up things that grown-ups did. Sometimes, the grown-up men would take off on hunting expeditions and be gone for days and days on end; when they returned, they would gather in the Great Council House and sing about songs about their adventures, glories, and accomplishments. Little boys and girls weren’t allowed in the Council House though because that was a place for grown-ups only. But many times, Keokee would creep silently on his belly to the side of the Council House and, hiding in the shadows, place his ear to the wall and listen to the exciting stories told by the grown-ups of successful hunts, brave fighting, and tales about strange lands and unusual animals. Keokee so burned with excitement over what he heard that when he’d later sneak back to his bed, he could not sleep. He so dearly wanted to do the things grown-ups did.

So one morning, on a bright sunny spring day, Keokee began the day as he always did, with his first chore of the morning: filling the water jar with fresh spring water. But instead of filling the jar and returning it to its place by the lodge door, Keokee left it at the spring and walked off alone into the forest. He was embarking on his first great adventure, all alone. He decided he was going to climb to the very top of Wayah Bald, which was a peak, distant and blue, far, far beyond the village ball field. He had never been there before, but he thought it would be great fun and oh-so-exciting to climb to the top of it and see what he could see from its pinnacle. He didn’t know how far away the mountain was; in the clear mountain air, it looked like it was maybe just over that little hill, then maybe just behind that bigger hill. Not real far, anyway, and he felt sure if he hurried, he could hike there and back before his mom and dad started to miss him. But all that was unimportant. He was embarking on an adventure—alone—and that was all that mattered.

Just like a real grown-up.

Keokee was well prepared as he began his trek. The night before, he had hidden things to take with him behind a log near the spring. He carried a gourd full of water tied to a belt at his waist just in case he got thirsty, and in a deer hide pouch slung over his shoulder, he carried dried meat, berries, bread made from acorns, and groundnuts. He had a rabbit-skin quiver full of arrows his father gave him for his birthday, and in his left hand, he carried a miniature version of his father’s war bow. Keokee could draw the bow and shoot an arrow farther than any other boy in the village with it, and he could hit what he shot at too. He wore soft buckskin leggings and shirt, and the tail feather from a ruffled grouse hung down from his hair along the nape of his neck. His feet were protected by strong, supple moccasins made from the hide of a wood’s buffalo, which was a great shaggy beast Keokee had never seen before, but his father had. He had everything he needed, and he walked swiftly away from the village, filled with joy and exuberance.

It was a beautifully clear day in early spring, just perfect for exploration and excitement. Early spring in the Smoky Mountains was green, vibrant, and alive. It seemed that all the birds in the Cherokee world were singing a different tune, and all the flowers were just beginning to bloom. Grand, stately oak trees had just started to put forth their very first true leaves—leaves so green they made the eyes hurt—and the streams were rolling and gurgling along with fresh new life. It seemed that all of life was just beginning, just like the story Keokee’s father often told of the very first day that the Cherokee people were born. Keokee imagined that it must have been a day just like this when the Cherokee people were first created, and this beautiful day made Keokee thankful to be a Cherokee and thankful for life.

Keokee noticed a change, though, when he finally left the cleared area around the village and entered the deep forest. He couldn’t figure out what it was though. He noticed that as he moved deeper and deeper into the real forest, where the trees were so tall that they blocked out most of the sun, that he no longer heard all the lively sounds of the animals and birds enjoying springtime. He no longer heard the familiar village sounds either. The forest got darker, and it got quieter. He suddenly realized what it was. He was no longer on familiar ground. He was in a strange land that he had never been before.

He was in the wild.

As Keokee’s imagination began to work, the forest got gloomier and more mysterious. Keokee started to get scared. He remembered stories his father often told him of wild panthers and wolves that sometimes carried off little boys and girls who strayed too far from the village, and of the fierce water dragon, which no one in Keokee’s village had ever seen, but Cherokee legends said lived in the rivers and sometimes prowled the forests looking for food. And Keokee remembered the village chief’s stern and serious warning about enemy tribes like the Seneca, who lived far, far to the north and sometimes raided Cherokee villages and carried off children and women. When he first heard these stories, they scared him, but after he thought about them for a while, he suspected that his father told him such stories to keep him from doing exactly what he was doing right now. But now he wasn’t too sure. For the first time, he thought maybe, just maybe, adventure wasn’t what it was cracked up to be.

All of a sudden, Keokee’s adventure didn’t seem to be too much fun.

Keokee looked around the forest. Everywhere he looked he saw darkness and gloom; huge trees which towered into the sky with trunks ten feet thick seemed ominous, and dark moss-covered boulders took on shapes of living creatures.

Some monster or terrible animal could be lurking behind those trees and rocks, waiting to eat me up, he thought. As the wind made sighing sounds through the leaves and tree limbs, Keokee started to imagine the sounds of someone, something, sneaking up on him, Suddenly, Keokee thought he heard “something” right behind him. A twig snapped and scared him half to death—he whirled around so fearfully, he nearly jumped out of his little moccasins. But everywhere he looked, all he saw was forest. Keokee got so scared that he almost turned in his tracks and ran back to the brightness and safety of the village as fast as his little legs could carry him.

Almost…

As he stood thinking about what to do, Keokee knew he couldn’t run back to the village now. After all, he was the brave Keokee, off on a great adventure. If he went running back now, he knew he would get scolded and probably punished as well for not finishing his chores. He knew he would be the laughingstock of the village, at least among the other Cherokee boys and girls. In his mind, he could see those laughing and pointing at him, shouting, Look! Here comes Keokee, who went off on a great adventure and didn’t even get out of sight of the village before he got scared. He knew they would make fun of him.

“No, I can’t go back now,” Keokee said to himself. “I have to go on.” So he took a few deep resolute breaths, squared his shoulders bravely, and continued on.

As he trod through the forest, he came across a trail made by wild animals, winding this way and that between the rocks and trees. It seemed to Keokee that it was leading in direction of Wayah Bald, so Keokee decided to follow it. For the first mile or two, the walking was easy, and Keokee made good time, but as the trail worked its way deeper and deeper into the foothills, the going became steeper and rougher. Keokee had to stop a few times to rest and drink his water, and as he rested, he listened to the sounds of the forest. He slowly got used to the sighing of the wind through the trees and the tiny wood’s sounds that birds, mice, and chipmunks made as they carried on their personal business. He realized that the sounds that had scared him at first were forest sounds, the sounds of nature.

That was when Keokee heard a real sound, a different sound. It was quite a way off, and it sounded like something thrashing around in the leaves, grunting and squalling with animal sounds. Keokee immediately got scared again, but as he listened, he could tell that whatever it was, the sound wasn’t coming toward him, and so instead of running away, Keokee’s fear turned to curiosity, which then turned into the spirit of adventure. As his sense of adventure took hold, Keokee completely forgot his fear. He reminded himself that he was a brave Cherokee warrior on a serious quest and began to make his way quietly toward the sounds he was hearing. He pretended he was a fearsome Cherokee brave, sneaking up on the enemy Seneca. As he silently stalked, moving ever so slowly so as to make no sound, he very carefully took a little practice arrow out of his quiver and nocked it onto his bowstring.

As Keokee crept closer and closer to the sounds, he noticed that the thrashing in the leaves was accompanied by animal sounds, grunting, and growling, but to Keokee, the grunts and growls sounded like baby animal sounds. Keokee had gone about a hundred yards when he came to a forest glen where there was an opening in the trees above, which allowed a single ray of sunshine to reach the ground. And in this bright and cheerful little forest glen, Keokee saw two black bear cubs play-fighting, wrestling around on the ground, and growling fiercely at each other just like two grown up bears, fighting over territory. They were having so much fun that Keokee almost laughed out loud as he watched them play and roll around. Keokee watched them roll back and forth on the ground, bellowing and growling at each other in mock battle, having so much fun that before Keokee realized what he was doing, he had jumped right in the middle of the fracas and joined in the battle.

This surprised those two little bears to no end. They were terrified of Keokee. Neither had seen a Cherokee boy before; and Keokee’s fierce war cry, screamed at the top of his lungs as he joined in the battle fray, sounded so real that, to those two little bears, Keokee was the monster, coming along to eat them up. The little bears began to wail and scream out in alarm and fear. Their play-growls and play-roars became real cries of terror, and they clawed and scampered wildly about, tangling up in a big pile, rolling all over them and Keokee, trying their best to get away.

At first, Keokee didn’t realize what he had done. He thought it would be great fun to roll around and play with bear cubs; it looked like fun, anyway, and there was no reason he couldn’t join right in. He was rolling around with the two cubs, growling as loud as he could, having the time of his life. He was having so much fun that at first, he didn’t notice that the bear’s play sounds had become fear sounds, but after a few more moments, he noticed another change, and a new, unmistakable sound, and it was getting closer and closer.

Keokee stopped wrestling the little bear cubs and rolled away from them, sitting up to listen. The bear cubs were completely forgotten now, and he didn’t notice they had scampered away, bawling and crying. He turned his head this way and that, trying to identify this new sound he was hearing. It was a grunting roar, a mad and determined sound, and as it got closer, Keokee heard the sound of a large body moving heavily and quickly through the forest, knocking brush and small trees out of the way as it came closer and closer. It was coming straight at him.

As Keokee leaped to his feet, his little heart nearly stopped beating as he saw a full grown mother bear enter the other end of the forest glen, running as fast as she could run, tearing up saplings and knocking rocks and logs everywhere, roaring in rage at whatever was threatening her babies. She saw Keokee immediately and identified him as the threat to her little ones, and Keokee knew she came to kill. Forgotten were the bow and arrow Keokee had nocked. Keokee knew his only hope was to run, and he ran like never before. Keokee was running for dear life, and it seemed to him that he was running in slow motion, like in a dream. He didn’t know where he was running to, and he didn’t care; his only thought was to get away.

This wasn’t the kind of adventure Keokee wanted!

As Keokee ducked, dodged, and ran between rocks, tree trunks, and dead falls, the roars and grunts of the angry mother bear got louder and louder. The ground seemed to tremble with every leap of her huge body, and Keokee could hear the incredible power of her body as it crashed over and through small trees and brush as if it wasn’t there. Keokee was screaming and crying to him, trying to run faster and faster, but the mother bear seemed to be gaining with leaps and bounds. It seemed that she was only a few feet behind him, and he imagined that he could feel her hot breath on his neck, when Keokee broke into an opening in the forest.

As Keokee broke into the clearing, two things happened. The first was that he found himself on a cliff about twenty feet above a river. The second was that the mother bear had just gotten close enough to take a big swipe with her claws at Keokee’s back. Keokee saw the river as his salvation, and with an extra burst of energy, he launched himself off the cliff, into the air, and just at that moment, he felt the mother bear’s claws just brush his back—she was that close.

Keokee fell and fell, seemingly almost forever before he hit the water, striking it with a great splash, and he kept his eyes squeezed shut as he sank deep into the river. When he finally opened them, he was upside down, and so deep in the water that all he saw was blue water and bubbles. He was turned so topsy-turvy that when he looked up where the surface of the water was supposed to be, all he saw was blue water, but as the current of the river spun him round and round, he saw a bright glow and clawed his way toward it. As he swam upward, the glow got bluer and brighter, and right before he thought his lungs would burst, all of a sudden, his head broke the surface of the water.

The current of the river was very swift, and it carried Keokee for a very long way before he could swim and claw his way through the water to the bank. Keokee crawled up on the muddy bank of the river, exhausted, cold, and very frightened. All in all, he was a very scared little Cherokee boy.

All of a sudden, Keokee remembered the angry mother bear, and he looked wildly about, fearful that she was still chasing him. He didn’t know if bears could swim, but maybe they could, and he watched the river for several minutes, half-expecting to see her huge brown body swimming through the water toward him. But after a few moments, he realized that he was probably safe for the time being, he finally calmed down, and he began to take stock of his situation.

Keokee suddenly realized that he was hopelessly and completely lost. In his mad dash through the forest, and his floundering in the river, he had lost his water gourd, his food, and his bow. All he had left was an empty deerskin quiver hanging by a loop around his shoulder, and his clothing was cold and wet. He had gotten completely turned around in his mad run from the bear, and he had absolutely no idea in what direction the village lay. What was worse, his adventure was a secret; he hadn’t told his mother and father where he was going because he knew they would have forbidden him setting out on his own. He had absolutely no idea where his village was, and as the full impact of his situation hit home, his fears returned, and with them despair. What have I gotten myself into now? Keokee thought desperately.

Keokee began to cry.

Keokee cried and cried. He thought how stupid he was to have set off, all alone into a strange land without telling anyone where he was going. Now he realized just why his father had warned him, many times, not to do exactly what he had just done. He had no way to get home, and no food. Soon the sun would set, and darkness would close around him, and then Keokee would be at the mercy of all the monsters and wild creatures of the night. Then he wouldn’t stand a chance.

Thinking of his father, Keokee remembered times when he and his father had taken walks in the woods, and Keokee’s father had taught him that a Cherokee’s teachers were the creatures of the air, water, and ground. His father had told him, over and over, that all of God’s creatures could communicate and had ways of their own, and that a Cherokee could learn many things just by watching and listening to the birds and animals. Keokee remembered his father telling him how many birds changed their songs when danger approached, and how the ground creatures sought shelter early in the day when a bad storm was coming. Keokee’s father once told him that a person could get himself out of any bad situation if he paid close attention to the ways of the wild creatures.

Keokee looked around at his surroundings. He was sitting on the banks of a large, swift running river, which was bordered by cattail and river cane. When Keokee saw the cattail, he grew a bit relieved, for he knew that the tubers of the cattail were edible, like potatoes. Well, at least I won’t starve, Keokee thought, and I have a whole river full of water, so I won’t get thirsty either. And I can make a blowgun and darts to hunt with from the river cane. Keokee suddenly remembered that in the river, he would find fish, crawdads, and freshwater mussels to eat, and he decided right then that he would stay close to the river, for it was a constant source of food and water. At least he wouldn’t starve to death or die of thirst. Just knowing this made Keokee feel a little better about things.

But he was still lost.

Keokee then saw something brown and furry swimming through the water near the bank where he was standing. It was a large brown furry creature, which swam effortlessly through the water, sometimes gliding on its back, then twisting to dive underwater and reappearing again. It was a river otter, like the many which played in the river near Keokee’s village. Keokee often sat and watched the otters play for hours; all they did was play with each other and eat. Keokee often thought it would be great fun to be a river otter.

This otter played and played, swimming, diving, and rolling about in the water. It would roll around on its back, swimming downstream with the current, but then it would come back near to the bank right where Keokee was standing and look straight into his eyes, unafraid. Then the otter would dive down and back up, turning over and over in the water, till finally it would roll onto its back again and drift down the river. It did this over and over, drifting down the river, then swimming back to Keokee, and looking him in the eyes. something about the otter seemed familiar to Keokee, but he couldn’t pin it down. But the more he watched, the more it seemed to Keokee that the otter was trying to tell him something.

Keokee remember his father’s advice: listen, watch, and learn from the creatures of the forest.

As he watched the otter swim away down the river and come back, over and over, Keokee thought, Why, That’s the very same otter I’ve watched playing in the river near our village! That’s what he’s trying to tell me! He’s trying to tell me how to get back home!

And so he was. With Keokee following along happily, the river otter swam straight down the river, occasionally coming back so that Keokee wouldn’t get lost again, and before he knew it, Keokee could smell the wood smoke of the village campfires, and a few moments later, he heard the beloved and familiar sounds of the Cherokee people. When Keokee got to within sight of his village, he paused and looked in the river for the otter. It was following right along, swimming lazily along on its back, watching him with its black intelligent eyes.

“Thank you so much, my friend,” Keokee said to the otter. The otter lay on its back, floating in the water, and its bright intelligent eyes bored into Keokee’s. He was sure the otter knew exactly what he was saying. “I have also found a new friend, and now that we are friends, we can go on all sorts of adventures together. But you will need a name,” Keokee pondered.

After a few moments of thought, Keokee came up with a name for his newfound friend. “I will name you Soco, for the faraway place in the mountains where this river is born, which is in turn your home. It is a good name, and it suits you.” Soco seemed to understand, because he then swam right up to the edge of the bank and looked Keokee directly in the eyes for a long moment. He then flipped back into the water and disappeared from sight.

Keokee was lighthearted because he knew Soco would remember him from now on and that he and Soco would be fast friends and would go on many adventures together. He was very happy about three things: he had survived the encounter with mother bear, had completed a great adventure—alone, and he had made a new friend. But when he walked into the village, and the people saw him, many of them exclaimed aloud and started to shout and point. Many of them yelled, “Why, there’s Keokee! Here’s Keokee, everyone, he’s back!”

Uh-oh. It didn’t take Keokee too long to realize that he was in big trouble.

About that time he heard his mother, Cheoah, shout, “Keokee, where have you been! Your father and the entire council is out looking for you right now, and we have been very worried! You get inside at once, young man, and wait for your father to get back!”

Keokee knew his “adventure” was not yet over, because he now had to face his father and explain why he had been off playing all day instead of doing his chores like a good little Cherokee boy. That was almost as scary as facing the mother bear! But secretly, he was still happy, because in his mind, he had done something that no other Cherokee boy his age had ever done—gone on a great adventure alone.

It was well after dark when Keokee’s father returned. He had searched long and hard for hours before another man from the village had found him and told him that Keokee was safe and sound. Keokee could see the relief on his father’s face—relief that Keokee was safe—but he could also see that his father’s stern face was a great storm cloud of concern and mild anger, and he was a very grim father when he sat Keokee down on the earthen floor and sat facing him and very seriously and said, “Young son, you have much, much explaining to do. Tell your father where you have been today and leave nothing out.” Keokee knew he was in great trouble and figured that the best thing he could do was tell the truth.

So Keokee told him the entire story, leaving nothing out, not even the part about the angry mother bear, which Keokee was sure would scare his mother to death and make whatever punishment was coming ten times worse. Keokee finished the story by saying, “Father, I know I was very wrong to go off by myself without telling you and mother about my adventure, and I am sorry. But I wanted to go off exploring and do new exciting things, and it’s just so boring playing stupid games with the other kids in the village.” Keokee blurted out, “All they want to do is play silly games, shoot arrows at targets, and…nobody wants to have real fun!” Keokee suddenly fell silent, thinking he might have said too much, and stopped talking. A long silence fell over the cabin.

Finally, Stonega spoke. “Keokee, what you did was VERY wrong. You should have told your mother and I where you were going. Your mother was very nearly in tears, and I was very concerned about you as well. You must ALWAYS let us know where you will be from now on when you go exploring. But perhaps some of this is my fault. Keeping a strong, spirited boy cooped up in a village when he has the entire world to play in would be like putting a wild hawk in a cage. Perhaps I should have seen that. It is my responsibility to help you grow up, so from this day forth, you and I will start spending more time together learning the ways of our land, our forests, and our fellow creatures.” Keokee’s heart lifted a little when he heard this.

“Also,” Keokee’s father continued, “in a way, I am proud of you. It is obvious that you have listened to my teachings about our animal brothers and the many lessons they can give us, if we will but listen to them. You have listened well, and that may very well have saved your life this day. And your guardian spirit has guided you to your newfound friend, Soco, who brought you home when you were lost and had no idea where the village was. Truly, the Great Master of All Things brought Otter into your life to aid you and teach you. Such things are no chance encounter, my son, and I feel certain that Otter may well have been sent to save your life and to teach you. Otter has always been a spirit brother to the Cherokee people, and we never harm him or use him as food, for he is our brother and is the friend of all God’s creatures. Otter is the most playful and happy creature we know, and he never loses his way because he never leaves the water. Otter teaches us that if we stay close to rivers and streams, we will never get lost. Otter never feels anger. So Otter is a good friend to have, and you will learn many, many things good things from him, if you but listen and watch him.

“Besides,” his father said with a grin, “at least I know now that from now on, you now have a good friend who will keep you from getting lost.”

Keokee had been listening hard to his father’s words and suddenly understood what his father had said earlier in his lecture about letting telling where he would be from now on when he went exploring. So he said, “Father, does this mean that I can keep going on my adventures, and that you’re not going to punish me?”

Keokee’s father laughed, “Yes, my son, you can continue to grow up, because that is what children are supposed to do. As I have said, to interfere with that would be very wrong. We are people of the forest and the mountain, and such adventures will make you strong. But you must promise to be very careful, and you will promise me that you will always tell your mother and I when and where you are going off to play.” His father’s eyes then turned serious, and he said, “And, no, Keokee, you are going to be punished. You were wrong to sneak off alone without telling us where you were going. Your mother was very worried about you, and therefore you must do three things for me.”

“Yes, my father, I know I acted irresponsibly, and I was wrong. What must I do?”

“First, you must apologize to your mother for scaring her and causing her great worry. If you had seen the hurt in her eyes when word came you were missing, that would be punishment in itself. Remember the relief you saw in her eyes when you came home? Remember her tears?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Well, son, you caused your mother great pain and sorrow. You must make up for that.”

Keokee thought for a while, and asked, “How do I do that?”

His father replied with a smile and said, “Starting tomorrow, you must do your chores, and then your mother’s chores, every day, for a week. Only after you have finished your chores to my satisfaction may you and Soco go on another adventure.

“And lastly, son, remember this: Never come between a mother and her children. Our brothers and sisters in the forests have the same right to protect their little ones as we do, and many of our forest cousins will protect their children to the death, especially our cousins the bear, the mountain lion, and the wolf. You must respect them and remember that their love for their own children is as deep as our love for you, and be very careful when you see their children alone, because their mother will never be too far away. Do you understand this?”

“Yes, father,” Keokee answered meekly

“Have fun, my son, and enjoy yourself. I will try to join you on your adventures from time to time, because I too enjoy a little exploration and excitement. Besides, I was much like you when I was growing up, and sometimes I still yearn to climb the far distant mountains and follow new streams into new lands. One day we will do this together, my son. We will go to a far land where none of our people have ever gone before. It will be a great adventure for both of us. Would you like that, Keokee?”

“Yes, father, that would be great!”

Keokee’s father smiled and said, “Now, go apologize to your mother. Then go to bed. You will need your rest. You have a lot of work to do starting first thing tomorrow.”

And Keokee did just that.