A Ride Down Memory Cliff

The Shaman went back to his dancing as the women circled around him again. Manley looked over at Bill for a clue as to what's going on, but the man was barely containing his rage. The dance continued for twenty minutes before the group acknowledged them again. The shaman posed with tomahawks in hand, one straight out in front, the other off to his left. He waited in that position while the circling women placed a feathered headdress on him.

"Wolf, it's good that you're home once again." Koga smiled, swinging his head side to side, as the long feathers of his headdress swishes through the air.

Bill remained silent, body trembling, as if it took an immense effort of will not to explode at the man. Manley couldn't quite understand the relationship between the two, yes, the man was strange but why let him get under his skin so much. He concluded it must be because of the death of his family.

The shaman walked over to the giant bonfire, as the ladies gave him space. The women, in single file, walked into a huge teepee, covered in a colorful hide, smattered in artistic depictions of animals chewing on the guts of disemboweled people. Manley was stunned, the teepee wasn't there before now.

"Where the hell did that come from?" asked Manley.

Bill next to Manley, ignored the question, and began approaching the shaman. "This could be our only chance to talk to that madman before he finds a new distraction."

They got closer to the shaman and could feel, the intense heat of the bonfire. They stopped approaching when the heat got too intense for them.

"How hasn't this started a forest fire, this is crazy," said Manley.

Bill wiped the moisture off his brow, then fixed his stare at the back of the shaman. "Koga, could you please stop these games, I need to talk to you."

The shaman turned around slowly and dramatically, to reveal his head turned all the way to the side, the feathered headdress standing on his chin and neck. He easily twisted his head back into position, while holding the headdress in place before addressing Bill. "How can I guide you, my dear Running Wolf, if you continue to flee from your destiny?"

Manley was surprised when Bill took that jab calmly, he stood up straighter, before replying. "I don't need guidance from you, but…I've failed to keep others safe from the curse you've bestowed upon me. I am responsible for this and chose to face you as punishment."

The shaman smiled wider, much wider than his face should allow, teeth abnormally large in his mouth. He made to reply but something else grabbed his attention. "Eeeh, looks like my son is here to greet you, Wolf, THE Reunion WILL be so much fun." His words got louder at some points, but his tone remained gleeful.

Out of the woods, came a young man not much older than twenty. He was a native American man, the spitting image of Bill. His dark hair in a ponytail, sharp jawline, eyebrows pierced on both sides with two silver rings and brown eyes intense as he stared at Bill with visible hate. "You've come back begging for my father's favor, Coward Wolf."

"Now, that's no way to treat a guest, Burning Wolf. You see our little, Wolf, is just finding himself, is all." He was rubbing his right arm with the bladed end of his tomahawk as he spoke. "The only way he can feel at home with us, is by us welcoming him every time he strays. You DON'T Want HIM to Stray, do you?"

"I want his weakness to not infect any future members of our tribe." The young man spit at the end of his statement.

Manley couldn't help but chuckle after watching the play by play, of the three men. As he did, the shaman and the young man, noticed him as if for the first time.

"Who are you," asked Burning Wolf. He brandished a spear and began circling, Manley and by extension Bill.

"He is the reason, I am here. I passed the curse to this boy but there is something different about him." Bill ignored Burning Wolf and spoke directly to the shaman, who appeared to be a lot more serious.

"Yes, very different, to escape my influence…," said Koga.

Manley worked at the bakery, day in and day out. He pored hot wax on the back of ducks, it was the only way to create a sunrise. After a hard day of work, he would go over to visit his buddy Bill, at the river. As he treks through the muddy swamp, feeling the hot, squishy mud pass through his toes. He couldn't help but worship his god for this bounty. Only he couldn't rightly remember the name of his god, but he was quickly distracted from his thoughts by Bill.

"Ha yah Buddy, how is it going?" asked Bill. He was wearing his favorite kielbasa shorts, still dripping with barbeque sauce. The sauce plopped wetly into the mud.

PLOB! PLOB! PLOB! PLOB! PLOB! PLOB! PLOB! PLOB! PLOB! PLOB! PLOB! PLOB! PLOB! PLOB! PLOB!

They began to dance and stomp, mud flying everywhere, as the two friends reveled. Bill switched up and did a sashay, Manley accepting the challenge, did a belly flop, which turned into the worm. He moved smoothly on his stomach as he tried to dive into the sloshy ground. It didn't matter how hard he plied; the earth refused to give way. The top of his head now covered in mud, but he refused to admit defeat, he had to win, he couldn't let…

MENTAL DEFENSE ADVANCE LV2 Gained

The world melted before his eyes and Manley awoke with a start. He looked around his mansion and found all was as it should be. He left the uncomfortable, gentle warmth of the master bedroom, for the pleasant cold, frigid air of the jungle. He held on to a vine, as the chopper carried him down, into the sky.

As he watched the clouds beneath and the trees above, he felt at peace, terrible dream forgotten. The feeling of wanderlust hit him hard, as he decided to settle down at the beach. His friend Bill was there, he wasn't sure if the man ever went home to the moon. A childish grin assaulted his face as he felt the grainy sand hug his feet. The sandy hands pulled him to the ground as the sand men gave him a full body massage. He groaned in pleasure and relaxed into their ministration.

Manley turned his head with great difficulty, he could now see his friend Bill. Bill was blowing bubbles, hands gripping the rock-solid gluteus muscle of the deer. His head firmly placed between those mounds as he blew with all his might. His neck and freshly shaven head were turning red from the effort as the deer moaned in pleasure.

Manley was happy for his friend; he knew how hard he worked to tame that deer. Listening to the beautiful singing of the bats as they played in the water, splashing each other amid intermittent girlish giggles.

He couldn't help but pray to his god, who made all this possible, but he couldn't quite remember his name. He was then distracted by Bill, who finally managed to get the deer working. It hummed to life as Bill raced to get the saddle. He joyously tried to race over and joined his friend for a ride, but he couldn't move. He was buried in sand, but couldn't understand why he was not swimming, after all, he was a dolphin.

MENTAL DEFENSE ADVANCE LV3 Gained

Manley awoke, gasping, he couldn't understand what just happened. He felt like he forgot something very important, but the memory would not come no matter what he tried. "What, I've been here the whole time." He looked at the shaman and his son, who just noticed him.

"That you have, my boy, Manley, you and Wolf…have you decided to stop running." The shaman smirked and did the macarena.

Manley hated this man, who stood by the fire dancing. He could still remember that night, the monster before him, broke in and killed his family. "This is not a social call, Koga, I would not have come if Bill didn't convince me."

Bill, stood, arms crossed and staring down the shaman. "Yes, Koga, we need your help. Manley has advanced faster than he should, what can cause someone to merge with the beast at such speed?"

The shaman raised an eyebrow at that. "That is…strange but then again, you've always been a strange one. Follow me, I think the baby is awake."

The group followed the shaman into his teepee, Burning Wolf glaring at the two the whole way. Inside the teepee was a group of Caucasian women in native American dress, preparing food. The teepee was bigger on the inside.

One of the women approached the shaman, holding a baby. It was an African American baby girl named Valley, the shaman's young daughter. The shaman reached out and took the baby gently in his hand and started making faces at it as she giggled.

Manley and Bill waited patiently for the shaman to finish his foolishness. They know very well that showing impatience would only make him happy. After a while, Bill who had his arms crossed let his posture slip, as his arms fell to his side.

"I am curious, Manley, what has happened to lead to your change?" asked Koga.

"That's what we came to ask you, now you're asking me," said Manley.

"Koga is more interested in playing games than being of help to anyone," said Bill.

Burning Wolf, white knuckle gripped his spear. "You don't get to talk to my father like that coward."

"Now, now, let us not have disharmony among the tribe, I merely need to know more in order to help. Manley, has anything, affected, or altered your mind?" asked Koga.

Manley thought about it, then he remembered his…

MENTAL DEFENSE ADVANCE LV4

He couldn't think of anything just that he became one with the beast a lot sooner than should be possible. "No, nothing. I lived in the forest like normal, away from civilization. Then one day I gained control of my beast form, and now we are one."

"How is that possible, I am more deserving than you, I should be chief not you." Burning Wolf was fuming with jealousy and self-loathing. He has tried his best to prove himself to his father, but the shaman paid no attention to him when those two were not around. He knew his only chance was to merge with the wolf and gain the qualification to be chief.

Burning Wolf, often went out in search of people in the mountains, he would use his spear to force a transformation, and hunt. He believes that by feeding the beast they would become closer. He recently traveled to the closest town. He hunted people in his human form and consumed their flesh to become closer to the beast but to no avail. Then this upstart gained everything he wanted with little to no effort. He knew the boy was younger than he and had even greater potential.

"Again, I come for answers not to answer questions," said Manley.

"Hmmm…" The shaman picked up the baby, cradled it in his arms and rocked her back and forth. He presented the child to the group. "When you look upon this child, what do you see?"

Manley's anger stirred for a second but calmed after looking at the child his anger abated. She had his…

"I see your newest spawn," said Manley.

"Really? I see loss…we've all lost so much but WHEN I rebuild the TRIBE, within, twenty years, we will be free," said Koga. "Tell me the truth or I can't help you."

MENTAL DEFENSE ADVANCE LV5

"I just want to know what's wrong with me, am I going crazy?" asked Manley.