Gift of the Forest (Part 1)

The smell of the fire was intoxicating and the burning wood popped and crackled loudly, keeping the night alive with a familiar sound. The moon above was full and large, illuminating the forest with its glow as the long shadows of the trees bowed away from it, stretching across the ground and over the boy and his fire. The boy sat alone, huddled against the roaring fire, the orange glow lighting up his tan face. He wore animal skin clothing with red and blue patters. His feet and hands were bare, and subject to the chill of the night. His hair was tied back in a small braid with two feathers fashioned at the top and bottom. A headband embraced his forehead and his dark eyes gazed at the stinging light of the blaze. His name was Dyami, a 12 year old Cherokee boy. He was on his own in the wilderness, because this was where he needed to be. He had a mission…a task to perform.
“It is foolish,” his friends had told him, “you will never return, Dyami!” At this point, Dyami was starting to wonder if they had been right. This quest was becoming more and more dangerous and difficult as the days wore on, but this was what he had chosen. In his small tribe, if a boy was to become a man, he had to prove himself as a capable warrior, hunter, and provider. He must learn his place and how his skills might contribute to the tribe as a whole. Some boys had chosen to do simple tasks such as hunt and kill a wild bear or a stag on their own. Others aimed higher and said they would bring back the eggs of eagles or the teeth of a mountain cat. But Dyami had chosen none of these things. No, the task he had chosen was a much more impossible feat.
Tribal legends spoke of a spirit that dwelled within the woods. She was the spirit of the forest, and she was called Tsali. It was said that the trees and the animals were hers to protect and govern. None had ever seen her before, so no one knew what she looked like. However, what was known about her was that she was the master of the forest. She could only be found in the deepest and most uncharted part of the forest, and even then she had to choose to be seen by the one seeking her. Many brave and strong warriors and elders had attempted to find her, but none had ever succeeded. Those that had were either called insane or liars…sometimes both. However, it was said that if one could find and catch Tsali, then Tsali would bestow upon him her gift. The gift, however, was just as much a mystery as was the spirit herself.
This was what Dyami sought. He would find Tsali and he would return to his tribe with her gift bestowed upon him…whatever it was. Such a task would surely prove his merit as a man and a member of the tribe. Dyami remembered the day he had announced this decision, and he recounted how his family and friends had responded.
“It is suicide!” His father had tried to reason with him.“You cannot find, Tsali…no one has. Do not go to that forest…it is perilous and you will die.”
“But father, I must go!” Dyami explained.
“Son there are far more reasonable quests you could choose to take.” He had replied earnestly.
“Yes, but none are as magnificent as capturing the great Tsali.” Dyami answered. The look of anger upon his fathers face was a combination of frustration but also one of defeat.
“It’s no use,” my mother had said, “you know there’s no changing his mind now.” Though she spoke kindly and with encouragement, there was a deep sadness in her voice. She too didn’t want Dyami to go, but she knew better than to try to stop him. “If this is the path you’ve chosen to walk Dyami, go and ask the elder what you should do.”
Dyami took his mothers advice and went to speak to the Grand Elder. When he stood before the Elder, she had looked upon him with her old and wise eyes and smiled. The Elder of his tribe had always been counted as a wise and good woman. Though her days were surely numbered, none dared to consider her weak or feeble, for she was indeed a very wonderful woman; respected and loved by all. It was she who had to determine if his quest was sufficient.
“If this is the test that you wish for yourself, then may you return with honor and success, ayule; my child.” She had whispered, kindly. His friends and family had been quite surprised that she would let him go…in fact, Dyami himself was a little taken aback by her acceptance of this dangerous task, but he also felt great excitement. The Elder had given him her blessings…and her trust. To return now, empty handed, would be nothing short of disgraceful. He would either return with the gift of Tsali…the gift of the forest…or he would not return at all. The only things that Dyami had been allowed to take were a tent, a sleeping mat, one change of clothes, his weapons for hunting, and his tools for survival. The rest of his needs and necessities were his responsibility. There would be no help for him on this journey.
“I will find you Tsali.” Dyami whispered to the fire. “I swear this on the very forest in which you dwell…that I will find you and I will return alive and victorious.” The wind blew, allowing the flames to roll and sway lazily. He yawned and crawled into his bed mat. As he lay his head down, he thought about his mother and father and how they were doing. Were they worried about him? Were they worried? “I’ll be home soon, I promise.” As the stars and the moon above were his light, he closed his eyes and felt the heat of the fire lull him into a deep sleep. As he drifted away he saw an image of his mother and his father dancing before his eyes, their loving smiles illuminating his dreams.
“Uganasdv asgitsa.” He whispered. They were the same words his mother would say to him before bed. ‘Sweet dreams’ they meant…and he indeed would have them this night.

There was a loud grunting and rumbling sound coming from outside. Dyami opened his eyes and rolled over in his mat. The sun was not quite up in the sky but it was clear that a light was coming from the horizon. The smell of the fire was dwindling and the crackling from last night had almost gone away. The grunting and ripping sound was louder now. He climbed out of his tent and looked to the source of the noise. His mouth nearly fell open in shock.
“Equa Yonu!” He muttered. In his tribe, it meant ‘Great Bear,’ for only the largest of bears could be given such a title. This bear surly deserved that title. Just being on all fours, it was almost twice as tall as Dyami! It was sniffing around the camp and grunting as it went. The grumbling in Dyami’s stomach was betraying him, and the bears head raised up and turned to look in his direction.
“Wa’do.” Dyami whimpered. He knew that his mother would not have appreciated him cursing like that…but perhaps she would forgive him this one time considering that he was staring face to face with a equa yonu. The beast roared and lumbered toward Dyami. The boy leaped backwards and looked for his tomahawk, laying next to his tent. He dived for it, barely missing the bears giant paw. The bear roared again and stood up on it’s hind legs, baring its huge fangs. Dyami grabbed his tomahawk and stood up, shivering in fright.
He had always been so impressed when a hunter returned with bear pelts over their shoulders, telling stories about the ferocity and the cunning of bears, but never before had Dyami ever dreamed he would be in their shoes. The bear charged and Dyami rolled aside. He swung the axe back into the bears leg and it sank in. The bear lost its footing and fell to the ground. Seeing an opportunity, Dyami leaped on the bears furry back and clung to its hairs. The beast roared and bucked furiously, trying to throw Dyami off of him. He hung on with all of his strength, and used his free hand to raise his tomahawk.
“Atsilv!” Dyami screamed. The word meant ‘help,’ but no help would come, and he knew it. He knew that this was something he had to accomplish on his own. The bear reared up on its back leg and Dyami was nearly thrown off. With a cry of fright, he grabbed onto the fur and hung on as tight as he could, desperate to stay on the beasts back where he was safe. The bear was thrashing and snarling angrily. Dyami had to kill it fast, or it might dislodge him. He raised his tomahawk and closed his eyes tight, not daring to look, as he could not bear the thought of failing. With a war cry he brought the axe down on the bear’s skull.
The equa yonu let out a grunt and a gurgle as it stopped struggling and sank to the ground. It’s body lay motionless and lifeless. Still shaken, Dyami rolled off of the beasts back and stared at it, waiting to see what it would do. As he looked closer, he saw that the bear was not well. There was something about its eyes…and its mouth. There was froth and foam there, like it had been spitting. It’s body, now that he looked closer, was covered in bites and scratches from where it had likely been attacking itself. The creature was utvilgi. A term that translates as ‘deathly sick.’
“Thank goodness it’s over” Dyami breathed, falling backwards and laying on his back. His chest heaved in and out in exhaustion. That fight had drained him, but he had won…his father would have been so proud of him if he could see this!
Why couldn’t he? Dyami sat up for a moment and stared at his kill. This bear was far bigger than any other equa yonu he had ever seen! Bringing it back would surely be more than adequate to prove himself a man. None could deny his strength and skill now, could they? He stood up to remove its pelt when he suddenly stopped. The knife gripped tightly in his hand. He stared at the bear and he felt the movement of the forest. The wind whistling past the trees and the feel of the very air around him. It was something glorious and beautiful…and it called to him. It was then he remembered what his true test had been.
“If I go back…then I will have passed nothing.” Dyami whispered. “I swore to find Tsali…not a yonu.” Yet, despite this, the thought of abandoning this chance was painful. No one in his tribe had ever killed such a beast, and here he was, standing over it triumphant. He could return. He could go home to his mother and father, at last a man.
“No…I cannot return.” Dyami moaned. “If I give up that easy, then what kind of man am I?” He turned to his supplies and packed up his belongings. He rolled up the tent and snuffed out the few burning embers of his fire. He strapped it all to his back and notched his bow. He took a glance back at the bear, still so large and so tantalizing. The song of his victory could already be heard ringing in his ears, just imagining how grand a return he would receive if he returned with the pelt of his monster.
But he would also live with the shame of knowing he had let Tsali escape him. He turned away and marched onward through the forest, his wits keen and his heart filled with fire. He would not go back until he had accomplished his task. He left the camp and the bear behind him, never once looking back.
“I am a Cherokee warrior!” He cried. He shouted them once more to the forest, and through out the woods, the beasts, the air, and the trees all could hear his cry: “Aya, Tsulitsv-yasdi ayastigi.” With his hardened conviction he continued hiking through the mysterious woods. He was just a boy back home; an atsutsa. But this was his chance…his hope. He would find Tsali, and he would return home successfully. As the wind blew against his face, and the strength in his voice and arms returned to him, he took off into a small jog through the beautiful and mysterious forest in which Tsali surely waited for him. “I will not give up! I will not go back without finding you!” The forest opened wide to the boy as he rushed through. The eyes of the forest gazed upon this strange young child as he laughed and ran onward. The thrill of the hunt was upon him.
As he ran, he chanted a song that his tribe would sing before a great hunt or after there was reason to celebrate. As he chanted the song to himself, the old and beautiful melody seemed to stir the very world around him and he felt an old but powerful feeling fill him. He smiled brightly at the rising sun and continued his search. “Aya, Tsulitsv-yasdi ayastigi. I am a Cherokee warrior! I will find you Tsali!” Unknown to Dyami, somewhere not so far away, a forest spirit was smiling.