Deep in the Forest (Wattpad Editor's Pick, June '22)

16

The sky thundered, like the beat of drums at a powwow as they hiked the trail. Lightning zigzagged across the clouds, but no rain fell--perfect weather for a fire. 

Zoe's leg ached as she kept putting one foot in front of the other. Her flashlight barely lit the way as its glow faded in and out of existence, making her regret that they didn't wait to do this in daylight hours like intelligent people would do. 

Deer darted into the thick foliage as they neared the split in the path that curved east to Rimrock Lake or up to Culver Ridge. 

"It should be right up there." Takota provided assistance to help her climb the last incline to Spooky Tree. 

As they approached, a man appeared out from behind the hemlock's black circumference. 

Zoe sucked in a surprised breath. 

"What are you doing here?" Takota demanded. 

John Sohappy lifted his hands in surrender. "I'm here to help." His eyes weren't glazed from too much whiskey, and he didn't slur his words as he spoke. 

"Haven't you already helped enough?" 

"I know you want nothing to do with me, but if Ste ye hah stays angry, others will suffer from your mistakes." 

The image of her dad helpless in the hospital bed brought tears to her eyes. The guilt she felt made it difficult to breathe. Swallowing hard, she tried to clear her airway, and wished more than anything that she'd never stepped foot on Culver Ridge. 

"What do you think, Z?" Takota asked. 

"We need all the help we can get, but it's up to you." 

"Fine, you can help. When Ste ye hah shows up, you can keep him occupied so Zoe and I have time to run away." 

"Fair enough," John said. 

The three of them gathered at the base of the hemlock. 

Tendrils of fear scratched along her back. An intense fear, the kind she sensed both times she'd returned here. 

Green lights flashed behind the tree branches and the smell of rot assaulted her nose. 

"What was that?" Zoe spun in a circle, her flashlight darting around the area, searching for any movement. Her stomach squirmed, threatening to spill its contents on the forest floor. 

"He's here, watching to see what we will do," John said. 

"We need to let Ste ye hah know we come here in peace. Repeat the greeting with me." Takota spoke loudly, "Tea hea ha, mo mo. Na ki-ah-ve." He sounded so sure of himself, and she appreciated how strong her best friend was in her time of weakness. 

She fumbled through the unfamiliar words as Takota squeezed her hand. 

The three of them said, "Tea hea ha, mo mo. Na ki-ah-ve." Then they repeated the greeting one final time. 

A long howl similar to a wolf but deeper in tone pierced the air. It shook her from the inside out and filled her with apprehension. 

The two men cleared off a fallen log near Spooky Tree for a makeshift altar. 

John nodded, like he was pleased with the accommodations the Forest offered. "Now cleanse the space for the ritual." 

Takota faced south and pointed ahead of him with the tip of a clear, quartz crystal. "Spirit of the south, totem of the serpent, power of the heart, grant us the gift of your water medicine, so that we may give with our emotions freely and honestly, loving unconditionally." 

He turned to his right. "Spirit of the west, totem of the wolf, power of the body, grant us the gift of your earth medicine, so that we...." 

Zoe kept thinking of her intentions, and how she didn't mean any harm when she took the pictures of Spooky Tree, that she was curious, nothing more. She thought of all the bugs in the forest that she found fascinating and would never hurt them, just observe. Her mind drifted to her parents every few seconds. 

Takota reached towards the ground, drawing her out of her thoughts. "In honor of Mother Earth below who sustains us." Then he raised his hands above his head. "In honor of Father Sky above who guides us. In honor of the Great Spirit throughout who has ten thousand names and is the unnameable one." 

"A-ho!" Takota and John said in unison. 

Nothing moved, chirped or rattled. The forest was still--too still. 

"Ste ye hah, I meant you no disrespect when entering your land. Please, accept this offering as a sign of my sincerity." Takota placed the feather and the quartz crystal he cast the circle with on the altar. 

"Set the bowl down and put some water in it," John told her. 

The blue label on the bottled water reminded her of the color of her dad's oxygen tank. Her chin quivered. She filled the bowl half-way, expecting to feel something, anything. Instead, she felt like she lost her mind taking part in a ritual she didn't think would work. 

Takota placed some blackberries next to the bowl. 

Her skin crawled under the unseen gaze moving across her body. In her mind, she saw her photos of Spooky Tree and her stomach gurgled painfully, like she was starving but felt too nauseous to eat. She pulled her phone out and deleted the images and the one from the game camera. The discomfort eased. 

A knock, like wood cracking against another hard surface sounded from nearby. Heavy footsteps rumbled the ground under her feet as they headed in their direction. Her flashlight caught Ste ye hah in its light. 

He was close to nine feet tall. Hair covered his whole body and his yellow eyes glowed in the dark, human-like face. He stepped closer. 

She moved backwards. Zoe wanted to flee, hide behind several locked doors and never return here again. 

"Don't leave the circle," John said. 

"Takota, RUN!" She turned on her heel and refused look back to see if he was following her. 

"No, Z!" 

Her flashlight grew dim as she hopped over bushes and dodged low hanging branches. Trees disappeared from around her, the pine scent in the air faded, and everything went black.