Totem

  “The Legend

  The pale faces rode in on the water with low hanging clouds. The air caught their sails thrusting them forward to our land. When the pale faces came, we started dying. Tirelessly we reached to the skies crying out for help, but no answers would come. Slowly our numbers grew smaller and the tribes began to pull together, but still no answer came. Our tears fell on mother earth as our hope dwindled.

  Eventually, our people scattered to the four winds as more friends and loved ones entered the spirit world. Our unanswered cries caused some to turn to darkness. These dark ones took up weapons killing the pale faces and taking what they could as trophy. It was a world in chaos. It wasn’t until the palest of the pale came that all hope was lost. The palest ones came swiftly in the night. Their red eyes glowing as they preyed upon us, they took from us mercilessly. Their movements were quicker than any animal. Their strength unmatched and their thirst…they left a trail of bloodless bodies wherever they went.

  It wasn’t until THEM that mother earth answered our prayers…

  It happened one night in the swamps of Louisiana. Some surviving members of one of the tribes had sought refuge in the uninhabited wetlands of south Louisiana. It was a land the pale faces could not build on. It was a harsh land.

  It was late one night when the warriors saw the bird perched among the branches of the cypress tree. Across the swamp glowing more brilliantly than the moon was a golden eagle. So vivid and bright, it shined down upon them, reflecting in the bayou below.

  The brave eagle stared at the warriors as they slowly canoed toward its tree. It was a sign from the spirits. It was a sign from mother earth. The eagle let out a cry and lifted into the air, traveling a hundred feet then landing on the branch of another cypress tree beckoning the men to follow. The three warriors followed the golden eagle to the other tree. Each time they grew closer, the eagle would let out a cry, take off, and land on another tree leading the men into an unknown direction.

  They followed the eagle through the murky, teaming water of the swamp until they hit land. The eagle disappeared in the brush. The only evidence of its presence was its glow emulating through the tall grass.

  The brave warriors rose from their canoe and followed the light. In the middle of the swamp lands was a solid island. Tall grass licked the legs of the men as they grew closer to the light. Finally they found the eagle perched at the edge of the water of a small pond in the middle of the island. Its center gurgled up like a natural spring. He was slowly sipping on the water. As soon as he saw the warriors, the eagle let out one last cry and then rocketed into the sky. He circled the pond three times then plummeted into the center of the lake disappearing under the water all the light radiating from the eagle quickly flowed into the pond and grew. The bird was no more yet its light remained.

  The gurgling spring began to grow brighter and brighter as wisps of water began to steadily rise and fall. A hissing sound rose from the liquid and a controlled flow of watery wisps began to encompass the warriors. Their strength faltered as fear of the unknown rose up in them. It wasn’t until the waters hit them and went through them that their fear subsided. A voice only audible with in each of the three warriors began to speak to them.

  “We have heard your cries,” whispered the voice, “as the balance of power has shifted.”

  Faces of loved ones in the pond began to rise and fall. Faces of the familiar were different to each warrior, yet they rose and fell in the cool waters, igniting emotions in each individual. Eventually all the faces ascended into the spirit world. The last face to rise was the palest of the pale; the vampires. It smiled its pointed smile as the surreal voice spoke again.

  “Earth is no longer able to maintain her circular form with the introduction of them. Everything in balance has fallen out of balance,” whispered the voice. Dramatically the water shot up in one infinite column into the sky. “We must regain balance!” The voice hissed with a new power.

  With those words rose the totems; the deer from the woods, the buffalo from the plains, the raven from the sky, and the dolphin from the sea. Each animal rose and circled around the warriors. One by one, more animals rose until there were fifteen in all, dancing around the men with the last one being the familiar eagle that led them to this sacred place.

  “Fifteen tribes have joined in their cries and fifteen spirits have risen. The fifteen Totem animals of the tribes are gifts to help restore the balance lost by the vampires The fifteen animals will become you and you will become the animals.”

  The lion closest to the third warrior entered into his body. The warrior let out a cry and quickly transformed into a lion. His cries turned into roars. The eagle entered into the middle one and he morphed while the wolf entered into the last warrior causing him to shift.

  Just as quickly as the animals entered the warriors’ bodies, they left them changing them back into human form. One by one, the fifteen spirits entered each warrior and one by one the men took the forms of the beasts until all fifteen animals had passed through the three soldiers.

  When the last animal left the very last warrior, all three of them shifted back into their human form.

  “Inside of each of you are now the fifteen Totems of the fifteen tribes. Along with the Totems comes the knowledge of each animal; the flight of the eagle, the glide of the deer and the swim of the dolphin will become as natural to you as breathing. Use your powers well for you have become the answer to your people’s cries. The power to help restore balance is in each one of you. You are Totems,” the voice hissed.

  The trio of warriors stared at the white light as it flickered around them. The fifteen totems all rose from the water once more.

  “Your counsel will be called upon and at the rise of the next full moon will meet on this spot,” the voice hissed its last instruction.

  The light slowly faded into the deep of the spring. The warriors were the only things left glowing.

  And so the fifteen tribes of the counsel ascended upon the spring during the next full moon. For ten nights and ten days, the counsel delegated and a series of rules were created. It was a code and a law bestowed upon the tribes ending lifelong feuds that once rose and changed like the wind. All were united in one common cause. The cause was to bring balance. In each generation, there will arise three warriors to fulfill the prophecy. It is a promise from mother earth to always maintain balance.”

  With those last words, the elder threw the contents of the remaining two bags into the fire. Golden hues glow in the fire as red smoke rises lapping the ceiling. I am left in a daze and filled with so many questions as I watch the red smoke dissipate. The old story teller collects his belongings. Everyone sits in reverent silence as the old man makes his way towards the door.

  Before he leaves, he stops behind Ty’s chair. As if to say thank you, he places his hand on Ty’s shoulder. Ty touches his hand back and nods his head. A smile creeps over the elder’s face before he turns and walks out the door. One by one, people begin silently leaving the pavilion. No words are spoken. It reminds me of leaving church after Sunday service. Each person seems filled with some unexplained energy. To my surprise, each person who leaves approaches Ty first. One by one, they touch Ty’s right shoulder before leaving. They do not break the silence with words. It is as if they were paying their respects to him.

  I watch in amazement at all the people who touch Ty. Slowly, I come to realize how much Ty means to them. To them, he is their protector. He is their Batman in Gotham City; always behind the scenes of society, hiding in the shadows watching. Warmth begins to fill me. Here is a man who is not only letting me know all his secrets but actually be a part of them. I feel like the woman in love with a super hero. He is my Superman and I am his Lois Lane.

  My thoughts shoot back to the present as one person in particular catches my eye. It is the woman with the cane. Slowly, resting her weight on the cane, she gets up from her seat. There is a smile on her face as she walks towards Ty. Out of the corner of my
eye I see Ty straighten up. I would have looked over at him had my eyes not been locked on the woman coming our way. Her face creased with the passing of time has even more creases when she smiles. What move me most, besides the smile, are the tears streaking down from her face. More join as she makes her way towards Ty.

  I look closely at this woman as my heart fills even more. Somehow, and I don’t know how, I know that this means more to her than to anyone else in the room. Perhaps Ty had saved her. Perhaps she has lived a full life and is able to see the affect these supernatural Totems have on her people. Either way, she is filled with so much joy at the words of the legend that the only escape for hey joy is through her eyes in the form of happy tears. with the effort set forth by age, she makes her way to Ty.

  As soon as Ty is in her reach, she places her free hand on him. Her bent back and small frame bring her close to Ty’s ear. She takes a step closer whispering in his ear. I watch Ty’s face. Like a true warrior, no emotion crosses it. Not even from the words of the old lady. Ty’s hand reaches up and rests on the back of the woman’s hand. Her smile grows larger and she withdraws her hand releasing the physical connection between the two. Slowly she turns and makes her way out the door.

  With most of the adults gone, the children begin to talk freely amongst themselves. Their little voices carrying over the fire and to us. The two women who stay begin talking amongst themselves as they start cleaning up the food. To the casual onlooker, it is as if the tale had never been told. This is just a group of people who are out at their camp for the weekend. I however, will forever and always be changed. Not just by the tale, but by seeing Ty change with my own eyes.

  Moved, I reach over and touch the back of Ty’s hand lying lazily on his lap. He looks over at me and smiles. I cannot help but smile back at my hero.

  “Are you ready to head out?” Ty whispers in my ear.

  I nod. Although the room is buzzing with words, speaking still seems inappropriate. Slowly we get up and make our way to the door. Ty waves good bye to Sarah as he opens the screen escorting me out. I step into the cool air. The temperature has dropped dramatically with the sun. It is an all too constant reminder that the last days of winter still bitterly hang on.

  Under the cover of the oak trees, we walk back to Ty’s little studio cabin. The walk is quiet. The only sound piercing the night is that of faint cricket chirps that sound every so often. The cold must have dampened their spirit to sing.

  “So what did you think?” Asks Ty as we walk.

  “That was… amazing,” I reply.

  Amazing is a silly word that encompasses all, but it is the only word that best fits. I had an idea of what I thought the story would be from bits and pieces that Ty told me, but it was nothing like the real thing. The way the story was told, the reaction of the people and the belief it instills in them was far beyond anything I could fathom. Just being there in that place listening with the very people Ty is fighting for sent a flush of pride through me. I am moved and forever changed because each individual in that room tonight was moved. Amazing is the only word to describe it.

  Ty looks at me quizzically. I know I need to elaborate on my response.

  “It’s just amazing,” I state again. “To hear the story, it answered so many questions…” I let out a sigh. “But it also left so many questions, too.”

  I pause again as my thoughts drift. Ty had held back so much from me. I know he had to for reasons out of his control. Tonight was a giant step forward. Everything in the story was more than Ty had ever told me in the past five months, but it still is not enough. There are still so many unanswered questions I have. Ty grabs my hand and holds on as we keep walking.

  “Let’s start the questions and I will see if I can answer them,” replies Ty.

  “Well, I am the only girl you let hear that story, correct?”

  “You are the only outside girl, correct.”

  This throws me for a loop. I continue walking flawlessly as if nothing out of the ordinary was said. He is with me now and that is all that matters.

  “So is our relationship similar for the people before you? Did they have to ask to let people in?”

  “Most of the Totems before me married women who were part of the tribes. So they were raised on the legend. They knew the legend to be true so it was never a question of having to introduce them to a new concept.”

  “Would they know they were dating a Totem?”

  “Most of the time they would not.” Even through the darkness I can see my question makes him smile. “Most of the time they would find out later some time during the dating process. Hopefully before marriage though.”

  We arrive at the little pool house. Ty lets go of my hand as we walk up the spiral staircase. He types in the code and we walk inside continuing our conversation.

  “So have there ever been any girl Totems?”

  “No,” replies Ty.

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. Just the way it is.”

  “Can there ever be a girl totem?”

  “It’s definitely feasible,” replies Ty.

  Now it is time to ask the question that has been weighing on my mind all day. It is a question that I have had for a while now, but was always too scared to ask. It is time to ask the million dollar question.

  “So why did you choose me?”

  Ty looks at me puzzled.

  “What do you mean?”

  I feel a lump rising in my throat. My emotions start to bubble up. I pause to regain control of my thoughts, myself and my body. The words to say escape me.

  “I don’t know,” I reply. “I mean, there are girls that know the stories and I am sure it would have been ten times easier.” I quickly swallow the giant lump gathering in my throat. “Just why ME?”

  Ty looks confused. To fill the silence, he walks into the kitchen and pulls out a wine bottle. His lean muscular arms reach up into the cupboard retrieving a glass. There is nothing but silence. The only sound is the liquid hitting the glass as Ty fills it. He sits the bottle down on the counter and slides the glass over to me. Then he grabs an Abita beer out of the fridge for himself.

  “I wanted you to hear the story the way it was meant to be told,” replies Ty. “When I approached the elders about it, I told them it would be safer for you to know. They knew the vampires saw you as a target and you needed to know everything. It is part of being in a relationship with me. They agreed…”

  Ty peels the label off his bottle of beer. He looks down at it for a while. I know he is not finished with speaking so I stand patiently waiting sipping on my wine. I watch as he picks at the corner of the label. Finally, with the same resolution he had the day of our first kiss, he looks up. His eyes meet mine.

  “I also told them that I wanted you to know the truth because I love you.” There is no smile. There is no joking tone. His words are spoken from the heart. “Of course, they were more inclined to tell you for the first reason. It was the more rational reason was what they told me.”

  My heart leaps at the sound of Ty saying ‘I love you.’ It is the three words that are more romantic than the time on the beach. Not only that but it is the first time a boyfriend has said it to me. My heart begins to race quicker as I realize how much I want to say it back. Ty smiles at the sound of my racing heart.

  Damn my heart for giving it away. I think. Play it cool, Kimber.

  “So you love me?” I ask as I walk into the kitchen and look him in the eyes.

  Ty places his beer on the counter. He turns around, rests his arms on my shoulders and begins to gently play with my hair. He pauses doing nothing but stare deeply into my eyes. I smile at him hoping to coerce him into breaking the silence.

  “Yes, Kimber, I love you.”

  Then he kisses me. I kiss him back. He pulls away and looks at me as if expecting something in return.

  “That’s all I wanted to hear,” I reply with a sly smile as I pull away from him, “time to take a shower and wash off this smoke
from the fire.”

  I walk quickly away leaving Ty hanging in the kitchen. I grab my bag and head for the bathroom. I smile back at an astounded Ty. I throw my bag on the bathroom floor closing the door behind me. I know exactly what I am doing. With a mischievous smile, I fling the door open and run out jumping into Ty’s arms knowing he will catch me. Ty will always catch me. I give him a huge kiss.

  I probably should have thought this out better I think feeling beer splash on my shirt and trickle down my back. The liquid is really cold, but makes the moment more real. Little imperfections that happen during special moments that are supposed to be flawless sometimes make things in life real. I kiss him again, this time deeper and harder. He adjusts my body shifting all the weight to his one hand. I hear the distinct clink of his bottle as he sits it on the counter. Then I feel his hand on me again. Both of his hands grab my thighs and hoist me up to his level.

  Finally I release those three words back to him. It is the three words he gave me to hold and it has so much power over him. I cannot stand it. I want him to have the same power over me.

  “I love you.” I whisper to him as he holds me there against his body. My feet wrap around his waist. A smile crosses his face as he turns me around and sits me on the counter. Then he kisses me. He kisses me deeper and with more urgency than he has ever kissed me.

  His hands begin to travel from my thighs up the contours of my body with each little kiss he gives me. My own hands begin to slowly find his body. Slowly he works his fingers up to my neck. Leaning down, he kisses me just above my collar bone sending shivers down my spine. All of a sudden he grabs my hair and his kisses are back on my mouth. I cradle his face in my hands holding on to this beautiful man as our mouths become greedier for each other. I kiss back with even more urgency. Our mouths become more passionate as we express physically the three words we spoke verbally.