The pain started to leave him. Justin took his first full breath in what felt like ages. He opened his eyes but quickly shut them again. The world was not as he remembered it being. It was too in focus, too sharp. He groaned and turned his head to the side, avoiding the image of what he'd seen.
Nohatu ran his fingers over the side of Justin's face. "Easy, you are not as you were. And I will show you the truth of my words as soon as I finish my tale. Listen closely; you haven't much longer to go. I am almost done. That night I dreamt of the thing that I would become. Only I didn't know it yet. I remember hoof beats coming first. The sound so loud I felt it vibrating in my chest. He was simply a shadow at first. One I tried to ignore. I awoke sweaty and shaking. My vision blurred and I closed my eyes again. When I opened them, he stood across from me, his form made up by the smoke of my fire. He danced in the bright flames, his mane floating away with the ashes. I went to sleep thinking I'd been dreaming while awake. Only he came with me, his spirit following me into my dreams. And when I awoke the next morning, I knew he was inside of me. Brother Mustang chose me and I am honored to be his. You seem to have found a different spirit for your journey, though."
He was silent after that, and Justin slowly opened his eyes, the world still far too sharp for his liking. He licked his lips and tried to silence and noises coming at him from all directions. "What the hell happened?" he gasped, testing out his fingers and surprisingly finding them whole.
Nohatu chuckled. "Your guide came to you. Look, up in the tree." He lifted his arm and Justin followed his movement with his gaze, frowning as it landed on a red-tailed hawk.
"I don't understand," he muttered sleepily.
"Oh, but you soon will. But first, I have a question for you."
Justin closed his eyes again. "Yes?"
Nohatu's voice was soft in his ear. "Do you enjoy the life you have here? Would you give it up if you could?"
Sighing, Justin thought seriously about the question. "Sure, I'd like to try other things. Of course I would. But I'm a ranch hand."
Shaking his head, Nohatu brushed his hair off his forehead. "What if you didn't have to be? What if you could be so much more than that? You could still be a ranch hand, if you really wanted to. But you could also be a free in a way humans never know. You have to make the choice for yourself, Justin. Live a half-life as a man, or a full life as the creature you could be. I will not decide for you."
Justin looked up at the hawk again and let Nohatu's words sink in. "What are you saying? Honestly?"
"I am the mustang," Nohatu whispered. "He is Brother Mustang. He is powerful and sure. I am Nohatu, a once-human man who has become so much more than that. As you can be too."
Justin licked his lips as his mind swam. "And if I choose not to?"
"Then you are free to go. The hawk has been awakened inside of you. He is waiting for you to decide, but he will not leave you if you say no. He is a part of you and always has been. You simply need to take from my life to join him as I took from hers to be with Brother Mustang."
Justin ignored the sadness in Nohatu's voice. This was his choice and he'd make it for himself. "If I say no, will you leave me?" he asked. "If I choose to remain a man, will that be the end and you'll never come back?"
Nohatu smiled down at him. "No, of course not. You and I are joined now. Finding another soul like mine is too rare to walk away from. I'll always be with you, as Brother Mustang or as myself; we'll never be far from you."
Nodding, Justin relaxed into Nohatu's lap. "Then," he licked his cracked lips again and spat some of the blood from his uninjured mouth. "Then I choose to remain human. For now. I am a man and do not want to be a hawk. But I would like you to stay close."
Nohatu's frown was quick to mar his face as he turned and looked up at the hawk. "I respect your choice. As she did not respect mine. Though I do not deny sharing in Brother's wish to race along the sunset with you flying high above us."
"Well, he'll just have to wait," Justin said, smiling. "I'm not saying never. I'm just saying not yet."
Nohatu nodded. "We have patience. We can wait."
Breathing deeply, Justin nodded and looked up at the hawk, letting his mind wander as he considered everything he'd learned that night. The hawk stared back at him and Justin sighed.
FIN
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Caitlin was fortunate growing up to be surrounded by family and teachers that encouraged her love of reading. She has always been a voracious reader and that love of the written word easily morphed into a passion for writing. If she isn’t writing, she can usually be found studying as she works toward her counseling degree. She comes from a military family and the men and women of the armed forces are close to her heart. She also enjoys gardening, hiking, and horseback riding in the Colorado Rockies where she calls home with her wonderful fiancé and their two dogs. Her belief that there is no one true path to happily ever after runs deeply through all of her stories.
Website: www.CaitlinRicci.com
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