Secrets 2: Looking Through Different Eyes

As soon as Devin and I realized the evil skinwalker was in the area, we executed our part of the plan and raced off to retrieve the rifles.  Once we had the weapons, we carefully took aim at the target, but we had to pause temporarily in order to give Tokala and Hania time to get out of the line of fire.  The evil skinwalker might have assumed that the four of us had run away in fear, so it focused on the two deer that remained.

Gramps and Pops had volunteered for this duty and traded places with Tokala and Hania, but it didn’t mean they were about to sacrifice themselves.  They’d taken the form of mule deer that were between the button bucks that Devin and I represented, and younger than the mature bucks the two Hataalii had transitioned into, and they were ready to fight.  I know this because I could tell they were watching the skinwalker out of the corner of their eyes and were poised to do whatever they could to fight it off or possibly kill the evil skinwalker.

They each had two long antler spikes on their heads, with a single kicker on each one, which means a second prong was growing off of the main spike.  It was similar to the type of antlers that Pops had used when he’d killed the other evil skinwalker while I was still in training.  It was obvious what he and Gramps were trying to do - they were preparing to use the same tactic that they had used before and waiting for the evil skinwalker to make the first move.  They were not only ready to fend off an attack, but they were also looking for an opportunity to destroy it.

Devin and I waited anxiously for Tokala and Hania to move out of the way first, and then we prepared to pull the triggers without jerking them.  Devin shot first and the bullet hit the skinwalker in the left shoulder, but only because it had moved slightly as Devin was squeezing off the round.  I froze for a few seconds before I fired, because the skinwalker had reacted to the impact of Devin’s bullet.  Even though it was wounded, it crouched down and looked around in an effort to locate whoever had caused it harm. 

After watching the evil skinwalkers actions, it was apparent that the bullet had either damaged the scapula or humerus on the left side, because its left arm was dangling limply beside its body.  No mater how hard it tried, the skinwalker failed to spot Devin or me, but then it saw Tokala and Hania, since they had each taken a kneeling shooting stance after they had retrieved their weapons. 

Since Tokala and Hania didn’t seem ready to shoot, the skinwalker stood up and began moving quickly in their direction, possibly in an attempt to destroy both of them before they could fire.  That’s when I squeezed my trigger, hoping that I could kill it before it reached the other pair, but my bullet missed its mark.  Instead of striking it in the head, as I intended, the round struck it in the chest and forced it to take a step backward as it compensated for the force of the impact.  Its head had also jerked to one side as it recoiled, and that’s when Hania pulled the trigger. 

Unfortunately, the step backward and the turning of its head caused Hania’s slug to be slightly off target as well.  Instead of striking the evil skinwalker in the head, the bullet caught it in the snout, but the result was better than what any of us had hoped.  The round ripped the skinwalker’s mandible, or lower jaw, completely off and sent the bony structure and nearly all 22 teeth flying. 

The skinwalker was now in severe pain and realized it could no longer destroy its attackers, so it turned to flee.  Before it could get very far, however, Tokala squeezed the trigger on his rifle.  His aim was obviously better than any of ours had been, because the bullet from his rifle struck the evil skinwalker in the back of its head.  It smashed into the cranium with such force that it caused the skull to explode, and this sent bone and brain matter flying in all directions as its body dropped to the ground. 

Devin and I had been ready to fire again, but now we waited to see what was going to happen next.  Since another round had auto-loaded in each of our weapons, we cautiously stood up and began walking toward the prone carcass of the evil skinwalker, our rifles still gripped in our hands, ready to fire if necessary.  When we got close enough to inspect the damage, we discerned that the evil skinwalker no longer had a head.  Not only that, but its body was already beginning to decompose.  We all stood there in silence for a couple of minutes as we took this all in.

“When we killed the other evil skinwalker,” Devin began, “didn’t its body decompose faster than this?” 

“It most certainly did,” Gramps agreed.  “The other skinwalker went through the stages of decomposition very rapidly, so by this time all that was left was a pile of bones.  This skinwalker’s body, however, is reacting differently and each stage of the decomposition process is taking longer.  It’s still speeded up and each stage is shorter than the normal process, but it’s doing it at a slower rate than the last one.”

“So, why is this skinwalker’s body reacting differently?” I mused. 

“I believe it means this skinwalker wasn’t as old as the other one we killed,” Pops speculated. 

“Unfortunately, I think you are correct, Isaac,” Tokala concurred, “and if this yee naaldlooshii definitely isn’t as old as the other one you killed.  This means it couldn’t have been part of the original group of yee naaldlooshii.”

“Then it must mean that the other skinwalkers are capable of procreating,” I gasped. 

“That’s certainly a possibility,” Tokala stated, “or someone performed the traditional ceremony to create more yee naaldlooshii, and not the same rituals that I used on Isaac and you.”

“Which of those things do you think has happened then?” Gramps asked.  “Are the skinwalkers having babies or is someone performing the ceremonies and creating more?” 

“I haven’t heard of any other Hataalii creating more yee naaldlooshii, it must mean the yee naaldlooshii have discovered a means for them to copulate with a consenting partner.” 

“What brought you to that conclusion?”

“Once the Diné and Utes realized how dangerous and unpredictable the yee naaldlooshii had become, I doubt any of the medicine men or women from either tribe would be inclined to create more.  That leads me to the only other conclusion possible, that the yee naaldlooshii have been having sex and conceiving new generations.”

“We know that the Utes and the Diné both agree that an evil skinwalker can gain control of a person’s mind,” I pointed out.  “So do you think that’s how they’ve been able to convince a human female to have sex with it.  I doubt any of them would be able to convince a female by relying on its good looks alone.”

“That may indeed be the case,” Tokala agreed.

“And the Diné also believe the evil skinwalker can also control a person’s actions,” Devin added, “so the skinwalkers must control both the woman’s mind and her actions so she will actually give birth.  Otherwise, she might decide to find a way to abort the fetus or kill the child as soon as it’s born.  Hell, in addition to getting the woman to give birth, it might also be able to convince her to raise the child or pup or whatever you want to call it, until it reaches puberty or even longer.  And when the child has reached puberty, the father might even return to train its offspring, if it hadn’t stayed with them the entire time.”

“You forget, grasshopper,” Tokala mildly chastised us, “that some of the early yee naaldlooshii were female, so they would need to control the mind of a male partner instead.” 

“Yeah, that’s right!  And once it had given birth, it no longer had any need for the father, so it could do whatever it wanted with him,” Devin added.  “In fact, once the act was consummated it wouldn’t need him any longer, so it could kill him, release its control over him and let him leave, or it could keep him around.”    

“You are correct, grasshopper, and no matter what the female yee naaldlooshii decided, it could raise the offspring itself.”

“I hate to be pushy, but we should clean up the mess that remains from this kill before someone else comes along and sees it,” Pops stated.

“What do any of you recommend we do with the remains?” Hania asked.

“We could take them back to the thicket and bury it there,” Devin suggested. 

“But that’s seven miles away, so how do you suggest we take the remains there?” Gramps challenged.  “It may have slipped your mind, but even though we’re standing here chatting, we’re naked, because we came here as mule deer.”

“Right, that does create a problem.”

“I imagine I could go back and get my truck to move the body,” Hania offered.

“And would you be willing to donate one of your blankets so we could wrap up what is left of the skinwalker in the blanket so we can transport it there?” Pops asked. 

“Yes, that wouldn’t be a problem,” Hania agreed.

“Then let’s go back, get your truck, and then drive it back here,” I stated. 

“We can’t all go, because someone should stay here in case somebody else happens to show up,” Gramps pointed out. 

“That’s highly unlikely, but you are correct,” Tokala agreed.  “There’s always the off chance that someone might drive by and notice the skull sitting out in the open.”

“Then I’ll stay here and guard the area,” Devin offered. 

“And I’ll stay with him,” I added. 

“Since you’re both naked, I suggest you don’t stand out in the open while you’re doing that,” Tokala stated.  “And what will you do if someone comes by and starts over to check out the area?” Tokala asked. 

“I’ll either transition into a bear or mountain lion and scare them off,” I answered, “or Devin can transition into Bigfoot.” 

“Very funny,” Devin shot back, “but I could do that, if it was really necessary.”

“Ok, you two can stay behind while we head back to the thicket,” Hania agreed.  “And after we transition and get dressed, we’ll drive back here to remove what’s left of the evil skinwalker.”

They didn’t return for well over an hour, and when they arrived, they brought both vehicles.  Tokala carried a blanket, and with Pops help they spread it on the ground next to the remains.  Hania and Gramps followed behind them and each one carried a shovel that they used to scoop up the skinwalkers remains.  After depositing everything on the center of the blanket, they finished removing all the evidence of what had happened there earlier, and then they wrapped the blanket around the remains. 

After that had been successfully accomplished, the four men very carefully carried the blanket and placed it in the back of Hania’s truck.  At the same time, Devin and I transitioned into dogs and hopped into the backseat of the truck, as Hania drove as close to the thicket as he could, with Gramps following behind in the SUV.  As soon as we arrived there, the other four very carefully carried the blanket with its cargo along the winding trail to the center of the thicket, and then they left the blanket containing the remains there. 

Devin and I had followed behind them, still as dogs, and then Hania opened the bulkhead for us so we could go down, transition, and get dressed.  As soon as we were ready, we got into the vehicles for the drive back to Hania’s double-wide. 

“Are you just going to leave the remains lying in the middle of the thicket?” I asked.  “And what about closing up the tunnel?”

“I merely sealed the tunnel for now, but Shizhe'é and I will return later, when we have more time to bury the remains.”

“No, we will all go back there to help you,” I insisted.

“But you don’t have to.  Shizhe'é and I can handle it,” Hania insisted. 

“But it would take you longer and each of you would have a lot more work to do than if we divided up the various tasks.  We’ll return with you after we eat breakfast, and we should be able to do whatever you have planned in short order.”

“You don’t think anyone will bother it in the meantime?” Devin asked.

“No, the thicket has a way of discouraging people from entering it, unless I’m with them.  After I recite a spell to seal the bulkhead, it also signals the thicket to aggressively discourage those attempting to use the winding trail.” 

“Why?  What happens if someone tries to follow the trail when you’re not here?” 

“Then the thicket will use its branches to scratch their skin, stick them with thorns, and entangle them in vines, making it both difficult and painful to continue.  Any intruder would get discouraged very quickly and stop trying to go further.”

“I see, so I guess the remains will be safe there until we return to bury them.”

When we arrived at Hania’s ‘modern’ hogan, both women were there, and Chenoa made a comment as soon as we walked through the door.  “You’re late,” she practically screamed. 

“That’s because we were successful today and there was a lot more to do.” 

“Couldn’t you have done those things later?” she challenged. 

“No, we had to clean up the area before someone else discovered what remained from our hunt and started asking questions,” Hania replied, and that caused Chenoa to relax and calm down a bit. 

“Ok, I’m sorry I reacted so harshly when you arrived.  I only did it because breakfast was basically ready nearly two hours ago, but Tayen and I put everything in the oven to keep it warm.  I just hope nothing is burned or overcooked now.”

“I’m sure it will be fine and we’ll have no problem eating it, because we’re starved.”

“Just wash up quickly and then come out and sit down, and Tayen and I will put the food on the table in the meantime.”

Once we were all seated, Chenoa explained what they had prepared.  “In addition to the typical Diné breakfast, this time we also made Navajo omelets.  That means we used small pieces of mutton, queso fresco cheese, chopped tomato, sliced olives, minced onion, warm kidney beans, and sour cream, so I hope you enjoy them.”

“They sound delicious,” Devin quickly remarked.  “I can’t wait to try one.”

“I just hope they’re not ruined,” Chenoa repeated as she went around the table to giving each of us an omelet.  While she was doing that, Tayen followed her and dished out the typical Diné breakfast to those who wanted it.

“This omelet is great,” Devin stated with his mouth half-full. 

“Yes, it’s all wonderful,” Gramps added. 

“See, I told you that you tend to worry too much,” Hania followed, as he glanced at his wife. 

“You mean the food isn’t dried out or rubbery from being over cooked?”

“No, it’s all very good,” Pops confirmed. 

“That must be due to the pan of water that Tayen placed in the oven with the food to keep it moist, as well as warm.”

“Yes, it’s moist and delicious,” I added.  “The omelet is unlike anything I’ve ever eaten before and it’s great.  I wish they’d make these in the restaurants around where I live or go to school.”

“I believe only the restaurants on the reservation or very close to it have them listed on their menus.  Most non-Diné aren’t fond of mutton, since it can be tough if not prepared properly, which can take a long time.”

“That’s a shame, if that’s the case.”

“Yes, I agree,” Devin chimed in. 

“As do I,” Gramps added, and then Pops made it unanimous.

“What are you going to do now that your hunt was successful,” Tayen asked. 

“There’s still a few things that we need to take care of,” Tokala responded, “such as burying the remains and securing Shiyáázh’s property.” 

“And as soon as those things have been taken care of,” Pops added, “the four of us will be leaving later this evening so we can get closer to the airport that we’ll be leaving from.  That’s because our flight leaves very early in the morning to take us to our next adventure.”

“And what might that be?” Tayen asked. 

“There’s a job our business has been hired to do in the Ozarks, and Devin and Mac are going with us to learn what we do.”

“And what is that?” Chenoa followed.

“We do counts of animals on the endangered species list to see if they should remain on the list or be removed.” 

“We also do counts for several different states to help them decide how many hunting permits should be issued for the next season concerning the animals we’ve been asked to count,” Gramps added.  “That way they’ll know how many hunting licenses can be safely issued without endangering the overall population of that species.”

“I see, and it must make it much easier that you can get closer to the animals when you make these counts,” Tayen stated. 

“Absolutely, although those that hire us have no idea as to why our counts are more accurate than those of our competitors,” Pops said with a grin.

“We certainly appreciate that you took time out of your busy schedule to help us with our problem,” Hania replied.  “We certainly couldn’t have done it without you.”

“No, we couldn’t,” Tokala agreed. 

“Before the four of you leave, Chenoa and I would like to prepare a formal meal to thank you for your assistance,” Tayen stated after briefly chatting with her daughter-in-law.

“Yes, we’ll make a special supper,” Chenoa concurred. 

“We will be happy to join you for supper, as long as you won’t be offended if we have to leave shortly after we finish eating.  We don’t mean to be rude, but we have a lengthy drive ahead of us before we get close enough to the airport so we can get a few hours sleep prior to our departure time.” 

“Then where will you sleep?” Tayen asked concerned. 

“We’ll get rooms at a motel close to the airport, so we’ll be fine.” 

“And the accommodations will probably be more comfortable than what we could offer you,” Chenoa acknowledged with a tinge of regret in her voice. 

“You’ve all been very generous hosts while we’ve been here,” Pops responded.

Now that we’d finished breakfast, we thanked the women again for feeding us, and then all of us men returned with Hania to help him dig a crude grave.  This time we entered his property using the gate and then Hania and Gramps drove both vehicles into the building and closed the garage door behind them. 

Prior to reaching the stairs that led down to the tunnel, Hania selected a few tools that we could take with us, and then we made our way down to the tunnel.  We then walked along the corridor until we reached the bulkhead, and after Hania unsealed it, we made our way into the clearing.

“How deep do you think the grave should be?” Gramps asked.

“Let me look to see what stage of decomposition the body is in before I make that determination,” Hanai replied, and after he unwrapped the blanket, he spoke again.  “I believe that three feet (~ 1 m) should be deep enough, since only the yee naaldlooshii’s bones remain.”

“Then you won’t have to sacrifice your blanket,” Devin offered cheerfully. 

“I will still bury the blanket with the bones, since there are remnants of the tissue and fluids from the decaying process that were absorbed into the material.”     

In addition to two shovels, Hania had us bring along a pickaxe as well, along with one other tool.  After Hania used the pickaxe to loosen the soil so it would be easier to remove, Devin and Gramps grabbed the shovels and removed as much dirt as possible.  When they found it too difficult to continue, I grabbed the pickaxe and began to loosen more soil, and then Pops and Tokala shoveled it out of the hole. 

By the time they had finished, we’d dug a hole four feet long, three feet wide, and three feet deep (1.2 m x 1 m x 1 m), and then we tossed the blanket containing the bones into it.  Once the bones and blanket were in the crude grave, we carefully filled the hole with the dirt we’d removed earlier.  Once the hole had been completely filled in, Hania grabbed the final implement he’d brought with him as we made our way there. 

“That’s a tamping pad, isn’t it?” Devin asked. 

“Yes, it’s a crude, homemade tamping pad,” Hania confirmed. 

“I wasn’t sure because it’s different looking than any I’d ever seen before.”

“That’s because this one is from the 1800s,” Hania explained.  “It was still in great shape and I couldn’t part with it, since Shizhe'é and I have used it over the years, including when the fence was installed around this property.” 

We each took a turn using it and it gave us quite a workout, since the pad was so heavy.  Eventually, Hania called for us to stop.

“Ok, that’s good enough for now.  After the next couple of times that it rains, I’ll come out here with it again and compress the soil until it’s packed very firmly and I’ve eliminated most of the air pockets.  That should be sufficient for now, though, since if someone digs up this area all they’ll find is an old Diné blanket full of bones that will appear to be very old.”

Satisfied, we returned to Hania’s double-wide to clean up and change, since our gear was still in the back of Gramps SUV.

 “We’ll also be able to take a shower before we change,” Hania said, “since I had a well drilled before I purchased the double-wide.  The driller had to go down nearly 500 feet (152 m) to hit a decent water source, but it was worth it, because it’s never run dry so far.  If you didn’t notice it before, the small building out in the back conceals where the pump is located.” 

“I was wondering about that,” Devin said.  “I noticed that small building when I was looking out one of the windows earlier.” 

“Drilling the well must have been expensive, not adding in the cost of the double-wide, so was this part of the federal grant as well?”

“No, I made the Navajo Nation pay for those things, along with the full basement under the double-wide.”

“How did you manage that?’

“The area I’m responsible for is not only the largest of the four locations, but the population is spread out as well.  This means I have to do a lot of driving to cover it, but it would have been worse if I hadn’t established the location we were at earlier and the other one near Shiprock.  No one else was willing to take this location on a permanent basis, so in order to convince me to accept this, you might say I drove a hard bargain.” 

“Good for you,” Pops replied. 

“Ok, back to business.  We’ll split into two groups, and Isaac, Shizhe'é, and I will shower in the master bathroom.  Jacob, Devin, and Michael, you can shower in the other bathroom, the one you’ve been using when you washed up for breakfast and when you needed to use the toilet.” 

“That will work out perfectly,” Chenoa stated, “since we had no idea how long you’d be gone before you returned.  This will give me and Tayen the time we need to get everything completed, and it should be ready by the time you have all showered and changed.”

“Are you sure there will be enough hot water for all of us?” Gramps asked. 

“Yes, because I made the Navajo Nation pay for a tankless electric hot water heater as well, so you don’t have to worry about anyone running out of hot water, even if the women are using hot water too.”

It felt great to get cleaned up and put on clean clothes again, and then those of us that had finished went out and sat down to chat while the women were finishing their preparations.  Hania and I were the last two to complete the process, and shortly after we came out of the respective bathrooms, Tayen made an announcement. 

“Supper is ready, so come out and take a seat.  Chenoa and I put both leaves in the table earlier, which changed it from a round table to an oval.  It might be a bit cramped, but we should all be able to sit together and eat.”  

“Only four chairs came with the table when we purchased it,” Hania followed, “so we insist that Isaac, Jacob, Devin, and Michael use those chairs and the rest of us will use folding chairs.”

“Why don’t you let Devin and me use two of the folding chairs, and then Tokala and Tayen can use the chairs that came with the table.”

“No, the four of you are our guests and you came here to do my husband a favor, so Tokala and I insist that the four of you use those chairs,” Tayen replied.  

“She’s correct,” Tokala concurred, “and even though I appreciate your thoughtfulness, my wife and I will be just fine using a folding chair.  They are very comfortable and very sturdy.” 

Since it didn’t appear as if I could change their minds, we all sat down to eat. 

“It smells wonderful,” I said as I was taking a seat. 

“Thank you, and I hope you enjoy it.  We’re having a dish that you’ve probably never had before, which is mutton stew,” Chenoa informed us.  “You’ve probably had other stews before, such as beef stew, but this is a fairly common Diné meal.  As you probably know, mutton is the meat of a mature adult sheep, and since the animal is older it contains more fat and muscle, resulting in both a stronger flavor and a denser, tougher texture.  Since the pieces of mutton in the stew will be larger than in the other dishes that you’ve already eaten that contain mutton, I’ve had the meat marinating since we finished breakfast yesterday.  That should be more than enough time to negate those two factors.”

“Yeah, my mom does that whenever we’re having venison and there will be people present that haven’t ever had venison before,” Devin proclaimed. 

“In that case, you are already aware of why I marinate the mutton for so long, because it was to make it more palatable for you young men and your elders.”

“I believe Jacob and I would have been fine the other way as well, but I’m sure this will be much easier for Devin and Mac.” 

“And there is also fry bread and honey that you can eat with the meal or have afterward as a dessert.”

“Mac and I might do both,” Devin said with a twinkle in his eye.

“Why do you call him Mac when his name is Michael?” Tayen asked. 

“That’s my fault, because when Mac was younger, his mother wanted to call him Mickey, since his father was Michael or Mike as well.  Mac didn’t like the name Mickey, because he knew the other kids would eventually start calling him Mickey Mouse, so I came up with an alternative we could use.  Since his last name is MacPherson, I started calling him Mac instead, and eventually it stuck.  No one calls him Michael, except for his parents when he’s in trouble, until he came here when Tokala performed the ceremonies on him to make him like my family.”

“Michael, why did you want to be like Devin’s family?” Chenoa pressed. 

“Devin and I are lovers and we’re engaged to be married.  That’s why I wanted to be like his family, so we could be together for as long as possible.” 

“You must love each other dearly then, and that’s very romantic.  I wish both of you a very long and happy marriage.”

“Thank you,” Devin and I both replied.

As we’d been talking, we’d also been eating, so during that time we discovered the stew also contained much more than just mutton.  I saw pieces of carrots, resset potatoes, celery, onion, cabbage, and corn.

“This is really good and quite tasty, but there are different flavors that I can’t quite recognize,” I stated. 

“Yes, I also included a few things that you might be unfamiliar with, such as wild ramps, which are related to spring onions but have a mild garlicky flavor.  We also added juniper berries and pine nuts, as well as minced fresh sage leaves, minced green chilies, and garlic salt and pepper.” 

“Whatever you used, it all tastes wonderful together and this is an incredible meal.”

“I agree,” Devin added, followed by Gramps and Pops adding their two-cents. 

Shortly after we finished eating, we thanked Chenoa and Tayen for the wonderful meal again and said goodbye to each of them.  Before we left, however, Pops made a comment to Tokala and Hania. 

“Don’t be afraid to contact us again if you encounter any other problems such as this.  Jacob and I will be able to help you nearly any time a problem arises, and I’m sure Devin and Mac will be willing to join us, if they can get it to fit into one of the longer breaks from classes.  Just so you know, this is their final year of college and they’ll be graduating next spring.” 

“I would love for all to you to visit again whenever you can, although I hope we don’t have another problem similar to the one you just helped us resolve,” Tokala responded. 

“We would love to see you again as well, so we’ll keep in touch,” Pops agreed.

We then went out and got into the SUV, and after Gramps started driving, I asked a question.  “What’s happening next?”

“We’ll eventually be flying out of Durango and heading to the Ozarks to see if we can find any treasure,” Pops stated. 

“So, we’re flying there tomorrow?”

“No!  I wasn’t sure how long it would take for us to deal with the evil skinwalker, so I allowed a little leeway when I rescheduled our flight, so we won’t be flying out of Durango until the day after tomorrow.”

“What are we going to do in the meantime?”

“We’ll get motel rooms there tonight, and then tomorrow we might be able to find something to do in Durango, if you didn’t do all the fun things when you were there with your parents.” 

“We didn’t do anything in Durango, except have a few meals there, because Devin and I were eager to get to Mesa Verde.”

“Then maybe we’ll be able to find something we’ll all enjoy.”

“Yeah, that would be great,” Devin and I agreed. 

We then settled in for the ride to Durango, and since it was already dark and there wasn’t much to see, Devin and I leaned against each other and closed our eyes.  It didn’t take long before we fell asleep, since we were tired from the physical exertion from the things we’d done earlier in the day.