Secrets: The Truth is Slowly Revealed

When we woke up the following morning, my mom fixed us a big breakfast before I tossed my duffle bag and backpack into the back of the SUV and we drove away.  I was thrilled about being with Devin again and it just felt right.  I was also excited about seeing his parents and spending time with all of them at the cabin. 

I enjoyed chatting with Devin during the drive there as we reminisced about my previous trip to the cabin, and then I asked him a question. 

“So, when you moved away, you and your parents just went to the cabin to live?”

“Yes, and I was home-schooled there until I finished 8^th grade, and then I went to live with my grandfather when school was in session.”

“But why did your family move to the cabin?”

“My parents liked being there, and so did I, and my dad was also close enough to his job that it worked out great.”

“Ok, if you say so.”

I quickly put these thoughts out of my mind, because I suddenly got excited when we finally arrived at the cabin.  I grabbed my belongings and followed Devin as he headed toward the cabin door, but his dad opened it and grinned at us before we got there. 

“Welcome, Mac.  It’s nice to see you again and I’m so glad you could join us.”

Devin’s parents had also started calling me Mac the last time I was here, since it’s what Devin calls me.  Mr. McCaskill also gave me a hug as I walked inside. 

“Wow, it’s great to see both of you again,” I gushed as I noticed his wife standing behind him.  “You both look just as I remember.”

“My husband hasn’t aged much, but I certainly have.  It’s nice to see you again as well, Mac, and I want you and Devin to sit down at the table, because I have lunch ready.  I’m sure you two must be hungry after the ride here from Jamesville.”

While we ate, Devin’s mom and dad quizzed me the same way my parents had interrogated Devin, although his mom didn’t broach the subject of starting a family and having grandkids.  However, I told them about what had happened to my brother and sister, because I thought they should know about it if they were going to return with us to celebrate the Fourth of July.  This way they wouldn’t blunder into an uncomfortable situation as Devin had done.

As soon as we finished our meal, Devin spoke. 

“I’m going to take Mac out on a hike to refresh his memory about the area.”

“Sure, you two go ahead,” his dad replied. 

I thought I saw Mr. McCaskill wink at Devin after he said this, so was it a sign that he already knew this was going to happen?  Had this all been planned out in advance?  It didn’t matter to me, though, since I was so happy that Devin and I were going to be doing this alone.  After I took my gear up to Devin’s bedroom, we both put on our hiking boots and used the toilet first, and then we each grabbed a bottle of water before we headed out the door.

Even though I hadn’t been there for several years, I still remembered the trail we were on as I walked beside Devin.  It was the same trail Devin and I had been on the first time I came out to the cabin with them.  When we reached a certain point on the trail, Devin stopped and grabbed my arm, so I’d stop too.  It also caused me to frantically look up the path in mild panic, since his actions had reminded me of the first time he’d done this.  This time, however, there wasn’t a mountain lion in front of us and it made me wonder why he’d done this again. 

“I see you haven’t forgotten about what happened when I first brought you here.” 

“How could I, because I thought I was going to die?  I was convinced that either the mountain lion was going to maul me to death or the bear was going to rip me to shreds.”

“Before I comment about that, I have something to ask you.  Did you ever tell anyone else about what happened that day?”

“No, I didn’t tell anyone.  Even if I had, they probably wouldn’t have believed me.” 

“Maybe not, but are you sure you never told anyone about it, not even your parents?”

“No, I didn’t tell anyone.”

“Good, because if you had I’m afraid my dad wouldn’t have allowed me to see you after this.”

“Why not?”

“Because we have to be careful that no one else, other than those we decide to tell about our ability, ever find out about us.” 

“So I would have had to go home?”

“No, he would have let you stay here for the two weeks so your parents wouldn’t have asked questions, but he might have made me go to a different college. 

“Why would he do that?”

“If you’d told anyone about what happened here, he wouldn’t have been sure if he could trust you.”

“But I didn’t tell anyone.”

“Then we’re good, and you don’t have to worry, and now I’ll be able to tell you about the mountain lion and the bear.  You might have been right about what the mountain lion would have done to you, but the bear would never have harmed you.”

“Huh?  Why in the hell would you say that?  The bear’s a wild animal too and it even ripped off all of your clothes.”

“Believe me, that bear would never have hurt you.”

“What do you mean?  Was it someone’s pet then?  And if it wouldn’t have hurt us, then why did it knock you out of the way and end up destroying your clothes and hiking boots in the process?”

“I’m sorry, but I kind of misled you about that.”

“Wait!  What the fuck are you talking about?  I’m not following you.”

Devin looked at me shyly for a few seconds before he replied.  “You didn’t have to worry about the bear, because it was me.”

His answer confused me even more, and then I finally realized what he was doing.  “Yeah, right, that’s a good one.” I scoffed at his joke. 

“I’m not joking.  I’m being totally honest about this.”

“Come on, that’s not even possible, unless you’re a wizard or some sort of magical creature.”

“It’s basically the latter, but it will probably be easier if I just show you instead.” 

I watched, totally bewildered, as Devin began taking off all of his clothes and hiking boots.  If that wasn’t enough of a shock, my mouth fell open in disbelief as I watched him transform into the same black bear that I remembered seeing a long time ago.  As soon as he was convinced that he had proven his point, he transformed back into himself. 

I was unable to say anything at first.  I couldn’t even utter a syllable, so I merely stood there, completely transfixed and totally immobile with my mouth hanging open.  As soon as Devin was himself again, he put on his clothes and hiking boots before he said anything more. 

“Do you believe me now?”

“Uh, yeah, but how…” I began, but then I stopped to swallow the lump in my throat.  “Uh, how the fuck did you, ummm you know, do that?”

“I’ll explain it more fully to you later, but I just wanted you to know about me and what I can do.  I actually wanted to see how you’d react when I did it, because I needed to discover if it would change your mind about spending the rest of our lives together.”

I wasn’t able to answer him at first, so I was relieved and grateful that Devin was patient.  He realized that I needed a couple of minutes to absorb all of this before I was able to respond. 

“Um, no, I’m not going to change my mind about spending the rest of my life with you, but how the fuck are you able to do that?  Are you a werewolf, ummm I mean a werebear or something like that?”

“Not exactly, but you’re close.”

“Then what the hell are you?”

“The Native Americans call what I am a skinwalker.”

“So, that allows you to change into a bear?”

“Yes, and I can change into many other animals and people as well.”

“You mean that you can change into other animals too?”

“Yes, I can change into other animals and a lot more.  I’m not a typical skinwalker, because most of them are evil and can usually only change into one or two other animals.  I’m capable of changing into a great many different types of animals, as well as transitioning into different humans, both male and female.  To put it bluntly, I can morph into just about anything that I’ve ever seen before, come into contact with, or can merely imagine.”

“Whoa!  So, are you still the same Devin I grew up with or did you just transform into him to gain my trust?”

He laughed.  “No, I’m the same Devin that you grew up with and loved, at least I think you loved me, because I loved you.  The thing is I hadn’t developed all of my skills until after we moved away.”

“Then how did you change into a bear the day we ran into the mountain lion?”

“My dad said it was probably due to the fact that I’d spent so much time lying on the bearskin rug in the living area of the cabin while I was growing up.  He was just surprised that I was able to do it while I was still so young.”

“So, your dad knows about this too?”

“Yes, because he’s also a skinwalker.”

“Wait!  So, he can change into all of the same animals and other things as well?”

“Yes.  I inherited the ability from him.”

“Then why didn’t he think you’d be able to do it when you told him about what had happened?”

“It’s because the ability isn’t supposed to kick in until after I’d started puberty, and there weren’t any noticeable signs that I had reached that point yet.”

“Wait!  Why do you have to reach puberty before you can do those things?”

“I think it’s kind of a built-in safety factor.  Can you imagine what a little kid might do if he knew he could change into all kinds of different animals when he got upset or wanted to get even with somebody?”

“Oh yeah, that probably wouldn’t be a good thing.  So, how did you do it that day?”

“My dad thinks it was caused by an adrenaline rush I experienced when we encountered the mountain lion, as well as the fact that I was determined to protect you.  Since I had spent so much time laying on the bearskin rug while I was growing up, I must have managed to absorb some of the bear’s genetic code, and then the transition just happened spontaneously.  Does my ability frighten you?”

“I guess it might have, if I’d known what had really happened back then.  I know we were both kind of young when it happened, but even so I still had trouble with your explanation about what had occurred.  It just never made sense to me.  I wanted to believe what you told me, but I couldn’t help but wonder how the bear’s claws could have ripped off all your clothes and hiking boots without leaving a single scratch on you.  I mean, I thought the bear must have had incredible control to make that happen without harming you, but I never in my wildest dreams would have guessed what really happened.”

“Yeah, I know, but it was the best story I could come up with at the time.  I knew I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone else about what the men in my family can do, not even you, so I had to think of an explanation quickly, even if it was pretty lame.”

“Yeah, I kept thinking about it during the rest of the time I was here at the cabin, and I thought about it even more after I got back home, but I never considered shapeshifters and I didn’t know about skinwalkers.  I was almost ready to confront you about it, but that’s when you told me you were moving away and I wouldn’t see you again.  After you told me that, I forgot all about the incident with the bear.”

“Man, I really wanted to tell you the truth back then, but I couldn’t.  My dad made me promise I wouldn’t tell you what had really happened, but I’m glad he’s decided to let me tell you now.  I knew we could never be close or become boyfriends or lovers if I was keeping that a secret from you, but now that we’ve agreed to be boyfriends and might even get married someday, my dad finally gave in and said I could tell you the truth.  We both felt you’d be ok with the information now, but we still felt we had to be prepared, just in case you freaked out.  I’m really glad that didn’t happen.”

“I don’t want to ever be separated from you again, so you probably could have told me you were a demon from hell or an alien from another planet.  It still wouldn’t have made a difference.  I would still love you no matter what you said.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“I’m just grateful that you were able to turn into a bear that day or we might have both been killed.” 

“Yeah, and that’s why my dad wouldn’t let us go out without him after that happened.  It’s also the reason why we had to move away.  My dad said he needed to train me so I’d be able to control the ability and only use it when it was needed.  He also wanted me to learn how to control my emotions so I’d be able to prevent my ability from popping up at inappropriate times.”

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense.  So, does your mom know about you and your dad?  Or can she do the same things?”

“No, she can’t do the same things, and yes she knows about us.  My dad explained it to her before they got married, and he also told her that if they had a child it would be a son and he would have the same abilities, but not until he’d reached puberty.”

“So, if he had a daughter she wouldn’t have been able to do these things.” 

“That’s not exactly how it works.  In our case, we can only father one child and the child will always be a male and he’d always inherit the ability.”

“Wow, this is a lot to absorb.” 

“I know, but do you still feel the same way about me?”

“I’m pretty sure I do, but I’ll need some more time to think about all of the stuff you’ve told me.”

“So you might have changed your mind?”

“I don’t think so, and even though I feel safer with you being around, I also feel a little threatened.  Who knows what you might turn into during the night and then attack me?” 

“I would never do anything like that, because I love you, and if you love me too then you’ll come over here and prove it by giving me a big hug and a kiss.”

“Ok, I can do that, but I’m afraid I can’t give you a BEAR hug, but I’ll do my best,” I joked, and then I wrapped my arms around his chest and gave him a huge squeeze, along with a very passionate kiss. 

“I’m glad you took this so well, even though you kind of wavered a bit.  I was really worried when you did that.”

“I can understand why, but you should have known it wouldn’t change my feelings about you.”

“I was hoping that’s what you’d say, so let’s head back to the cabin and I’ll fill you in about more of this later.” 

“You mean there’s still more to tell me?”

“Yes, lots more.  I want to explain how this all started in my family, because it began with my great-grandfather.” 

“So, it started with him and then he passed it down to his son.”

“Yes, and then my grandfather passed it down to my dad and he passed it along to me.  And if I have a son, then I’ll also pass it on to him.”

“I see, and I look forward to hearing more of this story.”

When we got back to the cabin, Devin’s dad was sitting on the porch, and he seemed to be waiting for us.  Devin immediately broke into a huge grin when he saw his dad and spoke. 

“He knows now and he’s good with it.”

“So, you told him everything?”

“Not everything, but I’ll tell him the rest of it later.  He knows enough, though, and he has no problem with it.” 

This time Mr. McCaskill grinned before he spoke.  “Mac, welcome to a very select and secretive group that knows about us and what we’re capable of doing.  We are very selective about whom we share this information with, because we have to trust that they won’t betray our confidence.”

“Don’t worry, because I’d never do that.  It probably wouldn’t matter if someone else found out about it, though, since I doubt they could stand up against any of you guys.”

“It’s possible they could, especially if we aren’t inclined to change into something else because we are in public and if it’s purely a man to man encounter.  However, I think you should know something else.  We can still be killed, no matter if we’re ourselves at the time or if we’re in another form.  A handgun, a rifle, a shotgun, a sharp knife or some other type of weapon can kill us if vital organs are pierced.  And no matter what we look like when it happens, once we’re dead our bodies will revert back to their human form.  If we’re only wounded, though, our body might be capable of healing some wounds that otherwise could prove fatal.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that, but I promise I’ll never tell anyone else.”

“I’m sure you won’t and I’m very pleased that you’re now part of the select group that we can talk to about these things or even transition in front of, if required.”

“Me too, and I feel really safe having you guys around.”

He chuckled.  “Yes, I suppose you would, since we’d never harm you.  Well, at least not without having a really good reason,” he added before releasing a rather sinister laugh.  I definitely got the message. 

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about me, because I’ll never provide you with a reason to do that.”

The four of us then spent the rest of the afternoon together and they told me more about where they went after they sold their house. 

“When we left Jamesville, we moved here and lived at the cabin, and we’ve remained here ever since,” Mr. McCaskill explained.  “We had to be someplace where I could teach Devin the things he needed to know, as well as a place where he could practice those things without being seen by outsiders.”

“So, you didn’t move away for a new job?”

“No.  In fact, I quit my old job so I could spend all of my time working with Devin.  I even home schooled him for a while on the subjects he’d need to master so he’ll be able to fit into a normal society for the rest of his life.”

“Ah, I see, but how did you have enough money to live on if you weren’t working?”

“My wife got a job and has supported us since we’ve been here.  Oh, and by the way, you’ll get to meet my father before you leave here, and possibly my grandfather as well.”

“You mean they’re still alive?”

“Yes, they are,” Devin answered, “but I’ll explain all of that to you later as well.”

I merely nodded and agreed to wait until he was ready to tell me how it was possible.  A short time later, we went inside to have supper together, and when we’d finished our meal I offered to help clean up afterward, but Devin kept me from doing that. 

“Not tonight, because I have a lot more to tell you, so come outside with me and we’ll sit on the porch while I explain some more about my family’s history.”

“Yeah, ok,” I agreed, and then I followed him out the door.  Once we were seated next to each other on the porch swing, he began another tale. 

“This all started during the Civil War.” 

“Wait!  It started that long ago?”

“Yes, it did, and I wish you’d stop interrupting and give me a chance to tell you this story.” 

“Ok, I’ll try.”

“My great-grandfather joined a volunteer military unit in the Colorado Territory shortly after the War Between the States began in 1861.  He and the other men in the unit were worried that the Confederate Army out of Texas was planning to take over the New Mexico Territory so they could expand slavery there as well.”

“The Confederates were trying to do that?”

“That’s what they suspected.  A large portion of the west had once belonged to Mexico, but it came under the control of the US after the Mexican-American War ended.  When Texas seceded from the Union over the issue of slavery, many people living in the New Mexico and Colorado territories feared the Confederacy would try to expand there and claim those areas as pro-slavery.  That would have been a huge gain for them, because the combined land mass of those territories would have been as large, or even larger, than the state of Texas.  The New Mexico Territory alone covered the area occupied by the present day states of New Mexico, Arizona, and the southern portion of Nevada.”

“Wow, I never realized the New Mexico Territory was that big.”

“Yes, it was, and since most of the people living in the Colorado Territory thought no person should be a slave and all people should be free, they formed their own volunteer military units.  Their intention was for these units to become part of the Federal or Union Army so they could help to defeat the Confederacy.”

“Yeah, that would have been the right thing to do.”

“As these units moved into the New Mexico Territory, they came into contact with a Federal Army unit that had been formed in California and was under the command of General James Henry Carleton.  He’d been given orders to keep the rebels out of the New Mexico Territory and was willing to let the volunteer units from Colorado join up with them.”

“Wait a minute!  So, Texas and California had both been part of Mexico and were now states, but the rest of the land was divided up into territories instead?”

“Yes, but Texas had broken away from Mexico prior to the Mexican-American War.  In 1836, they fought the Texas Revolution against Mexico and became an independent country, but there was a dispute between Mexico and Texas over where Texas’ southern border was located.  Texas claimed it was the Rio Grande River while Mexico claimed it was the Nueces River, which was farther north.  After the US annexed Texas, which most Texans wanted so the US would help to protect them from Mexico, and it became a state in December of 1845.  A U.S. military unit that was operating in Texas went on patrol south of the Nueces River, and Mexico immediately claimed the US was invading Mexican territory and attacked those troops.”

“And that’s what started the Mexican-American War?”

“It gave the pretext for the war, but there had been many people in the U.S that wanted to claim all of the land to the west even before this happened.  It was part of their belief in the concept of ‘manifest destiny’, which was the idea that the expansion of the United States across the continent was both justified and inevitable.”

“I guess I should have paid more attention in my history classes, but history wasn’t exactly my favorite subject.”

“Yeah, I learned all of this from my great-grandfather, not in any of the classes I took in school.  Anyway, California became a state shortly after gold was discovered there in 1848 and the ensuing population boom pointed out the need for a civil government.  It was admitted to the Union in 1850 as a ‘free’ state, meaning slavery wasn’t allowed there.”

“Ah, so Texas was a ‘slave state’ and California was a ‘free state’.  Did that army ever fight the Confederate Army?”

“Yes, units from Texas attempted to invade the New Mexico Territory, but they were pushed back by the army under the command of General Carleton.  Since it appeared that some of the Confederate forces went off to fight in areas where they felt they were needed more, the army out of California was given a new assignment.  They were ordered to handle the problem with the Apaches.”

“What kind of problem?”

“The Apaches had been raiding the farms and communities nearest to their homeland in search of food, which was causing numerous problems.  General Carleton kept the main part of his army to handle future invasions from the Confederates out of Texas, and Colonel Kit Carson was assigned a company to deal with the Apaches.  When the order first came down, it stated that all of the Apache men were to be killed on sight and the women and children were to be moved to a reservation.”

“That seems harsh.”

“It was and my great-grandfather didn’t agree with it, but he opted to do his duty as a soldier.  However, once he saw what was happening and how many of the Apaches had died on the long walk to get them to the Bosque Redondo reservation, he found it difficult to continue doing his duty.”

“Yeah, I bet.  It sounds as bad as letting the area become open to slavery.  So, why did so many die?”

“The army barely had enough food to feed the soldiers, so there wasn’t much food to share with the Apaches.  The Apaches also had to walk many miles to get to the reservation, so the lack of food and illnesses played a big part in what happened to the Apaches.”

“So, they only did this to the Apaches?”

“At the beginning, but once the Apaches were all on the reservation, the army was ordered to do the same thing with the Navajos.  The problem was that the Navajos knew about what had happened to the Apaches and they didn’t want the same thing to happen to them.  It turned out that they were also expert at disappearing quickly as the army approached, so the army wasn’t able to carry out its mission.”  

“That was really smart of the Navajos.”

“Yes, it was, and Carson was very frustrated by this lack of success.  Since the volunteer units weren’t wearing uniforms, Carson ordered them to do the scouting individually so they’d be less likely to be spotted.  While the volunteers were doing this, Carson ordered the rest of his company to burn the Navajo homes, fields, and orchards when they were discovered.  He also had the soldiers kill the animals that were there as well, and this left the Navajos with nothing to eat and no place to return to.”

“Damn, that’s awful.”

“Yes, it was, and it indirectly led to what happened to my great-grandfather.  While he was leading his horse and looking for signs about where the Navajos might have gone, something he wasn’t expecting happened, He said he was obviously too focused on his task and wasn’t observant to other things around him, so he wasn’t prepared when a diamondback rattlesnake struck.”

“Didn’t he hear its rattle?”

“A rattlesnake doesn’t always give a warning with its rattle before it strikes, and western diamondbacks are known to be very aggressive.  Anyway, it sunk its fangs into the calf on my great-grandfather’s leg and released its venom.  The sudden movement that the snake made caused my great-grandfather’s horse to rear up, and that jerked the reins out of my great-grandfather’s grasp.  The horse then raced off and this left my great-grandfather without a way to go for help as the venom coursed through his veins.  He thought he was going to die.”