The old cabin looked the same as it had when Takota visited as a young boy. The red metal roof covered the dark oak logs and sagging front porch. Dreamcatchers hung in every dirt crusted window above clay pots filled with herbs and a few flowers. Off to the right of the quaint home, a small stream sang a burbling song to the surrounding willows and firs. 

Even amongst the beautiful and serene surroundings Takota's head throbbed from all the dead he sensed wandering around. At home, he set boundaries, so he could sleep without a spirit waking him up in the middle of the night for a chat. Clearly the shaman didn't bother with such practices, so they were drawn to him like moths to a flame. 

The screen door banged against the outer cabin wall and out stumbled a chunky man with shaggy, long hair that looked like it hadn't been brushed in ages. "You aren't welcome here!" The man spit on the ground. 

Takota barely recognized his father. He clenched his fists and straightened his back, giving him several inches height on the other man. "We are here to speak with the Shaman." 

"Only the faithful may seek his advice." 

Lifting a bag full of Salmon, Takota said, "I bring him an offering for I know the ways of the people." 

A thin, elderly man in a wheelchair rolled to the door opening. His eyes were white from macular degeneration, but he seemed to miss nothing. He spoke quietly, but with an unquestionable authority. "Ah, there you are. The spirits told me to expect you and your friend, grandson." 

"Grandson?" Zoe cocked her eyebrow. 

"Yeah, it's a long story. I'll explain later," Takota whispered. He hoped he wouldn't have to, but knowing Zoe, she wouldn't let this go until she knew all the facts. 

"Hello grandfather. I seek your guidance about--" 

"You have angered Ste ye hah." He shook his head. "That was foolish." 

Grandma Sohappy's ghostly form appeared behind her husband. 'He's still as handsome as the day I met him, and wiser than I remember.' 

Takota felt naked, like a newborn babe that needs protection from the elements. 

Zoe spoke up, "It was an accident; we meant no disrespect." 

The Shaman rolled onto the dilapidated porch and waved them over. He radiated calm and understanding that soothed Takota's headache, even the spirits settled down. "Come sit. I will tell you the tale of Ste ye hah and then you can decide what you want to do." 

Takota went to sit on the bench, but the drunk stood in his way with his arms crossed over his chest. 

"Forgive him, Hatali. It's the fire water poisoning his mind." 

He rubbed his aching temples and thought at his grandmother, 'Not now Granny.' 

'Very well,' she huffed before vanishing from sight. 

"Let them pass, John," the Shaman said. 

The drunk man looked at the Shaman with reverence in his dark brown eyes. He stepped aside just enough to let them by. The whiskey smell emanating from him, burnt Takota's nose. 

"For you, Grandfather." He went to set the bag down and John grabbed it. 

"I'll take that inside." The screen door cracked against the frame like it was breaking the wood into splinters. 

From the Shaman's pocket came a pipe. Sulfur tinged the air as he lit a match and applied it to the contents of the bowl. He blew smoke through his motionless mouth, the cloud of it closing over the few stars dotting the early evening sky, spreading thin, dissipating. "Have you been told the tale of the Wolf?" 

Zoe nodded. "My mother told me about him teaching the people where it is safe to travel and hunt." 

"Yes, that is the story. But time passed, and we ventured into new plains and forests that Wolf told us nothing about. New friends, animals and dangers appeared. 

"The people once communed with the large, hairy man named Ste ye hah. We walked through his lands without fear of being harmed. We talked to the trees, run wild with the animals and ate until our bellies were full." 

Takota leaned forward. He heard this story from his mother a few times, but there was something magical about the way the Shaman spoke. His reassuring tone painted the picture in Takota's head so vividly there was no way of dismissing its truth. 

"Then one day, Violence came, bringing fire and disease with it. Animals ran in fear, leaving the forest for the desert plains. The trees were sad and cried for their friends to return. But the animals ran too far away and no longer heard their pleas. Tears flowed from the trees open wounds but could not quench the flames that Violence caused. Enraged by the destruction of his home, Ste ye hah hunted Violence and killed him with his bare hands." 

The Shaman took a long drag on his pipe and slowly allowed the smoke to leave his body. He spoke again, "Ste ye hah had never known murder or hate before and did not like how it changed him. No matter how hard he tried, he could not undo what he had become. He warned all to keep out of his lands or succumb his rage." 

Zoe sat up straight and seemed to be receptive to the story. 

"To this day, my people do not to enter no man's land. The place now called Culver Ridge." 

The stream's song blended with the cicada's nightly performance and the sky grew darker. 

Zoe asked, "What is Ste ye hah and where does he come from?" 

In his mind, Takota saw a green light and several small beings walking out of it followed by Ste ye hah. 

"Some say Bigfoot has always been in the woods and others say he comes from a different world, traveling between that one and ours with a flash of green light," John Sohappy said. 

Takota started in his seat. He had been so engrossed with the story he didn't notice his dad come back outside. 

Zoe snorted. "An extraterrestrial?" 

"An alien, yes," the Shaman said with finality. 

Zoe looked like she accepted what he said, but Takota felt her doubt like a worm wiggling in the pit of his stomach. 

"How can we make this right?" he asked. 

"Ste ye hah must be acknowledged, by both of you." 

Zoe cleared her throat. "I don't mean you any disrespect, but I don't believe in Bigfoot, Ste ye hah or whatever else you want to call him. There is no scientific proof to suggest otherwise." 

"You haven't found signs of his presence near your home?" The Shaman asked. 

Zoe pursed her lips together and remained silent. 

"Have you been sick?" 

"No." 

"I have been since the day we went up to Culver Ridge." Takota leaned closer to the Shaman. "What can I do, grandfather? Please tell me how I can make this right." 

"You must perform a ritual and make an offering to show your sincerity. You must promise him that you mean his land no harm, and that you will never return once the ritual is done." The Shaman jerked his chin at Zoe. "She must be with you to complete the ritual." 

"What if she doesn't come?" 

The shaman shook his head. "Move to the city so that Ste ye hah won't hunt you or your family." 

Zoe leaned back. Takota knew she worried about her parents getting involved in this. Her next words filled him with hope and some relief. "What do we need for the ritual?" 

"You must give Ste ye hah an undamaged feather, the clearest crystal you can find, fresh berries and a wooden or clay bowl filled with clean water. Takota can call the elements forth to perform the ritual." 

"I've never been taught how to do that," Takota protested. 

"You have seen it many times. Like your friend, you must accept what you know to be true, no matter how hard it is. Do not let this"--he tapped his chest--"control this." He pointed to his head. 

He didn't like that answer, but at least there was something he could do and for that he was grateful. "Thank you for the help, Grandfather." 

"Yes, thank you," Zoe said as she rose to her feet. 

"Don't be a stranger, either of you." He rolled back inside his home. 

They made their way back to Zoe's Jetta. 

"Don't go up to No Man's Land and mess around. You must go there with a purpose. A peaceful purpose," John Sohappy's words slurred together, but less so than when they arrived. 

Instead of giving his dad the satisfaction of speaking to him, Takota pulled open the car door and slid inside. "Come on, Z. Let's get out of here."