Nature's Gift

It had been a little more than two days now, and Night was beginning to feel fatigued. He had only left Kevin's side for a brief moment in all that time, when he had again heard a tapping on the door. He had opened it to find Raven sitting there in the snow, waiting to be let in. The bird had immediately fluttered up to his shoulder, and had remained there since.

Night was beginning to get a little concerned for Kevin. This quest was taking longer than he had expected, and Kevin had not eaten or had anything to drink since it began. He was still sweating profusely, and Night could see that he had lost a good deal of weight. It would not be good for Kevin to become too dehydrated, and that was Night's greatest concern. Raven assured him that it would not be much longer, so he continued to administer as much comfort to Kevin as he could. He had added healing herbs to the water now, and was constantly rewetting the cloth with the water and bathing Kevin's body to keep him cool. His chanting continued through the entire quest unabated. Night was also concerned for himself, as he was loosing strength much more rapidly now. He had been fasting during Kevin's quest, and had not slept at all. He wondered what more was left for Kevin to accomplish... and he wondered how much longer it would take.

Kevin's world was now solid again, and he found himself standing on firm ground. In the distance, he could see the majesty of a smoking volcano, and he wondered what this final part of the quest would bring. He didn't wonder long. The Earth began to shake violently beneath him, and the rumble was deafening. His first instinct was to run for shelter, but there were only trees and a cave. He was certain that the cave was a bad idea, not wanting to risk becoming trapped in there. His eyes frantically searched the skies for Raven, but he was no where to be found. Suddenly, the ground beneath him opened, and he found himself falling deep into the Earth.

He opened his eyes slowly. He was surrounded by the soft glow of phosphorous, which was embedded in the walls. He realized that this must be how the ancestors first thought of making fire with the stones. The glow must have made them think of fire, and someone had probably tried to put it out with water, only to create a real fire. He began to walk carefully in the only direction he could. There was a solid wall on three sides of him, so the way was very apparent. The soft glow gave him enough light to see by, though everything was bathed in an eerie green glow.

His mind slammed on the brakes again, and he froze in his own tracks. Green fire! Could this be what Night was supposed to find? He thought on this for a moment, deciding at length to make a mental note of this and proceed with extreme caution. His mind was telling him that danger was ahead, and he didn't want to walk into it with too much haste. Absently, his hand reached up in response to a heaviness around his neck, and he was surprised to find that the medicine bag was there. It had not been there during the entire quest, but now it had seemingly appeared out of thin air. Night had told him that it would protect him, and there was a good chance of danger ahead. Could Night have somehow reached across to the Spirit realm to him? He whispered his name at this thought, and in the mundane world, Night heard him and smiled.

Kevin walked for what seemed like miles before the narrow passage opened into a larger chamber. As he cautiously stepped into the chamber, his heart skipped a beat when he saw two tiny, glowing eyes staring at him from the other side. He remained silent and still as the eyes began to move toward him. He could hear the flapping of wings growing closer, and he was prepared to defend himself with his bare hands if need be. He felt the wings brush against his skin, sending a shiver down his spine, as the creature circled him and finally perched on a huge rock nearby.

"You've been expected, Kevin." The creature said.

"Who are you?"

"Don't you recognize me? I am Bat... I come as a shadow totem for you."

"I'm sorry... its hard to see in here..."

"Ah! Perhaps you should make fire? There is water beside you..."

Kevin reached his foot out to the side and felt the icy puddle. Reaching up, he pulled some of the fire stone from the wall and placed it on the ground a few feet in front of him. He felt his way back to the puddle as he imitated the chant Night had used, scooped up some of the water, and doused the stone with it. Flames immediately erupted in the middle of the chamber, and he could now see his new companion.

"I see you now... what is this place?"

"You are deep in the arms of the Mother, Kevin. You must let her speak to you..."

"Explain the green fire..."

"Green fire? Ah! The walls here... they are not important now. You have a demon that you have not yet faced, Kevin. You must do this to complete your quest. Time is slipping away quickly, my friend. Your physical body grows weak..."

"I'm dying? No... it isn't time yet!"

"Your companion is caring for your body, but he can not hold death back for long. Your body grows weak because you have not had food or water for several days. You need these things to reclaim your strength before your body shuts down. But, to eat and drink, you must first complete the quest…"

"Where is this demon then?"

"Follow me... be quick..." Bat said as he took to flight once more. Kevin followed closely as Bat lead him through a maze of passage ways that intersected repeatedly. He knew he would have been hopelessly lost in here without Bat to guide him, and for that he was thankful. All the while, he could hear the voice of Mother Earth in his mind, telling him her story. In pictures and in words, he quickly learned the entire history of Earth, and he could feel in his heart the pain and sorrow she felt. Mentally questioning her about this, she told him of how man was slowly killing her, making it ever more difficult for her to support life. A tear escaped him as he thought upon this, mentally asking the Earth to forgive him for any part he had played in her pain.

He soon stepped into another chamber. Unlike the rest of this place, this chamber was very hot, and was lit by a seething red glow. In the middle of the chamber, he could see a bubbling pit of lava... the Spirit of Fire again. So, was the quest to end as it had begun?

"That is correct..." The Bat answered, seeming to have read Kevin's thoughts.

"Yessssss... The quesssssssttt isssss near itsssss end..." Another voice hissed.

Kevin looked around for the voice.

"Where are you? Who speaks? Show yourself!" His voice boomed, echoing in the confines of the chamber.

"It isssss ussss... your desssssiresssss... Sssssome call me Kundalini..." The voice hissed seductively as the giant serpent emerged from the lava pit.

"My desires?"

"Ssssexxxxual desssiressss, Kevin... there isssss conflict within... I am thosssse desssiressss... I am that conflict..."

"I have no conflicts within... I know who I love..."

"There are two that you love... did you forget? Sssssshe waitssss, Kevin. You musssstt decccide!" The serpent's face became that of a beautiful woman, and in her eyes was the face of Night.

"Kris?!"

"Yessssss... Krisssss..."

"This is not fair! My feelings for her are different..."

"Yet there isssss love for both... you musssstt choossssse!" The serpent's voice boomed in its demand, as it drew back to strike.

Kevin's reflexes propelled him out of the way, causing the serpent to miss him. In a fit of rage, Kevin leapt onto the back of the serpent, grabbing it around the neck, as it began thrashing about. Using his fists, he delivered blow after blow to the serpent's head, screaming at it with each punch. Suddenly, the serpent let out an ear piercing scream and retreated back into the lava pit... with Kevin still holding on.

The lava began to boil and bubble violently, and the Earth began to shake. Bat hurried out of the chamber, back to the safety of where Kevin had found him. Kevin did not notice the heat of the lava as it surrounded him. His focus was on the serpent, which was still trying to get to him. They struggled for a very long time, and the lava boiled more violently with each second that passed. In a frantic effort to free itself of Kevin, the serpent reached up with its tail. Kevin grabbed the tail as it tried to encircle his waist, and holding the serpent's neck with the other hand, instinctively struggled to bring the two together. The end result was that the serpent found itself tied in a knot. As Kevin floated next to the serpent, there was a sudden stillness and quiet to the lava and the Earth that hung in an uneasy tension. A few moments later, Kevin's eyes widened as he felt the Earth give forth a violent shudder.

With incredible force, and a deafening boom, Kevin was hurled from the lava pit. He flew through the air, still surrounded by the hot lava, at a dizzying speed. An eternity seemed to pass before he felt the cooling waters of the ocean wrap him in a healing embrace. Breaking the surface of the water, he looked toward the land and understood what had happened. He had been expelled through the top of the volcano, and the waters had caught him.

He swam to shore and looked around. He was still here. Had he failed somehow? Had his physical self died? He was more than confused, and his heart ached at the possibility of never seeing Night again. He longed to be back in the lodge, cuddled with Night between the fur pelts as the fire pit roared. He could almost taste Night's kisses on his lips, and his body ached for his touch. He knew now who he really loved... but he feared it was too late anyway. He sank to his knees and wept deeply. In a moment of complete agony, as he felt his heart shatter into a million shards, he looked to the sky and screamed Night's name with every ounce of strength he had left in him. It was a scream that could have awakened the dead, or toppled a mountain. As the rain began to fall around him, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and passed out.

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