Indian Summer
 
By: Backwoods Boy
(© 2020 by the author)
Edited by: Brayon

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

bboy@tickiestories.us

Chapter 10
Shago

The other Fancy Dance contestants wore elaborate regalia which highlighted their athletic movements, but Shago did not. Equally colorful and including all of the traditional elements, his was designed to display his muscular body to its best advantage. The feathered double bustle, headband, armbands, moccasins, and breechcloth were all present, but the rest was hot young American Indian. His smooth dark skin glistened with perspiration as he performed in the hot afternoon sun.

Benny had explained to me that dancers create their own regalia based on personal and tribal significance. I knew nothing of Shago's tribe, but simplicity, strength, and sensuality seemed to be his underlying personal theme.

This was my second experience at an American Indian pow wow. The first was a one-day visit as Benny's guest, back when we were casual friends at school. This was a weekend pow wow with the whole family. It was a private pow wow restricted to Indians, but as an informally-adopted family member I was allowed to attend under the supervision of Benny and Tocho.

Benny was teaching me the traditional dances, but I wasn't allowed to participate at the pow wow. Although I had a connection to the Great Spirit, I didn't have the necessary American Indian bloodline.

As Benny had told me, we were all required to wear authentic clothing. The moccasins my brothers had made were my most prized possession. With my brothers' help, I had created a simple breechcloth. My all-over tan helped me blend in, but blue eyes and a blond Mohawk haircut made it clear my Indian heritage was constrained to a spiritual connection.

"The Fancy Dance originated in the early 20th century," Benny explained, still dressed in his own dance regalia. "American Indian religious dances were outlawed, so a non-religious alternative was invented by a couple of creative teenagers."

"So much for religious freedom," I replied sarcastically.

"Religious freedom was fine as long as it was a white religion."

Although listening to Benny, I was watching Shago. "Even though you're my brother, I hope Shago wins the under-eighteen competition. There's something about his performance I connect to strongly."

"Shago is very good, and I admire his creativity and style, but he's pushing traditional boundaries. I think he's more interested in making a personal statement than winning, and I like that attitude."

I'd seen Shago before, and it suddenly came to me. He'd been standing next to the lifeguard stand at the beach talking to Pedro one day.

************

After the late-evening communal dinner of traditional Indian food, some of the men and boys sat around the campfire retelling Indian legends. Benny's grandfather skillfully guided the discussion towards stories which helped the younger members understand more about their culture, particularly about the spirit guides they had found or should seek.

As it grew late, the older men and younger boys gradually disappeared into their tents or traditional teepees to sleep, leaving the teenagers to continue the storytelling. Now Benny guided the discussion, and I realized he would someday take his grandfather's place.

"Let me tell you the legend about how the Ghost Cat helped Pahana rescue Tocho."

As Benny told the story, Tocho put his arm around me and gave me a hug, an unusually expressive response for him. A tear ran down my cheek as I hugged him back. That day had been very emotional for me, and the emotions returned easily.

Pedro and Mateo began to smile because they knew the story was very modern.

Mateo nudged me. "But that's not a legend; it really happened. Pahana and Tocho are here sitting beside me."

Benny smiled. "So what is a legend?"

There was a long silence, finally broken by Shago. "Legends are true stories from the past, sometimes the very recent past. We and our elders experienced some of them. Others happened long ago, but the retelling helps us understand our past and present culture."

Benny nodded his head. "Shago is correct. And in particular, the legends help us understand the importance of our spirit guides."

A younger boy had questions. "But what is a spirit guide, really? How does it communicate thoughts into your brain? And how can it really appear?"

Benny smiled encouragingly at the boy. "Those are good questions. And some of the answers have to be learned by experience. But I can help you a little. How many of you know about shape-shifting?"

A few of the older teenagers knew, but most of us didn't.

"Shape-shifting is the temporary change of a person into an animal. It takes years of practice, and requires accessing the primitive core of the brain we share with other mammals, as well as observing the animal itself. Shape-shifting can involve any animal, but it's usually associated with our spirit guide. Very few develop the ability to shape-shift. Those who do keep it secret to avoid being exploited or being harmed by people who would fear them."

"When a shape-shifter is in his animal mode, does he always appear as the animal?" Tocho inquired.

"Being in the animal mode isn't necessarily being in animal form. Animal mode is more like meditation. A person learns to understand, think and behave like an animal, and to communicate with it, but he's still in human form. Legends tell us shape-shifters can appear in animal form. That's one part which can't be easily explained."

Pedro had a question. "Is it possible for one person to know that another has the ability to shape-shift?"

"No one ever openly reveals that information, but sometimes others find out, either through a personal experience with the shape-shifter, or by a silent communication."

"Has a shape-shifter ever identified himself to you?" Mateo asked Benny.

Benny smiled reminiscently. "Twice. Once some time ago through a personal experience. A second time, more recently, because the shape-shifter had information he needed to share with me. It's important to remember that an American Indian shape-shifter learns the ability in order to help his own life and the lives of others, and to understand his spirit guide better."

Now I had a question from my own experiences. "When your spirit guide appears, how can you tell whether you are seeing a real animal, a shape-shifter in animal form, or a vision?"

"You have to decide that for yourself, and it may not be the same each time. When your spirit guide appears and helps you, you may never know its true physical nature, and it probably doesn't matter. Now, I think we should get some sleep. We all have lots to do tomorrow."

Entering my brothers' teepee, I crawled into the sleeping bag I shared with Tocho. Snuggling up behind his warm naked body, I quickly fell asleep, thinking about the day and how close I had become to my Indian family. Life was very good.

************

Awakening some time later, it took a few moments to remember where I was. As my eyes adjusted to my surroundings, I saw a dark figure crouched at the teepee entrance. Leaning up quickly in surprise, I realized the Ghost Cat was paying me another visit.

I put on my breechcloth and slipped quietly outside into the cool pine-scented night air. The first-quarter moon, low in the western sky, provided limited light. Smoke still rose from the smoldering campfire. In a nearby tree, a raven croaked softly, an unusual night sound.

Coyotes howled in the distance as I followed the mountain lion across the compound, where he disappeared into a teepee.

I stepped inside the open teepee door. Four lighted candles were positioned around the sides of the teepee, one for each of the four cardinal directions. An owl I recognized as a Pueo sat on a perch in one corner. The Ghost Cat had vanished. The teepee appeared to be empty, but prepared for a ceremony. Then I saw Shago, naked, crouched at the back of the teepee. A chill ran up and down my spine.

With a low growl, Shago quickly overpowered me and wrestled me down onto a bearskin rug. I offered no resistance as he tied me hand and foot with deerskin straps attached to the teepee poles. Testing my restraints, I found they allowed complete freedom of movement, but no way to escape. That was okay with me because I didn't want to escape. Being tied up by Shago excited me in ways I never would have imagined.

Standing over me, Shago looked down with wild animal lust, devouring my smooth muscular form with his cat-like eyes. I cooperated willingly as he removed my breechcloth. The danger and uncertainty of being naked and vulnerable turned me on.

Kneeling between my legs, Shago slowly caressed my body, raking me with his sharp fingernails often enough to keep me on edge. I squirmed with pleasure as he stroked my thighs. Craving more sexual stimulation, I spread my legs apart to give him better access.

As Shago slowly lubricated his throbbing boner with an aromatic oil I couldn't identify, I shivered with anticipation. There was no doubt about what Shago intended to do next, and what he would do it with was the same size as Kahoni's. That I was powerless to prevent it made it even more exciting.

Propped up on my elbows, I watched as Shago entered me slowly and silently. Our eyes locked as the familiar spirit connection was made, and I instantly knew he was the Ghost Cat in human form. The animal pleasure he silently communicated was much more primitive and intense than when I was joined to one of my brothers. Lying back on the rug, I waited in eager anticipation.

Shago began to move slowly inside me. My pleasure grew as the internal stimulation increased in tempo. I gripped the bearskin rug tightly as I tried to keep my increasing arousal under control. I just wanted to enjoy our mutual sexual excitement without cumming, but my oversexed adolescent body was too aroused. Before long, I was squirming in ecstasy and on the verge of an orgasm. For a minute or two, I managed to stay on the edge, but I was too excited to hold back. With a groan of pleasure, I blew my load onto my chest.

Shago came suddenly and violently with an animal grunt of satisfaction. As he began to deposit his DNA inside me, my spirit was transported to the vision quest site. I was again walking as a Ghost Cat with Tocho, Mateo, and our spirit guide, but this time I was as real as they were. I shared in the venison feast. I felt the same connection with the Great Spirit they had. And now the last part of the vision became clear.

..... And there was someone else. Someone I didn't know yet, who would make himself known to me. Because there was one thing missing before I could walk on my own as a Ghost Cat, one thing missing, one thing missing .....

My spirit, still connected with Shago's, returned to my body. No time had passed - he was still cumming, and in his eyes, the flickering candlelight revealed the cat-like reflection of my own.

************

It was mid-morning when I awoke, alone in my brothers' teepee. I sat up and looked around, wondering if my encounter with Shago had been a dream. The scratches on my chest and the abrasions on my wrists and ankles suggested otherwise.

Then I noticed Shago's armband, now on my arm. Exquisitely but simply crafted, it featured black and white beads in a cat footprint pattern which encircled the band, repeated seven times, a pattern identical to the one on my tomahawk.

I closed my eyes and sensed the presence of my spirit guide inside me. My connection with the Ghost Cat was now permanent.

But there was more. I could tell I was changed in some other fundamental way. I had some questions for my mentor.

It wasn't hard to find Benny. He was waiting for me when I came out of the teepee. I looked towards the trees where the mountain lion stood watching us.

"Do you see him, too?" I inquired.

"Yes," he responded quietly.

In an instant, the Ghost Cat was gone.

Benny looked at my chafed wrists and scratched, cum-stained chest and grinned at me. "It must have been a rough night."

I grinned back. "That's one way to put it. But I would call it an exciting night."

Benny looked at my arm. "That's a nice armband."

I replied proudly. "It seems it was a gift."

"I think you have a question for me."

"Yes, I do. When one has sex with a shape-shifter, does it change that person in any fundamental way?"

"How much do you know about blood brothers?"

"I know there's a ceremony in which two men swear loyalty to each other and cut themselves and mingle their blood as evidence of their intent."

"Correct. Now let me tell you about another kind of blood brother. When a shape-shifter climaxes inside another male, they bond in two ways. If they have the same spirit guide, the receiving male may become as close to the spirit guide as the shape-shifter. It doesn't always work that way, but it often does. The second bond involves DNA. The DNA of the shape-shifter merges with the DNA of the receiver. In this way, they become blood brothers in a very real way. This bond always works."

"There are two more things. The shape-shifter always leaves his new blood brother an important personal item as a gift, an item he has made specifically for the occasion. It is one of a matched pair, and the shape-shifter keeps the other one. It is a gift which should be cherished forever."

"Finally, there is sometimes a witness, another shape-shifter, possibly a different spirit guide. Were there any other living things present?"

So Kahoni may have been there, too. "There was an owl on a perch in the corner. A Pueo owl."

Benny smiled. "Now both of us know everything."

I knew two things more than Benny. I now knew the identity of my mutual friend with Kahoni, and I knew who had put the Hawaiian board shorts in the lost and found box. Shago himself had been guiding my discovery of my Hawaiian heritage.

I considered what Benny had said for a few moments. "I noticed this morning that my relationship with the Ghost Cat has grown stronger. I knew there was another change, too. I feel more confident about my American Indian identity."

Benny smiled, and validated my feelings. "You're now as real an American Indian as I am. A DNA test would show it. I will speak with Grandfather. At the next pow wow, you will dance as one of us."

To be continued...

Posted: 11/06/2020