The first week I was with Korinna and Hector we prepared the furs and hides. I successfully hunted a bison, wolverine, lynx's... well successfully was an overstatement. The Bison was a little easier, but I was able to kill one just like the Caribou. The skinning part took almost a day on its own.

The Wolverine was harder, tracking it was easy but getting close enough to kill was hard. I did it eventually, with little injuries. The lynx was the same way, but I managed to hunt quite a few of them. After preparing the skins Korinna and I started stitching the hides together.

My ceremonial parka tookthe longest, but I was happy with the final outcome. It was a Caribou pelt witha Wolverine trim. Then we usedthe other hides to create pants, shoes, shirt and even a chest bind.

But I was proud because I made them myself. I hunted the animal that the hide come from, I skinned it with its own antlers and bones, stitched them with parts of the muscles. It was crazy and difficult but an accomplishment. It was weird to think that I had learned so much in such small time.

About my tribe, my family, our legends, traditions (well not all of them). I learned how to fend for myself, what foods were edible, how to find clean water. I learned how to make my own tools, clothes, and shelter.

Then when it was dark and the pelts needed time to dry I learned to carve tools out of the bones, I made utensils to cook and eat with out of bones and antlers. We also made soap that did not make me feel as clean as the ones I have at home do but it was an experience all together.

The beginning of the second week was when things began to change a little. I woke up in my hut, my skin brushing the dirt. I changed into my clothes and walked out to the fire where the two were standing.

"are you ready?" Hector asked.

"Ready for what?"

He smiled "you have completed all the tasks required as tests of strength. Now we begin the test of wills, the spirit quest"

I nodded "Ready as I'll ever be"

Korinna sat us down around the fire "you have collected much of what is required for this, but we must prepare you to meet the spirits."

"the spirits?"

"when every creature in the world is born, a spirit stands beside them."

"why?"

"to light their way through the long dark night and sing the songs to guide them"

"why?"

"each of us has a destiny that sets us all apart, and the journey begins in the heart. Many people still do not see their spirit, but there are forces all around you. To comfort and to guide you. Fathers and Teachers, powerful creatures. And the voice that sings inside you"

I watched the flames, they looked like they were dancing as she kept talking.

"Your spirit is what lies within you. Some of us rely on teaching" she gestured to Hector who showed me a totem of a bear. "Some of us Wisdom" she pulled out a totem that looked like an owl.

"what was my fathers?" I asked.

"the bear. Your father was a protector, of course, but his family was the most important. You were the most important"

I let that sink in then allowed them to guide me through the ritual. It was a multi-stage process. But as they already said I got part of it.

It was twilight by the time we were ready for me to complete the first task. I was wearing my ceremonial parka, my face was painted, I fasted all day and performed multiple dances and songs, all to the spirits so that they grant me success on my quest.

By the time the sun set, and twilight was upon us Korinna had offered me my first drink of the day. It was some sort of tea or mixed herb drink. I was a little weary of it, but they assured me it would be fine. So, I took a drink.

It was bitter and not really something I enjoyed but I drank the whole cup, made from one of the bison's horns. A part of the ceremony as well.

That's when things started getting weird. I felt off, like something wasn't right. My vision was saturated, things were increased almost like my senses were crazy. I could see textures and patterns better, for those that weren't moving like waves.

Hector and Korinna were wavy one minute then they were gone the second. My body felt really heavy as I moved. Path lines were everywhere, electricity thrummed through my feet at an intense rate.

As I moved I saw other people, they weren't alive... at least I couldn't tell, they didn't seem to notice that I was here. The environment surrounding them was a bonfire. It was like I was right back at the village, but it was surrounded by hundreds of people. They began speaking in a language that sounded vaguely similar though something was off. It was almost like Greek.

I only caught a few words, 'danger' and 'leave' at first, I thought they were talking about me, but no one noticed I was there. For a moment I stood and watched the others as they discussed. It was clear they were frantic and afraid. Something was threatening them.

Before I could find out everything turned dark, the only thing I could hear was the screams, the ripping of clothes, then growls or ferocious beasts. The vibration of a stampede ran past me.

And I found myself on the side of the river. More screams and I turned to see the same vision from my dreams, the wolves ripped the heads off the werewolves. I held my head in my hands trying to drown out the sound as my head pounded.

Then suddenly the sound stopped.

I looked around at my surroundings. Only the faint light of the moon was lighting up the sky. But that was okay, I could see in the dark.

The problem was I didn't know where I was. I was surrounded by sheer cliffs, almost in a bowl. Below me I was standing in a huge rock pile, boulders and piles of gray and white granite rocks piled so high that you couldn't see the ground.

I heard rocks falling and turned to see the black wolf.

"What?" I asked looking around. The moon was lower in the sky than it should have been, it's hours later than I originally thought. My head pounded and I felt sick.

The wolf walked closer, it wasn't black anymore but a silver color, like the moon. It stopped a few feet in front of me, staring me straight in the eyes. After a few seconds I saw the path back to the village.

I blinked, my sight returning. When I looked back the wolf was gone but there was a round stone where the wolf was just standing. I picked the large stone up and felt the thrum of electricity in my hand. It felt comfortable and safe and right. The I realized that it would be a hassle to get back home.

I stripped down wrapping the stone in my shoes before tying them together before phasing and following the path the wolf showed me.

It took a day for me to get back to the village. When I steered off my path the black wolf would show up and put me back on track. I got within range of the village I phased and put my clothes back on, the stone held tight in my hand as I stepped over the threshold of village.

Korinna was sitting in front of the fire her eyes closed like she were meditating; Hector was pacing in front of the fire. They both turned towards me the moment I stepped into the opening.

"Alexandra..." Korinna breathed out a smile on her face.

"you did it" Hector replied happily. The two of them look over me to make sure I was okay. I yawned and heard my stomach growl at the same time.

"let us finish and then we can sleep" Korinna replied, guiding me to the fire. Once I was sitting they offered me another cup of tea. I sniffed the concoction; I truly did not want to experience another episode.

"it's just tea, I promise." Korinna said smiling gently. I took one sip before taking a few drinks, only now did I realize how thirsty I was.

"what happened?" I asked glancing between the two.

"your spirit vision" Hector said "you remember what we told you about our spirit guide"

"yeah"

"the mushroom tea was used to entice the spirit, for you to discover what it is."

They asked me what I saw, and I explained everything in detail... or as much detail as I could remember. They listened with apt attention, never interrupting, never judging.

"you found your spirit... Now to the final part. You have to connect the totem to yourself." Korinna stood up, gesturing me to do so as well. "your stone?"

I handed her the grey and black stone "your hand"

She put a knife into my hand. "you must embed yourself to the stone. Blood is the most effective way. You will need to cut your palm, coat the stone in your blood then drop it into the fire."

I nodded tightening my hold on the knife. I had been through so much already not even this could stop me. With a deep breath I sliced my palm then handed the knife back to Korinna. Only then did I notice that it was the knife I made from my first kill.

With the stone fully coated in my blood I dropped it into the fire. The flames expanded and smoke flew into the sky, and I was certain that I saw the outline of a wolf.

I watched the smoke float away into the night sky, only the stars around to collect it.