In the Colville Woods
She was a woman of thirty-two, who had been told many tall tales about the woods as she had grown up in the Inland Northwest of Washington State. At the moment she was in the back woods outside Colville. Where she was told that some strange activity was going on. She was trying to figure things out for herself, since she was the local researcher. Plus her father sent her out without asking her.
Oh, well, what was she to do? She kept her feet light as she moved. She didn’t want to run into anything. As she walked around a bend, she ended up walking up to a troop of scouts with a man who was trying to get things together to make a camp. She glanced at her watch and saw that it was three thirty.
She looked around to see if there was anyone other than him. But only saw it was him with fifteen kids. It didn’t look like it was going to go well. So she walked over to the man. With a smile, she asked, “Do you need help?”
The man jumped, causing everything he had to throw everywhere and the children to giggle. He turned towards her with a blush on his cheeks. It was then she noticed that he looked like a Native American, but she could be wrong. “Sorry,” the man spoke kindly. “I was helping these kids with their camping skills.”
She walked up to him and took the maps out of his arms that he still had. “I don’t think these would help with their camping skills.” She then put them back in the open back of his SUV. “I can stay and help, if you feel overwhelmed?” She didn’t understand why she was willing to help, but she wasn’t in a hurry to get anywhere either.
Ever since she heard the reports, she thought she was being sent to chase a ghost. At least from what she had been told by many people at least. As she helped the man, she had asked a few of the boys to help them. In the end, they mimicked what she was doing as they set up the tents for the night. Only to cause many to laugh as they were trying to understand the directions, but many had understood what to do in general.
In the end, she only had to fix five tents in total. But that wasn’t bad. Then they fixed their tents how they wanted to sleep for the night. After that, the man then started cooking. Where she had gone over to see if he needed aid.
“Oh, we didn’t exchange names, did we,” he asked.
She giggled, “No. I’m Sarah Miller, I am a local researcher for the Forest Service.”
The man smiled, “I’m Samuel Redfeather, I’m from the Colville Reservation, but the Boy Scouts of America.”
She smiled, “I think that's a good thing you’re doing, Samuel. Not everyone takes the time to share their culture with others. It would surely stop the divide.”
“You’re a very open minded person, aren’t you,” he asked her.
“In general,” she told him honestly. She let out a sigh, “Except today.” She looked into his eyes and saw his thoughtful look, no judgement. “I got a report about a Bigfoot in the area. Somewhere near here, that was where I was going.”
“Bigfoot!” One of the boys had called out in cheer. Causing others to talk loudly with one another.
Samuel had started to laugh. “I guess I know what I will be talking about at the fire tonight.”
She blinked at him, “You mean, campfire stories?”
He smiled, “Yes, campfire stories. About the Origin of Bigfoot.”
That got all the boys’ attention, if she had to admit to herself. She was slightly curious herself.
After dinner was cooked and dishes cleaned and put away. Everyone sat around the campfire. Ready for Samuel to begin his story. He sat in his chair with a smile on his face.
She imagined that he was collecting his thoughts before he began. She had her notebook to take notes. She didn’t want to lose a detail. She may not believe everything he said, but any small fact could be important later.
“A long time ago, before your ancestors sailed here. Our medicine men would go out on a journey, out into the woods. Our ancestors would see them change from man to something more. Something that his half man and half beast. A man who is taller than us and covered with hair.
“They would have the strength of a grizzly bear…”
“Cool,” one boy gasped. “Hush Jacob, it sounds scary,” another sounded scared.
Before she could do or say anything. Samual had gone on, “Yes, you should be afraid. The medicine men that change, forget their old lives. Until this one story says, I am wrong.”
“Why do you say that,” she asked him.
“During the time of the Calvary and settlers making their claims here. Our villages were being attacked, and we were being pushed out. One woman was being pushed by one Calvary man, she screamed louder, like a ghost in pain. Her husband was a medicine man and has been gone for many years. After her scream, a Bigfoot came rushing out of the forest in a blinding rage. He was at that Calvary man’s side and tossed him many yards away from the woman.”
“Really,” she asked in disbelief.
“Yes,” Samual nodded his head. “Bigfoot fought tooth and nail with the other Calvary men, before they ran off. It wasn't before long that Bigfoot took the woman with him. Neither of them were seen again.”
She glanced down at her paper only to write. Shapeshifer, super strength, protector. But she feels that there was more than that.
“Is there more,” she asked.
Samuel looked at the fifteen boys around them. They looked eager to listen. “There might be one more. This was when I was a kid, myself.” He rubbed his chin.
“It was at the edge of the reservation, near the woods. I was walking there when I heard something very large and heavy was walking near me. It felt dark and powerful, like a living spirit. When it jumped out of the forest and saw me, it's eyes were human but the rest of it was a beast. Everything about it screamed demon, devil.”
She froze at his words. She felt that feeling before. She had thought it was in her head. But hearing his words, she can't ignore that feeling any more. She glanced over to the right of her, feeling that someone was watching her, but she couldn't see anything.
Samuel clapped his hands and told the kids to go to bed. She felt him walking towards her. “What's wrong,” he asked her.
“I think he has been following me,” she finally admitted out loud.
Samuel asked, “Really, when?”
She turned to look at him. “Ever since I started working for the forest service, five years. The feeling you described about Bigfoot, I’ve always felt it.”
He looked worried, before his eyes looked towards the thick woods. “How about you stay closer to me tonight,” even his tone was on a side of caution.
She nodded her head in agreement. There was no extra tent for her anyway and his tent was bigger. So it made sense for her to stay with him. She was lucky that she had thought about bringing a sleeping bag with her. She would use it to sit wherever she goes for a break.
With a sigh, she followed Samual into his tent. It had a lot of space inside. Once inside, they placed their things in the middle acting like a divide from each other. They made their beds and said good night to each other and fell asleep. She felt herself being swept away into dreams.
A loud howl woke her up from a dead sleep. Before a sound of a large rock hit the ground near Samual’s tent. That was when he woke up. “Those kids better be asleep,” he hissed softly. Before he rushed out of his sleeping blanket and then the tent.
She followed right after him, only for him to push her back into the tent. Just before a rock had nearly missed her. Only to hear a howl in the distance with a sharp yelp. “What's going on?”
“We're surrounded,” he hissed darkly. His eyes looked focused and sharp. “Whatever happens, you stay with the kids.”
She saw his eyes and nodded her head. “Yes.”
Samuel picked up a long stick, just as another rock threw at them. Only for him to swing the rock back. They heard a loud yelp and a growl. Before Samual ran towards the sound, causing a sound of crashing sounds in the woods. It only made her worry.
“Sam,” she squeaked softly. But something in her told her that he was long gone. Tears leaked out of her eyes. Making her feel alone, like a single mother alone with a bunch of children that weren't hers. It was heart wrenching.
By dawn, she was exhausted, and with it the children's parents came to pick them up. Each of them looked at her with concern as they asked where Samuel Redfeather was.
“There was an emergency last night. I am with the forest service, I am Sarah Miller. I didn't mind being here for your children.” She smiled, her perfect smile. One she used all the time at work.
It seemed to calm the parents as they took their children and left. Once the last child left. She packed all the tents and equipment into the back of Samuel's SUV. Then she started to follow the trail of where she believed he went last night. She wasn't going to leave him alone.
Luckily for her, he left a trail of broken branches behind. She made her way through the forest, only to feel something watching her. Making her stop and look around. She hadn't seen anything, but then again, Bigfoot was the ghost of the woods.
So she did what she could only do, she kept walking. She followed the trail until she came to a cave and it was not what she would call a normal looking cave either. No, it looked very dangerous.
“SAM,” she called into it, as loudly as she could. “SAM!” She knew the dangers that caves could be. Especially ones that hold poisonous gasses. “SAM YOU BETTER ANSWER ME!”
“Sarah,” she finally heard his voice. It was enough to throw caution in the wind and went into the cave to get him. She found her flashlight she always carried in her backpack, before she rushed in and turned it on. As her eyes adjust to the dark cave and wave the beam of light, she finally found Samual. He didn't look too good.
“Sam, what happened,” she asked with concern. As she rushed to his side, only to see that he had been beat up. “Who did this to you,” she asked him, as she helped him onto his feet.
He groaned, “You won't believe me.” One eye looked bruised, clothes ripped, hair really messed up, and claw marks over his body that was exposed. “Bigfoot did this to me.”
She ignored him, as she helped him onto his feet. As they were making their way towards the exit. Their way was blocked by the being she thought was a myth. “What do you want,” she hissed at him.
The being just blinked at him. But Sam wiggled out of her arms and stood before her. Acting protective and trying to look bigger.
“Sam,” she asked.
“Don't be afraid,” was her only warning of what's about to happen. Within seconds, Samuel changed shape to match the same shape as Bigfoot before him. A growl ripped through his throat. Making her shiver where she stood.
“If this isn't real, this is too much of a nightmare for me,” she whispered softly. Not understanding what was going on. She just closed her eyes and covered her face. She had watched movies where women had done that. That made her angry when women threw the white flag and did not face the issue head-on. But this was too paranormal for her.
As soon as she had covered her face, it was when she had heard a fight had broken out. Only to hear growls, roars, scratching sounds against the rock ground. She could only imagine it was two alpha males and they were fighting over her. ‘That was the last thing I was expecting today.’ She was a scientist and logical person in her mind, it was how she was trying to see the situation as. Not trying to panic.
But in the end, if the wrong one won, she knew her chance of surviving was not good. Once the sound of fighting had stopped, she lowered her hands slowly. The Bigfoot that came forward had ripped clothing that Samual had on earlier. She was almost afraid to even voice. But she knew she had to ask.
“Sam,” she asked in a small voice. The Bigfoot in front of her nodded his head in agreement. Making her let out a breath of finally, she was safe. “Let’s go, before you have to fight him again.”
In the end she had to help Samual out of the cave, he was struggling after the fight. Once they were back at the campsite. He was able to change back to a human and change clothes. He explained that his father was a medicine man and he regained the ability to be with his people again. Only to give him the gift of change too.
“So, Bigfoot is a paranormal shapeshifter,” she asked him. “That’s why people can’t find him?”
“Yes,” he let out a sigh. “Most of them have lost their human minds. Except for me that is, that is why they are very dangerous to be around with.” He glanced around. “Come on, help me pack up. We need to leave.”
With that, they packed up the SUV in quietness. She felt the eyes on her still. But she didn’t stop what was needed to do. Once everything was in the SUV, she got into the passenger seat. Samuel was outside looking around for one last time before he got in. He started it and they were off.
When they got to the Forest Service office, she walked in with Samuel behind her. She walked past everyone who tried to say hello to her, but she had a mission. A mission to talk with her father, who sent her out into the woods. Once she got to his office, Samuel closed the door behind them. It was then that her father looked up and stopped whatever he was about to say.
“Whatever you thought was out there, don’t bother. Bigfoot is there and he nearly attacked me,” she glared at her father. She tossed him a notepad with her statement in it onto his desk. “There is a statement and my signature on it.”
“What do you mean Bigfoot,” he asked. “I sent you out there to calm the public, not to cause a panic.”
“It’s true sir, I saw it too and she quits,” stated Samuel for her. She turned to him as he looked protective. “She is going to work at the reservation as a lead researcher.” He took her hand and led her out the door.
“Is there a job,” she asked him.
“Not yet, but I will make one,” he told her.
From there she was driven away from everything she knew. All thanks to Bigfoot who changed her life.