 
# The Crater Mountain Sasquatch Legend

Book 1

By Robert A. Hunt

Smashwords Edition

© Copyright 2012 Robert A. Hunt

Cover concept by Robert A. Hunt

Cover art by Stacey T. Hunt

#  Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you're reading this eBook and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

#  Disclaimer

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Despite what may be written in this eBook or in any other book, the Sasquatch should be treated as a people and therefore respected. This eBook in no way promotes anyone to go out with the intentions of hunting, capturing or killing anything or anyone at all. Killing a Sasquatch is equal to murder in the court of law. This fictional story is strictly for the purpose of entertainment and to arouse discussion.

#  Dedication

To Mom and Dad. For summers at the cabin, long walks in the woods, your patience, love, friendship and humor. For letting me experience the kind of love that people would freely die for nowadays. Thank you for encouraging me to go on every adventure as I grew. Here's one we can take together.

Welcome to the world of my mind's perception.

This book is for you.

#  Prologue

THE FOLLOWING STORY is a culmination of many short stories, folktale legends, urban myths and local native Sasquatch reported sightings that I've personally heard. They originate from the surrounding area where I live (British Columbia Canada). Though the stories haven't been told together to complete one narrative before, as you'll read here, they're no less fascinating and rouse much thought provoking discussions.

Where is the evidence you ask? Consider the countless tracks and casts found all over the planet. These tracks show striking similarities on every continent which go back centuries. Numerous eyewitness reports have been documented and many are classified. The government has gone to great lengths to cover up crime scenes involving these creatures. If an official government protection policy exists for these living beings, then a Sasquatch must also exist. (The government hasn't developed a protection policy for unicorns.)

Dr. Grover Krantz of Washington State University detected anatomical features of an injured primate foot in a cast.

Finger print expert; Jimmy Chilcutt from Texas, discovered distinct dermal ridges (finger prints) in some very old casts. These microscopic details revealed healed scar patterns that further confirmed authenticity for the specific tracks that were examined.

The Patterson \- Gimlin film is regarded as one of the strongest pieces of evidence for the existence of Sasquatch.

Most native tribes across North America are rich with a history of stories concerning giant hairy folks.

Recordings of sounds (screams and roars, wood knocks and hoots.) have been attributed to Sasquatch. These sounds are distinctly not of any known animals.

Essentially, Sasquatch is described as standing upwards between six to eight feet tall with a large forehead and pronounced brow and a sloping head like a gorilla's. Covered in brown, blonde, red or black hair it has large padded feet like his namesake and there are rare reports of this creature measuring as tall as fourteen feet.

Stories of "Sasquatch" existed among the Native Americans long before any European colonists moved in. Versions of Sasquatch ranged from harmless giants, to cannibalistic monsters living on mountain peaks. These stories varied from tribe to tribe and even from family to family, which means the Sasquatch could have gone by many other names.

I enjoyed researching this subject to such a measure, it became an addictive journey. Talking to people in my area alone has proven very rewarding. You can't tell what stories people carry around until you ask.

Once, a truck driver from the U.S. delivered a truckload of straw to where I worked at the time. He was very upset and pale. While in quite a state of shock he reported seeing a Sasquatch run across the road ahead of him. He said, "I didn't know you actually had these things up here. I thought they were just stories people made up. Look, I don't expect any of you to believe me. Just know this, I quit! As of right now you'll never see me haul another truck load of anything to Canada ever again! I'm done!"

I continue to be surprised again and again by the legends and old tales. They stir my imagination and speak to a very primal curiosity I have that goes all the way back to my childhood. There is such a rich well-spring of information to tap into and many people are willing to head out in search of evidence to substantiate the existence of Sasquatch.

With so much evidence coming to bear around the world from foot casts, hair, blood and waste samples, it begs the question, "What is really going on out there? Is it possible there's already been proof, like a body, only such similar claims are quickly being covered up before reaching the public? Why? Could something so large exist without being recognized culturally? Is a Sasquatch an undiscovered lifeform?"

I hope after you read this book you'll be encouraged to follow the footprints of your own legend. Who knows what you might unearth for yourself.

-Robert A. Hunt-

# Chapter 1

HIGH UPON CRATER MOUNTAIN, dislodging rocks and hurtling them down the steep slope, came an eighteen hundred pound Sasquatch. Making his way along a ridge with quick wide strides, his long massive arms swung. At his speed, the chill gentle wind penetrated the long hair covering his body. Such majestic hair was dark brown and silver tipped. With the momentum of his stride, his lengthy hair and beard kept rhythm.

Stumbling for just a moment, he almost over compensated for his top heavy musculature. Husky shoulders measuring six feet across shook the frost free with each powerful step. The muscles at the back of his neck were so developed; it appeared as though he didn't have a neck at all. Outclassing any human weight-lifter in history, his muscle mass and agility were of a whole other inhuman level.

Stopping quickly, his huge feet dug into the loose rock.

The breeze flowing up the slope carried the scent of evergreens, fresh water, and – something else. Raising his sensitive flat, broad nose, he turned an ear to the wind. Listening, he sniffed.

Yes. His large lips stretched into a grimace. He was close now. Peering down at the valley below, he knew he'd finally catch up with his lifelong enemy, Scabwelt.

Gurchukk looked down at the scars he carried from many previous fierce battles with the wicked grizzly bear. One great scar on his hind leg still acted up every time he thought of the old bear. It had crippled him for many weeks. Most of which was all but impossible to see for it's hidden under his long dark hair.

Now, it had returned to his kind and ransacked their community. Gurchukk was regarded as the strongest, wisest and most courageous of the clan. _'Scabwelt thinks he can come and go as he pleases? And just take whatever he wishes? Does he believe himself to be the king of the mountain? Perhaps invincible?'_ Gurchukk was no coward when challenged and he was determined to make this, the final battle.

Dark emotions plowed over the tall, hairy hominoid in a wave of red anger.

Sneaking up on the old grizzly, the Sasquatch peered through his long bangs and the bushes with sharp calculating eyes. He saw Scabwelt rear up. It stood twelve feet tall and the shambles of its dark fur had grey patches. Balding stripes streaked its shoulders and head where it was scarred from a long history of trouble making. Through Scabwelt's unusually long life, he fought enemies of every kind. Usually he won his battles too.

This massive alpha bear carved his mark deep into the bark of an evergreen with four of its eight inch talons. Stopping for just a skeptical moment, it stuck its nose in the air and sniffed. It must've caught a hint of the Sasquatch for at that instant it turned and ambled further down the steep slope into the woods.

King of the mountain; Gurchukk, the mighty and bold Sasquatch, snorted.

Slipping down to the flat where Scabwelt's fresh mark in the trees was, he inspected it. The claws of the old bear were truly sharp and the marks were deep. The tree would bleed its sap from this mark and die before the winter season was through. The first thing the Sasquatch did was scrape the bear's claw marks from the tree. While using the sharp edge of a rock to obliterate the grizzly's brand, Gurchukk glanced at his shadow. Dusk was falling and it was time to end this.

Entering the thicker forest of coniferous trees, Gurchukk felt a lucky feeling wash over him. He straightened as much as his curved back would allow. Yes, today was the day. He'd finally be rid of the mischievous old grizzly. Empowered with confidence, he leaped over low bent trees and landed his full eighteen hundred pound body with sharp impacts. Feet thundering down the mountain, he let gravity pull him closer to his long awaited victory. Tramping through the trees to a long waterfall at the edge of a cliff, Gurchukk jumped across. He cleared a twelve foot expanse as the river cascaded to the rocks below. As the Sasquatch soared through the air, he imagined returning to his clan with a hero's welcome. Chuckling at his own exuberant thought, the wind stroked through his long body hair. Gurchukk felt a keen sense, not only of freedom, but of the spiritual connection between him and the expanse of land around him. The ground shook where he landed on the far side. With a deep huff, he swung his powerful arms and regained his balance.

This was Sasquatch country.

Continuing downhill, slowing his stride and working his way quietly through the bush, the burly creature sniffed the air again. The scent was growing stronger. Looking over a ridge of rock, he found old Scabwelt chewing on the branches of a Saskatoon bush, though it was not yet time for the bush to produce its fruit.

Taking hold of a large rock within the great mitt of his hand, Gurchukk hurtled it through the air like the stone had been launched from a catapult. The rock knocked Scabwelt's head right to the ground.

Getting up on all fours, shaking dust from his furry head and shoulders, Scabwelt raised his head and noticed the set of angry Sasquatch eyes boring into him. Turning away from making any further eye contact with his fierce attacker, the bear began to amble away but paused with a second thought. He knew what was to happen next, and how unavoidable it would be.

Gurchukk whistled triumphantly. Then he bellowed to make no mistake the danger the grizzly was in.

Wheeling, the old wild bear growled a warning of his own in an angered daze, before he broke into a futile run from Gurchukk.

The bear was very fast, but Gurchukk was faster. Bursting through the thick bush, he pursued Scabwelt as the old bear skirted the edge of a lake that today, is known as Red Bridge Lake.

Moving through the air silently, the Sasquatch cleared the rocky ridge, landing on the flat ground below with a terrible thud.

In the past, he had scared Scabwelt away by chasing after him, but this time it wouldn't end with mercy. Through the mottled patches of moonlight under the puzzled casted shadows of the forest, Gurchukk gained on Scabwelt. Their blurred reflections mirrored in the clear surface of the lake.

On the far side of the freshwater, bright fires glowed as the delicious aroma of cooked meat wafted over them through the breeze.

Both of the wild adversaries slowed to sniff at the air. Their hungry bellies longed to investigate the source, but neither could forget; they were at war.

When the Sasquatch lunged at Scabwelt, the bear rolled and bucked the hairy behemoth off. The Sasquatch landed on his back and screamed with unbridled rage at the grizzly's fangs as they flashed above him.

The scene was a primitive battle of wild beasts, recreated from millions of years ago.

The moonlight presented a ghostly scene that was lit in its haunting glow, as the little people pounded their drums, stomped their feet and howled at the evil in their midst. They always performed this way to frighten off any wild animals that lurked in their vicinity. There was no difference between predators of the wild and evil spirits.

Gurchukk rolled onto his haunches and heaved himself upright to face his enemy. Ignoring the crack of a rifle and the sting of arrows, the two exchanged powerful blows. The grizzly relied on his sharp claws mostly, but Gurchukk's long powerful arms were his advantage. Swinging prevailing punches, Scabwelt wheeled and charged right into the indigenous encampment.

Women and children ran screaming, but the brave men attacked Scabwelt in earnest.

Gurchukk remained behind in the concealment of thick foliage. The fury hide of the great bear collected arrows quickly.

Chaos filled the camp. The women were busy rounding up the children into their huts. One small child ran unaccounted for. The frightened child searched through the chaos of stampeding feet for a place of safety.

Four years of age, this toddler ran right into Gurchukk's shin. She fell backwards onto her bottom. Blinking her large glossy dark eyes, she strained to see through the night. Looking up at the towering trees, with curiosity and amazement, fear suddenly gripped her as the sway of something larger than the world moved before her. It had life, hairy limbs and piercing red eyes.

In the distance, Gurchukk saw the shadow of a native man thrust a long spear through Scabwelt's heart, but no one noticed the Sasquatch's presence, nor the little girl who was with him.

Unable to breathe, the child couldn't even scream.

Gurchukk was about to back away out of sight when he caught the scent of the child. The aroma filled his sinuses and his mind formulated that the child was female. His nose; finely tuned in the wild, was sensitive to such scents.

Though it was indeed dark, the Sasquatch's nocturnal eyes could see the little girl perfectly. She had ageless and smooth cinnamon skin with a sensitive, non-threatening innocence in her big brown lucid eyes. At the sides of her head, was jet black hair braided down over her little shoulders. Colourful beads decorated her clothing of skins and furs.

With a swoop of his great arm, Gurchukk snatched up the child and disappeared into the woods. It was more a moment of spontaneity than a choice. Before Gurchukk could process another thought, or make his next decision, the little feminine child was in his arms and he was moving more swiftly than the wind through the deciduous forest of trees.

* * *

The mother of the child came out of her hut calling the little girl's name. Her appearance was every bit like that of her daughter's only in adult form. "Tiarrow! Tiarrow!" Intuitively she knew she'd seen the last of her daughter. Screaming out her daughter's name, she finally broke down and wept. Gazing into the dark shadows of the forest, all it gave back was silence. Listening more intently, a distant sound, barely discernable, was carried on the wind.

Trees cracked and earth thundered, then the faint scream of her baby girl faded out to the whistling of the wind. Then all grew quiet in her heart... deathly quiet.

* * *

Gurchukk's heart pounded as loud as a native drum. Carrying the small body of the girl cub in the palms of his hands, the Sasquatch traveled swiftly believing the defensive men of the village were behind him; hunting him. Over the thick wooded lands and through a deep river, the forest giant motored his way up the steep mountainside of Crater Mountain.

For many long hours he journeyed, until finally, at daybreak, they found themselves far up in the hills of the mountains walking on the deep soft moss. Bright yellow flowers were springing up around the few remaining white patches of snow. Little streams of ice melt trickled into the ravines. The wind was so calming and the birds happily sang their morning songs. These things added to the Sasquatch's comfort. This was his world. He leaned out over the edge of a high cliff and listened for signs of the native's pursuit, but there was none.

The little girl was frightened and delirious with exhaustion as Gurchukk was. Holding her close to his chest, he gently wrapped his enormous hairy arms around her. It was not long before the little girl was fast asleep in the warmth of the Sasquatch's body heat and soft hair. He searched the area for a moment before discovering a patch of clover. Here, he made a bed and fell asleep with the girl cub nestled in his massive arms.

* * *

The sun was high in the heavens as they lay basking drowsily in its warmth, until hunger beckoned them to get up. The warm hairy body had left the little girl and a cool breeze swept over her. Awakening, she shivered and to her horror, she saw the colossal Sasquatch squatting a short distance away under a tall evergreen tree. It was staring at her.

It sought shelter from the sun. The face of it was both man-like, and ape-like. Though the Sasquatch had caring eyes, he was horribly hideous and menacingly scary to the little girl. She began to cry and scream for her parents to come and save her. The overbearing presence of the creature felt like it was pressing down on her. Through all of her drama, the Sasquatch just sat and glared at her. In her vulnerability, she froze with fear. All hope of being saved from the massive creature left her.

Finally, after most of the day had passed, the girl was exhausted from stress and fear. Settling down, she still took little infrequent gasps of air. Just looking at one another in a silent moment, the girl wiped the tears from her dirty face. While her eyes never left the monster of monsters, she came to the grim realization; her nightmares had been made real.

More time passed. The aroma of wild lilies in full bloom dispersed their fragrance in the gentle breeze.

The girl sat shivering.

Gurchukk even hungrier now, moved his long, hairy commanding arms.

The girl began to scream and cry at the sight of the creature's movement.

It stood up to its full fourteen foot height. With one great step it neared the girl and scooped its great hand down to her. The girl rolled into the Sasquatch's palm. There she curled into a ball.

Gurchukk strolled along at a lazy, slow pace. Nevertheless, his wide long strides carried them quickly through the tall trees. He sought after something to eat, stopping often to tear apart hollow stumps and rotten logs with ease. Working his big flexible lips, Gurchukk devoured the plump juicy grubs and rooted out an ant hill for the crawling red ants and their eggs. Foraging for a comb of sweet honey, he was heedless of the buzzing and swarming bees around them. Sometimes, Gurchukk sought fish in the shallow streams. Ducking his upper body into the water with no hesitation, the mighty Sasquatch came out, usually with a fish.

The little girl had often seen the creature simply slap at the water to obtain its quarry.

The long days turned into weeks.

How wonderful had been this time Gurchukk spent with his new friend. Not sure what it was about the little person whom he now shared his life with, but having her near him made him feel alive. Like his life was worth so much more to live, just by having her near.

The little girl refused to eat anything on the first day but since that time they had eaten plenty together. The little girl began to warm up to her giant hairy captor, despite his atrocious smell. She especially preferred to cuddle close to his warm hairy pelt in the chill of night.

The Sasquatch was always warm no matter how cold it ever seemed to be. The grand hairy monster proved to be quite generous and often showed great affection for the little girl. Through time she came to realize that Gurchukk didn't want to hurt her at all. He even protected her from a pack of wolves once. He did so with ease and came away unscathed.

Little by little, over time, the girl would open up to the creature. Her nightmares of it subsided and she even found its rough expressions to be somewhat handsome at times, in a fatherly sort of way. Just as it was challenging for the girl to find something to admire in the wild creature, in this same way, it was challenging for her to continue to fear it as she first did. Because the girl was so young, she began to get used to the Sasquatch's presence. She didn't know any better, yet she was still capable of identifying with conflicting opinions where if it were not around, she felt like she lost her sense of security. As soon as the creature came near again, her skepticism crept back in quickly and she would have trouble trusting it again. It took a long time before she was able to find a deep sense of trust for the creature, because as young as she was, she knew it was wild.

* * *

Gurchukk, decided to show his prize to his old friend. Carrying the girl cub down through the wilderness of the mountain at great speed, its big feet thundered something awful the entire way. It didn't stop whistling, until it reached the edge to a deep gorge. The steep rock walls on either side rose seventy feet from the river to the crest. Gurchukk lumbered along the rocky edge of the crevasse until he stood over a place where the river pooled in a wider area. The deep pool drained over the glide of a cascading waterfall. Gurchukk didn't warn the young girl before he leapt off the edge and plummeted the entire distance before punching into the icy chill of the river below.

The unprepared little girl was shocked and began drowning immediately. She could feel the powerful momentum of the beast as it propelled them through the current and into an underwater cavern. Within, they broke through the water's surface.

The cave was pitch-black inside and the girl was tossed out of the water and onto a stone's crown. Coughing and gasping for air, her little lungs worked to force out the water. Lifting her up by her ankles, Gurchukk shook her. Then he laid her back down on the smooth stone again. She found breathing was a little easier after this, but she still worked at coughing out some water. In the midst of this, she heard the sound of Sasquatch chatter. There was more than one Sasquatch in the cave and they spoke to one another using some quick chirp-like language.

The yammering high and low voices of the Sasquatch reminded Tiarrow of the wind through the trees and of creeks and streams from the run-off. When she closed her eyes, she heard whistling mountain peaks, the birds of the air and the animals of the forest's floor. She smiled because she heard life.

Feeling huge powerful hands upon her little body, she was harshly yanked up so she could be examined by a creature. Suddenly, the examination was over and the sound of two large rocks smashing together sounded and echoed throughout the deep cave.

Sparks exploded from the rocks with each collision. In the flashes of light, the girl could see two large hairy forms huddled close to one another. Each of them smacked rocks together. Eventually, a flame was produced.

Within the dank smelly cave, dead fish and fish bones were strewn about. The two Sasquatch yiped with excitement and whistled loudly; overjoyed to have the fire lit. The both of them laid down flat and faced the fire. They blew gently on the flame to make it brighter.

From the light of the fire the little girl could see that the new Sasquatch was covered in long white hair that was coarse like a horse's mane. It resembled Gurchukk except for the white hair and the pink, pale skin, _Mr. White_. The spookiest thing for the girl was how the flames of the fire reflected in their eyes when they looked at her.

This new Sasquatch had more ape-like features to his face. Mr. White's forehead sloped back and amidst the wrinkles of apparent age, he had a low heavy brow.

When he offered Gurchukk some fish, he happily accepted. As Gurchukk ate, the other Sasquatch seemed to be telling a story. It chattered using a vocabulary of mouthed sound effects, along with many hand gestures. It became so involved in the telling of his tale; Mr. White took a stone and began to draw on the cave's wall.

Using flint to draw pictographs, Mr. White pressed so hard the flint sparked.

This white Sasquatch was very old and very wise.

The visit came to a close and the little girl dreaded the thought of re-entering the cold water. All she could do was hold her nose and her breath, then let the Sasquatch take her out.

Gurchukk was a very avid swimmer, as was all of the Sasquatch. They could hold their breath for a substantial length of time. Gurchukk set the girl down for a very brief moment to shake off the water from his arms and legs. When he lifted the girl into his wet arms, she enjoyed his warmth. These creatures stunk worse after they were wet.

Off again at speed, it seemed nothing could slow Gurchukk down. There was no obstruction too high or too low and no steepness he couldn't handle for great distances.

Time seemed limitless, trailing through the meadows and green forests. He crossed rushing streams, until at last he climbed the high mountains to their tall snowy peaks. The snow-capped pinnacles glistened pink in the sinking sunset.

Feasting on the ripe and abundant berries that climbed the rocky ledges, they moved in and out of the bushes, climbing from patch to patch. The sleek hair of the Sasquatch shone with health and vitality.

The berries grew abundantly all over and a tang of frost was in the air. The leaves had turned a glorious gold and flaming red, making the world seem bright on the dullest day. A cold wind came out from the north.

Taking their time they made their way to a cave near the high rocky slopes of Crater Mountain. The massive head of the beast leaned closer to the girl, drawn by her scent.

Now the sky was overcast and slow, large flakes of snow fell to further blanket everything. Mountain snow covered the herbage until it closed the opening of the cave too.

Within, the occupants remained warm and snug; thus passed the first of many long summers.

* * *

With time, Gurchukk taught the native girl much about his language and his ways, but she always had trouble adapting to his hunting methods. She couldn't contend with his capabilities. Within the circles of the mighty Sasquatch, one's worth was measured by strength and adeptness for survival. The native girl obviously couldn't measure up.

Though many other Sasquatch were jealous of Gurchukk's prize, they told him she would only tie him down. Gurchukk didn't care, however, he simply couldn't part with the little person.

Always, did he care for her, and tended to her needs. She knew the heart of the giant wild-beast. It was his nature to be gentle and kind to her. There was something about a human that interested the Sasquatch though they weren't sure what, only that they found them fascinating. Though there were plenty of times when the girl and beast didn't agree, they could tolerate one another.

At the very least, she would make a very nice pet.

# Chapter 2

FOURTEEN YEARS later a small town was built and began to expand not far from Crater Mountain. A man by the name of Trevor McKinnon stepped off the train at the station near a road that led to the small town of Keremeos. The only item in his possession was the pack he had slung over his shoulder and a hunting rifle.

He was a rather large man of healthy and bulky proportions. His beard was short and dark but beginning to take shape as it made up for the lack of hair on the top of his head. Trevor McKinnon was an internationalist right down to the marrow of his bones. His marine uniform jacket bore the colours of his previous career unit: Navy blue with red and white lining. Some of the colours of his uniform were from the old Canadian Navy, the renowned and justly feared battleship; the USS Marne. Looking forward to retiring the military life, Trevor had taken steps to begin a whole new journey.

Tall evergreens stood around the little town like giant protectors. They waved their arms freely in the breeze welcoming newcomers as fresh mountain air was freely and generously provided to all who breathe.

Spending time walking throughout the town, Trevor explored the dusty main street. He quickly realized there wasn't a lot of selection besides the saloons, but it would be enough to get by. There was a small general store titled, 'April and June's.' This store was built next to a smaller county store. The street also included a blacksmith, a tin shop, a bakery and an old schoolhouse across from the short windy road to St. James's Anglican Church which was built on a rise.

The hot sun was high in the sky and the little shops would soon be closing for the day. Trevor had his newspaper folded up and tucked high in the pit of his arm. It was in the paper, Trevor previously read about Keremeos. A reporter claimed it was one of the hot spots to start a prosperous life in the new world. Trevor wanted to see what the town had to offer because it was his first time there and he planned to stay for a very long time. It was his dream to make a life for himself as a member of a young new town.

After checking out the neighborhood and the county store, Trevor found himself at the end of the street and at the foot of the popular Keremeos Pub and hotel. Taking his newspaper in hand, Trevor unfolded it. The paper heading read, 'The Spotlight;' Dated, November, 22nd, 1865. Glancing through the attractive article once again, Trevor couldn't keep the smile from stretching across his face. He was doing it and his excitement grew with each step he took up the front steps. The main door jingled as Trevor stepped through it. There was nothing strange about the hotel. Everyone welcomed him with good cheer and uplifted spirits.

After checking in, he received the key to his room, but before he considered his accommodations, Trevor strolled into the pub. Treating himself to a frothy mug of beer he ventured to socialize with the common folk of the community. They talked about mining in the area, fur trading and gold prospecting. Trevor found some very interesting information that inspired his own hopes of a successful life there. He couldn't wait until morning so he could get started and get settled in.

When Trevor stood up from the table to go to his room and retire for the night, a waitress smiled at him wolfishly. Trevor's mind, however, was full of business and until he fulfilled his dreams of success, he wouldn't be interested in the affairs of the heart. As he stood up and tried to get around the woman, they found each other in close proximity and the waitress couldn't help but to comment, "You have the bluest eyes I've ever seen."

In turn, Trevor eyed her back appraisingly. Though the waitress was beautiful, with bouncy blond curls and a uniform pressed clean and lined with frills, Trevor found her to be a little too friendly for his taste. She seemed rather flirty than just friendly in his opinion.

Smiling back at her awkwardly, he replied like a gentleman, "Charmed." He then gave a slight tug to the brim of his hat and gingerly veered around her.

That night, in his room, Trevor lit some lanterns and cleaned himself up. Lying down in the bed, he slid into the fresh sheets. Feeling relaxed he opened an old map of the area and studied it.

The wind whistled past the window and the shutters began to flap. The noise distracted his rest. Rising out of bed, Trevor opened the window to secure the shutters. When he had the window slid all the way up, he had to pause a moment and turn his ear to the mountain. In the distance, he heard the most peculiar sound. It was like the anguish of a woman far off in the distance. He tried to focus on the dark mountain next to the town but there was nothing for him to see. Then the long distant sound of the woman's wailing subsided.

Securing the shutters, Trevor thought, _'There are strange things happening all over the world every second. What am I to do about it? I hope the woman is feeling better now.'_

Just as he was going to duck his head back into his room the sorrowful cries began to start up, yet again. Trevor did a double-take, and shook his head, feeling this was not his problem. _'She has strong lungs to be able to throw her voice so far.'_ He brought his head back into the room and slid the window shut. Blowing out his lamps, he wandered off to bed. Curling up in the sheets, Trevor could still hear the woman screaming. He felt it was just in his mind and that it would pass, but it didn't. Rising up again, he returned to the window. He decided he would be able to convince himself that the screams were in his head if he opened the window and found it to be silent, save the sounds of the wind.

When he did open the window, he heard the screams clearer than before. Sitting up, he listened to the outcries of pain. He planned to do so until they stopped. He wasn't going to get any sleep anyway.

Then, Trevor noticed the cries that came from a distance to the west seemed to be answered by other similar screams coming from the east.

So tired and unable to sleep, he grabbed his robe and decided to try walking off his frustration. Trevor hoped he'd end up tired enough that when he returned to his room, he'd collapse in his bed and immediately fall fast asleep.

Placing his key to his room in his pocket, he trudged down the hall and went the long way down to the far stair-well. This led him to the pub again.

The sound of glasses tinkled along with the low sound of voices murmuring and laughing. The smell of whisky and tobacco weighed heavily in the air. No one seemed the wiser to Trevor's presence, but as he silently glided through the den, he noticed a group of people huddled together talking.

They occupied a table at the center of the room. A kerosene lantern lit the surrounding faces in golden hues from the center of the company. Their expressions were captivated by the subject of their dialogue.

While walking past, Trevor couldn't help but to hear a little of their conversation.

Ostensibly, he wasn't the only bewildered newcomer. Others, within earshot, grew quiet. They too had similar questions concerning the mysterious commotion outside.

Their conversation was, indeed, in respect to the distant cries of agony and pain. This fascinated Trevor so he lingered near the group to hear more. Perhaps someone could provide some insight. Only a few of men did all the talking.

The first man was a short burly fellow who appeared to be one of the hands out at the old mill, "I know what's making those screams outside, but it's not the makings of any man, woman or child. No, there's something else behind those cries entirely... There're many people who live here in this town and who can tell some tales, but because they're so unusual, they have their reservations about sharing them with outsiders. Most outsiders think of such tales as paranoia, or hoaxes. If you've seen what they've seen, you wouldn't be a skeptic any longer. If you knew what they knew, you'd leave those sounds well and good alone..." Leaning over the table, he cocked one eye and stared at each person in turn.

Then one of the guests of the hotel pressed him and asked. "Well, if you know so much about the screams, why don't you just tell us? We can decide if your story is sincere on our own." The little man crossed his arms confidently.

"Really? Well, have you heard about the Andersons? They live in a ranch house about five miles up the road. Mr. Anderson claims that he saw a large man standing in his backyard near his trees. The thing could stand perfectly still, but when it realized it had been spotted it took a step into the shadows and disappeared. He caught it a few times near his chicken coop. It was apparently trying to catch a chicken. Mr. Anderson let fly a shot over its head with his .22 rifle. He said it could jump clear over his six foot fence and run away with the speed of the devil.

"Then, not more than three nights ago, he recalled his wife saw a large shadow pass by the living room window. It was very quiet as it moved. When she went to alert Mr. Anderson, he returned with his rifle only to hear its massive weight creaking the floor boards of his back porch.

"He could hear the creature rummaging through his stuff. Creeping up to the door, he threw it open. There Mr. Anderson saw the hairy back of the creature as it was going through his back porch meat locker. It turned around and was startled when its eyes met Mr. Anderson's. It had a chain of deer sausage hanging out of its mouth.

"Though scared, Mr. Anderson shouted, "Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"

"The creature nearly fell backwards off his back porch. Deer sausage and other dried meats were strewn all over the backyard in a terrible mess. Mr. Anderson, so upset and scared, fired a shot at the creature and hit it square in the back. He's a pretty good shot, so I doubt he could've missed such a wide target at such a close range. But the creature bounded away with the chain of sausages in its mouth just the same. He hasn't seen it again since, but he worries it'll return for revenge. I'm sure the Andersons won't get a wink of sleep tonight, what with that howling and screaming carrying on, but I'm not really the best source of information for you people. Elliot Preston here is who you want to listen to. He has a story that'll keep you up for many nights to come." Giving his friend a slap on the shoulder, he added. "Don'cha Elliot? Tell these people yer story, eh?" A smug smile stretched new lines across his face.

Elliot was reluctant to tell the people anything, but the moment was ripe and thick with curiosity. He was a flush faced, obese little man with a gratingly false-hearty manner and a pencil mustache and beard. With flat jowls and dirt stained, callused hands, Elliot had enough township clout to make him perhaps the most respected citizen under the mayor. They kept prodding him and he felt telling them the story would be the only way to silence them.

"Oh, alright then, okay, but I'll warn you now. What happened to me and my pals was very bizarre." Everyone at the table nodded their heads and quieted down. Some of them even ordered some drinks and made themselves comfortable. The whole room fell to a deathly silence as Elliot began to recite his amazing tale. "A group of us hunters in town, known as the Copper Creek Coachmen, would get together, on occasion, to bring back deer or elk for the town butcher. We have to work as a close knit society out here if we are to survive, you know, and we're often able to do quite well for ourselves for the most part. This particular trip, we numbered five in total and each of us brought our hunting dog. Our first day was pretty good. We were able to nail us a half dozen pelts before we made camp.

"That night we heard many strange sounds. There were thumping sounds of heavy footsteps near our tent and whistlings that didn't come from the wind. This made the dogs snarl and act up. We had them tied up together outside. Made us feel better knowing they were out there to watch over us. The tremoring ground emanated through the bones of our feet until it all grew still and quiet.

"All of these noises scared us all pretty good but they trailed off and we were left alone to sleep, but then, in the wee hours of the morning, a dreadful scream woke us all up. With a swift escalation, the sound of a wild yodeling shriek came up louder than ever. It was like the screams you heard tonight, but much louder, as though the person who was responsible for the racket was standing right outside our tent. The dog's barking followed the horrendous sound. We all jumped up and stumbled out of the tent, but there was nothing to see. The camp was vacant. We thought it was some kind of animal but none of us were quite sure what animal it could possibly be, only that it must've been big... Real big. We got ourselves together and went out in search of the culprit.

"When we returned to the camp we found our fire had been tampered with. Burned logs charcoal sticks and ash were thrown about. None of our belongings seemed to be touched but as we searched the area, we did find some strange tracks. They looked like footprints of a man, only much bigger. They were narrow at the heel and wide at the toes. These strange tracks were accompanied by another set of footprints that were no different from a human's.

"The dogs were going crazy at the scent. There were five of us, the founders of the Copper Creek Coachmen, each armed with a rifle, and a dog. We had a sense of invincibility. We also had a plan. With the fire built up good and hot with nice tall flames, we walked off into the woods and took positions just outside the camp. One of us took the dogs over the ridge and tied them up to a tree there. Each of us made sure we had a full view of the camp and the hiding areas we made were barriers of bush and camouflage. A good two hours passed and there was nothing. The men began to wonder if the mysterious visitors would even bother returning.

"We were just about to go back down to the camp when the bushes began to stir. Then, out came a creature that walked upright no less like a man, but with a terrible slouch. It walked right out into plain view. This was not a bear, nor was it a man. It had to have stood upwards of about eight to ten feet tall. When it walked, it put its heel down first. The entire thing was covered with long thick hair that was stark white from the top of its head to its big feet. Its massive arms reached down to its knees. As it looked around the camp, we could see its face was like an ape.

"It was very quiet, perhaps listening before it went to the fire. The fire was just red kindled coals by that time. Reaching down with arms longer than any man's, it pulled out a stick from the fire that had a flame at one end. To the surprise of the men, the creature began to jump around and wave the stick playfully. It was fascinated by the fire. When the fire went out, the creature stopped and examined the smoking tip of the stick. Was it a snow monster? It seemed to know not to touch the still hot tip. Losing interest in the stick, he tossed it to the ground and went back to the fire to pick up a new burning stick. Repeating his silly dance until the fire again went out, it threw it to the ground and also, as before, it lost interest. Then it stopped with a still alertness as though it heard one of us or caught our scent. Not one of us dared to move a muscle. We could do nothing more than watch it as it stood there like a still photo for a long moment. Then it glanced our way before lumbering off into the thicket and disappearing. Did it see us? Did it know we were there? I can't be sure, but none of it made any sense. How could such a creature exist? And how could it disappear being so white and large?

"We were about to come out of hiding when it returned once again, but this time it held the hand of a female creature of its own kind. We knew because this second creature had breasts. While we observed, too scared to reveal ourselves, we were disturbed to see a third visitor. This one was a young human girl who came out behind them. The girl may have been of Indian descent, but she was so dirty, it was near impossible to be sure. She was dressed in skins and looked as wild as they were with her hair matted and dirty. The creatures paid more attention to one another than they did to the young human girl.

"Finally, after making a terrible mess of the fire, they strolled off into the forest where at the wave of a tree branch behind them, they disappeared.

"The men and myself came out of hiding. Without a word, we all shared the same eerie feeling in our guts. The experience of seeing these creatures for the first time made us all feel rather ill. The smell that the visitors left behind made us feel even worse. After a moment of deliberation, we decided to go after the creatures on a rescue attempt to save the young girl.

"Quickly gathering only the bare minimals, the others went to get the dogs. We ran as fast as we could. We eventually caught up to them at the site of an old prospector's cabin. It was built near the edge of a narrow twisty canyon.

"The creatures were ambling around it and examining it with interest. Wasting no time, we set the dogs loose. When the creatures noticed the dogs, I fired off a shot into the air. They tried to escape, but the dogs cut them off and bit at them. The creatures swung their great arms. If the dogs cowered away, they were alright, but when the dogs lunged, the albino male would grab them with incredible speed. The canine was lifted up and torn apart. The blood splattered large male Sasquatch moved in front of his female mate and the young human girl to protect them. Bending forward, the terrifying god of gore opened its arms wide and roared.

"I stumbled back to the ground. The female threw the young girl over her shoulder and dashed off into the forest.

"With the five of us at a face-off with the monstrous hairy beast, we opened fire on it. The creature turned away and screamed a shrill cry of agony. Oh God, it still echoes in my skull. Look at me... I'm shaking as I recall the whole terrible event. But that wasn't the worst of it.

"It was just like what you hear outside, only much louder. Even stranger, the blood covered creature wouldn't fall. We fired more shots at its back and not one of us would have been able to miss at that range. I mean, it was so big. The creature took a few wide steps toward the canyon. It seemed to go weak in the knees before it flipped over the edge and fell into the canyon.

"We were about to congratulate one another when a deathly howl sounded from behind us. We turned to see the biggest creature of our lives. This one stood an easy fourteen feet high and it was the most ferocious devil you can imagine.

"We turned and bolted for the cabin. Each of us; so frozen with fear, we didn't use our rifles.

"This huge creature could've easily killed us all with one swipe of its arm, but it chose not to. We all stumbled over one another as we ran in complete fear. The roaring beast was right on our heels. I could feel it right behind me because I could, quite literally, feel and smell its putrid breath on the back of my neck. It stomped its feet as it marched past us and the cabin. We thought it was going to attack us, but instead, it went over the edge of the canyon. We think it went down to check on its fallen comrade.

"No doubt it found its friend dead at the bottom of the jagged crevice, because the screams came up..." Elliot shuddered. "Those screams were faint at first as though muffled from within a great distance, but the shrieks quickly rose louder and louder. Before long, the forest was alive with the horrible screaming and as one would end another would begin, but from another direction.

"The men began firing their rifles in all directions until we made our way inside the cabin seeking safety. The last of us finally dashed up the steps of the front porch and ducked into the door that faced the canyon.

"I told the men to calm down, "Don't use up all of your bullets on targets we can't see!" Amidst the horrible screams came the thunderous sound of feet stomping around. We could see the movement of their hairy forms moving past the windows. We were surrounded and there were so many of them. They ran around the sturdy little cabin stirring up a terrible noise. The sound elevated to what it would be for an ant amongst a stampede of horses. We were so scared when they started to strike the cabin snarling and roaring. They jumped up onto the roof at which time we all began to fire our rifles upwards. Like a hoard of women wailing and screaming, they were driving us to insanity. Then, huge stones broke through the ceiling at us. We became braver as we went to the windows and fired at any moving shadows we could see. They had us surrounded. I couldn't tell how many were out there.

"Then, it quieted down for a moment before a terrible thump came from the back wall of the cabin. They had all come at the cabin at once, pushing it. We all fell to the floor. They pushed so hard that the whole cabin began to move. Between the thundering pushes, I managed to make my way to the front door. It was the only door. I braced myself as they gave the old place a good long push. Looking out through the broken window I watched as the entire porch disappeared over the ledge of the canyon. The creatures meant to push us over. I opened the door to escape, but when I looked out, I was staring down into the foreboding darkness of the canyon that was about to swallow us whole.

"Another push. I stood up at the door again as the cabin was pushed right out to the center of the chasm. I turned quickly and ran back to the men. They were at the far wall screaming for their lives. Another violent thunderous push, then the cabin began to tip over the edge. Because of the odd construction of the cabin, being an old place with an add-on that was built much later, the front half tore away and disappeared over the edge with the loudest sound of logs snapping and breaking. As the front half of the cabin fell, it took the entire roof with it. When the roof tore away over our heads, our half of the cabin settled back down to the ground.

"Bill shouted with wild tense eyes, "Let's go!!!" Standing up with a crazy glint in his eyes, he jumped over the wall to the creatures on the other side. I cannot say what had gotten into us but we all followed Billy's lead over the wall. We all landed amongst the creatures and they all seemed just as bewildered as we were.

"Standing around us, waving their arms, the creatures roared menacingly. There were too many of them to count.

"Dashing into the forest, we ran and we ran. The sounds of the creature's footsteps came quickly from behind us, but when we stopped, the heavy footsteps would mysteriously stop too.

"We finally returned to town in quite a state to say the least. Hardly anyone believes our story; perhaps, because I'm the only one out of the five of us who will tell it. Needless to say, not one of us has dared to set foot in the forest since." By this time Elliot's face was awash with sweat. Recalling his experience caused an ill pull to his face.

The crowd of people kind of broke up after Elliot's story was told. Some of them applauded. Most smiled kindly, but awkwardly. Their true opinions; reserved.

Having no questions of his own, Trevor stood up casually and departed. He went back to his room and crawled into bed. This time, with Elliot's story running through his mind, he still couldn't sleep. Then, the sounds of the distant screams came again.

Was Elliot's story true? He wasn't sure. No, he decided it was just too fantastic to be true. He wouldn't let a man make a fool of him by playing on his fears this way.

Trevor held the pillow down tightly over his head and willed himself to sleep.

# Chapter 3

STEPPING OUT OF THE HOTEL AT DAWN, Trevor was still tired from his restless night of tossing and turning. The disturbing feeling he had from the story the night before still lingered with him.

Walking through Keremeos, Trevor realized why it was known as a sleepy little town. He met some town folk who were also up with the first light. After chatting with them for a while, he found a little restaurant in town and had a full and hefty breakfast of pancakes, eggs and bacon. From this starting point, Trevor began to feel better.

At the town's bank, he opened an account with a small pouch of gold that he had panned himself. With this he bought a year's supply of dried food like sugar, salt and flour. He was fortunate to find a deal on a crate full of canned beans. Visiting the law office, he stumbled upon a deal to purchase a cabin on a parcel of three hundred acres. With two new horses to pull a used wagon, he loaded the wagon with his food and some furniture for his new empty little cabin.

A few of the town's folk, who noticed Trevor, seemed interested in his purchases. Riding his wagon by a couple of young ladies, they giggled at him and waved.

' _Friendly village.'_ He supposed as he smiled back with a nod to the young ladies. Tugging courteously at the edge of his hat, Trevor included a wink. With gleeful eyes he responded, "Good day."

Instantly, they turned away and began talking.

Trevor found this a little embarrassing. He was out of practice when it came to the ladies so he pulled his hat down snuggly over his head and tightened the straps of his backpack and studied his map.

Setting out on his long awaited journey, Trevor longed to hike all day and survey the land. His only bane was a dreadful uneasy feeling.

When he looked up at the mountains, images from the stories he was told flashed through his mind. _'Would the approach of evening bring with it the terrifying screams I heard the night before?'_ He pondered and stroked his beard.

Trevor guided his wagon up to his newly purchased abandoned cabin where he unloaded his stuff. When it became dark, he lit a lantern and led his two horses into the corral. Making his way from his barn to his cabin, he felt the sense of distant eyes watching him. He tried to shake off the feeling and do his best to walk casually, but half way to the cabin he felt jitters like he had as a boy. Trevor tore off running to his front door.

Inside his new home, Trevor locked his door. A sense of safety eased his high strung bones. Holding his lantern out ahead of him, Trevor found his way up his stairs to the loft where he had his bed prepared. There, he spent his first night in his cabin. _'It might take some work to get used to living in this strange new place.'_ He told himself. Then he blew out his lantern's flame, pulled the covers up to his chin and closed his eyes. Finally, he lapsed into a state of unconsciousness.

* * *

A crisp, chill blew in from the North. A shiver, like electricity, coursed quickly through Trevor's body. The cabin was cold so he spent the better part of the morning collecting wood and preparing a fire in the old wood stove. Up before the sun, he finished unloading his wagon. Setting what little he owned in its place, Trevor found the new items gave the whole home a welcoming and lived-in quality. Wandering through his new home, he examined the details of it. Becoming better acquainted with his home, he went down into the chilly cellar. To do this he had to go through a trap door in the middle of the floor of his main room. Trevor inspected every post and rail of the old structure several times over. The more he checked it out, the more he liked it.

The farm was everything Trevor hoped for and more. The three hundred acres teemed with what looked like tall burly grass. A closer inspection revealed that it was wheat stalks.

With such a long way to go to get settled, Trevor planned to buy a cow, some chickens and a small herd of sheep, but he needed to make a little money first.

Looking at his run-down old cabin, he worked out the costs. It surprised him how quickly everything added up to run a successful farm here. As Trevor went from one job to the next, he was determined to have his farm prepared for livestock in the next few weeks.

Standing in the middle of his field, Trevor looked up at the enormous mountain that loomed down over his backyard. Emerald pines lit up under the sun's rays creating a halo effect along the outskirts of Crater Mountain.

' _This is where I have to begin.'_ He decided with a nod of certainty. _'On that mountain, I'll set traps, hunt and pan for gold from the rivers and creeks.'_

Taking a moment to rest, Trevor leaned on his fence. Looking down he noticed an ant hill was in a stir; no doubt from his presence. Countless red ants poured out the top of the mound and trekked down the steep sides like lava. _'What were they in such a state about?'_ Some of the grasshoppers had landed on the colony and found themselves quickly subdued by the red soldiers.

Evidently, the red ants paralyzed the larger invading insects with venomous bites. As a result of Trevor's nature, he couldn't simply standby and do nothing. Try as he might to just watch nature at work, he had to carefully take the grasshoppers up from the clutches of the ants and save them. _'If they survive the ant's poison, they will have time extended to their little lives, but they won't be a meal for the ants today.'_ Trevor was pleased with his one good deed for the day no matter how mundane it might've seemed. By doing it he felt like a boy again.

Trevor knew nature would always eventually reveal a little of its darker side. That was a part of life, but it didn't have to be the whole part. When he caught himself daydreaming, he realized he still had much to do. Days were short and Trevor was grateful he wasn't an ant at the foot of something as big as he was.

Trevor thought back to the many years he had spent at sea aboard the battleship 'Marne' headed under the strict Naval Captain, Jim Jones. He shuddered at the thought of the encounters he had with enemy warships. He made a lot of friends, but he lost a lot of friends too. Though his life was brought to the brink of desolation many times, he owed his life to the hard leadership capabilities of Ol' Jim Jones, many times over. Trevor still had flashbacks of battle, too many nightmares of explosions against the ship's hull, fire, smoke and the threat of drowning at sea. _'No, this time I will do things differently. This time I will be the captain of my own life's course. Yes, I will do it.'_ Trevor was determined to make his dreams a reality and he was going to get started right away.

Heading back to the cabin to make his necessary preparations, Trevor threw his pack together quickly with a couple of candles, a couple of pieces of fruit, a few cans of beans and a box of wooden matches. He also needed his trusty pocket knife, a small canvas tent and a thin woolen blanket.

Heading out across his field, Trevor climbed over his barbed wire fence and disappeared into the thick forest.

* * *

Hiking through the steep indigenous wilderness of Crater Mountain, Trevor's mind conjured up suspicions of a creature that was silently hunting him. In the forest there are many sounds. It isn't a sane place to entertain insane thoughts. At the sound of the snap of a branch, Trevor looked up in response. A prickly feeling of nerves at the back of his neck caused his hairs to stand up on end.

He paused motionless for a moment, like a deer. Chuckling quietly to himself, Trevor realized just how silly the Sasquatch story was. _'How naive could I be?'_ Trevor wondered, rolling his eyes. The story he heard was designed to scare him. The whole thing was meant to entertain the bored people of the town and give them something incredible to spice up their otherwise mundane lives. _'They probably tell the same story to every new comer. We did the same thing to new recruits aboard the battleships. No doubt, the story was told to scare people like me away from here. Too many people are crowding in on their gold and furs.'_ He took a deep breath and shook his head. _'No, I won't give into fear.'_ He vowed.

Three miles up the long slope at the base of the menacing mountain, Trevor came to a flat clearing. Under a tall stand of alder trees, he pitched his tent. Feeling comfortable with the forest after spending so much time in it with no incident, Trevor focused as a hunter. Closing his eyes he relied on what his ears could tell him. He listened into the wind. He listened into the distance. The world was at peace and he was at peace with the world.

When it came time for him to rest for the night he tossed and turned. Hearing strange sounds all around his perimeter, Trevor was alerted to the bushes shuffling and rustling. Critters cooed amongst the insects. All were busy in their own party of social conversations. The whole time, Trevor half expected the screams of the wild creatures to return. Inside, all was warm and cozy, but outside, a still chill of the darkness began to stir.

Late into the night, Trevor finally slipped away and gave into his much needed slumber. He slept so deeply, that even if the creatures did begin howling, he wouldn't have stirred. In sleep, Trevor competed with hibernating bears.

* * *

Sleeping in late into the day, Trevor practically missed breakfast entirely. When he finally did rise, he felt great and it was thanks to a quiet night. This gave Trevor cause to believe that Elliot's story _was_ completely false.

Then, favor decided to shine on him further when early in the day, Trevor found tracks running up into the snow of higher elevations. The tracks belonged to a herd of elk. If he could hunt down even one, he would be on his way to starting his exciting new life; a life he had been dreaming of for years.

Though the tracks led him higher than he wanted to go, Trevor realized he was close. The elk herd was not too far off. The signs were in both the snowy tracks and the freshness of the scat, but the most telling sign was when he heard it call out like the moan of a bull-horn. In the opposite direction came the sharp sound of a growl, _'Perhaps a disgruntled bear?'_ But he wasn't hunting bear.

Just over the rise he bore down on his quarry. He could see the steam of its breath, then the set of antlers. Nearby, Trevor located another set of antlers.

The elements were in his favor. Not only could he see the entire herd, but he was situated downwind of them. Leveling his rifle, he took his time with his aim. Taking the opportunity to be selective, Trevor squeezed off a shot. The blast from the barrel echoed off the tall stone walls making it sound like multiple shots. The bullet had embedded itself in the hind quarter of a large buck, but it wasn't enough to bring the animal down.

It wasn't the instant death he wanted or envisioned. _'What could have messed up my shot so bad?'_

The animal darted off with the herd. _'It looks like I'm in for a bit of exercise.'_ Moaning, he ran after the herd. His boots sank deep into the powdery snow. This made each step of his pursuit strenuous. Trevor wanted to give up until he located the trail of blood.

He had experienced this sort of thing before where his kill wouldn't die in the same place it was shot.

As Trevor followed the blood line, he found another set of tracks that came down the steep snowy slope and ran amongst the herd. They were much larger like an animal with tree stumps for feet. Trevor was able to follow both the traces of blood and the odd new snow prints. A short distance away, the strange tracks separated from the path of the herd. Trevor needed to decide if he was going to follow the tracks of the elk or go after the creature to verify Elliot's story.

He decided the elk was his main priority. Going after some fabled legend wasn't something he had time for. There would be more than enough work for him when he reached the fallen elk.

Through the trees and steep terrain, Trevor was exhausted. If the elk didn't lay down for him soon, he'd have to abandon his pursuit. Sometimes experience failed effort. The snow became deeper and he wasn't equipped with snow-shoes. Making his way over a ridge, Trevor saw the herd's tracks trailing off into the distance ahead of him. He had to accept that his elk was lost.

Doubling back along his own tracks, he came back to the fork of tracks where the huge depressions left from the strange creature remained. His curiosity had the better of him. Following the tracks up to higher ground, they led Trevor a short distance to a broken ice cavern of steep walls. Risking a look over the edge, he found by going in after the creature, he'd surely fall to his death. If he managed to survive, he'd be trapped down there.

Giving up, Trevor called it a day. Once again he turned and followed his own tracks through the snow. As he plugged along grimly, he was deeply discouraged that both of the animals he went after had eluded him.

The weather buffeted him with heavy winds that developed as the daylight grew short. The high winds pushed at him and howled. Trevor shivered with an uneasy feeling that the creature was near and watching him. He really wasn't interested in finding out if such a legend were true anymore. As he scanned his surroundings, he looked up at the steep jagged rock that rose up out of the snow overhead. Peering at it with sharp eyes, he inspected it carefully. It turned out to be void of any life.

Making his way back, Trevor stopped on occasion to examine the footprints of the creature up close.

Narrow at the heel and wide at the - _toes?_ ; just as Elliot had said from the description of the footprints left in his story. The prints were also very deep, much deeper than his own footprints could push into the snow. Such a creature must weigh a lot more than any other animal he had ever seen.

Before long, Trevor came to the junction of the path where the creature's footprints came down from above to join with those of the herd. He would either follow his own tracks down the mountain or he could follow the tracks back to wherever the creature came from. He thought about going back to his camp, then to return early the next morning to find out where the tracks would lead, but he knew the overnight wind and snow would cover everything.

Something deep inside Trevor lured him to verify the legend one way or the other. He would regret this moment the rest of his life if he didn't try to see the creature. The mystery would haunt him if he didn't solve it. Besides, he'd return with a cowardly story to tell the men of Keremeos. All he wanted was a glimpse. That would be enough. Then, he'd know if there was any truth to Elliot's story.

In that instant he became internally driven.

Taking the first step, following the footprints up the mountain, Trevor found with every three steps he took, the creature had only taken one. _'How tall could this thing be?'_ He speculated. Checking his rifle, he blew into the chamber to clear the ice and snow out.

At one point, the tracks led up and over a steep ridge of tall, sharp rocks. Believing the rocks were too high for him to climb over, he decided to turn around and head back, once again. Evening was approaching and he knew the last leg of his journey back would likely be done in the dark.

A shrill whistle was carried on the blustering northern winds. The chill bit into his face, then the whistle became louder to the point where it didn't sound natural. Then the eerie sound echoed off into the distance. When it started again, the long sounding whistle died down to a horrific scream. The hair on the back of his neck stood straight up. His mind registered the far off sound as a powerful, incoherent fury from the monsters he only vaguely recalled from the nightmares of his youth. Reality responded with a strong sense of just how alone and secluded he was. This was exactly the same sound Trevor heard from his room at the hotel. There was no mistaking it.

' _It's very close.'_ Trevor was certain of that. On the other side of these rocks he would finally see the creature. Trevor examined the rocks again. Sure enough, there was a way to get over, but he had to back down a short distance and shimmy his way across to an odd out-cropping of large stones. Through this out-cropping he found a pass that led over the ridge. Climbing up the rocks, Trevor made his way over. There, he could see why they had named this mountain, _Crater Mountain_. Before him was a barren depression of oddly shaped stones that surrounded a low, frozen lake. The wind was calmer in this place as the wind passed overhead. Floating in the air, just over the surface of the lake was a blue hazy mist. Trevor strained his eyes to see, for behold, around the lake there seemed to be the impression of tall men.

Trevor froze in the presence of the still, crippled figures. The look of them frightened him so that the cold didn't penetrate him to his bones the way these creatures did. He couldn't run. Realizing he wasn't under attack by anyone, Trevor found, through the dissipating fog that the hideous people he was looking at were rather lifeless. Risking a step forward, the grotesquely misshapen shapes made no response as though they were frozen.

While Trevor observed the strange people, he became aware that the tips of his fingers and toes hurt from the cold. He picked some icicles from his beard. After a long while, he realized they were all inanimate objects though an eerie feeling told him it was a trap. He could imagine the stone creatures coming to life and attacking him.

Bravely approached the first strange creature, Trevor found it was entirely molded out of sandstone. He stroked the object appraisingly with his frozen finger tips.

' _Did the wind do this?'_ He deliberated. Up close, the standing stones didn't resemble a man at all. Claw marks upon the smoothness of the rocky shapes suggested they were not formed naturally, nor by the hand of a human, rather these strange shapes were crafted by something he couldn't identify.

Further evidence revealed countless oversized footprints stamped throughout the thick snow. The deep depressions of these footprints revealed the mucky clay below the layer of ice and snow.

Trevor found it difficult to pick-up the trail again, until he found tracks at the far end of the crater that led down a steep snowy embankment. With difficulty, he climbed down the steep grade of powdery snow until his feet slipped out from under him. Falling, Trevor ended up wedged in a snow packed area between two mountainous peaks. Looking up at the mountainside where he fell, Trevor noticed the footprints of the creature next to all of the snow he had disturbed from his fall. _'How did that creature climb up that when I could barely climb down?'_ He pondered.

Through a moment of awkward discomfort, Trevor freed himself from the snow. With numb frozen fingers, he brushed the snow off his rifle again. Standing up, Trevor wondered where he was. The tracks of the creature headed downward through a tight valley of tall rocks. There was no point going after the creature. It was long gone.

In darkness, Trevor had to figure out how he was going to survive the night on the mountain. It looked like an old avalanche had gathered and filled the area between the two peeks.

Through the blistering wind, he saw in the distance, two huge rock slabs. They had fallen down ages ago where they had lodged themselves in place, jamming the tops of the two slabs together like a peak. Under the peak was a deep depression, perhaps even a cave.

A few stunted trees had grown at the entrance of the dark tunnel. Trevor paused, making a mental picture of the spot. Turning again to the valley far below, he thought about his cabin, unattended.

Twisting around quickly, Trevor looked over his shoulder with a start. His soul shivered with a chill. He was troubled with a disturbing feeling of fear.

He found no sign of creatures coming up behind him, but it didn't ease his tension.

# Chapter 4

THE CAVE WAS BARELY DISCERNIBLE. All was a white blanket of snow. If it wasn't for the trees he would've passed on. Curling bellows of steam escaped and partially melted the snow. This created long bars of icicles at the opening.

The footprints, practically covered over with snow, came from this general direction. The snow was deep but Trevor tried to stay away from any depressions that might be made by a bipedal creature. He made his own path through the untrodden snow next to the tracks.

' _The small cave entrance may be larger than it looks.'_ he hoped. Trevor had to find out because with all of the steam, there was a good chance he might sleep someplace warm tonight. _'A cave heated by natural hot springs? What luck?!'_ Immediately climbing through the chest high deep snow to the cave, Trevor ignored his frost bite as he trusted the heat source. There, he scraped the snow away beneath the ledge and ducked his head inside where the moisture and warm air escaped. A rude musty odour came up like the stench of rotten garbage. This melted the snow and ice from his beard. _'Oh, it's warm.'_ His eyes watered a little. Trevor dug more snow away and found that the interior of the cave was much bigger than he expected. Sliding inside, he took some brave deep breaths. The odour was putrid, with a hint of _garlic?_ But in favor of the warm air, he managed to tolerate it. Standing straight, Trevor figured his cabin could fit inside. Through the darkness he discerned the cavity of stone was quite spacious. The cave stretched on into a corridor with a soft red glow illuminating from around a distant bend. Trevor crept further into the cave. With each step, he tried not to make a sound. He felt like there was something else alive in the cave with him. _'This foul stench could only be from some hibernating bear.'_ Trevor suspected. If this were true, he didn't want to wake it. Surprised by the sheer space within and how unnaturally cleared out the structure was, Trevor speculated it had been hollowed out on purpose.

' _Miners!'_ The answer seemed to slap him across his face. Looking for evidence that this was an old collapsed mine, Trevor hoped to quell his fears. Otherwise he believed this must have been tunneled out by the creature. Such a notion disturbed him. It would mean Trevor was trespassing within the creature's dwelling.

Under his boots, Trevor could feel the ground was littered with smooth wooden sticks. Tearing a piece of fabric away from the bottom of his shirt, he tied it around the end of one particularly long stick. Lighting the fabric with a wooden match, Trevor fashioned a torch. From the light of the torch, he could see that what he thought were sticks, were in fact, the bony remains of animals. The bone he had chosen to make his torch with was a hind leg bone of a moose.

Now Trevor had no doubt, he was inside the creature's den. The creature _did_ truly exist.

A chill ran through Trevor's body. _'I don't belong in this place.'_ A sickening feeling grew in the pit of his stomach. Moving toward the cave's entrance he heard the feint sound of a young girl's voice bluster with laughter. It hauntingly echoed down through the deep cave.

' _This is far too creepy.'_ He thought better of investigating. Poking his head back out to the cool, crisp, fresh air, he could see the shapes of not one but two large dark shadows marching up the snowy slope toward him. He couldn't bear to look at them, but at the same time he couldn't bear to look away either. Together they climbed up the steep snow bank with easy wide strides. Hesitantly, he considered bolting out of the cave and escaping the creatures, but the sight of their powerful forms scared him something terrible. No time remained. A successful escape wasn't possible.

Sliding back inside the cave, Trevor took hold of his torch once more and swiftly crept deeper into the cave. Rounding a lazy corner he peeked over a rock. There to his bewilderment, Trevor gazed upon a young girl who was caring for a large hairy baby.

A cold dread coagulated within his belly.

The baby lay near a fire pit of glowing embers. Because of the over casted shadows and dim lighting, it was difficult for Trevor to make out the details. It looked as though the baby was nestled in a pile of furs.

Over the fire was a long bowed tree and hanging from it was game meat, garlic and fish. Trevor decided to try communicating with the girl. Placing his rifle into a narrow gap between a rock and the cave's wall, Trevor wouldn't forget where it was hid. Slipping his pack from off his shoulders, he laid it over his rifle.

Slowly, Trevor stepped out into plain view holding only his torch out in front of him.

When the young girl saw him, she let out a ghastly cry of fear. Throwing her body in front of the baby, she would give her life to protect it without hesitation.

At that moment, a great sound erupted behind Trevor as the two huge Sasquatch entered the cave. As he turned, his eyes grew wide and trembled with terror. One of the creatures was much smaller than the other, standing at six feet in height with an exceptional forward slump of its shoulders and head.

It darted right at Trevor. He thought he was going to be laid to rest as the smaller of the two Sasquatch ran toward him with fluent, supernatural speed. Shutting his eyes tight, Trevor received a sharp swat. Pumping blood beat in his ears.

The powerful dark form dodged around Trevor using its knuckles to run like an ape. With such wide strides it was as though she flew to her baby.

This Sasquatch was covered in short black fuzzy hair. Judging from the large breasts, Trevor knew it was not only the female, but the mother of the baby. In an urgent tone, she chattered to the young native girl and the girl responded respectively. The mother quickly inspected her child. Then she glared at the intruder.

Trevor stood back up with his torch still held out before him. He would have felt safer if he was still holding his rifle. Turning, Trevor saw the most impossibly large male Sasquatch rear up. Within a cave that could house his cabin, the Sasquatch had to bend low because of his monumental height. This creature filled all of the empty space.

The hair bristled all over Trevor's body as he thought. _'That creature could tear me apart so easily... It overpowers me with such strength, one hundred to one.'_

It held an elk by the neck. As it moaned a strange sickly snarl that filled the open space as equally as it did, it dropped the elk. Trevor could see that this was his prized elk because the blood marked where he shot it in the hind quarter.

When Trevor risked making eye contact with the creature, its emotions changed from surprise to relentless anger and steaming rage. The dim light of the fire's embers reflected in the Sasquatch's eyes; red eyes of pure hatred. The presence of the gruff creature was of a demonic realm. Then it scowled.

Screaming and roaring like thunder, the flame of Trevor's torch flickered under the creature's terrible breath.

This was Gurchukk, the mightiest Sasquatch.

* * *

Trevor had no defense. The only thing between him and the creature was his torch. Hoping it was enough to keep the creature back, he had no other ideas. Standing perfectly stiff with fear Trevor continued to hold the gaze of the Sasquatch.

The creature's skin was weathered like an old pair of leather cowboy boots. It towered over Trevor with a look in its expression like, _'Kill! Kill! Kill!'_

Gurchukk was uncomfortable when a man looked him in the eyes.

Trevor felt his only capability was to fuel the beast's rage. Waving his arms around and striking the cave's walls with incredible force, Gurchukk filled Trevor with an indescribable level of stark fear. The beast's bright white fangs looked hungry to devour Trevor whole.

The young girl began to scream like the confrontation terrified her. Then the baby and mother joined in her crescendo.

Trevor broke eye contact with the beast and looked up at the ceiling of the cave. He feared the whole cave would collapse under the great noise and thrashing. Cautiously sliding his butt up onto the large rock that was directly behind him, Trevor sat with his feet dangling. Then he put his best poker face on. Honestly, he was so scared, no other course of action came to mind.

Gurchukk's anger only seemed to grow as his ear piercing roar became a bone rattling scream. Picking up a huge stone, he threw it at Trevor.

Trevor didn't move a muscle; the creature frightened him so, his muscles petrified. The stone shot past his head and pulverized on impact against the cave's wall. Some of the rubble from the broken rock rebounded and sprayed over his back and head, but Trevor remained still.

Then Gurchukk moved in right up close to Trevor, sniffing him rapidly then he roared again. The creature's head was enormous.

Spittle flew onto Trevor's face, and this time the roar left his ears ringing like the cannons did back on the warship. Now Gurchukk was frustrated because he didn't intimidate the man. With his angry ape-like face nearly touching Trevor's, Gurchukk pushed at him.

Trevor was considered a big man by human standards, but next to Gurchukk, he was like a tiny puppy dog. Trevor didn't know what to do. He tried to think, but his brain was too distracted to carry out a plan, even if he had one. He could feel his legs turn to jelly.

Then he remembered his rifle, _'But it didn't kill the elk. Would it be enough to kill this creature?'_ Trevor felt any attempt to try anything would be hampered and he wasn't sure how much longer he would be alive.

Gurchukk began to hit Trevor; testing him. The beast hit him harder and harder with each passing moment. He was certainly no match, but the hitting made Trevor so angry inside. Without making any sudden moves, he lifted the torch, gliding it between them. The gap was narrow so the heat from the torch was intense for both of them. Then Trevor did the opposite of what he wanted to do and smiled up at Gurchukk.

The flaming stand-off was very hot and intense. Gurchukk's head backed off before his hairy chest was singed. Groaning, he tilted his head; inquisitively.

Trevor turned his head slightly and looked into the Sasquatch's eyes once again. He saw the reflection of the torch's flame roiling as it burned there.

This upset Gurchukk and he pounded the floor leaning forward in a threatening manner. It sounded like he barked at the man.

Quickly turning his head to look at the females and the baby, Trevor hoped he was permitted to do so. He met the girl's gaze squarely.

She instantly turned away.

At this, the mother became defensive and screamed. Trevor quickly turned his head away again and focused on the far wall. He could see everything in his peripheral vision, but he learned not to make eye contact of any sort. As long as Trevor did this, everyone calmed down.

Now, Trevor was the center of attention. He tried to keep his smile on his face even though he had nothing to smile at. Even the baby stared at him in the silence. Though Trevor didn't make any direct eye contact with anyone or anything, he noticed the young native girl next to the mother Sasquatch.

She held tightly to the mother's large fuzzy arm. The mother cradled her baby in her arms and it wasn't long before she began to nurse the baby.

Her face was covered with the short dark fuzzy hair with only her nose and eyes exposed. From what Trevor could see through the darkness, the mother had some very unique cat-like features to her face.

Gurchukk chattered something at the mother. The young girl backed away as the mother reached up over the fire with a slow elegant motion. Plucking one of the fish off the bowed tree, she handed the meat to the girl.

The girl took the fish and ran off to the far corner of the cave where she crouched down into a ball and ate from her hands.

The mother took a chunk of game meat from the tree. Cautiously, she made her way over to Gurchukk and handed it to him. Neither of the two Sasquatch let their eyes leave Trevor.

Feeling lite-headed, Terror still lurked in the recesses of his soul.

Gurchukk held out his hand to receive the morsel of fish as the mother slowly placed it in his hand. Trevor wasn't sure if he was expected to do something. He did, however, find it difficult to keep the funny looking grin on his face. The flame soon extinguished at the end of his torch. The bone alone wouldn't keep the flame alive. Without his torch, the cave seemed so much darker. Hearing breathing and movements of the creatures, his imagination began to race. Unable to know what they were doing, Trevor began to panic. His heartbeat went up into his throat and he began to choke up. Never before had he felt so vulnerable. This was one of the scariest instants of Trevor's life.

Suspecting that these were nocturnal creatures who could still see him in the dark, he continued to remain still. Time passed slower.

_((-Thwump, thwump, thwump-))_ Trevor heard the footsteps of the massive creature. Following the sound, he was sure where the creature was. At times the sounds came too close, or they felt too far away.

In Trevor's mind, he fought to keep from going mad. Fearing a sudden attack to a swift death, Trevor had never known such a level of stress as this. He tried to relax until he thought about a slow death; a painful torturous end to his young life. Many fears flooded his mind. _'Will I soon be eaten alive?'_ Nothing in his military career could've prepared him for this.

With no way of gauging the passing of time, Trevor became very uncomfortable sitting on the rock. It was not just his rear end that was stiff and sore, his entire body suffered. Trevor had to shift his body for comfort and blood flow. Attempting to move ever so slowly, Trevor executed long slow movements, as he slid off the rock.

Instantly, he felt much better. Needing to get to his pack, Trevor slowly crept toward it. Upon the moment of touching the pack, another large stone whistled past Trevor's head and exploded against the wall.

This answered the question of whether the Sasquatch could see him in the darkness. Trevor didn't care anymore. He was actually quite surprised that he was still alive. Lifting his pack, he slowly took out two wax candle sticks and placed them on the rock. Handling out two cans of refried beans from his pack, he opened them with his can opener. With a quick motion, he lit a wooden match.

The Sasquatch grunted with surprise and began to roar, but the mother began to hum sadly. This seemed to simmer Gurchukk quickly as his roar lowered to a muffled growl. He was fascinated with fire and somewhat interested in what the man was doing.

Trevor lit his two candles, and turned to where he thought the Sasquatch was in the darkness. When Trevor took a couple of steps forward, the crouching Sasquatch growl/warned him to approach no further. Setting one of his cans of beans on the ground, Trevor peered into the darkness and noticed the feint reflection of the candle lights could be seen in the ferocious creature's eyes. At this, Trevor looked away immediately so as not to upset the creature.

Taking a few steps back to the stone and candles, Trevor used his fingers to dig some beans out of the second can and eat. He was so hungry he made seductive sounds. Acting like this was the most delectable food he'd ever eaten aroused an interest in the Sasquatch.

It wasn't until the smell of the beans hit Gurchukk's nose that he became really ornery. He moved forward using his straight arms to walk his body to the can. Pinching the can between his fore-finger and thumb, he dumped the beans into his mouth all at once. The portion was hardly enough to satisfy the appetite of the Sasquatch. Gurchukk licked and sucked at the can until it was completely clean. Tossing the can to the side, he made a gruff sound demanding Trevor to give him more.

Approaching Trevor violently fast, the Sasquatch's entire coat of hair shook. Trevor nervously dropped his can opener when he was in the middle of opening the third can. Taking the can of beans from Trevor, the Sasquatch also grabbed his back pack. The hands of the Sasquatch were at least five times larger than his own. Trevor had to keep out of the creature's way or he'd risk injury.

After Gurchukk licked the third can clean, he searched the pack for more food. Ripping the pack apart like it was made of tissue paper, he found another two cans. Picking up one of the cans, he wanted it open. Smacking it against stone, he dented it until the aluminum ruptured. Licking the sauce that leaked out didn't satisfy him for long.

After setting the can down, he lifted a large rock and smashed it over the can. Beans sprayed out under the pressure and made a mess. The can had been flattened. Gurchukk licked the spilled beans from the rocks, and then he went back to inspect the flattened can.

Where the can had opened, sharp twisted metal reached out like burly thorns. Gurchukk licked the can and cut his tongue in the process.

This didn't bother him too much. His hunger demanded more of the beast's attention than his pain. Picking up the last can, he smelled it. Licking it he tried to bite it. Holding the can at each end, he twisted it. The creature didn't make much use of its thumbs. The can was crushed between the mighty palms of the beast, and then it tried to pull it back into shape. Then the can was squished again. This went on, as he toyed with it like it was an accordion.

Trevor tried his best not to let the creature see him laugh. The can finally split but the creature couldn't get its tongue into the severed opening because of the sharp metal. Out of frustration, the Sasquatch tossed the entire can into its mouth and began to chew it.

Its eyes bugged out wide. Then it spat the mangled can out of his mouth. The can was covered in blood.

For a moment, the creature looked at Trevor as though it was his fault that he was wounded. Tears filled Gurchukk's eyes then he began to wail in pain. Standing up quickly, the Sasquatch walked to the entrance of the cave. There, he dug his hands into the snow-covered opening scooping a truck load of snow into his bleeding mouth. The mother carried her sleeping baby with her as she plodded along the length of the cave to meet with Gurchukk. She was very concerned for him.

Trevor began to worry. When the Sasquatch returned, they would likely kill him. This time he was certain of it, judging by the look Gurchukk gave him before he left.

Trevor's life was beginning to flash before his eyes when he looked down at his pack and noticed he still had some strips of jerky in the side pocket. Three long crinkly dark pieces which were like peppered leather.

Looking down the cave, he could see the Sasquatch had their backs turned to him. Looking in the other direction, the girl was sitting up in a thin bed of furs. She was looking at him. Trevor figured he had nothing to lose. He ran to the torn pack and picked out the pouch of jerky. As he began opening it, the Sasquatch noticed him and ran back to him moaning with frustration. Trevor closed his eyes and held out one piece of the dried meat.

Sensing his gesture had caused the Sasquatch to stop in their tracks, Trevor opened one eye to inspect what they were doing. Both of the Sasquatch heads were pressed together and touching the jerky with their noses as they sniffed at it. The mother Sasquatch quickly snatched the withered ribbon of meat out of Trevor's hand and turned away.

This upset Gurchukk. He placed his huge hand on the smaller female Sasquatch's shoulder and spun her around. He mumbled something to her which seemed to be to the effect of, _'You better give that to me. You've seen what the other item did to my mouth.'_

But the mother barked at him to leave her alone.

' _They must have a rich history together.'_ Trevor surmised. He could see she could gauge his true nature effortlessly.

At this Gurchukk backed away. Though the mother was less than half his size, she knew how to stand up to him. She could clearly take care of herself and with regards to the prized jerky; she knew a good thing when she saw it.

Popping the entire strip of meat into her mouth, she chewed it twice before spitting it out. She wiped her mouth with her arm and as she stepped back, she wiped her tongue with the palm of her hand.

Gurchukk considered his mate with kindness before he turned back to Trevor with a frown on his face. Trevor smiled up at the creature and held a new piece of jerky up to it. Gurchukk carefully took the little morsel from the man. Looking back down at Trevor, he stretched his mouth, in what could be interpreted as a smile. Trevor smiled back even broader.

Gurchukk worked the jerky through his flexible lips. He chewed it with a foul expression on his face. Looking at his mate, Gurchukk's eyes teared up then he too spat the meat out. He had an embarrassed look on his face.

His mate made a low chuckling sound from her chest. It appeared she was laughing at him. As Gurchukk's eyes shifted from his mate to Trevor, his expression changed from embarrassment to despise. For the moment the creature's anger was dormant. They each seemed to have lost interest in Trevor for a short while and walked away.

Trevor was not sure, _'I'm still alive? How am I still alive? Why didn't they like the jerky? Was it too dry or too spicy? Maybe both.'_ It didn't matter, because if they continued to look to Trevor for food, they'd find it was all gone. The only thing Trevor had left was his last strip of jerky. He decided to save it for later. Wasting another one on those creatures didn't make any sense. If they won't offer him something to eat, he'd need it. He was surviving from second to second, but in those seconds hope was born. Maybe he would survive. Settling down next to his rock with the two candles burning on it, Trevor crossed his arms and tried to get comfortable. Though he was too wired to sleep, he was determined to try.

Closing his eyes, the smell of the den alone made it near impossible to be comfortable enough to sleep. Remembering that he should blow out his candles to preserve them, he opened his eyes a little. He looked to his left and saw, standing next to him, were two bare feet belonging to the young native woman. Sitting up, he looked at her. She held her hands out to him and spoke a mysterious word, with want in her eyes, "Loota..."

Trevor figured she was watching him give food to Gurchukk and the mother so she wanted some food also. Looking at her eyes, Trevor found her very attractive. If not for all of the dirt with a scared childlike innocence, he could very well grow fond of her.

He offered her his last strip of jerky. She grabbed it out of his hands. She didn't trust him, but she held the strip of meat tightly to her chest. She took the jerky back to her bed of skins where she ate it with little nibbles.

With a frustrated look of contempt, she didn't care for the pepper corns either.

Trevor rolled over and tried to rest.

The great footsteps of Gurchukk paced back and forth throughout the cave. There were moments where Trevor thought the Sasquatch was going to step on him.

Leaving the cave, Gurchukk went outside and soon returned with an old dead tree. He broke the thick tree over his lap and piled the wood onto the fire pit.

In no time, the fire crackled with tall, hungry flames. The sharp shadows of the Sasquatch were cast on the jagged stone walls.

Perhaps out of boredom, Gurchukk returned to the man to pester him some more.

Trevor was certain they purposely woke him whenever he was about to drift off to sleep.

Gurchukk poked Trevor as he studied him carefully. He smelled him, and considered his bright blue eyes. Trevor's beard was examined also, as was his clothes. Then Gurchukk tried to stuff a rank garlic into Trevor's mouth.

Trevor tried to chew it but the garlic was too big. His eyes watered because he really didn't care for garlic, but if it pleased the Sasquatch, Trevor would try his best to eat it.

As he chewed, Gurchukk and the mother enjoyed watching him. He was the main attraction of their entertainment.

In turn, Trevor found the smiles on the Sasquatch's faces quite humorous.

Gurchukk toyed with Trevor's mouth as he ate. Along with the mother, Gurchukk couldn't contain a gruff chuckle. Their laughter was like bellowing bursts of thunder.

Things began to die down and the mother started to rock back and forth with her baby cub in her arms, then she began to make a deep sound like she was clearing her throat. It took Trevor a moment to figure it out, but he found that she was in fact humming to her baby.

Though the Sasquatch didn't like Trevor looking at them, they never let their eyes leave him. They watched everything he did at every moment. As the mother swayed forward and back, with her deep grumbling hum, Trevor began to mimic this movement.

Gurchukk noticed this of course, and began to laugh. When Trevor noticed Gurchukk found him humorous, he swayed all the more. Gurchukk laughed harder. The mother hummed louder, so of course, Trevor accentuated his movements even more.

Knowing the young lady was watching him, he glanced her way and smiled.

She always stayed near the mother though she actually seemed to be the property of the male. What Trevor thought he read from her eyes interested him. It fascinated her to rest her gaze upon another person who was like her. Trevor was more her height and he wasn't covered with body hair. Though she could barely remember what a human looked like, she examined her arms and her hands after looking at Trevor.

That was when Trevor noticed one of her hands appeared to be injured. Perhaps it was an old injury, but it was too dark to be sure without a closer inspection.

They couldn't speak to one another, so Trevor figured he'd never learn the story behind how that happened. Turning, she looked at the Sasquatch and made a huge discovery for herself. Up until now, the girl thought _she_ was a Sasquatch.

As it was, Trevor could barely get a wink of sleep due to all of the loud rolling snorts of snoring and heavy breathing. Then there was the constant and unending farting. The cans of beans certainly didn't set well with Gurchukk's digestive tract.

With each fart came a flame from the fire pit that would rise up like the head of a snake. Then it quickly ducked back down. In that brief moment, firelight and distorted shadows mingled. The unbearable stench of the cave became the unbreathable odour that was only useful in one way; it kept the fire going through a long sleep.

Trevor's fear slowly dwindled as all hope was sucked out of him. He imagined death and decay rotting him on the inside. Despair led to loneliness. He was an outcast, not only from the clan of Sasquatch, but of his own people. He couldn't blame them. Yet confusion set in. No one from his world knew where he was. _'Is anyone even looking for me?'_

As time passed, Trevor wasn't certain what the Sasquatch had planned to do with him. His mind never ceased to come up with a new terrifying thought. The horrific face of Gurchukk would forever more flash through his mind. If Trevor did dare to drift to sleep, he was awoken with a start. The haunting hideous face of the Sasquatch was with him even in his nightmares. Though he couldn't keep an accurate record of the passing days from within the cave, he did count long sleeps as a night. Forgotten and uncared for, his life felt so meaningless, useless and worthless.

A pit formed in Trevor's belly as hunger twisted his stomach. Watching the others eat from the meat that hung from the tree branch over the fire, they didn't throw him any scraps. The great Sasquatch tore meat off the bone of his elk. As the others ate, Trevor was silently going crazy. Despite this, he had never craved food so badly in his life. The smell of the putrid den made him wretch and gag. What used to smell like old garbage now smelled like rotten eggs.

Trevor was so nauseous his mind swirled and he wasn't sure if he _could_ eat. Even more desirable than food was the quenching thought of water, to restore his dry throat. With captors who wouldn't feed him, he'd slowly starve to death.

Shaking his head slightly, _'No.'_ Trevor told himself, _'I have to try something!'_ Slowly rising from where he sat, Trevor took a step toward the others. No one noticed him. Their attention was fixed on their meals.

Gurchukk made his usual grunts and smacking chewing sounds with his back turned to Trevor.

Holding out his hand, Trevor took another step on the strangely littered floor.

With a start, Gurchukk stopped eating and lifted his head. The others stopped eating also and locked their eyes on Trevor. Turning his upper body slightly then lifting his head even further to glance over his massive shoulders, Gurchukk also gazed at Trevor.

Freezing in position, Trevor sheepishly smiled.

Gurchukk's huge face spun around to Trevor's front at once. The roar of the great beast made Trevor want to jump right out of his skin. Though Trevor couldn't recall stepping backwards, he realized, he was sitting back against the boulder again.

No longer fearful of the Sasquatch, Trevor felt himself slipping into a deep sense of shock. With his thoughts working in his mind, he escaped into a hazy fog of stillness. With no strength left in him, his whole body stiffened and petrified. Like becoming a third person, Trevor felt the evil of the Sasquatch's presence move in closer to him. His vision blurred as dark spots began to crowd in on his sight until the darkness had completely overtaken him.

Trevor passed out.

* * *

Strolling down the main street of Keremeos, Trevor enjoyed a bright and beautiful afternoon. Many other people were out enjoying the day also. Tilting his hat and nodding to the pleasant ladies and gentlemen, Trevor greeted them all with a "Howdy." He then bid them "Good day." In turn the people would greet him with bright and cheerful smiles.

Breathing in the fresh air, he thanked the good Lord that his Sasquatch experiences were just bad dreams. Though he still carried an uneasy feeling inside, he knew that any thoughts of the Sasquatch were just meant to be forgotten.

He looked down the street as an eerie fog came lingering in. Noon time shifted quickly into night. As he looked off into the distance where the road at the edge of town trailed off into the country side, he saw the distinct form of a Sasquatch lumber across the road, but it was not easily seen due to the ever thickening fog.

"Did you see that?" Trevor asked one of the town's folks nervously. His expression opened up wide.

"What is it, sir?" questioned a young man who was courting a young lady.

"I just saw a Sasquatch, down there." Trevor pointed down the road.

The couple squinted their eyes as they tried to peer through the darkening fog. They began to laugh, "A Sasquatch, sir? Really." The young lady answered. The two laughed heartily as they strolled off together.

"No, really. I saw it..." As Trevor listened to the words that he spoke, he began to remember that the Sasquatch were in fact real indeed. He found it strange to be in the town as he recalled his encounter with a Sasquatch. He looked down at his feet as he stood upon the dirt road. Where he was, was a real place, he decided, "No, the Sasquatch is the dream. This cannot be a dream." He was firm, maintaining a stoic resolve. Trevor confirmed his statement to himself as he continued to walk down the street, though something told him that he was wrong and the Sasquatch _was_ real.

Stopping in the middle of the town, Trevor realized no one was around him any longer. Gazing upon a lady's yellow dress that was displayed in the window of a little hemming shop, he fancied how the dress was very dainty with white lacy trim. It was worn by the mannequin of a modern woman.

From across the dark fog, lightning flashed and thunder broke forth like the roar of a mighty Sasquatch. In a split second, at the very moment the lightening flashed and lit pockets within the fog, Trevor realized to his terror that the dress in the window was now worn by Gurchukk the Sasquatch.

He grew and he grew until his massive hairy body broke right out of the shop's display window.

Trevor's heart skipped a beat and he gasped, but the vision only lasted a brief moment. Blinking and rubbing his eyes, Trevor took a closer look at the dress in the display window. It wasn't altered but returned to its original size. It was also worn by the beautiful and unthreatening mannequin once more.

' _Am I going crazy?'_ Trevor conjectured self analytically. Tightening his lips, he clenched his fists. A reflection of him in the glass screamed to warn himself just how real the Sasquatch were. He only barely acknowledged his shouting reflection. Around Trevor, in the middle of the road, the town's people began to appear. They stepped out from the fog and the shadows and surrounded him. Trevor didn't feel safe anymore. None of the people were pleasant to look at. With grim expressions, they began to whistle and growl at Trevor.

"What's wrong with you people?" Trevor asked as he mashed his eyebrows together. A grimace crossed his face. He was getting all worked up. "Cut it out!" He exploded as he scoffed.

One by one, the people, young and old, began to tear their faces off. Their faces were not real; rather they were masks to conceal the Sasquatches who were disguised within.

Everyone revealed their ape-like humanoid faces of monsters. Wild and full of hatred, they chased after Trevor clawing and biting at him.

It was at that moment when Trevor realized that the message behind his dream was that the humans were the true vicious creatures. _They_ would reveal how they were the true beasts.

* * *

Waking from his horrible nightmare, Trevor shook his head despondently and found he was still on the floor in the same position he was in when he blacked out. The sounds of the Sasquatch snoring was unbearable. With an insatiable need to have to urinate, Trevor carefully sat up. He needed to figure out how he was going to relieve himself without disturbing the others. Waking Gurchukk wasn't a good idea. He could be pretty upset when his meal was interrupted, so Trevor was quite sure that the same should be expected when he slumbered too.

Rocking his body forward so his weight was on his feet, Trevor stood up. Taking hold of his rifle from behind the rock, he slowly began to creep across the floor of the cave. Besides the bones, twigs and viscus black goo, the uneven floor was made up of stones and potholes. Trevor detected none of this in the darkness.

His need to find a washroom escalated. As he walked, Trevor tried to imagine that he was lighter than air, and he could float over the floor. That was when Trevor decided he would float right out of the cave and escape.

At that moment, his head brushed up against some small bones that hung on a branch near the entrance. The sound of the dry bones tinkled together.

Trevor tried to make sense as to why the bones were left to hang in the dark near the opening. _'Was it there for decoration, like a child's mobile? Was the Sasquatch a witch doctor? Or was the Sasquatch actually brilliant enough to set a devise that would warn him of something at the cave's entrance?'_ He could only speculate.

Freezing in his place, Trevor listened for snoring. The snoring had stopped. He was not going to be caught now. Trevor dashed for the opening of the cave. _'I'm getting away with it.'_ Trevor mused with optimistic jubilee.

Behind him, Trevor could picture Gurchukk sitting up right. Then an ear piercing sound penetrated Trevor's skull as Gurchukk cried out a thunderous scream like a siren.

With his pulse racing and thrumming in his head, Trevor stumbled back on unstable legs. In automatic survival mode, he clasped one hand tightly to his left ear. His rifle pressed against the other. _'Nothing can keep me from getting out of this cave!'_ He set his mind to applying himself to the task. Scampering out the snowy opening and into the cool night air, Trevor headed down the steep snowy hill. The sounds of the Sasquatch screams faded behind him as he desperately made some distance. Gravity pulled him along and Trevor was really trucking it down the steep slope.

Impossibility, Gurchukk's screams increased. He was much too close! The others were heard joining his cries of agony.

When Gurchukk stopped, so did the others. Then they started all over again. It went on and on, until their cries were answered by another Sasquatch or two. Recognizing the sounds from his first night in the Keremeos hotel, all Trevor wanted was to get as far away from them as he could.

He didn't want to rest until he was safe at home again.

The screaming was loud like the Sasquatch was using a bull-horn. _'Shut-up, shut-up, shut-up!'_ Trevor thought, _'I'm going nuts!'_ He reached down and grabbed a handful of snow and shoveled it into his mouth. Despite the cold, the snow in his mouth was nourishing.

Finally, Trevor could go no further. His need to pee was too great. Stopping next to a bent pine, he relieved himself. The sound of the warm stream melting into the snow distracted Trevor. Abruptly, he was alerted to the sounds of the creature charging after him.

While he was finishing up, he came to the conclusion that the screams of the Sasquatch were to scare away any possible threat. It was a territorial warning.

The wind was cold but Trevor didn't care. Dashing off again, his feet, frozen and wet, he had a wonderful sense of freedom.

((-Thump!-Thump!-))

A distant muffled sound caught Trevor's attention. It came from high up the mountain. Defensively Trevor cocked his rifle and took aim up at the mountain. Ready to squeeze off a shot at the first twitch of a shadow, he turned his ear to the wind and listened for anything that might reveal the Sasquatch's position.

A twig snapped and with it Trevor fired his weapon. Sparks sprayed from the barrel and the mountain side lit up for a moment in the flash. Trevor was certain he hit nothing.

Without warning, the thunderous roar of Gurchukk erupted. It exploded through refined rage. With the powerful bluster of the beast's anger, it dislodged a sizable boulder and sent it rolling down the mountainside toward Trevor.

Eyes widened, Trevor backed away and nearly stepped over a ledge. Wobbling for a moment to stabilize himself, he had to let go of his rifle to correct his balance.

With powerful momentum, the boulder bounded past him. It followed his rifle down the mountain. The rifle clattered as it struck one steep outcropping after the other. The boulder made a terrible racket and split into three parts before they came to rest amongst other fallen rocks. At a glance, Trevor saw his rifle was damaged beyond repair far below and he knew that it could have just as easily been himself down there.

Behind Trevor the Sasquatch bounded toward him. Following the boulder, the Sasquatch looked like a storm of turning snow. Before Trevor could turn away and continue his mad dash down the steep slope, the Sasquatch was upon him.

Gurchukk was very upset with Trevor. He picked up the man and roughed him up violently then he tossed him into the snow. Gurchukk wasn't gentle with Trevor in the least.

Crouching down low, Gurchukk put his huge scowling face up in Trevor's wide eyed expression and began speaking to him with his chirp-like language. This time when Gurchukk spoke, he was so angry and rude, he wanted to make absolutely sure that Trevor would understand his discipline.

After snorting in Trevor's face, the Sasquatch pinched the man's hand between his huge finger and thumb.

Down on his knees, Trevor wished the Sasquatch could be gentler. As his hand was squeezed, his fingers spread out straight. He attempted his bravest voice. "Ouch! Not so tight! Owe, owe, owe..."

Gurchukk's nostrils flared as his eyes sharpened and his lips began to curl back in a sinister sneer.

Just when he thought his nightmare couldn't get any worse, the Sasquatch bent forward and bit Trevor's pinky finger off.

Trevor's eyes bulged. Never had he experienced such pain. He couldn't believe the dry sorrowful cry he made could come from a man.

He was in shock as he bled into the snow, then he pushed his wounded hand under the red slush. His body began to sweat, but what really drove him crazy was when he heard the Sasquatch crunch the bones of his finger loudly as it was chewed in the monster's mouth. The swallowing sound of the beast finalized it all.

Trevor shivered in the snow and looked up at the creature. Spit froze to his beard. The pain in his hand was incendiary. A combination of the shock and the cold helped him to ignore the dry icy spikes of throbbing distress.

Then Gurchukk looked down at Trevor and smiled.

Translating this he imagined the creature saying, _'Thanks for the snack. Maybe we can be friends after all.'_

At one point, Gurchukk dragged Trevor through the snow as the Sasquatch's powerful body motored its way up through the steep sheer rocks. The strength of the creature had no need of rest.

Gripping Trevor's ankle, Gurchukk forcibly chucked his limp body through the cave's entrance. Sliding on his face through the black goo of the cave's floor, he sat up and spat something out he found utterly distasteful. The black goo was responsible for the horrible taste in his mouth, but Trevor soon realized the black substance was actually Sasquatch poop.

Entering the cave, Gurchukk marched up to Trevor with a gruff snarl. The Sasquatch grabbed Trevor violently and shook him. When Gurchukk dragged Trevor next to the fire, it was a suspicious move. Trevor could only hope Gurchukk didn't like the taste of his finger _too_ much.

Exploding with a bone chilling roar, Gurchukk beat his chest. This time the Sasquatch had a different look in his eye. It was of an anger and rage Trevor had never seen before. Gurchukk's mate, however, knew it all too well, Trevor was in serious trouble.

When Gurchukk lunged at Trevor, the mighty Sasquatch was intercepted by his mate who knocked him over. Gurchukk was about to kill Trevor once and for all and Gurchukk's mate knew it.

Surprised when the female stood between Gurchukk and himself, Trevor realized she had protected him the same way she protected her baby.

Trevor's main concern returned to his wounded hand. The bleeding still hadn't stopped. While Gurchukk was engaged in a heated discussion of chirps and grunts with his mate as she attempted to calm him.

Slamming his dismemberment into the hot coals, Trevor cauterized his wound. Grinding his teeth, he made not a sound but the native girl witnessed all that he did. She was surprised and seemed concerned for Trevor.

Gurchukk's mate finally persuaded him to join her near the fire where the two hairy bodies ate more from what little remained of the hanging elk meat.

The native girl regarded Trevor with sincere caring eyes, but then she looked away when she noticed him look at her. Taking the Sasquatch infant in her arms, she sat closer to the fire with the others. She was thrown scraps, but it was clear that she wasn't allowed to take food by herself.

Everything grew quiet in the cave. Gurchukk and his mate lay down in each other's arms. Their deep breathing indicated they had fallen asleep.

Trevor shook, but he wasn't sure if it was because he was cold or because he suffered from a deep sense of fear and shock. Tears streamed down Trevor's cheeks as despair and failure washed over him.

Lying on the floor in a fetal position, Trevor wanted to sleep but the pain of his hand was too great. Concentrating on his breathing, he tried not to make any noise. He couldn't take another beating... Not now...

Never had Trevor felt so broken and terrified. He longed to return to the warship where he would find rest.

# Chapter 5

ICE COLD WATER dripped onto Trevor's head and trickled down across his cheek. The water was very cold and clean. Lifting his head, Trevor was surprised to find the native girl standing over him.

Her hands were cupped together, holding a small mound of snow. Quietly, she applied the snow to Trevor's wounded hand. Then she dried his tears with the furs she used to wrap herself with. She was so close he could smell her natural scent. That's when Trevor caught a closer look at the missing fingers of her right hand.

Trying not to stare, he now understood the Sasquatch rule; _'make a mistake, loose a finger.'_ It was a cold assessment, but it was the one thing he wanted, above all else, to avoid repeating.

Rather than tearing some fabric away from his shirt to bandage his hand, Trevor just slid his hand up into his shirt and wrapped it tight.

No noise... he couldn't make _any_ noise...

Shuffling near the native girl, the young Sasquatch cub ambled up real close eying Trevor curiously. Noticing the mother and infant Sasquatch spent most of their time on all fours in the cave, Trevor tried to appear he wasn't interest. On the contrary, watching these creatures always aroused his curiosity.

Still shocked, Trevor regarded Gurchukk with a new sense of respect. _'I mustn't cross the mountain king.'_

With the infant taking an interest in Trevor, Trevor took a moment to study the child.

It was dark skinned, almost black with a heavy set brow and pushed up nose which was just below eye level. It had playful eyes but its features were far more ape-like than man-like with dark hair growing on its chin and high up on its cheeks as well.

The cub had been watching everything the native girl had been doing. It decided to mimic her and how she applied snow to Trevor's hand but instead of using snow at all it just reached out and grabbed the hand in its utter most sensitive spot.

Trevor started to shout but cut himself short and stood up.

The native girl and the cub held each other and barked with alarm.

Gurchukk and his mate rolled over and sat up looking at Trevor.

The whole situation was so crazy, Trevor had given up. Awaking the angry beast was the very thing Trevor had been working so hard to avoid.

Somehow, Trevor saw the humor in it. This was how he would die. He was fine with it. _'Why not?'_ he reasoned, _'Let's get it over with...'_ In an attempt to anger the beast further, Trevor began to dance. If this was to be his end, why not celebrate the life he lived.

Stomping his feet and twirling around, Trevor closed his eyes and reached for happiness with his soul for the last time. He could hear the native girl and the cub laughing at him. Only partially aware that the native girl was dancing along with him, he continued. _'It will all soon end with an explosive roar, the cracking of my bones and the stopping of my heart... Any second now.'_

The mother gathered her hairy baby up in her arms defensively and moved away. She didn't feel comfortable letting Trevor get too close to her or her baby. She was still very skeptical of him.

The native girl was embarrassed by the silliness of the dance and sat down near the fire opposite from Gurchukk.

Gurchukk signaled the girl with their strange chattery language. He wanted her to continue dancing with Trevor.

She declined his request so Gurchukk roared. "<Dance!>" He told her forcefully.

Immediately, she jumped back to her feet and tried to mimic Trevor's movements.

Trevor was distracted by the loud roar, but as the girl put forth the effort to follow his lead, he began to find some fun in the strange predicament. Moving his hips, she tried to do the same. With a jump and a twist, Trevor swung his arms. The native girl did what she could to copy these movements also.

Trevor had spent most of his life as a sailor on a Navy battle ship. In that time, he had picked up some difficult dance moves from some of the dance numbers he had rehearsed with his friends. As he had suspected, the girl wasn't able to keep up with him.

The girl tried her best to keep up with Trevor's quick feet and fancy footwork, but it only led to her tripping and falling next to the fire. Her hand came down on a stick that was hanging out of the coals. Hot red glowing embers flung into the air and fell onto the girl's arm.

The laughter came to an abrupt end.

Like an alarm, she immediately began to scream.

Trevor went to her and examined her arm quickly, but Gurchukk's long powerful arm pulled him away.

The mother and Gurchukk crowded in to inspect the wound.

The girl curled up into their hairy bodies for comfort.

Trevor ran to get some snow to put on the girl's burns. It took him less than five seconds to reach the entrance where he gathered some snow in his hands.

He paused for a moment, looking up at the hole of the cave... The exit to freedom. It was so close, but he couldn't do it. Not again. It would surely be the death of him.

Gurchukk's teeth flashed in the firelight, when he snarled a warning. Obediently, Trevor returned. He reverently moved up beside the girl and gently placed the cold snow on her burn. They were all very appreciative of what Trevor had done.

Looking up at Gurchukk, Trevor caught himself looking him right in the eyes again, but Gurchukk wasn't offended this time. Rather, he smiled down at him with gleeful eyes, tilting his head slightly to one side. Then he made a new sound like the cooing of a parent who was proud of its child.

The arm of the great Sasquatch stretched out over the bed of hot glowing coals and plucked a rather large chunk of meat off the tree. He brought it back with a slow elegant motion and offered it to Trevor. It was a peace offering.

Smiling up at the menacing ape-like face, Trevor received the meat. Sitting next to Gurchukk, Trevor ate. He would've preferred his food to be cooked a little more and not so dated, but he was too hungry to complain. To Trevor's frustration, he wasn't able to finish his gift. His stomach had shrunk in his time of hunger.

Unable to finish eating was a short aggravation. Overcome with fatigue, Trevor quickly fell asleep next to his hairy new friend.

# Chapter 6

ON OCCASSION, Gurchukk toyed with Trevor like he was a doll. Over the next few days the Sasquatch treated the humans like they were funny little elves. Did he look at them like they were an intelligent, sophisticated race? No, certainly not. He could only see them as silly little people who had some very strange ways.

They watched as the baby learned how to walk up-right. As it developed, it became all the more used to the presence of the two humans. Though the family rarely left the cave, they never ran out of things to do.

The girl was very protective and cared a great deal for the Sasquatch cub. She fed it its favorite berries. The mother supplied it with milk. The strength of the Sasquatch toddler was astounding. Able to pick up a four inch thick tree trunk, it smashed it to splinters under a rock.

With each day they grew closer as a family pod. Trevor became a member of the Sasquatch pod like a second pet and they watched their pets closely. Neither of them were allowed to leave the cave unattended.

Trevor found himself caring for the creatures who had recently scared him so. Unable to acquire a greater tolerance for the odour that followed them it never occurred to Trevor that he began to smell just as bad.

Experiencing, first hand, how affectionate and caring the Sasquatch were, in a clan, he developed a greater sense of respect for family. He even came to know and befriend the Sasquatch infant. Through the time and care he spent with the infant, he was fortunate to witness how it learned to walk. This miracle was shared by everyone. It not only brought Trevor closer to the Sasquatch, but it led to a friendship between him and the young native girl.

Watching the Sasquatch, Trevor observed their behavior. He discovered that these were very content creatures. Their survival was hinged to their sense of contentment. When Trevor would ponder and think, the Sasquatch would do quite the opposite.

They had a care-free way of life. They dealt with each moment as it came with very little preparation for what might happen next.

Always analyzing and working his mind, Trevor couldn't stop trying to get somewhere other than where he was.

The Sasquatch, on the other hand, depended on itself and its self-sufficient ways. They didn't stress their minds with complicated thoughts as people do. They were peaceful creatures, for the most part, and they were good at losing interest in things. The items of Trevor's pack didn't hold the interest of the Sasquatch for long. _'Perhaps,'_ Trevor supposed, _'the Sasquatch suffered from a short term memory disorder.'_

* * *

After a long night of listening to Gurchukk screaming and howling at the mouth of the cave, Trevor awoke early in the morning, to the surprise of three Sasquatch visitors. From what little Trevor could understand from them, it was clear the other Sasquatch were asked to come over to look at Gurchukk's newest pet, Trevor.

The three visitors were not nearly as tall as Gurchukk. In fact, Trevor figured they all stood upwards of about seven feet tall. One of them was slightly shorter and built like Gurchukk's mate. Trevor assumed it was also a female though it was difficult to distinguish any breasts due to both the lack of light in the cave and the matted layers of hair. She had a similar kind of fluffy hair on her body with the same cat-like features to her face as Gurchukk's mate. She was far more relaxed than the two visiting Sasquatch and Trevor decided to refer to her as _Coolcat_.

The other two were young males, but it wasn't clear how they were related to one another. They may have been brothers with their sister, or the two young males may have been in a sort of competition to win the females affections. Trevor could only speculate.

Each of the males had beards. They also had long hair on their heads, fore-arms, upper backs and shins. One of them had a rusty coloured hair all over his body so Trevor referred to him as Rusty. Rusty also had an almost bare chest.

The other male had midnight black hair that covered his chest fully. It wouldn't matter because his skin was just as black as his coat. Trevor felt very uneasy with this one because he always wore such a grouchy face, so Trevor called this one Grouchy.

None of them wanted to get too close to Trevor. They avoided Trevor like he had a disease or like he would bite them. Gurchukk moved in close to Trevor. Side-stepping with the support of one arm to the ground, Gurchukk poked Trevor with his other arm and grunted.

Trevor had no clue what Gurchukk wanted from him. When Trevor stood up, the three visiting Sasquatch took a gasp in amazement. Gurchukk moved his arms like chicken wings and laughed like he had when Trevor danced. Reluctantly, Trevor understood. It was time to show-off and entertain.

Trevor began to dance as he had for Gurchukk.

Sitting back, Gurchukk chuckled with a big grin on his face. Obviously, this was exactly what the big guy wanted.

It wasn't long before the visitors became board with Trevor, so Gurchukk shuffled his way deeper into the cave where he plucked up the native girl and carried her to Trevor. He set her down next to Trevor and they were both observed until the interest in the humans dropped off.

Soon, the three visitors found a new interest in both Gurchukk's mate and the infant. As they chattered with them, speaking fast like chipmunks and deep like sumo wrestlers, they partook sharing some of the elk meat that hung over the fire. While the group of Sasquatch chattered and hooted amongst one another, they didn't seem to notice that they had left Gurchukk alone with the humans.

Trevor wondered if Gurchukk would regard the native girl and himself differently if the visiting Sasquatch didn't find them interesting. Fortunately, this wasn't the case at all. Gurchukk gathered the humans together and herded them near the fire pit. There, Gurchukk began to tell a compelling story, though Trevor couldn't understand a word of it.

After Gurchukk had finished telling his story, Grouchy and Rusty began to get into a story of their own. They told a story of a rock that came down out of the sky to the ground. Rusty held a stone very high and settled it to the ground carefully, along with the effects of whistling noises as the rock gently lowered like a leaf falling from a tree. His dark eyes intensified and remained fixed on it.

Trevor watched intensely as he attempted to understand the story. The strange hand gestures appeared to be important. At times, they crouched down low and tried telling their story with body language.

The more they told of their story, the more excited they became about what they were trying to convey.

Without warning, Gurchukk stood up and roared. He picked up a large bone and began to club the ground with it. Becoming so wound up in his strange tantrum, he began to hit the fire pit.

His mate, holding the infant turned away to protect him. Sparks sprayed wildly into the air.

Everyone backed away from the fire at once.

Calming down on his own, Gurchukk rested breathing heavily. Finally, Gurchukk tossed the bone away and dropped down to a sitting position at the fire. He seemed exhausted, continuing to breathe with quick deep breaths. Starring into the flames, Gurchukk seemed to need a moment to himself. Everyone in the cave respected him and let him take all the time he wanted.

The tantrum over the fire pit frightened Trevor, but he also found it fascinating. _'What did Rusty and Grouchy say to cause such an outburst from the giant?'_ Trevor mused as he hiked up an eyebrow.

While everything was quiet, the mood became depressed and awkward.

The two males used a rib bone to draw shapes in the ash near the edge of the fire pit.

Coolcat tended to the infant along with Gurchukk's mate.

Shortly, the three Sasquatch visitors stood up and lumbered out of the cave. No one made an effort to bid them some form of fare well.

After a time, Trevor made his way to the fire and looked at the markings that the visitors left there. To his mystery and amazement, Trevor saw a depiction of what he interpreted to be the face of a strange little devil.

It had a large tear drop shaped head with a large fore head and eyes but it was void of any nose or mouth. _'Is it supposed to be a human?'_ Trevor wondered, _'Or is it supposed to be something else?'_

The candles burned down to stumpy nubs, but Trevor used them to make a flashlight by placing the little candle inside the remains of an old misshapen bean can.

One night, Gurchukk led both of the humans, his mate and their son out of the cave. They climbed to a pinnacle rock ledge where they had a magnificent view of the valley below. There, they sat on the stone cliff's edge together. The fading red glow of the setting sun was a distant memory in the western sky. Looking out over the moonlit land, the stars were clear and bright. The moonlight provided a silver out-line to the valley's pine forest. The crisp fresh-air was exhilarating since Trevor felt like he had been breathing the intolerable smell of the cave for far too long.

Imagining gravity working in reverse, Trevor could almost feel himself falling out into the depths of space.

Noticing the bright light of a distant steam engine slowing into the town of Keremeos far below, Gurchukk grumbled from the deepness of his chest.

Trevor could feel Gurchukk's grumblings in his own chest. Using his make-shift flashlight, he attempted to contact the steam engine. Utilizing his skills at Morse Code, Trevor sent a distress message; it was an urgent message of help. For a long while nothing happened, but he knew the light would be seen from his distant position being such a dark and clear night. Besides, the silver of the can's aluminum interior functioned to reflect the light so it appeared brighter.

Finally, Trevor's long awaited response came. The train had rolled to a stop at the train station and it was there where he saw a light blink an answer.

Hope generated in his blood.

Throughout the fallen dusk, a foreign quiet and stillness pervaded the valley. Gurchukk and the mother appeared tense and on edge, but whatever bothered them was in a different direction.

Bending forward, Trevor strained to see what was upsetting them. Craning his head to look over the edge, he saw some bright lights flash within the woods far below. The lights were quite bright; brighter than any of the lights from Keremeos. These brighter lights were coming from a remote, thickly forested area, about thirty miles east of the town. Trevor had never been to this area. He didn't believe a road even ventured to that particular location.

The big Sasquatch focused on the lights for a moment. Then Gurchukk filled his lungs to capacity and bent forward using one hand to support his weight on a large rock. Arching his back, he opened his mouth and shouted an ear shattering scream. The scream seemed to go on and on until his huge lungs were completely exhausted.

Crouching down, turning away from the beast, Trevor pressed his hands tightly to his ears.

Turning his head toward Trevor, Gurchukk, for whatever reason appeared to be displeased with him. Without warning, the massive and powerful hand of this gigantic hairy creature grabbed hold of the back of Trevor's jacket and hoisted him up into the air. With ease, Gurchukk stretched out his long hairy arm and held Trevor up toward the stars. Not only was he higher than the Sasquatch's fourteen foot height, but he looked down and noticed his legs kicking out over the stone drop off. The dark depths of the valley below looked like an open maw the size of the universe and it was about to swallow up Trevor's entire world.

Even though the creature held him, Trevor felt the sensation of falling endlessly. Behind him he could hear Gurchukk draw in another great breath. The pronounced stillness of the night was slain when he let out another long deafening scream.

The native girl and Trevor clapped their hands over their ears instantly as Crater Mountain wailed. The, terrifying sound shot through Trevor's body like a bolt of electricity. His heart thundered with trepidation, conviction and raw terror. Trying to slow his palpitating heart, Trevor went limp in the Sasquatch's grip.

The sudden ear splitting scream pierced the air and caught the attention of everyone in Keremeos.

Gurchukk sounded like he was in pain if not for the way he howled at the moon.

The female Sasquatch joined Gurchukk in at his side with a spine rattling duet. Stopping at the same time their bodies appeared to be frozen in time, at least from what Trevor could see in the moonlight.

Trevor tried to resist struggling, but his body wouldn't listen and he continued to kick and whimper. His jacket began to tear while his heart beat frantically in his throat.

Before the Sasquatch was finished with his call of the wild, he swung Trevor back down next to the young girl. Even though Gurchukk stopped screaming, the echo lingered on and rattled well off into the distance. It invaded the valley without warning and the noise was all together dreadful.

While the Sasquatch waited for a reply, Trevor cautiously slid his hands down from his ears. He expected the screaming to start again without warning.

Leaning forward slightly, Trevor noticed the confused air blow long strands of the Sasquatch's hair across its gnarly face. Nothing distracted its focus, but Trevor was shaken by the way the light of the moon made the creature's facial features more menacing than usual. Even the distant lights could be seen reflected in Gurchukk's nocturnal eyes. Bright red glowing eyes made him look like a devil from Hell.

If not for the time Trevor spent with the creatures, he would've thought the Sasquatch were pure evil. In the uncomfortable stillness, the Sasquatch patiently listened for a reply to their call. Sure enough, a reply came. Distant screams moaned in return which were carried over the breath of the mountain. The distant screaming continued for a few minutes longer before the communication ceased.

Gurchukk and the mother precipitously gathered everyone together and herded them back to the cave. Trevor tried in desperation to finish his Morse Code message, while Gurchukk was distracted by the secluded distant lights. By the end of it Trevor was able, to send a very detailed message. He thought, _'Even if Gurchukk and the mother saw what I was doing, they would never conceive of my ability to send a message like Morse Code.'_

Once everyone was safely back in the cave, Gurchukk went out again to investigate the strange flashing lights on his own. The moon rode high with a slight breeze through the trees.

Crashing down the steep slope of stone, the huge hairy behemoth descended, fueled by a sense to protect his territory with unrestricted, tempered rage. Sending boulders down ahead of it that smashed trees aside the gargantuan creature became the living heart of a destructive rockslide.

At the base of Cater Mountain, the oversized feet of the great silver tipped Sasquatch bounded through the forest with locomotive speed. Pounding the ground and breaking wood, nothing could slow his momentum.

With incredible speeds that were attributed to his wide strides, Gurchukk crossed many miles. After crossing rivers and a road, he paused for a brief moment to observe his mysterious prospect. As he drew near to the location of the lights, he was distracted by something that moved stealthily through the trees. Creeping along the ground, flattening himself out like a shadow, Gurchukk was surprised to find a large yellow glowing eye floating silently through the trees. This strange object was a lifeless machine. It moved by remote and had the ability to defy gravity.

The Sasquatch had never seen such a device before, nor could he understand it.

Moving slow and ominous, it had the ability to observe just like an eye. This device was just as curious as Gurchukk. Blinking as it moved in silence, the single floating eye avoided failed to detect Gurchukk.

The Sasquatch was so proficient at utilizing his surroundings it made no difference that he was so large. Never play hide and seek with a Sasquatch.

Passing beyond the area that was being probed, Gurchukk soon came upon the source of the mysterious flashing lights. They belonged to a round beveled craft which was not of earthly origin. The craft was in the shape of a deflated football. The size of it was roughly the equivalent of two large fishing boats.

Next to a flowing creek, the strange craft was perched upon a large area of river rock. Extending from the belly of the craft was a tripod of legs and a ramp to an opening.

Three unearthly beings were seen ambling around the outside of the ship.

With an inhuman ability to see clearly in the dark, the nocturnal Sasquatch noticed a hairy lump on the ground at the center of the little gangly beings. Gurchukk recognized the hairy lump to be the dead body of one of his own kind. All at once, the aliens stopped what they were doing and looked directly at Gurchukk with their large black, penetrating eyes. With a thunderous bellow, Gurchukk roared a contemptuous warning at the aliens.

The alien creatures responded in retaliation by screeching at Gurchukk. The sound the creatures made was like piercing the Sasquatch's mind with fangs.

A sharp poke to the back of Gurchukk's neck signaled that he had been tagged. Gurchukk turned sharply and saw the yellow glowing eye silently floating there. It stared right into the Sasquatch's soul. Gurchukk swatted the alien device away and spun around bolting into a sudden sprint.

The probe followed after him and kept pace.

Gurchukk finally scooped his hand around the eye and though it burned his hand to touch, he catapulted it directly at the craft.

Boarding their craft with quick little steps, the short alien creatures toiled to escape the dangers of the Sasquatch. As the ramp of the portal slowly retracted, the yellow glowing probe came hurtling toward them. It was incoming like a missile.

The last of the three aliens, who was still running up the ramp of the craft, was struck at the back of his head. He was knocked off the ramp and fell face down to the ground.

The other two aliens ahead of him, made their way through the portal, but were coincidentally hit the hardest, taking the full impact of the probe. These two aliens who were stuffed into the craft with a bone chilling crunch, were severely injured. It wasn't clear if they died because the door spiralled shut sealing them inside.

The oddly shaped craft teetered over on its thin tripod before it rose. The legs flattened some small trees. The base of the tree trunks shattered like glass under the weight of the craft. Then the sound of the craft's power source cycled up from a low hum to a great blast of heat and energy. A second or two passed before the craft streaked off into space.

Gurchukk arose from the shockwave that pushed him down and glanced over the area. He saw shattered tree stalks and burn patches on the ground, but the only thing of any significance besides the unconscious alien that remained behind was the body of a fellow Sasquatch. It was lying, face down in the dirt a short distance from the Sasquatch.

Approaching the area where the strange craft was a moment before, Gurchukk lightly nudged the alien creature with his big toe. It appeared lifeless. Gurchukk turned his attention to the Sasquatch next.

Rolling it over, he found it was dead. Some kind of powerful heat blast had singed the skin and hair of its upper torso and head. The wounds were too deep. The face; so drastically disfigured from the burns, Gurchukk couldn't recognize it.

After spending some time burying the body in a remote area from the landing site, he paid homage to it for its bones were sacred, then he made a X with a couple of tree trunks.

Returning to the body of the little alien, Gurchukk took up the little grey body and lumbered off into the forest with it.

* * *

When Gurchukk returned to the cave, he was sniffing and crying, _or more like blubbering_. Still holding the body of the alien in his palm, he gently set it down on the ground next to the fire. It looked dead. Its large almond shaped eyes were closed and a small trickle of black blood came from its tiny nose.

Trevor was amazed and wondered where Gurchukk found such a creature.

When Trevor took a second look at the picture drawn in the ash by Rusty and Grouchy, it was clear the creatures were the same. The way the soft orange light of the fire flickered over the details of the alien's portrait gave chilling life to the image.

Recalling the story that the Sasquatch visitors told at the fire, Trevor now realized they were referring to alien creatures from another world. They were trying to tell Gurchukk that they came to earth in a craft that looked like the shape of a river stone. _'This was what had upset Gurchukk so much, but there must be more. Why did the Sasquatch hate the aliens so?'_

Gurchukk was still blubbering when Trevor noticed a burn on its massive hand. With snow and icicles, Trevor took care of Gurchukk's burn quieting him down.

In an unpredictable turn, Gurchukk gently lifted Trevor's hand and quietly inspected his missing finger and the cauterized flesh.

Trevor winced and shut his eyes tight. _'Oh, no... Here we go again...'_ he assumed. His hand still had a lot of mending to do even though the flaming swelling had subsided substantially.

Touching Trevor's wounded hand with some snow, Gurchukk smiled down at Trevor.

Like a beaten dog, Trevor gave Gurchukk an unnerving, narrow sheepish grin and pulled his hand slowly back from Gurchukk.

Leaving Gurchukk, before it became hungry again and changed its mind to bite another one of his fingers off, Trevor turned his attention to the alien. He decided to take care of the strange little creature.

Gurchukk didn't care what Trevor did with it. He believed it was dead.

The mother and the native girl tended to the infant who was having another one of its tantrums.

The alien creature stirred in Trevor's hands. When it coughed it sounded like a newborn. It placed its petite, long, slender hands to its head like it was acknowledging a headache. The large eye lids fluttered then opened wide. When it turned over in an attempt to rise, all watched in absolute silence. The strange slow articulations of its thinly framed body seemed graceful somehow, like a puppet without strings.

The alien's large head appeared unproportioned to the rest of its body. Its neck seemed to be too thin and weak to balance such a sizeable cranium adequately. Naturally, it placed its hand to the small bump of its nose in response to the stifling, repulsive odour that filled the cave. When it blinked its eyes to see, it settled its gaze on the crackling fire. Looking around at all of the faces observing it, the alien's large black eyes grew even wider then it began to shake nervously. The way it studied its surroundings with quick, alert reflexes implied how concerned it was for its life. With a vexed countenance, the alien looked up at the dead meat hanging from the tree branches over the fire like it was living a waking nightmare. Its expression of stark terror, questioned the likelihood of it hanging from a branch too.

Gurchukk had an alluring face, like he had when he played with the baby. To him the little alien was adorable.

Fearlessly, the monumental Sasquatch tried to reach out to the tiny alien.

The alien had the presence of mind to backed away from his reach defensively. The refined little movements of the alien were a marvel to watch.

All of a sudden, Gurchukk lunged forward to grab the little fellow.

The alien struck Gurchukk's hand with such ferociousness that the Sasquatch drew his big hairy hand into his chest and cradled it with his other hand.

Surprised and infuriated by this, Gurchukk stood up and bellowed a roar like thunder, before he beat his chest. It was like he tried to say, "<When you're in my house you treat me with respect!>"

Scared, the native girl and Trevor figured the demise of the little fell'a would come next.

With one great step, Gurchukk moved in on the little guy. Sweeping his great hand down on the alien, he missed.

The alien proved to be far too fast.

Fearlessly leaping at Gurchukk, it struck him in the chest. Crawling over the Sasquatch's body like a spider, it struck him again and again. Finally, the impossible occurred when the two foot tall alien knocked the fourteen foot tall goliath backwards.

Gurchukk came crashing down like a mighty oak tree.

The mother howled with concern for Gurchukk. Setting the baby down, she stood up and approached the alien lifting a large rock in one hand.

Flipping over, Gurchukk crawled like a gorilla with the purpose of having his revenge.

Defensively, the alien put its miniature long open palms to the side of its head, like someone would do when shouting. Motioning its hands outwards like it was trying to throw mind-waves at the two Sasquatch, the alien opened its little mouth as wide as it could and screamed a strange resonating sound. The undeniable sound penetrated the minds of all who heard it. Everyone cupped their hands over their ears, but the mind controlling influence of the alien was overpowering. Everyone obeyed the suggestive command to slide their hands down from their ears and wrap them around their own throats. Then each one began to squeeze.

Gurchukk's neck was so thick; it didn't look like he had a throat. Even the baby Sasquatch was forced to obey the alien's will. Like a nightmare, the victims choked themselves. The cracking sound of the mother's throat giving out was heard as she slumped to the cave's floor and died.

Everyone else blacked out as they too were driven to the floor.

When the alien's breath ran out, it turned and darted to the mouth of the cave. With a phenomenal leap, it jumped clear of the snow bank and shot out of the opening.

Landing outside, it toppled forward under the surface of the powdery snow. Pouncing like a deer, the skinny little fellow made his way down the mountain, all the while it screamed out its strange telepathic thought waves. The alien's cries were messages of distress which were intended to be received by its own kind in orbit. The sound echoed from the mountain to the heavens for its kind to come down and save it.

* * *

Opening his drowsy eyes, Trevor returned to consciousness. His neck hurt real bad and his head still felt tingly. Moaning, Trevor joined the others as they all awoke together. Something significant had changed. He could feel it deep down inside, like finding food in your belly without any memory of eating. Trevor had memories in his head that didn't get there by natural experience.

Opening his new memories was a very strange undertaking. Everything was kind of fuzzy because the new thoughts were jumbled together. At first it was like he had dementia, but he soon realized his mind was filled with a mix of everyone else's thoughts.

For a short time during the telepathic occurrence, everyone's thoughts were connected as one. Trevor assumed the others acquired some of his memories also.

Gurchukk; the first to rise up, put his hand to his head and chattered something in his Sasquatch language like he had many times before, but wonder of wonders, Trevor could understand him. For him it was as clear as his own language.

By this time, the far off sounds of the alien's cries were barely audible in the distance.

Sitting up, Trevor rubbed his neck and focused on the thoughts that troubled him. Looking from one face to the next, he realized he knew the names of each person of the pod. The great silver tipped Sasquatch was, _Gurchukk_. His mate's name was, _Nuxie_. The infant; _Tunoka_ and the native girl's name was _Tiarrow_.

Besides learning of Gurchukk's great hunger, his memories of hunting and daily survival for himself and his beloved family were realized by Trevor from a whole new perspective. Then Trevor found a certain memory that especially intrigued him. He learned, Gurchukk was a very old and wise Sasquatch. He had lived in several Sasquatch clans throughout his long life and had several other families. Though he had seen much death, he had also lived through many generations. Migrating from place to place, he traveled great distances and had seen much of the world. From time to time, he had encounters with humans and other creatures. Likewise, Gurchukk had previous experiences with alien creatures like the little fellow who had just escaped the cave. Apparently, the grey aliens had made frequent visits to our planet. Trevor was aware of a rivalry linked to a long history between the Sasquatch and the grey aliens.

The reason Gurchukk hated them was because he saw first-hand how they loved to torture and kill the Sasquatch. At one time, when Gurchukk was very young, he befriended an alien, but it later betrayed him, killing his parents and taking their bones. To a Sasquatch, such an act was unforgivable. The clans agreed the aliens were evil. Gurchukk's despise for the little aliens was very personal and historical. His grudge for them ran deep. One thing that each of the two species shared was a prime evil nature to overpower and belittle any creature that wasn't like their kind. The methods between the two were similar. They terrorized whoever fell victim to their web of dominance. Then they'd force them into a place of utter despair and hopelessness. Ironically, at that moment, Trevor found Gurchukk to be the one in despair.

"<No, no!>" Gurchukk expressed as he went to his mate. While the others stirred, he delicately lifted the female's head in his hand. Bobbing the head up and down, he quickly found there was no life left in her. "<Nuxie, wake-up.>" Trevor could hear Gurchukk say; only Gurchukk wasn't speaking English. Nevertheless, Trevor understood.

He went to Gurchukk who was openly weeping and muttering. "<What did that thing do to you?>" Gurchukk softly asked his mate, though she made no response.

Trevor gently put his hand on Gurchukk's hairy arm and spoke in plain English, "She's dead, Gurchukk."

Tunoka and Tiarrow understood what Trevor said. With expressionless faces, they stared at him deep in thought. They all shared the experience of having one mind. Crawling to Nuxie, they cuddled in beside her. Tiarrow was on one side of Nuxie and Tunoka was on the other.

Trevor assumed the strange telepathic communication was imparted to them as a result of the distant telepathic cries of the alien creature.

Gurchukk stood up. He was bold and tall. Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself for what had to come next. He then spoke from his chest, "Kootch vent sloagumba, cha kanabenth." This meant, "<I will return. Wait here for me.>"

Trevor understood this meaning perfectly. What the alien achieved was a signed declaration of war.

As the telepathic screams of the alien faded out into the distance, the shared thoughts amongst those in the cave drew to an end.

Gurchukk exploded from the mouth of the cave heaving snow and stones a great distance. His angry demeanor laced with vengeance exhausted from his flaming eyes and gnarly breath. Like a powerful steam engine charging out of control, Gurchukk plowed his way straight down the steep slope and through the powdery snow.

It was a simple task to track his quarry with such fresh tracks in the white powder. The Sasquatch caught up with the alien creature through a narrow pass between high walls of stone. Both the Sasquatch and the alien were capable of running incredibly fast.

As the Sasquatch bore down on the alien, he lost sight of it for a moment when it scampered over a large protrusion of rock. As the Sasquatch came bounding overhead, he was amazed at the cunning trickery. The little alien bastard seemed to vanish in thin air.

Gurchukk searched the area thoroughly but as time also escaped him, he knew he might have to accept defeat. If the nuisance could get away with murdering his mate, it might also escape his wrath.

Unbeknownst to Gurchukk, he was very close to uncovering the alien hiding alien numerous times. It was carefully tunneling its way under the deep snow without disturbing the surface.

Then, in a fit of rage and frustration, Gurchukk roared divulging his inner beast. The mighty bellow reverberated from every stone cleft. The rage of the mountain king filled the valley and echoed all the way to the snowy plateau.

The pummeling sound shook everything like the concussion of a blast which caused the alien's snow tunnel to collapse.

Gurchukk immediately noticed the exposed channel he had dug through the snow. Poking its head up out of the snow, the alien expressed dumbfounded fear.

When Gurchukk took a menacing step toward the fearful little alien, it looked past the Sasquatch and beheld a new threat that was far more imposing. The roar of the beast had shifted and dislodged a significant snowpack from a higher altitude. A significant snow slide threatened to wipe them out as it thundered the steep face.

The rumbling under his feet confirmed Gurchukk's forewarned suspicion even before he turned to take a quick glance. With the Sasquatch distracted by the mountain's resounding tyranny, the alien turned tail and bolted further down the slope. With a quickened gallop down the mountain behind the alien, Gurchukk almost lost his footing once or twice. They raced to stay ahead of the avalanche. It was a plunder of snow, ice and stone falling and crashing at their heels as it raced to crush them.

To Gurchukk, it was just another relentless challenge of Crater Mountain testing his authority for there could be only one true king of the mountain.

# Chapter 7

EIGHT MILES below the snowline, five brave men hiked through the steep terrain of Crater Mountain. With them was a pack train of two ponies, laden with supplies. The men; all organized hunters from Keremeos, were well known as the Copper Creek Coachmen. In response to Trevor's message of Morse Code, they hastily organized a search party.

Winding their way up through bush and tall evergreens in single file, they were led by William Short. William was known throughout the town as the most experienced hunter. People travelled across the sea to pay large sums of money to hire William to be their guide then he led them on a hunt.

The old mercenary was in his late forties with a lean height, healthy tanned coloured skin and grey hair of experience running along the sides of his head. Half of his persuasive personality was in his perfect bright smile of sturdy white teeth, the other half was his unmatched skill at the hunt.

The sun was five hours over the horizon. The sky had been clear all morning, but dark thunder-heads approached from the East. So far, their journey up the mountain held no clues of the captive man for whom they were searching. In fact, the entire excursion was hardly interesting at all.

One of the men was very tired and spoke about his weary state. "Hey, Will, can we stop a moment? We've been on this trek since before the sun came up." His griping continued. "I need water, rest and we should take another look at the map of this mountain."

"Norm, if we keep stopping every time you want to throw us into the thicket of your complaints, we'll never get to the person who dispatched that message last night. I know if it were me in trouble on this mountain, I'd like to think people were responding to my call for help. Now, take your sip, but we're not stopping!"

Someone passed Norm a canteen and he drank from it. After a few good strong gulps, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve and looked at William with discouragement, "We're not training for the war, here..." He muttered under his breath.

William heard this and added, "A man's life is at stake! We're the only ones who can help him! The new comer, Trevor, hasn't been heard from for two months and many of the town's folk have been going to his home to check on him starting with Marry Lue Thompson and her friend Anna Bell."

"Do we even know where to look for this missing person?" asked Elliot, squinting his eyes. Elliot was one of the men who told his Sasquatch tale at the Keremeos Hotel.

This question was answered by, James Nelson, who was a burly mill worker. "I saw the light coming from this northern side of the mountain and it was well above the snowline." After wiping sweat from his fore-head, he pointed up at the mountain.

"He probably froze to death by now." Norm responded with attitude, keeping his gaze locked on the ground he grumbled further. "I know I would be."

William shrugged with the very image of internal indifference. Then he snapped. "Look, Norm, if you're purposely trying to slow the rest of us down, you can head back right now!"

"Will, why don't you just read the message that was sent from the mountain? I for one didn't understand it at all the first time I heard it." James tried to distract the two men. The way they were always at one another, one might mistake them for brothers.

William, the leader, stopped in his tracks as they were hiking over a bluff. He looked out at the miniature valley ahead of them. They would have to go through it because the trees were far too thick on either side. It would be an easy climb up along the dried creek bed. It could lead them to the snowline.

William fingered a breast pocket until he dug out a crumpled piece of paper. Unfolding it, he began to read. "S.O.S. STOP! Please help me. STOP! I am being held captive. STOP! My name is Trevor. STOP! I am being kept in a cave not far from here. STOP! Bring chloraphorm. _End message._ "

"Well, I'm not stopping for anything. You can count on me, Will." James told Will staunchly.

Will smiled ruefully at this and they began to press on when a horrendous roar thundered through the valley. Though no one could recognize what kind of animal produced such a skull rattling sound, they knew it must be big. It quieted down and everyone gazed up at the mountain with earnest anticipation of what they would find.

These men were hunters, for the most part. They lived for the thrill of the hunt. At the sound of the mighty roar, the men agreed on one thought that was never spoken, _'This could be the greatest trophy kill of their careers.'_ One man in particular, Spence, was a conservation officer. He carried chloraphorm and he had to split the shipment with the town's doctor. It was the most effective way to prep a patient for surgery or to drop a wild animal who posed a threat to the citizens of Keremeos.

They were all just about to head off again when a great muffled rumble whispered from the mountain. With a rush of air, the sound began to grow. They looked up as William shouted, "Duck for cover, avalanche!"

Everyone impulsively dropped behind the rocks of the ridge. The avalanche lost its velocity before it reached the snowline, but a cloud of snow blew down over the men. At the sound of distant dislodged rock and trees settling, the men lifted their heads from the rocky ridge. They expected to see some evidence of the slide spilling into the valley. What they found was quite the contrary.

With a perplexed astonishment, they witnessed a thin little creature, with an unusually large head. It skittered down the creek bed toward them. Stopping in its tracks, the little creature turned around suspiciously. It lifted a rock that must have been three times its own weight. When it threw the rock up at the mountain, it did so with unnatural velocity.

The hunters watched in awe.

The rock finally exploded on impact just beyond the unsettled snow cloud.

The roar bellowed again. It was much closer now and sounded like it was wounded... Wounded and pissed.

No one could move. The men lurked nearby like a wolf pack in the dark, on the hunt. They could see the roar didn't come from the little grey creature. No, the roar came from an area of the forest where a flock of sparrows took to the air. The bellowing sound was vengeful and angry.

The eyes of the men almost protruded all the way out of their heads when they saw the husky and hairy biped of the North. This monster couldn't remain hidden at fourteen feet tall. Gurchukk bent tall redwoods aside as he stepped out into plain sight.

Reason struggled with what they were gawking at.

Like a scared squirrel, the little grey creature fled over logs and stones. The two creatures established themselves behind barriers of rock where they began to throw stones and logs at one another like children in a snowball fight. Rocks collided and exploded. One stone glanced off the head of the grey alien drawing blood. Realizing the danger, it climbed a small eroding hillside to the base of a huge old dead cedar tree.

Crossing the stones of the creek bed with flying leaps of long wide strides, Gurchukk propelled himself with inhuman speed. When the Sasquatch noticed the alien was starting to climb the tree, his anxiety grew. Reaching down, he picked up some of the smooth river stones. Throwing the rocks at the little grey creature, the projectiles shattered on impact against the trunk of the twisted old tree. Splinters of wood sprayed from the deep pits that were left.

The little grey creature was almost knocked free from a branch as he continued to climb.

The conservation officer, Spence, leveled his rifle at the large hairy creature, but William lowered the muzzle and whispered quietly.

"Not yet."

One key take-home was these men were professionals and they knew the importance of patience.

When the Sasquatch reached the steep slope to the old tree, he leaped up with a single bound and grabbed hold of the thick trunk. Stretching his arm up, Gurchukk could almost nab the alien but it was just beyond his reach. Attempting to climb the tree like it was a ladder the Sasquatch fumbled his large feet to secure a hold. Each branch he stepped on broke no matter how thick the branch was. In merciless pursuit of the grey creature the oversized Sasquatch continued to try climbing the tree. Even if the Sasquatch could start making its way up, no one was sure if the old tree would buckle under such extraordinary weight.

The alien climbed to the top of the tree where it lifted its head skyward and screamed its urgent telepathic buzzing sound. Its wounded and aching head became a deeper internal pounding of impacts.

At the piercing high pitched sound, the hunters began to feel faint and queasy.

The hairy Sasquatch at the base of the tree also appeared to be affected. With his arms and legs going limp, the Sasquatch slumped over a thick branch at about his armpit's height.

A field of river rocks, like teeth, were strewn across the battleground waiting to bite into one of the creatures if they fell.

At that instant, James pointed out a bright star gleaming from the midst of the storm clouds. The cloud became aggravated by the presence of the star. All the men's eyes rose skyward as they looked up.

The star shot down toward them in a streak of fiery light.

Any manmade aircraft wouldn't have been able to maintain such velocity. They expected it to crash, but this object stopped at an instant and hovered over the old tree. The spacecraft slowly and ominously, circled the tree for a moment while making a low thrumming sound. The vibration behind the sound kept rhythm as its pitch rose and fell. The craft was round and shiny like it was made of pure silver. Energy sparked off the hull like electrical waves. The lights may have been intentional, but they appeared to be currents of energy in conflict.

A heat ray blasted from the craft at the Sasquatch. Hair singed and smoked as Gurchukk fell from the tree and tumbled over the cliff to the river rocks.

A fire broke out and began to engulf the tree's trunk.

A feeble cry came from the grey alien who was stranded in the tree-top. He opened his little mouth and stretched out his long thin hand to the spacecraft. It pleaded for its salvation.

Finally, a portal spiraled open on the underbelly of the craft. Light reached out like a twisted tentacle and stretched out toward the alien's lost companion. Slowly the craft neared the tree until it was close enough to wrap a tentacle of light around the alien. The little fellow was accepted into the portal where it reunited with its kind. The moment the alien was safely aboard the entry shaft spiraled shut.

A large rock flew up from Gurchukk and smashed into the silvery hull leaving a sizable dent. The craft wavered in mid-flight then the thrumming engines clunked and whined with a high pitched shrill. Losing control, the silver spectacle pitched and fell twenty meters to the sharp rocks where it crashed to a dead stop.

Incredibly, the sparkling object bounced back up and hung in the air silently as though weightless. Power began to resonate from the sterling chrome hull.

The Sasquatch rolled behind the cover of rocks.

Rings of energy and light bursted forth from the ship. Rippling ringlets glided across the surface of the alien craft and shot at Gurchukk. Heat-waves of pure energy cooked the ridge vaporizing many stones and logs to ash. The mountain and the small valley shook from the powerful blast. Before the dust settled, the craft shot away into the heavens.

The Copper Creek Coachmen watched after the alien craft as it slipped behind the shroud of the dark bellowing storm clouds and disappeared from sight.

Rising from behind a berm of rocks, Gurchukk's body smoked from exposure to the intense heat. His hand cupped his sore massive shoulder.

The Coachmen noticed Gurchukk when he made a muffled groan. As one of the men cocked his rifle, the Sasquatch snapped his head around. Locating them by sight first, he caught their scent second. In an instant, Gurchukk sprinted back up the steep creek bed with such speed the men couldn't ready themselves to fire soon enough.

Gunfire broke out and Gurchukk was already out of range. His sore shoulder didn't seem to hurt any longer. Galloping up the steep mountain, the Sasquatch leaped up cliffs and bounded over huge boulders and crevasses with ease.

Traversing obstacles that will considerably slow the men, Gurchukk easily made his escape.

In a buzz of adrenalin, Norman expressed. "Look there men! Do you see where he's going?! That creature's heading up the mountain..."

"...to where Trevor is, no doubt." William finished his sentence.

"You think _that_ is what's holding the man?" Norman mediated then swallowed nervously.

"It very well could be." William answered confidently, "It would explain why he requested the chloraphorm."

"Now hold on, are you men still wanting to go after it? Shouldn't we leave this kind of thing to professionals?" Norman asked with a shaky stutter in his tone.

William turned to look into the eyes of the other men. "Of course we will go! We are not just hunters, we _are_ the professionals! We will capture the beast, save the man and return to the town as heroes."

"Yeh, hey!" The men shouted in agreement.

William looked down on Norman with a sly self-righteousness.

Norman considered the competence of these men. Knowing the combined skill of this specific group, he was encouraged. Conscientiously, a smile, filled with thoughts of fortune and glory, shone from his face.

"Yeh, hey!" William cheered also as he looked forward to the opportunity to challenge the Sasquatch again.

# Chapter 8

WHISTLING WINDS ushered in the coming of a mighty storm when Gurchukk lumbered into the cave. There, he found Trevor and Tiarrow cuddling close to Tunoka by the fire. They watched Gurchukk intently when he entered.

His mate remained in the very same position as she was when he left. Slowly he walked to her with tears streaming down his cheeks. Gurchukk had experienced death before. He knew of the sleep that no one wakes from.

Kneeling at Nuxie's side, Gurchukk lifted her lifeless hand in his own. He began to blubber with gruff, deep-chested eruptions of grief. Trevor, Tunoka and Tiarrow stood up at once and went to Gurchukk to comfort him. They all shared the loss Nuxie.

After a time the group separated.

Gurchukk lifted up a large stone from the cave's floor and smashed it onto the surface of a much larger boulder. He hit the rocks together, slamming it down again and again. The noise was irritating to Trevor and Tiarrow, but smashing the rocks out of frustration made Gurchukk feel better and when he felt better he could think better.

Grieving for his mate, Gurchukk recalled his recent distress when men hunted him. Wondering why the others didn't share his apprehension, Gurchukk figured it was because they didn't know people were hunting them.

No! He didn't want to see any more death today. Gurchukk would protect his clan, even his pets.

All at once, Gurchukk stopped and perked up attentively. He heard something. Turning quickly, he rose to his feet. Sniffing the air, the huge hairy creature dashed to the mouth of the cave. Leaning out, he listened. The panic of the wilderness seemed to call to him. Finally he ducked back inside, and whistled. The whistle was so loud and drawn out, it was almost as intense as his thunderous roar.

Alarmed, Tunoka and Tiarrow ran to Gurchukk.

The big Sasquatch looked at Trevor with expectation as though to say, _'Well, why don't you come also?'_

Walking toward Gurchukk, Trevor proved he was with them. The beast turned from him and climbed out of the cave.

Outside, Gurchukk gestured toward something down the mountain. Intense with urgency, Gurchukk tried to tell Trevor that danger was down there, but Trevor couldn't understand.

Even Tiarrow and Tunoka, who understood Gurchukk much better, needed a clearer explanation.

Unable to understand what all of the fuss was about, Trevor just wanted to go back inside the cave where it was warm and sit by the fire. Waving them away, Trevor tried to convey his lack of interest in what they wanted to see.

The native girl persistently waved for Trevor to join them.

He could see in her eyes that whatever the problem was, it was important. Never had he seen them act like this before.

Tiarrow spoke to Gurchukk. As she spoke, she slid her hands down her scantly covered body.

Gurchukk nodded and huffed with irritation.

From the Sasquatch's response, Tiarrow raced back into the mouth of the cave.

Trevor fell into step behind her. She led him all the way to the back of the cave. There, she wrapped herself up in layers of furs from her bed.

Trevor could tell everyone was planning to be outside for quite a while. Doing the same as Tiarrow, Trevor also bound furs tightly around himself. He wouldn't easily forget the chill of Crater Mountain anytime soon.

Gurchukk had enough of the human's stalling. Impatiently, he marched into the cave and forcefully took hold of Trevor under one arm and Tiarrow under his other. Muttering something with a bird-like whistle at the end of it, Tunoka hopped up onto his father's back. Gurchukk didn't mind his young Sasquatch child gripping tightly to the long hair of his back.

Its tall body; muscular and lean, took to running on two legs. The Sasquatch's main of hair wildly shook in its pounding momentum. Embarking through the steep snow, Gurchukk moved with a strong determination. He didn't care that the others didn't understand him. Instincts of survival kicked in. With a jerk of his head, Gurchukk intuitively knew he was still being hunted. He was anything but gentle moving through the thick snow-laden forest.

The experience of being carried in Gurchukk's tight grip stirred Trevor's equilibrium. He felt his small life in the hollow of Gurchukk's abominable hand. It was one of the most shattering and dislocating experiences of his life. The Sasquatch's passengers bounced relentlessly up and down.

When the forest opened up to a clearing for a short distance, Gurchukk slowed down. The dry rugged clearing dropped off sharply to a vertical cliff with a distance of one hundred and fifty meters. The great Sasquatch released everyone on a flat stone ledge that overlooked the valley below. His penetrating pupils were unsure of what next to do.

Tiarrow and Trevor could see Gurchukk was searching for something far off in the distance. Trevor thought he was still trying to locate the little alien. _'What had the little alien done to spook the old silver tipped Sasquatch so?'_ Trevor deliberated.

Squinting his eyes and peering in the general direction that Gurchukk was looking, Trevor determined the Sasquatch had some extraordinary optical abilities if he was able to see anything out there. Perhaps a Sasquatch was capable of telescopic vision or other sight advantage, because his eyes suddenly grew wide. Obviously, Gurchukk caught sight of whoever or whatever it was that threatened him.

Trevor and Tiarrow were precipitously lifted into the Sasquatch's arms as before. Gurchukk moved along the cliff's edge until they met with a wall of stone. At this point, Gurchukk didn't hesitate; he simply changed direction and leaped off the edge. Trevor and Tiarrow screamed the moment they took flight, but Tunoka was without fear. He laughed a laugh that was like a child's but only deeper and hollow chested. Dropping the full distance of one hundred and fifty feet, Gurchukk's big feet landed hard on the steep, old rockslide. Sand and rock were pushed down below them under such weight and momentum. The bulky Sasquatch half ran and skied to slow his massive weight. With a two-step gallop at an incredible speed, Gurchukk worked his feet to regain stability and balance. Wobbling a little, Gurchukk pressed on. Raw determination wasn't distracted by his two human passengers.

* * *

Fearful of what could be coming down the mountain with such velocity and power, only one thing shook up dust clouds and started rockslides like this. _'A single Sasquatch couldn't be responsible for this much upstir, unless the size of it was...'_ The source of the disturbance was too far away to be sure.

All of the hunters suspected it was the same beast of the mountain. _'It had to be.'_

William pulled his rifle from its holster. Peering through the scope, he took a chance on a distant shot. Squeezing the trigger, the barrel of the rifle finally exploded with a flash of fire.

William's shot ricochet off the rock-face just in front of Gurchukk's path. ((-Twang!-)) It didn't faze the beast at all.

The hunters were amazed by how much distance the Sasquatch could cover in such a short time.

Locating the distant band of men, Gurchukk carefully measured his next move.

The men weighed their options and changed direction to compensate for the Sasquatch's unpredictable course.

* * *

Trevor heard the thunderous echo of the rifle blast. These didn't seem to be ordinary hunters, they were skilled trackers.

At the base of the slide, Gurchukk stopped in the midst of some massive boulders. They had settled there once before, long ago. Setting his three passengers down, the fourteen foot tall Sasquatch bent down on his hands and knees and did a strange spider walk. He was only on his finger tips and toes, but his feet bent strangely to do this like he had a mid-tarsal break to explain such added flexibility. The way Gurchukk moved was so unnatural but fast, like a gecko, it really creeped Trevor out. It amazed him how low the Sasquatch could get to the ground. With a technique like this, Gurchukk looked like a large creeping shadow across the landscape. Despite their incredible size, a Sasquatch could navigate near populated areas and remain virtually invisible.

Creeping to the edge of the cliff, Gurchukk peered over and watched the progress of the distant men carefully. Protesting the intrusion of the men, he huffed. If they continued, Gurchukk would find himself trapped in some pocket of the mountain. He needed to stop them, or at least slow them down. Glancing at his surroundings, Gurchukk finally decided to lean his back against a huge boulder that was perched on the edge of the cliff. Pressing himself against it harder, he tried to push it over toward the hunters.

The shouts of the distant men could be heard by Trevor. Amazed, the group of men had come in response to his call for help, Trevor wanted to shout out to them. Risking another finger for his behavior wasn't something he was willing to do.

The thought of it made his hand hurt...

Breaking away from pushing the massive stone, Gurchukk huffed and muttered something. Tunoka and Tiarrow went to Gurchukk immediately to assist him. Tiarrow signaled Trevor to join them, waving her hand.

Reluctantly, Trevor _did_ join them, but only because he had no other choice. The rock might be pushed over the edge. Trevor didn't want to be an accomplice to putting the men's lives in danger, but Gurchukk needed everyone to help him dislodge the massive boulder. The only reason the men were there was to answer Trevor's call for help. _'Now, here I am, about to help the Sasquatch hurt them?! Maybe even kill them?! No, this is something I cannot do. I have to make a stand.'_

With the combined efforts of the others backing him, Gurchukk pushed again.

Applying no pressure, Trevor just spread the palms of his hands on the surface of the big rock. He couldn't feel the weight of the stone budge. Relieved, Trevor stepped away from the stone.

Gurchukk and the others continued to dig their feet in and push. Something shifted. Everyone was surprised when the stone budged. Then it surrendered.

Trevor couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the boulder quietly roll right over the edge.

Grinding his teeth, Trevor regretfully queried. _'What have I done?'_ The blood throughout his body congealed.

Glancing at Tiarrow, Trevor noticed how her hair was caught up in the wind, but her body remained still as she watched the boulder bounce and thunder down the mountainside toward the men.

Because of the distance, the men had time to react to the danger and navigate themselves to safety.

Wasting no time to pick up the trio, Gurchukk galloped with heavy widespread strides down through the trees and ferns.

The direction Gurchukk was heading ended up compromised when he realized the hunters had crossed far more ground than he expected them to. Despite the Sasquatch's boulder diversion, the men continued to come.

From their position, Trevor was able to discern the cedar shakes of his cabin through the tall pines. What bothered him most was not knowing the exact location of the men.

A distant rumble drew their attention to the dark storm clouds invading the sky.

Trevor pointed and tried to explain to Gurchukk that his cabin was where their next destination should be, but no one understood him. No one however, except Tiarrow.

She considered what Trevor was trying to say and watched his hand gestures carefully. Understanding that he had a specific destination for them, she translated in the strange Sasquatch tongue and used the same hand gestures as Trevor.

Looking over the edge at the hunters, Gurchukk sniffed the air with his wide nose. Cocking his head to one side as though listening, the Sasquatch's nocturnal eyes widened. Urgently, the Sasquatch picked up the trio again and raced for Trevor's cottage.

At the outskirt of the forest, Gurchukk let go of Trevor and Tiarrow. The hairy infant slid off his father's back. Standing at the perimeter of Trevor's farm field, Gurchukk gazed over the wooden fence and across the tall dry wheat that covered the expanse of the field. There, at the other side of the field, nestled in a cluster of trees, was the little old cabin.

Trevor and the girl sat on the ground. They had been jostled around like rag dolls for miles. They were pinched to the body of the Sasquatch. This was the most uncomfortable form of travel they had ever known. The two of them moaned in pain.

Thunder clouds released a distant bolt of lightning. The flash lit the inside of the clouds then a thunder clap followed.

Trevor's ribs hurt so badly, he was sure a few of them were cracked. He and Tiarrow would have bruises in the morning to remind them of the ordeal. Such was a typical memento to expect from a Sasquatch.

The hunters weren't too far behind. Hearing their shouts, Trevor stood up with a start and gently helped Tiarrow climb over his fence.

Tunoka darted past them as he leaped clear over the barbed wires.

With legs like stilts, Gurchukk just casually stepped over the fence.

Trevor and Tiarrow ran as fast as they could across the field.

The quick Sasquatch and his son, had to slow down to keep pace with the humans.

Trevor understood, by the way Gurchukk looked at the incoming dark clouds that a storm was on the way.

' _What strange fate is this?'_ Trevor pondered. _'I would've never guessed that after I was a guest in his home, he would one day be a guest in mine?!'_

* * *

A quiet stillness pervaded the valley; the calm before the storm.

The thoughts of the hunters were filled with the presumptuous victory; the capture of a 'Sasquatch.' Before them a faint path of nature trails wound deeper into the low valleys until finally, they stumbled upon valuable evidence.

William discovered the imprint of a Sasquatch foot. With the pack train of ponies in tow, the hunters followed the vague and sometimes uncharted deer trails.

It was early spring. The warm winds gently melted the snow, leaving a mantle of green over the land. Beautiful wild flowers began springing up from the moist earth. The call of migratory birds would all soon return from the south. The day came with beauty, maturity and over shadowed sunshine. All of which was followed by the pressing threat of the storm.

"Pick it up, men, before everything you know in the world is drenched." William barked at the exhausted band. "We can try to flush the creature out into the field of that farm. It's no more than a mile beyond these trees."

"What if it's already too late?" Norman asked, gazing up at the looming Crater Mountain. "Seriously, doesn't any of you think the creature is long gone by now?!"

William was too tired to snap at the man with the usual obnoxious come back, "This is our last kick at the can, boys. If we lose the creature now, we've failed, and this whole expedition will have to become someone else's responsibility... I, for one, have had it!" He scowled feeling a personal investment in every word he spoke.

* * *

Running feet were upon the front porch of Trevor's cabin. Another great _((-Boom-))_ , rolled across the stratosphere. This was followed by a downpour of heavy rain. The clan of four, managed to flank across the field undetected.

Trevor realized he no longer had the skeleton key to his front door. It was lost in the cave when his pack was torn apart. He tried to twist the door knob to no avail. Tiarrow couldn't understand why Trevor was trying to twist the door knob but she could see that it was important to Trevor. She spoke Sasquatch and asked Gurchukk to help.

Taking a step to the side, Trevor let Gurchukk near the door. The behemoth had to duck down low under the roof of the porch to reach the main entrance. The moment the Sasquatch placed his huge foot on the deck, the wood creaked under the stress of his great weight and Trevor began to doubt that bringing this creature home was a good idea.

Gurchukk's mighty arm moved in like a large log and pushed at the door. Effortlessly, it broke open with a loud crack.

When the door swung wide open, Trevor casually strolled inside. The simple cabin had an open vaulted ceiling and a loft. Everything was exactly as he left it. It was as though he wasn't away for more than a weekend. Looking at the hatchway in the center of the room that led to his deep and spacious root cellar, Trevor's imagination began to drudge up all sorts of nightmarish memories from his experiences in the Sasquatch cave.

Then, it occurred to Trevor. _'I could hide Gurchukk in the root cellar. No, even better...'_ he contrived. _'I could capture it... Capture it?'_ Questioning his own notion, Trevor was surprised to learn he actually liked the Sasquatch. For so long he wanted it dead, but he had successfully won its trust and developed a friendship with him. Of course, Trevor knew, but it wasn't meant to last. It never was. _'For the sake of fortune and glory, I will do this thing, fulfilling my dreams and living out the rest of my days a rich and content man.'_

Turning to the open front door, Trevor was surprised to find the others reluctant to enter his dwelling. At the explosive sound of a chilling thunder clap that ripped across the sky, they all crowded inside.

Gurchukk used his long arms to support his upper body like a gorilla. Crouching as low as he could, the huge Sasquatch had to turn his wide shoulders through the door frame in order to fit through. Shuffling to the center of the room it was clear the cabin and its open loft was still too crowded to house Gurchukk adequately. Gurchukk needed a lot more living space than Trevor could provide. For a moment, as the old Sasquatch sat in the middle of the room, Trevor thought he looked quite regal and untouchable. Unexpectedly, the floor boards began to buckle. Gurchukk weighed more than Trevor's floor was designed to hold.

With a yawning creak, followed by a series of wood splitting sounds, the floor finally fractured and gave out. Collapsing through to the root cellar, Gurchukk screamed as he fell. For a moment the Sasquatch thought Trevor was trying to trap him.

Noting the damage, the unpleasant incident upset Trevor, but when he realized it was an accident he calmed down.

Standing to his full height, Gurchukk was only four feet tall from the floor of the main room. This was at Tunoka's eye level.

The hairy faced son of Gurchukk began to laugh at his father. He found it hilarious to see Gurchukk so short. Walking up to his father's face, Tunoka playfully poked him in the nose.

Shaking his head, Gurchukk huffed. He was irritated at Tunoka's childish teasing behavior.

The infant responded with a blustering laugh. Then he indulged himself in a type of jumping dance where he spun around and around.

Equally playful and excited, Tiarrow joined in with Tunoka. She too found the moment hilarious.

The cabin wasn't made of a series of rooms like most homes. This cabin was designed to be small and basic. It was one open space with a loft and the loft was where Trevor set up his bedroom.

Looking down on the main room, Trevor discovered water on the floor of his home. Realizing his broken front door didn't close properly anymore, he found the clasp had been torn right off. Fortunately, the hinges still worked. Pushing a heavy trunk in front of the door, Trevor meant to keep the storm outside where it belonged.

Smiling, Trevor turned to the kitchen cupboards. There he opened a wide closet and dragged out a large metal wash tub.

Gurchukk, Tunoka and Tiarrow watched every move Trevor made. Working the long wooden handle of the kitchen water pump, he aimed to fill four smaller buckets. Before long, water coughed out of the iron faucet and the buckets were filled. Trevor carried the buckets to the wood stove. Setting them on top of it, he started a fire.

While Trevor's back was turned, Gurchukk reached out his long arms and began systematically opening the kitchen cupboards.

Responding to a ruckus, Trevor whirled around and caught Gurchukk scooping his supplies out and spilling them onto the floor.

Standing tall, Trevor shouted. "Hey!" He was upset. "No! Come on! What a mess! Don't do that!" He knew none of his guests could understand him and there was nothing he could do to stop a Sasquatch.

Tunoka smiled with wide eyes of excitement, and hopped across the room to the kitchen. There, he set to work assisting his father. In a matter of seconds, everything was pulled out, torn open and spread across the floor.

The two Sasquatch and Tiarrow began tasting everything; flour, sugar, molasses, cans of soup, beans and other vegetables, even his large sack of potatoes.

Slapping his hand to his forehead, Trevor's new guests weren't working out, but if this was the price for freedom, it was worth it. Damages could be repaired and food could be replaced.

Trevor's ribs and hand were still very painful. It was enough just to be out of the stinking cave. He wasn't in the mood to worry about much else.

Dragging his old aluminum wash tub away from the wall, Trevor felt very relieved to be back in his own familiar home.

Knowing his guests were going through his things, Trevor looked at the situation as an opportunity to get what he wanted too without being disturbed.

Above all, the three guests were primarily attracted to the taste of sugar. The only thing good about it was how well it captivated them.

The more Trevor thought about taking a bath, the more important it became. He smelled like Squatch. He'd never been so dirty and smelly in all his life. _'Why not?'_ he mused. _'Why shouldn't I clean up? These wild bush people wouldn't think anything of my nakedness, and besides, they're so busy eating my food. They probably won't even notice what I'm doing. If I leave them alone, they'll leave me alone.'_

Pouring the buckets of hot water into the tub, Trevor shed his clothes and stepped in. Awkwardly, in the silence, he glanced back to find the others looking at him. Sitting down quickly, he submersed his exposed body into the bath water.

The others laughed and laughed. Before long, Gurchukk and Tunoka lost interest in Trevor and went back to licking the sugar and salt from the floor.

Trevor didn't expect to feel embarrassed bathing in plain view of his guests but he did. Perhaps they weren't as wild and uncivilized as he presumed. When they no longer paid attention to him, he relaxed.

Tiarrow, however, couldn't keep her attention on the food in the kitchen. Her eye kept going back to Trevor bathing in his tub. In fact, she couldn't help but to take great interest in the bath. The sound the water splashing as Trevor used a cake of soap and a wash cloth to scrub the grime off beckoned her. The smell of scented soap and the warm steam in the air contributed to her new experience. It fascinated her so she finally stood up from the floor and approached the tub.

With his bar of soap and his wash cloth, Trevor closed his eyes and immersed himself in his own little world of cleanliness. He longed for this bath for some time, fearing the rotten skunk-like Sasquatch smell would remain in his skin forevermore.

Scrubbing the soap suds from his bare skin, Trevor felt so good to finally clean himself up. Bubbly clusters of soap suds were managing to get everywhere; in his hair, face and even his eyes, but he didn't care.

Tranquil was the sound of the rain prattling on the roof and the wind forcing the heavy storm droplets against the windows.

Opening his soapy eyes, to Trevor's surprise, Tiarrow was standing over him. She was looking down on him with a most inquisitive expression of fascination. _'Is she smelling me?'_ Trevor assumed. Perhaps she was unable to remember a time when a person could feel so good. Perhaps her interest in the bath came directly from her own instinctive need to live clean.

Immediately, Trevor reached for the towel to cover himself from the prying female's innocent gaze. They had to find the common ground between each other, but this wasn't the time or the place.

"Okay, that's enough now." To underscore the minute point, he waved his hands out for her to go away. "Go on. Go anywhere... Just scat!" but she wasn't about to go anywhere. Finally, Trevor could bear her presence no longer, but before he could climb out of his bath, she dropped her skin coverings and stepped her foot into the tub.

Trevor stood up immediately, throwing his towel around himself. Even before he stepped out, Tiarrow was relaxing into the water. He swept his gaze over her beautiful form. By the way she smiled and closed her eyes, he could see she enjoyed, what he believed was her first bath.

Stroking her hands under the water, Tiarrow found the wash cloth. Imitating Trevor almost to a tee, she moved the cloth over her skin. She surfed it up her arm and down her breast. Then she began to use it to clean her face.

The water became dark and polluted in no time but Trevor wasn't prepared for the beauty that had been hidden from him under dirt and animal skins. She may never have been cleaned while under the care of the Sasquatch. _'Oh, what a lovely lady.'_ he reasoned appraisingly, but it wasn't his place to stare.

A great thunderous _((-Boom-))_ came from the heavens and it shook Trevor awake. Turning away from the young lady, he opened his standing wardrobe.

Choosing some fresh clean clothes from his tiny selection, he dressed, before noticing Tiarrow move uncomfortably in the tub. Her pretty face grimaced. Pulling the bar of soap free from behind her back, she held it up and announced, "Choopy-larp-wat."

At this, she caught the attention of Gurchukk and Tunoka. Holding the soap to her nose, she breathed in its fragrance then she licked it.

At the disapproval of the taste, she muttered something before Gurchukk took the bar of soap from her. It looked like a small pill in the Sasquatch's large hand and slipped from his grasp a few times. Pinching it firmly between his fingers, Gurchukk inspected it with his eyes, and nose. From the sweet smell, he decided it must have a sweet taste.

Popping the cake of soap into his gaping maw, Gurchukk tried to chew it. Eyes watering, he hated it. Still sitting in the hole in the floor, Gurchukk spat out the morsel and tossed the remains to the kitchen. With his tongue hanging loosely from his mouth, the Sasquatch looked this way and that. Pulling the wash tub close to himself, he searched for a solution to his problem.

Tiarrow scrambled to get out of the tub as it was being dragged across the wooden floor and closer to the great hole at the center of the room.

When Tiarrow jumped out of the tub, Trevor wrapped her in a towel and began to dry her. While he was doing this, the Sasquatch paddled its large tongue through the dirty bath water.

Dunking his entire head into the tub the Sasquatch began to drink. Coming back up quickly, water splashed and streamed from Gurchukk's hairy head. Spitting out a lot of water and burping with an ill expression cast over his face, the Sasquatch appeared to want to vomit.

Tunoka laughed at his father.

Then Gurchukk gave his son a teasing push and smiled. His eyes were so kind and fatherly.

Dressing in fresh clothes, Trevor finished buttoning up a clean cotton shirt as Tiarrow finished toweling off beside him.

Tunoka noticed Trevor was fully clothed in clean attire. At the sight of Trevor, dressed in a bright red shirt, Tunoka burst out in laughter again.

Scooping his hand into the tub, Trevor splashed the rude little Sasquatch. For a moment, silence endured as Trevor wondered what would come next.

Tunoka smiled before approaching the tub. He splashed back at Trevor, making a big mess. Trevor did his best to play along and return water for water, but Tunoka just whistled and splashed all the more.

Gurchukk lifted the tub over his head as though he meant to throw it, but instead he clumsily dumped the water over Trevor and his son. Gleefully, Gurchukk laughed with a content muffled chuckle.

Taking a fresh towel, Trevor knew he would need to search for another change of clothes.

Tunoka didn't co-operate. Trevor tried to dry him with a towel, but Tunoka just wanted to inspect the material of Trevor's clothing. Sniffing and picking at his shirt, Tunoka began to nibble at Trevor's buttons.

Tiarrow took fondly to the wardrobe of clothes. She dropped her towel to the floor and approached the wardrobe.

For a moment, Trevor thought she was approaching him and he nervously stepped aside.

Her fingers played over the inventory hanging on coat hangers. When Trevor found her interested in his clothes, he helped her to make a selection and put it on. He could only help her part of the way before the strong infant demanded Trevor's attention. Stubbornly, he wanted to put on a pair of pants.

Trevor did what he could. His every move was scrutinized by the watchful eyes of Gurchukk. Nevertheless, the entire experience of dress-up turned out to be quite an amusing experience.

Trevor couldn't offer any women's clothing to Tiarrow. This, however, didn't keep her from looking extremely attractive.

Her hair was so matted. When he tried to brush it, he only caused her pain and discomfort. Setting her up in front of his mirror, Trevor hoped she could work out the tangle of knots on her own. She quickly abandoned the whole project as the mirror itself became a new discovery of fascination for her.

Trevor spent more time with Tunoka. Managing to dress the Sasquatch youngster in a pair of boxer shorts and a T-shirt, he looked surprisingly more human. The way Tunoka's muscles filled out the fabrics, he looked powerful. By the end of it, the wardrobe was empty and all of his clothing had been thrown around the room.

As a result of all of the sugar Tunoka had consumed and the excitement of this new environment, he began to run around the room whistling. This caused extensively more damage.

Finding an interest in the loft, Tunoka climbed to it with ease. He explored the new area, stripping the bed of all its sheets and tossed them over the railing onto his father's head.

Gurchukk took the sheets off his head and bunched them up into a ball. He then grudgingly threw them into the corner of the room.

Tunoka quickly found a new activity; jumping clear over the railing of the loft, he would land on the floor with a loud thump and a crack to the floorboards. Climbing back up with ease, he again jumped a distance that would amaze athletes. Laughing, Tunoka repeated this process over and over. Rarely did he seek the assistance of the ladder.

In the reflection of the mirror, Trevor could see Tiarrow picking specks of who-knows-what out of her teeth.

All was going as well as could be expected until a disturbing sound caught everyone's attention. Through the strong winds leaning into the cabin; a heavy fisted knock came to the door, purging Trevor's senses.

# Chapter 9

((-KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!-)) Trevor gaped at the beckoning that came from the front door. It was an eventual reality that he knew he'd have to face, but here it was, sooner rather than later.

Nature's breath filtered through the pines as relentless rain washed excessively down Trevor's wooden shake roof.

Sweat beaded from Trevor's fore-head and trickled down over his face. Not distracted by this, his mind raced with thoughts. He could feel something catastrophic was about to go down. He could feel it to the marrow of his traumatized bones.

Being rid of the Sasquatch was one thing but delivering it into the hands of men was quite another. He wanted to be free so badly and finally he might have his way... He was home.

Trevor would much rather see the Sasquatch disappear into the forest than to find it slain by a hunter. He had to protect it. It was _his_ Sasquatch. There was a kinship there. The respect and obedience he had for the Sasquatch validated his next choice.

Trevor took Tiarrow by the hand and tried to show her that strange people were at the door. He didn't know how to show her a sign for, _'danger,'_ but through Trevor's urgency she could sense it.

Understanding him further with each passing second, Tiarrow finally peeked through the curtains and the blinds. Her eyes widened with fear when she caught sight of the men's faces lined up at the door. They turned their hardened expressions to look at her. When the men did this, Tiarrow's stomach churned. The faces of the men were more upsetting to her than that of the Sasquatch.

The hunters at the door looked exhausted and their clothes were soaking wet.

Quickly pulling her face back and away from the window, Tiarrow began to panic taking short quick breaths. Anxiously, she spoke to Gurchukk and explained the danger of the men at the door. With Trevor's assistance, Tiarrow told the Sasquatch to remain perfectly still if he hoped to hide from the hunters. Using many hand gestures and grunts, she spoke to the great Sasquatch and Gurchukk understood the plan, for hiding was what the Sasquatch did best. They were the masters of it.

_((-Knock! Knock! Knock!-))_ The undeniable fist of a man outside pounded on the door even harder this time. "Hello?! Please open your door!" came the deep demanding voice of William.

"Uh, right! Ya, of course! I'll be right there!" Trevor picked up the roll of bunched up bed sheets and tried to open them up. He threw one of the blankets over the Sasquatch. Protruding only four feet out of the floor, Gurchukk didn't move at all.

Tiarrow understood that Trevor was trying to hide Gurchukk, so she also helped with his efforts, tossing the sheets over Gurchukk's head.

The Sasquatch infant found the entire escapade thoroughly entertaining. He chuckled with more dry heaving laughter.

Trevor heard one of the hunters try the door knob. The brass handle jostled. Finding it broken they pushed at the door and found it to be blocked by something on the inside.

_((-Knock! Knock! Knock!-))_ Came the pounding at the door again. The men weren't about to leave with the storm in such a stir.

There was so much more Trevor wanted to do in preparation, but his time had expired. Approaching the door, Trevor moved the heavy trunk only enough to keep the men from being able to enter or look inside.

William, spoke politely on behalf of the others, "Hello. Please sir, could I appeal to your good nature to let me and my men enter your home so we can wait out the storm?" Studying Trevor's face, William wondered if this man _was_ the Trevor they were looking for. He didn't know what Trevor looked like.

Trevor hesitated then William continued, "Sir, we're on a rescue mission. Have you seen anything strange around your property today?"

"Oh, I've heard some loud distant noises, like gun shots, but I've seen nothing peculiar." Trevor answered. He had a slight quiver in one eye.

"Are you the owner of this home?" William asked, more to encourage conversation than to be nosey.

"Why, yes, yes I am." Trevor replied positively, but there was nothing natural in the way he answered. His odd grin made it obvious he was covering for something.

"This is strange. The owner is said to have gone missing. What's your name, sir?" William took up his skeptical inquiry even though it appeared he had very little to profit from by doing so. Many of the men who backed him thought all of this was just a waste of time.

"I'm Trevor McKinnon. I had to leave town for a while to bring my wife and child home from Washington, DC."

"Trevor McKinnon, you say? We're in search of a man named Trevor." William was certainly confused and hoped Trevor would invite them all in soon to offer some sound explanation.

"Oh," Trevor looked worried for a second then he calmly mentioned, "My name _is_ Trevor, but I'm clearly not in need of rescuing." He opened his arms for the men to take a good look at his home and family. "You must be looking for some other Trevor. Sorry, I cannot be of more help to you men." Opening the door a little too wide, the men craned their necks to look in.

_((-Wham!-))_ Tunoka jumped from the loft to the floor.

William saw the clothed infant perform the incredible leap. When Tunoka touched down unsteadily, he turned away from the hunters. Then he sprinted for cover wearing a large cowboy hat.

No one caught a clear look at him, but when Tunoka looked back over his shoulder and sneered, his primal eyes connected with William's.

It only took that fraction of a second when William decided he'd seen enough. Then he also noticed the odd woman at the mirror and the strange protruding object that was covered in bed sheets at the center of the room.

Above all, William caught a whiff of an undeniable but recognizable smell. It was an odour that crossed between a skunk and a dead wet dog.

Knowing he had some explaining to do, Trevor quickly stepped outside with the men and closed the door behind him.

The men were surprised how large Trevor was.

"Was that your boy?" William asked with a skeptical eye.

"Oh, yes, yes it was. He's in one of his moods." Trevor tried to suggest everything was normal. Like his home was no different from any other household.

William was not so easily hoodwinked.

Suspecting the boy was a Sasquatch, William knew for sure; something very strange was going on; "I saw him jump from your loft!" William began to second guess what he saw. _'That was impossible. Did I really see a boy jump from the loft?'_

The men behind him crowded in a little closer. They too weren't sure what they saw. Muttering amongst themselves, they couldn't be sure if they had seen was even the same thing.

Puffing up his chest and straightening up as tall as he could, Trevor tried to intimidate the men. Narrowing his gaze he met their glaring eyes as he stared down at them. Such acting was difficult for Trevor because the Sasquatch had belittled him for so long. He forgot what it was like to be imposing himself.

A few of the Copper Creek men tried to look through the thin curtains and narrow gaps of the blinds.

Trevor had to get rid of these men as soon as possible. "Yes, well, my son is special, if you catch my meaning."

"You mean to say he's mentally dumb?" asked Norman, with his all too familiar rudeness of tone.

"I prefer to use the term, _'special.'_ " Trevor gave William a disparaging glare. "I would like to help you men, but as you can clearly see because of my son's condition, I cannot." Trevor held William's eyes in a competition of confidence and authority.

"Mr. McKinnon... Trevor..." William finally intoned as he flared his nostrils, "You've been away for two months. Come to your senses, man! We've come a long way for you... We want to help you."

The response triggered an emotional response in Trevor's eyes that could conceal the truth no longer. He had been found out. The charade was over. Without turning his head, Trevor glanced to the side.

He couldn't do it. Though it was by strange circumstances that he came to grow into the family pod of the Sasquatch, he had unknowingly ascertained a respect and a bond that was too deep. He couldn't dishonor what was between them.

William was certain the next thing Trevor would say would be a full confession.

Trevor's eyes locked with William's once again. "If you men are finished here then you best be moving on. I don't take kindly to trespassers..." He invoked a dangerous glare.

The message was clear. The men weren't welcome at his home. The group began to step away, but William just shook his head with irritation. He was convinced; the Trevor they set out to find was standing right in front of him.

Then Trevor added, "I can, however, offer you my horses. You can borrow them to ride in to town. Just leave them tied up out in front of the hotel. I'll be by in the morning to get them."

Besides William, the other hunters were just about to give up and take Trevor up on his offer when they heard a crash from inside. A smash came with a high whistle, followed by a low growl.

William put his finger on the mystery right then and there. ' _It was the Sasquatch.'_ The men recognized the sounds immediately and rushed at the front door.

Somehow, Trevor had the strength to hold back the men for a moment. Reaching behind the door, he took hold of Tiarrow's arm and pulled her to his side.

Though she had a shocked expression, Trevor was relieved to find her dressed.

Announcing to the men, Trevor quickly said. "I'd like you to meet my wife."

The men stopped in their tracks and backed away a few paces. Out of respect for the misses of the house, the men removed their wet hats.

Behind Trevor and Tiarrow, the eyes of the Copper Creek Coachmen fixed on the strange lump towering out of the broken floor. It was mysteriously covered over with bed sheets.

Nothing about the situation made any sense to the hunters. Why was their heroic rescue being stalled by these people? The sounds they heard were certifiably of a Sasquatch and they came from inside the cabin. Then the tower of sheets moved slightly... didn't it?

Tunoka whistled. He continued to be very active. In his excitement he continued to make a mess of the cabin. He flipped the kitchen table then pulled a chair to pieces with ease.

The hunters recognized such supernatural strength.

Forcefully, the men pushed Trevor and Tiarrow aside and quickly uncovered the fraud.

The Sasquatch stench of skunky rotten garbage was unmistakable. The ghost of that putrid odour lingered. Tunoka tried to run past the men, but Norm grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. Lifting the cowboy hat off Tunoka's head, the men gasped at the sight of his ape-like face.

Tunoka; frightened and shivering, locked his wide dark child-like eyes on the faces of the men for a moment. The Sasquatch child cringed and became enraged. The lines on Tunoka's face stretched back. An inhumanly wide mouth lined with sharp white fangs expressed the danger the hunters were up against. In his rising temper, Tunoka tore off his clothing.

Tiarrow ran to Tunoka and tried to calm him with her touch and soft voice. Speaking their Sasquatch language, combined with hand gestures, the men could see for themselves, this woman was just like a Sasquatch.

Trevor's mysterious wife wasn't only a native woman, which was a rare thing for the time, but she was unable to talk and carry herself in a civilized manner.

"She's one of them! Raised by them!!!" Norman pointed and shouted. With this revealing announcement, the hunters realized just how primitive she was.

William seemed disconnected from everyone else's curiosities. He was past all that. Stepping up close to the monument at the center of the room William took hold of the bed sheets and violently yanked them off. As the white sheets slid off, Gurchukk's presence had almost stopped the men's hearts cold.

The men were captivated as the Sasquatch filled their sights, their minds and their imaginations. Befuddled from pursuing the infant any further, the hunter's eyes widened. They had never expected to stand so close to their fabled legend.

Gurchukk's warm breath blew over them and his wicked eyes of merciless judgment were almost enough to turn them to stone. With a quick, silent stroke of his hand, Gurchukk swept the men off their feet and sandwiched them against the wall.

Norman quickly took aim at Gurchukk's head, but Trevor intercepted him, shoving the barrel of his rifle away. Pulling the trigger, Norman fired off a shot through the ceiling. At the loud gunshot, everything froze and time dialed down to slow-motion.

Everyone's reaction came differently. Most hustled to the kitchen to escape another encounter with Gurchukk.

Under a force of circumstances, the battered hunters cornered Tiarrow and Tunoka there in the kitchen.

"Alright, men! Listen up! We need to dominate these creatures. Puff up your chests! Take him with everything you've got. There's no way some bush creature is going to overpower us! Am I right?" The men didn't really listen to Norman. He was the only one of them who didn't get swatted against a wall.

Trevor was confused and frustrated. _'Whose side am I on? Who will I betray?'_ To keep the situation under control, he grabbed the rifle out of William's hands and turned the gun on the men. Lifting it, he fired off a second shot right through the veranda of the porch.

"Get back!" He cried as he leveled the rifle at the men, but the piercing sound of the gunshot had angered Gurchukk.

He roared with a moan that Trevor recognized. It's what he did if Trevor was out of his sight for too long. The loud rifle blast, plus the screams of the infant caused Gurchukk to react wildly. Reaching out, he smashed the kitchen window and helped his son and Tiarrow escape. Again came the sound of Gurchukk's low heavy droll. Then he turned his rage back to the Copper Creek Coachmen.

Already stumbling over one another, the hunters scrambled desperately to get to the door. The trick was not to get too close to the Sasquatch in the middle of the room. Gurchukk saw the fear he stirred in them and roared while smashing his arms against his surroundings. He wasn't trying to stop the men from escaping. He could've easily killed them all, if chose to.

Bounding out through the front door, the hunters tripped and stumbled down the steps into the falling rain and mud filled puddles. In the stampede of men, Trevor lost his rifle and fell down at their feet.

Gurchukk smashed out through the front of the cabin. Lumber and logs flew out fifty feet into the yard. The hunters were totally surprised and fear almost caused their spirits to run off without them.

For a good thirty seconds, Gurchukk just stood at the front of the cabin beating his chest and roaring at the men.

During this time, William formulated a plan. He told the conservation officer, "Get your jars of chloraphorm out here!"

With this instruction, the conservation officer went into auto pilot, darting directly to his pack of chloraphorm jars. He unpacked them from his pony's saddle bag. Loosening the lid, he drew the jar back and threw it at the creature's chest. The jar broke into shards of glass and steam.

Gurchukk became angrier. Pulling pieces of glass out of his thick skinned chest, the look in his eyes said it all. These men were going to die!

Swaying his weight from one leg to the other, he stepped forward out of the cabin. Pouncing in a mess of lumber and destruction, the tall Sasquatch paused for a moment and sniffed like he was about to sneeze. Coming unglued, he lost all sense of balance and fell backwards back into the cabin.

A deathly silence followed the fall of the Sasquatch. William was the first to stand up in the rain. So enraptured by the unbelievable situation, he didn't even notice the uncomfortable way the damp wetness of his clothes clung to his moistened body, but what did irritate him was the dryness of his mouth.

Walking to the cabin, Will cautiously climbed the uneven steps to get a closer look at the Sasquatch.

Only a few of the bravest men followed him. They leaned forward and found the mighty Sasquatch sleeping in a nest of demolished obliteration.

William began to bark orders to the others. "Men, we have captured ourselves a Sasquatch! We need ropes to hoist him out." Then William looked at Trevor. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he told Trevor, "You! You're under arrest!"

Trevor stood up. He was covered in cold wet mud. The good feeling of being all cleaned up was gone again. Looking at the damage of his cabin, Trevor shouted. "Hey! What've you done?! You killed him?!"

"Calm down." William told him, "We used chloraphorm. It won't kill the creature. We only wanted to capture it. Those were your instructions weren't they... Trevor?" William asked with a clever smirk on his face. He was so prideful it made Trevor sick. "I knew I had the right Trevor all along. Now would you care to explain what's going on here?" William gently lifted Trevor's hand and examined the missing digit and burned flesh. His eyes were full of questions and concern. As William tied up Trevor's wrists with a leather strap from his horse bridal, Trevor began telling his story.

He started by explaining how he was on the mountain, hunting the herd of elk.

The other men began slapping their ponies on their hinds to pull the massive Sasquatch out of the cabin. It took the efforts of everyone to extract the monstrous devil.

Later, the men assisted the horses by grabbing the ropes and pulling the slumber some body of Gurchukk out of the cabin and into the rain. Examining the Sasquatch, they turned it over onto its back on the muddy ground. They meticulously looked at its hands and feet, but they spent most of their time with its head.

Opening the eye lids, they looked at the eyes, ears and nose before gaining courage enough to rub their hands on his sloping forehead. William wrinkled his nose as he moved in closer than the other men and bravely opened the creature's lips to see its teeth. When they saw the large white teeth and fangs, the men received a good case of the heebie-jeebies.

Trevor tried to explain how the creature was capable of great kindness. He told them, quite truthfully, "I fired my weapon into the air because I was at odds. I wanted to both, be free of the Sasquatch and protect it."

No one was satisfied that the Sasquatch infant and the primitive native girl escaped. The hunters searched the area and a little ways into the treeline to find them but through the heavy rains, they abandoned this needless attempt. They had the trophy of a silver tipped Sasquatch along with their missing citizen, Trevor. Mission accomplished. Looking forward to their return to town as heroes, the men tolerated how cold and wet they were.

Wrapping Gurchukk in one of Trevor's large canvases, they tied him up with ropes. The canvasses were for covering mounds of straw. It took a great effort from all of the men, but they finally managed to load Gurchukk onto the wagon where they tied him down securely with more ropes.

William drove the carriage as they carted the Sasquatch away. The wagon rattled and its wheels squeaked with a thirst to be oiled. The entire frame of the rickety wagon shook with each pothole it found in its path.

Still bound at the wrists, Trevor joined the men sitting alongside the body of the sleeping hairy giant. _'These men risked their lives to save me. I'm free from my captor. I owe them my gratitude, but why do I feel like a prisoner more than ever?'_

Looking back at the cabin as the wagon made its way down his driveway, Trevor could see just how severely damaged it was. Little about it resembled the same place he purchased. Thinking about all the work it would take to repair it, Trevor came up with an idea.

By leaving the place exactly as it was. There would soon be a rising interest in all the Sasquatch hoop-la in Keremeos, like William predicted. People will come from all over the world and all of them will be itching to hear his story.

By charging admission to his farm, people would see what kind of damage a Sasquatch was capable of. His story, 'How I survived the Mountain Giant.' will be in demand. With so much publicity, he could build himself a new cabin... _'No, a fancy house or even a mansion.'_ He dreamed.

While Trevor fascinated about fortune and glory, he looked past the cabin to the trees. Feeling the eyes of Tiarrow and Tunoka upon him, Trevor scanned the tree line carefully. He couldn't see any sign of them. His gaze traveled up to the magnificent view of Crater Mountain.

The sight of the mountain immediately caused flashes of recent memories along with the dreadful feeling of the Sasquatch's presence.

Concerned for the well-being of Tiarrow and Tunoka, who were left to survive on their own, Trevor couldn't keep his thoughts from them. He knew how they both depended on Gurchukk for everything. _'How will they get along on their own?'_

Cupping his hands around his mouth, Trevor shouted to the mountain, "Kootch vent sloagumba, cha kanabenth!!!" These were the words he remembered Gurchukk using back at the cave. When the alien sound allowed their minds to understand, these words meant, _'I will return. Wait here for me.'_

The men stood up in the wagon to sit Trevor back down and question him. They asked, "What are you shouting?! Are you calling more Sasquatch to come out here?"

Trevor apologized and dropped his head in shame. He rode with the men and didn't utter another word.

The men, however, were alert to the activity of the forest. Examining the silence, they feared the creature.

With dread saturating every word he spoke, Norm assumed, "What if the forest comes alive with Sasquatch?! What if the number is in the thousands? With wild vengeance they'll destroy us all?!!!"

"Shut-up, Norm!" William eyed the skittish man sternly.

The men grew quiet with anticipation, but all they found was an eerie silence.

Seated near the driver of the wagon, Norman peered out ahead of them and reflected on all they achieved. Down the long and twisty road ahead the early morning dawn began to lighten around the mountains.

Looking down at the face of the Sasquatch, Norman still couldn't believe he was a part of this historic event. The brighter the day progressed, the better it would be to see the creature. The primitively wild face bounced around with the motion of the wagon when all-of-a-sudden, its eyes opened. Norman jumped up and nearly fell right out of the wagon alerting the others.

"Look out! The creature's waking up! Quick! My rifle, now!" Norman demanded.

Others stood and also began to panic. Norman, still demanding someone give him his rifle, couldn't break eye contact with the creature.

Gurchukk stirred as he woke up with a moan.

The conservation officer, leaned over with a rag and held it to the Sasquatch's mouth. The rag had been dipped in chloraphorm causing the breath of the beast to slow. It quickly fell back to sleep.

The conservation officer began explaining the dangers of chloraphorm, "The chloraphorm has the potency to slow the creature's heart rate and even kill him with a high enough dosage." To this he made a suggestion, "I could use naloxone to counteract the effects, but the antagonist could put the creature into a narcoleptic state. This would make the creature go crazy in a violent rage like a runaway steam engine. Because of this danger we must always be ready to kill the Sasquatch."

"No, you can't kill him!" Trevor stood up as he shouted. "You have to be more precise when you administer chloraphorm." He told the conservation officer.

"There are no records for these creatures. I have no idea what its thresh-hold is. We can only assume, at this point, and do the best we can."

The Copper Creek Coachmen relied on their pack ponies to tow the massive Sasquatch back to Keremeos. Someone was assigned to remain with the beast as a safety measure in case the Sasquatch woke-up. The guard was armed with a rifle and a jar of chloraphorm.

The rain calmed down to a light sprinkle as the tail end of the storm tapered off. Trevor moved up next to Gurchukk's head where Norman previously sat. Looking down at Gurchukk's peaceful face, it didn't seem real or even possible but Gurchukk, the mightiest Sasquatch, was now the captive of men.

# Chapter 10

HEAVY WITH THE WEIGHT of the massive beast the squeaky wagon wheels were the only sound. Splashing through the muddied main road, the infamous wagon, drawn by ponies, slowly rolled into the town of Keremeos.

Before breakfast, word had already traveled like wildfire throughout the community. People heard of how William heroically led the perilous mission.

Many versions of the story were told and it wasn't long until someone composed a ridiculous rendition of true recorded events. Re-tellings embellished how William rescued Trevor and defeated the creature that held him captive. There were stories of the men hauling the captive monster into town with ropes alone and how it fought them all the way and killed Norman.

Though the death of Norman wasn't true, it did cause quite an added stir. The actual events were fantastic enough, without any exaggerations.

People gathered at the sheriff's station as the hairy, sleeping creature was dragged inside. Ropes bound its arms and legs together tightly.

Within a cold basement prison cell, Gurchukk was locked him away. With his knees pushed up close to his chest, the Sasquatch looked like a huge mound of long shaggy hair. He practically took up all the room in the small single cell.

Anyone who came down and saw Gurchukk was captivated by him. No one could pry their eyes from looking at him without enthralled fascination. The legend was true. There was no denying it now.

"We have to come up with a better place to keep this thing, fast." The sheriff mentioned, "I have no place to keep a prisoner now. That was my only jail cell, besides how am I going to get rid of that dreadful stench? My whole station smells like it." He toyed with his nose.

Everyone nodded but no one answered the sheriff. With everyone's thoughts in a stir, who could be certain if anyone was even listening? The people just couldn't believe that a creature of such massive proportions had been living in their mountains for generations. For all this time, it had eluded capture and even escaped human eyes, for the most part.

Trevor was asked by the conservation officer, "What do we feed it?"

He truthfully answered, "For now just feed it honey, milk and berries. When he's stronger try to give him cooked game meat, fish and garlic."

In that time of Sasquatch hysteria, it wasn't uncommon for the sheriff to be over lenient on criminals. The citizens suspected there wasn't much of a law when all domestic complaints were brushed off.

The mayor and the sheriff seemed to give all of their time and energies to the Sasquatch and the potential problems that might surround the possession of such a creature.

Because the jail cell was occupied by the Sasquatch, a couple of criminals were threatened to be imprisoned with the beast. They even took the perpetrator down to the jail to look at the hairy forest giant. When a criminal was frightened enough, they just let him go.

When the Sasquatch was finally exposed to the public, the community newspaper read; "This day, an extra-ordinary discovery has been made. The legend is legend no more."

Many meetings were held outside the jail cell with long moments spent with each new person who came to view the creature. Some people tried to poke the Sasquatch with a stick so they could see its face better or to inspect its hands or feet. Restrictions had to be made. Only people of importance to the community were given permission to see the Sasquatch after a while.

When they did see it, everyone had a different opinion about what it was and how to deal with it.

"I thought they were eight foot giants. How come this one is so big? I mean, look at it. It's way too big, right? Am I right?" a young irritating man observed.

Trevor was required to sit in on every session to answer some difficult questions. There were times when Trevor thought his words of compassion made people feel sympathetic for the Sasquatch, but generally, they saw Gurchukk as a beast. Driven by their own fears, they were threatened by the mere presence of the creature. They were determined to treat him like a beast.

Greedy minded folks planned to make money with a grand show. Another suggestion was to sell the creature's body parts and pieces around the world to be studied. This plan changed to an idea to sell the Sasquatch to the highest bidder with all proceeds directed to benefit of the town.

William was busy making plans to use Gurchukk as bate to capture more Sasquatch.

Trevor suggested, "Specialists should try to make contact with Gurchukk, to learn from him. Perhaps they could find a way to conform him to our civilized way of life in some manner... You know, domesticate him."

A woman figured, under all that hair was a bushman. She suggested to have it shaved and dressed in clothing to show just how human it really was. Everyone questioned whether the woman was sincere or if she was just testing people to see how far she could take her elaborate prank.

Doctors and dentists wanted to have the Sasquatch X-rayed. They appealed to compile information about its physiology and be the first to obtain dental records of its teeth.

This was also to dispel a theory that the creature was in fact, a man; 'John Henry,' who went missing from the town years ago. They speculated he didn't die, rather, he adapted to the land; grew taller and stronger and developed a coat of body hair to survive in the wild.

The people argued that Gurchukk was actually, John Henry.

A few terse words were exchanged. Shortly, after all the ruckus died down, reports began to surface that the military was interested in the creature and to expect them to show up with the intent to confiscate the Sasquatch. No matter how much Trevor insisted that the Sasquatch's name was, 'Gurchukk,' the people continued to refer to him as 'John Henry.'

This really got under Trevor's skin, causing his aggravation for the people of Keremeos to grow.

* * *

Two days passed since Gurchukk was first brought into town and the government promised if such a creature did exist in Keremeos they would confiscate it.

The people of Keremeos came together and decided to celebrate their Sasquatch before he was taken away. They dedicated one day to Gurchukk whereby the Sasquatch was removed from the jail and placed in an iron cage outside. The intent was to put the creature on public display. This event wasn't originally meant to be a celebration, according to the mayor. It was supposed to be a time of closure. People needed a way to say farewell to the Sasquatch and return to a regular lifestyle of living.

Trevor was one of those people.

With the passing of time, Trevor grew to dislike Gurchukk being locked in a jail cell.

The Sasquatch's massive body was busy building an immunity to the chloraphorm. Only Gurchukk was aware of this but he remained still while he began to awaken once more.

"Why does he smell so bad?!" asked the Sheriff with his index finger pressed to the bottom of his nose, "Will we ever clean that putrid stench out of here?!"

"It's an animal, sheriff. Don't forget that!" William answered with a definitive eye widened under an arched eyebrow.

For the time being, while Gurchukk slept, the men in charge ordered that the creature be washed and manicured. To top it all off, someone passed the hair-brained idea to have the Sasquatch dressed in custom-sized civilian clothing.

Refraining from stirring, Gurchukk could feel his strength returning.

Later that day, Gurchukk was loaded into a curtain veiled cage and rolled out onto a stage. Six mules pulled the heavy cage.

When the curtain dropped, the Sasquatch was exposed and the festival began. The band began to play. People enjoyed the celebration with Gurchukk. He was the center of attractions.

There were clowns, popcorn, hotdogs and balloons. Multiple booths were set up to test your strength against a Sasquatch by hitting a teetering board with a heavy sledge hammer. This sent a weight to ring a bell at the top of a pole. Others promoted, "Get a photograph of yourself with the Sasquatch!" A booth was set up next to the Sasquatch cage where photos were taken with flash photography. Someone carved miniature Sasquatch statues out of cedar stumps. Another person drew a portrait of people so they would know what they would look like if they had the hair of a Sasquatch on their face. Clocks made out of the plaster molds of the creature's foot prints were available to buy.

William was on the stage with the main attraction, the caged beast! He stood front and center with his men standing in a crescent line behind Trevor.

The people expected to see more from the Sasquatch, but he just lay silently in his cage.

Opening his eyes slightly, Gurchukk was too still too weak to rise. Looking out through his long bangs, the Sasquatch thought the people looked like strange little goblins. They danced and sang and were full of spirits, but the Sasquatch couldn't understand them or their excitement.

Due to the lingering effects of the chloraphorm, Gurchukk felt like he was having a goofy dream. As his awareness returned, he retreated to one of his basic survival tactics; _playing dead_. When Gurchukk felt his strength return to his arms and legs, he soon felt fully awake. Breathing in through his nose, the fresh air was evidence he was outside. Warmth from the sun heated his hair.

The bars made him feel instinctively trapped. In broad daylight and in the middle of Keremeos, Gurchukk realized he was actually amongst humans. The crowd of people cheered when he lifted his head. Glaring at the horrific faces, he tilted his head curiously.

The whole town showed up in the park to view the creature. Important people, rich people, poor people, opportunists, people from near and people from great distances.

With his body covered in tight fitting fabric, Gurchukk realized he was dressed in civilian clothing - like a human. He had been washed and manicured. The fragrant soaps covered his natural signature and he hated it. Needing to let the effects of the chloraphorm wear off fully, he still felt too dopey to react. The old Sasquatch peered grimly through his long bangs at each of the human faces from between the bars.

Rambunctious children found their efforts to get close to the Sasquatch were thwarted by protective adults. The youngsters tried to match the wild animal as they defiantly threw popcorn and peanuts at the caged beast.

Little did anyone suspect, Gurchukk's strength was returning as he continued to lay still. Under his long hair he wiggled his fingers and flexed his muscles. The effects from Gurchukk's last dose of chloraphorm, quickly expired from his system.

"...and when I was hungry, it would feed me. The word it used for food was, _'Kalanootch.'_ "

Trevor's story was interrupted, "Oh, now I think you're exaggerating." William attempted to steal Trevor's spotlight determined to portray the Sasquatch as a savage wild creature. "Trevor's letting his fame go to his head. What we have here is proof of another secret in our mountains. Does anyone have any other questions?"

Many people put up their hands with great anticipation. "You sir, there in the front." The hunter spoke, pointing out a man in the crowd.

"What have you to say about the strange sightings you and your men have mentioned about a short skinny creature in a silver circular craft?" he asked. Tilting his head; his mouth slightly open, the man anticipated the response.

"These are words from over active imaginations. We had been walking since early morning and many of us were dehydrated. When we first saw the beast, it was on a rampage. Some of us interpreted this to be the creature fighting with something. That's all. Now does someone have a question about this 'Sasquatch?'"

A voice from the crowd asked. "Is the captured Sasquatch the only one?

The proud and boastful leader, William answered, "I grew up on a farm and I can tell you that if a farmer finds one rat in his barn, he is, in fact, infested with them. I believe the same is true here where we have captured one _'Sasquatch'_ but our mountains are, surely, infested. The Indian settlers also spoke of them as the _'big people.'_ We don't see much of these creatures because they're dug so deep in the mountains, but they _are_ there. How many, you ask? Who can say? We need to flush them out of the land into plain view and I plan to be there when we do. It's my solemn vow to capture them all."

Trevor could take no more of this and challenged William. "Sure they have lots of hair and they have primitive methods, but we shouldn't hunt them! We need to protect them! These creatures feel for one another and they not only have a great affection for their own kind, but they can also feel a deep connection with us. I have experienced this kindness first hand when I was in this creature's care." He gestured his fingerless hand to the Sasquatch. "They have feelings the same as you and me, perhaps even more so. He didn't kill me. He took me in and cared for me. I've found such attributes rare even among us."

A few people nodded their heads in understanding, but they could only regard the entire event with utter wonderment. It was too soon to agree with him fully. The whole presentation was far more unbelievable than the people had expected it to be. Then Gurchukk began to test his strength. The Sasquatch struggled in the cage as he fought to clear his head and stand up.

Trevor turned to the audience. "What's the difference between a zoo and a jail when you see a Sasquatch behind bars? What do you think about when you see these eyes of calculating intelligence, full of emotion, peering back at you and your children from those bars?"

William cut in, "You sound like this creature has a hold on you somehow. How could you let it control you? What did it do to you?... Tell us how you lost your finger!" He demanded to know, slamming his hands down on the table-top.

That was it. Trevor tightened up and balled his fists. Standing abruptly, he pushed toward William. It took three men to hold him back.

William was too clever, but not clever enough to understand the relationship between him and the Sasquatch. None of these people could.

"You can't tell me these creatures are anything but very dangerous!" William continued. His tone shifted ever so slightly as he began to address the crowd. "They're a threat to our communities and families. Listen to the tales from credible people who've had other run-ins with these wild creatures! Mark my words; we will need to hunt them all down to extinction for our own safety and protection."

The ropes that were tied around the creature's upper body snapped and sprang loose. Gurchukk rose up in the cage filling out into all the negative space. He wore big tanned pants with suspenders that came up over his red plaid shirt. They tried to make the Sasquatch look like a lumber jack. Taking hold of the iron bars, he shook them in his groggy state.

Though the bars appeared to hold, Gurchukk was merely testing the integrity of them.

The people of the audience shared a sickening feeling in the pits of their stomachs as they looked upon the very alive creature of the mountains.

The evidence of what lives in their backyard was a terrifying reality. The eyes of the Sasquatch connected with the eyes of the people for the first time. Parents shielded their children's eyes and led them away from the creature quickly.

Not a co-operative captive, the Sasquatch hardened his muscles and pulled at the bars. The welds began to snap and break away. The wild forest giant piqued his vexing tendency when he roared and lunged forward, clamping his big teeth onto the bars.

The people jumped back at the sight of this, but when they heard the bars snapping loose at the sight of the creature's sharp fangs, they lost their cool enjoyment of the day and panicked. Scrambling every which way, the celebration quickly became the sight of chaos. In the midst of the creature's fit, he tore off his clothes and broke more ropes that bound his legs.

Running to Gurchukk, Trevor tried to calm him down.

Stopping for a moment, Gurchukk gave Trevor a long stare. His long bangs hung down over his perturbed expression.

Trevor saw the emotion in Gurchukk's eyes. There was a child-like innocence there. He wondered why the other people couldn't see it also.

Then Gurchukk looked past Trevor and locked his gaze with William just as William leveled his rifle back at him.

Calmly, William peered at the Sasquatch through his rifle's targeting scope. A shiver ran through his body as the eyes of the Sasquatch seemed to pierce his soul. One second; this second, filled the expanse of eternity.

Chloraphorm jars arched through the air as they flew in at the caged creature. The glass broke and the liquid came spraying out with the hissing rise of foggy gasses. Gurchukk collapsed back to the floor of his cage again. His huge hands slid down the broken bars as the gas took over the Sasquatch's demeanor. Gurchukk's eyes collapsed slightly, but they remained locked on William.

Trevor looked at William just as he lowered his rifle. William looked like he had seen a ghost. He wasn't sure if he had the will to pull the trigger even if he had to. The Sasquatch scared him so.

The situation was under control again. Dragged back into the basement jail cell, the Sasquatch was safely locked up.

* * *

"Hey, go easy on those chloraphorm jars!" The conservation officer shouted. "If we run out of them we'll only have live ammunition to protect us."

Efforts were made to bring the people back and revive the festival. All who had something to gain financially, pitched in.

Sasquatch wood carving competitions continued of men carving Sasquatch statues out of logs.

The Sasquatch getting angry was what the people thought they wanted. The interest and talk of the town was lifted to a new height.

"Are you as strong as a Sasquatch?!" The voice of a peddler shouted, to advertise his Sasquatch _test your strength_ devices. "Smack down the hammer and ring the bell and you could be going home with one of these limited edition Sasquatch stuffies!"

People began spending more money.

The people enjoyed Sasquatch beer drinking competitions, but because the mugs were so large anyone who participated just got hammered.

Sales of Sasquatch dolls increased with T-shirts, mugs, etc.

Keremeos claimed to be a Sasquatch town and the people loved it.

* * *

Rumors circulated of a mysterious rich and powerful man who had bought Gurchukk. He was willing to fight off the military to keep the Sasquatch. The story also suggested that the rich man planned to defeat the military by releasing the Sasquatch against the soldiers.

Trying to ignore all of the ridiculous stories, Trevor explained how capable he was to calm the creature. The Copper Creek Coachmen and the sheriff believed Trevor's convincing version of his story.

The Sheriff alleged, "If Trevor didn't figure out how to communicate with the Sasquatch, he would've died long ago." Trevor was accepted amongst the sheriff and the mayor as one of the men. He was cleared to stay for the night to relieve the night watchman. It was bound to be a long night in the jail cell under the sheriff's station. There was a Sasquatch in the basement.

# Chapter 11

AFTER EATING SUPPER at the Keremeos Pub, Trevor noticed his hands were a little shaky. With an hour before the start of his shift, he decided to take a relaxing horseback ride. So much had happened in such a short time. Needing to clear his head, the situation proved to be so much bigger than he was.

This seemed to be the pattern throughout Trevor's life; his father and grandfather raised him abusively. It seemed no matter how big he became or how tough, the world always managed to beat him down. This situation was different though. Because of his nightmares and a profound fear of the dark, Trevor didn't look forward to being alone in his cabin.

Letting his mind settle on the simple sound of the horse's hooves trotting along the old road, Trevor breathed in deeply. The clean air smelled great after the rain. _'How different will my life be for now on?'_ he chewed on the speculation for a moment. Surrendering to his fate, he decided to let it steer his path knowing he could never do more than adjust his course. Closing his eyes, he let the horse move him. Becoming one with its rhythm of stride, he tried to let things go and relax, but like always, when he closed his eyes images of Gurchukk flashed through his mind.

Clearly, the fangs opened in front of a shuffle of wild long hair. Then came an echoing sound of the monster's scream which cause his hand to hurt all over again.

When he opened his eyes, he found he was still on the main road, but he was next to his property. Looking over the old fence, he could just barely make out his cabin and the damage. Surprisingly, the damage didn't look so bad from such a distance.

Scanning the landscape back to the trees, he half expected to see Tiarrow or Tunoka, but there was no sign, nor sound of either of them. The cabin was still a dead lifeless shell. Only in Trevor's eyes did it still hold the ghostly remains of the Gurchukk's presence and spirit. The entire mountain was haunted with the Sasquatch as far as he was concerned.

Trevor didn't bother riding all the way up his driveway. All he wanted was to clear his head, after all.

Returning to the sheriff station in town, Trevor felt much better. He seized the moment so he could see Gurchukk again. Admitted downstairs he was expected to take the guard's place next to the jail cell immediately.

The guard stood up from his wooden chair, "Hey, Trevor, good to see you. For a second there I thought you weren't going to show."

"Well, after what this guy did to my home, I don't have a lot of options." Trevor replied with a forced chuckle. "After Gurchukk was taken away, some of the Copper Creek Coachmen offered to help me patch up my place."

"That's great!" The guard cheered with a holler and slapped his knee, "Well, it's time for me to turn in." As he passed by Trevor he paused in mid-stride and asked, "Why do you want to spend so much time with this creature? I'm sure you could've made other arrangements for tonight. You've been captured by it. Don't you want to enjoy your freedom? You know, get as far away from it as possible?"

Trevor looked at the sleeping creature for a moment. He needed a second to think about the question before he resolved a comment. "Yes, you're right. A part of me does want to get away from him and I do want to enjoy my freedom, and I will, but when I'm away from it I get spooked. It's only when I can see it's not free that I feel a sense of safety... Does that make any sense?"

The guard nodded; satisfied with Trevor's statement.

Then Trevor added, "Yet somehow, this creature still fascinates me and this may be the last time I'll ever see it."

The guard huffed with a half-smile. He didn't exactly concur with Trevor's final comment, but he just shrugged it off and lumbered up the stairs without speaking another word.

After the guard left, Trevor sat and stared at Gurchukk for a long while. He considered all of his options. "Why am I drawn here?" he wondered. The real answer eluded him. He thought long and hard about what it was he really wanted out of this experience.

Deep down, he felt compassion for this creature. An emotional struggle occurred on the battlefield of his thoughts that resulted in the outcome of a fresh idea. A plan that Trevor believed was the only answer to resolve the entire situation. It was all he could do to appease his conscience.

The town's folks who stayed up late to celebrate and drink told Sasquatch tales until they fell asleep after mid-night.

Trevor was entrusted with the keys to the sheriff's station. Trying to unlock the weapons that were securely stored in basement cabinets, Trevor discovered he trusted to have such access. He was, however, able to open the lower cabinets of ammunitions inventory. While he hid the ammunition and the chloraphorm jars in the attic, he found a vial and a syringe behind the sheriff's desk.

The vial was labeled, NALOXONE. Trevor remembered the word. He heard the conservation officer refer to it as the antidote to the chloraphorm's effects.

Filling the syringe with the contents of the vial, ten milligrams in total, Trevor headed down to the cell. Unlocking the cage door, he carefully crept inside. Leaving the door of the cage open behind him, Trevor began to consider the implications of his actions. He had to clean an area. Using a cotton swab and some rubbing alcohol he wiped a sterile area of the creature's buttocks. If Gurchukk was playing dead this time, Trevor was about to find out the hard way.

Some of the torn clothing still hung off Gurchukk's body.

Realizing he had to act swiftly and decisively, Trevor tapped out the air bubbles of the syringe and squeezing out an insignificant amount. He then inserted the long needle into the pelt of the potentially benevolent beast.

The body of the Sasquatch didn't move or react in the slightest. Trevor wasn't sure how potent the Naloxone was. After waiting a few minutes, he administered two milligrams more from the syringe.

With the cell doors shut, Trevor patently waited. The drug worked quickly. Before long, Gurchukk was moving his long arms about and moaning.

Finding he could communicate with Gurchukk in his dopey state of mind, Trevor helped the poor creature to his feet. He spoke to his large hairy friend softly and frequently while directing him up the stairs of the sheriff's station.

Next to the massive creature, Trevor felt like he was the size of a small child. Gurchukk seemed to be three times his own size. Finding a black cowboy hat, he pulled it down over Gurchukk's pointed head. Though they couldn't walk in a straight line, they did manage to eventually cover the distance of the main floor to the exiting doors. The two of them bumped into every object they came near. Trevor had to be on his guard so he didn't end up pinned under the weight of the massive creature. If Gurchukk slipped into a coma, it would mean big trouble. Trevor wouldn't be able to move the creature on his own so he kept the syringe close, just in case he needed to give him a jolt. Using the entire vial on Gurchukk, it would likely throw him into a frenzy.

He didn't want to do that.

* * *

The wind blew through the dark town and curled into tight spaces between the rickety buildings. Old wood creaked and the dry hinges of shutters squeaked as a whisper of revenge fell upon the deaf ears of those who slept. A low pulsating hum signaled the presence of a new authority which governed this particular night.

Tired of watching from afar, the little alien fellow returned with the company of his brothers aboard their spacecraft. They had the aim to tie up a loose end. The lights of the craft flashed in unison to its pulsating cyber-drive engines.

Ominously, the craft floated down the main street of Keremeos, past businesses and homes.

Long flexible beams of light snaked out from the belly of the craft like tendrils. The tips of these articulate limbs played over surfaces like the feelers of something blind. The aliens detected they were getting closer. One tendril of light snaked around an iconic maple tree that grew in the center of town and there it squeezed altering its natural form and causing it to grow crooked from that moment on. The flexible beams of light searched specifically for Gurchukk. _'We'll have him soon.'_

A portal spiraled open on the craft's underbelly. From the open portal a little floating device emerged. It was the yellow robotic eye and it was encoded to go out ahead of the craft and zero in on the Sasquatch's location. The yellow hovering alien drone glided swiftly down the road ahead of the craft. Looking this way and that, it blinked its penetrating eye.

Two horses, tethered to a wagon in front of the sheriff's station were spooked when they saw the bright lights of the strange and unearthly spectacle. With a tentative neigh of panic, as the glowing yellow eye approached, the two horses reared up struggling against their restraints and broke free from their leather reigns. Racing off out of town like they were chasing after their spirits, the horses appeared bewitched.

The mechanical alien eye stopped outside the sheriff's station. With some pre-set insight, the alien drone seemed to expect the front door to open. A man, hunched forward, assisted a large distraught Sasquatch. He appeared to support the weight of the massive hairy creature who wore the inadequate disguise of a cowboy hat.

This couldn't fool the eye of anyone.

* * *

Noticing a bright light come alive around him, Trevor petulantly thought he was busted. Lifting his head under the groggy Sasquatch he stared into the yellow mechanical lens of the alien eye. Trying to adjust to the brightness of the light, Trevor raised his hand and squinted.

The eye motionlessly stared at him. Lifting his head a little higher to take a closer look, Trevor found a larger complicated cluster of flashing bio-technology in motion deep inside the eye itself.

Then, Trevor caught sight of an alien craft that slowed and turn to face him above the mechanical eye. The ominous humming of the craft resonated through Trevor's chest. Though his mind screamed to run, his body couldn't respond... He was frozen.

With great effort, Trevor shook himself out of his state of paralysis and fear. Ducking out from under the arm of Gurchukk, he intended to escape the entire nightmare. However, his plans were thwarted as a tendril of light snapped out at him like a whip. It wrapped itself around Trevor's waist and chest. He wanted to scream but the tendril was too tight.

Gurchukk was also captured in the same likeness of a tendril. Neither of the two captives were able to fight back once the aliens were inside their minds. The alien creatures of the spacecraft used a type of weaponized telepathy. This was how they subdued them. The tendrils of light lifted Trevor and Gurchukk off the ground and drew them inside the open portal under the craft.

Sweating profusely from all the heat resonating off the craft, Trevor and Gurchukk were released within a tight chamber of curved walls. The tendrils of light disappeared in an instant. Before the portal spiraled closed, the yellow mechanical eye darted inside with them.

Creating a sensation of butterflies in Trevor's stomach, the craft rose into the stratosphere quickly. A vine-like webbing grew over the interior walls. The air of the craft's interior was an odour of putrid burnt cinnamon. The combination of the momentum and the stink made him feel noxious.

Three of the little alien beings appeared like they had been there all along. They were clearly not happy to see the Sasquatch. As they approached, Trevor could see they weren't happy to see him either.

As Trevor felt sicker to his stomach, his ailment was followed by a bad taste in his mouth. This, he later learned, was due to his exposure to the residual radiation expelled from the craft.

A mysterious mist came down from little holes in the ceiling. It gently descended onto Trevor and the Sasquatch. The mist covered their bodies and coated their throats as they breathed it.

The three alien creatures opened their little mouths and began to emit an all too familiar resonation of a mind manipulating buzz-scream.

Trevor began screaming also with his hands cupped tightly over his ears. This was his futile struggle to interfere with the alien's telepathy. When the aliens saw what he was doing, they physically scratched and tore at him. Trevor screamed louder from a place of utter terror. He was being attacked both mentally and physically. Every attempt to fight back was blocked.

Trevor felt they were aware of his every move before he was.

When the aliens stopped projecting their screams, Trevor's physical and mental stamina were completely depleted. Shaking his head from the disorientation, he discovered something new in his mind. Opening the new thoughts he acquired from the telepathic connection, Trevor understood that the aliens merely wanted to settle a score between them and this particular Sasquatch. When the thought was broken down, it all just turned out to be a silly ego thing. The alien creatures believed they were superior over the Sasquatch.

Of course, Trevor knew, the Sasquatch saw the aliens as weak little mischievous devils.

Something new caught Trevor's attention. The law of gravity diminished until it no longer existed. _'How high are they taking me?'_

With a mere thought pertaining to the spacecraft, Trevor realized he possessed the knowledge to pilot it.

When the mist stopped settling over them, the radiation sickness that Trevor and Gurchukk had previously experienced vanished. The smell of the craft, however, hadn't improved.

Charging in at Trevor, the aliens were incredibly strong for their small, limber bodies.

They didn't strike him, but they roughed him up as they searched his clothes. They knew Trevor was in possession of a syringe that contained enough Naloxone to fully awaken the Sasquatch. They had to make absolutely sure this wouldn't happen.

Knowing what the aliens were after, Trevor quickly took the syringe out of his jacket pocket and jabbed it into Gurchukk's thigh. Punching the plunger of the syringe down, he administered the entire contents of Naloxone into the body of the beast.

Tearing Trevor's jacket right off his back, the aliens punched him. The impact to his chest knocked him across the chamber in zero-G. Then an alien glided up behind Trevor and threw a thin membrane over his head. The membrane was organic with thin octopus-like tentacles extending out the edges. These gripped and held tightly to his face.

Attempting to bind the groggy body of Gurchukk with organic webbing's, the aliens fought with all they had. The flailing limbs of the Sasquatch were too strong. Gurchukk let out a deep breath with a deep chested huff. Opening his eyes, he looked right at the aliens. The Naloxone was taking full effect.

Frightened by the killer intensity of pure hatred in Gurchukk's eyes, the three aliens turned and bolted out of the chamber together. The opening quickly spiraled shut behind the trio of aliens. These alien creatures copiously expected the Sasquatch to kill Trevor when he flew into a terrible rampage.

Floating in the center of the room, Trevor clawed at the membrane that covered his face. It was suffocating him. Trevor's eyes began rolling back when Gurchukk's finger poked through the membrane and into Trevor's mouth. When The Sasquatch removed its thick finger, Trevor took in a lifesaving breath of stale alien air. With his limbs shaking from shock, Trevor felt his strength return while he floated through the air.

Needing a moment to think, Trevor found something new to remember though it was another memory he picked up from the aliens. Living through the alien's perspective, he could see the actions the aliens took while the people of the town were distracted with the Sasquatch. Trevor now had the knowledge that the aliens had been busy flying their craft high over Crater Mountain. There, they collected trophies to offer their mothership. These trophies were stored in the back quarter of the spacecraft. From the inventory that Trevor could see in his mind's eye, he knew they would find the still bodies of one human and a few Sasquatch.

Gurchukk finished resting. His blood was teeming with energy. His mind wanted nothing more than to destroy the little aliens. Filling its lungs, the mighty Sasquatch gave out a menacing roar that shook throughout the structure of the entire craft. Approaching the wall that the aliens escaped through, Gurchukk began furiously beating his massive fists against it with wild indignation.

The wall dented from each strike of the powerful creature, but a second after each impact the dent in the wall popped back to its original flat surface. After a real shit-kicking, the wall repaired itself with no marks to show for the brutal punishment it took.

Fortunately for the aliens, their wall held up to the Sasquatch's brutal thrashing.

Darting to the opposite side of the chamber, Trevor pushed his finger against a glowing bubble on the wall. A door spiraled open. Noticing Trevor duck into the doorway, Gurchukk quickly followed.

Within this next chamber, Trevor and Gurchukk beheld the site of a female Sasquatch lying on top of a strangely shaped table. The table was in the shape of a mushroom; both metal and organic. Resting upon it was none other than Gurchukk's mate, Nuxie.

She was laid out on her front with multiple black tubes connected to her back. It appeared that the aliens were draining Nuxie's fluids.

By the affection in Gurchukk's eyes, it was clear he recognized his mate. The beast's anger momentarily subsided as Gurchukk knelt down next to Nuxie's body and he wept.

Trevor shared in Gurchukk's loss. Removing the thin tubes that were connected to Nuxie's hairy hide, Trevor realized the strange alien hoses were actually injecting a strange foreign fluid into her. Lastly, Trevor removed a long white, snake-like hose from Nuxie's mouth. This was emitting a strange mixture of oxygen and a sleep inducing gas.

As soon as Trevor removed the long white tube, it reclined into a jumble of other tubes and tools that hung from the ceiling like a chandelier of junk. Trevor and Gurchukk thought Nuxie was dead, but when the tube was pulled out of her throat; she began to cough and take in a breath.

To the surprise of Gurchukk and Trevor, Nuxie was alive. Gurchukk took her in his arms and they held one another for what seemed like an eternity.

While the hairy couple reunited, Trevor studied the banks of pods that lined the far wall. Each of the dark pods were stacked length wise and side by side. The images in Trevor's mind weren't clear, however he knew by investigating further, he'd uncover more... something familiar. Unable to contain his curiosity, Trevor began pulling at the tight fibers of one of the pods. His fingers hurt as he pulled but he continued nonetheless. Finding a seam that ran up the center of each pod, he began working his fingers into it. Prying it apart, it finally split with a dry tearing sound. Gas released, stinging Trevor's eyes like a chemical and it was laced with the same smell of a putrid burnt cinnamon, only ten times stronger.

While Trevor rubbed his eyes and coughed out the gas, Gurchukk and Nuxie lifted their heads and looked his way. There, they saw the open pod and recognized the face of the one inside.

It was the peacefully sleeping face of Tiarrow.

Gurchukk stood up with a huff and appeared to swim through the air crossing the room to the pod. Wrapping his huge mitts around the outside of the pod, he tore it in half with ease.

Through reddened and irritated eyes, Trevor also saw Tiarrow. Quick to reach out to her, he held her gently and close. Lightly slapping her cheeks, he tried to wake her. There was too much alien gas in her lungs.

From what little gas he'd been exposed to, Trevor felt the dizzying effects too.

Filling his lungs with air, Trevor gently blew into Tiarrow's mouth. The air from Trevor caused her to stir. While he continued trying to bring her around, Nuxie chattered something to Gurchukk to the effect of; _" <Search more pods, our son might be in one of them.>"_

Turning to the pods, Gurchukk began opening them one by one. Incredibly, they found Grouchy, Rusty, Coolcat, and finally Tunoka. As they awoke, Trevor remembered an important tool attached to the rat's nest of tubes that hung above. Reaching for another gas tube, it previously proved to counteract the effects from the terribly stringent gas.

Using it on Tunoka, it had a remarkable recovery time.

Gurchukk took the tube from his son and inspected it carefully. Not trusting anything of alien origin, the protective father poked the tube then he sniffed it. The smell of it pleased him. Indulging in some deep breaths from the alien tube, Gurchukk gave it to Nuxie to try also.

She too breathed from it appraisingly.

In turn, Rusty, Grouchy and Coolcat also breathed from the tube which quickly restored each one to good health and awareness.

While the Sasquatch rested and spoke to one another, they cleared their heads from a little unsteadiness. They each tried to figure out where they were. The only thing they agreed on was they were captured.

Rusty chattered along with the use of quick hand gestures to explain how he, Grouchy and Coolcat were outsmarted and abducted by the aliens.

Trevor sensed a great deal of fear from all of the Sasquatch. All of their perceptive responses appeared to be hypersensitive. Their penetrating eyes were extremely shifty and suspicious. Their usual slow and cumbersome ways were replaced with anxiety and an overall raised awareness of their surroundings.

Through the dark and dismal interior of the alien craft, Trevor noted, there seemed to be something remarkably similar to the Sasquatch cave. Nevertheless, this wasn't home to them at all. This wasn't part of their habitat. Now they were frightened the way Trevor was when he was trapped inside Gurchukk's cave.

Coolcat went to Nuxie and they exchanged some chirpy words mixed with quick nervous grunts.

Grouchy was the quietest, though there was something profoundly different in his eyes. He didn't seem as grouchy as Trevor recalled from his earliest impression. A look of defeat and innocence clarified that the aliens had broken his spirit. The way the aliens captured him must've been so terrifying it changed him forever.

Clinging to his father's leg, Tunoka hadn't let go since he was freed from his cocoon.

Gurchukk pried the youngster's arms from his leg and lifted him up to his shoulder. After giving a short forgiving roar, he had his son's attention then he spoke to him. Not saying very much, the dialogue of parental wisdom that Gurchukk imparted to his son was direct and stern enough to keep him from being so fearful.

The door to the furthest compartment opened and everyone responded to the sound as they turned their heads to look. When Gurchukk saw the little aliens standing at the door, he lunged at them. The absence of gravity coupled with his great strength enabled him to propel through the air like a super Sasquatch. His hatred for the aliens empowered him. Knocking the aliens down like ants, Gurchukk became a raging tyrant.

Behind Gurchukk came the other Sasquatch. They too charged at their enemies offensively roaring.

Beholding the strength of Gurchukk mercilessly tear through the group of aliens, Grouchy was encouraged. He felt like he was looking at a God.

Then Trevor witnessed a transformation as the old Grouchy returned. He would never be intimidated by these little demons again. The Sasquatch were an unstoppable force when they fought together. A fire blazed in Grouchy's eyes. He would prove to Gurchukk and the others how fervent and fierce he truly was.

Even Trevor and Tiarrow leaped toward the fight though they had no weapons.

Gurchukk was right on top of the three aliens pounding them down to the floor. They were very strong little beings with a resilience to Sasquatch strength. They kept rising after each thunderous blow then the little creatures retaliated by scratching and kicking at the Sasquatch. Gurchukk only grew angrier. He roared and with the other Sasquatch at either side of him, they hammered their fists down on the foreign astronauts and slapped them around violently. Sweeping his mighty hand through the screaming and struggling trio of aliens, Gurchukk managed to catch one of them by its thin throat. Lifting it up between his finger and thumb, he peered into its soulless black eyes and growled to indicate its doom.

The other two aliens used the distraction as an opportunity to leap away through the air and escape. Small enough to squeeze past Gurchukk, Trevor boldly went after the two fleeing aliens.

The sound of the alien's neck cracked in the crushing grip of Gurchukk pinch.

Trevor heard it echo through the tight corridor. _'What am I doing?'_ Trevor contemplated. _'I'm no match for these creatures. What'll I do when I catch up to them?'_ Using his arms and legs to move through the dark alien corridor, Trevor's confidence disappeared. The combination of foul smelling air along with the lack of gravity didn't help his ponderous resolve.

When he did catch up to the indignant alien creatures, they were waiting for him.

One alien grey was hooked into a pilot's chair with countless navigational control sticks pointed in at it. The other creature hid behind a mechanical aperture. He concealed himself in wait for the non-suspecting Trevor to come floating by. At the precise moment, the alien leapt out at Trevor, knocking him into a console.

Retaliating, Trevor kicked it away.

It then came at Trevor again with the movements of a squirrel, but the shape of a gremlin. Clubbing Trevor with a blunt object to the side of his head, darkness robbed him of his sight. Through a blink in the overcoming darkness he caught a snapshot image of his blood trailing away from him weightlessly and it was stretching out in the direction of the approaching alien. Then, at the sound of a piercing scream he completely blacked out.

The alien was about to finish Trevor once and for all when Tunoka and Tiarrow came darting down the corridor screaming a deathly cry.

Tunoka began to beat on the alien feverishly and the two were more equally matched in accordance to their sizes. Tiarrow tended to Trevor, dragging him under a great machine. The navigator glanced over his shoulder at the commotion behind him. It chirped like a bird when it noticed Tunoka approaching.

Tunoka raised his arms to beat down on the pilot, but the alien spun around and screamed in the infant's face. Tunoka instinctively put his hands over his ears with wide astonished eyes. The alien took hold of a sharp metallic object and held it like he was about to stab the young Sasquatch.

With the alien threatening to use its telepathic screams as a weapon, Tunoka puffed out his cheeks and whistled at him. The sound of Tunoka's whistle was so loud and penetrating that it actually drowned out the sound of the alien's buzzing scream.

The alarming sound of the alien's mind-mixing scream combined with Tunoka's shrill whistle caused Trevor to came to. He and Tiarrow could barely take the pain of the two penetrating sounds. Their ears started bleeding.

When the piercing sound finished, everyone's ears rang. Hustling away and around a corner, Tunoka made his way back to his parents.

Irritated, the alien shook his head then turned its attention to Trevor and Tiarrow. It floated threateningly with its upper back hunched forward.

It really creeped out Tiarrow and she began to scream horrifically.

Trevor held her tightly as she curled into him for protection. Watching the alien crawl in under the machine toward them, there was nothing they could do to stop it. It frightened them when it reached out with its long thin arm. Its three taloned fingers were barbed with the sharp curvature of hook-like claws.

A large hairy hand suddenly came down, grabbing the alien by its ankle and yanked it out from under the machine. _'Thank God, it's Gurchukk.'_ Trevor thought, but he was mistaken. It was Grouchy.

Toying with the alien, he tested its strength before tossing it to Rusty.

When Rusty caught the little creature out of the air he began slapping it to the floor while doing a silly hop-like dance. He finally stopped to see if it was dead. Lifting the alien's thin limp arm, he inquisitively saw it hang limp and lifeless.

Dark blood ran from the little alien creature's wounds. When Rusty turned his back on the alien, it lifted its arms in support of its body. Coolcat saw it rising so she stomped her foot on the creature's head. It sounded like the cracking of a coconut.

The three Sasquatch turned their aggression on the navigator. Climbing the complicated mechanism to the navigational chair above, they looked beyond the pilot and caught sight of the viewer. Turning back they climbed down hastily and bolted out of the compartment. _'What had they seen?'_ Trevor wondered. Crawling out from under the mechanism, he quickly stepped past the floating corpse of the dead alien. Its head had been completely mashed.

Peeking her head out from under the mechanism, Tiarrow cautiously looked around.

Trevor continued to weightlessly climb the machinery. When he silently looked over the alien's shoulder the viewer depicted the interior of the mothership. The pilot was in the midst of docking the spacecraft with the loading bay of the other massive ship.

To Trevor's sickening surprise, the alien craned its head around and looked at Trevor face to face. Letting go, Trevor vomited all over the alien's face. Wiping its face with its fore-arm and hands, it screamed back at Trevor.

Trevor's mind telepathically exploded causing him to lose his grip and float backwards in empty air. The craft's momentum created the likeness of a low gravity. It kept him from hitting the floor very hard.

The craft lurched as it was locked onto the deck of the mothership. The sound of the heavy mothership's doors sealed shut outside with an ominous slam. This was followed by a hollow vacuum sound. _((-Thwump!-))_

Trevor sprang down the corridor holding Tiarrow's hand.

A new hissing noise sounded from outside. It was the pressurization of air.

Trevor and Tiarrow couldn't seem to propel themselves fast enough through the short corridor.

Joining the others, the six Sasquatch stood together. Their eyes were fixed on the spacecraft's main portal.

When it irised open, a swarm of alien greys flooded into the landing dock.

# Chapter 12

THE ALIEN CREATURES had no differentiating characteristics. Trevor couldn't tell one apart from another.

Within the docking bay of the mothership, many of the identical aliens sprang across the floor, rushing toward the smaller craft. The majority of the aliens utilized their weightlessness to propel themselves to the spacecraft.

Other aliens piloted small vehicles on approach. These vehicles looked like long thin motors which were driven like motorcycles that had no wheels. Each of the aliens were armed with a multitude of shiny silver hand-held weapons. Before the alien greys used these weapons, they screamed telepathic tortures into their victim's minds.

The Sasquatch and the humans cupped their hands over their ears instantly.

As the alien greys approached, Gurchukk mounted his courage and let out a powerful roar. He towered over man-kind, but standing over these little creatures, Gurchukk had the stature of a monumental giant.

Using a primitive form of retaliation, Gurchukk opened his mouth and released a low pitched growl that sounded just below the regular scope of hearing. This powerful burst of infra sound distracted the alien beings. Frustrated, they shook their heads in dismay.

The unnerving sound produced by the Sasquatch wasn't like a normal growl that he heard the creatures use before. This sounded like a digeridoo only more organic and caused both Trevor and Tiarrow to become tranquil of mind until it stopped.

The other Sasquatch followed their leader's example and joined in the terrifying infra screams.

The aliens backed away; some of them falling to the floor. The outrageous sound from both alien and Sasquatch rippled throughout the hull of the massive spacecraft like a bell and rang through the heads of the humans. With hands cupped over their ears, the humans found themselves caught between the effects of the acute, shrilling sounds.

The Sasquatch screams weren't enough to keep the little aliens from regrouping.

Ultimately, the alien's telepathic control overwhelmed both human and Sasquatch. First, they were all forced to remove their hands from their ears. Secondly, the humans and Sasquatch rose weightlessly with their minds on fire while their bodies suffered in torment and pain.

Wallowing around in the air of the docking bay, Trevor and the others could only watch as the aliens leaped toward them.

Moving like they were of one mind, they reminded Trevor of countless ants. He recalled the ones that attacked the grasshoppers that threatened their colony back at his farm... so far away... Back then he could have stomped on the ant hill with his boot, or lit it up with fuel and fire, but what he actually did was pluck the grasshoppers out.

' _That's it!'_ Trevor's mind lit up with hope. _'I'll pilot the alien craft, use the tentacles of light and pluck the Sasquatch out of here!'_

Unfortunately for Trevor, the aliens could read his thoughts as quickly as he could formulate them. Without his knowledge, an alien approached him from behind and touched the back of his head with one of their long silver devices that looked like a knitting needle to him.

At the moment the tip of the needle touched the base of his skull, he was momentarily paralyzed.

Once the aliens were upon them, each of the Sasquatch came alive and flew into a frenzy of pure madness. Many aliens were beaten harshly.

The alien's strategy was to get their leaders close enough to the prisoners to use their shiny silver weapons, but try as they might, getting too close to a Sasquatch came with dire consequences. Still the determined little aliens never gave up. Using their numbers to their advantage, they just kept coming. When they were close enough, they eventually managed to touch their silver weapons to the Sasquatch's heads. This stiffened the muscles of their hairy bodies and paralyzed them. The aliens were successful. Working together to lift and carry the Sasquatch out of the spacecraft, the aliens first took Coolcat then Tunoka.

When Gurchukk received a poke to his head, it caused his body to spasm and flip forward crashing into a large mechanical structure.

The aliens surrounded Gurchukk placing their long thin little hands on him.

When they did this, he glared at them, growling and grinding his teeth. Gurchukk wanted to roar, but he had no control over his own body. Accidentally, Gurchukk let out a tight lipped whistle.

It was so loud, it felt like knives cutting into the little grey's ears. A gathering of aliens fell backwards.

The Sasquatch's high pitched whistle was a frequency that distracted the aliens from their telepathy. With the alien's influence over their minds disrupted, Gurchukk's extraordinary willpower strengthened. He sat up and whistled again. This time he was even louder and more determined. Several surrounding aliens were pushed back. As Gurchukk whistled out at the other Sasquatch, they broke free of their paralysis too.

Rusty abruptly rose up with a piercing whistle of his own. Then Coolcat, Grouchy and Nuxie also joined in. The more they whistled, the more they regained control over their own bodies.

Trevor and Tiarrow could barely stand the loud high pitched whistling. Their noses and ears bled even more as their sense to detect sound finally left them altogether.

When the aliens were pushed back, the Sasquatch moved in on them. Never ceasing to blare a whistle from their lips they beat the aliens senselessly with their long and powerful arms. Popping the heads of these creatures open with each foul swoop, the Sasquatch began to pile up the numbers of the dead.

Plucking the arms and legs off the aliens like a child detaching wings from a fly, Gurchukk appeared to have a similar sense of wonderment in his red glowing eyes.

The aliens, however, didn't die easily. Many of them, though dismembered, rose up again and attacked if provoked.

When the Sasquatch stopped whistling to take their next breath, the aliens quickly turned back to assault them. With enough time to gather their forces, the resilient aliens armed themselves again and moved in for their next wave of attack.

Launching out with their silver chop-stick looking weapons, the alien creatures twirled them above their heads as though conjuring up a paranormal power. Then each of them loudly called out, "Yup!" with their chipmunk voices which shot pulse blasts of fiery heat. They sounded like frogs as they all shouted, "Yup!" Like fireworks discharged from their small silver wands, the pulse blasts were powerful enough to propel a Sasquatch right off its feet.

Though the weapons didn't kill the Sasquatch, they did fuel their rage.

Smashing equipment and tearing limbs off the aliens, the Sasquatch let their wild loose.

The brawl was like nothing Trevor had ever seen before. The battle between an advanced technical race and a wild primate species was not a war that humans were capable of participating in.

The aliens knocked Tunoka down when he tried to whistle. They overpowered him and scratched deep lacerations down his face, but Gurchukk arrived to protect his son. Alien bodies went flying. Sasquatch hair shook under the violent roars. Sweeping arms of the Sasquatch became weapons of massive destruction in their own right.

Whether by crushing the aliens between powerful hand claps, pummeling them with the pressure of a gorilla squeeze or popping their heads in their powerful grip, the Sasquatch had ways of defending themselves. The tall Sasquatch squished aliens against the floors and walls leaving only red and green smears behind. With so many aliens showing up to replace the fallen ones, it made little difference to their countless populace.

Leaving Trevor, Tiarrow ran out to the battlefield. Punching one of the aliens in the face, she surprised Trevor with such defensive capability. Fighting her way past many little aliens that skittered about, she dodged her way through to Tunoka.

The young Sasquatch's face was a mess of blood and torn skin.

Tiarrow carried his weightless physique back toward Trevor and the spacecraft that took them from earth.

Grateful he was free of the alien's paralysis for now, Trevor instinctively remembered his Marine training. That life seemed so far away now, but when he needed those skills they were readily available. Drawing upon the inspiration from Tiarrow's heroism, Trevor fought off the aliens, kicking with a roundhouse and punching with his once famous upper cut, he even managed a couple body slams. Because he was so much larger than the aliens were he felt a tinge of guilt; he felt like he was beating up children.

By this time the aliens were quite battered and beaten from the punishment they received from the Sasquatch.

Gurchukk trumpeted a loud whistled and swept his long powerful arm through an uprising aggressive mass of aliens which sent them flailing across the expanse of the docking bay. Knocking into other aliens, some of these projectile aliens crashed around Trevor. That's when he found one of their shiny silver weapons spinning in the air before him. Taking the weapon, Trevor tried to fire it. He flicked it and searched for a button or other firing trigger of some sort. He detected nothing. Unable to make the weapon function, he decided to use it another way.

An alien lunged at Trevor to confiscate the weapon, but he held it like an ice spike and jabbed its pointed needle end deep into the alien's large obsidian eyeball.

Retreating up the ramp of the very spacecraft that they arrived in, Trevor, Tiarrow and the infant found they were able to escape the fighting. Ducking inside Trevor recognized the control that sealed the ramp behind them. They knew they couldn't remain in the battle much longer anyway. They were no match for the aliens and it was too dangerous to be anywhere near the enraged Sasquatch.

Making their way back to the cock pit, they came face to face with the alien who had piloted them inside the dreadful mothership. It stood at the open portal glaring at them with unquenchable indignation and hatred.

Trevor noticed the ash and dirt that coated the body of this particular alien. Though they looked identical, Trevor knew this one was the very same alien who was with them in the Sasquatch cave.

The alien noticed Trevor holding one of their silver weapons. Moving in on Trevor, ignoring Tunoka and Tiarrow, the alien intended to attack.

Tunoka tried to intercept the alien from the left, but the alien effortlessly smacked the infant away. Blood droplets sprayed from Tunoka's already wounded face.

Furious at this, Tiarrow shrieked and charged forward with a leap. Gliding through the air she intended to protect Tunoka. She'd defend him with her life without a second thought.

Just as effortlessly, the alien knocked her away too. Slamming against the corridor wall, Tiarrow was out cold.

Trevor took aim at the alien to scare it with its own weapon.

The alien straightened when he took such action, but it seemed to know Trevor didn't know how it functioned. Consequently, the little fellow lifted its long tiny hands to the sides of its head and opened its little mouth. Drawing in a breath, it was no mystery what it was about to do.

As telepathic sound was produced from the alien, Trevor, desiring the knowledge to fire the weapon, suddenly received the information.

Handling the silver thin device, Trevor felt the hilt of the weapon and thought about blasting the creature. Shutting his eyes he imagined the heat pulse blasting forth while he twirled the wand over his head. Feeling it charge with energy, he then shouted "Yup!" and the weapon reacted. The discharge of energy was a hot kick-back. Next, Trevor heard the alien's telepathic scream crack and disrupt. Then it twisted into a high pitched cry of raw agony. The blast both pushed and burnt the little menace.

Rising quickly, Tunoka saw what Trevor did. He whistled and leaped. Crashing his weight down hard, he beat the little alien until its chest was crushed and its neck had been twisted all the way around.

Still not completely sure if he could fire the alien weapon again, Trevor searched it again for some trigger or control he may have missed before. _'Should it surprise me to find it responds to psychic commands?'_

Discarding the weapon, Trevor quickly climbed the alien construct to the navigational chair. Looking at the controls he found they were familiar to him even though he actually never sat in the spacecraft's pilot seat before. Powering up the craft, he unlocked the docking clamps. The craft lifted off the deck. The engines of the spacecraft pulsated with a low rhythmic hum.

As Trevor turned the hovering alien vehicle slowly, he could see the Sasquatch still aimlessly fighting to stay alive in the docking bay. There seemed to be no end to the alien's number. They continued flooding into the landing bay. The carnage that surrounded the Sasquatch had thickened.

Backing the spacecraft into the main doors of the mothership's landing bay, Trevor attempted to make a break for it. The craft slammed into the solid doors, but they didn't open or even budge. There was no evidence of damaged either. Trying again, Trevor hit them harder this time; again, no damage.

With no way through the doors, there was no hope of escape. It wouldn't be long before the aliens wore the Sasquatch down and overtook them.

Trevor wished he had the silver alien weapon in his hand. Perhaps he could use it somehow to blast a hole through the wall that the aliens kept entering from.

Unexpectedly, the craft responded to his thought the same way the silver weapon did, only the pulse blast that came from the craft was far more powerful. The damage that ensued broke right through the crowd of aliens and punched a hole through the wall of the docking bay. Telepathic alien screams pierced their minds, but it also provided a way for Trevor to communicate with the Sasquatch.

He told them that he was in control of the spacecraft and that he was going to lower the craft so they could board it. The belly boarding ramp opened.

Gurchukk led the other Sasquatch as they all boarded the spacecraft at once.

When Trevor had knowledge that all of the Sasquatch were aboard, he retracted the ramp and sealed the hatch. Driving the craft forward, he darted right into the blast hole he made.

The spacecraft did not escape outside the mothership; rather it navigated through the interior of the spacious dark corridors. From the light of the spacecraft's sparking hull, Trevor could see aliens in a mad panic. The sides of the spacecraft often scraped along the tunnel walls with a terrible scratching and grating sound. Racing throughout the complex tunnel systems, Trevor realized the tunnels were only designed for the greys, not larger vehicles like their spacecraft. Some of the aliens floated by and peered into the windows. All attempted to stop Trevor's rouge craft somehow.

Caught in the alien's crossfire of energy weapons, Trevor lurched the craft forward and plunged down into a less predictable corridor. Though the corridor systems seemed roomy enough so the alien greys to pass by, the spacecraft actually could barely squeeze through at times.

Desperate to escape, Trevor hoped beyond hope that his path wouldn't lead them into a trap. The poorly lit tunnel met with many tight turns. These led them in all sorts of directions. The turns confused Trevor's sense of direction.

Finally, the spacecraft met the end of its journey when it came to a bright pulsating machine. This was the mothership's cyber-drive engines.

This large cylinder had pure energy pulsing and pumping through it.

Surrounding the cyber-drive power source were countless vertical power rods. Each of these rods had lightening-like energy branching out and coursing along there length. Mechanical quadrants turned and plunged in response to each surge of power.

The little spacecraft was at such close vicinity, Trevor felt the hair of his beard fill with a static charge and stiffen straight out on end.

Bending down, Trevor could see his Sasquatch passengers below him. The hair of each of them also stuck out straight making their bodies look fluffier.

The alien energy in the room was so thick electricity began to crackle and snap all the way along the hair of the Sasquatch.

Trevor noticed small sparks of energy branching and arching from his beard. This subtle oddity suggested they were in danger. This made Trevor nervous. Such an extreme amount of energy, alien or otherwise, wasn't natural, nor could it be healthy.

What Trevor missed was the sound of the mothership's cyber-drive engines ramping up. They began to pulse more rapidly, but Trevor's failure to hear it was a clear indication of his deafness.

Trying to turn the little spacecraft around, Trevor was certain the mothership was preparing to achieve a great journey through space. The sudden movement of the larger vessel caused Trevor's spacecraft to collide with some of the vertical energy rods. Great bolts of energy arched as the rods shattered upon impact and exploded. One after the other they detonated in a domino effect.

Trevor had more sense than to stick around and find out what would happen next. Throttling the spacecraft up, he raced back through the tunnels. Desperately altering his course to navigate his way out of the ship, he smashed into everything that protruded in his path on his way out.

Finding his way back to the docking bay, Trevor was supposed to find the main doors wide open for him. Circling the interior of the docking bay, Trevor began firing multiple shots from his spacecraft. Nothing particular was targeted. He was just letting his shots fly. Finally, the docking bay doors began to slowly open.

Three other spacecrafts, similar in design to his, prepared to take flight also.

Jetting past the three other crafts, Trevor raced out through the open docking bay doors.

In space, Trevor found the earth was much further away than he expected it to be. At first he had mistaken it for a star. Setting his trajectory back to earth, Trevor throttled up the spacecraft and darted for it.

Just then, the mothership exploded behind him in a blinding flash of light. A shockwave of energy knocked out the spacecraft's power.

On earth, the obliteration of the mothership was interpreted by stargazers, who were paying attention at the time, as a new star forming in the night's sky. Before the spacefaring event could be noticed or examined, the bright flash from the explosion extinguished.

This was a mysterious phenomenon and proved it couldn't have actually been a distant star exploding at all. Because the bright flash in the night was an isolated incident and the stories reported about what actually occurred were pure speculation, it eventually became a forgotten experience in later years.

Uncontrollably, Trevor's spacecraft slowly tumbled through space. Inside, everyone floated about in the utter silence with the sensation of butterflies in their stomachs. Through the port, Trevor noticed the three other spacecrafts tumbling through space behind them. Rolling in close from behind, the immense explosion obviously disrupted the power of their vessels too.

The three crafts tumbled through space together. Closing in on one another, one of the crafts struck Trevor's hull. Glancing off from each other, the crafts began to break into separate directions.

The occupants of one spacecraft rolled around and looked right inside Trevor's craft.

Recognizing Trevor and the Sasquatch, they panicked and tried desperately to power up their engines.

Watching them, Trevor saw they were successful at powering up their cyber-drive. Now it was Trevor's turn to panic. Desperately trying to start his spacecraft, he wasn't completely certain that he was following the proper procedure. Second guessing himself, Trevor began to doubt if his method would actually get the craft to start.

_((-Nign... Nign... Nign...-))_ sounded the engines, only Trevor couldn't hear it. Despite his efforts, he believed the spacecraft was no longer operational.

Meanwhile, the enemy's alien craft began to glide forward and bear down on them.

Trevor could see, from the heat waves rippling over the nose of enemy's alien spacecraft, they were charging up their main frontal weapon. Continuing to try everything he could to power up the spacecraft he began to believe all hope was lost.

Almost of their own accord, the cyber-drive engines hummed to life. Though Trevor couldn't hear them, he did see all the lights of his controls ignite across the board.

Due to the pain in his ears, Trevor figured it contributed to his momentary hearing loss.

The alien's heat blast weapon fired upon Trevor's craft. He wasn't ready for it and it struck the aft quarter.

Within the craft, the Sasquatch were thrown to the left. They piled into the inner hull and roared.

Trevor's spacecraft began to spin once more. Rerouting all power to his own main weapon's systems he charged the nose of his craft with heat energy. When the weapon was fully charged, Trevor quickly triggered it with his mind and a brilliant blast of fiery heat shot forth. Trevor's spacecraft was still in the thralls of a terrible spin. The ongoing discharge of the heat blast beam, eventually crossed paths with one of the alien ships. This cut it in two and destroyed it in a spectacular explosion.

The other two crafts started powering up and coming back online. The alien pilots of the last two crafts were desperate to avenge all of their fallen companions when, to their horror, Trevor's spacecraft darted toward earth. The other two spacecrafts were hot on his tail firing beams of heat.

Racing toward the blue-green planet, Trevor frequently looked back at his pursuing spacecrafts. Adjusting his trajectory in short random turns moving left, right, up and down, he worked to become an unpredictable moving target. When he noticed the weapons at the nose of the two alien crafts begin to heat up, an uneasy feeling within him suggested they had a target lock on him. Abruptly reversing his power thrust motivators, Trevor made his spacecraft come to a dead stop.

The two aggressive alien crafts shot past on either side as they discharged their weapons.

This maneuver caused Trevor's passengers to plunge into the front end of the craft with no warning.

The quick thinking of Trevor's tactics caused the two other spacecrafts to panic. Each of the alien pilots struggled to correct their spin and keep from a collision.

Thrusting his spacecraft forward, Trevor approached the two moving targets from behind.

The passengers were once again hurtled across the craft to the rear wall.

Firing another shot, Trevor was surprised to hit anything at all. The beam of heat glanced off one of the crafts, damaging it.

The alien pilots struggled to maneuver a quick change in direction but in their desperation they collided into one another. The explosion rendered the alien crafts all but vaporized.

Plunging his spacecraft through the explosion caused warnings to light up and sound. There wasn't much fight left in the battered and beaten spacecraft.

Trevor's actions had saved the Sasquatch's lives, though he believed his passengers couldn't comprehend how. The group looked at Trevor with sneers and growls. They figured he caused them to slam against the walls on purpose.

The read outs of Trevor's navigational display revealed the cooling system of the internal cyber-drive engine was failing.

The earth grew before them in the display. Trevor fought his controls as they burned through the atmosphere. Hastily adjusting the cabin pressure, Trevor worked to level their descent. He wanted to avoid a collision with the earth. When he noticed thick black smoke trailing behind their spacecraft, he knew their troubles had only just begun.

* * *

There was a time when everything seemed so much simpler. Back when Trevor quit the military, he set sail to start a new life for himself. He was starting all over. The hours he spent pouring over maps was symbolic to the mapping of his life. A destination was marked out clearly in his mind.

At the time, he kept hearing that Keremeos was the new hot spot for people who sought after a prosperous future. Fortune could be found in a land where dreams came true.

Though Trevor was only traveling to Keremeos from California, it was a huge decision. He mapped his route well. The dream was to make this move his permanent new home.

Looking at the earth from such a great altitude brought the map back to his mind with such clarity. The heart of the young man was set on returning to his beloved home. Setting his focus on it, his mind was working at a fevered pitch. From his topography vantage point, Trevor first located the Pacific Ocean. He then found the North American continent. As his eyes narrowed in on his targeted goal, he pulled at the stiff little controls. The spacecraft shuddered. It was in serious trouble, however it intermittently responded to him. He never quit pulling at the controls.

Trevor made his way toward Canada; more specifically, British Columbia. Following the high ridges of the Rocky Mountains he narrowed his flight path out in a low trajectory straight for Keremeos.

The alien spacecraft carved a black scar of smoke through the sky. It was later misidentified as a fallen meteor.

Continuing his attempt to slow the craft, it stubbornly fought against Trevor's will like a wild iron eagle. Forcing the craft down aggressively the spacecraft's momentum appeared to have other plans. It came in low. Passing between the high mountains, the belly of the craft clipped tree tops, lighting small fires. Careening even lower still, Trevor somehow missed Crater Lake. Seeing the town in the distance, he panicked. Trevor would die before crashing the spacecraft into the town. Pitching the control stick to the right, he managed to slide the craft across his back field before plunging it into a deep gorge next to his property.

The spacecraft burned through trees and slowed to a stop over a small creek. The anticipated crash of certain death ended with a belly slide of grace.

Deep in the gorge, a dreamlike stillness followed. Within the craft a chirping began to sound from the control board. Computing components fought to remain functional.

Each of the passengers shuffled and slowly arose. Checking their injuries, everyone was in a state of shock. They moved slowly.

A fire broke out behind a component within the craft. Thick black smoke filled the interior.

Quickly climbing down from the navigator's chair, Trevor slipped ahead of the others. He hit the controls that spiraled the hatch open and extended the ramp.

Behind Trevor, everyone filed out also.

Steam rose up from under the craft. Cold mountain water hissed and evaporated as it made contact with the scorching hot hull.

Everyone lumbered a fare distance away from the craft where they stopped and looked at one another. Without a nod, a wink or any form of communication, they simply understood; this was where they'd all part ways.

Rusty, Grouchy and Coolcat disappeared into the trees together.

Looking beat up with a swollen eye and split lip, Gurchukk hugged Nuxie and his son.

Tiarrow approached smiling at them and joined the group hug throwing her arms around the hairy bodies of her pod.

Gurchukk stood up, towering over everyone else. He looked down at his son and Tiarrow. Stroking his enormous hand around his son's shoulder, he pulled him close. Nuxie moved in tight behind him and licked the wounds on Tunoka's face.

Unpredictably, Gurchukk pushed Tiarrow away with his long powerful reach. This confused Tiarrow. She wondered why her master would not include her in the pod. He pushed her again and she bumped into Trevor who was standing behind her. Now everything was clear. Gurchukk purposely pushed Tiarrow closer to Trevor with his long arm.

She could tell, Gurchukk had decided Tiarrow should be with her own kind. Speaking in his Sasquatch chatter again, the great Sasquatch told Tiarrow that her place was with the humans. Trevor put his arm around her adoringly and she looked at him with wide eyes.

At that moment, Gurchukk, Nuxie and their son turned and ambled away into the trees. They sauntered up along the tall embankment of the ravine near the edge of the thicket. Before they were out of sight they turned to look back.

Tiarrow watched the Sasquatch. Her eyes quivered and watered with sadness revealing how she longed to remain with them.

Trevor could tell, as Tiarrow watched the tall tree people leave her it was killing her inside.

When she glanced back at Trevor, he smiled down at her with warm loving eyes. Tiarrow returned his smile as her eyes brightened. They walked up the steep slope of the gorge to the edge of Trevor's property. There they held one another tightly and stared off to the house.

Trevor imagined starting a family there with a couple children of their own. They will be so happy.

Then Tiarrow looked up and spoke to Trevor, but he couldn't understand her. It wasn't because she used some form of Sasquatch language, it was because he couldn't hear anything at all. A look of fear and loss crossed Trevor's face.

Judging by the dried blood at her ears and nose and the distressing look in her eyes, she too was deaf.

This didn't really bother Trevor. He was home. Neither of them were dead and they had just beaten impossible odds. He didn't believe their hard of hearing was permanent. Though Trevor was quite pleased by the unexpected turn of events, he looked into Tiarrow's eyes and it became clear. They actually felt very little for one another.

A change came over Tiarrow as her features underwent a deep and profound alteration. She shivered as though suddenly frightened and lost. Slipping out of Trevor's arms, she took a hesitant step back. It was clear what she was thinking. She was having a change of heart.

Feeling she still had the option to make a choice, she looked away to Gurchukk, Nuxie and their son. The silhouettes of their dark hairy forms reappeared under the cover of the trees, but not far from the fence that separated the forest from the farm.

Whistling Tiarrow ran from Trevor's caring arms and pranced through the field to Gurchukk.

Left standing alone, Trevor always knew Tiarrow's home was with the Sasquatch. She was Gurchukk's pet. Somehow, in a jealous sense, Trevor longed to be the Sasquatch's pet again too.

Trevor gazed after them, even long after they had disappeared into the listening wilderness of trees, even long after they were a great distance away. One single tear fell from his eye and rolled down his cheek to hide in his beard.

A host of trees stood patiently and mystified, watching Trevor before they ominously closed in around him.

Trevor's ideas for fortune and glory disappeared with them and he knew he'd be punished as a criminal for letting the only Sasquatch in captivity go free.

Making his way back to his cabin, Trevor couldn't remember walking out of the ravine and crossing his field. So much had happened. His mind just needed to slowdown and rest. Trevor couldn't even remember how he made his way to his bed. As he laid down he admired the awesome new view from the bedroom of his upper loft. With a portion of his roof and front walls missing he could see the glory of Crater Mountain against a backdrop of stars.

At the moment his head touched his pillow it was as though the cyber-drive engines of his mind had stalled out. Trevor drifted into the deepest sleep he had ever known.

* * *

As for the wise silver tipped Sasquatch; Gurchukk, Nuxie, Tunoka and Tiarrow, they decided to settle elsewhere. At their bare feet, purple and yellow wildflowers reached out their splendor from delicate buds. Such vibrant colours complimented the light of the morning sun.

The path they followed was founded by Gurchukk's sensitive nose. Roaming a good distance along the banks of a clear silvery stream it led them to where tender green leaves bursted with young spring berries. The chipper song of birds brought a familiar and joyous melody. The two young ones followed the wisdom of their fatherly Sasquatch with an abounding childlike trust. He led them to a golden dream, full of the riches of nature's harvest and all its glorious colours of gold and crimson under the bluest of blue skies. The wind brought with it a tang of high mountain frost and perhaps the lingering beauty of an Indian summer.

From the mountain's plateau, in the morning of a new day, they gazed upon tier after tier of golden mountain peaks stretching far to the North West.

Man believes he can own the land, but this? This is Sasquatch country, and it always will be.

#  Epilogue

IN THE VALLEY of the Fraser River on a sunny day cooled by low clouds that hung midway over Crater Mountain. A breeze rustled down the river shimmering the cottonwoods. The town of Keremeos bustled.

This day marked a long awaited justice. The warmer air had dried the dusty streets so people could walk the roadway rather than being limited to only the boardwalk that lined the fronts of businesses of Crowsnest Road.

A little lady wearing a dress, who was a clerk at the general store, swept up little clouds of dust.

Walking past Over-Lander, William Short's house, the tin shop and the blacksmith's barn, Trevor was escorted to St. James's Anglican Church. There he awaited the verdict of his trial.

With the sounds of the chains attached to his ankles and wrists, Trevor breathed in the sweet smells of freshly baked sourdough bread that wafted over him from the bakery shop. He could imagine breaking open a loaf and pulling out some of its lite and fluffy, delicately delectable cotton candy inner recesses. Based solely on what he could smell he could taste it as it melted in his mouth.

Harshly, Trevor was yanked by his shackles which distracted him from his delightful imaginary snack.

In a second moment of comfort, Trevor watched as a squirrel bounced across the street with a pecan nut that it had stolen from 'April and June's' General Store. The squirrel fearlessly hopped between the wheel spokes of a moving wagon as two horses trotted it across the little vermin's path. It was as though the squirrel was blind to the danger surrounding it.

Trevor looked to the deputy on his left, then he looked at the deputy sheriff on his right and he smiled. Like the squirrel, he too would be blind to the dangers all around him. He'd been spared from impossible odds so many times before, who's to say he wouldn't be spared yet again?

Within the Church and during the opening statements of the trial, Trevor was handed his hearing horn. By placing the small end of the cone in his left ear, he could hear what was being said.

When the trial opened, the prosecutor accused Trevor of stealing the prized Sasquatch from the county jail. He was quiet through all the dialogue and the people unanimously agreed that he was guilty of the theft. When the mayor, who was also the judge, asked Trevor how he pleaded, Trevor straightened up and told them, "Not guilty!"

This was ridiculous to the court, the jury and the judge alike. To them, Trevor _was_ guilty, hands down. In their way of thought, there was simply no possibility an outcome could be otherwise. By law, Trevor was granted the opportunity to be heard and take the stand to tell his version of events.

His incredible story involving space aliens was finally added to the official records as admissible evidence, but to most in attendance it only aided the opinion that Trevor was guilty.

The opposition quickly attacked him, asking, "How could anyone consider Trevor's version of the events that happened on the night he was entrusted to guard the Sasquatch? It disappeared! Is there even one person who would disagree that Trevor is in need of serious mental care?" The people of Keremeos merely laughed at Trevor. It didn't help that the severity of his terrifying visit would mark his soul for the rest of his life.

But before Trevor was sentenced, he spoke out, choosing his words carefully he told everyone, "I'm not crazy at all! Before I'm convicted here, I ask you all to grant me a moment to prove my case. No lawyer would have me, but it doesn't matter. I have proof to verify my story. I'll take you to the alien spacecraft!"

All who attended the court were shocked by his declaration. Trevor's statement was so outlandish and curious, the people thought it was just a big joke, but Trevor insisted. He had a certain way about him. His words were spoken with both an intelligence and a sincerity that no one could simply overlook.

The hardest skeptics figured his assertion could only serve to quicken his conviction and prove his insanity.

When granted an opportunity to provide the proof that he claimed to have, Trevor merely smiled contentedly. With a great crowd numbering almost the entire population of the town, they traveled to Trevor's property. Many people were on foot, but some rode horseback. Trevor's wrists and ankles were still restricted within his iron manacles and he was always in the care of two deputies, even when he sat in the back of a horse drawn wagon.

When the people arrived at Trevor's property, old Trevor was helped out of the wagon where he led everyone up his drive way, through a field of wheat, through a broken barbed wire fence and deep into the trees.

All the while, Trevor wasn't set free from his restraints. The people who followed began to feel an eerie sense of danger crawling under their skin as the thick vegetation, sounds of birds and wind caused their imaginations to run away with them. The sounds had an even worse effect when they seemed to just disappear entirely. People became suspicious of distant stumps and odd rock formations as they tricked themselves into believing they could see a Sasquatch. It was uncanny how Trevor's stories affected people.

No one spoke a word, but the sound of Trevor's chains also spooked the people. Many turned back. Others began to lose faith that Trevor actually had anything to show them at all. It seemed more like a desperate attempt for Trevor to have a little more freedom before his final conviction.

"Alright, Trevor! This is far enough..." came the tired and frustrated voice of the mayor. "I think you've made your point."

"There it is!" Trevor shouted. He wasn't searching for the spacecraft. He knew full well where it was. He had done it. He had taken the people directly to it. Standing at the edge of the deep ravine, Trevor pointed down to it.

The others looked and verified his claim to their utter amazement. At the sight and realization of the alien craft, no one spoke a word.

Then Trevor pointed out broken trees and tree limbs along the deep scar that the craft scratched into the earth when it crash landed. Even though Trevor's English was difficult to follow since he suffered the loss of his hearing, what he pointed out to them couldn't be any clearer.

Though the foliage was thick and the lighting through the trees created puzzle pieces out of the tree's shadows, no one could dispute that there was something large with burnt scorch marks over its smooth and silvery hull.

A few of the young fearless men ventured ahead as the others climbing down into the deep ravine to get a better look at the alien spacecraft. They were astonished by what they discovered. Wonderment and amazement washed over the faces of the young men who searched for a reasonable explanation to rationalize what they were looking at. No one actually expected Trevor's story to carry any weight. Now the magnitude of Trevor's story quickly became too heavy.

Turning to the mayor, Trevor shrugged his shoulders and inquired, "I brought you the Sasquatch. Why would you doubt that I couldn't also bring you a spacecraft?"

The mayor was still trying to swallow the facts. He was looking at a real UFO. "You're undoubtedly the strangest young man I've ever met." It was a poor attempt at levity as he shook his head.

Trevor turned to the people crowding around the spacecraft. "Everybody, stop moving! Don't step in the mud!" he told them.

After Trevor had climbed down into the ravine, he approached the people.

The Sheriff stepped toward Trevor. "What's the meaning of this outburst?! You're still guilty, Trevor, until the court has decided you're innocent." His face was as stern as stone.

"I only wanted to keep people from disturbing evidence that supports my story." Trevor explained.

"And what evidence is that, young man?" The sheriff questioned.

Trevor pointed to the mud outside the spacecraft's open portal. "There, you see?! Those are footprints of the Sasquatch that came back to earth with me."

To the amazement of the county sheriff, he saw countless Sasquatch footprints around the site. These were matters that stimulated the curiosity of so many. No one was permitted to disturb the evidence or get too close to the spacecraft after that. Many of the town's people began to complain of ill symptoms. This was due to the radiation of the craft, but the further they stood from it the sooner they began to feel better.

The town of Keremeos was in a stir as the people took a real interest in Trevor's story.

The court resumed right there in the ravine next to the broken spacecraft. The mayor had Trevor tell his incredible story once again so it was officially made public. This time everyone paid close attention to every detail and every word.

The hearing moved forward with a very different mood. No one dared to laugh at Trevor anymore. Though the argument was yet again made that Trevor's intent was to steel the Sasquatch out of the county jail cell, Trevor convincingly explained his motives as selfless and humane. "My true intent was to return Gurchukk to his natural habitat. In the forest the Sasquatch don't bother humans and humans can't find the Sasquatch. This is how it's worked for generations past and that's still how it works today."

After long deliberations, a group of men decided to come forward. No one was prepared for the eye witness account made buy the men of the Copper Creek Coachmen. Each one of them recalled, from their own perspective how they saw a Sasquatch fight toe to toe against an alien creature. Their stories took place in a low riverbed, mid-way up Crater Mountain. William was the last to tell his tale. He described the details leading up to the Sasquatch's capture at Trevor's cabin. William was such a respected member of the community and his words carried a lot of weight. His testimony so moved the court that Trevor was completely vindicated.

Unanimously, Trevor was deemed not guilty. His tight cumbersome iron shackles were unlocked and he dropped them where he stood in the ravine.

This was the most captivating court case of its time.

* * *

Trevor had earned a lot of respect from the people of Keremeos and at his word he was able to gather men enough to go back to the site of the spacecraft to extract it. There, they used horses and ropes to pull the alien craft out of the ravine. They towed it through the forest and dropped it off in Trevor's field. The men who pulled the craft became very sick, along with their horses, until they distanced themselves from the remains of the spacecraft and returned to town.

Trevor claimed the spacecraft as his own and it was argued upon for a time until the mayor told everyone that if the ship was capable of making people and livestock sick then it shouldn't be handled by men.

There was a danger of some sort of radiation sickness caused from exposure to the alien craft; however Trevor wasn't affected like the others were.

The Mayor of Keremeos granted ownership and caretaking of the alien spacecraft to Trevor until such time as a new plan was contrived.

It was not long before Trevor created an establishment on his farm to honor his friend, Gurchukk and all of his other Sasquatch acquaintances.

He called it, "The museum of the Crater Mountain Sasquatch Legend." There, Trevor displayed the actual alien spacecraft along with an entire outdoor exhibition depicting the alien creatures. Clay mock ups of the three alien creatures stood at the base of the craft. On the other side of his field, Trevor fashioned a cave. Much of the museum was put together with the help of his friends; the Copper Creek Coachmen.

They worked hard to reconfigure boulders to replicate the Sasquatch cave where he had his unforgettable experience upon Crater Mountain.

Just outside the cave, Trevor built a tall fourteen foot Sasquatch replica of Gurchukk with real hair. Beside his Gurchukk statue were others; Nuxie, Tunoka and Tiarrow. At the feet of the statues were cement castings of Sasquatch feet. These were the original castings gleaned from the footprints left in the mud near the UFO crash site.

Trevor knew he'd never see the Sasquatch again so he documented his entire tale and displayed details of his true story for all to see.

He also included other documented Sasquatch encounters from the town. The stories were located in a covered area right between the two exhibits.

Many people came to Trevor's Sasquatch Museum from near and far. The crowds that he drew were in the hundreds daily, but as time went on, the crowds dwindled.

Trevor would say, "People have the attention span of a Sasquatch." He didn't really care. Then one day, without any forewarning, Trevor's alien spacecraft went missing. No one had any idea who took it, only that Trevor awoke one morning and it was gone.

Had the aliens returned to take it back? Did the government steel it for themselves? Or was it possible that indeed it was the Sasquatch who claimed it?

Trevor didn't have the answer. He came to Keremeos to make a fortune and he did, along with a success beyond anything he could have ever dreamed.

Still, he had come to dread the screams that drew on long into the night.

* * *

In Trevor's later years, many people asked him to reveal where exactly the Sasquatch cave was, but Trevor flatly refused every time, or he acted like he couldn't hear them. Maybe he really couldn't. He never wanted anything to do with the Sasquatch or alien creatures, ever again. With old age, Trevor complained regularly of his lack of sleep due to his severe nightmares and headaches. When questioned about his experiences, he declined to relive his ordeal for any price.

Becoming a huge grouchy recluse who never went out at night, Trevor ended up developing a fear for everything. "There are monsters in our world... I have seen them... They robbed me of my hearing... One of them ate my finger..."

Near the end of his days, Trevor became a very squirrelly and lonely old man, despite the respect from the friends he never knew he had in town. He was considered one of the lucky ones.

One fateful night he died in his sleep when old age claimed his life. Trevor lived to the accomplished and dignified old age of ninety two.

* * *

Through the years that followed, the legend had been altered and many of the items that were believed at the time to be viable proof to back up Trevor's story were discredited by skeptics. The missing spacecraft that no one could verify with even a photograph was also officially discredited. The Sasquatch footprints, which were believed to be faked and all of the other Sasquatch stories that didn't scare people as they once did, all aided a new conception that such a story was utterly and entirely false.

As for the people of Keremeos today, they still do like to retell the stories of Tiarrow and Trevor and of course the mighty Sasquatch of Crater Mountain. They still amuse their children at dusk by the light of campfires.

A strange cry is still reported some nights that is carried throughout the valley, the kind that's not unlike the sound of a woman screaming out her soul in agony.

These foreboding outcries of woe, carried on the winds from Crater Mountain, are still a mystery and people cannot easily explain them away. What else could be the source of nature's languish?

Though there had been many other sightings of the Sasquatch since Trevor's encounter, none of them ever came with the same kind of proof that Trevor was fortunate enough to provide, until years later when the strangest and most mysterious events began to unfold in the quiet little mining town of Coalmont.

A novel by,

Robert A. Hunt

# To learn more about the Sasquatch, please visit the BFRO website at;

www.bfro.net

With all the evidence that people continue to compile around the world, I am confident it won't be long before the species is proven to exist.

Robert A Hunt

2019
The Sasquatch Legend Continues in; The Coalmont Legend – Book 2

# The Coalmont Legend

Book 2

IN THE WILD NORTH, secluded from city populations, the small mining town of Coalmont harbors secrets of vile origins. During the early 1900's, the land was cursed. By retracing the steps of a mysterious traveler a peculiar link to the strange occurrences were revealed. The town's people vanished with reoccurring tales of demon-like fire-creatures who were behind their reported disappearances. The new town residents were an edgy lot who wouldn't dare go out at night for fear of being abducted. Everyone was miserable in their gloomy little cabins. Not only were the people at a loss for sleep, they shared the same sense of hopeless isolation under the disparaging manifestation of evil.

The steam engine that passed through the town attracted the attention of notorious train robber, Bill Miner, but it wasn't until the discovery of his treasure map when things really took a turn for the worst.

A discontented group of men from Coalmont stumble upon a fearful discovery. Hidden within the dense forests of Coalmont's mountains, a Sasquatch community known as the, 'Big People' attempt to trade and communicate with them but things take a dreadful turn for the worst. When the gruesome wild folks engage in war against the ghastly fire-demon Skultch, the mash-up of mayhem results in an utter explosion of monstrous hostilities! The forest became darker under its sickness of doom and titan beasts shook the ground. The business of men had to take a backseat to the world dominating behemoths who had to work out a discrepancy between them.

The truth behind this story has plagued people for generations. Until there is a way to verify this story, it will have to remain a legend.

# About the Author

ROBERT A. HUNT has five published novels. His 'Legend' series pertain to the past. These include; The Coalmont Legend and The Crossbreed Legend. Robert is currently finishing up a fourth installment of his Legend books.

He also wrote the Jasper series; Book 1 is titled 'Jasper and the Shelter of Angels' Book 2 is "Jasper and the Shroud of Death' and Book 3 (near completion) is 'Jasper and the Guiding Light.' These stories, which are perceived to take place in the present, delve into spiritual and paranormal issues through a compelling and action packed narrative.

Besides writing, Robert also enjoys exploring the nature of North America in search of Sasquatch evidence. Stories of witness accounts in the subjects of Sasquatch, aliens, angels or other unknown criptids captivate him. Through his research on such things, Robert has compiled stories he would like to read but do not exist. Writing has been a magnificent outlet to set his imagination free. His unique story telling style is a rarity indeed.

Following in their father's enthusiastic endeavor, his children also share their stories in print.

The idea of a true Sasquatch encounter (Or any non-human entity or creature) both intrigues and terrifies him, but when new evidence and reports are submitted he is captivated by the possibilities.

Robert resides in his homeland of Canada, British Columbia with his family.

# Leave a review along with my hairy friend here!

Share your thoughts about this story.

<https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/288944>

# To find more books from Wordpainter Publishing, simply look us up on the internet at:

http://wordpainter-publishing.blogspot.ca/

WORDPAINTER BOOKS Inc.,

<http://genationofficial.blogspot.ca/>

# Cascade Adventures

Key of the Phantasm

By Stacey T. Hunt

At fourteen, Kale Kipling is the star player and captain of his Island's aquaball team, his fans adore him, his peers envy him, and his girlfriend can't get enough of him. But one sunny morning, Kale awakens to find a boy with pointed ears staring at him at the foot of his bed, there to give him some bad news: Kale, and everyone else in his tropical island paradise, are going to die today, unless Kale goes with him. Kale doesn't believe him, and so he goes about his day. But then, the mysterious boy's warning comes true... and Kale dies.

He didn't expect to awaken, naked and alone, in a shattered world where nothing is as it seems. Planet Cascade; where sorceresses don't look their age, plague and disease run rampant, two witches collect the wandering souls of the dead and sacrifice them in an acid pit, and the planet's ruler Queen Cadence receives strange visions. Visions she claims to be "prophecies of the future" only, no one else but her believes them. One of those prophecies include Kale, in his ghostly state, meeting and befriending a lost heir, the last magician, and a mopey mechanic. Together, they're supposed to stop the same mysterious entity that destroyed Kale's island and threatens to obliterate what remains of the rest of the planet.

But not all stories end happily ever after.
