Wiyot’s eyes began to open as the rays from the sun hit him. He squinted his eyes and turned his head away as he tried again. He looked over again and saw an opening about the length of a sliding door where the sun was sitting right in front of him. Under the sun was a valley full of green.
“Had enough of your beauty rest?” Calian said, in his human form. “For a nocturnal animal you sure slept through the night”.
“And yet you seem fine being awake in broad daylight”. Wiyot responded with.
“We did consider migrating to a nocturnal schedule, but there’s only one of us who is getting in the way”.
“Huh?”
“Yo!” Takoda said, also in his human form and seemingly out of nowhere. “While you were taking your slumber, we made our way to this neat little hideout that Calian was aware of. So now we’re looking at how we’re going to get out of this town without the feds being right on our tails, ya feel?”
Wiyot checked out his surroundings where he saw some old oak walls the expanded just enough to five or six people. The entry way was covered with a curtain to the side of it as well as a shelf, a chest, a coat hooks on the wall. There was a table with a few mason jars on top as well as a shelf to the right. He looked around so more, but there was not much more to be found.
“Where’s that kid that…”
“Hey Wiyot!” Halian greeted Wiyot, and as you guessed it, in his human form as well. “Glad you’re doing better”.
“All of you are humans and dressed up huh?” Wiyot asked.
“What do you mean?” Halian asked.
“Never mind him”. Calian said. “He’s hung up about being a true owl. Whatever that means”.
“Either way I believe that it’ll probably be best for us to work out our exit strategy”. Takoda said.
“It’s simple, we take a bus out to Vancouver and fly once we reach the border”. Wiyot suggested.
“Vancouver?” Calian asked. “First off, unless you go into your human form we will stick out like a sore thumb on the bus with an owl as if it were our pet. Secondly, why would we go towards Vancouver?!?”
“I don’t know. It’s a hunch”.
“A hunch? Based on what?”
“A voice”.
“A voice? Are you fucking serious?”
“Yes, I am serious”. Wiyot stated. It’s a voice. I heard a voice and felt a vibration. The vibration drew me here”.
“What did that voice tell you?” Calian asked.
“To go and find Nirvana”.
Halian and Takoda were quite taken aback by what Wiyot said. Calian took a pause as well. All three at this point had their gaze fixated onto Wiyot. Meanwhile, Wiyot stood there with a stoic gaze.
“Nirvana?” Halian asked with a hopeful tone. “You think it’s real?”
“I have never been there, but I feel the need to find out”.
“But is it worth the try?”
“I mean, there had to be a reason why we’re all here, right?”
“Well, I’m going to need more than a feeling to commit to that kind of mission!” Calian said.
“Do what you will”. Wiyot replied. “Regardless of your decision I’ve made mine. I’m going”.
“Damn, those tranquilizers really did a number on you huh?”
“The warrior who trusts his path doesn’t need to prove the others wrong”.
“Wait a second”. Takoda interrupted. “I’m sure that we can talk this over in a way that we can have a reasonable conclusion”.
“You want to go on a wild goose chase?” Calian asked.
“I’m not saying that”. Takoda a responded. “But what I am saying is that there’s no need to fight. We all know what Nirvana is supposed to be. Do we really have anything to lose by checking it out? Hell, leaving the country might not be such a bad after if you catch my drift”.
“Right. But there’s the blocking point”. Calian stated, having his finger pointed at Wiyot.
“If you truly desire what you’re looking for you wouldn’t let my values get in your way”. Wiyot said as a defense.
“Yeah right”. Calian snapped back with. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind”.
“You don’t have to follow me if you don’t won’t to”.
“Follow you? What have you been on this whole time?”
“Fighting like this doesn’t make any sense!” Halian shouted. “We’re just wasting time!”
“Why don’t you just stay out of it? Calian demanded.
“He’s actually right”. Takoda said. “We could have been working out that exit strategy a good time ago”.
“I think we should just leave”. Wiyot said.
“I mean, if you’re not worried about people trying to capture you and stuff like that”.
“It is what it is. But I think I’ll be fine”.
“How can you be so sure?” Calian asked. “The voice?”
“I just am”. Wiyot replied.
“Hey, everybody has a song”. Takoda said.
“Ever think that the voice you hear could be a sign of a greater issue?”
“Like what?”
“Oh, don’t tell me that you’re that dense”.
“Why are you so upset?”
“I am not upset!”
“Could have fooled me”. Takoda interrupted.
“This is a waste of time!” Calian stated. “Are we going to start making moves or what? Let me know so I can gauge just how much longer I have to be around you outcasts”.
“I say we find a cage for…for…uh…what’s your name?”
“Wiyot”. Wiyot said, formally introducing himself.
“Well Wiyot, I’m Takoda, the kid over that is Halian and…”.
“We’ve introduced ourselves already”. Calian said. “Haven’t forgotten”.
“Guess that means that we’re all tribal”. Wiyot said.
“Yeah”. Takoda said. “I suppose it does huh?”
“Not to interrupt the wannabe family reunion”. Calian interjected with. “But now we all know who the other is I’d dare say that our que to go”.
“Well then, the junkyard!” Takoda said.
“Seriously?” Calian asked.
“What?” Takoda responded with. “I have no money. But you know, I felt a vibration too…”
Wiyot turned and looked at Takoda. There was a look of surprise and comfort on his face. Halian had a look of being caught off guard while Calian looked at Takoda with a annoyance and frustration.
“Yeah”. Halian said. “Me too”.
“What about you Calian?” Wiyot asked.
A head of man dressed in all black and wearing a ski mask was poking he up at tree house’s entrance. Everyone was frozen still as they stared at the man. Right as they were about to attack the man in the ski mask pulled out his gun, forcing everyone to cooperate. He ran up to Wiyot and forced him into a sack at gun point. He tied up the sack and made his way down, his gun pointed at Calian, Takoda, and Halian until he was good.
"Well". Calian said, taking out and sparking up a cigarette". “Fantastic”.