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"Oh don't worry, I agree it's best to let the herd be as much as we are able. They will come to us should they wish our company." The shaman brushed a lock of hair that had escaped it's braid out of his feild of vision.

Foalen nodded at the description of the soquili with his skeletals showing."I know the soquili your talking about, I'm sure I've seen him before. Ayita knows him too, though I haven't gotten the chance to get to know him very well."

As if mention of him summoned his presence Takota appeared next to the shaman yapping softly his tail slowly swishing back and forth his little eyes bright.

"From what I've managed to put together because of the damage to his leg he seems to have been caught in some kind of metal trap. I can only think it was one set by the foreigners who came from across the great waters for our hunters do not use traps that would cause this kind of damage." Foalen frowned thinking about what the presence of the trap might mean to the village. Hopefully nothing more would come of it. But his instincts told him something else entierly.

"Takota is very friendly dispite what happened to him and he's growing stronger every day. Though he's still a little timid about going out hunting on his own. He likes to have me go with him. But I have high hopes for him. He is braver each time we go out together. I believe eventually he'll be able to go out hunting by himself once more."

"Yes, from the shape and depth of the wound I would say it was deffinatly not made out of wood or brush. It had to be metal, what's worse is that it was obviously not meant for a fox. The quarry they were after had to have been much bigger say a wild cat or a bear. Or they would have used a trap with much smaller teeth." The shaman shook his head his face darkening with anger at the thought of the pilgrims hunting without any respect for the creatures they were killing.

It wasn't the idea of hunting that bothered Foalen. To live man had to eat and to that end the great spirt had provided creatures of the air and land for men to hunt. But these creatures were born of the spirit the same as man and their lives required respect, especialy if they were called upon to give up their earthly life in order to provide continued life to another.

"These strangers take life without a word of thanks or even a pause of thought as if somehow they believe they hold dominion over life and death, that they can do as they please no matter what the effects of their actions are on others." Foalen looked around at the trees and grass near the teepee thinking of how seperate the stranger who had come to the villiage had seemed from the nature all around him.

"They are conceted to so completely ignore the voice and will of the spirits and the living mother, the land, wich provids food and protection from the elements. It saddens me to say this, but I believe we will eventually come into conflict with these strangers. There ways are too diffrent from ours for us to get along for long."

Sighing Foalen waved Lilly towards one of the hide sit upons as he took another. "Perhaps I am wrong and they will learn to listen to the voice of the land. I hope for all our sakes it is so." Though his eyes said that he didn't believe that was a very likely outcome.

The shaman nodded sadly. "From what I have seen of them, their behaviour isn't born out of ingorance as much as aorgence as I mentioned before. They don't feel they need to respect anything but themselves and their own beliefs.

They do not see the balance of the world or even the need for balance. I can't imagain how anyone could be so brazen to take life simply because it amuses them. I have heard they call us savages and themselves civilized. But I would not wish to be civilized if it means being numbered amoung those who are so self centered." Shaking his head Foalen reached down to pick up some dried meat he had saved and set asside and held it out to his guest.

"But let's talk about something other than the strangers, tell me if you don't mind a little about yourself."

"It sounds like you both had a difficult path to take. But I am glad you found your way here. And perhaps it is selfish of me but I am also greatful you decided to not to stay with your birth tribe when the offered to accept you after you met Cyrus. A tribe should accept you for who and what you are not what you bring with you." Foalen sighed, unforchinatly he had seen cases like Lilly's far to often.

Taking another piece of dried meat he offered it to Takota. The fox nibbled at his fingertips playfully before taking the morsle. "I too come from somewhere else. My birth tribe is a fair distance from here to the north. Unlike most tribes my shaman chose more than one apprentice to train and follow his path. I think perhaps he knew I was destited to go elsewhere. When the time of testing came he sent us all out to seek a vision in order to find weather our place was with the our tribe or somewhere else.

I have had no vison telling me to return. Infact it has become more and more obvious that I am needed here. So here I will stay.

Smiling the shaman motioned for Lilly to be at ease when he noticed her take her food out and realized that she was uncomfortable doing so in his presence. "It's all right, go ahead and eat. And if you like I have some sweet bread I was given that might go well the friut if you'd like me to get some for you."

Antisipating an afirmitive Foalen moved around to where the bread was stored and selected a large loaf. "I plan on staying for as long as I am needed here. But at first I thought I wanted to go back to my old tribe."

Shaking his dark braid over his shoulder Foalen chuckeled as he thought back to his first days in the village. "My tribe was all I knew and I felt safe and comfortable there. Infact I was afraid to leave, when I had been told I would have to go dream seeking. But I think it is nessisary to risk danger if you are ever to grow past childhood."

"To live a fledgling hawk must leave the nest and take to the sky." The shaman smiled a self effaceing smile as he held the bread out to Lilly. "Even so it took me some time to understand why leaving the tribe was so important in my progress as both a man and shaman. "

Accepting the partial loaf from Lilly the shaman smiled. "You aren't a bother. I'm glad for the company." He assured her as he sampled a little of the bread.

Taking out a skin of water he took offered it to Lilly. "As to what a shaman does, we care for the spiritual needs of those around us. We act as guides to those who need advice in matters of the spirit. When the spirit realm is out of balance with the physical realm we work to correct the imbalance. If the tribe is threatened by a spirit or someone using a spirit for evil or personal gain we defend the the tribe and that wich is sacred."

Foalen leaned back to scratch the his head in thought."I'm sorry, I'm not sure if I've been helpful at all in my explination. Is there anything specificly that you would like to learn more about?"

Reaching down the shaman absently scrached behind the ears of the little brown fox sitting next to him.

Sighing Foalen gazed at the fire his dark eyes meditative as he tried to gather his thoughts. "Hmmm, that's a difficult question to answer."He replied slowly as a few small embers broke away from a log in the flames flicking up wards as the warm air reached up towards the opening in the top of the teepee.

Leaning forward he looked up at Lilly speaking soflty. "Each situation is diffrent as each spirit is diffrent. Sometimes the spirit needs to be turned away at other times it is the fault of the villiger or village for doing something to anger the spirits or failing to do something that is expected and reperations must be made before the blanace can be returned. There is no single "way" of defending someone from a spirit. It it more a matter of feeling out each situation and responding appropreatly."

Takota leaned into the scratchings his face reflecting how much he was enjoying the feeling of fingers in his fur. This new twofooter had very nice hands and she knew just where to scratch. He wouldn't mind at all if she came by more often. The little fox yipped softly to try and make feelings known and butted gently against Lilly's hand when she slowed her scratching.

"Where do I start?" Foalen asked aloud as he gathered his thoughts. "There are many ways in wich spirits are angered. But mainly it comes down to one of three possibilities. Sometimes Evil or vengful spirits act out of a long held anger or gudge. At other times it is the ignorance or arrigance of a villiger or some other person who does not treat the spirits with the respect they deserve. And last, but still very dangerous is when someone who is very closely connected to the spirits uses and controls them for their own benifit or to harrass others."