THE BEGINNING

      Keokee was only ten summers old when he first met Otter. His father, Stonega, told Keokee that Otter would teach him many valuable things. Keokee did not understand this at first, but later, he grew to understand what Otter, and other animals of the forest, could teach. But he was only a little boy then and cared more for adventure and having fun than learning lessons of life.

      This came later.

      Keokee lived in a valley nestled in the mountains called by the Cherokee the “Land of a Thousand Smokes,” or the Great Smoky Mountains. His people had lived in the place as long as they could remember. They also called themselves the “Principal People,” or “Original People,” because according to their legends, they were the first people in the Great Smoky Mountains.” Keokee’s village was nestled in a little valley between two high mountain ridges and a beautiful river, teeming with fish and freshwater mussels, that flowed swiftly through the valley—gurgling clear, deep, and pure—running right by the log and earth lodge where Keokee lived. It was a very beautiful place indeed, and a perfect place for his village, because the forest and the fields provided much food, and the rivers and springs provided clear, cold water and fish to eat.

      There was little time for a Cherokee boy to play because it was very hard work to provide enough food and water to feed an entire village, and Keokee had many responsibilities. It was Keokee’s job to see that the water jar inside the family lodge was always filled with fresh cold spring water, which he carried from a nearby spring, which bubbled forth straight out of the ground, and it seemed, at least to him, he was forever kept busy gathering hickory nuts, walnuts, acorns, and berries when they were ripening. If that wasn’t hard enough, Keokee was taught how to plant and harvest corn, beans, and squash from the vegetable fields along the river, and when he wasn’t doing that, his father or mother were always calling for him to do other stuff, like carry firewood to keep the cook fires going, bringing more water to cook with, and other chores which weren’t very fun to do.

      Keokee’s father, Stonega, was one of the leaders of the Cherokee people. He was not a chief, but he was one of the village elders who gathered in the great Council House of the Cherokee people to discuss and decide on important issues, such as enforcing tribal laws, maintaining the Sacred Fire of the Cherokee, and other such issues. Keokee’s mother, Cheoah, was a very beautiful woman. Keokee was very proud of his father, and he loved and adored his mother. He was an only child though, and sometimes it seemed that there was more time for chores than for fun and adventure.

      Keokee often got into trouble with his parents because they just didn’t seem to understand that work and chores were no fun at all. You see, like most other ten-year-old boys and girls, Keokee was a very adventuresome little Cherokee boy, and he loved to sneak away from his chores and go exploring every chance he could. But it never seemed he had enough time to go on real adventures. It seemed that he never had enough time for real fun.

      Keokee’s homeland was a great place for a little Indian boy to grow up in too. There were beautiful towering mountains full of oaks, hickories, and other beautiful trees; clear, fast-running streams, which came tumbling out of the mountains to form the river that flowed past Keokee’s village; and rich cane fields to explore. There were white-tailed deer, squirrels, bears, and all other kinds of critters to investigate. There was a multitude of fish, crawdads, and other water creatures in the rivers and streams, just waiting to be caught and played with. It was a place full of fun and adventure just waiting to happen, and it was so, so exciting to live there. So you see, living in such an exciting place just made Keokee’s heart burn more and more for adventure.

      Sometimes, Keokee tried to play with the other Cherokee children, but he soon grew bored with that because the kids in Keokee’s village weren’t very much fun. Most of the children in Keokee’s village played games like stickball, a game where two teams each tried to roll a ball using short sticks into the other team’s goal. Or they wanted to shoot play arrows at play targets or play silly hiding games, nothing that was real fun. And whenever he suggested that they go on a real adventure, like exploring in the forests, everyone was afraid to get too far from the village because they were afraid they would get punished if their parents caught them. So it swiftly became obvious to Keokee that if he wanted to experience real adventures and excitement, he’d pretty much have to do it alone.

      Well, Keokee wanted real adventure—he wanted to explore new places, fight fierce animals, and do all the brave grown-up things that grown-ups did. Sometimes, the grown-up men would take off on hunting expeditions and be gone for days and days on end; when they returned, they would gather in the Great Council House and sing about songs about their adventures, glories, and accomplishments. Little boys and girls weren’t allowed in the Council House though because that was a place for grown-ups only. But many times, Keokee would creep silently on his belly to the side of the Council House and, hiding in the shadows, place his ear to the wall and listen to the exciting stories told by the grown-ups of successful hunts, brave fighting, and tales about strange lands and unusual animals. Keokee so burned with excitement over what he heard that when he’d later sneak back to his bed, he could not sleep. He so dearly wanted to do the things grown-ups did.

      So one morning, on a bright sunny spring day, Keokee began the day as he always did, with his first chore of the morning: filling the water jar with fresh spring water. But instead of filling the jar and returning it to its place by the lodge door, Keokee left it at the spring and walked off alone into the forest. He was embarking on his first great adventure, all alone. He decided he was going to climb to the very top of Wayah Bald, which was