Predator of Souls
Written by Scott E. Power, Edited by William Forgey, M.D.

Many years ago in 1598, when the North American wilderness belonged to its rightful owners, there was a Cree Indian Shaman named Eagle Eyes who was very wise and very old. He was called Eagle Eyes because he could see into the future things that were to happen.

Eagle Eyes was a holy man in his tribe. Tribe members honored him and followed his sage advice. He had been the spiritual leader of his tribe since the age of 10 when the tribe became convinced of his supernatural aptitude.

When Eagle Eyes was the age of 10, a holy number within Cree culture, he walked up to a wild timber wolf and touched its head by caressing the wolf's fur. The wolf stood still, immediately sitting at rest in a submissive manner showing all the witnesses that this little boy had supernatural power; the power to command wild animals into submission.

Later that day, the little boy predicted a "ground storm" that would destroy the plains by "swallowing the grass". Two days later, an earthquake hit north of the tribe's camp and twenty-five acres of the earth's surface sank into itself. It was on this day the tribe named the little boy Eagle Eyes, and appointed him the spiritual leader and shaman of the tribe.

One day many years later, a woman in the tribe was in labor to give birth. She was having extreme difficulty, so Eagle Eyes assisted in the birth. It was a very scary time. The woman was in great pain and near death. However, the shaman was able prevent a tragedy by delivering the baby without harm to the mother. It was a boy. However, something unusual happened when the baby was born. It did not cry. Sensing something was wrong, Eagle Eyes spanked the baby to provoke it, but it did not work. Eagle Eyes looked into the baby's eyes and saw that it was alive and well. Immediately, the mother named the baby boy Wacha, Cree for Strong Spirit.
As Wacha grew older, Eagle Eyes sensed there was something very special about the boy. As he talked with the boy he realized that Wacha was an old soul, probably in his fourth incarnation. He was wise beyond his years and very interested in things unseen, spiritual matters and shamanic powers. Eagle Eyes began to teach Wacha The Ways of the Shaman, making him an apprentice.

As Wacha grew older he became very confident in his abilities and spiritual knowledge. Eagle Eyes had taught him well. However, something began to stir within Wacha, something powerful. Wacha started to become aware of himself. He became conscious of his spiritual power. He desired more. And he wanted more knowledge. His curiosity swelled within him. So, at night while the rest of the tribe was sleeping Wacha would meditate, searching his soul for answers he did not have.

One day, Wacha asked Eagle Eyes about his thirst for the unknown. Immediately, the wise shaman exclaimed the danger of searching for such answers:

"There is only confusion in knowledge. Trust only in The Great Spirit. Trust not what you think. Trust in the mind over The Spirit is certain death. Trust in The Spirit and there is life forever. The Spirit never dies. Mind and its knowledge die and are gone forever. Trust not the tricks of the mind on the body. Meditate on what The Great Spirit has shown us, not on The Unknown. To do otherwise is certain death."

This upset Wacha greatly. He left Eagle Eyes' teepee feeling very angry and disappointed with what his mentor had said. Wacha didn't understand. He didn't think it was fair. He wanted more than what he had. More knowledge, more spiritual power. No! For Wacha this would not do. He would take it upon himself to probe even harder for The Unknown, for the answers he sought. He would continue his nightly meditations, despite what Eagle Eyes had told him.

As time passed and Wacha continued to search The Unknown, something in him began to change. His demeanor and his posture changed. He became very sour faced and slouched over. He began to take on the appearance of an older person up in the seasons. Wacha's attitude changed too. He became more withdrawn. He stopped speaking to others. He stopped smiling. And he started to hate Eagle Eyes.

Wacha became bitter about what his mentor had taught him. He felt cheated. He felt Eagle Eyes had cheated him out of vital knowledge about The Unknown. Wacha hated Eagle Eyes passionately. So, he devised a plan. He would cast a spell to steal Eagle Eyes spirit from his body and be rid of him for good!

So, using his spiritual powers Wacha cast a spell. He called for a wolf to wander into camp and brush against Eagle Eyes leg and steal his spirit upon contact.

Wacha couldn't wait for his spell to be realized. He began to fantasize about how great life would be without Eagle Eyes. Now, Wacha would become the tribe's new shaman!

Later that day, Eagle Eyes was found dead lying in his teepee. There was no sign of physical harm done, but his body was found lifeless on the floor. Upon further investigation, the tribesman who found the body said he saw a timber wolf leaving Eagle Eyes' teepee, which is what caused him to peer inside the teepee.

Wacha listened carefully, as if to appear concerned. All the while, laughing on the inside as a very evil spirit began to grow inside Wacha. Others from the tribe, not knowing what was really going on, began to approach Wacha about adopting all Shamanic responsibilities immediately. He accepted.

It was a very dangerous time in the life of the tribe.

Early the next morning another wolf was spotted leaving Wacha's teepee. Soon after, Wacha's body was found dead on the floor of the teepee. As people gathered in and around Wacha's tent to examine his body and mourn this double tragedy, Eagle Eyes walked through the crowd. People began to faint, falling onto the ground. They thought they were seeing a dead man walking. Quite the contrary. Eagle Eyes was alive!

Once the tribe knew that it was truly him and not some ghostly illusion, Eagle Eyes explained that Wacha had cast a spell for a wolf to steal his spirit. Which indeed worked and was why his body laid dead. But, what Wacha didn't realize is that Eagle Eyes power of the animals would be intact and that he could control the wolf's actions.

So, during the early morning Eagle Eyes went into Wacha's teepee and pulled his spirit out of his body and into the wolf. Then, went back to his own tent and rubbed up against his day old corpse and swapped his spirit back. He then condemned Wacha to a life trapped inside an animal's body never to be reversed.

Outline

I. A Cree Indian boy became the tribe shaman by showing his control over a wolf and predicting a "ground storm" (earthquake).

II. Many years later a boy was born who didn't cry at birth.

III. This boy was called Wacha (Strong Spirit).

IV. Wacha was not content learning the ways of the Great Spirit-he wanted to control it.

V. He was rebuked by Eagle Eyes, so he plotted revenge.

VI. He caused a wolf to steal Eagle Eyes' soul one night, thus assuming the role of the tribe shaman.

VII. But Eagle Eyes' soul in the wolf caused it to steal and trap Wacha's soul instead and to release his.

VIII. The tribe was rid of the evil spirit and Eagle Eyes resumed his role as the tribe shaman.