Our story begins with a little farm house. It looks like it has seen better days. Shingles are missing, there is a boarded up front window. The fields are not fertile lands but instead are mounds of light brown sand, dotted with rocks and the occasional cactus. The only real break in the hot, dry mixture is the paved road, although it was cracked and in need of repair. In the front driveway is a rusted old Chevy. The tailgate is missing and in the back you can see some various machinery parts, possibly collected from curbside garbage pickups. The side of the house is further littered with broken washing machines and other appliances. The shed door is open to show more of these machines, all in various states of repair.
On the porch is a man, dressed in linen pants in a khaki green and a ratty, yellowing wife beater that at one point was probably white. His wrinkled skin holds a tanned appearance and his features immediately identify him as being a native american. His ponytail of dark hair is streaked with silver, as is his unkept beard and mustache. Between his pale lips lies a cigar but the scent that comes from the cloud of smoke is not just tobacco. He is leaning on the weather worn railing when a car appears at the horizon, the man doesn’t move. As the car gets closer, it’s easy to see that it’s a red truck, obviously newer than the truck sitting in the driveway.
The man doesn’t even move when the car pulls to a stop beside the truck, shuts off and the driver exits. The man is of course Ty West, future SCW Champion. His longer blonde hair is not quite long enough to pull back into a ponytail but is still neatly combed. His shirt is a black t-shirt that almost looks two sizes too small with how it clings to his muscles. His jeans are equally form fitting. He makes his way toward the porch and stops, looking up at hte aging man that still has not stopped puffing on his cigar of unknown origin.
Ty waits a moment but when the man doesn’t move, he sighs and finally speaks.
Ty: Uncle Roy...
The man finally looks up, watery brown eyes meeting his blue ones.
Roy: Boy, I ain’t your uncle.
The man of course is a long time friend and drug dealer of Ty’s father. He had known Roy since before he can remember but only because this man was around more than his own dad was. There were many times he would stop by to see his mom and until recently, he hadn’t known why but in recent years he had learned that Roy had often stopped by to check on them both and to give his mother money to help with food or clothes for Ty. He knew the man wouldn’t acknowledge any kind of thanks Ty offered so he didn’t bother.
Ty: Well... I wondered if you could help me with something.
Roy nods, raising his dark eyebrows and waiting for Ty to reveal what this something was.
Ty: What do you know about vision quests?
Roy starts laughing and he rises from the banister and walks toward the screen door. He goes inside and Ty is confused. He takes a few of the stairs, albeit carefully as to not break anymore of them when Roy returns, the cigar still hanging between his lips but in his hand is a bag of what looks like dried mushrooms. He throws the baggie at Ty which is almost doesn’t catch. Looking up at Roy it was his turn to ask his question.
Ty: What’s this?
Roy returns to his spot on the bannister, takes a long drag of his cigar and blows the smoke out in a series of rings that rise and disappear into the air.
Roy: That’s the good shit, boy.
Ty was still confused. Being someone that had never gotten drunk, never gotten high, he had absolutely no idea what he was to do with this and what it was. Roy sighs.
Roy: You ain’t one of us so you can’t do a vision quest. It’s insulting that you would even ask, but...If you are looking to do some kind of soul searching, that will sure get you there.
Roy nods toward the baggie.
Ty: What do I owe you?
Roy waves him off.
Roy: That shit’s old anyway, you can have it. For a lightweight like you, it’ll have enough to knock you on your ass.
Ty finds his concept funny as it took more than some weed or mushroom to knock him down as there were very few men who had been able to acomplish that feet, let alone some neglicted vegetable.
Roy: I just ask one thing. You stay here when you do it. I”d hate to have you wondering around in the desert and get yourself killed.
***
Later that night
A fire is going as the sky has become streaks of pinks and oranges. Roy, his wife Lucy and his son, a seventeen year old who called himself wheels and Ty sat around a fire. Any desert started to cool at night, Ty was wearing a sweater that looked like one Mr.Rogers pulled from his closet before asking if you want to be his neighbour. Something that Roy had pulled out for him when he realized that Ty had become completely unprepared for staying a night in the desert.
Lucy is also a native woman but she is much younger than Roy. Wheels was Roy’s fourth child and Lucy was his fourth wife. Their youngest was five. Wheels was in the middle and his mother was one of Roy’s exes kid but he lived with Roy and Lucy. He keeps eyeing Ty with a bit of a starstruck look. Lucy smirks, looking at her step son. Finally Lucy leans into Ty and says softly;
Lucy: He’s a bit of a fan.
Ty made a mental note of taking a few minutes to talk to the boy before leaving the next day. It was about forty-five minutes later, Lucy and Wheels say their goodnights nad head back into the main house. Roy, another cigar between his lips nods at Ty.
Roy: Now you’re ready.
Ty took that to mean that he was to take some of these dried up things in the baggie. He puts one in his mouth. He instantly starts to gag at how bitter it is and Roy chuckles so much he begins coughing. Ty chokes it down and puts his fingers in the bag for another one when he is whacked with the poker stick from the fire. He drops the baggie.
Ty: Ow!
Roy: That’s enough.
For the next few minutes, time seems to slow and Ty swears that Roy has started talking like he’s had his speed reduced. He shakes his head, trying to clear it but it only makes it worse. The whole area begins to spin and whirl until it suddenly stops and he is in a all white room.
Ty: What?
The sound of clicking, nails on a ceramic floor and then a white dog sits in front of him, staring at him. He backs up just a touch, realizing now he was on his ass. Damn, Roy had been right, it had knocked him on his ass. The dog looks a lot like Kyssa, Fenris’ husky. Only this dog is definitely male. He continues to stare at him but no part of him appears to be menacing or looking to hurt him, instead there is a curiosity to the look. It’s then he realizes it’s not a dog at all, it’s a wolf. A white wolf. THe nickname that Fenris had.
The dog gets up and starts to walk away and Ty has the distinct feeling that he is supposed to follow him. The white room turns into the hallway with many doors, all opened to show various scenes. In one he sees him and Courtney. He doesn’t stick around to watch what happens. He didn’t want to relive that hurt. He passes by another room where he is made to tap out by Fenris. The disappointment on his own face hurts deeply. This was the point when he had begun to feel like maybe he was in the wrong profession but the next room shows him beating others in quick flashes. Joshua Aquin, Casey Williams and lastly Gianni Di Luca. The confidence in his movements is different than the match with Fenris.
His talk with Ben was in the next room, feeling like Ben was encouraging and in fact it helped him in his match. Knowing that someone like that had respect for him and faith too. And then he passes by the room showing Fenris and him talking and as he is walking away in the vision, he sees Fenris quickly watching his ass. Ty’s head tilts to one side and then he sees Aron nudge him and smile. He could have sworn that Fenris didn’t look at him like that but how could he have missed this? He was always so intune with seeing when women were into him but why couldn’t he read Krisjan? He really was out of his depth. The wolf then stops in front of a room even though the hallway expands on for what seems an eternity. He looks into the room to see that it is dark he goes to look back at the wolf but he is gone and when he turns back to the room, there is a plate beside the door that reads; “The future?”
The room suddenly illuminates on a living room. Ty is standing there, hands clenched, chest heaving and then Fenris moves into the scene and suddenly grabs the sides of his face to press his lips onto his. The Real Ty takes a step back in shock. The scene fades out only to show what appears to be a later date. Fenris is sitting beside him on a couch and Ty visibly sighs before leaning his head on the other man’s shoulder. Ty expects Fenris to pull away, but instead, Fenris raises his arm to allow Ty to cuddle into him.
It’s foreign to him. Not in a bad way but in a way that he wasn’t used to being the one that needed more, he was usually the one to give it to others. To be the attentive, masculine one in the relationship even though it never felt genuine. But this.. This scene felt right. Like he needed someone that would take care of him for a change. Was this a sign that he should admit his feelings.
Voice: TY!
He opens his eyes to see Roy’s old wrinkled face looking down at him, that same cigar perched between his lips. The sun is shining around him but his head blocks out the brightness of the morning sun.
He receives a stiff kick to the ribs and Ty groans, feeling his stomach flip flop. He rolls to the side and immediately empties the contents of his stomach.
Roy: YOu learn what you needed to know?
Ty looks back at the man, wiping his mouth with teh sleeve of the sweater.
Ty: not needed, but should have seen.
***
ON-CAMERA
“I’m going to make this really quick since I am feeling a little under the weather tonight.”
Ty West appears in front of the camera, looking a little worse for wear.
“I am fully prepared to get in that ring and do whatever I need to do in order to win. But I am not giving up. This is officially my statement. I am not retiring, now or anytime soon. I am here for the long haul, win or lose. As for Senor Vinnie...”
He sighs deeply before slightly shaking his head.
“Vinnie is a talented man and I look forward to facing him but make not mistake, friend or not, I am going to beat him and move on. I am finally ready to face Fenris. Adn this time, there is no going back.”
THe camera abruptly shuts off.
