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American Life

Wolf had not had this much fun, since he was very young. They were remembering a magical time, when being young made you free from worry and thoughts of tragic moments.

Neither the buffalo nor the wolf talked of dark times, that had followed them into adulthood.

The hiss was loud and creepy, especially to Crow, but even so to Great Buffalo and Wolf named Dog. "You are making my hunt impossible with your noise. No creature is within ear distance of you. Thus, I have nothing to hunt. Do you suppose you can stop?" Snake never stopped slithering through the darkness.

Young Buck's Father had heard the commotion and his son's words. "Snake is probably just getting ready to shed its skin. The eyes get cloudy, just before they get rid of the old skin."

The youngsters looked at each other in amazement. "How can that be?" asked Young Buck.

His Father answered, "From time-to-time Snake crawls out of its old covering. It is said Snake undergoes a type of death. When the eyes are clouded, Snake is in another place - the In Between. It is a place between Life and Death."

"Why does Snake need to shed its skin?" asked Dog.

"The In Between is a place of knowledge. Every time Snake transmutes, he brings back a piece of information. It is not a need to shed skin, as it is a need to bring another piece of knowledge back into the World. Shedding the skin is just a symbol of the process. And the process is a gift."