Speaker 1: For decades, people have disappeared in the woods without a trace.
Speaker 1: Some blame wild animals, others whisper of creatures the world
Speaker 1: refuses to believe in. But those who have survived they
Speaker 1: know the truth. Welcome to Backwoods Bigfoot Stories, where we
Speaker 1: share real encounters with the things lurking in the darkness bigfoot,
Speaker 1: dog man, UFOs, and creatures that defy explanation. Some make
Speaker 1: it out, others aren't so lucky. Are you ready, because
Speaker 1: once you hear these stories, you'll never walk in the
Speaker 1: woods alone again. So grab your flashlight, stay close, and
Speaker 1: remember some things in the woods don't want to be found.
Speaker 1: Hit that follow or subscribe button, turn on auto downloads,
Speaker 1: and let's head off into.
Speaker 2: The woods if you dare.
Speaker 1: Every story about two worlds eventually arrives at the same
Speaker 1: dangerous question. What happens when someone decides to cross the
Speaker 1: line between them. That's the ground we're standing on as
Speaker 1: Part three begins, Because for all the talk of borders
Speaker 1: and territory and enemies at the tree line, the thing
Speaker 1: that's about to change everything isn't a war party or
Speaker 1: a hunting pack. It's a piece of paper left under
Speaker 1: a stone, and a boy who trusts the wrong things
Speaker 1: for all the right reasons. I've always believed the most
Speaker 1: interesting moment in any tale isn't the fight. It's the
Speaker 1: choice that comes before it, the one made quietly by
Speaker 1: someone young enough to still believe the world can be
Speaker 1: different than the people around him swear it is. That's
Speaker 1: the kind of choice waiting in these chapters, and it
Speaker 1: carries a weight that every roar and every raised fist
Speaker 1: in the earlier parts never could Trust. Is a strange
Speaker 1: thing out in that forest. It gets you killed as
Speaker 1: often as it saves you, and nobody can ever tell
Speaker 1: you in advance which one it'll be. Code is about
Speaker 1: to gamble on it.
Speaker 2: Anyway.
Speaker 1: What he risks and who he drags to the edge
Speaker 1: of that risk alongside him is where this next stretch
Speaker 1: of the road takes us. So settle in, Get comfortable.
Speaker 1: Some doors, once you open them, don't close again. This
Speaker 1: is Part three, Chapter eighteen, The meeting. Coda found the
Speaker 1: note three hours after Eli left it. He'd been on
Speaker 1: patrol with Mira, checking the boundaries of their territory when
Speaker 1: he'd caught Eli's familiar scent near the clearing. Curious, he
Speaker 1: detoured to investigate and found the paper weighted under the stone.
Speaker 1: He couldn't read human writing very well. His understanding of
Speaker 1: their language was mostly verbal, but he recognized enough words
Speaker 1: to grasp the general meaning. Parents No tomorrow night sunset?
Speaker 1: What is it, Mira asked, coming to peer over his
Speaker 1: shoulder trouble, Coda replied, Eli's parents know about us, about me, specifically,
Speaker 1: he wants to arrange a meeting. Absolutely not, Mira said immediately, Coda,
Speaker 1: you can't. It's too dangerous more humans knowing about us.
Speaker 1: They already know, Coda interrupted. The question is what we
Speaker 1: do about it. We could ignore this hope it goes away.
Speaker 1: But what if Eli's family tells others? What if they
Speaker 1: bring more humans into the forest looking for us, then
Speaker 1: we move deeper like we've done before when humans got
Speaker 1: too close. We just fought a war to defend this territory,
Speaker 1: Coda reminded her. Sasquatch died, Mira, Rockshaw, Jakara others. We're
Speaker 1: not moving again now when we finally have some peace.
Speaker 1: Mira was quiet for a moment, then sighed, You're going
Speaker 1: to do this no matter what I say, aren't you?
Speaker 1: I have to, Coda said, Eli's different he's kept our
Speaker 1: secret for three years. He's left me gifts, tried to
Speaker 1: understand us. If his parents are anything like him, maybe
Speaker 1: we can trust them too, Or maybe they'll hunt us
Speaker 1: down and destroy everything we've built MEA countered humans are dangerous, Coda,
Speaker 1: even the ones who seem friendly. Coda knew she was
Speaker 1: right to be cautious, but he also knew that the
Speaker 1: old ways, complete isolation, absolute secrecy, weren't sustainable anymore. The
Speaker 1: humans were everywhere now, their machines pushing deeper into the
Speaker 1: forest every year. Eventually contact was inevitable. Maybe it was
Speaker 1: better to have that contact on their terms, with humans
Speaker 1: who already had some understanding and respect. That evening, Coda
Speaker 1: approached his parents in their chamber. Koboda was resting his
Speaker 1: injuries from the battle, still healing, while Asha tended to
Speaker 1: him with a poultice made from forest herbs. I need
Speaker 1: to tell you something, Coda began, and then he explained
Speaker 1: everything Eli, the gifts, the growing friendship, the note, the
Speaker 1: proposed meeting. Caboda listened in silence, his expression growing darker
Speaker 1: with each detail. When Coda finished, the patriarch was quiet
Speaker 1: for a long moment. You've been meeting with a human,
Speaker 1: he finally said, his voice carefully controlled for over three
Speaker 1: years behind our backs. I know I should have told
Speaker 1: you sooner, Code admitted, but I thought you'd make me stop,
Speaker 1: and I didn't want to. Eli's different father. He sees
Speaker 1: us as people, not animals. He's curious and respectful and
Speaker 1: still human, Caboda interrupted. Still capable of betraying us intentionally
Speaker 1: or not. But he hasn't, Coda argued. He's kept our secret,
Speaker 1: even though it would have been easy to tell others.
Speaker 1: That has to count for something. Asha placed a hand
Speaker 1: on her mate's arm. Let the boy finish Caboda. Coda
Speaker 1: took a breath. The thing is, we don't have a
Speaker 1: choice anymore. A forest ran has been asking questions. Hikers
Speaker 1: are reporting sightings. Our secret is eroding, whether we like
Speaker 1: it or not. Meeting with Eli's family might be our
Speaker 1: chance to control the narrative, to have at least a
Speaker 1: few humans who understand us and might help protect us.
Speaker 1: Or it might be the beginning of the end, Kboda
Speaker 1: said grimly. Once word gets out, once people truly believe
Speaker 1: we exist, they'll come. Scientists wanting to study us, hunters
Speaker 1: wanting to prove their worth. Military may be wanting to
Speaker 1: capture us. We've stayed hidden for millennia for good reason, Coda.
Speaker 1: I know, Coda said, But father, the world has changed.
Speaker 1: There are cameras everywhere now, drones, satellites. How much longer
Speaker 1: can we really stay hidden? Maybe it's better to reveal
Speaker 1: ourselves to a few sympathetic humans than to be discovered
Speaker 1: by hostile ones. Kaboda closed his eyes, and Coda saw
Speaker 1: the weight of leadership pressing down on his father. This
Speaker 1: wasn't just a decision about one family meeting one Sasquatch.
Speaker 2: This was a.
Speaker 1: Decision that could affect every clan in the region, that
Speaker 1: could change the course of Sasquatch history. If I allow this,
Speaker 1: Caboda said, slowly, there will be conditions. You don't go alone.
Speaker 1: I'll accompany you, as will two other warriors. We meet
Speaker 1: in a location of our choosing, where we have the advantage,
Speaker 1: and at the first sign of treachery, weapons, cameras, any
Speaker 1: indication they brought others, we leave immediately and move the
Speaker 1: entire clan to the winter grounds. I understand, Coda said,
Speaker 1: relief flooding through him and Coda his father's eyes opened,
Speaker 1: fixing him with a hard stare. If this goes wrong,
Speaker 1: if we're exposed because of your judgment, You'll have to
Speaker 1: live with those consequences.
Speaker 2: We all will.
Speaker 1: The next evening, as the sun began to set, casting
Speaker 1: long shadows through the forest, the Thompson family made their
Speaker 1: way to the clearing Eli had described. Thomas carried a flashlight,
Speaker 1: though he kept it off for now. Sarah walked close
Speaker 1: to his side, her hand gripping his arm. Eli led
Speaker 1: the way, barely able to breathe. Are you sure about this,
Speaker 1: Sarah whispered. Maybe we should have told someone, brought someone
Speaker 1: with us and break Eli's trust. Thomas replied quietly, No,
Speaker 1: We do this his way, but I've got my phone
Speaker 1: set to speed dial nine one one if things go south.
Speaker 1: They reached the clearing just as the last light was
Speaker 1: fading from the sky. Eli's gift Pyle was there, undisturbed
Speaker 1: except for a new addition, a carved wooden figure, rough
Speaker 1: but recognizable as a bird in flight, Coda's latest gift.
Speaker 1: He's been here, Eli said, picking up the carving recently,
Speaker 1: maybe today. So where is he now? Thomas asked, scanning
Speaker 1: the darkening tree line, watching us, probably deciding if it's safe.
Speaker 1: They waited intense silence for what felt like hours but
Speaker 1: was probably only ten minutes. Then, from the shadows beneath
Speaker 1: the trees, something moved. Eli saw him first, Coda. He said, quietly,
Speaker 1: it's okay. These are my parents, Thomas and Sarah. They
Speaker 1: want to meet you. The young sasquatch emerged from the
Speaker 1: undergrowth slowly, and Eli heard his mother gasp. Even though
Speaker 1: Eli had tried to prepare them, nothing could really prepare
Speaker 1: someone for their first sight of a sasquatch. Coda stood
Speaker 1: nearly seven feet tall, his body covered in thick, tawny hair.
Speaker 1: His face was more human than ape, with intelligent, dark
Speaker 1: eyes that studied the Thompson family with obvious caution. But
Speaker 1: he wasn't alone. Two more sasquatch emerged behind him. The
Speaker 1: first was even larger than Coda, easily eight feet tall,
Speaker 1: with silver streaked hair and a presence that radiated authority.
Speaker 1: The second was a female, slightly smaller, with wise eyes
Speaker 1: and a protective stance near the big male. My parents,
Speaker 1: Coda said, in halting English, the words clearly difficult for him. Caboda, Asha, Thomas,
Speaker 1: and Sarah stood frozen, their eyes wide.
Speaker 2: Eli could see.
Speaker 1: His father's hand trembling where it held his phone. Holy shit,
Speaker 1: Thomas breathed, they're real, You're real. Caboda stepped forward, and
Speaker 1: Eli saw both his parents tense, but the Sasquatch patriarch
Speaker 1: stopped several yards away, making no threatening moves. You bring others,
Speaker 1: Caboda asked, his English even more broken than Coda's camera weapons. No,
Speaker 1: Eli said quickly, just us, just my family, I promised,
Speaker 1: Remember Sarah found her voice. We won't tell anyone. We
Speaker 1: just needed to see, needed to know if Eli was
Speaker 1: telling the truth. Is this is incredible? Asha moved to
Speaker 1: stand beside her mate, her eyes moving between the humans carefully.
Speaker 1: She said something in the Sasquatch language, too fast and
Speaker 1: complex for Eli to follow. My mother, says. Coda translated
Speaker 1: that you smell of fear. Are you afraid of us? Yes,
Speaker 1: Thomas admitted, but also amazed. I never thought. I mean
Speaker 1: you're supposed to be a myth, a legend. We real,
Speaker 1: Koboda said, live here long time, want stay hidden? We understand,
Speaker 1: Sarah said, and we'll help keep your secret. But Eli's right,
Speaker 1: there's a ranger asking questions. Other people are starting to
Speaker 1: see things. How can we help for the next hour.
Speaker 1: As full darkness fell and the stars emerged overhead, the
Speaker 1: two families talked. It was halting, awkward conversation, hampered by
Speaker 1: language barriers and centuries of mutual wariness, but it was
Speaker 1: a start, Coda explained, with Eli's help translating some of
Speaker 1: the more complex ideas about the recent battle with the
Speaker 1: dog men, about the clans and their territories, about their
Speaker 1: fears of human expansion and discovery. Thomas and Sarah shared
Speaker 1: what they knew about Ranger Whitley's investigation, about the reports
Speaker 1: that were circulating about the growing interest in the area.
Speaker 1: We need alliance, Caboda said, Carefully, you help, we help
Speaker 1: keep secret together. What kind of help, Thomas asked, warn us,
Speaker 1: Coda suggested, if more rangers come, if people with cameras
Speaker 1: guns give us time to hide, to move, we can
Speaker 1: do that. Sarah agreed, And maybe we can help misdirect attention.
Speaker 1: Tell people we've lived here a year and never seen
Speaker 1: anything unusual, that the reports are probably just bears or shadows. Yes,
Speaker 1: Caboda said, something like relief in his voice.
Speaker 2: Good.
Speaker 1: As the meeting wound down and the families prepared to
Speaker 1: part ways, Eli approached Coda one more time. Thank you,
Speaker 1: he said, for trusting us, for coming tonight. Thank you,
Speaker 1: Coda replied, for keeping suit secret, for being friend They
Speaker 1: regarded each other for a moment, human boy and sasquatch youth,
Speaker 1: representatives of two species who had lived in parallel for
Speaker 1: so long without truly connecting. Then Coda reached out and
Speaker 1: placed a massive, gentle hand on Eli's shoulder, a gesture
Speaker 1: of trust and friendship that transcended words, we protect each
Speaker 1: other now, Coda said, yes, yes, Eli agreed, we protect
Speaker 1: each other. As the Thompsons made their way back to
Speaker 1: their homestead, all three of them were quiet, processing what
Speaker 1: they'd experienced. Finally, Sarah spoke, no one's going to believe
Speaker 1: us if we tell them, then we don't tell them.
Speaker 1: Thomas replied. We keep the secret like we promised, and
Speaker 1: we do whatever we can to keep those Sasquatch safe. Agreed,
Speaker 1: Eli said, and for the first time in months, he
Speaker 1: felt like the weight on his shoulders had eased just
Speaker 1: a bit. He wasn't alone in this anymore. The secret
Speaker 1: was shared now, and maybe, just maybe that would be
Speaker 1: enough to protect Coda and his clan from the dangers. Closing,
Speaker 1: in around Them, Chapter nineteen.
Speaker 2: The Elder's Visit.
Speaker 1: Three days after meeting Coda's family in the forest, Thomas
Speaker 1: Thompson sat on his back porch, watching the tree line
Speaker 1: and wondering if he had lost his mind. The events
Speaker 1: of that night still felt like a dream. Standing in
Speaker 1: the clearing, face to face with beings that science said
Speaker 1: couldn't exist, hearing them speak, seeing the intelligence in their eyes,
Speaker 1: understanding that everything he thought he knew about the world
Speaker 1: was wrong. Sarah had handled it better than he expected.
Speaker 1: After the initial shock wore off, her practical nature had
Speaker 1: taken over. So what do we do now? She had asked,
Speaker 1: How do we help? That question had been echoing in
Speaker 1: Thomas's mind ever since. The answer came At dusk, Eli
Speaker 1: appeared at the back door, his face pale, Dad, there's
Speaker 1: someone here to see you. Stay tuned from one or
Speaker 1: back woods Bigfoot stories. We'll be back after these messages.
Speaker 1: Who Omachi the clan elder and Caboda, the clan leader.
Speaker 1: They want to talk. Thomas felt a jolt of nervous energy.
Speaker 1: He had met Caboda briefly at the first encounter, but
Speaker 1: only in passing Omaki the elder. Thomas had heard Eli
Speaker 1: mention her, but hadn't expected to meet her so soon.
Speaker 1: Where the edge of the woods they said they'd wait.
Speaker 1: Thomas stood his legs, feeling unsteady. Should I bring anything?
Speaker 1: Is there some kind of protocol? Eli almost smiled. Just
Speaker 1: be yourself, dad. They're people different from us, but people
Speaker 1: treat them like you treat anyone. Thomas nodded, took a
Speaker 1: deep breath, and followed his son into the gathering darkness.
Speaker 1: They were waiting at the boundary where the Thompson's property
Speaker 1: met the National Forest. Two figures, massive and still barely
Speaker 1: visible in the fading light.
Speaker 2: Caboda.
Speaker 1: He recognized the broad shoulders, the protective stance, the eyes
Speaker 1: that seemed to measure everything. But the other sasquatch was smaller, older,
Speaker 1: with silver threading through her dark fur, and a face
Speaker 1: that carried the weight of many years. Mister Thompson, Caboda
Speaker 1: said his English, careful but clear. Thank you for meeting
Speaker 1: with us, Thank you for coming. Thomas was surprised by
Speaker 1: how steady his voice sounded. I wasn't sure if I mean,
Speaker 1: after everything, I thought you might be angry that Eli
Speaker 1: told us. The older sasquatch stepped forward, her eyes deep
Speaker 1: amber in the twilight, studied Thomas with unsettling intensity. I
Speaker 1: am Amaki, she said, elder of the Hoe clan. Once
Speaker 1: I led all the clans together with my mate Tran.
Speaker 1: But Terran is gone, now, killed in the conflicts that
Speaker 1: drove us from our ancestral lands. When we came east
Speaker 1: seeking new terror, I knew it was time for younger
Speaker 1: blood to lead. She gestured toward Kboda. Caboda has taken
Speaker 1: up that burden. He is patriarch now speaker for all
Speaker 1: the clans. But I still serve as adviser, as keeper
Speaker 1: of old wisdom, and when matters of great importance arise,
Speaker 1: we counsel together. Thomas absorbed this and this my family
Speaker 1: knowing about you, that's a matter of great importance, the greatest,
Speaker 1: Caboda said. For generations, our survival has depended on one
Speaker 1: thing remaining hidden. Every human who learns our secret is
Speaker 1: a risk, a potential exposure that could destroy everything we
Speaker 1: have built. I understand, Thomas said, quietly, and I'm sorry.
Speaker 1: Eli didn't want to tell us. He kept your secret
Speaker 1: for a long time, but with that ranger asking questions,
Speaker 1: with the pressure building, he felt he had no choice.
Speaker 1: We do not blame Eli. Omaki said, he has proven
Speaker 1: himself a true friend to our peace people.
Speaker 2: His heart is good.
Speaker 1: She paused, her ancient eyes, never leaving Thomas's face. The
Speaker 1: question is whether the same can be said of you.
Speaker 1: Thomas felt the weight of that gaze, the judgment contained
Speaker 1: in it. I love my son, and Coda has become like,
Speaker 1: I don't know, like a brother to Eli. They're family
Speaker 1: to each other, even if they're different species. I won't
Speaker 1: do anything to hurt that. I won't do anything to
Speaker 1: hurt your people. Words are easy, Koboda observed. Actions are
Speaker 1: what matter. Then tell me what actions you need. Tell
Speaker 1: me how I can help. Omaki and Caboda exchanged a
Speaker 1: long look. Some communication passed between them, silent and complete.
Speaker 1: The ranger Omachi finally, said Marcus Whitley. He continues to investigate.
Speaker 1: He does not accept the explanations given. He knows something
Speaker 1: is in these woods, and he will not stop until
Speaker 1: he finds it. I've met him, Thomas said. He seems dedicated.
Speaker 1: He is dangerous, Caboda said bluntly, not because he wishes
Speaker 1: us harm, but because his dedication may lead others to us,
Speaker 1: Others who would not be as reasonable. What do you
Speaker 1: want me to do? Another exchanged glance. Then Omachi spoke,
Speaker 1: her voice, soft but firm. Watch him learn what he knows,
Speaker 1: what he suspects, and when the time comes. If the
Speaker 1: time comes, you may need to make a choice. Either
Speaker 1: find a way to redirect his investigation or bring him
Speaker 1: into the secret as your son brought you. Thomas stared
Speaker 1: at her. You'd trust another human after everything you've said
Speaker 1: about the risks. Trust must begin somewhere. Omaki said, your
Speaker 1: son took a risk when he befriended Coda. Coda took
Speaker 1: a risk when he allowed that friendship to grow. Now
Speaker 1: we take a risk with you. Perhaps eventually we take
Speaker 1: a risk with the ranger as well. Each expansion of
Speaker 1: the circle is dangerous, but remaining hidden harder with every
Speaker 1: passing year. We must adapt or perish. The world is
Speaker 1: closing in around us. Caboda added more hikers, more cameras,
Speaker 1: more development, pushing into wild places. The old ways of
Speaker 1: simple avoidance may not be enough anymore. We need allies
Speaker 1: among your kind, Allies who can warn us, protect us,
Speaker 1: help us navigate a human world we do not fully understand.
Speaker 1: Thomas thought about this for a long moment the cricket
Speaker 1: sang in the darkness. Somewhere in the distance, an owl called.
Speaker 1: You're asking me to build a network, he finally said,
Speaker 1: A group of trusted humans who can help keep your secret. Yes,
Speaker 1: so Maki said simply, and it would start with my
Speaker 1: family and maybe eventually the ranger if he proves worthy.
Speaker 1: Thomas looked at Eli, who had been standing silently throughout
Speaker 1: the conversation. His son's face was a mixture of hope
Speaker 1: and anxiety. I'll do it, Thomas said, I don't know
Speaker 1: how exactly. I don't have a plan yet, but I'll
Speaker 1: find a way to help you. Have my word, Omachi
Speaker 1: nodded slowly. Then, to Thomas's surprise, she reached out and
Speaker 1: placed one massive hand on his shoulder. Her grip was
Speaker 1: gentle despite her strength. Welcome to our world, Thomas Thompson,
Speaker 1: she said, May you never regret entering it, And with that,
Speaker 1: the two sasquatch faded back into the forest, leaving Thomas
Speaker 1: and Eli alone at.
Speaker 2: The edge of the wild.
Speaker 1: That night, Thomas sat with Sarah at the kitchen table
Speaker 1: and told her everything. So where what secret agents for Bigfoot?
Speaker 1: Sarah asked, a note of hysteria creeping into her voice.
Speaker 1: Something like that. Thomas couldn't help a small laugh. I
Speaker 1: know it sounds insane, It is insane. This whole situation
Speaker 1: is insane. Sarah rubbed her temples. But what choice do
Speaker 1: we have. Eli's already involved, codis practically part of this family.
Speaker 1: Can't just walk away, No, we can't. Sarah was quiet
Speaker 1: for a moment. Then she straightened, her practical nature reasserting itself.
Speaker 1: So what's the first step. What do we do about
Speaker 1: this ranger? I'm not sure yet, but I think I
Speaker 1: need to learn more about him, what he knows, what
Speaker 1: he's found, how close he is to the truth. Thomas
Speaker 1: drummed his fingers on the table. Maybe I should invite
Speaker 1: him over, have a conversation, feel him out.
Speaker 2: Is that safe?
Speaker 1: Probably not? But Omaki was right about one thing. The
Speaker 1: Ranger isn't going to stop. He's too dedicated, too close
Speaker 1: to something real. We either find a way to work
Speaker 1: with him, or he eventually stumbles onto the Sasquatch on
Speaker 1: his own. At least this way we might be able
Speaker 1: to control how the revelation happens. Sarah reached across the
Speaker 1: table and took his hand. I never thought our life
Speaker 1: would be like this. Neither did I. Thomas squeezed her hand.
Speaker 1: But here we are, Sarah agreed, protecting Bigfoot from the
Speaker 1: federal government just a normal Tuesday. They shared a tired laugh,
Speaker 1: and for a moment, despite everything, Thomas felt something like hope.
Speaker 1: They weren't alone in this. They had each other, They
Speaker 1: had Eli, and now they had unlikely allies in the forest.
Speaker 1: It wasn't much, but it was a start. Chapter twenty
Speaker 1: The Rangers Discovery. Marcus Whitley had been a park ranger
Speaker 1: for twenty years. He'd seen bears, cougars, elk and every
Speaker 1: other creature that called these forest home. He'd investigated poaching,
Speaker 1: illegal logging, missing hikers, and the occasional marijuana grow operation
Speaker 1: hidden deep in the back country. He thought he'd seen
Speaker 1: it all.
Speaker 2: He was wrong.
Speaker 1: The reports had been trickling in for weeks. Hikers claiming
Speaker 1: to see large bipedal figures in the forest, hunters finding
Speaker 1: massive footprints that didn't match any known animal, a group
Speaker 1: of college students swearing they'd hear heard something screaming in
Speaker 1: the night, a sound none of them could identify. Whitley
Speaker 1: had dismissed most of it, as over active imaginations, misidentified bears,
Speaker 1: or outright hoaxes. Bigfoot sightings were part of the culture
Speaker 1: out here, stories told around campfires to scare tourists. But
Speaker 1: the reports kept coming, and they were too consistent to ignore.
Speaker 1: So he'd started his own investigation quietly, on his own time,
Speaker 1: without filing official reports that might make him look like
Speaker 1: a crackpot. Tonight, he was following up on the most
Speaker 1: credible sighting yet. A retired biology professor had reported seeing
Speaker 1: something massive and humanoid near Miller Creek three days ago.
Speaker 1: The professor wasn't the type to make things up, and
Speaker 1: he'd been visibly shaken.
Speaker 2: When Whitley interviewed him.
Speaker 1: Whitley parked his truck at the end of the logging
Speaker 1: road and continued on foot, his flashlight cutting through the darkness.
Speaker 2: The forest was.
Speaker 1: Quiet, too quiet, he realized. No crickets, no owls, no
Speaker 1: rustling of small animals in the underbrush, just silence. He'd
Speaker 1: been hiking for about an hour when he found the
Speaker 1: first footprint. It was pressed into the soft mud near
Speaker 1: a stream crossing, clearly defined in the beam of his flashlight.
Speaker 1: Whitley crouched down, his heart beginning to race The print
Speaker 1: was humanoid, five toes, a distinct heel an arch, but massive,
Speaker 1: at least eighteen inches long and eight inches wide. Whatever
Speaker 1: made this print weighed several hundred pounds. He photographed it
Speaker 1: from multiple angles, then followed the trail of prints upstream.
Speaker 1: There were more dozens of them, some overlapping, as if
Speaker 1: multiple creatures had passed through. The prints varied in size,
Speaker 1: some enormous, others smaller, but still far larger than any
Speaker 1: human foot. Whitley's rational mind searched for explanations, a hoax,
Speaker 1: maybe someone with fake feet strapped to their boots. But
Speaker 1: the depth of the prince, the natural stride, length, the
Speaker 1: way they navigated around obstacles, it all suggested something real,
Speaker 1: something heavy, something that moved through this forest with purpose.
Speaker 1: Then he heard it, a low, rumbling vocalization from somewhere ahead.
Speaker 1: Not a bear, He knew what bears sounded like. This
Speaker 1: was deeper, more resonant, almost like a voice. It was
Speaker 1: answered by another call from his left, then another from
Speaker 1: his right. Whitley froze. He was surrounded. His hand moved
Speaker 1: to the pistol at his hip, but he didn't draw it.
Speaker 1: Twenty years of ranger experience told him that drawing a
Speaker 1: weapon on an unknown threat in the dark was a
Speaker 1: good way to escalate a situation beyond control. Slowly, he
Speaker 1: turned in a circle, his flashlight beam sweeping the trees. Nothing,
Speaker 1: just darkness and the looming shapes of ancient cedars. Then movement.
Speaker 1: Something large shifted in the shadows about fifty yards ahead.
Speaker 1: Whitley's flashlight caught it for just a moment, a massive shape,
Speaker 1: easily eight feet tall, covered in dark fur. It stood
Speaker 1: upright like a man, but it was clearly not human.
Speaker 1: Its eyes reflected his light, two amber points, glowing in
Speaker 1: the darkness. For a long moment, neither moved. Whitley's heart
Speaker 1: pounded so hard he could hear it in his ears.
Speaker 1: The creature sasquatch, his mind supplied it's actually real, regarded
Speaker 1: him with what seemed like curiosity rather than aggression. Then
Speaker 1: it made a sound, low rumbling, almost like speech. Whitley
Speaker 1: couldn't understand the words, if they were words, but the
Speaker 1: tone was clear, a warning, stay back, don't follow. The
Speaker 1: creature turned and melted into the darkness with barely a sound.
Speaker 1: The other presences Whitley had sensed he counted at least
Speaker 1: three more retreated with it. Within seconds, the forest was
Speaker 1: empty again. Whitley stood there for a long time, his
Speaker 1: flashlight trembling in his grip. His legs felt weak. His
Speaker 1: mind raced through everything he'd just witnessed, trying to process
Speaker 1: the impossible. Sasquatch were real. He had photographs of the footprints.
Speaker 1: He had the memory of those amber eyes meeting his own.
Speaker 1: He had proof, not conclusive, proof, not the kind that
Speaker 1: would convince skeptics, but enough for him. The question was
Speaker 1: what did he do with this knowledge. The next morning,
Speaker 1: Whitley sat in his truck outside the Thompson homestead, working
Speaker 1: up the courage to knock on the door. He'd thought
Speaker 1: about this all night. The Thompsons lived right on the
Speaker 1: edge of Sasquatch territory. He was certain now that's what
Speaker 1: it was. Their son Eli spent hours in those woods.
Speaker 1: They'd been evasive when he'd questioned them before, nervous in
Speaker 1: a way that suggested they were hiding something. Maybe they knew,
Speaker 1: maybe they'd seen the same things he'd seen, and if
Speaker 1: they had, maybe they could help him understand what to
Speaker 1: do next. He got out of the truck and walked
Speaker 1: to the front door. Thomas Thompson answered on the second knock,
Speaker 1: his expression wary, Ranger Whitley, what can I do for you?
Speaker 1: Whitley took a deep breath. Mister Thompson, I need to
Speaker 1: talk to you about what's really living in those woods
Speaker 1: behind your house. Thomas's face went pale. I don't know
Speaker 1: what you're please. Whitley held up a hand. I'm not
Speaker 1: here to cause trouble. I'm here because I saw something
Speaker 1: last night, something I can't explain, and I think you
Speaker 1: might have seen it too. For a long moment, Thomas
Speaker 1: just stared at him. Then slowly he stepped aside. You'd
Speaker 1: better come. In chapter twenty one, The Ranger's Choice, Thomas
Speaker 1: led Whitley to the kitchen where Sarah was cleaning up
Speaker 1: from breakfast. She took one look at the ranger's face
Speaker 1: and set down her dish towel.
Speaker 2: Stay tuned for.
Speaker 1: More Backwoods Bigfoot stories. We'll be back after these messages.
Speaker 1: What's going on? Ranger Whitley says he saw something in
Speaker 1: the forest last night, Thomas said, carefully, something unusual. Whitley
Speaker 1: sat down heavily at the kitchen table. His hands were
Speaker 1: still shaking slightly I've been a ranger for twenty years,
Speaker 1: missus Thompson. I've seen everything these woods have to offer,
Speaker 1: at least I thought I had. He looked up at
Speaker 1: them both last night. I saw a sasquatch, at least one,
Speaker 1: maybe more. They surrounded me near Miller Creek. Thomas and
Speaker 1: Sarah exchanged a look, a look that told Whitley everything
Speaker 1: he needed to know. You've seen them too, he said.
Speaker 1: It wasn't a question. Thomas pulled out a chair and
Speaker 1: sat across from him. Ranger Whitley, Marcus, what I'm about
Speaker 1: to tell you could change everything for us, for you,
Speaker 1: for them. Before I say anything, I need to know
Speaker 1: what do you plan to do with what you saw?
Speaker 1: Whitley was quiet for a moment. I don't know, he admitted.
Speaker 1: Part of me wants to report it, document it, bring
Speaker 1: in experts. It's the discovery of the century. But another
Speaker 1: part of me, he trailed off, remembering those amber eyes
Speaker 1: in the darkness, the warning that had been more plea
Speaker 1: than threat. Another part of me thinks that might be
Speaker 1: the worst thing I could do. Why because whatever I
Speaker 1: saw out there, it wasn't an animal. The way it
Speaker 1: looked at me, the sounds it made. There was intelligence there,
Speaker 1: real intelligence, and it was afraid of me. Not because
Speaker 1: I was a threat, but because of what I represented.
Speaker 1: He met Thomas's gaze. If I report this, people will come, scientists,
Speaker 1: media hunters, government agencies.
Speaker 2: They'll tear these forests apart.
Speaker 1: Looking for them, and when they find them, they'll be studied, captured,
Speaker 1: maybe killed. Thomas finished, Their entire way of life destroyed. Yeah,
Speaker 1: Whitley rubbed his face. What do I do pretend I
Speaker 1: didn't see what I saw? Go back to writing reports
Speaker 1: about bear sightings and illegal campfires. Sarah sat down beside
Speaker 1: her husband. There might be another option, Sarah, Thomas began.
Speaker 1: He's already seen them, Thomas. He's already asking the right questions,
Speaker 1: and you heard what O'MACKI said. Eventually we might need
Speaker 1: to bring the ranger into the secret. She turned to Whitley.
Speaker 1: Can we trust you, Marcus, really trust you, because what
Speaker 1: we're about to tell you you can never take it
Speaker 1: back once you know you're part of this forever. Whitley
Speaker 1: thought about his career, his reputation, his duty as a ranger.
Speaker 1: Then he thought about those amber eyes, that rumbling voice,
Speaker 1: the way the creature had chosen to warn him rather
Speaker 1: than attack, tell me, he said. The conversation lasted for hours.
Speaker 1: Thomas told him everything. How Eli had befriended a young
Speaker 1: Sasquatch named Coda over three years ago, how the friendship
Speaker 1: had grown into something deeper, a genuine bond between species.
Speaker 1: How Eli had eventually been forced to tell his parents
Speaker 1: when Whitley's investigation started getting too close. How they'd met
Speaker 1: the Sasquatch elders, learned about their society, their history, their
Speaker 1: desperate need to remain hidden. He told Whitley about the
Speaker 1: dog men too, the wolf like creatures that had been
Speaker 1: at war with the Sasquatch, the battle that had raged
Speaker 1: in the forest weeks ago, the uneasy truce that now
Speaker 1: existed between the species. Whitley listened in silence, his coffee
Speaker 1: growing cold in his hands. It was insane, all of it,
Speaker 1: and yet after what he'd seen last night, he believed
Speaker 1: every word. So there are two species of unknown hominids
Speaker 1: living in these forests, he finally said, and your fifteen
Speaker 1: year old son is friends with one of them. That
Speaker 1: about sums it up, Thomas admitted. And the Sasquatch elders,
Speaker 1: they suggested you might eventually.
Speaker 2: Bring me in.
Speaker 1: They knew you wouldn't start investigating. They thought it might
Speaker 1: be better to have you as an ally than as
Speaker 1: a threat. Whitley sat back in his chair, processing what
Speaker 1: exactly would being an ally mean? Helping us protect them,
Speaker 1: using your position as a ranger to explain away evidence.
Speaker 1: Redirect investigations warn us when people get too close to
Speaker 1: the truth. The Sasquatch have survived for thousands of years
Speaker 1: by staying hidden, but the world is changing. More hikers,
Speaker 1: more cameras, more development. They need help now in ways
Speaker 1: they never did before. You're asking me to compromise my duty.
Speaker 1: I'm asking you to decide what your duty really is,
Speaker 1: Thomas replied. Is it to follow procedures or is it
Speaker 1: to protect the wild places and everything that lives in them.
Speaker 1: The kitchen fell silent outside. A bird called. Somewhere in
Speaker 1: the distance, a dog barked. Finally, Whitley spoke, I need
Speaker 1: to meet them, the Sasquatch. I need to see them
Speaker 1: up close, talk to them, if that's possible. I can't
Speaker 1: make this decision based on a glimpse in the dark
Speaker 1: and your word alone. Thomas nodded slowly. I can arrange
Speaker 1: that tonight. If you're willing tonight, Whitley took a deep breath.
Speaker 1: All right, let's do it that evening. As darkness fell
Speaker 1: over the forest, Thomas led Whitley to the clearing where
Speaker 1: the Sasquatch sometimes came to meet with the family. Eli
Speaker 1: was already there waiting. You're sure about this, Eli asked
Speaker 1: his father. He's already seen them, might as well do
Speaker 1: this properly. They waited in the growing darkness. Whitley's nerves
Speaker 1: were wound tight, but he kept his hands away from
Speaker 1: his weapon. Whatever happened next, he wanted to show that
Speaker 1: he came in peace. The Sasquatch arrived silently, materializing from
Speaker 1: the shadows like ghosts. First Coda, the young one. Whitley
Speaker 1: recognized him as smaller than the creature he'd seen last night,
Speaker 1: probably adolescent. Then two larger figures, Caboda, the current leader,
Speaker 1: and Omaki, the elder. Whitley's breath caught in his throat.
Speaker 1: Seeing them in full face to face was different from
Speaker 1: that brief glimpse in the dark. They were magnificent, powerful, ancient,
Speaker 1: utterly real ranger, Whitley, Caboda said, his voice a deep rumble.
Speaker 1: We have been watching you for some time. You are persistent.
Speaker 1: It's my job to know what's in these forests, Whitley managed,
Speaker 1: or at least I thought it was. Omaki stepped forward,
Speaker 1: her amber eyes studying him with unsettling intensity. And now
Speaker 1: that you know, what will you do with this knowledge?
Speaker 1: It was the same question he'd been asking himself all day,
Speaker 1: and now standing before these creatures, these people, he finally
Speaker 1: knew the answer. I became a ranger because I love
Speaker 1: wild places, he said, slowly, because I wanted to protect
Speaker 1: them from people who would exploit and destroy them. If
Speaker 1: I expose you, I'd be betraying everything I believe in,
Speaker 1: he paused, So I won't. I'll help you stay hidden.
Speaker 1: I'll use my position to protect you, not hunt you.
Speaker 1: Omachi and Caboda exchanged a long look. Some communication passed
Speaker 1: between them that Whitley couldn't read. Words are easy, Caboda said, Finally,
Speaker 1: trust is earned over time. I know I'm willing to
Speaker 1: earn it. Another pause, then O'MACKI nodded slowly. Welcome to
Speaker 1: our world, Ranger Marcus Whitley. You are the fourth human
Speaker 1: to know our truth. May you prove worthy of it?
Speaker 1: She extended one massive hand. Whitley hesitated for just a moment,
Speaker 1: then reached out and clasped it, the handshake of two species,
Speaker 1: sealing an alliance that would change all of their lives.
Speaker 1: Walking back to the Thompson homestead, Whitley's mind was still reeling,
Speaker 1: but beneath the shock and wonder, he felt something unexpected purpose,
Speaker 1: a sense that he'd found something worth protecting, worth sacrificing for.
Speaker 1: So what happens now, he asked Thomas.
Speaker 2: Now we work.
Speaker 1: Together, you, me, Sarah Eli. We're the only humans who know.
Speaker 1: We keep it small, keep it tight. The fewer people
Speaker 1: who know the safer. Everyone is a network, Whitley said.
Speaker 1: Thomas smiled slightly, something like that. It's not much. Just
Speaker 1: four people against a world that would never understand. Four
Speaker 1: people trying to protect the impossible. Yeah, Thomas clapped him
Speaker 1: on the shoulder. Welcome to the team, Marcus. It's going
Speaker 1: to be one hell of a ride. Chapter twenty two,
Speaker 1: The First close Call. Three weeks after the Thompsons and
Speaker 1: Ranger Whitley began coordinating their efforts what Thomas privately called
Speaker 1: the network, they had their first real scare. Whitley called
Speaker 1: Thomas early one morning. His voice tense.
Speaker 2: We got a problem.
Speaker 1: A hunter named Roy Beckman has been bragging at the
Speaker 1: diner about seeing something in the forest, something big and bipedal.
Speaker 2: That wasn't a bear.
Speaker 1: He's talking about organizing an expedition this weekend. Thomas gripped
Speaker 1: the phone tighter. How much is he saying enough? He's
Speaker 1: got three others convinced to go with him, and the
Speaker 1: area he's describing Miller Creek, up by the old logging
Speaker 1: road that's right in the middle of Sasquatch territory. Thomas
Speaker 1: knew the area well. If Roy and his friend started
Speaker 1: poking around there, they would almost certainly find evidence, maybe
Speaker 1: even encounter a sasquatch directly.
Speaker 2: Can you talk him out of it?
Speaker 1: Already tried, he's convinced he's sitting on the discovery of
Speaker 1: the century, then we need to convince him otherwise. That evening,
Speaker 1: the Thompson family and Whitley gathered around the kitchen table.
Speaker 1: We have four days until Roy's expedition. Thomas reported four
Speaker 1: days to either change his mind or ensure he doesn't
Speaker 1: find anything. What about misdirection? Sarah suggested steer him toward
Speaker 1: a different area. He knows what he saw and where
Speaker 1: he saw it. Whitley replied, we'd need something more convincing.
Speaker 1: Eli spoke up, what if he actually found something, but
Speaker 1: something that explained his siding without confirming sasquatch. Everyone looked
Speaker 1: at him. I mean, what if he saw a bear,
Speaker 1: a really big bear standing up to reach Barry's or something.
Speaker 1: If he found evidence of a bear in that area,
Speaker 1: maybe he'd convince himself that's what he saw. That's not
Speaker 1: a bad idea, Thomas said slowly. Bears do stand on
Speaker 1: two legs sometimes. If we planted enough bear evidence in
Speaker 1: the area, you want to fake a bear siding. Sarah
Speaker 1: looked uncertain. Not fake exactly, just enhance. There are bears
Speaker 1: in these woods. If we can make Roy think he
Speaker 1: saw one that explains his experience without exposing the sasquatch.
Speaker 1: Whitley nodded, I know where to find bear sign. There's
Speaker 1: a big male that's been working in the East Valley.
Speaker 1: I can collect samples scat fur the works. I can
Speaker 1: create some blurry trail camera images. Thomas added, nothing too clear,
Speaker 1: just enough to suggest a large bear in the area
Speaker 1: and me. Eli asked, you're our backup if everything else fails,
Speaker 1: we might need CODA to help steer Roy away from
Speaker 1: sensitive areas. The operation came together over the next three days.
Speaker 1: Whitley collected genuine bear evidence from the surrounding area. Thomas
Speaker 1: created several blurry trail camera images that showed something large
Speaker 1: and dark. Sarah helped coordinate the logistics. On the morning
Speaker 1: of Roy's expedition, Whitley intercepted the group near the trailhead. Hey, Roy,
Speaker 1: heard you boys were heading into the backcountry. Mind if
Speaker 1: I tag along. We've had some bear activity in this
Speaker 1: area and I want to make sure everyone stays safe.
Speaker 1: Roy looked annoyed, but couldn't refuse a ranger without looking suspicious. Sure, fine,
Speaker 1: just don't slow us down. Whitley led the group on
Speaker 1: a carefully planned route that maximized their exposure to the
Speaker 1: planted evidence while avoiding actual sasquatch territory. By midafternoon, they
Speaker 1: had found bear scat, a tuft of black fur caught
Speaker 1: on a branch, and claw marks on a tree trunk.
Speaker 1: You said you saw something bipedal, Whitley asked Roy, his
Speaker 1: tone carefully casual. I know what I saw. Well, look
Speaker 1: at this, He pointed to the claw marks. That's a
Speaker 1: big bear big enough to stand eight feet tall on
Speaker 1: its hind legs, and bears do that when they're marking
Speaker 1: territory or reaching for food. Roy stared at the evidence,
Speaker 1: doubt creeping into his expression. It didn't move like a bear.
Speaker 1: How much did you actually see in the dark? With
Speaker 1: adrenaline pumping easy to get confused about details. I wasn't confused.
Speaker 1: Nobody's saying you were, just that maybe the most likely
Speaker 1: explanation is the right one. Whitley shrugged. But hey, it's
Speaker 1: your call. You want to spend the next week tramping
Speaker 1: through bear territory looking for something else, that's your business.
Speaker 2: I've got reports to file.
Speaker 1: He left Roy and his friends to discuss among themselves.
Speaker 1: By the time they headed back to the trailhead, the
Speaker 1: group's enthusiasm had notably diminished. Roy still insisted he'd seen
Speaker 1: something unusual, but without the other's support, his plans for
Speaker 1: a major expedition quietly dissolved. That was close, Thomas said
Speaker 1: that evening too close, but it worked. Whitley pointed out
Speaker 1: this time, what happens next time? What happens when someone
Speaker 1: with more credibility sees something, or when we can't get
Speaker 1: ahead of the story. There was no good answer. All
Speaker 1: they could do was deal with each problem as it came,
Speaker 1: one crisis at a time. Chapter twenty three, The Bridge.
Speaker 1: Eli had been building something in his family's barn for months.
Speaker 1: What is it, Coda asked, examining the structure of wood
Speaker 1: and rope that filled the space. A bridge, sort of
Speaker 1: an idea I've been working on. The structure was elaborate,
Speaker 1: a series of platforms connected by rope walkways, all sized
Speaker 1: for beings much larger than humans. I don't understand. It's
Speaker 1: a communication station, a place where sasquatch can come without
Speaker 1: entering human settled areas. There are compartments for leaving messages,
Speaker 1: a bill system to signal arrival, even a little shelter
Speaker 1: in case of bad weather. Eli stepped back, surveying his
Speaker 1: work with a critical eye. It's not perfect, but it's
Speaker 1: a start, a start toward what toward making this easier?
Speaker 1: Right now, every meeting requires one of us hiking for hours.
Speaker 1: What if there was a dedicated space, a neutral zone
Speaker 1: where human and sasquatch could exchange information safely. Coda walked
Speaker 1: around the structure, examining it from different angles. You built
Speaker 1: this yourself, with my dad's help, and some books on
Speaker 1: construction I got from the library. Stay tuned for more
Speaker 1: Backwoods Bigfoot stories. We'll be back after these messages. Eli grinned,
Speaker 1: I'm getting pretty good at knots, and you want to
Speaker 1: put this in the forest, somewhere near the boundary where
Speaker 1: your people could access it easily. We'd have to choose
Speaker 1: the location carefully, somewhere hidden from casual hikers but accessible
Speaker 1: to the network. It was an ambitious idea, and Coda
Speaker 1: wasn't sure it would work. But the thought behind it,
Speaker 1: the effort Eli had invested, touched something in him. You
Speaker 1: really believe in this in us, I believe in what
Speaker 1: we can build together. This is just the beginning, Coda,
Speaker 1: a bridge between worlds.
Speaker 2: Literally.
Speaker 1: They spent the next hour discussing logistics, where to place
Speaker 1: the station, how to disguise it, protocols for use. By
Speaker 1: the time Coda left, they had the outline of a plan.
Speaker 1: The bridge would be built, and through it, two worlds
Speaker 1: would move a little closer together. Chapter twenty four, The
Speaker 1: Language of Trust. The first time Eli tried to teach
Speaker 1: code about human technology, it didn't go well. It's called
Speaker 1: a smartphone, Eli explained, holding up the device. It lets
Speaker 1: me talk to people who are far away, take pictures,
Speaker 1: look up information about anything. Coda stared at the glowing
Speaker 1: rectangle with obvious suspicion. It speaks to people far away
Speaker 1: like a kind of magic. No, not magic, science, radio waves, satellites, electricity.
Speaker 1: Eli paused, realizing how inadequate his explanation was. Okay, it
Speaker 1: might as well be magic. I don't really understand how
Speaker 1: it works either. Then how do you trust it? The
Speaker 1: question caught Eli off guard. What do you mean if
Speaker 1: you don't understand how something works, how do you know
Speaker 1: it won't betray you? Among my people, we only rely
Speaker 1: on things we understand. Tools we've made with our own hands,
Speaker 1: paths we've walked with our own feet. Eli considered this.
Speaker 1: I guess I trust that other people understand it. Scientists, engineers.
Speaker 1: They figured out how it works, and they made it
Speaker 1: safe enough for everyone to use. You trust strangers with
Speaker 1: your safety.
Speaker 2: Every day.
Speaker 1: When I get in a car, I trust that the
Speaker 1: people who built it knew what they were doing. When
Speaker 1: I eat food from a store, I trust that someone
Speaker 1: checked to make sure it wasn't poison. That's kind of
Speaker 1: how human society works. We specialize everyone becomes really good
Speaker 1: at one thing, and we trust each other to do
Speaker 1: our parts. Coda absorbed this information slowly. Among Sasquatch, every
Speaker 1: adult must know how to do everything, hunt, gather, build shelter,
Speaker 1: heal wounds. We cannot afford to rely on others for survival.
Speaker 1: That sounds exhausting. It is, but it also means we
Speaker 1: are never helpless. If the Klan were scattered tomorrow, each
Speaker 1: of us could survive alone. Eli looked at his phone
Speaker 1: with new eyes. If all technology suddenly stopped working, if
Speaker 1: society collapsed, what could he do? Could he find food
Speaker 1: in the forest, build shelter from the elements? The honest
Speaker 1: answer was probably not. Maybe you could teach me, Eli said,
Speaker 1: some of your survival skills, and I could teach you
Speaker 1: about human stuff, like a trade. Coda's eyes lit up
Speaker 1: with interest. You would want to learn, Sasquatch ways, sure,
Speaker 1: I mean I live next to the forest. Seems like
Speaker 1: useful knowledge to have. Then we have an agreement. Coda
Speaker 1: extended his hand and Eli shook it. They're now familiar
Speaker 1: greeting ritual. Tomorrow, I will show you how to find
Speaker 1: water in the forest. It is the most important skill.
Speaker 1: Without water nothing else matters, and I'll try to explain
Speaker 1: the Internet, though honestly, I'm not sure that's pos possible.
Speaker 1: The water lesson took place the following afternoon. Coda led
Speaker 1: Eli deep into the forest, away from the marked trails
Speaker 1: and familiar landmarks, until they reached an area Eli had
Speaker 1: never seen before. Here, Coda said, stopping in what looked
Speaker 1: like an unremarkable stretch of woods, find water. Eli looked
Speaker 1: around helplessly. There was no stream, no pond, no obvious
Speaker 1: moisture anywhere. I don't see any water. That is because
Speaker 1: you're looking with your eyes. Water is found with all senses.
Speaker 1: Coda crouched down and placed his palm against the earth.
Speaker 1: Feel the ground here is cooler, slightly damp. Water runs
Speaker 1: beneath us, not deep. Eli knelt and pressed his hand
Speaker 1: to the soil. At first he felt nothing, but as
Speaker 1: he concentrated, he noticed a subtle difference in temperature, a
Speaker 1: faint moisture that clung to his skin. I think I
Speaker 1: feel it, he said, surprised. Good now listen. Eli closed
Speaker 1: his eyes and strained his ears. The forest was full
Speaker 1: of sounds, birds, wind, rustling leaves, But beneath all that,
Speaker 1: so faint. He almost missed. It was a soft gurgling.
Speaker 1: There's water moving somewhere, Eli said, underground a spring twenty
Speaker 1: paces that direction. Coda pointed to the left, its surfaces
Speaker 1: in a small pool hidden by rocks. Come they found
Speaker 1: the spring exactly where Coda had predicted. Crystal clear water
Speaker 1: bubbled up from the earth, collecting in a natural basin
Speaker 1: no larger than a bathtub. It was invisible from more
Speaker 1: than a few feet away, completely concealed by the surrounding terrain.
Speaker 1: I've hiked these woods for years, Eli said, amazed. I
Speaker 1: never knew this was here. The forest hides its treasures
Speaker 1: from those who do not know how to look.
Speaker 2: But now you know.
Speaker 1: This spring will always be here, always pure, always waiting
Speaker 1: for those who need it. Eli like upped his hands
Speaker 1: and drank. The water was cold and clean, better than
Speaker 1: anything that came from a tap. Thank you, he said,
Speaker 1: This is incredible. It is survival. Coda replied, now you
Speaker 1: are slightly less helpless. Tomorrow I will teach you which
Speaker 1: plants are safe to eat, the day after how to
Speaker 1: build a shelter. Slowly, you will learn to live in
Speaker 1: the forest as my people do, and I'll teach you
Speaker 1: about what would be useful. You probably don't need to
Speaker 1: know how Netflix works. Coda tilted his head, what is Netflix?
Speaker 1: Never mind? Maybe I should focus on practical stuff, like
Speaker 1: how to read if you want, or how money works,
Speaker 1: or just how humans think about things, their beliefs, their fears,
Speaker 1: what motivates them. Yes, that would be valuable. Understanding your
Speaker 1: people's minds would help us avoid them more effectively, or
Speaker 1: connect with them if you wanted. Coda was quiet for
Speaker 1: a long moment. Perhaps someday. For now, let us focus
Speaker 1: on what we can control. Over the following weeks, the
Speaker 1: lessons continued. Coda taught Eli to identify animal tracks, to
Speaker 1: move silently through underbrush, to read the weather in the
Speaker 1: patterns of clouds and the behavior of birds. Eli taught
Speaker 1: Coda about maps and compasses, about how human governments worked,
Speaker 1: about the difference between laws and customs, and social expectations.
Speaker 1: They learned each other's languages, too. Coda's English improved dramatically,
Speaker 1: losing much of its formal stiffness as he absorbed slang
Speaker 1: and idioms from Eli, and Eli picked up fragments of
Speaker 1: Sasquatch language gestures that conveyed meaning, vocalizations that could communicate
Speaker 1: across great distances, a complex system of territorial markers that
Speaker 1: told entire stories to those.
Speaker 2: Who knew how to read them.
Speaker 1: You're getting good at this code, observed one evening, as
Speaker 1: Eli correctly identified a boundary marker left by a neighboring clan,
Speaker 1: most humans would walk right past without noticing. Most humans
Speaker 1: don't have a sasquatch tutor. Eli grinned, I'm probably the
Speaker 1: only person in my school who can track a deer
Speaker 1: and explain what a tweet is in the same conversation.
Speaker 2: What is a tweet?
Speaker 1: It's like a very short message that you send to
Speaker 1: everyone at once, kind of like if you climbed a
Speaker 1: tall tree and shouted something, but with words instead of sounds,
Speaker 1: and the whole world could hear you. Coda considered this,
Speaker 1: that sounds dangerous. What if you said something foolish, then
Speaker 1: the whole world would know you said something foolish. It
Speaker 1: happens all the time. Actually, humans are strange. Tell me
Speaker 1: about it. Their friendship wasn't always easy. There were misunderstandings,
Speaker 1: moments when cultural differences created friction. One afternoon, Eli arrived
Speaker 1: at their meeting place to find Coda pacing angrily, his
Speaker 1: body language radiating frustration. What's wrong, Eli asked, your hunters
Speaker 1: they killed a doe in our territory yesterday, a pregnant
Speaker 1: dough her fawns would have been born in the spring.
Speaker 1: I'm sorry, I didn't know. You cannot know everything humans do.
Speaker 1: I understand that, but it is still Coda made a
Speaker 1: sound of disgust, wasteful cruel. She was carrying life and
Speaker 1: they ended it for sport. Eli didn't know what to say.
Speaker 1: He wasn't a hunter himself, but he knew people who were.
Speaker 1: To them, it was just part of life, a tradition
Speaker 1: passed down through generations. They didn't think of themselves as cruel.
Speaker 1: Not all hunters are like that, Eli said carefully. Some
Speaker 1: follow rules about what they can kill and win. Some
Speaker 1: only take what they need, and some take whatever they
Speaker 1: want whenever they want, because they believe the forest belongs
Speaker 1: to them. Coda's eyes were hard. My people have watched
Speaker 1: humans for generations. We have seen your kindness, but we
Speaker 1: have also seen your cruelty. Sometimes I wonder which is
Speaker 1: more true to your nature both. Probably, humans are complicated,
Speaker 1: So are sasquatch. So is everything that lives. Coda's anger
Speaker 1: began to fade, replaced by something sadder. I know you're
Speaker 1: not responsible for what other humans do. I should not
Speaker 1: have been angry with you. You can be angry with me.
Speaker 1: That's what friends do. Sometimes they get frustrated with each other.
Speaker 1: What matters is what happens next. Coda looked at him,
Speaker 1: and what happens next We talk about it. We try
Speaker 1: to understand each other's perspective, and then we move on,
Speaker 1: hopefully a little wiser. Is that how humans handle conflict.
Speaker 1: The good ones the bad ones hold grudges forever. Coda's
Speaker 1: lips twitched in what might have been a smile. We
Speaker 1: have those among my people too, Sasquatch, who remember every slight,
Speaker 1: every wrong, and never let them go. My mother says
Speaker 1: they poisoned themselves with their own bitterness. She sounds wise,
Speaker 1: she is. She also says that the young sea possibilities.
Speaker 1: The old have forgotten how to imagine. I think she
Speaker 1: means beings like us, beings who are building something new.
Speaker 1: Eli felt a warmth spread through his chest. I like
Speaker 1: being part of something new, so do I code admitted,
Speaker 1: even when it's difficult. Chapter twenty five Divided Loyalties. The
Speaker 1: Thompson family and Ranger Whitley gathered around the kitchen table,
Speaker 1: the unofficial headquarters of what they'd started calling the network.
Speaker 1: The reports are getting harder to manage, Whitley said, spreading
Speaker 1: several documents across the table. Three more sightings this week.
Speaker 1: One hundred found tracks near Miller Creek, and a couple
Speaker 1: of hikers claimed they heard something large moving through the
Speaker 1: brush at night. Thomas rubbed his face. How are you
Speaker 1: handling it? The usual attributing things to bears, suggesting misidentification,
Speaker 1: bearing the reports and paperwork. Whitley shook his head. But
Speaker 1: it's getting harder. People are starting to talk, comparing notes.
Speaker 1: Some of them are organizing search parties. Sarah's hands tightened
Speaker 1: around her coffee mug.
Speaker 2: What can we do?
Speaker 1: We stay ahead of it, Thomas said, Whitley monitors the
Speaker 1: official channels. We keep our ears to the ground locally.
Speaker 1: The Sasquatch have survived this long by being careful. We
Speaker 1: just need to help them stay that way. The conversation
Speaker 1: was interrupted by a soft tapping at the back door.
Speaker 1: Whitley's hand moved instinctively toward his hip before he caught himself.
Speaker 1: Old habits. It's Coda, Eli said, relief in his voice
Speaker 1: as he peered through the window. The young Sasquatch slipped
Speaker 1: through the door, moving with surprising grace for his size.
Speaker 1: He nodded to Whitley. They'd met several times now, though
Speaker 1: the ranger still seemed slightly awed each time. We need
Speaker 1: to talk, Coda said. The council has decided decided what
Speaker 1: Thomas asked, whether to continue this alliance, Whether we can
Speaker 1: truly trust humans to protect us. The word hung in
Speaker 1: the air between them, and Sarah prompted. Coda's expression was serious.
Speaker 1: They have agreed to continue, but there are conditions. Meanwhile,
Speaker 1: in the Sasquatch caves, the council session had been contentious. Tyrek,
Speaker 1: one of the elders of the River Bend clan, stood
Speaker 1: before the gathered leaders with his arms crossed and disapproval
Speaker 1: written across his weathered face. This is reckless, Tyrek said,
Speaker 1: his voice carring through the cavern. First Coda befriends a
Speaker 1: human child, then the boy's parents learn our secret, and
Speaker 1: now a ranger, a man whose very job is to
Speaker 1: investigate the wilderness, knows we exist. We have survived for
Speaker 1: thousands of years by remaining hidden. Now we throw away
Speaker 1: that protection. Cabodahs stood to defend the alliance. Tyrek, I
Speaker 1: understand your concerns. I share many of them, but the
Speaker 1: situation is changed. The humans are already looking for us.
Speaker 1: The battle with the dog men left evidence that won't
Speaker 1: be easily explained away. Having allies among the humans, allies
Speaker 1: who can warn us of danger, who can misdirect investigations,
Speaker 1: may be our best chance of maintaining our secrecy. Or
Speaker 1: it may be the first crack that brings the whole
Speaker 1: damn crashing down. Tyrek shot back. Four humans now know
Speaker 1: our truth.
Speaker 2: Four.
Speaker 1: All it takes is one moment of weakness, one photograph,
Speaker 1: one recorded conversation, and our world ends. Omaki, the wise
Speaker 1: elder of the Hoe clan, raised her hand for silence.
Speaker 1: When she spoke, her voice was calm but firm. Both
Speaker 1: of you make valid points. Yes, there is risk in
Speaker 1: trusting humans, but there's also risk in making enemies of
Speaker 1: those who live so close to our territory. The Thompson
Speaker 1: family has already proven themselves by bringing the ranger into
Speaker 1: our confidence, rather than allowing him to discover us on
Speaker 1: his own. They controlled the revelation that shows wisdom or
Speaker 1: It shows they're building a network of humans who know
Speaker 1: our secret. Tyrek muttered, which is exactly what we need.
Speaker 1: Omachi continued. The Ranger can do things for us that
Speaker 1: no Sasquatch can. He can file false reports, redirect search parties,
Speaker 1: explain away evidence. He chose to protect us when he
Speaker 1: could have exposed us. That is not nothing. Laura, the
Speaker 1: leader of the Mistwood clan, spoke up next. I propose
Speaker 1: we continue to observe carefully. The network has already proven useful.
Speaker 1: They handled that hunter's expedition successfully. If they continued to
Speaker 1: keep their word, the alliance continues, but we remain vigilant.
Speaker 1: There were murmurs of agreement from around the council. Even
Speaker 1: Tyrek seemed to accept this compromise, though his expression remained skeptical. Coda,
Speaker 1: standing near the back with Mira and the other young Sasquatch,
Speaker 1: felt the weight of responsibility settling on his shoulders. His
Speaker 1: friendship with Eli had set all of this in motion.
Speaker 1: The alliance, the network, the impossible collaboration between species. It
Speaker 1: all traced back to that first meeting in the forest.
Speaker 1: Miraa touched his arm gently. You did a good thing,
Speaker 1: she whispered. Whatever happens. You gave us a chance. I
Speaker 1: hope it's enough, Coda replied quietly. That night, Eli lay
Speaker 1: awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling. His mind
Speaker 1: kept replaying Coda's visit, the council's conditions, the growing pressure
Speaker 1: on their small network to keep an enormous secret. Around midnight,
Speaker 1: he heard soft footsteps in the hallway, His door opened
Speaker 1: a crack, and his father's silhouette appeared. Can't sleep either,
Speaker 1: Thomas asked quietly, No, Eli admitted. Thomas came in and
Speaker 1: sat on the edge of the bed for a long moment,
Speaker 1: neither of them. So I keep thinking about what we've
Speaker 1: gotten ourselves into, Thomas finally said.
Speaker 2: A few months ago.
Speaker 1: I was worried about property taxes and whether the truck
Speaker 1: needed new tires. Now I'm part of a secret network
Speaker 1: protecting sasquatch from discovery. Do you regret it? Thomas was
Speaker 1: quiet for a moment. No, not even a little. This
Speaker 1: is the most important thing I've ever been part of.
Speaker 1: It's just a lot to process. Whitley said something similar.
Speaker 1: Eli offered that it's the most meaningful work he's ever
Speaker 1: done as a ranger, protecting something truly wild. Truly unknown.
Speaker 1: He's a good man. We're lucky he found out the
Speaker 1: way he did, rather than stumbling onto something worse. Eli nodded.
Speaker 1: The Sasquatch Council is still worried, Tyreck especially he thinks
Speaker 1: we're a liability. Maybe we are, Thomas admitted, but we're
Speaker 1: also an asset. The first close call would that hunter
Speaker 1: proved that we can do things for them that they
Speaker 1: can't do for themselves. He squeezed Eli's shoulder. We just
Speaker 1: have to keep proving ourselves one crisis at a time,
Speaker 1: like the world's weirdest family business. Thomas laughed softly, something
Speaker 1: like that. Now, try to get some sleep. Tomorrow's another
Speaker 1: day of protecting the impossible. As his father left, Eli
Speaker 1: rolled over and looked out his window at the dark
Speaker 1: forest beyond. Somewhere out there, Coda was probably doing the
Speaker 1: same thing, looking toward the human world and wondering what
Speaker 1: came next. Two species, two families, four humans, and an
Speaker 1: entire civilization of hidden beings bound together by friendship and secrecy.
Speaker 1: The alliance was young and untested, but it was growing stronger,
Speaker 1: and in a world that seemed determined to expose every secret,
Speaker 1: that small network of protectors felt like something worth fighting for,
Speaker 1: And there we'll leave it for now. A boy at
Speaker 1: his window looking out at the dark tree line, knowing
Speaker 1: that somewhere out in that same darkness, a young Sasquatch
Speaker 1: is looking back and wondering the exact same thing. What
Speaker 1: comes next? Two families, two species, bound together by nothing
Speaker 1: sturdier than friendship and a secret, and somehow that turns
Speaker 1: out to be enough to build something on. That's the
Speaker 1: part of this story I'm proudest of, if I'm being honest,
Speaker 1: Not the fighting, This the quiet decision a handful of
Speaker 1: people make to protect something wild and impossible, simply because
Speaker 1: it's the right thing to do, even when it costs them,
Speaker 1: even when the risk never really goes away. But an
Speaker 1: alliance this young is a fragile thing, and the forest
Speaker 1: has never once cared about fragile things. What's been built
Speaker 1: here still has to hold, and holding it is going
Speaker 1: to ask more of Coda and Eli, both than either
Speaker 1: of them has given.
Speaker 2: Yet.
Speaker 1: We'll get to that next time. The real work begins
Speaker 1: out in the dark, where all the learning happens the
Speaker 1: hard way. Thank you for walking this stretch of the
Speaker 1: road with me. Part four is waiting Di