The BLTS Archive - Blessings of the Sky Spirits
first in the Twist of Fate series
by Whoa Nellie (whoa_nellie40@hotmail.com)

---

As always: Paramount owns all the marbles.  We just have a lot more
fun playing with them.

Authors' note:  A few weeks back, my co-author came to me saying she
just got this really neat idea for a Chakotay story.  I said,  "Great!
Now, go write it.  When you're finished, we'll edit it and if you're
happy with it we'll post it. "  So, here it is.  Knowing next to
nothing about Native-American traditions, we did hours of research.
Then we promptly made the stuff up. Please keep in mind that we
usually write TNG stories and that this is our maiden Voyager story.
Also, please feel free to archive this on any pertinent site.  We have
no plans to archive it on our Picard / Vash site, mainly because
neither Vash nor Picard are in it.  We hope you enjoy it.

Feedback is always appreciated.

---

"Akoochimoyah, I am far from the sacred bones of my ancestors."
Commander Chakotay began the familiar chant, seeking guidance from his
animal spirit to understand the strange restlessness he had been
feeling as of late.  As he continued the chant, holding the akoonah,
the room began to swirl and he started the familiar descent into the
trance that transported him to the spirit world.

Chakotay looked around the forest setting, he didn't see his animal
spirit immediately.  This wasn't a big surprise, since his animal
spirit was a part of him, it could be as contrary as he was prone to
be about things.  He noticed that he was in more traditional garb than
he usually wore in his vision quests.  He was shirtless, wearing only
trousers and old-style moccasins.

He began to walk, seeking solace in the forest.  He was following a
faint path through the undergrowth when the trail suddenly ended and
he found himself at a village.  He had seen this place  before, on a
deserted planet in the Delta Quadrant, far from the lands of his
ancestors.  It was the village of the Sky Spirits.  He entered the
village, welcomed by those dwelling there with a simple smile and a
nod of greeting.  In the center of the village, sitting cross-legged
with several others, Chakotay was startled to see Kolopek, his father.

"Ah, Chakotay, we have been waiting for you."  Kolopek rose to greet
his son.

"Father, " Chakotay began.  "You honor me with your presence, but . .
."

"But you do not understand."  Kolopek smiled and patted his son's
shoulder.

"I know, and I will explain.  Please, sit."

Chakotay joined the circle of men sitting around a small fire. He had
so many things he wanted to say to his father, so many questions to
ask.  He didn't know where to begin.   He hoped that there would be no
red alerts tonight.  It was so good to see his father again that he
wanted this vision quest to last as long as possible.

"Ah, my son,"  Kolopek began, smiling broadly.  "It has been a long
time, no?"

"A lifetime."  Chakotay sighed.

"You have always been a contrary one, my son.  Even in the moment you
were entering the world, you were determined to make your own way.  I
have heard your thoughts and prayers.  You have done something which I
was convinced was not possible.  I told you once that if you turned
your back on our people, our ways; that you would be a part of two
worlds but belong to neither.  Yet you, my contrary son, you have
proven me to be wrong."  Kolopek paused to chuckle at his thoughts.

"No, Father, you were right.  If I had not turned my back on my
heritage, things would have been so different."  Chakotay had long
been tortured by guilt at not being with his parents, his people, at
Treban when they were massacred.

"Your death would not have changed what happened to us.  Your life has
carried on our heritage.  We live through you, Chakotay."

Chakotay was stunned.  After years of remorse, his father cut to the
heart of the matter with one sentence.  He had never felt that he
would be able to atone for the attitudes and decisions of his youth.
Yet, here was his father not the least bit angry for what Chakotay had
always felt was his biggest betrayal.

"But that is not the purpose of this day, my son."  Kolopek continued.
"This day is to commemorate you, your journey. "  At Chakotay's
confused expression he rested a hand on his son's shoulder. "You have
come full circle in your journey.  In your youth you rejected our
ways, your heritage.  You embraced a different life.  On your path has
been many trials, many obstacles both physical and spiritual.  You
have met them all and grown stronger from it. You began to explore and
embrace your heritage, our ways, in your own time. You have found a
way to embrace your past, live in the present and look to the future
without giving up any of yourself.  I had not thought it was possible
to live in both worlds, but you, my son, you have managed it.  You
embody everything good about our people, our way of life, and yet you
live in the modern world among other peoples and cultures.  You keep
one foot in each world without falling."  Kolopek paused and turned
his gaze to meet Chakotay's.  "I am very proud of
you."

Chakotay felt a great weight lift from him.  He had longed to hear
those words from his father for so long, he couldn't imagine any gift
more precious. He couldn't speak for the emotion, but he conveyed his
gratitude just the same.  He shared a long look with his father that
spoke volumes and resolved every problem that had ever been between
them.

"Now, my son,"  Kolopek reached out and traced Chakotay's tattoo
before turning back to his story.  "The reason I am here now is that
it is time your solo journey ended.   In the darkness, before there
was anything, life was just an essence.  The Great Spirit, in infinite
wisdom, split the essence of life into two pieces.  Our journey in
life must begin with a discovery of the part of life's essence that we
are; but it must end with finding and joining our other half.  We
cannot be complete alone.  You have been alone too long, my son.  Your
journey has been hard, but you now utterly and completely understand
your spirit."

Here he paused and took a drink from a cup in front of him. "If it
were in my power to send you home so that you could seek and find your
true soulmate, I would.  Since I cannot, I have asked for, and the Sky
Spirits have granted, a blessing to you.  They will bring the other
half of your soul to you.   In fact, she is already here. The ceremony
will begin shortly."  He gestured and food and drink were brought over
for the men.

As they were eating, Chakotay looked around.  Perhaps this vision
quest was exactly what he had needed to quell the restlessness that
had consumed him lately.   There certainly seemed to be a sense of
completion filling him. He was curious about the woman that his father
had mentioned.  His track record with women had not been that good as
of late:  first Seska, that was abysmal and difficult to even think
about;  there had been something with Kathryn, but their situations
created barriers and it had never really seemed 'right' somehow; then
Kellin, although all he had of her was some notes written on a piece
of paper -- not even a memory,  and then the female 8472 that he had
met on their Starfleet simulation.  He closed his eyes briefly and
placed his trust in the wisdom of the Sky Spirits, they certainly
couldn't do worse than he already had.  Hopefully this ceremony would
give him a wholeness of spirit that he could carry with him out of the
vision.

A short time later, the men rose and Kolopek directed Chakotay to
follow with them.  They walked in silence to the shaman's tent a short
distance away. He was standing in full ceremonial dress uttering
ritual prayers.  It was then Chakotay saw her.  She was in front of
the shaman, just to his right.  She was wearing a dress of  pure white
with matching moccasins.  Idly, Chakotay studied the dress, trying to
determine what animal the skin had been taken from.   His eyes moved
up her slender figure, across the  feminine curve of her hips.  Her
waist indented slightly and the dress accented it with a belt cinched
with an exquisite buckle of what appeared to be turquoise.  Further
up, her breasts swelled beneath the modest neckline of the dress.
Suddenly, all other thoughts fled.  He looked into the most beautiful
brown eyes he had ever beheld.  The universe seemed to be reflected in
those eyes.  They shone with the wisdom of the ages yet sparkled with
the innocence of youth.  They held understanding of all that was dark
in the universe yet expressed all that was good.   For an eternal
moment, Chakotay was lost in those eyes.

The words of the shaman shook him out of his reverie.  "In the
beginning, all the universe was divided; masculine and feminine, good
and evil, darkness and light.  In this way, all of the universe must
co-exist.  It cannot exist without balance.  As it is with all life,
we begin our journey alone.  Each of us has a path to walk that no
other may walk, each path is separate.  Yet we cannot always walk our
path alone.  In order to be complete, we need to find our other
half.Today, two halves will become a whole.  You have both walked your
paths alone.  Do you wish to join those paths now, do you wish to
continue your journeys as one?"

The young maiden demurely gazed up at Chakotay, gracing him with a
gentle smile.  Her long, black, silky hair cascaded past her shoulders
to frame her lush lips and the flutter of her dark lashes. Her
delicate features were highlighted by the warm, tawny color of her
satiny skin.  She turned back to the shaman and nodded her head once,
yes.

The shaman turned to Chakotay who also nodded yes.

Satisfied, the shaman continued.  He held in each of his hands, a
small ring. " A perfect circle, no beginning, no middle, no end.  In
this is the journey that we each must make.  The path we walk has no
beginning, it was there before we existed.  The path we walk has no
middle, it is ever changing, ever growing.  The path we walk has no
end, our existence may cease, but the path remains and the changes we
make to our path along the way remains behind to mark our time upon
it.   I give each of you a symbol of your paths."

When the shaman stepped forward, the maiden held out her left hand,
palm up to accept the ring that he placed there.  Chakotay followed
her example, holding his left hand out, palm up to receive his ring.

The shaman stepped back and continued the ceremony.  "To decide to
share one's life does not mean that you share the same path. There
must be spaces in your togetherness that you remain the sum of all
that you have experienced before.   You each hold your path in your
hand.  To become one life out of two halves is to intertwine, to
interconnect your paths with another.  If that is your desire today,
do so now."

The beauty stepped closer to Chakotay and held her left hand up
carefully to keep the ring in its place on her palm.  She met his eyes
and again he was rocked by the intensity that he saw there.  He moved
closer to her and brought his left hand up.  They joined their hands,
rings clinking together.  The shaman bound their hands together with a
leather strap.  Suddenly, the intensity that Chakotay had sensed
flared into a conflagration.  The sensation engulfed him searing him
with passion, desire and a connectedness that was more  powerful than
anything he had ever experienced.  His left palm tingled where their
rings were connected.

Dimly, he heard the shaman concluding the ceremony.  "Your hearts,
your minds and your spirits are now as tightly bound as your hands.
What has been joined today cannot be undone.   For the rest of your
journeys, you are now as one. Go now and enter into your
togetherness."

Somehow they must have walked to a tent, but Chakotay couldn't
remember. He also couldn't remember removing the strap that had bound
their hands in the ceremony.  As he felt her small hands resting on
his bare chest, all he knew was that he was alone with her.  He had
never felt passion so strong.  He moved to encircle her with his arms,
the muscles straining in his desire to hold her.  He looked down at
her as she tilted her face up to his, wordlessly seeking his mouth. He
obliged, her lips were soft, pliant and they opened softly as she
moaned her own desires into his mouth.  His hands cupped her hips,
pulling her closer against him.  His need was almost painful in its
strength.  He deepened the kiss, devouring her mouth with his lips and
tongue in an effort to know her as deeply as possible.

Pulling back, Chakotay looked down at her.  Removing her belt, he
tossed it to the floor.  Impatiently, he pulled the dress from her
body.  His eyes hungrily raked over her, his gaze feasting on every
inch of her, the heavy, silken hair, her dark eyes, the graceful arch
of her neck, the lush roundness of her breasts, her slim waist, the
feminine curve of her hips, and her long, slender legs.  Never taking
his eyes from her, he pulled her back into his embrace.  He moaned
aloud at the sensation of her full breasts crushed against his chest.
Her hardened nipples grazed across his skin through the sparse, curly
hair.  She felt so good, her curves fit into his body so perfectly.

Her hands were caressing the corded muscles of his back, kneading them
and pulling him closer.   His breath caught in his throat as her hands
moved to the waistband of his trousers, unfastening them and shoving
them down. Grasping the hard length, her hand stroked him as she fell
to her knees.  He could feel his muscles quivering as he struggled to
remain still.  Moving back slightly, she held him steady and, with her
tongue, traced very softly around the tip of his hardness.  Slowly,
little by little she eased him into the warm cavern of her mouth.
Overwhelmed by the sensations, he entangled his hands into her silken
hair and closed his eyes.  Tickling him with her tongue, she began
moving him in and out of her mouth.  Knowing he would soon be reaching
the limits of his control, he gently pulled away from her.  As she
stood, her eyes locked with his and he could see his own need and
desire reflected there. She reached up to trace his tattoo, her touch
searing his hot, already over sensitized skin. Her hand wound through
his thick, dark hair and drew his face down to hers.  Her lips met his
in a passionate kiss, wordlessly expressing what she wanted so badly.

Chakotay swept her up in his arms and fell to his knees, laying her
down on a pile of furs on the floor of the tent.  As he covered her
body with his own, the luxuriant softness of the furs heightened his
senses, inflaming him to even higher heights of desire.He lowered his
head to place an open-mouth kiss on the hollow of her throat, flicking
his tongue against her pulse point. He heard her gasp softly as her
head rolled back, baring her throat to his passionate onslaught.  His
mouth made its way down to the full curves of her breasts.  A heated
surge of arousal shot through him at the sight of the beautiful bronze
skin tipped with deep sienna crests.  His lips imprisoned the taut
nipple of one of her breasts.  With a moan, she held his head with
both hands, pulling him even closer.  Savoring her impassioned
reactions, he nipped at the sensitive peak slightly before suckling
strongly.  Ravenously, he tormented first one breast and then the
other.  His mouth left her breasts to slowly journey down the smooth
skin of her flat stomach with a trail of hot, moist kisses. Her body
trembled in his hands as his lips finally moved on to their final
destination.  She whimpered with need as he licked and kissed the very
center of her desire.  His tongue probed and caressed her, her essence
intoxicating him.  His mouth was relentless, taking her to the peak of
ecstasy.   He felt her body shudder around him.

Chakotay's burning need for her was now almost overpowering With his
arms braced on either side of her shoulders, he placed himself between
her supple thighs.  He entered her with one deep thrust, his body
completely filling hers.  The feeling of her body seizing his was
almost overwhelming.  Her small hands gripped his shoulders and the
supple curves of her body instinctively molded to his.  All of his
control was lost and he set a rhythm of furious intensity.  Like a
mirror image of his own need, she matched him motion for motion.  His
mouth claimed her lips in a searing kiss just as ferocious as the way
his body was possessing hers.   He slammed himself forcefully into
her, driving himself even deeper within her.

Her hips arched to accept every powerful thrust, meeting his passion
with her own fervent desires. Fiercely, he drove deep into her over
and over.  He abandoned himself to the burning pleasure he felt as her
body moved in perfect synchronization with his own. Her entire body
quaked repeatedly with pleasure, sending him over the edge. With one
last forceful thrust, he held himself deep inside her as his own
powerful release ripped through him.

The tent began to swirl as Chakotay left his trance.  When he looked
around, he was once again sitting in his quarters aboard Voyager.   He
closed his eyes briefly, savoring the lingering sensations from one of
the most incredible vision quests he had ever undertaken.  Hearing
something, he opened his eyes and looked around. His breath caught as
he saw the source of the noise.

"Who are you?"  He demanded, springing to his feet.

His intruder smiled and stepped toward him, holding her left palm out
to him.

Chakotay glanced down at his own left hand, astonished to see a
marking of intertwined circles on his palm.  He touched the marking,
it was a tattoo, dark brown in color.  Then he heard her speak.

"I am your wife, Chakotay."

---

continued in the second story in the Twist of Fate series 'Wyrd'