After a beautiful sunrise, Kit and Coyote set out once again. Coyote was quickly down the trail. Kit took a last look at the land they would likely travel today, and then headed toward the trail.

Kit was quite hungry this morning and noticed a field of rocks off to the side, filled by many moths. This will be an easy meal, thought Kit.

The footing was very tricky on this steep slope, covered with flat rocks of varying sizes. It turned out to be harder to catch those moths than Kit expected. Kit got about half-way down the slope, grabbed at a moth, and with the slip of a rock, the world suddenly switched to a kind of slow motion….

For a strangely extended second, Kit felt suspended in mid-air, almost lying flat above the earth. Then…, wham! Kit’s breath exploded as back, hip, and thigh smacked into the rocks. Kit’s vision narrowed to a long black tunnel, and an eagle’s scream pierced the sky!

Kit lay still.

Slowly, with a pounding heart, Kit sat up. Kit’s back and hip were scraped and an ugly bruise was already forming on Kit’s thigh. Kit’s palm was also bleeding from a shallow scrape. Kit started to shake.

For several minutes Kit simply sat there. Far below, Kit saw a running Coyote arrive at the base of the slope.

After sitting still for several minutes, Kit stood up. Kit’s legs felt weak and the slope seemed to stretch out forever. Kit stood there for a minute, unable to place one leg in front of the other. Finally, Kit sat back down. After a few minutes, remaining in a sitting position, Kit began to slowly inch down that slope. After quite so while, Kit finally reached the bottom and Coyote.

“Kit,” said Coyote, “Let me lick clean those scrapes and then we will go get some water.” Back on easy footing, a very quiet Kit limped after Coyote to where there was some shade and water.

“It seems that you had a bit of a scare,” said Coyote.

Kit said nothing.

“I didn’t see it, but clearly you fell. Frankly, with only two legs, and no tail, I don’t understand how you human beings stay on your feet in the first place!”

Kit couldn’t help but smile just the tiniest bit.

“I think the whole earth hates me,” said Kit.

“I think the truth is when walking on a rock slide…, expect the rocks to slide,” said Coyote. “But you should tell me the story of what just happened.”

“You know what happened,” said Kit.

“Ahh…,” said Coyote, “When something scary happens it is important to tell the story. Otherwise, it sits in the dark places of your mind. It feeds Fear-of-The-Dark.”

“I don’t understand,” said Kit. “Besides, I’m no good at telling stories.”

“Being able to report to others is an important part of The-Way-of-The-Scout. Start with reporting on your scout-awareness. What was going on inside your body, what was going on in your immediate surroundings, and what was going on in the larger surroundings.”

“Well…,” said Kit, “I had just started down the trail when I noticed a bunch of moths on that rock slope. I thought that they might be an easy meal.”

“You were very hungry. That’s what was going on inside your body?”

“Yes, my stomach was even making noises!” said Kit.

“When your inner awareness, your heart, is filled with any strong feeling, it leaves little room for clear thinking. What were you aware of in your immediate surroundings?”

“I guess I was pretty focused on those moths,” said Kit.

“And what of the larger surroundings. What was your awareness at that level?”

“I saw the steep slope… but I guess I didn’t really think much about it,” said Kit.

“So, your inner scout was not paying much attention to all three zones of awareness,” stated Coyote.

“That’s one way to put it!” said Kit. “Of course, once I smashed into those surroundings….”

“If you had started out using scout-awareness, the next step would be to think about the opportunities and the threats that lay ahead of you.”

“I was thinking about the opportunity to catch an easy meal!” said Kit.

“And what of the threats?” asked Coyote.

“That, I didn’t think much about. Looking back…, clearly I should have seen the threat of falling. Actually I’m pretty lucky I didn’t get more seriously hurt!”

“And what of the threat of parasites? Can that small nose of your’s smell the tiny bugs inside most of those moths? If you had eaten them you would become much sicker than a few scrapes and bruises.

“At any rate, that’s a good start to your story. Now tell the part about what happened after you fell? Why did you come down the rest of that slope on your butt!?! That was amusing to see… but still…,” said Coyote with a small chuckle.

“I don’t know,” said Kit. “My legs felt so weak, I was bleeding….”

“Can you remember what things you thought, what things you said to yourself in that moment?” asked Coyote.

“I was scared… I remember thinking that other rocks were going to slip on me, my leg and back were hurting….”

“That is Fear-of-The-Dark,” said Coyote. You became lost in your own mind. You were lost in your own fears, to the point that you could barely move. You got about half-way down that slope before you fell. What was different about those rocks after you fell?”

“Nothing was different about the rocks. But now I was hurt,” said Kit.

“It is like The Dark. Nothing is different, but it makes a person feel different, and think different. The truth of the world had not changed. But inside you something had changed. Fear-of-The-Dark had got hold of you. It was like you were, once again, just a small pup, who felt safer crawling than walking.”

“I don’t like the dark,” said Kit. “You never know what might happen.”

At that Coyote could not help but start laughing. “Kit,” said Coyote, “you can never tell what might happen when it’s light out either! Fear-of-The-Dark is all in your own head. Respect its power, even love that it might keep you safe sometimes, but don’t let it fill you up.”

“How do I stop that from happening?” asked Kit.

“Train yourself to always seek Honesty,” replied Coyote. “Where we try to seek Truth in the external world, try to seek Honesty in the internal world. We all sometimes lie to ourselves. That is part of being a person. But try not to fall for your own lies.”

“How can I tell if I’m being honest with myself?”

“You can never know for sure. That’s why you can only seek Honesty, without ever expecting to find it or be able to hold on to it for long!

“There are some questions you can ask yourself. When seeking Truth in the world, The Scout will ask, what are the opportunities here? What are the threats? When seeking Honesty in your own mind, The Scout will ask, what are my strengths here? What are my weaknesses? What skills and abilities do I already have that will help me? What skills and abilities should I look to add? That type of thinking, that type of Clear Mind, will lead to Clear Actions.

“Before you fell, you had the skills to successfully walk down half of that rock field. After you fell, even with those scrapes and bruises you still had those skills. Taking stock of your own injuries, and then deciding on the best action, is part of Scout Awareness.”

“I think my Scout Awareness is telling me that I should just rest here for awhile,” said Kit, with a small smile.

“That is a good idea,” said Coyote. “The-Way-of-The-Scout leads right to The-Way-of-The Warrior. You rest here. I will go see if I can find some meat for both of us!”