White Cloud and the Golden Canyon

White Cloud and the Golden Canyon is a story about a young Lakota brave who sets out on a dangerous journey into the wilderness in search of the mystical Golden Canyon and his true animal spirit. On his journey, he encounters three animal journey guides: Silver Wolf, Sky Bird, and Wind Runner. These journey guides protect White Cloud and give his wisdom and guidance as he searches for his true animal spirit. Life spirit animals or totems carry meaning, wisdom, and power. A person's life spirit animal is one who, through its own unique characteristics, will teach them important lessons as they travel through life. Finding your life spirit animal is like a going on a journey. In Native American cultures, as in many cultures of the world, this journey is called a "vision quest." This is a story of a young Native American brave who finds the strength, courage, and wisdom to follow his dream of finding his true animal spirit and taking his rightful place among the men of his tribe. This book is filled with beautiful color illustrations. The following is an excerpt from the book: The world became quiet, except for the pounding of moccasins on dry, dusty earth. The sun passed over the young brave's head and then began to slide down to the earth. Yet, he continued to run with his eyes focused to the north. After some time, he came upon a small creek and paused to drink. The water tasted good and gave him new energy. As he raised his head from the creek, he froze. There, no more than five paces in front of him, was the huge head of a black wolf. Its black coat was matted with mud and what looked like blood. A pair of crazed blood-red eyes stared back at him. White Cloud knew something was terribly wrong with the black wolf, because wolves hunt in packs, and a lone wolf will rarely attack a human. But this wolf was different. It seemed possessed by some dark and wicked spirit. White Cloud could smell the foul breath of the black wolf as it started to pace from side to side in front of him. The young brave's hand moved slowly toward his knife. Suddenly, the depraved black wolf curled its mouth into a hideous growl, exposing a row of sharp, sickly yellow teeth and gave out a blood curdling howl. Just as White Cloud began to draw his knife from its sheath, the crazed creature lunged forward with surprising speed directly at White Cloud's exposed throat. The young brave fell back as he drew his knife. Just as the black wolf was about to tear into White Cloud, another wolf with a brilliant silver-white coat plowed into the black wolf, ripping open its throat with a single snap of its powerful jaws. The black wolf tumbled backward howling in agony. It quickly ran away leaving a bright red trail of blood, with the white wolf streaking after him. White Cloud slowly rose to a sitting position. After some time, he found himself gazing into the face of the white wolf that had surely saved his life. This wolf had a brilliant silver-white coat and eyes that seemed to shine with a bright white light. Many heartbeats passed. Then the great white wolf spoke, but in a strange and magical way. The words did not come from the mouth of the wolf. The wolf, like other animals, does not speak as we do. His words flowed through the air, as if his thoughts had sound. White Cloud clearly heard the thoughts of the wolf. "Do not be afraid, White Cloud, for I am Silver Wolf and mean you no harm. I will be your protector and journey guide on this first part of your quest."