Wolverine #180

Publisher
Marvel
Year
2002
Month
10
LastChanged
2/11/2024 1:18:29 PM
Everything's Zen

Summary

  Somewhere out in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada, where Shaman is seen talking with Chuck Moss, to let Chuck make the decision of whether he wanted to continue on the path that Shaman, himself, had taken when he was his age, and would leave it up to Logan to see to it that Chuck is convinced that "when you are no longer at odds with this world you will understand there is no occasion for fear, doubt ... or regret", for only then will his totem be revealed.

  # Much later, somewhere in the Canadian wilderness, Logan had taken on the responsibility of training Chuck about all that Shaman had said. In his initial lessons to Chuck, Logan tells him that: "We're all going to die ... each and every act should be treated as if it's your final one."# "A warrior has to be hard. You have to live without doubts or remorse."# "...the secret to life is found in death."

  Going deeper into the forest, Logan points out a elk, and explains to Shaman how he had learned what he was going to show him. Logan stealthly sneaks up to capture the elk, only to step on a twig. Hearing that sound, the elk instantly kicks back, sending Logan flying to the ground, bloodied and unconscious. Chuck flees back to their car to get help, only to discover that Logan had beat him there and had healed completely. Chuck asks how Logan got so close to the elk, and that only in legends has he heard of people being able to get so close. In response, Logan gave his next lesson to Chuck, by telling him of how everything relates. Having a difficult time trying to explain it, Logan draws out a set of sparring stick and begins to spar with Chuck. Hours later, with Chuck exhausted, Chuck asks for a break, but Logan doesn't give in and knocks Chuck to the ground, telling him that "Shaman expects me to prepare you for a world that wants to eat you alive! Can't go callin' 'Time Out' in combat, damn it!"

  As night falls, Logan leads Chuck deeper into the woods. To cross a canyon with a river below, Logan cuts down a tree and walks across it. Chuck hesistates, saying that he wasn't good with heights and was worried about the wind that was blowing. Chuck gingerly walks across the bridge, only to loose his footing when a strong gust of wind blows him off. With Chck hanging by an arm on the wood, Logan manages to pull him back up, and forces Chuck to wear a blindfold this time to cross the makeshift bridge, to make Chuck control his fear, center himself on the tree trunk bridge, and allow his own senses to guide him across the bridge. Chuck makes it across.

  Much later, in the midst of the night, Logan is seen by a campfire near a cave. Inside, Chuck had his hand in the ground, wondering why he had to do it just to figure out his totem even though Shaman said he had to stain there until whatever Chuck's reason for being there was done. From inside, he suddenly sees many pairs of eyes looking at him. Screaming for help from Logan, Logan refuses. Chuck appears to be surrounded by giant bears. As he disappears beneath the shadows of the beasts, we suddenly see that it is next day, and Logan was waking Chuck up. Pulling his hand out of the ground, Chuck sees in his hand an earthworm. Logan guesses that the significance of the worm was Chuck's totem. Logan tells Chuck that from what he's heard, the significance of a worm was that he (Chuck) was an earthmover. He leaves Chuck to eat breakfast as he tells Chuck he had some unfinished business to tend to.

  Back in the forest, Logan looks for, and finds, the elk that had eluded him. He sneaks up towards the elk, only to stop dead in his track at what he saw. What he saw was the elk, and a hand on the elk ... the hand being Chuck's hand. Somehow, Chuck had learned from Logan the ability to sneak up to the elk, and he took it one step further by placing his hand on the elk (which didn't seem to be afraid). Logan comments to Chuck that "...you're gonna do just fine ..."