Big Island South

Rush nodded, putting the berry in his mouth.

"So whaddya want me to do...?"

"ya see dat pole deah?....Ju gotsta climb it...den sit cross legged on ju tail."

Kogo looked over the human and realized it had no tail....

"Erm...."

Rush looked down.

"Easy enough..."

He drew his sword, a pair of black-stained tassles at the bottom, and wheeled it around his back.

Black ink spurted into the air, and hung there. It formed itself into a tail coming off of his tailbone, and started to climb.

The tail itself wasn't very well-drawn, and wobbled a little bit.

"Huh....Well....wasn't 'spectin dat..."

Kogo raised an eyebrow at the poorly painted wobble tail as it, and its owner disappeared up the totem into the shining sun.
He squinted, then raised his hand to his brow, sheilding his sleepy eyes from the brightness.

"Now! alls ju gotsta doo is stay up dere till I tell ju to come down!"

Rush nodded, finishing his ascension.

This should be easy, right?

He grinned, waiting.

"Ju must find da innah peace, ju kno...breathe in n' breathe out....unless humans do it diffrent from Garrose?"

Kogo paused then thought about the human breathing through his ears. And out his ass. He giggled.

"Jus relax mon n' soon Kogo will take ju to da root!"

Just as he finished his sentence, the witch doctor sat in the sand at the base of the poll, popped an un ripened jubjub plum in his mouth and dozed off.

Rush sat and thought. He saw dolphins swimming in the air and gulls flying in the sea, and life was good.

Rush wasn't even aware he existed anymore.

"Hey, monkey... Can I come down?"

Some combination of the lack of food and the intense drugging had kept him just barely alive.

Kogo awoke in a haze

"ugh...muh head....How long has it been?..."

He stretched and scratched his ass. His joints were stiff from the lack of movement and his muscles ached.
He looked up and noticed the furious eyes of the human as he stayed motionless on the totem.

"Oh...em....ju can go down now mon....I falls asleep...."

"I need the damn root!"

Rush groaned.

"And how the hell do I get off this giant stick!?"

Kogo grinned

"Ju fall mon."

Rush blinked.

"What the hell do you mean, fall?"

Was there something he was missing here?

"Well mon, Us Garrose normally climb up dem poles during da planet presession every year," Kogo shrugged "We usually sit up dere in meditative state untill the tide rolls in an' covers up da sand bars...den we fall off da poles an' into da ocean...fully spiritually cleansed."

Kogo looked to the glaring man again

"So uh....jah...ju gonna hafta fall o' summin....."

Rush blinked, then thought of something.

"Oh!"

He took out his sword, flailing it about a bit and throwing splatters of ink that hung in the air. His tail reconfigured itself to a pair of wings, and he stepped off the piece of wood, letting them take him slowly to the ground.

"Alright, then, what was I supposed to learn?"

"What ju were 'sposed to 'ave was a sprit travel....ju obvously didnt seein by how ju no have answers..."

Kogo frowned and then pointed off into the distance

"Follow Kogo..."

Rush nodded, hesitantly moving with Kogo as his ink withdrew.

"Well, I saw a lot of weird shit..."