After lacing my boots tight, I pack a backpack with plenty of water and snacks. I take one last look at the map laid out on the table. According to my calculations, it’s going to take me three hours to get up into the mountain. It’s steep and off-road. I’m hoping not to run into areas I can’t drive through. The furthest point I can drive to, I’ll have to park and go by foot the rest of the way. Part of it looks like a vertical climb. There are ropes already on the path leading up to the village.

From my research on the tribe, they’ve continued to live a secluded life, living off the land. They get their supplies by bartering with townspeople down in the valley. They grow what food they can and hunt for their meat. There are rare pictures online of where they live. Some of the Indians choose to live in teepees. Others have built small huts. Part of me is excited to see how they live. This is part of my heritage, and this tribe has tried to preserve their way of life.

I carefully fold the map and pack it up. I throw my bags in the back seat and get behind the wheel of the Jeep and head out.

Making sure I have enough fuel, I fill an extra tank and strap it in the back. I put the Jeep in four-wheel drive when I make it to the base of the mountain. The scenery is absolutely stunning. I haven’t been back to Utah since the day I left for California. I love the area and the climate. It’s cold in the mountains this time of year.

The Jeep bounces with the jagged manmade road and the roots from the trees. It’s slow going around the edge with no safety rail or clearly defined path. I come to an impasse with a fallen tree. I get out to assess whether or not I can move it or if I’ll have to make the rest of the way on foot. I pull a few of the branches out of the way, but the trunk of the tree is too large. If I had a chain, I could pull it out of the way with the Jeep, but I don’t. I tug on a couple layers of clothes before I put on my heavy coat. I strap on my hiking gear with supplies already inside and head up the mountainside.

The elevation makes it hard to breathe, and I have to stop frequently. An hour later, I make it to the area that will be a vertical climb. There are tracks of ropes tied off in different areas. Some with long distances between the next set of ropes.

I dig my feet into the rocks and pull with my hands. Each step becomes harder than the next. My hands feel raw, and my thighs are on fire. About midway up, I find a small rock I’m able to sit on and take a water break. Even though it’s cold, I’ve worked up a sweat. I wipe my brow with the back of my hand and grab onto the rope again to take me up to the next section.

A few more steps and I can see the top of the mountain. I pull myself up and collapse onto the rocky ground. I lie with my eyes closed, trying to catch my breath. I roll to my stomach and push up off the ground. I can see the reservation tucked between two peaks of the mountain. The clouds hang low to the ground, making everything look gray. Smoke is billowing from the huts. Children are running around playing tag.

As I walk closer, a man dressed in full, colorful Indian garb heads toward me. I’m sure they don’t get many visitors up here. I lower my bag to the ground.

“My name is Shay. I’m looking for Moki Hunt.”

An unexpected smile crosses his face. “I remember you, Shay Fox, from Nara. She brought you to our camp when she found you wandering in the woods alone. She gave you your name.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t remember you.” I take a step closer to see if I recognize him.

“You were in bad shape when she brought you to the village. I was there visiting my brother at the time. I was long gone before you were healed.” He waves his hand in the air. “Welcome to our village.”

“Thank you. Do you know where I can find Moki?” I pick my bag up.

“I’ll take you to him. You must have important business with him to travel all the way up here.”

“I’m trying to find someone that he may know or a possible relative.”

He leads me to the middle of the camp to a large teepee. “Wait here,” he says, then ducks inside. A few minutes later, he comes out and nods, holding the flap open for me.

Inside, sitting in the very center is a gray-haired man with long braids on either side. He has a brown leather band tied around his forehead. His skin is old and weathered, but his black eyes sparkle when he sees me.

He points to the ground where there is a square multicolored woven rug. I place my bag on the dirt floor and sit cross-legged directly in front of him.

“Thank you for allowing me in your home. My name is Shay Fox, and I’m looking for someone.” I reach over to my bag and take my phone out, turning it on. I show him the snapshot I took of the photos of Wolfe as a child and as an adult. “His name was Wolfe Rowan. He had a twin sister.” I point to her in the picture.

His smile grows wider. “I know who you are. I would know you anywhere.”

“What? How?” I’m not following him.

He leans over to a hand-carved wooden box and pulls out a handful of pictures. He hands me one almost identical to the one on my phone.

“You do know him.” I’m so excited that he’ll be able to help me.

“And I know you.” He points to the little girl in the picture.

“I…I don’t understand?” I stutter.

“You are this little girl. Your mother Owana was my sister.”

“Wait.” My eyes flutter as I rub my temples. “Wolfe is my brother?”

He nods.

“How can that be?”

“Your father used to live here with us when he was married to your mother. He was a very bad man. A thief and a heavy drinker. He tried to kill you.” He reaches out and touches the scar at the nape of my neck. “He pushed you down on the ground and beat you with a stick.”

“No. I got this scar in a car accident.” I shake my head, pressing my fingers against the scar.

“You got this scar from his beating. He had gotten himself in so much trouble with the tribe. He got drunk one night and took his anger out on you, an innocent child. Wolfe, being blond haired and blue eyed like him, was his favorite. Even though I’m not sure he really liked him either. He threatened to kill you and your mother, so she disappeared in the middle of the night with you. I promised her before she left that I would watch out for Wolfe. She couldn’t take two children with her, so she left Wolfe behind. Your father ended up taking Wolfe and leaving here in the middle of the night. I couldn’t stop him. I never saw your mother again. I would get word of her and know that the two of you were okay.”

“You’re my uncle, and Wolfe was my twin brother?” I stand and pace around him. “This can’t be real.” I stop in front of him. “Wolfe died several months ago. He was in the military and was ambushed.”

A frown instantly covers his face, causing his wrinkles to deepen. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

It wasn’t a loss to me until right this very moment. He really was my brother, and our father must have tracked me down somehow before he died. He knew where I lived. How the hell did he find me? “My name. What was my name? It wasn’t legible on the birth certificate.”

“Dyani. It means deer.”

I sit back down on the rug. “You have your mother's eyes.” His shaky hand touches my face. “I see her in you.”

“Did you know a woman named Timber Hunt? I was told she might have an uncle that lived up here?”

His eyes squint. “No. I don’t know anyone named Timber and I know every man and woman living here.”

Timber maybe be a dead-end here, but I’ve come to know my past. At least my childhood. I feel such an overwhelming loss for Wolfe. A man I never met, a brother. My twin. This is not the answer I was expecting to get. Now that I’m here, I want to know more. I want him to tell me everything he can about my family.

“Would it be okay if I stayed here a few days, so you could tell me about my mother?”

“You are always welcome here, Dyani.” His eyes shine when he says my name like it’s something he’s been longing to do forever.