A/N: I was suddenly struck with this idea when I received a wedding announcement in the mail. The groom-to-be has published several books, is a great guy, and once for me translated into English the Chinese description on the back of a Voyager DVD set (although I can't recall which season). When I sent his father the story I omitted the Chakotay reference just in case his future daughter-in-law wasn't a fan.

When I wrote it I intended the dream to be about Tom and B'Elanna, but standing back and looking at it I'm struck with the feeling that it is more about Chakotay and HIS father. Happy Father's Day I guess.

So, Tom and B'Elanna were to be married, thought Chakotay as he laid down to rest. Some had seen the event coming even before the two participants had been aware of it. As he drifted quickly to sleep his mind and spirit began to wander...

It was in the month of teaching.

The Great Tracker had been instructing his son on the art of following and reading trails left by the land's many animals. After several weeks of intense study, the Young Tracker had learned to distinguish between snake, coyote and wolf. Bear, deer, turkey and lizard could no longer walk in anonymity as the secrets of even the faintest traces became known to the Young Tracker. He was amazed at the great preponderance of game as his learned eye took in what before it did not see.

Then came a day when the Great Tracker took aside his son and with a bit of pride said "You have done well son. I have taught you most of what can be taught of tracking. There is one more creature that you must learn to read for your knowledge to have a proper perspective."

"Father, what animal is left? You have shown me the tracks of all creatures on land, and surely I cannot track a fish in the water or a bird in the air!"

The Great Tracker chuckled. "You would be surprised that even those animals can leave evidence of their passing behind. No, I do not speak of those. Look down at your feet and tell me what you see."

The Young Tracker looked. "No animals have passed this way in some time."

"Now, without taking another step look behind you."

The Young Tracker looked. Still no animal tracks, but his father would not be asking unless there was a reason. He continued to look until finally he saw. "My steps."

"Very good. Man leaves tracks just as the animals do. But I shall use Man's tracks to teach you an even more important lesson." The Great Tracker waved his hand and he and the Young Tracker were in a new area and showed him two sets of tracks.

"See these tracks? They represent the tracks of two different people. What can you tell me about them?"

The Young Tracker studied the tracks. "The first person had larger feet and was heavier. The second had smaller feet and was lighter. They seem to have come from opposite directions and met here. Their paths crossed and they continued on their separate ways."

"Now let us follow one of the sets, it matters not which. What do you see?"

"It looks as though the paths cross again later on. Their meeting was longer before they diverge."

"And now further on?"

"When they separate, it was for shorter times and less far away. Now they are walking side by side in the same direction."

The Great Tracker watched with a careful eye as the Young Tracker came across the next section. The two sets of tracks became a track of three steps. Puzzled, he asked "Three steps?"

"Keep going."

At one point the three steps became two. "The person with the bigger feet is carrying the second" surmised the Young Tracker.

The two steps became three again and then further along became two again. "Now the person with the smaller feet is carrying the other" observed the Young Tracker.

Once again the steps became two. "Now it looks like the person with smaller feet led the other." Likewise, after returning to three steps for a while the tracks became two again. "Now the person with larger feet is leading the other."

The tracks returned to three and continued until they were joined with smaller steps. "The smaller steps are following behind" said the Young Tracker.

"Let us stop here" declared the Great Tracker. "You have seen enough for the lesson now. These tracks are not real, but are a metaphor. Let us be comfortable and see if you can tell me what happened." With another wave of the hand they were lying in repose under a shady elm. Some time passed. The Great Tracker waited, knowing that full understanding does not always come immediately. At last the Young Tracker was ready to speak.

"The steps were a metaphor that represents our travels through life. The larger steps are meant to be a man, the smaller a woman. The two people met in their lives, and later met again. They enjoyed each other's company and spent an increasing amount of time together getting to know each other."

The Great Tracker waited. The Young Tracker might stumble on the next part.

"After a time they married; for the two shall become one. That was the reason for three steps. But at times each person must provide the strength for the other and that is where each carried the other."

"But strength is not all that is needed" he continued. "There were also times in which the wisdom or courage of one led the other. In all cases the tracks returned to three steps after a short time.

"And at the last?"

"That one's easy. The small steps represent children following in their parent's ways."

"That is true; you have done well. What your inexperience missed" added the Great Tracker "was that before the smaller steps appeared they were carried by the parents. In time you will understand and see as well. In time the smaller steps will grow larger and they in turn will start to diverge from the parents until their paths have their own stories."

He continued. "Now, instead of focusing on the tracks you followed, visualize in your mind where we were and think only of mankind."

The Young Tracker did so and was astonished. "There are tracks everywhere! The way they cross and interact is too much."

"No, in time you will be able to follow any set you wish just as I can. Practice and experience will grow your abilities. Perhaps even in time" said the Great Tracker as he started to laugh, "you'll even be able to see your own tracks."

A faint smile crossed Chakotay's face as his dreams moved on to other things.

The End