Finding Truth Behind Legends
by Wizardtho
Previously in Chapter 04:
I turn on the shower, making the water as hot as I can stand it. As I step under the spray, I can feel the night’s events finally catching up to me. It’s only moments later that the shower fills with the sounds of my hitched and stuttered breathing, my tears mixing with the bloody water flowing down the drain.
Now, Chapter 05:
The water turns a pale pink before I start to compose myself. I hear a whine from my bedroom, so I sniffle a bit before croaking out, “Is he alright?”
Zander calls back in a sad tone, “He is the same physically, but worried about you… as am I, little coyote.”
I shake my head and grab the sponge, calling back, “I’m alright now… just pent up worry and fear that I wouldn’t allow myself to process while everything was happening. Wasn’t that one of the things Jake and Sam warned you about? I know you talked to them both, even if you won’t share what was said.”
Zander chuckled at something before offering, “No offense, little coyote, but I feel as if I’m in the bathroom with you, talking this way. I’d rather wait until you’re dressed before we continue this line of your questioning.”
That makes me let out a genuine laugh, agreeing, “Point well made, Mr. Alpha. Please forgive my momentary lapse in judgement, and allow me to continue this line of questioning once I’m properly clothed.”
I hear a rough bark of laughter from both Taha Aki and Zander, then try to finish scrubbing the salve and blood from my body. It takes two scrubbings from forehead to toes, as well as three hair washes before I feel sufficiently residue free, but I feel surprisingly good once that’s accomplished. I even hum a bit while drying off and dressing.
When I return to the bedroom, still humming, Zander asks, “What is that? I don’t recognize it? The song, I mean?”
I smile as I lean down to check on Taha Aki, who looks as comfortable as can be, under the circumstances. I see a smear of pink in his fur near his muzzle, so I take the towel from my hair to wipe it away as I offer, “It was a Boyce Avenue cover of a Jesse McCartney song called Beautiful Soul. Don’t know why it popped into my head, but it helped. Now… how’s my patient doing? You’ve fed, it seems, which is a good sign.”
Zander leans up to see me wiping another small smear of pink from around the white wolf’s muzzle, then says, “Yeah, sorry about that. I thought I got it all. We usually swim for a bit after hunting in our other form, to clean up.”
I shake my head with a small smile, “He needs all the energy he can get, so no worries. I’m not really squeamish when it comes to blood. Dad is an avid hunter and fisherman.”
I take a peek at the gauze wrapping, situating a piece before looking up at Zander. “Now, Mr. Alpha, care to continue our previous conversation?”
I feel a small rumbling chuckle in the chest beneath my hand, but Zander nods with his own chuckle, “Sure, Bella. Both Sam and Jake did mention that during our conversations. You have to understand, though... it’s one thing to hear about, but quite another to watch you going through. I watched how methodical and precise you were under pressure out there. You have nerves of steel, little coyote. Then, to hear you practically fall apart in there… well, it was hard to hear you going through that, and not be able to do anything to help you.”
I shake my head, correcting him in a sad tone, “You think too highly of me, Zander. I was far from methodical or having nerves of steel. I felt like my entire body was vibrating with how scared I was. I had to literally shut everything else out to concentrate on what needed to be done. I’m sure Taha Aki had his reasons, but I honestly think he was nuts to have you bring him to me. I only even started making the salves tonight as something to keep my mind busy while I waited for word.”
A slight growl sounds next to me, then I feel a huge wolf head laying itself on my lap. I chuckle before Zander explains, “Taha believes in you, little coyote. We all do. His reasons are his own to share, when he feels it’s time, but I assure you that he’s anything but crazy. You should rest a bit, especially if you didn’t get any before we showed up.”
I nod, stroke the tip of Taha Aki’s ear as he moves his head, then climb into bed. Zander lowers the lighting, then whispers, “I’ll wake you if you’re needed, Bella. Rest easy.”
I close my eyes, but it feels like I’ve barely gotten to sleep before I feel Zander gently shaking my shoulder. I snap into a sitting position as I search the floor in front of the bed. Zander says in a calming tone, seeing my distress, “Hey, little coyote… slowly. Just listen for a second, then tell me what you need. I wiped the old salve off him as well as possible before changing his bandages at the 3 hour mark, so you could sleep, but I don’t know if it’s doing any good. I talked to all the boys about what his strength level is for things... alcohol and the like. We think you need to pretty much times whatever herbs by 6. You have to remember that he’s been phasing for a very long time, and the longer we phase, the stronger we get.”
I nod sadly, then note that Taha Aki’s breathing is slightly labored. “I’ll start it now, but don’t let him be in here alone. His nose is dry and his breathing is heavier. I’ll get one of the pack to help me.”
He nods seriously, so I scrub my hands over my face before hopping out of bed to get started. I stop off to kneel next to Taha Aki, placing my hand over the worst of his wound and closing my eyes out of instinct. After only a few seconds of focusing on him, my intuition screams at me, so I snap my head around to Zander, “Call the shaman. I don’t give a shit if he’s in on the secret or not. Get him here. He needs to keep Taha stable while I prepare the salve. It’ll take me at least the next 3 hours, maybe more. Also, I need you to phase to give me a sense of how bad he is. If he’s having nightmares, fever, what the fuck ever… I need to know yesterday.”
With a sharp nod and call out to Greg, I hurriedly make my way out to the main room. Aiden is pacing slightly, so I offer, “You need something to do, Aiden? Help me. Take a few of the pack and go gather me more herbs from the garden.”
He gave me a pitiful chuckle, “We already did that while you slept. Next?”
I nod in thanks, “Thank you. Come with me.”
Once in the kitchen, I flip to the page containing the black salve. “Get me everything I have of these ingredients. I’ll be making up more than one batch. If I don’t have at least 12 times the amount needed, tell the shaman to bring it.”
He quickly looks over the list and seems to add things up in his head, then calls out, “Greg! Tell the shaman to bring his activated charcoal!”
He nods after a second, then dashes away. I get two of the cleaned double boilers ready before placing them on the stove. Greg and Aiden arrive laden down with the herbs and oils needed, then Zander rushes in, saying, “Taha’s running a fever and having nightmares… or fever hallucinations. I can’t really tell which. Nothing else has changed, though, and it’s good that he’s fighting hard in his dreams.”
I nod as I direct the boys to start rubbing the herbs gently between their fingers, then say, “On the healing shelf, there’s a few dropper bottles labeled ‘Fever Reduction’. The bottles are small, and meant for humans, so empty ½ a bottle in a small amount of juice from the fridge, then force it down his throat if he won’t wake to take it. When the shaman gets here, tell him to see me if he needs to know what was in it.”
He offers a ‘thanks’ before dashing from the room, so I nod before turning my attention back to Aiden and Greg. Both are still gently rubbing herbs and such between their fingers, so I start double checking their ingredient measurements. Both boys were correct, so I add the readied herbs and oils to the boilers.
Once I’m done and the stove set to medium, the boys are almost halfway done, so I help them ready the rest of the herbs before adding them to the pots. I’m just stirring the second pot when I hear a knock on the door. Greg pats my shoulder, then leaves to answer it.
He comes back with an age-withered native man, whose eyes are shockingly clear and bright. They land on me, but widen slightly before the man smiles from ear to ear. I nod in respect before he offers in greeting, “You, little coyote, hold an echo of Hurit’s soul. Beautiful and bright as I saw when I was a young boy; I would recognize it anywhere. Welcome home. I am Eluwilussit, but you can call me Will.”
I give him a another nod as I wipe my hands, then take both of his in greeting. “It’s good to be home. As you most likely already know, my name is Bella. Please, I need you to help Taha Aki while I prepare a stronger salve. His condition is worsening every minute.”
He nods, “Of course, Bella. The tincture used was the standard, correct?”
I shake my head, “I have no clue, honestly. I was going by what I found in the medicine room. I was hoping to speak to you soon about all this, to ask if you would help me expand my very limited knowledge. Here is the recipe.”
Will looks at the recipe, hums, then nods. “Not standard, but this is a brilliant combination. It should work quite quickly, if the proper amount was given.”
I nod as I gently stir the pot again, “The first salve was made at 1 ½ times the potency of what’s needed for humans, since I had no clue about what was needed for the pack. This batch will be 6 times the potency of the recipe 3 pages back from the tincture you’re on.”
His eyes widen as he looks over the recipe, but I offer, “I had Zander give Taha half a small bottle of the tincture, which would roughly be about 6 times the recommended amount.”
He hums, then asks, “The oils, beeswax and charcoal... are you multiplying those?”
I bite my lip, but then offer, “I was going to keep the oils and beeswax the same as original, but multiply the charcoal times 2. I didn’t think the consistency would work if I added more.”
Will smiles, pats my hand, then sets the charcoal he brought with him on my herb riddled counter. “You can safely multiply the original charcoal amount by 3. It will not only be a vehicle for the herbs to do their work, but is a natural drawing absorbent. The more charcoal, the faster the salve will draw out the infection. Any more than three times the amount, without adding more beeswax and oil, will make the salve too thick to be workable.”
I nod in relief, making a quick note at the bottom of the recipe, then he nods, “I will see to your wolf now, little coyote. They have finished moving him to the open space just outside this room, if my ears aren’t deceiving me. You have no restrictions on scents, do you?”
I shake my head, “No. My home is yours, while you have need of it. Use whatever incense or herbs you have to, to help him. If you find you need something in the medicine room, just tell me or one of the pack, so we can keep track of what needs replaced from the garden.”
With a bow of his head, he leaves the room. I check the timer before gently stirring the boilers one more time. Standing alone in the kitchen, I take the time to close my eyes while stirring. I send up prayers to the ancestors and Gran Hurit, not only for continued safety of the pack and myself, but for this salve to work it’s healing magic on Taha Aki.
It takes just a little over an hour to look the same readiness as the original batch I made last night, but hearing everything going well in the next room, I leave the mixture going for another 30 mins, just to be safe. When it’s time, I strain the concoction through cheesecloth, making sure to squeeze out as much liquid as possible from the herbs.
I mix the last ingredients in, transfer the hot salve mixture to the tins I laid out on the counter, then place them all in the freezer to cool. My worry has me quietly checking the shaman’s progress in the next room once I’m done.
The pack is all sitting indian style in a circle around the shaman and Taha Aki’s wolf form. In the center, Will is chanting in his native tongue, slowly waving and shaking a smoking bundle of herbs over the length of the massive wolf’s body. Taha is breathing normally again, his nose damp and his eyes closed. There’s no tension in his muscles, so I send a silent thank you to the ancestors that he’s at least stable.
I retreat to the kitchen again after about 10 minutes, wanting to check the progress of the salve. Just as I pull the tray from the freezer, Greg slips into the room. I smile, but he hugs me tightly before whispering, “You did well, Bella… forcing Zander to have me call the shaman. You gave him, my alpha, no room for debate. I think that might be why Taha wanted us to bring him to you. He knew your judgement wouldn’t be questioned where he was concerned. We may know him through the mind link, but he has this… connection… with you. You’ve shown it so many times already, even if you don’t think you have.”
I shake my head, “I just did what my intuition was screaming for, Greg. And connection? Really? He isn’t even comfortable enough around me to let me see his human form. Either way, I’m thankful he’s stable again.”
I look at the salve, noticing it’s both cool enough and solid enough to use, so I take 1 tin from the tray before placing the rest back in the freezer. Greg grabs the gauze, seeing that I’m ready, then leads me to the others. The shaman looks up as I enter, nodding to me, “He is stable and ready for you. I will continue to work as you tend to your wolf, little coyote.”
I notice that Taha Aki’s chest and wounds have been cleaned of the previous salve, so I immediately drop to his side. After donning a fresh set of gloves, I meticulously and gently pack each wound with the black salve, making sure to cover the skin around each wound, too. All the while I can hear Will chanting above me as Greg waits nearby for me to give him the signal.
Once I’m confident I’ve done all I can, I nod to Greg, who helps me wrap the white wolf’s entire torso with gauze again. I nod to Zander and Greg when finished, then caress the tips of Taha’s ears as the shaman says a few words while touching the bandages over the worst of the wounds.
When he looks at me, he nods before saying, “If you don’t mind, Bella, I will stay until I know Taha Aki is healing.”
I agree, of course, “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Once I get the kitchen cleaned back up, I’ll fix everyone something to eat. Please stay and rest. I know our call in the middle of the night must have disturbed your sleep.”
He gives me a tired chuckle, “It looks like a few of the pack have already taken care of the cleanup, little coyote.”
I look to see several pack members coming back into the room with wide grins, so I chuckle, “I guess you’re right. Thanks, guys. I’ll have breakfast whipped up in under an hour.”
True to my word, plates piled high with bacon, sausage, eggs, homemade biscuits, and country gravy are being placed on the kitchen bar in under an hour. Funny enough, Will sat there watching me nearly the whole time with a smile on his face. When I set the last plate down, I can’t hold my question any longer, so I ask, “You’re smiling, even though I know you must be extremely tired. Would you mind me asking what about me makes you smile so?”
His smile widens, making the wrinkles in his skin more prominent, then he offers truthfully, “Watching you move around the kitchen, so sure and at peace with your surroundings, brings to life all the stories my mentor told me of your dear great grandmother. You are like her in many ways, little coyote, other than what I know of her physical looks.”
I chuckle, nodding, “Dad always told me I took after someone special, and I find a lot of similarities between us each time I open her journals. Earlier you said that I hold an echo of her soul. Honestly, you couldn’t have said anything to make me feel more special or at home here. Some might have thought that scary or creepy, but I felt calm and blessed when you said that. From what I’ve read and been told by others, she must have been an amazing and creative woman.”
I go to say something else, but he tilts his head slightly while studying me. After a long moment, his eyes sparkle a little brighter, then he offers cryptically, “We must work on your emotional state, Isabella. You are not ready, yet, to see all that you need to see. Once you are able to merge your mind and emotions, you will be ready to meet them.”
I don’t understand what he’s referring to, but just as I start to ask, the pack starts filing into the kitchen. The wise old shaman pats my hand with a whispered, “Soon,” as his only answer.
I turn on the shower, making the water as hot as I can stand it. As I step under the spray, I can feel the night’s events finally catching up to me. It’s only moments later that the shower fills with the sounds of my hitched and stuttered breathing, my tears mixing with the bloody water flowing down the drain.
Now, Chapter 05:
The water turns a pale pink before I start to compose myself. I hear a whine from my bedroom, so I sniffle a bit before croaking out, “Is he alright?”
Zander calls back in a sad tone, “He is the same physically, but worried about you… as am I, little coyote.”
I shake my head and grab the sponge, calling back, “I’m alright now… just pent up worry and fear that I wouldn’t allow myself to process while everything was happening. Wasn’t that one of the things Jake and Sam warned you about? I know you talked to them both, even if you won’t share what was said.”
Zander chuckled at something before offering, “No offense, little coyote, but I feel as if I’m in the bathroom with you, talking this way. I’d rather wait until you’re dressed before we continue this line of your questioning.”
That makes me let out a genuine laugh, agreeing, “Point well made, Mr. Alpha. Please forgive my momentary lapse in judgement, and allow me to continue this line of questioning once I’m properly clothed.”
I hear a rough bark of laughter from both Taha Aki and Zander, then try to finish scrubbing the salve and blood from my body. It takes two scrubbings from forehead to toes, as well as three hair washes before I feel sufficiently residue free, but I feel surprisingly good once that’s accomplished. I even hum a bit while drying off and dressing.
When I return to the bedroom, still humming, Zander asks, “What is that? I don’t recognize it? The song, I mean?”
I smile as I lean down to check on Taha Aki, who looks as comfortable as can be, under the circumstances. I see a smear of pink in his fur near his muzzle, so I take the towel from my hair to wipe it away as I offer, “It was a Boyce Avenue cover of a Jesse McCartney song called Beautiful Soul. Don’t know why it popped into my head, but it helped. Now… how’s my patient doing? You’ve fed, it seems, which is a good sign.”
Zander leans up to see me wiping another small smear of pink from around the white wolf’s muzzle, then says, “Yeah, sorry about that. I thought I got it all. We usually swim for a bit after hunting in our other form, to clean up.”
I shake my head with a small smile, “He needs all the energy he can get, so no worries. I’m not really squeamish when it comes to blood. Dad is an avid hunter and fisherman.”
I take a peek at the gauze wrapping, situating a piece before looking up at Zander. “Now, Mr. Alpha, care to continue our previous conversation?”
I feel a small rumbling chuckle in the chest beneath my hand, but Zander nods with his own chuckle, “Sure, Bella. Both Sam and Jake did mention that during our conversations. You have to understand, though... it’s one thing to hear about, but quite another to watch you going through. I watched how methodical and precise you were under pressure out there. You have nerves of steel, little coyote. Then, to hear you practically fall apart in there… well, it was hard to hear you going through that, and not be able to do anything to help you.”
I shake my head, correcting him in a sad tone, “You think too highly of me, Zander. I was far from methodical or having nerves of steel. I felt like my entire body was vibrating with how scared I was. I had to literally shut everything else out to concentrate on what needed to be done. I’m sure Taha Aki had his reasons, but I honestly think he was nuts to have you bring him to me. I only even started making the salves tonight as something to keep my mind busy while I waited for word.”
A slight growl sounds next to me, then I feel a huge wolf head laying itself on my lap. I chuckle before Zander explains, “Taha believes in you, little coyote. We all do. His reasons are his own to share, when he feels it’s time, but I assure you that he’s anything but crazy. You should rest a bit, especially if you didn’t get any before we showed up.”
I nod, stroke the tip of Taha Aki’s ear as he moves his head, then climb into bed. Zander lowers the lighting, then whispers, “I’ll wake you if you’re needed, Bella. Rest easy.”
I close my eyes, but it feels like I’ve barely gotten to sleep before I feel Zander gently shaking my shoulder. I snap into a sitting position as I search the floor in front of the bed. Zander says in a calming tone, seeing my distress, “Hey, little coyote… slowly. Just listen for a second, then tell me what you need. I wiped the old salve off him as well as possible before changing his bandages at the 3 hour mark, so you could sleep, but I don’t know if it’s doing any good. I talked to all the boys about what his strength level is for things... alcohol and the like. We think you need to pretty much times whatever herbs by 6. You have to remember that he’s been phasing for a very long time, and the longer we phase, the stronger we get.”
I nod sadly, then note that Taha Aki’s breathing is slightly labored. “I’ll start it now, but don’t let him be in here alone. His nose is dry and his breathing is heavier. I’ll get one of the pack to help me.”
He nods seriously, so I scrub my hands over my face before hopping out of bed to get started. I stop off to kneel next to Taha Aki, placing my hand over the worst of his wound and closing my eyes out of instinct. After only a few seconds of focusing on him, my intuition screams at me, so I snap my head around to Zander, “Call the shaman. I don’t give a shit if he’s in on the secret or not. Get him here. He needs to keep Taha stable while I prepare the salve. It’ll take me at least the next 3 hours, maybe more. Also, I need you to phase to give me a sense of how bad he is. If he’s having nightmares, fever, what the fuck ever… I need to know yesterday.”
With a sharp nod and call out to Greg, I hurriedly make my way out to the main room. Aiden is pacing slightly, so I offer, “You need something to do, Aiden? Help me. Take a few of the pack and go gather me more herbs from the garden.”
He gave me a pitiful chuckle, “We already did that while you slept. Next?”
I nod in thanks, “Thank you. Come with me.”
Once in the kitchen, I flip to the page containing the black salve. “Get me everything I have of these ingredients. I’ll be making up more than one batch. If I don’t have at least 12 times the amount needed, tell the shaman to bring it.”
He quickly looks over the list and seems to add things up in his head, then calls out, “Greg! Tell the shaman to bring his activated charcoal!”
He nods after a second, then dashes away. I get two of the cleaned double boilers ready before placing them on the stove. Greg and Aiden arrive laden down with the herbs and oils needed, then Zander rushes in, saying, “Taha’s running a fever and having nightmares… or fever hallucinations. I can’t really tell which. Nothing else has changed, though, and it’s good that he’s fighting hard in his dreams.”
I nod as I direct the boys to start rubbing the herbs gently between their fingers, then say, “On the healing shelf, there’s a few dropper bottles labeled ‘Fever Reduction’. The bottles are small, and meant for humans, so empty ½ a bottle in a small amount of juice from the fridge, then force it down his throat if he won’t wake to take it. When the shaman gets here, tell him to see me if he needs to know what was in it.”
He offers a ‘thanks’ before dashing from the room, so I nod before turning my attention back to Aiden and Greg. Both are still gently rubbing herbs and such between their fingers, so I start double checking their ingredient measurements. Both boys were correct, so I add the readied herbs and oils to the boilers.
Once I’m done and the stove set to medium, the boys are almost halfway done, so I help them ready the rest of the herbs before adding them to the pots. I’m just stirring the second pot when I hear a knock on the door. Greg pats my shoulder, then leaves to answer it.
He comes back with an age-withered native man, whose eyes are shockingly clear and bright. They land on me, but widen slightly before the man smiles from ear to ear. I nod in respect before he offers in greeting, “You, little coyote, hold an echo of Hurit’s soul. Beautiful and bright as I saw when I was a young boy; I would recognize it anywhere. Welcome home. I am Eluwilussit, but you can call me Will.”
I give him a another nod as I wipe my hands, then take both of his in greeting. “It’s good to be home. As you most likely already know, my name is Bella. Please, I need you to help Taha Aki while I prepare a stronger salve. His condition is worsening every minute.”
He nods, “Of course, Bella. The tincture used was the standard, correct?”
I shake my head, “I have no clue, honestly. I was going by what I found in the medicine room. I was hoping to speak to you soon about all this, to ask if you would help me expand my very limited knowledge. Here is the recipe.”
Will looks at the recipe, hums, then nods. “Not standard, but this is a brilliant combination. It should work quite quickly, if the proper amount was given.”
I nod as I gently stir the pot again, “The first salve was made at 1 ½ times the potency of what’s needed for humans, since I had no clue about what was needed for the pack. This batch will be 6 times the potency of the recipe 3 pages back from the tincture you’re on.”
His eyes widen as he looks over the recipe, but I offer, “I had Zander give Taha half a small bottle of the tincture, which would roughly be about 6 times the recommended amount.”
He hums, then asks, “The oils, beeswax and charcoal... are you multiplying those?”
I bite my lip, but then offer, “I was going to keep the oils and beeswax the same as original, but multiply the charcoal times 2. I didn’t think the consistency would work if I added more.”
Will smiles, pats my hand, then sets the charcoal he brought with him on my herb riddled counter. “You can safely multiply the original charcoal amount by 3. It will not only be a vehicle for the herbs to do their work, but is a natural drawing absorbent. The more charcoal, the faster the salve will draw out the infection. Any more than three times the amount, without adding more beeswax and oil, will make the salve too thick to be workable.”
I nod in relief, making a quick note at the bottom of the recipe, then he nods, “I will see to your wolf now, little coyote. They have finished moving him to the open space just outside this room, if my ears aren’t deceiving me. You have no restrictions on scents, do you?”
I shake my head, “No. My home is yours, while you have need of it. Use whatever incense or herbs you have to, to help him. If you find you need something in the medicine room, just tell me or one of the pack, so we can keep track of what needs replaced from the garden.”
With a bow of his head, he leaves the room. I check the timer before gently stirring the boilers one more time. Standing alone in the kitchen, I take the time to close my eyes while stirring. I send up prayers to the ancestors and Gran Hurit, not only for continued safety of the pack and myself, but for this salve to work it’s healing magic on Taha Aki.
It takes just a little over an hour to look the same readiness as the original batch I made last night, but hearing everything going well in the next room, I leave the mixture going for another 30 mins, just to be safe. When it’s time, I strain the concoction through cheesecloth, making sure to squeeze out as much liquid as possible from the herbs.
I mix the last ingredients in, transfer the hot salve mixture to the tins I laid out on the counter, then place them all in the freezer to cool. My worry has me quietly checking the shaman’s progress in the next room once I’m done.
The pack is all sitting indian style in a circle around the shaman and Taha Aki’s wolf form. In the center, Will is chanting in his native tongue, slowly waving and shaking a smoking bundle of herbs over the length of the massive wolf’s body. Taha is breathing normally again, his nose damp and his eyes closed. There’s no tension in his muscles, so I send a silent thank you to the ancestors that he’s at least stable.
I retreat to the kitchen again after about 10 minutes, wanting to check the progress of the salve. Just as I pull the tray from the freezer, Greg slips into the room. I smile, but he hugs me tightly before whispering, “You did well, Bella… forcing Zander to have me call the shaman. You gave him, my alpha, no room for debate. I think that might be why Taha wanted us to bring him to you. He knew your judgement wouldn’t be questioned where he was concerned. We may know him through the mind link, but he has this… connection… with you. You’ve shown it so many times already, even if you don’t think you have.”
I shake my head, “I just did what my intuition was screaming for, Greg. And connection? Really? He isn’t even comfortable enough around me to let me see his human form. Either way, I’m thankful he’s stable again.”
I look at the salve, noticing it’s both cool enough and solid enough to use, so I take 1 tin from the tray before placing the rest back in the freezer. Greg grabs the gauze, seeing that I’m ready, then leads me to the others. The shaman looks up as I enter, nodding to me, “He is stable and ready for you. I will continue to work as you tend to your wolf, little coyote.”
I notice that Taha Aki’s chest and wounds have been cleaned of the previous salve, so I immediately drop to his side. After donning a fresh set of gloves, I meticulously and gently pack each wound with the black salve, making sure to cover the skin around each wound, too. All the while I can hear Will chanting above me as Greg waits nearby for me to give him the signal.
Once I’m confident I’ve done all I can, I nod to Greg, who helps me wrap the white wolf’s entire torso with gauze again. I nod to Zander and Greg when finished, then caress the tips of Taha’s ears as the shaman says a few words while touching the bandages over the worst of the wounds.
When he looks at me, he nods before saying, “If you don’t mind, Bella, I will stay until I know Taha Aki is healing.”
I agree, of course, “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Once I get the kitchen cleaned back up, I’ll fix everyone something to eat. Please stay and rest. I know our call in the middle of the night must have disturbed your sleep.”
He gives me a tired chuckle, “It looks like a few of the pack have already taken care of the cleanup, little coyote.”
I look to see several pack members coming back into the room with wide grins, so I chuckle, “I guess you’re right. Thanks, guys. I’ll have breakfast whipped up in under an hour.”
True to my word, plates piled high with bacon, sausage, eggs, homemade biscuits, and country gravy are being placed on the kitchen bar in under an hour. Funny enough, Will sat there watching me nearly the whole time with a smile on his face. When I set the last plate down, I can’t hold my question any longer, so I ask, “You’re smiling, even though I know you must be extremely tired. Would you mind me asking what about me makes you smile so?”
His smile widens, making the wrinkles in his skin more prominent, then he offers truthfully, “Watching you move around the kitchen, so sure and at peace with your surroundings, brings to life all the stories my mentor told me of your dear great grandmother. You are like her in many ways, little coyote, other than what I know of her physical looks.”
I chuckle, nodding, “Dad always told me I took after someone special, and I find a lot of similarities between us each time I open her journals. Earlier you said that I hold an echo of her soul. Honestly, you couldn’t have said anything to make me feel more special or at home here. Some might have thought that scary or creepy, but I felt calm and blessed when you said that. From what I’ve read and been told by others, she must have been an amazing and creative woman.”
I go to say something else, but he tilts his head slightly while studying me. After a long moment, his eyes sparkle a little brighter, then he offers cryptically, “We must work on your emotional state, Isabella. You are not ready, yet, to see all that you need to see. Once you are able to merge your mind and emotions, you will be ready to meet them.”
I don’t understand what he’s referring to, but just as I start to ask, the pack starts filing into the kitchen. The wise old shaman pats my hand with a whispered, “Soon,” as his only answer.