Finding Truth Behind Legends
by Wizardtho
Chapter 14:
I’m standing at the edge of a cliff, overlooking part of Glacier National Park. This is nature at its most beautiful, but I can somehow sense that I’m dreaming.
There’s movement at the very edge of my vision, so I turn, only to see Taha heading down an overgrown path. I run after him, calling, “Wait… Taha don’t leave.”
Though I try to catch up with him, I have to stop when I reach a split in the path. Looking each way, I can’t see even a peek of white. “Taha?”
I let out a breath, and though I receive no answer, I let my instincts take me down the path to the right. Running again, I hear a branch break ahead of me. A peek of a white tail!
I follow, only seeing glimpses of Taha for quite a while, until we finally reach a spot I recognize. My land… the picnic island. Taha is playing in the creek, and I’m somehow hidden in the trees near where I first saw him. A slight rustling of leaves draws my attention, only for my breath to catch as I see another me watching Taha come out of the creek and shake the water from his fur.
It only takes me a second to realize what’s happening. I’m reliving when I first met Taha from an outsider point of view.
I continue to watch as my former self says confidently, “On the newbie mission, huh? Jake’s marking scent hasn’t even dissipated, yet he sends a newbie wolf to check up and make sure I’m okay? Well, you can go back to Washington and tell him I’m fine. As you can no doubt scent, Zander and the rest of the coyote pack are overprotective, just like Jake. I’m well protected from vampires here.”
I shake my head at how I could have ever thought Taha was a pup, but silently continue to watch the interaction unfold. Then I hear a soft voice behind me say, “You have already lived this moment, Little Coyote. It is written. The present is what needs your attention now.”
The Bella and Taha in front of me are oblivious to me and the voice, so I turn to see a strikingly handsome native man in a blue button-down shirt and jeans, his waist-length hair blowing freely in the breeze. His eyes -a deep aged bourbon with bright amber flecks- are the most captivating eyes I’ve ever seen. They are also familiar.
My heart jumps in my chest as my hand reaches up to cup the man’s cheek, but he smiles and leans his face into my hand in acceptance. I feel… light. I feel... complete. A comforting rightness settles in me as I let out a breath and smile, “Taha.”
His eyes slip closed as his smile brightens, then he breathes while meeting my eyes again, “Isabella.” Kissing the inside of my palm before taking my hand in his, he offers, “Come. Walk with me.”
As we walk hand-in-hand back toward the bridge to the house, I ask, “I phased, right? And I passed out. Now I’m here. But why are you here?”
Taha nods, then looks down at me as he explains, “I am here for you, of course; to help you through what is about to occur.”
I stop in my tracks as I seek Taha’s eyes. They never lie to me. “What’s about to occur?”
He lets out a breath, then says as he holds both my hands, “Bella, you did phase, and your coyote killed your ex. That was an amazing feat, but there is one essential problem. Your body was not prepared. It didn’t have any time to build up the physical resources needed for phasing. As a result, you taxed your little body to its limit when you phased out of fear to protect me.”
We start walking again, so I look up at him as I ask softly, “So… am I... dying?”
Taha smiles down at me, then as we reach the bridge, he promises, “You are stable, for now, and Will is keeping you sedated. There is much you need to do here for you to improve your condition. For you to safely wake, you need to hunt. Hunt, rest, and repeat. Several times. You need to build your reserves. Until then, it is not safe for you to wake. Until then, Isabella, you are in danger.”
I let out a breath, then nod. “Okay. Hunt, rest, and repeat. Gain strength, then Will can let me wake. Exactly how long are we talking? Days? Weeks?”
Taha frowns slightly as we stop in my backyard, “Likely no less than a week.”
I wince, then nod as I firm my resolve, “Alright, then. No waking until I’ve glutted myself beyond reason and rested enough to not need sleep for a year. And you’ll be here with me?”
Taha cups my face in both his hands, promising me as his bourbon eyes seek my green ones, “I will not leave you until you are strong enough to wake, Isabella. There’s no time to waste, though, so let’s begin. Firstly, I need to know if you’ve phased in your dreams. Ever.”
I shake my head, “No. I’ve dreamt of wolves and coyotes, but I don’t know if I’ve seen my coyote, because I don’t know what she looks like.”
He moves his hands from my face to grasp my shoulders, then he grins, “She’s the color of wheat... and vanilla. She also has a bit of butterscotch just on her ears and the front third of her muzzle. Does that sound like any of the coyotes you dream of?
I gasp before answering, “Yes! Is that a good thing?”
Taha gently squeezes my shoulders, nods, then offers, “Think of her, Bella. Think of everything you love about her in your dreams. Think of what it felt like to be on four paws. Think of how freeing it will feel to run wild through the woods.”
I close my eyes and try to focus. I try to visualize what Taha is saying in my mind.
After several minutes, I open my eyes and let out a huffed breath. “Nothing. Zilch. Nada. I can see it in my mind, watch it all play out in front of me, but it’s all… hmm... disjointed? It doesn’t feel right. It’s like something’s missing.”
For the next several hours, Taha and I try everything we can think of to get me to phase. Meditation, mental exertion, different physical activities, and anything else we can think up. He even takes me into the mountains where he likes to do bigger hunts, thinking my growing hunger will have me phasing if prey is nearby.
Unfortunately, none of it works. Taha calls it a night when it starts to get dark, and promises, “We’ll try again at first light, Bella. Maybe filling up on human food and sleep is what’s needed, so we can start with a fresh slate.”
I’m honestly thankful for the break.
As soon as we get back to the house, I head straight to the kitchen. The island top is soon lined with food. I reach into the cupboard, then wonder as I look at the plates, “Will you be eating, or are you still full from your last hunt? There’s plenty here to share.”
Taha chuckles as he eyes the full counter, “If you would like a dinner companion, I would love to join you.”
Dinner is full of conversation, and I learn several things about Taha and Gran Hurit’s friendship. I smile as I place my fork on my empty plate, which had been filled twice. Taha hums as he, too, places his fork on his plate, “Bella, that was absolutely delicious. Thank you for dinner.”
My eyes widen and I slap my hand over my mouth when I suddenly let out a huge yawn mid-sentence only five minutes later. Taha chuckles, then promises, “Let me sort the kitchen. It’s the least I can do. You should try to see if you can sleep. You really do need the rest, Bella.”
I frown, then sigh, “Okay. You won’t leave, right?”
He shakes his head, “Not a chance. I’ll be here in the house.”
Hearing Taha in the kitchen as I practically fall into my bed a few minutes later, I can’t help but be comforted by his presence. I’m out almost as soon as my head hits the pillow.
I’m standing at the edge of a cliff, overlooking part of Glacier National Park. This is nature at its most beautiful, but I can somehow sense that I’m dreaming.
There’s movement at the very edge of my vision, so I turn, only to see Taha heading down an overgrown path. I run after him, calling, “Wait… Taha don’t leave.”
Though I try to catch up with him, I have to stop when I reach a split in the path. Looking each way, I can’t see even a peek of white. “Taha?”
I let out a breath, and though I receive no answer, I let my instincts take me down the path to the right. Running again, I hear a branch break ahead of me. A peek of a white tail!
I follow, only seeing glimpses of Taha for quite a while, until we finally reach a spot I recognize. My land… the picnic island. Taha is playing in the creek, and I’m somehow hidden in the trees near where I first saw him. A slight rustling of leaves draws my attention, only for my breath to catch as I see another me watching Taha come out of the creek and shake the water from his fur.
It only takes me a second to realize what’s happening. I’m reliving when I first met Taha from an outsider point of view.
I continue to watch as my former self says confidently, “On the newbie mission, huh? Jake’s marking scent hasn’t even dissipated, yet he sends a newbie wolf to check up and make sure I’m okay? Well, you can go back to Washington and tell him I’m fine. As you can no doubt scent, Zander and the rest of the coyote pack are overprotective, just like Jake. I’m well protected from vampires here.”
I shake my head at how I could have ever thought Taha was a pup, but silently continue to watch the interaction unfold. Then I hear a soft voice behind me say, “You have already lived this moment, Little Coyote. It is written. The present is what needs your attention now.”
The Bella and Taha in front of me are oblivious to me and the voice, so I turn to see a strikingly handsome native man in a blue button-down shirt and jeans, his waist-length hair blowing freely in the breeze. His eyes -a deep aged bourbon with bright amber flecks- are the most captivating eyes I’ve ever seen. They are also familiar.
My heart jumps in my chest as my hand reaches up to cup the man’s cheek, but he smiles and leans his face into my hand in acceptance. I feel… light. I feel... complete. A comforting rightness settles in me as I let out a breath and smile, “Taha.”
His eyes slip closed as his smile brightens, then he breathes while meeting my eyes again, “Isabella.” Kissing the inside of my palm before taking my hand in his, he offers, “Come. Walk with me.”
As we walk hand-in-hand back toward the bridge to the house, I ask, “I phased, right? And I passed out. Now I’m here. But why are you here?”
Taha nods, then looks down at me as he explains, “I am here for you, of course; to help you through what is about to occur.”
I stop in my tracks as I seek Taha’s eyes. They never lie to me. “What’s about to occur?”
He lets out a breath, then says as he holds both my hands, “Bella, you did phase, and your coyote killed your ex. That was an amazing feat, but there is one essential problem. Your body was not prepared. It didn’t have any time to build up the physical resources needed for phasing. As a result, you taxed your little body to its limit when you phased out of fear to protect me.”
We start walking again, so I look up at him as I ask softly, “So… am I... dying?”
Taha smiles down at me, then as we reach the bridge, he promises, “You are stable, for now, and Will is keeping you sedated. There is much you need to do here for you to improve your condition. For you to safely wake, you need to hunt. Hunt, rest, and repeat. Several times. You need to build your reserves. Until then, it is not safe for you to wake. Until then, Isabella, you are in danger.”
I let out a breath, then nod. “Okay. Hunt, rest, and repeat. Gain strength, then Will can let me wake. Exactly how long are we talking? Days? Weeks?”
Taha frowns slightly as we stop in my backyard, “Likely no less than a week.”
I wince, then nod as I firm my resolve, “Alright, then. No waking until I’ve glutted myself beyond reason and rested enough to not need sleep for a year. And you’ll be here with me?”
Taha cups my face in both his hands, promising me as his bourbon eyes seek my green ones, “I will not leave you until you are strong enough to wake, Isabella. There’s no time to waste, though, so let’s begin. Firstly, I need to know if you’ve phased in your dreams. Ever.”
I shake my head, “No. I’ve dreamt of wolves and coyotes, but I don’t know if I’ve seen my coyote, because I don’t know what she looks like.”
He moves his hands from my face to grasp my shoulders, then he grins, “She’s the color of wheat... and vanilla. She also has a bit of butterscotch just on her ears and the front third of her muzzle. Does that sound like any of the coyotes you dream of?
I gasp before answering, “Yes! Is that a good thing?”
Taha gently squeezes my shoulders, nods, then offers, “Think of her, Bella. Think of everything you love about her in your dreams. Think of what it felt like to be on four paws. Think of how freeing it will feel to run wild through the woods.”
I close my eyes and try to focus. I try to visualize what Taha is saying in my mind.
After several minutes, I open my eyes and let out a huffed breath. “Nothing. Zilch. Nada. I can see it in my mind, watch it all play out in front of me, but it’s all… hmm... disjointed? It doesn’t feel right. It’s like something’s missing.”
For the next several hours, Taha and I try everything we can think of to get me to phase. Meditation, mental exertion, different physical activities, and anything else we can think up. He even takes me into the mountains where he likes to do bigger hunts, thinking my growing hunger will have me phasing if prey is nearby.
Unfortunately, none of it works. Taha calls it a night when it starts to get dark, and promises, “We’ll try again at first light, Bella. Maybe filling up on human food and sleep is what’s needed, so we can start with a fresh slate.”
I’m honestly thankful for the break.
As soon as we get back to the house, I head straight to the kitchen. The island top is soon lined with food. I reach into the cupboard, then wonder as I look at the plates, “Will you be eating, or are you still full from your last hunt? There’s plenty here to share.”
Taha chuckles as he eyes the full counter, “If you would like a dinner companion, I would love to join you.”
Dinner is full of conversation, and I learn several things about Taha and Gran Hurit’s friendship. I smile as I place my fork on my empty plate, which had been filled twice. Taha hums as he, too, places his fork on his plate, “Bella, that was absolutely delicious. Thank you for dinner.”
My eyes widen and I slap my hand over my mouth when I suddenly let out a huge yawn mid-sentence only five minutes later. Taha chuckles, then promises, “Let me sort the kitchen. It’s the least I can do. You should try to see if you can sleep. You really do need the rest, Bella.”
I frown, then sigh, “Okay. You won’t leave, right?”
He shakes his head, “Not a chance. I’ll be here in the house.”
Hearing Taha in the kitchen as I practically fall into my bed a few minutes later, I can’t help but be comforted by his presence. I’m out almost as soon as my head hits the pillow.