Finding Truth Behind Legends
by Wizardtho
Chapter 16:
When I next wake, it’s to a wolfy chuckle, and Taha saying softly in my mind, Time to wake, little coyote. Your stomach is making angry noises.
I groan, stretch out my front paws with a yawn, then think sleepily, Do I have to? I’m so comfortable.
His body vibrates with his chuckle as he thinks, Unfortunately, you do. Hunt, rest, repeat. Remember?
Taha and I do hunt again, but it takes me another 5 minutes to stretch and leave my cozy napping spot. I take down a mountain lion all by myself, and Taha takes down a small injured deer.
When we reach the house, I find it’s only just past lunch time. Taha asks me to grab a sheet or something from my room, so I take the throw blanket from the end of my bed.
When I return with it, Taha has transformed back to human, and is wearing the same blue shirt and jeans. He takes the blanket from my teeth, then I listen as he says, “Calming thoughts, little coyote. Let’s get you back on two legs for this nap.”
He holds out the blanket and closes his eyes, so I start thinking of comforting human things. Taha holding my hand yesterday. A hot shower. The way Taha looks at me, not through me. A cool drink of sweet tea. Taha’s soothing voice.
It only takes me seconds to shift back, but I nearly fall into Taha’s outstretched arms with how wobbly my legs are. He catches me easily, his arms coming to wrap the blanket around me before his eyes even open. He smiles, brushes the hair from my face, then says, “Having unsteady footing while shifting is common until you are used to it. It might take only 1 or 2 more phases, but it could take another month of phasing. Don’t be discouraged.”
I nod, then whisper as I look into his beautiful eyes, “Thanks… for not letting me fall.”
His lips come to rest on my forehead for a brief moment, then something about the cave registers in my brain. “I don’t know how it works for you, here, but you are welcome to either of the upstairs bedrooms and the bathroom. I know I’m ready for a shower.”
He thanks me, then makes sure I have hold of the blanket before he releases his hold on it. We separate, and while I go into the house through the porch off my bedroom, Taha chooses to go in through the living room.
We both take showers and try to rest, but I find I just can’t get comfortable. I’m tired, I can feel it, but my body just won’t let me succumb to sleep.
With a sigh, I leave my bedroom, only to find Taha coming down the stairs. His eyes are gentle and understanding. It’s like he knows already, so I don’t feel shy while asking, “Will you lay with me?”
His smile, just as gentle and understanding as his eyes, tells me all I need. He follows me back into my bedroom, where we curl up together on my bed. Just as I start to fall asleep, I feel Taha’s breathing deepen a bit, and I realize we both needed this.
Over the next week, the pattern continues. I usually end up hunting 5 times a day; sometimes Taha joins me, and sometimes he watches. He continues to tell me of his life, and in turn I tell him of mine. We talk of our likes and dislikes as they come up, but mostly we just keep each other company. It never fails, whether in human or spirit animal form, that we curl up together when it’s time to rest.
One of the toughest conversations we have is when Taha shows me the true tale of the cold man and woman that ravaged his village.
Though Taha knew she wasn’t his spirit wife, he laid next to his 3rd wife’s body for days in his wolf form mourning the loss of her, mourning the loss of so many in his tribe. When his paws took him to the mountains, he continued to mourn, howling through the night to the ancestors… to all the heavens. He had loved her beyond reason, and she was the only of his wives that his wolf was happy with. Yes, his wolf lived with the other wives peacefully, but his 3rd wife was the only one his wolf was nearly content to be with.
I can’t fathom how Taha made it through all of that.
Mourning so much that his wolf cried to the heavens night after night. He didn’t even know where his paws were taking him until he collapsed near the creek behind my house; that’s when he was found by the Blackfoot tribe, nearly dead. It took them months to get him healing properly.
I cry for over an hour after he relives the truth of the situation for me. I cry for Taha, and how horrifying that situation must have been. I cry for his 3rd wife, and how she did the only thing she could think of to save the man she loved. I cry for the generations of wolves that have come since. They don’t know the truth of being wolves, because it’s clear that some legends have been twisted while others lost completely.
Taha holds me through it all, and when I finally calm to the occasional hitched breath, he whispers, “Thank you, Isabella. For your compassion. For sharing your amazing mind with me. For being so receptive to the things I can teach you. Mostly, thank you for being you. These last few days have been an amazing high point in my life.”
I blush, ducking my head into his chest, but he tips my chin up before barely brushing his lips to mine. I’m putty in his arms in an instant, but my lips respond in kind, brushing his with the lightest pressure.
It only lasts a moment, but neither of us seem to regret the action. It’s also the only time during the first week that it happens, which kind of saddens me. Neither of us mention it, though, and our time together doesn’t ever suffer from awkwardness.
I make a realization at the very end of the week while drying off in my bathroom. My face has lost the last of its childhood roundness, my arms and legs look lean and strong, plus I actually have ab muscles. I turn to check out my butt in the mirror, only to gasp, “Jesus, when did that happen!?”
Taha knocks on the bedroom door only seconds later, asking hurriedly, “Bella, are you alright?”
I wrap the towel back around me before yanking the bedroom door open, then turn and point to my rear, which is fully covered under the towel. “When? When the hell did I gain an actual butt? Seriously, Taha, I would take the crown for Miss Bootylicious!”
He laughs so hard he nearly doubles over with the force of it. It would be a beautiful sight, if not for the fact that he’s laughing at me.
I cry out, “Taha!” in response.
He straightens up and coughs slightly, then asks, “Umm… is there truly a crown for Miss Bootylicious? Bella, it’s been happening all week. Are you only noticing now?”
I drop my head into my free hand, shake my head, then catch his eyes again, “You could have warned me, you know. I’ve been pretty occupied doing the whole hunt, rest, and repeat thing this week.”
I make a waving motion around my whole body, then say, “No, Taha, I didn’t notice any of this until just now. I’m not really a high-maintenance kind of girl.”
Taha cups my cheek, promising, “This is proof that it’s working, Bella. Your body is now lean and strong, able to handle the demands of shifting. I assumed, since you are close to my descendants, that you would understand how it all works. I’m sorry I didn't warn you.”
I shake my head, then let out a breath, “I knew. I did. I just didn’t register that it would be happening to me this week. I was just taken by surprise is all.”
Taha nods, offering in good cheer, “Well, at the rate of your current progression, I’d say you should be able to wake safely within the next 2 days or so. All your progress here, Bella, has been matched out there.”
Though I know I should be happy about this fact, I’m oddly not. It means my time alone here with Taha is ending; no more dream state. I’m left wondering if we’ll remember all that’s happened, and if I’ll still feel the same as I do now.
When I next wake, it’s to a wolfy chuckle, and Taha saying softly in my mind, Time to wake, little coyote. Your stomach is making angry noises.
I groan, stretch out my front paws with a yawn, then think sleepily, Do I have to? I’m so comfortable.
His body vibrates with his chuckle as he thinks, Unfortunately, you do. Hunt, rest, repeat. Remember?
Taha and I do hunt again, but it takes me another 5 minutes to stretch and leave my cozy napping spot. I take down a mountain lion all by myself, and Taha takes down a small injured deer.
When we reach the house, I find it’s only just past lunch time. Taha asks me to grab a sheet or something from my room, so I take the throw blanket from the end of my bed.
When I return with it, Taha has transformed back to human, and is wearing the same blue shirt and jeans. He takes the blanket from my teeth, then I listen as he says, “Calming thoughts, little coyote. Let’s get you back on two legs for this nap.”
He holds out the blanket and closes his eyes, so I start thinking of comforting human things. Taha holding my hand yesterday. A hot shower. The way Taha looks at me, not through me. A cool drink of sweet tea. Taha’s soothing voice.
It only takes me seconds to shift back, but I nearly fall into Taha’s outstretched arms with how wobbly my legs are. He catches me easily, his arms coming to wrap the blanket around me before his eyes even open. He smiles, brushes the hair from my face, then says, “Having unsteady footing while shifting is common until you are used to it. It might take only 1 or 2 more phases, but it could take another month of phasing. Don’t be discouraged.”
I nod, then whisper as I look into his beautiful eyes, “Thanks… for not letting me fall.”
His lips come to rest on my forehead for a brief moment, then something about the cave registers in my brain. “I don’t know how it works for you, here, but you are welcome to either of the upstairs bedrooms and the bathroom. I know I’m ready for a shower.”
He thanks me, then makes sure I have hold of the blanket before he releases his hold on it. We separate, and while I go into the house through the porch off my bedroom, Taha chooses to go in through the living room.
We both take showers and try to rest, but I find I just can’t get comfortable. I’m tired, I can feel it, but my body just won’t let me succumb to sleep.
With a sigh, I leave my bedroom, only to find Taha coming down the stairs. His eyes are gentle and understanding. It’s like he knows already, so I don’t feel shy while asking, “Will you lay with me?”
His smile, just as gentle and understanding as his eyes, tells me all I need. He follows me back into my bedroom, where we curl up together on my bed. Just as I start to fall asleep, I feel Taha’s breathing deepen a bit, and I realize we both needed this.
Over the next week, the pattern continues. I usually end up hunting 5 times a day; sometimes Taha joins me, and sometimes he watches. He continues to tell me of his life, and in turn I tell him of mine. We talk of our likes and dislikes as they come up, but mostly we just keep each other company. It never fails, whether in human or spirit animal form, that we curl up together when it’s time to rest.
One of the toughest conversations we have is when Taha shows me the true tale of the cold man and woman that ravaged his village.
Though Taha knew she wasn’t his spirit wife, he laid next to his 3rd wife’s body for days in his wolf form mourning the loss of her, mourning the loss of so many in his tribe. When his paws took him to the mountains, he continued to mourn, howling through the night to the ancestors… to all the heavens. He had loved her beyond reason, and she was the only of his wives that his wolf was happy with. Yes, his wolf lived with the other wives peacefully, but his 3rd wife was the only one his wolf was nearly content to be with.
I can’t fathom how Taha made it through all of that.
Mourning so much that his wolf cried to the heavens night after night. He didn’t even know where his paws were taking him until he collapsed near the creek behind my house; that’s when he was found by the Blackfoot tribe, nearly dead. It took them months to get him healing properly.
I cry for over an hour after he relives the truth of the situation for me. I cry for Taha, and how horrifying that situation must have been. I cry for his 3rd wife, and how she did the only thing she could think of to save the man she loved. I cry for the generations of wolves that have come since. They don’t know the truth of being wolves, because it’s clear that some legends have been twisted while others lost completely.
Taha holds me through it all, and when I finally calm to the occasional hitched breath, he whispers, “Thank you, Isabella. For your compassion. For sharing your amazing mind with me. For being so receptive to the things I can teach you. Mostly, thank you for being you. These last few days have been an amazing high point in my life.”
I blush, ducking my head into his chest, but he tips my chin up before barely brushing his lips to mine. I’m putty in his arms in an instant, but my lips respond in kind, brushing his with the lightest pressure.
It only lasts a moment, but neither of us seem to regret the action. It’s also the only time during the first week that it happens, which kind of saddens me. Neither of us mention it, though, and our time together doesn’t ever suffer from awkwardness.
I make a realization at the very end of the week while drying off in my bathroom. My face has lost the last of its childhood roundness, my arms and legs look lean and strong, plus I actually have ab muscles. I turn to check out my butt in the mirror, only to gasp, “Jesus, when did that happen!?”
Taha knocks on the bedroom door only seconds later, asking hurriedly, “Bella, are you alright?”
I wrap the towel back around me before yanking the bedroom door open, then turn and point to my rear, which is fully covered under the towel. “When? When the hell did I gain an actual butt? Seriously, Taha, I would take the crown for Miss Bootylicious!”
He laughs so hard he nearly doubles over with the force of it. It would be a beautiful sight, if not for the fact that he’s laughing at me.
I cry out, “Taha!” in response.
He straightens up and coughs slightly, then asks, “Umm… is there truly a crown for Miss Bootylicious? Bella, it’s been happening all week. Are you only noticing now?”
I drop my head into my free hand, shake my head, then catch his eyes again, “You could have warned me, you know. I’ve been pretty occupied doing the whole hunt, rest, and repeat thing this week.”
I make a waving motion around my whole body, then say, “No, Taha, I didn’t notice any of this until just now. I’m not really a high-maintenance kind of girl.”
Taha cups my cheek, promising, “This is proof that it’s working, Bella. Your body is now lean and strong, able to handle the demands of shifting. I assumed, since you are close to my descendants, that you would understand how it all works. I’m sorry I didn't warn you.”
I shake my head, then let out a breath, “I knew. I did. I just didn’t register that it would be happening to me this week. I was just taken by surprise is all.”
Taha nods, offering in good cheer, “Well, at the rate of your current progression, I’d say you should be able to wake safely within the next 2 days or so. All your progress here, Bella, has been matched out there.”
Though I know I should be happy about this fact, I’m oddly not. It means my time alone here with Taha is ending; no more dream state. I’m left wondering if we’ll remember all that’s happened, and if I’ll still feel the same as I do now.