Finding Truth Behind Legends
by Wizardtho
Chapter 38:
The morning is busy, and before I know it, it’s nearly lunch. A wall in my dining room is ripped open, part of the dining room ceiling is ripped down, and I’m trying to tell myself that Gran Hurit would approve if she were here.
Ten minutes after the first set of trucks left, Jasmine told me that since the toilet of the half bath was already on the other side of the wall, and the existing bath was above the half bath, they could tap into the plumbing that was sure to be running up that wall, and run a new branch over for both water and waste.
That meant that to save the gorgeous old wood floors in the new bathroom, not only did the wall of the dining room need to be opened, but also the ceiling of the dining room. Believe me, it was totally worth it, even though I inwardly cringed as the wall and ceiling were being busted open.
Shiloh calls from outside, breaking me from my thoughts of earlier. I head toward his voice, then happen to see 2 large bears peeking out from the woods near the bridge to the picnic island.
I wave my acknowledgment to Shiloh, then walk casually toward the 2 massive brown bears. When I reach them, my hand rests for a second on each of their foreheads as I assure them, “You are safe here. Yes, there are humans on my property right now, but they know what is happening, as they are each a family member of the reservation coyotes. Please feel free to shift and come inside. Once everyone has arrived, Zander will explain more. It will be busy here as we try to renovate and make comfortable accommodations for you, but hopefully tonight, you will have a warm dry bed to lay your heads on.”
I hear a branch creaking overhead. When I look, there are 2 impressive-looking falcons landing on neighboring branches. I smile as they meet my eyes. “Welcome. Did you happen to hear what I told the bears?”
When they nod, I say with a smile, “Then I will leave you all to shift. If you haven’t hunted recently, please let me know, and I would be happy to fix you something. This land, including the large gardens and the small picnic island, is mine. Feel free to roam this area as you please.”
With a nod from all 4, I turn and head toward my trench digging crew. Shiloh nods, smiling, “The first wave. North Dakota brown bears and Alaska falcons. I’ll text Zander if you want, Miss Bella.”
I shake my head, “He’s coming back. He was headed to the community center, to pick up and bring back the 4 mattresses being stored there. Besides, with Greg on patrol, I’m sure he was the one to send them directly to my house.”
I hear a deep male voice behind me as soft footfalls meet the grass, “I don’t mean to intrude, but it was Greg who directed us here.”
I smile, turning to say, “Oh, you aren’t intruding. Are you hungry at all? Or thirsty?”
He smiles while shaking his head, “Thank you, Bella. We hunted in the park just before reaching you. We are fine for now. I am Kendrick and my companion is Enyeto. We are from North Dakota.”
A set of nearly identical twins bumps shoulders playfully before coming to a stop near me, and one says, “The same for us. Hunting is plentiful in the park. I’m Jeremy, and this look-alike is Chayton. I hope I’m not overstepping, but is all this work just so you can host us for a few days?”
I let out a breath, then look directly into Jeremy’s eyes. “I know it’s confusing, but I’m not planning for just 2 or 3 days. My hope is that once you hear Zander out… hear what’s happening… you’ll want representatives from your tribes to stay and help.”
Chayton looks at Jeremy seriously, then says without taking his eyes from his twin’s, “It must be serious if we’ve all been called and you’re thinking 2 or 3 days won’t cut it. So…” His eyes meet mine as he asks, “What can we do to help?”
When I ask, “Really?” all 4 nod seriously, so I say, “What’s already being worked on -inside and out- is covered. What I need is for the main support beams for the cabin to be placed and bolted in, now that the pillars are dry. I have a hand-drawn sketch. I know it’s not much to go by, but we’re kind of on in a time crunch, and the cabin will comfortably sleep 8 of the coming shifters.”
Kendrick assures me with a smile, “If you can explain your vision to us, we will help make it happen.”
I grin widely, thank them, then tell everyone I’ll be right back. I dash into the house, smile at Jasmine, and ask if all is well. When she gives me a thumbs up and starts to climb the ladder, I tell her I’ll be outside if she needs me. I snatch the cabin drawing from the table before dashing back out the door.
Returning to the 4 newcomers, I angle myself to where I’m facing the front door head-on, then say, “Positioned just like this, from paper to in front of me.”
They make a semi-circle behind me, all looking over my shoulders to see what I see. That’s when my phone rings. I chuckle and look at the caller ID, then hand Enyeto the drawing. “That’ll be my mate, guys. Excuse me for just a minute please.”
Stepping a few feet away, I answer my phone. “Hi. How’s it going? Dad hasn’t shot you yet, has he?”
He chuckles, “No, your father is quite fun to hang out with. No shooting has happened, and none has been threatened. I called to let you know that we just loaded your massive tub purchases, which are pristine, and will be heading back. We should be about 2 or 2½ hours, depending on the traffic load.”
I smile, “Good. I’ve missed you this morning. Our dining room’s been opened up for plumbing, the piping trench is ⅔ of the way dug, and our first 2 states have arrived. Alaska and North Dakota.”
He laughs loudly, “Tell Chayton he owes me 20 bucks. See what he says.”
I chuckle, “Alright. Come home to me safely, please. Both of you.”
He promises me they will, and we end the call.
I turn, then call, “Chayton. You’ll have to explain to me why, but my mate just told me to tell you that you owe him 20 bucks.”
He gasps as his jaw drops, then Jeremy playfully punches him in the arm, “Ha! I knew it!”
Chayton shakes his head, then asks, “You are Taha Aki’s mate?”
I nod in reply, “Short story? He imprinted on me a few weeks ago when I caught him playing in my creek. I didn’t know until I returned the sentiment and imprinted on him after I was forced to shift during an attack.”
Chayton shakes his head, “Wait… wait… I have so many questions. That had to be the 5-second abridged description used on the back of a book to draw in readers.”
With a laugh, I tilt my head slightly as I think, then I nod, “Yeah, pretty much. I’ll tell the whole story at the bonfire once everyone gets here. It ties into why everyone was asked to come. Now… as for this cabin…”
The last thing Chayton says about the money, as I walk them over to where the bottom beams are, is, “It was a bet between me and my brother. I told Taha with him hiding out in the woods here, it would probably take another 50 years before he found his mate. My brother bet me $20 that Taha would be mated the next time we saw him. No matter who won, the loser would pay the money to Taha. We never take bet money from each other. That was 2 years ago. For what it’s worth, I’m glad I was wrong.”
The morning is busy, and before I know it, it’s nearly lunch. A wall in my dining room is ripped open, part of the dining room ceiling is ripped down, and I’m trying to tell myself that Gran Hurit would approve if she were here.
Ten minutes after the first set of trucks left, Jasmine told me that since the toilet of the half bath was already on the other side of the wall, and the existing bath was above the half bath, they could tap into the plumbing that was sure to be running up that wall, and run a new branch over for both water and waste.
That meant that to save the gorgeous old wood floors in the new bathroom, not only did the wall of the dining room need to be opened, but also the ceiling of the dining room. Believe me, it was totally worth it, even though I inwardly cringed as the wall and ceiling were being busted open.
Shiloh calls from outside, breaking me from my thoughts of earlier. I head toward his voice, then happen to see 2 large bears peeking out from the woods near the bridge to the picnic island.
I wave my acknowledgment to Shiloh, then walk casually toward the 2 massive brown bears. When I reach them, my hand rests for a second on each of their foreheads as I assure them, “You are safe here. Yes, there are humans on my property right now, but they know what is happening, as they are each a family member of the reservation coyotes. Please feel free to shift and come inside. Once everyone has arrived, Zander will explain more. It will be busy here as we try to renovate and make comfortable accommodations for you, but hopefully tonight, you will have a warm dry bed to lay your heads on.”
I hear a branch creaking overhead. When I look, there are 2 impressive-looking falcons landing on neighboring branches. I smile as they meet my eyes. “Welcome. Did you happen to hear what I told the bears?”
When they nod, I say with a smile, “Then I will leave you all to shift. If you haven’t hunted recently, please let me know, and I would be happy to fix you something. This land, including the large gardens and the small picnic island, is mine. Feel free to roam this area as you please.”
With a nod from all 4, I turn and head toward my trench digging crew. Shiloh nods, smiling, “The first wave. North Dakota brown bears and Alaska falcons. I’ll text Zander if you want, Miss Bella.”
I shake my head, “He’s coming back. He was headed to the community center, to pick up and bring back the 4 mattresses being stored there. Besides, with Greg on patrol, I’m sure he was the one to send them directly to my house.”
I hear a deep male voice behind me as soft footfalls meet the grass, “I don’t mean to intrude, but it was Greg who directed us here.”
I smile, turning to say, “Oh, you aren’t intruding. Are you hungry at all? Or thirsty?”
He smiles while shaking his head, “Thank you, Bella. We hunted in the park just before reaching you. We are fine for now. I am Kendrick and my companion is Enyeto. We are from North Dakota.”
A set of nearly identical twins bumps shoulders playfully before coming to a stop near me, and one says, “The same for us. Hunting is plentiful in the park. I’m Jeremy, and this look-alike is Chayton. I hope I’m not overstepping, but is all this work just so you can host us for a few days?”
I let out a breath, then look directly into Jeremy’s eyes. “I know it’s confusing, but I’m not planning for just 2 or 3 days. My hope is that once you hear Zander out… hear what’s happening… you’ll want representatives from your tribes to stay and help.”
Chayton looks at Jeremy seriously, then says without taking his eyes from his twin’s, “It must be serious if we’ve all been called and you’re thinking 2 or 3 days won’t cut it. So…” His eyes meet mine as he asks, “What can we do to help?”
When I ask, “Really?” all 4 nod seriously, so I say, “What’s already being worked on -inside and out- is covered. What I need is for the main support beams for the cabin to be placed and bolted in, now that the pillars are dry. I have a hand-drawn sketch. I know it’s not much to go by, but we’re kind of on in a time crunch, and the cabin will comfortably sleep 8 of the coming shifters.”
Kendrick assures me with a smile, “If you can explain your vision to us, we will help make it happen.”
I grin widely, thank them, then tell everyone I’ll be right back. I dash into the house, smile at Jasmine, and ask if all is well. When she gives me a thumbs up and starts to climb the ladder, I tell her I’ll be outside if she needs me. I snatch the cabin drawing from the table before dashing back out the door.
Returning to the 4 newcomers, I angle myself to where I’m facing the front door head-on, then say, “Positioned just like this, from paper to in front of me.”
They make a semi-circle behind me, all looking over my shoulders to see what I see. That’s when my phone rings. I chuckle and look at the caller ID, then hand Enyeto the drawing. “That’ll be my mate, guys. Excuse me for just a minute please.”
Stepping a few feet away, I answer my phone. “Hi. How’s it going? Dad hasn’t shot you yet, has he?”
He chuckles, “No, your father is quite fun to hang out with. No shooting has happened, and none has been threatened. I called to let you know that we just loaded your massive tub purchases, which are pristine, and will be heading back. We should be about 2 or 2½ hours, depending on the traffic load.”
I smile, “Good. I’ve missed you this morning. Our dining room’s been opened up for plumbing, the piping trench is ⅔ of the way dug, and our first 2 states have arrived. Alaska and North Dakota.”
He laughs loudly, “Tell Chayton he owes me 20 bucks. See what he says.”
I chuckle, “Alright. Come home to me safely, please. Both of you.”
He promises me they will, and we end the call.
I turn, then call, “Chayton. You’ll have to explain to me why, but my mate just told me to tell you that you owe him 20 bucks.”
He gasps as his jaw drops, then Jeremy playfully punches him in the arm, “Ha! I knew it!”
Chayton shakes his head, then asks, “You are Taha Aki’s mate?”
I nod in reply, “Short story? He imprinted on me a few weeks ago when I caught him playing in my creek. I didn’t know until I returned the sentiment and imprinted on him after I was forced to shift during an attack.”
Chayton shakes his head, “Wait… wait… I have so many questions. That had to be the 5-second abridged description used on the back of a book to draw in readers.”
With a laugh, I tilt my head slightly as I think, then I nod, “Yeah, pretty much. I’ll tell the whole story at the bonfire once everyone gets here. It ties into why everyone was asked to come. Now… as for this cabin…”
The last thing Chayton says about the money, as I walk them over to where the bottom beams are, is, “It was a bet between me and my brother. I told Taha with him hiding out in the woods here, it would probably take another 50 years before he found his mate. My brother bet me $20 that Taha would be mated the next time we saw him. No matter who won, the loser would pay the money to Taha. We never take bet money from each other. That was 2 years ago. For what it’s worth, I’m glad I was wrong.”