Myth (Book 1)

by Angela K. Crandall

  “Araina,” I whispered, out loud. “That is who I wish to be spirit fox. Who are you?”

  “Amare and I will be a part of you now forever. Should you need guidance, clear your mind and our hearts will meet. Your mom has a spirit guide inside of her also. It’s been, hidden dormant for years. Now find serenity again, awaken to your clan. Begin my child, start once more, and fear no defeat, but let the ripples direct you.”

  My eyes fluttered open.

  “You saw her didn’t you?” asked Eva.

  “In my mind, we spoke, as you’ve told me, I need to be, taught. Where is she, who is she?” I blurted.

  “A part of you, Nayla would tell you that,” she said, gazing in the direction of the white fox. She let go of my hands, scooting back to her spot in the hut. She then curled up lying beside Star.

  “Gifting is something, Shellena, is able, to do. I’ve asked her at present to do so for our honorary members. Those who stand by you Araina,” said Cavin motioning for Owl, Jenson, and Molly to rise.

  “So I will be referred to as Araina while here, instead of Starla,” I said speaking out of turn.

  “You will, now let us advance.”

  Shellena leaped into the circle, scrunched down, and kneeled, staring upward at the peak of the hut. “I ask you give me vitality to bestow gifts on those who seek to aid us in integrity, truth, justice, and to bring our own back to the clan, amen.” Lifting herself up a book appeared in her hands. She opened it, and the words poured out of her mouth.

  “Burning bright I give you our light, to heal the damages, torment, and hate. Our hearts encircle yours in complete unity.”

  Shellena stood up, “Molly step forth, into the circuit we’ve created. Lance, I’m going to need your help here, please.”

  Molly marched into the ring. The fire, in the pit, grew stronger. Lance joined them.

  “Our souls will unite, and in it will spark your ability to heal the wounded, to care for those who cannot do so for themselves. Standing here near your physical form you’re emitting a potent ability yet to ignite you must let us in. You’ve hidden too long, your strengths as you did love.”

  I turned away to see Nayla smiling. She trotted up to Molly, grazing her hand with her head. Molly leisurely stroked her fur.

  “Your bravery speaks without words,” beamed Nayla. She sat on her hind quarters repositioning herself in front of the three of them. “Molly do you accept us? You’re forever welcome here.”

  “Thank you, you have my heart,” she said.

  “And it is a gift,” replied Kaya prancing in beside them.

  In the union, eyes were closed. An immense light filled the inside of our circle, and we outside the border kept it in, pushing it back into those that were creating it.

  “You gave us the gift of your open heart that widens eyes once closed. The three of us bestow upon you directly the capability to restore physical wounds, to elevate anguish caused in a battle. A protective ring is placed on you to repel enemies when in combat. Now let us embrace giving thanks to the ones above, gods and goddesses that shield us,” Kaya spoke into the sky.

  Those in the interior held one another twinkling like stars briefly. Afterward hands lay on each side of those before us.

  “Molly, you may be seated,” said Lance.

  Cavin brought forth cups of water passing them out to us.

  “Sip slowly, or you’ll get sick,” he affirmed. He finished up handing out the cups, seating himself beside his wife.

  “Jenson, and Owl your offerings are more intricate. We are unable, to magically beseech you with them. Lance, could you take them to the arena. Hut number two. Where the fencing materials are at. He’ll coach you, both there.”

  Lance got up, giving a sort of bow.

  “I suppose, it’s time for me and Lance to make nice,” Jenson muttered.

  “You’ll do fine,” I said, ruffling his hair a bit.

  Owl gave his arm a playful punch. “Let’s go, it will be fun. You’ll get to fence with Lance. Prove to him you’re worthy of Araina,” he chided as they made their way out of the hut.

  “Araina, you’ll stay here. Memories can be used, as weapons. We’ll start with that. Star is going to work with you,” said Cavin.

  Molly looked up at Nayla.

  “Your fine Molly. Stay put,” she said soothingly.

  Chapter 27

  (Jenson)

  I wasn’t sure what awaited us. I tagged along with Lance and Owl to training hut #2. Why weren’t the girls coming with us? Starla, errs Araina, is an independent girl. If she even suspects she won’t be allowed to participate in the altercations at Thunderhead Bay, it would be a disaster. Lance turned to me as we came upon the hut.

  “Now is the occasion to notify me if you want out. Do you have any qualms about going on this mission?”

  “No, I’m in 100%. I’d like to keep Starla err Araina safe. She, however, won’t see it that way,” I said, kicking up the snow in front of me.

  “I sense you’re wrong. She came to you when she turned into a fox and didn’t know what to do,” Lance reminded him slipping a key out of his pocket.

  “You keep it locked up now?” Owl inquired stepping back.

  “Someone broke in, last year. They didn’t steal anything, but we suspect they were sleeping here.”

  “I guess you can never be too cautious, especially since you’ve had enemies about,” I said.

  Lance unlatched the padlock. The door flung open, revealing a large room with a cement floor.

  “This is it, come on in,” he said.

  “What do you think?” said Owl.

  I sauntered into the spacious area. “It sort of, reminds me of our old high school gym,” I remarked jogging over to a basketball that lay on the floor. Lance spotted me as I was going to retrieve it.

  “We’re not here to shoot hoops.” Lance intercepted. “Now if training goes well, maybe later. We’ll need mats, which you’ll find to the right of you.” He pointed in the direction of some lying against the wall. “If you could, please take them, unfold them and place them in the middle of the room. Okay, here is what we are going to do. First, we’re going to learn how to spar with sticks. This way we can defend ourselves in case of an ambush, it’s vital. I’ll grab the Kali sticks we’ll be working with today,” he said strolling towards a large black trunk.

  I dragged two mats over to the middle of the room beginning to lay them side by side.

  “How many do you suppose, macho man wants?” I asked.

  “We’ll grab two more, and see what he says when he returns. Look, Jenson, try to be nice. Lance, is a good guy.”

  “Actually, it irritates me that he flirts with Starla Araina,” I said in a huffy manner, pulling over the second, mat.

  “No, you’re just convinced he is, because, you’re, being an overprotective boyfriend,” Owl mused. He slid his mat next to mine.

  Lance, came back carrying a few sets of sticks. They appeared to be made out of bamboo. I’d seen them used in movies but never had any experience with them. The last time I’d entered a gym was for wrestling class. That had been what eighth grade? I shook off the memory of being taken down by someone twice my size.

  “Here,” said Lance, handing us each one of the sticks.

  I pondered if we would only learn how to yield one stick. They didn’t feel that heavy. Were they built to take someone out? Maybe just detain them for a bit.

  “Shouldn’t we have protective equipment?” I asked.

  “Do you think we’ll have gear with us on the mission?” Lance rebuked.

  “Probably not,” Owl chimed in.

  “No, so we are going to have to watch ourselves. Pay close attention to me,” Lance directed. He held his stick loosely in his hand. “Now I’m sure you’ve probably seen films with these types of artillery. Owl, has had a little familiarity with them.”

  “I learned, slightly from a demonstration we received during a pow-wow. They were used in an interpretive na
tive dance,” explained Owl.

  “This time it’s different. We’ll be using them to protect ourselves.” Lance, spoke raising his eyebrows.

  “Is there a special way I need to hold the sticks, or do we just use them as we would swords?” Jenson prompted.

  “No, you definitely, do not use them, like swords. If you hold them in an improper manner it could get you killed,” Lance growled at me.

  I stepped back, giving him room to demonstrate.

  “Watch how I hold it, and then try it yourself. You should consistently have one fist length open at the bottom of your stick. Never cover up the bottom. When fighting make sure you keep it moving. Don’t allow your opponent to grab the stick away from you.”

  Standing there, Owl and I did as he said.

  “Good, now that is the correct way to hold it. Remember that.”

  “OK,” we replied.

  “I’ll demonstrate a move. Then you both repeat after me.”

  We practiced several varying moves the long stick technique, short, and close combat. I worked up a sweat as Owl had sat out on the last one on one. Then, as I wiped the perspiration from my brow, I noticed Cavin had snuck in.

  “How’s it going Lance?” he asked.

  “Good. I do have one question. Are the girls going to know how to act in combat? We cannot go into this with them only knowing spells, and speak talk. Molly can only give out so much healing before she becomes weak. She has to learn how to yield it and to regain her strength,” admitted Lance.

  “True and the girls are working on those things,” he replied.

  “We probably should practice tumbling, avoiding contact and diverging away from the opponent. You know, like you were teaching the young male kits the other day,” spoke Cavin.

  “You’re right, now this is simple,” he said and turned to us.

  We tumbled and stood up against one another, even Cavin joined in. I had to admit Lance was a pretty good teacher. I wondered how the girls were getting along with their instruction.

  (Starla)

  I observed Jenson, Owl, and Lance exit the sweat hut unsure of how everyone would get along. I just hoped Jenson and Lance didn’t go to wrestle mania, on each other before the real thing.

  “Everything alright?” asked Nayla. She placed a paw on my back.

  “I’m not sure how those two are going to manage to get along in combat. They seem to snap, at each other, easily,” I said, annoyed.

  “It’s just male dominance. Men don’t know how to act when a pretty, girl is around,” she said, winking at Molly.

  “Don’t look at me. I’m more apt to consider Eva attractive,” Molly muttered.

  “Well, anyhow let’s get out of this damp tent. I’ll take you ladies to the dining hall. It’s the one hut containing various rooms. One being a meditation area without the heat! Grab your coats now, as it’s still frosty outside.”

  We put our coats on and trailed behind her to the first tent. There were lights on, so I assumed Star was waiting for us. Would Kaya be present? I hadn’t spent much time with her. She gave off a motherly radiance during the gifting ceremony.

  “Are we going to be allowed any hands-on combat, or is that against clan rules?” I challenged trudging towards the building.

  “If you’re asking if we frown upon women in our tribe defending themselves no. You’ll learn how to push an attacker away rather than engage him in a fight. If it does get to the point, where you have to take him out, we encourage it. Do you suppose it’s so abnormal that women and men handle things differently?”

  “Men and women are like night and day,” said Kaya as she walked up to us.

  “I didn’t know you were joining us,” Molly spoke. We hiked on nearing the hut.

  “Eva, isn’t going to be able to make it. Some urgent matter with one of the young girls, love sick I think?”

  “Not again, the wolf across the way,” prodded Nayla.

  “Yep, old Jinx, is up to it again,” Kaya said, shaking her head.

  “Who’s that?” asked Molly.

  “Oh, just this mid-aged wolf, he has the best intentions, of course. What he doesn’t realize, is now is not, a good time to be intermixing. I would be a hypocrite if I didn’t allow outside species to date. After all, that’s what started this nonsense. You know that, right?” Kaya asked, turning to unlock the hut.

  “Yes, it’s what Du-Vance had been working on, and Nuria was involved also,” I replied.

  “The peace treaty,” claimed Molly.

  “Here we are, it should be pretty cozy once we get into the reflection area. This is the mudroom,” she said, shutting the door.

  I noticed pegs on a wall for our coats, a cubby underneath for shoes, and off to the right a closet. We put away our things and followed Kaya and Nayla.

  “This way down the hall to the right is the meditation room,” Nayla said as we passed photos of other clan members.

  I stopped to examine one of them. A young girl with the ears and tail of a fox, but stood with human legs and hands. “Who’s this?” I asked.

  “One of the greats she’s long gone now. You would have liked her gutsy, strong, independent, and incredibly witty,” Nayla admitted. We moved along towards the door. Its sign read, reflection space.

  “It isn’t that big of a hut,” said Kaya, opening the door for us.

  There was a fireplace lit, illuminating pillows placed in a circle a few feet away. Several candles glowed. I counted five in the center of the circle all a variety of colors.

  “Are those what I perceive them to be?” I asked pointing.

  “What are they?” retorted Star, who’d been waiting for us in the room. She sat on a white pillow adjacent to a white candle.

  “Magic candles, the ones that aid in spells, protection, and steer us to the future, or reveal the past,” I answered stepping towards it.

  Star nodded in response.

  “Molly, why don’t you sit on the blue pillow adjacent to the blue candle?” Kaya motioned with her hand. This will aid you in conveying, the healing power, we gifted you. We’re going to strive to maintain a balanced circle.”

  I leaned in to look at the other candles inside the ring.

  “I should be seated on the blue pillow to be open to using memory as a weapon,” I stated, easing myself towards the area. I waited to see if anyone would protest against it. When they didn’t, I sat.

  Kaya took her place on the silver pillow near a silver candle. Then proceeded to give further details.

  “We each have a dominant trait that stands out among us. We hold a weighing scale, playing a part to achieve one desired goal. When the correct element is achieved, I should be able to predict, a little of what is to come at Thunderhead Bay...”

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” said Star to Kaya.

  Nayla nodded at them and then spoke.

  “A moment of silence, then I want to show Starla how to push her memories into the minds of others while using their own against them.”

  I shuddered, feeling a chill crawl up my back, a memory of its own, creeping. Bright white lights being pressed into my brain. I could no longer see them, anyone. No, it had just been a reoccurring dream, and they had halted. Had they not?

  “Dear, are you remembering something, a dream, lights, noises?” Nayla demanded as she sat back behind our circle.

  “Why aren’t you in the ring?” I asked.

  “Observing and protecting those inside. You may still see my thoughts and visions merge with yours. All of us will remain connected. We must always have one outside the circle in case something misguided, gets in. It rarely occurs, so breathe in and stand down, OK? You look like you’ve seen a ghoul,” she commented.

  “No, just a memory,” I replied. “A white light I used to dream about, feared it, and I’d awaken in sweats.”

  “Prior to your move here, how long ago?” pushed Nayla.

  “It must have been after Cal left L.A.,” I retorted.

  �
�The usual warning signs of one of purity being taken by evil hands. Did the dreams stop?” asked Star.

  “Yeah, I just never figured them out.”

  “The past is past, let us begin,” whispered Nayla.

  One by one we took each other’s hands without words. I could hear my watch ticktocking, my heartbeat, the breathing of my friends near me.

  Each beat, I felt, pulsed. Memories old and new traveled from one of our minds to the next resembling one complete circuit. First, I saw Star in her childhood racing her mother in human form. Kaya leaped up to grab a fish out of a stream, while, in fox form, Nayla lay nursing a pup, and then Molly sat in a class gazing at Maine. What did all these memories mean?

  We lifted our heads slowly, and Star ended the silence.

  “Those memories were of us at our most vulnerable periods. If, in a split second you can pull those out of the enemies, then you can find their weakness. Hit them hard with an image of the future. Once, we have all bonded, it’s then we’ll be able to use our powers jointly.”

  We focused on each of our strengths, concentrations and guided each other through the steps.

  “Can you hear me?” I whispered internally to Star, Molly, Nayla, and last Kaya. They had me continue till I was heard and could identify each of them through their thoughts. Afterward, Molly practiced healing not only physical wounds but mental and emotional ones. It took a form of mixed emotions and concentration. She would let the feeling brim up to the surface and touch a part of the infected area. It didn’t work for everything. It had to be something inflicted on other species through hate. It would not cure anything, biological or genetic.

  “Will I ever be fully efficient at this?” asked Molly after she’d made several attempts. She’d achieved two of them.

  “If you decide to remain an honorary member, subsequently you’ll struggle less with it occurring, encountering more successes than failures. Two out of five isn’t bad. Realize that Nayla created the image, the situation, and you were able to heal two out of the five species. That’s impressive for a beginner,” Star praised.