Birthrite (Legacy Series Book 2)

by Max Ellendale

  "C'mon, Nee, let me help you get undressed." Xany's jester-like grin was clearly meant to torment Vanessa. She tugged me away from my mates. This time I joined Xany in baiting the cat and waggled my eyebrows at them as we disappeared into my bedroom. Vanessa's hisses nearly spattered my backside.

  After we took our turns showering, Xany dressed quickly and pulled her hair back into a neat braid. She arranged the fringe on the halter top and skirt then placed her hands on her hips to model for me.

  "How do I look?" she asked and spun in a circle.

  "Incredible, of course." I couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the overt display of her beauty.

  "Why thank you kindly, lady." Her voice was laced with a childish giggle. She curtsied then helped me to carefully pull my dress over my head. It fell around me like a warm, soft hug as the leather caressed my skin. I chose the light tan dress with the wolf print. Fringe adorned the bottom of the dress by my ankles, the edges of the sleeves, and around my middle. Turquoise beads and small chips of abalone shells ornamented spots across my chest. Xany smiled at me as I slipped on the matching moccasins.

  "What?" I asked and stood up to comb out my hair.

  On each side of my head, I made one small braid and wrapped the ends with pieces of suede then slipped two small feathers in each wrapping. Other than the two braids, I let the rest of my hair hang loose and put on a bone and turquoise necklace. I secured a small pouch to the waistband of my dress and let it hang at my side.

  "You look beautiful, Shawnee. Like you're supposed to look." Xany tilted her head to the side.

  "Like I'm supposed to look?" I asked with a furrowed brow. What was that supposed to mean? I was comfortable in most of my dresses and I wondered if she picked up on that. I'm not usually comfortable in anything so maybe the stark contrast was evident.

  "Mhmm, just like you're supposed to," she repeated.

  "Okay," I said and laughed a bit. "That dress fits you well, mostly." I gestured to the halter that was somewhat tight on her chest.

  "Thanks." She grinned and grabbed her breasts to accentuate her already generous cleavage.

  "I have something for you," I said and opened the drawer of my armoire to remove an eagle feather. Xany perked. I moved behind her and clipped a turquoise barrette into her hair then slipped the feather behind it. Xany moved to the mirror and beamed, her eyes bright and twinkly.

  "I love it!" She caressed the feather as carefully as she could.

  "It's real so don't lose it." I laughed as she bounced over to hug me. "They're illegal unless used for ceremonies. Logistics and politics as usual."

  "C'mon, let's go out to the others." She took my hand and tugged me along.

  "Wait a second." I laughed hard and grabbed a few more feathers and suede pieces from the dresser before Xany led me back to the others.

  When we got to the kitchen, Caden and Hank were carrying some of the food trays and drinks outside. They whistled at Xany and me as we entered the room. Mal came back in the house wearing leather britches with a matching fringe vest. He had his hair in plaits with a beaded headband. I smiled at him and he nearly dropped what he was carrying. Xany let go of my hand and giggled as she bounced past him to follow Caden outside. Mal passed her the tray he was holding and made his way over to me.

  "Shawnee, you look incredible." His smile was goofy.

  "Xany said I look like I'm supposed to. I have no idea what that means." I wrapped my arms around him. He squeezed me tight and rubbed his hands over my dress.

  "I think it means you look naturally beautiful." Without a moment's warning, he caught me in a heated kiss. My breath escaped me in a sigh.

  "Thank you, Mal." I gave his braids a tug. "I'm going to put a braid or two in Vanessa's hair with some feathers. Think she'd like that?"

  "I think she would. She's outside helping Caden." He smiled as I caressed his chest. The sensation of his overheated flesh under my fingertips sent shivers up my spine.

  Mal took my hand and led me outside. Hank's family was setting up, and Imogene had the kids fixing a tent over the table where she laid out items from the shop. Caden stood beside the cabin and talked to the roof.

  "A little to the left. Perfect. Now there," he said and pointed this way and that. I followed his gaze and laughed when I saw Vanessa walking on the roof hanging lights for him. She pranced on the edge effortlessly.

  "Putting the cat to work, bro?" Mal jested.

  "You bet. I nearly fell off once, and then nearly fell through the second time." He grinned.

  "Liar." I smiled at him. Werecats' balance might be superior, but wolves weren't completely clumsy. I imagined that this was Caden's way of including Vanessa and when he offered me a wink, I knew for certain.

  Vanessa stood at the edge of the roof and held her hand down for Caden to toss up the next set of lights. When she caught sight of me, she froze for a moment before leaning forward and tumbling off head first. Xany gasped but Vanessa landed in a crouch without making a sound; her eyes never left mine. She stood slowly and stalked over to me, her purrs emanating as she smiled.

  "Hi..." Heat rushed to my cheeks. I wasn't shy with Mal, but I was suddenly shy about Vanessa. Her response was a firm nuzzle of her nose against my neck, a gesture that told me she liked how I looked. I grinned and kissed her cheek.

  "C'mere, I want to put braids in your hair." I took her hand and led her over to one of the logs by the fire pit. We sat and Mal joined us. He crouched by the wood stack and began to light the kindling. I used my fingers to comb out her hair while she ran her hands all over the soft leather of my dress. I put two braids in her hair to match mine and tied them off with the suede and feathers.

  "There," I said. "Now we match."

  "Thank you." She caressed the delicate feathers then pressed a timid kiss to my lips. She broke it a little too quickly.

  "Are you sure you're okay with being here surrounded by dogs?" I held her hands in my lap.

  "Mhmm. I want to be with you," she said and played with the fringe on my sleeve.

  "I'm glad, Ness. I want you here, too," I said as a rush of heat wafted in our direction when Mal got the fire going. Caden and Xany joined us.

  "Everything is all in place, TB," Xany said.

  "People should start arriving any minute." Caden wrapped his arm around her.

  Imogene and Hank wandered over while their daughter, Arielle, continued to set up the items on the shop table. The rest of the kids were playing tag by the trees.

  "Caden, I hope it's all right, but I've invited Ann to join us today. She's been making a lot of stuff for the shop and I couldn't help but ask her," Gene said.

  "She's welcome, Gene, of course." His voice was kind. He was very welcoming for such a dominant wolf. Caden readily accepted people without judging them beforehand. He seemed to let their actions dictate his opinion.

  "She's an a'right woman. Adores our cubs." Hank added his approval to Caden's. I wondered if Hank would eventually consider her as a Sept member. Or an ally at the very least.

  "I didn't think anyone would really mind." Imogene smiled.

  "The more the merrier! I'll finally get a chance to meet her!" Xany exclaimed with a giggle just as two vans pulled up.

  "That's the caterer with the additional food," Mal said.

  "Excuse us, ladies," Caden said as Mal and Hank joined him to help the caterers unload the truck.

  "Do you think a lot of people will show up, Gene?" Xany asked.

  "I think so. The last powwow we had, about sixty people showed up, including the children," she answered.

  "Awesome." Xany waggled her eyebrows before she and Gene went over to help organize the food table. Vanessa and I were left to our own devices. I toyed with the hem of her dress and glanced around. I couldn't imagine sixty people gathering around the yard. Even if there was plenty of space and plenty of pack to keep me safe.

  "Nervous?" Vanessa drew my attention back to her.

  I nodded. "So many people."


  "It'll be okay." She nudged my chin upward and I nipped her finger.

  "If I need to leave, will you come with me and Mal?" I asked.

  "Of course." She nodded and traced her thumb along my bottom lip. Vanessa and I hadn't had much alone time since our encounter during my shower. I still didn't know how to bring it up to her, to talk about how she made me feel. My thoughts must've been written all over my face because her eyes kept searching my expression.

  "Sometimes I don't know how you've stayed with me so long," I burst forth.

  "Why do you say that?" Her brow furrowed with concern.

  "With me getting scared all the time, doing stupid things, and treating you badly." I shrugged. It was difficult to give words to all the negativity I'd caused.

  "Don't think on those things, Shawnee. It's all in the past. And besides, it was all worth it to see you happy—and to be with you," she said and I noticed that she was bouncing her legs. I put my hand on her thigh and rubbed a bit. Had I made her uncomfortable?

  "Why are you shaking?" She was never jittery, not like this. Usually her nerves manifested in hand-wringing or scratching.

  "Oh, um..." She froze when I moved my hand up her leg. I paused when the reality hit me.

  "Does your heat time make you antsy?" I whispered.

  She nodded, but grinned. "Sorry, can't help it. Seeing you like this doesn't help either." She placed another coy kiss on my lips. I laughed through it but couldn't help but wonder about her sudden timidity. Maybe it was because we were out in public.

  "I'll just have to make it up to you later," I said. A smile brightened her expression and I knew I'd have to make good on my promise.

  ***

  Our guests arrived sporadically throughout the first hour of the powwow. Imogene was right. About sixty people in total with a few more trickling in now and then. There were at least twenty kids of all ages, some dressed in regalia, and some dressed in regular clothes. Hank called his powwows "intertribal" because everyone was invited. His Sept included people from different American Indian tribes as well as white folk from all over the area. I was comfortable with a mixed crowd. The expectations always seemed lower in diverse company.

  Hank's brother, surprisingly, led most of the dancing and invited everyone to join in. The drums were like thunderous heartbeats in my chest and provided a sense of familiar comfort. I watched the people in the circle move in time with the beats. The women tap-stepped, their heads bobbing along in rhythm while the men bounced a bit more vigorously as they stomped. Steven allowed all participants to dance clockwise or counterclockwise depending on how their tribal tradition danced; most danced clockwise though. Before anyone entered the circle, a teenage girl blessed them with the smoke of sage she had burning in an abalone shell. She was clearly Indian and wore skins similar to mine. All of her hair was separated into two neat braids. She had several pouches dangling from her belt and a walking stick that was bigger than she was.

  "Who's that girl, Caden?" I asked.

  "Oh, that's Adia. She's the Sept shaman," he answered casually.

  "She's a shaman? She's like twelve," I said, my eyes glued to Adia.

  "She's fifteen. A very smart fifteen-year-old lone wolf who had her first change when she was about nine. When I first met her, she spoke very poor English." Caden chuckled at my surprise.

  "What does she speak?"

  "Cherokee primarily. She's a Spirit Talker," he said then took a bite of chicken.

  "Wow."

  "What's a Spirit Talker?" Vanessa asked me.

  "It means she can see the spirits of the dead and talk to them. She can also see evil spirits, and cleanse people and things that are tainted," I told her. I'd never known a shaman as young as Adia. Usually they were elderly and hidden away from the world.

  "She's so young, Caden," Xany said, her voice a bit spacey as she watched Adia brush sage smoke over the next entrant to the circle.

  "Her age surprised me at first, too. But she's a lone wolf, which means she survived her change on her own and grew up in the wild without a pack," he said.

  "Pretty incredible," I said and watched as Imogene entered the circle with Cote. When they walked by us, Gene waved for me to step in but I shook my head. Warmth flushed my cheeks and I turned my attention back to Vanessa. Mal returned with a few plates of food for us to share.

  "Thanks," I said as I took a plate from him.

  "Gene wants you to go dance." His lips curled into a smile and he flicked an eyebrow upward.

  "In a little bit." I laughed softly knowing full well he wanted me to dance just as much.

  "What am I eating?" Vanessa said, her mouth half-full of food. She turned her plate to show me the flat piece of fried dough she'd taken a few bites out of.

  "Frybread," I replied.

  "I like it," she said and took another bite.

  "I'll get you another one if you like." I couldn't help but grin. The fact that Vanessa liked something that wasn't fishy or sweet and was rather traditional made me want to spoil her a bit. She nodded. I set my plate down and journeyed over to the food table. A few people filled their plates, but nearly everyone was seated at the tables or around the fire eating already. I grabbed up a clean dish and placed a few pieces of frybread on it. I added a sprinkle of sugar to mine. I couldn't remember the last time I'd eaten frybread or any traditional food. My mom was probably still alive then. My father didn't cook and after she died, I lived on food from school.

  On my way back to the others, I stopped by Imogene's booth, where Arielle sat with her friend mixing the flavors of their ice cream to make swirls. Arielle smiled sheepishly when she saw me and I winked at her. The last encounter I had with Arielle was the night of her Firsting when she nearly took my head off, and Xany's too. I was about to remind her of such when I stumbled over a stone and bumped into someone browsing the items.

  "Oops, excuse me," I said and repositioned the food on my plate, very grateful it hadn't fallen all over her. The woman, who was crouched, stood up slowly and I was face to face with a beaded wolf paw. I was about to comment on the intricate and familiar pattern but Adia barreled her way between us. Smoke from the sage burned heavily in her abalone and made me cough. I'd taken an accidental gulp of it when she surprised me. She giggled at my hacking.

  "Dia, sorry, need more sage before the fire goes out," she said.

  I waved the smoke from my face as Arielle added more sage to the abalone. I nodded to Adia and excused myself back to the others, rubbing my nose on the way. I sat beside Vanessa and handed her the plate of frybread before I began sneezing. She purred her thanks.

  "Whoa, Shawnee, did you get a bath in sage?" Mal laughed at the potent scent I brought back with me.

  "No. Our little shaman gave me a dose by the artifact table." I shook my head and took a deep breath now that my lungs had cleared. Vanessa scrunched her nose at me before snickering.

  "Even I can smell it." Xany grinned. She was not one to miss the opportunity to tease me.

  "Well, let's just call her very cleansed then." Caden chuckled.

  "C'mon, Shawnee, let's dance." Mal snatched me up by the hand before I could fight him. I squealed with resistance but everyone encouraged me to go, especially Vanessa, who looked very entertained.

  Mal brought me to the center of the circle, after another less forceful dose of sage, just as some of the fancy shawl dancers spun around to the happy beat of the drums. I was easily distracted by the detailing of the regalia and feather work. One of the men in a full bustle, which looked like a fan tail of a turkey, handed Mal a rattle to hold while he danced.

  "Where you going, Indian?" one of the guys shouted as a man, half-dressed from the waist down in skins but wearing a T-shirt with the word Jazz sprawled across the front, walked right through the middle of the circle.

  "To get some fabric glue," the man shouted back. I couldn't help but laugh and look at Mal.

  "The troubles of modern native lifestyle." He shook his head and chuckled.
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br />   "And to think, there used to be no such thing," I said as Mal took my hand. I danced with him, shyly at first, doing the traditional double-step type dancing that the women often did. Mal moved beside me in similar fashion.

  "Do you have a shawl? Vanessa would get a kick out of you dancing a shawl dance." His grin was wide.

  "So would you! No, I don't have one," I said through continued laughter.

  When the drumming slowed, Mal led me to the tents, where Hank pounded on the biggest drum for a few more beats then stopped. Gene sat on the ground with Cote beside her and strummed softly on an acoustic guitar. Hank and the other drummers moved around some equipment. He called out for Mal's assistance. I let go of him and sat with Gene and Cote. I listened to her pick the strings then switch back to a full strum. Cote swayed side to side with the melody.

  "Do you play?" Gene paused to address me.

  "Sorry?" I shook my head to wake from my daze.

  "Do you play? You're watching me like you play." She patted the neck of the guitar.

  "Oh. Yes. A little." I nodded then shook my head. Imogene laughed softly.

  "Here, you play this one." She handed me the guitar she held then reached behind her to grab another. The only difference seemed to be that one had a brown body and the other black. I took the brown one and set it on my thigh.

  "I haven't played in years." I let my thumb drop over the strings then chose a chord to play. It rang cleanly and I smiled at Gene.

  "That's good 'cause you're playing now." She grinned. "Play a G, C, D progression and follow me."

  "Make a band!" Cote shouted and clapped for us. I laughed out of pure nerves but nodded to Gene. She led me in a slow melody. I strummed while she plucked the strings. It sounded pretty good for an impromptu session and Cote seemed to enjoy it.

  Mal returned after a few minutes and stood over us as he listened. He made me nervous so I tripped up my fingers about a dozen times. I stopped playing to look up at him.

  "You made her turn all red, Mal." Gene laughed and set the guitar down. "It's time for the jingle dance, Cote. C'mon." She held her hand down to her son as she stood. "Be back in a bit." She smiled at us and escorted Cote back to the circle. Mal held his hand down to me and I took it. He guided me to stand and pulled me into a hug.