Wolf Dance

by Wolfdance(Lit)

  She had stopped fighting him, but could not cease her trembling. Justin took her hand and led her further into the rocks until they came to a large outcropping, overlooking the Sweet Water Valley. His steps faltered and Laura noticed the blood oozing from his shoulder.

  "Let’s sit here." He pointed to the edge.

  Laura’s eyes were still wide with fright and a layer of perspiration glistened on her face. She struggled to form words, wanting to tell him that he was bleeding, but her voice failed her.

  Justin mistook her effort to speak for revulsion and anguish burst across his features.

  "I know you don’t understand yet, but you will. I will help you to understand." He brushed her lips softly with his.

  "Laura...." he paused, searching for the right words.

  An infinity of black clouds now smothered the sun and an eerie wind moaned through the rock canyons. Justin’s hair was tossed about, making it seem as if it danced upon the winds.

  Even in a state of shock, his masculine beauty amazed her and against her will she felt her body responding to his nearness.

  Lowering his eyes from the sky, he gazed upon her face. "I don’t think any of us really know what we are or where we came from ... but there are legends, stories that our elders tell the children on long winter nights."

  Justin waited for some kind of response but there was none. Laura continued to stare at him in wide-eyed astonishment.

  "I'm sure you know something about shape-shifters. In a way ... that is what we are but there are differences."

  "The shape-shifter is a human taking the form of an animal for a short period of time, usually through a form of magic."

  He continued. "With us it is different. We are born to be what we are. We can love and hate like any other man but we have the instinct of the wolf, the bear. We are born with the nature of the beast."

  Snapping out of her daze, Laura realized this must be some kind of a joke. She narrowed her eyes. "Justin, you know as well as I do that what you are talking about is impossible. I do not like being the object of someone’s joke. I think you are playing a game to scare our people off."

  She tried to get to her feet, but he reached up and pulled her down, hard. His eyes were stone cold and she knew that she had made the mistake of angering him.

  Though spoken softly, his words were laced with stinging fury. "It’s true that I want the company you work for to disappear, but I'm not making up stories to help this happen or to frighten you. I am not a liar!"

  "Just how do you expect me to believe such a crazy story? I do not believe that anyone can take the shape of animals, or anything else for that matter. That is just a bunch of old folk’s wishful thinking."

  "Would you like me to again demonstrate my abilities?" His words were growls and his eyes had taken on a yellow sheen.

  Laura backed away. The conclusion that she had imagined some kind of transformation in him was fading rapidly.

  "Now will you listen to me?" He had returned to normal.

  She nodded. Any words that she had been ready to say were now gone.

  "Long ago, a Lakota band ventured far from their traditional territory to winter in the Rockies near a place called Shadow Mountain. The local tribes knew this to be a sacred place where only spirits dare to dwell, but these Lakota knew nothing of this." He paused to let her digest what he was telling her.

  "In this camp was a girl by the name of Night Blossom, whom everyone thought might be a little touched by the spirits." Justin motioned toward his head.

  "Night Blossom began to act even more strangely than usual. Being simple minded she never questioned it when voices began to call her out into the night. She followed them deep into the forest."

  "Each night she would follow the voices, listening to their chants, and singing, dancing by the light of the moon."

  "On one of these nights, out of curiosity, several warriors followed her. Night Blossom led them to a place unknown to man. A place called Coyopa’."

  "Some say it is what the white man calls the Garden of Eden, but who knows?" He shrugged his shoulders.

  "Justin ... you are still bleeding," Laura anxiously pointed out.

  "It’s nothing. It will heal quickly."

  Justin continued. It was as if he knew he would never again be given the chance to make her understand. "In this place were beings. It's said that they have lived since the beginning of time. They were spirits of the earth, the water, and the sky. They were men ... but they were not."

  "They were gods?" Laura was confused.

  Justin shook his head. "They were a race of men whom had been granted special powers by the spirits to protect the Earth Mother and in particular the sacred Shadow Mountains. The leader of these people had fallen in love with the beautiful Night Blossom and wanted to take her as his mate ... but there was a divine order within this group that felt that the union was unholy. A small war broke out and those who had risen against the leader were banished for all time from Coyopa’."

  "The band of Lakota was absorbed into these beings, becoming the same as them. Because of Night Blossom and their knowledge of these people, they would never be allowed to be what they once were."

  "Most of the Lakota had no desire to leave Coyopa’, but some did, and they took out into the world with them the power of the spirits."

  "Several generations later, Coyopa’ and the spirits had become no more that legends told around a campfire. That is when it was discovered by the other Lakota people what these Sungmanitu really were and they became feared and hunted. It was then that the Sungmanitu returned to the legendary Coyopa’. Today they call the Shadow Mountains Wind River Mountains."

  "So ... Beaver Creek is this legendary city?" Laura was skeptical.

  "No ... Beaver Creek is the location of the original camp of those long ago Lakotas"

  "You mean that the Sungmanitu never found this legendary city?" Laura pressed him.

  Justin turned away. "I can tell you no more of us, but I think you have a good understanding of what we are now."

  Laura was quiet for a long time, and when she did speak he could tell that she still hadn't accepted the truth. "According to your own legends you do not have to make the transformation?" she asked, hopefully.

  He shook his head, sadness in his eyes. "There is one detail that I have overlooked. Our true nature is of the beast, and if we deny what is naturally within us for too long, we grow weak and eventually die."

  Laura turned away, tears forming in her eyes. "Justin ... what am I going to do?" she whispered.

  "Now do you know why my mother left? She was not one of us and this place terrified her. When she took me away, I became a very sickly child. She would have to spend money that we didn't have to spare at the meat market buying chickens and goats. When I reached the age that she could no longer control the changing, I began to kill local pets."

  His words froze on his lips at the look of horror that entered her eyes. "A child of five ... knows no better, it was my instinct. I sometimes think that it was I who drove her to a breakdown and maybe she killed herself to escape the nightmare of the child she had helped to create." The torment in his voice tore at her heart.

  Laura rested her head on his shoulder. More than anything she wanted Justin to know that her love was unchanged.

  He pulled back and peered deeply into her eyes. "Laura ... I love you. In my life, I have never found anyone that has made me feel the way that you have. But ... we cannot spend our lives together. Can’t you see that? I must pick a mate of my own kind ... and you must do the same."

  Laura shook her head in denial. "No, Justin! I don’t care what you are. I love you and I will never leave you!"

  He grabbed her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. "You have to, Laura! It would only destroy you to stay with me, and I do not belong in your world."

  "You can’t make me leave!"

  "I will take another mate, Laura!"

  Laura knew he spoke the truth. She cou
ld feel her heart shattering into millions of pieces. Her tears came unbidden.

  He pulled her close, holding her tightly. "I’m sorry ... I tried to stop this from happening, but I could not keep you out of my head," Justin whispered, his lips close to her ear.

  "Know that I do love you." Pulling away, he stood up.

  Laura was frantic. "Please don’t leave yet."

  "We must end it now before it goes any further."

  Thunder cracked overhead and a torrent of rain poured down from the sky, soaking them within seconds.

  Justin leaned down and kissed her with a tightly controlled passion. "I love you! Have a good life, tehila." He left her then. Without a glance, he faded into the surrounding rocks.

  Laura’s body was wracked with violent sobs. Never in her life had she felt so hollow, so alone. How would she get through the day, let alone the rest of her life, knowing that she would never be with him again?

  Chapter Fourteen

  The storm had eased to a light drizzle. Every step Laura took seemed to land her in a mud hole. She paused on a hill overlooking the Sweet Water Mine.

  All was still.

  Laura started down the hill, slipping in the slimy mud. By the time she reached the bottom of the hill, she was covered in muck.

  Before going to Dewey’s trailer, Laura scouted the area in search of any signs of another attack.

  "Mr. Hughes, are you all right?" Laura called out. Her only answer was a moan coming from inside the trailer.

  "Hughes, are you in there?"

  "Yeah, and I’m about to bleed to death, so why don’t you get on in here and help me out?" The closed door muffled his rough voice.

  Laura opened the door and peered inside the dark room. Dewey was on the floor, leaning against a wall. A blood soaked towel covered his left calf. Droplets of sweat ran off his forehead.

  Laura stepped inside, leaving a trail of mud behind her.

  Kneeling down to assess his damages, Laura asked, "Can you walk at all?"

  "I imagine so ... if I had some crutches, but I don’t happen to have any of them things handy, so I’ll just have to have you help me out of here." He was grouchier than a wounded bear.

  Laura helped him up. Losing her balance, they both nearly landed on the floor.

  "What in the blazes took you so long? I thought maybe they got you too."

  "They almost did, but I hid in the canyon rocks." She felt shamed by the half lie.

  It was a struggle to get him out of the trailer and an almost impossible feat to get him up the slippery road to her truck.

  When they made it back to her cabin, Laura laid on the horn, hoping someone was there who could help her. Kenny opened the door and peered out.

  Laura motioned frantically for him to come out to the truck.

  "What happened?" He was clearly startled to see her covered with mud.

  She nodded her head to Hughes. "He was attacked by a jaguar and needs medical attention at once."

  "Sure ... jump out. I’ll take him to the hospital in Acton."

  Completely exhausted, Laura walked by her grandfather and Two-Bears, barely remembering to greet them. She went straight to the bathroom and ran a tub full of hot water.

  After peeling the mud soaked clothing from her skin, Laura submerged her body in the steaming water. She refilled the tub three times with new water, before she finally felt clean.

  While dressing, she mentally prepared herself to face her grandfather, knowing he must be completely stressed by now.

  Sure enough, Busby jumped on her as soon was she entered the kitchen.

  "What happened?" Busby’s raspy voice tore at her and she felt a sudden surge of guilt.

  "I’m okay, Grandpa." She hugged him.

  Two-Bears studied her with an intensity that made her feel as if she were a bug under a microscope.

  Laura took the chair across from Two-Bears.

  "What can I do?" she asked the Lakota.

  Two-Bears stared her down, probing into her very spirit. After a long time, in which several new lines seemed to have formed on his face, he answered.

  "There is nothing that you can do."

  Laura looked stricken. In her heart she had hoped that Two-Bears would have the answers that could bring her and Justin together.

  "He has turned away from your love," Two-Bears stated the fact.

  Busby looked from Two-Bears to his granddaughter, not really sure if he were following the conversation at all.

  Two-Bears took a swig of his lukewarm coffee, making a face when the bitterness coated his tongue. He set the cup down with a little too much force, spilling some of the brown liquid onto the table.

  Automatically, Laura got up to fetch the paper towels.

  "Laura ... to be with him ... the nature of the beast must already be within you. He cannot change what he is, and the same is so for you."

  Laura froze, her hand in midair inches from the counter. The pain was too much to bear and her body trembled with the release of her sobs. "I can’t live without him."

  Two-Bears put his hands in the air, a gesture of helplessness. "There is nothing else that you can do, but to go on, keeping your memories close to your heart."

  Busby made an effort to comfort her. "To love someone that is not of your own kind ... can be torture. I think he must care deeply for you to spare you this pain."

  Before Laura could respond, a loud knocking erupted at the front door.

  "I’ll get it." Two-Bears pulled his large frame up and went into the living room.

  Seconds later, he returned with Jessup right behind him.

  "Afraid we have some trouble, friends." Jessup sounded bone weary.

  "How so?" Two-Bears had returned to his seat.

  "Franklin Duccini just showed up, with a very large imported crew. They have already headed to the Beaver Creek site to set up. They’ll be starting tomorrow."

  Two-Bears drew his brows together. "You’re not kidding we are in for trouble. What you have seen so far have been warnings. When they get serious, we’ll all be in trouble."

  "There is nothing we can do now. Everyone on that crew is armed to the teeth. They’ve been instructed to shoot anyone who tries to interfere with the job." Jessup brought his hand up to his forehead to wipe away beads of sweat.

  Laura related to them what had happened at the Sweet Water Mine--excluding the details about Justin.

  "You are sure it was a jaguar?" Two-Bears seemed confused.

  She nodded.

  "I’m sure what I saw were jaguars too," Jessup put in.

  Two-Bears withdrew into himself. Something was not right with this. The attacking animals didn't sound like the Sungmanitu at all.

  Just before dusk Kenny returned, but he had left Hughes in Acton. Dewey planned to stay in Cheyenne for a time until things had worked themselves out.

  Two-Bears filled Kenny in on what had happened in his absence.

  "It's my advice that we leave first thing in the morning. Let Duccini and the Sungmanitu battle this one out on their own," Two-Bears told them.

  The group had moved out onto the porch, hoping to get in as much fresh air as they could, before having to barricade themselves for the night.

  Kenny was the first to notice the sheriff’s car. "It looks like we have company."

  Sheriff Moss got out of the car and with a self-confidence born of a long-time officer, he strode to where they stood on the porch.

  "Miss Ellison." He tipped his white Stetson in her direction.

  "Sheriff Moss," she said with a smile.

  "I’m sorry to have to do this to you, but...." he glanced at the others present. "I have a search warrant here." Moss waved a piece of paper in one hand.

  Laura had no choice but to let him search. He was only inside a few moments before returning with a plastic bag containing a bloody knife.

  "This matches the description of the murder weapon used on the deputy. I’m afraid I’m going to have to take you in, Laura. I found this
hidden under your bed."

  Laura was too staggered to say a word.

  Jessup came to Laura’s aid. "On what charges?"

  "She will be charged with murder."

  "That’s the most absurd thing I have ever heard." Jessup was flabbergasted.

  The fingers of darkness were slowly closing in on them. In the dusky light no one noticed the movement until it was too late.

  Sheriff Moss lay flat on his back, too stunned to move.

  Justin towered above him, looking down into the Sheriff’s face. He said nothing to the sheriff--just silently shook his head.

  Moss painfully rose to his knees and then to his feet. His eyes were full of fear and they never left Justin.

  "Sheriff, if your plan was to use her as bait to flush me out...." Justin spread his arms in a gesture of surrender. "Then here I am ... but if you harm one hair on this woman’s body, I promise you a very painful death."

  Moss backed away slowly. He was tempted to shoot Gray Eagle where he stood, but he could not very well kill them all.

  "Maybe this needs further investigation before making arrests," he muttered but his eyes promised Justin vengeance.

  "How did that knife get under your bed?" Kenny asked.

  Laura just shook her head, unable to come up with one single reason why it would be under her bed.

  "It was planted," Justin told them.

  "He looks so normal. You’d never guess he is one of them," Jessup whispered to Busby.

  Justin’s sharp ears caught the words and he gave them all a dark smile before turning his attention to Laura.

  "I’d like you to walk with me for a few minutes."

  "That isn't possible," Busby broke in. "My granddaughter will go nowhere with you."

  Justin’s eyes sparked fire. "Sir ... I think that is her decision."

  "She needs to stay close to us now," Two-Bears spoke.

  "And who are you?" Justin’s cool manner was starting to crack, his anger surfacing.

  "I am Two-Bears of the Lakota, and I know what you are."

  "Do you?" Justin smirked. "Then you must also know that there is nothing you can do to stop me from taking Laura ... if I choose to do so."

  "That isn't true," Kenny spoke up for the first time. "Laura means a great deal to us and we will not let you destroy her."