by Sheryl Seal
Oh, sure grand I thought, how would I know. I smiled happily for her and replied. “It sure looks like love is grand for you. You are quite radiant. I’m so sorry you didn’t get to go on your pic-nic yesterday, but I’m glad that Red Thunder was there to save me.”
Aponi was such a pretty girl and we are becoming great friends but she does talk fast and I really have to pay attention to keep up with her.
“We can pic-nic any old day Oria. I’m glad he was there for you also. Now then, there is no one here but us. So tell me what really happened. I do not believe for one minute that you were just out riding. By the way, neither does Red Thunder. I saw you when you came back from the falls. I watched as the storm blew in because of the frame of mind you were in. You were obviously upset; you didn’t even hear me when I called out to you. I tried to get you to stop or talk to me but you had a look on your face that scared me. What happened that made you so upset anyway? I’m guessing you found Grey Wolf and for some reason he must have upset you again.”
The tears just started running down my face and I didn’t even know it until Aponi started to wipe them away. Then she hugged me and asked, “Oh, honey, what did that man do to you this time?” I cried even harder. Then I sat up straight and wiped my eyes and it all just came pouring out. “It’s just me; I am a silly girl who let a man’s lovely words blind her into giving him a kiss. What I thought meant something between us meant nothing to him, because later I found him kissing Yori! Then, I ran away like a child and put a horse and myself in danger. I also turned the village into a mud hole and I have no control over anything in my life. What am I going to do Aponi?”
“Well, that’s a lot to have weighing you down, you poor thing. First do you really think Grey Wolf was kissing Yori? I find it hard to accept because he has been waiting for you all his life. All he talks about with Red Thunder is how it will be when his heart gets here. You are finally here. Why would he be kissing someone else? This is a puzzle. He would not kiss that snake, I don’t like her either. She gives me the creeps. I think he must be up to something; I can feel it, can’t you feel it Oria?”
She started to unwind the bandage on my head.
“No, I don’t know. All I know is what my eyes saw, and what my heart felt. He was only supposed to be getting information from her. I didn’t ask him to kiss it out of her.”
She smiled and snickered at me as she looked my head over strangely. Then she said with a bit of awe in her voice, “Well, we shall see, do not give up hope yet. As for the other, the horse Little Wolf was not hurt and you are already healed except your bruised heart. The village is dried out and we are going to start working on your control as soon as you feel better, See? No worries. All is not lost.”
“What do you mean I am healed? The bandage is all bloody. I couldn’t have healed that quickly.”
“Well there is no mark even, so apparently you are a very fast healer.” I felt my head and couldn’t even feel a wound. Dumbfounded I just shook my head at her and smiled. “Do you think it’s another gift perhaps?” She nodded yes and hugged me tight. You are acquiring many gifts aren’t you?”
My mind went back to Grey Wolf though.
“Do you really think he was kissing the information out of her? Yori is a very gorgeous woman. Perhaps he just finds her attractive. It shouldn’t matter to me at all, except I’m afraid my heart is in love with him.”
Aponi squealed and clapped her hands. Then she hugged me again.
“His vision is accurate; so far all has come true, including you. You are here, are you not? Sometimes the Great Spirit does things in his own time. Sometimes his ways are not known until all the pieces are in place and all the players are ready. Trust me his love is for you too.”
She was squeezing my hands with a dreamy look on her face. She spoke her next words so softly that I had to strain to hear her.
“I have found the paradox you know, if you love until it hurts. There can be no more hurt just more love.”
“I don’t want to feel this pain, isn’t there a way around that part of love?”
“There is always pain in love. Wherever you go love is like war. It is easy to begin but very hard to stop. Do you think you could get some more sleep now? It would do you good to rest without so much on your mind. Think on how you are Grey Wolf’s vision and how all of this will work out soon.”
I walked her to the door of my lodge where I caught a glimpse of Yori walking with Grey Wolf through the village. I watched them with a lump in my throat and turned away before the tears started to fall.
I went to bed and fell asleep instantly and started dreaming. My thoughts were on Grey Wolf and I didn’t like what I thought he was doing at this very moment.
This is probably what made my dreams very chaotic all night long. I knew he was with Yori when I had seen him last.
They had been going into Grey Wolf’s lodge, together.
Chapter 22
It was a restless night of a gray wolf against a full moon and then storms that thundered out of control. A silver eyed man whose eyes lit with fire and then turned a soft golden color. Then my dreams would shift to Yori and her leering looks and sneering smile. I watched repeatedly as she walked into Grey Wolf’s lodge. I was so ready to get up and start a new productive day with brighter thoughts. At least there were no dragons and big gaping holes that were trying to devour me in my dreams.
I got dressed and not feeling very hungry, I decided to avoid the lodge and go to the falls. There I could enjoy the morning and maybe unravel a few feelings that had been plaguing my mind.
I noticed there had been a thunderstorm again last night. I had not heard anything even as restless a night as I had spent. The day was beautiful today though and everything was drying out nicely.
On my way to the falls I passed several women coming back from the orchards. They all had full baskets of all kinds of fruit. All spoke greetings to the Golden Queen, which by now I was getting used to. I had decided to resign myself to the fact that this is how they all saw me. I smiled and chatted for a few minutes. They were all talking mainly about the storm last night. Everyone thought these storms must be some sort of an omen since we keep having so many. I agreed with them and continued on to the falls.
Once there, I noticed only one woman remained under the falls. I couldn’t get a good look at who it could be.
All of a sudden I got a feeling of dread. I have decided many things I would change lately about myself. One of these things is I would try and listen to my gut feelings. Trust me; I wasn’t going in that water. That was where the feeling of something horrible was. I stood very still and opened my mouth to tell whoever was in the water that they should get out. When Yori came strolling out from under the falls. As she neared closer to me, I saw her face. For one flash of a moment it appeared to look snakelike or maybe a dragons head. There were also other creatures that moved too fast to distinguish. Finally her face settled on the beautiful Asian that normally appears to us all.
Yeah, I’m definitely going with my gut feelings now and this cannot be anything good! What was she anyway? Very powerful I knew that but I also knew enough to trust what I was seeing. My gifts were given to me for a reason. I just needed to figure out how to read what they were showing me.
Unsteady but trying to mask my feelings, I knew I wasn’t very good at this yet. I avoided eye contact to be safe. As she drew closer and waded out of the water with a splash I asked, “How was your swim Yori? The water looks very refreshing this morning.”
I didn’t like her. I could also tell by the evil in her, that she had no love for me either. She didn’t have to know that I knew these things. I could just play dumb for a while. Grandmother would say, “Oria, keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.”
I’m thinking with Yori, this is probably very good advice. As was all the advice and knowledge grandmother had ever given me.
She was getting her clothing and I imagine she was dressing. I still was avoidin
g eye contact. I sat down and acted like I was taking off my moccasins. I couldn’t stand it anymore and took a chance and glanced out of the corner of my eye at her. She looked normal though.
I was brought out of my thoughts when I heard her silky voice answer me.
“Very pleasing Oria, the water is the perfect temperature. I’ve had a wonderful swim this morning. It’s so refreshing after such a long night with a man, wouldn’t you agree?”
I just knew she was watching to see how I would respond. Even though my heart was shattered and I felt the tears welling up in my eyes, I knew I couldn’t let her see or feel any emotions coming off of me.
I felt her trying to penetrate my mind again and then she was angry because she couldn’t read me.
“I am off to meetings with the Elders.” Then she added with a snide tone in her voice and an attempt at trying to goad me again. “Grey Wolf and I are going riding again today. I just can’t seem to get that crazy horse to like me.” She said as she sashayed her way up the trail.
I cringed inside. The way Grey Wolf’s name slithered off her tongue. I suddenly had a vision of a snake swallowing its prey.
“Well then, I hope you have a nice day.” I said as I glanced toward the water again. I hoped she couldn’t hear the melancholy in my voice. Then I smiled at the thought of Little Wolf possibly not liking her. Maybe he would throw her off. The next time I went to the stables I would be taking her a nice apple.
I couldn’t bring myself to go into the water after that. Even though I could tell that the wards were still up and the danger I had felt earlier was gone. I decided I would just sit awhile at the water’s edge. Then I heard a noise behind me. A beautiful falcon landed at my side and shifted into grandfather.
“Good morning my Queen, how are you this morning?”
“Good morning to you grandfather. I am well enough. Perhaps a bit confused about some things, maybe you can help me.”
“I will do my best, after all that is why I am here. I will train and guide you when you need it. Now, tell me what the trouble is.” I stifled a yawn and asked first the question that had been bugging me for a while.
“Why am I so tired all the time with dreams that are very strange?”
Grandfather chuckled as he looked at the annoyed look on my face.
“This is because your powers are coming in strong. It is like when you are ill and need to heal. Sleep is the best medicine. You gather more strength as you sleep and dream. You will be all powerful my dear. It will pass soon. What else is troubling you?”
I supposed this made sense, and was mostly happy that I wouldn’t want to fall asleep every time I turned around.
“I feel danger whenever I am near Yori, what more can you tell me about her?”
Grandfather took a deep breath, and with a troubling look on his face, he said. “Yori is from the old world of shifters and all things magic. She was sent to this world at the time of the Jorogumo. This is actually a spider creature that would appear as a seductive woman. She would entice men with her music and seduce them. According to the legend if she reached four hundred years she would gain magical powers. She could have then turned all men into human egg sacks. Yori destroyed this creature and therefore saved mankind. She is to help save mankind again from a new evil. We do not know what this evil is until it shows itself. I know she can be a bit standoffish. She certainly hasn’t made many friends. She keeps to herself mostly, except while helping train the new Dwellers. I hear she is very good at this. She also has been on the trail for a while of some of our missing young ones. These men have just disappeared while they were training. No clues, they are just gone. She says she is very close to solving this mystery. It is a great evil and she will not elaborate any further. So, my thoughts for you are that she is dangerous. She is also very powerful, maybe that is all you are feeling. I think that is what I feel whenever I’m near her. She makes me uncomfortable also.”
Grandfather paused here and clicked his tongue a few times, and then with acceptance of his thoughts he finished them out loud.
“I always like to keep a close eye on people that make me uncomfortable though; there are usually reasons for this. For now, I watch her.”
Good, I didn’t have to worry that it was just me that she made uncomfortable and agreeing with a shake of my head I replied.
“It could be that I feel her power and the danger that she is tracking. It’s all around us and this is confusing me. I don’t like her or trust her. Something isn’t right with her. I don’t know how to control my feelings and many things in my life right now.”
Grandfather chuckled at this. “My dear child you need to be strong enough to stand alone. Be smart enough to know when you need help. Be brave enough to ask for it.”
I smiled at the old man and said. “I need help grandfather, please can you help me?”
He reached over and patted my arm and nodded.
“You can begin with the control you so desire in your life. I can only show you the door. You are the one who has to walk through it, as you know. There may are always many doors. First, you must free your mind.
“Free my mind.” I whispered.
“Then remember this Oria. You cannot reach for what is in front of you, if you cannot let go of what is behind you.”
Then grandfather shifted back into his falcon and flew off over Bridalveil Fall.
Sitting there thinking of what grandfather had said to me, I realized he was absolutely right!
I wasn’t letting go of my past life. Somewhere down deep I probably thought that one day life would go back to normal. This was my new normal. I had to let go of the past for good. Accept what is right in front of me for what it is. Believe in myself and who I am. The truth of the matter is I am a very powerful shape shifting fairy. I am The Golden Queen of the Ahwahneechees.
I am getting more powerful every day. I decided to stay for a while and practice on all types of things to find out just what my many gifts might be.
The wind sighed; it was like it had been holding its breath. All along it had been waiting for this realization to dawn on me. I stood up and little breezes caressed the skin all over me. I started giggling and twirling in a circle. Little blossoms started to shoot up all over the ground. I could have sworn I heard the wind saying, “Welcome home.”
Chapter 23
“Aponi, are you in?” I had come to talk to Aponi and let her know some of the things I could now do. I practiced all morning and to my surprise I had many more gifts. I didn’t even know where to begin with the exciting news.
“Come in Oria, I was just changing my shoes, then I was coming to find you.” She turned around and I smiled at her originality. Once again she had changed her hair. Now it was dark on top and lightened as it went down until it was a snow white. The very ends of her hair were purple. She had it all down and it was flowing in the breeze all around her pretty little face.
“Your hair looks great, I love it!” The expression on her face though told me something was wrong.
She waved her hand in the air. “Oh, I did this last night while waiting for Red Thunder to get back. He was very late and the storm kept me up. She looked at me peculiarly and then asked me to sit down. “I need to talk with you Oria, concerning Grey Wolf.”
I had already felt the apprehension bubbling up in me like a pot ready to boil over. I sat there and waited. There was a dreaded blow coming. I knew this would shatter the new found serenity I had just found. Aponi began to ramble on like she often did when she was excited, nervous or full of anxiety.
“We cannot find Grey Wolf anywhere; Red Thunder looked for him all morning. I have searched the entire camp. No one has seen him since last night’s thunderstorm. We are afraid he has been taken like the others. The main concern of course would be that none of the others have ever been found. Grandfather has gotten a group of shifters together and they are all out looking as we speak.”
“What? Wait, I don’t understand. What is the concern
? He hasn’t been missing very long.”
“Yes, but Red Thunder was to meet him very late last night to go hunting. It’s not like Grey Wolf to not show up or not tell anyone where he is. The Elders are always the first to know where their people are. He left word with no one and that’s when we started to worry. We try to keep a close eye on all of the new Dwellers because they have been the ones to disappear. Experienced Dwellers like Grey Wolf do not go missing. We can’t be too careful and that is why there is concern.”
“What can I do to help? We must find him!”
I couldn’t keep the panic from my voice. I couldn’t lose him before I knew the truth about him and Yori.
“You can come with me; we will look on the ridge where you were riding and fell from the cliff. Maybe we will find something there. Are you ready to go now?”
“Yes, are we going on horseback?” Aponi started to laugh at me. I thought how rude! Until I caught the gleam in her eyes and saw her flapping her arms.
“Well of course, I’m still new to this, so it’s not my first thought for transportation. Although, I don’t know if I can fly, what if I fall right out of the sky?”
“You won’t, but there’s only one way to find out. Keep your mind on what you’re doing and what you are and you will be fine. You really should be practicing more Oria.”
“Actually that’s what I’ve been doing this morning; you wouldn’t believe some of the things that I can do. I can’t wait to find out what more there is. I just never thought about flying or that it could be a possibility. I’m ready, let’s go look for Grey Wolf.”
Now I was determined and had my mind made up. I would find him and I would shift into a million animals if I had to. Whatever I have to do I would do it.
I felt more confident that my abilities would lead me onward. I would just have to open my mind even more to discover all the gifts that I might have.