Taneika: Daughter of the Wolf

by R. Casteel

  Both wolves smelled the food and met him at the door. With excited yelps and darting heads, they sniffed out the contents of the boxes.

  “These are too hot for you.” Taren held the boxes out of their reach. Taren looked from the wolves to the boxes. This is stupid. If they really wanted these, there’s nothing I could do to prevent it. “Yours are outside cooling down.”

  “Outside, you two.” She pointed towards the door.

  In a blur of brown, black and white, both wolves disappeared outside.

  “Dinner is served, my sweet love.” Taren opened the carton and sat it on the table. “Its not fresh meat but it will kill the hunger.”

  “Hey, I eat other food besides meat.” Picking up a slice loaded with veggies she bit into it. “See?”

  Taren laughed at the strings of cheese dangling from her lips. “Hold still.” Leaning forward, he licked the cheese away. “Hmm, delicious. Why don’t you go ahead and eat, I’ll lick up what you spill.”

  She thrilled at the husky tone of his soft words as they ignited coals of passion deep within. “You think I’m going to spill some more?” she breathed heavily.

  “Oh, I’m sure of it.”

  “Then I insist you have a clean plate.” Taking hold of her shirt, she pulled it over her head. She pulled the pizza away after taking a partial bite. Long strings of cheese floated down to lie tantalizingly over her breast. “I see what you mean. Pizza can be very messy.”

  “Very.” Lowering his head, he used the tip of his tongue to lift the cheese from her body.

  Her breasts rose under each ragged breath, reaching out, begging to be caressed by the light feathery touch of his tongue.

  “Umm, it appears that the plate is again spotlessly clean. Am I not to be fed from my lovely’s exquisite table?”

  Want and need surfaced to mix with the swirling fog of passion. Looking into his desire-filled eyes, she smeared her breasts with the pizza in her hand.

  “Come, my love, satisfy your hunger.”

  “Though I feast for as long as I live, I shall never be satisfied.” He took her mouth in a hot, devouring kiss.

  His mouth left a trail of fire down her neck. The flames danced around her breast, sending barbs of heat radiating with each burning touch.

  A deep gasping moan came unbidden from her lips as his teeth grazed her sensitive nipple.

  With agonizing slowness his mouth left a searing path down her body. She raised her hips as he pulled her pants off and dropped them on the floor. Languid kisses heated her legs and inner thighs. His breath on her hot heated core drove her over the edge of patience.

  Grasping his hair, she pulled him to her wet flesh. She bucked against him as his tongue darted like a bee on a flower, searching for pollen. Releasing her grip on his hair, she turned around.

  She heard his zipper lower and felt his hard length against her. “Yes.” She panted in anticipation.

  Her hands clutched at the cushion as he drove deep into her. With each mounting thrust, she rocked harder against him. With the shudder of physical release came a veil of darkness before her eyes. Even as the cry of passion filled her lungs, she knew she had crossed over.

  Releasing him, she turned and kissed him hard, her tongue filling his mouth, tasting the musk of their union. “I need a shower.” She picked up a pizza. “You can join me.”

  Taren held her as her body changed back. She devoured the pizza even as the blood was washed away. “You still want to marry me, knowing this could happen whenever we make love.”

  “With every breath I take, my answer’s still the same. Yes, my love. I want you for my wife and the mother of our children.”

  * * * * *

  Late in the afternoon, Taren pulled up outside of a low-roofed adobe hut. Wood smoke rose in sky from the chimney. Sheep, brought down from the higher elevation for winter, filled a large pen that surrounded an old rickety barn.

  As Taren turned the key and the engine died, the door opened and two dogs came running out. Following them was Taneika’s oldest brother. Taren had felt the hostility directed towards him before, when he had been searching for Taneika. He saw the hostility turn to anger as brother and sister looked at each other through the windshield of his truck.

  “That’s John Bear,” Taneika said. “I always called him Grouchy Bear.”

  “We’ve met. His attitude hasn’t improved.”

  Bear walked around to the driver’s door, standing close enough to prevent him from opening it and getting out. Taren rolled down the window and stared at the broad scowling face.

  “Hello, John Bear. Merry Christmas!” Taren greeted.

  “You found her, why bring her here? Do you tire of her so soon? Does she no longer please you when you lie between her legs?”

  Taren’s hand closed into a steel fist as Bear spoke.

  “You do not like what I say, then leave, and take this Punta with you.”

  “No, Taren.” Taneika’s hand on his arm stayed the blood rage that pounded at his temple.

  “John, I came to see Mother.” Her voice was taut but steady as she defied him.

  John Bear spit in the snow and said in a short, clipped aggressive snarl, “She is not your mother.”

  “Songbird is the only mother I’ve ever known. Surly you would not deny me a few moments with her. I am to be married and have come to seek her blessing.”

  “Humph.” John snorted and shifted his eyes to glare at Taren.

  “You will marry this wolf Punta? You are a fool. You will stay in the truck. If Songbird wishes to see you, then she will come here.” John Bear turned and without a backward glance stomped back toward the house.

  Taren was boiling at the treatment she had received. Although he’d kept quiet and held Taneika’s hand, his mind churned with thoughts of verbal and bodily abuse to be handed out as befitting presents to John Bear.

  After all the hurtful words, she sat with her back straight in the seat. A single tear languorously slid down her face, the only outward sign of the inner turmoil and despair she had to feel.

  The door opened and Songbird stepped outside into the bitter cold. She seemed to have aged since he had seen her last. Her face was drawn and she walked stooped as if she carried a heavy weight upon her shoulders.

  Taneika opened her door and ran to meet her. The two stood embracing as a window curtain moved. Taren caught sight of the hate that filled John Bear’s eyes as the curtain fell back into place.

  With her arms around the woman who had cared for her all her life, Taneika walked with Songbird back to the truck. Helping her mother up, Taneika climbed in and shut the door.

  “My son tells me you wish to take Taneika for a wife. Is this true?” Songbird asked. “First you come to me, telling me she is missing. Now you show up with her and I am forbidden to let her into my home. It is a sad day for this old woman, but my son lives in fear of the path ahead. Tell me, my son, do you not live in fear of what lies before you?”

  “Mother Songbird, you have seen many years and are full of wisdom. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned. The fear in my heart is of losing Taneika and the love we share.”

  She turned to face her only daughter. “My dear, you are with child.”

  It wasn’t a question but a statement of fact, born from years of insight and a heart full of love.

  “Yes, Mother.”

  Songbird shook her head. “You have been as my own flesh. Blame a selfish old woman for wanting to protect her daughter. I have hidden secrets that should have been told.”

  Taneika gathered Songbird within her arms. “The spirit world has revealed many things to me. I know what I am and may soon become. Whatever or whoever brought me into this world is not important. You will always be my mother.”

  The door of the small house opened and John Bear stuck his head outside. His eyes blazed with anger, his face etched in hatred of Taneika. Taren suspected much of John’s anger was directed towards him for bringing Taneika to see Songbird. />
  “You must go now, Mother, before my brother’s anger is turned away from me and you receive his wrath and scorn.” Taneika opened the door and started to climb out.

  “Wait, child.” Songbird turned towards Taren.

  “You, my son, have my blessing. The journey before you will be hard. May the spirits of the ancients guide you and protect you.” Songbird held up her hands and chanted a prayer. “Go, my children. Go in peace.”

  Taneika helped Songbird out of the truck and walked with her towards the house.

  “My child, I…”

  Taneika watched her struggle with her emotions. Tears filled her eyes and her lower lip trembled.

  “I must tell you this before I too go to be with the ancients. Your mother…”

  Her voice broke, her eyes pleaded with Taneika for forgiveness and understanding.

  “Your mother was a wolf.”

  “I know.” Taneika embraced Songbird one last time. With a heavy heart, Taneika watched as she walked with slow, measured steps back to the house.

  Taren drove home in silence with an arm around her shoulders, her tear-stained face a mute testimony of the grief within. He suspected the tears were for a mother she never knew and for the one she needed now.

  He parked the truck and carried Taneika inside. Lobo and her mate followed at his heels. Setting her on the bed, he removed her clothes and tucked her in.

  ‘Woof?’

  “Quiet, girl,” Taren whispered. “She’s tired. It’s been a long day.”

  The wolves lay down beside the bed as the shadowy gray of pre-dawn crept across the sky.

  Chapter 22

  Taneika closed the book with a loud smack that echoed through the library. The grouchy librarian’s head popped up like she had been shot. Her smile was sinister as her eyes searched for the guilty offender.

  At this point Taneika didn’t care if she got tossed out of the library or not. Her eyes hurt, back ached and she was hungry. Every day since her emotional return home, she had been the first one in and the last one out of the building.

  With the exception of the first day, Paula had kept her distance as well as her vigil. Her constant presence and the fact that Taren always kept his revolver close was a reminder of why she was sitting here during vacation. Trying to catch up on a mountain-high pile of work from her missed classes was the least of her problems.

  Harold Fallings was still free and considered a threat.

  Glancing over at her shadow, she caught the twinkle of her eye and the grin partially hidden by her hand. Following the deliberate shift of Paula’s eyes to where the librarian sat, she giggled.

  The woman’s neck was stretched to its limit as she looked over the top of the books on her desk. With her grayish hair done up in a tight bun and her glasses on the tip of her nose she looked like a nanny out of Mary Poppins.

  Taneika’s stomach growled and in the silence was easily heard. Covered laughter came from several tables further infuriating the woman.

  “Quiet, this is a library! There will be no growling allowed.”

  Unable to hide her laughter, Taneika earned the full rebuke of the woman who saw it as her duty to rid the library of riffraff and insufferable youth.

  Striding across the room in all her righteous indignation, she stopped in front of Taneika’s table. A wicked gleam shown from her eyes, and her tight-lipped frown disfigured her already stern face.

  “Out!” She forcibly pointed toward the exit. “Get out and don’t come back ‘til you can learn some manners.”

  Taneika stood, picked up her books and walked away from the table.

  “Miss, get back here and put these library books where they belong.”

  She turned around and stared at the librarian, who was standing with her feet spread, hands on her hips like a drill sergeant. Taneika’s arm rose in the air with a clinched fist. Slowly the middle finger pointed to the sky.

  Laughter and clapping broke out from the other students as Taneika turned back towards the door.

  Once outside Paula joined her and they hugged in laughter.

  “I will probably be banned from the library for life,” Taneika managed. “But damn if it wasn’t worth it.”

  “Congratulations on your engagement,” Paula grabbed her hand and gushed happily. “The ring is gorgeous. Are you and Taren going out to celebrate the New Year and New Millennium?”

  “No, Taren wants to, but I feel I should stay close to home for the next few nights. Listen, I have to go. Take care.”

  “Taneika, wait!” Paula ran to catch her. “You’re not worried about that astrology prediction are you? You can change a lot of things in your life but not your destiny. Don’t resist Orion’s power.”

  “The woman who gave me the prediction said the same thing.” Taneika thoughtfully pondered the similarity of words. “If it does or doesn’t happen, I won’t be going out tonight. Besides, I’m not much of a party animal.” She continued on to her car, and as she got in, gave Paula a half-hearted wave.

  * * * * *

  Taren was waiting for her as she pulled up. She got out of the car and ran to the house, giving him a kiss.

  “Short day?” He wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling her neck.

  “I got tired of sandwiches and my idea of fast food is something I have to chase. I’m starved.” Even though it was daylight, she started shedding clothes as she walked through the house.

  “It won’t be dark for another hour,” he advised.

  “I’ll be careful.” Picking up her knife as she went out the door, Taneika sprinted across the opening to the trees. Half an hour later, she found the tracks of an elk, driven from the high country by the harsh winter snow.

  The young bull was feeding on the lower branches of a tree as Taneika drew closer. Hunkering down in the snow, she mentally prepared herself to attack the huge animal by herself. The burning in her chest and the momentary veil across her eyes surprised her. She had crossed over. Leaping to her feet, she ran with the full power of the wolf.

  The startled elk turned to flee but was too late as Taneika plunged the knife deep into his side. Nine hundred pounds of frightened, whirling flesh slammed into her and sent her flying through the air. Quickness and pure instinct saved her from the pounding hooves as the elk charged.

  In a flurry of snow, deadly feet and slashing horns, a gray blur joined the battle, attacking the animal’s hindquarters. The elk turned to defend against the attack and Taneika leaped, plunging her knife into its neck and slicing through the jugular vein. As she and the wolf circled, staying clear of the flailing hooves, which even in the last throes of death had the power to break bones and even kill, the elk collapsed.

  After the first fresh meat she had had in days, Taneika sat back against the elk and sighed. Lobo’s mate lay down beside her. A dull pain caused her to gasp as her blood began to mix with the blood from the elk. Rolling in the snow for several minutes she was amazed. Although she still bled, it was over and the pain had vanished. The bleeding and the hunger afterward remained, and apparently, weren’t going to change. She turned back to the carcass and buried her face in the hot meat.

  Taneika used her knife to cut away a large portion of meat. With a full moon brightly shining in the eastern sky, she threw the bloody slab over her shoulder and headed home.

  * * * * *

  Lobo lifted her head, her ears erect and alert. Leaping to her feet, she turned in mid-air. Using all four paws to propel her across the hardwood floor, she slid to a crashing halt at the back door.

  ‘Woof.’ She scratched at the door trying to open it.

  Taren turned the knob and laughed at Lobo’s sudden use of her leg. The little faker.

  Lobo hit the door, forcing it open and ran towards the trees.

  Taren waited at the window for the assurance Taneika was home safe. He should be with her but knew she wanted to be alone and remove the gore from the hunt. Since saying goodbye to Songbird, Taneika had been distant. Several times he
had found her sitting in a trance, seeking guidance from the spirit world.

  Damn. I could use some of her spirit guides’ help myself.

  The lights came on in her kitchen and a few minutes later, the bathroom. Going into the living room, Taren sat down and turned on the television. Fireworks lit the sky over New York City ushering in the New Year.

  Taren leaned his head against the back of the couch and closed his eyes. His mind went over the events of the past couple of months. Their paths had crossed, joined and were now detoured on an uncharted road.

  Where does this path go? It doesn’t matter; I’m committed to follow it to the end….

  * * * * *

  Taneika stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her hair. Walking into the living room, she found both wolves staring at the couch. Their ears were laid back and their tails were lowered and slightly curled to the side in full alert.

  They can sense I am here, but they can’t see me. Taneika heard the words in her mind. You have discovered many things in your journey, my child. Do not be afraid of the night, for it is your friend.

  Go now, my child; use the truths that you have discovered to prepare yourself, for the hour approaches quickly and even now stands at the door.

  The wolves relaxed and she knew her spirit guide was gone. Looking at the clock, she was surprised to find what had seemed like only minutes had been almost three hours. What truths have I found?

  Taneika ran to the kitchen and grabbed the slab of elk meat. Sinking to the floor she began to greedily devour it.

  It started as always. The burning in her lungs, her heart felt as if it were going to be torn from her chest and a veil of darkness over her eyes. Only this time, the darkness blinded her as she doubled over on the floor.

  In the midst of the darkness, through the veil of agony, she heard the words. Accept this change; do not resist the power of the Hunter.

  Black searing pain erased all further thought as she rode it to its crest. Every joint was being ripped apart. Her legs became as rubber, unable to rise and flee from the living nightmare. The air in her lungs sent a scream bursting from her lips.