Three days later, Selena sat silently inside the sweat lodge behind her grandmothershouse. The heat was unbearable. She could feel every pore on her body open, and take in the smoky incense that filled the lodge. Her head felt foggy and weighed down, even though her hair was twisted into a bun atop it. She sat completely still, forcing all of her muscles to remain in an unmoving lax state. Sweat rolled down her body in continuous drops, making her feel as if she was enduring the Chinese water torture. She could faintly hear her grandmothers voice calling to her from outside the lodge, making her sound farther away then she was.
"Selena," she spoke, knowing her granddaughter was listening, but not allowed to respond. " The smoke that's around you is burned from the fire incense. Made of Dragons Blood, Red Sandalwood, Frankincense, Saffron, and Musk Oil. You were born under the Aries sign, so these smells should help cleanse you and invoke your inner powers." As she spoke, Selena fell deeper into her meditation, hearing nothing but her grandmothers voice and seeing vivid images behind her eyes.
"The Quileute people descended from the wolf. The spirit of the wolf has always come to our warriors in times of need, but the wolf lives within us, always present." Selena listened and saw the smoke behind her eyes swirl with color and grace, until it took the form of a great white wolf. Its golden eyes bore into hers, for what seemed like an eternity. Then it bore its teeth to her and snarled ferociously. In her mind Selena faced the wolf and glowered back. She was a proud woman, no matter how foolish, and her inner confidence refused to let her submit. After a few moments the wolf lowered its hackles and let out a barking laugh. Selena scowled in her mind, until the wolf, somehow, smiled at her and nodded before vanishing in the smoke.
"This is a part of you, Selena."
Selena continued to wait, feeling the heat intensify, and the smoke thicken around her. 'Avani...' she tried to speak, but her trance was too deep for her body to obey.
"But the blood of the Quileute is not the only blood that flows in you." Her grandmother continued. "The blood of the Cherokee, the people of the earth, runs wild within you as well." Selena could see everything her grandmother said, as if she were there, watching it all. "In the latter half of 1838, Cherokee People who had not voluntarily moved west earlier were forced to leave their homes in the East. The trail to the West was long and treacherous and many were dying along the way. The People's hearts were heavy with sadness and their tears mingled with the dust of the trail.
The Elders knew that the survival of the children depended upon the strength of the women. One evening around the campfire, the Elders called upon Heaven Dweller, ga lv la di e hi. They told Him of the People's suffering and tears. They were afraid the children would not survive to rebuild the Cherokee Nation.
Gal v la di e hi spoke to them, "To let you know how much I care, I will give you a sign. In the morning, tell the women to look back along the trail. Where their tears have fallen, I will cause to grow a plant that will have seven leaves for the seven clans of the Cherokee. Amidst the plant will be a delicate white rose with five petals. In the center of the blossom will be a pile of gold to remind the Cherokee of the white man's greed for the gold found on the Cherokee homeland. This plant will be sturdy and strong with stickers on all the stems. It will defy anything which tries to destroy it."
The next morning the Elders told the women to look back down the trail. A plant was growing fast and covering the trail where they had walked. As the women watched, blossoms formed and slowly opened. They forgot their sadness. Like the plant the women began to feel strong and beautiful. As the plant protected its blossoms, they knew they would have the courage and determination to protect their children who would begin a new Nation in the West." Selena could feel her chest swell with pride. Proud to be a woman of her tribes. To carry the strength and resilience of such noble people. Born of wolf and earth.
Her mind began to swirl with smoke and memories. She knew the wolf was her totem animal, guiding her, like many other people of the Quileute tribe, and her born sign, Aries. Strong, independent, passionate. Strong. She could see how strong she was.
She survived her past. Her parents, their neglect, lack of love, their hate for each other, their divorce, the men and women they brought in and out of her life, leaving a want for stability. But she was strong! She survived them, her peers, and her insecurities. She was strong! She was a woman! A Quileute woman! A Cherokee woman! Hell, A white woman too! She survived! She was young! She was strong! She was the wolf! She was the rose! She was alive!
She could feel her power within her. Her inner strength and power. Passed down to her from her people. The confidence, passion, perseverance. The mentality of the predator, the boldness and sweetness of the rose, the passion of the fire. She felt complete. She felt as if she had finally realized a part of herself that she had ignored before. It felt wonderful. She felt so free.
Selena crawled out of the lodge weak. She pulled herself by her arms across the grass and earth, until she was fully out of the lodge. Her grandmother walked over to her and knelt by her side, pulling out a bottle of water from her bag on the ground. She lifted Selena's head, putting the head of the bottle to her lips. Selena latched her teeth onto it, like a wild animal, and chugged half of it, before releasing it and letting the rest splash on her face and head. The cool water felt so good against her hot skin.
"Selena? Chandrika, are you alright?" Her grandmothers sweet concerned voice hovered over her. She opened her eyes and weakly flopped onto her back, facing her grandmother. She stared at her for a moment before speaking.
"Grandma?" She said in a tired, but strong voice.
"Yes, Selena?" She asked, still in a worried tone. She kept searching her granddaughters face in concern.
"Please, don't make me do that again, Avani." She chuckled weakly, giving her a tired smile. Her grandmother looked at her blankly, before bursting into a fit of laughter.
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ChaoticLogic FOR REVIEWING MY STORY! AND TO ladyMiraculousNight FOR FAVING MY STORY!
I hope to continue this story, and hopefully it'll get better!
Of course, as usual, the legends have a huge part to play in the story. THE NEXT CHAPTERS WILL GET TO THE GOOD STUFF! these past two chapters are more like the Prologue. :) I hope to get more reviews and faves, so please let me know what u think!