Chapter 11: Spirit quest
Harry keeps on chattering as we enter my house, but I don't answer. I'm punishing him for trying to stop me from marrying my princess! I hope it makes him sad when I don't talk with him. He puts on a brave face, but I know he must feel really bad! Serves you right, stupid King trying to stop Wolfboy's plans!
My dad groggily wheels into the kitchen a short while after we entered. Harry has already put the coffee on. "Harry?" dad asks confused.
"Good morning! Your son decided to come and pay us a surprise visit this morning! He is in a hurry to learn how to make a bracelet. A friendship bracelet." Harry smiles winking his eye at me. I grit my teeth. I'm not making a friendship bracelet, I'm making a marriage bracelet! See if you can stop Wolfboy!
My dad chuckles. "When my boy gets something in his head he is very stubborn. I should have known he wouldn't have patience to wait for me to wake up to... A friendship bracelet? Really?" Dad chuckles eying me with one eyebrow cocked. "You want some breakfast?" Dad asks.
I shake my head, but Harry nods. "I can always have second helpings!"
I go to my room so I don't have to look at Harry anymore. When my dad hears that he doesn't let me marry Leah he won't want him as a friend either! Maybe my dad will kick him out of the council for trying to stop my wedding! Then Harry will come and beg me to marry Leah.
I take out my lucky marble and admire it. I'm glad I didn't give it to Leah the other week, because I still need it since Harry is trying to stop my wedding. I'm going to give my marble to Leah when we are married instead, because after I've married Leah I don't need any more luck and she can have it to remind her of how lucky she is to be married to me!
After a while I hear Harry leaving and then my dad knocks on my door. "Jake! Why don't you get out of your PJ's and come out in the kitchen."
I do as I'm told. I'm still going to make the greatest bracelet ever!
"The dog door Jake?" Dad laughs shaking his head as I sit down by the kitchen table. My lazy sisters still sleep. "A little patience wouldn't kill you..."
Why doesn't these old men understand anything? The troll might already be on his way! I can't sit around and wait for that.
"Let's make the bracelet!" I hurry him up.
My dad has put a box on the table. He opens it and starts taking out different materials.
"There are several different types of bracelets you can make, Jake. Depending on what you want to say to the person you give the bracelet to, you choose your pattern, color and material. I will show you some of the traditional patterns that belong to our family and tell the meaning of them. This is a craft that is passed on by father to son... " he starts as he places material in front of me.
"Doesn't daughters get to learn?" I ask.
"Well, if your sisters wish to learn I'll teach them, but according to the old ways making bracelets is a traditional craft for us men."
"I didn't mean my sisters." I want Leah to make me a bracelet too!
My dad looks at me smiling merrily. "Ah, yes Leah! If she wants to learn I'm sure Harry will teach her. He has already taught her a lot of the traditions some claim only boys should learn. Harry was never one for upholding traditions just for the sake of it. I'm not either! Allowing all members of our tribe to learn all the parts of our traditions is a way of making sure that the entire the tribe stays strong, instead of just having one person who is strong! Do you understand what I mean? A good leader for instance lets his followers know what he knows, and allows them to make up their own minds, instead of making their decisions for them." I nod my head. I'm not sure I understand everything, but I do understand that Leah knows a lot of cool stuff just like me! I like that! Sometimes Leah knows even more than me! It makes my chest feel bigger thinking about how she knows so much. She is really smart just like me! Two smart people belong together. That is another reason why the troll should stop trying to marry my Princess, because trolls aren't smart at all!
"You can use ordinary strings for practice, but when you do the real one you have to choose your material carefully!" Dad tells me.
"Like what?" I need to choose the right material right away. Who needs to practice?
"It depends. To make the bracelet powerful you have to weave in something strong into it, something magical." Now I am all ears. Wolfboy loves magic!
"Like what?" I whisper so the troll won't hear if he is lurking around somewhere.
"The strongest bracelets hold promises that are woven into them straight from the craftsman's heart. Weaving from your heart forms a bond that can't be broken, and as long as the girl wears your bracelet your bond to her will hold." I like the sound of this!
"I'm promising I will marry Leah and kiss her every day and we will live happily ever after FOREVER!" Thinking about this my heart starts doing somersaults and my cheeks feel warm. I can't sit still!
My dad miles looking at me running around the kitchen table. When I sit down again, he starts speaking. "Jake, a man always keeps his promises. And until you figured out what to promise you can and want to keep forever, you only should make promises you know you can keep right now. Being her friend Jacob, that is a great start."
"Sure, sure. But marrying her is greater!" I laugh. She already is my friend, so since I passed start I just has to finish now!
"You have to be patient. It took me a long time to woo your mother, it didn't happen over night. I had to show her that I intended to keep every promise I made not by just giving her a bracelet, but by my actions." Really? I guess I can go and battle the troll with my laser-sword to prove that I am the one who should marry Leah if she wants me to! But now I have other things on my mind. I try pulling strings from my heart. I look. There is nothing...
"Dad, how will the heart strings become visible?" I ask, still trying to pull strings from my heart. Nothing... Weird.
"That is part of the magic of weaving. Only an accomplished craftsman knows how to weave from his heart. But the basic is to think of the promise you are making, the feeling in your heart, the words you wish to say, the things you offer! Then you are weaving from your heart. But there is a story of a craftsman who weaved an entire bracelet straight from his heart, using no other material!" Dad says.
I'm going to do that once I get a grip of the technique!
"But you can use other things as well, equally magical. In the old times a boy went on a spirit quest when he was about to reach manhood. The animal that was his spirit guide usually left him a gift, for instance a feather or some strands of the animals fur that could be weaved in a bracelet!" dad continues.
"Have you been on a spirit quest?" I ask dad.
He smiles. "Yes, and what I found I have woven in your mother's bracelet."
I know better than to ask what animal came to him, because I know this is something between a man and his totem animal. But I can guess what it is! I'm not Wolfboy for nothing and I know Ephraim Black, my great-grandfather, was a wolf! Dad has told me!
"Weaving a part of your spirit animal or carving an image of that animal and giving it to someone is a strong bond, you give a piece of your soul doing that." he tells. "So you have to be very careful who you give these sacred gifts to and what you say and promise while making these artifacts!"
I nod. I will give everything to Leah! I have to go on an spirit quest, so my spirit animal will leave me a gift and I can weave it into Leah's bracelet. Then both my soul and my heart will be woven in the bracelet! And I want Leah to come with me! Because then she can do the same for me.
"Dad! I want to go on an spirit quest!" I tell him.
"It might not be the time yet, Jake!"
Of course it is! "It is time, Dad!" I tell him. "It is! I know it! I'm going!"
He laughs. "Alright Jake, I'll let you try, but don't be disappointed if you don't find your spirit animal yet. Then you just wait a couple of years and try again" Of course the wolf will come! It has to! How can I get married if it doesn't come? And a spirit-animal can't let me down in my time of need.
It's afternoon and I sit outside on the front yard and practice. It takes much longer time than I thought to become skilled! But I'm becoming better and better. Soon I'm a master just like dad.
I see Harry and Seth coming. What is Harry doing her once again? Go away stupid King.
"Jake!" Seth runs to me looking excited. "I came to play with you, while dad is discussing council business! I brought my transformers! Do you want to play with my transformers?" Seth asks looking hopeful. I'm not a baby. I don't play with transformers anymore, and I don't have time right now! I'm soon going to be a married man.
"I don't have time to play. I'm practicing on making bracelets." I tell him that so he will know that we live in separate worlds now!
"Looking good Jake!" Harry says as he gets up to me and starts inspecting my work. I know! "You are soon better than your dad!" I can't help smiling. I decide to forgive Harry a little. Then he goes inside and Seth starts playing with his transformers on the table where I work. The transformers get tangled in with my work. I still let him play, he is just a baby and doesn't understand any better. Besides he is my princess brother, I have to be nice to him. Then he starts leaning over my work and bugging me. "Are you making me one? I like red, it's my favorite color! Make one for me! A red one!"
"NO! I'm practicing for my marriage bracelet!" I tell him "But you can't tell anyone. It's a secret!"
"Can I get married too?" Seth asks. "I was at a wedding last year and I got to be the ring bearer! It was fun, but next time I want to sprinkle flowers like the flower girl, it looked like much more fun! Can I sprinkle flowers at your wedding? Will there be cake? I like cake! I can marry Embry's mom, she bakes good cakes and she has a pretty smile! Or I could marry my teacher. She is nice, I like her too, but I like Embry's mom better." Seth just goes on and on and on. How can Leah stand his chattering?
"Hi Jake!" It's Quil and Embry.
Oh! I get a great idea!
"You are going on a spirit quest with me the day after tomorrow! Seth you will come too and you have to take Leah with you so she can protect you, because spirit quests can be dangerous. You have to beg Leah to come with you and don't give up until she says yes! We will sleep in my tree-house and wait for our totem animals to come. Then we will make bracelets for each other."
"Cool!" Quil says and Embry smiles a wide-toothed grin and nods his head and Seth is bouncing up and down clapping his hand.
Then Quil spots Seth's transformers and starts to play with them together with Seth, running around the lawn with the transformers in their hands, making noises.
Embry comes inspecting my work. "It looks very pretty. Are you making a bracelet for your sisters?"
"No! I'm practicing. Then I'm marrying Leah!" I tell him.
Embry becomes still. He looks just like when we play frozen statues. Then he starts to blink his eyes rapidly. "Y-y-you're m-ma-marrying Lee?" he whispers his voice cracking. Is he getting a throat sore?
"Yes! She loves me and wants to marry me! When you give your girl a bracelet you get married with her. Making bracelets is a craft passed on by father to son and my dad taught me today, so now I can get married!"
"Oh..." Embry moans closing his eyes. He must be in pain from his sore throat.
I tell him more happy news so he will forget his illness. "We will get married soon and you can be my best man if you want to. And Seth wants to marry your mom." But this doesn't seem to make him happier at all. "What's wrong Embry?" I ask him.
"No-no-nothing." he whispers, but now I see a tear roll down his cheek.
I know what it is. He doesn't have anyone to marry! But my sisters are free, he can choose one of them!
"You can get married too!" I tell him. "Who do you want to marry? Rachel or Rebecca?"
He shakes his head. "I wish I could marry my Angel" he whispers.
"So why don't you?" Well, it is difficult if she doesn't exist.
"She is marrying someone else... and I don't know how to make bracelets, then I can't get married ever." he chokes a sob.
I get worried. Poor Embry. "Has someone stolen your Angel from you?" That must be it! "Is it that troll Sam Uley?! He usually tries to steel other boy's girls just like his dad. He is always trying to steal Lee from me!" I put my arm around him.
Embry just sniffles burying his head under his t-shirt. Now Seth and Quil have left their game and come and look at the crying Embry.
"Don't worry Embry. I can beat Sam Uley up so you can have your Angel back, and if it's someone else I beat that boy up too!" I tell him and try to pat his back. "Then we can have a double wedding when you marry your Angel and I marry my Princess!" I laugh, because that would be a lot of fun!
Embry just shakes his head. Typical Embry just giving up the competition. "Embry! You have to fight for your girl! " Now he sobs something. "What was that Embry?" I ask gently.
"It hurts..." he whispers.
"Where does it hurt?" I ask him really worried. If Embry is sick he can't come on a spirit quest with me!
"Here..." he sobs clutching his hands over his heart.
"Uh-oh! I know what this is! It is a heart failure. I've seen it on TV!" Quil shouts. "I'm going to save Embry! I know what to do. I have seen it on Rescue 911. CPR!"
A heart failure?
"Lie down, quickly!" Quil command. "Quick Embry, hurry, before you die."
Embry looks scared and Quil has to push him a little so he finally understands and lies down on the grass. Quil start beating on his chest just like I've seen the paramedics do on TV. "I'm going to get a medal from the chief of police and the firemen, and the Mayor will shake my hand!" Quil yells.
I want a medal too! I will show it to Leah and she will be very proud when the Mayor comes to shake my hand for being a hero! I push Quil out of the way. "Does it feel better Embry? Is your heart healing?" I ask as I bang on his chest. Embry just moans and whimpers so I beat a little harder and Quil starts slapping his cheeks: "Stay with us Embry, hang in there." Quil says between slaps, just like they do on TV. Seth starts shouting for his dad.
Harry storms out from the house, dad wheeling after him. "What has happened? Embry?!"
"We're rescuing him. He has a heart failure. His heart hurts. He said so!" I tell Harry.
"Stop it boys!" Harry pushes my hands aside, kneeling down next to Embry. He puts his fingers on Embry's neck. "You have a strong pulse Embry, but it's speeding now. Boys, never give CPR if a person isn't having a heart failure for real. You might cause one!" he sounds grave. Then he pulls Embry up sitting and stares him in the eye. "Embry, how are you feeling? What is wrong?"
Embry just blinks, then he looks down, starting to shake. He looks scared to death, like he has seen a monster. Harry puts his arms around the now sobbing Embry and tries to soothe him.
"It's alright, Embry. It's alright. Everything is gonna be fine."
"A-a-am..I-I-I..g-g-gonna...d-d-die?" Embry finally manages to croak out.
"No! You are not dying." Harry tells him.
"G-g-go-od...b-b-be-cause..m-mo-mommy..would..be..all..alone...then...and.. I d-d-don't wa-wa-want...mo-mo-mommy to cry...and be lo-lo-lonely" Embry sobs.
"Jake said your heart hurt. Is that true?" My dad asks gently. Embry nods. "Do you want to tell us why it hurt?"
Now Embry starts blinking furiously again.
"A-a-are...o-other..b-boys b-b-be-better...th-than...me?" he manages to whimper after a long while. Harry looks at him dumbfounded. What is Embry talking about?
"What do you mean Embry? I don't understand." Dad asks.
"Ma-ma-maybe...maybe other boys are better boys than me... My angel wants a better boy than me and I don't know how to make a bracelet and I can never learn because I don't have a daddy. Other boys daddy's want them, but my daddy don't want me... Because I'm not a good boy." he whispers rushing over the words tears dropping from his eyes.
"Embry! You are a great kid! I would be very proud if you were my son!" Dad says, Harry agreeing with that. Harry embraces Embry and holds him a long while.
"Better?" Harry asks after a while. Embry nods and Harry releases him.
"Embry, do you want to make a bracelet?" My dad asks him. "I can show you if you like. Everybody can learn, and you have the advantage of making your own patterns completely, not being bound by the burden of previous generations."
Embry manages a weak smile and nods his head.
Seth gets really excited. "Daddy, daddy! I want to make a bracelet too and Jake is going to go on a spirit-quest with Quil and Embry. I want to go with them! If Leah comes with me then I won't be scared when I sleep in the forest. Daddy! Daddy! I want to go too! I'm a big boy now and I want to go with Jake. He is my friend an he said I could come with him. Please, please, please!" He is whining and shouting.
Harry chuckles and ruffles Seth's hair. "Lets see about that Seth. We have to hear what Sue says. If Leah goes with you I guess Sue will let you go too. You just have to get Leah to agree." he says. Oh, that will be easy. Leah never says no to Seth!
My dad and Harry show Embry, Seth and Quil how to make a bracelet and soon we all sit and practice. Well, except for Quil who tires quickly and starts to play with the Transformers once again.
"You're great Embry, you are almost as great as me!" I tell him so he will feel better and his heart won't hurt anymore. "Don't cry anymore Embry. The spirit-quest will be awesome! We have sleeping bags and sleep in my tree-house waiting for our totem-animals to come! You'll like it!"
Embry smiles at me, but he still looks a little pale. I feel sorry for Embry and his hurting heart. I want him to have a happy heart like I have! I wish his Angel marries him, then he will laugh and never cry again, just like I will never cry after I've married Leah.
"Damn that man...Fathering kids and not taking responsibility..." I hear dad mutter as he wheels inside. Then I hear an awesome thing! Harry is cursing Joshua Uley under his breath. I know he doesn't mean for us to hear him, but I do! Great news! If Harry hates Joshua then he will hate Sam too!
"What has Joshua Uley done?" Seth asks. It doesn't matter, just as long as nobody likes him and his ugly son!
"Maybe he tried to steal your mom from your dad just like he tried to steal my mom from my dad!" I tell Seth. "Never trust an Uley!" I say. "Especially not Sam Uley!" I add. "Remember how he tried to poison Leah with chocolate and now he has stolen Embry's Angel away, that's why Embry was crying." I tell Seth.
"I remember. I won't trust him! Ever!" He promises me. That's great! Wolfboy: a million. Troll: 0.
I can't wait for the day after tomorrow because then Leah is going to make me a bracelet from her totem animal and I get to snuggle close to her in my tree-house! It will be awesome!