Yet another chapter in a row? What the deuce is going on? Is this a sign of the end of the world?
Elphie Muse: You asked that yesterday.
Oh yeah...well leave me alone about it. I barely got any sleep last night 'cause my dog had to go outside every hour from midnight to two am. Then I got up at four to feed my three cats. After that I dozed off and on till eight when I got up and raked the backyard and washed and waxed my mother's car. It is now nearly three in the afternoon (as I type this A/N and that's EST) and I'm finally taking a break...might also take a nap...mmmm...nappage...
Elphie Muse: Maybe you should...get...to...
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Elphie Muse: Erm...still does not belong to the author...I hope the author doesn't drool on the keyboard...
Elphie Muse: To clarify things...as the author sleeps soundly with her Stitch toy she got for graduation...there is a new character introduced in this chapter. That character's name is Dakota. Do NOT confuse him with LAkota, which is the name of Sam's wolf. DAkota is a human. Now on with the chapter.
Sam followed the blue-gray Aiuven to a large clearing. She stood in the middle of it and looked around. Even though the sky was dark and full of stars, it was clear as day. Sam ignored the nervousness that she felt and waited to see what would happen.
Dozens of translucent men and women began appearing in the clearing, hovering several inches off of the ground. Many had violet eyes and fierce looking weapons. Sam noticed that some of them were dressed similarly to Native Americans. As Sam looked the group over, semi-transparent wolves came and sat down next to most of the men and women there. All eyes were focused on Sam.
"These are the moonwarriors and moonmaids of the past," a voice said.
Sam turned and found herself facing a man with shaggy blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. He was as tall as Sam. He wore only a pair of baggy black pants. On his well-muscled bare chest was an intricate tribal tattoo that stretched down his back, shoulders, and upper arms.
Several silver hoop earrings hung from both his ears. A wolf claw necklace hung around his neck. On his forearms were silhouette tattoos of a wolf. On his left arm was a wolf howling at the sun and on his right arm was a wolf howling at a full moon.
"Who are you?" Sam asked softly, feeling as though she should know the man in front of her.
"You know who I am Samantha," he said.
Sam frowned. "I do?" she questioned.
He nodded. "I am Dakota."
"I do know you…" she said slowly. "But…you died…in the crash with Mom…"
He shook his head. "I was taken to this place."
"We buried your body Dakota. I watched them lower it into the ground," Sam insisted. "You can't deny that."
"I'm not," he said. "My spirit was taken to this place. I guess you could say I Ascended or mini-Ascended or something like that."
"Okay…so…what happens now?" Sam asked, deciding to not press the issue of how her twin brother was able to stand in front of her.
"You train on becoming a moonwarrior. I know you're not the maid type," Dakota said with a grin.
Sam glared at him. "I'm laughing. Really I am," she retorted.
He chuckled. "I know."
"So, what all must I do in this rite thing?" Sam asked.
"First, I'll teach you how to fight," Dakota said.
"I think I know how to fight," Sam replied.
A sword formed in Dakota's hand. "You know how to fight physical enemies. Now you need to learn how to fight spiritual enemies as well."
"I can fight them the same way," Sam retorted.
"That energy flow you did against yourself in your vision wasn't physical Sam. It was spiritual. But if you don't learn how to harness that type of energy, you'll burn yourself out and the pack will cut you off from the song," he said.
Sam nodded. "All right," she relented. "Teach me how to fight Yoda."
Dakota glared at her. "If I'm Yoda, then that makes you my Padawan." He grinned. "Now, Padawan, let's see how good of a fighter you really are."
A sword appeared in Sam's hand and she slid into a fighting stance. "All right then," she agreed. The two began fighting, but it was clear that Dakota was easily gaining the upper hand. With a quick flick of his sword he disarmed Sam and held his sword at her throat.
"Not bad, but you're fighting like a regular person Sam," he said.
"It's worked for me so far," she muttered.
"Maybe so, but you're more than just a human or wolfwalker now. You need to listen to everything around you. Use all your senses, not just your eyes," her brother said.
Sam sighed. "Shall I do it blindfolded?"
"If you wish," Dakota said.
Sam rolled her eyes. She attacked again but her brother easily defeated her. This went on for a dozen more times before the blonde man finally called for a stop. "This is not working," Sam muttered.
"You must calm yourself Sam. Being tense all the time will cause you to fail." Dakota let his sword fade away and Sam followed suit.
"So how do I become 'un-tense'?" she demanded.
"Close your eyes, sit down, and relax first of all." Sam did as she was told. "Now, explore your surroundings with your sense of touch, hearing, and smell. Separately," he added.
Sam reached out with her hand and felt around. She could feel the old log she was sitting on, the wood rough and covered in moss at certain spots. Her hand fell lower and she could feel the grass beneath her fingers. It was cool and slightly moist. She lifted her hand back up and sat still, listening to the sounds in the surrounding forest. She could hear a medley of birds and animals calling out to each other as insects sang their own songs. Somewhere in the distance she could hear a river. Sam took a deep breath through her nose and could smell the decaying scent of the log she sat on. She could smell the tang of water from the river just under the scent of decomposing detritus.
Dakota watched silently as Sam spent fifteen minutes doing as he said. "Good. Now combine them."
Sam did as he ordered. By keeping her eyes closed and using her other three senses, she was able to create a perfect image in her mind of where she was. She opened her eyes and stared at her twin in amazement.
"Good," he said. "Now for taste." He tossed an apple to her. "Now close your eyes and feel the fruit." Again, Sam did as she was told. "Smell the fruit and begin to eat it when you're ready. As you eat it, focus on what you're tasting."
Sam did as Dakota said and after several minutes, opened her eyes. "That was…" she trailed off, unable to put words to what she had experienced.
Dakota smiled. "Now for the next exercise," he said. "Choose an object. Any object. Once you've done that, close your eyes and relax. Re-create the object in your mind. Focus on each part and use all your senses. Describe it to yourself using natural words, like it's as hard as a rock or it flows like water in a river."
Sam closed her eyes and formed an image of the Stargate in her mind. She recreated it down to the last detail, including the constellations on the inner ring. The Gate's heavier than an elephant and is as gray as a wolf pelt, she thought to herself. When she was done, she opened her eyes.
Dakota smiled proudly at his sister. "Now, we focus on relaxing completely."
"This'll take awhile," Sam muttered.
"First off, lie down on the ground." Sam did as instructed. "Good. Now take several deep breaths and release any and all tension you feel." He waited as Sam did so. "Become aware of your body. Start at your feet and work your way up through every joint until you reach your head." He waited several minutes as Sam did so. "Good. Now notice the effect gravity has on your body. Notice how it makes your clothes hang, how it pulls you down in certain areas. Remember that without gravity, you would simply float away into the sky.
"Let go of your resistance to gravity," he ordered. "Give into it and let it pull the remaining tension you have away. Let that tension drift down deep into the earth where all energy is renewed. Take note that your thoughts and imagination are not subject to gravity. You can travel anywhere with them."
Dakota smiled as a faint glow surrounded Sam. She slowly opened her eyes and sat up. "I've…I've never felt anything like that," she whispered.
"You completely relaxed and allowed yourself to become one with not only your own energy, but the energy from the pack," Dakota said.
Sam rolled out her shoulders and a sword appeared in her hand. "I'd like a rematch now," she grinned.
Dakota shook his head. "I'll still beat you," he returned.
"Come and try then," she shot back.
The two circled each other, swords in hand. They charged in and fought around the clearing, neither side giving way. They finally stopped after several minutes. Dakota smiled. "Nicely done," he commented.
Sam rolled out her shoulders and smiled. "I try."
"Now you're ready for the final part of the rite," he said.
"Ready as I'll ever be," she said.
Dakota nodded. "This is the hardest part to endure Sam. Trust me on that."
"What do I need to do?" Sam asked.
"Lie down and relax," he answered, nodding towards a pile of blankets and cushions that appeared.
Sam shrugged. "Okay…doesn't seem so hard." She did as she was instructed and laid face down. She suddenly felt cold and looked down at her arms. Her shirt had disappeared, leaving her back bare.
"Easy Sammie," Dakota whispered softly. "This is going to be really, really painful," he said.
"What is this last part of the rite?" she asked.
"You'll be marked as a moonwarrior," he said.
"Tattooed? But…it won't show up on my real body…will it?" Sam asked.
Dakota smiled. "It will Sam. What happens in this world to a spirit happens to the spirit's body."
"Guess we should do this then," Sam said.
Dakota nodded. "Stay focused and remember what you've learned here." Sam nodded. Several of the translucent moonmaids and moonwarriors came forward and began their work.
Sam quietly endured the pain as they tattooed her back with a similar design to that of her brother's. The minutes ticked by and the pain slowly increased. Sam did her best to focus on her breathing, doing her best to push the pain from her mind. Tears squeezed their way past her eyelids and slid down the bridge of her nose and fell to the blankets her head rested on.
Dakota calmly watched as Sam stoically endured the last part of the rite. He was highly impressed at her level of tolerance for pain. He observed as the moonmaids and moonwarriors slowly began to finish the design several hours later.
Once Sam's back was done, they shifted to her shoulders. On the left they placed a silhouette of a wolf howling at the sun. On the right was a silhouette of a wolf howling at the moon. Dakota moved in when they were done and helped his twin sit up.
"Ow…" she murmured.
"You're done," he said proudly.
"Not quite," their mother said.
A sleeveless tunic appeared on both of them. They frowned and looked at each other in confusion. "What do you mean?" Dakota asked.
"The both of you must return to the normal world to fight the Ori," their mother said in reply.
Dakota raised his hand. "Um, I'm kinda dead."
"You will be returned to life," the Aiuven said. "More than one (moonwarrior/moonmaid) is needed for this (fight/war)."
"So…what's the last thing do we have to do?" Sam asked.
Two of the spirits came forward, a red-hot brand in their hands. "Put your right arms forward," Jolinar ordered. The pair did as they were told and the brands were pressed into the underside of their right forearms. Both winced as the scent of burned flesh met their nostrils.
The brands were soon taken off and Sam looked down at her forearm. She could see what would become a scar of a wolf paw print on her skin. "So…do we need to undergo anything else?" she asked.
Her mother shook her head. "You are both ready. Be safe my children." She hugged them both and they vanished in a blinding flash of light.
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Sam groaned and rubbed her head. "Ow…" she muttered. She sat up and looked around. "Okay…how'd I end up in a cave?…with a brand on my arm and different clothes?" she asked in confusion.
"How'd I end up back in the land of the living?" a voice asked.
"Dakota?" Sam asked.
The blonde man stumbled into view. "Sammie?"
"Okay…so maybe all that about spirit worlds wasn't a dream," she muttered.
Dakota grinned. "Nope. Um…where are we though and how do we get out of here?" he inquired.
It was Sam's turn to smile. "Well…we should still be on a planet called Asengard," she said. "As for getting out of here…we walk."
"I hope it's warm out there," Dakota said.
Elphie Muse: Author is still sleeping...in order to wake the author so that she can start on the next chapter, please review. Reviews will wake her up. If you don't review, you'll have to wait longer for the next update. So be nice and review.