Rose Confession
Rose was sitting on Vin's bed, her legs kicking back and forward as she nervously waited for the tracker to come up and see her. She knew she was in trouble, she'd been warned plenty of times not to go wondering off by herself. She also knew that there was probably no way of talking herself out of it.
Downstairs Nathan stopped an angry Vin who was just about to take the steps up his room and deal with his young miscreant.
"Vin. I have to tell you something about Rose. She kept going out in the woods. She told me once, not intentionally, but it slipped out. I made her promise not to go out again, but obviously she didn't want to keep that promise."
"WHAT?" Vin yelled and went to go up, but Nathan kept him back.
"She's just a little girl Vin, don't forget that. Hear her out."
Vin saw the sincere concern in his friends eyes and his anger subsided. "No, worries my friend. I won't punish her in anger, but she earned a tanning, that's for sure. No matter the reason, she disobeyed both of us and put herself in danger. Jist the same friend I'll hear her out."
Nathan nodded and stepped back leaving Vin free way to go up.
Rose heard him coming up the stairs and quickly jumped off the bed and ran back to the corner where she was supposed to be standing. She winced as she heard the doorknob turn and ducked her head as it opened. She really didn't want to face the consequences, but when she heard Vin coming in she turned her head to watch him go over to the bed with large strides, sit down. He then crocked his finger at her indicating that she should come over to stand in front of him.
The little girl went over to where Vin was pointing. Dragging her feet along the ground, then stood there squirming under his stern gaze waiting for him to say something. Rose knew that he wanted to know why she disobeyed him and went out into the woods by herself, but she was not sure what to tell him. She hated lying, but her Mama had always taught her that it was dangerous to tell people about who and what they were.
Vin broke the awkward silence, "You better start talking little girl!" He ordered sternly. Rose could tell from his aura that the peacekeeper was not happy with her at all, it radiated anger but it was also tinged with a fair amount of worry and concern. She knew that he cared about her, maybe even loved her.
"I'm sorry Vin." She whispered looking down on her toecaps, having no desire to meet his unyielding glare. Rose hated knowing that she had disappointed him, but the pull of communing with nature was so strong, her beliefs were strongly etch and entwined with the outdoors and her connection to her now dead Mama was all tied into that now. She knew her Mama was gone but being out with the trees and the animals she could feel her presence. It felt similar to the vibes she got from people. It was tied into the aura, but as her mother no longer inhabited her earthly body, she could only feel the vibrations and not see her aura.
Rose believed that to keep that connection to her Mama she needed to continue her visits out into the woods, but she hated upset Vin and the other peace keepers and she did not much like getting in trouble for it either.
"Ya always sorry after Darlin', but ya still keep on doing it! Ya broke yer promise to Nathan. How do ya think he can trust ya after that?" Vin scolded her, realizing she wasn't going to say anything more or try to explain herself. He had grown to truly love this wee little girl over the time she had been in his life. He hated to discipline her, but she needed to learn that she couldn't keep wandering off all the time. It was dangerous and he couldn't bear to lose her.
"You got anything else to say?" he questioned and received a negative shake of the head in response. He sighed and ran a hand through his long hair. "Right then, you know what's coming." He stated and started to undo her flap trousers.
"No Vin. I'm sorry." She pleaded when she realized she wasn't going to keep the protection of her britches like the last time. Reaching up she tried to stop him from unbuttoning her braces, but Vin caught her hands in one of his and quickly released the last brace with his free hand.
"Rose. I told ya not to wander off and I let ya off easy tha first time, cause I thought ya had understood the lesson. Maybe it was a mistake, but I's gonna make sure ya won't keep runnin' off like that again. You could get hurt and losin' ya would break my heart."
Tears started to spill out of Rose eyes at the end of the lecture. She really hadn't intended to upset him that much.
Vin was gentle but firm as he pulled the small child over his knee. Raising his hand he began to lay sharp smacks over her underwear covered behind. He was quick and thorough, being careful to cover her entire bottom with stinging swats as well as her sit spots and the tops of her thighs. This was not the first time he had had to address this issue and he needed to make sure he left her with enough of a reminder to not repeat it again.
Rose cried and let out little gasps of pain as the punishing whacks landed, and by the time Vin stopped smacking and pulled her onto a sitting position on his lap for comfort and cuddles she was sobbing, "Sorry, so sorry, needed ta be with Mama!"
Vin was having trouble making out all the words between the sobs. "Shh Darlin' no more tears now." He shushed, as he rubbed comforting circles on her back "Ya wanna tell me now, what ya were doing, two little girls all alone in the woods?"
Rose didn't know what to do, she wanted to tell him, she didn't want to keep secrets and feel all alone but she was still scared. She didn't wanna die like her Mama, but she figured that dying for her beliefs wasn't the worst way to go; her Mama had taught her that.
So she let a life time of secrecy slip away and began to explain "I went to be with Mama, I feel her best out in the trees and surrounded by nature, sometimes I go just to feel Mama with me and sometimes I got to do ritual like Mama taught me" She kept the words coming between her snivels, as she talked about the God and the Goddess and how being in nature gave her a closeness to them.
She was too scared to look into his face as the words "I am a Witch" passed through her lips, she was just a child, a truly young child but she had learnt to protect herself so very young that words she spoke sounded as if someone much older was saying them. She was a wise child, wise beyond her years.
"What do ya mean by that Sweetheart? You ain't a witch."
Rose snuffled and looked up at him. "Please don't hate me. I don't know why I have these gifts, but I haven't never hurt no one. All's I wanna do is help." She wailed. Too upset to really absorb Vin's words or question, she just kept on rambling. "I know how people are. I mean…. I can feel, like I did with you and Chris. Yer aura's were so warm and golden, I know ya jist wanted to help me. And then….. and then I can also share energy to heal. I ain't in league with devil, neither was my Mama. I…. I… I miss her so much." And with that she burst into uncontrollable heartbreaking sobs, burying her face deep in Vin's embrace.
"Hush, shhh, shhh Sweetheart. I don't hate ya, I promise. I love ya little one." Vin soothed while he rubbed her back trying to calm her down.
It took her a while, but finally Rose got herself under control again and looked up at him again. The tracker took the chance and put two fingers under her chin looking straight into her eyes. "I never want to hear such things again. You ain't a witch. If you have these gifts they've been given to ya for a special reason."
"So you don't believe I'm a witch then? You believe in my abilities." Rose asked.
"What do ya feel?" Vin replied.
Rose concentrated on his aura and was overwhelmed by the warmth of his care and love. He believed and trusted her.
"Ya do!" She whispered then louder. "Ya do believe in me." She hugged him closely and again concentrated on his aura just enjoying the warmth of his feelings and his embrace.
Just then JD burst into the room. "VIN! Yosemite jist came back to town and he keeps saying that he saw two monsters fighting. He said they ran up in the mountains and before ya throw me out. He's not drunk."
In the mountains
Gabriel leaned panting against a tree and felt the wounds in his legs close. Howling the Wendigo attacked him again. He bent his knees and waited. The Wendigo tried to hit his claws into his throat. Gabriel ducked, pivoted around on one foot while keeping the other leg craned. It smashed into the limbs of the Wendigo, buckling the monster and successfully sent him down on the ground. He quickly grabbed a large rock and hit against the beast's knee. With a satisfying snapping noise the bones broke and the Wendigo howled in pain.
Gabriel raised the stone again ready to smash the other knee. In a last desperate effort the Wendigo raised one of the claws and hit him at the side of the throat, cutting through his main artery. Immediately Gabriel's view got dizzy and he fell to the ground as the blood pumped from his wound and his brain starved of oxygen.
The Wendigo crawled over to him, dragging his lifeless limb behind him. Within minutes he was close enough to the unconscious Werewolf and bent down to bite through his throat with a triumphant grin deforming its face.
But in the time it took the Wendigo to drag itself to his prey, Gabriel had started to heal. Before the Wendigo was able to sink his teeth into his flesh the laceration closed itself and fresh blood was pumped up into Gabriel's head. He growled, turned his head and bit the Wendigo in the face. At the same time he smashed the stone, still firmly gripped in his paw, against the fiend's temple.
The Wendigo's body slackened and Gabriel tossed it off him. Spitting and coughing he stood up again, desperately trying to get rid of the disgusting taste in his mouth. He had broken one of his most important rules with biting the Wendigo, but he had been forced to do it. Gabriel had sworn to never bite any living being. He knew he wasn't infectious like a Skinwalker or Werewolf, but when he changed into this third form, an amalgamation of the Wolf and Werewolf, he felt urge to kill. The odor alone of the blood, and the euphoria of a fight was hard enough to suppress his transformed urges. The taste of blood made it a hundred times harder.
While expelling as much of the Wendigo's blood from his being, he saw it starting to move again. Gabriel quickly got to his feet and grabbed another stone, this time one the size of a large barrel. Groaning, he hoisted it up in the air and slammed it with all his strength on the Wendigo's head. The cracking noise immediately stopped the creature's moving.
Gabriel turned away. Morphing back into his human form, he felt exhausted as the extra strength of his third form dissipated. He needed to get back to Four Corners and set up the protection symbols round the town. It would prevent the Wendigo from getting into the village.
He sighed and changed again. A few seconds later a grey-haired Wolf with pale blue eyes was running faster than any human could towards Four Corners.
Four Corners
Rose was lying on her stomach on Vin's bed waiting for the sting in her backside fade away. This time his hand had been really hard. However, she was relieved that she had told him everything about her. Finally she didn't have to lie anymore. She wiped away the last of her tears and buried her face in her arms trying to control the sobs that still hitched in her throat. All she wanted was to cuddle Vin right now, but he had rushed off to talk with Yosemite.
Just then she heard a soft knock on the door. She looked up and saw Amalia shuffle in, she too was rubbing her backside. "He gave it to ya good, huh?" She asked nervously stepping from one foot to the other.
"Go away." Rose growled. She wasn't in the mood for Amalia's teasing.
"I….. I jist wanted to say sorry."
"For what?"
"That I said you're crazy and…. and strange. And I wanted to ask ya if we could start again. Wolf seems to like ya anyway, so it's only natural that we become friends." She added with a grin trying to lighten the situation.
Rose looked at her concentrating on her aura. Amalia was sincere although Rose could sense some discomfort and just a hint of dishonesty. "Did Chris talk you into apologizing?" She accused.
"Yes, but I wanted to apologize too for being so mean. Oh I nearly forgot an' I'm sorry for hitting ya."
"I started it." Rose smiled and patted the bed next to her. "Why don't ya sitdown?"
"Ha ha." Amalia retorted sarcastically. "You know exactly why, don't take no magic ta work that one out."
Rose joined her new friend in a good laugh that only two little girls could produce.
Meanwhile downstairs
"Yosemite, calm yerself down for God's sake." Josiah admonished and against his better judgment, poured the man another glass of whisky.
The blacksmith was still trembling. With shaking fingers he picked up the glass and set it to his lips. "I know it sounds crazy but…. but I swear there were two monsters fighting. I never saw such beings in my whole life. One was huge and had the head of a wolf. It was clearly nine feet tall." He said, then emptied the glass.
"Now, Yosemite , I think you're exaggeratin', jist a bit. Calm down and then tell us exactly what you saw!" Chris ordered.
"I already told ya. It was huge and it was fighting a small but faster strange thing, another monster of some kind I'm guessin."
Nathan took Chris by the arm and led him away. "I checked him. He hadn't drank anything when he came here. You know he isn't that easy scared either. Chris the man is petrified!"
"But monster? It could have been two bears fightin' too." Vin declared. "I saw some trails which looked like they were from a bear on the glade. It was difficult ta say what it exactly was, cause the ground was covered with leaves. And it's the Fall; bears is always fightin this time of the year."
Chris took out a cheroot of his pocket and lit it. "I ain't sure what to believe, but…." He shook his head and blew out the smoke. "Yosemite ain't so easy ta scare like ya said, Nathan. Jist the same let's just tell the people there're some bears around and that they should watch out. Don't want people going off half cocked on a witch hunt."
Vin visibly stiffened, "Chris's right, don't need ta be scaring the bjesus outta the town folk."
"Mr Tanner!" snapped Josiah, promptly slapping the tracker up the back of his head.
A big shoutout to otkcp who wrote a large part of this chapter and a big thank to Gaben for her continued help and support.
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