Chapter 6

Seth's POV, age 14;

My cousin Emily is visiting. She is so cool. I wish sometimes that she was my sister. I mean don't get me wrong I love my older sister, Leah, but she is SO protective. Emily is the one who taught me to enjoy reading. I remember that she thought I would like the Anne of Green Gables series - NO WAY, I am a boy! But I read it with her anyways and there were a few good parts. I think Emily is my bosom friend, like Anne and Diana. I need to find her and let her know I am leaving.

I am leaving the party early because I have finally convinced Jacob to let me hang out with him. Jacob is 15 and he is my best friend. I think Quil is his best friend, but that's ok because they are letting me hang out with them. Today I get to help him work on his dad's old truck! Jake is going to teach me how to rebuild the engine!

I find Emily out in the woods drawing. She is so good at it. Today she has drawn this amazing wolf. When I look closer at the picture I could swear there is something human about the black beast she drew.

"Wolves are not usually black, Em," I do know there are black wolves but I want to tease her. I love to make everyone smile. When Uncle Billy named me when I was one he got it right. Smiling Otter. My mom swears he knew I would be the class clown getting everyone to laugh. I really do not like when someone is sad.

"This isn't a black wolf, Seth. It is gray." I raise an eyebrow at her. "Who sent you looking for me?"

"No one. I came to tell you I am going to my friend Jacob's. He is fixing his Dad's old truck so Charlie can give it to his daughter who's moving into town. Did I tell you Jacob is going to let me help?" I really cannot keep the excitement out of my voice and I am sure as our conversation continues, that she can feel my excitement.

After a moment more we stand and hug. I know she is glad for me. We head back to the house.

**

Back at the house I run off to find Jake, Quill is with him too. I hear Billy say to my dad that 'the Otter' (He rarely calls me Seth) if full of mischief today. I turn and smile at them both, grab a fry-bread, and then the boys and I head off to Billy's.

**

When I get home around 10 I can hear Leah and Emily in Leah's room. They are both upset. I have never heard them fight before, why would they fight? I creep towards the door to eavesdrop. It is wrong, but how can I help make them smile if I do not know why they are fighting?

"Emily how could you?"

"Leah, I didn't mean too. I will leave tomorrow instead of next week and everything can go back the way it was."

"I saw how he looked at you, Em." There is a small pause and Leah asks in a smaller voice, "Would you really do that for me?"

"You are the sister of my heart. I will go so he will forget me."

I push the door open, "NO! Leah you can't let Emily leave! Over a boy looking at her? So what! What do you care if a boy likes her? You have Sam!"

Both girls look at me. Emily has tears running down her face and Leah has them swimming in her eyes, though she never cries. Oh no! It is Sam they are talking about. This realization is too much. I sit on the bed and look at them with eyes pleading for them to tell me I am wrong.

Emily walks over to me, puts her arms around me, and kisses my head. "You know we won't lie to you. Don't ask us to. Go to bed and let us work this out."

I hug Emily back and then go to Leah, "Lee-lee?" I ask it softly, I won't leave if she wants me to stay.

"Don't ever call me that again!" Shouting, Leah pushes me out of her room and slams the door.

I go down stairs, looking for Mom and Dad. Maybe they know what's happened. They are not home. There is a note on the table that an emergency tribal counsel meeting was called. Great. They wouldn't be home for hours.

Mom is not part of the counsel but the wives meet when the men do. It is important that the women and the men are ready to meet any challenge. My family has been part of the counsel for ever. Dad has already said that someday I will join the counsel. He has me in the counsel's sons drumming circle and I got to learn the Wolf Dance from him along with the other boys. It is so cool. Jacob leads us in that dance. I love how we move like wolves tracking in the woods. We dance around mimicking the way a wolf pack moves and takes directions with no words from the alpha. In the dance we hunt as Taha Aki and the other shape-shifters, tracking the cold ones and killing them. It is a powerful dance and I always feel like I can fly after dancing it.

These thoughts lift my spirits. I walk around the house cleaning from the party. Cool, there is fry-bread left. I eat 3 pieces before I am full. About an hour later I hear a wolf howl. It sounds as if it is laced in pain. I go out onto the porch and look around. I feel as if I am being watched. Looking around, I don't see anything but I can hear Mom and dad coming back from the meeting.

"Seth! Good you are home." She starts towards me, looking like she will give me more information about Why Sam acted the way he did with Leah and Emily.

"Mom?"

"Sue." One word from my dad and she stops.

I look at my father. There is strain around his eyes. He has been like a second father to Sam. This is hard on everyone, not just Leah and Emily.

I leave my parents in the front of the house and walk around back. I sit on a picnic table and send my thoughts out to the creator. 'Please let this all work out OK. Please do not let me lose my family to this.' Because while Emily is the sister of my heart and Sam has been like a brother my whole life, Leah is my sister and if they hurt her I will side with her. No matter what. No matter how hard it is to turn my back on the others, I will. Leah has taken care of me, I will take care of her.

After listening to the owls and the other night creatures I go back inside. Everyone has gone to bed. So do I.

**

I got up early. I just couldn't sleep. I eat some cold pork from the barbeque last night. Emily comes quietly downstairs. She is not surprised to see me here.

"Will you walk with me, Seth?"

We head outside and go down the same path as last night. I wait. Emily will share her thoughts and maybe I will find a way to make her smile.

"After you left last night, Sam came over. The weirdest thing happened. And I wish that it hadn't." Emily's head is hanging low and I can see so much pain in her face. I don't like this, but I listen.

"Leah was so excited for me to meet Sam. I was excited to meet him too. I already felt as though I knew him. I have been hearing about for so long. I have always thought of him as part of her. All of the stories over the years. The things they have done together." Emily's voice breaks and I can see tears in her eyes. Her story is causing her great pain. I go to hug her but she backs away. Sniffs. Squares her shoulders, and then goes on with the story. "I do not mean to hurt Leah. And I won't if I can help it. You know that, right Seth?"

"I know. But why is this hurting you so much, Emily? You just met him last night. What could have possibly happened to cause this? What did he do? Did he dishonor you or Leah?" That is something I can handle. Dishonoring a woman is something I can bring to the counsel and they would handle.

"No!" that was a quick response. Almost too quick. "let me try to explain more, OK?"

"OK"

"You learned about gravitational pull in science right?" I nod. "What about magnetism?" again, I nod. "Fate?"

"Not in school. What do those things have to do with last night?" I am getting more confused.

"I am trying. Hold on…" Emily pauses to think. "Sam and Leah have always been a team. Two parts of a whole, right? Like the Yin and the Yang."

"Ok. Yeah. Dad has said that a bunch of times. So?"

"Do you know what the Yin and Yang are?"

"Two halves of a whole."

"One is Yang which represents everything positive or masculine and the other is Yin which is characterized as negative or feminine. One is not better than the other. Instead they are both necessary and a balance of both is highly desirable. So in a way Sam and Leah match. The problem is I do not think their souls are like this. They are too similar in too many ways. Both are hunters. Both are singers. They do everything together, but they do not complete the other's thoughts. One does not know what the other is thinking. But they both care for each other. Do you see?"

"So you are like my father who believes they are not meant to be a couple. That they won't marry."

"Seth! When did Uncle Harry say this?'

"It was recently. He and Leah were arguing about 2 months ago. She told him she would marry Sam and move into his house. Dad said that he could see Sam was not her one true love. But honestly, Emily, until last night when I got home and you two were arguing I did not think that was true."

"Uncle Harry knows more than he lets on. I will talk to him too, before I leave." Emily holds up her hand again, again stopping me. "Seth, I am leaving today. But let's try to muddle through what I am trying to tell you."

"Certain things will always be. Look at the wolves. They have taught us before and I think they can help me explain. Every pack is made up of males and females. There is always an Alpha, usually male. The Alpha always has a mate. And there is always a Beta, the 2nd in command. The Beta can be male or female BUT the Beta is not necessarily the Alpha's mate. Right?"

"Ok. So let me get this straight, Em. You are saying Sam is the Alpha and Leah is the Beta but not his mate? But how do you fit in?"

"Seth you are so good! Yes. That is exactly what I wanted to say." For a moment Emily looks less sad. That moment passes. "Last night I felt a gravitational pull. There is no other description of what I felt. I looked to where I felt the pull and I felt the sun, stars and moon all shine down on me at once. I swear Seth, I think I even heard angels singing." I can not help it. I laugh out loud.

"Emily, angels are not real. Not to Native Americans. Don't be such a goose!" Emily actually smiles. As she continues her face lightens and changes to show a radiance I did not know could come from a human being.

"Oh, they did. All of Mother Earth's children sang out in happiness. Sister Moon glowed brighter! I looked into the eyes of my one true love. Just like in the story your family tells about Hemmene."

"I don't know that story Emily."

"Last night. After this happened. After Sam left, Uncle harry told it at the fire. But Leah and Sam did not hear it. They had left to talk. It's funny Seth, but I think Uncle Harry told that story just for me." The sadness was back along with confusion.

"Emily don't leave. We need to work this out. If you are right about Sam and Leah then it won't matter. Leah will see it too."

"Oh, I don't think so. You see, Sam and I stopped looking at each other when Uncle Harry bumped into me. When I looked at Leah I could see how deeply this had cut her. I looked back at Sam and saw he, too, saw the pain in your sister. I know he will agree with me that I must leave and never return. He and I must never see each other again."

Emily stands and walks away. Leaving me alone. I know she is going to see Dad and speak with him also. I don't feel alone. I look around the forest but see nothing. Again I send out my prayers. Please…