Secrets of the Starnik
Chapter 9: The Papa Shuffle
Monday night had come faster then expected, annoying for Myka, Aria had mastered landing safely from a height. She now took no pride or pleasure if she pushed her off a cliff again; there was no fun in it anymore. Aria was constantly practising jumping off that cliff they were at for nearly an hour before they finally returned home and departed to return back to their homes and mates. Scott was happy, he could see Myka was trying to help her control and use her powers so she wouldn't hurt anyone. But it also surprised him; maybe that rough patch the two went through is passed. If she was anything like her mother, then he knew it would take longer for her to understand this. Maybe this was the beginning of it. Better late then never.
Lupa returned home still happy, she loved Aria like family and the sister she now was, as did Dakota. The afternoon he wanted turned out perfectly, a real siblings bonding moment. But way did Sarah have to show up? As he knew very well by now, she only turned up when something bad was happening. She turned up right before his father died; she turned up frequently when Scott was falling into Expression, each time she makes an unexpected appearance, something bad follows. So what would happen this time? Did it have something to do with the reason she wanted Aria to learn how to jump higher and land safely? Did it have something to do with the Ditori strays up to no good? He had to find out.
But anyway, later on that night, another family dinner was called in by Rosie. All the family together again, pups and grand-pups. Preparing for it, Scott and Rosie had cleared the den of leaves and dirt for their grand-pups to sleep in later on, and right now they were out hunting. Aria once again found herself back at the den by herself. She was told it was dangerous out in the plains, it wasn't safe for humans, supernatural or not, it was best that she stays back near the den for them to come back. So once again, she found herself entertaining herself. With her earphones plugged in and her phone playing some of her favourite songs, she danced along to the tunes playing in her ears. She hummed then as she danced around. Her one passion in life, the one thing she wanted to be more then anything was a dancer. She never went to school; she had been home school all her life. Her parents dared not put her in a real school in case of bullying or questions to her rapid growth. It was for her own protection and wellbeing. She didn't mind, she still had friends anyway who understood her. But still, she wanted to be a dancer. Admittedly, she thought she was pretty good, as did everyone who was lucky enough to witness her. Sure she maybe a good dancer, but she wasn't one for doing it in front of strangers yet.
It was the one way she could express herself through moving, it was like her own way of meditating. But all moments have to come to an end at some point. Myka and Jack faded into the vicinity, all washed, bathed and decent looking as they walked towards the den, but to this brand knew sight. First it was the ball of fire, now it was her dancing. "Wow, you didn't tell me she could dance." He said rather impressed by the sight.
"How could I when I didn't know." She replied as they watched her move around, her body swaying and moving around. "Are you going to stop her or am I?"
"She's your sister." He chuckled. "I'm going to find your parents; they're probably out in the plains. I'll give them a paw." He added as he licked her cheek and walked towards the gently hill. Myka looked back to her sister, still oblivious to her presence.
"Mute her music, turn it down, despite it'll make her frown." Her eyes flashed as a rush of Starnik energy flew out of her and towards her pocket. Quickly, she stopped, and as the spell said she began to frown as she pulled her phone out of her pocket to see it had been turned off. Myka coughed to gain her attention. It worked and Aria quickly asked.
"How long were you standing there?"
"Long enough." She answered. "I saw everything. I'll admit, I'm impressed." She added as she started walking towards the den.
"Thanks, I want to study it at some point." She said bashfully while blushing slightly.
"You want to be a dancer? Really?" Myka couldn't help but laugh as she walked into the den while shaking her head. "There are so many more things you could be doing with your life. Dancing is a hobby, you can't live off it."
"Some top dancers get paid for it." Aria snapped. "And that's what I want to do."
"Ok, ok, no need to get snappy with me." Myka said. "But in this family we all sing, we don't dance. All wolves can sing, so therefore we all do."
"I can't sing, believe me, you'd rather hear nails on a chalk board then me singing." Aria replied.
"So you dance instead?" Myka asked as she flipped open the truck and started looking inside it.
"My grandfather was my inspiration." She nodded. "I love him to pieces; he thinks I should do it for a living. We kind of have our own little thing."
"You and your grandpa have your own little dance?" Myka laughed. This was getting priceless.
"Yeah, and you don't? Or you don't have a song with one of yours?"
"Well, my human grandparents I hardly see anymore these days, and both my wolf grandparents are dead. So no, I don't."
"Fair play." Aria shrugged. "But you should, it's rather fun."
"Like I said, wolves don't dance."
"Well then be the first." Aria insisted. Myka stopped and looked up to her.
"Are you trying to get me to dance?"
"You taught me to fall today, now let me teach you to dance." She smiled and walking back outside. "Come on, it'll pass the time before dad and Rosie get back." Myka looked around, this was stupid, all she wanted to do was find some notes she stashed in the truck, a couple of old spells she hid in here to collect later on. But now she was being made to dance with a girl she loathes. But why not? It'll pass the time; but her feelings towards the human hadn't changed. Also, should her father show up, it would look like she was still trying to be nice. It was a win-win situation. Still, she was reluctant. So gritting her teeth she turned around and walked outside the den. "Don't worry, this'll be fun."
"Oh I don't doubt it." Myka said sarcastically. Aria stopped beside her on the left, both of them facing the right direction.
"So, this is the papa shuffle. What you…"
"The what?" Myka really couldn't help but laugh this time. This really was getting ridiculous.
"The papa shuffle, it's what my grandfather calls our dance." Aria giggled. "Now it goes like this. Two steps to the left." Myka followed her lead, not so enthusiastically. "Come on, better then that!"
"Ok, ok!" Myka growled.
"Now, two steps to the left." This time, they added a bit of groove into it, imagining a little beat with it. "Now two steps to the right." Straight after the two steps they side stepped right. "Now, freak with it." Aria swayed her hips in a circle around to the left; Myka really couldn't help but laugh. This was actually turning out to be rather fun. Wait, she was actually having fun with her! Aria lifted her right hand into the air as she did this and Myka kept her four paws on the ground, needing to for balance. "Ah, ah, now freak again." This time they circled to the right, both of them giggling again as they rotated their hips and body clockwise. "And two to the left." They side stepped left. "And two to the right." They side stepped right. Myka was getting the hang of this.
"And freak with it." They both said in unison as they rotated their hips anticlockwise. "Ah, ah, now freak with it. Ah, ah." They said again as they went right.
"Now push." Aria said as she pushed her arms out to the left and Myka pushed her paws to the right. "And lean." They leaned back and Aria crossed her arms, that simple little dance now over. They were laughing, Myka, never admitted, had fun. She actually enjoyed it. It was fun, she was genuinely laughing instead of faking it or forcing it to come on.
"Now that's catchy." They looked to the right, and Dakota and Chance stood with smirks and smug faces. Both of them appeared just like Myka and Jack, bathed and brushed neatly. They both knew that Myka hated Aria, but here they find them laughing and dancing together. "Yeah, freak with it, ah, ah." Chance giggled as she bobbed her hips to the same beat. Myka quickly moved away, a now neutral expression on her face and coughing.
"It was to pass the time." She quickly said.
"Well I had fun." Aria added still laughing.
"Yeah, whatever Myka." Dakota chuckled. He then turned to Chance. "Listen, I've got some stuff to deal with quickly, can you tell mom and Scott I'll be a little late?"
"Of course, don't be too long." They leaned into one another, giving each other a deep and quick kiss that lasted a little longer then it needed to. After they pulled away, he vanished in his green light and low boom to leave behind his jump scar. Chance still wasn't finished with her teasing.
"So, how did it go again?" Myka shook her head, cracked a small smile and walked back towards the den to go back to finding her notes.
Meanwhile, Dakota appeared in the centre of exactly where he wanted to be. But he wasn't sure about what he'd find. He stood in a clearing, a large clearing with no trees or mounds. It was flat, with short grass, and the trees around formed the perfect circle that must have been nearly a hundred yards in diameter. This was the place he had spent the entire of yesterday afternoon searching for. It was the place the Ditori had marked down on that map. It was hard work to find it, and finally it had paid off. It was a long and tiring afternoon of searching, jumping from one place to another and looking through human leaflets. Let's just say he returned home with a serious headache from the consistent jumping throughout the day. It was a matter of jumping and conjuring his siblings around the entire morning, taking Aria home. Spending the little time with Chance, then while she was being the pack's healer for a young pup he took the chance and started searching. First he went back to his mother and step-father den while they were all out, including Aria. He rummaged through that box of leaflets, flyers and posters they had, finding the nearest one to South Dakota. Minneapolis was right next door to the county, it was the closest he could find. So picture heavily the picture on the leaflet, he first went there. Then it was a matter of constantly jumping and moving in the direction of where the map said. After an hour of jumping, running and walking, eh was left with a huge headache. He found this place, had a quick looked and then went home to rest. He'd come back here later on.
Now it was later on, he was back and refreshed. What was so special about this place? All it was, was a clearing, nothing out of the ordinary. Ok, there was one strange thing about it. There were no signs to say that anything made it this way, nothing had forced this clearing to be like this. But nothing can naturally make a clearing this way, there had to be some human interference. At some point in history, the humans must have done something to make the clearing this way, there was no chance nature just wouldn't let anything other then grass grown this way.
He started walking out further into the middle of the clearing, feeling the need to investigate. But investigate what? There was nothing to investigate; there was nothing significant about this clearing. But then why was it marked on that map? It had to play a role! He continued to walk, when the soil beneath his paws turned hard. He stopped, lifted his paw and looked down, seeing a stone slate laid there covered by the grass. He brushed off some of the dirt and, it was around the length of his tail and a little shorter by width. It was rectangular, buried into the earth; it had been here for some time. Puzzled, he thought that maybe there were more. And upon thinking that, eh discovered something else. A thin line of white pebbles led out from the right at a slight diagonal lone. He followed it, walking across the clearing until her came to another stone slate and another white line leading back across in a diagonal line. He followed this line, leading to a third stone and line, then another and finally discovering a fifth before the lines of pebbles led back to the first slate. He couldn't see, what did they make? He had to get higher.
After a moment, he found a tree that was relatively high and had some branches that he could balance on. He jumped up and moved as close to the ends of the branches as he could without them snapping. He was amazed by what he saw. The slates were at the points of this picture, the lines crossing over each other and joining them together to make this picture. It was a pentagram, a Wiccan pentagram to be more precise. This star he had not seen in any other place but in Myka's note book, or her witch's Book of Shadows where she keeps her spell and rituals. This star was big, but why was it here? And how long has it been here for?
He jumped back down, narrowing his eyes as he started getting another headache as he tried to piece all this together. Why was a Wiccan star marked on a Ditori map? Suddenly, a car came crashing through the hedges to his right. He thought quickly and jumped, reappearing behind a tree around the clearing. The car skidded to a halt at the edge of the trees, behind them, concealed, was an old trail wide enough for a car. Stepping out, that heavily built man stepped out with the military get up. Then out the other side, another man and that woman stepped out. Immediately, his eyes were draw to her. Her short brown hair, styled in a way with hairspray or something to make it the way it looked. They walked towards the circle, the leader's arms out to the sides a little due to the size of his muscles.
"Stephanie, give me a perimeter check." She walked towards the nearest stone slab and knelt down to touch it. Narrowing her eyes, Dakota watched to try and figure her out, what was she doing? So he now had her name, Stephanie. Her eyes looked left and right quickly as if she was looking for something. Suddenly, and briefly, she looked up at the tree Dakota was in moments ago, then to the spot in was in before they came crashing through and then to the tree he was hiding behind. Once again, they locked gazes, both knowing they were looking at each other. He didn't move or do anything; he wanted to see her reaction. She pulled her hand away and stood back up, still looking at him as she responded.
"Nothing, nobody came through here." She confused him, what was her part in this? She was Ditori, why wasn't she saying anything? Maybe it was a trap, maybe she had told them already!
"Good." The leader nodded and impressed by her talents as she turned to face him. "We must carry on with the surveillance and daily check ups from here on. We can't let anything jeopardise what we're setting up for."
"Understood sir." The other man and Stephanie replied.
"Sir, if I may..." Stephanie started and walking a little closer to him. "Now that we're together, what is the next stage?"
"We move in for the capture of Charlie Norton." He answered. "With that completed, there is nothing that can stop us from summoning him again."
"I'll do anything to help you get your friend back sir, you can count on me." She nodded and being honest. Dakota instincts started piecing things together, were they doing what he was beginning to think?
"Good, now, let's move out." They started moving back to the car, when suddenly, a deer behind Dakota saw him and screeched loudly while running away. Dakota seethed as he watched it run from him, a predator.
"What was that?" The man said, raising the hunting rifle in his hand to the area the sound came from. The leader slid out his pistol and took it in both hands to point it in the same direction.
"It sounded like a deer." Stephanie said quickly. "I'm sure we spooked it."
"We've been making plenty of noise; if it was spooked then something in there spooked it." He waved his two fingers towards the tree Dakota was hiding behind, he was busted. They made a fast pace walk towards the tree, readying to act and move away if they had to. Stephanie stayed put, hoping Dakota had gotten away. He hadn't he was still stood there with a dumbfounded face as the sudden realisation hit him. He knew what they were doing. The Wiccan Star, the leader wanting to bring his friend back by summoning him, the plans, the map, this sacred place.
"Oh my god, they want to bring back Sam!" It was so clear now. Sam, he was the one member of the Ditori who became immortal, giving them a great advantage; he was the only one who had plans that occasionally worked. He was the only one that was able to make the fluid that takes away their powers; he was the most dangerous Ditori member to have ever existed, and they wanted to bring him back!
He snapped out of his sudden realisation right as they were on the other side of the tree. He needed to get out of here, he needed to worn his family, this was now serious. He jumped straight back to the family den, but there was one fault to it. The two men jumped around both sides of the tree, not finding anyone, but the very well known jump scar that only one wolf in the world leave behind. They had been caught.
"Stephanie, get on the radio!" He ordered as the two men quickly started walking back. "You tell them right now we've been compromised, the Starnik know everything!"
Dakota reappeared in the family den, his eyes wide open frantically and desperately at the horrendous plan being plotted under their noses. Everyone was here, Lupa, Faolan and their pups, a fresh caribou carcass, some steak from it sizzling on a stone plate Scott used often for cooking meat. No-one was eating; they were waiting patiently for Dakota. They all turned to face him. "Finally, where had you been?" Faolan exclaimed, eager to begin eating. He didn't answer, be was, if anything, panicking from what he had just witnessed.
"Dakota, you're terrified, what's wrong?" Jack asked. He couldn't put it into words, he just couldn't. So he stood their with his jaw moving as he tried to talk. He shook his head a little to try and get it out.
"Kota, what's wrong honey?" Rosie asked and getting up.
"Ahh…Can w… err… C-Can we have a family talk?"
Ta-dah! So all those who thought Stephanie was Aria's mother were wrong! Still, the question remains, who is she? So, the Ditori want to bring back Sam. but still...Who's Charlie Norton, what's with the pentagram, how do they plan on bringing back Sam? The one person who actually had plans that occasionally worked. Laters!
The FalconWolf