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Chapter 177

Temptations


Leah


Unmoved, I stood in my room. In Dad's house.

The door had clicked shut behind me, but right in front of it I just stood there.

Tears ran down my cheeks without me making a sound.

It hurt to stand in this room. To be here alone. Without Marcus.

My gaze wandered lazily over the beautiful modern interior.

I saw him in my mind's eye. How he sat at the desk and surfed the Internet. How he turned on music. How he sat on the spiral staircase and watched me. How he was lying in bed ... Granted, we had only spent two weekends here, but this room had only ever existed with Marcus.

At some point I was sitting on my little sofa, still quite immobile, when Jake and Becky dropped in on me. The two surrounded me, handed me tissues and a bottle of beer, and Jake turned on my TV without being asked. He was looking for a comedy, which did manage to distract me. The three of us fell asleep on the cushion.


"Shayg ... Li ah ... Bek i!", something quite lively woke us up, which made me smile immediately.

Ced crawled all over us as we lay there half stacked on top of each other, happily chuckling and not caring where his little hands or feet or knees landed.

Jake, for example, looked very shattered when Ced kicked one foot into his lap.

This one was not well padded by Pampers.

And in front of us a vampire sat on the table and enjoyed himself.

"Good morning," he chuckled, handing us our cups, and giving us the obligatory kiss on the forehead.

Ced, who was sitting between us as if he had been lying here with us all night, held his head out to him presentingly as well.

It was Saturday.

Jake and Dad were together at the Harley. Becky was strolling around the area with Jazz. Mom was shopping. Alice abused me as a model to pin on.

She gave me a break and I went to their kitchen to get a little bottle of lemonade.

At the same time, Becky and Jazz came back.

I heard Alice squeal in delight.

Their next victim had arrived.

"Your wife is totally in her element," I whispered to Jasper.

"She's been catching up on the weeks we've been busy with your home," he winked at me gleefully.

I sipped on my bottle.

Our home had turned out really great. Perfect! But what use to be my beautiful room, if in it, nevertheless, something was missing. Or someone.

"What can I do to cheer you up?", Jazz broke through my thoughts.

"Bring Marcus back here," I shrugged. "But thanks for not asking how I'm doing! Because I can't hear that anymore!", I added.

"I'm afraid I know too, how you feel ... Come. We'll go for a walk," Jazz took my hand and pulled me out into the cold.

We walked leisurely towards the river bank.

Once there, I sat down on a fallen tree trunk and felt a wave of peace glide through my body and take possession of me. I breathed deeply and simply let this feeling take effect.

It did really good.

"I'm sorry I can't do more for you," Jazz whispered into the relaxing silence.

"A massage wouldn't be bad," I quipped, but he immediately moved behind me and his hands massaged over my shoulders and upper back with pleasant gentle pressure.

Actually, I wanted to contradict, it had only been a joke, but actually it did really good. But he continued to be silent. That was good, too. In the course of the past week, everyone had wanted to force a conversation on me. Conversations about love and that it was rarely easy. The paths were sometimes unfathomable, or love liked to use detours. I didn't want to hear anything like that and was very grateful to Jazz that he just didn't say anything. And I relaxed so much that I fell asleep, which of course I only realized when I woke up on a couch in our living room.

I immediately had to chuckle when I opened my eyes.

I was laying so that I could see Dad's grand piano.

Becky sat at it and played and Ced sat next to it on the floor and literally adored her. Holding his octopus reverently.

If Jake saw that!, I pondered.


In the afternoon we had a date with our friends.

In three pairs we played a billiards tournament against each other.

Marcus was not there, of course, but Jason was also there today without his girlfriend. In this respect, we got together for today.

The tournament dragged on in good spirits and in the end we boozily crowned the winners: Brandon and Lisa.

Jason took us in the car afterwards and threw us out at home.

At the Saco House.

From there we ran on foot to our weekend home.

We hadn't had very much to drink, and it wasn't too late, so even Ced was still awake when we arrived. He insisted on cuddling with his personal pets for a bit. In the process, however, he then quickly fell asleep.

After all, it wasn't that early for four-week-old babies.

With Mom and Dad, however, we stayed sitting in the living room for some time.

Until Mom almost fell asleep.

Dad took her upstairs, whereupon Jake and Becky said their goodbyes for today as well.

I still stayed up and zapped indecisively through TV programs ...

I was afraid to go to my room. I didn't want to cry again because Marcus wasn't there. I had to finally accept that he wasn't coming back. But that was exactly my problem. I didn't want to accept it!

I took my cell phone from the table.

No calls, no messages.

While some thriller was playing in the background, I surfed haphazardly through my phone. I clicked through a few apps, checked the weather forecast, the upcoming appointments in the calendar and eventually landed on the pictures of Marcus.

That was exactly what I wanted back.

So all of a sudden I dialed his number ...

My call was rejected.

While I was still thinking about what to make of it now, a text message came.

Leah! Please don't call me again. Don't make this harder for me than it already is. I love you, but this doesn't change anything.

I don't know how many times I read this message. Clinging myself to fragments of it. I love you. That's exactly what was written there. It was what I felt. The breakup was hard for him. So was it for me. Then why couldn't we just be together again?

I mentally withdrew the question again.

Mom and especially Dad had explained Marcus' reasons to me in detail. That he didn't really want this, but saw no other way out. That he didn't want to stand in my way, regardless of how he himself felt. Also, Jake had since confessed that he had spent an evening with Marcus. Marcus would not be coming back. Marcus' attitude would be final, even if he had to suffer for it, as Jake had made quite clear to me. It couldn't be said that I would have understood it all so easily, but I had to accept it. So a new question arose. What was I going to do with my life if Marcus was no longer a part of it?

"Live on, look forward, and never lose hope," a soft voice broke through my thoughts.

Dad, who sat behind me on the sofa as if he had been sitting there all along. Changed clothes, though. In his pajama pants and a T-shirt.

It made me smirk a little bit.

Never before had I seen him wearing complete pajamas. He was probably only wearing the T-shirt for the sake of decency. In their bedroom it was so warm that Mom could hardly freeze with only a half of it and snuggled up against a cold stone.

Now I snuggled up to his side and Dad put an arm around me.

Live on. No problem. I had never been able to understand suicide victims. I could not understand that one could be so desperate that they saw no other way out. Look forward. But looking back was so much nicer. But that was behind me. Or should be behind me. It didn't help me if I held on to things that were past. Never lose hope. Hope for what?

"One day you will be happy, Little one. I don't know who you'll be with or how long you'll wait for it, but one day it will happen. Whether it's with Marcus, with Nanuk, or with a completely different young man who may not have even appeared on our stage yet. But being patient can be very rewarding, even if one has very little patience."

I smiled.

Dad had as little patience as I did, but he was happy. With all of us. But hopefully I wouldn't have to wait as long as he did. Because I would definitely not have that much patience!

I heard a soft smirk before Dad started humming Mom's lullaby.

This melody was so beautiful. Unfortunately, I didn't really get the end. But how Dad lifted me in his arms and brought me to my bed.

"Sleep sweetly, my Little one," he whispered, and I felt his cool lips gently against my temple when I was already more asleep than awake.


After that, I felt really refreshed on Sunday.

It was the first night I hadn't cried myself to sleep. My mood seemed to thank me for it. Oh well. I wasn't in such a sky-high with a permanent grin good mood now, but I smiled as I took my cup from Dad. It was still pretty early for Sunday, but apparently everyone was already awake. It had not been late yesterday either.

For this we had a long breakfast.

After all, it was the most important meal of the day!

Afterwards we went to the swimming pool.

I could hardly believe my eyes as Ced almost kept himself afloat.

I briefly reviewed how long it had been since I'd been swimming with my little brother. It had really been a few days.

"Are you guys actually going to be there for dinner tonight?" Mom asked as we then headed out.

Oh, yes. We still owed you an answer. The dinner invitation for David and Sonya. It was planned for last Sunday, because the Mitchell family didn't know our new home yet, but that time they couldn't make it.

"I would say that depends," Jake reflected.

On whether only Sonya and David came or whether they brought the children.

"They're bringing the kids and Cookie," Dad replied.

"I guess we're there then," I stated, and Jake nodded in agreement.

With an evening just among the four adults, we wouldn't have wanted to intrude.

So we left the place.


Becky put on the clothes that Jake and I put in our backpacks.

Hiking gear, including shoes and some provisions for the 'long way'.

We ran through the forest as wolves.

When we had almost reached the Native American village, Jake and I then put on our clothes and would be able to make believe with our backpacks that we had parked the car somewhere and then hiked.

"And remember!" I admonished my two companions. "Not a word about Marcus breaking up with me. He's out with his sister today and that's why he didn't come!", I reminded emphatically.

Jake and Becky nodded.

I had to understand that Marcus would not come back. And everyone else that I wasn't going to tell any of this to Nanuk. It was only partially comprehensible to my family, but I had the two of them on my side, as they now understood my reasoning.

So we hiked the last bit and all three of us had no idea where exactly we would come out. Until we went up a slope and on top was a large horse paddock.

We leaned against the fence, drank some of our provisions and watched the Native Americans on the opposite side of the paddock taking care of the horses. It was groomed, mucked out, the watering troughs filled, a young woman led a black horse on the reins, a man rode on a dark brown ... Busy activity, as I had also seen last weekend. Out of the crowd of horses, one broke away and came towards us.

"Hello, Sitara," I greeted the pretty palomino lady, who nudged against my belly in greeting.

"You know each other?", Becky raised an eyebrow questioningly, but chuckling.

"Mmm ... mmm ... This is Sitara. Nanuk's darling ... Sitara, this is Jake and Becky," I introduced those present.

Sitara neighed, nodded, and pounded the ground twice with one hoof.

We laughed amusedly.

"Didn't we pack apples too?", I asked Jake, already searching in my backpack.

He handed me one, which I held out to Sitara. She chewed with relish.

"No wonder she likes you when you bribe her with apples!", I heard someone accusingly come closer.

Nanuk, the Native American chief. In his almost black Native American clothes, with the noble breastplate around his torso, with the feathers of his heroic deeds in his hair. A beautiful man in the early afternoon sun, who also smiled exceedingly charmingly.

"Were you on the lookout for us?", I asked in wonder.

"No, my horse was gone all of a sudden," he said good-humoredly, however.

We hugged each other.

As we broke away from each other so he could greet Jake and Becky as well, Sitara poked him in the back causing him to stumble back into my arms, nearly knocking me over.

"I'm sorry. She's never done that before," Nanuk murmured, very close to me and without our arms somehow wanting to let go ...

"So she's your secret lover?", Jake interrupted us - at whatever.

Nanuk's glowing gaze burned into my eyes.

As if he could definitely do something with the term. Had spring actually already sprung? Or why did I just get so warm?

"I meant the horse," Jake added clarifying.

Nanuk blinked and looked strangely against Jake.

We broke away from each other again.

A little embarrassed.

"Can you handle a behemoth like that, as well?" asked Becky.

"He's Native American," I relayed the answer I'd gotten from Nanuk last week.

I also stuck to the arrogant tone of voice I had heard while doing so.

"So are we," Jake remarked in response.

Nanuk took a step to the side and made an inviting gesture.

"Then show me you're really Native American!", Nanuk challenged him.

My little brother always jumped at something like that. He had to get it from Emmett somehow.

Jake put on a pretty confident demeanor as he jumped off the fence and walked toward Sitara.

Sitara without a saddle.

Nanuk held it by the reins and looked agog to see what that would look like now.

As agog as Becky and me.

Already, as Jake stood next to the horse, some of the self-confidence evaporated, so he seemingly examined Sitara for completeness first.

Everything seemed to be there. Except for the saddle, which Jake had been looking for in vain. None of the horses had one, as he had probably just noticed with a glance at the rest of the horses standing at the front of the stable.

"Be fair and show me once," Jake asked.

Nanuk nodded and did it.

Very briskly and downright elegantly he pulled himself onto Sitara's back. And immediately jumped down again.

Another inviting gesture toward Jake.

I bit on my lips so I wouldn't start laughing before I did.

Jake positioned himself, thought he had to straighten the horse's back a bit too, held onto Sitara's mane like Nanuk, jumped off, and ...

Becky and I burst into peals of laughter.

Jake lay rather awkwardly across the horse's back, helplessly rowing his arms and legs until he slid back down the other side. Sitara was also looking at him so amusingly as he sat on the ground. As if it wanted to say: 'Are you kidding me that you can't get up there?'

"I guess I'd better stay down to earth," Jake grumbled as he picked himself up.

"But you're also making a fuss. It's totally easy," Nanuk said and swung himself up onto his high horse again.

Almost as proof.

Jake was mumbling something to himself, but I didn't understand it.

"You still have to change your clothes. You won't be tolerated here with clothes like that. Except maybe at the torture stake!" he laughed, as Jake obviously didn't want to comment on Nanuk's dexterity.

"You'd put a brother to the torture stake?" asked Jake well-behaved and eye-fluttering.

"My brother is coming on the horse!" countered Nanuk.

"Becky, we're leaving!" determined Jake, playfully indignant, grabbing a hand from Becky, who, by the way, was still chuckling, and pulling her away with both of our backpacks. Towards the building where the changing rooms were located. "And don't mess around while we're not there!" he was still threatening.

My own chuckle over Jake slowly died away as Nanuk held out a hand to me while I stroked over Sitara's neck.

"Better not," I refused his offer to get on the horse with him. "Last time it ended up very ...," I began, but I couldn't think of a suitable term. Tempting? Inappropriate? ... Beautiful? Romantic?

"Yes, it was ...", Nanuk confirmed vaguely, running with one hand through his hair. "But we're not riding away this time. I'll just take you to the front of the creel," he then said.

So what? On the stretch across the paddock, hardly anything could happen.

So I took his hand, and he pulled me in front of him.

Since I wasn't wearing an impractical Native American dress this time, but state-of-the-art multi-functional active hiking gear, I was able to swing one leg over Sitara's neck so that, like Nanuk, I had one leg on each side. I felt the wolfish body heat all over my backside as Sitara slowly progressed. And with each step, Nanuk seemed to slide closer to me. I nestled a bit into his cozy warmth, hoping he wouldn't notice that I was really enjoying this right now.

His hands, which were actually holding the reins in front of me, let the leather strap loose and rested against my pelvis.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all," he muttered.

With his warm lips directly on the side of my neck.

I felt his breath on my skin.

The pressure of his hands became firmer, more arousing, as they pulled me toward him. My head fell back against his shoulder and his lips wandered over me, but not actually touching me. But that they could actually do it, that only millimeters separated us ...

"Where is Kate, by the way?", it actually occurred to me to ask.

Without somehow sitting up straight again or something.

Instead, my hands slid first on his, then further on his thighs.

"She's meeting up with old school friends," Nanuk whispered.

Without disengaging from me in any way. Instead, his warm breath caressed over my skin.

"And Marcus?"

"He's out with his sister today," I mumbled, turning my head slightly to the side so he wouldn't know my lie. It was unbelievable how good this man smelled. How his scent fogged me over. How his heat surrounded me. How safe I felt. With my eyes closed, I sat there and just enjoyed this comfort. This did so well. It flattered my soul after this lousy week.

But his breath continued to sneak over the side of my neck, which I had just exposed with my turning away. And then his soft and warm lips laid themselves soulfully and yet clearly under my ear.

My heart fluttered, I held my breath, my hands pressed firmly on his thighs.

How it felt! And he took his time ... Wonderful time! ...

Until Sitara reared up and threw us off her back.

As we tipped backwards, it occurred to me that we were no longer outside, where Sitara might have been frightened by something. No, we were in the stable.

I emitted a strangled cry of shock as Nanuk let go of the reins completely and wrapped his arms tightly around my belly.

To protect me.

My fingers clawed into the leather of his pants in shock, but we only landed on a mountain of hay.

Well, I landed more on Nanuk.

"Hello, Leah!", Akai grinned at me, already holding the mare by the halter while I was still mentally sorting myself out.

"Hello, Akai," I mumbled exhaustedly and let my head fall back. From this little fright, I had to recover for a moment.

"Are you stupid?", however, Nanuk cursed under me that I raised my head again.

"I'm not. But you might be," Akai ventured a cheerful guess.

He held out a hand to me, which I then used to get up from Nanuk. He immediately stood up with me.

"Are you all right, Leah?" he asked immediately with concern.

I smiled.

"Sure thing. No harm done ... But I should probably change then, so I don't end up at the torture stake," I winked at him, and he smiled adorably.

I left the stable, walked towards the main building, but behind a corner I stopped and leaned against the stable wall. I needed a moment and took a deep breath.

What the hell had just happened? Woah ...! I was tingling all over, when I focused on that moment when his warm lips had touched my skin. The glow that they had left behind. I felt it. Even now. Right in the hollow under my ear. That was the spot, after all, the only spot - ! - where I was ticklish! Why hadn't it tickled with Nanuk?

Carefully I put my fingertips to that spot.

She was truly still glowing. This man would be able to drive me completely out of my mind.

I winced a little when I heard my name through a hatch under the rafters.

"You do realize that was Leah, right?" asked Akai.

"Yes!" answered Nanuk clearly and distinctly.

"And also that you wanted to be married to Kate in four weeks?" dug deeper on Akai's part.

"Yes," it already sounded far less clear.

"And is that still your intention?"

No answer.

"Leah is ...", Nanuk wanted to say, but somehow there came nothing more.

"Perfect?", Akai gave him a hint.

"She is so breathtakingly beautiful. No matter in what form, I can't find the right words for it. Her eyes alone take my breath away. And do you know what Leah smells like? ... Like morning dew! Can you believe it? I mean, I didn't even know morning dew had a smell. Until I met Leah."

"And what does morning dew smell like?" asked Akai with amusement.

I wondered the same thing, by the way.

"Fresh and clear. It invigorates you so you feel every fiber of your body intensely."

"I see ...", Akai merely made. "And what about Kate?" he asked cautiously.

I heard how someone took a deep breath.

"When I'm with Kate, I know where I belong. I love Kate. That's for sure!", Nanuk declared.

I let my head hang down.

That's exactly how it should be! That's why we had decided not to put anything on the imprinting. Because we didn't love each other, we loved Kate and Marcus! This mysterious bond between us was only there to annoy us. To make us feel insecure. Perhaps to test our love for these two people. For Marcus and me it might be too late, I had failed in this regard, but for Nanuk and Kate I would continue to fight. Would I push back the imprinting and make sure that such stupid situations did not happen again! That I swore to myself! High and holy!

Determined, I stretched to go to the building to finally change.

Besides, it wasn't proper to eavesdrop after all.

"But when Kate isn't around, Leah is omnipresent in my thoughts," Nanuk put in again, sighing heavily just then.

And that left me where I was after all.

"Everything in me longs for her. For her closeness. Leah is so unique. She looks stunning, yes, but what kind of person she is, is simply unfathomable. Nothing about her compares to Kate. Things that I never really noticed about Kate. Things that didn't really seem that important to me. But with Leah, I notice things like that. I mean, have you ever seen Kate anywhere near Sitara?" he asked, really stunned, whereby I was quite taken aback.

It sounded as if Kate had no connection at all with the pretty mare. To the horse that had once saved Nanuk's life and therefore meant a lot to him. I could hardly have understood that correctly!

"No, but Kate fell badly off a horse when she was a child. She's just scared of it!" said Akai.

"But you know Sitara. She is the gentlest animal in the whole stable, which is why every child here learns to ride her first. She can't hurt a fly and has never thrown anyone off her!" Nanuk insisted.

Uh ... yes! Us. Earlier?

"Right. Dear Sitara only does that when I ask her to. Doesn't she?" chuckled Akai.

An affirmative neigh was heard, and I indecisively screwed up my face. At the same time, I imagined a cartoon picture in which the horse winked conspiratorially with one eye.

"And if you do that again when Leah sits on her, you're in for it!" threatened Nanuk so emphatically that I had to chuckle while the Comic-Sitara in my head whistled innocently to herself.

"You've already noticed that Leah is not a porcelain doll!", Akai stated, practically defending my honor with that.

As I said, I liked him.

I heard the brothers laughing in a relaxed way.

"In theory, I'm already aware of that, but the practice is still lacking," Nanuk admitted. "But that's what distinguishes each from the other ... Kate is totally relaxed and uninhibited when surrounded by the closest of friends. After all, she once stripped us mercilessly at strip poker. In the company of others, however, she is much more reserved and quiet. I don't notice any difference with Leah. Even at dinner at our house, Leah was just as relaxed as I've seen her on her own. Leah rarely minces matters, while Kate thinks about every word first. Leah is spontaneous and spirited, Kate level-headed and prudent ... Kate is a typical girl in some things - almost timid and afraid. Spiders for example or just that she is afraid of us or the horses. She is shy in her own way and needs some time to get along with strangers. She goes shoe shopping, gets her fingernails done in a nail salon, watches her favorite soap every night, reads 'Cosmo'. It's not that she's always made up and dressed up and doesn't wear anything but those high heels or something, thankfully Kate isn't like that, but she wouldn't even go to the supermarket in sweatpants. I think that's anything but disturbing, it's actually kind of cute. But Leah is, I think, quite different ... It's not that those things bother me about Kate now, but I like that Leah is different."

"Brother dear, you have a real problem, I'd say!" stated Akai. "You know, no matter what you plan to do with those two in the long run, we've got your back. Kate is part of the family, but we know how much the bond pulls you to Leah. You need to figure out what your future looks like. You can't spend the rest of your life standing between the two of them ... And should you call for Leah one more night, possibly on your wedding night, Kate may even take that decision away from you!"

I heard rustling sounds as if someone was moving away across the straw on the stable floor, so I quickly ran to the building. But a half-sentence echoed in my head.

He had called for me in his sleep. Just as I had called for him. Last weekend. Whether it was with him also this night?

I was so lost in thought that I blindly walked past Jake in the entrance, but he pulled me back by one arm.

"Leah? Everything okay?" he asked.

I looked at him startled for a moment, but only because I was so deep in thought. My gaze went in the direction of the stall, then to the ground. I took a deep breath.

"Yes, Jake. Everything's fine," I assured him with a smile and hugged my twin brother briefly. I was all right. I would just have to stick tighter to the agreement between Nanuk and me so that approaches like earlier didn't happen to us again. I didn't want his relationship with Kate to break down. Just because of me. Nanuk didn't deserve that. Nor did he deserve to be in this emotional mess. I would show him that it was simple, that we were just good friends. Without these slips!

"Sometimes you're really weird!", Jake pinched my cheek as I tore away from him, decidedly happy.

No wistful mood meant no desire for closeness. Maybe that would work. Besides, I had been in a bad enough mood the last few days. For Nanuk, however, I would let absolutely nothing of it show this afternoon.

I quickly went to change and found Becky still in the changing room. She had already placed the leather container with my gifts from last time on a shelf.

The bag, the belt, the necklace, and my feathers.

As I stood somewhat indecisively in front of the 'visitors clothes rail', Phoebe, Akai's pretty girlfriend, entered the room. In fashionable modern clothes. White jeans with high black ankle boots, a close-fitting, slightly glittery black top and a long fluffy colorful knit cardigan that reached to her knees.

I only noticed now that I had only seen her in Native American outfits before.

She greeted Becky and me cheerfully.

I smirked.

Her mood was seemingly as unwavering as Akai's.

She helped me find my way around the clothes rail a bit, because of my size, and was helpful with the feathers. Together we went outside. Dressed completely Native American, of course.

The three guys were already waiting for us and all three were eating something.

"Wolves!" muttered Becky teasingly as Phoebe was already hurriedly making her way into Akai's arms.

The two greeted each other persistently. So did Becky and Jake, although they hadn't seen each other for more than a few minutes.

I rolled my eyes at this, but also smiled about it, even if I felt a little superfluous between the two couples. While I was thinking about what I was hungry for now - that I had some was out of the question - my hand was taken. A warm hand, whose fingers intertwined with mine, as if they were made for each other.

"I have orders to deliver you to someone immediately!" said Nanuk with a threatening smile, whereby I lifted my gaze from our hands again.

"You're the chief!", I questioningly stated. "Who can give you orders?"

He chuckled and pulled me along with him.

On our way through the camp, we stopped only briefly so that I could grab a skewer of caramelized fruit. Then he pushed me into one of the little tents, with his hands firmly on my waist.

Nanuk's grandmother sat there, smiled kindly at me and immediately rose from her cushion on which she was sitting on the floor. A little fire spread a surprising amount of warmth in here.

"Against Shanti, even the strongest chief is powerless!", Nanuk gave me to understand, gave me a fleeting kiss on the cheek and left again.

My fingers automatically moved to the spot on my cheek that had been touched by his lips.

She was more than just pleasantly warm. If this went on with these little casual gestures, it would not be very conducive to my decision now!

"Hello, Leah! It's good to have you back," Shanti greeted me with a little hug. "Well, then, start getting undressed!" she demanded cheerfully.

"Uh ... excuse me?", however, I asked, puzzled. Undress? Had surely misheard me!

"Didn't Nanuk tell you why he should bring you here?"

"Uh ... nope?"

Gently she put her hands to my cheeks and smiled good-naturedly.

"I have something for you. Something that I very much hope will do justice to your grace."

"But that's not possible. I can't accept that!" I said immediately.

I knew that Shanti was responsible for the traditional and handmade clothing of the Native Americans. Of course, not she alone for the whole village. She shared this task/leisure activity with a few others.

"But of course you can, Leah," Shanti rebuffed directly, turning to some sort of chest.

I was about to object again, but by then she was holding up something that was almost a dress.

I was at a loss for words, it was so beautiful. The top was made of such light beige leather that it was almost white. The hem at the collar and the seam to the wide sleeves consisted of an elaborate embroidered border with all sorts of colorful patterns and threaded small wooden beads. Mainly pink. The pattern of the top border was also found at the bottom before the bottom hem ran in playful, slightly asymmetrical fringe.

"Since you don't mind cold, I didn't make the sleeves quite as long. I've already noticed that you keep your forearms as free as possible," she smiled at me.

"How so?", I asked, not being able to take my eyes off the beautiful robe.

"Last week here, but also when you were with us I saw it. You're always pushing your sleeves up a bit, no matter what you're wearing," she noted, tapping my arms evidencingly.

Yes, even now I had pushed up my sleeves. I really didn't like that very much.

"Go on. Try it on!" she winked at me invitingly. "And don't you dare deny a graying old lady her wish!" she immediately held a forefinger out at me.

I admitted defeat.

Nanuk was probably right. Everyone was powerless against that.

Carefully I put down my belt and the little bag and took off my top.

"That you wolves don't freeze!" shook Shanti herself as I stood there topless.

Well, contemporary underwear was also allowed here, so I wore a bra.

She helped me in.

I was really afraid to break the robe or my feathers in my scatterbrainedness.

Just as I adjusted it with Shanti's help on me, I heard Becky outside the tent.

"Yoo-hoo ... anyone in there? May I come in?" she called out questioningly.

"Sure thing, Becky. Come in," I said.

"I have ... wow ... Leah. You look great!" she stood in front of me in amazement.

With a plate in her hands, which she seemed to forget to give me as well because of her staring.

"I think so, too. It looks very good on you," Shanti immediately agreed. "Just a few more little tweaks to make it fit right!" she said, turning to her things lying at her side.

"This is beautiful, Shanti," Becky continued to survey me.

"Thank you, Becky. I have yours next on the agenda," Shanti smiled.

"What? No. That's not possible!", Becky rebuffed directly.

Shanti shook her head and mumbled something along the lines of 'these young things are all the same too'.

"Plate?", I then once pointed to the plate that Becky continued to hold tightly in her hands.

Many little delicious dumplings were on it, and they were still steaming.

"Uh ... oops ... yeah. So you don't starve," she laughed.

Shanti sat down on her cushion on the ground, I turned in front of her as instructed in each case, and Becky kept us both company. The robe went almost to my knees and Shanti worked just slight slits in the sides so I could move more freely with it. We chatted in the meantime.

"You can definitely wear it alone as a dress in the summer, with your figure," Shanti stated sympathetically as she made the final touches.

"Look at this," Becky chuckled, lifting a corner at the bottom hem.

I smiled, touched. Like a trademark or company logo, a wolf paw was embroidered there.

When I thought about it, it really was a logo. I had seen it on many pieces of clothing. Mostly it was discreet and not immediately visible. It was the same with my dress. The paw was lost in the folds that the leather threw at the bottom.

I put my belt back on and attached the bag to it before Shanti revealed a mirror.

For a long moment I stood there staring at myself.

The dress was so great. It accentuated my red-brown skin through the color contrast and also my body proportions despite the simple cut. I wore a very dark leather leggings today, which matched so well, as if it had been planned that way.

I thanked Shanti very much and hugged her gratefully for this generous gift.

That it was a gift, she had already emphasized several times. In different pitches.

But she sent me out of the tent very quickly so that our guys could admire me. Her grandchildren were certainly already very excited, since they knew that I should be dressed here.

They were already waiting across from the tent. Three young men plus Phoebe. All four looked at me. Phoebe came toward me enthusiastically.

"Great, Leah. You look just great!", she commented on my outfit and looked at me from all sides.

"Yep ... we're definitely Native American!" stated Jake as he approached me.

"Beautiful," Akai chuckled as he looked at the dress more closely. "You too, Leah!" he added teasingly.

Then Nanuk stood before me with a gaze that looked like anything, but not mere friendship. His hands came to rest on my waist and mine slid against his torso as if of their own accord. Against the comfortably warm and strong upper body.

"Kwenatc," he whispered, downright dazed.

"What does that mean?", I asked.

"Pretty, delightful, lovely, beautiful, graceful," Akai enumerated the meanings of the word.

"And all that together is not enough for you yet!", Nanuk murmured, and his hands became a little tighter at my sides, as if to emphasize his words.

One arm slid over my shoulders. Not nearly as warm as Nanuk's and by far more innocuous.

"Little sis, we decided earlier that we can't just accept all these gifts and want to integrate into this village in return. I guess you agree with that?", Jake asked me instructively and turned me a little away from Nanuk.

I nodded.

The things that all three of us were wearing, the gifts that we had received so far, were little treasures. If these were sold, it would certainly bring in some money for the camp. And to us they wasted it so easily. So we would have to pay it back, but since no one here wanted to take money from us, there was only one other option. Work. So to speak. Like all the other Native Americans here, we would find an occupation. One that we enjoyed and that would benefit the purchase of food and the like.

So we sat in front of a tent for the rest of the afternoon and learned as our first choice how to make bracelets. We would try something different every time we were here until we found something suitable. In the process we chatted about silly stuff, kept getting food again and again, got to know some people who hadn't been here last time. It was really fun, and the handwork seemed relaxing somehow.

Let's just say we girls were very relaxed. The guys were having medium nervous breakdowns while knotting. Jake in particular. They clearly weren't equipped with the fine motor skills needed. Or with patience.

Therefore, the boys soon moved on alone, but Phoebe stayed with us. She could do that with the bracelets really well.

"What do you usually do when you're here?", I asked her after she said she hadn't done that in a long time.

"My parents are also part of this association. My father is a veterinarian, which is why we have always taken care of all the animals here. Otherwise, sometimes this and sometimes that, depending on what I feel like doing. But for the past few weeks, Shanti has been teaching me to sew," she said.

Phoebe told that most young people followed in the footsteps of their parents and continued the respective craft - or whatever they do here. With a few exceptions, the activity here in the village had hardly anything to do with the actual profession of the people. She pointed to a middle-aged man who had some cauldrons over a fire two tents away. He was an accountant by profession, but as a Native American he had devoted himself to botany. So he produced natural dyes here.

"Hello, Leah!" someone crooned right behind me.

I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

"Hello, Tom!", I said curtly, focusing on my fingers that held plenty of leather straps.

"You look pretty cute in our tribal clothes, though!" he said, emphatically charming.

"Thank you," I said, looking up at him. I guess that was the way it was supposed to be. "Have you met Becky yet? Jake's girlfriend," I introduced her.

They shook hands, but immediately he turned back in my direction.

I sighed in frustration.

"How are your sister and niece?" I asked as a courtesy. Strictly speaking, he hadn't really done anything to me, if you left out the first day. It was just that emotions boiled up a bit when he insulted my family and slapped me in the face in the heat of the moment, which rather grazed me lightly than really hitting me. I just didn't like him, and his immature stares only strengthened me more and more in this.

"Tom!", I then heard Nanuk, in a tone of voice that resembled a threat.

Immediately I smiled.

On the one hand, because Tom unmistakably flinched and backed away from me. On the other hand, because Nanuk was there again.

The three guys had gotten us cake. All my fingers were busy stringing little beads and knotting the leather straps together. Therefore, I was fed.

From Nanuk. With Nanuk. The cake with his name was really incredibly good.

"Leah!", Jake nudged me as I had some cream hanging on my mouth again, which Nanuk very likeably removed with his thumb.

I had attended this little gesture with my eyes closed in enjoyment, and when I opened my eyes again, they looked straight into beautiful black eyes that sparkled sweetly.

But Jake snapped us both back to reality, so I took a deep breath.

"Okay. Now I understand what you meant!", Tom then whispered to Akai that the two humans with us did not hear it.

Despite Tom's presence, the rest of the afternoon passed in a pretty good mood, and we chatted. My bracelet was actually finished, and I was even quite proud of my work.

The ribbons were white, and I had tried an even pattern with black wooden beads. It had worked pretty well. But in the middle sat a bead in pink. I just could not leave. I liked pink just when it was not too much.

"It turned out very pretty," Nanuk praised my work, stroking over it lightly with his fingers.

Without further ado, I carefully tied it around his wrist. The one where no bracelets were attached yet.

"Thank you so much, Leah!" he whispered devoutly as he breathed a kiss on my cheek.

He lingered on this for a long moment until this time Akai interrupted us.

It quickly became dark, and we cleared everything up. Along with the young woman who actually belonged to this wigwam, but had been busy elsewhere all afternoon. She also praised my work when Nanuk presented her the bracelet.

In the big tent, people were already gathering around the huge campfire. We sat down with the family of the brothers, all of whom we had seen at some point over the course of the last few hours.

Nanuk was enthroned, as befitted the chief, on his little pedestal when the dances began again. Today there were two. A group of children performed a dance in honor of the wolf spirits, as Amarok explained to us, and were also dressed as such. Many Native American tribes worshiped animals of some kind. Bears, eagles, mustangs. For the Pequawket it was wolves. For reasons that were obvious to us. The present wolves unfortunately chuckled in the process, because they felt somehow addressed. The second dance was a dance of victory and was performed by men in war paint. It looked really impressive. Then, however, normal music was already turned on, which ran over a few relatively hidden speakers and the informal part began.

I talked to everyone in his family. They were really very nice. But at some point I was engrossed in a conversation with Nanuk.

Better said, I was just learning their language. Algonquin. Wolf meant mahìgan. Rest meant waki lijwebis-i.

We sat facing each other on the low platform, touching each other randomly every now and then, laughing a lot while doing so and just being in a good mood.

"I didn't see you smoking at all today," I said at one point.

Nanuk let his head hang down.

"Actually, I stopped a long time ago. But sometimes I just can't help it. Especially in social gatherings ... like last Saturday. It's a stupid habit ... Does it bother you?"

"No. I was more surprised than it bothered me."

"Too bad," he smirked, and I bristled.

"Why too bad?"

"I thought I finally found something that didn't fit between us."

"Are you looking for something like that?", I laughed.

Perhaps I should have been angry or startled, but somehow the impulse of amused laughter came first.

"Not exactly. More like I'm shocked at how perfect you are!" he muttered.

"That is not me by far! That's just what our imprinting leads you to believe!"

"Let's hear it then!" he urged me.

"If I don't get my coffee in the morning, I'm cranky."

"I only find it understandable because ... I am myself."

"I'm messy."

"I'm not, but I'm sure that would complement each other," he reflected.

"Hey, you brawlers!" interjected Becky. "We so need to get home!"

"Otherwise we'll miss dinner," Jake noted in response.

"Oh, yes," I sighed. Too bad. It was so beautiful here. There was no room for reality here in the village, but that's where we'd have to go back to.

We said goodbye to everyone and Nanuk accompanied us to the building where we still had to change, but only Becky got completely dressed again.

After all, we would run home as wolves.

So I put on only the pants and the thin jacket and slipped into the shoes even without socks.

Just in case we ran into someone on the short stretch into the woods.

Nanuk took my backpack and hand as a matter of course as we walked around the building to the edge of the woods and also a little way in.

Jake took off his clothes while Nanuk and I hugged each other. At the same time, my heart just went a little crazy.

His big warm hands had slipped under the edge of my jacket and one of them was firmly in my back. Right on my skin.

"So as agreed," I stated again, not wanting to free myself from his arms.

"Yes. I'll call you tomorrow night when I get to Boston. And on Tuesday, we'll see how long it takes me to get to you on velvet paws," he confirmed.

I nodded, continuing to lean against him. I didn't really want to let go of him, and his hands at my back made no effort to leave my skin.

"Leah. We have to go," Becky reminded me, already sitting on Jake's back.

I nodded again.

Nanuk squatted down to my backpack, which was lying on the ground next to me, and turned a little away from me. I pushed my shoes off my feet, which he immediately took and packed. Same with my jacket and pants, without looking at me by doing so.

Gallant, came to my mind.

I phased, he locked the backpack which he handed to Becky.

"You're beautiful, Leah," Nanuk murmured again as he cuddled my ears. "See you tomorrow on the phone, my graceful she-wolf," he smiled in conclusion.

I walked very close by him, and his hand stroked through my fur as I did so. Up to the tip of my tail. Inwardly I trembled.

'Come on, Leah! I'm hungry,' my little brother annoyed meanwhile.


Thanks for reading!