AN: I own nothing here except my original characters. Everything else belongs to SM. This story is not appropriate for young audiences. At all.
Such a tiny thing changed the entire course of fate. What had been told, what was supposed to be had been twisted and altered by the simple turning of a car, the retrieval of a forgotten purse that resulted in a five minute delay, leading to a tragedy that gave the future a new path.
As the woman lay curled in bed, surrounded by her sisters, tears still drying on their tiny, sleeping faces, she finally let herself break down in silent tears herself, mourning all that they had lost, and the comfort of loving parents.
She vowed to herself, even while nearly drowning in her own grief, that she would move heaven and earth to make sure her girls had everything they could ever need or want. They would never lack for love or attention, and she would never let them believe even for a second that they were anything but the most important things in her life.
"It's time to go home." She nearly startled at her sister's sleeping utterance, but she knew that if it was said, it was true. Home could only be one place. She would start planning in the morning – after she had cried herself out.
Nobody in La Push really had much, so when a woman blew into town and purchased a large chunk of the unused reservation, intent on building a large home for herself and her 'kids', it caused quite a bit of talk. There was no reason to stop her, since her mother had been tribe before she passed nearly a year earlier. She only sourced local resources and would only hire tribal labor for the construction and development of her land, giving the community a huge boost that it had needed.
She had painstakingly made plans for her home that incorporated it into the natural landscape rather than taking apart much of the land to build her home. She paid extra to have materials delivered in smaller batches so large trucks also wouldn't disturb the land. The tribe watched on in amazement as the massive home went up with so much consideration.
Billy Black and his wife Sarah, as pillars of the community, wanted to go out of their way to make sure the woman and her family felt welcome. Sarah had made up a delicious bakery basket and they went over to invite the woman, Rhea Daniels, to a bonfire on the beach. It would be held in her family's honor, to welcome them home.
Her house was a beautiful, four-story structure painted an ashy gray with beautiful white accents. The front door was a pretty plum, and the house had plenty of large, wide windows. The landscaping around the house was also magnificent, possessing a multitude of native flora, as well as some not so native that would still do well in the wet Washington climate. All of the plant-life was designed to both look beautiful and encourage visitation by the local fauna.
Billy carted the basket, heavy with baked goods, while Sarah knocked on the door, full of anticipation. They both tried not to let their jaws fall open in shock when the door was opened by a much younger woman than they had expected. She couldn't have been a day older than twenty.
"Hello." The woman's voice was sweet and light. She brushed rich, auburn hair behind her ears as she took in the couple at her door.
"Hi. Are you Rhea Daniels?" Sarah knew there was no one else she could be, but she had to ask.
"Sure am. What can I do for you?" She was just so pleasant.
"Oh, we just came to say welcome to La Push. I'm Sarah Black, and this is my husband, Billy. We don't get a lot of new faces around here outside of vacationers, and not even a lot of returning faces after so long. I made this for you." She gestured at Billy and his burden.
"And the council is having a bonfire now that you're settled in to welcome your family to the community and celebrate the good fortune you've already brought us." Rhea blushed brightly.
"I don't really think I can take credit for much, but thank you – so much. Why don't you come in? You can join us for dinner and meet the rest of my family." She moved out of the doorway, and they happily walked in with her. "I hope you guys are okay with chicken and potatoes?" She hastily made her way to the kitchen to add a couple of extra bits to the dinner she'd been preparing to toss in the oven.
"That sounds lovely." Sarah answered for both of them. "Is there anything I can help with?" She flittered over to the kitchen space, Billy following behind to put the basket on the wide, granite countertop of the kitchen island.
The inside of the house was just as beautiful as the outside. The entire front area was a large, wide-open space that included a living area, dining space, and kitchen. The whole space was floored with a rustic hardwood in a light gray finish. There were large plush rugs in the living room and dining room as well as smaller runners in the kitchen in matching shades of forest green.
The seating in the living room and the dining room were all a dark gray and looked soft and comfortable. The dining table and kitchen cabinets seemed to be all-natural wood, and all stained nearly black. The granite countertops through the gorgeous kitchen were white, deeply flecked with gray and black. There was an industrial sized refrigerator, double wall oven, a massive double-basin sink, and an eight-top stove.
"Thanks for the offer, Sarah, but it'll just take a second, and then I'll grab the kids so you can meet them." She effortlessly tossed the extras in, and put a couple of pans into the oven, wiping her hands on a damp dish towel as she turned back to the Blacks, smiling widely. "Make yourselves comfortable. I'll be back in just a minute with the girls."
Sarah and Billy moved to seat themselves in the living room, finding the couches exactly as soft and comfortable as they looked. The side of the room had a large, gated fireplace that would keep the room toasty warm in colder months. Moments later, Rhea came through the dining room with four little girls trailing her, looking for all the world like a mother duck with her ducklings.
"Alright, kids, meet some of our new neighbors. This is Sarah and Billy Black." She shuffled all of the girls in front of her so that the Blacks could see them. Sarah had a hard time not cooing at them adorably. They were all just precious.
"Nice to meet you." The two older girls said shyly, still tucked in closely to Rhea's legs. The youngest two were clearly twins, and much more comfortable, as they toddled closer to the strangers, looking at them curiously.
"I apologize in advance, guys. Those two are eighteen months old and extra precocious. They have some boundary issues." She winced as the girls tried to climb up into the Blacks' laps. Sarah and Billy both just chuckled, picking the girls up.
"No problem at all. They are just the cutest things. What are their names?" Sarah was still restraining herself just a little. She really wanted to ask how someone that young had four children, but didn't want to be too intrusive. She was sure that Rhea would tell them when she was ready.
"The adorable terror in your lap is Eris, and Billy has Irene." Eris was now playing with Sarah's long, black hair. "The girls trying to hide behind me are Cassandra and Phoebe. Cass will be five soon, and Phoebe just turned three." She placed a hand on top of each child as she said their name.
"Well, it's very nice to meet you, girls." Sarah bounced Eris on her knees as the little girl giggled, and the girls burying their faces in Rhea's legs slowly started to peel themselves away, shy looks still on their faces. "We're all glad you did, but what made you decide to come home?" Rhea cocked her head and looked at Sarah.
"Just that. It's home. My sisters and I lost our parents in a car accident about a year ago now, and we don't have anyone else. I wanted them to grow up with a sense of community and culture, with their own people."
That made perfect sense to them. It didn't exactly explain where the money came from, or the age difference between Rhea and her sisters, but either way, she took on an enormous responsibility keeping them with her when she was so young.
"You seem like a wonderful big sister – I don't know many people that would be selfless enough to take on that responsibility at your age." Rhea laughed lightly.
"Oh, it wasn't selfless at all. Rather selfish, in fact. I couldn't imagine life without my sisters. They're great kids, and anyone would be lucky to have them, but they're mine, and I plan to keep them that way." Sarah sat beaming at her. The woman couldn't have given a better answer.
"I have three myself. Rachel and Rebecca are twins. They'll be eight in November. Jacob is our youngest and he just turned four. If you ever need anything, even if it's just advice, you let me know." Sarah could easily see herself being friends with this sparkling, kind young woman.
Rhea quickly disabused Sarah of her idea about her age. She told them that she was twenty-three, and had just recently finished college with her degree in social work. Sarah was in awe when the woman told her that she was planning on using that degree and her position as a native to open her home to as many Quileute fosters as the system would allow her.
While they talked, Rhea seamlessly moved the girls to the dining room, hooking the younger girls into booster seats on either side of her own chair, simultaneously setting dinner up at the table and fixing plates for each of the girls, leaving her own empty until after Sarah and Billy had served themselves.
Sarah marveled at the woman's ability to feed all of the girls, and herself while maintaining easy conversation with her and Billy. Without any additional prodding, she explained how she felt that she had been given way more money than she could ever want or need because of her biological father, who had left before she could crawl, and passed away the year she started college.
She had been his only child, and he hadn't had a wife or a will, so she had gotten everything. His family had been old money, and he had done well for himself in business besides that.
She explained how she had other plans to help families on the reservation adopt or foster other native kids that had been displaced if they couldn't afford to, and start a scholarship program among other things. By the time they left, they knew that this woman and her family were going to be an integral part of their community, and they would do anything and everything to make them feel welcome.
Rhea…
After Sarah and Billy left, Rhea sent the kids to get their bath things together while she cleaned up the dishes and put the food away in the kitchen. She thought that it was so kind of them to come all the way over themselves to welcome her and her sisters home. She was beyond touched that the council was publicly acknowledging what she was trying to do, though she wasn't doing it for any sort of recognition.
Typically, she would have been content to just be left to do what she was doing without the fuss or fanfare, but if she wanted her kids to be part of the community, and she wanted the community to participate in the plans she was going to be putting into place, having the backing of the council and the people could only help.
As she slipped Eris and Irene into the tub, scrubbing soap gently through their dark locks, and laughing at the mischief in their bright green eyes as they splashed water across every surface in the room, she wished as she did most days, that things would go smoothly for them; that they would be able to help the community and themselves while setting up a good life for themselves and everyone around them. They were seemingly off to a good start.
Sarah had been so sweet to them; she and Billy so good with the kids, especially after Cass and Phoebe warmed up a little. She could really see them being close friends, their kids growing up and playing together.
She once again thanked her biological father for giving her the means to do something really spectacular in this place she'd already come to love. He had been a completely absent father, wanting nothing to do with kids, but Rhea had never been bothered about that one way or another, having been raised by her real dad – her stepdad.
She was just grateful that she was able to keep her sisters close. She was beyond relieved that she could take care of them and help them grow into the strong women she could already see them becoming.
She had dried the twins off and wrestled them into pajamas, moving on to Cass and Phoebe's bath. She mostly just watched as those two washed themselves, but she did have to help Phoebe wash her already thick brown curls while Cass managed her own. It hit her again, as it did nearly twenty times a day, that she was so lucky they were still hers. She sent up a silent prayer to every God and Goddess that might listen thanking them and begging to keep things that way.
Bath time finished, they cuddled together for a bedtime story and Rhea tucked them into their beds, kissing each gently good night before getting herself ready for bed. She fell asleep thinking of all the beautiful things she imagined for their lives and her determination to make them all happen.
Charlie…
He had just gotten through the door and hung up his sidearm when the phone in the kitchen started to ring. Not one to rush, he just made it to the damn thing before it would have cut out to the machine. He really needed to get another line for the living room. Just more convenient.
"'Lo." He answered lazily, with a comfortable drawl.
"Hey, Charlie. We're havin' a bonfire down at the beach tomorrow night to welcome the new family on the rez. You should come." Billy Black's cheerful tone perked Charlie up just a bit.
"I'm not sure, Billy." He hadn't been much for socializing since Renee had taken Bella off. He knew four years was a long time to hold on, but he didn't really know any other way. Watching the game and having a few cans of vitamin R with Billy, fishing with him and Harry, or having dinner with the couple of friends he had and their families was about the extent of his social ability anymore.
"Now, Charlie, you know you really need to get out and about more. It's gonna be a nice night tomorrow, and we're gonna tell all the old stories, have some food. You gotta meet the new girl sometime. If Sarah has anything to say about it, she's gonna be around a lot. It's just her and her four kid sisters for now." That was an unusual way to put it.
"For now?" Of course his inner cop always had to come out eventually.
"Charlie, the woman is a saint. You, of all people, know how hard it is for any of the families down here to pitch in and take in some of these kids, but we always wanna keep them close to home when we can. Girl didn't hesitate at all to take custody of her four sisters, who are all under five, but she's already talking about fostering as many kids as she can fit in that big house of hers.
"You should've seen it, Charlie. She had us stay for dinner, which she cooked while entertaining us and four kids. And it was good. Plus, the way she handled those kids, I was trying not to blink, looking for those extra arms she must've had sprouting out of her somewhere. Never seen anything like it."
"Billy, does Sarah know you're in love with another woman?" Charlie had to joke. He'd never heard him talk up another person like that before. He knew Billy was excited that the girl was bringing a lot of work to the rez, and now it sounded like she was gung-ho to clean up some of the messes too.
"Ha ha, Charlie. Honestly, I think Sarah might leave me for her first. Hasn't stopped talking about her to everyone she's seen since we left." They both chuckled at that.
"Well – I guess I've gotta come now, don't I? If my best friend and his wife are gonna end up in some strange polygamous relationship, I oughta meet her first, yeah?"
"Sure, sure." Billy dropped into small talk while Charlie thought over the small commitment he'd just made. It was the first time that he would be going out to a large get- together since his ex-wife left him. At least watching Billy and Sarah fall all over themselves would be entertaining.
When Billy let him off the phone, he grabbed a beer from the fridge and turned on the tube to watch some news. There was never anything good on. He fell asleep right there on his sofa – again.
He went down to the rez early, hoping maybe Billy and Sarah would let him skip out early that way, too. As usual, he parked at Billy's since it was just a quick walk down to the beach. He spotted them sitting by Sue and Harry as soon as he walked up. Charlie could see their kids all playing a little ways down the beach in the sand, Jacob and poor little Seth being shunned by Rachel, Rebecca, and Leah.
The adults had plates of food, and he assumed that the kids had either already eaten or couldn't be wrangled for dinner yet, so he grabbed himself a little something and a beer before heading over to pop down on the sand by them. He had only just sat down and said hello when Sarah squealed at something to his left, bouncing as she sat, much like a teenaged girl.
When he turned to look, his jaw nearly dropped open. It could only be the woman his friends had been talking about, because he was sure he'd seen everyone else on the rez before. She was – Jesus – she was the most gorgeous woman he'd ever seen. The sun was setting still over the water and it cast fiery light that shone red off her burnt auburn hair. Her skin was a shade or two darker than his, but it was more golden than brown.
She had an excited smile on her face, showing beautiful white teeth as she spotted them. She might have waved, but she had a small child on each hip, one a little bigger gripping what looked like a belt hanging from her waist, and a fourth child calmly moving with her, holding onto one of the dangling feet of the babies.
As she got closer to them, carefully skirting the edge of the unlit bonfire, Charlie noticed that the two older girls walking with her looked a lot like his little Bella. They both had that shy look, both with brown hair and eyes. The smaller of the two had a face full of adorable freckles. When she was within speaking distance, they all stood up to properly greet them.
"Hi, Rhea! Girls!" Sarah greeted them enthusiastically. "I'm sure you've seen them around, but this is Harry and Sue Clearwater." Sarah happily reached out for one of the babies so that Rhea could shake hands. Charlie discreetly wiped a slightly sweaty hand off on his pants before Sarah turned to him.
"And this is Charlie. He's a detective up in Forks. He might not be Quileute, but he basically grew up on the rez, and they used to call Billy, Harry, and him the three stooges. Some of us still do." She stage whispered that last sentence, causing Charlie's face to heat, and a beautiful, melodic laugh to break free from Rhea's mouth.
"Pleased to meet you." he managed as she took his hand with her smaller, smoother one. Now that she was closer, he could see that her eyes were a deep honey caramel color and he almost got lost in them. Clearing his throat in embarrassment, Charlie remembered to let go of her hand after a few seconds too long.
"Rhea, we can keep an eye on the girls while you go grab yourself something to eat if you want." Sue offered.
"Oh, I don't want to be any trouble." But Sue and Sarah were insistent. "Okay, okay. I know when I've been beat." She told the girls to behave themselves, and she hurried off. The freckled little girl went and immediately sat down between Sue and Sarah who were each holding one of her younger sisters. The little green-eyed babies were obviously twins. Charlie felt a tug on his shirtsleeve and looked down to see the oldest of the four looking up at him. He crouched down to her level.
"Can I sit with you?" She was soft-spoken and he was struck again how she nearly could've been Bella's twin.
"Course you can, kiddo." He sat down and she sat right up against him, surprising him just a little. He was a stranger after all, and in his experience, kids were a little more wary of people they didn't know at her age. "What's your name?" He asked her.
"I'm Cass." Shocking him again, she leaned into his side comfortably.
"How old are you and your sisters, Cass?" He knew his voice was naturally a little on the gruff side, so he tried to keep it as gentle as possible.
"I'm four, but my birthday is soon – I think." She scrunched her face. "Phoebe just had her birthday. She's three." Cass pointed at the freckled girl. "I don't know when Eris and Irene's birthday is. They're one, though. Ree is twenty-three." So, she was a year younger than Bella, he thought. From what he could see, all four girls were remarkably well-behaved. He'd never seen four kids their age sit as happily and quietly as they were doing now.
Old Quil got up to light the fire and Harry volunteered to clean up the adult plates and grab some food for their kids to snack on. Their plan all along had been to give them food to keep them calm while they were forced to sit still. It was a good strategy, and worked for them nearly every time.
As soon as Harry had headed off, he could see Rhea coming back, laden down with four plates. She was doing a remarkable job balancing them all, but just to be sure, he put his hand on Cass's back to steady her so she didn't tip when he moved, and stood up to offer his help.
"Here, let me take some of that for you." He reached out a hand and grabbed the two plates she was balancing on her forearms.
"Thanks for that. I'm used to doing it, but I didn't really think about how much harder it would be to walk across the sand like that." She sighed in relief as Charlie glanced down and noticed her tiny bare feet. He wondered about that, but thought it might be rude to ask, so he shrugged it off. At least she wasn't wearing some ridiculous heels to a beach fire.
"That one is for Phoebe, and that one's Cass's." She indicated each plate in his hands with a tilt of her head. Without hesitating, he passed Phoebe's plate down to the little girl and resumed his place beside Cass, not noticing the tender look of surprise on Rhea's face as Cass scooted right into him again, slowly picking at the food that he held for her on his thigh. Without saying anything, she sat down on Cass's other side with her own food and turned to Sarah sitting on her right.
"This one is for both of the twins. They do better when they're sharing. I can take them back. You don't have to feed them." She informed her. Sarah waved her off.
"No, it's our pleasure." Without any fuss, Billy and Sue swapped places, so Sue and Sarah could feed the babies between the two of them. Billy kept an eye on Phoebe to make sure she was doing okay with her food as well. Harry came back, causing their group to swell just a little more when they called the rest of the kids over.
Rachel, Rebecca, and Leah, after being introduced and taking their plates went to sit a little ways away, because they were 'too big' to have to sit right next to their parents like the little kids did. Jacob in his infinite curiosity came right over by Charlie to sit in front of Cass. He regarded her with his little head cocked to the side for a moment before speaking.
"I'm Jacob. You're pretty. Do you like 'tatoes?" He gestured at his potato salad. Cass turned pink, nodded and turned her face a little into Charlie's side.
"Thanks." Her small voice came out muffled through his shirt. He watched with amusement as little Seth nearly crawled up in Billy's lap he was so close, constantly leaning around the man to smile at little Phoebe, making them both giggle. Soon enough, the fire was lit and Old Quil was taking his place to tell the stories of tribal legend.
"Hey Jacob, you wanna hear the stories, don't ya?" Charlie prodded the boy who was still facing away from the fire and towards Cass. Jacob peeked behind him and then nodded so hard, Charlie wondered that his head didn't simply bobble right off. "Well, come on, then." He grabbed the boy and scooted him up between his legs to rest in his lap with his plate in front of him. Jake looked over at Cass who was now much closer to him and seemed content.
"Stories are scary sometimes. You can hold my hand if you get scared." The little boy offered solemnly. Charlie looked over at Rhea and was sure the look of amusement on her face was mirrored on his.
Old Quil settled into the sand, clearing his throat to gather everyone's attention. Judging by the bottles of water sitting beside him, Charlie guessed that he would tell all of the stories, likely because Rhea and her sisters had never heard them before. Charlie couldn't help but watch her as she was enthralled by the telling.
"The stories of our ancestors, their great feats, and our enemies have been told countless times – generation upon generation – further back than we have kept count of the years. They will be told countless more times, as long as our tribe endures.
"Before any written records, when the land was newer and our people were great shipbuilders and fishermen, and the white men were fewer here than our people, there came a time when our lands were coveted by other tribes – the Hoh and the Makah.
"Chief Kaheleha, the first Spirit Chief in our history would take his people to sea on his great ships. He and his spirit warriors would let their spirits leave their bodies, the women protecting them while they were away. The warrior spirits could not fight their enemies, but they could call great, screaming winds blow through enemy camps, and they could manipulate the animals to their will.
"The enemies' animals would turn against them, flocks of bats and birds would surround them, and other such occurrences that made the enemy believe that the land was cursed. The enemies went on to make treaties with our small people, wanting nothing more to do with our land.
"Generations later came the last of the great spirit chiefs. His name was Taha Aki. He was a man that was known for his wisdom and he was a man of peace. There was a man in his tribe, another spirit warrior, called Utlapa that wanted to use their power to gain greater dominion over the Hoh and Makah tribes.
"Taha Aki, not liking Utlapa's thirst for power and violence, banned him from the tribe. Utlapa left, but did not go far, hiding himself in the nearby forest until Taha Aki left his home for a secret place in the mountains. Utlapa followed him, planning to kill him, but hatched a more villainous plan when Taha Aki's spirit left his body to search the nearby area for any dangers.
"Utlapa let his own spirit from his body and took Taha Aki's body, killing his own. Taha Aki had felt Utlapa enter the spirit realm and knew immediately what was happening, but he was too late to do anything but follow his own body in spirit form.
"For weeks, he followed Utlapa in his own body as he made the edict that none should ever again be allowed to enter the spirit realm, because he feared Taha Aki, and wanted no one to discover his treachery.
"Utlapa took a second and third wife in Taha Aki's name, though his first wife still lived. This was a liberty that was not taken in their tribe before this time. Eventually, Taha Aki decided to bring a great wolf down from the mountains to kill Utlapa, but Utlapa cowardly hid behind his warriors and the wolf killed a young man, making Taha Aki's grief greater.
"As Taha Aki traveled the forest in his grief, the great wolf followed him and Taha Aki was jealous of the wolf's body and life. He asked the wolf if he would share his body with him, and the wolf agreed. The wolf/Taha Aki went to his village and pulled back each time the warriors would come too close, and he tried to yelp the songs of his people.
"One of the old warriors of the tribe, Yut, disobeyed the orders of the false Taha Aki and entered the spirit realm. Yut immediately recognized Taha Aki and welcomed him. Utlapa raced to Yut's body with a knife and though Yut's spirit had returned, he could not fight off Utlapa or tell the people of the betrayal before Utlapa overcame him and killed the man."
Cass gasped beside Charlie, and Jacob must have been paying close attention because his hand flew directly to hers without his eyes moving from Old Quil's direction. Cass grasped his hand tightly, glad for the comfort that the boy generously offered as Old Quil continued.
"The rage of Taha Aki could no longer be held in the body of the wolf, which shuddered and became a man before the eyes of his people. The body did not look like the body of Taha Aki, but like his spirit self, which his warriors recognized instantly. Utlapa tried to run, but Taha Aki had the strength of the wolf in his new body, and killed him.
"Taha Aki kept the law forbidding spirit travel after what had happened to him, but all else returned to normal, though he was then called the Great Wolf or Spirit Man. He did not age and fathered many sons that they discovered were also able to turn into wolves on reaching manhood.
"Those that transformed did not age like Taha Aki, and those that did not transform, or gave up their spirit wolves began to age. This is how our people became one with the spirit wolves." Old Quil took a puff on his pipe and let the smoke drift out slowly before continuing.
"There came a time when Taha Aki chose to give up his spirit self and live out the rest of his life. After he had begun aging, trouble came to the Makah tribe in the North. Young women were beginning to disappear, and the Makah believed that it was the fault of the wolves.
"As their minds were connected, they knew that it was not them, but Taha Aki did not want a war since he would be unable to lead his people to battle any longer. He gave his eldest son, Taha Wi, the task of investigating the trouble to see if he could find the cause.
"Taha Wi took four wolves with him into the mountains to search for what might be the cause of the missing women. All that was discovered was a strange, sweet scent that they followed so far north that Taha Wi sent the two youngest brothers back to inform the chief that they were going to continue to follow the trail. Taha Wi and the other two never returned.
"A year later, two more young Makah maidens were taken from their homes on the same night and the Makah called upon the wolves. The same sweet scent was found, and the wolves hunted once more. Only one, Yaha Uta returned, and he told the tale.
The first wolf underestimated the strength of the creature and was killed. Yaha Uta and his other brother were more careful, but the creature was fast and got its hands on the brother. Yaha Uta leaped at an opening on the creature's throat, and desperately tore at it, trying to save his brother. It was too late to save him, but he succeeded in ripping his enemy apart.
"Yaha Uta brought the remains of the creature back to the village and laid them on the ground to be examined. The parts began to move themselves together and attempted to reattach themselves. The elders set fire to the corpse and spread the ashes far and wide except for a small pouch kept around Taha Aki's neck so he would know if ever the creature tried to reassemble itself again.
"They called the creature the Cold One and feared that there were others like it, since they had only one wolf protector remaining. Their fears were realized when the Cold Woman, the creature's mate, appeared. She was the most beautiful creature they had ever seen, but a young boy claimed her smell hurt his nose.
"An elder, realizing what she was, told them all to get away. The elder was the first she killed. She continued killing until Yaha Uta arrived, followed by Taha Aki, his third wife, and the rest of the elders.
"Yaha Uta was defeated by the Cold Woman and Taha Aki, in his anger, turned into an old, gray wolf and began to fight the Cold Woman himself. The third wife had seen her son killed and now her husband had run into danger himself. If he were to fail, she knew that the rest of her sons and her tribe would also fall.
"She had heard every word of Yaha Uta's tale of the defeat of the first Cold One, and she knew that his brother's distraction was the only reason he succeeded. She could not fight like the spirit wolves, but there was one distraction she could provide the blood drinker.
"She grabbed a knife from one of her sons, ran toward the blood drinker and stabbed herself in the heart, letting her life's blood seep from her body. The Cold Woman could not turn from the fresh blood before her and gave in to her thirst. Taha Aki and two of his sons that had turned into wolves in rage at their mother's death surrounded the Cold Woman and finished her off.
"Taha Aki laid in wolf form by his wife's body and when he raised himself, he left into the forest, still a wolf. He never returned as a man again."
Old Quil trailed off, his voice deep and mysterious at the last. Once everyone had settled again, he told other, more well-documented stories of glory and protection from tribal history, but none had the same impact as the legends of magic and monsters.
When the tales were through, the kids were all clearly worn out. Sue and Sarah offered to help Rhea get her girls home while their husbands corralled their own kids. She smiled, relieved for the help.
Charlie, disappointed that his time with them was over, to his own surprise, noticed that Jacob and Cass were still holding hands. Shifting a bit, he realized this was because both of them were mostly asleep. Gently disentangling the two, Charlie cradled Jacob up in the crook of one arm, grabbing plates with his other hand. He could just drop the boy at home when he picked up his car.
Sarah was carrying the twins and Sue had Phoebe in her arms. Rhea bent to lift Cass up, putting herself firmly into Charlie's space, surrounding him with the dizzying aroma of coffee and chocolate – thick, rich, and mouth-watering. His whole body heated up as her arms brushed his side to lift Cass away from him. The tired girl mumbled in her sleep as she was moved.
"I'm gonna have a wolf one day." Rhea, still bent over, met Charlie's gaze with wide, startled eyes, and he had to swallow to keep himself from saying or doing something stupid. Their eyes stayed locked as she straightened and he stood up himself. Neither of them noticed their friends watching curiously as Charlie tried to think of something to say that wasn't ridiculous like 'Can I come home with you?'.
"Those are some good kids you've got. Any of you need anything, just give me a ring. Have Sarah give you my number." His tone was rougher than he meant it because of his embarrassment, but by the smile on her face and the sparkle in her eyes, it didn't bother her at all.
"Sure thing. It was nice to meet you, Charlie." He couldn't help but watch her walk away until the women all disappeared into the darkness.
"Told you she was pretty." Billy's voice broke into the silence. Charlie turned to his friend who was holding one of his daughters' hands in each of his. Harry must have already left with Leah and Seth because he was nowhere to be seen.
"You weren't wrong. Not wrong at all." As Charlie walked back with Billy towards the little red house and tucked Jacob into his bed, it occurred to Charlie that he hadn't thought of Renee even once all night.