Howling Moon

After a while of stuffing old gym socks and half-torn jeans into a laundry hamper, I ended up falling asleep sprawled on my too-small bed. I lay face-up, shirtless and angled precariously on my bed next to the window. When I woke up, the birds were still chirping outside, but twilight was setting in. The breeze had gone cold, as well, and it tickled my hot skin as I let out a sigh. There was little light left to clean with, but I managed to sweep through my room one last time to make sure it was up to my father's expectations. When I felt satisfied, I went for a walk in the woods in an attempt to calm my vibrating nerves.


The woods had always felt like home to me, and I suppose that it now makes sense that the green, growing places would. While I'm not a true werewolf, the wolf blood in me sang and drew me to the forests. The woods were my place to calm down and stop to smell the flowers, in every sense of the word.

My family was coming tomorrow; my sisters and their husbands and children, my cousins and their family, Sam's cousins and extended family... Everyone. Our reservation would be so full of people that we probably wouldn't have enough food to go around for the week that they were staying, but I was hopeful that everyone would make it through alright.

The celebration was going to be both formal and informal; I suspected that, because it was simply family, that it would be very laid back, but I also had a sinking feeling that the elders would want us all to wear war paint and loincloths while dancing around fires. I sighed at that thought; most people would think that we do that, anyway, but with the change in times, we no longer did the archetypical rain dances with eagle feathers and our hands popping over our mouths; some people could be so insensitive. There was too much rain in Washington, anyway.

I humorously pictured my father holding out a deerskin loincloth draped over a coat hangar as he held out a stick of pigment and eagle feathers; I couldn't help but laugh out loud at the thought. I figured that, even if we didn't wear loincloths and head-dresses, that we would all still be crowded around a fire, telling stories and legends of our people; canoes, pale-faces, and all. I convinced myself that it would be fun, especially with seeing my sisters again. I missed my extended family more than I let on, and I didn't sleep very much that night because of all of the excitement I felt. I had a strange feeling that something was about to change, and I desperately wished that Alice could see my future in her mind; her talents would have come in handy, though I'm sure I would've done all I could to duck away from the future that was about to change forever.


The next morning was balmy, but breezy, and I lay tangled in my bed sheets for a good hour after waking up. I was so exhausted that I almost wished my family would wait another day before arriving, but I knew that we would have to pick them up from the airport. I huffed a huge sigh and reeled myself upward before stretching. I would have to change the oil in the rabbit before going to the airport; it was making that strange movie reel sound and it would have to be fixed.

I busied myself in the early morning hours with general maintenance of the rabbit and my motorcycle before giving both a good washing. In the end, I was covered in mud and oil, and needed a good washing myself, but I heard my father calling to me from out back. I took a deep drink from the hose I was using and doused myself down a bit to cool off before going to answer him.

Billy was sitting in his wheelchair out front by this time, and an unfamiliar truck coupled by a U-Haul was nearby. I was a little confused, but made my way up to him, anyway.

"What is it?" I asked, pointedly eyeballing the large, black truck and the U-Haul.

"I want you to meet Phil Clearwater and his daughter, Amelia; Phil is Harry's cousin, and has come to help Leah and Sue."

Phil was a tall man, a little aged around the mouth and forehead, but looked friendly, and Amelia looked a little plain; she was short and frail-looking, skinny beyond what some would consider healthy, and looked a bit shy and scared. They smelled nice, though, and I reached out to take Phil's hand. I shook it firmly and then held out a hand toward Amelia.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." I said, but Amelia took a step back. She looked up at me with wide, black eyes as though she were terrified of me, and didn't reciprocate the greeting or shake my hand.

I looked down at myself and laughed, only able to catch her wide-eyed gaze through my peripheral vision.

"I'm sorry... I'm all covered in oil! No wonder you don't want to touch me! I've been working on my car all day. It happens."

I shrugged, and tried not to take Amelia's fear, which was so obvious I could've smelled it a mile away, to heart.

"So... You're here to help Sue and Leah?" I looked at the U-Haul. "You guys moving in?"

"Yeah, I figured that Sue might need a little help around the house and I thought that a nice change of scenery was due for Amelia, too. Oh, and congratulations on graduation, there, Jake! We're looking forward to the celebration tonight!"

I smiled and nodded to Phil; though I didn't know him very well, or had even really heard of him, he seemed friendly enough and I didn't bristle at the friendly use of my name. Amelia looked a little less than enthusiastic, however, and took a small step behind her father as if to hide from me. She was still watching me warily, as if I'd reach out and bite her. I quirked a brow in curiosity when I looked at her again, but she turned her face to look away before I could meet her gaze. She looked a little familiar, once I got to looking at her, but I brushed the feeling aside.

"Well, Jake, why don't you go in and clean up a little so you can help them move in over at Sue's." Billy suggested, looking up at me pointedly. I think he caught me staring at Amelia. I startled a bit and then smiled.

"Sure! Gimme five minutes and I'll be over! All the heavy lifting will be done in no time flat!"


They had no idea...