His Native Beauty, Her Ruthless Beast

Fair skin, brilliant blue eyes (courtesy of her father), and long locks of chocolate silk - Sarah Jane was a beauty to behold. Her father always held great pride in his youngest daughter, believing she would do great things in an uncertain world. She had endured a difficult life, one that pained her father deeply for as a human he was unable to protect her. Despite her trauma, she refused to allow her heart to turn cold, instead focusing her attention on using her gifts for pure goodness and joy. Sarah’s POV The breeze picks up around me, sweeping my hair from my face, as I twirl and move in time. Dancing with the wind always lightens the burdens of my soul. Each of my siblings hold a special connection with nature, however it was as though nature was mated within every fiber of my being. With my right hand I create a whirlwind beside me, guiding as if it were my partner on a dance floor. With my left hand I direct the fall leaves to swirl through the air around me, as though a perimeter of space and time. “Excellent SJ, you are really becoming one with the Mother Spirit.” Says the voice of my dear aunt, as she gently claps her hands. According to Auntie, I was very much like my mother. She too was the youngest of four siblings - my aunt always swore my mother was destined for great things but fate had other plans and snatched her life away from us far too soon. My mother and her siblings, blessed with gifts from their ancestors, were born and raised on a Native American reservation in South Dakota. Each profoundly connected to nature, they held specialized abilities individually. When my grandmother died, she left behind two sons Gerald and James who were nearing adulthood, and two young daughters - my aunt Diane who was 12 and my mother Alonna who was 8. My uncles left home shortly after their mother died, and while I would see them from time to time, we never quite built the bond that I had with my aunt. Auntie stepped up and played the role of mother for her baby sister and homemaker for her father. Grief-stricken, my grandfather (considered a “white-man” of Quaker decent) moved his daughters from their native lands to rural Missouri. Auntie recalls that day vividly and says not only did she lose her mother, but her entire family - grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins when she was forced to move, leaving half of her heart behind in the Black Hills. All would not remain lost for as Auntie became of age, her abilities took form in her ability to commune with those who had passed from this Earth. My mother had the ability to read souls, and could tailor her behaviors to best influence and manipulate those around her - a dangerous gift if wielded by the wrong person. Fortunately she invested most of her energy into the Arabian equines she imported, bred and broke. Known for their endurance Arabians are highly sought after horses, but they are also known for their stubbornness and independence as well. My mother connected with these horses on another plane, wild and reckless she understood them and they understood her. Never raising her hand or voice, she could calm the rebellious storm with a gentle touch and even the most aggressive stallion would turn to putty in her hands. Whereas Auntie Diane settled into a life of marriage to my uncle Terrence, child-bearing, and homemaking. Uncle Terrence was often away for work being a wolf and tracker for the Rosebud and Spirit Lake wolf pack, so Auntie was left to carry the burden of guiding her young girls alone. My mother remained as wild as her Arabians. Traveling from city to city, engaging in cross-country races and rodeos, while supplementing her winnings with wages earned through bartending in Jackson to dealing Black Jack in Vegas, settling down was the last consideration she held. Even after meeting my father, Lewis (a traveling musician), they both shared a very passionate romance but settling never quite suited her style. My mother continued to travel often, while my father found a local gig to try to provide a more stable foundation for his daughters. He often compared her to the wind - which is partially why I believe I feel such an affinity for the breeze - its where I feel her presence the most. After my mother died, my father settled into a small cottage between two friendly wolf-pack settlements in the southwest region of South Dakota (per my aunties request), one being the Rosebud pack of which Uncle Terrence resided, and the neighboring pack Spirit Lake. My aunt chose to have a cottage built near his because despite my fathers grounded efforts, he worked mostly at night which left my sisters and I to grow under the direction of our Auntie. Auntie did her best to raise her two daughters, Angel and Talia, as well as my sisters Tamelia, Lisabelle, Jenniana, and myself. My cousins and sisters were grown, each moved on with their lives, following in the footsteps of Auntie, (well except for Jenniana who seems to harbor our mothers restless need to wander). Everyone is (mostly) well adjusted, minus yours truly. Not that Auntie can be blamed, unfortunately children can be overly trusting and drawn by mischief, leading to dangerous misdirection. There is a dark story of my past that haunts my dreams, freezes my soul, and causes my body to shudder violently, which I’ve worked hard to conceal. Today is not the day to dwell on this moment, today my heart is seeking joy in the breeze. After a few more moments of dancing while adding flower petals and dandelion seeds to the mix of leaves and breeze, I gradually slow to a final bow. “How was that, Auntie?” I asked, breathlessly. “You, my dear are a beauty, now hurry to the cottage, we have much to discuss. Your nineteenth birthday is in 2 days and we need to prepare.” Auntie replied firmly, while allowing a smile to soften her approach. Waiting until she turns away, I roll my eyes before I follow. “Do not think I missed that young lady, the spirits speak to me and your eye rolling never goes unnoticed.” Auntie scolds. I smile and quickly fall in step behind her. I am nearing my age of adulthood when I know my abilities will begin to transform. Auntie wishes I would buckle down and focus on my future, however my father says he’s not worried about me finding my path. High school never worked for me, so I chose to sit for the graduate equivalent exams and passed - essentially dropping out at the age of 16 and receiving my GED instead of my actual diploma. To appease Auntie, I enrolled in a nursing program at the age of 17 which I have since graduated and earned my license even though I’m not actively employed. I’m still seeking myself, the real me, the me who can be content in my own skin, and I’m just not ready to give myself in the duty to others until I have found me. Nearing the cottage I see the familiar scene of my father sitting outside on our porch swing watching the sunset. On the evenings which he does not work, this is one of his favorite past-times, often followed with us staring at the moon and stars, drawing pictures while connecting the dots. Sliding beside my father, he greets me with his warmest of hugs. “How are you feeling little beauty?” He asks softly. “Today was amazing, I am really gaining control of the wind.” I beam at him. “Control? My sweet niece, you were mastering the wind.” Auntie gloats beside me. “Now if we could get you to focus on your future as much as the breeze...” Auntie slyly jabs in my direction. “Come now, Diane, she has plenty of time left to worry about that, why she has her entire life to think about her future.” My father smiles and winks at me. “I’m going to go get cleaned up for dinner!” I quickly exclaim, before hurriedly escaping into the house. As I close the door behind me, I lean against it, the voices outside still carrying through the open windows. “You know she is still young, and she’s had a dreadful life, why do you feel the need to rush her into growing up, Diane?” My father sounding more stern than joking now. “Lewis, you and I both know what the prophecy foretold which led to the horrors she has already faced. She will turn nineteen in just two more days, at which point her abilities will begin to transform exponentially. It will not take long for her to be found when they do.” Auntie replied, with a tremble in her voice. “Diane, the Rosebud pack and the Spirit Lake pack have both agreed to offer their protection. They are our allies in this. They are already offering their scents to conceal our home and hide the trace of human blood.” Countered my father. I heard my fathers boots hit the porch as he stood and stretched. “I’m going to head on in to clean up for dinner as well. Try to calm your nervous heart.” He followed up with gently, kissing Auntie on the forehead. Quietly I ran up the stairs to my room, just before I heard the front door open. Locking myself into my bathroom, I turned on the shower, letting the water wash over me, while trying to drown out the thoughts of everything I had overheard. To no avail I tried to steady my racing heart, all I could think was that someone has already gotten to me, and someone was coming after me again. Mother Spirit, save my soul.