Black River Daughter

Elders and Historians

Frankie

We piled into Mom’s Durango for the day-long drive into Black River country, I would have loved to have been able to take the Favorite pearl blue Wrangler, but it would have been a tight fit with grandpa riding with us. I sprawled out in the third row with the cooler sitting next to me on the bench seat. Grandpa napped in the captain’s chair in front of me with Justine playing on her tablet next to him. Mom and Dad were in their normal positions with him driving and holding her hand in her lap. She didn’t have a problem driving an automatic because she still had her right leg, but she was one of those people that just didn’t like to drive if she didn’t have to.

Dad on the other hand loved to drive. We had three vehicles in the family, Mom’s suped up Durango, the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, with a huge lift and big knobby tires, and Dad’s dream car, a Hellcat Challenger. That one he named Nebula, and had a galaxy paint job done when he retired from the Army. He won a few car show competitions, but right now he kept her in the garage and only took her out once a month to keep her running. We would go out for a joy ride, and it was thrilling, the engine was loud and he would open it up and take us on open empty country roads and take the speedometer into the triple digits. I felt safe because I had a five point harness and a helmet. We would only do this when one of his medic friends was able to come out though, I guess Mom was always scared of a wreck.

I on the other hand couldn’t wait to get my license, because I would be getting the Wrangler, at our old home in North Carolina we were part of a Jeep club, and I got to drive when we went on trail rides. I loved taking the doors and the top off and just riding through the forest, it reminded me so much of running in my wolf form. Our family has always been nature oriented, camping, hiking, gardening, and just reading under a nice shady tree. One of the reasons I loved visiting Black River land is that the expanse of nature reserve calmed me. This trip worried me, because my wolf was special, and that alarmed the elders. I hated the elders, they were all stuffy old men, and didn’t want to join the modern age. Dad was far too forgiving for how they treated him and my mom.

I tried to relax and just watched the trees wiz past the windows. My mind wouldn’t let go. I began to feel like a freak again, some giant amongst dwarves. It felt unfair to be different, even though I knew from the start that my whole family was different. My dad is a freaking wolf for crying out loud. Not everybody knows about this, not humans anyway, they are kept in a need to know loop. My skin began to itch as we passed the boundary to the land. “Dad.” I spoke up getting his attention.

“What’s up baby?”

“My skin feels like it’s crawling, is this normal here?”

“Uhhh, no. We are five minutes from the pack house. Let's get there and see what’s up.” He tried to reassure me, but I could hear the waver in his voice. 

As we pulled up, I could see a group of people waiting for us, Grandma and Grandpa right up front, and judging by the pruny faces the rest were the elders. My breathing and heart rate sped up. My face felt hot and I began to sweat and shiver. As soon as he put the SUV in park I flung open my door and shifted into my wolf panicking. I was disorientated, and the ground around me felt like it was moving in waves. The elders gasped and turned away from me. I must really be a freak if this is how they react.

My dad rushed around the Durango and hugged my neck since that was the only thing that he could wrap his arms around. “Shhh, Baby it’s okay, we’ll figure this out, you are not a freak.” Dad responded to what I thought was just in my head, and not a mind link.  Mom hopped out of her seat with her leg already strapped on, and hugged me from the other side.

“Just breath baby girl, try to focus.” She began stroking my face and ears. “Start at your head and work your way to your toes and the tip of your tail.” I closed my eyes to concentrate, slowing my breathing down, letting my wolf merge with myself. The dizziness abated, and the ground didn’t feel like I was surfing anymore, but an energy was pulsing underneath it. I laid down exhausted, overwhelmed.

My grandparents finally walked over to where I plopped down, I could hear their hearts hammering in their chests. “She is absolutely breathtaking.” grandma said as her hand replaced Mom’s

“Her aura floored me, youngin you are like nothing I have ever seen before in my life.” Grandpa added. I huffed.

I could hear the elders a few hundred meters away talking about me, they were trying to whisper, but they had to have known my wolf hearing would pick up every word. Pops was walking up to them to add his notes. Most of what they were saying was confusion of how I could have happened in the first place, and trying to figure out what I was exactly. Well none of them called me a freak, so I guess that’s okay. One line that I heard an elder say had me interested and I lifted my head to look at him. “If she’s not blessed by the goddess herself, then she is no wolf at all.”

I asked Dad through the mind link to take me inside so that I could change and put some non shredded clothes back on. “Yeah kido, I’ll have Grandma get you some snacks too.” I rumbled in delight at the mention of food.

Once in our family suit in the pack house I shifted and went to the bathroom to wash my face, I could still feel those waves of energy, almost compelling me to bring out my wolf again. I felt nauseous and had to sit down on the edge of the tub to gulp some water. “Hey baby, I have your bag.” Mom called from the other side of the bathroom door. 

I opened the door standing behind it to accept my bag. “Thanks Mom, I’ll only be a minute.” I quickly pulled on some yoga pants and a tank top, and left the bathroom with my bag. “I didn’t pack any extra shoes, are my sneakers still okay?” I asked, setting the bag on the sofa.

“I’ll have Dad get you some more tomorrow. Let’s get you some food, you look shaky.” she said, shaking her head.

“Those were brand new.” I moaned in disappointment. 

“Yeah I know, but we can order some more of those, not like we are hurting for money.” Agreeing, mom led me into the restaurant sized kitchen of the pack house. Delicious smells hitting me as soon as I rounded the corner. My tummy rumbled, as I pulled up a seat at the bar counter top. Grandma shoved a steaming chicken pot pie in front of me and moved the fruit bowl closer to me. I started devouring it, then began to work on the grapes and cherries in the bowl. 

“Slow down pup, I have brownies too.” she laughed at my ravenousness. I growled with a mouth full of grapes in response.

Swallowing, I apologized “Sorry, the word brownies has me excited. Can I have another pot pie too? Please?” She just laughed and pulled a second one out of the oven.

“Sorry mom, trying to feed her after a shift has been expensive.” My mom added.

“No trouble at all. Remember we normally have six to ten teenage wolves in the pack at any time all going through the same thing.” Grandma assured. “I can increase Rod’s stipend to cover it unless you guys plan on moving back.”

“I don’t know Mom, we just got settled into the house and have met the local pack.” Mom shrugged “Besides you know how hard headed Rod is, he won’t move back unless the elders apologize, and he won’t take alpha unless they let me be Luna.”

“Yeah, those old bastards have their heads and tails swapped.” I snorted nearly choking on a chunk of potato. I have never heard my grandma cuss. “Told you to slow down pup”

“I was fine until I heard your potty mouth grandma!” I say after washing my food down with some water. Mom and Grandma just broke out laughing.

“Oh young one you are so innocent. I have a rather fowl mouth, don’t have to use it a lot though.” she patted my hand then looked up when my Dad and grandfathers came into the kitchen to join us.

“Oh yes pot pies!” Dad exclaimed.

“Better hurry, your pup is determined to eat them all.” Grandma warned.

“I would fight her for them, but I think she would win.” dad eyed me before grabbing a pie for himself. “Tomorrow, we are all going to meet with the elders, they called someone with more of a background to come in. Our pack has a few legends of a ghost wolf king, that sounds like your unique wolf, and some dusty old prophecy written by a madman, but nothing concrete.” 

I sighed “Fine, maybe they can help me figure out how to get the ground to stop pulsing.” Everyone around me raised their eyebrows, and Pops pulled out his notebook scribbling furiously.

“When you are full, we should go sit in your grandpa’s office. I want you to describe everything that you felt after you said that your skin was itching.” He finally said. I nodded, slowing down on my meal.

Once I finished eating we gathered around the conference table in the room joining Grandpa’s office. Justine had found the cousins and left to get into some mischief, so I was alone with all the adults. I explained everything that happened, and that even now it still felt like the ground was pulsing with energy, like a generator that was running. “I don’t know, I can feel it, it didn’t start until we crossed the pack border, I just started to feel itchy, then I started to feel sick, so I jumped out of the car thinking that I was going to throw up, but as soon as my feet hit the ground I shifted, and the ground felt like waves. Once I caught my breath the physical feeling of waves went away, but it still feels like the ground is pulsing. Almost like a heartbeat.” 

“And this is the only location that you have felt that?” Pops asked, still writing.

“Yeah, and I knew we crossed the border because that tingle that I always feel was there too.” I answered.

“Wait, you've always felt the tingle? Even before your first shift?” Dad asked

“Yeah, I thought it was normal, because you would always announce that we were home as soon as I felt it.” I shrugged

“Honey, only bonded pack members can feel that tingle. You haven’t pledged to the pack yet. It’s part of the magic that wolves have.” Grandpa explained.

“Well I’ve always felt it. For as long as I can remember. Every time we came to visit.” 

“I wonder if she would feel this with any other claimed land.” Pops mused. “Can you mind link other pack members? Other than family, that’s a different channel.”

“I could try.” I answered wondering myself.

Grandpa’s eyes clouded over linking his beta. “I have Calvin coming in, we’ll test this now.”

A few moments Calvin Dobbs walked into the office. “Hey boss, whats up.” He was shorter than your average wolf, but just as broad, with tree trunk legs and big arms. He was aging too, as his grey hair and beard left evident. Calvin was an uncle to my dad, but I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with him, as he had about twelve of his own grandchildren. What I do know about him is he is quiet, and very kind, the type of guy that will stand up to any bully and try to make you feel like you have a voice.

“I need to see if Frankie can mind link you.” Grandpa stated

“She hasn’t bonded to the pack yet. How would that even be possible?” Calvin looked perplexed like grandpa was trying to prank him.

“Frankie go ahead, he won’t understand till you do.” Grandma instructed me.

‘Uncle Calvin?’ I skeptically asked, his mouth hung open.

“No, no, no, that shouldn’t be possible! Is that why the elders are in a tizzy?” He was flabbergasted. 

Everyone at the table had troubled looks on their faces as Pops just scribbled away in his book. Once he put his pencil down he looked up. “Once Demitri gets here, I’ll have to let him know. That young man isn’t as good as his predecessor, but he is still a mage, and should be able to give us something, especially if she’s able to feel the pack bond without a proper ceremony. I need to see if Justine can feel the boundary line too. If she can, we can assume she will shift like Frankie, and it has something to do with Samara’s Hunter lineage and Frankie isn’t the Goddess reborn.”

Dad’s eyes clouded over as he was asking aunt Kim to send Justine to the office. “She’ll be here in a few. Thanks Calvin, you helped a bunch.” Calvin nodded and walked out understanding that this was a family issue. 

My little sister darted into the room a little while later, still full of energy, and landed on grandma’s lap. “Aunt Kim said you needed to see me?” she asked looking at all the somber faces. 

“Yeah kido, we have a few questions.” Pops started. “You know how Frankie’s wolf is kinda special and has everyone confused?”

“Yeah, she’s sooo pretty.” I love my little sister, even though she tries to annoy me she fails when she says stuff like that. 

“Yup.” Pops smiled too. “So we need to know if you can feel the pack’s boundary line.” 

“Feel? Like how?” Justine asked.

“So every time an adult wolf crosses into their pack land their body knows it and they get a funny feeling through their body.” Dad elaborated.

“Like a tickle? Or like licking a battery?” Justine asked.

“Exactly.” Pops answered. “Do you feel that when you are riding in the car up to your grandparent’s house?”

“I normally feel it when Dad says something in the car. I thought it was because I was excited. But he didn’t say anything today, and I still felt it.” Mom and I both sighed in relief. Dad looked proud. “Does that mean I’m a wolf too?”

“Probably, but you are going to be a wolf like Frankie.” Grandpa answered.

Justine squealed so high pitched that I had to cover my ears. “Oh my gosh I can’t wait!” She was literally hovering with excitement. Then ran out the room to brag to the cousins.

“I don’t know if this is good or not yet.” Mom looked worried.

“We’ll see what Demitri can see. We’ll have to take Justine with us tomorrow.” Pops stated.

 The rest of the evening was calm, the entire family gathered around the huge dining table eating dinner and catching up. Aunt Kim, Uncle Hank and their brood, then Aunt Cloe, and Uncle Tomas with their first baby, and Uncle David, with Aunt Cindy and their youngest Daniel, who was two years older than me, all of three of his sisters were away at college. It had been a while since we had all gotten together like this, and it was nice to see everyone again. They all congratulated me on my first shift, and were planning a pack run for the full moon this week so they could see my wolf that has everyone excited.

All of the kids went to the theater room to finish the night with a movie. Talk of my wolf died down, everyone being content to wait a few days, especially since they know the elders still need to meet with us. At around nine pm one of the adults sent us ‘kids’ off to bed reminding us all that we still had gym in the morning, and would have to get up for that. The nice thing about being part of such a large pack is that they had a school on the land and didn’t have to worry about sending the students to a human school, so I didn’t have to wait for too long for them to be done with classes after the meeting with the elders.

The morning came too soon though. We got up and met with everyone in the gym for warm ups, I had to borrow a pair of Hannah’s shoes till Dad was able to replace mine. The kids all gathered on one side of the room, just like a school gym class, we went through stretches, were sent on a two mile run then regrouped. Instead of lifting weights like I would at home, we had a fighting instructor that went through some basic combative moves that would help us build on the fighting style that the adults practiced. The kids ten and under were sent to play dodge-ball, Justine made sure to show her disappointment. 

They cycled the specific fighting style daily, today was Judo, I loved learning how to use leverage to be able to throw a person twice my size. I noticed that I wasn’t getting tired like the rest of the teenagers though. My strength seemed to be improving since my first shift, and my muscles didn’t ache. The fighting instructor seemed to be breathing harder than me, and I hadn’t even broken a sweat. “Frankie are you even trying? You look like you’ve been sipping lemonade all morning” the instructor asked. 

I shrugged “I guess my first shift gave me a power boost.” He shook his head and laughed.

“Well that’s it for today, tomorrow is aikido, I want you to find a video on the pack DVR tonight and watch that so you know what to expect.” He said and dismissed us. I guess it’s time for a shower and the meeting. Justine ran up and tackled me in a hug.

“You’re going to show me all that when we get home right?” She demanded.

“Sure bubbles, no problem, probably get Dad and Mom to teach us too.” I promised.

After we got cleaned up, we headed to the elder house. It was a round building that the pack’s elders lived and worked in. Grandpa should be in the elder house, but Dad was supposed to be his replacement, so Grandpa couldn’t retire just yet. We all walked into the large central domed room in the elder house. The elders were all seated on one side of a large round table in the center of the room. There was a man with them dressed in a blue business suit with a gold tie. “Greetings Alpha.” the man said to my dad and grandpa, then to Pops  “Good morning Franklin” 

“Boy I told you to call me Pops, everyone else does” He grumped at the young man. “Everyone, this is Demitri, the council's Mage.” He then introduced us all to Demitri, and handed him a stack of typed up papers. “These are my notes that I have so far, the last page has a list of books that you might want to look through once we get back to the office.”

“Thank you, uh, Pops.” Demitri remarked as he leafed through the stack. Then paused on one page. “Wait this can’t be right, she’s only fifteen, there is no way that she could be this large already.” He looked up eyeing me.

“I-I can shift if you need to verify.” I quietly offered, my dad patted my hand resting on the table.

“Hmm, I think I would like to see for myself. This here says that your shift is extremely fast, if you don’t mind showing me, that will help too.” Demitri looked up from the papers clinically.

“I’ll get you a robe so you don’t ruin your clothes. You can change in the restroom down the hall.” Elder Whistler offered. I nodded and followed him down the hall to the public restroom. Luckily the door swung in, so when I need to I’ll be able to push it open and change on my own. 

I came back into the round room wrapped in the stiff robe. Everyone was quiet waiting for me. “You may shift when you are ready. I know this is awkward, and you must be nervous with all this attention right now.” Demitri kindly instructed. 

I stepped to an empty space in front of the table, closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and let my wolf push to the front of my head. I shook the tattered robe away from my fur and opened my eyes to look directly at Demitri. He was standing with his hands pressed to the table leaning forward in amazement. I sat back on my haunches to hear what he had to say now.

The elders all looked to Demitri, less shocked as they saw me explode from the Durango yesterday. He slumped back into his chair shaking his head. “I really don’t understand, this isn’t supposed to happen at all.” the bewilderment slowly drained from his face, he looked at me again. “If you want to change back to discuss further, please feel free to. I do have a few ideas of what might be happening.” I huffed in agreement and headed back down the hall. It was a tight fit in the restroom until I shifted back, but was manageable. 

I once again returned to a quiet room, with all eyes on Demitri or myself. “So what do you think?” Pops asked. 

“She’s an immortal.” Demitri said flatly. Everyone else gasped.

“What do you mean by that?” My mother inquired.

“She will not die of natural causes, and must be protected. She could feel the pack boundary, because she is of every pack, and no pack. She is the first Wolf immortal, all others have been dragons. So she is a first of her kind.” Demitri explained.

“So she’s not a Goddess, but almost.” Mom stated. “What about Justine?”

“If she can already feel the boundaries she probably is as well. We will have to wait for her though.” He responded.

“Is she going to keep growing? Her wolf I mean.” Dad asked.

“I think so, I don’t know for sure.” Demitri rubbed his face “I mean if her form is a wolf and it follows all other trends that wolves follow, then almost certainly. She should be normal in everything, except her size, strength and ability to communicate.” This left everyone quiet and introspective. 

“Well at least I’m not a total freak.” I finally broke the silence. A few of the elders chuckled. 

“Honey you were never a freak. Like we have all said, you are something special.” Grandpa told me. 

“Okay, well I’m going to be faster than all of you on that pack run tomorrow.” This earned a round of laughter from everyone except Demitri. He just had a contemplative look on his face like he still couldn’t quite believe what he had witnessed. 

My mother had me and Justine leave the meeting early for some political talk amongst the elders, my dad, and grandpa. We were all feeling a bit better once Dad and Grandpa joined us back at the pack house. Most of the elders were a lot more respectful to my mother, I guess if she was half of the reason that an immortal came from their pack then they would behave better towards her. Dad still refused the Alpha title, but they weren’t trying to push that on him anymore. I guess parenting and protecting a couple of immortals would be enough of a task for him. 

Once back in our family suit my sister and I settled down with our laptops to catch up on homework before the cousins were released from school. Hannah came right to our family room once she was finished with school, excited to start gossiping about wolves in the pack and how she thought all the other wolves would react to my appearance.The rest of the day had much less stress than I was expecting, and I was getting excited for the run as well.