25 Ch 25 A Visit Home

Dad was there the moment I got off the bike.

"Where's your phone?"

I pulled the long dead device from my saddlebags. Dad handed it to Derrick, motioning toward the house.

I never made it to the house. Dad grabbed me in a wrestling move before I got halfway there. It ticked me off. I wanted to sleep in my own bed, not fight on the front lawn with people watching.

At least it didn't develop into a fight. The wrestling hold turned into a big hug. Dad was telling me I wasn't supposed to be stupid. I didn't think he was going to let go for a second.

I hugged him back. I was looking forward to telling Dad my story, at least the part with the wolves and how I rescued the kids from the fire. I knew the story of the elders around the fire was something Grandfather would understand.

Dad and I were still holding each other around the shoulders when we turned toward the house. Mahina was standing in the doorway with Derrick. I looked at Dad.

"I wasn't the only one worried. Derrick had called, said you were out of it for a bit."

"Yeah, got stuck for a sec, did too much too fast I think. Stopped in Cherokee lands at the house of an elder, found my way back."

We went to the bike to unload. Dad saw the practically empty skin that held the tea. He picked it up, examining the workmanship.

"New skin."

"Old Badger Woman made me tea. Gave me some for the trip home. I want to gift her one of mom's bowls. She reminded me a lot of Auntie."

"You'll have to take Mahina by Anna's."

"I will, tomorrow. I want to set the tent up in the back, give it a good scrub down, re-treat it just in case."

We unloaded our stuff. Dad didn't even open my duffle bag but headed straight for the laundry room, smelling the smoke clinging to my dirty clothes. I hugged Mahina in the living room, not wanting to let go.

"You need to do something about your dad. He put me up in his bedroom. I feel so uncomfortable..."

I kissed her to hush her, knowing dad could hear.

"You'll never get to meet my mother. He just wants you to get a feel for her. It's his way of honoring her. I'll talk to him."

I knew it wouldn't do any good.

"Dad, Mahina and I are going to stop by Auntie's for a bit, I want to tell her about the tea. Derick, you wanna come? It's just a few blocks away."

"Nah, I'm good."

He couldn't fool me. The second we were gone, he was going to tell dad everything he didn't manage to get out on the phone. Not that it mattered. Dad already knew I had gotten lost within myself, he just didn't know how I had gotten lost. I wasn't positive I knew for sure myself.

Mahina and I held hands walking down the street. I led the way through Auntie's back yard. Her yard was full of raised garden boxes full of different vegetables and herbs. Dad and I had helped the group of men that built her green house back when I was a kid. Many were the times after a good kill that dad would send me down with some steaks for her.

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I pointed out some of the plants to Mahina, including the blueberry bushes around the house. Auntie didn't believe in wasting space on purely decorative plants.

I knocked on the back door before going in. Mahina seemed a little hesitant about just walking in someone's house without hearing an actual invitation. I reassured her and headed through the small laundry/mud room into the kitchen.

I sat Mahina at the table, then put the tea kettle on the stove. While I waited for the water to boil, I got busy. There were a few dirty dishes in the sink that I washed, setting them on the rack to drip dry.

There were herbs hanging here and there in the kitchen, as well as her jars and containers filled with dried herbs on a shelf. I pulled out a small bowl, started mixing a pinch of this and that, sniffing a few, testing my memories. I could hear Auntie puttering about. She'd find her way to the kitchen when the kettle whistled. A whistling kettle was her real doorbell.

Auntie was grandfather's sister. Her gray hair was always pulled back. She wasn't someone you messed with or disrespected in any way. She was also someone you could go to about anything. Her door was always open to whoever had need.

By the time I was putting my mix into a tea ball, the kettle was whistling and Auntie came in to sit next to Mahina.

"Where are the cups, boy?"

"Getting them now, Auntie."

I grinned at Mahina as Auntie looked her over.

"What kind of tea do you need, my dear?"

"The kind that puts her at ease around my dad!" I answered for her, grinning.

Auntie just looked at me for a second before cackling. "Ain't no such tea. Just be glad you ain't ever had detention with him," she told Mahina. "He keeps those boys busy. You talk to him about the group he has tomorrow Little Wolf?"

"No Auntie, just got in. Stopped in Cherokee territory for some tea."

"You don't like my tea any more, boy?"

"Special circumstances Auntie. I think I've duplicated it but I'm not sure. What's left is in the skin there."

Auntie was on the council of elders and knew what I was. She sniffed the leftover tea, poured the last of it in one of the cups. She compared what I made with what the old Cherokee woman had made. She sniffed both, tasted carefully.

"Who made it?"

"Old Badger Woman."

Auntie looked up at me sharply, looking specifically around my neck. Her measuring look took in the absence of a medicine bag. When her gaze made its way to my face, wolf looked back at her for a second. I had a quick superimposed image, but it was too quick and I couldn't make out details.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Your rudeness does not become you Little Wolf. You should not go where you are not invited."

"My apologies Auntie, I'm still learning. Lots of new things to learn these days."

She humphed and turned her attention to the tea more carefully.

"Close, what you did. I have a friend over in Cherokee lands. I'll call her, see if I can find out who made it for you. It's always good to talk shop with another herbalist. I'll make more for you. Pick it up tomorrow. You will end up needing it, knowing you. Why are you still standing there? You have a lady at my table with no tea. Get busy! Impress me."

I grinned and laughed. My many failed attempts to bring her stuff from the woods as a child had her teach me about her herbs. I chose a few dried berries added to chamomile for Mahina, and for Auntie I added a little something to help with her arthritis. I chose cinnamon and vanilla to add to my chai tea.

Auntie turned to Mahina, placed a hand on hers to reassure her.

"It isn't my kitchen he invaded without permission. Anyone who needs tea, whether for their body or their mind, even just to talk, is always welcome. This includes you my dear. Just put the kettle on."

We spent the next hour with Auntie telling stories about my mother and my childhood.

It was a slow walk back home, holding hands, me sneaking in a few kisses.

"I was surprised to see you," I told her after one kiss, "but I'm glad you're here."

"I was worried, especially after your dad called me asking if I'd heard from you. What happened?"

"It's hard to explain, even to my dad. It's a spiritual thing. Among my mother's people, we're encouraged to find our spirit guide. I'd found mine recently. During the fire, I woke up, hearing someone call for help. I had to go. My spirit guide led me to a young teenage boy holding a hurt young girl. I carried her out. I think because of the urgency of the situation my connection to my spirit guide got... tangled, I guess is one way to put it. I needed his spirit-vision to find the kids and to find my way back out of the forest."

"You were in the middle of the fire?"

I merely nodded. She gave my hand a squeeze. I snuck in another kiss, smiling at her.

"Afterward, it was like we just didn't disconnect, and I didn't know how to. I don't know. I was going on autopilot for a bit there. I knew where the closest elders were, I can't even tell you how. Spirit guide led me, I guess. I just knew where I needed to go. I stopped, slept, ate, drank tea."

I gave her a small smile then, bringing her hand up to my lips.

"We're told not to talk about our spirit guide usually. I don't think what happened to me was totally normal, if you know what I mean. I'll talk to grandfather about it tomorrow."

"I'm not sure I'm ready to meet more of your family yet. You are all very close."

"Grandfather is a special case. I'll try and spare you," my grin wouldn't go away as I tried to reassure her. "My whole tribe is like one big family. It's a small community here, and we watch out for each other. I can't think of anywhere I wouldn't be welcomed. It's more than just living in the same place. It's culture, history and heritage. What's it like for you in Hawaii?"

She swung my hand for a bit, gave it a bit of a tug to bring me down for another kiss.

"A lot like it is for you here I guess," she said finally. "Big extended family, our own language, culture."

"I'd love to meet your family sometime and learn about your culture. I bet you know the ocean the way I know the mountains. Dad even mentioned tackling Hawaiian as his next language."

"Hawaii has mountains you know."

"It does?" I opened my eyes wide in mock surprise. "I thought they were called volcanoes out there."

She let go of my hand then in order to slap my arm as I laughed. Her hand was quick to find mine again, which for some reason stirred me. I wanted her so bad right now. I stopped in the middle of the street for a deeper kiss.

She pulled away, embarrassed. She looked up at me with this look in her eyes that reassured me she would want more, just somewhere a bit more private.

"Sorry, you're too beautiful to resist."

Definitely time for one of those more intense looks. I was rewarded when she blushed. We made it to the front steps and sat down. I had no intention of releasing her hand. My thumb kept moving back and forth on the back of her hand. My other hand found its way down her other arm, then back up.

We were interrupted by Derrick at the front door.

"Your dad said dinner is ready. Do you guys ever eat anything other than steaks and potatoes? No, don't tell me. Mighty hunters."

I laughed as I led Mahina inside... and through the house. Dad had everything set up out back, including a fire in our pit. He even had some of my cousins' music playing in the background. I raised my eyebrows at him. He just shrugged and gave me this tongue-in-cheek look.

"I think dad likes you," I whispered in Mahina's ear, "cause I don't think he put the music on for Derrick."

She blushed again, which made me wonder how I was going to make it through the night without embarrassing myself with my desire for her.

Overall, dinner was comfortable. I could tell dad was refraining from teasing me. Derrick just looked tired.

"Dad, Auntie mentioned you had a whole group for detention tomorrow. Who pulled what prank?"

He took another sip of his drink before answering. "The whole wrestling team, for the third weekend in a row. Something is going on with them, but they won't say what. Even after me riding them the last two weeks. Any ideas?"

"Maybe they just want you back as coach."

"I don't think that's it. Something is bothering them. Will you talk to them in the morning for me?"

"Sure, then I'm heading over to the general store. Story time still at ten?"

Dad just looked at me, before finally shaking his head.

"What?" I asked, slightly annoyed. He should know I couldn't resist. "It's been awhile since I've had the time to enjoy it, and the store is right next to Anna's. Besides, that way Mahina gets a glimpse of..."

"Did I say not to go?"

Dad's voice was rough and a little harsh. I realized I was pushing buttons I didn't mean to. Story time had been Mom time. I shushed. Dad and I shared a look.

"You know,"I said finally, "I might have to convince Anna to add to the collection. Could be interesting."

Dad just snorted.

"You'll see tomorrow," I told Mahina as I took in her confused glances between me and my dad.

I was looking forward to the chance to share some of my past in a unique way. Her surprising me here meant I could show her more about me than she could learn talking over coffee.

Dad insisted Derrick help him clean up, which gave Mahina and I a little time for that more private kiss. I think she appreciated my efforts to make up for my earlier behavior considering the way she responded. Dad cleared his throat before stepping back out.

Dad was full of surprises as he played a bit of some more traditional music that mom had favored. He looked at me and shrugged as he started moving around the fire. It was he and I for a bit doing slow shuffling steps.

I could see his body spasm suddenly. I knew he had shifted. I watched dad moving around the fire with a man-body and full wolf brain within. I knew he wanted to know what had happened to me, but for him to try it here shocked me a bit. I knew we both had more to learn about the wolf, so much more than we thought we knew.

We shared a look. He gave me a challenging wolffish grin. Suddenly I was smiling back at him. We both howled as the two of us man-wolves danced around the flames, leaping as wolves do. It took dad a minute to be man within again. He went around the fire once more before pulling Mahina up, giving her a spin.

I laughed out loud then, shifting back myself.

We had a good time the rest of the night. Derrick had even joined us around the fire, claiming he felt like a fool because he had no idea what he was doing. It wasn't long before dad and Derrick headed to bed, leaving Mahina and I to watch the fire die down.

Our personal dance had slowed after they left, becoming nothing more than an embrace in which to share our kisses. My hands began to explore her body. The exploration wasn't one sided. I closed my eyes in contentment, shivering as her hands traveled the length of my chest, along my back. I could feel myself stir when her hands went in my back pockets.

My tongue leisurely entangled itself with hers. We pulled apart, only to reconnect again. I didn't want to go to bed. I was too exhausted to stay awake.

I finally banked the fire, leading her inside. I couldn't resist giving her one last goodnight kiss before leaving her in the doorway of my parent's bedroom.

"You know Dad put you here because he knew it's the one place I would never be able to..."

She put a finger to my lips as she blushed again, her eyes twinkling at my implied testament of my desire for her. I kissed her hand again.

Ten minutes later she finally gave me a shove away and closed the door.