The Sioux Pack

Written by Carlisle Cullen and Embry Call

A young girl shivered as she looked around her. The sky was deep, dark as coal, then perfect hint of a pacific coastal region summer night. It was a new moon and only the stars were pinpricks of light up above them. They looked like tiny cut outs like you made in kindergarten classes through black paper on top. The fir trees towered as dark, imposing, encroaching shadows around the small, circular clearing in which she sat, pressed in between her auntie and her grandmother in the full circle of women around a campfire. There were many women, fifty maybe... or more... certainly not less, all smushed together around the leaping flames over the logs. The fire was pushing on four or so feet, for it had flared up when new wood was added. It burned oranges and reds and yellows. Green flickered at the very top and it glimmered blue just over the coals. The young girl felt, at this moment, as if she was a part of something- a part of something bigger than herself. A part of a group, a part of something maybe she couldn't fully understand.

One of the oldest women leaned forward and slowly opened a small bag, tipping it over near the wood... something poured out into the flames... there was a hisssss of the flames as the fire burned almost pure blue for a brief moment and then went back to normal. - Salt from the driftwood probably caused the reaction. The attitude suddenly changed as the soft murmurs died away and the oldest woman, who had colored the fire, stood. She was old, plain. So old she had rheumy eyes set in her russet face, filled with wrinkles upon wrinkles... She had a lot of thin white hair, twisted onto the back of her head. She had claw like hands and a tiny body that seemed to draw in on itself from her hunch back. However, she was known as Mother Ursula. No one knew how old Mother Ursula really was, but she was the head of their tribe and she was a woman to be feared and respected from the youngest baby to the oldest grandmother, for she was older than them all.

"Tonight... I will tell you a story." Mother Ursula began, sitting down near the fire on a log, being in the center of the circle. She took from within the pocket of her bearskin robe a small, wooden pipe. "This story goes back nearly to the beginning of the time of humans. Almost to the beginning of the time of our people." she said. She stopped in her story to fill the back of the pipe with some strong smelling tobacco leaves. She leaned down and lit it with embers from the fire and slowly raised it, taking a deep draw on the pipe. "That's better." She murmured to herself, taking another deep draw, her voice was low, rich and thick. Her voice reminded the young girl of rich meat... her face reminded she of leather... her beady eyes that of a bird... "Long ago, when the Earth was still covered with trees and animals roamed free across the land, our people lived in peace with the plains. Our crops grew plentiful, our children ran without fear, and our leaders lived soundly into old age. Life was perfect for the people of the Sioux Lakota.

"Then, without warning, our fearless people were being found dead in their homes, in the forests, on the river beds. There was no explanation for these deaths, and our people worried that it may be sickness. Families stayed close together, communicating less with others, and begging the medicine man to rid the people of this tragedy. He used all of the powers that the earth and the great one gave to him, but the tribe was becoming smaller and smaller as the days wore on. After a council with the elders, the medicine man made a decision to attempt to find if there was another tribe, using bad medicine against them.

"The medicine man decided to pull his soul from his body, to see if he could feel any bad medicine in the air surrounding the tribe"s land. Late one evening, he called upon seven of the tribe"s most fearsome warriors to protect his body while he left it. With the men standing in place, the medicine man laid himself down, and concentrated on flying above the land, with the birds, and soaring through the skies. When his eyes opened, he saw that his body was beneath him, and being carefully protected. He felt no ill medicine in the air, which confused his thoughts. He let the wind carry his soul through the air, into the surrounding forests.

"He suddenly paused when he saw a lone grey wolf watching him with a knowing expression. He felt a sudden chill, and watched as the wolf"s eyes followed his own deeper into the darkness of the woods.

"My wolf brother, the medicine man thought, what is this thing in the air that is slaughtering my people" It is no sickness, and it is no ill medicine from man"

"The wolf"s head bowed deeply, and the fur along his spine stood straight on end. The medicine man could feel the vibrations of the growl rumbling in the wolf"s throat. Slowly, the wolf looked up at the medicine man again, and he could hear the animal"s thoughts in his own mind.

"These are no beings like I have ever seen before. Their skin is not browned by the sun like yours, and they do not hunt animals for nourishment as you do.

"Then what do they eat" The medicine man asked him eagerly.

"A quiet whine left the wolf"s muzzle, and his ears folded back.

They drink the blood of your people.

"The medicine man could not believe the thoughts that were travelling between the two. The wolf once again looked up to the man; his eyes seemed to be appraising him. Then the wolf"s thoughts poured into the medicine man"s mind once more.

"Come to me brother, use my body as your shell and share my thoughts. I will show you what these creatures are and what they have done to your people.

"Hesitating for a moment in the air, the medicine man drifted towards the wolf"s welcoming body. Slowly, he felt his soul melt with the wolf"s body, and he could see as his animal brother could. Their thoughts intertwined. The medicine man saw the wolf"s memories. There was a young girl by the river; the medicine man recognized her as one of the dead. He noticed another being, one with skin as white as bleached buffalo bones, and eyes as black as the coals from a fire gone cold. His movements were light, as he seemed to saunter over to the young woman. She could not hear him; she did not see the way he loomed over her body as she gathered water into a bladder pouch. He stepped from the shadows and the medicine man saw his skin sparkle like one thousand river washed stones, shining from the glossy water. The being moved quickly and soon had the girl in his arms, its teeth biting through the tender skin of her neck. Her scream was muffled by the hand of the blood drinker. The memory vanished from his mind, and the wolf"s thoughts returned.

"I could not bear to watch any longer" These are the beings that are terrorizing your land.

"How can I stop them" If they continue, there will be no one left of our people.

"I wish I could help you, Brother, but I do not know of a way to kill these beasts. You must warn your people. Gather your strongest warriors, and fight them.

"The medicine man felt his body lift away from the wolves and he was looking down at the animal as he had done when they first met. There was something different about the way he felt, but the medicine man could not understand why.

They are strong and faster than I have ever seen, but we will fight them. We will do what we can.

"Good luck, Brother.

"The wolf turned, and ran from the spot, and the medicine man made his way back to his own body, still safely guarded by the warriors. He smoothly entered his body and stood, the men watched him as he did so to ensure he was safe to walk. The medicine man called a meeting of every warrior, and their chief. He told them all what happened, and what the wolf showed him. Even the most boastful warriors looked frightened as the medicine man told his story, but they knew that to save their people, they would have to fight -even if it meant their own deaths.

"The next day, warriors stood ground around the tribe"s camp, watching -waiting. For six days, they lingered around the border of their village, but they saw no sign of the being that the medicine man spoke of -until the seventh day. A scream echoed through the lands, and the men ran to the source, reaching for their bows. They all saw the being -the blood drinker, as he glided into the camp, without seeming the least bit fearful of the people. The medicine man recognized it as the one the wolf had introduced him to, but there was something new about the monster. Its eyes were deer red, like the sun before it lowered itself away into the night. Suddenly, the warrior"s arrows flew through the air, and all of them bounced off of the blood drinker as if they had shot them at rocks.

"The cold one came at the men, and killed two of them with their own arrows before anyone could do anything. The medicine man was angered. How could they stop this fiend if he was faster and stronger than them, and their weapons could not pierce through is skin" The medicine man closed his eyes, he felt his body shake violently -and a sharp pain rippled through his old bones. When his eyes opened, he saw the world from a new prospective.

"His hands were now paws, and he could see a canine like muzzle where his nose would usually be. At first he was frightened, but then, the wolf"s voice entered his thoughts.

"This is how you will defeat the blood drinker" From now until the end of time, you and your offspring will be the protectors from these cold ones. You are stronger and faster, so now you must save your people.

"The medicine man darted through the camp, using his newly acquired sense of smell to locate the cold one. It wasn"t difficult at all. He found it stalking away from a body left on the ground, and took it as an opportune moment to jump on the beasts back. It was cold and hard" and somehow it could hear the medicine man coming. The medicine man felt the cold one"s teeth tear open a piece of skin near the shoulder. With his sharpened teeth, the medicine man lunged forward, and anchored its teeth around the cold one"s neck, and used all of the strength the Great One gave to him, and tore the head away. Carefully, he pulled every limb off, and then when he was finished, the medicine man became a human once more.

"The people of the tribe were grateful, and amazed by the medicine man, and to show their appreciation, they threw a bonfire, made from the limbs of the ruined monster. They danced and sang around in the purple smoke long into the night, each person recounting the tale of what they saw." Mother Ursula slowly drew to a close, taking a few deep dregs on her pipe and putting in more tobacco. "From that time on, every child born from the medicine man"s blood was able to phase into a wolf if the cold ones came around. They are the protectors and the shields given to the tribe from the wolves. If only this had been the end of those monsters... but it was not... many years passed... It came to be that the men and women who could turn to wolves became the stuff of legends... no one believed it anymore..."

A young girl found a wolf cub in a trap... the braves from her village had done it... and so she freed the cub... let her go free you see." The woman paused. "'Go away little wolf... go away and run free with your pack. Grow big and strong little wolf.'" the girl said. The woman's voice took on amazing characteristics of the small girl from so long ago, for you see... she was a story teller... And a very gifted one at that. And she was telling the most important story of all... the story of how their tribe came to be. The story of how they were created.

"The wolf cub was free and she grew into a strong, big, proud alpha female wolf, the leader of her pack. But she never forgot what the young girl had done for her. She never forgot that a young human girl had once saved her life. She would never be able to forget that... even when the fur on her back turned white with age and the young girl had grown into a young woman and got married to a brave and had a little baby of her own. That female wolf that she had freed did not forget about the thing that he been done for her. Then one day strange pale skins- the white man... they came to the girl's village. The white men had no care for the village"s ways... they made promises and did not keep them. They promised to be friends and share the land but they did not. They brought a strange God and strange clothing and traditions and strange diseases. One night a fight broke out in the village between the pale ones and the girls' people." The woman stopped... her audience was wrapt with attention. She took two more deep puffs on her pipe, attempting to draw the story out and add an element of suspense to it.

"The wolf saw what was happening... He saw them burn the camp, hurt many of the women and children... saw them tie up the braves and take them far away. They left innocent women, older ones and younger alone... they left babies with no fathers... they had no respect for the land... they stripped it off all it was worth, took what was not theirs to take, they did not pray to mother earth in thanks for their meals or the rain that watered the fields and grew the crops they planted. But worse yet they had stripped the village off everything of value. They had left young girls hurt, bleeding... crippled forever and the village would never be the same again you see for the pale ones had ruined them. And the --happened in the village. She told about the girl freeing her from the trap and how now perhaps they could do something to help the humans from their own trap. She selected nine of the most willing and together they went to the village, padding softly through the forests, quickly. When they arrived in the village, they went to the most injured, the ones who were very ill. They shared their spirits with the young girls and made them very strong. Now I do not mean to say that these girls became wolves for they did not my sisters... but they shared a spirit with the wolves... strength you see... "She paused to poke more tobacco into her pipe and take a few more dregs.

"But from that day forward," Mother Ursula continued, "They felt a connection with their 'sister wolves'. This was a very special connection between a saved and a savior... the special bond that you cannot just have with anyone, you understand" A very special thing that is altogether uncommon. I do not mean to say that these women ever visited their sister wolves' bodies, but their mental connection was one... was fused as one they knew, you see, what their sister wolf thought and their sister wolf understood what their sister human was thinking at the very same time, even when they were not together." Mother Ursula paused again and then when urged- especially by the youngest girl, she slowly lifted her head- her wrinkled old face was captured in the light of the fire and she continued her story, slowly but surely.

"When the young girls grew up and found braves of their own and had children of their own... the children grew... but they discovered something... the connection of their mother's sister wolves had been so intense that the girls were able to become wolves! They were able to assume a form of a wolf... each different and unique as her mother's wolf sister had been among her pack. They were able to phase back and forth from their human to their wolf forms seamlessly, as if changing out of a shirt or pair of moccasins. And they also learned that each of the ten girls who had had a sister wolf had had a daughter and each of those daughters could turn into a wolf... and one had a son ... and that son was able to as well- only one of their children... many of them had more than one, but it was only ever one child affected with the special gift and so they came to realize that it was an extremely special gift and not just everyone would possess it." Mother Ursula paused, "But the terrors of the pale faces did not stop." Suddenly everyone in the group- including the young girl, sat up straighter- they had not heard this part of the story before.

"The pale faces come to destroy young ones of their kind... out of control and killing. They ask our help... they ask us to help them to conquer their enemies." Mother Ursula paused. "Among us still are the descendents of that brave medicine man and those women who are able to turn into wolves... it will be up to them if they wish to go and help the pale faces." She spoke solemnly as a ripple of excited voices and whispers spread through the crowd gathered around the story telling circle. The woman stood and pocketed her pipe. Slowly she began to change and then there was a pop as a deep silvery wolf exploded into view before their eyes, standing in a pile of the clothes that Mother Ursula had been wearing. Slowly, all around the young girl, who was shivering with excitement as she did at every council meeting..., the women around her slowly, began to assume their wolf forms and pad silently forward to join Mother Ursula and the sister of their pack, their ears pricked softly, their eyes glowed... The little girl shivered. She could barely wait until she was old enough to become one of those brilliant, knowledgeable wolves. She could hardly wait until she was old enough to join the sisterhood of the wolves... old enough to take her rightful place as an heir and do her duty... her place in a society of noble sisters, striving to use the gift they'd been given all those centuries ago... for the good of all people everywhere.

They would go to help in the fight.