Badass Rejected

Chapter 8: Grandfather

"Someone call the crash cart!" A voice yelled in the pack hospital as Greg talked to Gabriel about what Sam had told him. That when the heart monitor went flat in Sam's room causing everyone to run to her room. But when they got in, everyone was baffled to find an empty bed. Gabriel pushed in and looked at the empty bed and then around the room.

" Where is she?" Gabriel growled as Theta Greg handed him the clipboard with a note scribbled down on the paper. He read the few simple words on the white paper.

Gabriel,

I'm sorry, Do not follow me.

I may or may not come back. I cannot be around you anymore at this time.

Sam.

Gabriel growled and launched the clipboard into the wall. John looked at it and grabbed the board. He too read the letter and sighed just as they heard the growl of a motorbike. Gabriel rushed to the window and looked out followed by John to see a motorbike drive away with familiar brown hair flying behind.

" God damn it! I lost her once and now I have lost her again!" Gabriel yelled as he jumped from the window. John quickly followed as Gabriel growled and shifted into his large complete black wolf and ran off into the forest. John quickly followed suit to keep an eye on his alpha.

Sam continued to drive down the road, letting the wind drift through her hair. The feeling let she was running settled her inner mind as she thought a place she could go. Then she remembered about the time when she had just run away from the pack. How she found a placed where she was safe for a month before leaving to the real world.

Sam finally pulled up of the highway and onto a dirt track toward. She pushed her bike slowly over the uneven road and deeper into the dense forest that only grew thicker. The sky had grown dark with dirty clouds as a misty rain settling in. She slowed her bike to a stop outside a wooden cabin that was covered in greenery and surrounded by appliances that were mostly hand made. The old wooden door opened for an old salt and black pepper haired Native American man walked out. His smile widened when he saw Sam slipped off her bike as Sam smiled to him as well.

" Sam! Bozhoo! (Greetings)" he called placing a hand on his chest and bowing moving his hand toward Sam.

" Bozhoo. Grandfather, it is good to see you." Sam said copying his movements.

" And how is, my child?" He asked her as he turned and walked to the campfire and began to get it ready to light. Even though there was rain, grandfather had placed a shelter to shield to area from the rain.

" That is why I am here, grandfather. I fell I have lost my way for I met with my past and came away the defeated." Sam spoke crouching down across from grandfather.

" I see, but you have not lost your way, your path has merely been hidden from your sight. Your job is to find it once again." Grandfather spoke as he set the fire and settled himself on a log chair. "Now tell me child, what has brought you here?"

" I was wounded badly in a battle with four rogues, I was found by my old pack and taken prisoner at first. But then Gabriel showed up and everything seemed to change. As much as I felt to pull, I resented him for all the pain he caused." Sam began the long tale of the past week and a bit, ending with the part on how her life expectancy has now dropped to a mere three weeks.

" I see you have had quite the experience since last we met." He stated as they fell into silence. "Well, you are welcome here for as long as you need."

"Thank you," Sam spoke as she watched the fire burn away. A calm and peaceful silence fell over them as the fire crackled and burned away softly.

"An old Cherokee chief was teaching his grandson about life... 'A fight is going on inside me,' he said to the boy. 'It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.' " Grandfather spoke over the fire to Sam who listens to his tale. "The chief said. 'One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.' He said" Grandfather paused as he held onto a small twig in his left hand.

" The chief continued. 'The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.' " grandfather explained handing another twig in his hand.

"This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too." Grandfather continued as Sam looked at either twig in his hand.

"Which wolf will win?" Sam asked him as he smirked with a soft chuckle.

"The one you feed." Was all he said as he put the twigs into the fire and watched them burn. Sam though over his words and the old tale as the day turned into night. Grandfather walks over to the cabin and reappears with a medium box in his hands. He walks over and take his seat once more and placed the box onto the ground in front of the fire.

" To find your path, you must know to find yourself." He spoke with a nod and opened the box, he lifted out a piece of folded cloth and placed it onto his lap. Unfolding the piece of blue cloth to reveal an eagle feather. He reached down to a small clay bowl and lifted it into both his hands. He muttered a few words in a foreign language before pouring water into the bowl and then holding a small glass bottle full of a clear liquid. He poured a drop of the liquid into the bowl and put the small bottle away. Grandfather pulled out a branch from the fire as its tip burned and muttered words again before blowing the flame out leaving it smoking with embers. She moved the smoke over the bowl then under while chanting, he then placed the stick back into the fire and picked up the feather. Grandfather placed the cloth into the box and stood up, he lifted the bowl to the sky in on hand and the other with the feather. Bringing them down, he walked over to Sam and circled the eagle feather over her head. He handed her the bowl from which she drank the water then lifted the bowl to the sky and handed it back to grandfather.

" Listen to the wind, it talks," Grandfather muttered in a chant to Sam as she closed her eyes and listened deeply.

" Listen to the silence, it speaks." She continued to do as he said as she listened to the silence.

" Listen to your heart, it will guide you!" He called out as everything fell into silence.

" Guide me to what?" Sam asked as grandfather walked over and put everything away.

" What you desire the most, my child." Was all he said as he turned his back and left, leaving Sam alone with the fire and her thoughts.

What is it she desired most?

She then smiled known what she desired the most. Sam stood up and doused out the fire before rushing over to her bike and starting it up. She turned to the cabin and bowed for a few moments to pay respects. She jumped on her bike and drive off down the road to what she desired most at that very moment.

She desired a bar and a packet of cigarettes.