Reservoir of Power Ch. 07

Dumbstruck, Lena managed to miss whatever Randi spoke about through the rest of her opening spiel; she only came back to the present when Randi and her team members began to call everyone down onto the track they had carefully taped off. The woman had invited everyone down to learn the basic derby drills and Lena found herself leaning toward making a quick exit from the gym when Pastor Dave was one again at her side.

"So Lena, are you going to show us what you've got" he said with a polite smile. "I'm sure that every single person here is wildly curious to see the two of you skate! I know they've never seen anything as large as the two of you on skates before!"

Lena began to stammer out her demurral but Lucky interrupted her response by saying, "Yes Baby, let's stretch our legs for a bit. We've been on the road for hours and we really need it!" And then he gave her a private look as he said, "...and talk to a few of these skaters. Maybe they can teach us something."

Oblivious to what Lucky had just hinted, the pastor wished the couple good luck before moving on to speak to some of the elderly parishioners who would not be skating tonight. Lena nodded her understanding of Lochlainn's real message and began to lace up her skates.

Once the man was out of hearing range, Lucky leaned forward and whispered his ideas into Lena's ear. Not expecting much, they agreed to split up and see what they could learn; both of them throwing themselves whole-heartedly into picking the brains of the Rollerz, doing their best to half-heartedly participate in the drills conducted by the host team.

Lucky, as a relatively new skater, had no trouble appearing to be out of his element, but Lena, fully decked out in her green skating boots with emerald rhinestone spangled overlays, had a much harder time appearing to be a novice. She did her best to make frequent mistakes, but no one was really buying her act. Forty minutes into the clinic, Randi rolled up to her and said what was on everyone's mind.

"Okay... Lena, was it? You've obviously done this before, so I'm kind of curious why you showed up out of the blue tonight. Are you looking to join a team?" she asked, somewhat hopefully.

Figuring that her cover was mostly blown, Lena chose to come partially clean. She beckoned the coach into a quiet corner and she began to speak, "Okay, I'm busted; you got me. I'm already on a team, and my boyfriend and I were just passing through town when we heard about your clinic. We'd heard about a private league that plays around here and we thought we'd take a quick look while we were in the area."

With a skeptical look upon her face, Randi answered, "A private league... really? Lady, we barely have enough skaters in the public league! I have no idea how there could be a private league in our area!"

The surprise on Lena's face must have been obvious, because as soon as Randi saw Lena's expression, her skepticism immediately diminished. She asked, "You were being serious weren't you?"

Lena nodded her head and was quiet long enough for the older woman to continue. Randi took a deep breath and starting over, she said, "Everything is organized via the web-site. All of the local teams, all of the skaters, everything... you've seen the web-site? Right?"

The younger woman responded, "Yeah, our team is on there too. I play for the Big Mountain Misfits out of Kalispell."

"You're a Misfit?!" Randi snapped back, her voice rising once again.

Lena began to babble, "Umm... yeah. I joined a few months ago. I'm pretty new to derby though; I'm more used to using ice-skates. But, you've actually heard of my team?"

"Oh yeah; we'll never forget the Misfits. Your girls scheduled a game with us last year, and then you didn't show up. Nobody called us... nothing. The girls were pretty pissed!"

Confused, but beginning to understand that these women were not the enemy, Lena apologized and began to try to fix the problem. The two women continued to speak for several more minutes, and eventually Lena offered to teach Randi's team a few blocking techniques in order to make up for whatever miscommunication had happened the previous year. Randi quickly accepted Lena's offer of goodwill, and Lena spent the next hour working with Randi's team.

Meanwhile, Lucky had found himself surrounded by the children of the church. Their questions were not about skating or even the roller derby. They asked him endless versions of how tall he was or whether he was a real Viking.

At the end of the clinic, Lena had left the members of the Rollerz battered and bruised, but she had left them smarter than they had been when the clinic had started. She hadn't learned anything that might solve the mystery of Honey Bea, but she was pleased that she had done her best to repair the reputation of the Misfits.

Lochlainn, on the other hand, had one of the best nights of his life. He'd never had the opportunity to be surrounded by children before, and he found that he'd loved the experience. For some reason, their completely open minds and even more tactless questions had warmed his heart. There had been no artifice in their behavior, and for these children, a red-headed giant with beads in his hair and beard had proved to be as irresistible to them, they were drawn to him as bees to pollen.

He'd spent his hour answering questions about, his size and whether he had any Viking magik, and at the end of the evening he'd mostly been left wondering, "Who was this Hagrid person anyway?" Lucky resolved to find out. In any event, the children had kept him much too busy to really pursue the odd smell that had been in the air. Not that he would have had any trouble indentifying the scent if he'd been in his bear form. In that form he would have immediately identified the scent, but his human form was mostly nose blind.

As the couple was walking out of the building, Randi rushed over to shake Lena's hand, thanking her for her efforts to mend a rift that she hadn't even known existed. The coach was experienced enough to realize that there were no circumstances on Earth that would cause her to want to play any team of which Lena was a member anyway. The two women exchanged email addresses and agreed to keep in touch.

Pastor Dave reappeared to invite Lena and Lochlainn to come back any time the couple was in the area. He also pointed out that the church's children were all obviously upset that Lucky was leaving, and considered the way the evening had begun, the young lovers were happy with the way it had ended. They really hadn't accomplished anything, but they had helped others in accomplishing their own goals, and somehow, that was enough.

This only lasted until they got to the dark end of the parking lot though. "What the Hell?!" exclaimed Lochlainn, as he saw the condition of his Econovan. There were muddy prints all over the boxy van, and the prints had clearly been placed there deliberately. No animal would have climbed all over his van on purpose, and with this sight, he suddenly placed that annoying smell that he'd scented all night long. He knew that smell- wolf.

"What on Earth?" Lena gasped.

"Remember when I told you how the Lady said that Bea would send us to the wolves? I'd kind of hoped that she was speaking metaphorically. I've never met any wolves before, but Dad always said that bears and wolves were natural competitors."

"Enemies?" asked Lena.

"No, not exactly, we are only competitors, just not friendly ones. Bears and wolves are... different. I've always thought that wolves would be irritating I guess. They are said to be so territorial; and there are never just one or two of them. If you see one wolf, you can count on the fact that there at least a dozen more of them lurking nearby. You know, like rats and fleas. They don't appreciate isolation like we do."

Lena gaped as she said, "rats?"

"Well, no, not exactly like rats. It's just that they have no use for personal space like we do. It seems as if they are not immersed in a mountain of family and friends, then they're not happy. Artio only knows why they'd want that. We bears need our space. We need a peaceful place to think things through; a place of our own. A cave maybe."

"You don't want a family," Lena asked quickly.

"No it's... I mean... yes I do. I do very much, but to me, I only need my family to be close. I'd like to keep everyone else at a distance. Other people are so loud, just too disruptive. It's hard for me. Bears are used to being alone with their thoughts, being able to ponder things without interruptions."

"You don't trust anyone else?"

"Not easily, but when I do, it's absolute! It's like when I was still playing football when I was a boy; there were always so many agendas on those teams. It was dizzying to figure out who wanted what. I've always thought that a bear would make a lousy coach. There's no way that a bear would put up with what an Alpha Wolf has to deal with on a daily basis."

Lena looked confused and Lucky continued, "I've always thought that wolves were insane! Just give me my job and then stay the hell out of the way!"

Lena was still confused as she tried to process what Lochlainn was telling her, but she was still listening to him when she saw him point to the window.

She saw something written on the window in messy paw prints. It was dark in the rear corner of the lot, so Lena used the flashlight on her cell to take a closer look. Yes, she saw that the message was in English, and it did look to have been written in puppy sized prints. Several words were misspelled, but she could make out four words: Ansers at Wisky Lake.

Lena looked at Lucky for a moment and saw that he was watching her face as she read the words. Then she said, "It looks like a child wrote this. Do wolves lose intellect when they shift?"

"I don't know. I don't think so, but I've never met one. I doubt if they do though. Look at the size of the prints. Those prints are too small to be from an adult wolf."

"You think a wolf child did this?"

"Looks like it."

"So, do we trust that this is actually a message, or could it be a prank?"

Lochlainn thought about it and then said, "I think that it is time we gave up on trying to surprise Bea, and instead just call her and stop beating our heads against the wall."

Lena agreed, and since she still had her phone in her hand, she changed screens and hit the dial icon. Bea's number rang repeatedly before a recording picked up and calmly explained that "This number that you have reached has been disconnected. Please check the number and try again."

Lochlainn's hearing was acute and Lena knew that he'd heard the call as she mouthed, "what now?", and held her telephone in the air.

"Why don't you call Mary and see if she has any more phone numbers... or ideas?"

Lena promptly called Mary's cell. Mother Mary answered, and the two began to catch up on the last day or so. Lochlainn became bored after awhile and made the mistake of giving Lena the 'hurry up' signal. Lena saw his gesture and immediately shot him a wrathful look. This caused Lucky to shrug his shoulders and begin cleaning the mud from the van, as he mumbled, "I ought to leave her here," although he was grinning as he started the job.

Sometime later, Lena disconnected her call, and turned back to Lochlainn. Seeing her, he sighed theatrically and said, "Hell babe, I've almost finished the second coat of wax. I thought you be at least another hour or so..."

"Ha ha, very funny you asshead! Now, get in the van. You have a bathroom door to fix before we can go to sleep. Randi told me that there is a Wal-Mart over on Crater Lake Highway. If you can get the knob fixed quickly, we'll have plenty of time to cuddle, but we are going to have to sleep before we drive to our next destination."

Lochlainn grinned and said, "So... Now where are we going?"

"We've given up on finding Bea. Mary said that all of the bitch's numbers have been disconnected. She knows because she's tried every single one of them... and then she reminded me of something that I had forgotten. She said that all of the girls who came to Mike's Tavern said they were playing a game in Idaho tonight."

"Crap, I'd forgotten about that!" Lucky replied, "all of those girls were bitching that they were gonna be too hung-over to skate another match."

"I'm betting that Medford doesn't mean anything to Bea; I'll bet that she's not even from here, although it does look like she's led us here for some reason. I had about decided that when Pastor Dave didn't pray for them because they were on the road. He prayed for everybody else. If he'd have known them, believe me... they would have popped up on his list."

"So, we are going to the home of one of the Werewolf clans?"

"Mary agreed with us that it would be the best choice. She also said that the lake was only three hours away and what was the worst that could happen?"

"Umm... That we could be attacked and ripped apart by angry werewolves?"

Lena looked at Lucky but didn't say anything in response.

Then an almost wolfish smile appeared on Lucky's face as he wickedly grinned, "If it's only three hours away, then why do we have to get up so early? It sounds like we have lots of time!"

Lena approached Lochlainn slowly and began to unbutton his shirt, and as she ran her hands up his bare torso, she said, "Because our first time is NOT going to happen in a Motel 6, my love. I demand a better memory than that!"

Lucky grinned stupidly before he leaned forward and said, "I like smart girls."

Lena cocked her head to the side and growled, "Girls?"

"Girl... singular... smartest one I've ever met," Lucky quickly corrected. "...and I'll keep my hat on."

"Not a chance. You are going to be as naked as I am. I won't be allowing clothing," Lena replied while nibbling on his neck. "But that won't matter because your control hasn't snapped yet, my love. Your Goddess said that we had until December to figure this out."

"I'm not waiting til December," snarled Lochlainn.

"Damn right you're not," snarled Lena in return as she began to bite him once again. Evidently, she had decided that she liked the taste of Viking.

~~~

At about the same time Lena was biting Lochlainn, there was a reunion going on in Redding California.

Florence grabbed her adoptive grandfather into a loving hug; she hadn't seen Ja-mul in months. Ever since the worldwide unveiling of the Were, Ja-mul had been in Washington negotiating the People's interests with the American leader, and she had missed the old man. It seems that she was the only one on the planet who actually trusted the old con artist. Florence loved Ja-mul dearly and she knew that she would forgive him anything.

William, as the new Alpha of the Billington clan, wasn't nearly as forgiving as his mate. While it was true that he also trusted his grandfather... well, after a fashion. It was just that he wasn't about to talk about any of that; this would set him up for a series of prank wars with his grandfather. No, he was way smarter than allowing the old man to get started on that game again.

Ja-mul saw the look on William's face and asked, "Grandson, why is it that your woman missed me more than you did?"

"Oddly enough, she still trusts you for some reason." William replied with a smirk. "I can't imagine why! She's usually smarter than that."

"No, I don't think that's it at all. She's merely the only one who isn't afraid of me." Jamul said with an amused grin.

William rolled his eyes before giving his grandfather a hug. He released him saying, "So... since when does an old Coyote demand a personal retrieval by the Alphas, rather than allowing us to send our valet to pick you up; don't you like Stan? You must have called us here to discuss something. You obviously wanted to speak with us privately."

Ja-mul did his level best to apply an offended look to his face, but William wasn't buying it for a second, and Florence was just laughing at the two men bickering before her. So the shaman was forced to concede William's point. "Okay fine, you aint gonna bite on that one huh? I guess maybe you aint so stupid after all. But just so you know, you used to be more fun before you got your new job!"

William knew that he had won this hand, but he also knew from long experience that this was just part of the coyote's long con. So he didn't gloat; he just shook his head and said "c'mon you old goat; I'll get your bags while Florence takes you to the truck. We can talk more once we get on the road."

Ja-mul looked to Florence and whispered, "See granddaughter, I told you that my grandson wasn't as stupid as he looks. It sounds like he even knew that he would be carrying my bags."

Florence just laughed as she took her grandfather by the elbow and headed for the parking lot. William headed in the other direction, well aware that he'd been sent on a mission to locate his grandfather's luggage. He hadn't been surprised by this game of fetch-- no; he hadn't been surprised at all.

Indeed, William took perverse pleasure in dragging his feet while he was off gathering his grandfather's luggage. He played with his cell phone for awhile, and he even stopped for a leisurely cup of coffee, but eventually, he returned with the bags and loaded them into the back of a pack S.U.V. William started talking as soon as he pulled away from the curb, "Okay, you old bastard... Start talking. Jeff might buy your lines of bullshit, but I don't. So spill it."

Ja-mul didn't bat an eye before he answered his grandson's accusations, he merely said, "Xwun has a job for us. Something big is coming our way and we're supposed to sort it out."

"Uh huh... and what's the rest of the story. What is coming our way, and just exactly why do we have to be the ones to sort it out?"

"I can't really say much more than that. You know how Xwun works; if I tell you what's coming, it might change how it all turns out... and this one really isn't about the Billington pack this time."

"So you are telling me that whatever brought you here is important enough to demand your personal attention, and that Florence and I will just have to fix whatever you screw up, but that you can't tell me jack shit? Is that about all of it?"

"Exactly," the Shaman said, his face lighting up in glee. "See granddaughter, do you see how smart he has gotten since he met you?"

William groused, "I liked it better when you were still staying with Jefferson."

"You know... come to think of it; I think Jeff was happy to hear that I was needed at Whiskey Lake," the old man replied guilelessly.

"Yeah, I'll bet," William growled menacingly, but then he had an awful thought and he could feel a sinking sensation beginning in his stomach. "Umm grandfather, if you didn't actually have any more than this to share with us, you could have just told us once you got to the lair. So why exactly did you insist that we come pick you up personally?"

But this time Florence broke in, "Stop fussing at your grandfather, I told him that it'd be nice to take a drive together so we could catch up."

"This was your idea?" William replied with a thoroughly betrayed look.

"Well yeah! You two needed to get this out of your systems before we have to put on a show for everyone else. It sounds like this might actually be important and the three of us are gonna have to put on a brave face for the rest of the pack." Then Florence looked at the two of them, both of them with surprised looks on their faces, and it didn't bother her one bit that she was the only one who was actually laughing.

~~~

Lena awoke early the next morning with her dream still fresh in her mind. She looked at the clock and saw that it was only 6.a.m, and most importantly, Lochlainn's arms were still wrapped tightly around her, so she wondered why the Hell she was awake? She was so comfortable and warm. Everyone that knew her understood that Lena never woke early; this was a fundamental law of nature.