World of Ranicke Bk. 02 Ch. 03

Nang traded looks with Dan and all he could do was shrug. "If you feel what he is saying is true and it is calling you then accept." For the moment he was positive that they weren't going back any time soon and they might as well find a spot in the tribe to fill.

She nibbled on a knuckle and closed her eyes and thought for several minutes and Dan was right. She was feeling a pull towards the old man. It was hard to describe but it almost felt like her spirit wanted to accept the offer. There was silence in the room for about twenty minutes before she opened her eyes and looked at the old man. "Yes I accept this offer of yours. What do I need to do?"

The Mystic looked at her and smiled again. "First there is a document on my desk. When I am done take it to Moran." He coughed again and could feel his spirit longing to be released. "I am going to transfer my knowledge to you. This is how the Mystic trains apprentices. As you practice and learn slowly more knowledge will come to you." Before she could respond he took her hand and let his spirit take over.

Nang froze in place. When she came back to herself she didn't have any idea how long she had been gone. Dan was sitting in a chair looking slightly concerned and then pleased when she opened her eyes and smiled at him.

The Mystic started coughing again. "Lady would you mind holding me? I am not long for this world and the comfort of warm arms holding me as my spirit gets ready for its next journey would be nice." He was even paler and looked incredibly fragile.

Nang sat down and wrapped her arms around him and rested his head on her chest. For some reason she started singing Lullaby for a Stormy Night to him. When Dan settled on the other side of the bed he rested a hand on the man's shoulder and gave him a light squeeze. "Rest sir knowing that we will take care of the clan for you."

It was only a few minutes later when the last breath rattled in his throat and he passed away. Nang had tears on her cheeks as she finished the song and kept holding him. She didn't know him but her spirit seemed to feel like she had known him all her life.

Dan quietly stood up and walked out of the tent and looked around. He finally noticed a warrior walking past. "Go and get Chief Moran and it is urgent that he come here now." Dan's voice was gruff and thick with emotion.

The warrior looked at the caravan and recognized it and then ran into the rain at top speed.

Dan didn't have to wait very long before Moran and several others hurried up. "What is wrong Dan?" He had a very good idea of why Dan urgently called for him.

"The Mystic passed away about ten minutes ago. He gave Nang his knowledge and told her that she was his apprentice. There is also a document on the desk he told me to give to you." Dan moved aside so the Chief could go in but he held his hand out to the others. "Please wait out here. There isn't enough room in there for everyone."

Dan turned and climbed in but stayed at the door to ensure that nobody else tried to get in. His face was almost emotionless though his eyes showed some sadness. It wasn't necessarily from the old man dying but for the sadness Nang was feeling. As he was standing in the door Moran went over to the body and checked and sighed.

"Nang we will need to talk in a day or two about what happened. Right now we need to have the body prepared for his funeral pyre." He moved over to the door and called out some orders which scattered the people Dan was blocking. "They are going to let the appropriate people know to collect the body and prepare the fire."

Now Moran walked over to the desk and picked up the document and sighed. It was pretty much what he expected since it was the old man's last will and testament. "Nang he is giving you all his possessions except for the gift jewelry and his Mystic bracelet. For the rest it is up to you to sort out and decide what to keep and what to dispose of."

Moran looked around. "If you wish I can have someone come in and remove things like his clothing and get clean sheets for you. If you want to wait a few days to move in that is fine as well and everyone will understand."

Nang looked around the caravan and considered it. She closed her eyes and a bit of knowledge came to her. Since she didn't know the right words in his language or what language he used she quietly murmured in her native language. As she was murmuring certain things seemed to glow and she could feel them connect to her as she accepted her new role. She finally opened her eyes. "Have someone clean it please. What I want to keep they won't be able to touch or move. Have them collect everything else, organize it and leave it outside in the tent. I will make the final decision on everything else later."

Moran nodded to her requests. "It will be taken care of Mystic. Why don't you and Dan go back to Jim's tent and relax and maybe catch a nap if you need one." He gave her a good hug and petted her hair for a few moments. "He will be greatly missed but I have a feeling you will do well and fill his shoes when the time is right. Tomorrow I will show you to where the two junior mystics sleep and work." He stepped back and urged her into Dan's arms.

With a slight nod Dan wrapped an arm around her. "I will let Jim know as well when we get back." With a slight nod he turned and led Nang away from the caravan. He wasn't very comfortable with the whole 'mystic' thing since he lived in the real world. Maybe it was his time in the military and other jobs he had done that had forced him into facing the world the way he did.

Eventually they made it back to the caravan and Bear was there along with Jim and some of the kids. "Jim the Mystic passed on not long ago. He made Nang his apprentice and transferred his knowledge to her. He also gave us his caravan and tent as well as everything else in there. "We will be moving in probably tomorrow."

Jim was already looking slightly strained since Bear had informed him just a few minutes ago. "I heard and now that you are here I am going to the Chiefs tent and wait for him to return. As an apprentice chief he will have things I need to do. When the ladies get back send them over." He stood up and slung his axe and headed over.

~~~ Jim

Once he was at the chief's tent he found Sorrel's siblings there as well and all were looking as strained as he felt. "I called for some warm drinks in one of the pots so there will be plenty to go around." He settled down in a chair and leaned his head back and tried to relax. Jim had no idea how long it would take for Moran to return and start giving orders. The pyre was usually the night of the person's death so his spirit wasn't stuck in the body for longer than needed.

There were exceptions to this such as when the caravan's had been attacked and they had to take care of the injured. They also had to set up a temporary camp which had delayed the pyres. Here was different since it was a fixed camp site and other than the rain they didn't have much to worry about.

As he was trying to relax he felt someone lightly touch his hair and then curl her arms around him. He knew it was Sheeha. For the moment her arms were gentle and a quiet purr was coming from her. "Relax Yimmy and let me comfort you." She moved forward till his head was resting against her chest and she lightly stroked his shoulders.

He did let her comfort him and sighed as he enjoyed the close contact. "Thank you Sheeha, I really appreciate it." The stroking and warmth was helping Jim relax. He felt someone put a warm cup in his hand and without bothering to open his eyes he took a sip and found that it was one of the energy drinks. He slowly drank it down and had just finished it as Moran walked in.

Jim sat up in the chair but let Sheeha lightly massage his shoulders. With the Chief was several elders, one of the two junior mystics and the senior shaman followed him in. Jim considered standing but he was feeling entirely too tired.

Moran settled in his chair and everyone could see just how stressed he was. "The shamans have the body and are preparing it. Eldon is going to talk to the various songsmiths and musicians and select the appropriate music. The pyre is going to be when the sun goes down as is normal so the spirit can follow the sun to its next life." He rubbed his face but still looked exhausted.

Jim looked up at Sheeha. "Get the Chief a large cup of the drink please."

She nodded and silently moved to the tray and filled a large mug. She carried it over to him. "Here Chief Moran this will hopefully help sir." She handed it to him and he smiled at her.

He stroked her ears for a moment. "Thank you Sheeha and you can go back to Yimmy." He took a sip and enjoyed the warmth of the cup in his hands as well as the boost of energy since he needed it. "Before he passed away he asked Nang, Dan's mate, to be his apprentice and she accepted. He also bequeathed her his tent and caravan. I am going to assume this means that they will be here for a while though I hate to say it. I know they probably want to go back but we don't have any way to do it currently."

That got the various people murmuring and Jim simply leaned back and enjoyed her warm. She was different from the others since she had been trained as a warrior and exercised a great deal. He could feel her muscular arms gently draped around his neck and her hands resting on his chest.

Moran gave the people a bit of time to discuss what he had just informed them about and shook his head. "If the Mystic took her as his apprentice then he sensed something in her that he hadn't found in anyone else. Nang is a wonderful person and so is her mate. It might take some time but she will take over as lead Mystic. There isn't much else to say about it." That got silence and then more murmuring and he sighed.

Jim looked at Moran and caught him with a slight smile on his face and nodded to Jim to continue. He sat up again and looked at everyone there. "That is enough. The Mystic has spoken and there is no questioning his word on this subject. She will take over and there is nothing you can do about it." His voice was firm as he spoke.

Someone growled and then spoke. "What gives you the right to order us around? You are just an upstart youngling human." There were one or two other murmurs of agreement with what had been said.

Jim's face hardened as he stood. "Do any of you recognize this necklace?" It was the necklace that marked him as a Chief in training. "This as well as Chief Moran's nod to me says I have the right to deal with this part of it. I did not ask any of you a question I made a statement and it will be obeyed. You will give Nang and her mate the respect they are owed." His hard eyes moved through the crowd.

"If any of you feel differently then I will meet you in the challenge circle with the weapon of your choice." His axe came out and hit the table with a thunk. He was going to owe Moran a new table but at the moment he didn't care. "If there are no further questions we have a funeral pyre to prepare. You know your jobs in relation to this so instead of talking go and prepare to send the Mystic off with the respect he deserves."

They scattered after he essentially ordered them away from the tent. Jim had to take some slow deep breaths. "Sorry if I was rather abrupt but with the loss of the Mystic everything seems a bit off."

Sheeha came up behind him again. She had felt him starting to reach for the axe and moved back. Sheeha wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his. She started purring again though this time there were hints of desire. For some reason when Jim pulled this attitude out it really struck her and made her excited.

Moran smiled slightly. "I know what you mean son. It was a bit abrupt but sometimes as a Chief you have to be to keep things under control. Mind you I will want the table fixed in the next week or two." He gave Jim a sad grin. "Sometimes I wish you had a different weapon of choice. I am tired of having to get my tables fixed."

Jim blushed slightly. "I know Chief and it will be taken care of. I need to go and find Eldon and see what is going to be on the list of songs. If you will excuse me." He pulled the axe out and re-sheathed it and started out of the tent. Sheeha went with and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He returned the favor and they slowly walked to the songsmith tent.

While enroute his mates found him. Nasha and Nora hurried over to him and wrapped their arms around him. Since his arms were full Sheeha went over to Sorrel and wrapped her arms around her. Jim held the two ladies for several minutes as they sobbed into his shoulders. It was very obvious that they had heard the news of the Mystic's death and he did his best to comfort them. "Hey, it is going to be okay. I know it is scary and concerning to lose the Mystic. Everything is going to be okay. He appointed an apprentice to take his place."

He comforted them for a bit longer. "I need to get to the songsmiths caravan to find out what music we are going to be playing. Go back to the tent and try and relax okay?" He kissed both of them and after one more hug he let them go and moved over to where Sorrel was. "I will take over Sheeha and thank you for your help." Jim curled his arms around Sorrel and stroked her ears gently. "It is going to be okay love. Let Sheeha take you back to the tents and once I am done with the songsmiths I will be back."

~~~

It was about two hours later when he finally made it back to his caravan and flopped down in a chair and sighed. With all the fun and excitement of the last day or two Jim was feeling beat and his back was tense as well. He started kneading his shoulders to try and relieve some of the tension.

Sheeha heard him come in and walked up to him. "Your ladies are lying down and trying to rest." Her hands settled on his shoulders and urged him to lean forward. "Relax Yimmy and I will give you a brief massage. Tonight I will give you a much better massage." She leaned forward and lightly nipped an ear. "No falling asleep though or I will pounce on you." Her hands were gentle on his shoulders as she worked on his tense muscles.

Jim managed not to sigh. "I won't since I am not sure what part of me you might pounce on and give a tongue bath." She laughed and Dan and Nang walked in.

"Jim Nang and I are going to move into the caravan left to her. The Chief is going to make sure that it is cleaned out of all his personal items and cleaned before the pyres." Jim kept his head on his crossed arms that were resting on the table. Dan smirked. "From what a little kitty told me you sort of need the love shack for the next week or so."

Nang lightly punched Dan and snorted. "Be nice Dan or you will be sleeping outside for the week." She traded amused looks with Sheeha when she said that.

"Dan don't encourage her. She is already sneaky enough during..." He tensed up and tried not to laugh and wiggle since she started tickling his ribs. "Darn cat I am going to get you for that. Jim whipped around and managed to catch her and pulled her into his lap. His fingers found her ticklish spots and with an evil laugh he started tickling. "Now who's wiggling and squirming?"

He stopped tickling her and as she was catching her breath his arms wrapped around her head and trapped one ear near his mouth. In revenge he started licking and nibbling on it and she started wiggling again.

"Ack, Yimmy it is my job to attack you not you me you darn human." Even as she was growling at him she started to relax and snuggled close. She really wanted to drag him to the tent but that would have to wait. "If you will let me go I will go and get some lunch for you." Sheeha needed time away to cool down or she wasn't going to be able to hold back.

Jim laughed at the expression on Dan and Nang's face. He was grinning as he let Sheeha up and just for good measure gave her tail a light tug. "Thank you for the massage and for offering to get us some food." She hissed at him when he tugged her tail just for good measure. Once she had left he did sigh. "Thank god they only come into heat twice a year or I would probably be dead by now."

Nang shook her head and had an amused expression on her face. "Are you trying to say having all the fun you want is not what you want? What a strange idea coming from a male." She had a brief talk with Sorrel but it was just long enough to give her a general overview.

Jim snorted. "Not when they are in heat. It is more a case of managing to hide from them to get a few minutes to recover." There was a jug of juice on the table and he poured a cup and took a drink. "Oh, I wanted to let you know your girls can stay here for as long as needed. I know the caravan and it isn't designed for more than one or two people. Eventually you can expand the tent to give them some room of their own. Till then they can stay here and since there are children of all ages they should remain occupied and start making friends."

Nang nodded. "That was pretty much what I figured and was going to talk to you later. I think it will be good for them since it will help them become integrated." As she was speaking Sheeha came back with some food. "Smells interesting and thank you Sheeha. Maybe later you can show me a bit more around the tribe before the ceremony this evening."

Sheeha gave her a shy smile. Even before this morning Nang had a sort of presence around her. "I would be pleased to Mystic. We can go and take a look at some additional clothing that fits you and your lovely children better." Besides since Nang was now the Mystic, even if in training, she would automatically be given better quality clothing and so would her family.

Nang rolled her eyes. "Please call me Nang Sheeha. It is the nick name I was given when I was little and am used to it." She sighed when Sheeha looked shocked. "Please use my name. It will help me settle in and become more comfortable here."

Sheeha lowered her ears in embarrassment but nodded. "Yes Mystic Nang. I will do so at your request." No way in hell was she going to call her just Nang. At the moment she looked the age she was.

Nang sighed. "Good enough Sheeha and thank you." She looked at Jim and grinned slightly. "So Jim just how old is she?"

He coughed both because of the question and because he had been drinking. Once he cleared his throat he looked at Nang and smiled. "Well Mystic she is about 90 turns old and is robbing the cradle since I am barely 42." Sheeha bopped him on the head and he grinned before turning to the food and started eating.

He could feel the glowers from the women but kept eating. Sheeha left in a bit of a huff since he was teasing her. He knew that even though she was technically older than he was due to the way they aged but had teased her before like that. Dan just shook his head and started eating.

It was right as they were finishing that Ana walked into the tent and had to pause. Her mother was still frowning at Jim and her father was looking amused. Off to one side and behind a curtain she could see Sheeha holding the curtain slightly open and was looking at Jim. She rolled her eyes and wondered if Sheeha was always this playful.

"Afternoon mama, poppe Dan, and uncle Jim. A couple of the older kids showed me around and we stopped by the food tent." She blushed slightly. "Now that was odd since it felt like everyone was staring at me." Partially she was trying to distract Jim to see what was going to happen.

Jim snorted. "Probably because of the color of your skin, eyes, and hair. Most of the people around here tend toward the Nordic or European look. I would have to guess no one has ever seen an Asian before." Right about then Sheeha dashed out to pounce on him and Jim ducked.

Sheeha sailed over him with a yowl and landed with a slight thud on the floor and growled at him. As she was growling at him he sat back up and took a sip of his drink. Ana walked in and was giggling at both Jim's actions as well as Sheeha's. Sheeha's eyes narrowed and once Ana was further inside the tent she stood and then pounced on her though she was careful. Ana squealed and then started giggling as Sheeha started bathing her face.