Witch Clan: Warriors! by John Stormm (good book club books txt) 📕

/> “The lad is a Celt, of the plane of Abred,” he said , and then embellished the cross with a shimmering circle of light. “and he is also Sidhe, of the eternal summer lands of Gwynydd (Gwihn-nihd). This is the Wheel of this boy’s life and destiny. The Celtic Wheel. Neither this pooka, nor this savage have any part in that.”

“I am no mere pooka,” Coyote said with a low growl, “and through his great grandfather the boy shares blood with this savage. I would remind you that of all the ancient peoples on this earth, the Celts have been known as savages and barbarians of old by the Greeks and later, the Romans, only because they could not be dominated and shunned their concrete cities. But then, who better, would understand the savages of North America? I am no mere, shape shifting faery, Sidhe. I am a Teacher to my own people, and my medicine is far reaching.” He turned to address Little Fox, who stood quietly watching the Sidhe male doing his magick.

“Little Fox, raise your hands to the skies,” Coyote instructed, “and blow across your palms to the wheel in the heavens.” Having done as instructed, the four quarters of the circle filled with the colors Red, Yellow, Black and White.

“Behold the Medicine Wheel of this boy’s life and destiny,” Coyote proclaimed. “His limbs do not fight among themselves. His blood does not argue in his veins. He is mixed medicine, but he is only one boy. All of us must fill our place in this wheel to make him a whole warrior or he will not live long enough to honor any of us. Some have already bought his life with their own, and all life is precious.”

All such argument ceased and the focus was that it was in the best interest for all and the boy if he were fully trained with no parts lacking. The child had made allies in all realms, and the sacrifices of love would be respected above all things. The Rite of the Blessing Moon was complete. Emma let out a sigh of relief as someone tapped her shoulder and spoke to her urgently.

“Grandma, I can’t find my socks,” Johnny said nervously. “I think they are all in the wash and I promised Mrs. Clark that I‘d mow her back lawn today. Grandpa says to tell you the coffee‘s ready.”

Emma smiled at her grandson and stretched in her bed. It was always something with these men folk, but then, they were her men folk and she loved them dearly. She had made the boy her own since her daughter had given him up for adoption at birth. Lorry and Dave, along with Johnny's new half sister, Linda, were doing well for themselves, many miles away in California. The unusual forces of nature surrounding the boy had nearly destroyed their family. It seemed as though the Fates themselves had decreed that her grandson would be her responsibility alone. Which was just fine with her and Willard.

“Check my laundry basket in the summer kitchen, sweetie,” she said. “I took them off the line last night and hadn’t gotten around to sorting them yet.”

In a couple weeks the thin blond boy with the elfin features would turn ten years old, and nearly as tall as she was, and every bit as tall as his cousin, Leona, who was already fifteen. His rapidly growing limbs were causing him no end of embarrassment as he couldn’t seem to get used to how big he was. The clumsiness of this stage of his growth was making him quite accident prone. She considered her dreams for a moment longer and then got out of bed. She had to get these men out of the house and off to start their respective days. Leona would only be here for a few more weeks of fostering in the craft before returning home for school. There was just so much she wanted to take her through.

Willard rubbed his bald pate with a large gnarled hand as he looked over some drawings at the breakfast table with his coffee. He was in the process of finishing up an attic apartment for a neighbor across the street.

“I heard they already have a boarder lined up to rent that apartment,” she said, grabbing a skillet and some boiled potatoes from the fridge.

“Yes, they do,” he said. “I’m finishing the kitchen cupboards today and I have his rental agreement for when he shows up later. Got a strange name though, John Little Fox, it says here.” Emma nearly dropped the skillet, and set the bowl of leftover spuds on the sink counter.

“Little Fox?” she asked.

“Yep, that’s what it says,” he said. “I met him once while we were still framing the walls up there. He don’t look like no Injun, though. He’s got eyes bluer than mine. A quiet little guy, probably all of five foot two in his cowboy boots. Real polite and kind of a soft spoken sort. Hey, look at the time. I gotta get going, hon.” He drained his coffee, kissed her and dashed for the door.

“Hey, Grams,” Leona said walking in and giving her a hug, “that wash we made of thyme, rosemary and marjoram seems to be doing the trick for my complexion.”

“Well, keep using it and stay away from the sodas and chocolates, sweetie,” she said. “That pretty face won’t take much effort at all to stay that way.”

“Johnny thinks I’m pretty too,” Leona said as she straightened her long blond ponytail.

“Johnny thinks I’m pretty, dear,” she said laughing. “Your cousin hasn’t learned to look at women from any other perspective than ‘nice’ and ‘not nice’. Naturally, to him, all the nice ones are beautiful. If he saw Doris Day treat her dog badly, he‘d think she was a hag." Leona laughed at the mental picture of her cousin as she took her seat at the breakfast table.

"The consequence to that," she went on, "is eventually he will try to make the distinction that if they are beautiful, they are going to be nice people too, and we‘ll have to school the boy well about that fallacy, now. Won‘t we?”

“I know a few girls that would get that idea out of his head quickly,” Leona said. “They’re pom-pom girls on our cheerleading team. With pom-poms out to here,” She gestured in front of her bust. “and they think they own all the boys.”

“What’s pom-poms?” Johnny asked, walking in from the summer kitchen. “Sounds like some kind of candy or something.”

“Most guys seem to think so,” Leona teased, “but actually, they’re the colored paper froofy looking things that girls wave at sports events. You‘ll see a lot of that when you get into high school.”

“Oh,” he said. “What are we going to do today after I get Mrs. Clark’s back yard cleaned and mowed? I’ve almost got enough saved for a dozen new archery arrows for my bow.”

“Good for you, dear,” she said. “Maybe by your birthday, your Grandpa will help you put up a safe backdrop to go with your target, and you can practice in the backyard. Maybe your new friend will join you out there.”

“I don’t have any new friends,” he said, puzzled.

“You will have,” she said. “His name will be John Little Fox.”

“How do you know that, Grams?” Leona asked.

“Let’s just say, a little bird told me,” she said with a wink.

“Let’s just say, the little bird was probably more like a large Raven,” Johnny said with a wicked laugh.

“You really know your birds, Son,” she said with a nod.

“My legs ache and my nose wants to bleed every time I even think about that bird,” he said, referring to his ordeal against Mescalero magick a few short years ago in California..

“But you had danced so well,” she said, laughing. “Think of it as winning your very first dance contest.”

“What did you win?” Leona asked.

“I won an eagle feather, an Indian name,” he counted, “and another chance to live a little longer.”

“Cool,” Leona exclaimed. “What name did they give you?”

“Panther Boy,” he replied with a look of distaste.

“Like, in ’mountain lion’?” Leona asked. “Why that name?”

Johnny held his face close to hers, wrinkled his nose and bared his pointed canines and let loose with a snarl that would make any puma proud. Leona jumped back.

“You know,” Leona complained, “sometimes it gets really creepy how well you mimic things. For a second, I thought you had transformed into one.”

“It would amaze you what you think you see in a desert, Cousin,” he said, chuckling as he took his place at the breakfast table.

“That’s fine with me, Cousin,” Leona said. “The only animals I look forward to dancing with will be wearing tuxedos at my junior prom next year.” She sat down at the table as Emma brought over the home fries and eggs.

Johnny finished breakfast and ran out to do his yard work and make his extra money. Leona and her worked together in the summer kitchen brewing ointments and tinctures for various remedies. Emma smiled to herself. After all these years, the dreams still took some getting used to.
Meeting The Little