A Werewolf Fantasy

It was midday when her eyes finally fluttered open and she regained her consciousness. She could guess what time it was by the position of the sun, even though she couldn't fathom how she knew that fact. "She is awake," whispered a female voice beside Erin. She turned her head and came face to face with a younger version of her present-day/future sister-in-law, Aubrey Silver.

"Aubrey, is that you?" asked Erin.

"Who do you speak of? You know that is not my name," said the Aubrey lookalike. "Have you still not recovered?"

"Don't trouble her, Abna," said Erin's mother. She sat at the edge of the bed and placed a warm hand on her daughter's forehead in a universal gesture of manually checking body temperature. "You do not have a fever, thank the gods. Your sister will go fetch you a bowl of food for you to eat. Perhaps it was hunger that made you faint."

Her stomach growled on cue, making it impossible for her to deny her mother's diagnosis. "Thank you," she said weakly.

Abna stood up from the low stool she'd been sitting on and left the room to do her mother's bidding. Now that they were alone, her mother held her hand and squeezed it gently.

"Is there something you want to tell me of, Edvana? You have been behaving strangely since last night. What is the matter?"

The concern etched on her mother's face touched her deeply, but how else could she explain her predicament without sounding crazier than she already did?

How was she to explain to this woman that looked so much like her mother, that she wasn't exactly her daughter, but someone who got transported back in time by the same stone that was supposedly given to her last night at her mating ceremony by her new mother-in-law? She was still trying to make sense of this new development, so how would she be able to explain it to someone else?

"I don't know how to explain what I've just been through in the last couple of hours," she said honestly. "But I'll try my best to act normal and not spook any of you again, I promise." "Spook?"

"I mean to scare. I will try not to scare you again," she explained.

Her mother frowned in confusion. "Where did you learn these strange words?"

Erin made a quick mental note to adjust her vocabulary to suit this era. If she didn't want to be treated as a lunatic, she needed to speak like a normal person as per the standard of this age. "Don't mind me," she chuckled. "That's something I do sometimes to calm myself. You know, create strange words that only I know the meaning to."

"Oh, I see..." said her mother, but the expression on her face showed that she didn't see what her daughter meant at all.

Abna showed up just then with a tray laden with food. When she set down her burden, Erin saw that there was a bowl of some sort of pudding, a plate of roasted meat, another plate of steamed vegetables, and a pouch of water. To her relief, she found a wooden spoon on the tray too. At least, she wouldn't have to eat with her bare fingers like a cavewoman. May the gods of this era be praised!

"Come, dear. Come and eat your meal. Hopefully, these will restore your health and you can begin your journey to Denai' Vena with the others. You have delayed them enough as it is," said her mother.

"Sure. I mean, of course," she quickly corrected herself when she saw the questioning look on her mother's face.

She sat on the floor that was lined with soft bear fur and began to eat. To her delight, the food tasted good even though it could have been better with some exotic spices added but that was too much to ask for in pre-colonial Native America, so this would have to do.

"This food is quite delicious," said Erin to her mother.

"Abna prepared it," replied her mother with a happy smile.

"Well done, Abna," she complimented her sister. "I can't cook to save my life, but I can fry the heck out of eggs. I make a mean omelet and my scrambled eggs are pretty famous in the Brown household, as you ladies already know." When her companions only stared back at her blankly, Erin realized her error and cleared her throat. "Um, what I mean is, I know how to cook eggs very well, but that's just about it. I don't know how to cook anything else." "That is certainly not true," Abna debunked passionately. "You cook better than everyone else in this household. You are very famous in the clan for your cooking. How can you now say that you do not know how to cook?" Oops!

"Of course, I can cook. I was just joking," said Erin with a nervous laugh. It's clear to her now that there was a lot about her new self that she didn't know about and she would have to start getting to know herself afresh if she must fit in. "I suggest you stay away from strong drinks in the future," said her mother to her. "You do not have the head for it."

"I agree," said Erin, not in the mood to argue.

A loud blast from a horn sounded outside, startling the women. "What's that?" asked Erin.

"I believe that is the call of the supreme leader. The Prime Alpha and his family are ready to ride back home," explained her mother. "Get up quickly, Edvana. You must present yourself to your in-laws before the journey begins. Abna, help her comb her hair and dress her in her new bridal poncho. I will send for the maids to gather your things and put them in the wagon."

Their mother rushed out of the room, while Abna brought out a colorful woolen poncho and helped Erin put it on. Next, she pulled out a small comb made from fishbone out of a small wooden box beside the bed and ran it through her big sister's hair. It was the first time that Erin noticed the length of her hair - it fell to her waist in thick, lustrous dark brown tresses.

"Wow," she gushed in wonder as her sister continued to comb out her smooth hair. "When did my hair grow this long? I never have the patience to stick to any hair care regimen, that's why I keep my hair shoulder-length because it's easier to maintain that way."

"What are you talking about?" asked Abna with a puzzled expression. "You say the strangest things, Edvana."

"I do, don't I?" Erin giggled nervously. She reminded herself silently to stop making references to her 21st-century self, or else these people would continue to think that she was having some sort of mental problem.

Abna stopped brushing her hair and returned the comb to the box, then she picked out a small stick from it and presented it to Erin. The thin stick was frayed on one end as if someone had been chewing on it. "What's this for?" Erin asked.

"Oh, please stop with the jesting now," said Abna impatiently. "Clean your teeth quickly, so that we can go outside together to meet your in-laws. We cannot keep them waiting any longer."

"Yes, boss," Erin muttered under her breath and stuck the strange little stick into her mouth. It tasted familiar although she knew for a fact that she had never used a chewing stick before in her life.

A beautiful young woman entered the room with her hands clasped in front of her as if awaiting instructions from them.

"Good morning, my ladies," she greeted politely. "Your mother sent me to get your things for the trip."

"Good morning, Seisa. They are in the corner there," said Abna, directing the maid to the corner of the room where three baskets were piled together.

The maid turned out to be stronger than she looked, as she carried all three baskets at once and waddled out of the room.

"Are you ready?" Abna asked Erin.

"I guess so," said Erin and returned her chewing stick into the wooden box.

"Good," said Abna with a smile of satisfaction. "I will help you carry this box outside. It will be in your big clothing basket, so look for it there when you need it. Now come, it is time for you to join your husband and your new family." Erin felt her stomach muscles tighten involuntarily. Was she really doing this? Why was she going along with this craziness, when she could just put the dream stone under her pillow and will herself back to her 'real' life? Why was she impersonating someone else and deceiving all these people? What the heck was she doing?

"Shall we go?" Abna asked her when she didn't show any sign of readiness to leave the room.

With a sigh and her head held high, she said, "Of course. Let us go."

She could probably send herself back to the future with the dream stone whenever she wanted, but she would be filled with more questions than answers if she did. Devon had seemed so sure that she was his mate, and even the grouchy Danshak and her family here had attested to the same claim, but she was still not sure about it.

Wasn't she supposed to be in love with her mate? Weren't they supposed to be in sync with each other?

Besides, from what she had heard so far, a war was coming and she was curious to know how it would impact her family and her clan as a whole. She'd never heard about this part of her werewolf history, but she was interested in knowing how it would all play out and what role she was supposed to play in it.

Staying back here was probably a bad idea, but her thirst for adventures just wouldn't let her cut and run for the hills as she should.

'If this is truly my past life, I'd love to know how I lived in this era,' she thought. 'I would like to know if I was happy or not and if there's anything I can do now to make life easier for everyone here.'

After all, her knowledge of modern life should count for something in this era. She could teach these folks a thing or two about civilization if the opportunity ever presented itself.

Abna walked ahead of her and lifted the flank at the entrance of the room to allow her to pass. Once again, Erin was greeted with the brightness of the outdoors, making her squint a little. When her eyes finally adjusted to the light, she let her sister lead her forward to where a group of people gathered, waiting to receive her.