Chapter 26

Brutus and (Jack) were sitting in the middle of a clearing, waiting for their guide to come; once you made it to the clearing, you didn't go any further. To do so would be suicide.

He heard the screech of a hawk and looked up as a giant red tail hawk descended from the sky. It landed right in front of him. It was the one he had always dealt with, Firetail.

Both men shifted back into their human forms; neither needed to worry about clothes because they didn't have the incumbrance of the werewolves.

Their clothes turned with them. It was more of a thought process for Jack. He wasn't sure about Firetail, though, and he wasn't stupid enough to ask.

They put their hands on each other's shoulders as a traditional greeting. Firetail walked him into the territory of the Fire Blaze Tribe.

It was a magnificent old forest, and once you are guided past the ancient magical barrier, it only grows more magnificent. Even the colors and smells were fresher and more intense.

The ways of the tribe were straightforward in some ways and others very complicated.

There were children here this time, something he was not allowed to see last time; he thought they didn't have any; he smiled though because that meant they were trusting him more and more.

Firetail left him in the center stone of the tribe; it was a round flat stone that you stood on to greet the chief. The chief is Josef StormWalker.

As he stood on the stone, as was the custom, several tribe members came out and walked around him in greeting those he had met before, giving him little waves of acknowledgment.

He then noticed on the other side of the tribe members that Chief StormWalker was waiting. The people all left. It was really elegant how they did it though it was as if the circle broke and went off into the tribe living area. It was done as if all were one.

StormWalker smiled and walked up to Jack, giving him the traditional greeting of hands and shoulders.

"Welcome, Jack of the Great Bear tribe. I know why you have come and what it is you seek, let's discuss this in my hut."

Jack was always mystified why they called their living quarters huts. They were anything but huts. Most were huge houses, some in the trees, some on the ground. They blended in with the earth around them.

There were lights everywhere during the day and the night. Some children played with the lights like regular children would with a ball. The sun also peeked through the trees giving everything an otherworldly feel and look.

Jack was doing the same with his clan territory, but it wasn't the same without magic. He had witches and such, but they could not duplicate what Jack always would see here for some reason.

Once they were seated and Jack was given refreshment, they began to talk.

"Jack, we know what it is you seek, we have decided to help, but you need to know, there is no killing the Wendigo once it is born from its cocoon."

"The only thing that can be done is to force or trick it into leaving and going into the other realms. The only way to do this, though, is not going to be easy."

"Well, Chief StormWalker, you know me nothing I do is ever easy. What is it that I need to do not to let this evil get a foothold in our world?"

"First, Jack, you will need a representative from every tribe of earth. One human, one fire blaze, bear, wolf, lion and tiger, vampire, witch, and pureblood."

"Hold on a pureblood? What is a pureblood?"

The chief smiled at Jack as he answered...

"A Pureblood, Jack, is a being with the blood of all races in their bloodline. It is rare, but there's at least one alive that can help us. They are in the area already."

"Oh, you mean a mutt."

The Chief laughed even harder than last time, and it took him a little bit to get himself back under control.

"Jack, there isn't any such thing as a mutt. It is a simple thing in nature. We all come from everything and are born as small parts of it, and now the one you would call mutt is the one who is of everything."

Jack thought on that for a little and realized it was true if we are all parts of the same everything and she is everything, that would make her pure.

"We have most of the ones we need already in the area Chief, I will have to make some calls, but it shouldn't be that hard to have them all come."

"My tribe will send one representative from each of our three tribes. I, of course, will come as the first there will be two others, a shaman birth name Terry called Dancinglight and his wife a seer and healer birth name Iris called Nightsinger."

"Our time is running out. We will be there on the first night of the new moon. Make sure everyone is there and ready when we arrive, it will be close to the birth of the evil one, but we will make it in time."

"Jack, it would take too long for you to run back to your bike. I will send you directly to it, you will feel tingly and warm all over, but you will not be harmed, Godspeed, son of the Great Bear."

The next thing Jack knew, he felt warm all over, and then he was standing next to his bike; he hopped on and went as fast as he dared home. He had a lot of favors to call in.

______________

The Wraith sat in his lair exhausted and pissed; that bastard got away. Well, at least he knows now that I don't work for him. He was just a means to an end, and I outgrew my need for him.

Still, he would have made an excellent addition. Oh, well, I can't win them all. I will have to save that asshole for a later date.

He enjoyed the mayor's wife and her pot, but he knew that he had to leave that stuff alone now, or he could become sloppy; perhaps I should choose another town, something more significant with more variety of play toys the clay for his art.

He could feel a growing evil coming from over the lake, and he didn't want to be here for when whatever it was to come out to play.

Yes, It was time to choose another hunting ground and come back here when things got back to normal. He wasn't done with the Sheriff either. He broke all the rules, and that can't go unpunished.

He got up and began packing up his treasures, all the while thinking of his next place to go.

________________

Both Sheriff's David and Brad were at the coroner's office to find out what he had found.

As usual, there was the note, this time, it was found in the throat of the Mayor's wife.

It wasn't like the other notes. This one was more like a warning and a statement of his anger.

****

My Dear Sheriff,

YOU BROKE THE RULES.

The Wraith

****

Brad and David got a bad feeling; either he would do something nasty, or he was gone. Either option didn't sit well with them. They wanted him dead. God only knows where he will pop up again if he has left the area.

The fact that he is also a vampire means he could lay low for a very long time and pop up long after those who could stop him are dead. Possible go after their descendants for revenge.

Both of them let out a sigh and said fuck. They would have to keep a tight watch on the town to ensure that The Wraith wouldn't cause a massacre. They both knew it would be an effort to protect the city but wasted effort as well; the bastard was gone.

__________________

Raymond Deslaires was pissed beyond reason when he finally lost that asshole. He knew it was just a matter of time before Blane would eventually give in to his desires and madness. He just thought he had more time to dispose of him.

It is evident now that The Wraith was now his persona that anything of Blane or the Ghost was gone. He finally had embraced his monster inside him.

He was cleaning the wound on his arm from those fucking chains. They had to have been coated with something because his vampire blood was only healing it slowly; it hurt like hell. It was clear now that he had to break his ties with that nut job and do the job himself.

Blane Merryweather, aka The Ghost, aka The Wraith, was someone else's problem now, and they can have him. It was only luck that he could escape; having a taste of that crazies power didn't leave a good taste with Raymond.

He'd felt fear for the first time, and he didn't like it; he dished out the fear and death. He didn't receive it himself.

If he wanted that blood, he would have to go and do the job himself. He wasn't going to take a sample, though. He would take the whole girl instead; that way, if she is the one, he won't have to go out for her again; if she isn't, he will have a lovely snack slave. He decided he didn't want a wife anymore.