"Maya, come on, Maya," Daniel said, she was in his lap. All of a sudden she bolted to her feet elbowing him in the stomach. "Thanks next time I will let you hit the floor."
"What happened?" She asked us.
"You fainted," I said.
"I believe the correct term is swooned. It's not nearly as romantic as it sounds you know. More like a deadweight collapsing on you expect with drool," he corrected me. I rolled my eyes.
Daniels voice softened "are you okay?" She nodded. "What happened." She didn't answer like she didn't know herself. With his back turned he said. "So I spilled my guts already. Your turn, if you won't tell me what happened just now, at least tell me what happened at the tattoo shop."
"Um should I leave," I said pointing to the dorr.
"No its okay," she said and started her story. "So I whent into the store and Deena the store owners aunt came and telled me im not Navajo, my mom told her that I was adopted. She said that's not right that the Dinè don't give up their children. Deena told her to go to the back room she did. I talked to Deena about my tattoo and mom gave me my bathing suit and I changed in the side chang room. Mom told her that my birth mark fadded as I got older and I wanted to keep it. I told her not to make it more like a paw. She said there's no reason to. Then her ant came out again and asked what it was Deena said that it is a cats paw. Her ant murdered something under her breath and Deena said that we don't speak Navajo. Then I saw fear, and disgust in the old ladies eyes. Then the old lady said Yee naaldlooshii, that's why the Dinè didn't whant her. She's a wich. After that I put on my clothes over my bathing suit and w left."
"So this old lady, who's never met you before, sees your birth mark and ses your a wich?" Daniel asked.
"It sounds like something from a TV movie, doesn't it?" She asked. "Should of been a fortune teller though. The teenage girl goes to the fortune teller whose gypsy grandma says she's cursed."
"Maby thats what it was a. Like on of those reality TV and you got pranked," Daniel said.
"In Nanaimo? Must be a low budget Canadian production," I said.
"Is there eney other kind," Daniel said. I laughed along with Maya. She put some more meat into the marten cage and closed the door.
"That is weird though eh," I said. They all muttered in agreement
"You guys won't tell everyone about me fainting right?" She asked mostly looking at me.
"Don't worry we won't tell," me and Daniel said. We walked out side and she turned around to lock the shed door when Daniel covered her mouth.
"Don't move," he wisperd, I fallowed his gaze to a light brown form crouched on a rock.
"It's just-" she said but stopped when she saw the long tail swishing. "Dad," she shouted, then even louder "dad!" She started to back up but bumped into Daniel. "Move towards the house."
"The shed-" he said.
"It's probably what he wants, so he won't fallow us to he house. Damn it, this is exactly what I was worried about. He's to used to people," she said and nudged him backwards and singled for me to fallow. "Nothing hear for you Marv! Get going, dad!"
The cougar rose, readying itself for the leap. It head appeared through the cover of the shadows. And by the look Maya gave it wasn't Marv. The cat leaped and Daniel grabbed Maya's arm and whipped her so hard tht she landed with a thump. I moved towards the cougar and pushed Daniel out of the way. I growled at the cougar just as Maya's dad came outside with a gun. The cougar growled back.
"Leave! Now!" I ordered it he looked surprised and I made sher now on was looking and I flexed my hands, and long curved claws came out, and I slashed out and scratched it across the face. It yowled in surprise. "Leave!" I ordered putting more power into my voice. Maya's dad was yelling for me to get away. It looked me square in the eye and I stared back, he took one less look at me, turned around and ran into th bush! I shredded my claws and turned around to see every one was stunned. I walked over to them.
"How did you do that?" Daniel asked, Maya was up and had a stunned look like everyone else.
"I just have gift with animals," I shrugged. They nodded slowly.
All of a sudden I got a text. I pulled out my phone saw that my mom texted me.
Dad: its time you come home
Me: ok :(
Dad: love you
Me: love you to
"Sorry I have to go home, Daniel can you drive me home," I asked Daniel.
"Sher," he said he still had a stunned look on his face he looked at Maya. "I'll be back after I drop Elisa off." We walked out of the shed and started to walk to the truck. Fitz walke up to me and I reached out and scratched his ears.
"I got to go home see you later," I said and fallowed Daniel into the truck. He started it and we drove off to my house.
***************************************************************
Daniel dropped me off at the front of my driveway, and I got out.
"Thanks," I said thanking him.
"Don't mention it," he said he still had a stunned look and drove off. I have to be more careful I thought. I walked up to the front door and whent in. I toke off my shoes and dropped my bag on the floor, I walked into the kitchen, dad was cutting some vegetables. He stoped and looked up.
"Hey, how was school?" Dad asked.
"I was nice, my new friends are cool, Maya's dad is the park ranger and she looks after wounded animals. Its really cool," I said wail getting some roles of ham out of the fridge.
"Thats great two friends in one day," he said, I stared blankly at him.
"Eney way, why did you whant me to come home?" I asked.
"Um I just wanted to see how your first day of school was," he said. I groaned and glared at him he put his hands up in defense. "Ok, ok."
"Im going to go outside," I said and started to go to the back door but was stoped.
"You have to make your lunch first," I groaned, I groan alot. I made my lunch and whent out side.
I whent through the bush, instead of running I walked to the clearing rhat I whent to before. I walked into the middle and took in a big long breath, the sents of the forest filled my nose. Then I considered cat, cat, cat, cat... all of a sudden I shrank and instead of standing on two legs I was standing on four legs!
