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The Gift

Stephanie's Storyline, Chapter 1.2

copyright comidacomida 2018

I dreamed that night. It wasn't any specific, singular storyline; it was more like a vignette of small scenes completely unrelated to one another. They were happy scenes-- relaxing scenes-- soothing scenes, and they were wonderful. The night passed without event and, surprisingly, I managed to sleep the whole way through right up until my alarm didn't go off; I hadn't set it before I went to bed since I didn't have any obligations. The act of going from a restful and centering sleep to a calm, quiet morning is panacea, even awakening with a Bear in my bed wasn't enough to break my peaceful groove.

Okay-- maybe that wasn't the best way to explain that morning. Medved, while technically a Bear and very much in my bed was actually seated with his back against the wall, using it like a very large bench. I, despite having fallen asleep flat on the mattress, was in his arms with my back against his abdomen. He was speaking softly in Russian, stroking my hair in much the same way, if my mom was to believed, that my grandmother used to do when I was a toddler. I know it sounds a little creepy, but it didn't feel that way. It wasn't creepy at all, in fact. It felt... really nice.

Medved gazed down at me as I opened my eyes, muzzle parting into a wide, pleasant grin. "Good morning, my Lapushka. This day is a blessing."

The content look on his face made me smile as I looked up at him. "Is it? And why's that, Medved?"

His lips parted, revealing his thick, pointed teeth, but it didn't feel threatening; he was grinning ear-to-ear. "You can see me, and we can talk. At no time since your birth did I believe that we would be able to do this. It is something I have wanted for decades."

I slowly disengaged, surprised at just how much I missed the interaction even three seconds after standing. His statement made me roll my eyes. "I haven't been alive for decades, Medved."

His smile slowly faded. "Da, moya Lapushka-- but it has been more than thirty years since our family had a Seer."

I considered the timeline for that and had trouble thinking of what member of my family would have passed away. "Who was our last Seer?"

Medved stood slowly, pulling his thick-furred hat out of thin air and settling it onto his head. "Zoya. Your babushka-- your grandmother."

Smoothing out my nightgown I used the physical motion to give myself a chance to think. "She made your Totem? And she used to call me Lapushka. And she--"

He smiled again, although the memories obviously hurt him. "Yes... I called her Lapushka when she was a little girl, and she did the same with your mother. I could speak to your babushka, but not your mother."

I considered that for many long moments before I spoke the first question that came to mind. "But... my grandmother was still with us less than thirty years ago... why did--?"

He held up a paw and I obligingly went silent. He sighed. "Your mother took ill when she was young. We both did everything we could for her within reason... but what saving her finally required was something... not reasonable."

Leaning back against my dresser I searched the Bear's expression for anything that could possibly provide me some insight into what was going through his mind. In the end, the elaboration came from Tom, who entered the room by stepping through the door. "Your grandmother gave up The Gift and we used the power to save your mother."

Medved nodded silently and slowly exited, patting Tom on the shoulder as he passed. My attention went to the Rhino. "What do you mean, she 'gave up The Gift'?"

Tom looked right at me, his words emerging as if they were recited from some ancient text of incredible importance. "Nekh'dah, there is little in this world more powerful than 'The Gift', and, in having it, a Human becomes a source of great energy. When your grandmother gave up that power she was willing to sacrifice herself for your mother. In any case, throughout all stories of a Human giving up 'The Gift' hers was one of only three I know wherein the Human survived. Still, even though she was able to survive physically, she was forever changed emotionally... we all were."

Althought it should have been obvious, I asked the question anyway. "You knew my grandmother too?"

The Rhino inclined his head, nodding slowly. "No more wonderful a lady could I have asked to have known. Although we stayed with her through the end she was forever lost to us. It was almost as bad as when we truly did lose her."

I wasn't sure what to say so I continued sticking with obvious statements. "I loved her very much."

He smiled warmly and reached out to caress the side of my face. In many ways it was a gesture that felt familiar but, at the same time, a little distancing; I didn't feel his touch physically but I could still somehow 'feel' its significance. "As did I. As did Medved. And she loved you... and us. She spoke to you every day and she spoke to us every day-- but she could hear your replies."

Still at a loss for words, I ran my hand over a small jewelry box my grandmother had given me for my thirteenth birthday. In the end I fell back to the 'polite' response. "I'm sorry, Tom. I never knew."

The Rhino cleared his throat, turning his back to me as he brushed a hand across his face. "It is not your fault and it is in the past. Besides, my Nekh'dah, you are here now, and we once again have a Seer."

I let out a quiet breath and slowly opened the jewelry box. Situated on the top of the pile of things I never wore was a necklace my grandmother had left to me. I picked it up and slowly slid the gold chain over my head; when I turned to regard Tom I saw that he was already looking at me, ears raised. Offering a comforting smile, I identified the six pointed start. "The Star of David. It was my grandmother's."

He very nearly choked for a moment. "It was your great great grandmother's... your great great grandfather made it for her. I-- I am so happy it is still in the family."

The statement caught me off guard. "I thought you were with us this whole time. You didn't know she gave it to me?"

Tom snorted at my question. "Spirits are perceptive, but we are not omniscient, Nekh'dah. I knew she gave you the jewelry box but I did not know that the 'Magen David' was there."

I smiled. "It was. It is. And now--" I touched my nightgown over where the necklace was hanging, "--it's here."

The Rhino matched my smile. "I am also glad that you are a Seer now, Stephanie. Life has felt incomplete since your 'savta' made her sacrifice and now that you are here with us the world is brighter."

My family never taught me Hebrew (or Russian), but my grandmother had spoken both and even used them occasionally (although she preferred Yiddish to proper Hebrew). Tom's preferred tone of address for me, "Nekh'dah" meant "granddaughter" and "svata" was "grandmother". It brought up a long list of questions but I decided to keep it simple, bypassing all of that as topics for later in the day and not immediately after waking up. "I'm thinking about breakfast... do... do spirits eat?"

He laughed; the tone sounded almost polite, but still held the genuine sense of humor in it that I could tell he wasn't just being smarmy. "Yes, Nekh'dah... spirits eat, but we do not consume food in the way Humans do. Being near you and interacting you is what sustains us. Our existence is tied to Humans, and you are our chosen-- Medved and I are tied to you as you are tied to us."

Soemthing about his explanation seemed evasive; he'd specifically mentioned Medved and himself. That brought up another important question, and I asked it even as I crossed the short distance to the bedroom door. "So... you and Medved? What about Anapa and Kyle? They're tied to me too?"

His face puckered up almost as if he'd eaten a lemon and he followed after me. "No, Nekh'dah... they are Spirits, and they may be friendly, but they are not family. Medved, I know, would rather neither be here with us now, but he is willing to suffer the Jackal because it is his deed that has granted you 'The Gift', but neither of us would shed a tear if you told him to leave. The Raven...." he sighed. "He was Skin-Riding William's friend for years. While it is true that such a thing is not evil in and of itself, it is decidedly not a good act. I have my concerns about him, but so long as you wish to have him around I will not speak against your decision."

I opened the door to the hallway and heard Medved and Kyle arguing in the living room. I glanced toward Tom. "You won't speak up because Medved will do enough for both of you?"

The question got me a 'ha' out of the Rhino and he held a large gray hand up. "He means well, Nekh'dah. He is protective for good reason; Seers are very rare and if you are not careful you may find yourself endangered by spirits who are desperate for Human contact or, worse, your spirit energy."

I wanted to ask about that but I was interrupted by the sound of what I thought was a morning greeting from Anapa. "Nane atooui, Hemet-netjer."

Kyle confirmed. "He said good morning."

It was a friendly enough introduction, so I figured the least I could do was try and return it. "Nah-nay ah-too-ee, Anapa."

The Jackal's stoic muzzle split with a pleasant acknowledgement of my return-greeting and his eyes gleamed with a faint Amethyst sheen. Medved immediately objected. "Lapushka... that was unnecessary and reckless."

I looked to Medved, surprised at the sudden reproach. "What? Being polite?"

The Bear sighed, wiping his paw from his forehead to the chin of his muzzle. "No, lyubov moya... I am sorry, but you are being more than polite; you are leading him on."

The way in which Medved said his piece made me feel almost dirty. "What do you mean, 'lead him on'?"

Tom stepped in. "What he means, Nekh'deh, is that you are providing him spirit energy... and if you do so, he will expect more in the future. For all you may know, he could believe that he is your new Heraldric Spirit."

"My... what?"

Medved rested his paw on his own chest. "I am a Guardian Spirit. Tom is a Sentinel. We serve our own people, but you and your family belong to both of us... and we both belong to you and your family."

I'd recalled them both saying something of the sort before, but I still didn't figure out how Anapa measured into things, or what a Heraldric Spirit was. "So... why would Anapa have anything to do with that? I thought he was a Scave--"

Catching sight of Anapa's ears go up and a deep scowl begin to crease his muzzle I paused. The Jackal clearly announced. "Scavenger, no."

The reminder of just how much he hated that term made me immediately regret my word choices. "Right. I'm sorry."

The Jackal nodded in my direction, eyes shimmering anew. "Yes. Scavenger, no. Good. Sephmot, Hemet-netjer."

Medved snorted. "You are doing it again, Lapushka."

Kyle, who had been seated on the sofa stood up. "You need to relax. Geez-- you'll give her a migraine with all this."

The Bear turned and shot a seething glare at the Raven. "Stay out of this, Bes."

For once, Kyle didn't back down. "No. I have a say as much as the rest of you and I think you're gonna drive Steph crazy with all of your overbeari-- oh geez... pun not intended, big guy."

From the look on his face, I could tell that Kyle very much DID intend the pun. Medved took a step toward him but I held up a hand. "Will everyone just calm down please? It's barely nine-A-M and I'd really like to at least get something to eat before the insanity begins for the day."

A chorus of 'sorry' went through the room, excluding Anapa, who remained off to the side, glancing around at everyone. Once everything had quieted down, the Jackal glanced at Kyle and asked a question in his language. The Raven nodded and motioned with a wing toward me, replying. At that point I realized they were up to something, but I was surprised when Anapa turned toward me, reaching out into midair to grab a strange short-staff with some kind of curved symbol worked into its end. He knelt down, resting the staff on his knee as he lowered his head toward me. "Hem-netjer Steff-uh-ni. I want help you."

From behind me, I heard Tom's surprised declaration. "A broch! You were right, Medved. He does want to be a Herald."

The Jackal shot a dirty glance at the Rhino. "No. Anapa no Herald... but I want help Hem-netjer Steff-uh-ni."

Medved snorted. "She doesn't need help from you. She has us."

Kyle stood up and flapped his wings. "Everyone needs to calm down. Nobody's here to pick a fight, we just want--"

The Bear let out a soft growl which, I could have sworn, caused the dinner glasses in my kitchen to vibrate. "You are here, Bes-- what else would you want?"

Since I first met Kyle the Raven there were quite a few things that reminded me of my brother's friend Kyle; hearing him try to disarm the tension with a joke was another one of those. "Well... what about breakfast?"

Not exactly comfortable with the brewing conflict I decided that his suggestion was a good enough distraction. "That's a great idea. I'll go get something started for everyone."

The Raven hopped from foot to foot in an almost comical avian 'dance'. "Ooh... we should do sausage and cheese omelets."

I smiled at the order; our mom always made Billy and his friends sausage and cheese omelets for breakfast when my brother had a sleepover. Tom did not apparently like the suggestion. "Spirits do not eat, Nekh'dah. There is no reason to make anything for us."

Kyle made what I took to be an offensive gesture and fired back. "It's still spirit energy. I figured if anyone'd know the 'old ways' it'd be an ancient spirit like you."

Tom snorted in response. "The days of sacrifice are over, Raven, and she is my Ward. I will not demand anything of her."

The Raven stared at him, purple eyes unblinking as he stated blandly. "You aren't asking for anything. She offered."

The bickering was starting to get to me at that point, so I was probably a little more blunt than I should have been. "Enough. Please. Do I REALLY have to give you all a time out just to get some peace and quiet?"

Anapa, who had said very little all morning simply sat back down on the armchair he'd occupied when I first came out into the living room. Kyle returned to the sofa while Medved, grumbling, disappeared back into my room. Tom took a seat at the small breakfast nook that separated the kitchen from the living room. Nodding at the apaprent end of the arguments I went to start breakfast. There were five of us so I took out ten eggs; out of the corner of my eye I saw Tom open his mouth to say something but he apparently thought better of it and simply remained where he was, silent.

I'm not exactly what you'd call an excellent cook, but I enjoy messing around in the kitchen and eggs are one thing I CAN do well. The morning routine of preparing breakfast really did help me get my thoughts in order and, by the time the first plate was done I felt a lot better. I turned back to the breakfast nook and set the plate down in front of Tom. "Bring that to Medved please?"

He nodded, reaching out to ruffle my hair; the gesture didn't disrupt so much as a single strand but I was left with the impression of adoration and familiarity. "You are a good person, Nekh'dah."

I felt warmed by the praise, and paused when Tom took the plate from my hand... but didn't. He walked away with an equal and identical plate of eggs and disappeared down the hall, leaving me with the original. "Wha?"

Kyle hopped off the sofa and came over to take a seat where Tom had been. "It's called a 'Tear', Stef-- spirits don't eat food, but we can accept gifts presented by Humans. We don't eat the omelets, but we still get to enjoy them because of the effort and care you put into making them."

It took a moment for me to process all of that and, once I did, I hefted the still uneaten plate in my hand. "So... I can give you these too?"

Until that point I didn't know that a raven was able to look disgusted, but it was an insightful moment for me. He shook his head. "No... uh... no."

I looked down at the plate and shrugged, setting it down on the counter as I went to prepare a fresh one. "Okay... so maybe I'll eat it when I'm done with--"

Kyle interjected. "That's... kinda rude, actually..."

After pouring the scrambled eggs into the pan I glanced his way. "Rude? By not wanting to waste food?"

Tom returned from the bedroom and, rather than start up another argument, actually supported what Kyle was saying. "It is like gifting a present to someone and then taking it back, Nekh'dah. A spirit will consume the spirit essence and enjoy your effort as if we ate the food you have made... but if you eat the food yourself then you are taking back what you had given to us."

In a round-about, strange way, it made sense. "Okay... so I shouldn't eat what I make for you, and I should make separate plates for everyone. Right."

Tom flicked an ear. "Yes... and yes."

I could hear Kyle smirking in his voice. "Very big 'yes' on the second one, Stef... the physical form of the food we leave behind is like what you leave behind when you're done digesting."

It didn't take too much thinking to realize what he meant. "Oh... OH! Right... I guess that makes sense why you wouldn't want--"

He interjected what I'd already presumed. "It's like poop."

I tried very hard not to smile as I offered a flat. "Thanks. I figured."

Kyle dug into his with fervor once I set the plate in front of him. "Oh... dang... this is SOOO good."

Anapa, while waiting patiently watched the Raven, stating something in his language. It got a laugh from Kyle, who responded in English. "Yeah... not as weird as you'd think though though."

It's hard to explain, but I somehow realized that the Jackal had questioned a Raven eating eggs. The question certainly hadn't slowed Kyle in consuming his breakfast, and he was done by the time I had handed Tom a plate. Eggs cook quickly so it didn't take long for me to make a fourth plate. Although I made Anapa's breakfast before I made my own he didn't start eating until after I did. By the time I'd finished, Medved finally came out of my room; he looked much more collected. "Spasibo, Lapushka."

I knew 'thank you' in Russian, and I also knew the response. "Pozhaluysta."

He smiled at that, eyes gleaming a soft Gold. Looking around the living room and kitchen, the Bear spoke calmly. "Now that you are fed, we should consider how to spend the day. Will you be writing?"

Kyle's feathers puffed up. "Oh yeah! How's the writing going, Stef?"

The familiarity of the question gave me a moment's pause until I remembered that all of Billy's friends knew that I wanted to become a novelist. "Okay... I guess... but right now I'm just doing freelance technical writing... nothing all that interesting."

The discussion was disrupted as Anapa finally got up. He carefully collected all of the 'spirit plates' that the spirits took out of the physical one, and he placed them on the counter by the sink. The action caught me by surprise. "Anapa... what are you--?"

He looked back to me, offering up an over exaggerated smile. "I help."

He surprised me further by picking up all of the physical plates, and stacking them INTO the spirit plates. I hadn't noticed when or where but somehow the physical food that had been sitting on them was gone, leaving five perfectly empty plates by the sink. Although I'd come to certain conclusions during my time in the kitchen, the strange happenstance involving the food and plates was enough to help me make up my mind. "I don't have any upcoming deadlines so I'm not worried about writing for now... I want to spend some time with Anapa today."

That declaration didn't go over well with Medved or Tom. It went even worse when I added "And I'll need Kyle to help translate."

Although I didn't understand Medved's grumbled comment, he kept it to himself. "Slovo serebro, a no tishina zolotaya, Medved... molchanie zoloto..."