Lupita huddles inside her worn cloak for what little warmth it provides as she travels down the road in the pouring rain on top of the horse she took from her uncle’s stalls. It’s been a week since she ran away from her uncle’s house hold. The man had been raping her since she was eight years old. She’s already had one miscarriage when she was just ten years old from him punching her in the belly and causing her to lose the baby. She didn’t want the child in the first place, but she didn’t like it when he punched her and called her all the mean names he had. It was his fault that she became pregnant. He always wanted her in his bed. She had been forced to sleep with him since the death of her father. That had been five years ago and now she was tired of it. She made sure he would never be able to hurt another girl at all.

She shifts her weight some in the saddle. It still hurt when she moved a lot or rode all day long. The pain wasn’t as bad as it had been when she left, but she was still losing blood. The rags she used were soaked and she had to change them at least four times a day. She had been weak and feverish after she left, but kept moving onward away from her uncle’s estate. She wanted to put as much distance between her and the town her uncle’s estate was near. She knew she wouldn’t get any justice there. Women weren’t treated as equals there. It wasn’t like she could explain anything to them in the first place. She could no longer speak and had bruised finger marks on her throat. Ever since her uncle choked her, he damaged something in her throat and now she couldn’t speak any more.

Lupita leans closer to her horse, hoping to spot somewhere to stop for the night. She raises her hand up to shield her sight from the rain. She sees a lot of lights off in the distance. She knew she had enough coin for a week or more at an Inn. She had taken her uncle’s coin bag, along with his sword and knife. Lupita urges her horse on-ward toward the lights, hoping that there will be room at the inn.

When she rides up to the inn, the place was loud and it seemed like a celebration or something was going on inside. She stables her horse and as she heads into the Inn, the heat and noise hits her full force into the face. She gets a room for three days and orders up a bath as well. She even asks for some food to be sent up to her room as well. Lupita follows the maid up to her room and waits while the tub is filled up for her. She slowly removes her boots that had once belonged to her aunt. Most of her clothes were a mismatch of things she had managed to put together before she left her uncle’s estate. There was a knock on her door and the maid informs her that the tub is ready for her.

Lupita heads down to the bathing room and takes a bath to scrub away the filth she had on her. She waits while the maid changes it for her and soaks for a while. She even asks the maid if there is a healer nearby and is inform there is one. Lupita ask if the maid would ask her to come and have a look at her. Lupita looks at her body and notices every inch of her is covered in different color bruises. Once the healer comes and looks at her, she feels better. The healer gives her some medicine to take and tells her to be careful.

Lupita stays curled up in bed that night and doesn’t go anywhere. She was feeling so tired that she just wanted to be left alone. She falls into a deep sleep and allows herself to finally dream. She couldn’t believe she was finally free from her Uncle’s control. She hope’s no one comes looking for her, since she was the one responsible for killing her Uncle.

When morning comes, she wakes and just lies in bed. She was feeling a little better and after about an hour the maid comes with some food the healer had told her she could eat. The maid helps her sit upright on the bed and leaves after settling her. Lupita gives the maid a tip for her help. She had plenty of money for now. After the maid leaves Lupita eats her breakfast and relaxes under the covers. She had given the maid permission to come in her room to get her dirty dishes. This was the first time in twelve years, which she has slept in a clean bed and had a hot meal. Lupita snuggles deep under the heavy blankets that have been placed upon her and falls back to sleep again. She doesn’t hear the maid as she slips in and retrieves the tray with the dirty dishes on it.

When Lupita wakes up the following day she felt a little bit better than she did yesterday. She still felt sore as she gets up and move around. She pulls out a dark blue dress that was her aunt’s and heads downstairs to see the Inn keeper about staying another two weeks. She pays the Inn keeper for two additional weeks, plus meals. She should go out and check on her horse, but it was taking everything she had to withstand the pain she already had. Lupita sits at the table nearest to the fireplace in the main dining hall. She orders a hot cup of tea filled with honey. The inn keeper wife sends over a chicken broth soup for her. They know the only way she can speak is with her hands.

Lupita stays downstairs for a while, before heading back up to her room and lying back down. As she lies down on the bed, she double checks between her legs to see if she’s been bleeding again, but there wasn’t much blood. The healer she hired did a good job of healing her.

Lupita watches as the snowflakes fall and cover the ground. She was watching the flakes fall from the doorway of a shelter she had found. It wasn’t much, but it would allow her to get out of the weather. It was an old guard shelter that was no longer used. It had a small stables attaché to it for horses and there was still some hay in it that was good. The shelter wasn’t very big, but had enough room to hold four people. It had a hand pump for water and a wood stove for cooking. The fire place was big enough to warm the shelter. Lupita closes the shelter door and build the fire up in the fire place. She had already taken care of her horse and brought her gear inside the shelter.

The stew she was cooking was coming along fine. She still had no idea what she wanted to do or where she wanted to go. She had a feeling that it was going to snow heavy today and for several days afterwards. She knew she had enough supplies to last her for a while. If it lasted more than two weeks she’ll have to go out and hunt for food to live on.

Lupita had to leave the safety of the Inn, because bounty hunters had come looking for any strangers that might have arrived during the time her uncle had been killed. They had a rough description of her, but nothing that could point them directly at her.

She had planned on this happening, so she had stocked up on her supplies, just in case she needed to leave in a hurry. It had been freezing out when she left the inn in the middle of the night. Her horse didn’t want to leave the warmth of the stables it had been in for the past week and a half. She had traveled all night long and part way into the afternoon, when she came upon this shelter. She had gotten off the road she had been following and went into the woods to find a nice place to set-up camp. She went deep into the woods and found the shelter.

She had been lucky to find the shelter. She takes a small spoonful taste of the stew to see how done it was and to see if she needed to add more spices to it. The stew tasted fine to her. Lupita scoops herself up a nice helping and covered the rest and move it from directly off the flame to the side to keep warm. As she sits near the fireplace, where her bedroll laid out, she wonders in which direction she should go next. She wasn’t too far away from a cross roads.

Lupita listens to the wind howl away outside the shelter door. As she is listening to the wind, she thinks she hears a cry for help. Lupita grabs her gloves and hooded cloak and head out into the snow storm to search for the sound. The wind and snow were blinding her as she tried to follow the cries. She spots a small figure wearing a snow leopard cloak on the ground with blood pooling under them. Lupita heads over to the body as the winds became stronger. Lighting starts flashing overhead of her location. She has never felt or seen a storm like this before.

Lupita bends down to pick the girl and just as her hands touch the girl’s body, something weird takes place between them. She feels a strange energy engulf her and the girl at the same time. The energy felt weird as it surrounds Lupita and the girl. It travels through her and the girl at the same time and it made Lupita feel like she was on fire as everything each of them experience was being pulled together into one body and soul. Everything the girl knew, she knew now and vice-versus-so. It was like the two of them have become one person and the wound the girl had, appears on her body as well.

The world gets turned upside down for Lupita as she falls to the ground. Everything around her spins at an extremely fast speed. Just as the world stops spinning she passes out.

Black Wolf had been listening to the winds of this unusual snow storm. He couldn’t believe how strong the winds were or how much snow was coming down outside. An explosion occurs nearby as he feels an unusual energy pass through his home. It shakes the building itself and everything inside. He listens as the winds outside die down, as everything goes silent.

Modern Day, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation around 1:00pm.:
Black Wolf had never seen a snow storm that was brewing just outside his home before. The winter storm had appeared from nowhere. The winds had shaken his home and bright flashes of lighting had danced around outside his door. He felt the air inside his home being sucked out through the cracks. He heard a high pitch scream that came from just outside his home.

He looks out a nearby window near the door to his place and notices a small form lying out in the snow about thirty feet from his front door. He puts his worn looking heavy blue jean jacket, and his cowboy hat on. He heads outside and over towards the body lying face first in the snow. He couldn’t believe that the wind had stopped blowing. It had been howling and raging just a few minutes ago, but now everything was still. He kneels next to the form and could tell right away that it wasn’t from here. He could see she had pointed ears and black straight hair peeking out from under the hood of the cloak covering the persons body.

“What do we have here?” Black Wolf slowly and carefully turns the form over so that they were lying on the cloak on the snow.

“By the spirits, what are you?” He notices the gush across the girl’s abdomen. He notices that she was wearing a leather pouch, bracers and a leather belt with a dagger in a leather sheath. There was a rope wrapped around her waist. She also had a pair of fingerless gloves on. He notices her cloak was made of leopard skins sewed together. Her feet were covered in rabbit skin shoes and she was wearing a short animal tanned skin dress and leather leggings.

He gently lifts her up off the ground. He supports her light petite body as he heads inside his home. He lays her down on his sofa and start tending to her wound. He carefully removes her clothes and all the weapons he found on her. Along with a kit that looked like it was to be used to pick locks. Black Wolf bandages her wound up. The cut on her abdomen looked like it had been made by some sort of blade weapon. When he is finish, he tucks her under a heavy blanket and makes her comfortable. As he sits and watches her, Black Wolf examines her clothes and other items. The craftsmanship of the items was very nice and unique. He knew this type of craftsmanship was rare nowadays. Only a few people he knew did this type of work. He pulls her dagger out and examines it. It was well crafted and balanced. The handle of it had and a nice tight leather weaved design for a better grip.

“Where did you come from my little snow bird?” He reaches over to check her temperature with the back of his hand. She was warming up slowly, but her skin still felt clammy to him. He wonders where she came from and how she got here.

Black Wolf gets up and walks over to boil some tea to drink. He knew she would feel better when she woke-up if she had something hot inside her stomach. All the items of hers, that he had examine were made like the way his people used to do things in the past. There were no modern items among her gear and clothes. Even the items that looked like lock picks had been hand crafted. They weren’t machine made.
He just looks at her and wonder why the spirits had placed her at his door. Where did she come from and how did she get here? He has never seen anyone like her before, except only in paintings and fantasy books. He didn’t think creatures like her even existed.
 

Lupita stands near Black Wolf as they waited in line at the grocery store. She looks around as she thinks about the past two weeks. Everything had been turned upside down on her. Everything she thought she knew meant nothing now. Even her own body had been changed. She has been merged with the female elf she found in the snow storm. She had all her memories and skills along with her own. She didn’t know how it happened, but her spirit had been placed in the female Elf’s body, while her own body was destroyed.

It had scared her at first when she woke-up and found herself completely naked under a blanket on a strange bed. When she went to move, she felt pain come from her abdomen. The pain was from the same spot she had seen the female elf bleeding from when she went out to help her. She had laid back down on the bed and looked around the room she was in. The room itself looked no different than the rooms in her Uncle’s manor house, except plainer. There were parchment clippings and pictures of people and places on some of the walls. There was a makeshift bookcase with books on it and a funny weird looking thing square glass thing.

Everything in the room was alien to her. Some things seem familiar in a sense, but the rest were things she had never seen before. As she lays there in the bed, the door to the room opens and a strange looking man comes walking through it. She had never seen anyone like this man before. She notices that he had on a red flannel shirt and a pair of some sort of blue pants she had never seen before. They weren’t skins or any cloth she had seen at any village she had traveled through. She couldn’t see his feet, but when he walked, she could hear each step he took. He had dark weather tanned skin with long black braided hair that stopped half way down his back. His face was strong and handsome looking, but had the look of someone that led a rough life. He reminded her of the woods men and soldiers she had known. The way he carried himself, was exactly like the soldiers she came across. His face showed the years he had been around. It still added to his handsomeness, but you could see that this man spent most of his time outside working. She notices that this man was a warrior by the way he paid attention to his surroundings. She figures that this room must be his.

Black Wolf had transferred the strange looking girl from the sofa he had laid her down on to his bedroom and tucked her in. This way she would be warmer and have some privacy. She looked so young, but when he looked at her petite hands. He notices her finger tips and hands were callous. Her finger nails were cut short like someone who climbed a lot.

When she looked up into his brown eyes, she could see that something was haunting him, along with sadness. It was the same type of look she had seen on many warriors and guards she had met at her uncle’s manor house. She wonders what he had planned for her, because she couldn’t do anything to stop him with her abdomen bandaged up like it was.

Black Wolf sits down in a chair next to the bed as he looks down into the strange looking girl’s eyes. He had never seen bright green eyes like hers before. They were like emeralds in a sea of cream.

“How are you feeling?” He watches her.

Lupita looks at the guy as he spoke to her. She could understand his words. They were clearer then the words her uncle and the people she knew spoke. There wasn’t any accent or anything she recognize to his speech.

“Sore. Where am I?” Lupita was wondering if he would tell her.

At least she understands English, Black Wolf thought to himself.

“You’re in my home. I found you wounded outside in the snow storm. How did you get there?” Black Wolf was curious.

“I don’t know.” Lupita really didn’t know.

The two of them talked for what seemed like hours as she laid there in his bed. She told him everything about what happened and a little about herself. He told her a few things about himself and where she was. He even asked what she was. They talked long into the evening. He made her some can stew he had on hand and drunk tea that he made for her.

“You ready to go Lupita?” Black Wolf turns around to look at his charge. He had notice that she had been thinking about things.

Lupita snaps out of the memory she was thinking about when she hears Black Wolf’s voice.

“Yes sir.” Lupita follows behind him as they walked out into the cold and snow. She had on her rabbit skin cloak and boots. Her hood was up protecting her head.

“I bet in your day, you didn’t have a place like this.” Black Wolf glances back at Lupita.

“No sir, you normally had to do either some trading with your neighbors or go to the nearest village to get things. You had to see a butcher, and then see who was selling what at different stalls. Winter time, most people stayed in their homes and tried to stay warm.” Lupita pulls her cloak closer around her petite body.

“My people use to be the same way, except we would store what we needed to help us through the winter. Sometimes our hunters would go out and do some hunting.” Black Wolf pulls his keys out and opens the truck door and let Lupita climb in first. He puts their groceries in the back of the pickup, covered them up. He had to go and buy more groceries since it was the two of them now staying at his place. He had to turn down the money Lupita offered to give him, because it was in the form of copper, silver and gold coins. He would have to explain how he came across them.

He had managed to get her some clothes that would fit her from some of his neighbors that had teenagers. He had decided to wait before taking her before the elders he knew. He knew they would want to question her and ask all sorts of questions that she wasn’t up to answering right now.

“How’s your abdomen?” Black Wolf had changed the dressing yesterday and it looked like it was healing nicely.

“Sore, but it’s not too bad. I still don’t understand how I came to inhabit this body and have the former owner’s memories, abilities and skills.
It’s like everything that I experience in my life was put inside her body as well.” Lupita was still puzzled by the whole thing.

“Maybe, there was a connection to her that you didn’t know about. In my belief, were all connected to each other in one way or another. We’re all part of the circle of life.” Black Wolf figures that the Great Spirit had a reason for her to be here with him.

“You told me that your uncle uses to molest you. Was it common in your day and age for something like that to happen?” Black Wolf had read stories about things that use to take place in the middle ages.

“Yes and no. Normally, the men wouldn’t touch a young girl like I was till I got older. They would fear what the father and brothers would do to him. However, in my case that didn’t apply. My uncle had custody of me, because my parents had died. My mother died during childbirth and my father died from pneumonia. So, I was sent to live with my uncle afterwards. Since the day I arrived, he molested me and did things I wasn’t old enough and prepared for. Life was unpleasant and I had to always be on my guard. If I didn’t do what he wanted, I would pay for it. I became pregnant with his child and when I told him, he punched me extremely hard in the stomach several times and caused me to lose the baby I was carrying. He also caused me to lose my voice. I was lucky to live through that. I almost died from what he did. The elven girl body I inhabit was a professional thief and knows real magic.” Lupita was accessing the memory of the girl body she was placed inside of.

“What do you mean real magic?” Black Wolf looks at her from the corner of his eye.

“I mean real, fantasy style magic. The type you only read about in those books of yours. I mean I can cast real magic.” Lupita had only heard of this a few times when she was living with her uncle.

“Prove it.” Black Wolf wanted to see this.

“What do you want me to do?” Lupita had no idea what she could do to prove it.

“Can you summon an object?” Black Wolf figure that would be a good way to prove it.

“Yes sir, as long as the object isn’t too far or protected by protection magic.” Lupita was preparing the spell that would work. It was like it was instinct for her to do this.

“Okay, summon the book from my living room you were reading last night to you.” Black Wolf figures that would be a good way to prove to him that it was real.

“Okay” Lupita closes her eyes and holds her hand out and begins the chant she’ll need to focus her mind and concentrate on the object and only the object. It was difficult because the magic energies here weren’t like they were at home, but she felt the pull the magic felt and the next thing she knew she felt the book in her hand. She felt exhausted after doing that.

She falls back against the back of the bench seat in the truck. She opens her eyes and notices the book in her hand.

Black Wolf had listen to Lupita as she was mumbling something in a strange language and then a popping sound as the book he gave her last night to read appears in her outstretch hand. He had also watched as she collapsed against the back of the seat looking exhausted.

“I take it, that it was exhausting for you?” Black Wolf looks at Lupita as she rested against the seat.

“Yes, from the memories I got from this girl’s mind, the magical energies here aren’t like they are back home, so I have to concentrate harder and add a little more of my own energies to it. Also, since this is my first time performing magic, it was taxing for me as well.” Lupita felt exhausted and figures she’ll have to practice more.

“Well, you’ve made a believer out of me.” Black Wolf couldn’t believe what he saw.

“Good, because I don’t think I could do that again anytime soon.” Lupita just closes her eyes and relax with the book sitting on her lap. She could smell the spices the girl used in the cloak to hide and mask her scent from being followed or picked up.

“Black Wolf, what did you do when you were in the Marines?” Lupita opens one eye and look towards Black Wolf.

“I was a sergeant major and a master sniper. My unit was normally sent in first to support my fellow jarheads. My unit had special training and
we were if not as good as the Navy Seals. Everyone in my unit was the best of the best and we got jobs done that no one else could.” Black Wolf still remembers some of the missions him and his fellow Marines were sent on.

“Why did you leave?” Lupita turns to look at Black Wolf as he drove.

“Because darling, there’s only so much blood and dead bodies a person can withstand. When you see your friends and people you have known killed. By IDE’s and a bunch of ungrateful people who haven’t learned the value of life, just take life. It’s time to get out before you lose more of yourself.” Black Wolf just had enough fighting for people who won’t stand up for themselves like they should.

Lupita goes quiet. She knew some men like that from her travels and from ones that worked for her uncle as well. They would normally drink themselves into a stupor.

“What did you like to do when you weren’t fending off your uncle?” Black Wolf glances over towards Lupita as he continued to drive. They should be back to his place in about ten minutes.

“I didn’t have much free time to do things, while avoiding my uncle. I learned to read from one of our servants and sewing from some of the older ones. I learned how to ride when I was little. I loved to go horseback riding when I could. I would sneak out of the manor house to go riding to escape my life for a while. When I was riding, things seemed to make more sense to me and I was free. I hated to have to return. The strange thing about my uncle is, he had older women throwing themselves at him. He could have any woman he wanted, instead of me. Why was he so fascinated with me?” Tears leak from Lapita’s eyes.

“I don’t know, Lupita. Some men are born with a sickness and never overcome it. I guess it was because you were young that he liked. It might have made him feel important.” Black Wolf takes the turn off for his home. He could see his place just up the road.

“I guess.” Lupita sits up on the seat and notice that they were almost back to Black Wolf’s place. The arrangement she has with Black Wolf, allows her to have some privacy for herself. She got his only bedroom, while he slept in the living room. She had volunteered to take the living room, but he wouldn’t hear of it.

Once they park and she helps take things inside Black Wolf’s house. His phone starts ring.

Lupita looks at it “I’ll never get use to that.”

Black Wolf just smiles as he walks over to answer the phone.

Lupita takes the groceries and starts putting them away in the cabinets.

“Hello?” Black Wolf holds the phone to his ear.

“Black Wolf, its Dara. I was wondering if you and Lupita would like to come over for dinner tonight. I’ve made a big meatloaf and it would be nice to have company tonight. It would give Lupita a chance to interact with some more of us.” Dara was hoping Black wolf would say yes. Some of the other women around her wanted to meet Lupita and see what she was. They had heard a description from some of Black Wolf’s friends that gave her clothes.

Black Wolf knew this was a set-up, but figure it would be good for Lupita to interact with some more of his people.

“Sure. What time would you like for us to come over?” Black Wolf figures it would be nice to see his friend again.

“How does seven o’clock sound to you?” Dara should have everything done by then.

“Sounds good, we’ll be there at seven o’clock.” Black Wolf figures it shouldn’t take him to long to drive over to her place.

Lupita could hear the whole conversion between Black Wolf and Dara. Her hearing had increase because of her elven ears. She knew elves had better hearing then most races. It could be annoying at times, especially when she wanted to sleep. She finishes putting the groceries up and looks towards Black Wolf.

“Maybe I should bake a dessert for us to take over.” Lupita has gotten use to cooking in the modern kitchen she has been exposed to.

“That would be a nice gesture. What are you planning on making?” Black Wolf walks over to the kitchen.

“Well, I figure since we brought the ingredients to make cookies, maybe a batch or two of walnut cookies.” Lupita figures she has enough to make cookies and bread with.

“I thought you were going to make walnut bread with them?” Black Wolf had let Lupita talk him into buying two bags of black walnuts.

“I still am planning on it. We have enough ingredients to do both.” A playful smile appears on her face.

“You’re the cook. I’ll trust your judgment.” Black Wolf pours himself a cup of coffee. He knew Lupita didn’t drink coffee, something about it being too distasteful for her.

Lupita finds the aspirin they brought and take three of them for the pain from her wound. She loves how modern medicine has taken old herbal medicine and modernizes it.

“Now scoot.” Lupita makes Black Wolf leave the kitchen, while she is cooking.

He goes into the living room and turns on the radio and sits down in his favorite chair and read his newspaper while Lupita cooks. He’s gotten use to her not wanting him in the kitchen while she cooked. She had found the equivalent to some of the spices she used in her world. They had stocked up on them and then bought a few others he had never heard about from an herbal store.

He looks up as Lupita comes walking into the living room and sits down on the sofa he slept on.

“Done with the cookies already?” Black Wolf was looking at Lupita as she sat down.

“Yep, go ahead and help yourself.” Lupita had a few before she came over to sit down.

“Okay.” Black Wolf gets up out of his comfortable chair and heads into the kitchen. He notices a cookie tray sitting on the counter with fresh made cookies cooling of. He grabs a few and takes a bite of one as he walks back into the living room. The cookie tasted unbelievable. He can’t recall ever eating a cookie that tasted as good as theses.

Lupita watches as Black Wolf disappears in the kitchen and then comes walking out eating one of her homemade cookies. She watches his facial expression as he eats the cookie in his hand.

“You did good on these cookies, Lupita.” Black Wolf sits down in his favorite chair again.

“I used the recipe that the elven girl knew. It seemed she like to cook when she wasn’t stealing things.” Lupita was amazed to find out that the body and memories she inherited from the elven girl’s body, she could do herself.

At 7:00pm. They walk over to Dara’s house for dinner. When they arrive, they are greeted by Dara and invited in. Black Wolf couldn’t believe how many people had been invited for dinner.

Lupita looks towards Black Wolf “I think we have been setup.”

 

Lupita swing the ax down on the tree log and splits it in one swing. She looks over towards Black Wolf "I could get use to this. I split that log with just one swing and it went right through it."

Black Wolf looks over towards Lupita as she continued to chopped wood. Her abdomen had finally healed properly. She has been a blessing in disguise. Yesterday, she had gone out hunting and came back with a rabbit she had trapped in the snare she set. He noticed that he has been putting on weight with all the food she has been cooking lately. Not only that, but it has been fun introducing her to modern life.

He was surprised that members of the council had been at Dora’s place when they went over for dinner. It was nice that Lupita loved to bake and made a large batch of cookies. She met most of the women and some of the men who were on the tribal council. The reaction some of the people had, were a little unnerving to Lupita. Some questions she couldn’t answer, because where she came from and where the Elf she now occupied, came from were different.

She did learn that the reason the elf had been bleeding, because she had gotten caught stealing from a high-ranking member of the court. One of his guards caught her, on her way out of the house. He was a little better with a sword then she was and sliced her right across the abdomen. As for the snow storm that had merged and transported them here. She didn’t have any answers for that.

Black Wolf had a hard time explaining modern thing to Lupita. One of the items he had a hard time explaining was electricity to her. He had to put it in terms she could understand with lighting being trapped and sent down metallic lines like copper and such. He did learn where she lacked modern knowledge, her old skills of hunting and identifying plants and such came in handy. She could teach some of their people the old ways of surviving off the land.

Lupita carries the wood inside the house and stack it in the kindling box. She liked the fact that Black Wolf had running water that was cold and hot. That was new to her. Black Wolf had to show her how to operate the knobs to get the water the way she wanted it. She come to enjoy bubble baths as well.

Once she got use to how the gas stove operated, it was easy for her to cook. Lupita loved baking and brewing different types of teas. At least Black Wolf didn’t have to show her how to wear certain undergarments. She managed to figure that out on her on.

Lupita heads into the kitchen to check on the rabbit stew she was making for dinner tonight. She found out that she liked buffalo meat. One of Black Wolf’s neighbors had given them some and she had cooked it up. Lupita tastes the stew and noticed it need a little bit more spicing. She looks through all the spices they had and finally found what she was looking for. She stirs the spices in and taste it again.

“Perfect.” She covers the pot back up.

“How much longer is the stew going to be?” Black Wolf was curious.

“Give it a few more hours and it should be ready.” Lupita heads towards the door.

“Hey Black Wolf, I’m going for a walk.” She grabs her walking stick.

“Alright, be careful.” Black Wolf had shown Lupita around.

“I will. I’m not going far.” Lupita heads out into the snow still on the ground and goes for a walk. Even though it was 29 degrees outside. She wasn’t cold with her cloak on and her hands and face bundled up.

As Lupita is out for her walk, she comes across a body lying on the snow like Black Wolf had found her, except this person was wearing a modern-day ski suit. She turns the person over carefully and notices the person looked to have been beaten. Their face was all black and blue.
Lupita carefully picks the body up and carry them back to Black Wolf’s place.

As Lupita walks in with a figure in her arms “Black Wolf, you might want to get your first aid kit. I found someone not far from your place.”
Black Wolf was in the kitchen getting something to drink when he heard Lupita’s voice. He comes out and notices she had a small person in her arms.

“Where did you find that person?” The purple ski suit the person was covered with looked to be fairly new.

“About half a mile from here. They were laying face down in the snow.” Lupita takes the person in her arms into the bedroom where she has been sleeping and starts to undress them.

As she started removing the ski suit off the person. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She remembered what she had looked like when her father had beaten and whipped her. This person was covered in bruises and whipped marks. They looked to be a girl, but had the plumbing of a male.

“Black Wolf, do boys normally wear girl clothes around here?” Lupita looked at Black Wolf as he came walking in with a bowl of hot water and the first aid kit.

“Well, we normally call them two spirited.” Black Wolf gives Lupita the bowl to hold while he cleans the person.

“Okay, what does that mean?” she had no idea what two spirited meant.

“It means, that sometimes mother nature makes a mistake when a person is born. Sometimes, a person is born feeling one way, but their body doesn’t match how their spirit and emotions feel. It’s like how you are. Your body and spirit use to be in a normal human body. Then your spirit and mind got merged with the body you have now.” Black Wolf wonders who this person was and why they were abused.

Lupita just watches as Black Wolf gives the boy laying on the mattress a sponge bath. After he was done, Lupita pulls out a baby bottle of healing salve she had made with the knowledge from the elf body she now inhabited. She wraps the person body up after applying the salve.
Black Wolf and Lupita head back into the living room. Lupita takes the first aid kit and the bottle of salve and put them away. She checks the stew again and goes back into the living room where Black Wolf was sitting. She walks over to the sofa and curl up there.

“Looks like your place is a popular place.” Lupita had a smile on her face.

“Did you see any tracks near that person’s body?” Black Wolf was curious.

“Nope, just theirs. They must had walked there.” Lupita hadn’t seen any other tracks, except hers and the other persons.

“Do you want a cup of tea?” Lupita gets up and heads towards the fireplace to get the kettle she hangs there to keep the water hot.

Lupita heads into the kitchen and fills the kettle up. She brings it back out to hang in the fireplace to heat up.

“I wonder who that boy is and why they were beaten as badly as they were?” Lupita was curious what the boy did to deserve the beating he got.

“Don’t you mean girl?” Black Wolf looks at Lupita as he sips his tea?

“Girl? He can’t be a she, not unless he has both organs.” Lupita was wondering why Black Wolf said girl.

“Lupita, people who are two natures like the young person in there leans towards being a girl. That’s how they feel. Sometimes, you’ll have a girl who feels she should had been born a male.”

“I know a few women from where I came from, that should had been born a male. They even acted like they should had been.” Lupita remembers one woman that wore the pants in her family and the husband should had been wearing the dress instead of her.

“Well, when you address the child in the next room. Address them as if you were addressing a girl.” Black Wolf figures he was right.

“Okay.” Lupita didn’t have a problem doing that, she just never met a boy that dress as a girl unless they were actors or entertainers.

Lupita checks on their guest before she goes back outside to chop some more wood. Black Wolf had left earlier to go see Fighting Hawk and his wife Running Brook. She bundles up as she grabs the ax and head outside. She starts splitting the logs as she wonders where the child came from. She knew from the memories of the elf’s mind she now inhabited. That it wasn’t uncommon for teenagers the child age to go in the world. However, normally, they have someone watching over them.

Inside the Cabin:
The child wakes-up and looks around from the bed. He notices that it was kind of rustic looking. He notices that his body was wrapped up in bandages and had two heavy quilted blankets covering his nude body. The child had no idea where they were or who they were. The child hears a door open on the other side of the room, where the door was. The child lays back down and pull up the blankets, so it covered their wrapped body.

Lupita brings in some of the wood she split and stack it near the fireplace. She brings in enough, so she doesn’t have to go back outside and get some more. The past few days the temperature has been in the negative. She didn’t know how much longer it was going to last, but she wanted to make sure they had enough chopped wood available to heat the inside.

Lupita takes her cloak, scarf and gloves off. She removes her boots and step into the bedroom to check on the child in there. She looks in and notices that the child was awake.

“Hi, how are you feeling?” Lupita was surprised the child was awake.

The child looks at the young woman that stepped into the room. She had long black hair that had been tied back into a ponytail. There was something familiar about her.

“I’m fine. Where am I? What happened? and Who am I?” The boy was confused about himself and his surroundings.

Lupita stood there, stun. She looks at the boy.

“You don’t know who you are or what happened to you?” Lupita steps closer to the bed.

The boy shakes his head no. He couldn’t remember who he was or what happened to him. He looks at the woman standing near his bed.

“Well, I found you lying face first in the snow and injured about half a mile or so from here. I brought you back here to tend to your wounds with help from my friend Black Wolf. When we started tending to your injuries. We found that you were wearing girl clothes under the ski suit you had on. As for your injuries, they weren’t too serious. You’ve been out of it for the past three days, since I found you.”

The boy couldn’t recall anything. He looks towards Lupita.

“Who are you?”

“Lupita and I’m not from here. Black Wolf found me almost in the same condition I found you.” Lupita still couldn’t get over the fact she had been sent through a dimensional portal or something.

“Who’s Black Wolf?” The boy was curious.

“He’s an older Lakota Native American we are currently staying with. He’s a nice fellow. He took me in when he didn’t have too. He has been helping me learn how to interact with everyone here.” Lupita was thankful for everything Black Wolf has done for her.

“What will happen to me?” The boy was curious.

“Well, I think you’ll be staying here, till we find out more about you. Do you feel up to eating something?” Lupita had some stew on the stove.

She had planned on having that and a couple of slices of fresh baked bread. One of the ladies had given her a couple of jars of preserves for the rabbit stew she made for her. She had some herbal tea the child could drink to help his healing.

The boy nods his head yes. He was feeling hungry and thirsty.

“Could I get something to drink, please?” The boy looks at Lupita.

“Sure, let me go and get everything.” Lupita heads into the kitchen and fixes a tray to take back into the bedroom.

She adds a medium container of preserves and a container of honey butter she made. She cuts at least six slices of fresh baked bread. She makes two bowls and fixes two teas as well. She brings a small jar of honey with her.

The boy had watched when Lupita left the room. He still didn’t know what happened or could recall his name. He wonders why he had been wearing girl clothes? He had been staring at a picture on the wall, when the bedroom door opened again.

Lupita comes walking in carrying a tray. She sets it on the bed across his lap.

“Help yourself.” Lupita picks up her bowl and the saucer that had the bread already smeared with preserves. She also takes her tea.

“Be careful with the tea. It’s still a little hot. You might have to add a little honey to sweeten it.” Lupita sits in a chair near the bed and watches as the boy starts eating his stew.

He burns himself, some when he tries to eat the stew.

“Careful, it’s hot.” Lupita just smiles as she watches him blow on the stew, before eating it.

The boy blows on the stew, before trying to eat it. He carefully eats the stew and then some of the bread with the honey butter spread over it.
He liked the honey butter. He uses some of the bread to wipe the inside of the bowl when he finishes the stew.

The boy enjoys the herbal tea. He adds a little bit of honey to sweeten. By the time he is done eating and drinking the tea. He became tired and slowly fell asleep.

Lupita takes the dirt dishes back to kitchen and clean them. She checks the cabbage, potatoes and ham she was cooking for dinner. She is cooking on low in the oven, so it wouldn’t be done till later.

She heads back into the bedroom to check on the boy. She notices he was sound asleep. She tucks the blankets around him. She heads back into the living room to finish reading a book she started. It was a romance novel she had picked up when they went to the store.

The cover had caught her attention. Reading the English language wasn’t hard. The memories from the body she was in, made it seem the languages were like High English. She learned a little more from Black Wolf.

It’s been two months since Lupita found the boy and they still didn’t know the boy's real name. Black Wolf had gone ahead and gave the boy a new name. Haloke was what Black Wolf and Lupita were calling him. Black Wolf had the tribal police run his fingerprints and face to see if he had been kidnapped, but nothing had come back about him.

Haloke enjoyed cooking with Lupita and Black Wolf. He didn’t know what his real name was or where he came from, but he did know since Lupita found him. He felt safe for the first time in his life. When Lupita tried to get him to tell her, he just couldn’t recall why he felt the way he did.

He enjoyed learning from her about tracking and hunting. He killed his first deer two days ago. She showed him how to skin and clean the kill. She also taught him how to thank the animal for its sacrifice.

Black Wolf showed him how to tan the skin and how to ride a horse. He enjoyed helping down at the convenience store that Black Wolf’s friend owned on the reservation. Lately, he has been hearing stories from several men that lived around Black Wolf about a woman that the spirits had healed. He didn’t know what it meant, but he wanted to know more.

Lupita was folding laundry she had just got done the drying. She had used Angie’s washer and dryer to do Black Wolf, Haloke, and her own laundry. She holds up a pair of underwear she bought for Haloke. So far, Haloke hasn’t shown any interest in girl things. She did know he enjoyed cooking with her. He also enjoyed hunting and she was teaching him archery. She didn’t like guns. She knew they had range and such in a fight, but for some reason, when touched one. It burned her hands unless she was wearing gloves. Now, the Glocks she tested, didn’t burn her hands, because of their ceramic construction.

Once Lupita was done folding laundry. She puts everyone’s clothes away. They had to add onto Black Wolf’s place because originally it was built just for one person. She converted some of the gems she had in a pouch when she arrived to pay for the additions to the place. She still had a few things with her that came with her new body. Why she was merged with the elf body. She hasn’t figured out yet.

She walks into the kitchen to check on dinner. They were having deer roast tonight from the deer Haloke had killed just a few days ago. She had volunteered to cook the meat. She had recipes that the elf whose body she inhabited knew. As for Haloke himself, they were hoping something would trigger his memory.

They have done everything humanly possible to find out Haloke’s real identity. There might be one way to do it, but Black Wolf has been kind of hesitant to take that path. It involved asking the spirits for help. Black Wolf wanted to give Haloke a little while longer, before asking the spirits for help.

Lupita heard the front door opened and footsteps.

“Hello?” Lupita sticks her head out of the kitchen to see who it was.

“It’s just me Lupita.” Haloke shakes the snow off his jacket. It had started snowing lightly.

“Have you heard from Black Wolf?”

“No, ma’am. He said he had to talk with some other shamans.” Haloke hangs his jacket up and walks into the kitchen. It smelled wonderful in there.

“Okay. There’s a fresh pitcher of sweet tea in the refrigerator if you want some. There’s also orange& pineapple juice too.” Lupita liked the orange and pineapple mix juice.

“Thanks.” Haloke opens the refrigerator and pours himself a glass of tea.

Lupita wouldn’t allow any soda’s in the place. She tried it and didn’t like it. However, he and Black Wolf liked soda.

Haloke walks over and sits down at the kitchen table. He takes a sip of his tea and just watches Lupita as she prepares dinner. He knows she loved cooking. He once asks her why she liked to cook, and she had said it was relaxing to her.

When the roast was ready. Lupita pulls it out of the oven and put it on a serving plate. She cuts it into slices and put the tray on the kitchen table. The vegetables and mash potatoes she made she put in a serving bowl and place them on the table. The biscuits in the oven were ready as well. She fixes a plate for Black Wolf and wraps it up.

“Go ahead and fix yourself a plate, Haloke.”

“Okay.” Haloke fixes himself a plate. He wasn’t a big vegetable person.

Lupita looks over towards him “you need more vegetables then that, Haloke.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Haloke just sighs as he takes more vegetables then he already had.

A smile appears on Lupita’s face as she fixes her own plate. They sit down at the kitchen table to eat. Normally, they would head to the living room to eat, but since it was just her and Haloke. They would eat in the kitchen.

“How was your day today?” Lupita looks towards Haloke while she was eating.

“It was fine. I helped stock several shelves today. T'iis said he enjoyed me working in the store with him.” Haloke loved the way Lupita cooked the deer meat. It melted in his mouth and the spices she used were unbelievable.

“Well, remember. You’re still underage and can only work a certain number of hours.” Lupita wishes they had these rules when she was human.

“I know. T’iis said I had tomorrow off. He said the next time he needed me would be this weekend when he got a shipment of items he special
ordered.” Haloke takes another bite of deer meat and vegetables.

Once the two of them were done with dinner. He helps Lupita clean the dishes and put the rest of the food away. Once the kitchen was clean.
Haloke goes and takes a bath and turns in for the night.

Lupita stays up till Black Wolf comes from where ever he went. She passes the time waiting for him, reading a new novel she picked up when they went shopping for Haloke. She makes herself comfortable on the new sofa they bought at the thrift store.

Lupita watches Black Wolf as he teaches Haloke to ride a horse. It has been a total of five months since Haloke came into their life. She has managed to figure out most of what has happened to herself. Haloke, on the other hand, was still a mystery. They had gone into Rapid City to see if Haloke was listed as a missing child, but there was no record.

They had told the local police department what happened, but nothing appeared about Haloke. So, a birth certificate had been created for Haloke and Black Wolf was listed as his mother. She had to use a little magic to overcome the procedures the officials were required to follow.

She did notice that Haloke was starting to show signs that he would rather be a girl, instead of a boy. So, they were slowly letting Haloke dress how he felt. The elven body she took over knew of a spell that required certain items and ingredients that she was slowly collecting that would allow Haloke to be physical change into a girl. However, the magical energies needed to perform the spell wasn’t readily available.

When she spoke with Black Wolf, he had said he knew of a place they could go that had what they needed. They had to wait for the right time, till Haloke was ready. There were things about Haloke they still didn’t know, or he didn’t know about himself yet.

“Chow time!” Lupita waves towards the guys to grab their attention.

Haloke spots Lupita waves towards him and Black Wolf. He turns his horse around and heads back towards her, with Black Wolf following behind him. He was enjoying his riding lessons.

Once Black Wolf and Haloke were over where Lupita had set-up lunch. They dismount and let the horses graze, while they have lunch. Black Wolf couldn’t believe the spread Lupita had made. Since she has come to live with him. He has gained weight by all the food she cooks or prepares.

“You know we are going to have leftovers again, Lupita.” As Black Wolf takes his seat.

“Actually, no we won’t. Weayaya and Kewanee are joining us for lunch.”

Black Wolf spots two people on horseback riding towards their location. Weayaya he knew. He was almost as old as he was. Kewanee was in
her mid-thirties. She just moved onto the reservation to take care of Weayaya.

“I hope we’re not late?” As Kewanee dismounts and lets her horse and her father horse join the others.

“Nope, you’re just in time Kewanee.”

“Good.” Kewanee walks over and sits next to Lupita.

Weayaya sits across from Black Wolf. He looks at the spread and couldn’t believe how nice it looked. He had heard how good of a cook Lupita
was. He has sampled some of her cooking before. All the food she cooks was fresh and used naturals ingredients.

“Lupita, you really need to show me your secrets when you cook.”

“It’s all about the ingredients I use Kewanee.” As Lupita takes a bite of her steak.

“Well, I still would like to learn which spices and ingredients you use for all your food.” Kewanee was enjoying a nice flatbread roast beef sandwich.

“I think she should open her own restaurant. All the delicious foods she makes would bring people from all over in.” Haloke loved Lupita’s cooking and was learning a few her secrets of how she cooked things.

“Maybe, once you learn my secrets Haloke, you could open your own restaurant?” Lupita looks over towards Haloke.

“I hadn’t thought of that.” Haloke knew he still had a lot to learn.

The doctors they had seen about his condition said maybe his memories might return one day. Even Lupita when she used a little bit of her magic, couldn’t bring anything up of his past. All anyone knew, was the blow he took to his head, were the cause of him to lose all his memories. Every once in awhile when he picked something up, he has handled before. The memory of that object would come back.

The luncheon goes well. Kewanee helps Lupita clear the table and put things away. Afterward, Lupita gets her horse and with everyone else, they go for a ride. It was warm out and the air had a nice clean smell to it.

They cook out and eat what Lupita and Kewanee forged. The guys hunt a deer down and field dress it.

“Look what we caught Lupita?” Haloke was proud he had managed to hunt the deer down.

Lupita looks towards him like a proud mother “you did good, Haloke.”

Black Wolf and Weayaya just smile and watches as the women went to work preparing the deer for dinner. Both men were amazed at how well Lupita managed to find what she needed to prepare the meat.

The older men show Haloke how to make a camp, while the ladies prepared dinner. Haloke pays close attention to what Black Wolf and Weayaya were teaching him. He was starting to love the outdoors.

When the deer was ready to be served, the women cut a few slices off and serve it to the guys. They cut a few slices for themselves and sit down to enjoy their meals.

“You outdid yourself Lupita.” Weayaya looks over towards Lupita.

“It wasn’t me, Weayaya. It was Kewanee. She did all the cooking. I just assisted her.” Lupita takes a sip of her tea she brewed to go with dinner.

Haloke was laying back on the ground enjoying the night sky. He wonders if they had the same type of stars where Lupita was from.

“Lupita was the stars the same from where you came from?” Haloke looks over towards Lupita.

Lupita looks up at the night sky “yes and no. These stars were in a different position where I am from.”

Lupita still couldn’t figure out how she got here, but she thinks the magical energies where she is from, was the caused of it. She knew for a fact the magical energies were weak here and it took a major event to cause them to become stronger. She does know in certain areas the energies were strong at certain locations. She found the information in an old Time-Life book.

Haloke curls up next to Lupita when everyone starts to get tired and slowly drifted off to sleep.