Shadow & Mist Pt. 06 - The Compass

June 29, 1991 - The Compass Keeps Spinning

Both doors to The Lodge slammed open as a horde of naked witches and a dog rushed in and gathered around Tom.

Akiko and Vicki's Papa Carl, were already there.

Akiko had her eyes closed, holding her hands about a foot over his body.

Everybody stopped to watch in a painfully long silence, as if any word would break Tom.

Tabby held Alex and Isabelle's hands.

The year-minute of silence ended when Akiko opened her eyes.

"I am sorry. There's nothing left to do. Dr. Tom's reserves are nearly depleted. He's dying."

The noises that were being held in exploded in unison.

"Can I make a potion that will help--I can run up 'n' get more mud, if needed--Tommy?--we just talked to him last night--oh no, Tabby, darling--come on and stay with us, brother--Mountain Boy, do anything--*mmmph-whrr-ooorrh* ­ --Alex, is there anything we can do?--"

Akiko held her hand up.

Alex spoke first.

"Miss Akiko, can you tell us what's happenin'? I had him awake last night, 'n' his magic ball was beatin' like a heart. What changed?"

"Nothing has actually changed. When someone's magic gets low enough that they can't replenish themselves, all you can do is make the magic that they have more available. They'll get a boost, but it will burn through their magic faster."

"So... I killed Mr. Tom?"

Tabby put her arms around him and gave his arm a warm kiss.

"That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that, after what he experienced, he never would've been able to recover. He might've lain here unconscious for weeks."

"We might've found a way to save him together in that time, Miss Akiko. Now he's only had a day."

Tabby grabbed his face and pulled him down to look him eye-to-eye.

"Mountain Boy, I know you feel guilty. Stop it! You're not guilty. You're mourning just like the rest of us. It sounds to me like you're the one who gave me a chance to make good with him. You gave Mom and Dad a chance to talk again."

Isabelle put her hand on his shoulder.

Alex felt silly for making this about him. They were here trying to comfort him when they were losing their father and husband.

"Akiko, can he still hear us?" Patrick asked.

"I couldn't know. He hasn't left us yet, but he's close. If anyone wants to say anything to him or just hold his hand, now's the time."

Everyone turned their attention back to Tom and comforting each other.

Alex stepped away from the group.

Nana came up to him.

"Don't you have anything that you want to say to him?"

"Nah. I got my chance already."

"Vision Quest?"

"Yeah."

"Then we should at least get in there and help them through it. That's part of our magic."

Alex gave Nana a kiss on the forehead, and they both joined the group.

Twenty minutes later, Tom's last breath passed through his lips, and the room got quiet.

Tears were shed, but the grief was a little less than it could've been.

The sky was just starting to lighten. Alex stood at the fence at the edge of The Whisper with a shovel in his hand and a small sack over his shoulder.

Orange Cat purred while he nuzzled Alex's ankle.

He leaned the shovel against the fence and hung the sack over a post. He pulled his last paper out and rolled the last of his tobacco into it.

He looked off at Tom's sister's tree.

"Well, Mr. Tom... Dad, I reckon if you've got anything else you'd like to tell me, now's your chance."

He sat on the fence and lit the cigarette with a match.

Orange Cat jumped up and perched on the closest post.

He held each puff deep and waited.

When he was done, he put the roach out on the fence, hopped off, and grabbed the shovel.

He was startled by a hand on his shoulder. Annette stood there with another shovel.

Together, they sludged through the muddy fen towards the tree.

Orange Cat wandered off to the fields.

By the time the sun first peeked above the ridge, the hole was dug. Annette and Alex sat on the pile of mud and peat.

With a whistle, Fred popped out holding a shovel in one hand, a ball-and-burlap red maple seedling in the other, and his own shoulder sack.

He sounded chipper for such a solemn day.

"Good morning, Alex... Annette! It looks like the two of you saved me some time today."

"Mr. Frederick? I didn't know I'd see you here today."

"Well, this isn't too far from where I left you yesterday. What the two of you have done this morning is usually my job."

He planted his shovel into the mud pile and sat beside the pair.

"Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it. Most grieving people don't feel quite up to digging the grave of their loved ones."

"How long before they get here with the body?"

Annette wasn't really asking anyone. She was more wondering aloud.

Fred stretched his arm out to the ridge and held his fingers together to measure distance above the ridge.

"They'll start up the hill when the sun clears the mountains. I'd say thirty minutes."

The three of them had a pleasant chat while they waited.

By the time the procession got to the barn, Alex and Annette had washed off from the knees up.

Patrick, Tina, Katy and Isabella carried the hemp-shrouded body on a woven litter. Annette and Alex joined Tabby, Brittany and Vicki in a huddle behind them.

Nana led the rest of the community, including most Oakhaven residents, who formed the long tail of the procession.

Only the leaders of the procession were allowed to the edge of The Shroud Grove where Fred was waiting, looking very official. Everyone from Nana back stayed back at the fence.

No one said a word.

Tom was lowered by his circle into the hole.

Fred, Alex and Annette silently shoveled most of the pile back into the hole. Tabby, Brittany and Vicki had also shoveled some before it was done.

Fred took the burlap off of the tree and placed it into the remaining hole, and everyone used their hands to pack the rest of the soil around it.

Fred shook it one good time to make sure it was sturdy and pulled a knife out of his sack.

The knife was slightly curved inwards like a grafting knife, except that the sharp edge was on the outside of the curve. The handle was black locust and the guard was silver.

He handed it to Isabelle, who used it to make a straight line and handed it to Tabby.

Tabby made a curved line that crossed the first one.

Patrick made a squiggle.

Katy, Tina, Annette, Brittany and Vicki all made their own additions. Each made the sigil more intricate.

Vicki handed it to Alex. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to know what to carve, but he thought someone would've told him if he was, so he just carved.

After he made an arc between Tabby's curve and Annette's circle, he stepped back and looked at the whole sigil.

Maybe he was imagining it, but it looked to him like an abstract drawing of a stethoscope tangled in a Spider-Walk.

Fred took the knife back and everyone smiled at Tom's new sigil.

Everyone held hands while Tabby and Isabelle touched the sigil.

It glowed yellow-green and then faded until a break in the clouds let the sun hit it, when it glowed again.

While everyone else silently admired the sigil, Alex put his arm around Tabby.

She buried herself in his chest, and he hugged her for a full minute.

"That felt just like Dad's hugs," she said under her breath to no one.

Everyone exited The Whisper and was greeted by consolations, people's favorite Tom jokes and stories of how he helped folks feel better.

Before too long, The Circle of Shadow and Mist escaped the throng and finally returned to The Loft House.

Annette, Vicki and Brittany were ready to spend some time consoling Tabby. By the time they cleaned up, Alex and Tabby were already in a dry, muddy pile on the furs--sound asleep.

They still curled up around them.

When the five of them woke up, it was to the sounds of laughter.

The light coming in the windows was that soft, muted blue of a drizzly afternoon.

When Alex looked around, his bed had been pulled out. Emma, Hank and Shannon were sitting on it wildly laughing.

Shannon picked up a couple of wooden dice and rolled them.

"Okay, Emma, you got the mouse. Tell me a secret... and make it juicy."

Emma leaned over and whispered into Shannon's ear.

Shannon gave Hank a wicked smile, and both girls started giggling.

"Well, I figure that can't be good. What did you say, sweetie?"

"You know that's not how this works, baby."

Vicki jumped up, rolling Annette off of Tabby, and jumped up and down excitedly.

"By the winds, are you guys playing Warbler's Perch? Alex, you've never played that since you were never in The Floor House, have you? We've all got to play before we move. Alex needs to!"

That made Alex bolt up.

"What do you mean before we move, Miss Vicki?"

"We're a Soul-Circle now, silly. We get our own cabin."

"Mountain Boy, did you think we were going to live here forever?"

"Well, no... but I've only been here for a few days."

Annette looked at him.

"Really? Only a few days?"

Shannon, Emma and Hank were sitting on the edge of the bed now watching the show.

Shannon cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.

"Vicki, we were just playing while waiting for you guys to wake up. Katy came by and said your cabin wouldn't be ready for a couple of days, so we have plenty of time to play... maybe tomorrow night."

Vicki glanced at Alex and back at Shannon with her lower lip out.

Shannon gave Vicki a deadpan look.

"You know that has never worked on me, right?"

Vicki pursed her lips like an angry child... and then grinned and wrapped her arms around Shannon. Emma joined them in a group embrace.

Emma and Vicki giggled, and Shannon rolled her eyes as if she wasn't enjoying it.

While they laughed and hugged, Hank strode over to Alex. He wedged himself between Alex and Brittany when he sat down. He had a small satchel in his hands.

"Hey, buddy! Vicki and I were talking about how you didn't have a lot of tobacco and rolling papers when you got here, so I figured I'd get you these."

Alex opened the bag. Inside was a ceremonial pipe and a tin. When he opened the tin, it was full of tobacco.

"It's for your morning ritual."

"Mr. Hank, I don't know what to say."

"Aw, it's nothing. I figure if you'd have grown up here, you would already have these. It's important to you, so it's important to us. You should have about two weeks of tobacco there. Whenever you need more, you just come to me at the Smokehouse, and I'll get it for you."

"Thanks. This is great. I just woke up, so would you like to go out and sit with me while I try it."

"Isn't it something that you only do in the morning?"

"I do it to honor my Grandpa. He'd want me to share the first time with you."

Hank looked taken aback by the offer.

"Umm... well... I'd be honored."

Emma spoke up.

"Before you go do that, I'd like you to try one of these on."

She was holding out a pair of bib overalls made out of the same hemp-cotton that everyone else's clothes were made of.

"I measured it from the ones you sent to be cleaned. I've got two more on the bed over there. I tried to match the color to your other ones, but it's a little lighter. I hope that's okay."

Alex's eyes lit up. He threw them on, almost knocking himself over getting his legs into them. He did a couple of quick squats, high-knee marches and twists before spinning and posing for the whole room. They even had the pocket on the front.

"It's better'n okay, Miss Emma! I think this is more comfortable than my old ones."

"Well, they fit you perfectly."

"And they're damn sexy, too," added Tabby.

Outside, a horn honked.

It was the horn of Alex's S-10.

"It's about time he got here," Shannon said.

Alex ran outside like a birthday boy who had just opened candy and his cool-kid clothes and heard the "ching-ching" of a bicycle bell.

Everyone else followed closely behind.

They all got out there in time to see Will climb out, close the door and slap the hood like a used car salesman.

"The maintenance shop has set it up for biogas... even the lights... and a crystal ignition."

"So I get to keep the truck, Mr. Will?"

"It's our new farm truck! It will be great for pulling the trailer around wherever we need it. But wait, there's more...!"

Will walked around to the back of the truck and opened the cap and the tailgate. He waved Alex over, but everyone came.

"This is the part that Shannon and I did."

When Alex looked in, there were wooden cabinets on either side. The cabinet on the right had a hook a couple of feet up from the bed. In the center was a cot.

"I'm not sure that I rightly understand."

"This is your new mobile vet hospital, and this..."

Will pulled the cot out and wheeled legs folded out.

"... is a stretcher, because this is going to be our new ambulance, too. That was actually Tom's idea. If someone down in Oakhaven needs medical attention or someone gets hurt in a hard-to-get-to place, you can get as close as possible to get them to the infirmary."

"What about the hook?"

"That's where your grandfather's vet bag goes. It'll always be with you, even if you have to go treat animals for the farmers in Oakhaven."

"It looks like you and Miss Shannon did a mighty fine job here. I feel like I'm bein' treated like a king today."

"Think of it as a Welcome-Circle-Binding present," Shannon replied. "This last one is for all of you, though."

"The ambulance?"

"No. Follow me."

Everyone went back under the screened porch to get out of the rain.

Shannon grabbed another bag from Alex's old bed and brought it out to the porch.

She reached in and grabbed five wooden, dollar-sized tokens and handed one to each: Alex, Annette, Brittany, Tabby and Vicki.

Alex examined it.

One side was bare. The other had an image wood-burnt into it.

A streetlight in the mist.

Shannon saw the confusion on Alex's face.

"I went with something simple. Normally, we like to get input from the Circle, but you guys needed the sleep, and we're under a time crunch with the election tonight."

Alex stared at her for a long second.

"I know you think you just explained somethin' to me, Miss Shannon, but I don't understand a bit o' what you just said."

Annette grabbed his elbow.

"This is our emblem. Most Soul-Circles have time to help design it, but..."

She trailed off and looked over to Tabby.

Tabby stepped up.

"It's okay, sweetheart. I know he's gone."

She took Annette's place at Alex's elbow.

"Once Dad died, his Circle became broken. They can't be The Elder Council anymore. It's time for them to retire. I didn't realize that it would be this soon, but the coven... apparently... will vote for a new Elder Council tonight."

Shannon explained further.

"I'm the Tattooist's apprentice. Most people get the tattoo first and then the token, but they needed the token tonight. Since I've been living with you guys for a while, they asked me this morning to design it. This made me think of you guys in the lake or sitting on the porch. I hope you like it."

Alex looked to the rest of his Circle. They nodded approval.

"It's perfect, Miss Shannon."

He gave her a hug. The rest of them joined.

Hank, Emma and Will were soon all part of a huge group hug.

"Well, Mr. Hank, you ready to go test out that pipe?"

"I figure that sounds just right, Mr. Alex."

Everyone looked at Hank, stunned.

Shannon beamed.

"Oh, I am so telling the entire Floor House and all of the younglings that they have to call him that."

Hank and Alex sat on the tailgate. The cap door kept the light rain off of them.

Hank took a light puff and handed it back to Alex.

"Don't get me wrong when I say this 'cause I'm happy that you all got Bound last night. You guys are really meant for each other, but can I say something honest?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Alex took a deep drag and tried to hand it to Hank.

Hank put his hand up to decline.

"When you first moved in, I figured you might be the guy Emma deserves."

"Me? She's your girl."

"I'm what's available. She deserves better than that. She deserves you."

"What's so great about me?"

"Alex, can you not see yourself? You're the best-looking guy at camp. You've got all of those muscles. You heal things. You're smart. You saved the entire camp. I'm just a guy who burns wood for a living."

"Can I ask you a question... honest?"

Hank raised his eyebrows, waiting for the question.

"If I'm so great, Mr. Hank, why is she over there starin' at you?"

Hank looked back at the porch.

Sure enough, Emma was on the bench, looking at him like he was the hero of the camp.

"Hey, babe! They were just talking about going and getting an early dinner. Should we join them before it gets too busy?"

Alex had never seen Hank blush before. He wondered if this was the first time Hank had ever really noticed how Emma looked at him.

Hank turned to Alex like he was asking permission.

"Mr. Hank, you need to go get her... I figure."

Hank looked back to Emma.

"Yeah, babe, let me get cleaned up first."

Alex thought that would be a good idea for himself, too. He still hadn't cleaned off all of that mud.

It was about an hour before sunset when the Loft House crowd got to the Amphitheatre. Most of the rest of the camp were already there and seated, but they weren't the last to arrive. All in all, there were over a hundred people there.

Katy was at a table handing out pouches.

"I was worried you wouldn't make it after the long day yesterday. Here are the pouches for our newest Soul-Circle, and these are for you four."

She moved five with their new emblem on them to the front and four others with no emblem.

Isabella came up behind them and put her arms around Alex and Tabby's waists.

"Tina and I are sitting over here if you want to join us. This is the first election for all of you, so we can explain it."

They all moved to one of the rows along the front where no one except Tina was sitting. Everyone kept watching them as they moved through.

Alex felt increasingly self-conscious and instinctively shrank.

He put his arm around Brittany. He figured if he was feeling exposed, so did she.

She didn't seem to mind.

"This row is reserved for the retiring Elder Council and their families. You all qualify. Do you want to explain how the election works, Tina?"

"Sure. There are sixteen full Soul-Circles who are eligible to be the new Elder Council. Emma, Hank, Shannon and Will, you'll find stones with the emblem for each one in your pouch. You five will only have fifteen. No one is allowed to vote for their own circle."

"Miss Tina, I don't even know anyone's emblem, much less who would make a good Elder Council. How do I know who to vote for?"

"I guess it's time for you to get some advice from your Soul-Circle now instead of us."

Alex spent the next several minutes talking to his wives while they explained who was attached to each stone and the jobs they did. No one told him who to vote for, but they helped him make his own decision.

Once everyone arrived, got their pouches and settled, Patrick got up in front of everybody.

"Alright, if I can get everyone's attention here, please. Typically, this is where we'd start with a joke to lighten the mood. We all know that was more Tom's thing. I mean, no one would laugh, but he was never the kind of man to let something like a lack of humor stop him."

A soft, reminiscent chuckle moved across the crowd.

Isabelle and Tina stood to join him.

Katy moved down from the table and stood in front of the group. Her voice was surprisingly steady and official sounding. The only sign that anything was strange was her puffy eyes and the way she kept licking her lips while she talked.

"Hello, everyone! I want to start by saying that these last twenty years serving as your Elder Council has been an honor and a privilege. We had a hard act to follow, but we always did the best we could. With the help of all of you, we made the expansion of the Camp Coventry Spa something to be proud of. Thank you for letting us serve you."

Everyone clapped and cheered.

"It's been a while since we've done one of these, so pay attention. We're going to start the voting here in just a moment. The four of us will cast the first votes. The young men and women of The Loft House will go next. After that, Soul-Circles will vote starting with our newest, The Circle of Shadow and Mist until we reach our most experienced, The Circle of the Muddy Iron, who is now voting in their fifth election."

Again, applause at the names of both the youngest and oldest Soul-Circles.

"After that, the Orphans and, finally, our Silver Circle, with Nana casting the last vote. Once all the votes have been cast, there will be a little social hour where our food service crews will have some snacks and drinks available, including some wine and moonshine... thank you for not getting drunk before the election," Katy joked.

The crowd laughed.

"While that is going on, we have a couple of the kids who are on their Walk here to tally the votes: Patricia Sokolova, who just came back from her time in the forest, and Michael Erdmann, whose Vision Quest is scheduled in two weeks. I guess it's true what they say, The Compass keeps spinning."

Vicki applauded and yelled out for her cousin.

"Woo-hoo! Mikey!"

Everyone, including Vicki, laughed harder than they did at the jokes.

When everyone calmed down, the retiring Elder Council started the voting, dropping their stones through a hole in a large, very old-looking box. Shannon, Emma, Will and Hank lined up behind them.

After their votes were cast, Isabella, Katy, Patrick and Tina made it their job to let each group know when it was their turn to line up to vote.

Once Nana cast the last vote, she turned to the crowd and let out an owl's hoot.

The crowd hooted back, and everyone stood up to socialize as Patricia and Michael came down to count the votes.

As people moved around, everyone eventually made it around to dropping their pouches into a crate under Katy's table.

The Loft House gang was sitting in a cluster passing around a jug of maple mead.

Nana came up and put her hand on Alex's shoulder.

"Alex, can I talk to you over here for a moment about that thing from your Vision Quest?"

"I appreciate your discretion, Miss Nana, but I told all o' these guys about it over dinner. It'd be fine if we talk about it here if you'd like to sit for a spell."

Nana sat between Alex and Vicki.

Will leaned forward to offer Nana the jug.

First, she held her hand up like she was going to decline, but then she shrugged and grabbed the acerglyn from Will. She took a small swig and passed it back.

"When you told me about Maria's warning, I had a suspicion, but I wasn't sure."

She took a deep breath.

"I've known a few Hand-Bonds with founding clan couples in the mix. I've never seen any of them with younglings. I thought that might be what she meant by because of our lines being brought back together, the five bloods may be done."

Alex and his wives traded glances.

"I checked in The Book of the Root today. In the history of the coven, no Hand-Bonds between descendants of the founders have ever produced children. The five of you are the last of your lines that can carry the ancestral magic, and it seems like you may not be able to produce children."

Alex spoke up.

"What if they had kids with someone outside the circle? Would that salvage their lines, at least, right?"

Brittany stood and put her hands on her hips.

"What makes you think that any of us wants children with anyone except you?"

Tabby and Vicki stood with her in solidarity.

Annette just took a swig of the mead and shook her head.

"I'm not having children with anybody."

"Alex, I think that answers your question. It looks like, after you guys saved the coven, this will be the end of the five founding clans. Are you okay with that?"

"Honestly? I always reckoned that, one day, I'd have me a gaggle of kids when I found the right woman... but now I can't imagine bein' a father without these four beside me.

"If this is how it was meant to be, I'll still be happy my whole life with them."

This led to his wives smothering him with hugs and kisses.

Will took a drink.

"When Shannon pops out our younglings, you guys are going to be as much a part of their lives as our own Soul-Circle will be."

"Same here," said Emma.

Shannon was now in the hands-on-hips position staring at Will.

"Exactly how many children do you think we're going to have?"

"I don't know. Seven feels like it's too many."

"Miss Nana, there was one more thing she said."

"What's that, Alex?"

"Something about her challenge for me was to find what she called a New Foundation. She said, There will be five as before."

"I don't think the history will help us there. It sounds like she wants you to find the clans that will lead the next 350 years of the coven."

"How do I do that?"

"With the help of the women you love?"

Nana shrugged and took her second post-shrug chug before she gave a startled look down to the tally-counters.

Everybody looked. Patricia was trying to wave Nana down.

Nana stood and headed down the stone steps of the terraces.

"Do you need a hand, Miss Nana?"

"I've had two sips. I think I'll be fine."

The group watched Nana as Patricia and Michael started showing her their count and the stones.

She smacked Michael on the arm and pointed up to the top of the amphitheatre. He ran up, grabbed the retiring Elder Council members and brought them back down.

They hurried down, and there was more examining of the stones. They were even sifting through them. Their eyes were getting bigger, and the lines on their foreheads were getting deeper.

More people were taking notice. Several small groups were settling, watching what was happening.

Patrick darted back to the top and rang one of those old camp bells to signal everyone to return to their seats.

The nine Loft House residents scrambled back down to the front row, avoiding the stairs altogether. They kept chattering about why the Elders looked so shocked.

Katy stood and hooted.

The crowd hooted back to let her know she had their attention.

Patrick, Tina and Isabelle stood beside her.

"As our last act as your Elder Council, we'd like to announce the results of the election and introduce your new Elder Council. We have decided to share with you the top three and the number of votes they received. I feel like it's important in this case."

Isabelle stepped forward.

"With two votes, The Circle of the Sleeping Sycamore."

Knowing that he had voted for Akiko's Soul-Circle, Alex thought that two votes seemed low for third place.

Patrick stepped forward.

"With three votes, The Circle of the Five-Petaled Stars."

An excited rumble started moving through the crowd that hadn't registered with Alex yet.

When the murmur quieted down, Tina stepped forward.

"And our winner is... with 107 votes... The Circle of Shadow and Mist."

A massive cheer echoed heavily against everyone's chest.

Alex's jaw dropped.

Vicki's body was inadvertently bouncing.

Tabby and Brittany were holding each other's arms, eyes flaring.

"Well, fuck," Annette muttered.

The people around them started patting them on the back.

Katy held her hand up again and everyone got quiet again.

"I think you guys should stand up here and accept your new role in the community."

When they stood up and faced the crowd, Alex put himself inside the other four, hoping not to look so intimidating. He was worried that everyone might regret their decision.

He accidentally made the compass rose for the crowd. Some circles happily gasped in acknowledgement of this omen.

Tabby spoke.

"Needless to say, we didn't have a speech prepared."

The crowd laughed.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say thank you for this honor. I hope we do half as good a job as the people I grew up with did."

Everyone cheered again.

Katy raised her hand again.

"The four of us have discussed this. If the new Elder Council wouldn't mind, we would like our first act as civilian members of the Silver Circle be to nominate Alejandro Hoguera-Hedrick to be our new community doctor."

Once again, the crowd roared--but stopped abruptly when Alex raised his massive hand.

He moved to the front of his group and looked at Katy. He wanted to be heard by everyone clearly. His voice had a booming timbre to it that reminded him vaguely of Migo.

"I appreciate the nomination, Miss Katy, but I reckon that I'm gonna have to decline. There are a few hundred animals up there that I can serve medically better than the folks here."

He said that last part looking around the terraces.

His eyes landed on Akiko.

"If it pleases the rest o' The Elder Council, and if she's willing to accept it, I'd like to nominate Miss Akiko for that position."

Akiko stood and gave a subtle bow.

"I would like to second that nomination," Brittany added.

Vicki stepped forward.

"Akiko Kagetsu, do you accept the nomination?"

Akiko bowed more noticeably this time.

"I do."

Annette spoke up.

"All in favor?"

"Aye," the five of them said in unison.

For the rest of the evening, the amphitheatre was friendly chaos with people congratulating The Circle of Shadow and Mist for winning the election, telling them why they voted for them and offering suggestions about things they'd like to see done. When people weren't doing that, they were telling Akiko about whatever part of their body was hurting.

Later that night, Alex and Annette were sitting on the front porch of The Loft House watching the stars.

Annette laid her head against him and sighed.

"You alright, Miss Annette?"

"Yeah. It just feels strange."

"What does?"

"A week ago, I was living a dream. I had three gorgeous girlfriends. I thought that, even if we ended up Orphans up in the woods, it wouldn't be a bad life."

"Then I came along?"

"And here I am, weirdly in love with this sweet, giant, reassuring, admittedly handsome, cheesy as fuck... dude; and I'm Hand-Bound to him now and in The Elder Council."

"How are you doin' with all that?"

She rolled her head to kiss him on his bicep.

"It's not so bad, I guess. You're alright for a man. I feel safe with you."

"I'm glad."

"Me, too. What about you? How are you handling it?"

"Me? I'll let you know when it hits me, Miss Annette."

She sat up and looked at him directly.

"It was fast, but I saw your face when you found out we... I guess I mean they... couldn't give you kids. How do you feel about that?"

"Honestly? It knocked me back for a second or two. There are certain things that most people... out there... grow up expecting: marriage, kids, job, getting old and dying with the family and friends that you've made over the years surrounding you... it's this scene that old movies put into your head."

"We can still give you most of that."

"You can give me more. I get to spend the rest of my life..."

He interlaced their fingers and leaned his forehead to hers.

"... and death being one with my wives and best friends."

She reached up and touched his cheek.

"See, sweet... and cheesy as fuck."

She gave his face a playful slap.

"I'm going inside with the girls. You want to come?"

"Sure."

When they stood, Annette hip-checked him off the porch and ran inside.

Lying in the dirt, Alex laughed.

"That's how it's gonna be, huh? You got my new bibs dirty!"

He got up and chased after her.

June 30, 1991 - Interlude: Warbler's Perch

Alex, Vicki, Tabby, Brittany and Annette spent most of the day with Katy, Isabella, Tina and Patrick.

It turned out that there wasn't a whole lot of training you can do to be The Elder Council.

It boiled down to: pay attention to what could be better.

People were going to offer suggestions, but don't listen to the chatter. Some people just want to complain. Older residents will think things have changed too much. Younger residents won't think they've changed enough. Guests will want their pagers and Walkmans. Watch the cycles. Find patterns. Look for ways to make things better for everyone.

Don't change for the sake of changing. Don't stay the same for the sake of staying the same.

Trust each other.

Tomorrow, they would get their new cabin, so the rest of the day was mainly recipes.

Over dinner, the five of them all agreed that, once the move was over, it would be nice to just get back to a normal workday.

When they got back to The Loft House, things were quiet. They could see the flickering of a lamp on their side of the cabin.

They walked in, and there was a fur hanging in front of Alex's bed.

The rest of the furs were arranged in a circle on the floor.

Shannon, Will, Hank and Emma were making up the far side of the circle, smiling.

"What's this, y'all?" Alex asked.

Tabby gave a sly smile.

"It's okay, Mountain Boy. We all know exactly what this is."

Vicki jumped up and down making little claps in front of her chest.

"Yay! We're playing!"

She stripped down and sat cross-legged next to Shannon.

Emma held up a pouch and shook it. It clacked.

Brittany slowly smiled.

"Is that the pair --?"

"This is that really old set that we all used to play with. I went by and borrowed it the other day, and I grabbed a timer."

"Is this that game y'all were playin' yesterday?"

Tabby grabbed Alex by the hand.

"Warbler's Perch. It's a game pretty much everyone plays when we're in The Floor House. Think of it as a rite of passage... like your Vision Quest. Now, get naked and sit next to me."

Tabby sat next to Vicki and patted the fur next to her.

After Alex sat, Annette and Brittany finished the circle.

"How do we play?"

"One die says what happens, Mountain Boy, and the other one says who does it. Easy."

"I don't know what the dice mean."

"I figure we'll explain as we go," Hank said.

"And how do you win?"

Tabby patted him on the leg.

"Everybody wins. The game moves clockwise, and I'll go first. That way, you get the most time to learn before you roll. Emma, throw me those dice."

Emma dropped them out of their pouch and threw them to Tabby.

The dice were large and wooden with the color of old tools. The corners were rounded.

One die had arrows and dots, and the other one had animals on it.

Tabby grabbed them up and shook with both hands before she rolled.

A question mark and a butterfly.

"This is one of the easiest ones. The Butterfly is The Kiss. The question mark means that I get to choose who kisses me... and I choose my Mountain Boy."

Before Alex could move, she climbed over, straddled him, grabbed both sides of his face and pulled him in.

No one, not even Tabby, had ever kissed him that passionately before. He put his hands on her hips to slow things down because she was starting to grind them against him.

Somehow, when he put his hands there, she started grinding harder.

Soon, he didn't care. He almost didn't even hear the catcalls coming from the rest of the group.

Finally, she backed away and went back to her spot.

Alex was sweating.

"Hell, I think I just won."

Shannon smiled.

"Looking at you in that state, I think we all just won."

Alex covered his hard-on with his hands, and Tabby passed the dice to Vicki.

A dot and a snake.

Tabby explained the roll.

"The dot means that she's the target herself. The Snake represents The Slither. It means she has to touch herself. In The Floor House, the group would tell her what to touch. With Vicki, I don't think we'll need to."

Vicki followed up.

"You're the new player. Any requests?"

"I reckon whatever you do'll be a show."

Vicki bit her lower lip and stood up.

"If I'm going to do a show, it might as well be for everyone."

Vicki stood, closed her eyes and started swaying to music that only she could hear.

She ran her hands up her arms, down between her breasts, across her stomach and over her hips.

When she was sufficiently into a groove, she opened her eyes to lock on Shannon's.

She moved her shoulders together and rested her arms under her breasts, holding them up and squeezing them together. It made them look even bigger and perkier than they normally were. She rubbed her hands around the outside of them in circles.

She turned to Will. Her gaze became more flirtatious.

The circles got smaller. Goosebumps popped up on her arms. When she got to her hardening nipples, she was only using her fingertips.

She faced Hank and licked her lips and started gently pinching her nipples. She briefly closed her eyes and let out a little moan.

Making her way to Emma, Vicki ran her hands back down her belly and ran her fingers through her pubic hair before grabbing it and pulling it ever so slightly.

She got to Brittany, the first of her Hand-Bound in the group, and used one hand to spread her outer lips and traced her inner with her other's fingers.

Looking at Annette, Vicki blew a kiss.

Vicki's fingers started circling her clit, softly at first but getting harder and faster. Her moisture was coating her fingers.

When she finally turned to face Alex, her eyes were sultry and starting to turn silver. It made the gold specks that much brighter. Her fingers started sliding inside while her thumb continued rubbing her button. She was close enough that Alex could smell her, but he didn't dare move any closer.

She lingered on Alex a little longer than the rest like he was really the one this was for as "the new guy".

Soon, her thighs started to tremble.

She quickly made her way to Tabby, where she collapsed quivering while gazing into Tabby's eyes.

When she finished, she pulled her fingers out and put them between her and Tabby.

They licked and kissed until the fingers were clean. Then they kissed a couple more times.

They both turned cheek-to-cheek to face Alex and blew him a double-kiss.

"Is this what y'all did in The Floor House, Miss Vicki?"

"Not always... but not never, either. I may have pushed a little further for your benefit. Did you enjoy your show?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Vicki gave another one of her bounces, kissed Tabby again and rolled back to her spot before sliding the dice to Shannon.

Shannon shook her head in resignation.

"I'm not sure how I could beat that."

Shannon rolled hard.

The dice ended up almost over at Brittany. It was noticeable because Brittany was on one side of a double arrow with a dot. The other side pointed between Vicki and Shannon.

The second die was a fox.

Shannon looked at Vicki, smiling.

"Well, Alex, this is for two people and me... so I guess you're up again, Vicks, with me and Britt this time. The Fox means we have to do a Dare together."

After the last act, Alex was a little concerned about where this dare was going to go.

Will smiled.

"You're not supposed to give yourself a Dare, I've got a couple of ideas."

"You wish. I've got an idea for a Dare that we can do to honor Alex."

Now Alex was really concerned.

"We're going to do a human sculpture..."

Shannon threw her arms wide like she was making a grand announcement.

"... of the BLOOD MOON!"

Now, Brittany started looking concerned.

"How, exactly, are we going to do that?"

"You and I are going to go over there and we are going to make ourselves as big and round as we can. We're going to be the Full Moon. Vicki is going to be the silver wave flying from the ridges to encase us in blood red protection. Vicki, you're going to go over there. When we're ready, you're going to run and jump spread-eagle to try to cover as much of our moon as possible!"

Everyone applauded.

"That's better than anything I could've come up with," Will admitted.

Vicki went to one side of the room, shaking her arms and doing some knee-to-chest running in place like she was warming up for a race.

Shannon and Brittany went to the other side and stood hip-to-hip and shoulder-to-shoulder, reaching an arm to hold hands --

Will interrupted.

"Hold on. If this is really going to be a full moon, shouldn't you be facing the other way?"

Shannon rolled her eyes and gave Will a low stare.

"Fine."

They turned around so their backsides were facing the group and held hands together over their heads to become as big and round as they could.

"That's what I'm talking about," Tabby mumbled, staring at the two asses side-by-side.

Shannon shouted.

"Okay, Vicki, we're ready!"

"Are we?" Brittany asked.

Vicki ran.

She was still far enough away when she leapt that, if Alex was lying there, she would've cleared him.

She threw her arms and legs out diagonally and landed with a belly-flop *SMACK* into the full moon, failing miserably at covering much with her small frame. She was pretty much clamping their waists with her legs and grasping for their shoulders.

It was now a three-moon full moon.

For Shannon and Brittany's parts, they were desperately trying to stay upright.

They, too, were failing.

Trying to keep it from happening, all three of them slowly collapsed into a snarl of legs, arms, and at least one ass, laughing so hard they couldn't breathe.

The rest of the group gave them a standing ovation.

They stood and did a hands-held ensemble bow.

Everyone went back to their places, still giggling.

Will already had the dice, shaking them.

He rolled an arrow that pointed at himself and a butterfly.

Will looked very pleased with his roll.

"Okay, I have to kiss myself. Easy."

He kissed the back of his own hand and tried to pass the dice to Hank.

Shannon barked at him.

"OH, NO! You know that's not how this game works, and you certainly don't get off that easy after my brilliant Dare."

"I knew that wasn't going to work. Okay, everybody, who do I have to kiss?"

He looked across to Alex and gave him a wink.

"It is your first time, ol' buddy, ol' pal. What do you say? You want to give them a show?"

Alex decided he was not going to be the one to back down, but then Shannon spoke again.

"You still don't get it, do you? You don't get to choose who you get to kiss, and in a room full of gorgeous people, we've got to pick someone else that's going to make you squirm."

"And who's that?"

Shannon and Emma looked at each other before saying in unison, "Hank!"

Hank's eyes bulged.

"Me?"

"Hold on. Hank and I grew up in the same Circle. He's like my little brother."

"Emma and I grew up in the same Circle," Shannon said matter-of-factly. "You've never had a problem when we kissed."

"Somehow, though, you and Hank have always managed to avoid it," Emma added.

Will looked at Hank, who shrugged his shoulders.

Will started to lean in... but Shannon interrupted.

"None of that quick peck shit, either. We want a long, sexy kiss."

Emma jumped in again.

"With tongue."

Will hung his head like his plan had been spoiled.

Then he lifted his head, squared his shoulders and grabbed a shocked Hank by the face.

"Oh, Hanky-Poo, Hanky-Poo. I have waited for so long to gently hold your face like a Harvest Festival roast rabbit and CONSUME your rugged, smoky manliness."

Hank played along, grabbing Will by the waist.

"I've always wanted to hear you say that, Will. Now we can finally run away together, but... but... how will the girls ever recover?"

"We'll live," Shannon deadpanned. "Just get to it."

Will and Hank were chuckling, which made it both harder and easier when they finally plunged in and kissed each other, tongues and all.

It actually lasted longer than anyone expected it to, so... at least a good 20 seconds before they broke.

Hank looked at Emma.

"Happy?"

"Very."

Emma leaned in and gave him a longer, deeper kiss.

Will smiled over to Shannon.

"Are you going to show me how happy you are?"

"Maybe later, dear. I'd never wear my poison lipstick to a Warbler's Perch game. I might accidentally kill someone I want to be with."

Will fake-pouted.

Knowing he wasn't going to get any sympathy, he tapped Hank on the arm, breaking Emma's kiss, and handed him the dice.

Hank rolled a double arrow that looked like it was broken in the center and bent to ninety-degrees. It pointed at Emma and Alex. The other die was a mouse.

Hank explained it to Alex.

"The Quarter Arrow works just like the Double Arrow. The Mouse is The Whisper. One of you has to tell the other one a secret. I figure you could just say something about your life before you came here, so that won't work. Emma, you get to tell Alex a secret that no one here knows."

Emma thought for a few seconds.

"Can I take him outside? This one's a little long, and I don't want anyone else to hear it."

Everyone looked at each other and nodded.

"I figure that's fair," Hank acknowledged.

Emma grabbed Alex's hand and took him outside. When they got out there, she looked inside to make sure no one was trying to listen.

Everyone was sitting in their places joking about everything that had happened so far.

She went over and sat on the bench.

Alex sat beside her.

There were no summer bugs making noise and the air was still.

She didn't even look at Alex when she spoke. Her voice was low like someone might be listening.

"Hank's a couple of months older than me, so when I went to the outside world on my Walk, he was already out there. We're not allowed to know where the other people on their Walk are... I've always loved Hank. Ever since we were younglings."

"That's no secret, Miss Emma. I knew the day I first saw y'all."

"That's not my secret. I'm telling you why I did what I did. I snuck down into Oakhaven when Hank left. I found out where he was going."

"Did you go see him?"

"I was going to. I was going to go to him and tell him how much I loved him. I was going to ask him to stay out there with me and not come back here. I wanted to live a life just the two of us. No Soul-Circle. Just us."

"You said you were going to. Why didn't you?"

Emma looked up at Alex for the first time since they came out.

She didn't say anything until a cicada started trilling.

"I was afraid he'd say no."

Alex put his arm around her.

"You know that Mr. Hank --"

"I do now. That's thanks to you. That's why I was willing to tell you. Please don't tell anyone."

Her voice was pleading.

"Never, Miss Emma."

He held her for a couple more minutes to give her eyes time to dry.

When they got back in, Tabby yelled out.

"That must have been a juicy Whisper. You guys were out--"

She saw Emma's eyes.

"Emma, honey, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. It's my turn now, right?"

Emma shuffled to her spot and picked up the dice.

Tabby looked to Alex.

"Mountain Boy, what did she say?"

"Well, Miss Tabby, I reckon that wouldn't make it a secret, would it?"

Emma rolled a Double Arrow with a Dot and a Butterfly. The arrows pointed at Annette and Shannon.

Alex got excited... not because of what the roll was, but because he knew what both parts meant. He blurted out.

"Miss Emma, Miss Shannon and Miss Annette have to kiss!"

Annette turned to him.

"You don't have to get so excited. Is this some kind of dirty dream you've had?"

"NO! I mean, yes, but not about you. I mean, you're mighty pretty, and I'm sure it's gonna be really excitin', but that's not why I got excited. I just finally knew--"

Annette smiled mischievously.

"You're too easy, Golly Gee. Relax."

She gave him a soft, playful double-slap before crawling to the center to meet Shannon and Emma.

Will did his behind-the-head pose.

"I, for one, am looking forward to this after me and Hank. It's a palate cleanser."

Shannon ignored him.

Even though it was Emma's roll, Annette took control of the scene.

She put her hand on the nape of each girl's neck.

She kissed Shannon.

Then she kissed Emma.

Shannon again with tongue.

Emma with tongue.

She moved them together, and they kissed with tongue.

Annette leaned in, and their three tongues entwined.

This wasn't a twenty-second kiss. This was minutes.

Will's hands dropped to his lap.

Tabby blinked slowly.

Alex tried to turn away, but he couldn't.

If anyone, male or female, could pick their jaws up, they might have flipped the timer.

Probably not, though.

Annette finally broke the kiss and gave Shannon and Emma each another peck on the lips.

Annette crawled back to her spot. Shannon and Emma were sitting there stunned.

Vicki broke the tension.

"She is so good at that."

Annette grinned.

"Don't you forget it, baby."

Vicki bounced and blushed.

That broke the spell. Emma and Shannon returned to their places.

Emma slid the dice to Brittany on her way back.

Brittany gave her a knowing smile and rolled.

A dot and a rooster... she explained it for Alex.

"The Rooster is The Boast. I have to answer a question honestly. Like The Kiss and The Dare before, I can't give myself a question, so one of you will have to ask me something."

Hank threw his hands up.

"That's not right. We've all played this game with you. You might hide your body when you're out in camp, but your heart's naked. You've never kept secrets, not from us anyways. There's nothing we can ask you that we don't already know."

"He's right, you know," Tabby chimed in. "In the game, you make me look like a mystery."

They all mumbled or nodded in agreement.

Almost all of them.

"I might have a question, Miss Brittany."

Everyone shifted their attention to Alex.

"I didn't grow up playin' this with you, so maybe they already know the answer, but I'm thinkin' that the question should be about after The Floor House, right?"

Annette's eyes perked.

"Now, you've got me curious."

"Miss Brittany, when you're out there alone all night gettin' water, do you ever do anything that people don't know you do? I don't know, like sneakin' sweets from the dinin' hall or somethin'?"

Hank smirked.

Tabby's mouth dropped open slightly.

Annette looked at Alex proudly.

Brittany wasn't fazed.

"The truth's the truth. There is one thing."

She looked around the group like she was going to tell a folk tale.

Everyone leaned in a little.

Her voice took on a breathy, ethereal quality.

"When the moon is bright enough that you can walk the ridge without a torch, it has an effect on the spring that bears its name. The waters of The Moon bubble with a rhythm. The longer you stand there, the more distinct it becomes. On those nights, when I collect water from The Moon, I linger. I linger until I hear the music. Then..."

Everyone was entranced, waiting to hear what came next.

Vicki was on all fours like, if she wasn't close enough, she'd miss it.

Brittany's voice shifted casual.

"I dance."

"BULLSHIT!" Shannon yelled. "I call bullshit. You never dance."

"She's not wrong," Tabby said. "You shift your weight in time. You don't dance."

"I dance. I just don't dance around people."

Hank added his opinion.

"How can we know if that's the truth or a story?"

"I believe her, Mr. Hank. I can't see no reason why she'd lie about that."

Vicki scuttled over to Brittany and sat in front of her.

"I want to see."

"I don't know, Vicki. I've never danced with anyone around, and you're such a good dancer."

"We're Hand-Bound now. I love you. Just let me come with you one time and dance with you."

"I don't need to prove the truth. The truth just is."

"I don't care about the game. I just want us to dance."

Brittany leaned into Vicki and kissed her deeply.

"Next month, we'll dance."

"YAY!"

The two of them hugged.

"Go back to your spot, sweetie. It's Annette's turn."

Vicki stood up and skipped back to her fur.

Annette shook the dice and rolled.

The first one stopped on the arrow, and it pointed directly at Alex.

The second one bounced.

And bounced again.

Then it spun like a top before it landed.

The Rabbit.

Everyone got quiet and stared at Annette.

Alex looked confused. What was so bad about a rabbit?

Will spoke plainly to Shannon.

"You know, we should probably call that a foul."

"The Animal Die did that weird spinny thing," Shannon responded.

"I figure we should let her roll again, it was such a weird roll," Hank muttered to them.

Brittany softly noted, "It seems to go against the spirit of the game."

Tabby raised an eyebrow.

"I have to admit that I'm curious."

Alex stopped the chatter.

"Will someone tell me what the hell is goin' on? Why's everyone actin' so weird? What's The Rabbit mean?"

Emma filled him in.

"The Rabbit is The Escape. The targets go behind the fur. When they get back there, we turn the timer over. For five minutes, the targets try to do whatever they can without getting caught, but they don't see the timer. When the sand finishes falling, we all try to catch them in whatever they're doing."

Alex realized why everyone reacted the way they did.

Vicki reached across Tabby to put her hand on Alex's knee.

"With your special relationship with her, this roll seems cruel. The game isn't ever meant to be cruel."

Annette stood up.

"Oh, by every name in The Book of the Root, I'm a lesbian, not a leper! If Hank and Will had gotten this roll, you would've sent them back there hooting, hollering and hoping for nothing more than to catch them doing something dirty. You proved it when you made them kiss earlier. You love being cruel to each other. Yes, I like women, but I'm not made of wet paper. I'm not going to fall apart to shreds if his cock brushes up against me."

Alex shot her a look that said you don't have to do this.

Annette grabbed his hand and barged back to his old bed dragging a stumbling Alex behind the fur with her.

The room went dead quiet. Their eyes darted back and forth to each other. No one breathed.

Tabby mouthed what was that? to Brittany.

Brittany shrugged.

The rest of them turned their heads to get an ear as close to the fur as they could without actually becoming a nosy cluster at the fur.

They wondered what they were about to hear.

Shannon finally remembered to turn the timer over.

A minute later, the silence was broken.

Annette moaned lightly.

"Oh, yeah."

Brittany's mouth dropped open and her forehead scrunched.

Two minutes in, the moans were becoming steadier.

"That feels really nice, actually. Try going a little harder."

Emma smacked Hank on the arm and pointed at the fur. He put a finger up to his lips to shush her as he leaned further in.

Three minutes.

Alex grunted.

Annette let out a yelp.

"That was a little TOO hard, Farm Bear. Easier."

"I'm sorry, Miss Annette. I got a little carried away there."

Vicki now had so much pent-up energy, she shook her hands like she had lain them on a hot stove and clenched a distorted smile. She couldn't blink.

Four minutes in.

Annette gasped and yelled out. Her voice was higher than Annette's ever is.

"What did you just do!? No one's ever hit it like that before."

Tabby and Shannon were both poised in a runner's start, ready to see what Alex was doing to her.

They all watched the sand falling.

When the last grain dropped, the two girls raced to pull back the fur.

Alex had one of her feet in his lap, digging a massive knuckle into her arch and rubbing his thumb around her heel.

Alex froze like a deer in headlights.

Annette was leaned back on her elbows with her head back. She turned quickly when he stopped.

"Dammit! Can you guys flip the timer again? Just one more round. I've got another foot..."

She squinted her eyes at the crowd and smiled.

"... perverts."

Awareness hit Alex's face as he finally got the joke.

They all fell to their furs.

They were literally rolling on the floor, holding their guts, laughing.

Alex patted her foot.

"I'll do the other one later tonight, Miss Annette. I think it's finally my turn."

Annette shrugged and they both went back to their furs.

Once everyone had regained their composure, Alex shook the large dice in one hand.

That same single arrow hit, this time on Shannon. The other was The Fox, The Dare.

Shannon shot up to stand on her knees.

She held her hands out like she was weighing two options.

"I can't decide if I want you to dare me to kill Will or to ride you like you're my own personal stallion."

Alex did something with his face that no one there had ever seen before.

He smiled... impishly.

"This roll means you gotta do what I want you to do, though, ain't it, Miss Shannon?"

Shannon grew an equally impish grin.

She lowered her hands to the floor and moved towards him, slinking like a cat.

"Then tell me, big man, what kind of dirty things do you want to challenge me to do?"

Alex got close to her face.

"You really wanna know?"

Shannon raised an eyebrow.

"I really do."

Alex looked left to Tabby and Vicki... right to Brittany and Annette.

"I want you to tell Mr. Will how you honestly feel about him in front of everyone. No jokes."

Shannon's left arm gave way and her face almost hit the floor before she caught herself.

She looked back at Will.

Will was up on his knees now, puffing his chest out like he just won Grand Prize Rooster at The State Fair.

Shannon pointed at him.

"Did you put him up to this?"

Will raised his hands in the air in a show of innocence.

"I had no idea, but I can't say that I hate it."

She looked to each person in the room, wanting someone to throw out some loophole that would give her an out.

No one had anything.

She declared to no one and everyone.

"This does NOT leave this room!"

Alex gave her the lips zipped, locked and key thrown away motion.

Then he remembered that he hadn't seen any zippers here.

Or locks.

Shannon apparently got the point.

She went over to Will and made him deflate his chest and sit.

She sat next to him.

He still had that stupid grin on his face, so she slapped him. Not hard, but not playfully either.

His face got serious.

So did hers.

She looked around the room one last time before focusing on Will.

"We played this game once in The Floor House. It was almost this exact group, but instead of Alex and Annette, we had Mikey and Patty. I was the weird, gangly girl who always wore black."

Will smiled, thinking about her back then.

"You rolled The Question Mark and The Rabbit. Every girl wanted you to choose them to go behind the blanket. You chose me. All we did was kiss, and I let you feel my boob. I don't know if you noticed, but I touched your penis with the back of my finger."

"I noticed."

He wasn't bragging or mean. He was being tender.

"I didn't wash my finger, my boob or my face for a week."

An inadvertent Ew! escaped from Hank before Emma backhanded his arm.

No one else noticed.

"Will, I've loved you since I was fifteen, and I wouldn't ever trade you for Alex, Hank, Annette or anyone."

She slapped him again, playfully this time, and gave him a peck on the lips.

"Don't get me wrong. I'm still going to kill you the first chance I get."

She sat back down.

"Well, somebody roll. We are not ending this game on that."

Tabby grabbed the dice and rolled a double arrow and The Rabbit.

They played long into the night.

July 1, 1991 - Epilogue

It was about five-thirty in the morning when Alex went out for his morning smoke.

He was still up, but so was everyone else.

They all followed him out and sat on the front porch with him.

Their cheeks hurt from laughter.

Will looked up at the moon sitting high in the lightening dawn sky.

"No sign of The Blood in it anymore."

Alex took the first deep puff and handed the pipe out to see if anyone wanted some.

"Don't need it no more, Mr. Will."

Annette took the pipe as Will responded.

"After last night, you're still calling me Mister, huh?"

"You're always gonna be Mister, Mr. Will."

Tabby grabbed the pipe next.

"Give it up, Will. He's always going to be Mountain Boy."

Shannon wrapped her arms around Will. One around his stomach, one around his neck.

"And I will always be your future widow."

Will chuckled and leaned back to kiss her.

Hank took a hit of the sacred tobacco. He tilted his head to the piles of packs, including Alex's old duffel and a large roll of the furs, in the screen room.

"I can't believe we got you guys all packed up while still playing the game. It's going to suck not having you guys around."

Vicki grabbed it to smoke while taking it back to Alex.

"We're only going to be a few hundred yards away. The house is right up there."

She pointed to the top of the hill at another cluster of cabins.

"It's actually convenient for all of us to get to work. You can come over with me for lunch!"

Alex took the last drag and tapped the ashes and embers out to the ground. He tucked it into his new bibs.

"Besides, you guys are always gonna be our unofficial Elder Council advisors anyway."

He faced his wives.

"Y'all ready?"

Brittany kissed him on the cheek.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

The Loft House was consumed for the next fifteen minutes with the grand Appalachian goodbye tradition of repeated hugs and fractured conversations as the moving packs were all set out on the front porch.

Finally, Alex threw his duffel over his back and the roll of furs onto his shoulder.

Shannon laughed.

"Do you need a hand with that, big guy?"

"I think I got it, Miss Shannon. You just save your energy for the day I take you up on one o' your offers."

The Circle of Shadow and Mist marched a little procession up the hill.

Their new home was within sight of the Smokehouse.

It was circular like Katy's, but it had a second floor with the hearth's chimney going up through the center of it.

They spent the day moving furniture around, unpacking, cleaning and figuring out what else they'd need.

They went to the storehouse and got some barley, meat, vegetables, fruits and herbs. For dinner, they made the same barley, venison and root vegetable stew that Katy had made on Alex's first night here.

Brittany's was better.

At the end of the day, they went out on their new front porch sweaty and dusty to watch the sunset.

The sun was close to the southern bank of Coven's Creek.

Orange Cat was curled up on the corner of the porch soaking up the last remains of the evening sun.

The five of them sat in silence and waited.

Alex watched Patricia, Michael and a gaggle of Floor House kids make their way down to the dining hall.

He wondered if the New Founders were among them.

He heard the door of the cabin next door open and watched his new neighbor come out.

He gave Nana a flirtatious wink.

She winked back and turned her attention to Frederick, who came tripping across her wildflowers.

"Are you ready for dinner, Clementina?"

"I certainly am, Fred."

Nana eased her way down her steps.

She rested one arm in the offered crook of Fred's elbow and confidently used her cane with the other as they walked to the dining hall behind the faster-moving Floor House group.

Brittany, Vicki, Annette and Tabby watched as the sun fell below the valley's horizon.

Alex watched their faces turn from yellow to red.