Jesse has inherited his Grandfather's ranch. Now he must fight his father to keep it while he must honor his Grandfather's last wish of seeking Coyote. The White Wolf Chapter 42 The Great Spirit by Barbara Allan Copyright © 2013, 2014 Barbara Allan All Rights Reserved.

Author's Note: Thank you Hope for your encouragement and help in editing. Thank you Sephrena for making the post appear professional. Most of all thank you to all who have commented or left Kudos. For those who have left comments, I answer them with what I hope is something witty and appreciated. ~Barbara.

Gabriel walked into the kitchen to find the three adults still sitting around the table. “I thought you went to bed?" asked Jesse.

"I would have but we need to decide who is going to sleep where."

"I have my room," said the wolf. "Two Bears can take the master bedroom. Debbie can take the guest room. Unless you want to share the bed with a smelly old bear, you may have to sleep with Big Spot."

"Hey! I represent that remark," laughed the old shaman.

"That beats sharing a bed with a smelly old wolf."

Jesse suck her tongue out at the young man. "I couldn't keep that thing in my mouth either, but I'd like to try," teased the rancher. Jesse blushed. "I'll bed down on the couch in the den or I can go out to the bunk house with the ranch hands."

"You two youngsters can have the master bedroom. And I'll take Jesse's room."

"No, that's too much temptation. I'll take the den," Gabriel said.

"Let me get you a blanket from upstairs, and then we will all go to bed," Jesse decided. "Maybe I'll give you a chance at my tongue as I tuck you in."

"EEWW!" Debbie exclaimed. "You'd kiss that!"

Jesse walked over to the young man and kissed him hard. "Does that answer your question?"

"Easy you two, I haven't found a she bear to put up with me yet."

"What do you mean?" asked Gabe's sister.

"Some shamen can turn into their spirit animal. I'm a bear. Jesse is a wolf. These are gifts given from the Great Spirit. When we say that Jess is a member of Night Runner's pack, we mean the pack of wild wolves that live on the mountain behind the ranch. She was adopted into the pack as a she wolf."

"This is a bit much for me to take in. I heard Jesse's tale and it amazed me that my father, mother, and brother believed it. I met Dr. Henley, and he confirmed the tale, but is still hard to believe."

"I guess it would be, but you have heard the wolf call."

"I don't know. I think I would have remembered that."

"Have you not heard the wolf howl?"

"Last winter when I came home from school I heard a wolf howling several nights before I went back to college. I just thought it had come down out of the snow to hunt at the lower elevations."

"What do you think it was saying?"

"How would I know?"

"Remember those howls and listen with your spirit."

The young girl closed her eyes and tried to remember the howls. As she listen she could hear someone saying in her mind. 'Where are you? Let's run with the wind on the back of the mountain.' Her eyes flew open as she gasped. "It was asking where I was and asking me to go running."

"See you have heard the wolf. I think the most surprising part about this is why it has taken so long for your families to intermarry. They may have been mates on the mountain in the pack."

"Maybe, Dad has told about several of my great uncles going off into the wilderness and never coming back. He said they never found a body, but that was before all the science came along."

"Ah, yes, science. What the 'great minds' can't understand, they dismiss. There are more unexplainable events than there are scientists, but they would ignore what their own eyes see, because it doesn't fit into their box called science. Open your mind. You may not be a shaman such as Jesse, but you have a very powerful spirit. It'll protect you if you let it."

"Okay?" she asked sceptically. "If I pursue an ancient god of the Indians, how do I reconcile that with my beliefs in Jesus and the one God."

"That, my dear child, is a thing best left between you and the one God. For only you can understand your relationship between the two. Just as Jesse and I have done. We can lead you to the path, but only you can walk it."

"What do you mean?"

"Only you can decide to run with the wolves. You have to weigh the gains and losses of running with the pack. Neither Jesse nor I can tell you what decision you must make, nor can we tell you what there is to gain and what there is to lose. If you are interested, I would suggest a spirit quest. I can go with you, watch over you, lead you to the path, but as I said, You must walk it, alone."

"I'll have to think about this."

"That's all I can ask of ANYONE. To - think - and reach out to Spirit."

"My mind is overloaded with all I have learned today. I think I'll turn in." Debbie stood from the table, "Goodnight all"

Jesse walked with the young woman upstairs to get the blanket for Gabriel. They were quiet, lost in their thoughts about the recent revelation of the sister being able to hear the wolves. They hugged outside of the guest room, and the girl closed the door to think and sleep.

The young wolf peaked in on her adopted pup and whispered a kiss on her forehead. The little girl smiled in her sleep and rolled over. Shutting the door behind her, Jesse turned to the hall closet to get the blanket. As she walked down stairs she could hear a wolf howling in the distance. 'She will come run with you.' she thought.

Returning to the kitchen, she found the two men in deep conversation. They looked up when she walked in and the young cowboy smiled. "We were talking about me going on a spirit quest before next month. I think all my chores at the ranch are done or can wait until I get back. What do you think?"

"That depends on why you are going. If you're going for me, you won't get anything out of it. You won't get anything if you are going just to be going. You should go, but go seeking understanding, go seeking the Great Spirit, go seeking."

"That is what Two Bears said."

"He is a wise man. That is why he was given to me for a mentor."

"It looks like he'll have his hands full with the three of us."

Two Bears spoke up, "Actually you and your sister already have mentors. You may come to me for advice on occasion, but you should look to your parents as your mentors. They've always been there for you and will be there for a long time to come."

"You're right. I just don't think of them as mentors. Maybe, I should go to bed and think on things as my sister is doing."

"I'll walk you to the office"

When they got to the office, Jess spread one blanket on the couch and left the other folded up on the end table. "Good night my love." and she kissed him with a lingering kiss.

"Every time we kiss, I still feel like I've just scored the winning touchdown only the cheers get louder each time." He wrapped his arms around the girl and kissed her again before shooing her out the door.

She walked back into the kitchen and sat across from Two Bears. "Now what do we do?" she asked.

"Well, I'm going to bed. It was a long walk off the mountain today. I'll see you in the morning." he said as he got up and left the room.

Jesse sat at the table alone for few minutes thinking about the past few days. She remembered what Gail had told her about unwinding after long days and placing her worries in the hands of the Great Spirit. She guided her thoughts to her loved ones, to Gail and George. She asked the Great Spirit to bring them home safe. She asked for blessings on the little girl upstairs and her future family. Finally, she ask the Spirit to protect her ranch and the inhabitants on it. Once her mind was settled, she stood up and walked upstairs to her room where she slept soundly.