Sun Shines Brightly

Sun Shines Brightly/Justin

After Brian and I make love for the second time I rest my head on his chest, savoring the moment. Lazily he brushes his fingers through my hair, and I sigh in contentment as he whispers words of encouragement and love to me.

"Justin, I promise to always keep you safe, however I can." He draws back and looks directly into my eyes and I can see the sorrow in his. He gently takes hold of my hands. "But I am only one man, and there is only so much that I can do. The world out there is harsh and cold."

I close my eyes for a moment, letting the visions from my spiritual journey, just days before, enter my thoughts. All those things that I thought were simply not possible are now beginning to happen. Tenderly I caress his cheek. "I too promise to take care of you the best I possibly can. I will not lie. I am scared to leave the village..."

Suddenly I lose track of my thoughts when I feel a cloud of darkness hover over me. I see the concern in Brian's eyes for me, yet I cannot speak, and I can't move. All I can see is darkness, and golden eyes piercing into my soul. I can hear a beastly growl outside of the sacred land and it scares me. My spirit drifts from my body and I see myself fall limp in Brian's arms. His face is full of fear as he tries in vain wake me, but I can't go back yet. Slowly my soul drifts and I call upon the spirits to protect me and Brian.

I am startled when I see one of my mother's wolves standing at the entrance of the path. She paces protectively, stopping to turn when she sees me. Then I hear her spirit talking to me. "Sun Shines Brightly, it is not safe out there. Someone wishes you and Brian harm. You must leave the village soon."

I walk closer to her and kneel down, gently petting her course coat. "Please tell me who wishes to harm me."

Her eyes become cold. "He is a man of great darkness and has caused you harm in many lives before, and possibly many lives to come. He thinks only of himself and the power that he can possess. While you live he will never be able to have the control that he wishes for."

I swallow hard. "You speak of my father, don't you? The one from my previous life? The one who murdered me at the river side."

She pauses and I see her eyes begin to glow as she speaks sternly. "He is close. He is right outside the trees. Now go back to your body and to Brian. I, and the tree spirits, will keep you safe until morning. He cannot harm you here, and when the light of day is shining, you will be safe from his darkness. As soon as Brian is ready to travel you both must leave, otherwise the village will be in danger. The elder spirits are protecting the village for now, but the darkness will get stronger each day."

I feel the tears looming in my eyes and I need to ask. "I had already planned on leaving to find my mother, but I need to know; am I being cast out of the tribe?"

She looks at me with love glistening in her canine eyes. "No, you are just going on a new journey, but this village will always be a part of you, and you a part of them. You will come back in time, but you need to do this to grow as the man you are. As a warrior, hunter, and spiritualist you will only become stronger. There will be many trials for you to face. Now go quickly; your lover grows ever more anxious."

I feel my spirit being drawn back into my body, and then I gasp for breath, slowly opening my eyes. I can see the fear in Brian's hazel orbs as he whispers softly, "You scared me. What happened? Where did you go?"

I take in a deep breath, not wanting to show any fear, as I explain to him everything that White Shadow told me.

Brian looks slightly confused, but he speaks with confidence. "I will not pretend that I understand the ways of your tribe, or your spirituality, but after the things I have witnessed tonight I know you're telling the truth. I saw you leave your body, and I was so scared you had left me again. I'm not a man who has ever claimed love, and I'm not sure if I can ever say those words, but when I saw you drifting from me, it felt as though my heart was being torn from my chest. As I said before, I will do anything to keep you safe. If the village is being threatened, I think I could start our journey tomorrow."

"No, it's too soon. You're not completely healed, and you were right before. I must speak to Night Song first. I need to spend time with her and my little one before we travel."

I see a sadness and despair creep into his eyes before he turns away from me. "I understand."

Quickly I reach to his chin, and turn him to look at me. "My heart is yours, Brian. I am with you now and nothing can change that. Night Song already understands this, and she already gave me her blessing, but I still need to have some time to speak with her before I go. She is my best friend and she's the only love I have known for so long, but now I realize ours was a love of comfort, not real passion. Not like the passion I share with you."

He smiles as he cups my face gently in his hands and kisses me passionately. We rise and I lead him to a bed of hides that is left near the spring for the seriously ill. I pull him down and the fire of our passion ignites again, and all we can do is let it burn brightly.

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Walks With Wolves

I sit at the door of my teepee, watching the sun rise. Serpent Moon lies nearby on a bed of some of my extra hides. She was too exhausted to return to her own teepee last night after her tearful confession to me. Also I doubt very much that she will go back to her home if there is a chance Brian will be there, especially after what she witnessed at the spring last night. She has seen too much already. I smile to myself as I turn my attention to the young woman, still lost in sleep.

Ah, Serpent Moon, the daughter of my heart, just as Sunshine is the son of my soul. She was always a headstrong child, but she fit in with us very easily all those years ago, learning new tasks and performing her chores with an almost grim determination. She has amazing strength in her spirit. I sigh heavily, knowing my time with her is limited now.

I know, when the time comes, she must go with Sunshine and Brian. She must find her own way, with her own people. I sincerely hope that she can find love, as her cousin has.

There is nothing for her here.

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Sun Shines Brightly/Justin

Later, back at the village, I sit alone in my teepee, deep in thought. When I came home this morning I could see the pain and hurt in Night Song's brown eyes. I could tell that she already knew that Brian and I were together in a way usually reserved for only husbands and wives. I sat down next to her, laying my hand upon her shoulder, and told her about the danger surrounding the tribe. I also told her how I must leave with Brian to find my mother, who is still alive, and explained how Brian and I knew each other when we were children.

She tried so hard to be strong, yet I could tell she was breaking inside. She closed her eyes and nodded as though she understood, but that did not prevent the tears escaping from her lashes. She laid her head upon my shoulder, and I wrapped my arms around her as her body shook in my embrace. Sobs escaped from her lips and she gasped brokenheartedly as I held her for a long time, doing my best to comfort her. I was thankful no one interrupted us, and that Morning Willow continued to nap peacefully. Suddenly, Night Song pulled away from me, turning to look at me directly, her gaze reading my very soul. She huffed out a breath, and then abruptly stood up. I watched helplessly as she hastily picked up Morning Willow and left the teepee. The sun is now setting, and I am concerned that I have not seen her, or my little girl, since they left earlier. I lay my head in my hands and let my emotions escape me.

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Night Song

When my love came home I could feel it. I already knew that he had been with Brian, and even though in my heart I know they are supposed to be together, it still hurts. Now I feel so alone and broken. He explained to me about his mother, and how he had known Brian when he was a little boy. It made sense of the visions I had just before finding Brian and Justin in the open plain not so many days ago, but it did not take my pain away. I tried to find comfort in his strong embrace, but that only made it hurt more.

I turn and look him in the eyes and it takes me aback to see how vulnerable he really is right now. I quickly stand up, picking up our little girl, and leave our teepee. I have so much to think about, and I'm not sure how I am going to handle everything. I make my way over to Walks With Wolves' teepee, hoping I'm not going to disturb her.

She is sitting near her door and smiles kindly when she sees me and the baby. Before I can speak she puts a finger to her lips and motions inside. When we enter, I am surprised to see Serpent Moon asleep. I look at Walks With Wolves, silently questioning her with my eyes.

She shrugs and smiles. "We had a long night and she decided to stay here," she whispers.

I simply nod and then Morning Willow tugs one of my braids. "Ant Moon," she cries, wiggling to be let down. "Ant Moon!" Walks With Wolves and I share a smile as she toddles over to wake up her favorite auntie.

My smile fades when I remember why I'm here. "Walks With Wolves, may I leave Morning Willow here for awhile. There are things...I must...I just cannot see my mother right now. I'm not sure how long I'll be."

She nods knowingly and the compassion in her eyes is almost too much to bear. Of course she knows what is happening. She always knows. "Of course, child, take as much time as you need. Serpent Moon will help me, won't you?"

The other woman is now awake and cradling my daughter in her arms. "I would love to spend time with my little Willow," she says as she tickles the baby's feet.

I smile when I hear my daughter's unabashed laughter and I lean forward to kiss Walks With Wolves on the cheek. "Thank you." I turn to Serpent Moon. "Thank you both."

She nods to me and I say good bye to Morning Willow. As I turn to leave Walks With Wolves lays a gentle hand on my shoulder. "I shall be here for you, my child. For anything you need."

I bite back tears as I nod and make my way out into the daylight.

The mid-day warmth beats against my skin as I begin to walk, not having any direction in mind. The water in the river seems to be moving more rapidly, and I can sense darkness further down the path. I am hesitant to move forward, but it is as though I am being drawn to it. I begin to run, holding up my dress so I can move more swiftly. I can hear the sound of flapping wings and birds screeching, and when I turn the corner I see hundreds of black crows.

They all turn at the sound of my feet, and begin to fly away in panic. I look up into the sky, startled that it has turned black, and rain begins to pour on me, which is strange since there were no rain clouds in the sky. I shield my eyes from the driving rain and let out a gasp when I see a black crow mutilated and scattered just in front of the tree spirits who guard the opening of the sacred water. I can hear someone crying and I look closely to see that it is one of the tree spirits. She is crouched down by her tree, sobbing. Her white light of goodness is darkening and she looks at me in desperation, speaking in a chilling whisper. "It is no longer safe. It is no longer safe. The darkness is coming. He was here last night. We were able to protect the young men, but not after tomorrow. Tomorrow he will come again and he will seek and kill anyone who is in his way. They must leave at tomorrow's first light. They must leave or no one will be safe," she exclaims in agony.

Fear floods through my body and spirit, and I know I must tell my father what has just happened. I know that he needs to know. Then more dread flows through me as I realize the punishment my father may inflict on Sunshine and Brian if he feels they are the ones to cause this darkness to invade our village. I need to do anything I can to prevent more heartache. For some reason I find myself running to the teepee where Brian is staying. I need to take him to Justin so I can speak to them both, and warn them that they must leave when the sun comes up.

Suddenly I realize the rain is no longer pouring over me and I look over to where I was. There is still a dark mist hovering there. I pick up my pace and continue to run back to the village.

I quickly open the flap and rush into the teepee breathlessly. Brian sits up and winces in obvious pain. He stands up and looks at me in shock and then I watch as a blank mask quickly covers his emotions. He gazes at me coolly, but his eyes speak to me. In them I can read that he is kind and compassionate. I suddenly can tell what my Sunshine sees in him, and then all of a sudden I am overcome with anger. I hate that my husband is leaving me and I hate that Brian came back into Sunshine's life. My anger builds so rapidly that I have no control over my actions. I push him hard and then I begin beating his chest. I feel so alone, and so scared that the man I love is being chased by something evil. I'm scared for my family and my tribe.

I am startled when I feel Brian's strong arms wrap around me, holding me protectively as he whispers in my ear. I am not sure what he is trying to tell me, but I feel he is trying to comfort me, and then I can feel dampness against my skin that I know is not coming from me.

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Brian

Sunshine left me back in my teepee this morning, after feeding me a quick breakfast, so he could have some time with his family. Thank God there has been no sign of Serpent Moon, and I am able to rest a bit. Last night with Justin was amazing, but I'm still not healed, and frankly the boy wore me out.

Imagine my surprise when my lover's wife burst through the door looking frightened and disheveled. I move to stand up, trying to cover the pain it causes me. For some reason I don't think this is a meeting I should have while lying down. In fact I do a quick check to see if the woman has any weapons on her. She doesn't say a word, which is fine since I wouldn't understand her anyway, but she is looking into my eyes in a way that makes me want to run away and pull her into my arms all at the same time.

Fuck, it kills me that I am hurting this woman. It was never my intent and I would change things if I could, but Sunshine is mine now, and there's no way I can let him go. Suddenly she is hitting me. She is crying and beating at my chest with her strong fists, and for a moment I let her. I deserve it and it almost feels good to let her take out her emotions on me. I notice that even in her anger she is taking care to avoid my wound.

After letting her get her licks in at me I pull her into my arms. None of this is her fault and I know I've pulled the rug out from under her world. She cannot understand what I'm saying, but I whisper my words of apology into her hair anyway, and let my tears of pain and regret speak for themselves.

Hmmm, apologies and regret. Things I always swore I would never do or feel. This man, Sunshine...Justin, has indeed, turned my life upside down.