Myka's Tail Ch. 04

"So dad," I finally asked. "When are we going to eat? I'm starved."

"Actually," and I was surprised that it was Jess who spoke up to answer. "I think that's my parent's fault."

"Why would our not eating be your parent's problem?"

"Well," and it was plain that Jess was feeling a bit of embarrassment. "Dad likes to fly, and he brought most of us here in one of his helicopters. We left him and my mom at the airport while he was arranging hangar space and hotel rooms for all of us. They're probably still thirty minutes from getting here."

"Oh, well," and I grabbed a small handful of chips before turning to my dad. "If it's going to be that long do you think I could borrow Gina, Ali, and Kelli for a bit and go out to our clearing?"

"Yeah, you should have enough time if you hurry," my dad said, with only a hint of complaint. "As long as Stuart and Kimberly get here soon, I should have things ready in about forty five minutes. You have that long girls."

"Gotcha dad," and I just about bounced over to where Kelli and the other girls were talking.

"Ok guys," I began. "We have a bit of time and I was wondering if I could convince Gina and Ali to come take a look at a, rather strange phenomenon?"

"We're eating soon though," Ali said, and I shook my head in response.

"Dad is waiting on Paul and Jess' parents so we have a little less than an hour. Enough time to get to our clearing, and back with a little bit to spare."

"Ok, sure. Let's go take a look," she replied while Gina gave an enthusiastic smile and nod of her head.

"I'd like to come too," said Jess from behind, causing me to be surprised once again.

"I'm not sure that would be such a good idea," said Ali, as she placed a comforting hand on Jess' arm. "There are some things that I am sure Myka and Kelli would like kept..."

"Like magic," Jess interrupted with an unexpected fire blazing in her eyes. "Yeah, I was there in Scotland, remember?"

"But, Scotland was a total cock up, and with the drugs and..."

"No! I may have been out of it somewhat, but I remember what I saw, and what you all did," Jessica hissed as she pointed to Ali, Kelli and myself. "And Ali, do you really think that having spent so much time with you over the last few months that I still don't have the slightest clue that you are an honest to god witch, with some pretty amazing powers? Give me some credit for being a bit smarter than that."

In that moment, I must say that I was terribly impressed with Jess, and with the way that she had handled something that would have driven most people completely bonkers. I could see the love she had for Ali, see it radiating out like beams from the summer sun. I could also sense her desire to have Ali's complete trust, because she for damn sure had given her own without a second thought. So I decided to nudge things along some, and I reached out and gave the cord of love that ran between the two a small strum which allowed Ali to feel some of what I was sensing right now.

I could see the moment that the realization of Jess' feelings hit her, and I watched as Ali's face softened in understanding and love. She let her hand drop and take Jessica's hand as tight as ever.

"Ok. If you think you are ready for this, then let's go," and Ali gave Jess a blazing hot smile.

"Thanks," Jess whispered.

"Anything for you," she whispered back, and gave Jess an ever so gentle kiss on the forehead.

"Ok, we're off" I responded, and I led all of us towards the wooded area that bordered our property.

As all of us got closer to the tree line that was practically the gateway to a different world, I could feel the itch to run hit me like it sometimes does. I was eager to move, to run, and to revel in the earth beneath my naked feet and the wind and leaves against my bare skin. It really was not that far from the house to the wooded area that extended off for quite a distance, but to me it felt as if it was taking forever. Soon enough we were in the embrace of the gentle canopy of the forested area and I stopped to breathe deep of the sylvan air that had almost become part of my life's blood.

"We'll see you at the clearing sweetie," Kelli said to me while the others gaped at me in confusion because I had already started to strip.

"I just don't feel comfortable wearing clothes out here," I grumbled in explanation as I piled my discarded clothing at the base of one of my landmark trees. "It feels like I am itchy and irritable all over my body if I have anything on."

"And why are we going to meet Myka there rather than go with her," Ali asked, and Kelli replied before I could.

"Because there is no way we will be able to keep up with her. See you in a short bit my love."

And with that I dashed off at a blistering pace into the deepening forest with the surprised gasps of the other women ringing distantly in my ears. Ever since Kelli and I had figured out my strong connection to the land and the water, this is where I felt most at home, and where I often found peace when my mind became troubled. Combined with my bond to Kelli, this connection was all that I felt I would ever need in this world, and my heart sang with joy as I ran.

Within a few minutes I arrived at our clearing, and took a few moments to walk around and feel the familiar textures of the soil between my toes and the sounds of the wind as it whispered to me through the leaves. If we didn't still have school, and if we did not need some sort of employment in order to make a living, then I would have been content to live here nearly full time. The problem with that is that reality sucks and doesn't always give you a choice.

After making the small circuit of our tranquil piece of paradise, I figured that I still had perhaps fifteen minutes before the other women would arrive. Since I had the time, I did as I usually do when I spent time here. I walked out into the middle of the pond and allowed myself to once again sink to the bottom while I tried to listen to what was almost a voice that I had felt calling to me every time I was near. I told Kelli about it once, and we came to the conclusion that it was probably the power inside of me that I had gained from the twins as they died, and its desires would be clearer the longer I allowed myself to commune with the world around me.

I used our bond to make sure that Kelli knew right where I was as I felt her approach with the others. Feeling her amusement at the confusion of the others, I could only guess that they were looking around the clearing to see where I might be hiding. I kept this up for another minute or two before I allowed my feet to touch the bottom of the pond and I rose almost nymph like from beneath the surface of the water.

"Holy shit," Ali gasped as I walked back to the dry earth, with cool rivulets running down my nude form.

"How long were you under this time," Kelli asked, shaking her head.

"Oh, I don't know. About fifteen minutes, maybe. I lose all track of time here, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember," she giggled.

I was about to give everyone a brief tour of our small hideaway, but I noticed that Gina was already wandering about, a look of childlike wonder on her face. She was sniffing the air as if she could detect something there that no one else could, and would occasionally crouch down and run her hands through the soft soil beneath her feet.

"What is this place," Gina breathed with a timbre of quiet reverence. "It is almost as if the goddess herself has walked here."

"This is our clearing," Kelli replied. "We would come here as kids and camp, or just to play in the woods. Myka and I have spent many days and nights here just talking, and being together. We spent Valentine's here two years ago and made many decisions about our future as a Neko and her bond mate."

"And it is where I learned a few things about myself after coming back from Scotland," I continued. "Like being able to just be underwater and think for long periods of time without breathing, or like the fact that I can run extraordinarily fast through the forest as if I was moving over smooth ground whether it is light or dark. And It is where we figured out I can do this."

With that I closed my eyes and focused my mind on the heartbeat of nature that I could feel surrounding me. I reached out like I had before and I coaxed new life to spring up in a verdant wave around my feet. While I was doing this, I also had reached out and tugged on the nearby water and soon had a pattern of droplets swirling between the leaves of new growth. This very visible display of the power that I had figured out wrenched a shocked gasp from everyone but Kelli, who had seen it before.

"How are you even able to do that," Ali cried. "None of the records or notes we have about the Neko mention anything like this at all. Granted, there is a lot that was lost over the many years, and we do know that certain texts went missing, but still."

"Myka and I believe that this is an effect of the transferred power that went to her when the twin Nekos died in Scotland," Kelli answered. "It is the only thing we can think of that makes sense. Those two might have been the aspects of earth and water."

"By the goddess," Ali said as she smacked herself lightly on the forehead. "I never even thought of that, and it is so clear. Can you do anything else?"

"Other than what I just showed you, no," I answered back as I let the summoned plants and water recede back into the ground. "Now, to be honest, I haven't really taken the time to work on learning new things because I have been busy as hell."

"I may be able to help with that," and Gina's still awed voice caused us all to turn and look at her.

She was kneeling with a single knee on the ground, staring off in the distance with her sightless eyes. In her right hand she grasped the end of a small gold chain that hung down with a conical pendant that had arcane looking sigils etched over its surface. Her left hand was stretched out in front of her body and she was using it as a pointer, sweeping it left to right in a slow, rhythmic motion. Occasionally she would pause in her pointing and when she did the little pendant would cause the chain to swing in tightly controlled circles even though her right hand was as unmoving as a stone.

"What is she doing," I asked Ali, who seemed as surprised by Gina's comment as I was.

"She is dowsing," Ali replied. "It is basically a way for someone who has an affinity with earth magic, like Gina, to find objects or the best path to take on a journey. It can be used to detect corrupted magic if it is based in her element, or it can map out lines of power that run between various points on the planet and make a web of energy that can be used and tapped by those knowledgeable."

"And there is a lot of power here," Gina added. "So much that I cannot fully separate the ley lines that are converging to a nexus here. I have been able to detect the individual characteristics of at least seven lines, and I know there are more."

"Seven," Ali exclaimed in obvious shock. "And there are more? That shouldn't be possible."

"Yet here we stand, in a place of great power and it certainly does exist. Myka, describe to me what you feel here and when you are running through the forest nearby."

"Well, some of it is kind of hard to explain," I answered, but Gina crushed my reluctance to answer with the stare of her milky eyes.

"This is supremely important Myka," she breathed with barely contained fervor. "Just tell me as best you can."

"Ok," and I took and released a very deep breath to clear my mind so that I could concentrate on how I felt. "When I shed my clothes and run here, it is like I am closer to being fully alive."

"I know that I love Kelli, and my soul feels complete now that we share the bond between us, but I still feel there are some things that we are missing."

"Please continue," she coaxed, eager to get what information that she could.

"One of the things missing is children, and I know for certain that that will happen, but not right now," and Kelli's blush when I mentioned parenthood made me blush as well.

"But here in the forest, and when I submerge in the pond, it is almost like someone is watching me from over my shoulder, but I can never quite see them. And the feeling of that power is old, like ancient on top of eons separated by vast canyons of time old."

"Can you describe this ancient power any better," Gina asked. "Does it have desires, or instructions, anything of that nature?"

"Well, I always feel an overwhelming sense that there is some great task that I have to do when I feel its presence. But it is never clear what it is that I am supposed to do. It's fucking frustrating some times."

"Why did you never tell me sweetie," Kelli asked as she wrapped her soothing arms around me, dispelling the agitation that I didn't realize had hit me like a ton of bricks.

"I don't know why," I replied. "It seemed to get better the longer I spent running through the forest here, and I really started to think that it was just a matter of time until I had satisfied the primal urge that I was feeling. I'm not so sure now."

"No Miss Myka," Gina broke in with barely disguised glee in her voice. "This would not go away only because you communed with the earth and the water. This is a place of power that cannot flow like it should, that cannot sing its mighty song to the furthest star. I believe that it is asking you to free it from its constraints so that it can reach its own mighty potential."

"What do you mean, its own mighty potential?"

"Come here and I will show you," Gina whispered as she held out her hand to me, and I felt a slight compulsion coming from all around me, pushing me to comply.

I walked over to where she was kneeling, her hands reverently splayed out over the fertile soil. As I approached, Gina motioned me to come and kneel facing her. Once there I sank to my knees and allowed her to place my hands on the ground where hers had been, and she then returned her own hands to cover mine.

"Close your eyes Miss Myka, and feel the power of the earth and water move over and through you."

"What does it feel like," I asked in honest curiosity.

"It is different for each person, like trying to describe what salt tastes like. You know, but you can't quite pass on your exact experience."

"Just focus on what you have felt before, and open your heart and ears. Listen. Listen with the senses you didn't know you had and you will start to understand the feeling that is the very heartbeat of the earth itself."

I did as Gina asked and closed my eyes, allowing myself to get lost in my breathing like I did when I would practice my stances or katas. It was quite freeing to just let my inner spirit flow where it wanted as I focused my mind and body to a razor sharp edge. As I entered this state of mind with Gina's hands on my own I was aware of a small trickle of her power entering and flowing through me, and I felt the distant kinship between her affinity for the earth and my own.

I lost track of time again as I allowed new sensations of power to pulse over my skin, and I almost felt as if a heavier and heavier weight was pressing down on my shoulders. One more breath, and that was when I felt the thrum that was the heartbeat Gina had talked about. It was like feeling the most intense pulse of sound from the bass unit of a concert speaker while standing a foot away, even though it was inaudible to my ears. If I had not had the affinity to the earth that I currently had, I am sure that the power contained in that heartbeat would have torn my mind apart. Instead, I felt a near orgasmic sense of joy every time it pulsed. I sensed Kelli's awe at what I was experiencing, and I opened my eyes to see Jess and Ali chattering like excited kids to each other. We were about to discover something monumental.

"Tell me what you feel, or rather what this reminds you of," Gina whispered to me, her hands still on mine.

"I'm not sure. There are so many things that this could be part..." and the realization of what I was feeling crashed down on my conscious mind with brutal clarity.

"This feels like the ring of stones in Scotland," I cried out. "Except there was not nearly this much power. I remember this beat, remember feeling it every time I activated one of the standing stones with my blood."

"I suspected as much," Gina confirmed with a slight nod. "When you described your feelings and how the earth powers that you inherited were influencing your actions, I determined that what you had discovered in this clearing was a locus of power. What I did not count on is finding a locus of such magnitude."

"So what are we going to do about this," Ali asked. "To establish a locus is going to require the action of nearly everyone in the Circle, and that still might not be enough. We may have to call a convocation."

"No! We will remain silent for now," Gina exclaimed, much to everyone's surprise. "I am sorry for being abrupt, but I have direction from Millicent herself. She sensed that something of this nature was about to come forth, and I am allowed to discuss things with you four and no one else. Not even Mary, and it has been a long time since I have had to keep something from my sister. That is how serious this may be."

"So why can you talk to me about it," Jess asked with an overabundance of meekness.

"Because you are already here, and Ali has given you her trust which I do not take lightly. Also this will be a good education for you in what we of the Circle do and how the basics of magic work. With Ali's permission I would like you to help me research the basic and intermediate rituals required to establish a working locus. Kelli, your help would be appreciated as well."

"I will do what I can," Kelli agreed, with no hesitation.

"And as for you Miss Myka, when Jessica and I are not researching the creation of a functional locus, we will be training you in the use of your connections with earth and water."

"That sounds great Gina," I replied with a hint of sarcasm. "The only problem is I don't use magic, I only have the abilities given to me by the Neko aspects."

"I never said that I would be instructing you in the use of magic," she chided. "We are, however, going to train you so that you are able to fully utilize the affinity that you seem to have been gifted with. Some of the greatest individuals to ever work with one or more of the five elements could not use even a single drop of magic power. My mastery over the elements will be a good road map for you, though."

"Ok, whatever you say. But you mentioned five elements. I assume earth and water are two, but what are the other three?"

"Now that is a deep discussion you've started," Ali laughed.

"Yes, it is deep and will take years to master," Gina countered. "We are not, however, going to unravel the mysteries of the goddess in one sitting Aliara. Myka, consider this your first lesson until we can sit down and talk about it fully."

"There are five cardinal elements that make up the whole of the universe: earth, fire, water, air, and emptiness, which is also known as the void. These were the same elements, or scrolls as he called them, which Musashi used to explain swordsmanship. For our purposes they represent the building blocks of creation."

"Earth, fire, water, and air are somewhat self-explanatory," Gina continued. "And each is controlled in a similar manner as how you would control earth and water. The void, however, is both energy and the lack of energy, which provides the framework for all the other elements to work together in harmony. It is what powers the very essence of magic itself. Your task, until we can begin training in earnest, is to think of how each element might work either separately or together."