[37] Sacred Ground

Chapter 37: Sacred Ground

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The morning sun painted the canyon walls in shades of rust and gold, the different layers of sediment telling stories older than human memory. I followed Kai along the narrow trail, trying not to stare at how her simple red tee clung to her athletic frame or how her brown shorts showed off legs that could probably outrun me easily.

Behind me, Gwen's footsteps crunched on the sandy path with slightly more force than necessary. She'd been like this since breakfast. She smiled a bit too sweetly, laughing too loudly at Chief Green's stories, and for some reason shot me looks that could melt steel whenever I so much as glanced in Kai's direction.

Why is she mad? She's my cousin…

"This area is sacred to my people," Kai said, and her voice carried that same neutral tone from yesterday. "The petroglyphs here date back over a thousand years. All of them tell different stories."

She stopped at a section of canyon wall covered in intricate carvings. It was quite an odd collection to look at. Spirals, humanoid figures, and animals danced across the weathered stone. The morning light hit them just right, making the ancient art seem almost alive.

"Well, these are incredible," Gwen said in a voice full of awe, replacing whatever mood she'd been nursing. She traced her fingers near, but careful not to touch, a complex spiral pattern. "This looks like a representation of the cosmic cycle. Birth, death, rebirth. Similar symbols appear in Celtic manuscripts from the same period."

Kai turned, eyebrows raised. "You know about comparative symbology?"

"She's a nerd," I supplied helpfully, earning myself an elbow to the ribs. "Ow! I mean, she's very well-read and intelligent."

"Lately I've been studying ancient texts," Gwen said, ignoring me completely. "It's mostly because of my magic. It's pointless to try to hide from you since you saw me use magic yesterday. To research magic, I’m studying mythology and folklore. The patterns across cultures are fascinating. Like how flood myths appear in nearly every civilization, or how the concept of skinwalkers—"

"Yenaldooshi," Kai corrected gently. "We don't use the other word. It gives them power."

Gwen nodded respectfully. "Yenaldooshi, then. They appear in various forms across indigenous cultures. Shape-shifters who've broken sacred laws, corrupted by dark magic."

A smile tugged at Kai's lips. Not the polite tourist smile, but something real. "You actually get it. Most people just want to hear scary campfire stories."

I felt glad seeing them get along. I had a bad feeling that Gwen would find trouble with Kai because of me, because of the weird way she was acting lately, but my worries seemed needless.

"What about this one?" Feeling in the mood to make some jokes, I pointed to a figure that looked vaguely humanoid with exaggerated features. "Isn't that a fertility symbol? The proportions suggest—"

"That's a warrior spirit," Kai interrupted, her tone patient but amused. "The 'exaggerated features' you're seeing are ceremonial armor. Common mistake though. Hollywood loves to make everything about fertility or human sacrifice."

Gwen snickered, eyeing me funny.

"Right. Warrior spirit. That's what I meant." I rubbed the back of my neck,  pretending to be embarrassed.

I already knew what it was because after the flood last night, I transformed into Greymatter and did my research on the internet.

We continued along the trail, Kai pointing out various carvings while Gwen asked increasingly sophisticated questions. They were getting along like a house on fire, bonding over shared interests while I trudged behind like the third wheel on my own damn vacation.

Not that I minded staying quiet, enjoying the fine view.

[Image Here]

"Oh!" Gwen suddenly stopped at a section where the rock face had crumbled, obscuring part of an intricate carving. "This erosion... it's destroying the story."

Kai's expression turned sad. "Climate change, flash floods, vandals. We're losing more every year. My grandfather documents what he can, but..."

"Maybe I can help." Gwen pulled out the Archamada book from her backpack, flipping through pages with practiced ease. "There's a preservation spell here. Nothing flashy, just... encouraging the stone to remember its shape."

"What? No way." Kai's eyes widened. "Magic can do that?"

Instead of answering, Gwen placed her hand near the damaged stone. Purple light flowed from her charms, seeping into the rock like water into parched earth. The crumbled sections didn't dramatically rebuild; instead, the remaining stone seemed to strengthen, the cracks sealing, the carved lines becoming clearer.

"That's… when you said magic earlier, I really thought you meant some Plumber tech. But this is…” Kai stared at the restored petroglyph, then at Gwen, then back at the wall. "You used real magic... To preserve our history. Not to show off or take something, but to... to help."

"It's the least I could do," Gwen said softly. "These stories deserve to survive."

And just like that, I watched Kai Green, ice queen of the desert, crusher of tourist dreams, melt completely. She grabbed Gwen's hands, eyes shining with something between gratitude and wonder.

"Thank you. Truly. My grandfather... he's going to cry when he sees this."

They stood there, holding hands, sharing a moment of perfect understanding while I tried to pretend I was fascinated by a nearby lizard. The little bastard wasn't even doing anything interesting, just sunning himself on a rock like he didn't have a care in the world.

Lucky lizard.

"Ben's pretty incredible too," Gwen said suddenly, and I nearly tripped over my own feet. "He saved all those people yesterday. Including you."

Kai glanced at me, that assessing look back in her dark eyes. "The fish creature. That's a Piscciss Volann, is it not? How did you transform into him?”

"I call that form Ripjaws," I confirmed. "Not my most photogenic form, but great for water rescues. I just happen to have the ability to transform into aliens sometimes.”

"How many forms do you have?"

"Ten so far. Well, I think there are more, but I haven't unlocked them yet." The words slipped out before I could stop them. Damn my need to impress pretty girls.

Both of them turned to stare at me.

"There are more?" Gwen's voice had an edge of annoyance. "Cheater.”

"Quit being jealous, cuh. You should be happy that I'm growing stronger," I waved dismissively, wanting to move on from this conversation. My eyes caught something right then. "Hey, look at that carving! Is that a coyote?"

"That's clearly a wolf," Kai said dryly. "Coyotes have different proportions in traditional art."

"He's bad at identifying animals," Gwen added with fake sympathy. "Yesterday he thought a roadrunner was a 'tiny velociraptor.'"

"It moved like one!"

"Everything moves like a dinosaur to you."

"That's not true. I've never compared you to a dinosaur."

"Because I'd throw you off this cliff."

Kai watched our bickering with poorly hidden amusement. "Are you two always like this?"

"No," we said in unison, then glared at each other.

"It's... cute," Kai decided, and I swear both Gwen and I turned the same shade of red.

"We're not cute," I protested. "We're contentious. Adversarial. Definitely not cute."

"Speak for yourself," Gwen muttered. "I'm adorable."

I couldn't argue with that, which was its own kind of problem. When had my annoying cousin become adorable? When had I started noticing the way morning light caught in her hair, or how her nose scrunched when she concentrated on magic, or how the curves of he—

Aw shit, at this rate I might give into the dark side. Watching her curves, her navel, I found it difficult to regain my senses.

[Image Here]

"You're both adorable," Kai said with the kind of authority that brooked no argument. "Like puppies fighting over a toy."

"Great," I sighed. "Now they're gonna team up to bully me."

The matching smirks that bloomed on their faces confirmed my worst fears. My cousin and my wife from a different timeline, united in their mission to make my life difficult. The universe truly had a sick sense of humor.

We spent another hour exploring the petroglyphs, the girls bonding over everything from ancient languages to their shared disdain for my "tourist" observations. By the time we headed back, they were walking arm in arm like old friends while I played pack mule with everyone's water bottles.

"This was wonderful," Kai said as the cultural center came into view. "I never get to share this with people who actually understand. Usually it's just 'ooh, pretty pictures' and requests for vision quests."

"People ask you for vision quests?" Gwen sounded horrified.

"All the time. Like I'm some mystical Indian guide from a bad Western." Kai's expression soured. "Last week a guy offered me a hundred bucks to 'commune with his spirit animal.'"

"I hope you told him his spirit animal was a jackass," I offered.

Kai's laugh was bright and genuine. "I told him it was a slug. He wasn't happy."

"Brutal. I like it."

"You would," Gwen said, but she was smiling too.

As we approached the Rust Bucket, the easy atmosphere shifted. Grandpa Max stood with Chief Green, both men wearing expressions that meant trouble was brewing. Grandpa had his Plumber scanner out, the device beeping steadily.

"Kids," Grandpa's voice carried that tone that meant playtime was over. "We need to talk."

The hunt was about to begin.

****

The sun bled crimson across the desert sky, painting shadows that twisted familiar rocks into alien shapes. The temperature had dropped twenty degrees in as many minutes, and the silence felt heavy, expectant. Even the ever-present insects had gone quiet.

Chief Wes Green stood before us like something out of an old photograph. Weathered face set in grim lines, ceremonial pouch at his hip, hunting rifle that had probably been in his family for generations. Beside him, Grandpa Max looked equally serious, his cheerful Hawaiian shirt at odds with the compact Plumber scanner pulsing in his hand.

"Ideally we should have gone after the Yenaldooshi last night, but there were injured tourists to be taken care of. But I'm sure the creature is still nearby. The tracks lead toward Black Mesa," Wes announced, his voice carrying the weight of tradition and purpose. "Max has told me of your abilities, Ben. Of the Omnitrix, and I've seen what you're capable of last night. You will come with us to hunt what haunts our land."

It wasn't a request. The tone made that crystal clear.

"Wait what? Why are you just calling him? We're coming too," Gwen said immediately, stepping forward with her chin raised. "Ben's not going alone into danger."

"This is my home," Kai added, matching Gwen's determination. "I know every trail, every hiding spot, grandfather. You need me to track it properly."

Wes held up one weathered hand, his expression unyielding but not unkind. "This is not a task for you, it's dangerous. Max and I have our Plumber history, while Ben has a powerful device. The Yenaldooshi is no ordinary predator. The hunt has always been a rite for the brave men of our tribe. It is tradition."

"Tradition?" Gwen's voice went dangerously sweet, which meant someone was about to get verbally eviscerated. "So because we're girls, we're supposed to sit here and wait? I have magic that could level a building, and Kai knows this land better than anyone. We're more qualified than—"

"Gwen." Grandpa's hand settled on her shoulder, gentle but firm. "We are guests here. We respect their ways."

The look he gave her said more than words could. This isn't the time. Trust me.

I watched Gwen struggle with her temper, jaw clenched tight enough to crack teeth. Finally, she stepped back, but the frustration rolled off her in waves. Beside her, Kai's expression had gone carefully neutral, but I caught the flash of anger in her eyes.

"Fine," Gwen bit out. "But I hope you're not taking Ben to use him as a weapon. If anything happens to him…”

Those words surprised me. I exchanged glances with Grandpa, who shrugged. I rubbed the back of my head. "Relax, Gwen. Nothing will happen," I assured her, trying for confident. "I've got the watch, remember? I'll be fine."

The look she gave me could've stripped paint. "Your watch has been acting weird all day. Don't think I haven't noticed."

She wasn't wrong. The Omnitrix had been giving off faint pulses since the storm, like a heartbeat slightly out of rhythm. But I knew what was coming. The Yenaldooshi, the satellite equipment, the DNA sample. This was supposed to happen.

"I'll be careful," I promised. It was a pity they couldn’t come along.

"You better be," she muttered, then surprised me by pulling me into a quick, fierce hug. "Don't do anything stupid just because you think it's heroic."

"When have I ever—"

"Always. You always do something like that. Both of these old men are strong and experienced enough to protect themselves.”

Kai watched our exchange with an unreadable expression. As I pulled away from Gwen, she stepped forward.

"The Black Mesa area is treacherous at night," she said quietly. "Watch for loose shale on the north face, and there's a ravine that's nearly invisible until you're on top of it. The old mining shaft should be avoided, it's unstable."

"Thanks," I said, appreciating the intel even if I already knew where we were heading.

She nodded once, then added even quieter, "Be careful, Ben Tennyson. The desert doesn't forgive mistakes."

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