Shenanigans

“DANI!” Sam replied, sarcastically, taking another sip, waiting for the lecture to commence. She sang along to the music playing from the speakers in the trailer, Tapping her fingers to the beat on her water bottle. Carry on my wayward son...For there'll be peace when you are done...

“WHAT did you do?!?” yelled Dani, pulling a mason jar out of the cooler before thumping the lid closed, her mind reeling. She unscrewed thelid, taking along sip from it's clear contents, relishing in the slow burn. She resealed the jar and stormed over towards Sam.

“What?!?” Sam sighed, rolling her eyes as she calmly tilted her head back, removing her ball cap and pony tail. She exhaled slowly, running her hand through her hair, enjoying the feeling as her hair tumbled from it’s elastic prison. She removed her sunglasses, closing her eyes and soaking up the sun’s warm rays. “It’s just a friendly little bonfire? What could possibly go wrong?” She enjoyed poking the bear. 

“Are you kidding freaking kidding me Samantha?” Dani yelled, throwing her arms up in the air at Samantha incredulously. “What could happen!” Then, noting a small group of guys walking by, watching their interaction with interest, she stormed over to Sam’s chair. “Need I remind you that your father specifically told you to stay away from them! What happened to the whole eyes on the prize?” she hissed, bending forward, blocking the sun from Sam’s face.

“Dani, you worry too much,” Sam sighed, lifting her head up,”I know what I’m doing.” Sam placed her sunglasses back on the bridge of her nose. Feeling a cold drip of her water on her arm, she finally took note of the mason jar in her dear friend’s hand. Getting excited, she squealed, grabbing hold of the cold wet glass. “Is that what I think it is?” she squeaked.

“Would it be a rodeo without it?” Dani sighed, noting the change in conversation. Dani could play games too. She smiled proudly, twisting the top off the jar of clear liquid as she took a sip, making a small face as she felt the liquid burn it’s way to her stomach. “I shouldn’t even give you any! I can’t believe you invited them out tonight...Bitch"

        "Jerk..."

        "Assbutt..." Dani smiled, internally laughing at Sam. The memory of the two of them spending their freetime locked in their tiny little apartment binge watching thier favorite television series and oogling the sexy lead actors flashing in her mind. 14 seasons, a ton of delivery and even more chocolate and Pepsi in less than a week. It was a heck of a struggle but someone had to do it.

“Awe come on Dani...” Sam pouted, sticking her lip out like a child, “We’ve been around worse. Besides...they’re just a bunch of cocky cowboys. We have them over, then give them a little White Lightening,” Sam smiles as Dani rolls her eyes, handing her the mason jar. She holds up the jar like she is holding up the Stanley Cup trophy, closing her eyes as she sips the clear liquid. Sam winced, sucking air sharply through her teeth, loving the familiar burn as it descend her throat into her stomach. “then tomorrow when they finally roll out of their little beds... they all have hangovers from hell.” Sam laughed, handing the jar back to Dani. “Besides... What do the Daughter’s of Freya always say?”

“If you can’t slay ‘em then lay ‘em” the girls smiled in unison, laughing like giddy little witches. They had adopted the loving title of Daughter’s of Freya while traveling through the rodeo circuit. Sam decided it had a tough sound to it. The saying just sort of came along with it. 

“You are horrible” Dani sealed the jar before Sam could drink any more of it.

Dani laughed to herself as she walked back to the cooler, replacing the jar with it’s many friends at the bottom, under a safe layer of ice. Sam was always the thinker, coming up with scheme after scheme, and Dani was an ever present side kick to the chaos as it ensued. 

Sam and Dani have been drinking the family “moonshine” since their early teens, and they had never woke up with a hangover from it, not once.  Sam had joked that it gave them “immunity” to it. But the two always teased everyone else, saying that it was their secret weapon against their competition.  Thanks to Sam, this wouldn’t be the first time they drank their competition under the table, so to speak.

“Well, maybe you should wash up before our guests get here huh?” Dani tossed an ice cube at Sam, deftly arching it down her top as before.

“Damn it Dani!” shrieked Sam, jumping up from her chair and dancing around like she was being chased by a bee. “That’s freakin’ cold!” She fished it out of her bra, tossing it on the ground. “You are so gonna get it!”

The girls chased each other around the trailer, oblivious to the many stares they received from the groups passing by, as they attempted to hit each other with the ice from the cooler. Their laughter echoed throughout the campground, as they continued their antics, occasionally ducking in, out and around the trailer, trees and even their horses. They stopped long enough to grab ice from the cooler outside the trailer, before racing after each other again.  After one such pit stop, Sam lost track of Dani. She crept slowly towards the front of the trailer, her eyes darting in every direction, looking for any movement that might give away Dani’s location. Sam held a red Solo Cup in her hand, full of cold water, ready to toss in her friend’s face when she passed in her view. Suddenly, it felt as if the heavens themselves had opened and rained down upon her head with ice cold water and ice. She gasped as all the air escaped from her lungs. She heard Dani’s laughter from above as she coughed, trying to breathe. 

Sam flailed about, sputtering, trying to shake water and chunks of ice out from her white tank top. Stumbling around, water dripping in her eyes, Sam lost her bearings. She didn’t realize how close she was to the wood pile, or the fire pit. She crashed over it, landing with a sickening thud as her head made contact with one of the rocks surrounding the pit.

“SAM!” Dani yelled, launching herself off the top of the trailer, rushing to her friend’s side in a panic. She leapt over the scattered wood kneeling next to an immobile Sam, rolling her on her back. There was blood trickling down the side of her head, a lot of it. It had already stained the rocks where she had landed, and was now staining her golden hair a crimson color. 

“Oh my Goddess Sam...Samantha wake up” Dani shook her friend’s shoulder, looking for a sign of life. Sam’s chest didn’t move, there was no rise and fall. Dani noticed her pendant lay above her shirt, dangling towards the ground. She looked around quickly and placed it back under Sam’s soaking wet tank top, near her heart. 

“Goddess Eir be with her.” Dani breathed, Closing her eyes and pressing the pendant against Sam’s skin. "Today is not your day."

All at once Dani could feel Sam’s chest begin to rise and fall. Dani breathed a sigh of relief. Sam’s eyes fluttered open, a copper ring around each one, the colors deeper as before.

“Sam?” Dani spoke, barely above a whisper, glancing over shoulder at another group of people walking by. She assisted her friend out of the fire pit and onto the flat ground next to it, noting that the cut above her right temple was still bleeding. Boy there are a lot of people just walking around. Dani thought to herself, but she just brushed it off. This is the camping area. Maybe they are just camping around us.

Sam looked up at her friend with a puzzled look, then started laughing hysterically. 

“I’m fine Dani, really. Just need to work on my Gravity allergy I guess.” She attempted to sit up when her eyes glossed over, a sudden wave of dizziness sweeping over her. “Okay... maybe not.” Sam blinked a few times, her vision blurring in and out. This was new.

Dani helped Sam lay back, resting on her elbows, as she tried to clear her head. Her stomach started to feel a little queasy. Dani noticed Sam’s reaction. Her concern growing, she placed her hand on Sam’s shoulder. 

“Maybe I should go get you some help.” Kevin was going to kill her.

“I’m fine, really.” Sam tried to sit up again, but the dizziness became stronger, making her vision blur for a moment. Black spots appeared, attempting to take over. “Okay, maybe I just need to lay down for a minute.” Sam lowered herself back on the ground, closing her eyes against the now spinning world. She took a few slow deep breaths, making Dani even more concerned.

Noticing another group of four guys walking through the rodeo grounds, Dani looked down at her friend. Against her better judgement, she knew what she had to do. The bleeding wasn’t stopping, and Sam needed to be treated. As much as she didn’t want to leave her on the ground, she knew she had no choice. 

“Hey Sam,” she placed her hand on Sam’s shoulder, gently soothing her, “I’m going to get help. Try not to do anything stupid until I get back, like get up okay.”

“Awe come on Dani..” Samantha nodded, eyes closed, laying on the ground, afraid that if she moved she might make the dizziness worse. “I was gonna get up and go dancing.” Her head was throbbing. Moving her hand to her hairline, she felt the warm stickiness as the throbbing increased. Way to go grace... she moaned to herself, what a way to start off the weekend. Dani rolled her eyes, standing up and making her way to the approaching group.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Alex was walking through the Red River barn, making his way towards the entrance having just finished working his gelding. He had needed to clear his head after the morning spent with his father. For some reason Alpha Michael was still refusing to speak about this human, this Samantha, and her mere presence was putting both Alpha and Luna on edge. Riding in the arena, and loping on Maverick was the only thing he could think of to really keep his mind off of things. 

Alex placed his saddle on the rack, pausing long enough to brush the dirt from his green button down shirt. He reached up, placing his bridle away on the hook above when the door behind him opened. Without having to turn around he knew who it was. His brother Ethan entered, shutting the door behind him, a troubled look on his face.

“What have you found out?” Alex asked, finishing what he was doing and turning around, concern in his grey eyes. Ethan was the calm, collected brother of the group. That’s why his father had chosen him as Alex’s Beta, and had began to train him at a young age for such a tedious position.

“There is something more about these two humans than father wants to let on,” Ethan leaned against wall, his arms crossed against his chest. His green eyes were dark and storming, his mind churning with the recent interaction with Samantha. “I can’t explain it...but I could have sworn that Samantha’s eyes literally changed while she was talking to me.”

“What do you mean changed?” Alex questioned, face to face with his brother, speaking low as another pack member entered, hanging up their tack. Ethan motioned with his head. and the two exited the tack room. 

I was over by their camp area and we were talking. Well, she played with this pendant around her neck,  Ethan spoke in the pack link, blocking everyone out but his brother. well I felt this energy from her. Like I was being pulled towrds her, or I was in this trance or something. I couldn’t move. And her eyes, they had this copper ring around them.  

Is that when I felt that? Alex asked, looking at his brother, curiously. This is not something he was familiar with. It definitely was not the mate bond that Ethan was describing. It was something else...something stronger.

Yes. Then when she put the necklace against her skin, it stopped, and her eyes were normal again..Well, normal for her. Ethan tried to explain.

“What do you mean? Normal for her?” Alex asked as they walked towards the wooded area leading to the Rodeo grounds. Ethan had piqued Alex’s interest. He wanted to see this Samantha. He couldn’t understand the pull towards this human, but he had a desire...no a need to see her. 

“Her eyes man,” Ethan tried to explain to his brother, not quite understanding the mystery of these two humans in their territory. “She has one blue eye and one green.”

Before Alex could respond, a warrior broke into their link, panic in his voice.

“Alex, Sir” The voice sounded urgent, almost scared.

“What is it?” Alex was almost afraid to hear the response. In his gut he just knew it had something to do with the humans.

“Sir, the human that Alpha wanted us to watch. Sir, she is injured sir.”

Alex felt his heart jump into his throat. He looked at Ethan, who nodded, as the two ran towards their campsite.  It took them mere seconds to close the distance between the barn and the girls’ trailer, but when they entered the clearing, what he saw made the his heart stop. 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

“Hey!” Dani called out to the group of guys approaching their campsite. She quickly tried flagging them down. “Hey, what are you guys deaf or something?”

“Dani?” Toby called back, jogging over to her. He stopped short, noticing her worried expression. “It’s me Toby, we met earlier”  As he grew closer to her he noticed blood on her hands and streaked across her pants. "What happened?"

The other three pack warriors followed closely behind. The patrols had been sure to stick to their very tightly timed schedule, and worked hard to make it seem like they were just groups walking by as they made their rounds. Toby had tagged along on this patrol to catch a glimpse of the girls again. 

“It’s Sam,” Dani grabbed Toby’s arm firmly. He noticed that she was stronger than she looked. She began to pull him back towards their trailer, glad it was at least someone she was sort of familiar with. Her friend needed help now. “She fell and hit her head and now she is bleeding.”

“What?” Toby’s eyes widened, Dani noted a quick flash of something in those blue pools but it was quickly replaced by concern. He turned, glancing quickly over his shoulder at one of the guys with him, then began jogging with Dani towards their trailer. When they arrived where Dani had left her, Sam was no where to be found. 

“Damn it Samantha!” Dani swore under her breath, looking around the site for her friend.

        “Where is she?” Toby asked, looking around the site, noting the disheveled wood pile and the blood on the rocks where Sam must have fallen and hurt herself. But Samantha was was nowhere to be found..

“For the love of Odin!” swore Dani, punching a nearby tree hard enough to chip off some bark. Toby stared at her, her copper eyes burning a bright gold with her fury. “I told her not to go anywhere. I told her to lay here until I got back.” She walked towards the trailer, looking around for some sign of her friend, her anger growing with every step. Toby looked at her hand, it was reddened and dripping blood from the contact made with the tree’s rough bark.

“Yaaaggghhh!” Dani yelled out in anger, punching the trailer with all her might, denting the side and causing the same hand she recently used against the tree to make a sickening cracking sound and start to swell. Her copper eyes burned a brighter gold in color, her fury evident in every feature, radiating from her in palpable waves. Toby noticed the purplish bruise starting to form across the lower third of her hand and he became concerned. Before he could say anything to her about helping her with her hand, a voice interrupted her assault on the trailer.

“Hey Bitch, ” a voice yelled out from inside the trailer’s living quarters, “You better not be breaking my trailer or I’ll kick your ass!”