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Puppet Strings - Chapter 7
By Kudara
Disclaimer: All
the characters appearing in Gargoyles are copyright Buena Vista
Television/The Walt Disney Company. No infringement of these
copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright
holder. All original characters are the property of the author.
Warning: none
Rating: Teen
Feedback: Always welcome, feedback is what encourages me to keep
writing. Please let me know what you like and what you dislike
about the story.
Revision History: 02/13/08
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Elisa leaned exhausted against the wall of
the elevator watching the floor numbers increase as it rose from
the ground floor of the Eyrie building to the upper floors where
the castle entrance was located. When the doors opened, she
took the hallway and then the steps leading out to the upper
battlements. Goliath and the others should be returning from
their nightly patrol soon and she had new information on the
investigation into Demona’s disappearance two days ago.
She leaned against the stone parapet and
looked out over the city, it was a clear cold night and she
could see the twinkling of the city lights for miles around.
She scanned the skyline impatiently and was finally rewarded
when she saw the outlines of five gargoyles against the dark
sky. Undoubtedly, Hudson was sitting in his armchair watching
TV while the younger gargoyles patrolled.
“Elisa,” Goliath greeted her as he landed,
the other four gargoyles adding in their greetings as they
landed in a loose half circle behind him. “You have more news
of Demona?” he asked somberly. Elisa had told them of Demona’s
suspected kidnapping the previous night, and that police
suspected that Kendra Canmore had been taken as well.
“Yes,” she hunched into her coat, trying to
escape the cold, “The night guard confirmed that Kendra Canmore
entered the building fifteen minutes prior to the attack on the
building. This morning detectives on the case got confirmation
that a helicopter was sighted very near the Nightstone building
at that time. Witness said they thought it was about to crash
into the building, but it just hovered there for several minutes
then moved off.”
“Do you believe it actually was real
Quarrymen that took them?” asked Angela suspicious, but also
looking worried.
Elisa grimaced, Demona had hurt Angela
terribly with the Quarrymen deception she had carried out last
week. She had used actors playing Quarrymen to attack the clan
for the purpose of gaining Angela’s trust, only to abuse that
trust in the worst possible way as she used it to get Angela to
lure Goliath into a trap. Only Demona’s hired killer attempting
to kill Angela along with Goliath had revealed the entire sordid
plan. As far as Elisa was concerned, the only good thing about
the entire mess was the fact that Angela’s eyes were now open
about the type of person her mother had turned into over the
centuries.
“She probably set this up too,” growled
Brooklyn.
Elisa shifted uncomfortably, “I don’t
know,” she said reluctantly. She had wanted to believe this was
another ploy by the immortal gargoyle, but the evidence simply
wasn’t pointing in that direction. “We got a crime stopper tip
today on the helicopter. An aircraft mechanic at Teterboro
Airport saw a helicopter matching the description of the one
seen hovering by the Nightstone building land there. He saw
five men get out of the helicopter and carry two long bags from
it and load them onto a waiting airplane.” She had everyone’s
attention at this point, “He noticed them because he thought at
the time it looked like the scene from a move where they were
gangsters were moving bodies, it wasn’t until he saw the news
that he realized he might have actually seen Dominique Destine
and Kendra Canmore’s kidnappers moving them from the
helicopter.”
“Where was the plane headed to?” asked
Lexington, “Don’t they have to file flight plans?”
Broadway broke in, “Yea, but if their
kidnappers they would have filed false ones so the police
couldn’t figure out where they were actually going,” he asserted
knowledgeably.
“This isn’t a movie though,” snapped
Angela, sounding upset.
Broadway stared at her wide eyed for a
moment, before understanding sympathy filled his eyes and he
took a step to stand supportively beside her.
“They didn’t file a false flight plan,”
Elisa jumped in before anyone could say anything else, “The
plane flew to Alma, Quebec in Canada. The Canadian police
confirmed that it landed there and met another plane and then
returned to Teterboro the same night this afternoon.”
“So the kidnappers, if that is what they
actually were, took them to this town in Canada?” asked Goliath.
Elisa shook her head, “Yes, but they didn’t
stop there, the plane from Teterboro landed in Alma. The
Canadian police are certain that the crew split there with some
of them taking a smaller plane further north and some of them
returning to New Jersey in the original plane.”
“Further north where?” asked Lexington, his
agile mind as usual focusing immediately upon the significant
piece of information.
“Sanikiluaq, Nunavut,” she stumbled over
the second word still uncertain as to how it was pronounced,
“It’s on an island in the Hudson Bay, there is an airport there
were they were supposed to refuel.”
“Supposed to?” Angela asked first.
The dark haired woman sighed, “They never
arrived there, the Canadian police aren’t certain if they ever
mean to or whether…” she hesitated, then continued, “or whether
the storm that swept in from the Bay that night forced them to
land somewhere between Alma and there.”
“That is troubling news,” rumbled Goliath,
“If they were forced down by this storm Demona will be able to
survive due to her immortality. Kendra Canmore’s life is the
one that is in danger, she is human and while Demona may have
found her interesting enough to not kill her immediately, I
doubt Demona will help her make it to safety. Demona will leave
her behind rather than be slowed down by her,” he predicted.
“The police there are looking for this plane?” he asked.
Elisa nodded, “They will be sending out
search planes tomorrow to fly along the flight path the plane
turned into the control tower in Alma.”
“Good,” he said pleased.
“We still don’t know if this isn’t some
elaborate plot by Demona,” pointed out Brooklyn.
“No we don’t,” agreed Elisa, “But whether
it is or not if the plane was forced down its best they start
looking for the plane as soon as possible. It’s nothing but
frozen tundra up there, neither the crew nor Kendra Canmore can
survive in that cold for long.”
Brooklyn’s eyes flared white for a moment,
“Your right, Demona wouldn’t care that her scheming put others
in danger, she only cares about herself. I hope they find them
soon and that their alright.”
Elise felt a spurt of anger toward Demona
as she watched Angela’s shoulders slump as she turned and went
down the stairs without saying anything to either condemn or
defend her mother. Broadway was right behind her hovering
anxiously. There was nothing Demona could say to excuse how she
had used her daughter, and this situation was just hurting the
young gargoyle even more.
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They reached the location Demona had chosen
for their next stopping point a few hours before daybreak, just
as the redheaded gargoyle had estimated they would. They had
left the river they had been traveling beside the day before to
follow a smaller branching stream southward. Currently they
were approximately seventy-five miles directly northeast of a
lake called Lac Misassini on the map.
Demona landed next to Kendra and pointed at
the herd of sleeping caribou just visible in the distance, “I’ll
scatter the herd and drive one of them towards this location, we
can bring it down if we work together,” she whispered.
Kendra had already scented the herd. She
would have been very cautious about trying to split out one of
the five hundred pound animals by herself, but with Demona
helping, she was more than willing to make the attempt. She
dipped her muzzle indicating her agreement with the gargoyle’s
plan.
Demona circled above the herd a few times
scanning through the animals for one that looked weak or
injured; on the second circle she found her target, an adult
male with fresh blood visible on its hindquarters. The
flame-haired gargoyle dove, screaming fiercely. The sleeping
caribou herd responded to the sudden attack from above with
utter panic, lurching to their feet with alarmed snorts and
scattering immediately in all directions. Skillfully Demona
separated the injured animal and set it running toward where she
had left Kendra. Scanning the ground the gargoyle saw the great
cat crouched ready to spring.
As the animal passed her, Kendra sprinted
and leapt onto the caribou’s back digging her claws into it and
lunging forward to bite through the animal’s skull. Even as she
killed it, the animal stumbled from the unexpected weight upon
its back, crashing headfirst into the ground. Kendra released
her prey and sprang forward gracefully, taking a few running
paces while her prey’s momentum caused its body to somersault
once hindquarter over antlered head before coming to rest behind
her.
The animal was still thrashing dangerously
when Demona landed. She stopped beyond the reach of its
flailing hooves and grinned at Kendra. “I thought you were
going to end up underneath it for a moment there, but I should
have known you would be agile enough to avoid that.” Demona had
expected Kendra to need help bringing down such a large animal.
The fact that she had been able to pierce the animal’s skull and
bring it down alone emphasized to Demona exactly how powerful
her companion was in jaguar form. The gargoyle paused, and then
continued, “You are an amazing warrior, this should have been a
difficult journey, but it’s starting to feel more like a
vacation with you along,” she admitted.
Kendra was both surprised and pleased by
Demona’s praise. She rumbled her pleasure and swung close
enough to the gargoyle to brush affectionately against her legs
before proceeding onto the body of their kill.
Demona begin skillfully dressing the animal
once its death throes had finished, and to Kendra’s surprise
took some of the fatty organ meat to eat raw. Correctly
identifying Kendra’s puzzled glance even while she was in cat
form, Demona commented, “I need the extra energy as well, and I
can digest it in my true form.” They dragged the carcass to the
tree line before stopping. Demona, after glancing at the
lightening skyline, started preparing a shelter similar to the
one they had made the day before.
Demona told Kendra, “Go ahead and start
eating, I will take care of the shelter. I can tell you need
more food than I do to maintain yourself in that form,
especially at the pace we’re keeping.” Kendra nodded and began
tearing into the caribou’s flank. Demona was just able to bind
together several saplings to form the supports for the shelter
and dig a fire pit before her transformation. As soon as she
recovered, Dominique pulled on her winter gear and grabbed the
survival knife to cut pine boughs to weave through the support
poles. Ten minutes later Kendra finished eating and promptly
shifted into human form to help the redhead finish completing
the shelter.
Once the shelter was finished, they spread
out the blankets and lay down. Kendra was pleased when
Dominique promptly snuggled up against her. She gently pulled
the redhead into her arms, and smiled when Dominique covered the
arms resting about her midriff with her own. They fell asleep
quickly in the cocoon of their combined warmth.
Kendra dreamed as she slept, she was
standing in the Mayan ruins where she found and tried to aid the
jaguar. A dark haired, dark eyed woman stepped into the room
and greeted her, “Kendra, I see you have done well with my
gift. I knew you were the right choice for my successor. Now
it is time for you to begin learning more about your abilities,
you are capable of much more as a Jaguar warrior priestess than
merely changing into your jaguar form. Would you like to learn
all that I can teach you young jaguar?”
“Gift?” Kendra repeated, surprised. She
examined the woman curiously, and saw the jaguar that she had
freed within the human form of the woman. With growing
excitement she asked, “How did I become like you are? I
remember looking into your eyes, and then nothing until I woke
covered in blood.”
The woman nodded, “That was my blood on
you; I gave up my physical body so I could pass my abilities on
to you. I have been waiting for you to be ready to learn more
for years. Only recently have you integrated your jaguar and
human self enough for you to be able to learn what I have to
teach you.” She asked again, “Would you like to learn all that
I can teach you young jaguar?”
“Yes,” agreed Kendra immediately.
The woman smiled, she looked into Kendra’s
eyes and the lessons began. She did not say anything she did
not need to, Kendra’s head spun with images, feelings and words
as the jaguar woman explained what she was to her.
Finally, the images ceased and the jaguar
woman said, “I see the foul greenish tinge of fey magic upon
your companion, it is wrapped so tightly about her that it
strangles her very soul.” She shook her head sadly, “She is
enslaved by their magic though she does not realize it.” The
priestess stared into her eyes, “You must tell her, I will show
you and you must tell her what you see.”
“I will,” promised Kendra taken aback by
the forceful tone. “But,” she asked, confused, “What are the
Fey? And what do you mean by they have enslaved her?” she grew
more concerned and angered as she considered what the priestess
was saying. Who were these Fey and how were they enslaving
Demona?
“Look,” the dark haired priestess waved her
hand. The temple wall behind her became misty and Kendra could
see herself and Dominique sleeping in the shelter. “Look at her
and look into her,” directed the priestess.
Kendra looked, and then shuddered, sickly
green pulsing strands wrapped around and through the gargoyles
human form binding it like prey wrapped in a spider’s silk,
helpless and awaiting the spider. “What is that!” she snarled.
“Fey magic,” spat the priestess, her voice
pure distaste. “The sorcery she spoke of that grants her
immortality is actually fey magic. Look closely, these are
those spells.” She made a motion toward the slumbering figure
and certain of the green lines highlighted brightly for a brief
moment. “It is also fey magic that allows her to take on a
human form instead of going into stone sleep as well,” she
motioned again and different lines lit up. “The remainders are
various manipulation and binding spells. Unfortunately I lack
the knowledge of how to free her from them without disrupting
the immortality spell that keeps her alive.”
Kendra protested, “But there must be some
way to free her!” she couldn’t believe that there was nothing
that could be done to help Demona. She couldn’t go to the
gargoyle and tell her this and then be able to offer no hope of
freeing herself from these enchantments.
The priestess was silent for a long moment;
the she said thoughtfully, “Perhaps there is a spirit that will
help us. He hates the Fey for hunting his children until there
were no more, and knowledge of the gargoyles enslavement may
move him to lend his aid to her. I will seek him out and ask.
As for your second question, the Fey are the youngest of the
three races, they are powerful and immortal, and too many of
their kind believe humans and gargoyles are nothing more than
their toys to be pampered or destroyed at their whim. Even the
best of them do not believe that our mortal lives have as much
worth and value as their own immortal ones, they simply do not
make a sport of toying with us.”
Kendra stared at her appalled, and then
memory kicked in, “The Sidhe?” she questioned, “They’re actually
real?” Her gaze, sharpened, “Though it sounds more like your
describing the Seelie and Unseelie.” She shuddered at the
thought, though she did not remember much about the tales but
she seemed to remember a tale of the Unseelie Hunt turning men
into deer and then setting their hounds after them. Then they
laughed, drank and made merry as the helpless men were hunted
until they could run no more whereupon they were mercilessly
torn apart.
“My people did not call them by those
names, but from your memories I can tell those are your people’s
names for them,” the jaguar priestess affirmed. “And yes the
worst of them did those things, they can be very cruel.”
Kendra felt a chill run through her, “But I
don’t understand,” she protested. “Those tales are from
centuries ago. How can they still exist and we haven’t heard
anything about them?” she asked.
“Do not doubt that youngest race still
exists, they can take any shape or form and walk freely among
the mortal races,” the priestess assured Kendra sternly. “As
for why there are no tales of them in the recent centuries,
their leader, Oberon, forbid them from interfering in mortal
lives once humans became numerous enough that it was a
possibility we might rise up against their tyranny and destroy
them. Though the Fey are immortal the tales you have heard are
correct, they can be wounded or killed by cold iron.”
Kendra looked through the misty wall at
Dominique, “But if they are forbidden from interfering how?” she
indicated the redhead’s green wrapped form.
“Most Fey obey the spirit of Oberon’s
wishes, but some resent being forbidden their sport and seek
ways of bending his rule so that they could still play their old
games. It seems obvious that she was found by one of those
willing to bend or ignore Oberon’s law.” The priestess
answered.
Kendra stared at her newfound mentor, “How
do you know all of this?” she wondered.
The dark haired priestess smiled grimly,
“We have always been immune to fey magic, and unless we make
ourselves known they cannot tell what we actually are, also if
we are in the form of our animal spirit we can kill them with
our natural weapons be those talon, tooth, claw, hoof or horn.
They hate and fear us because of these three reasons. In the
past, there have been battles between Fey and shaman that have
ended in the death of one or the other. Mostly we avoid each
other, unless the Fey in question is playing their games with
someone, then we usually come into conflict with them. It is
not required for you to oppose their meddling, but most shamans
will choose to because such meddling is directly opposed to our
beliefs.”
“Never take life to sustain yourself
without respecting the life it gave for you to live. Revere
Mother Earth for giving and sustaining all life, in all things
seek to protect her and live in harmony with her. Know that
each life has inherent worth and never harm a life for harm’s
sake. Avoid practicing magic on another without their full
consent and if possible teach them how instead of doing
yourself.” Kendra repeated the central values she had learned
from the priestess earlier.
The jaguar woman smiled at her in
approval. Then with a more serious manner she commanded, “Build
a sweat lodge by the river, and bring your companion with you
into the spirit realm tonight. Hopefully I will return with
assistance, if not I will help her as I am able, and I will
continue to seek those more knowledgeable about fey magic than
myself.”
The jaguar priestess transformed, in her
place there was a truly majestic jaguar that dwarfed Kendra’s
own jaguar shape. The jaguar’s green eyes stared at her
appraisingly for what seemed like hours before it rumbled its
approval and it and the temple disappeared into mist.
Kendra woke, and jerked upright looking
around wildly for a moment, confused at the change in her
surroundings. Dominique woke as well and looked around ready to
fight then seeing nothing asked, “What is it?”
Kendra looked around their shelter once
again still not feeling quite awake. “I’ve been getting lessons
from the priestess that gave me my jaguar spirit,” she answered.
Dominique gave her a sharp, questioning
look, “What do you mean?”
Kendra was feeling more awake by the
second, “I was back at the temple, the temple where I found the
jaguar. There was a Spanish woman there she told me that she
gave up her physical body to give me my jaguar self. She called
herself a jaguar warrior priestess.”
The redhead was silent for a long moment,
considering both Kendra and what she had just said.
“Shamanism,” Dominique concluded in a satisfied tone.
Kendra smiled remembering their
conversation, “Yes, shamanistic transformation magic, she turned
into what I guess was my jaguar spirit guide just before the
dream ended. Before that though, she taught me about what I am
now, about what being a shaman means and how I’m supposed to
conduct myself as a jaguar priestess.” She finished more
seriously thinking about the Fey and the enchantments that bound
Dominique.
“Such as?” asked the redhead curiously.
Well, in addition to the strength,
quickness and fast healing, I will only age for a few more years
and then I will stop getting physically older. I won’t die
until I chose a successor to pass my gift to just as she passed
hers to me.” Kendra answered.
Dominique stared at Kendra, “You’re
immortal?”
Kendra shrugged, “I am until I find a
successor, but that will probably not be for quite awhile since
I’m just learning what I am. I got the feeling from her that
each jaguar priestess usually lives several hundred years before
they decide to move on.”
Dominique looked thoughtful, “I had
wondered if you were immortal after you died and then came back
to life on the plane… I guess Macbeth and I haven’t been the
only immortal’s around for the past thousand years.” Dominique
looked at Kendra and smiled saying, “Welcome to the club, it
will be nice to have another immortal around besides Macbeth.”
The redhead gave Kendra a thoughtful look after saying that but
didn’t say anything further. Kendra could guess that Dominique
was thinking of how this new revelation affected their newly
begun intimacy, and she wondered if it would be a mark in her
favor or against.
She really couldn’t put this off for much
longer, Kendra decided, there was just the question of how to
bring the subject up. “We also spoke of the Fey; I didn’t even
know the Sidhe were anything more than tales until she confirmed
that they actually exist.”
“The Fey,” Dominique repeated confused,
“Why did she mention them?”
“Because we seem to be something of natural
enemies, she told me I can injure or kill one while in jaguar
form, no cold iron needed. We are also immune to fey magic, it
doesn’t affect shamans. She really didn’t have anything nice to
say about them; the most she would allow is that some of them at
least don’t see us as play toys to be treated as their whim
leads them.” By the end of her statement Kendra’s voice had
gained a hint of a growl as she remembered their conversation.
She looked up to see the redhead staring at her surprised.
“Mostly though what brought up the conversation about the Fey
and their ways was you,” Kendra’s voice softened.
“Me?” Dominique frowned. “Ah the shape
change spell and the immortality spell that binds Macbeth and I
together,” she realized.
Kendra shook her head, “No not just those,
she taught me how to see fey magic.” Kendra concentrated as the
priestess had taught her and looked into Dominique. “I wish I
could show you what I am seeing, how much of the strands bind
around and thru you, there is scarcely any space I can see
within you that does not have a strand of green crawling through
it.”
Dominique recoiled from Kendra’s suddenly
all too piercing gaze, “What do you mean!” she snapped hiding
her sudden unease with anger.
Kendra’s eyes focused upon Dominique’s
green ones, “The priestess told me that she saw manipulation and
binding spells upon you, not just the shape-change and
immortality ones. The Fey you and Macbeth dealt with did far
more than they told you when they bound you together.”
“You can’t know that,” the redhead
protested, refusing to listen to what she did not want to hear
or even consider.
“I believe I can,” Kendra said softly, “She
even showed me which particular ones they were,” Kendra’s gaze
unfocused once again as she made a motion with her hand in the
air.
Dominique gasped, feeling something twitch
briefly inside her in response to Kendra’s gesture.
The newly minted shaman froze, “Did you
feel that?” she asked uncertainly.
“I felt something,” Dominique admitted,
feeling both reassured by Kendra’s obvious dismay that the woman
hadn’t meant to do anything to her, and a dawning fear that what
Kendra was saying might be just be real. The three witches
might have done much more to her than just binding her and
Macbeth’s lives together.
“I’m sorry,” Kendra immediately
apologized. “I didn’t realize that you would feel anything, you
didn’t seem to when she did it in my dream.”
The redhead pushed aside her fears and
smirked at this, “You need to ask her to demonstrate the spell
again then. What were you trying to do?”
“Well I did do it, they did light up, I’m
just not sure why you felt it,” Kendra answered. “I was causing
the fey enchantments that allow you to be human during the day
to brighten, so I could see which ones they were separate from
all the others,” she explained.
Her attention brought back to the reason
for this conversation, Dominique’s fears returned in full
measure. This time though she didn’t get angry with Kendra,
“Tell me exactly what you remember of what she said to you,” the
redhead insisted.
Kendra cast her mind back to when the
priestess had begun talking about fey magic, she couldn’t
remember the conversation verbatim, but she repeated to
Dominique everything that she could remember.
“What ancient animal spirit? And how am I
supposed to get into the spirit realm to meet him providing that
he agrees?” asked Dominique when Kendra finished speaking.
The black haired woman shrugged, “I don’t
know, she didn’t say, only what I told you, that his children
were killed off by the Fey. As to how you accompany me into the
spirit realm that’s easy, it will take some work to build a
sweat lodge and find a drum for me to use, but after that it
won’t be difficult at all.”
Dominique stared at Kendra nonplused, a
sweat lodge?
Kendra glanced outside, gauging the
remaining daylight, “I would like to see if we can manage it
today, let’s see if we can’t get everything ready by sundown. I
think we have four or five hours until then. I can use saplings
and sod blocks for the lodge, it doesn’t have to be big for
this. The next problem is to build a large fire and start the
rocks heating. And I need to find a hollow log or something
suitable for drumming.”
Dominique paused startled, both at the list
and Kendra’s enthusiasm for the project, “I don’t know if it can
be done by today, but why not give it a try.” She said feeling
a slowly building interest of her own.
She didn’t know what to think about
Kendra’s claim that there were numerous manipulation and binding
spells upon her. She didn’t want to believe it, but she knew
the Weird Sisters had enchanted her and Macbeth and used them to
attack Angela and her rookery brothers and sisters upon Avalon.
Angela had told her about her actions on Avalon during Demona’s
imprisonment in the Labyrinth, though personally she remembered
nothing of that time. Though she didn’t want to, she had to
entertain the idea that the priestess that Kendra had met might
be right, and if she was then Demona wanted to meet this spirit
who could help her break those enchantments. She didn’t want to
think of the Weird Sisters being able to enchant her to do
whatever they wished again, it was outrageous enough they had
done it the one time.
Kendra nodded, “First let’s choose a spot
for the lodge.” They were not far from the stream they had been
following southward. Kendra marked out a spot by the stream
bank and began carving the soil into blocks using the survival
knife and laying them aside. She cleared out a foot deep
five-foot radius circle then went to gather poles to use to
support the sides of the building.
Dominique worked at building the fire pit
and gathering wood to supply it. As the redhead worked on the
fire pit Kendra started placing the poles firmly into the ground
at the edge of where she had dug out a circle for the lodge,
once the poles were in place Kendra bent them in together at the
top and tied them together. By this time, Dominique had build
up a large bonfire and set it afire to burn down into coals.
“It seems like what we are lacking now is a
drum,” Dominique observed. “Anything you can pound and get a
sound from will do, such as a hollow tree? We don’t have time
to cure a hide to use as a drumhead.”
Glancing up from where she was weaving
branches around the poles to form a barrier against the sod,
Kendra answered, “Anything that makes a drum like noise will
do.”
They had two more hours of daylight left
when Dominique came back with a bit of hollowed out log and two
thick sticks; she pounded on the log and looked at Kendra for
her approval. Kendra listened to the sound and nodded in
satisfaction, “That will do.”
Kendra was half way done with the lodge and
the bonfire was burning into coals at this point. Dominique
took the rocks she had collected and rolled them into the coals
to heat and then helped Kendra complete the lodge. Peering
inside Dominique saw the depression the hot rocks would rest in
and noticed that Kendra had covered the dirt floor with pine
needles for them to sit on. In the meantime, Kendra returned
from the shelter with one of the blankets and a pot for them to
use to hold water for the heated rocks. The two of them stared
with satisfaction for a few minutes at the completed lodge
before going down to the stream to wash their hands and faces.
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