Clayton

What did he just say?

"What do you mean?" asked Eve.

"When the Great Spirits first created us, the animal spirit was too powerful for a single human body, so they split the souls in two. They placed one half into a male and the other into a female so that when the souls found each other again, they would become bound together into one soul. When the bond is completed, if you die, the other will soon follow from deep sadness." Explained the Chief.

"That explains why it's getting hard to be separated for more than a few hours. The more time we spend together, the stronger the bond becomes." I said

Great joy surged through me as I pulled Eve closer to me.

"I'm happy for you to find your mate at such a young age, Grandson. The pain in this girl's soul must have reached the Great Spirits, who guided you to each other." Said, Papa

After that, Papa pulled a few things from his medicine bag. I watched as he asked Eve to take a seat on the floor. After creating a salt circle, he lit the braided cedar and performed a cleansing ritual to draw out her Guardian.

Papa danced around her until she was surrounded by the smoke. "Take deep breaths, my child; let the smoke cleanse you of the darkness in your soul."

My hands shook as tears fell from her eyes.

The ritual put you in a hypnotic trance and made you face the source of your pain. My beautiful Little Bird has gone through so much, but it was time for her to let go.

When Papa finished, I rushed to her side and pulled her into my arms. "Clay?"

"I got you, Little Bird," I said, holding her tightly.

After Papa examined her again, he said that her soul was no longer darkened by her pain and that being around me should draw out her Guardian spirit.

I helped Papa out to his truck, but I spotted Harmony waiting for me on the porch as I returned.

I groaned in frustration when her eyes filled with fake tears. "How can you possibly like that mutt more than me? I don't understand." She whined

My vision was red hot with anger as I stalked towards her with a snarl, "Call my mate a mutt again, and you won't like the consequences."

My body shook with rage as I stalked into the living room where the other half of my soul was. It was all a blur as I sat down and pulled her onto my lap. All it took was a touch of her hand on my face, then the world returned to focus.

"Hey, big guy, are you okay? You were fine when you left but extremely pissed off when you returned. Your eyes were glowing, and you were growling a little," she explained.

Sucking in a deep breath, I said, "I'm sorry, Little Bird, I ran into Harmony on the way in. She called you a Mutt, and it really pissed me off."

"By the Spirits, you guys are gross." Said Asher, who had been sitting next to Eve when I walked in. "But calling Eve a Mutt is uncalled for."

"I know what a Mutt is, but why do you say it's uncalled for?" asked Eve.

"For us, being called a Mutt is pretty much being racist; it's a dirty word used for Guardians who are half-human." Explained Asher.

"Oh, I see. So It would be like being called a Mud Blood, and I guess it is pretty mean." Said Eve.

I stood, tossing Eve over my shoulder as I headed towards the basement. "Clay!" Eve giggled, smacking me on the back. It was so adorable. "Why are we going to the basement?" she asked as I descended the steps.

"Because, my Little Bird, the bro-cave is down here, and it's time to have some fun," I said with a smile.

"Did you just say Bro-cave?" she asked in amusement.

"I sure did."