Somewhere I Belong {Backstory} 2004 - 2007

[Nukilik Ataciara]

Nukilik Ataciara stood facing the people of his village, the people who had known him since he was a baby. There was no love on their faces. He couldn't believe what they were accusing him of, and yet there was nothing he could do but stare in horror as the elders of the village delivered his sentence. He was to be exiled.

How long had it been? Wasn't it only a few months ago that he had gained control of his form? Wasn't it less than a year ago he'd first transformed into a polar bear, that he'd learned why he was so much larger than other boys his age? And then those... those demons had attacked. It was too close in time, all to easy to pin this on the one thing in the village that had changed recently.

A man tossed a bag at Nukillik's feet. He turned, and he found himself facing his father as he walked away to join Nukilik's mother standing on the edge of the angry crowd.

"Mother? Father?" They didn't seem to hear him, or didn't respond. They didn't even seem able to look at him as both were intently averting their eyes to stare anywhere but at their son. That hurt, more than the angry eyes of the rest of these people that he'd known his whole life. They were his parents, and yet didn't seem to even acknowledge that he was their son.

He stared around the crowd. He opened his mouth to speak, but an elder held up their hand as if to say stop. They didn't want to hear it. They didn't want to be forced to admit that they were wrong. The verdict was passed, and he could do nothing.

There were tears in his eyes as he bent down and picked up the bag that now was all of his worldly possessions. He held them in though, simply turning and walking away. He looked back, once, and the crowd had already started to disperse. He just turned and kept walking, but it was now he let the tears start to fall. He was days from turning seventeen, and now he had no home, he had no family, and he was completely alone.

[Nukilik Ataciara]

Ahnah Ataciara had hoped to be gone before her parents had returned home. Apparently, though, banishing her brother had taken less time than she would have though. Her parents opened the door and found her standing on the other side, hand reaching for the knob that was no longer in her reach. She had a bag on her back, supplies for a trip. It didn't take a genius to figure out she was leaving, and her parents had a suspicion as to where she was going.

"You put those bags down and give up this fool notion," her father demanded, reaching for her. She pulled her arm away and glared at him. She couldn't believe them. She couldn't believe how easily they had given into the demands of the rest of the village, how easily they had blamed Nukilik for what had happened.

"I'm leaving, whether you want me to or not. I know he's innocent, and I will stand by that even to the point of choosing to exile myself with him." She glared at her parents as she spoke these words, still standing on the opposite side of the doorway from them. "I'm surprised just how easily you could choose comfort and safety over your own son. Nukilik did nothing wrong. He certainly didn't draw the vampires here, and expecting him to fight them off alone was asking him to go on a suicide mission."

Angry and wanting to set out before she lost her little brother, she pushed past her parents. Her father grabbed her arm though, and she whirled back to stare at him. Angry eyes met, almost as if sparks would flash between them. "You leave, and I... I'll disown you."

The threat was empty, she knew that. Not only that, but she didn't really care if he did. "I'm leaving, so feel free to carry through on that if you can. I just hope you haven't condemned the village. One day the village need Nukilik's help, and you'll be very lucky if he comes back to help them let alone forgives you for abandoning him."

She yanked her arm out now, her father's grasp going limp. Both her parents were horrified at her words, but she hardly cared. Her brother needed her, needed someone. She had to move fast, or she would never find him.

[Nukilik Ataciara]

It was late that evening when the two siblings met up. Ahnah had pushed herself, traveling on when it had started to get dark rather than stopping like her brother. It would have been the wiser move, but she knew him and knew he was traveling slowly. He was sad, and every step away from their home killed him. She knew that if she kept going she would meet him before it was too dark to travel on.

He wasn't happy to see her, but she had expected that. "Go home," he said, his words holding little conviction. "You don't need to do this. You weren't the one they kicked out."

She shook her head, the two standing on opposite sides of a fire the boy had lit. "I'm not going anywhere, K'eyush. What they did was wrong, and I won't stand by and let it happen like our parents did." She crossed her arms and took a firm stance. "Besides, our father disowned me when I set out after you, or he said he would. I don't care if he did or didn't, because I'm not going back unless we both can."

He gave a snort at the nickname. She'd started calling him K'eyush after he'd transformed the first time. Sometimes she used Nanuq, but for some reason she preferred the other at the moment. He wasn't sure how to feel about the nicknames, even less sure now than he had been before. Her words, though, were making him realize that she was set on this. She wasn't making a fleeting fancy out of following him, only to turn back if the road got rough. She wasn't giving up.

He turned away from the fire so she couldn't see his eyes. It didn't feel like more than a few moments when her hand was on his face, pulling it back into the light. "You don't have to be ashamed of your tears. The strong cry too, K'eyush."

He didn't know what to say to her, but maybe words weren't needed anyways. She knew him better than anyone else, often times better than he knew himself. He didn't know where he belonged in this world, but he knew that she would stand by him until he found that place. It took him a moment to figure out what to do, and in the end it was really Ahnah who pulled him into a hug. He wrapped his arms around her and let the tears come again, but maybe this time they weren't all tears of sadness. After all, one usually isn't sad when they say, "Thank you."

[Nukilik Ataciara]

North-Western US, 2006



How long had it been? Ahnah tried to recall as she watched Nukilik drive a tractor to plow the fields of the Cranston farm. She was herding cattle into the barn at the moment. It had to be somewhere around a year since they had come down here from their Alaskan home, arriving at the Cranston's farm about seven or eight months into their voyage. That had really been a blessing in disguise. Farmer Cranston and his wife were old and their kids had long since grown up and moved out. They hired on workers, giving them a place to stay, food, and even a small pay in return for help keeping their family business running. Nukilik and Ahnah had only been passing by, and had been seen by Mrs. Alma Cranston who took pity and offered to let them rest their feet for a moment. By the end of the night Leon had offered both siblings a job on the farm.

The work here was hard on the best of days, and there were only about ten workers total, though Nukilik often did work on his own that usually would have taken two people. The Cranstons were nice, and never seemed to question Nukilik's size or strength. Alma even seemed to excuse his rather large appetite as just normal for a growing boy, and it made sense as Nukilik had continued to grow since getting here. He towered at around six feet while being eighteen and one of the youngest workers.

Ahnah felt she owed the old farmer and his wife so much, because Nukilik actually seemed happy here. True the siblings shared a small bedroom and Nukilik took up a double bed himself while Ahnah had a couch that had been moved in there, but that room had been a home for a full year. Prior to that they'd have been lucky to sleep in anything but a tent. Besides that they treated her brother like he was normal, something she knew he appreciated even if he didn't say it.

She herded the last of the cattle into their stalls and turned back out to watch the tractor. She swore she could see a smile on her brother's face, though the low sun made it hard to see more than a silhouette of him at times. It was late, and Alma Cranston would be calling them in for dinner soon, another productive work day ended.

[Alice]

"Dinner's ready!" Alma called out to the field with her usual smile on her voice before turning back into the house to set the table. Moving slowly but diligently she got down her nice dinner dishes, setting out four places at the table. What had it been, a year that they had been staying here? Alma could barely believe that. They had become like family and she was extremely grateful for their presence, no matter what had brought them here. Sure, it helped lessen her work load. After all, she wasn't exactly fit enough to do the jobs that Nukilik had taken on anymore. His hard work gave her more time to bake and sew and keep a clean house.

But that wasn't why she loved having them around. Alma loved the Araciara siblings because they had become the closest thing she had to children anymore. Her own children had long since grown up and gone to college and left the old farm behind in the dust, hardly ever returning for even the shortest visit. Even though Alma was sure it was driving the two crazy, she enjoyed fawning over them and cooking for them and sewing for them. She enjoyed talking to them and asking them questions and hearing their stories.

More than that, Alma loved the Ataciara siblings because she could tell that they needed love. From the first day they had shown up on the Cranston farm, Alma and her husband Leon could tell that these two had been through more than their share of sadness. They never pried into Nukilik and Ahnah's past, letting them share on their own time. They were special. From the hallway, she heard the door close, followed by footsteps just as she set the food on the table. Leon would probably be the last one in... As usual. But no matter. Alma sat down casually at the table, waiting for everyone to get inside.

[Nukilik Ataciara]

Alma's call was heard by all except Nukilik who was too far out to hear her over the sound of the tractor. He could, however, see everyone else turning toward the house. He finished the row he was plowing, completing the task, before he turned the tractor around and headed for the storage barn. He wouldn't have to fight to get his fill. The other workers lived in a small guest house and cooked for themselves. Ahnah and Nukilik, however, lived in the main house with the Cranstons. The other workers didn't seem to mind this as they were all grown men and seemed to prefer having their own space and not being mothered. The arrangement suited all.

Ahnah waited for him by the barn. The others in time, seemed to have decided that when it came to her they were allowed to look but not touch. Nukilik may have been younger, but he was the largest guy and they seemed to respect that he wouldn't have to work to grind them into a pulp if they crossed him. They simply walked by as the boy climbed out of the tractor and joined his sister heading into the house.

Leon was always the last one in. Tonight it seemed he was getting food for the last of the cattle, but had sent Ahnah in rather than keep her to help him. The man was independent and if he could do a task he would. The siblings respected that in him, and just went in to wash their hands and sit down for the evening meal.

[Alice]

Always the last one in, Leon thought to himself as he sent Ahnah inside and finished filling the last couple feed troughs. He was sure that she would be happy to stay and help. She always was. Neither Ahnah nor Nukilik ever turned down any task that they were given. Nukilik sometimes took on more than his fair share of chores without being asked. Not that Leon was complaining. He definately appreaciated their help around the farm. But he wasn't about to expect them to help him do something he could do himself. Silently, he smiled as he watched Ahnah head inside.

Once the troughs were full, Leon headed inside himself. His coveralls and boots were covered in dirt, so he headed up to his room first, quickly taking off them off and pulling on a clean pair of jeans before heading into the bathroom to wash his hands and face. His eyes caught their reflection, pausing for a second to notice just how aged his face was. And, in contrast, how much life there was in his eyes. Having the Ataciara siblings around made him feel years younger, like their youth flowed through him. The thought made him smile as he walked out to the kitchen and sat down at the table.



Instinctively, Leon's hand reached out to the mashed potato bowl, preparing to begin stacking his plate. But, like always, Alma smacked it away with a stern look on her face. "Same thing every night," she told him in a motherly voice. "Ya come in, trackin mud through my hallway, and then you sit down and reach for the food before we even say grace." His face apologetic, Leon pulled his hand back from the bowl and crossed it with the other on his lap. "Sorry, hun. Just hungry," he told her. A smile crossed her face as she let out a sigh. "I know," she told him, looking into his eyes until they were both smiling.

Soon, Alma broke eye contact and looked between the Ahnah and Nukilik. "Would one of you mind saying grace tonight?"

[Nukilik Ataciara]

Nukilik couldn't help but smile a little at the interaction between Alma and Leon. For a boy who had hardly ever smiled at the beginning of their year here, that was strangely a much more common thing these days. As far as Ahnah was concerned, her brother had a nice smile and needed to use it more often. Hopefully they would be able to stay here for a while longer, and maybe then his smile would become more of a common occurrence.

Whenever Alma asked for someone to say grace, it was usually Ahnah that said it. Nukilik seemed to have some issue praying to a god that, for all he knew, had made him into who he was and caused him getting kicked out of their village. Tonight, though, it seemed he wanted to, as he beat her to speaking up. Ahnah's mouth was half open when he said, "I will."

She shut her mouth again and bowed her head as Nukilik began to pray. "God, we thank you for the food before us and for the people we get to share it with. May this food revitalize us for another day's work and may you keep us all safe. Amen." It was short and simple, yet more eloquent than anything Nukilik had said before. Ahnah added her own thanks to God that Nukilik seemed to be healing before adding an Amen and waiting her turn to get some food.

[Alice]

"Thank you, Nukilik," Alma said, her voice just above a whisper as her eyes welled. In their year here, Nukilik had never offered to say grace. Like his past, Alma left it alone, allowing him to come toward it in time. Lightly, she grasped his hand for a moment, a motherly smile spreading across her face. She paused for a second, looking at him and then over at Leon.

If it had been possible to be happier than Alma about Nukilik's words, then Leon would have been the one. He felt like a father, finally seeing a change in Nukilik. An opening. It seemed like he had finally begun to heal from whatever wounds had plagued his life. And for that, Leon was thankful. It was painful to see such a special and amazing boy suffer so privately.

Alma and Leon shared a knowing glance before returning their attention to the food. "Eat up," Alma told them, just like always. "I baked a pie too, if you're feeling up to it after dinner. Then again I know I never have to worry about leftovers with you, Nukilik," she joked. Leon laughed sincerely at his amazing wife's lighthearted jest. It was like the slight change in Nukilik reverberated through them all. "Don't worry," Alma whispered to Ahnah, "I set an extra piece aside for you so he doesn't eat it all." Alma had a feeling that it would be a while before the smile left her face or her voice.

[Nukilik Ataciara]

Ahnah laughed a little at Alma's comment, whispering, "Thanks," back. It was easy to be happy right now. Nukilik seemed to smile even. Maybe things were finally getting better. Maybe things could finally be fine with them. She'd hoped that some day their new life might finally pull Nukilik out of the shadow of the old one. For so long now her hopes had seemed futile, but things were finally starting to look better now.



She lurked outside. These two had been sneaky, but she'd finally found them again. She was a tracker, and had become very interested in this game, or what she saw as a game. The girl, the human, and run and traveled with the shifter. It was like a challenge, to see if she could get the girl without having to face or get herself killed by the shifter. The other members of her little nomadic group had stayed near the village, no doubt attacking again when they needed to feed. She had left to track these two though. She'd lost them for a while, but they had made the foolish move of staying in one place for a year and she had found them again. Now would be the time to make her move, when they thought they were finally safe.

[Nukilik Ataciara]

The dinner went by without event, and soon Nukilik and Ahnah were helping to do the dishes while Alma Cranston helped clear the table. Leon had left to do what he referred to as his nightly rounds. He'd stop by the workers quarters to remind them to be up bright and early the next morning, then stop by the barn to make sure everything had gotten put away. It was sort of a loop, down to the quarters, then to the barn, then back to the house. After completing it he would help with dishes if any were left and then everyone would head to bed for the night or relax and do things quietly, watch the television or read for example.

She had lurked around the whole night, waiting for an opportune moment to do something. When Leon walked out of the house, she'd watched him from the shadows. Now, as he turned and started on his way back from the worker's quarters, she ducked into the barn so as to not be seen... or so she thought. Her name was Lenora. Her intent was to strike Nukilik where it would hurt most and kill Ahnah. Plans didn't always go the way one expected, though. Sometimes they had to change.

[Nukilik Ataciara]

Leon entered the barn on the way back to the house, and that was when he saw her. The last time someone had randomly showed up on the farm, it had been the Ataciara siblings, but they had been passing through in the daylight hours. Someone traveling at night seemed strange. His immediate reaction was to suspect she was a thief.

"What are you doing here? What do you want?" He boldly attempted to interrogate the woman. Then she turned towards him and stepped into the light. He could see her now. Her pale features and her dark crimson eyes. "Holy mother of god!"

He didn't know what she was or why she was here, but he didn't want to wait and find out. He turned, trying to run, but she was in front of him in mere seconds.

"No, no, no." she said. "You're not leaving me here. Or rather, you're leaving the way I choose to let you."

"HELP!"



Nukilik heard Leon's voice and was bolting out the door. His mind immediately went to the attack on the village. At first he thought he imaged the strange smell. Then he realized it was real. One of those... those things was here.

Before he even realized what he was doing he'd shifted shape and was bolting for the barn. A woman was there, holding the farmer to her. Nukilik knew what she was doing. He'd seen this scene before, during the attack on their village. She was killing him, feeding on him. The pale bloodsuckers, they'd killed so many people. Now this one was killing Leon.

He roared, and she dropped the body and looked up. Too late. he'd come charging at her. She took off, but he was fast too. He tackled her and started ripping her apart.

~*~*~ Time Jump: Some Time Later ~*~*~

"...Some of those... things. They attacked our village. Nukilik was blamed for it, because of his unique ability. I honestly think he got it because that attack was going to happen, so that he could protect us. I don't know if the one that attacked Leon followed us. It might just be that the... vampires did you call them?... the might be everywhere."

Ahnah and Alma talked, sitting on the porch as they watched Nukilik further out on the lawn, staring into the flames of the fire in which he'd burned the vampire's body.

"Vampires are an old myth," Alma said. "If they exist...," she paused, realizing she no longer deny their existence. "They probably are everywhere. The stories have existed for ages. There is no way to know that this one followed you, and even if she did I don't blame you." But there was an obvious tone of pain in the woman's voice. Understandably so since she had lost her husband.

"He'll blame himself," Ahnah said. "Even more so after our village blamed him and kicked him out."

"He was making such progress too. I never knew..."

"What happened wasn't anyone's fault but our village and the vampires. I think he needs to find it in himself to understand that. When that will be... I don't know, but I'll stay with him the whole way."

"You're an amazing young woman, Ahnah. He's lucky to have you with him."

They watched the young man sit by the fire, watching it burn down to embers. Ahnah felt sad seeing it, because she knew it meant he'd go back to being quiet and withdrawn. She knew he'd blame himself. The brief happiness he'd found was gone. She could only hope that it wasn't gone forever.

[Nukilik Ataciara]

Central Canada, 2006



The three women were always on the move. If nothing else it was just safer. True, they didn't have to worry about leaving a trail of disappearing and dead people in their wake, but it was still best no one saw them and no one asked questions. They didn't want to draw attention to themselves, and they didn't want to get in anyones way. There were some vegetarian covens that settled down, but the three of them had always been happier on the move.

"I smell smoke," Stephanie said, stopping in their journey.

"I do too," said Kaitlyn. "There must be someone camping nearby. What should we do?" Both turned to Tereasa.

"We will try to avoid them. If that doesn't work, we be polite. There's no reason for a fight. We don't want one, they probably don't either. Besides, they probably wouldn't know what we are anyways. They'd just see us as being three travelers, like themselves."

The three kept moving, but trying to avoid the campsite didn't work well. The trail moved between two large hills, and that took them on a direct path to the campsite. They tried to just pass by, but then they heard the voice. "What are you doing here?"

[Nukilik Ataciara]

The siblings had been forced to move on from the Cranston farm. Alma had sold the land and the workers had moved away. She'd found work and an apartment, but couldn't keep the siblings with her as much as she might like. And besides that, Nukilik insisted that the vampire who had attacked Leon had followed them. He wanted to move on, claiming Alma was safer if he and Ahnah went their own way.

Now Ahnah held the three women at gunpoint, mostly because she was nervous about someone being out here and so close to their campsite. The rifle had belonged to Leon, and Alma had given it to the siblings for protection. Nukilik didn't really need it, but Ahnah was defenseless without her brother. True, it was no good against vampires, but the siblings didn't know that at the time.

One of the women, one of the two with darker hair, held up her hands and spoke. "We mean no harm. We're travelers, just passing through."

Ahnah started to lower her gun, but then Nukilik came out of the tent. "Don't trust her. They stink."

It was an odd way of putting it, but Ahnah knew after the attack on the Cranston farm that Nukilik could smell the vampires. They smelled very bad to him. He couldn't explain it really, just that they stunk.

The woman, however, seemed to nod. "A shifter. It makes sense you'd be wary of us. In some respects, your kind exists to keep vampires in check. We, however, are not a threat to you or your human companion."

Nukilik growled, a sound that was kind of odd coming from a young man.

"K'eyush," Ahnah said, "be silent and hear her out." He didn't like that, and it was clear on his face, but he stayed back behind Ahnah with his arms folded.

"My name is Tereasa," said the woman. "My companions are Stephanie and Kaitlyn. We are vampires, but we don't adhere to the normal diet."

"I don't understand," said Ahnah.

"Most vampires attack humans," said the one called Stephanie. "Yes, humans are technically a vampire's true prey, but blood is blood. Some of us have found that drinking the blood of animals is just as effective. Those that haven't found that... it's not because it's not effective for them, but that they choose not to. Just as we choose to hunt animals instead."

Nukilik spoke now, seeming to notice something. "Gold." That was all he said at first. Then he clarified. "Your eyes are gold. The eyes of the other vampires we've seen were red or black."

Kaitlyn smiled. "It's because of the diet preference. Red means the vampire drinks human blood. Gold means they drink animal blood. The brighter the color, the more recently they've drank. If their eyes are black, then they'll be hunting again soon."

After a moment of silence, Ahnah finally said. "Will you sit? We can't offer you any food, but you seem to know more about vampires and shifters than my brother and I, and we really should find out all we can." She motioned to the seats around the fire, setting her gun down next to her. "Oh! I am Ahnah, and this is Nukilik, my younger brother."

"It's nice to meet you both," said Tereasa. "And yes, we'd love to stay for a while and share what we know. Best for you both to be informed about the world your brother is now a part of."