Family Growing Pains Read online

  Book Six

  The Dancing Wolf Series

  Family Growing Pains

  By: Amy DeMeritt

  Family Growing Pains

  Book Six of The Dancing Wolf Series

  Copyright © 2018 Amy DeMeritt

  All Rights Reserved.

  ISBN-13: 978-1722095239

  ISBN-10: 1722095237

  This book may not be reproduced in any form, in whole or in part, without written permission from the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events is entirely coincidental.

  Cover art and design by Amy DeMeritt

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Coming Soon…

  Other works by Amy DeMeritt

  Chapter One

  If I could describe this moment in only one word, it would be surreal. I’m standing in a wardrobe trailer with a group of very talented hair and makeup artists working on transforming me into a Sioux native for a dramatic action movie focused on the Dakota Access Pipeline conflict. The movie is called, “I am Paytah”, which is my character’s name and is a Sioux word, meaning fire.

  It’s an extremely emotionally charged movie, but it has been an honor working on this project. I didn’t grow up on a reservation, so I don’t have the same personal experiences of the many injustices that our people still face today. Being a part of this movie has given me a much better understanding of some of those battles still being fought today.

  Because of how volatile the area is, filming isn’t actually taking place in the Dakotas. We’re filming in California, but the sets are done so well that the audience won’t be able to tell the difference.

  When I gave Sara approval to start looking for an acting agent for me, I had expected it to take a while before we secured another big acting role, or at least be able to accept one because of our schedule. But before we even started our tour for Symone’s “A Love Affair in Paris” dance show in October, Sara found me a great agent we both mesh well with, and my new agent quickly lined me up for an audition and meeting for this role.

  Our schedule was already pretty tight, so I was concerned about accepting something so quickly, but when I saw the script, this was a role I just couldn’t pass up – it’s too important. Sara and my new agent, Kathy Greene, had to get certain dates written into my contract to have off from production so I’d be able to do this movie while still doing the tour with the squad for our dance show. Thankfully, the producers wanted me enough that they agreed to the terms, even though it added two weeks to the production schedule.

  I’m the leading star of this movie, with Aura, my wolf, as my co-star. Aura was actually a big selling point in being able to secure this role because the directors were having a hard time finding another wolf that would be available.

  Even though they tried hard, Sara and Kathy weren’t able to negotiate even half of what I was paid for the Sharps Unleashed movie I did with Julia Milner, even though Aura and I are the stars of this movie. Before we went in to make the deal, Kathy explained that movies with a political drama focus don’t tend to pay anywhere near as much as an action thriller would pay because they’re not expected to do as well in the box-offices, regardless of the popularity of the actor or actress. She explained that big-name actors and actresses typically do these types of movies to bolster their resume to show a broader acting range so the industry doesn’t “genre-trap” them.

  I actually wasn’t concerned about the money. I probably would have done this movie for nothing – that’s how important this movie is to me on an emotional level. But I couldn’t exactly say that in the negotiations, since Sara and Kathy depend on me making money so they can make money.

  “Ok, Kayla, you’re all set.”

  My hair and makeup crew steps back, looking at me like I’m a piece of art that they’re trying to decide if any finishing touches need to be made to. They smile and nod.

  “Yeah, you’re definitely ready.”

  I smile and turn around to look in the mirror. This outfit is going to put such horrible ideas in my wives’ heads. I never wear very feminine dance regalia for the gatherings and pow wows like they do. But I don’t have a choice for this role. This regalia is styled after a traditional Lakota jingle dress, but it’s more formfitting than typical, and instead of long sleeves, it has short sleeves with colorful fringe around the short arm cuffs. The dress is with white, with many rows of long colorful ribbons and cone shaped bells around the entire circumference of the dress. My hair is parted just off center and braided in one long braid down my back and I have a colorful beaded headband on with two tall white feathers sticking up at the back of my head.

  This is far more feminine than I typically appear, but I have to admit that I actually love the way I look. It makes me feel closer to my roots, even though I’m representing a different tribe.

  A beautiful white dance shawl with colorful geometric patterns across the center and with a fringe around the bottom is draped over my shoulders to finish off my outfit. As I’m walking out of the trailer, I’m handed a gorgeous feather dance fan with a beaded handle.

  “You look great.” I look up from admiring my feather fan and smile at Sara. “Thanks. You look important.”

  Sara laughs and runs her fingers through her short hair. She’s wearing a pair of expensive relaxed fit dark blue jeans, a V-neck white tee shirt, and a form fitting black blazer. She has stark white dime sized disks in her gauged earlobes, and a Bluetooth earpiece wrapped around her ear. She has a tablet in one hand and a tall coffee in her other.

  “Well, I represent a famous actress and dancer, so I guess you can say that.” She smiles in a cocky way, making both of us laugh. “Anyway, they’re ready for you on set.”

  I follow Sara to the set and smile really big. The open field we’re filming in has been setup with canopies, tipis, a giant bonfire, places for kids to play traditional Native American games, and booths where native jewelry, décor, and ritual items can be bought. Looking around at all of the Native Americans of various tribes dressed in traditional regalia makes my chest hum in happiness. I feel like I’m at a real family gathering or pow wow.

  “Kayla, you look beautiful.”

  I smile and accept Yolonda’s hands. Yolanda is a real elder in the Sioux tribe in North Dakota. Her ancestry is mostly Sioux, but she also has African American and Irish in her. She’s a tall trim woman with sharp distinguished features, course silver hair, and light brown eyes. She’s playing the chief of our tribe and it has been such an honor working with her and getting to know her.

  There are a lot of Native American people in this film. It has been a wonderful experience being able to interact with so many different tribes and learn more about their different cultures. Even though my schedule has been hectic with having to fly out to various states acros
s the country every other week, my energy has been completely restored when I get back on set. Working on this movie has felt like being at home with my own family and tribe.

  I kiss both of Yolanda’s aged hands and her smile widens.

  “You look very regal and wise, which you are.”

  “Thank you. Are the wives not going to be on set today?”

  “No, they had to fly ahead of us to Seattle to help get ready for our show there this weekend. Sara and I fly out very early tomorrow morning to meet up with them.”

  My wives have been here for a lot of the production and have met Yolanda and a lot of the other Native American actors and actresses. It’s been really great being able to share this with them. I wish they could be here today though. This scene is going to be beautiful, but also devastating.

  “Will I get to see them again before filming is over and you go back home?”

  “Yes, they’ll be coming back with me. We’re going to be having a big family gathering in April, after Awenasa gives birth. We would really love it if you would come. You can bring your family as well. We’ll pay for the travel arrangements. I know you probably can’t give me an answer now, but…”

  “Yes, I would love to. If something unforeseeable comes up, we will arrange a visit another time.”

  “Places!”

  Yolanda squeezes my hands before she releases them so we can get into position for the scene. We get into place, the director makes a bunch of different calls, and then action is called. A young pre-teenage boy in very elaborate Grass Dance regalia carries the Eagle Staff to lead the Grand Entry, followed closely by military veterans carrying tribe nation flags and the American flag, and then the dancers follow.

  This scene is basically a traditional intertribal pow wow, and quickly progresses into various men’s, women’s, and children’s dances. I’ve never danced in regalia like this, but I’m having a lot of fun. The sound of the bells on my dress really spurs my energy and excitement.

  Without warning, large construction trucks start driving up, sending our audience running in all directions, trying to avoid being run over. The music stops and dancers scatter, either running for their lives, gathering stuff in the path of the trucks so it’s not destroyed, or scooping up children and running away.

  I whistle, calling Aura to my side, and she comes running over from the sidelines. A girl’s piercing scream turns my blood to ice as I’m about to take off running. With several others following, I run towards the approaching massive truck.

  Cut is called and the makeup team works to make the six-year-old girl look like her legs were just crushed under the huge tires of the truck.

  After action is called, I reach the girl just in time to pull her out of the way of being run over by the rear tire. The girl is screaming in agony and it causes emotion to burn hot in my chest and tears spring to my eyes. Two men rush to our side and scoop up the girl to get her out of here. I stand up, looking around in complete disbelief at what is happening.

  Yolanda is standing firm in the center of the dance ring, with a calm and defiant look about her. She’s right in the path of the approaching caravan of trucks. Frantically, I run to the driver’s side door and bang on the hard metal door and glass window, screaming for them to stop, but they don’t even slow down. I try the door handle, but it’s locked.

  I look around, and quickly grab a large rock about the size of a volleyball. I wrap it in my dance shawl, spin around several times, and then slam the rock into the windshield, causing it to shatter, but it doesn’t break through completely. The truck suddenly stops, and a large man jumps out with a murderous look on his face. He reaches for a pistol on his hip, but Aura barks and snarls at him, pushing him back into the side of his truck.

  “Call your dog off, or I’ll kill it.”

  “You bulldoze through a sacred peaceful gathering on our lands, and you dare threaten a life here? Do you even care that you just ran over a little girl?”

  “Shut up, savage. We have a permit from the federal government to be on this land, so you’re the one trespassing. You were told to get the hell off of our worksite, and you didn’t listen. The way I see it, you ran over that girl.”

  “The only savages here are you and the rest of your caravan. Only savages bulldoze through a crowd of innocent people and run over little girls like twigs in the road. How can you be so heartless and callous? Your worksite is a quarter of a mile south of here, so you have no business barreling through here like this. Now, get off of our land!”

  He reaches for his pistol again, but Aura barks and bites at his hand, not actually biting him though.

  “We need this space for our equipment. So, you people need to leave.”

  “Your permit does not include this piece of land. Now, get off of our land.”

  “Get off of our land! Get off of our land! Get off of our land!”

  The rest of the men, women, and children start chanting, which makes the man laugh with a twisted sneer.

  “Stupid savages. The government should just come and finish the job Jackson failed to do and wipe all of you out. You’re standing in the way of American progress and thousands of jobs. You’re just a bunch of…”

  “We’re just a bunch of innocent people whose ancestors were massacred and our lands stolen from us. We’re just a bunch of rightful owners to the entire North American continent, but we’re treated like second rate citizens. Having the power to take something doesn’t mean you have the right.”

  “The law says…”

  “The law says, this is our land and you are trespassing. The law says, everything you are doing is illegal. We’ll see you in court for crushing that girl’s legs. Do yourself a favor and leave. Now.”

  The man stares me down hard and his jaw shifts side to side and tenses as the vein in his neck starts visibly pulsing. His face reddens, and his eyes flash in a dangerous way. He quickly reaches for his pistol, but I lunge forward, grab his arm, and twist his hand back, sending him down on his knees screaming out in pain. Aura lightly gets his throat in her jaws, waiting for the instruction to either release him or kill him.

  His eyes look terrified and sweat breaks out on his forehead. He pants out, “Please, I have a wife and three kids. Please don’t kill me.”

  “How would you feel if a caravan like yours, with a man like you, bulldozed through your neighborhood and threatened your family like you are doing to us? How would you feel if your child was run over by a truck?”

  His eyes meet mine and he swallows hard before stealing a glance at Aura, who is still waiting to rip his throat apart.

  “How would you feel?”

  “Please…”

  “How would you feel?” He releases a small guttural gasp as Aura lightly pitches his throat. “I’d be angry and kill the man that ran my kid over. Now, let me go!”

  “We are no different from your family. You have a home and we have a home. We have just as much right to be safe in our home as you do.”

  “And I have a right to earn a living to provide for my family, but you are…”

  “Like I said, you are not on your jobsite. We didn’t get in your way; you got in ours.”

  “All of you have been protesting and…”

  “This is not a protest. This is a peaceful celebration, on our lands, and you are just being an evil barbarian. The protestors already cleared the area. How would your family feel about how you are behaving? What would you do if your wife was standing here?”

  “Shut up, sav…” Aura tightens her grip on his throat, and he releases a small whimper. “Ok, we’ll go.”

  I stroke Aura’s head and she immediately releases the man’s neck. He grabs his throat and checks his fingers, presumably for blood, but Aura didn’t puncture his skin. I release his other hand, allowing him to stand, but I watch him carefully to ensure he doesn’t reach for his gun again.

  Without saying anything, the man gets in his truck, and starts to turn around.

  “Cut!” r />
  The makeup team quickly gets to work on Aura. I take a deep breath as my heartrate increases. Action is called, and the truck comes to an abrupt stop as its passenger window is right in line with Aura and me. The man leans across his companion, aiming his pistol at me, but his companion shoves his arm with a look of horror on his face. Aura takes the shot to her side, and I feel like I’ve just been shot in my heart.

  Aura whines and staggers as she turns to face me, looking panicked. I crumble to my knees with tears in my eyes and scoop her up in my arms. I place a hand on her wound and Aura whines and whimpers, causing my own emotion to turn into a full on devastated sobbing. I rock Aura in my arms kissing her head and rubbing her back, but when I realize she has died, I crumble completely. I wail and fall over, lying in a fetal position with her in my arms and my forehead pressed to hers.

  After several moments, a hand lays on my shoulder, startling me. Yolanda, our chief, is standing above me with tears streaming down her cheeks. I take a painful deep breath and sit up. I rub my hand over Aura’s head, kiss her between the eyes, and then coat my hand in her blood. I streak my cheeks with her blood and stand up with an air of power and ferocity.

  “This is war. That man is going to pay for what he has done here today. I will see to that.”

  I look off in the distance where the trucks are kicking up dust and then look around at my people, many of whom have tears streaking their cheeks, but all of them look angry and determined.

  “I am Paytah, and I am going to cleanse the disease from this land that was forced upon us by the greed of the thieves that run this country. I am Paytah, and I am going to burn down their sense of security like they have taken ours. This is our land, and they are going to know it. This is our land, and it always will be.”

  My people cheer and clap, chanting “Paytah”, “War”, and “This is our land”.

  “Cut!”

  I immediately bend down to Aura and pet her head. She opens her eyes, licks my hand and jumps up with a small cute bark. I smile and wrap my arms around her, squeezing her tightly as I pet and kiss her. She licks my face and neck and pushes me backwards, causing me to fall onto my back. I laugh and squeeze her as she lays down on my chest.