“That sounds great!” he replied. He was more than ready to return home, spend time with his mother, and eat her terrible food. “I just need to say goodbye to Tashi.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Vantana informed him. “She’ll be coming with us.”
“Excuse me?” Sam said.
Tashi joined them, still out of breath from her training exercises.
“Dr. Vantana just told me you’re coming with us to Benicia.”
Tashi nodded.
“I was asked by Phylassos to remain close to you. For your protection.”
“Are you going to live in the park again? Up in that tree?” Sam inquired, recalling Tashi’s experience camped out in a city park the last time she’d traveled to his hometown.
“Nope,” Dr. Vantana answered for her. “She’s trading up. Miss Bastifal, your neighbor.”
“The lady with all those cats?” Sam asked.
“She happens to be a child of Bastet,” Vantana revealed. “She’ll be taking Tashi in as a foreign exchange student.”
“Student?” Sam said in surprise as he looked over to Tashi. She nodded her confirmation.
“Looks like you two are gonna be neighbors and classmates!” Vantana declared as he slapped both Tashi and Sam on their backs.
* * *
Sam London arrived in Benicia, California, later that night. Dr. Vantana dropped him and Tashi off outside Sam’s home before returning to Redwood National Forest to brief Penelope on the events in Hérault. He assured Sam he would be back soon to check in. When the doctor drove away, Sam walked Tashi to her new home next door to his own. Sam’s neighbor, Miss Bastifal, had always been known as the “crazy cat lady” around the neighborhood. She was unmarried, had a dozen or so cats, and was a professor at Stanford University. Little had Sam known, she was also a child of Bastet, a race of half-human, half-cat creatures descended from Egyptian royalty. When Miss Bastifal opened her front door, Sam finally saw his neighbor in her true form.
She was a cat version of a cynocephalus. She had a large feline head with piercing blue eyes, whiskers, and pointy ears. He’d always thought she spoke funny—slowly, with a tendency to draw out sentences toward the end. But hearing Miss Bastifal speak and seeing her true appearance provided a new understanding to this odd manner of speech.
“I always knew you were special, Sam London,” Miss Bastifal whispered. “I always did.”
“Thanks,” a blushing Sam replied.
Miss Bastifal then turned to Tashi. “You must be the Guardian.”
“Tashi of Kustos,” Tashi announced with formality.
Miss Bastifal bowed slightly. “Welcome to my home. I shall do my best to accommodate you.”
“I require very little in the way of accommodation,” Tashi responded matter-of-factly. “A place to train and a place to sleep.”
“What about a place to eat?” Sam asked.
“That would be fine as well.”
“I think that can be arranged,” Miss Bastifal said.
Tashi turned to Sam. “Good night, Sam London.”
“Good night, Tashi. I guess I’ll see you around.” Tashi nodded and disappeared into Miss Bastifal’s home.
Sam slipped back into his house with little fanfare. Nuks was ecstatic to see him and demanded details on all that had happened. Sam stayed up most of the night and obliged the tanuki. Afterward, Sam shifted the subject to how they were going to handle his mom. According to Nuks, when Ettie returned home the night of the aswang attack, Nuks had convinced her it was the dog that had caused the mess and he had the training school come and collect him. The question remained: How were they going to reintegrate Nuks back into the house in his natural form? How could they convince Ettie he was not going to rearrange the furniture again?
Before dropping him off, Sam and the doctor had discussed a means of communication that would help them avoid an explanation to Ettie. Dr. Vantana suggested telling Ettie he was a state psychologist charged with checking in on Sam following the incident in Death Valley. But Sam thought this was a terrible idea. He knew it would freak Ettie out and lead to more worry and questions. Sam told the doctor he would think about it and come up with a better solution. In practical terms, Sam and Vantana would communicate via Sam’s new DMW badge. It had been designed as a two-way communication device that enabled rangers to contact each other when necessary. One would simply tap the badge and say the ranger’s name, and it would alert that ranger, wherever he or she happened to be.
It wasn’t long before Ettie learned Miss Bastifal was hosting a foreign exchange student. Once she did, she invited them over for tea and cookies and insisted Sam come down to meet their new neighbor. Sam found it particularly amusing that, after all they had been through, he had to pretend not to know Tashi. He could tell the Guardian found it equally entertaining.
Sam and Tashi exchanged knowing smirks while Ettie asked questions like “So what’s it like in Tibet?” and “Have you visited America before?” or said things like “You stick with Sam; he’ll show you the ropes at school, and he can be quite chivalrous if any of those other boys give you trouble.” Little did Ettie know, this quiet new girl next door could take down every boy at school, at the same time, with one hand tied behind her back.
The moment Sam found the most amusing was when his mother admonished him in front of the company for taking too many cookies.
“Sam, you’ve had too many cookies. They’re not good for you, remember?”
“Where I come from, cookies have been known to save lives,” Tashi said, sneaking a wink at Sam.
“Oh…is that right?” Ettie said with astonishment. “Those must be special cookies.”
“Yes, I suppose they are,” Tashi replied, while Sam tried his best not to burst out laughing. An awkward silence ensued. Uncomfortable, Ettie quickly filled it in.
“Why don’t you go show Tashi your room?” she suggested.
Once the two were upstairs behind closed doors, Nuks emerged from his hiding place and leapt into Tashi’s arms.
“Tashi!” the tanuki exclaimed.
“Hello, tanuki,” she replied, petting him. “I mean, Nuks.” Her use of his name made his day.
“Sam?” Nuks said. “Your badge has been beeping.”
Sam grabbed the badge from beneath his pillow and tapped his finger on its shiny metal face.
“This is Sam London.” He couldn’t help feeling a little strange talking to a badge, but a few moments later the familiar voice of Dr. Vance Vantana was heard.
“Sam?” Vance said. “I was in the neighborhood. Have you come up with a cover story for Nuks yet?”
He hadn’t, but as he looked at Nuks, the solution was suddenly clear.
“Yes. Yes, I think I have.”
* * *
When Vance knocked on the front door an hour later, he was holding Nuks. The shape-shifting raccoon-dog had slipped out Sam’s window and met up with the doctor around the corner. Sam raced down to answer the door. Ettie emerged from the kitchen a few seconds later to see who was visiting.
“Mom, this is Dr. Vantana. He’s an animal trainer.”
For a moment, Sam’s usually effusive mother was silent. She eyed the doctor.
“Have we met before?” she asked.
“I…don’t recall ever havin’ met,” Vantana replied haltingly. “But please forgive me if I don’t remember.”
“It’s just…you look so familiar,” Ettie said, sounding truly confounded. “Are you sure?” Sam wondered if Ettie recognized the doctor from the hospital in Bakersfield. He didn’t think she had seen him, but he supposed she might have caught the smallest of glimpses. “I guess it doesn’t matter. We’re meeting now,” his mom continued. “I’m Odette London, Sam’s mother.” She offered her hand. “Nice to meet you.” Sam couldn’t remember the last time his mother had used her whole name when introducing herself. It was always Ettie. Vance took her hand and gently shook it.
“Nice meeting you as well, Miss Lon
don. Pretty name, by the way. Reminds me of Swan Lake.”
“A favorite of mine…and my parents, I guess.” She smiled.
“Maybe you’re right and we have met before. My memory isn’t the best. I’m pretty sure I’ve forgotten what I was up to for whole years,” Vantana added with a grin.
“I know what you mean,” Ettie said. There was that silence again, and Vantana still had Ettie’s hand. Sam decided it was up to him to interrupt the awkward moment.
“Nuks is all trained now.”
Ettie pulled her hand back. “Trained?” she said with a healthy dose of skepticism.
“Yes, ma’am,” Vantana responded. “My apologies for what happened earlier. We had some extra training sessions we were supposed to complete before releasing him from our care. But he’s extremely well trained now.”
“And what if he has a relapse?” Ettie asked. “Not that I’m agreeing to take him in again; I’m just curious.”
“That’s a legitimate concern, Miss London. But I’d be stopping by every now and again to check up on him.”
“You would?” Ettie brightened at the mentioned of the check-ins.
“I would. I might even bring him in for some training updates,” Vantana explained.
“How much?” Ettie inquired, her skepticism still firmly in place.
“Sorry?” said Vantana.
“How much will it cost us, if we keep him? Which I am not saying we are, but if we do, what will it cost for all this special training?”
“Oh…it’d be free,” Vantana answered. “Nuks is a rescue dog, and, well…we just like to see our dogs taken in by a good family. We help to facilitate that as much as possible. Plus, he helps us train the other dogs in our care.”
“Watch this, Mom!” Sam exclaimed. He then proceeded to deliver a series of basic commands to Nuks. He had him sit up, beg, roll over. Ettie was marginally impressed, so Sam decided to turn up the volume. “Go fetch the mail!” Sam ordered the raccoon-dog. Nuks hesitated, as if unsure. He glanced over at Vantana, who shrugged subtly. Nuks took off down the walkway.
“Sam…,” Ettie said, embarrassed by her son’s request. But sure enough, Nuks scampered to the curb, leapt up to their mailbox, opened the flap with his mouth and leapt again to retrieve the mail. If that wasn’t enough, he leapt a third time to close the mailbox flap before returning to the front door and placing the mail at Ettie’s feet. She was too stunned to speak.
She finally managed to address Vantana. “You’re an extraordinary trainer, Dr. Vantana,” Ettie said.
“Well, thanks. We do our best.”
“Please, can we take him back?” Sam begged.
“I suppose we can give him a second chance, but if—”
“It won’t,” Dr. Vantana assured her. “Thank you. If it’s okay, I’d like to give Sam some instruction on how to communicate with Nuks, like the trainers do.”
“Oh, sure,” Ettie said. “It was nice…meeting you.”
“My pleasure, Miss London.”
“Odette.”
“Odette,” Vantana said with his most charming smile.
Ettie disappeared back into the house and Sam closed the door behind him.
“Clever idea,” the doctor complimented him.
“Do you think she saw you at the hospital?” Sam asked.
“I don’t know,” the doctor answered, as if still trying to figure it out.
“Well, hello there!” a voice bellowed. They turned to find a man walking toward them from across the street. He spoke with a British accent and seemed oddly familiar.
“The name’s Christopher Canis. Just moving into the neighborhood.” He gestured to the moving truck parked on the other side of the street, a few houses down. Sam and Vantana exchanged the same dumbstruck expression. The new neighbor walked up and offered an outstretched hand. Vantana shook it tentatively.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Vance. This here is Sam.”
Christopher offered his hand to Sam, who shook it. As he did, he immediately noticed a small white patch of skin on the man’s arm. Sam couldn’t take his eyes off it, even continuing to clutch the man’s hand to get a better look.
“A family birthmark,” the man explained. Sam nodded in disbelief. “Do you attend Benicia Middle School?” he asked. Sam nodded again. “Well, then I will likely see you there. I’m the new teacher.”
“New teacher?” Sam asked.
“Yes. I will be replacing Miss Capiz. She needed to move from the area. Something with her family, I believe.”
“She was my teacher,” Sam responded.
“I suppose that means now I’m your teacher,” he said. “Fancy that! I’ve met my first student. And we’re neighbors. I have lots of fun things planned for the class. Do you like field trips?” Sam managed another nod. “I love a good field trip.” Sam had heard those words before. “I should probably return to the laborious task of unpacking. It was nice making your acquaintance, Sam, and…”
“Vance,” the doctor reminded him.
“Right. Vance. Cheerio.”
As Sam’s familiar new neighbor headed back across the street, Sam spun to Vantana. “Was that…,” he began.
“Phylassos said the return to Gaia is different for all creatures,” the doctor noted.
“His courage granted him his wish,” Sam concluded. The doctor looked at Sam, uncertain of his meaning. “He always wanted to be human,” Sam explained.
“I reckon he did,” Vantana said. “Well, kid, it’s been a hoot. You keep that badge close now, ya hear? I might be needing your help sooner than you think.”
“I hope so,” Sam replied.
Realizing this was goodbye for an undetermined amount of time, Sam felt a surge of emotion and sprang forward to give Vance a great big hug. Of course, the height difference between the two made it more of a torso hug.
“Goodbye, Dr. Vantana.”
With all they had been through, Sam was really going to miss the ranger. Vance was caught off guard and nearly fell over. He let out a surprised chuckle and gave Sam a hearty pat on the back.
“Take care, Sam.”
They parted and with a wink and a smile, Sam’s new mentor and friend was gone.
* * *
That night, as Sam lay in bed, he contemplated his extraordinary new life. There was now a girl living next door who was a fierce mythical warrior sworn to protect him at all costs. Sam’s former schoolteacher turned out to be a monstrous creature from Filipino folklore who was replaced by a reincarnation of his late friend—a dog-man who had risked his life to save him. And if all that wasn’t enough to keep Sam’s head spinning, he was now a member of a secret government agency that protected creatures no one knew or would ever believe existed.
Dr. Vance Vantana would return soon to recruit Sam’s help on a new case. It was on this investigation that Sam would happen upon shocking information about his family. Sam London thought the craziest revelations regarding the world around him had already been revealed. Little did he know, he was in for the biggest surprise of his young life.
It was late afternoon in Redwood National Forest when Ranger Penelope Naughton heard a robust knock on her cabin door. She answered it to find Carl, the bigfoot, standing before her. The orange glow of the setting sun radiated from behind the legendary creature, giving him an almost heavenly appearance.
“Hello, Penelope,” Carl said.
Following the events at Hérault, Ranger Naughton finally learned the cause of her amnesia. Carl the bigfoot, who had long been aware of Dr. Knox’s true identity, had been meeting with the doctor to discuss the threat to the claw and the doctor’s secret plan to investigate. When a suspicious Penelope tracked Carl to a remote area of the park, she witnessed Knox’s transformation into Phylassos and, in the ensuing shock, revealed her presence. Concerned this knowledge would put Penelope in danger or compromise the investigation into the gryphon’s claw, Phylassos erased her memory. Carl avoided Penelope when she returned to the park because he fe
ared that seeing him might prompt her to recall what she had seen and heard that day in the woods.
But all that was behind them now. Carl had come calling this day at Penelope’s request. The reclusive bigfoot found a ranger who appeared both shocked and confused.
“You called?” Carl said.
Penelope nodded. “I did. It’s about Sam London’s DNA,” she revealed, clearly unsettled. “I took a sample of his blood when he was here and, well, it’s—”
“Magical in nature?” Carl suggested.
“Partially, yes,” Penelope replied. “But it’s the human part that’s even more surprising. It’s an exact match for—”
“Yes, I am aware,” he interrupted, speaking in a loud whisper, as if the trees were eavesdropping.
“You are?”
“It’s a complicated story, Penelope,” Carl replied in a hushed tone. “One the gryphon has managed to keep secret. For the boy’s protection as well as his parents’. If the Maiden Council found out, there would be a harsh punishment.”
“But shouldn’t Sam know his father?” Penelope asked.
Carl smiled warmly. “In a way, he already does.”
* * *
Sam London will return in The Selkie of San Francisco.
* * *
Department of Mythical Wildlife
Memorandum
Date: ********
To: DMW Rangers & Administrative Personnel
From: Dr. Vance Vantana
Subject: Creatures linked to Case SL001
The following is a list of the mythical wildlife connected to Sam London’s first case. At my request, the department’s forensic arts division has provided illustrations for reference.
* * *
Aswang
Origin: Philippines
Known Abilities: Shape-shifting
Favorite Food: Human children
Comments: These things make vampires seem like sweet, cuddly puppies.
* * *
Guardians of the Gryphon's Claw Page 28
