Chapter 82: Love at First Sight and the Trail of the Yenaldooshi
The orange-yellow sunlight of the setting desert sun bled across the horizon, washing the Navajo village in a dazzling, fiery red.
Constructed from baked earth, weathered stone, and sturdy wood, the traditional dwellings radiated the retained heat of the afternoon. The rustic architecture blended perfectly with the arid landscape, giving the entire settlement the distinct, timeless atmosphere of the deep desert.
Grandpa Max had brought his grandchildren out here to experience traditional Navajo culture firsthand, and more, to catch up with an old friend.
Wes Green, a sturdy man with a weathered face and a warm smile, led the group through the village paths, pointing out various landmarks and explaining their historical significance.
Ben dragged his feet, his sneakers kicking up little clouds of red dust. He stared at the clay buildings with half-lidded eyes, looking so deeply bored that a yawn threatened to split his face in two at any second.
Gwen, on the other hand, was entirely in her element. She walked close to Wes, absorbing every detail of the tour with sharp, interested eyes.
As for Klein, he had already wandered off to the side. He was currently crouched in front of a local vendor's stall, his fingers sifting through an assortment of trinkets and clay pottery. A place this steeped in ancient tradition had to have some hidden magical artifacts lying around. If he could score a genuine mystical treasure for the price of a cheap souvenir, the trip would be more than worth it.
Up ahead, the rhythmic beating of a drum caught their attention. Wes led Grandpa Max toward a small clearing where a young girl was performing.
"This is our traditional Navajo sacrificial dance," Wes explained, gesturing to the performer with a proud smile. "And the dancer is my granddaughter, Kai."
Grandpa Max watched the girl's graceful movements, a nostalgic smile wrinkling the corners of his eyes. "The last time I saw her, she was still in diapers!"
Hearing the commotion, Ben finally looked up.
His bored expression vanished instantly. His eyes widened to the size of saucers as he took in the sight of the beautiful ten-year-old girl. She had glowing, sun-kissed skin, dark hair, and moved with a captivating rhythm. The corners of Ben's mouth twitched upward into a goofy, lovestruck grin.
"This place is amazing," Ben muttered to himself.
Suddenly full of energy, Ben practically teleported to Wes's side, puffing out his chest and trying to look as mature as possible. "Uh, actually, Mr. Green, I've always wanted to experience traditional dance before summer vacation ends."
The unspoken translation was obvious: Hey old man, how about you let your granddaughter give me some private lessons?
Gwen did not miss a beat. She crossed her arms and leveled a deadpan glare at her cousin. "Dweeb, since when did you care about traditional dance? I thought your only culture was video games."
Ben flinched, completely blindsided by the backstab. He threw a nervous glance at Wes, only relaxing when he saw the older man hadn't caught onto the subtext.
Grabbing Gwen by the sleeve, Ben dragged her a few paces away and hissed in a frantic whisper, "Don't ruin this for me! Look, how about a trade? You back off now, and I'll help you pursue Cousin later!"
Gwen's face instantly flushed a brilliant shade of crimson. Her eyes darted around in sheer panic. "How... how did you know..."
"Hey! Everyone knows!" Ben whispered back, waving his hands anxiously. "Just say whether we have a deal or not!"
Gwen swallowed hard, her face still burning, and gave a stiff, jerky nod.
"What are you two whispering about?"
A calm voice broke the tension. Klein strolled over, dusting off his hands. He hadn't found a single magical bargain at the stalls, leaving him feeling a bit cheated, so he had wandered back to see what his cousins were arguing about.
Gwen opened her mouth, still flustered. "Ben wants to... Mmph!"
Ben slapped his hand over Gwen's mouth, wrestling her into a headlock. He looked away, sweating bullets. "Ah! Right! The sunset! Gwen was just saying how much I want to watch the sunset! The sunset is truly beautiful today! Oh, by the way, Cousin, I just saw a weird, glowing jar at that stall over there. Looked like top-tier loot!"
Klein, an absolute addict for getting good items for free, immediately snapped his attention toward the stalls and marched off to investigate.
Gwen shoved Ben away, gasping for air. "What are you trying to do?!"
"You too! What exactly are you trying to do?!" Ben shot back, fixing his hair. "If Cousin sees Kai, it's over! I don't know if he'll be interested in her, but I can guarantee she'll definitely be interested in him!"
Ben refused to let his sweet summer romance get crushed before he even got to say hello.
Gwen froze. A horrible realization dawned on her. Ben was right. If Kai fell for Klein, Gwen would just be gaining another love rival!
Just then, the drumbeats stopped. Kai, having finished her dance, stepped off the small platform and began walking directly toward their group.
Ben quickly straightened his posture, puffing out his chest again and flashing what he assumed was his most charming, handsome smile.
Kai walked right past him without a single glance.
She headed straight for the vendor stalls, stopping right behind Klein, who was currently squatting in the dirt, aggressively inspecting a clay pot.
Kai's small face flushed a delicate shade of pink. She tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear and spoke in a soft, shy voice. "Um, are you interested in these artifacts? Actually, I know quite a bit about the history behind them."
Ben stood frozen in his posing stance. His jaw unhinged.
Oh my god. It's over. Everything is ruined.
Seeing the disastrous turn of events, Gwen immediately sprinted over, ready to run interference.
Klein, still turning the clay pot over in his hands, heard the voice and glanced over his shoulder. He stared at the blushing girl for a second.
Who is this kid?
He had zero interest in little girls. He was only interested in shiny, glowing treasures that could potentially bend reality.
Without a word, Klein turned back around, picked up another dusty jar, and resumed his careful inspection.
Gwen skidded to a halt next to them, opening her mouth to speak, but before she could utter a single word, a deafening crack of thunder shook the ground.
The sky darkened in an instant, and a torrential downpour unleashed upon the village.
Gwen blinked through the sudden sheets of water, looking at Kai in confusion. "Uh, are you sure you weren't doing a rain dance just now?"
Kai shook her head, looking just as surprised.
While everyone else scrambled for cover, Ben remained exactly where he was. He stood completely still in the middle of the dirt path, letting the heavy, freezing rain wash over his face. He stared up at the dark clouds and let out a long, hollow sigh.
That single sigh carried the weight of a thousand shattered dreams.
"What's wrong with him?"
Klein stood comfortably under a canvas awning, having dragged both Gwen and Kai out of the rain. He stared at Ben's dramatic, rain-soaked silhouette with genuine bewilderment.
Gwen thought about it for a second. "Uh, I think he's heartbroken?"
"Over who?" Klein frowned, trying to calculate the logic. "Ishiyama from Sumo Slammers? Did the main character die in the new sequel or something?"
In Klein's mind, aside from the Sumo Slammers franchise, Ben had never shown genuine affection for anything on earth, let alone a girl.
Before Gwen could correct him, a low, terrifying rumble echoed through the canyon. It wasn't thunder. It was the sound of rushing water.
Klein turned his head, his eyes narrowing. "Flash flood!"
Damn it! No magical treasures, and now he had to deal with a natural disaster.
Further down the village path, Grandpa Max, Wes, and a soaking-wet Ben suddenly froze. Through the thick curtain of rain, a massive silhouette loomed on the ridge above the village.
It was a towering, bipedal wolf-like beast. Its massive, muscular frame was covered in dark fur, and a pair of glowing, sinister purple eyes pierced through the storm. The sheer predatory aura radiating from the creature made the hair on the back of Ben's neck stand up.
A second later, the beast turned and vanished into the rocky shadows.
There was no time to track it. The floodwaters were already tearing through the canyon, carrying mud and debris straight toward the village structures.
Under the awning, Klein didn't hesitate. He slammed his hand down on the faceplate of the Another Omnitrix.
A brilliant, quiet blue light erupted through the rainstorm.
"Arctiguana!"
The bulky, blue-scaled iguana alien stood in Klein's place, cold mist already rolling off his gills.
Gwen quickly turned to Kai, who was staring at the alien in absolute shock. "Uh, you'll keep this a secret, right?"
Kai, wide-eyed, just nodded dumbly.
Arctiguana dropped to all fours and charged directly toward the incoming wall of rushing water. He planted his heavy claws into the mud, took a massive breath, and opened his jaws.
A concentrated, bluish-white beam of absolute zero energy blasted into the surging flood.
The moment the freezing ray made contact, the water crystallized. Thick, jagged frost spread outward at a terrifying speed, climbing up the wave and locking the rushing mud and water into a massive, solid glacier. The remaining water harmlessly diverted into the canyon ditches, completely blocked from entering the village.
With the crisis averted, Arctiguana turned and scurried into a narrow alleyway between two adobe houses. A moment later, a quiet blue flash illuminated the shadows, and Klein casually walked back out, dusting off his jacket.
...
An hour later, the heavy rain finally ceased, leaving the desert air cool and damp.
Wes led the group into a spacious, rustic building at the edge of the village. The interior walls were lined with traditional hunting gear and adorned with ancient, faded paintings depicting Navajo legends.
Though Wes had clearly seen the giant ice-lizard alien, he didn't ask a single question about it. He was far more concerned with the creature he had spotted on the ridge.
Walking over to a specific painting on the far wall, Wes pointed to a terrifying, wolf-like figure. "The Yenaldooshi. A Navajo werewolf from our oldest legends. I need to track it down, paralyze it with a tranquilizer dart, and capture it before it hurts anyone."
Without waiting for a response, Wes reached up and pulled a heavy hunting rifle off the wall rack, checking the chamber with practiced ease.
Grandpa Max immediately stepped forward, his expression serious. There was no way he was letting his old friend hunt a monster alone. "I'm coming with you."
Seeing the adults gearing up for a monster hunt, Gwen and Ben immediately voiced their desire to tag along.
Klein leaned against the wall, thoroughly unimpressed. He didn't care about the Yenaldooshi. From the brief glimpse he got, the thing just looked like a bipedal variant of Wildmutt. He highly doubted it could even survive a straight fistfight with Ben, let alone pose a real threat.
Instead, his mind was stuck on the puzzle from earlier. He was far more concerned about Ben being "heartbroken."
He ran the variables in his head. Gwen was obviously out of the question. As for the rest of the people here... unless Ben was secretly into old men, there was only one logical answer to this multiple-choice question.
Klein shifted his gaze toward Kai, analyzing her. So, Ben likes this type.
Kai had noticed Klein staring at her for the past minute. She kept her head down, her cheeks burning red, trying to act natural. Deep down, she felt a secret thrill that the mysterious, powerful older boy was finally paying attention to her.
Klein pushed off the wall, walked over to Ben, and dragged him by the collar into a quiet corner of the room.
"Ben," Klein asked bluntly, keeping his voice low. "Do you like Kai?"
Ben jumped as if he'd been electrocuted. "What?! No! I don't! Don't talk nonsense! Who told you that?!" He stammered, his face turning the color of a tomato. He glanced away, rubbing the back of his neck. "...Okay, maybe a little..."
Ben tried to maintain his tough-guy facade, but one look at Klein's deadpan, completely unconvinced expression made him give up the struggle entirely. His shoulders slumped in defeat.
Klein patted his little cousin on the shoulder, a faint, amused smirk touching his lips.
"Don't worry. I'll help you."
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