The Skin Walker

Chapter 4: The Curse

Shane is driving down a dark road at night, listening to the radio, after a report of animal attacks in the region he contemptuously switched it off. After breaking hard on a junction, he is then attacked by the ancient one, pulls out an enchanted root and wounds the creature, revealing himself as a Shaman. Dianna is there tracking the ancient one when suddenly she is stopped by Shane, who attacks her in his confusion. Dakota, hearing the call of the ancient one, and goes out to find him and finds Shane and her father in a conversation, where Shane reveals that whoever he wounded only has 48 hours to live.

The next day RJ is ecstatic that his great uncle has come to visit. Later Dianna goes to Dakota's school to find her and asks Luca where she can be found. But Luca assumes that Dianna is Dakota's drug dealer. Realizing this, Dianna resolves to find Dakota herself and begins to lose control of her abilities accidentally sinking her talons into Luca's neck. She then listens to RJ and Maria's conversation about Dakota. She manages to find Eli in his car, about to pull off. Dianna gets him to stop, but collapses in the road. Dakota, noticing that Dianna is weak, helps her into the car. Dianna instructs Dakota to go to RJ's house and find the special root that she was stabbed with.

Dakota arrives at RJ's house to study. RJ begins to kiss Dakota, triggering minor sexual arousal, and causes Dakota to begin shifting. A call from Eli interrupts, and Dakota notices all of RJ's past hobbies. When Dakota asks what he is good at, he takes her into the garage to show her his duel hand guns. Dakota notices all of the guns his father keeps and he reveals that his father is a private investigator to the police. They begin kissing again when RJ's father walks in and catches them. He is about to send Dakota home, but Shane invites her to stay for dinner. RJ's father offers her alcohol in an attempt to see whether or not she will drink it, but Dakota manages to give parent-friendly answers. After an urgent call from Eli, Dakota continues her mission to find the root. She tries a locked door but is discovered by Shane. She claims she is looking for the bathroom and he points her to the guest bedroom where he is staying. In that room is Shane's bag, where she finds a box of roots labeled "Aconit Napel Bleu Nordique" which translates to Nordic Blue Monkshood. Dianna says Dakota must bring her one of the roots, in order to heal herself. Dakota is ready to leave but Shane insists that she stays for dessert. After discussing the recent animal attacks, John and his wife tell Dakota a story about a rabid dog that had to be put down by RJ's grandfather.

After dinner Dakota is accused of taking something from Shane's bag. After being asked to empty her pockets, RJ confesses to taking a condom, much to everyone's surprise. Dakota manages to get the root to Dianna before Eli has to amputate her arm. When Dakota asks what Dianna is going to do with the root, Dianna faints, and the root slips out of her hands and into a hole in the ground. Dakota manages to retrieve the root while Eli frantically tries to wake Dianna up. After Dianna is up off the ground and has the root, she burns the root and rubs the ashes into the wound, allowing her to heal. Dakota and Dianna soon engage in an argument, in which Dakota claims that the shaman are far kinder than Dianna. Dianna, in response, takes Dakota to see the prison were the ancient one was held. She explains that the other shaman forced her to give up her humanity by cursing another human, the ancient one. Breaking the rules of being a shaman she became a skin walker forever, so that the others could live in peace.

Later RJ becomes more suspicious of his great uncle and mother. Meanwhile, Shane and Mr. Preston have a conversation revealing that they know Dianna is not the ancient one and suspect that there may be another. Shane plans to kill them all but Mr. Preston says that they are only there to save lives. Shane lights a fire insinuating that he is the one who burned down the house on the reserve, killing an entire family.