| |
Leotie stretched and came out of the wigwam. A cool breeze greeted her. Last night’s storm had turned the air cold and left the morning foggy. If only Tala and Izrah would wake up. Yet they had all worked so hard yesterday. She could wait a little longer.
Leotie went several feet away and practiced speaking again. This time she managed to say their names, and tried to say “Keme, it’s me, Leotie,” but it came out all garbled. Meanwhile, her stomach panged with hunger. The sooner they got moving, the sooner she would find Keme and get her life back. I just hope I can be human again or it’s not going to work.
As she was about to wake them up, she caught a glimpse of two dark images in the fog and hurried back to her friends.
“Izrah, Tala! Someone is coming.”
The two jumped up. Two wolves emerged from the fog, bigger ones with gray and black markings.
“Who are you?” Leotie thought, her heart racing with hope.
“Wayna and Jolan,” thought one of wolves.
“Oh!” she thought, glad they were alive, but disturbed at how even more of her people were now wolves.
“Jolan!” Tala’s thoughts burst through as she ran out to her boyfriend. “I told you not to go into the battle. Now look what happened. Just look at us.”
“I’m sorry.” Jolan tapped his nose on Tala’s muzzle.
“My grandsons!” Izrah thought and touched noses with Wayna.
Leotie stood alone as her friends tried awkwardly to hug each other. Something wasn’t right. “You’re not even surprised to see us. What’s going on?”
Wayna turned to her with ice blue eyes. As a wolf, he looked powerful and strong with thick fur and a wide chest. His thoughts came in a deep tone. “We’ve been with the one who brought us back to life and changed us into wolves. His name is Lord Markus, and we’re to take you to him.”
Leotie flinched, irritated at needing to deviate from her search for Keme. “Why? Who is this Markus? What does Lord mean?”
“It means he’s our master. Lord Markus has lived hundreds of years and has the power to change into different forms such as a wolf or a man. He has called us to be in his clan. Follow us and you’ll meet him.”
Leotie didn’t budge. “Wait. We happen to be looking for our people.”
“You’ll have to give that up. Our place is with Lord Markus now.” Wayna’s thoughts had a monotone feeling about them as if he was in some sort of trance.
“Why are you blindly obeying him?” Leotie asked, filled with a horrible dread at how easily they obeyed this Markus.
“Because we owe him. He brought us back to life,” Jolan thought. “He’s going to help us get revenge on the outlanders.”
“Maybe so, but are you just going to turn your back on your own people?” Leotie couldn’t stop the bad feeling welling up in her stomach. “This is no different to joining an enemy tribe. What is more important than finding out what happened to the rest of OUR people?”
“Markus told us our remaining people are heading north.” Wayna’s eyes boring into her. “We’re going to help them more than they know and it’s time for you all to join us. Now come!”
Leotie’s neck hair stood up.
“Could we all just stop arguing?” Izrah asked, but nobody really heard her.
“You’re being a foolish little girl as usual.” Wayna scratched the ground with his paw. “Oh wait, this is about Keme, isn’t it? He’s not here. He didn’t get changed and you’re desperate to find him, right?”
A growl slipped from her chops. “Keme’s my life bond. I’ll find out what happened to him and the others first.”
Wayna snorted at her and growled. “Grandmother, Tala, are you coming? The outlanders are settling in our land, and we plan to attack soon – all of us if you would only come.”
Tala looked back and forth. “This is just all so sudden.”
“Yeah, who are you to come here and make demands? Tell Markus we’ll meet with him after we find our people. If Markus is so great, he’ll understand.”
“No, you’ll come now.” Wayna rushed over and tried to grab her by the scruff.
Leotie pulled away. “Get your mouth off me!”
Wayna rushed her again. Leotie spun around and bit him in the tail. Wayna growled violently, hair on end. The two circled each other, then lunged at each other. They fell to the ground, dust and fur flying in the air.
“Stop! Stop!” Izrah pleaded.
In a burst of outrage, Leotie scrambled to her paws. Wayna jumped up. She charged, butting him in the side and knocking him down. Wayna let out a yelp and fell. He looked up at her. His size didn’t seem to mean anything. She was stronger than him.
“Enough!” Tala thought, circling them. “We’re Mahasi. We don’t fight each other.”
Leotie wanted to say Wayna was no Mahasi, but held it back.
Tala stopped pacing in front of Jolan. “Why doesn’t Markus show himself instead of sending you two?”
“He had other duties today,” Jolan thought.
“Certainly, we’ll not go with someone who does not even show himself,” Izrah thought.
Wayna’s thoughts blasted through, “You women are being ridiculous. How will you even talk to the chiefs? You have no voices.”
Leotie’s muzzle grew shorter and more flexible as she forced the words out. “But I do, RRRRayna.”
Wayna stared at her. “How did you do that?”
“None of your business, stupid. Go back to your master, slave.”
Wayna growled, but stayed back, his lower chop quivering.
“Tala, please come with me.” Jolan lowered his head and looked up.
“I’m sorry Jolan,” Tala said. “Leotie is right. If Markus is so wonderful, he can wait a few days. Besides, your family is grieving over you, and you don’t even want to tell them you’re alive?”
Jolan turned away, too ashamed to answer.
“You’re making a mistake, clinging to the life you once had. That life is gone and you’ll never have it back.” Wayna snorted, then turned around and ran off with Jolan following close behind.
****
Markus went out halfway down the trail in wolf form to meet his new subjects, but instead of five, he only saw the two males returning.
“Where are the females?” Markus thought.
“My apologies, Lord Markus, they refused to come with us,” Wayna thought. “They’re worried about finding their people.”
Jolan looked back and forth, prancing in one place as if he was about to jump out of his hide.
Markus shrugged his wolf shoulders. “No need for concern. We’re going back to my cabin for some supper and a rest. Tomorrow night we’ll still attack Clawson’s fort without the females.”
“You’re just going to let them go?” Jolan thought, a nervous edge in his tone.
“I’ll make sure we meet up with them again. Meanwhile, we can eat and rest.” All the energy he’d used bringing these people back to life and running around had drained him.
“Aren’t you concerned about these shifters?” Wayna asked. “I mean, it’s not good for them to be on their own.”
“There’s no need to rush. We live indefinitely.”
“We never die?” Wayna asked.
“We don’t age, and we’re almost impossible to kill.” He paused. “Leotie and Tala want to be human. The most likely way of that happening is if they coming with us. They’ll figure it out sooner or later.”
“I don’t see why you chose Leotie for your clan,” Wayna thought. “I mean, she’s extremely stubborn.”
“She’s rebellious and determined. That’s a great combination for a shifter. She’s worth the wait. Besides, the women will realize in time that it’s their loss if they don’t join me. Your lives have been limited here. They’ll want to see the world with us. We’ll live in the richest places with luxuries you can’t even imagine. Yet, all play and no work can get boring. I’ll make sure our clan has a satisfying goal to complete.”
“This is all hard to understand, but it sounds great,” Jolan said.
“It’s the beginning of a new life.”
Markus vowed he would never make the same mistake Gallus made. He would only find a mate with another shifter. A loyal companion he could never lose.
While Leotie was difficult, she had a feisty way about her, and he enjoyed a challenge. Then again, he liked and could relate to Tala’s frisky personality. No, he wouldn’t be able to resist not spying on them again. Why not have two mates? It wouldn’t be long before the females grew even more desperate and would easily join him. Soon he would tell Wayna and Jolan who owned the women.
