Tiago walked with his hands in his pockets, shoes crunching on the snow. He wondered if he should finally ask for a new pair of boots. Winters here sucked.
The breeze shifted, carrying a scent that made his heart stop. Werejaguar. Footsteps sounded behind him and he spun. His stomach dropped to his toes. No, no, no!
His father smiled and spread his arms. “Don’t worry Santiago, we’re not here to hurt you.”
“We were worried about you,” his mother said.
“How… how did…” Tiago forced himself to move but only managed a slow step backward.
“You weren’t hard to find,” his father said. “There was only one place you could go.”
What could he do? He couldn’t fight them, and if he ran they would catch him. Could he make it to the house fast enough? But then he would be putting his guardian at risk. She was a powerful witch, but she was old and he didn’t know what she could do against two werejaguars. I wish Aiden was here. It was almost funny, wanting his boyfriend to come protect him.
“Are you okay? We thought the wardens might kill you or put you in jail.” His mother did actually look worried. Over the past few years, Tiago had wondered if his parents really loved him or if they were very good at acting.
“I’m fine. I didn’t tell them anything about you.” Was he trying to protect himself from them or trying to gain their approval by telling them? “They kept asking where you were, but I wouldn’t tell them.”
“I knew some part of you was still a good boy,” his mother said.
Neither of them had moved closer, hands held up in a nonthreatening way.
“You’re testing your boundaries. Challenging my authority because you’re becoming a man,” his father said. “I understand why you ran away.”
The little boy in him wanted to run to them, beg forgiveness. They were the only constants in his life. Friends, schools, houses—they were always changing. But his parents had been the center of his life. “I can’t hunt humans anymore. Never again.” He still had nightmares about the last time, the way the man had screamed.
His father’s eyes flashed, so quick Tiago might have imagined it. “We can talk about that.”
“This isn’t where you belong, son.” His mother shuffled forward just a bit, and Tiago took another step back. “You belong with us. With your family.”
Tiago shook his head. “This is my home now.” At least until he graduated, and then… then he’d be all alone. Would they even let him leave Shadow Valley? He’d broken the treaty multiple times, and although Mr. Johnson argued that he couldn’t be held responsible, many of the other wardens hadn’t been happy to let Tiago live free in Shadow Valley or go to school.
His mother’s lip curled. “This is a prison. They’ve taken your claws and teeth away. Taken your manhood. Jaguar people should never live like this.”
If just living in this town and not hunting humans took away his manhood, what would they say about his dating Aiden? He’d never admitted he was gay, but they’d called him names and beaten him when they only suspected it. He wouldn’t deny it now. He wanted to shout it at them, throw it in their faces. But fear closed his throat. The memory of his father’s fists was all too clear.
“Come with us. Be a true jaguar again. It’s your nature, and you’ll realize that sooner or later,” his father said. “You can’t be what they want you to be, muzzled and caged, made to follow their ridiculous treaty.” His voice dropped, something almost like compassion in his tone. “I know it’s hard to live in the human world, surrounded by them all the time. You start to think that maybe you could be one of them. But we’re better than that, Tiago. They are cattle. We have the spirit of a jaguar, and that makes us hunters. To be anything less is blasphemy.”
Tiago had heard some variation of this lecture dozens of times. His parents had always been passionate about their place at the top of the food chain and how Tiago was inheriting a great legacy that had started thousands of years ago in the Amazon Jungle. But the thing was, living in Shadow Valley didn’t make him feel like he was in a cage.
For the first time in his life, he felt free.
He swallowed a few times before he could find his voice. “I’m not coming with you.” His heart hammered and he balled his fists, calling on the jaguar spirit. If they tried to grab him, he had to run and hope he made it to his house. The door would slow them down at least, and maybe his guardian, Rosalind, had some tricks up her sleeve to keep them away. Or they could call for help. Mr. Johnson could be there in minutes.
If the wardens caught his parents, they would kill them.
But he couldn’t go back to that life.
“We’re your family. Your blood, Santiago,” his mother said, as if reading his mind. “You can’t turn your back on us.” They took a step forward. Another. Their eyes brightened, turning gold.
Panic flooded him, and Tiago literally did turn his back on his parents, sprinting as fast as he could toward his house. It was a block away. Not that far. He could make it.
Behind him, his parents growled and then fell silent. All he could hear was their feet crunching in the snow. They were hunting him.
Tiago’s backpack thumped against him as he ran. It was slowing him down, but trying to take it off would slow him down more. The books kept slamming into his back as he ran over the sidewalk. A cleared section came up and he ran faster, feet thudding over the concrete. Half a block.
Every second he imagined them grabbing his arm, pulling him down. Thank God he’d stayed fit by spending all that time running in the woods with Aiden.
The house was just up ahead. He wanted to look back but didn’t dare. He could barely hear their footsteps over his panting breath and pounding heart. Reaching the yard, he leapt, landing in the snow. It slowed him down and he wondered if he’d made a terrible mistake. Snow sprayed around him as he ran through it, knees high.
They were right behind him.
Another jump, and he made it to the front steps, almost falling. Oh God, what if the door was locked? But the lights were on. Rosalind must be home. Tiago shoved the door open and stumbled inside. Spinning, he slammed it behind him and twisted the lock. He stayed pressed against the door, trying to catch his breath and waiting for them to try to break in.
Silence.
After a few moments he gathered enough courage to look out the peephole. Nothing. He moved to the widow and scanned the front yard. All he could see were the tracks cutting through the snow. No sign of his parents.
A creak on the stairs almost gave him a heart attack. But it was just Rosalind.
“Tiago? Is something wrong?”
He opened his mouth. All he had to say was that his parents had tried to take him back. The wardens would catch them, and he’d be safe. But he’d be sending his parents to their deaths. “Nothing.”
“Are you sure?” A little wrinkle formed between her eyes, her face concerned.
“Yeah. I’m fine. What’s for dinner?” He wondered what was wrong with him that he was still protecting his parents.