19
Sage
After Remington fetchedNero a pair of clothes—what was with these used-to-be-humans and hating to be naked?—we set off on our epic quest. Starry must’ve been feeding off my excited energy because she kept meowing at everything we saw.
When we reached the edge of the canyon, Nero and Nishiki went silent.
“Mother… lives here?” Nishiki asked.
Nero snorted, then smirked affectionately. “Are you really that surprised? I’m not. She was always batty.”
“True,” Nishiki admitted with a sigh. “By the way, if either of us suddenly shift…”
“You’ll be fine,” Remington told him. “Remember what happened before? If you’re in fish form and out of water, your body automatically shifts to save you.”
“Fish,” Nero muttered. “I can’t believe we shift intofish, of all things…”
When we got inside the canyon and it was safe, I put Starry down to explore. With her accelerated shifter growth, she was strong enough on her feet to walk on her own for a while. Xander watched her prowl around on her big baby paws with a smile.
“Hope there’s no wildebeest stampede down here, huh?” Nero said.
Nishiki elbowed him hard and hissed, “Nero!”
“What? I’m joking!”
Oblivious, Xander and I shrugged at each other while Remington let out a groan. We didn’t ask.
After a while of silent travel, I broke the quiet. “Are you guys excited? Ooh, on a scale of one to ten, how stoked are you?”
“Quite!” Nishiki said.
Nero stayed quiet, chewing his lip. He seemed deeper in thought than his brother. I noticed Xander straying towards him and I eavesdropped on them.
“It’s hard, searching for your family,” Xander said softly. “And… I know what it’s like to have an absent parent. I’m sorry that happened to you.”
The corner of Nero’s mouth quirked. “Thanks. You don’t need to feel bad for me, though. I’m not as sensitive about it as my brother.” He rolled his eyes playfully. “I guess Iamlike a shark, after all. Whatever happens to me, I just keep moving forward.”
Xander chuckled. “That’s a good way of looking at it.”
“Still… It’s weird that I have this ability at all.” Nero glanced at his hands. “And why a shark? Nishiki is a koi, isn’t he?”
“That’s not uncommon. My parents were a wolf and a mountain lion shifter.” Xander smiled. “Me and my mate, too. He gave birth to a mountain lion shifter, but it could’ve been a wolf as well. And in our pack, there are two fraternal twins—one wolf, one hare.”
I smiled as I listened to them talk.
Nero’s brows raised. “Wow. Guess all that wacky stuff mom was always going on about was true after all…”
When we finally approached the cavern up in the canyon wall, excitement overtook me. I ran ahead. “Guys, come on!”
Starry, tumbling after me, yowled in agreement. Xander sighed with a smile and scooped her up so she didn’t accidentally fall off the steps leading up to the cavern.
“Ready?” I asked the brothers.
They both nodded.
I went first with Xander close behind me. As I entered the darkness of the cavern, my eyes adjusted. Nishiki and Nero followed us slowly, taking in their surroundings with quiet awe. Remington rounded out the group.
Dr. Pine wasn’t here.
