My efforts went in vain. The deer's ears flew in my direction and its eyes popped out of its head. With a sharp squeal, the deer kicked off and bolted away. The rabbit wasn't far behind. As soon as the deer sounded the predator alarm, it streaked into the undergrowth faster than lightning.
I sat down and sighed. It didn't matter how much I tried to appear nonthreatening. Other animals were always terrified of me. Then again, how could they not be? I was a massive grizzly bear. My claws were as long as a human hand and my fangs crushed bones into dust.
I was also sad and lonely. But they didn't see that part.
I tried not to hold it against them. That deer and rabbit were wild animals, not shifters. At least, I assumed they weren't because they didn't say anything. Unlike me, other shifters were chatter boxes. They were easy to tell apart from wild animals because they never stopped talking.
I always wondered would happen if Ididrun into a shifter? How would they know I was their kin? I could always shift into human form to prove myself, but I preferred being a bear. It was easier to get by day by day in this form.
Especially since nobody ever asked a bear why it couldn't speak.
I shoved my face into the bush and ate a mouthful of berries. The juices ran down my lips, staining my chin fur purple. At least they tasted good.
After eating my fill of blueberries, I became thirsty. I picked up my rump off the ground and sauntered over to the nearby creek, which always had the best tasting water.
My ears perked up at the sound of voices.
Shifters.
Determined not to scare them away this time, I laid low and hid myself behind a thicket. Once, a long time ago, my da scolded me for eavesdropping. Personally, I didn't see what the big deal was, but I think it particularly bothered him because I didn't speak. Eavesdropping was something that could be done to him, but never to me.
But that incident had the opposite effect. It ignited my curiosity, driving my urge to listen to what other people talked about when they thought they were alone. I didn't mean any harm by it, and I wasn't hurting anyone. Besides, I doubted I would ever even see these people again.
I kept my ears pricked towards the voices and listened.
"… Can'tbelieveyou haven't heard about that."
A snarkier voice replied, "Sorry that I don't know every detail across the whole freaking world."
Two male voices, both a bit nasally. With great care to be quiet, I peered through the thicket. The shifters were a pair of male coyotes. If I had to guess, they looked like an alpha and omega. A couple, maybe. I ignored the stirring envy in my chest and focused on their conversation.
"Good thing you have me to tell you the scoop," the first coyote said proudly. He dipped his head to take a long drink, as if building up excitement for his tale. "Well, I heard this straight from a friend of a friend, so you know it's real."
The second coyote snorted but didn't interrupt.
The first went on. "You know about the spirits, right?"
"It's not like I've met one or anything, but I know about them, yeah."
Spirits? What were they talking about?
"Well, turns out they're not just powerful immortal beings or whatever," the first said in the tone of somebody about to drop an exciting secret. "Apparently, they have the power to grant wishes."
My heart skipped a beat. Immortal beings who could grant wishes? Is that what a spirit was? Did that kind of magic truly exist?
It sounded too good to be true, but the way these two shifter spoke about them so casually made it sound like the real deal. I would be the first to admit to my own ignorance. There was so much I didn't know.
But spirits… Could they really grant any wish?
The second coyote scoffed. "Granting wishes? You're pulling my leg."
"I swear on my left nut that I'm telling the truth," the first insisted.
"Wow. Okay, if you're willing to bet that, then I believe you."
"Thank you. Anyway, remember that crazy storm on the coast a while back? That was from the spirits going haywire. Turns out, the water one was out of whack."
"Water one?"
