He just laughed, shaking his head. “No, but people are here to see you.” He motioned outside the tent.
Hmm. Wolfing down the last bite, I nodded and let him help me stand. He unzipped the tent and helped me out as my eyes scanned the open area. Jaxon was tending the fire and it was dark out, then my gaze fell on two familiar figures. I was shocked to see Avery and Mason were here.
“Avery!” I shouted and limped over to her, relieved to feel my ankle healing. What were they doing here?
Avery looked frazzled like she had been crying. She ran toward me but slowed as she neared. Smelling the air, she scrunched her face.
“You smell …” She started, then she turned her nose in Gavin’s direction and smelled some more. “He smells ...”
I swallowed hard, not really sure if I wanted to grapple with my new-found … whatever. I needed to talk to Nahuel and Lina about that.
“A bear. I’m … a bear. He’s a wolf now. My wolf, well, it’s his now. Long story. Tell me what’s up?” I urged her because now that I had my bear form, I felt whole again and I was beginning to feel the pack again. My father, mother, Avery, everyone, but it was faint, hiding behind static and what I could feel was not good.
Avery shared a look with Mason, her lip quivered and something sank in my gut.
“The pack was attacked. Twenty wolves kidnapped, including your father. Your mom is Alpha now.” Her words ripped me open emotionally and lit a fire of anger inside of me.
I dropped the water canteen I was holding, and my mouth hung open. Jaxon and Mason had been whispering off to the side, they came to join us now.
“WHAT!” I shouted and my bear rose up so fast I had to tamp her down for fear that she would shift and scare the shit out of my friends.
Mason had a gash on his arm and his clothes were bloody and torn. He met my eyes. “Your dad fought like a maniac trying to protect the females, but there were too many.”
The anger was pressing down on me so hard I let a growl leak from my throat and everyone stepped back a foot. A bear growl would make even the toughest of men piss their pants.
“Who. Who did this?” My words were stone. Give me a name and they were dead.
A tear leaked from Avery’s eye. “Humans.”
I gasped, not expecting that. Sure, there were a few rebel humans that didn’t agree with us but not to do something like this. Not a full on attack taking twenty wolves. Females. The Alpha. No. It was against the way of things. We protected humans. They shouldn’t harm us.
“There’s more,” Jaxon told me before I could respond.
Mason ran a shaky hand through his hair. “It’s not just your father’s pack. Wolves are being taken all over the country. The humans have turned their back on us. It’s going to be an all-out war.”
I staggered back in shock just as Lina and Nahuel came out of the sweat lodge tent. I couldn’t contain my bear any longer. She wanted to run, to roar, to rage. It was happening, like in the vision with Nahuel; the humans against the wolves. Never in my life did I think this would happen.
My clothes tore as I began to shift, my muscles bulking, fur flaring out on my arms and legs. Once I was finally on all fours, everyone stared at me with a mixture of fascination and fear. Gavin was the only one who looked at me with pride. Rising up on my hind legs, I roared for my people, roared for the death of the beautiful treaty my father had worked so hard to build with the humans. I roared for the beginning of what was sure to become an ugly war with the one species we were sworn to protect.
“Holy shit,” Mason commented as Gavin stripped down and shifted. Then Jaxon, Avery, and finally Mason followed suit, all shifting before me. Nahuel surprised us all by shifting into a jaguar. Lina simply stayed in her human form, the only one I assumed she had. But we ran, all of us. A bear, a jaguar, a human, and four wolves. Our own little pack ran through the forest, letting the fresh air and trees cleanse our mourning souls.
*
After a one hour run with our eclectic group, we made it back to the campsite feeling more focused. After shifting, I showered and dressed, ready now for the conversation with Lina and Nahuel that I was dreading. The conversation that I was sure would tell me I had somehow become something I wasn’t born to be. And I wasn’t talking about my bear form; I was talking about what Lina called me before I fainted. A Keeper. I was also hoping there were five more burritos in my near future because it seemed with a bear to feed, one wasn’t enough.
Making my way across the wooded area, I was happy to see Gavin was engrossed in conversation with Jaxon and Mason. They all seemed to be bonding nicely. Avery was asleep in one of the tents and I reminded myself that I needed to catch up with her tomorrow. Whatever she had seen traumatized her. We all wanted to get back home and help find my dad. But this needed to be dealt with first.
Lifting the flaps to Lina’s tent, I was a bit surprised to see one of the large warriors waiting with Lina and Nahuel inside. They sat in a small circle on a colorful woven rug and looked up as I entered. Lina smiled warmly and patted the carpet space to her right.
Crossing the space, I sat next to her and met the eyes of my wise council. My stomach was in knots; things like this are what shook a person to their core. I wasn’t good with change, my whole life was pretty much planned out. I was the Alpha’s daughter, shared the same gift as my mother of finding werewolf mates. I would spend my life on Mount Hood finding mates like my mother and maybe one day take over the pack. But not now, so I decided to just launch right into it.
“Why can’t I communicate with my pack? My Alpha.” I tried to keep my voice strong but it wavered with emotion.
Nahuel gave me a look of sympathy. “When you lost your wolf, your pack bonds re-wired somehow. Bears are solitary creatures. They don’t need a pack.”
My face fell at his revelation that he thought I didn’t need a pack. No. I would always need my pack! Before I could respond the warrior spoke.
“When you go home, your Alpha can bring you back into the pack, no problem. What Nahuel means is that wolf hierarchy and pack mentality mean nothing to your bear. You are a pack of your own, the most dominant member.”
