Page 11 of Beasts of Mine

“That's reassuring,” I muttered to myself, waiting until the location marker stabilized. The tayra glanced back from several yards ahead.

“Don't look at me like that,” I told the creature, falling into step again. “You're the reason I'm out here.”

It slipped beneath a thick curtain of hanging vines.

I followed.

“Where exactly are we going?” I asked the tayra, pushing a branch away from my face while trying to keep track of our direction.

The creature continued walking without slowing.

“Right. Still can't answer me,” I murmured to the tayra, ducking beneath the last of the vines after it.

I stepped through.

And stopped.

A clearing opened in front of me. It wasn't especially large, but after the tightly packed trees and vegetation we'd just crossed, the sudden open space was impossible to miss.

An enormous tree stood near the center. Its trunk was wider than any I'd seen since arriving, separating into several thick sections that twisted together as they rose toward the canopy. Huge roots extended across the ground, creating natural spaces where ferns and flowering plants had grown between them.

A shallow pool rested at the base of the tree. The water was so clear that individual pale stones were visible along the bottom. Flowers grew around most of the clearing. Some were orchids I recognized immediately. Others weren't familiar at all.

What caught my attention was the variety. Several of the plants shouldn't have been thriving beside one another, particularly in this much shade, yet none appeared unhealthy.

My hand went automatically to my camera.

I lifted it halfway.

Then hesitated.

There wasn't a rational reason not to take the photograph. Still, something about the clearing made me reluctant to bring the camera to my face. Maybe it was the absence of human tracks, or the strange quiet, or simply the fact that I hadn't expected to find anything like this.

Whatever the reason, I lowered it again.

“What is this place?” I whispered to myself, turning slowly enough to take in the tree, the flowers, and the clear water.

The injured tayra walked toward the pool. I noticed the bandage approaching the water.

“Careful,” I warned the creature, following several steps behind. “That wrap isn't waterproof.”

Its injured paw touched the edge of the pool. A faint golden light appeared beneath it.

I stopped.

For a moment, I thought the light was a reflection. Then it moved through the water. It spread outward beneath the surface before curling back toward the tayra's leg and traveling upward.

“What the hell?” I whispered, backing away a step while keeping my attention fixed on the impossible glow.

The light became brighter. Within seconds, it surrounded the tayra completely.

I could still see the general outline of its body inside, but that shape was changing.

Its legs lengthened.

Its back shifted.

The dark fur disappeared beneath the brightness.