Her Earth Mates

by Lark Sterling

  As she lay thinking about the man right outside her door, her eyes began to get heavy, and the bed felt as if it was enveloping her. Between the beer, the trip, and the sleeping Bear inside of her, Althea had enough and was ready for a nice deep sleep. She turned her head away from the door, and snuggled into the soft fabric of the heavy blankets. Feeling the safety that Minco gave her from being just outside the doors, she yawned lightly and fell quickly to sleep.

  In the world around her, the Shifters on watch, moved about, or did as Althea did, some snuggled into their warm beds and drifted off to sleep. On the inside though, Althea was spiraling through the dark, leaving the here and now and delving back into her dreams. She had been having dreams about what happened with her mother ever since the day she left her and her sisters. But on this night, just as her feelings for Billy and Minco were different, so were the dark recesses of her dreamworld.

  Althea’s feet stepped gingerly down into the forest bed, feeling the cold wet leaves beneath her bare toes. Her arms were out in front of her, reaching, searching for anything familiar. It was so dark she couldn’t see but a few inches in front of her face. She could hear the rustling of the leaves and she knew she was in the forest. In unknown situations like this one, Althea would normally turn into her Bear but no matter how hard she tried, it was as if her Bear and her were completely separated. She couldn’t shift, she couldn’t talk, and she was left stumbling through the darkness, shivering from the cold, trying to figure out where she was.

  “Althea,” her mother’s voice said, echoing through the darkness.

  Pausing for a moment Althea turned in all directions trying to figure out where the voice was coming from. “Mother? Mother, where are you? I can’t find you it’s so dark.”

  Her hand reached a limb and she ran her fingers across the damp wood, ducking down and moving beneath it. She’d always been so comfortable in the woods which made the situation even more dire to her. In her dream, she was fearful and jumpy, startled by every strange noise around her. Her mind wasn’t connecting, and she felt foggy and confused. As she stood up and began to move forward again, her eyes adjusted to the moonlight shimmering down in a clearing ahead. She was finally capable of seeing the ground in front of her.

  Althea picked up the pace, jogging toward the clearing. As she reached the edge, she stopped, putting her hand on a large Oak to her right and peering around the open space. In front of her, waves of fog bellowed out and over the crisp green grass, covering the clearing in a dense curtain of dew. She was confused, as there was no fog anywhere else in the forest, just right there in the clearing beneath the bright full moon light casting down through the canopy.

  She gasped, her eyes darting from side to side as she caught something moving in the fog. She couldn’t be sure though, it was too hard to see. Then again, with the fear that she was feeling, she knew very well her mind could’ve been playing tricks on her. But if it wasn’t…

  Althea wrapped her arms around her, feeling the chill more than ever. Wherever she was, whatever was in that fog, it wasn’t good. She lingered there in the chill for just another moment, but feeling the apprehension in the pit of her stomach, Althea turned to walk away. As she took a step forward into the darkness, her mother’s voice rang out once again. She called to Althea, but this time instead of the calm and sweet voice that she was used to, her mother seemed fearful, and much closer than before.

  Althea whipped around, dropping her arms to her sides, staring out into the opening. She took another step forward, her breath collecting into drops in front of her face and blowing off into the thick mist in front of her. “Mother? I’m coming!”

  Without a thought, Althea ran forward into the clearing letting the fog envelope her. She couldn’t see anything and her mother was nowhere to be found. Unsure of how far she had gone, she stopped in the center, turning right and left, her breath quickening in her chest. “Mother! Where are you?”

  But there was no more sound, no more direction to help ground her. The rolling mist began to thicken, swirling up Althea’s legs and tightening against her chest. It was choking her as if it were smoke, but it was odorless and damp. Althea’s hands fell to her knees and she bent forward, breathing heavily. She gasped loudly, calling for her mother, barely able to get the words out. “Moth…mother…”

  The sound of her voice trickled off and as if someone had turned the lights out, everything went instantly dark. Althea snapped upward and looked around, finding that the fog had disappeared and she could breathe again, but she couldn’t see anything, even the ground beneath her feet. It was cold, so cold she felt as if she would turn to ice. She crossed her arms over her chest, and gripped her shoulders, her teeth chattering loudly.

  With the painful apprehension tightening once again in her stomach, she froze, unable to move, unable to hear, and terrified. She could feel the presence of someone else, but it wasn’t a warm comforting feeling, it was a dreadful and uncomfortable wrenching deep in her chest. Her eyes shifted back and forth and she held the air in her lungs, trying to be as quiet as possible. She didn’t know what was coming for her, but for some reason her instincts told her something was there. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on changing into her Bear, but it was almost as if it had left. Her Bear had been her protection her whole life and to not feel the warmth and strength surging through her, left her weak and vulnerable.

  Althea pressed her hand to her stomach, trying to calm her breathing, making it as quiet as possible. However, as she focused in on her chest and the deepness of her breath, she realized that the sound she heard, the deep fluid breathing wasn't coming from her. Althea’s lips twitched and she rolled her neck to the right, feeling the heat against her skin. Her lips trembled in fear knowing that whatever was hunting her was right beside her but she couldn’t see it.

  “Please…” She whispered.

  Out of the darkness, a black scaled hand snapped forward and grabbed Althea by the arm. She jumped, letting out a bloodcurdling scream, the sound reverberating through her head, consuming her.

  “Althea!”

  Minco’s voice cut through her shrill and her eyes flew open. Althea gasped for air, sitting straight up on her bed, pushing the covers down from her chest. She gripped onto the front of her shirt, looking right and left, choking on her own fear. Tears filled her eyes, and streamed down her cheeks. As her vision cleared, she looked up at Minco, blinking at him for just a moment before throwing her body toward him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in the crook of his neck.

  Without hesitation, he pulled her into him and held her tightly, cradling her in his arms. “Shhhh, you’re safe now. I’m here. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

  Althea sniffled, reality quickly coming back. She pulled her face from his shoulder and wiped her tears nodding. “I must have had a bad dream, but it felt so real.”

  Minco pushed the hair out of Althea’s face and looked at her with caring. “Tell me about it. What happened in your dream?”

  Althea slowly pulled back and sat cross legged in front of him. “Ever since my mother died, I’ve been having dreams about her. Basically, they’re just replays of the days before she moved on to the Fields of Moribund. But this one was different. I started out in the woods like I often did it my dreams but this time I couldn’t change into my Bear. It was really dark and very cold and I came to an opening in the forest. I could hear my mother calling for me like she always did. But when I got there, it was full of fog and I couldn’t see her anywhere. There was this strong lurking fear in the pit of my stomach and I thought I saw something inside the clearing. Following my instincts, somewhat, I went to turn away but then I heard my mother again. There was panic in her voice and she just sounded so close. So, I ran out into the fog. Once I got there, though, it was as if it was alive, choking me. And then something came out of the fog, it grabbed me with its black scaly hand. I screamed out and that’s when you woke me.”

  Minco’s face went f
rom calm and collected to both suspicious and startled at the same time. She watched as he slowly reached out, gently gripping her wrist and pulling on her arm. Her eyes shifted from his to her arm and she tilted her head to the side, watching as a shimmering dark handprint slowly faded from her forearm. She slapped her other hand to her mouth, and pulled her arm away. “What is that?”

  Minco was already on his feet, putting her shoes on the floor in front of her and holding her robe up out in front of him. “Get dressed. I need you to come with me.”

  With hesitation, Althea slowly stood up slipping her feet into the shoes and turning, put her arms into the robe. She pulled it tight against her and turned around finding Minco already at the door. “Where are we going?”

  Minco shook his head. “I need you to trust me. I don’t have time to explain. I just need you to come with me.”

  Althea’s eyes narrowed as she studied Minco for a moment, realizing that she couldn’t help but trust him. She knew he was there to protect her.

  Chapter Five

  Minco took long strides, holding Althea’s wrist with one hand and pulling out his phone with the other. She watched him as he dialed a number and put the phone to his ear. “Billy, wake up. It’s happened.”

  Althea was confused, she had no idea why he would call his bartender brother after what happened. He glanced over at her and then back ahead of them. “Yes, we’re on our way there now. Meet us there.”

  He hung up the phone and shoved it back in his pocket. Althea was almost jogging trying to keep up with him, his hand pulling on her wrist. “What happened? What did you mean, ‘it’s happened?’”

  Minco didn’t answer her, his hand slipping down to hers and gripping it tightly as they hurried through the Settlement. Althea looked around her as they walked, seeing that her screams must have woken up others in the village as well. Every door along the way was cracked and she could see them, peeking through, their eyes flashing to gold and then back again. As soon as she passed though, they shut their doors loudly, the sound of locks clicking behind her.

  On the other side of the Settlement, where they had been at the pub earlier, Minco took a sharp right and headed toward a six foot tall stone wall with an ornate wrought iron gate covered in thick floral vines. All along the fence moss grew on the damp stones and there was a gentle fragrance reminiscent of patchouli wafting through the air. As they approached the gate, Minco released her hand and pushed it open as if it weighed nothing. He was incredibly strong, and it was a comforting feeling.

  As she walked through the gates, she could see another home just up ahead, this one even more fantastical than all the others in the Settlement. It was ancestral in nature with carvings covering the lower halves of trees spotted through the yard, beautiful tapestries hung from limbs, flapping in the breeze. The house was dark, and no bigger than the one she was staying in, but this one was much older. The roof was covered in patches of moss and the flicker of a candle could be seen in the windows.

  Bill was standing at the front door, a slight smile on his lips. He looked different than he did behind the bar, standing seemingly taller, wearing a black long sleeve, hooded shirt, a pair of black cargo pants and boots. The hood of his shirt was pulled up over his head, casting a shadow over his eyes. He reached out his hand and took Althea’s, helping her up the steps to the front door. Billy took a step back next to Minco and the two stood behind her giving her a nod of encouragement. “Go on, knock. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

  She stared at them for a moment, and then turned to the door very slowly pulling her hand up and knocking. She could hear the hollow sound echo inside. From the looks of the place, she expected some sort of witch, or old man to answer. However, when the door swung open, she found a tall, dark-haired and very handsome looking man. He was dressed in what appeared to be white robes, with no shoes.

  His pleasant demeanor instantly calmed her fears as he looked her up and down and then back to Minco, nodding. “Minco and Billy, thank you for bringing Althea here. Unfortunately, I’m going to need you to wait outside. She’ll have to go the rest of this nights journey on her own.”

  Furling her brow, she looked back at the two brothers but didn’t know what to say. Minco’s eyes shifted to hers and his lips curled into a comforting smile. “It’ll be alright. We’ll be waiting for you.”

  She had no idea what they would be waiting on, but as she looked back at the man standing in front of her in the doorway, a comfort surged through her. It was almost as if she could tell right then and there that everything was going to be just fine, just as Minco had said. There was no fear toward him, no uncomfortableness, and almost a pull to want to go with him.

  “Okay,” Althea said quietly. “I’m ready.”

  The man stepped to the side, putting out his arm to allow her to pass by him. She stepped carefully through the door and into the home as he shut the door behind her. She scoped out the place, finding strange inscriptions and pictures of animals carved into the wooden beams. Lush dark draperies covered the windows keeping all the light out, and there were candles lit all over the place. Some were fresh and new, while others she could tell had been burning for a very long time, the wax dripping down into a pool at its base.

  She felt the man’s hand on the small of her back and looked over as he smiled, leading her over to what looked to be an altar with mounds of brightly colored pillows stacked up in front of it. “Come, have a seat.”

  Althea did as she was asked, not asking questions just yet. She carefully stepped into the mounds of pillows and sat down, finding it just as comfortable as her bed. The man crossed his legs at the ankles and gently sat across from her. “My name is Yansa, and I am the Misabe Mukwa Shaman. I also happen to be the third brother to Minco and Billy.”

  Raising an eyebrow, Althea chuckled. “Are you all brothers here at the Settlement? You seem to be multiplying.”

  Yansa smirked, his shoulders bobbing just slightly as he chuckled at her. “No, I meant. I’m the third and final. Your dream is more than a dream. Minco and Billy knew that. That’s why you’re here with me. Your mother is trying to reach out to you, as you are in some sort of danger. In this room, I will attempt to contact your mother so that she can relay her message to you. I will also perform a protection ceremony at the same time to ward off ill intent from others. I am a Shaman, not a witch, so I am simply appealing to the Ancestors to protect you. There are no guarantees.”

  Althea huffed. “That seems to be the story of my life. There are no guarantees.”

  Althea didn’t care about any of that, not once he said that he was going to connect her with her mother. She sat up, her back straight, her eyes perked. “But I understand.”

  Yansa nodded, reaching up to the altar and taking two candles, one lit one not. He handed the lit candle to Althea as the smoke from burning herbs and flowers rolled around them. She used her lit candle to set aflame the second one, sitting it comfortably between them. Yansa put out his hands, and Althea took them in hers. “Now close your eyes, and try to clear your head. Think of your mother. Think of her as clearly as you can.”

  Althea did as she was told, listening to the deep strumming tone of Yansa’s voice as he began to chant the words in some other language. She could feel a lightness to her, an energy that was connecting the two of them through their grasped palms. Her mind began to shift, pictures flipping through it like a playbook. There were memories of her sisters when they were all together with their mother, the Matriarch in all her glory, and even the emotions that accompanied her passing. Althea swore she could almost feel her mother’s presence right there, right then.

  “Open your eyes,” Yansa instructed. “I don’t know how long this will hold, so take advantage of it.”

  As Althea opened her eyes, she cupped her hands over her mouth, tears instantly streaming down her face. Standing in front of her, looking down with a gentle smile was her mother. She climbed to her feet, still sobbing, shaking her head. Her mot
her reached forward, brushing her hand across Althea’s forehead. She was translucent, a ghost in the wind, but she was still there and in the present. It wasn’t a dream, it wasn’t her imagination, the Matriarch stood before her. Althea got herself together, taking in a deep breath and holding back the tears. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  Her mother nodded, giving her the same look she always did when she was proud of her. “You’re doing so good. I knew you would. You’ve always been a fighter and you have always been my motivated girl. I want you to know that you found what you were sent out to look for, you just haven’t fully realized it yet. It will come to you. I’m hoping that it comes quickly though, it’s extremely important, especially right now.”

  Althea shook her head. “I don’t understand. Why now?”

  The smile faded from her mother’s lips, and she glanced down at Yansa who was humming to himself, performing the protection ceremony while the gates were open to the Fields of Moribund. “You are in much danger. I’ve been trying to fight through the veil in order to give you a warning, but far greater powers have been intervening. Listen to me. There are those amongst the Shifters that don’t want to see you or your sister succeed. While I always had my critics, it’s gone to another level since my passing. They will stop at nothing to stop your succession, and the succession of your sisters.”

  Althea furled her brow. “But we haven’t even had a chance to prove ourselves. What do I do? I have no idea who it is.”

  Her mother’s image flickered and she looked around. “I don’t have much time left. You must trust in those that care for you and always keep your third eye open.” The smile returned to her mother’s face and she sighed, shaking her head. “Oh, sweet girl. I miss all of you so much. Remember that you are strong and that you are more than capable of doing this. I will always be here, and when the trials are over, look for me in your dreams.”