by Cloe Cullen
Eventually everyone took a turn once Nyssa and Lowell finished, with Jorah joining Finn and Keanu to tell a few tales of their own, some stories from before the Vampire invasion, and others from their current era atop the Northern Mountains, about how the older shifters had to learn to adapt to the harsh cold and scarce resources the peaks offered. It felt good to relax and stretch his lungs, to let his voice speak about something other than his impending challenge tomorrow. The whole while, Nyssa couldn’t take her eyes off him, and more than once he pretended to speak directly to her, seeing her lips slowly curl into a genuine, beautiful smile.
When they were finished, a bear shifter showed up at their prison cave with caskets of cooked meat and a few hideskin jugs of ale. It was then their stomachs howled in hunger, and they ravenously tore into the food, stuffing their faces and chewing nonstop. Even Bronwen appeared more than ready to dirty her hands and lick the juices off her fingers. As they ate, Bronwen began her own tale, rounding out the group.
She began with a story about a young Vampire, one that challenged one of the Thirteen Vampire Lords. The Vampire fought for love, for a female Vampire that fell under the Lord’s thumb. So, one day he confronted the Lord, intent on challenging him to a duel. Apparently, normally Lords didn’t accept challenges to duels from Vampires lower than them, but to his surprise the Lord accepted. The one condition the Lord had was that they duel right then and there, inside his castle. Happy that he would get a chance to win back his love, who watched on from the side of the room, the Vampire readied himself for the duel. But the duel didn’t quite go the way he planned; within seconds, the lowly Vampire was brutalized by the Lord, broken and beaten to a mushed blob. He didn’t survive the duel, and the Lord went on with his days, forgetting that lowly Vampire ever even existed.
Bronwen’s tale ended just like that, with her chuckling, causing everyone else to glance between each other. Sighing at the end of the tale, Jorah found his head hurting trying to ponder why Vampire’s sense of humor was so twisted.
After that, the others began to play games again, forming a circle close to the entrance of the cave, letting Jorah and Nyssa simply watch from the sidelines. Resting her head on his shoulder, Nyssa gripped onto his arm, and they both remained quiet. Her grip made his heart hammer, thoughts of the morning and how wrong it could go filling his mind.
As the hours waned, one by one the group laid back on the cave floor, doing their best to make themselves comfortable as they closed their eyes to oncoming sleep. Bronwen was the only one who didn’t shut her eyes, rather leaning herself against the cave wall and staring towards the entrance. Jorah was sure she was thinking of Remus, possibly wanting to spend the night with him rather than the five of them.
Jorah’s thoughts then turned to Remus, Nyssa’s tense older brother, and the warning he gave Jorah to never allow harm to come to Nyssa. So far Nyssa hadn’t truly been hurt, not physically or mentally, but then he thought of what would happen if Jorah failed the contest the next morning. Would exactly would the Seers do to Nyssa and the rest? Execute them, just like they planned all along? How would Remus react to that? Would war break out because of his loss?
Jorah’s features darkened as he stared at one of the torches, remembering how beautiful the Oldwood had been, all the shifters and creatures simply going about their lives unaware of what was going on atop the peaks of the Northern Mountains.
Thinking Nyssa to be asleep, he relaxed his body, glancing up at the ceiling, but that quickly changed when Nyssa’s hand grabbed his own, and her brilliant blue eyes locked onto him. “Are you still awake?” She whispered. Glancing back down, he smiled.
“Yeah, I’m still awake.”
“Then come on.” Untangling herself from Jorah, Nyssa gracefully rose to her feet, pulling Jorah up with her. He wanted to ask what was on her mind as she pulled him deftly further into the cave, picking up one of the torches as they went. Bronwen watched them as they left, but ultimately returned to gazing at the large boulder.
Nyssa’s hand tightly around his wrist, she dragged him on and on into the cave, all the way until they hit the back wall. Once there, Nyssa let go of Jorah, turning and placing the torch next to the wall. Curious as to her intentions, Jorah stepped forward. “I don’t suppose you brought me back here for any kind of reason…” But she didn’t answer him, instead whirling on him, grabbing his cheeks and rapidly pressing her lips to his. Catching him by surprise, she held him tight, her passion flowing into him like an invigorating elixir, warming his face and making his body tremble at the sudden pleasure. Releasing him moments later, Nyssa breathed hard, staring into his eyes.
“We don’t have forever,” she said, looking deep into his face. “I can’t take it! Just waiting to see whether you’ll survive the contest or not, or whether you’ll win or lose. I just...I need you right now. Alone.”
Struck by how suddenly the mood changed, his heart beginning to thump beneath his chest, Jorah did this best to grin. “What happened to all that confidence you had earlier?”
“It’s difficult to stay positive when all I can do is just sit in a cave and wait,” Nyssa said, her face drooping. “I mean, what if the Seers decided to just not take us up on the challenge, and just keep us in here? What if-”
Stopping her rollercoaster of words with a finger pressed to her lips, Jorah nodded back towards the way they came. “Quiet, now, or you’ll wake the others.”
Without waiting for her to respond, Jorah picked her up, causing her to stifle a shriek. Slamming her against the wall as softly and quietly as possible, Jorah locked his mouth onto hers once again. Her tender hands gripped the back of his head, caressing his neck and running through his hair, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. His body bristling, he pressed his body to hers, letting her nymph-like curves morph and angle his torso.
Her breath, hot and heavy, washed over his neck and collar, making his blood surge and boil. Eventually their kissing became so rough that neither could hold themselves back any longer, and so Nyssa pushed back on the cave wall with her palms, causing Jorah to stumble backwards, his legs giving out, and them both falling to the ground. They landed on Jorah’s back, the smooth cave floor slapping his skin. Nyssa remained in his arms, straddling his torso, her slender hands flat against his abs, only his fabric tunic blocking her from fingering his muscles beneath.
“Do you think this’ll give you the energy to pull through the contest at dawn?” Nyssa breathed as she swiftly fumbled with trying to pull his shirt off.
Jorah chuckled as they slipped his tunic over his head, his skin. “Maybe...I guess we’ll have to see after, huh?”
Nyssa’s hands once again touched his body, though now the touch sizzled and drew him in as he leaned up to kiss her. Her back arched at the taste of his lips, and his hands gently helped her undress, revealing her bright skin and slim features. Losing himself in her, he rolled her over onto her back staring down into her glowing blue eyes, tiny fires dancing in her eyes. They waited a moment, simply taking in each other's figure, letting their hearts sync and beat as one, until finally Jorah pulled off his pants and they connected as one.
Their lovemaking brewed hotter than the flames of the torch that rested to the side, each covering each other’s mouths in an attempt to smother their moans, to keep their skin slapping from waking the others.
Neither knew how much time passed as they lay with each other; they were both so caught up in each other’s embrace that time become a foreign concept, an excuse to leave each other’s touch.
However long it was, their lovemaking ended on a high note, one last push that sent shivers through each of their bodies. With his muscles aching and his charming grin plastered to his face, he collapsed on top of Nyssa. They breathed heavily, together as one, smiling and giggling and kissing each other once more before Jorah lifted himself to the side, wrapping his arms around Nyssa and laying still while they caught their breaths and returned to simply holding each other.
J
ust like every time before he got lost in Nyssa, all he could think about was never letting her go, never leaving her. Now that he’d spent the night with her, perusing each other’s bodies, he knew he didn’t want this to be the last time they lay together.
“So, how was it?” Nyssa asked, rolling over to look at him, her face covered in shadows.
Jorah’s grin grew from ear to ear, and he couldn’t help but plant a single kiss on her forehead. “It wasn’t half bad.”
Rolling her eyes, Nyssa burst out into a fit of giggles, causing Jorah to laugh as well.
“Should we go back?” She asked suddenly.
“No... let’s just stay here until they call for us, okay?” Jorah said, unwilling to let this moment break.
Nyssa simply smiled in response, staring at him. “I love you, you know.”
“I love you too,” Jorah replied.
It wouldn’t be long now until Nyx would come calling for the contest of strength. Waiting was still his only option, but for now he felt content, ready to step into the snow for a match that would decide his clan’s fate. Jorah wouldn’t have it any other way.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Nyssa
S he couldn’t have said when they fell asleep in each other’s arms that night, but Nyssa dreamed once again.
In the past, her dreams were always filled with heroic visions of Darius, imagining life if Darius had chosen her instead of Amara, how she could be the Alpha’s mate instead of a cat shifter. Those dreams were dark and misty, with the only light being Darius as he turned his back to her.
But this time her dream was nothing of the sort, instead a vision of pure white snow, with tracks circling her. Instead of Darius walking away from her, a great, massive bear circled her, watching, its dark eyes never leaving her sight. Anyone else might have trembled at the beast circling her, but Nyssa remained steadfast, even briskly striding towards in, cupping its great head and pulling it to her chest, its warm, grizzly fur engulfing her and tickling her skin. As the sun rose and the snow melted, the bear transformed into a man, into the dark-eyed Jorah, his charming smile never breaking, his ginormous arms gently wrapping around her. As they kissed, their bodies lit on fire, tall flames scorching their bodies on the tallest peak of the Northern Mountains.
And then she awoke to the sound of voices calling her name. Her eyes fluttered open to find no Jorah in front of her, her hands sifting through nothing but air. Instead as she rose and stretched from the cool cave floor, she spied Jorah pushing his head and tied back hair through his tunic.
“Nyssa, Jorah!” The voices called again. “Come on, where are you guys? It’s dawn already!”
Turning to shake her awake, Jorah’s eyes widened when he saw he didn’t need to help her along. He smiled, throwing her the clothes they had greedily torn off the night before. “Rise and shine, sleeping beauty,” Jorah said, crouching next to her as she pulled on her hideskin jerkin. “Looks like it’s finally time to head out. You ready?”
“Are you?” She asked back, standing to pull on her pants and boots. “I’m not wrestling some other bear shifter in a ring in the snow.”
Jorah chuckled. “But you’ll be watching me, just as everyone else will.”
Finally, just as Nyssa finished clothing herself, Bronwen stalked around the corner, peering into the darkness and seeing Jorah help Nyssa smooth out some wrinkles in her jerkin. “There you two are. We were worried you both somehow snuck out of the cave,” she said. Looking them both up and down, Bronwen giggled. “Though this is the second time now that I’ve walked in on you two...I need to stop this habit of mine before it gets out of hand.” Both Nyssa and Jorah rolled their eyes, causing Bronwen to giggle. “Well, when you two are ready, let’s go to the front. Nyx is waiting for us, and says the Seers are growing impatient.”
“The Seers will have to wait,” Jorah said. Grabbing Nyssa’s hand and pulling her forward, they followed after Bronwen.
At the entrance of the cave, just like Bronwen had said, stood Nyx, along with the two prison cave guards, speaking to Finn and Keanu, with Lowell standing off to the side. Upon seeing the trio, Nyx placed her hands on her hips and frowned, the cool wind from the outside blowing her hair around. “You two are late...you are the one who challenged the Seers, Jorah, and now you’re making them late? They won’t be easy on you, just because of that.”
Jorah shrugged. “We overslept. It happens.”
Nyx sighed and mumbled something under her breath but nodded them towards the entrance. “Come on, we don’t have forever.”
“You ready?” Finn asked Jorah as the entire group began to walk out of the cave and into the glistening snow fields.
“Of course, I am. Just sit and watch me work my magic when we get to the ring,” Jorah said.
Just like in Nyssa’s dream, the plateau of the Northern Mountains where the Bear Clan lived was serene and penetrated by the morning sunlight. The snow fields were smooth and sparkling under the sun, save for the few trails of footsteps that Nyx and other bear shifters had variously left in their wakes. The air was fresh and crisp, and as they walked Nyssa breathed in big gulps to cool her lungs. In the distance, as Nyx pointed out, a huge group of around a few hundred or so gathered, all standing and chatting to each as they approached. As the massive group of shifters saw them approach, they parted, allowing the group to pass easily to the center. The Seers stood in the center, conversing and shaking at the cold breezes.
Dallan, in particular, spoke to a burly, hairy shifter whose face was buried by a messy, thick beard and small eyes. The man stood resolute in the cold, shirtless, with his arms at his side and his chest hair running down to his naval. The man made no sound as they approached and remained silent as Jorah left Nyssa’s side to march forward.
Next to the man, Jorah looked down on him, but the shifter’s width far out-classed Jorah.
“Ah, how good of you to finally join us,” Dallan said, squinting in Jorah’s direction. “We all thought you’d given up, dropped out of the contest.”
“Please, and miss this chance to leave my mark on the world?” Jorah said with a jovial smile. “No, but I’m ready for this fight.” The burly man glared at Jorah and crossed his arms.
“Then stand across from each other in this ring, and we shall begin,” Dallan said. Turning, Dallan pointed at Nyssa and the rest, signaling to get back. “You all, stand off to the side, and whatever you do, do not get in the way.”
As everyone stepped back, Jorah and the other bear shifter moved to position only a couple dozen feet away from one another. Each remained still as stone as one of the Seers came forward with his wooden staff carved with intricate designs and stuck the staff in the snow. Dragging it along, the snow parted to create an even line as the Seer walked in a wide circle, eventually closing it after walking all the way around. Now that the circle was complete the Seer ambled back to the others, and Dallan stepped forward, raising his hands. All was silent, and Dallan gazed around, but before he could speak shouts from off in the distance pierced the air.
Startled, Dallan and the other Seers followed the gazes of the couple hundred bear shifters to spy a battle raging across the frozen lake. Nyssa widened her eyes at the sight they all bore witness to. Dozens of bears fought and roared and swiped at wolves and cougars, their howls erupting in huge clouds of frozen air. The crowd of bear shifters recoiled at the sight, with many gasping and shouting themselves, and many beginning to back away as the bears were pushed back across the frozen lake. Wolves and cougars raced after the bears, unwilling to keep attacking so long as their enemies kept running.
To her surprise, Nyssa saw tufts of gray and blonde hair among the shifters, as well as a overgrown and very loud cougar running alongside a smaller, blonde cougar. Speechless, Nyssa watched as the group of around ten or so wolves and cougars raced to a stop before the crowd of bear shifters, scaring many to the point of running to hide behind the Seers, save for Nyssa and her group.
The gray wolf shifted back first,
appearing as none other than Darius, her Alpha and friend, followed by Remus, Amara and her father, Torian, the rest remaining in their massive wolf forms. Snarling at any bears that got close.
“Darius…” Nyssa said.
Panting, Darius waved at Nyssa, but it was Remus who ran forward to embrace Nyssa.
Her brother grabbed her tight, squeezing so hard Nyssa battered on his arm to let her go. But even as he stepped back his hands remained tight on her shoulders. “Do you have any idea how scared I was when I woke up alone in our house?” He said angrily. “Next time say something before just getting up to leave without me!”
“B-but what are you all doing here?” Nyssa asked.
Remus sighed. “Isn’t that obvious? We came to find you...and to talk to these Seers of yours.” Spying Bronwen prance over, he pointed a big finger at her. “You’ll have some explaining to do later.”
“W-what is this?” Dallan suddenly shouted, stepping forward from his comrades who shook in fear behind him. “Who are you and what are you doing in our home? Have you come to slay us all? Ravage our caves and pillage our belongings?”
Darius and Torian walked forward, naked as the day they were born, and stopped just before the circle in which Jorah and the other bear shifter remained standing in. “My name is Darius, Alpha of the Pack,” Darius said.
“And I am Torian, Alpha of the Pride,” Torian said, his mane of hair dancing in the wind. “We’re here to negotiate a peace with you all. I presume you nine are the leaders of the fabled remnants of the Bear Clan?”
“We are,” came Dallan’s spiteful response. “But we will not negotiate with you now! Nor do we plan to do so in the future. Currently we are in the middle of an important ritual, so stay back and do not interrupt us again! In fact, why don’t you simply leave?”
Suddenly Nyx stepped forward. “Let them stay, Dallan. If the outcome of this contest ends in Jorah’s favor, then you Seers can speak to the two leaders of the Oldwood clans immediately after. There’s no reason to turn them away now.” She looked Darius and Torian up and down, wrinkling her nose. “Though maybe we should find them some clothes...I think the cold could bite them a little too hard in their current attire.”
