by Meg Ripley
Alpha Dustu Long Claw bowed to Althea, not necessary, but engrained after decades of bowing to the Matriarch. “We would be honored to have you. I’ll send word and begin making arrangements immediately.”
It was settled. When the meeting came to a close, Althea would be following her gut, venturing into the deep realms of the forest, finding her true Shifter Ancestors and doing whatever she could to help them continue to thrive.
2
“There you are,” Althea said breathlessly, reaching out and taking her mother’s hands.
“I’m always here,” she replied, the open gates to the Fields of Moribund wavering weightlessly in the background. “You’ve grown from a tiny little Shifter to a brave and valiant soldier.”
Althea blinked at her and turned her head, seeing her sisters standing in line beside her. Turning back to her mother, a foggy confusion filled her mind as if she had been there before, in that situation, with her mother speaking the same words. The breeze blew across the fields, again raising the hair on the back of Althea’s neck.
Her mother smiled kindly, the type of smile that filled Althea with love and warmth. “You have many gifts you will discover in the coming weeks. Don’t be afraid of them, make yourself one with the powers that be. High Alpha of the Earth Shifters, Noble Protector within the Shifter Guard, and mother to all Earth creatures.”
Althea watched in awe as her mother backed up toward the gates, the Elders behind her in the distance, blurred by the wavering curtain between that realm and her own. The tears were warm against her cheeks, and she wrapped her arms around her waist, closing her eyes tightly. Althea was reliving the last moments with her mother all over again.
As she stood in the fields collecting her emotions with her eyes still shut, she jolted forward, stumbling slightly. Althea opened her eyes, finding her head firmly placed against the window of the black SUV that had picked her up to take her to the Herobrand Forest. She swallowed hard, feeling a scratchy dryness in her throat. Sitting up, she looked around, finding the SUV stopped down a long dirt road, facing the wood line. Up ahead were two men, waiting. The driver glanced back at Althea and nodded. “Here’s where I leave you. They will see you securely to the camp.”
Normally, Althea wouldn’t be permitted to go somewhere like that without her own personal guards, but the Grizzlies were her people, and they were very sensitive about who they let in and out of the camp. She knew she would be safe, and the Grizzly Alpha would assign her security when she arrived.
Althea thanked the driver and climbed out, throwing her book bag over her shoulder. She approached the two men, one large and muscular, his physique near perfect, and his effect on Althea was instantaneous. She could feel her heart start to beat just a bit faster, and it took effort for her not to graze over his entire body with her hungry eyes. The other man was old, very old, hunched over carrying a carved and crooked walking stick.
“Greetings,” the tall handsome guy said while bowing slightly. “I am Minco, Alpha security. I have been assigned to keep you safe while you stay with the Misabe Mukwa at our Clan Settlement. And this is Alo, our guide through the forest.”
Althea bowed her head gently and shifted her eyes back up to Minco’s as she rose. “Shall we shift?”
The guide turned and began walking into the forest. Confused, Althea looked to Minco for understanding. “Alo has given up his long life as a Bear, staying in his human form to preserve the path of the guide. He is no longer able to shift. We will walk as our humans. If you need assistance…”
Althea’s chin immediately came up, and she shook her head indignantly. “No thank you. I am capable of walking the journey on my own.”
Minco nodded, stepping to the side, falling in line only after Althea had gone ahead of him. The hike was long and arduous and there were moments of silence where she wondered if she was ever going to make it to the Settlement. The air was cool but stagnant and the only sounds around her were the crunching of leaves beneath their feet and the caws of birds in the trees. As the light began to shade, evening approaching, Alo stepped through what looked like a wall of vines, disappearing.
Althea stopped and stared at it, never having seen a hidden Settlement before. Minco walked up next to her and smiled. “It’s alright. You’re permitted to enter. Just walk right into the vines and they will give way to the Settlement. It’s our magic protection and it’s stood for centuries, keeping our Settlement safe.”
She eyed Minco for a moment but figured since she was the High Alpha, and a guest of the tribe, there was no way he would try to trick her. Or she hoped not. Putting her thumbs into the straps of her book bag, she walked forward, closing her eyes as she approached the vines. She stepped forward and opened them again, hearing the sounds of singing, chanting, and voices all around. Her mouth fell slightly open as she stared out at the Settlement. In her mind, she had imagined nothing more than huts, dirt walkways, and the like. To her surprise, the Settlement wasn’t that different from an actual town tucked into the confines of the deep and uninhabited forest.
Minco walked up next to her and smiled. “It’s not like your big cities, but we like it here.”
“It’s beautiful,” Althea replied.
Minco nodded. “We don’t have everything. Electricity is scarce being so far out and hidden, but we don’t mind. We’ve survived on less, and one day this will seem archaic to us. Come. I will take you to your cabin. Dustu Long Claw has had a very long and difficult trip himself and has asked that he meet with you tomorrow.”
Althea nodded and walked beside Minco, following his lead since she had no idea where she was going. As they walked, the people bowed to her, and in all directions was a mixture of Shifters as their humans and their Bears. She could feel a wave of excitement bursting in her chest, her inner Bear feeling the connection with its own kind. They headed through the main portion of the Settlement, Althea taking notice of the homes lined along the way, each with its own personality, each with its own individual totem by the front door.
“What do the totems represent?” she asked.
Minco glanced over. “Life. Each one begins when a Shifter is born or joins our Settlement. They learn how to carve them, and with every great step in their lives, such as mating, children, illness, and spiritual achievements, they create another layer.”
“Oh,” Althea replied, feeling almost cheated out of her own.
Minco stopped and nodded toward the small, thatch-roofed home to their right. “This is yours. Not just the cottage, but your totem was brought forward and placed for protection in front. We have kept your totem from the moment your mother, the Matriarch, birthed you. The Alpha has carved it himself, sitting in until the day you choose to carve it yourself. But he will tell you all about it tomorrow.”
Althea’s eyes went wide as she passed it, seeing the intricate detail meticulously added, starting from her birth at the bottom. Minco opened the door to her cottage and stepped to the side. “There should be everything you need already set up inside. If you need anything or are hungry, thirsty, or cold, please let me know and I will send a caretaker to retrieve what you need.”
“Are you leaving?” Althea asked.
Minco shook his head, looking strong and valiant as he thrust his chin out and put his hand on the dagger at his side. “I will stand watch here outside your door.”
Althea smiled and stepped inside, glancing back for just a moment as he shut the door behind her. She took in a deep breath, trying to push away the fluttering in her chest. As she turned to the inner workings of her cottage, her breath was taken away. It was beautiful. There were relics carefully placed throughout, all of the furniture was hand carved, and there were Clan etchings all along the wood beams crossed over the ceiling. It was bohemian with tapestries draped from one side to the other, and a bed made of one very large pillow on the floor draped in blankets and smaller pillows. It looked so comfortable.
A small giggle of excitement escaped her throat as Althea ope
ned her bag and pulled out a change of clothes. She could see the shadow of Minco beneath the door and she found herself more and more curious. As they walked through the Settlement, the Shifters not only paid her homage, but him as well. She didn’t know how the security structure worked, but she could tell the people of the village thought highly of him.
After changing, Althea laid down on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. She hadn’t felt that comfortable in a place…well, ever. She was surrounded by Grizzlies, and there was a natural comfort to that. They were her blood, her ancestry, and there was a safety to it that began to fill the cold empty hole that had been left when her mother died.
The Misabe Mukwa had called her home.
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Meg Ripley is an author of sizzling shifter romances. A Seattle native, Meg can often be found curled up in a local coffee house with her laptop.
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