Briar on Bruins' Peak (Bruins' Peak Bears Book 7)

by Erin D. Andrews

  Our odd little friend returned with a heavy, oblong tank connected to a kind of tube and strange piece of plastic with a rubber strap around the back. He set them down and reached up for two odd flat pieces of plastic that looked like big letter Vs. I reached for the supplies, but he held them back.

  “Ah, ah, ah. Not so fast. I’m helping you two, maybe someone can help me.”

  I waited, but he didn’t continue. Tina stepped forward and leaned her torso down onto a table. “What did you have in mind?” she asked, smiling a little.

  “Well, I think you know. How about we go in the back and…well, you two show me how you…” He lowered his voice to a whisper, “Become your other selves.”

  I was still lost, but Tina sighed with a resignation. “You’re a watcher?”

  He nodded, a huge smile across his face. “Right this way.” He gestured to the back and Tina gave me a look to let me know it would be okay. Shaking my head, I picked my way through the rubble to follow the short man and my friend to some hidden space in the back of the shop.

  As we entered, the space cleared, and I realized we were in a kind of house. It wasn’t anything impressive, just a cot, a little stove for cooking, and a tin bathtub for bathing. The short man leaned my things against the wall and then pulled up a strange chair that had no back to it. After he sat down, he cranked himself up high enough that we were eye to eye. “Roll me back a little, will you?”

  I complied, though I still didn’t know what was happening. Tina stayed where she was in the center of the room. I stayed near the man after I rolled him over which seemed to irritate him. “Go over by her! Do it together,” he demanded.

  Though I was put off by his attitude, I decided to comply and go stand next to Tina. She tilted her head and smiled, and to my complete shock, began to take off her shirt.

  “Can you put on some music?”

  “Oh, yes,” he sighed and reached out to hit play on some old machine that I recognized from childhood. It played odd little plastic rectangles of music, things called cassettes, and a slow, deep sound came from its speakers. He leaned back and seemed very excited. “Take your time. I want to see every part of the transition.”

  Not knowing what else to do, I just started swaying with the odd beat and following Tina’s lead. Through her teeth, she whispered for me to take off my clothes. “I don’t want to,” I whispered back.

  She did a little turn so her back was to our guy.

  “Don’t worry,” she said under her breath, “he just wants to see how our bodies shift. He’s not going to touch us.”

  I followed her lead again and turned with her. “How do you know?”

  “Watchers don’t like the idea of physical contact with shifters. They just want to see how we do it.” She slipped out of her skirt, and I undid my shorts. Soon, we were both down to our underwear and dancing around a little more freely.

  I was in the spirit of things by then. It was reassuring that he wouldn’t touch me. I shimmied out of my panties and then let myself start to change.

  Normally, I shift quickly. Going from human to animal is a painful process, but as shifters age they learn how to speed it up and shift in just a few seconds. However, the option to slow it down is always available. My fur sprouted all over me while I still had a mostly human shape, then I willed my bones to change shape from the feet up, my tail sprouting before I had to go to all fours. Next to me, Tina was doing the same, giving herself a tail long before her other traits kicked in.

  Soon, I was in full fossa form, and I realized the man was masturbating in his chair. He was letting out long, high-pitched moans as he begged us, “Change back! Change back!”

  We did, transforming and rising slowly until we stood naked in his home again. He finished just as we became completely human once more, and as soon as he was done, he lost interest.

  “Alright,” he sighed, “clothes on and out you get. No one talks about what happened to anyone, got it?”

  We dressed quickly as we assured him, “Not a word. Promise.”

  I walked over to get my stuff and looked at it incredulously. “Um… how do I..?”

  “I’m not in charge of you! Get out of my house and figure it out.”

  I couldn’t leave fast enough. After I threw on my minimal clothing, I grabbed my tank and the rest of my odd collection of objects to run for the door, Tina close behind me. We ran down the street for a few minutes and then stopped to catch our breath.

  “Whoa. That was close. I really thought he might call the enforcers on us.”

  “Me too.” I bent over and put my hands on my knees while I silently begged my heart to slow down and relax. It took a while longer, but it finally listened. I stood to look around, wondering if we’d attracted any attention, but it looked safe enough. There were people around, but no one was giving us any more than a glance.

  “How is it that no one knows what we are?” I whispered to Tina. She scoffed and patted my back.

  “Haven’t you heard? All those filthy shifters got collared. They can’t leave their compound. So, no collar means you’re looking at a human.” She winked. “Just like you and me, friend.”

  “Oh,” I nodded, “the collars. Of course, what a relief.” My shoulders relaxed knowing that our lack of disguise was as good as any mask. We strolled down the street a ways and were hit with a delicious, warm and salty scent.

  “Mmm… What’s that?” I asked, craning my neck.

  “Let’s find out,” Tina said, walking faster. I grabbed her shoulder to stop her.

  “We don’t have any money.”

  “Sure, we do.” She pulled an old, beat-up wallet from her pocket and smiled at me. “Don’t you remember?” Another wink. I felt a little sour twist in my stomach at the sight of the stolen money, but what could I say? No one was going to pay Tina any kind of fair wage for a job; not that anyone would hire a shifter who had openly killed a human. And she was out among the humans to help the others back at the compound. Could I honestly judge her? Didn’t she deserve this cash more than the pervert back at the shop?

  I pushed my objections deep down into my gut and followed her to a food stall with fried soy balls and soy sticks. We sat down to eat our junk food and smiled at each other, knowing that no one else had any suspicion of who we were or where we were headed. “Humans are easily misled,” I thought to myself. ‘It’s a shame. They’re so intelligent and so stupid.’ As I ate, I tried to follow the conversations around me, but they were confusing. Everyone around me seemed to be complaining about some random slight; demanding teachers, seeing a person they’d never seen before, parents refusing them a lock for their doors. Was a good education, new members of a community, and caring parents so terrible?

  Tina caught my eye a couple of times and gave me the tiniest of head shakes. Don’t say anything. I kept my mouth shut except to shove food in it. It was so long since I’d eaten as a human that I was practically high from the experience. I’d forgotten how humans eat for taste and texture; for company and sights and smells. Animals eat for the thrill, the crush of bones, and rush of blood. Casual, human-style eating was a nice break from my usual savagery.

  We finished and put some money in the center of the table where a small basket was waiting for the workers. I was so full I could hardly stand, but I managed. I put my tank under my arm, and a hand stopped me.

  “Hey,” a man’s voice said, “you a diver?”

  “Me? Um, yes.” I patted my tank as if I carried around such things all day, every day. “Diver for sure. Excuse me…”

  “Your tank’s empty. You’re not gonna fill it?”

  I froze. What did I need in my tank? I glanced at Tina for help, and she was just as uncertain as I was, but quickly relaxed her face into a smile. “We’re actually looking for someone who can fill it for us. Do you, um…could you?”

  “Sure.” He tossed the last bite of his meal into his mouth and then wiped the grease from his hands.
“I’m working at the station just there on Rand. Follow me, I’ll get you some air.”

  “Before we go,” Tina interrupted, “I just want to ask how much that might cost. I need to make sure I have enough.”

  “What do you got?”

  She quickly opened her wallet, and I stood over her. The pudgy shop owner had done well for himself; he had about 500 Bachmanns in his wallet. Tina and I glanced at each other with no idea what to say.

  “Well,” she started, “I guess I could go in for about 250 Bachmanns.”

  He blanched at the number. “Whoa, what? This isn’t diamond-infused, luxury air. It’s just the basic stuff. It’s an even twenty-five.”

  My eyebrows flew up before I could stop them, but looking at the guy’s confused face, I remembered to make them slide back down. “Of course. My friend isn’t used to buying tanks of air. She’s not a diver like me.” I gestured with my hand. “We would love to get over to your station.”

  He shook his head at the both of us and stood to lead the way. “Couple of real professionals I got here.”

  The three of us walked together, Tina and I in a heightened state of endless fear, and the man we’d suddenly befriended strolling with all his joints loose and his feet almost flopping, he was so casual. “My name’s Alex. What’s yours?”

  “I’m Tina. This is Larissa.”

  He tilted his head at us. “You two together?”

  We shook our heads no, then looked at each other with wide and surprised eyes. No one had ever mistaken us for a couple before. It was thrilling. I could have maintained my male shape with Tina, but it hadn’t even occurred to me. It was more fun to be a girl with Tina and walk through our world as females.

  Tina and Alex seemed to hit it off, so I let them talk, while I walked with the empty tank on my back. I hoped Alex wasn’t another watcher or some guy out to hurt us. I supposed if he came after me I could shift and bite his head off, though I preferred to leave him intact. I glanced over at my old friend and my new friend, as they giggled and teased one another. Once again, Tina was flirting. She always had a bit of a thing for human guys.

  “Here we are.” He gestured to an odd, covered space. Back in the old days, it must have been a truly great location; a place where people could get their precious fuel and food and water without even blinking. Now it was a place of rust and dust.

  Everything big and grand was crumbling. The only part of it with any light was a small office with a window in the door. Alex unlocked it and clicked on a small lamp on a desk. All around were plastic bottles filled with oddly colored liquids that I knew were different kinds of fuel. I’d heard there were groups of people trying to make fuel from all kinds of plants, but the ground was so hard and worn out that growing any kind of crop was near impossible. So, people like Alex just made what they could on a small scale and stored it with crossed fingers in hopes it would work.

  “Okay,” he said, swinging his keys around his finger, “air, air. Where did I leave the…? Here it is.” He pulled a long hose forward and reached out for my tank. I took it down from my back and handed it to him.

  “So,” he said, “you’re clearly not a diver. What do you need this tank for?”

  “I discovered an underground water source. I want to explore it.” I was a little surprised that I had told him anything, but, for whatever reason, I felt I could trust him. He chuckled.

  “By yourself? That’s pretty dangerous. What does it lead to, some treasure?”

  “You could say that.”

  “Well,” he said, maintaining his squeeze on the hose’s nozzle, “whatever you’re looking for, I recommend you have a friend on the surface. Underwater diving is no joke.” He gestured to Tina. “I don’t suppose you can go along?”

  She shook her head. “My mom would kill me. Besides,” She bumped her shoulder into mine, “this is one smart and brave lady. If anybody can do it, it’s Larissa.”

  I blushed and looked down as they both stared at me. Why did she have to say that?

  “Alright. It’s full.” He started to hand it back, but he could barely lift the thing. “Uff. I forgot how heavy these things are. You have a ride home?” We shook our heads again, he stood to turn off the light, and then we walked out of his office. “I’ll drive you as far as the border. Then you’re on your own.”

  Our mouths must have dropped open perfectly with our shock. He tilted his head toward his truck. “Don’t worry,” he assured us, “I could care less what you are. Just be careful and uh…” He turned to Tina, “Come visit me sometime.”

  She handed him a roll of bills. “Take this. I may need your help again someday soon.”

  He tapped the money to his chest. “At your service.” The two of them got into his truck’s front seat, and I hopped in the back with my heavy tank and other odds and ends. They could flirt all they wanted. I wanted to visit with my friends, the stars, and ask them for some advice on my new venture. They had a lot to say as we drove in sight of the president’s mountain and then glided around to the Open Zone. There, we hopped out and waved goodbye to him. As he sped off, Tina pulled me in for a hug.

  “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

  “Not entirely,” I admitted. “But if things get dangerous or too out of control, I can scrap the whole plan.”

  “I’ll come see you in a couple of weeks,” Tina said. “Leave me some sort of sign so I know if you went for it or not. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  My only friend pulled me in for a tight hug, and I was reluctant to let her go. She felt so familiar and warm. ‘It would be so easy to just go back,’ I thought. ‘Black Feather would have no idea, and I could just go on with my life.’ But I didn’t go back. I looked up to see the Children watching me and knew the desert was waiting for me. I gave Tina one last squeeze and then pointed myself back to the familiar Nothing.

  Chapter Four

  Learning to Breathe

  After I got back and slept off my adventure with Tina, I woke to the twilight and looked up to thank the stars for calling me home. The Children were especially giggly that night, and I could practically hear them singing those ridiculous songs the human children used to sing to me when I was small. “Larissa! Larissa! Tiny bush girl, Larissa!” Of course, at that moment it felt like a compliment more than anything else.

  I dragged my tank and ovular plastic out onto the sand. I knew the tank fit on my back, but I didn’t know what to do with the strange, clear oval or the two black pieces. I picked up the clear piece and looked through it and saw that it was a bit opaque. Then, suddenly feeling very silly, I realized it went around my head so that I could look through the small window. I shook my head, laughing at myself. Of course, my eyes needed something over them so I could swim and see. I could hardly find Black Feather without any vision.

  The thought of Black Feather’s name made my heart jump all the way into the sky. As soon as I thought of him, it was if he were there beside me and holding me as I walked across the Nothing to my little well. I decided I would do a test swim and just look around so that I could make a plan. In my dream, Black Feather had insisted I look underneath; today, I would do just that.

  I made it up the hill and looked up at the stars. Once I was underground, I wouldn’t be able to consult them anymore. I took a deep breath and put my plastic eyes on, then slipped out of my clothes. I had to keep them dry so I could warm up after I got out of the water. I looked at my last two pieces of gear and inspected them a little more closely.

  They were heavy, stiff plastic and each had an odd-shaped hole on the narrow end. They were identical and a bit awkward. What did I do with these things?

  Curious, I stuck a big toe into one of the holes and felt how open it was on the inside, much more so than it appeared. I wiggled my whole foot inside and found that it fit, though the plastic sucked on it a bit. I moved my foot up and down and almost fell on my face; having my foot extended to such a ridiculous
size made me feel as if my toes were no longer my own. I looked down into the well and thought about how these long, thin feet would move in water, how they could paddle and push. I fought my way into the second one, then flopped my way up to the well.

  Sitting on the edge, I looked down into the clear water. It was cool but not freezing cold, and it felt nice against my skin. I had never considered swimming in my water source before that moment. It felt a bit scandalous to jump into the same water I drank, but I supposed the time had come.

  Without any further preparations, I slipped into the water and let myself sink down. Right away, I knew I had done something wrong. I couldn’t see at all, the space around me was completely dark, and I couldn’t breathe. If it had been possible, I would have slapped myself for my thoughtlessness. Of course, it was dark; I was underground. What had I expected? And where was all my air? Why wasn’t I breathing with the tank on my back? I quickly kicked my legs so that I rose to the surface and then burst up into the night with a gasp. I needed to start again.

  I took my tank off and looked at it again. It had a long hose with a round apparatus at the end. Also, the tank had something wrapped around it: a black band with a small bulb. I put the round thing in front of my eyes, but instantly saw it wasn’t meant for looking through. Then I thought about breathing, how air moves and how it might travel from a tank to a person’s lungs.

  I shoved the thing in my mouth and found it fit perfectly. But I still had no air. I looked at the tank again as I chewed on my new mouthpiece. There was a dial with numbers and the word ‘Pressure’ stenciled onto it. The needle on the dial was pointed straight at zero. I turned a metal valve and the needle jumped up as air hissed out of the tank and into my mouth.

  To my complete delight, once the air was flowing, a small light glowed from the top of the tank. The black band was holding a mini light bulb activated by the air. I quickly got everything on again and slipped down through my little hatch in the Earth.