Trevor goes behind a bush then comes back out in wolf form. Wolf. I must have reverted back to human form in my sleep.
“Question, why do you always go out of sight before shifting?”
Trevor comes to stand in front of me. Even in wolf form he towers over me. So unfair.
“Habit I guess,” he says. “After I accepted that I was a werewolf I called my uncle. He drilled it into my head that I can never let anyone see me shift.”
Before I can respond Shiver asks, “So what happens when we reach this place we’re heading to?”
We start walking and I tell her, “I’m not sure exactly. I just hope Dark and Ryan are there.” I don’t bother hiding my anticipation of seeing them and it earns me a look from Trevor.
“Wait. Who’s Ryan?” Shiver asks, confused.
“Another friend of mine,” I say slowly, glad my fur will cover any blushing.
“Will I get to meet him?” she asks excitedly.
I laugh and say, “Yes. Him and Dark.”
“Yay! I love meeting new people,” she chirps and I chuckle.
* * * *
Sunlight is bleaching the sky by the time we reach the edge of the pine forest. Ahead of us lay snow-swollen land. I scan the wintry whiteness. Barren snowcapped trees and bushes, mounds of snow peppered here and there keep the landscape from being level.
“Tell me we don’t have to go through there. It’s freezing.” We are just on the border and it is frigid. I have a bad feeling the middle will be even colder.
“I can smell mountain air. It’ll be faster if we go straight through.”
I inhale deeply, but can’t pick out the smell of mountains. “How—”
Trevor shakes his head. “Like this.” Trevor stands stock-still. “Wait. Okay now take a deep breath,” he says after a bit.
A light wind has sprung up; I turn my head to it and breathe deeply. I can faintly pick up dirt, clean mountain water, trees, and flourishing life beyond the snowy terrain. It sets my senses on fire. Taking another lungful of air, this time I delve deeper into the scents and I can smell so much more. I open my eyes to find Trevor watching me intently.
“Wow,” I breathe.
“When you shift let your animal senses take control. If you don’t restrain them and let instincts take over, you can see the world in a whole new way.”
Snow crunching under paw we swiftly trek into the whiteness.
* * * *
The hike across the snowy land had not been easy. It’d taken us a day and a half. I had to shift into a polar bear twice. Once to tunnel out a den; the second time to make an oncoming male polar bear think twice about attacking us. I carried Shiver on my back most of the trip, her short legs unable to keep up with Trevor’s swift pace.
When we’d reached the foot of the mountains Trevor was able to catch two rabbits and miraculously I was able to start a fire to cook the meat over. We allowed ourselves to rest until the mellow pre-dawn light began to tiptoe across the sky; then we began scaling the mountains. Two more days and we reach a peak overlooking a long, narrow valley below.
Warmth brushes my face and tangles my hair. The long, mint green grass rolls like waves on the sea. It’s a welcoming sight after our hasty trudge across the craggy mountains. Trees color the last few miles to the bottom before they abruptly stop and the flowing grass begins.
“This is an amazing view,” Shiver squeals. Shiver’s eagerness is contagious. I’m starting to feel jittery with excitement. Wolf. Especially since we’re so close to the others.
“We need to go there.” Trevor points his muzzle to a fortress of rocks.
“Then let’s go!” I jump to my paws and begin racing down the slope. Trevor leaps in front of me and I crash to a stop, my face tangling into his fur.
He quickly scolds, “You can’t just go racing off. Haven’t you learned anything?”
“I’ve learned plenty,” I say indignantly.
“Then you should know to be more careful.”
I sigh as Trevor advances forward. He’s been wound tight ever since we’ve gotten close to our destination.
“I didn’t know dirt and trees could be dangerous. The air is void of animal smells. If I can tell so can you,” I say.
“That doesn’t mean nothing is there,” Trevor retorts and pushes ahead.
“Isn’t he a petal of sunlust,” Shiver mutters just as I breathe, “Someone’s gotten paranoid.”
* * * *
Lissa. The grass is as high as my legs, the blades fuzzy and tapered. I watch it sway from one direction to another. Trevor catches up—in human form; wordlessly he faces the collection of boulders at the end of the grass sea and heads toward them. I follow, the excitement fizzing through me growing stronger the closer we get.
Right beneath the boulders, I gape in amazement at their sheer size. They tower up to the sky, some jagged and jutting out at odd angles, leaning against each other; broken, fragmented, and creviced in thousands of places. Some are jammed together while others have yards of space between them. The dirt beneath us is dry like it hasn’t tasted rain in years and there isn’t a hint of vegetation.
“Hey wait up!” I call to Trevor as he barely gives the boulders a second glance before winding his way through them. Trevor weaves among the rocks like he’s been here before, I unquestionably follow his lead while Shiver slips between the rocks, disappearing then reappearing, her jaws often smacking with pleasure.
“Trev—”
Trevor stops suddenly, causing me to crash into his back.
“If you’re going to keep stopping short you might as well warn—agh!” I sputter as something barrels into my side, knocking the breath from me as I slam to the dirt. A rough, warm tongue licks the side of my face. The creature hops off and I roll over and sit, wiping bits of dirt off. Ecstatic emerald eyes stare into mine.
“Dark!”
“Who else could pounce on you so perfectly?”
I give her a tight hug before answering, “Only you. Where’s Ryan?”
Dark hangs her head, her waving tail falling to the ground. “He—he didn’t make it. I’m sorry.”
I sit there in shock, my chest getting so tight it hurts.
“What?” My voice is just above a whisper as I choke out the word. Dark flicks her tail then looks at me, eyes sparkling again.
“He’s fine. Maybe a little duller since you last saw him, but other than that he’s got all his essentials. You know, arms, legs, and hair. Can’t forget the hair, wouldn’t want a bald mate at such a young age.”
“Darklily! That’s not funny,” I say and shove her aside, feeling my face grow hot. “And we are not mates!”
“That’s not even her worst. She's been a huge pest since we lost you.”
My cheeks flame even more at the sound of Ryan’s voice as he appears out of the mouth of a cleverly hidden tunnel. Ryan gives me his crooked smile and I fight the urge to wrap him in a giant hug.
Ryan gestures for us to follow him into the tunnel. As I head in, Ryan angles himself inches away from me. I feel my skin tingle and my face flush with his closeness; I’m so glad it’s darker inside.
“It’ll get brighter in a minute,” Ryan assures us.
A burning flame glows deeper within the tunnel and as we approach it I realize that it is a branch.
“You guys really had us worried when you didn’t show up three days ago,” Ryan says.
Trevor clenches his jaw. After a few minutes of silence Ryan begins telling us of how he’d incessantly tried to convince Cobalt to let Dark and him go search for us. When Cobalt had rejected their leaving, Darklily had taken him down to the beach and kept him busy educating him in surviving on Pandorma.
I ask who Cobalt is and Ryan gives a brief explanation saying that she is the leader of the army trying to halt Xavier and Medusa. But Ryan won’t disclose anything else about her.
Ryan now leads us down a tunnel that juts off to the right. After three more turns the tunnel opens into a large
cavern. In the middle sits a large, knee-high slab of jagged, stout rectangular stone. Next to the stone sits a russet-orange tiger, its hard calculating gaze fixed on us.
“Ah, I see our roving guests have finally arrived.” The tiger’s steely, commanding voice doesn’t echo in the cave. She comes and stands in front of us, specifically me. Faint interest sparks in her hazel eyes as she carefully examines me; I think she might be sizing me up, but I’m not sure. This tiger is definitely not someone to mess with. Her large bronze head is just under my nose; thick muscles ripple smoothly with every move she makes.
“Cobalt.” She gestures with her tail to a wolf. “Cuven.”
The wolf had been hiding in the jumpy shadows until now, he steps out. Cuven’s coat color varies from light to dark gray. He dips his head at us then sits at Cobalt’s side, encased entirely by her shadow.
“Trevor,” Trevor grunts.
“Lissa.”
“Shiver,” Shiver sings, though not once has Cobalt looked her way or taken notice of her.
“Let us get down to business,” Cobalt instructs. She paces over to the rock slab, her steps long and fluid. I share a glance with Trevor before we all follow her, sitting cross-legged on the floor. Darklily sits on my left; Trevor possessively takes my right, while Ryan and Shiver settle beside Dark. Cuven lights the plants that rest on the corners of the table then retrieves something and places it before us, then takes his place next to Cobalt, who sits opposite me. I watch as the branches burn. Confused I lean closer. The branch doesn’t seem to be burning, but it's clearly on fire. I turn to Cuven.
“How is this not burning?” I ask him.
“It’s an Eternal Flame,” he responds.
“It's really neat,” Ryan picks up when Cuven doesn’t explain further. “The branch burns forever, never goes out once you light it. Even under water.”
“That’s kind of what eternal means,” Trevor says purposefully.
“Where does it come from?” I ask.
Ryan opens his mouth to respond, but Cobalt cuts him off by clearing her throat. Her back perfectly straight, tail wrapped around her precisely lined paws, she watches as Cuven unravels an object. I lean in closer to examine the inch thick sheet.
“It is a map of Pandorma,” Cobalt explains.
There are thick black X’s over two giant landmasses then smaller ones in various other places. My eyes rove around the map, soaking in the shape of the land, trying to commit it to memory even though there are barely any geographical features. Forests, deserts, rivers, lakes, and a handful of other places—some having names—are scribbled onto the map. The map looks as if it has been hastily drawn—the words messily written, the outline of the land jagged, lines crossed, re-crossed and triple crossed—making me doubt its precision.
“Is this paper?” Trevor rubs the map between his fingers.
“No. It’s a leaf,” Cuven answers.
Cobalt points a claw to a place far from us. A small mountain range, nothing behind it, nothing in front of it. Strange.
“This is where Xavier is—rumored mind you—supposed to have his headquarters. We’re expecting a big attack soon, but we do not know when or where. With your ability I am sure you can reach their command center and annihilate their army in some way. That done, the war will be over. It is imperative for you to begin training now. The sooner this is over the better.”
“Now, now?”
Cobalt gives me a piercing, admonishing look and I find myself lowering my eyes, but immediately regret it.
“What kind of leaf?” Trevor asks curiously.
Cobalt doesn’t bother to cover her annoyance as she answers, “A Yu leaf.”
I look at the leaf closer. It is about an inch thick, beige-ish white and about two feet wide.
“Where does it come from?” Trevor asks.
“Enough. This is all irrelevant. Lissa,” Cobalt says my name with a biting edge and I feel pinpricks go up my spine. “Cuven will begin your training. Now.” Cobalt adds emphasis on the last word. No chance of misunderstanding there. Her short-tempered attitude is starting to irritate me. I can shift into any animal; anything and yet she acts like I’m an annoying fly—like I’m not here to help and I’m just getting in the way. I imagine myself going up against her—and getting slaughtered. Perhaps it’d be wiser to keep my head low and just follow orders.
One glance at Trevor tells me he isn’t done asking about the map made of leaf, but even he seems to know not to push the subject.
“So Lissa is supposed to go destroy the army or whatever alone?” Ryan asks.
“I’ll be fine alone—”
“What are you suggesting?” Cobalt interrupts.
After some hesitation Ryan says, “I want to go with her.”
“Me too,” Trevor says with finality.
“I don’t need a guard,” I say but they ignore me.
“It’ll be safer if there’s two of us instead of one,” Ryan declares.
“Three,” Trevor hisses.
“Guys, I can defend myself.”
“This isn’t some dream world. It’s deadly for any of us to be on our own; we know nothing about this place. Or what you’re going up against,” Ryan argues.
“That’s why she’s going to be trained first,” Dark says, but nobody listens to her either.
“Ryan, I—”
“If anyone goes with her it's me. I can shift into a wolf—I can protect her better,” Trevor threatens. Ryan stares at Trevor, assessing him.
Dark snorts. “She got here in one piece didn’t she?”
“Enough!” Cobalt commands then gives us each our own glare. “Are you all children? I am in charge until the threat of Xavier and Medusa has been eliminated and every minute that is wasted arguing is unacceptable. From any of you. There are two forces combating our enemies right now. Darklily and Trevor, I think it would be best if you guys scouted Medusa’s retreat, which is located in the far southern country. It is very vague, I know, but she has taken extreme measures to hide it well. I am hoping you can pick up vital information on what she is planning. Go cautiously. As for Lissa, she will train here then head to where she is needed. I am positive you will find your way there with your . . . talent,” Cobalt says dismissively.
“What about me?” Ryan asks.
Cobalt narrows her eyes. “Forgive me if I put this harshly, but you are not fit for this planet. I suggest you find the nearest portal and go home.”
“I’m not going home. I’m going with Lissa,” Ryan adds after a pause. My eyes flick to Trevor. His gaze is like stone, his jaw set.
“Like I said before—” Cobalt begins.
“I know what you said, but I’m not taking no for an answer. I’m going with her.”
I admire Ryan’s guts, but seriously it’s not safe to go around telling a hundred pound tiger whether you’re going to do something or not.
Cobalt scans Ryan, boring her flinty gaze into him. To his credit he doesn’t even flinch.
“Very well. But you will only hold her back. You could be killed within a few hours and now is not the time for certain emotions to be guiding your actions.”
I can feel my cheeks starting to flush so I hang my head, pretending to study the map, hoping my hair will effectively cover my face.
“What if I had a sword or maybe a bow and arrows?” Ryan says suddenly.
“A sword?” Cobalt’s bewilderment is obvious.
“Yeah. Do you have a pencil or something? To draw with,” Ryan adds when neither understand what he means.
Cuven is swallowed into the shadows and then comes back with an object in his mouth, which he places in Ryan’s hand. It is a sharp stick freshly dipped in what I guess to be a kind of ink. Cuven places a smaller Yu leaf on the rock next to a small, crudely made clay bowl. Ryan begins drawing his sword, bow and arrow.
Cobalt studies it closely then speaks to Cuven. “Fetch Synth. Ryan, go with Cuven and direct the forming of these weapons. Darklily take Lissa above and
wait with her until Cuven arrives, then come to the third tunnel on the right and we will discuss your leaving.”
“What about me?” Shiver asks.
Cobalt continues walking as if she didn’t hear Shiver, but I know she did.
“You can come with Ryan and me,” I offer.
She gives an excited bounce. “Really? I’d love to! We’ll have so much fun!”
Dark leads us above ground and through the twisting maze of boulders to a spot where they are spaced much farther apart. Waves languidly crash upon a shore I cannot see but sounds close enough to run to. The silence that encloses around us is far less peaceful; Dark’s tail twitches and my thoughts and worries mix together, creating a powerful emotion I can’t name.
“There’s Cuven!” Shiver’s loud announcement makes us both jump. Dark casts me eyes turned dark green from a jumble of emotions, before darting back to the cave. Cuven throws Shiver a purposeful, withering look but she doesn’t get the hint so he turns to me.
“Have you shape shifted at all?” Cuven asks. Although he gives an air of indifference I can sense subdued eagerness underneath. I nod.
“How many times?”
“Several,” I answer vaguely since I don’t actually know how many times.
Cuven nods his gray head meaningfully. “Good. Makes my job easier. Now, the first thing we’ll work on is shifting from one animal to another within seconds. Then once you’ve done it to perfection I’ll give you some battle training.”
“Are you sure that’s necessary? I mean, it is just animals.”
Cuven’s fur stands rigid on his back, lips pulled back in the beginning of a snarl. “We’re not just animals. If you keep thinking that way you’ll be killed sooner rather than later.”
“Sorry. I didn’t think—well when it comes to animals . . . you know I’ve lived on Earth my whole life, I haven’t a clue how things work here!” Although I’m starting to get an idea.
“Well it’s time you learn,” he grumbles. “One of the first things you should know is that the current circumstances are not in your favor.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that no matter how hard I train you, I can’t prepare you for what you’ll be walking into!” he snaps.
Shift (The Pandorma Adventures Book 1) Page 15
