The Forest of Aisling: Dream of the Shapeshifter (The Willow Series Book 1)

by D. S. Elstad

  “So does this mean I’m considered an adult now?” I wondered.

  “Well, let’s just say you’re another step closer to it,” she answered, reaching out and patting my hand.

  I sure felt like an adult after everything I’d been through. I really didn’t feel like the same person I was a month ago; no way. In fact, the thought of slipping back into the drudgery of going to school and a lot of the petty drama that filled the halls there wasn’t sitting well with me. As I sat thinking about Ihan’bla and my passage into adulthood, a random thought jumped into my brain.

  “Awesome, so does that mean I can have a car now?” Yes, my teenage self was returning.

  Mom just snickered and grabbed our glasses. We went back inside the house and she followed me to my room.

  I sat on the floor and rested my back against the bed. Mom sat down beside me.

  “One thing that’s kind of weird though…” I began.

  “What’s that?” Mom asked resting her head against the bed.

  “Aaron couldn’t find anything about my mindspeak in all the ancient documents. He didn’t find a reference to it anywhere. He did say though that our powers reveal themselves to us at different times.” I grabbed hold of Max and began scratching his head while he purred like an outboard motor.

  Mom turned sideways to face me. “I’m beginning to think not all of your powers came from your father’s side of the family,” she said, catching me by surprise.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, our people don’t rely on the written record of things as much as the verbal, meaning that we pass a lot of our family history through the spoken word.”

  “Ok,” I answered, turning sideways so that we now completely faced each other.

  Mom smiled and leaned closer, “I believe that, because of this, some of our people have developed, well, let’s say extra talents. In the early days Native people were persecuted, you know that. Tribes were destroyed and scattered and many of our customs and practices were lost. All living creatures must evolve in order to exist on this planet. Change is necessary for continuation. Old skills that may not have been needed before were called upon in order for us to survive. One of those skills was, as you call it, mindspeak, a person’s ability to transfer and read thoughts. Your grandfather, my father, was blessed with mindspeak.”

  An involuntary crease formed across my forehead. “What? That’s the first I’ve heard of this!” I answered.

  Mom shrugged, “There was no reason to speak of it before, but now, since it’s clear that you’ve inherited the gift, I’ll tell you what I know. My father first experienced mindspeak when he reached Ihan’bla, just like you. He didn’t see it as a gift at first and never spoke of it. When he met my mother and they married, she convinced him it was something wonderful and that he should be proud of it. Eventually he was. He rarely used it, though, because he felt it was too great a temptation. He was a simple man and wanted nothing more than a simple existence, so he used his gift very rarely.”

  I sat back against the bed and released a long breath. “I can’t believe all these secrets from my grandparents, on both sides!” I exclaimed. “Anything else I should know?”

  Mom smirked and grabbed hold of my hand. “Well, let’s see…you can shapeshift, you can hear things from great distances, you can grow, and you can read and transmit thoughts. I think that’s about enough for you to take in for now, don’t you?” she answered, almost laughing.

  I stared at her, not appreciative of any humor in the situation, then caught myself thinking. “Wait a minute,” I asked worriedly, “can you mindspeak?”

  Mom was laughing out loud by now and stood up. She reached down and pulled me to my feet.

  “No, Wagmu, I can’t read your thoughts. You’re safe to deride your old mother mentally,” she chuckled, putting her arm over my shoulder.

  “Now, you better get ready for your friends. I see your phone lighting up!” She kissed me on the cheek and left me alone. I had to wonder what other family secrets were hidden in our closet.

  Leah and Sam arrived at my house with a pizza, Arizona tea, and an abundance of school gossip. We sat on the floor in my bedroom and listened to the CD Quinn gave me while sharing stories about Ireland and high school. Their eyes doubled in size when I started to tell them about Bram, leaving out the shapeshifting, Fomorians, and the end-of-the-world parts, of course.

  “You’re dating a guy from Ireland? How cool is that?” Sam asked eagerly.

  I smiled and grabbed my phone, flipping to the pictures of Bram. My two friends oohed and ahhed at each and every picture. I even found myself getting butterflies as I looked at his face, remembering his kisses.

  “He is soooo hot!” Leah chimed, grabbing the phone and holding it close to her face.

  I felt a slight blush come to my cheeks.

  “I’ll say,” added Sam. “No wonder you kept stretching out your trip,” she giggled, punching me on the arm.

  I’d decided beforehand that there were a lot of things I wouldn’t be able to share with my friends but I was more than happy to disclose my relationship with Bram.

  I told them all about his being deaf and how it didn’t really matter, that we communicated through texting and other ways. I laughed as I described Quinn and Kelleigh and their love-hate relationship. It felt so good to just sit back and share this part of my experience with friends who could really appreciate it.

  “Ok, so what else is going on here?” I asked, throwing my pizza crust on the plate.

  “Well, Leah went out with Jason,” answered Sam, shooting her stare to Leah.

  Leah chuckled and nodded. “Yep, I did.”

  “Aaaannndd…” I asked, encouraging her.

  “And, I think he may be the one,” she replied seriously.

  Sam and I broke out laughing at the same time. If I only had a dollar for every time she said some guy was the one.

  Leah looked hurt and stood up and headed for the door.

  “Wait, Leah!” I ordered. “I’m sorry, it’s just that, well, you have said that a few times before!” I jumped up and grabbed hold of her arm and led her back to the floor.

  She shrugged and began laughing, “Yeah, well, this time I mean it!”

  Sam and I looked at each other and fought back the urge to laugh again or to say anything that might set Leah off.

  “All righty then!” Sam said, obviously ready to change the subject. “Oooh, there is something good to tell you! For one thing, we’re going to a party tonight; in fact, we should get ready to leave here in about twenty.”

  “What?” I demanded. “Not really dressed for a party, I mean, look at me!”

  “You look fine, just change your shirt,” offered Leah as she walked over to my closet and opened the door. She pulled out a pale blue sweater and threw it at me. “This looks awesome with your hair.”

  I gave in and pulled the sweater over my head. While I brushed my hair and teeth Sam filled me in on where we were going and who would be there.

  “Oh, yeah, and remember that new guy who had just transferred to SFA before you left for Ireland?”

  I remembered him; Hawk. He wasn’t the kind of guy you’d forget easily. “Sure, I remember,” I said, checking myself over in the mirror.

  “Well, Jennifer told me that he was asking her about you. He wondered where you were and why you weren’t at school.”

  Leah joined Sam and I at the mirror and began applying her pink lipstick. “Yeah, Jen got the feeling that he’s really interested in you!”

  I felt a twinge of excitement that Hawk had asked about me. I wasn’t really interested in him but I had to admit I felt flattered.

  After we primped in the bathroom for fifteen minutes we grabbed our things and headed for the door. I said goodbye to Mom and Dad who sat snuggled together on the couch watching T.V. Leah and Sam had cleared the party idea with them earlier, so all we had to do now was get there.

  We piled into Leah’s jeep and arrived
at a boy named Andrew’s house just before nine. Lots of kids from school were there, as well as other kids I’d never seen before. Even though it was a big party it seemed pretty calm, which was good because I wasn’t really up for a lot of craziness.

  Sam, Leah, and I went in and said hi to Andrew. Different kids approached me and welcomed me home which made me feel great and missed. They wanted to hear about Ireland and I enjoyed talking about it. After we’d been there for about an hour I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Hawk. His jet black hair was pulled back into a braid and he was wearing a long black leather jacket. He definitely had the bad boy thing going on.

  He had more Native blood than I did and his features reflected it: high cheekbones, broad nose, dark skin, and haunting eyes. He was probably one of the most attractive Indians I had ever seen.

  “Hello, Willow,” he said in a deep, rich voice, sounding much older than a teenager.

  “Hi, Hawk,” I answered, becoming aware of the people around us staring and growing quiet.

  “Welcome home.” His hand still rested on my shoulder.

  “Thank you.”

  Thank God Leah broke the awkward moment by handing me a soda. “Pepsi?” she asked, staring at Hawk with adoring eyes. I took hold of the Pepsi can and almost laughed at the moonstruck look on Leah’s face. She barely blinked and kept her hand held out even after I took the soda.

  “Thanks, Leah,” I said loudly, shaking her out of her stupor.

  She blinked her eyes and shook her head, then looked at me and smiled, “Oh sure…” she mumbled, then turned and walked away.

  Weird, I thought as I turned back to Hawk. He had removed his hand by this time but stayed standing in front of me, his eyes focused on mine.

  “How are you doing?” I asked, uncomfortably unsure of what to say to him.

  “Good,” he replied then looked over his shoulder. “Care to join me out on the deck?” he motioned to the area outside with a nod.

  I looked over to the deck and saw only one other kid standing out there. One great thing since my time in Ireland was, now I didn’t really feel fearful or worried about things. I had some mad skills and knew how to use them, so being alone with him didn’t intimidate me at all. “Sure, ok,” I said to him and headed towards the deck.

  The air was nice and cool, a typical Santé Fe autumn evening and it felt good after the closed in feel of the house. I took in a long breath and found myself lost for a split second in the thought of shifting wolf and running free in the night air. I quickly came around and faced Hawk as he joined me at the railing.

  There was an intense look about him and I got the very real impression he had something to say, like he needed to tell me something. I resisted the urge to start talking and instead decided to wait and let him speak his mind. He looked out into the darkness and fidgeted back and forth on his feet. I waited patiently. Finally he turned and faced me square on.

  “I’m not good at small talk,” he mumbled.

  I raised my eyebrows and nodded. “Well, you look like you have something to say.”

  He glanced down at the floor for a few seconds then directed his stare to the only other person on the deck. The boy looked over at us then turned and walked inside the house, almost as if Hawk had ordered him to do so. Weird again, I thought.

  “I’m glad you’re back,” he stammered, reaching his hand up and smoothing back his hair.

  “Thanks,” I answered, feeling quite uncomfortable again and unsure of where he was going with this. My mind flashed on Bram and just the thought of him immediately calmed my nerves.

  “Don’t think I’m some kind of freak,” he said leaning in closer, “it’s just… I feel comfortable with you.”

  I found myself backing up as he drew closer. “That’s nice,” was all I could think to say.

  He shook his head and patted the side of it in frustration. “I’m coming off like an idiot,” he said.

  “Look, Hawk, if you’ve got something to say, go ahead and say it; I’m not gonna bite,” I said, trying to encourage him to complete his thought.

  “Ok, well…” he began, and then looked back toward the house. He leaned in close to my left ear and whispered, “I know what you can do.”

  I pulled my head back and stepped away from him. He held his position.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Willow…I know what you can do.” His dark eyes reflected the quarter moon that peeked out from behind some fast moving clouds.

  “Meaning?” My throat began to feel tight, like I needed some water. A huge roar of laughter from inside the house drew our attention to the door.

  Hawk stepped over and closed it. I didn’t feel intimated or anything, just irritated and more than a little anxious for him to explain himself. He looked back at me and stayed by the door.

  “Meaning, I know you can shapeshift,” he answered in a low voice. His eyes darted towards the yard. When he did that I noticed that they took on a strange glow. It reminded me of how my cat Max’s eyes would sometimes glow at night. When he looked back my way the glow was gone.

  I raised my hand to my mouth and tapped my index finger over my lips while I studied him standing there. “What do you know about shifting?”

  He grinned as he stepped closer to me. “I know there’s not many of us who can do it. I know those of us who can usually have some other skills along with shifting, and I know that, for some reason, I can spot a shifter a mile away…and you’re one. I just can’t pinpoint what your animal is,” he said, looking me up and down.

  I felt strangely calm and amused by his disclosure. “So, you’re telling me that you can shift?” I asked skeptically.

  He folded his arms across his chest and cocked his head to one side. “You don’t believe me?” he asked, his whole demeanor changing from timid to bold.

  I shrugged and started to speak when the door to the deck opened. Sam stood there looking back and forth between me and Hawk. “You ready to go, Willow? I need to be home before midnight,” she said, concern in her voice.

  “Sure,” I answered and joined her at the door. I turned back to Hawk, “Nice to see you again Hawk, catch you at school,” I said, meeting his stare.

  Sam grabbed hold of my arm as we inched our way through the crowd of kids. I reassured her that everything was ok. We found Leah and made the rounds, saying our good-byes. Leah left to go bring the jeep around while I waited outside for Sam, who was hunting for her purse.

  I stood at the end of the walkway facing the neighboring park. I watched as the wind flipped the swings on the playground back and forth. The breeze made the branches of the trees look like alien arms reaching out into the darkness. I pulled my sweater tighter around myself, then caught a flash of movement out of the corner of my right eye. It was a shadowy burst making its way from one end of the park to the other. I quickly spun just in time to catch the outline of some low, moving creature. What the heck, I thought, this better not be more mist.

  I squinted my eyes in an effort to focus on whatever had just run by but was unable to pinpoint anything. While I stood there looking around the area, Leah pulled up in her jeep and Sam came bouncing out of the house. She jumped in the back seat and I took my place in front. Leah backed up her car and was waiting for the traffic to clear. I looked back to the park area where I had seen the movement and noticed a figure stepping out from behind the bushes. The dark shadow was hunched at first but then lifted itself as it began to cross the road. I held my breath when I saw a greenish glow emanating from the face, directly from where the eyes would be. Just like the glow I’d seen in Hawk’s eyes when we spoke on the deck.

  Leah began pulling away but I turned myself, keeping watch on the figure as it moved into the light shining from the lamppost. The long black coat flapped as he walked and I immediately recognized the person. It was Hawk. He stood still in the middle of the street and kept his focus on me as we drove away. A smile crossed his lips as I stared at him. I blinked my eyes rapidly and wi
thin seconds, he was gone.

  I let myself in the front door of our house and was happy to see Mom was still awake. I joined her on the couch and we talked about the party. I then told her about my conversation with Hawk.

  “He claims that he’s a shapeshifter and that somehow he instinctively knew I was one. He said he has the ability to pick out shifters, just by looking at them. It was bugging him that he couldn’t figure out what ‘my animal’ was.”

  “What did you tell him?” Mom asked.

  “Nothing, really. Sam came out and interrupted our conversation right after he told me. I just said I’d see him at school. Thank God Sam had a curfew tonight. I’m glad I didn’t have to go into anything with him. Now I have a chance to think about it all before I see him again. I’m just not sure what I should share with him, you know?” I laid my head back against the couch.

  Mom was quiet for a while then reached over and touched my knee. “Willow, I’m not sure you should share anything with him. At least not until he’s clear himself about who and what he is. Let me ask around and see if anyone here knows anything about him or his family.”

  I nodded. I didn’t know how I would avoid him at school, but decided not to worry about it.

  “I’m pretty sure I saw him shift.”

  “Oh?” Mom said, a serious look taking over her face.

  “Yeah, I was outside waiting for Leah and Sam, just staring across the street at the park. Andrew lives near Duck Park. Anyway, I was watching the wind blow the swings all around when I saw movement in the bushes. I couldn’t really make out a shape, just a flash of movement. Just then Leah pulled up and Sam came out of the house. We jumped into the jeep and started to pull away. I kept staring at the area where I’d seen the flash and this low shadow rose up and stepped out. As it got taller I realized…it was Hawk.” I rubbed the back of my neck, easing the ache that had started building there.