HOTSHOT BROTHERS: Coyote Shifters

by Hunt, Sabrina

Wes and Rayner said nothing, just hunched their shoulders and looked away. Crowfoot, who’d been nodding off, sat up and smiled. “Well, in a way that was worse.”

  “Thanks, Crow,” I said.

  “Tell us what happened and all is forgiven.” He folded his hands over the book. “Even the best of Mark Twain’s stories cannot possibly compare to yours.”

  “Wait!” Big Bear came back with a larger bowl and settled himself in. “Okay, go ahead.”

  I laughed, looking around the room and all the tension I’d been carrying vanished.

  I was home.

  Starting with the night I’d vanished, I recounted how Sorvang had slipped into the bar, invisible to everyone but me and then left again. I’d seen her and excused myself to get fresh air. Outside, I’d been ambushed and drugged, her triumphant smile the last thing I’d seen.

  Up in the mountains, with the wind howling through the sky, she’d written a mark of binding on my side, sapping strength and my abilities away from me.

  Aunt Sil let out a soft exclamation. “So, Sorvang had a Blood Brush. No wonder why the Skinwalker went to such lengths to let her out and keep her on his side.”

  I nodded, grim now. “Willow said it looked like it’d been drawn in ash.”

  “It is a terrible thing. Let’s hope the Skinwalker doesn’t have it now,” Aunt Sil replied.

  Nodding, I continued, telling them how the Spider Demon neatly wiped my mind clean of the encounter, raveling my memory and powers into a loop which became that necklace. How in agony and panic, I’d shifted into a coyote, trying to fight back, but I had no strength.

  And it was then that I’d completed her ritual.

  She’d let me go at that point, certain in her assumption that because of our connection and proximity, I’d run straight to Willow. Which I had.

  Fox spoke up then, explaining how Willow had seen the coyote and forced the driver to stop. How’d they’d brought me back to the house, unconscious and badly hurt – working almost all night just to keep me alive.

  I then took back over, explaining how I’d awoken in the barn, thinking I had a bad hangover, only to realize I was stuck as a coyote. The moment Willow had come in and I’d realized something bad must have happened to me…

  “He was in a cage,” Fox said slyly. “Forgot to mention that, huh, Burr? Don’t worry, I got you.”

  As I glared at Fox, Big Bear let out a bellow of laughter and Cree said, “A cage? Dude.”

  “Yes, a cage,” I said testily. “She let me out that next day. It was one night.”

  “One night is still one night,” Wes muttered. “Yikes.”

  “Alright, alright, I said. I recounted the next few days more quickly, skipping to when I’d run off, only to run straight into Sorvang with Willow following. How after Willow had snatched the necklace and we’d escaped back behind the wards, Sorvang vanishing off, she’d somehow unlocked my ability to shift. I’d become a man again.

  At this point, I glanced at Aunt Sil, who shrugged and gave me an impish smile. “Willow is a powerful healer with some shaman gifts. Sorvang couldn’t have forseen that.”

  “And when she touched the mark, the pain faded…” I said, frowning.

  “Of course it did,” Aunt Sil exclaimed. “Sorvang must have thought you’d be stuck as a coyote the whole time or she would have been a lot more cautious. By shifting back, Willow could start to heal you, even if the constant presence of the necklace kept the mark reappearing.”

  “Oh,” Ben said softly.

  “Yes, Sorvang thought she was being clever – and she was – but she didn’t bank on Willow.”

  I smiled at Aunt Sil. “I did.”

  “Don’t stop there,” Cree demanded.

  Recounting the next few days, I skipped over the parts I wanted to keep between Willow and me, but something in my face must have given me away to my brothers, who all had the same knowing smirk on their faces.

  “Let me get this straight,” Wes said. “We were hauling ass up to Alaska, panicking about where you were – and you were here, snuggled up with your girl?”

  “Ah, no, not exactly,” I said, hunching my shoulders and offering him a lame grin.

  “I’ll remember this, Santana,” Wes remarked.

  Rushing on, as I saw Juniper and Fox giving me curious looks, I told them how the Pale Eyes had appeared inside the wards, our long snowmobile trip into town, the warning of the Wind Dweller, and then how I’d left Willow to offer myself up to Sorvang.

  At this, there were exclamations around the room.

  “Burr, are you serious?” groaned Rayner, putting his face in his hands. “It was so clearly a trap. What were you thinking?”

  “I didn’t know she wanted Willow, Juniper, and Fox,” I protested. “You should have seen the storm – I was trying to protect the valley.”

  “We did see it, Burr,” Rayner said dryly. “We got here last night and split up.”

  “She tricked you well, Burr,” Aunt Sil said bluntly. “We’d already evacuated the town a day beforehand.”

  “What?” I gaped at her.

  “You should know better than to fall for a Spider Demon’s tricks. You’re of Akba Atatdia lineage. Coyotes are the ultimate tricksters. Let’s hope that Wind Dweller isn’t too gossipy.” She shook her head mournfully. “You don’t want this getting out.”

  With a sigh, I accepted the rest of the banter and jokes on my behalf for the next five minutes, before it subsided and they wanted to hear the rest.

  When I told them how I got to Sorvang’s cave and figured out she tricked me, Aunt Sil let out a soft “I told you so,” but I ignored her, continuing on. With pride in my voice, I told them how the Crooked Man had appeared with Willow and she’d shot off a flare as they were arguing, letting us escape.

  “A flare?” Fox exclaimed. “My flare?!”

  “I’ll get you another,” Juniper said. “Calm down.”

  “No, that was a special flare. It’s not even le–” Fox clapped his lips shut. “Never mind.”

  “I thought that had a lot of firepower for a flare,” I commented, shaking my head. “Well, that’s pretty much it. We took off through the woods, made it that sacred tree and took shelter. Then you guys showed up.” I exhaled a breath and smiled. “Thank you.”

  “Phew!” Crowfoot said after a long moment of silence and stood up. “I think I need a good sleep to digest that.”

  Aunt Sil stood up as well, coming over and kissing the side of my head. “Well done, Burr.”

  Big Bear yawned as he stood up. “Juni, Fox, show an old man where he can sleep.”

  The Elders left with the two White-Eagles, bidding us good night, and then it was just the five of us brothers.

  Sitting forward, I clasped my hands and said, “I have to tell you guys something.”

  “Is it about Willow?” Cree asked a sly smile to rival Fox. “Because we – ow!”

  Wes had elbowed him and I laughed. “It is, but it’s more about me.” Taking a deep breath, I quietly told them of my childhood and well, everything. From being adopted to knowing about shifters to Ash Walkers, and of course, Willow.

  “You knew?” Ben sounded puzzled. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

  “I…” I hesitated. “I was afraid that you’d be furious with me for changing your lives so drastically. For signing you up for something you didn’t ask for.”

  “But did you?” Cree looked equally puzzled. “We were shifters in our past lives.”

  Wes ran a hand through his hair. “What a dumb thing to keep to yourself, dumbass.”

  Rayner said nothing and then shrugged when the three looked at him accusingly. “Listen, I guessed there was something he wasn’t telling us.” Then his gaze went to the fire. “Everyone has secrets. Besides, I knew he’d tell us eventually.”

  “You’re not angry?” I asked.

  “Burr, I’m not really sure what you think we’d be angry at,” Rayner said.

  “Yeah,” Wes mused. “If you did
have something to do with it – you saved our lives.”

  “Your family, though,” I said looking at Wes with guilt and he shook his head.

  “You guys never listen. I saw them at Christmas and I told you, they’re proud. They love this kinda stuff. And they love Kalin. Everything is good in my book.”

  Cree grinned. “Same here. Don’t worry about it Burr.”

  “Ben?” I asked, looking at him, my nerves spiking.

  Ben shook his head. “Burr, no. Of course I’m not angry with you. I know I fought it at the beginning and struggled with it, but maybe that was my path. This is our destiny.”

  “You’ve been spending too much time with Auntie,” Wes interrupted dryly.

  Ben punched Wes on the shoulder. “I mean it. Plus…” he cleared his throat, “how else would I have found Hazel?”

  Wes shifted and I grinned, remarking, “Or Kalin?”

  “Or Willow?” Wes shot back at me. “Okay, okay. Enough mushy crap. Christ.”

  “Where’s Kalin when we need her?” I asked softly.

  Wes glared at me. “Unless anyone else has some big secret they’d like to talk about, I think we should all hit the hay.” Cree opened his mouth and Wes glared at him. “Not you, Cree.”

  Making a face, Cree said, “I could have a sec–”

  “No,” the rest of us said in unison.

  “Impossible,” said Rayner.

  “You can’t keep a secret,” Ben said at the same time.

  “Sorry, Cree, but no,” I said as he deflated. “Hey, it’s not a bad thing.”

  “Except if you told anyone our secret,” Wes said, nostrils flaring. “Right?”

  “I wouldn’t!” Cree protested.

  “Well, I mean, Aspen, Santana, and Helaku told me.” I smiled to myself, remembering how smug Willow had been as I’d fallen on my ass in amazement as they’d shifted, one by one. “And then they swore me to secrecy.”

  “So, the right person…?” Cree started to ask and we all shook our heads.

  “Probably best if you keep it to yourself,” I said hastily and we all laughed, even Cree.

  Chapter 20

  The next morning, I woke up first, moving softly through the house before stopping in front of the living room with a small smile. It had been a while since it had been so full.

  Now, light snoring filled the room, as Burr sprawled on one couch, Ben on the other, while Cree, Wes, and Rayner had found sleeping bags somewhere.

  I went outside, staring up at the blue sky and letting out a sigh. Nothing was quite like the air in the mountains of Alaska. Sharp as ice, yet soft as snow, clean with the whiff of pine, heavy with burning firewood, and I swear, the blue of the sky.

  Walking around to the front of the porch, I let the sun warm my face as I stared out at the bay. The storm clouds were long gone and the ocean beat a steady rhythm against the shore.

  “Nice to be home,” said a voice in my ear and I jumped. My mother had snuck up on me and she smiled as she handed me a cup of coffee. “The boys are starting to wake up.”

  “I had a feeling,” I said. “I just wanted a minute.” My throat was tight and my stomach felt heavy. Standing with my mother, I suddenly worried that I’d made promises to Burr I couldn’t keep. How could I leave her?

  “Did you finally tell Burr how you feel about him?” she asked. Gaping, I stared at her and she gave me a complacent smile. “Did you think I wouldn’t know my daughter was in love?”

  There were so many things that went through my head, I was dizzy. “Um,” I laughed. “I guess not, no, now that I’m thinking about it.”

  “It’s about time, Lolo. Your smile has been missing something for so long. And now it’s back.” She hugged me around the shoulders. “So, what is wrong now?”

  “I told him I’d go back to Montana. But I didn’t ask you, Mom, or the boys–”

  “Sh, stop that,” Mom said. “I want you to go.”

  “You do?” I asked and took a sip of coffee. It seemed to wake me up and I squinted at her. “Why?”

  “Because you do, Willow.” Letting out a long sigh, she gazed out at the Sound. “We’ve been away too long. Aunt Sil and I talked about it. She said that your destinies – yours and your brothers’ – would catch up to you sooner or later.”

  “I don’t want to leave you alone here,” I murmured.

  “Who says I’ll be alone? Your aunt and uncle in Juneau have been wanting to move up here with the kids – more room to run around and better schools. And I also was house-hunting while I was in Montana, you know.”

  “You were?” I shook my head. “Sorry, but you are full of surprises this morning.”

  “Yes.” Her eyes became sad. “I’ve been a bit selfish, keeping you, Fox, and Juni safe up here. Well, at least I thought it was safe.” She sighed. “I can’t keep pretending Fox isn’t a shifter. He hears the calling, same as your father did. Or that Juniper should be here, when Fern and Pea have so much to teach him.”

  “We’ll keep each other safe,” I promised. “So are you coming to Montana now?”

  “No, I’m going to go visit my mother for a little while. Juni is going to come with me. But you and Fox can pack your things.” She kissed my forehead. “Aunt Sil has your rooms ready.”

  Back inside, there was a flurry of activity in the packed kitchen. Aunt Sil was making breakfast, helped or hampered by Cree and Ben, it was hard to tell, while Kalin was sitting next to Wes, his arm around her shoulder and his expression the softest I’d seen it. She was animatedly talking to Burr and Rayner, while Crowfoot and Big Bear were arguing about something, making Fox laugh. Juniper was talking to Hazel, who was nodding.

  My heart swelled with joy and I looked over to see my mother smiling as well.

  “Your father would have loved this. And Aspen and Santana, they’d be so proud of Burr.”

  For a few hours, there were stories, laughter, and food. But then the Elders were rounding up the Hotshot Brothers, along with Fox. The group was heading up into the mountains to investigate Sorvang’s cave. Standing on the porch, watching them trek away, I glanced at my mother, whose face was tight and I slipped an arm around her.

  “They’ll be okay, Mom,” I whispered.

  “I know.” She patted my hand and attempted a smile. “I just worry.”

  “Me too,” Hazel came out, wrapped in a blanket, followed by Kalin.

  “Knowing what they’re up against doesn’t make it easier, either,” Kalin said. “I thought it might – I don’t know why.”

  We stood out there, a silent huddle, for a while longer, until the cold became too much and we went back inside.

  In the blue twilight, they came back, Fox and Cree running ahead.

  “Auntie wants us all in the living room,” Fox exclaimed, his eyes wide.

  Once everyone was inside, wrapped in blankets and given tea or cocoa, we crowded into the living room. I wanted to sit next to Burr, but Big Bear took my seat and I made a face. With a huff, I sat down on the floor, leaning against Burr’s knee. He squeezed my shoulder, but his face was still and eyes blazing.

  “As you all know, our enemy has some sway over the Ash Walkers. They come at his beck and call. Now, he has used an aarsrivak to forge weapons with their blood.” Aunt Sil rubbed her forehead. “He claims to be old and yet his true face is of a young man. He can slip through cracks and wields shadows. Now I think we finally know why. In his desperation to gain an ally, he went to Sorvang and released her from the Deadlands, but in this, he made a mistake.”

  “How?” Mom asked.

  “Nine years ago,” Aunt Sil said slowly and I tensed. Burr’s grip became painful on my shoulder, but I barely noticed it. “Three shifters, three of my family, were killed during an Ash Walker attack on my lands. At the time, it didn’t make sense and we have spent years piecing together the mystery. How they got in. How they got ahold of black arrows. And how they slew three of the greatest shifters I’ve ever known.”

  I closed my eye
s.

  Aunt Sil sounded weary as she continued. “The corruption and power of the Ash Walkers grows. The destruction of the natural world feeds into this, yes. But there is more to it than that. This Skinwalker isn’t like any I’ve encountered before, nor heard of. Usually they are solitary creatures, despising interaction with any other creature.

  “The Crooked Man was trained. As you five brothers were.”

  “No, that’s impossible,” Mom said. “Auntie, there is no one to teach…”

  “There is. Or rather, was.” Aunt Sil closed her eyes. “Eighteen years ago, we were called to a wildfire in California. There roamed an old, terrible force. Santana, Helaku, and Aspen had young children, but they insisted on coming. We five should have gone alone.” I knew she meant Fern, Pea, Big Bear, Crowfoot, and herself.

  “You couldn’t have known, Sil,” Crowfoot said softly.

  “I had a feeling,” she snapped. “It was a battle that raged for three days. Ash Walkers roaming and destroying the beautiful old forests of California. Other shifters and even spirits showed up during the course of it – it was a fight to the death.”

  “It was ugly,” Big Bear rumbled, shaking his head.

  “Finally we won, surrounding this old demon. And then it suddenly shifted. From fire and burning, ragged skin, into a child. I’d never seen anything like it.”

  “A child?” I gasped. “Possession?”

  “Yes, I’m afraid so. He couldn’t have been much older than you or Burr at the time, but he looked confused and lost, trembling as he stood. We fell back, glancing at each other, wondering what to do. And then the child smiled, its blue eyes going red. A black arrowhead flashed in its hands and before anyone could move, it had slashed at me and ran off.”

  Everyone went still as she rolled up her sleeve. There, on Aunt Sil’s forearm was an old scar, a circled gash around an old gray symbol, the same that had been on Burr’s side.

  “I had no idea it was all connected,” Aunt Sil continued sadly. “Thinking back, I don’t know how I didn’t see it, but hindsight is twenty-twenty and all that. After the child attacked, an Ash Walker stole it away and they vanished. We never saw them again.