The Golden Claw

by K A Faul

  “We’ll need two days in Esper to get to the location with the mushroom and get back. So we’re not exactly going to be sightseeing, but again, we’ll also be in a remote area there, so don’t worry about encounters with mages or fae. Or the ghosts of Elves or something.”

  Fae. Mina had been able to spend years ignoring her dreams because she never thought she’d encounter a faerie in the flesh. Now, though, she’d be entering their world. Though she didn’t believe the dreams meant anything, it was still hard to push them out of her mind.

  Ryan shrugged. “Seems pretty easy. Eat a little deer and rabbit, drink a little spring water. Sounds like a vacation.”

  A dark sneer appeared on Thomas’s face. “The thing is, because it’s remote, we won’t have to deal with threats like mages or fae, but Esper isn’t Earth. There’s a lot of strange creatures there. Unnatural creatures.”

  “Like werewolves?” Mina said.

  Thomas snorted. “Rogan lifted up regular animals, not like the twisted crap they have on Esper. During my Rite, my pack was attacked by a manticore.”

  “Manticore?” Jorge asked, confusion on his face.

  Mina wasn’t so sure herself what a manticore was. She also wondered how much better prepared all Initiates would be if the details of Rites were passed along rather than concealed.

  “Weird hybrid thing, human-like head, body of a lion, scorpion tail,” Thomas said. “Nasty attitude.”

  Anna sniffed, disdain on her face. “Magical beasts mock creation.”

  “I wonder what other kind of wacky-ass monsters they have there,” Ryan said. “Like hydras or wereunicorns.”

  Mina grinned. “I’m sure there’s some kaiju housecat. You know, like a gigantic housecat that could take on King Kong or Godzilla or something. Megasnuffly, Slayer of Wolves.”

  The Initiates all laughed.

  “This isn’t a damn joke,” Thomas said, frowning.

  Apparently, he’d not had enough beers, or he was a mean drunk. Mina couldn’t decide.

  “The Rite isn’t a joke,” she said, winking. “But that was. Don’t worry, Thomas. If Megasnuffly shows up, I’ll take him out for the glory of the Golden Claw.”

  Chapter 9

  A week later, the Initiates all bounded through the forest in wolf form in a wedge formation. The trees and brush whizzed by as they continued hounding their prey, who kept disappearing into the brush far ahead.

  The target is getting away, Mina sent. Let’s pick up the pace.

  The orange-red sky marked the setting of the sun, and darkness would soon consume the forest. They could still hunt their enemy in the dark, but Thomas set a strict time limit on the exercise. They needed to end this soon, or they’d have to sit there for thirty minutes listening to why they all should be ashamed.

  The prey’s scent hung heavy in the air, enticing Mina forward. Her heart pounded, excitement coursing through her. Her mouth watered at the thought of tackling the prey. Close. So close.

  Ryan, Mina sent. You go left. Jorge, you go right. I’ll continue running down the center, and Anna, you stay back and get him if he tries to double-back. We’ve got this son of a bitch.

  The other wolves all howled their agreement. Ryan and Jorge peeled off to their respective sides, and Anna slowed her pace.

  Mina pushed her muscles to the limit, focused on the legs in front of her and ignoring spikes of pain as branches and the occasional rock scraped her. She could and would take a lot more than a few scrapes before she’d risk failing the exercise.

  She caught sight of the target, a familiar light-coated wolf: Thomas. She growled and managed to push her legs even harder. She gained on their target.

  Thomas glanced back and changed directions.

  Big mistake, Mina thought to herself. We got you now.

  Ryan ran on an intercept course at Thomas. Their trainer spun again, but Jorge bore down on him from the other side. Mina finished her charge and leaped, barreling into Thomas. They rolled on the ground, a tangle of limbs.

  Mina let out a growl and opened her mouth wide, her blood singing for the kill. She snapped it shut and shook her head a few times before rolling away from the other wolf.

  Thomas let out a low growl. Good job, he sent. Good pack hunting. He offered no indication he noticed her bloodthirst.

  Mina hopped back up to her feet and backed away, her heart calming, and her human side reasserting itself over her instincts. A few ragged breaths followed, and she wondered if she would be able to control herself so well in a real fight.

  In all the months of training, she didn’t always think about how learning to control her new instincts had been as important as learning to use her new abilities. Spending most of her life without experiencing such visceral reactions left her less prepared to deal with them than she would have hoped.

  The concern faded as another pettier one arose. She’d taken down Thomas, and she couldn’t even gloat properly. For all the sensory advantages and speed that came with her wolf form, she missed being able to offer a good smirk. Wolf-thought taunting lacked tone nuance. No fun at all.

  Anna caught up with the other wolves.

  All of you shift, Thomas sent. I’m proud of you all.

  The next half-minute passed in hisses and pained grunts until they all stood there in human form.

  Mina let out a breath, wondering if in the distant past, it didn’t hurt to shift at all for wolves. For all their smug superiority, it was hard to ignore facts staring them in the face, such as the painless shifting of wereravens.

  “Again, good job, Initiates,” Thomas said, interrupting her thoughts. “I didn’t know if you’d make it in time, but you came together. You’re gelling as a pack, and that’s a good thing, and a thing to be proud of.” He glanced over at Mina. “The strength of the wolf lives in our packs. Don’t ever forget that.”

  Mina offered him the smirk she’d been dying to give. She didn’t want to risk exploding from holding it all in.

  Ryan and Jorge high-fived each other. Anna watched in silence, her hands folded behind her back, a faint smile on her face.

  “More training tomorrow,” Thomas said, “including more battle training among yourselves and against me and Garett. Until then, you’re free. Unless you have any questions?”

  The Initiates all exchanged looks before shaking their heads.

  “Glad to see you finally have some focus, Mina,” Thomas said and walked off.

  “I think the operation went well,” she called back.

  “Operation?” Anna said, confusion on her face.

  Mina winked. “Don’t worry about it.”

  Ryan sidled up to her. “Hey, since we have a free evening, want to spend it with me?”

  She rolled her eyes and shook her head. He’d hit on her every day that week, and he’d struck out every time. She hadn’t exactly let him down gently either.

  “Does this crap actually work on women?” Mina asked. “I mean, you keep trying, and on one level, I kind of admire your persistence, but on another level, it just makes me wonder. ‘Cause I’m going to be real honest, Ryan. I don’t think there’s any scenario where you and I get together.” She pointed to herself then him and shook her head.

  “The truth is, when you ask enough, sure, it works. Everything in life is a numbers game when it comes to looking.” Ryan grinned. “Problem for most guys is they have too big of an ego and pout over getting turned down.”

  “And you’re telling me with a straight face that you don’t have a big ego?”

  “I’m saying I know how to take a loss in stride, and that leads to success long-term.” Ryan winked.

  “Good attitude, I guess.” Mina laughed. “But I also just spent all day with you. I don’t want to spend all night with you. Sorry. I’m going to wait here a bit. I like the forest at this time of day.”

  She didn’t care if it sounded like an excuse or not. It was the truth.

  “No problem,” Ryan said. “I’m sure you’ll see the charm of
my ways eventually. Jorge, want to hit the pool hall?”

  “Sure,” Jorge said.

  Ryan waved and headed off. Jorge also offered his own wave and jogged until he was walking side by side with Ryan.

  A few birds on a branch caught Mina’s attention. She tilted her head, staring at them. Hunger. The birds were hungry. She didn’t know why she thought that. It just felt that way to her.

  Mina stared at one of the birds for a moment. The bird shifted its head back and forth as it looked at her.

  “Something on my face?” Mina said.

  The bird fluttered away.

  She shook her head, staring after the bird. So many animals had caught her attention lately. She’d assumed before, it had something to do with heightened senses, but that didn’t explain why she’d feel the same way in human form.

  Asking around about it struck her as a bad idea. She didn’t want to give Garett or Thomas additional ammo.

  “You did well today,” a quiet female voice said from behind her. “You were a good leader.”

  Mina spun, her heart kicking up. Even if it was a dream, the last time a woman spoke from behind her, it didn’t end well.

  Her hands snapped into fists. She wouldn’t let some faerie bitch choke her out in her own forest. She took a few ragged breaths before realizing no shadow fae stood behind her. Instead, a non-threatening blonde woman. Well, relatively non-threatening if she ignored the whole werewolf thing.

  Anna blinked several times. She averted her eyes. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you, Mina.”

  “No, no. It’s my fault. I got lost in thought for some reason, and I… never mind. Sorry for overreacting, and um, yeah, thanks for the compliment. Never thought of myself as a leader before.”

  “Not that I’d expect any less from one who bears the Mark of Rogan.”

  Mina sighed. Anna had been going on about her red streak one way or another the whole week. Trying to avoid the subject didn’t seem to be helping, so maybe it was time to face it head on and get her temporary packmate to move on to something else.

  “It’s not a big deal,” Mina said. “I used to even dye it. It’s just some red hair.”

  If Anna were more of a bitch, it would have been easier for Mina to reciprocate in kind with a few precision-guided snark bombs, but the other woman offered her nothing but kindness and friendship. Yes, she had proven a little too obsessed with all things Rogan, but that didn’t change the fact that poking her felt unfair.

  Anna’s face scrunched up in confusion. “Why would you dye the Mark of Rogan? You should wear it proudly.”

  “You say that, but a lot of people around here have given me shit over it. Not everyone here is into the old-school beliefs.”

  Anna frowned. “They would mock the Mark of Rogan? That’s idiotic. Their belief isn’t necessary for the truth. The truth is self-evident and will always burn away the lies in the end.” She pointed at Mina’s heart. “You are a direct descendant of the First Shifter, our creator.”

  Mina snorted. “I don’t believe that.”

  Anna’s eyes bulged out. “You don’t believe in Rogan?”

  A seventeen-year-old werewolf stroking out would be an interesting sight, but Mina didn’t want to upset Anna for the wrong reasons. As a snark artist, she held to a firm policy of trying to enrage people with purpose and clear direction. A proper victim should have it coming because, on some level, they’d been dishing it out.

  Mina scrubbed a hand over her face. “No, no. I definitely believe in Rogan, but not that I’m some sort of direct descendant. The hair doesn’t mean anything. It’s just, you know, a mutation.”

  Calm returned to the blonde girl’s features, and she breathed a sigh of belief. “What about the Prophecy of Rogan?”

  That elicited laughter. Several long seconds passed before Mina regained control of herself. Even a snark artist couldn’t always keep in control.

  “No, I certainly don’t believe in the Prophecy of Rogan. I’m not even sure my dad believes in it.”

  Mina expected anger or confusion on Anna’s face. Instead, she spotted curiosity.

  “Why?” the other girl asked.

  “Why what?”

  “Why don’t you believe in the Prophecy? I know that not everyone does, but I guess I expected you, of all people, to believe in it, given who your father is and your own Mark of Rogan.” Disappointment colored her tone.

  Mina understood that Anna thought she was something special, but she wouldn’t pretend to be anything more than what she was. Honesty would serve her well.

  “Because it sounds like something that somebody made up to make us feel better about Rogan leaving,” Mina explained.

  “He hasn’t left us. He walks among us in secret, judging us and waiting for the right time to return openly.”

  Mina scoffed. “He’s probably dead. No one has been able to prove they’ve met with him for a long, long time.”

  “No, he’s immortal.” Anna stepped toward her, wide-eyed. “As the prophecy states, ‘With Rogan’s blood and his return, the wolves will enter a new age, bound to power.’” She placed a hand on Mina’s shoulder. “The prophecy implies that both his return will come, and his descendants will play a role. You will play a role.”

  Mina shook Anna’s hand off. The other girl’s devotion had crossed the line.

  “Okay, first of all, you’re letting the word blood do a lot of work there. For all you know, the prophecy might be talking about him dying or something, and anyone could make that thing up. Maybe a vampire made it up to screw with us. Or Hunters or stupid mages.”

  Anna pursed her lips. “I don’t believe that. And in the past, all werewolves believed as I do.”

  Mina tugged at her red-streaked hair. “And this doesn’t mean anything other than I have a few interesting genes or something. It’s mostly brought me crap.”

  Anna shook her head. “No, it means you might have great power that you don’t even know about.”

  “I don’t have any special powers,” Mina said. “Well, no more special powers than you.”

  “No, I’ve studied this. Many descendants of Rogan have special powers. You shouldn’t mock your own potential, Mina.”

  “I think that everything’s mock-worthy, including me. That’s the best way to approach life.”

  “I think you’ll see soon enough what the truth is.” Anna sighed and walked away.

  Mina stood there, watching the other girl as she wandered into the darkening woods. She sucked in a deep breath and slowly let it out.

  This was what happened when Linh was away. She let weirdoes get into her head.

  Mina didn’t know what to believe. Rogan existed, and he’d lifted the shifters from animals into people. Every shifter that existed on the planet descended from those earlier shifters. She knew she believed that much.

  At the same time, she’d not heard anyone mention new shifters or even mention legitimate confirmed cases of meeting Rogan for a long time. If their creator still walked the earth, he’d given up on his creations or didn’t care enough to announce himself.

  Mina groaned and rubbed her temples. “I’m nothing special.” She laughed. “Except for a princess who turned into a telepathic werewolf.”

  She needed Linh to get back soon before Anna had her convinced she was the reincarnation of Rogan.

  Chapter 10

  “Those fries were terrible,” Mina said as they exited the diner. “I think there was more salt than actual French fries.”

  Sean shushed her. “They might overhear you.”

  “You can’t deny the truth,” she said with a shrug. “And it’s not like we’re Portland or Seattle. We don’t have a huge number of restaurants, so it’s important that everybody does their best.” She shot a glare over her shoulder. “Maybe I should go back in to make sure they understand.”

  Sean rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’m sure that’s weighing on Dad’s mind at all times, the quality of local French fries. Maybe we should send o
ut Messengers to survey people about French fries all over the kingdom.”

  Mina shrugged. “You know who doesn’t care about French fries? The True Breed, that’s who. The minute you stop worrying about the fundamentals is when your society falls apart. Anarchy and madness. Violence and death.”

  “All because of French fry quality?” Sean arched an incredulous eyebrow.

  “I think that’s why the Roman Empire fell.”

  “I’m pretty sure it involved vampires.”

  The siblings crossed the road toward a nearby park. A few light poles surrounding the park pushed away at the late May darkness.

  Mina inhaled the cool air and slowly exhaled through her nose. The solstice grew closer with each passing day. While she wanted to think she wasn’t worried, she also couldn’t deny that her strange dreams plagued her more. Not every night, but enough to leave her uncomfortable.

  My Rite’s not going to involve weird shadow fae chicks. It’ll just be regular stuff. Like mystical mushrooms or manticores.

  “What are you thinking about?” Sean asked, his brow furrowed.

  Mina hated how he could sense her mood so easily. She also hated lying to him.

  “Uh, well, you see… oh crap.” Not all escapes from an awkward conversation were welcome.

  A familiar hulking figure was cutting through the park on the opposite side. That was the problem with obvious shortcuts. Everyone took them.

  “What is it?” Sean said.

  “Garett,” Mina muttered. “Just what our night needed.”

  Her co-trainer kept walking across the park toward the street they’d abandoned. For a moment, he looked as if he would pass them without even looking their way, but after a few seconds, he turned to head directly toward the pair.

  Mina sucked in a deep breath. She doubted this conversation would end in a pleasant exchange about the weather over a few cups of Earl Grey tea.

  “Thomas said you managed not to fuck up today,” Garett said. “Biggest damn surprise of the year.”

  “Not screwing up must be an unfamiliar concept to you,” Mina said. “I guess we’ll see tomorrow during combat training. I’ve gotten in more than a few good hits on you before.”