by Cloe Cullen
Remus held up a hand to stop Darius' rambling, and it worked, and Remus gave Darius a weak grin. "It's okay, Dare. Truth be told I never really wanted to become Alpha. Most people thought I would be good based on how I act on the outside, but really, I wanted nothing to do with having the fate of our entire clan rest on my shoulders. I'm glad you have it; you're suited for it."
Darius deflated a bit, so Amara squeezed his hand, and he half-smiled at her.
"Besides," Remus carried on. "I...we also realize our father may have been too stubborn for his own good. It's good that his death at least has meaning to it."
"Your father just wanted to protect you two, I think," Amara said. "He saw threats everywhere, and wanted to keep you and your people safe from those that would do you harm."
Remus grimaced at Amara but softened his features and nodded. Nyssa remained unmoving next to her.
"Our people, you mean," Darius interjected.
Amara nodded. "That's right."
Remus cocked his head, and Gavriel gave them both stern looks.
Darius saw the looks and offered an explanation. "Our plan changed slightly. Instead of just protecting each clan, we want to merge our clans into one...or at least become friendly enough to the point where wolf and cat shifters can wander freely from Gray Creek to Red Rock. What's the point in remaining hostile to each other?"
Gavriel sighed, Remus pinched his nose, and Nyssa finally looked up, her eyes wide in shock.
Darius continued. "We can talk about that later, but first, let's discuss how we're going to figure out our immediate problems."
Remus let out a heavy breath. "Okay, well first we need to get the Pride's Alpha to talk to us, right? We can't convince him if he's unwilling to meet."
Gavriel grunted, his experienced bones cracking as he shifted positions. "Well, that's an easy answer. No one goes near the border, from either side, so that means we'd have to send someone in to Red Rock and ask for a meeting with the Alpha."
Amara lifted her head, reading Gavriel's implication before he even made it.
"But only someone we know won't be killed on sight can go, or else everything else is pretty much forfeit," Gavriel finished.
All eyes immediately were drawn to Amara. She glanced between all of them and finally landed on Darius, who frowned at the suggestion. "I don't like it…" he said.
Squeezing his hand once again, she got him to look at her, and she smiled. "It'll be fine. My father would never harm me, no matter what I did. Besides, he wants me to prove myself, and I'm sure in his eyes right now I'm far from being successful; I just need to make him see reason."
Darius searched her eyes for comfort, and he found it, relaxing a bit as he nodded. "Alright, we'll send you. But we need to make sure to set up a time and place for the meeting first so that you aren't going back unprepared."
"Neither Gray or Red Rock will work," Remus said. "They're both too hostile of places at the moment."
Nyssa glanced at Darius. "Make it the river border." Everyone looked at her as if she were a ghost. "What? I have ideas too, you know. I just don't speak as often, or as quickly."
Darius nodded. "The river it is then. Amara, you'll leave tonight and go back, inform your father of our intentions. We'll wait for him at the river border at midday when the sun is highest."
"You need to inform the people of our impending arrangement too," Remus said. "Just so that everyone is on the same page."
Darius nodded again. "Good idea. Remus, I'll have you tell the people while I see Amara off." Remus smiled. "Alright, is there anything else that needs our attention at the moment?" Silence became his answer. "Good, then let's get going."
At the border, Amara embraced Darius so hard marks formed on his tough skin. Letting go, Darius held her at arm's length, looking her up and down. "Don't do anything stupid while you're over there," Darius said.
Amara scoffed. "Me? I'm sorry, who challenged your Alpha on a whim again? It certainly wasn't me."
Darius chuckled, but the two leaned in for a final parting kiss. Darius' lips were so powerful, and yet so gentle at the same time. Amara didn't know how she was going to handle the next day without his touch.
Breaking away, Amara backed to the river, a satchel full of snacks and clothes on her back. "I'll be back before you know it."
"And I'll be waiting right here," Darius responded.
Amara fought the urge to rush back to him, and swiveled on her feet as she waded into the shallow river and crossed to the other side. Stopping behind a tree, she undressed and stuffed her clothes into her satchel. Shifting into her cougar form, Amara steeled her nerves and bounded away in cat shifter territory.
Chapter Twenty-Three: Darius
Darius stayed rooted by the border river well after Amara was gone from sight. He waited, just to make sure that she would be okay; if she called out for help in the middle of her journey back, and Darius wasn't standing right here, how would he be able to rush to her rescue?
No, Darius knew it was foolish. Amara was strong, and brave beyond his imagination. She would be fine. She was a cat shifter, the daughter of the Pride's Alpha no less. Amara was the one shifter across all the clans that could probably now travel between Gray Creek and Red Rock in relative safety. All Darius could do was wait for her safe return, no matter how it pained him.
The snap of a tree branch behind him captured his brief attention, and Darius turned to meet the gaze of his father. Gavriel leaned against a tree, watching Darius.
Darius sighed. "Don't sneak up on me like that, Gavriel."
"I wonder…" Gavriel began. "Have you ever called me father before? I don't quite recall ever hearing anything but Gavriel come from your voice whenever you referred to me."
Shrugging, Darius crossed his arms. "Is it really that strange to call you by your name? Others in the clan do it."
Gavriel chortled heartily, and he appeared next to Darius within seconds. They both stared out at the other side of the river as if both in a trance. Birds chirped to each from both sides, their voices resounding through the trees like a hypnotic song.
"She'll be alright, you know," Gavriel said. "That girl can take care of herself. Cat shifters have a knack for staying alive."
"Experience from your younger days?" Darius asked. "I know you don't like to talk about it, but I've heard the tales of how great a warrior you were when you were around my age. Back then, there was a war between our clans, right?"
Gavriel nodded, his expression solemn. "I suppose now's a good time to tell you those tales myself."
"Especially the one about my mother."
"Especially that one," Gavriel agreed. He sat down on the river bank, motioning for Darius to sit next to him. Darius obliged him, observing his father closely as he sat. "I'll start where it all began I suppose…
"When I was your age, you're right, our two clans were at war with each other. There were countless days where a pack of wolf shifters crossed the river and terrorized Red Rock, or cat shifters stealthily leapt across the border and stole our children and wares. The violence didn't seem to want to end.
"At the time I fought in skirmishes alongside Ulrick, back when we still treated each other like brothers. We were valiant, brave, incredibly strong. Equally matched, though I had more fans than he did." Gavriel chuckled to himself. "But we were both of a single mind, to grow stronger and teach those kittens across the river a lesson they would never forget.
"Our Alpha was weak at the time, and so Ulrick challenged him, handily beating the old fool. With Ulrick in charge, we fought even more fervently, matching the Pride at every step. Eventually, both sides took such heavy losses that Ulrick and the Pride Alpha ordered both of their clans to cease fighting, and to simply not cross the border."
Darius eyed his father. "So, where does my mother come in?"
"Patience, Darius," Gavriel said. "She's coming up." He cleared his throat and continued. "Despite the uneasy, unspoken truce between the Pack and the Pride, there
were still many members on both sides that didn't listen and crossed the border on a few occasions. I was in Gray Creek, building my home just outside of the main hub when Ulrick called on me to help hunt down some cat shifters that were still in our territory, so I eagerly gave chase alongside him.
"We found the group of cat shifters pretty quickly. Four male and one female. The four males stayed and fought us, while the female fled for her life. They were trying to protect her from us, but we easily took them down."
Gavriel raised his hand, palm up, staring at it. "I still remember how much blood stained my hand that day."
He sighed. "Ulrick ordered me to go after the final member, the female cat shifter. I didn't quite get a good look at her at first, but I did pick up her scent, so I agreed. I fled into the Oldwood while Ulrick stayed behind and dealt with the bodies.
"I found the female shifter within a short while, catching her just before the border. I remember her back was to me, and so I made to swipe at her with my paw since I was still in my wolf form. She turned to me, though, with only fear in her eyes, and I stopped dead in my tracks. Her beauty caught my eye, and I realized I couldn't go through with killing her. I let her go, watching as she fled across the river. Hair red as fire and eyes green as the lush grass that covered the Oldwood, her image had burned itself into my memory."
Darius scratched the back of his head. Red hair, huh…and green eyes. Darius thought back to the cat shifter at Red Rock with red hair.
"I was shaken by her beauty and tried to keep myself under control as I reported to Ulrick that I had slain the woman. I tried to shake her image from my mind, but she just wouldn't leave. I couldn't stop thinking about her, so I did what any sane shifter did...I sat by this very river, much like we are now, and foolishly waited to see if she would come back. I don't know why she would, but I just had this gut feeling. Shockingly enough, she did. She came back and spoke with me. We started a secret romance after that, doing our best to keep it secret from both our people and months later we found out she was pregnant."
Darius' eyes widened, but he remained silent. His father gazed at Darius apologetically, as if he were harming his son with this story. "Ulrick found us out just before your mother was about to give birth. I had to physically stop him from killing her. So, we made a deal with Ulrick; let us live and never say a word about our relationship to anyone, and my lover and my child would go to live in Red Rock. Ulrick begrudgingly agreed."
Darius finally felt the urge to speak. "So that's why Ulrick hated us both…"
Gavriel nodded. "That stubborn fool...I changed, while he couldn't. That's pretty much the gist of it."
"But then how did I come to live with you?" Darius asked, his forehead scrunching up at all the information being thrown his way. "You said mother took me…"
"She was going to, but then you were born a wolf pup, and we both realized that the Pride would just as easily kill you both. So, I took you, and your mother fled back to Red Rock. We've been separated ever since."
Stillness hung over the two and the Oldwood around them. They both stared into the rushing river, Darius trying to make sense of what he was just told. "So, I'm part cat, is what you're saying."
"Yes. It's why you were always so different from others growing up," Gavriel answered.
"What's her name...my mother?"
Gavriel looked at him. "Her name is Sarai."
Chapter Twenty-Four: Amara
Familiar scents and sounds penetrated Amara's senses as she moved through the Oldwood. The tree began to grow thin and spread apart, with the landscape turning red and rocky the further in she came.
Homesickness had begun to settle over Amara as she padded the many common cat shifter trails; she'd been away for days, at least, but Amara hadn't had time until right now to truly understand how difficult it was to be away from everything she grew up around and the shifters she loved. Leaving Darius had been hard, but it probably wouldn't be as difficult as facing her parents again.
The closer Amara got to Red Rock, the bigger the chances of her meeting her fellow cat shifters became. She decided early on in her journey that it would be much quicker to get to her father if one of her people found her along the way and helped her travel to Red Rock in peace.
But an odd feeling sent shivers down her spine, and her short coat of tawny hair stood up on all ends. Amara couldn't smell anything remotely like a cat shifter. Darkness was beginning to set in for the night, but that was no excuse; Amara could see plenty in the dark, yet her eyes detected only small rabbits and squirrels running up trees.
Getting close to Red Rock, Amara slowed her pace, wary of her surroundings. There should be no lack of cat shifters outside of Red Rock, even at this time of night. What if something happened to Red Rock while she was away? Was it possible that Orpheus' army marched on her homeland while she stayed in Gray Creek? Panic enveloped her, but Amara forced herself to remain calm and silent, keeping her breath steady and her pace slow.
Then she heard it, cries and shouts and howling and chuffing; the sounds of battle. Amara wanted to rush forward, but instead, she decided to climb the trees and make her way closer. She needed to see what was happening first before she made any rash judgments and decisions.
Finally breaching the open air in a tree that overlooked the main circle of Red Rock, Amara was able to look down on the fierce battle taking place. Just outside the central circle some cougars and panthers were tussling with black-furred wolves and cats.
Changelings.
Amid the chaos, she noticed most of the population of Red Rock hiding within the main circle, a wealth of guards protecting them from all angles. Amara's father stood at the front watching the battle unfold before him, waiting for the moment he was needed. Amara needed to get to him, but first, she needed to help her people.
"Amara?"
Amara reacted to the voice by swiftly turning in her tree and facing a red-haired woman standing below her on the ground. Wide-eyed, Amara leaped down from the tree and shifted back into her human form.
"Sarai?" Amara asked. "What are you doing out here?"
Sarai looked at her gravely. "Collecting herbs and berries I can use to make medicine for our wounded. Your mother is tending while I'm scavenging. There's not many of us that know true medicinal remedies, and even fewer people willing to leave Red Rock right now...but what are you doing here?" Saria blinked at her, a worried look upon her face. "Are you alright? Where did you go after you helped Darius escape? Is he alright too?"
Amara walked up and embraced the woman, tears stinging her eyes. "I've missed you, Sarai. I've missed you all."
Sarai dropped the basket she was carrying and gently placed her arms around Amara. "There, there, little one. It's okay. I didn't mean to barrage you with questions. I just...we've all been so worried about you."
Amara broke away, swiping at her cheeks. "I went to Gray Creek, with Darius. A lot has happened since, and I feel like it's been an eternity since I've been gone." Amara pointed out at the battle raging at Red Rock. "But what is going on? Why are there wounded? Sarai, I need you to tell me."
Sarai's smile faded, but she managed to keep herself from grimacing. "A lot has happened here too, Amara. Ever since the night you left, your father has sent out search teams looking for you, but soon enough those search teams found Changelings. The Changelings followed those scouts back here, and ever since they've been barraging us with attacks...though they've been thinning out recently. That's the only reason I was able to come out here on my own."
"It's been the same at Gray Creek…" Amara said. Sarai's worried expression came back.
"Is...is Darius still alive...and his father?"
Amara eyed her, suspiciously. "Yeah, they are...Darius is actually Pack Alpha now. He sent me to come to speak with father about setting up a meeting. We have grave news to share…why would you be concerned about Darius and his father?"
Sarai sighed in relief, clutching at her chest. "A story for another ti
me. Right now, we need to get back inside Red Rock."
She was right, and Amara nodded. "Okay, then let's go."
Amara shifted into her tawny cougar form and watched silently as Sarai put down her basket of herbs and berries, undressed, and shifted. This was the first time Amara had ever seen Sarai's cougar form, and frankly, Sarai was just as beautiful as a cougar as she was in her human form. Sarai was the same size as Amara, but her coat was tinged auburn, and her tail whipped as she grabbed her basket in her mouth and looked to Amara.
Amara led the charge forward, understanding that Sarai probably didn't want to fight if she could avoid it, so Amara focused on carving a path for Sarai. As they approached the battle, shifters and Changelings began to notice their approach, and so Amara roared at the top of her lungs, her voice piercing the sky, and barreled into the first Changeling she saw. Sarai following close behind, Amara kept sprinting forward, trying to keep an eye on everything happening around her. Faster than she expected, three Changelings blocked her path and four more surrounded Sarai. A sickeningly mighty roar echoed in front of her though, sending shockwaves through the earth. A large mountain lion charged forward, knocking the three Changelings in front of her into the air. Other regular shifters leaped onto the four surrounding Sarai, saving her as well.
Amara glanced at the mountain lion, who stared back at her in response. The big male turned and ran off towards the main circle. Amara and Sarai followed as the other shifters fought off the remaining Changelings. Once to safety, Amara shifted to her human form.
"Father!" Amara called, as the mountain lion shifted back to his human form. She ran and jumped into a hug, which her father eagerly offered and returned.
Pulling back, her father frowned at her. "What the hell were you thinking, running off with that wolf shifter? Are you mad?"
Amara shook her head. "You can scold me all you want later, but I bring grave news that you need to hear."
