Her Earth Mates

by Lark Sterling

  Looking around, she couldn’t believe that it wasn’t real. That she wasn’t really standing in the forest. She could smell the scent of the dew, hear the wavering of the leaves in the canopy of the trees, and feel the cool crunching of the leaves beneath her feet. Althea filtered what she was seeing, knowing what forest she was in, but other than that, she had no idea where she’d landed. Hearing a noise behind her, she spun around ready for any type of danger. But instead of danger, Minco, Billy, and Yansa stood behind her, their bodies translucent like spirits.

  Althea didn’t know how it was possible, but she knew right away how it worked. If she could feel and see the three brothers as she traveled through the forest, then she would be okay. She would be able to bring herself back. If they started to fade, that would be her cue. She would need to leave with them.

  Each one of them nodded at her and Althea took in a deep breath. “Where do we go from here? There’s a reason that I was put here but what is it?”

  Before any of the guys could answer her question, the sound of strange and unfamiliar voices echoed out in her head. She looked over her shoulder in the direction that the voices were coming from. Across the clearing it looked as if there was a path, not anything formal, just a place in and out of the clearing that was used on a more regular basis. The leaves were crunched, the weeds were knocked down, and the grass along the path had been worn down to nothing but dirt. Althea immediately moved across the clearing to investigate. As she walked along, everything flickered and changed, like a television on the fritz. When it reworked itself in her vision, Althea found that she had no real idea where they were or even how to get back to the clearing if she needed to.

  It didn’t matter to her at that point if she knew the coordinates or just the general direction, she wanted to get to where the voices were. Pushing through the thick of the forest bed, Althea moved back into the wooded area on the other side of the clearing; the guys walking behind her. The man made path wound around through the woods, finally ending at the base of the far-off mountains. Althea moved carefully to the edge of another clearing, one that revealed a cave tucked between two large boulders.

  Althea wondered if she had gotten lost, but there were the voices again, this time floating up from the deep dark cave in front of her. Standing beside her, Yansa looked out at the opening. “Be careful.”

  Althea nodded. “You said they can’t see me, right?”

  Yansa shook his head. “Though I’ve never been in the situation before, I don’t believe that they’ll be able to see you. You still need to be careful though, we don’t know exactly what we’re dealing with here.”

  That was as good of an answer as Althea could expect. She stepped out of the clearing and walked across toward the entrance to the cave. The guys followed behind her as she climbed down and carefully walked through the damp corridor carved out by hundreds of years of water trickling through the rocks. The path switched to the right, and she stepped out into the main walkway, glancing all around her as she made her way deeper and deeper into the cave.

  Several minutes later, the voices got louder and Althea walked through an archway into a part of the cave where the ceilings were hundreds of feet high. The room was fully lit with hundreds of candles lined up all around the walls. Standing in the center were the three missing Alphas.

  The Tiger Alpha, the Bull, and the Dryad, all stood in their human forms pacing back and forth. The Tiger glanced over at the other two. “Honestly he had it coming. He didn’t think he could occupy that reign forever did he? Eventually the grizzlies would need a new Alpha. It’s all part of the game and it’s happened for centuries. I don’t feel the least bit remorseful about it.”

  The Dryad shook his head, ringing his hands. “I don’t know. The Bears are smart. A Clan Alpha has been murdered and we’re nowhere to be found.”

  The Bull, a very stocky tall man with a bald head, let out a deep annoyed sigh. “Both of you need to relax. If we want to take everything over, we can’t have a loose end like some do-gooder Clan Alpha. Taking him out was necessary, not only to clear our way but to grab the High Alphas attention. Once we’ve taken over, it’s not going to matter who supports us or not, we’ll rule the Earth Sigil even if we have to do it by fear.”

  The sound of scraping rocks drew Althea’s attention to the corner. Crouched down, crawling frantically on the floor was an older man, draped in robes similar to Yansa’s. Slowly, Althea walked closer to him. As she looked down over the drawings, his head snapped up, his eyes gray and cloudy. “She’s here.”

  The three Alphas turned to the man in the shadows. He stood up, his body old and hunched. “Someone’s here. You can’t see them but I know they’re here.”

  Yansa grabbed Althea by the arm and pulled her back, away from the man in the corner. “They have their own Shaman. He’s a Grizzly, but one that I’ve never seen before.”

  The Shaman stood up, grabbing a crooked gnarled stick and used it as a crutch as he stumbled forward, his gray eyes shifting back and forth. Yansa shook his head. “This is too dangerous. I didn’t know a Shaman would be here. We have to go. There’s no time to waste.”

  Althea whipped around, finding the guys flickering faster and faster. She knew she only had a moment and raced forward with their hands out. Before she could reach them though, they faded completely from sight. She could hear Yansa yelling to her as he disappeared. “Pull yourself out! You have to leave. Focus on it.”

  A bit of panic settled into Althea’s chest and she tried to calm herself. Turning around, she found the old Shaman from the corner had gotten up and was walking toward her. He had something in his hand, something that rattled around as he shook it. Althea stood perfectly still, searching her entire mind and body for any attachment to the three brothers that she could find. She took a step back as the Shaman grew closer, and then another, and another until she found herself backed up to the wall, nowhere else to go.

  The old man stood in front of her, his gray eyes staring at her, but she couldn’t tell whether he could see her or not. Very slowly he lifted his hand, pointing his finger straight at her. His head turned to the side, and he stepped forward again, reaching for her. She looked down as his finger grew closer to her chest. Just as he was about to touch her, Althea felt something yank at her core and everything began to flash again. This time the pictures moved faster, until there was nothing but darkness with thin white light right in the center. But she didn’t stop there, her conscious flew all the way back, landing triumphantly in Yansa’s house surrounded by the guys.

  Althea’s feet stumbled on the ground, and Billy grabbed her before she could fall. Whatever they had done had worked, all they had to do now was to figure out exactly where they thought the Alphas would be. Althea was ready to get her revenge.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Althea gripped onto Minco’s arm, breathing heavily. Her eyes were tightly shut and she had braced herself for the unknown. Very slowly, she opened her eyes the fog and haze lifting. Standing up, she turned to Yansa, her eyes wide with confusion. “I think he could see me.”

  Yansa was beside himself. The usual calm and collected attitude had vanished and in its place was fear. “I’ve never seen anything like that before. I didn’t know they would have their own Shaman. He shouldn’t have been there. He was one of us.”

  Billy put his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Was. That’s the vital word here. Whoever that guy was when he was part of this tribe, he’s no longer that person. Whether for gain or survival he’s turned against his own and that makes him just as bad as the others if not worse.”

  Yansa took a deep breath, settling himself. “You’re right. I’ve never seen someone turn against their own before. The important thing is, we found them.”

  Althea rubbed her face, thinking hard on what she saw. “We walked for a little while through the forest, but it wasn’t the thickest part, so we don’t know what’s beyond the Ridge. We know that there hiding in a cave. I don’t kn
ow these woods well enough to even know where to start.”

  Billy bit the inside of his cheek and began to pace. “I’ve always been a wanderer, it’s how I clear my mind. I’ve probably tracked every single inch of the woods out there since I was a kid. About five years ago, I stumbled upon some caves at the base of the mountain. It’s the only area like that, everything else is just forest that leads out to either fields or the roadways. Those caves are about 3 miles from here, not far at all.”

  Althea nodded her head, standing up from the circle. “Then that’s where we should go. That’s close enough for them to be without being noticed. Is also far enough away from the border of the Settlement for them to know they won’t get caught.”

  Minco grinded his fist into his palm, his body tense with rage. “Then we should pack our bags and go. There’s no time to waste. Long claws killer is still out there plotting the next murder.”

  They looked around at each other for a moment, but none of them had to say anything. The energy in the room was wrought with revenge, each of them having their own reasons for wanting to take down the Alphas. The four of them dispersed, grabbing their bags and shoving their clothes and necessities inside. When they were finished, they walked out of the Shaman’s house and down through the gates pausing and glancing back down at the camp. The Settlement was in mourning, and was extremely quiet. It felt unnatural, like something had been snatched away from them. Althea’s heart broke for her people and her motivation to find the Alphas grew even deeper.

  They had to leave the Settlement and make their way across the fields of the Alphas, pausing only a moment to pay their respects to Long Claw as he laid upon his wooden throne, wrapped in his royal shrouds. There could be no talking on this trip, no slow movements or loud noises. The group moved in the shadows, staying low and out of the view of any prying eyes. They stayed in their human forms, knowing full well that as bears, they may be either seen or sensed as they approached the caves at the foot of the mountain. They wanted to have the ability to surprise the Alphas, not giving them time to prepare for battle. They knew what they were facing was difficult, even with Althea’s growing powers, these Alphas were strong and mighty and they fought for control of the entire shifter empire.

  At the same time though, as Althea crouched through the thick of the forest, she knew that she had a reason to win that was stronger than any of the Alphas. Not only was she fighting for her survival and the survival of the shifter species, but she was fighting for revenge for the deaths of people she cared deeply about. She had two powerful entities at her back, the spirit of her mother, and the will of her father, two people who would’ve done the same that she was doing in that moment.

  Up ahead, Billy signaled for them to halt and put his finger to his lips. The group stopped and waited for him to wave them on slowly as they approached the edge of the tree line where the forest opened up to the caves in the side of the large mountain. The four squatted down, looking through, pulling their bare senses to the forefront.

  Billy sneered shaking his head. “I can sense them. The Alphas are here.”

  Minco cracked his neck, his jaw tight with anger. “Then we kill them.”

  Althea reached over and put her hand on Minco’s arm. “You can’t let the rage overtake your own will. You have to go in there with a clear mind. The Alphas will be clear, focused and ready. We can’t just go running into the caves half cocked without a plan.”

  Yansa nodded. “Althea is right. If they have a Shaman in there, no one will make it into the pit of the cave without being sensed, even in our human form. We have to try to make it as far as we possibly can, so we have to be able to move like soldiers. You have to remember that these Alphas have soldiers minds. They may not be fully trained, but they’re powerful and we’ve seen that they have very little conscience.”

  “That’s right,” Althea replied. “So we need to be smarter and more calm then they are. I know the emotions are high, trust me I feel them, but it won’t do our people any good if we die going into these caves.”

  Minco took a deep breath and turned to them, letting some of the anger trickle out of him. “All right, what’s the plan then?”

  Althea looked around at the guys, knowing what she was about to say wasn’t going to be popular but it was her job to do what was right and not necessarily what was wanted. “I want you to hear me out. I want to try to do this in a peaceful manner. We should bring the three Alphas in and let the Council decide their fate. Having killed one of their own, the Council won’t go easy on them and most likely their sentence will be worse than any quick death we could give them. I know that there’s a good chance it won’t work, but it’s my duty to give it a shot.”

  The guys were silent, and she could tell they didn’t like the idea, but they weren’t going to argue. She understood their need for blood, but at the same time she was right, the Council didn’t look kindly on traitors and their punishment would far exceed any pain that Althea could inflict on them in the heat of a battle.

  Althea crouched closer, pointing at the opening to the cave. “We’ll enter the only place we can, but we’ll stay in the shadows and try to keep off their radar as long as possible. Minco, you and I will attack the Alphas, taking on anyone that comes at us first. We’ll put them down and try to calm the situation enough for me to talk. If talking isn’t an option then we just fight. Billy, Yansa, you two will take down the other Shaman before joining us and helping us fight the three Alphas. If he’s as dangerous as you say he is, we don’t want him lurking at our backs. We want to make sure that all directions are clear and that we have the upper hand from the beginning.”

  Everyone nodded in agreement and backed away from the tree line, taking the same path down to the cave that they had during their journey with Yansa. As they walked, they dropped their things along the way, pushing them up beneath the bushes and hedges. They stripped down to nothing and when they reached the edge, they all quickly shifted into their bears. The swirl of white along Althea’s fur had grown larger and more prominent. Her eyes were crystal blue, and her body was tense and large.

  “Let me go first,” she said telepathically.

  As quietly as she possibly could in her bear form, Althea crept out of the cover of the forest and over to the entry of the cave. The guys followed on behind her, Yansa bringing up the tale behind Billy with Minco staying close to Althea. Luckily the entryway to the caves was wide and the sound of trickling water covered the sound of their footsteps as they hurried through. They could hear the Alphas voices echoing against the wet stonewalls.

  As they reached the arched opening of the cavern in the belly of the cave, Althea glanced back at the others as then entered. Billy, Minco, and Yansa stayed at the opening, watching as Althea trotted down in front of the Alphas. All three of them stood, glancing at each other and then angrily over at her.

  “Smart girl,” the Dryad said, his lips quivering as he joined the tiger and the bull, all still in their human forms.

  Althea opened her mind, allowing them into hers and her into theirs. They tried to fight her but she was stronger than them mentally. “I’ve come for your surrender and if you go peacefully with us, I will ask the Council to show mercy. We know you killed Long Claw, we know you killed that guard, and we know you’ve been trying to kill me. We know all about your plan to take over the Earth Sigil. We can promise you if you don’t surrender now, you’ll not only face us but you’ll face the entirety of the shifter community who want you to answer for your crimes.”

  The tiger put his hand to his stomach and leaned his head back, laughing wildly. His head snapped up and his eyes narrowed, a chilling grin across his face. “Maybe you’re not as smart as I thought.”

  With that, his body shifted, turning into his tiger. Minco ran forward from the doorway, joining Althea as they backed up, the tiger roaring loudly. His cat was large, larger than the others, but it didn’t scare Althea. She knew what kind of shifter he was, and how morals and ethics
had nothing to do with his choices. Minco rubbed his shoulder along Althea giving her a look through his dark bear eyes. “It seems like they want to do it the hard way.”

  Althea closed her mind off to the Alphas and snarled her lip. “I was hoping for that.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Yansa’s breath was heavy as his bear claws clacked down on the smooth surface of the cave. He weaved in and out of the stones, chasing after the Shaman who had taken off to the other side of the cave. He wasn’t sure what his plan was, but whatever it was Yansa knew that it wasn’t good. Billy ran behind Yansa, realizing that his brother was a lot faster than he ever thought. His smaller size gave him something that none of the other bears had, and that was speed.

  Knowing full well that Billy could take care of himself, Yansa kept his attention forward, focusing on the Shaman. The old man, much faster than he looked, stopped ahead of them and turned. Yansa came to a stop nudging Billy to do the same. They watched with caution as the Shaman rattled something in his hand and lifted his cane up in the air, slamming the end of it down into the cave floor. Sparks flew everywhere as the Shaman’s body twisted and turned as he shifted into his bear.

  Yansa took one small step forward, his eyes wide, his mind in disbelief. “You. I didn’t recognize your human body but I know your Bear anywhere. I thought you had died five years ago.”

  The Shaman laughed wildly in Yansa and Billy’s head. “You never were the brightest, but you definitely were the most talented.”

  Billy looked to Yansa, not understanding. Yansa’s guilt for what he knew he would have to do radiated all around him. “This is my teacher, the Shaman that we visited when we were just kids. I knew your eyes looked familiar in your human form, but your face has been changed through your own magic, hiding your true identity. But why? Why would you turn against your own?”