“Just concentrate on your human body, your toes, your fingers…” Jake instructed, easing the door open a little more as Hannah began to immediately shrink. “That’s it, just imagine yourself….”
“Naked!” Hannah screamed as the golden fur that had just engulfed her suddenly vanished, her fingers reaching to snatch the shower curtain down from its rod and around her shaking body.
“You make a beautiful bear,” Jake murmured, a smile on his lips once again. “Get dressed, we have a lot to talk about.”
“Right,” Hannah breathed, her hands trembling as she held them up to inspect.
She hadn’t imagined the blood or the pain from the cut, an angry red line greeting her as she flipped her palm over and then squeezed slowly. Tenderness caused her to wince as she pushed herself up to a stand, her green eyes wide as she inspected her very human face in the oval shaped mirror above the sink. It was her, but not her. Her skin was perfect, her hair shinier than she’d ever seen it. Her body even seemed more toned, as if she’d been photoshopped in her sleep.
Despite her still racing heart, Hannah let her thoughts creep slowly back towards how she’d felt for those few seconds as a bear, a small gasp escaping her throat as golden downy fuzz slowly covered her face. In a blink of an eye it was gone again, her fingers tracing in wonder across her once again silky smooth skin.
This was going to take some getting used to.
Chapter 31:
“The trick is…” Jake explained weaving in and out of the trees as he shifted back and forth from human to bear. “Multitasking,” he laughed as he poked his head out from behind a winter pine, to find Hannah stuck half shift.
Long shapely legs stumbled to hold her heavier upper body upright, her claws spearing a tree on either side of her to keep her from toppling over. She managed the shift to full bear, dropping to all fours in exhaustion as she shook her head at Jake.
“The more you practice, the more instantaneous it will be. You’re thinking too hard, but that’s a good thing,” Jake added hastily. “You could be in the middle of a conversation and suddenly think bear, and without intending to, your secret is out. It’s more than just consciousness, it’s…it’s…”
Control… Hannah tossed her head once, a wide smile on her face as she stepped behind a tangle of vines to her left.
“You’ve got the human thing perfectly,” Jake praised her with his eyes dragging admiringly over her loose locks to the bare shoulders shrugging nonchalantly back at him.
“Yeah, a real natural,” Hannah giggled, throwing up a block to see if he noticed.
He did.
“Good,” Jake nodded, before shifting back into his bear form.
Use it like a wall. Surround yourself with an easy, general memory. The city lights, the smell of downtown, the park… He was inside her head, circling around the bluff she’d created to hide what she was really thinking.
It was hard controlling two memories at once. The more complex the bluff, the easier it was to conceal the real thought. Thoughts of what was to come, thoughts of her father being killed; her bluff was crumbling, and so she shifted, anger propelling her into bear form in a flash this time.
Perfect… Jake’s words were a whisper inside of her head his muzzle soft against her own as she leaned into the protection of his fur covered body.
Do you think I’ll be ready? Hannah unveiled her worries and fears for him to see, her heart jerking once when his own mingled in with hers.
Tonight we’ll see.
***********
The town hall was completely full, and yet there were people still pushing their way through the old wooden double doors, crowding the entrance and obscuring the view they had from the shadows of the buildings across the street. Hannah caught a glimpse of her father as he took one of the chairs on the small stage, still dressed in his work clothes, his eyes searching the crowd for her. Jake held her hand tightly, his face blank of any expression as he waited for the council to proceed before them. They were all in their human form, the wolverine flanking Roan and Marigold’s side as they finally moved from their position.
Her father had just taken the microphone, a protesting squeal echoing through the room as he stepped too close to the tiny speaker sitting in front of the stand. A hush filled the room, the crowd parting as Rone made his way to the front. Hannah’s view was blocked by the council members in front of her, but she could hear her father’s flustered stammer, and then the microphone being taken from his hand.
They spread out across the front of the room, facing the stage, Rone and Marigold taking the center with the rest of the council surrounding them. Hannah and Jake were the last to take their places at Rone’s side, Hannah’s heart suddenly slamming in her chest as she caught her father’s eye.
“This meeting is for residents only,” Sam spoke into the mic, his eyes flitting across the group before they landed in surprise on Hannah’s face.
“We are residents,” Rone spoke evenly, turning to glance at the room full of people behind him. “Long before any of you.”
“I thought you were sick,” Paul whispered, his brow pulling in confusion at the slight headshake Hannah gave him.
“We’ve been protecting you for years,” Rone’s voice boomed now, his body straightening as he stretched to his full height, taking the stage in two easy steps. “I know you are all here to discuss the mine closing. Well, we are here to tell you why the mine needs to close.”
“Here goes,” Jake murmured under his breath, his fingers clasping Hannah’s even tighter.
Hannah watched her father’s face as Rone began to explain Hinsdale’s true beginning. She watched as his jaw tightened, his eyes holding hers warily as Rone revealed the truth behind the mythical wolves that had been seen over the years.
“Creed will not stop. He will send more and more, until finally he is out. They have the ability to appear nearly human. You might not know one if it were sitting right beside you,” Roan admonished, his hands thrown up at the smatter of snickers that had started to trickle through the crowd.
“What kind of protector are you?! You run every time something happens at the mine!” someone cried out from the crowd of people.
“If there are wolves like you say, then we have plenty of guns!”
“We should drill deeper! Get them before they get us!”
“This is silly!” Sam bellowed into the microphone, his face beet red as he took a step towards Rone. “You are scaring them for nothing. I’ve lived here all my life, and never have I ever….”
“Then you haven’t been looking! All of the disappearances, the carcass that you keep beneath the basement of your store, the basement that no one knows is there,” Rone challenged Sam in a calm even voice, the dark brown of his eyes sparking as they narrowed in a sweeping stare over the room. “How many of you have held your tongues for fear of being called crazy? How many of you have seen truth and turned a blind eye to the dangers that lurk beneath the very earth that we stand on? Guns won’t defeat these beings. They are nearly immortal, just like us,” Rone bowed his head towards his council, his hand held up for silence as the wolverine stretch upward with a low whine in his throat, his clothes tearing slowly from his human form as coarse black fur cloaked his new body.
There were shrieks of fear, a collective gasp as the wolverine knelt at Rone’s feet, its beady eyes fixed out over the audience. The hair on the back of Hannah’s neck prickled, and her stomach flip flopped as a molded earthy smell assaulted her nostrils.
“Do you…?”
“Show yourself!” Rone demanded, just as Jake’s hold on Hannah’s hand was ripped free.
It was all happening so fast. The man that had been standing three or four people behind them, was now hurling himself through the air, his face human, but the rest of him massive wolf, partially cloaked by a dirty overcoat that had been draped over his frame.
Wood splintered up from the creaky stage as the wolf’s claws dug deep, securing it’s landing in front of a su
rprised Paul. Hannah’s heart jerked at the fear she saw washing over her father’s face, a roar ripping from her throat as she threw herself on the wolf’s back in a blinding shift.
“Hannah NO!!!!!”
Jake’s warning came through a fog, Hannah’s full weight flattening the wolf to the floor just as it tried to spin on its attacker. A yelp of pain escaped her throat as the wolf’s claws ripped through the thatch of fur covering her shoulder, the smell of blood fresh in the air as the wound began to ooze. Hannah’s eyes met her father’s terrified stare as he stumbled backwards and off the other side of the stage, her claws flashing gold as she brought them down swiftly, embedding them deep in the center of the wolf’s chest.
Hannah! Jake had shifted and was beside her, dragging the dying wolf from under her with barred teeth.
“She is the one,” Marigold gasped as the council gathered around the limp figure, watching in amazement as fur turned to dust, skin and muscle to ash.
The town hall was suddenly in an uproar, everyone screaming and pushing to get away from what was fleeing down the center aisle.
“GO!” Rone commanded with a sharp nod, sending Jake and the wolverine hot on the second wolf’s heels.
“Dad…?” Hannah whimpered, just as a coat was draped over her now naked shoulders.
“Hannah! Oh my god! Hannah! What just happened!? What did you do to her? You monsters! Get away!” Paul Adler shrieked in fear, his arms thrown protectively over his daughter.
“Dad…you almost…he almost…” Hannah sobbed, adrenaline killing the dull ache that shot through her shoulder and down into gold clad fingers that now reached for her father.
“Quiet!” Rone bellowed above the noise of the room, his hand reaching for Marigold to take his side once again.
A hush fell almost immediately, fear on every face that looked their way.
“More will come. I know you don’t understand it now, but my council and I will try and make sure that all your questions are answered, but right now we prepare for war. She is the key,” Rone stared down at Hannah with admiration in his eyes. Born full bear Kind and yet fully human, she is the only one that can save all of us. We need you, as much as you need us, but most importantly we all need her.
“What are you saying?!” Paul demanded, allowing Hannah room as she slipped her arms into the oversized jacket and zipped it shut. “You want to use my daughter?! You’ve turned her into some kind of freak and…”
“Dad!” Hannah’s voice was small as she pushed herself to a stand, her fingers still trembling as she took his hand. “This was my choice, my….”
“They’ve brainwashed you! How was that even possible?! Did you just turn into a bear?! Did that boy just turn into a bear?! I’ll kill him! I’ll….”
“Enough!” Rone snapped. “We’re going to need all the gold that we can find, and I’m going to need your help in overseeing this. We owe you an explanation, yes,” Rone nodded at Paul slowly. “But not here, not now.”
“I didn’t sign up for this. I didn’t bring her out here to fight some crazy animal war! I’ve already lost a wife,” Paul choked out, his head shaking as he attempted to pull Hannah with him off the stage.
It hurt her to pull away from him, to see the betrayed look in his eyes when his head jerked back around to look at her.
“I have to do this,” Hannah whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek as she held her father’s gaze. “It’s the only way…”
“Hannah please…”
“Take her home, my wife will go with you,” Rone nodded towards Hannah, releasing Marigold so that she could take the girls’ hand.
Paul’s mouth opened to object, and then snapped closed in defeat. Hannah’s eyes stayed fixed on his sagging shoulders as he turned slowly towards the exit, his head shaking as he went.
“So what do we do?” Sam spoke for all of the townspeople who now stood frozen to their spot, each wary of the person standing next to them.
“We fight…?” Rone’s answer was a question, his gaze acknowledging every nod before the agreement was fully unanimous.
“Together…we fight,” Sam swallowed hard, taking a step back to allow Rone center stage. “Tell us how.”
Chapter 32:
Hannah had never been so grateful for the guttural noises that ‘Big Red’ churned out with every shift of the gears. Granted her father was being none to gentle with pushing the ancient vehicle to its max, but it still made it impossible to have a proper conversation over all the noise. The long bumpy ride wasn’t long enough for Hannah this time, her heart in her throat the second ‘Big Red’s’ clanking V8 engine whined to a halt, the tires of the rugged vehicle sliding in the slippery moss covering the front yard.
“Are you trying to kill us!?” Hannah snapped as she threw the passenger door opened and climbed out, allowing Marigold to extract herself from the tiny backseat before slamming the heavy metal door open with a bang.
“NO! That’s exactly what I’m trying to prevent!” Paul shouted, already storming towards the front porch of the cabin.
Hannah shook her head apologetically at Marigold, grateful that the woman stayed behind while she followed her father into the cabin.
“Dad…”
“We’re leaving in half an hour. Grab what you can carry, and I’ll send movers back for the rest, we leave tonight!” Paul cut his daughter off without looking at her, his shotgun in his hand as he stalked towards the back bedroom.
“I’m not leaving!” Hannah shouted, crossing her arms as she took a defensive stance in front of the kitchen table. “You’re not listening to me! I did this to save your life. I did this because I love him!” she cried, her breath catching in her throat just as her father came stomping back down the hall.
“You turned into a BEAR Hannah! A BEAR! What part of that is normal for you?! I watched you kill a friggin wolf, more than twice your size. You…you….”
“I’m one of them now. I should have told you…I know…but…”
“Should have told me?!” Paul rolled his eyes and forced a laugh. “Hannah that’s not exactly the words that come to mind. I don’t know what those monsters did to you, but I’m getting you out of here!”
“They didn’t do anything that I didn’t want them to do. It wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t already in me, don’t you see. I was meant to do this!”
“If you start babbling to me about fate, and the stars, Hannah I swear…”
“Dad!”
“No! You listen… If your mother were here…”
“She’d want me to fight!” Hannah snapped, tears springing to her eyes as she thought back to the police report she’d only been allowed to read a couple years ago. “She fought back dad! She fought as hard as she could!”
“And look where it got her!” Paul nearly sobbed, his hands thrown up in disbelief at his daughter. “Do you think for a second, I’m going to let the same happen to you? Do you think…?”
“It’s not your choice, I’m all grown up now…”
“You’re seventeen for a few more weeks, and until you’re eighteen, you will do as I say! Now go pack!” Paul gritted out between clenched teeth, his index finger pointing in the direction of her room.
The tone of his voice was almost enough to make her obey. He’d never, in her seventeen years, spoken to her that way ever. It was out of love, she knew that, but she also had to make him see that what she was doing was out of love too.
“Mom wasn’t a coward,” Hannah whispered. “You brought me here, and I found myself, more importantly, I found us again, and I also found…Jake.”
“Hannah…this Jake guy…”
“You don’t know him,” Hannah shook her head gently. “He would die for me; if there were any other way…”
“These people need to fight their own battles. Wolves….? Mutant wolves…” Paul corrected, his eyes filling with fear as he looked past his daughter to the still open front door. “What have they talked you into?”
&n
bsp; “Maybe I can help you explain,” Jake’s voice was quiet, his frame filling the doorway as he looked from Hannah to her father.
“You!” Paul gritted out, lifting the shotgun so that it was pointed at Jake’s chest.
“Dad!” Hannah cried, jumping between her father and Jake.
“Hannah no,” Jake pushed her aside, taking her hand instead as he gestured to the kitchen table. “Mr. Adler, if you would just let me explain…”
Hannah’s breath held as she watched her father hold his aim for a moment longer before lowering the weapon. A whimper of relief slipped free and she released Jake’s hand to throw her arms around her father.
“Fine,” Paul reluctantly nodded as he pulled out a chair for his daughter. “Make me understand.”
**********
The weapons were piling up, the pungent smell of melting gold filling the air and spreading out over the town of Hinsdale like an omen of what was to come. Even with the hundred or so women and children that had fled for safety, hundreds more had stayed behind to fight, working long sweltering hot hours in the makeshift blacksmith station to produce what would work like kryptonite against the wolves.
Paul Adler swiped at the constant trickle of sweat that ran from his brows, down into his eyes. The heat from the fire he’d been bent over, grew hotter as he dashed the nearly finished sword in once again, turning it over so that the metal glowed bright orange. Fashioned from the strongest steel, it would make a fine weapon, but once dipped in the cauldron of boiling liquid gold at his side, he hoped it would do what the council said it would.
He sighed as he caught sight of his daughter and Jake, walking hand in hand towards Sam’s place. It had been nearly two weeks since Jake had sat at his table and showed him the connection they shared, and he still felt it. He could nearly see it emanating from their smiles, he felt it in the way that they spoke to each other with a single look. He’d once had that, and he couldn’t imagine taking it away from his daughter.
Everything in him told him to carry her to safety and never look back, but how long had he been running? He had implored Hannah to try and make a life here, and now that she had, he refused to leave her behind. He just wished that it could have been him instead of her.
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