Shift - 02

by M. R. Merrick

  “No, don’t fight this!”

  “It hurts!” Her words were muffled through feline jaws and a half snout that began pushing out from her face.

  “You need to see past the pain. Push your beast to the surface on your terms.”

  Rayna stared at me for only a moment before the beast took over. The sound of bones rubbing together sent a shiver down my spine before her kneecaps buckled. They dislocated themselves and moved, bending her legs at opposite angles. Rayna’s lips parted, but instead of a scream, a growl came from her mouth.

  “Yes. Take control. This is your moment!” Chief said.

  Her body flipped and pushed itself up on four paws. Rayna’s shirt stretched, her skin rippling as something pushed from inside. Her spine cracked and arched in a way a human’s couldn’t, forcing her shirt to ride up her body. Clear fluid dripped from the fabric as black fur pushed itself out from her hips.

  Rayna’s body trembled and Chief brought his beast to the surface, slamming his power into Rayna. Her voice broke out in a scream and she collapsed to the floor, lying motionless on the ground, half-shifted and panting for air.

  “What’s happening?” I asked in a panic.

  Chief sighed. “Nothing.”

  “Is she okay?”

  Chief pushed himself to his feet. “She’s fine. Unconscious, but fine.” He adjusted the long black hair he'd tied into a ponytail. “I didn’t think it’d be that easy, but she’d shifted so far I thought, maybe.”

  Rayna’s body twitched a few times before it began changing. Bones cracked, moving back into place, and claws slid back into her fingertips. Blood dripped from her lips as the fangs receded, and the thick black hair that covered her body pulled itself back inside through the wide slits in her body. The skin closed itself shut and returned to its toned, human form.

  Chief slipped his hands underneath her and scooped her up with ease. He carefully guided her body through the narrow, crooked doorway and laid her in one of the beds.

  “Is she going to be okay?”

  “She won’t wake up for a while, but she’ll be fine. Too bad. She’ll miss out on some of the festivities tonight.” Chief grew quiet, and dark brown eyes watched Rayna.

  “What the hell was that about? I thought we had a deal; she comes, he leaves her alone.”

  “He was given strict instructions–”

  “That's not good enough! Rayna trusted you. There’s enough going on right now. We don’t need him making things worse.”

  “I assure you he will be dealt with accordingly. For now, she needs her rest, but I must ask you to do something for me.”

  I sighed and shook my head. “What?”

  “When Rayna wakes, she’ll be in pain, but you must promise me you will keep your magic to yourself.”

  “Why?”

  “Each time you heal her from the shift, her body reacts to the next one as though it’s the first. It prolongs the process. I think you’ll agree that we don’t want that.”

  I looked to Rayna lying still on the bed and nodded.

  “I know it’s hard to stand by and watch when you have the ability to help, but with this, I need you to do just that.”

  “I understand.”

  “The pride will be going on a meditation tonight. If you–”

  “I have to stay with Rayna.”

  Chief paused a moment before nodding. “I want you to know this retreat can be good for you as well. Marcus explained what has been happening to you. The power inside you is strong, but you are stronger. Perhaps some of what I have to teach Rayna may be of value to you as well.” I looked at Chief, but I didn’t respond. “Just think about it,” he said, and his feet tapped quietly on the floor as he left.

  Rayna was passed out, her chest rising and falling with deep, heavy breaths. Bloodstains covered her body, and her clothing was torn in random places.

  I set up a chair by the bedroom window and watched as dozens of people walked through the clearing and disappeared through the brush. I hoped I’d made the right decision in making Rayna come here. Every time I pushed to get my way it never worked out. I hoped this time was different, for Rayna’s sake. The last thing I wanted was to have anyone else die because of me.

  Chapter 18

  Everything was hazy and I rubbed my eyes. My back ached from sleeping in the chair, and my spine cracked as I stretched, giving me that hurt so good feeling.

  Rayna was still asleep and in the same position I’d left her in. She’d been out all night and hadn’t made a sound. She was still breathing; at least that was a good sign.

  A fog so thick hung over the clearing outside you could barely see the forest. I watched as hues of pink, red, and orange exploded over the tree line, trying to push the fog back as warm rays dove into the clearing.

  With the exception of Rayna’s breathing, everything was quiet. The scenery surrounding us was beautiful, and for a brief moment I stared out the window and enjoyed the silence. An odd feeling overcame me then and in that moment, I felt at peace. I was in the middle of nowhere surrounded by nature. No phone, no TV, and most importantly, no one trying to kill me. For this one moment I was hidden from reality. I couldn’t help but enjoy the feeling of calm, and the thought that Chief might be right crossed my mind. If I could gain control of my elements, I’d be one step closer to stopping Riley. Maybe this retreat could be beneficial for both of us. We were here for Rayna and that was the priority, but maybe there was more to Chief than just taming the beast.

  The last few days I’d had more control over my elements than ever before. Something had clicked inside me and they were working, but there was something else there, too. It was unfamiliar. It stirred inside my soul, dancing among flames and rapids, but I couldn’t explain it.

  “Morning.” Rayna stretched out over the bed.

  Even with the blood and fluid from the shift covering her body, she looked better than yesterday. The bags that had started to swell under her eyes from stress, lack of sleep, and too many tears were gone. She almost looked refreshed.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “I hurt.” She gave a pouty face.

  “Chief said you would. He also said I can’t help you with that.”

  “Why not?” Rayna swung her legs over the bed, wincing with every movement.

  “He says healing you is making things worse. Every time your body tries to shift and I heal you, it makes the next one feel like the first time all over again.”

  Rayna groaned and fell back on the bed. “I tried this time. I really did, but I couldn’t do it. It's too strong.”

  “You can’t think like that. Chief said nobody does it the first try. It’s going to take time and practice.”

  “This isn’t the first try and it’s not something I want to practice. Getting better at turning into an animal was not something on my bucket list.”

  “Bucket list?” I laughed. “I think you’re a little young to have one of those.”

  “Well, considering how often someone tries to kill me, I should.”

  Silence fell over us and I watched her stretch again, her expression alone told me that she was in pain and I wished I could help.

  “What time is it?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. There are no clocks here.”

  “We’re so far from civilization that time doesn’t exist here. Great.” Rayna shuddered and looked up at me. “Did Jonathan come back?”

  I shook my head. “He was told not to come at all. I don’t know why he was here in the first place. Chief assured me he’d deal with it, but his way of handling it hasn’t worked so far.”

  “I can’t believe him. How can he just walk up after all this time and be like “hey, let’s chat.”

  “I don’t–”

  “It’s unbelievable to think he has the guts to try and strike up a conversation. It’s been eighteen years, I’m my own person, and I don’t even know him.”

  “Maybe–”

  “I just don’t know how t
o deal with him. How do you talk to the guy who was supposed to be your father, but vanished and let the world think he was dead? He could’ve stopped them.”

  “Them?”

  Rayna looked up at me and although her voice was angry, her eyes were full of sadness. “The Circle. He knew they didn’t approve of what he and my Mom were doing, but still, he just disappeared and left my mother to…” Rayna started breathing heavily and anger pushed itself over her last few words.

  “Okay, you just woke up. Let’s not do this now.” I moved to the edge of her bed and crouched in front of her. “Look at me.”

  Rayna’s breaths came faster and she started to shake. I took her hands in mine and heat poured off of them. I squeezed them tight in my grip and pulled her forward.

  “Hey, look at me.”

  Rayna’s eyes met mine. She was fighting a battle inside. The beast wanted out.

  “I know you don’t understand it. I don’t either. But you can’t think about that. There will be plenty of time for that once you’re okay. I’ll help you find the answers you want, but right now, we can’t do this.”

  Rayna put her head on my shoulder and tried to calm herself. A low growl rumbled from her throat but she quickly took hold of it, swallowing it back down. She took long, deep breaths until the trembling stopped.

  “It’s so hard...”

  “I know, but you’re not alone. Together, we can do this.”

  The cabin door opened and Chief came strolling into the bedroom. “Good, you’re awake.” He smiled. “Everything okay?”

  I looked at Rayna, waiting for her to respond. She took a few breaths and nodded.

  “Everything’s fine,” I said. “What’s up?”

  “Hiking time. Get dressed.”

  “Can I shower first?” Rayna asked.

  “No time. We’re already late.”

  “Late for what?”

  “Come on!” Chief ignored the question and left whistling a tune I didn't recognize.

  “I hate morning people,” I said.

  ********

  None of the shifters spoke to us when we gathered in the clearing. There were a few kids running around and a couple teenagers scattered throughout the crowd, but the majority of them were adults. Rai flew around me as I walked into the field and then she disappeared into the forest. She’d been cooped up in the condo for far too long. I guess she’d been longing for the chance to spread her wings.

  I lost sight of Chief over the heads of the crowd, but his voice was loud enough that it filled the clearing.

  “I want everyone to follow me. Today, we will stay in human form.”

  There were gasps and moans throughout the crowd, but Chief quickly quieted them.

  “There will be plenty of time for doing things as a pride in animal form, but not for this. We’re going as we are and you’ll be put in pairs. Chase and Rayna, where are you?”

  The crowd whispered among themselves and separated, leaving an aisle between Chief and us.

  “There you are. Rayna, today, you’re with Garrett. Chase, you are with Karissa.”

  “But–” Rayna said.

  “For this exercise, everyone is being paired with someone that doesn’t know them very well.”

  Rayna grumbled and walked down the aisle, meeting Garrett at the front. She looked back at me, nervousness painting her face before the crowd closed between us.

  “Hey, walking buddy!”

  I jumped as Karissa appeared beside me. Her large hazel eyes had a bright ring of gold circling them. Her tanned skin was clear, and her short brown hair shone as though freshly showered. She only came up to my shoulders, but looking up at me, she carried herself with a confidence I didn’t understand.

  “Walking buddy?” I raised a single brow.

  “Yeah, that was kind of lame, wasn’t it?” She smirked. Her voice was far too chipper for this early.

  “A little bit.” I gave a sheepish grin.

  “Oh well, onward and upwards,” she said, and everyone moved forward.

  We walked through the clearing and into the thick brush. I dodged branches as they reached out to scrape against me, bending back their flexible limbs to protect my face. Thick dead logs rotted along the way, slowing our travels as we moved deeper into the woods. The forest air was heavy and even though the storm had missed us, the smell of fresh rain filled my senses. It was a smell I loved and I took it in with every other step.

  We walked until the sun had risen above the tree line, but a heavy canopy of leaves and branches kept us shaded. Dew hung off the leaves and clung to me as I pushed past them. This many hours in, I should’ve been cursing the brush, but I wasn't. The landscape was similar to Stonewall, but everything else was different. Pride members stopped and helped each other. Hands came from the left, right, and center when there was an obstacle someone couldn’t scale alone. There was laughter, friendly chatter, and the odd stick fight among the kids.

  “You’re kind of tense.” Karissa pulled herself over a fallen tree with grace a human could never manage. She reached her hand to me, but I ignored it and pulled myself up.

  “I’m not tense. I’m…focused.”

  Karissa laughed. “Whatever you say.”

  “Being here is just…different.”

  “It’s different for us, too. We’ve never had an outsider here before.”

  “Outsider…yeah, I’m kind of used to that one.”

  “I don’t mean that rudely. You should feel proud. No non-shifter has ever been on a retreat.”

  “Great, I feel honored.” I didn’t mean for it to sound as sarcastic as it did, but I couldn’t take it back now.

  We walked in silence for a while. Karissa and I were at the end of the line, and everyone had made some distance on us. The trees had separated and the ground became trampled.

  “I guess I owe you a thank you,” Karissa said.

  “Okay, I’ll bite, what for?”

  “I was there.”

  I ducked an oncoming branch and climbed up over the next set of rocks that blocked our way. “I’m not following…”

  “In the basement of that house. I was there.”

  I pulled myself up and stopped on the last boulder to look at her.

  “I guess you wouldn’t recognize me, being as I was in my animal form.”

  “At Rayna’s house…you were one of the panthers?”

  “Garrett was too.”

  Karissa pulled herself up the rest of the way. She looked up and a flash of emotion I couldn't recognize sparked through her eyes.

  “I mean it. Thank you. I couldn’t have gone another day in that cage. Without you, who knows what would’ve happened to us?”

  “How long were you there?”

  “All the time is sort of jumbled together. Chief said we’d been missing for weeks. What I do know is we’re lucky to be alive, and it’s all thanks to you.”

  “I don’t know about that, but I’m sorry for what you went through. I wouldn’t wish anyone to be at the mercy of Lena.”

  “Mercy?” Karissa looked offended. “Lena is a lot of things, but merciful isn’t one of them.”

  “How did you guys even get there?”

  “I remember Garrett and me shifting to go on a hunt, and then we woke up in cages.”

  “Hunters have a way of doing that–taking everything from you before you even know what’s happening.”

  “They took our blood and tried it on that symbol, thinking one of us was the key. I don’t know why they kept us alive after they realized we weren’t who they were looking for. I thought they’d just kill us.”

  “Lena doesn’t just kill anything.”

  “Yeah, we found that out the hard way. She kept injecting us with something to keep us in animal form. That girl is all sorts of crazy.”

  “Why?”

  “Shifters don't work like other demons. We heal quickly in human form, but not like the rest. Our wounds heal best when we shift, and once we’re in animal form, we can
take more damage. She kept us that way so we’d stay alive while she tortured us.”

  “That’s horrible.”

  “It was a nightmare…until you came.”

  “I'm no savior. That was just dumb luck, mixed with coincidence.”

  “Don’t kid yourself; you were there for a reason. You didn’t have to save us. You’re a hunter. You could’ve killed us or left us to our own fate, but you didn’t.”

  “I’ve kind of had a change of heart when it comes to the Underworld…most of it anyways.”

  “Well, I for one am grateful.”

  Voices called out to us through a wall of brush, and as we pushed through, we came out onto a stone platform.

  The pride had spread out over the edge of a huge cliff. Rayna and Garrett were at the far end of the platform and Karissa led me to the opposite side. We stood at the edge, and the forest below went on farther than the eye could see.

  The canopy of different colored leaves was amazing. Red, brown, yellow, green, and orange decorated the trees below. Colorful birds dove down through the canopy, making an explosion of leaves float up into the air and float away on the wind.

  “Why are we here?” Chief asked, and his voice echoed around us all.

  “Cause it’s got a killer view!” someone answered, and laughter fell over the group.

  “The view is amazing, but not quite what I was looking for. I don’t mean why we are here in this exact spot. I mean, why are we here on the retreat? What is the point of all this?”

  “To unify our pride,” another voice said proudly.

  “True, but let’s go deeper. We come to this place year after year, not just to come together as a pride, but to discover ourselves. We are more than humans and more than animals. The power we hold in ourselves, whether it be beasts, witches, or elementals, is a gift, but we as individuals are more than that gift.”