by Cloe Cullen
“I think that’s a great idea,” Jorah said, smiling. “Let’s go show them that our lives no longer need to be restricted to these forever-frozen peaks.” He left his smile on, whether to frustrate Nyx or because he was genuinely excited to show off Nyssa to Dallan and the other Seers, or maybe both, he wasn’t sure, but moments later, Nyx threw up her hands in defeat and left the cave. Keanu quickly followed after her, his torso still bare. Finn glanced between Jorah and Nyssa, chuckling nervously as he ran out.
Sighing, Jorah’s nerves finally settled back down. To tell the truth, he hadn’t been expecting Nyx’s harsh reaction. It sent his mind for a loop. Didn’t she want to be able to travel freely down the mountain like he did, like they all did? Or did she simply say that to remain close to his side.
Glancing back over to Nyssa, he found her watching him, her arms wrapped tight around her chest.
He smiled weakly. “Are you okay with this? I want to bring you before our Seers, tell them what you told us...I won’t force you, and I know you probably just want to get back to your brother and friends, right?”
“I’ll go,” she simply said, a fire alight in her eyes. “You’re right, I do want to get back, but this is all just so strange, like something out of a tall tale my father used to tell me. If all I need to do is speak to your leaders, then let’s go, I can leave afterwards.”
Her last comment sent a cold shiver down his spine. He didn’t exactly want her to leave, but he supposed they’d cross that bridge when they came to it. “Well, thank you. Ladies first.” He motioned to the cave entrance. Nyssa smiled and took the offer, with Jorah following suit.
Jorah couldn’t stop grinning as they left his secret cave behind.
Chapter Eleven: Nyssa
I t truly was ripped out of her father’s stories, this whole unexpected adventure of hers.
That morning, Nyssa hadn’t woken up thinking she’d be atop the Northern Mountains come nightfall, and be speaking with real life bear shifters, especially not ones so attractive.
Because that's what Jorah was, plain old attractive. She could think of other words to describe him, like big heap of manliness, or a burly chiseled slab of sizzling hot muscle. But what really grabbed her attention was his naturally brooding, deep-set dark eyes. They were almost magical, like Nyssa was staring into the gaze of a dark prince who’d come from the heavens, ready to whisk her away. More than once she thought she still could have been dreaming, her imagination running a little too wild after collapsing at the feet of the Changelings. But all that felt like so long ago, as if a millennium had passed while she’d passed out.
Nyssa had been brought into a whole new world, one she wasn’t at all familiar with. One that neither her brother or Darius had ever set foot in before either. That thought excited her. Before now, Darius and Remus had ventured into Red Rock and the Blackwood respectively, their experiences changing them forever, and while her brother remained her brother, there was something that had changed about him...something that matured inside of him that she had never quite been able to grasp. Had it been this feeling of pure wonder and fear that had changed them, made them almost seem untouchable at times?
It brought a smile to her lips, wondering if this little adventure would turn out the same for her.
“What could you be possibly smiling about?” Jorah’s voice asked beside her.
Turning to lock eyes with him, she shivered, partly because of the solid figure of a man walking only inches next to her and partly because of the frigid wind that roared by. Her childish grin had been on perfect display for them all to see. She found Nyx glaring back at her from the front of them group, with the one called Finn watching her as well. The big guy, Keanu, marched right on ahead, his gaze focused on Nyx.
Nyssa wanted to laugh. It was like everyone’s gaze was fixed on someone else right now. The tension was nothing new to her, but being the outsider sure made things slightly easier for her. Maybe this is how Bronwen felt every time she came to Gray Creek, surrounded by indifferent shifters, with her only true friends being Remus and herself.
“I’m just, thinking about this whole situation,” Nyssa said. “I find it all quite funny right now. It’s like a dream.”
Without warning, Jorah leaned over and pinched the back of her hand, causing her to yelp and jump away, her skin stinging for a few seconds. “What was that for?”
He blinked at her innocently, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to simply pinch another. “Your people don’t pinch each other when talking about dreams? It’s what Dallan does to me practically every morning.”
“Of course, we do!” Nyssa moaned, holding the back of her. “I just wasn't expecting you to pinch me.”
Jorah chuckled, his laugh growing more intoxicating every time she heard it. It was strange to think of another shifter in the same lustful light as Darius, her long-time crush back at Gray Creek, but she was finding that the more time she spent next to Jorah the more she forgot about Darius and Amara. Any other wolf shifter would have reminded her of him, but Jorah certainly was no wolf shifter. He was a complete outsider, untouched by Darius’ influence. She rather liked that fact.
True to their word, the group lead her up slopes and trails that wound up, higher and higher. The farther they went, the more restricted and thinner the air became, and soon enough she was panting as her blonde hair rippled in the wind.
“You’ll get used to it,” Jorah said. “We’ve only had a few die because of the altitude.”
“Wow, you really have a way of reassuring a girl, huh?”
Jorah flashed her a charming smile, which was only accentuated with his close-cropped beard, causing her face to flush hard.
Still, Nyssa couldn’t stop thinking about how the rumors of the remnants of the Bear Clan residing atop the Northern Mountains were true. And while she’d only met four of them so far, she found herself almost anticipating speaking with the rest. Despite the circumstances, she could only imagine the look on her brother’s face when she came back down the mountain, not only alive and healed, but with bear shifter envoys.
And Lowell...oh, she’d almost forgotten about him. Jorah had said he’d fell from a great height, trying to protect them both from the Changelings, that he’d sacrificed himself. She hoped beyond reason that by some miracle he survived, and that Remus and Bronwen found him perhaps, or that he was strong enough to drag himself back to Gray Creek and get help. Whatever was the case, he was her first priority once she traveled back down the mountain. She had no idea how’d she’d thank him. To be so loyal...what a foolish wolf.
But she forgot all about Lowell as soon as the group crested a ridge. They stood at the top, awaiting Nyssa’s reaction to the scene before her. From the ridge, a frozen lake spread out before them, stretching far enough back that Nyssa could only guess it was bigger than the main hub of Gray Creek. A few reed-made huts were stacked along the banks of the frozen lake, but no bear shifters were in sight. A few single trees here and there dotted the landscape besides the snow, and as they proceeded to descend the ridge Nyssa saw that a few cave entrances were hidden, thanks to the angles they were facing.
“It’s barren, I know,” Jorah said as they walked, Nyssa’s boots gradually falling deeper into the compact snow. “Our land up here isn’t rivaled by anyone, so we’ve all spread out. We passed the border a while ago, those big sharp rocks pointed skyward. Most of us live in caves, where we commune and work and cook and raise families. We don’t exactly have the luxury of sleeping under warm trees on a forest floor.”
The frozen scene before her was darkly beautiful, in all its icy nature. Their trek took them past the frozen lake, which never seemed to end. Up close, the frozen lake sparkled under the moonlight, and Nyssa could spy tiny fish swimming beneath its surface. The farther along they walked, the more and more cave entrances she saw seemingly rise from the ground. Eventually they came upon a larger entrance, much larger than any other she’d seen yet. Firelight traced the wall
s inside, and a myriad of voices tumbled out. Clearly there were a large number of people within.
“We’re here,” Nyx announced. “Be on your best behavior everyone and let me and Jorah do the talking.” She leveled a glare at Nyssa, as if she were an outspoken problem child.
“We’ll be fine, Nyx,” Jorah said, his confidence adding to his image. “Just lead the way already.”
Scowling once again, Nyx sighed, relaxed her face, and led them all inside.
Relief immediately flooded her body as waves of heat hit her, warming her skin and clothes and melting the small icicles forming on the ends of the hair. She didn’t realize how much she needed the heat after that journey to the heart of Bear Clan territory. She couldn’t imagine having to live up here all the time, compared to the misty yet warm Oldwood at a thousand leagues below her. It didn’t take long for the group to walk the curving entrance that opened to a large cavern.
The first thing Nyssa noticed upon entering the cavern were the scores of bear shifters crammed in. A whole sea of them bickered and ranted and spoke to one another, filling the room save a small space in at the back, just in front of a group of nine older individuals who carried wooden staves carved and smoothed to show patterns of bears fighting off demon like creatures. Nyssa assumed the demon like creatures couldn’t be anything other than Vampires, as they had fangs and claws, but appeared very human. The nine of them remained quiet, talking in whispers that couldn’t be heard over the din of the crowd. Nyssa couldn’t believe how many were gathered at this time of night. There had to be at least a hundred or more.
Leading them forward, Nyx began to push through, allowing them to march single file through the narrow gap left in her wake. Keanu was so large he towered over everyone else, enlarging the path even more as Nyssa followed behind.
The next thing Nyssa noticed was the intense, musky and hairy scents that littered the room. The smells were strong enough to mask her own, but quickly overcame her senses. Despite this, many of the bear shifters stared at her as they passed, their stares blank and unemotional, so they probably didn’t realize she was anything but another shifter amongst the crowd. Jorah placed a hand on her back, guiding her forward, offering reassurance. His touch gave her the confidence to hold her head up high.
Thirdly, and last since there really wasn’t anything else in the cave, were the wall lights. Tiny fires blazed in sconces that were attached to the wall, creating just enough light to show everyone’s faces, as well as heating up the cold cavern walls. There were so many that Nyssa lost count.
Finally, Nyx broke through the crowd to step into the tiny space before the Seers. She knelt before the Seers, with Finn and Keanu mimicking her movements behind her. Jorah guided her to kneel next to Nyx, and he did the same.
So, this was how the Bear Clan greeted its leaders? It wasn’t anything like how the Pack or Pride acted. It almost felt very Vampirish; they really were much different than the other clans, weren’t they?
“Jorah…” One of the Seers said softly, his voice quieting the room. “You’re rather late, aren’t you?”
“Dallan,” Jorah said. “Yeah, I’m late, but I have a good reason to be.”
Dallan, the old Seer who spoke, glanced at Nyssa, his weary and wrinkled eyes appearing to gaze straight into her soul. Besides the staff he held, Dallan was dressed in similar jerkins to what she and Jorah wore, but his was faded and laced with many other furs and sticks and tiny objects that were probably found around the mountains. He appeared as a sage, just like the other eight surrounding him. He quickly glanced back over to Jorah, completely disregarding her.
“And what is this reason? I know you traveled down the mountain, again, against my express wishes,” Dallan hissed. Murmuring in the crowd began to surface, but faded with the raised hand of another Seer.
Jorah straightened his back, making sure to look as tall as possible. He took a deep breath, his lips curling into a smile, and pointed at Nyssa. “The reason I’m late is because I brought a wolf shifter up the mountain.”
Chapter Twelve: Jorah
D allan scoffed. “I did not raise you to be a liar, Jorah,” he pronounced loudly. “You come up with new excuses every day. This girl, a wolf shifter? Hardly more than a stick in the mud.”
Dallan’s blatant disregard of his word agitated Jorah more than he would let show, so instead he continued to grin and even rose to his feet. “I’m not lying, Dallan. She really is from the Oldwood, from the Pack. She was beset at the foot of the mountain, the only reason I found her in time was because I traveled down there myself. She was wounded and about to have her life ripped away from her, I brought her up the mountain to save her life. Because of that, she’s told me some interesting things about the world below us, the one you Seers keep forbidding us from ever setting foot in.”
More murmuring took hold amongst the crowd, louder than before. Scowling and waving away Jorah’s words, Dallan shook his head. “Blah! Foolish nonsense. The world below is dangerous, just as we have always said. Vampires could very well attack anyone, and the Pack and Pride could be hostile if we encroach on their lands.”
“See, that’s where you’re wrong,” Jorah said, earning the disgusted looks upon each and every Seer face. “Nyssa here says the clans are friendly, that they’re even in alliance.”
“Oh?” Dallan said, his tone as sarcastic as his old vocal chords could make it. Leaning forward on his staff, he peered into Jorah, which sent heart pounding anger coursing through his veins. “Then what set upon this girl, if the two clans are at peace? Elk and goats?”
“Changelings,” Jorah said, frowning. “Strays that linger from another Vampire invasion that ended two years ago.”
“So, the Vampires are still as bloodthirsty as ever.”
“One was,” Jorah continued, trying to remain unperturbed by his adoptive father’s mocking. “One named Orpheus. Him and two servants raised a Changeling army to overtake the Oldwood, but failed, ending the violence. The rest of the Vampires couldn’t care less, so the invasion is over.”
“And you got all this information from a single girl?” Dallan said, his tongue poking at the insides of his cheek. “You’re believing everything she says...what a pity, I thought I had raised you better than to just believe everything you hear.”
Finally losing his cool somewhat, Jorah took a step forward. “And where do you get your information from? Yourselves?”
“From wisdom,” Dallan said. Every pair of eyes in the room, danced between Jorah and the Seer as their conversation gradually became more and more heated. “From experience. I remember what it was like, watching my family and friends butchered by pale, red-eyed demons who came from the sea.”
“No disrespect,” Jorah began. “But that was over half a century ago. Times have changed. Our home in the Blackwood is gone, and so are many of our loved ones…” His parents entered his mind briefly, out there, somewhere in the world. “But we can’t keep living up here forever. Every year the peaks grow colder and game becomes scarcer. We survive in these hollow caves, but our lives need to improve, and now there just might be a way to do that. Living, breathing proof is right here, in this very room. A first-hand witness to how things are below the mountains. Instead of driving her off, we should listen and learn.”
Dallan remained quiet, his scowl frozen on his old face. The crowd now spoke louder, their voices ringing out in the room. Other Seers whispered to each other, each glancing at Jorah in turn. Jorah took the chance to look down at Nyssa, who’s gaze was inexplicably rooted on the scene going on around her. Jorah didn’t know how meetings were held down in the Oldwood, but certainly they had to have been similar in some regards.
As Dallan retracted his staff and began to speak with other Seers, a commotion at the cave entrance caused the whole group to turn and stare as two big bear shifters carried something heavy into the room. Grunting and shouting at people to move, Jorah saw with his own eyes they carried the body of a man. Maybe recently de
ceased, or just unconscious, he couldn’t be sure. But upon seeing the body, Nyssa leapt from her kneeling position and raced towards the body.
“Lowell!” She called, startling the two shifters carrying the man. The shifter being carried in was limp, his back arching towards the ground, showing all indications of death, and yet his mouth opened, and he groaned and wheezed. All over his body were bruises and blood stains, even showing signs of maybe a cracked bone or two. Tears flew from Nyssa’s eyes as the two shifters dropped him on the ground, glaring at Nyssa.
Lowell? Wasn’t he the other wolf shifter that helped Jorah on the slopes up the mountain? But he saw him fall off the cliff towards certain death!
“What is this?” Dallan called “Who is this shifter you two bring before us?”
“A wolf shifter,” one said hesitantly, glancing at the other. We were standing guard on the rocks like always when we saw him climbing up. At first, we thought he was a goat, but then we saw how slowly he dragged himself across the ground, and when we got close he growled and shifted into a wolf, though he lost consciousness after that.”
A few bear shifters in the crowd began to stare and talk just as loud as ever. Unable to hold back their excitement, they drowned out the crying of Nyssa. Her tears drove a wedge into his chest, a painful one, and so Jorah whirled on the two guards. “So, why didn’t you bring him to a healer first?” He nearly shouted.
One of the guards shook from the force of Jorah’s words. “Uh, we didn’t think...we wanted to get the approval of the Seers first.”
“And the Seers deny him treatment,” Dallan said.
Jorah turned. “What? Why? Look at him! He needs our herbs, our medicine!”
“What if he’s one of these Changelings you mentioned?” Dallan said, quickly shaking his head. “We can’t allow one of those things to enter our homes.”
“He clearly isn’t a Changeling!” Jorah said. “I’ve seen them myself. They’re feral and vicious and black-furred. His hair is dark tawny at best.”