by Cloe Cullen
What the hell were they? They couldn’t have been shifters, with their complexions, and they clearly weren’t Changelings...so that only left...Vampires. The name turned to salt on his tongue and burned the inside of his throat. Nyssa hadn’t been telling any tall tales, the Vampires really did come to the Oldwood in seeming peace...though they still sent shivers playing across his arms.
Suddenly out of the corner of his eye, Nyssa’s brother began to march over to Jorah and crouch before him, glaring at him with an intensity Jorah expected. Nyssa quickly followed, throwing Jorah a sweet, heart throbbing smile, and he had to force his eyes back to her brother in order to stop staring.
“First, I want to thank you for saving both my sister and Lowell,” her brother said quickly. “My sister’s been growing bolder and more reckless by the day, and she needs guardian angels like you in order to survive.” Furious at his description of her, Nyssa smacked her brother in the shoulder, though her brother didn’t seem to notice. “I’m Remus, by the way. Who are you?”
“Jorah,” Jorah said, extending his hand with a smile. Remus didn’t take up the offer, which Jorah retracted with a nervous laugh. “Uh, I’m from up the mountains, from the Bear Clan. I’m sorry I dragged your sister up there, but I didn’t really have another choice. She was hurt, and about to be killed, and I had the means to save her life, so I did…” Quickly realizing that every pair of eyes was now upon him, especially those of the two Vampires, Jorah’s voice faded, unsure of how to proceed. He looked to Nyssa for support, who nodded at him. “Uh, I’m under the impression that none of you believed the Bear Clan was still alive. Well, I can assure you we are! We drink, we participate in merry commune, even dance with goats up top.”
That last joke got a shriek of laughter out of Nyssa, but only deepened Remus’ frown. “Yeah, I got that part. You dance with goats.” Hearing her brother say it must have been too much for, Nyssa, because she burst out laughing once more. Remus sighed and ignored her, though the brown-haired Vampire stifled a laugh as well. “Look, I’m not exactly in the greatest of moods right now, Jorah, so you’re going to need to tell me everything you know about your clan, okay?”
Jorah nearly broke out into a cold sweat when the two Vampires moved closer. “Yes, I would like to know more as well, I thought we exterminated your kind,” the blonde Vampire said eagerly. If she weren't so tall and lanky, Jorah would have sworn she was Nyssa and Remus’ oldest sibling. Jorah’s hair bristled the closer she stepped, though only two of her steps were enough to draw her close enough to be within arm’s reach of him. He must have been glaring at her, because her smile deepened. “Come now, don’t be so grumpy, my little bear. I meant no disrespect.”
It was clear to Jorah that he wasn’t the only shifter put off by her presence, as even the group off to the side naturally leaned away, though neither Nyssa or Remus made any move to move away from her.
“Don't antagonize him, Magnolia,” Remus responded. “We don’t need our new guest to feel threatened.”
“To be fair I already feel threatened,” Jorah interjected. He glanced between the two, his confidence growing. “It’s not like Vampires invaded my clan’s homeland, slaughtered our elderly, men, women, and children, destroyed our homes, and drove us to a life of solitude atop the Northern Mountains...oh wait, they did.”
Leveling a stare at Magnolia, she remained composed, though not emotionless. A flicker of her eyes sent a wave of regret down his spine; whether it was his regret or hers, he couldn’t quite tell. “I despise bloodshed, little bear. Don’t mistake me for one of the monsters that took your home from you...though you’re much too young to remember those days anyway.”
Shrugging, Jorah eyed her. “I guess you got me there.”
“Bronwen, take Magnolia elsewhere, okay?” Remus ordered.
The brown-haired Vampire nodded, grabbing Magnolia by the arm and forcibly dragging her away. “Bronwen, let go of your senior,” Magnolia said as she was led away. “You shouldn’t drag a fragile old lady like me around. Bronwen!”
“Senior?” Jorah said, his brow raised. “But she doesn’t a look a day over twenty.”
“She’s one hundred and eighty-nine years old,” Remus said casually, causing Jorah to gawk in surprise. “Vampires live indefinitely until an outside source kills them. Don’t your Seers know anything about them...well, I guess we didn’t either until a few years ago.”
“I don’t believe it!” Jorah said.
“Well, you better,” Remus said. “There’s a lot you and your people don’t know about.”
“Wait...how did you know about our Seers?” Jorah asked quizzically.
“Because I told him,” Nyssa replied, plopping down next to him, her bare shoulder brushing his, sending shivers down his arm. Her light blue eyes washed over him, warming his skin more than the sun ever could. “I only mentioned what I saw, so obviously I don’t know everything about your clan just yet.”
“Well, I guess you’ll stick close to me if you want to learn,” Jorah said, earning a shy smile.
Groaning, Remus snapped his fingers to get their attention. “Hey, focus, please. And don’t ogle my sister right in front of me. It’s annoying.”
Jorah shrugged once again, so Remus continued. “How about you tell me everything now.”
“Alright fine,” Jorah said. “Don’t get too comfortable, though, as this story won’t be too long.”
So Jorah proceeded to tell Remus all he knew about his own clan, from the day the last remnants, like Dallan, left for the Northern Mountains, to the formation of their new home atop the mountains, how they lived in caves, how there was a never ending snow drift, how their Seers demanded complete isolation in fear of another tragedy like that of what had occurred in the Blackwood. He opted to leave out his own personal story, since he didn’t feel like reminiscing about his vanished parents. When he got to the moment where he spotted Nyssa about to be killed by Changelings, Remus shot a look at his sister, Nyssa curling up, bracing for his anger.
“I told you to howl for us before giving chase,” Remus growled.
“We did! Lowell called for you, but it was going to get away, so we followed it. No one expected an ambush like that,” Nyssa retorted. Her pouting face only made her that more attractive. “Besides, we survived.”
“Only barely, you were too reckless,” Remus said. “Lowell was nearly fatally wounded, and you’re almost succumbed to the cold, according to him.” Pinching the bridge of his nose, Remus rose to standing. “Either way, we need to report this to both Darius and Torian. If there’s a whole new clan that’s about to become part of our lives, then they should be informed ahead of time.”
Darius? That name sounded familiar to Jorah. Didn’t Nyssa mention it once? He looked to her, but she gave no indication of how she felt about the situation.
So both she and Jorah rose to their feet as Remus gave orders to the other shifters. “Three of you break off and run to Red Rock and inform Torian of this new development. Be sure to tell him to come to Gray Creek as soon as possible to discuss it with Darius, alright?” Three shifters nodded and took off into the forest, leaving the rest behind to follow Remus and them.
“Can I ask what happened to the other Changelings?” Jorah said as he and Nyssa began to follow Remus deeper into the forest. By now the dawn was breaching the world, the morning sunlight just now crawling its way through the many branches and treetops.
Remus glanced back at Jorah as if the answer was simple. “We killed them all. When they came back down, we made sure to not let a single one live.”
“Oh, and Lowell?”
“He’s up ahead, being treated by some healers we brought along,” Remus said. “His wounds were pretty serious, and still opening up, so we’re trying to get him to rest, though he’s been pretty antsy about Nyssa’s safety.”
“I don’t blame him for worrying about such a beautiful girl,” Jorah said, winking at Nyssa. Rolling her eyes, she blushed.
Remu
s grunted. “Just come on already, let’s go.”
So, the group traveled into the Oldwood, a forest Jorah had only briefly set foot in the day before. A whole new world laid before him...he just hoped he wouldn’t be the only bear shifter to experience it.
***
Nyx shuddered under the Seers’ gaze as she, Finn and Keanu kneeled in their cave. Because of the morning light streaming in the front of the cave, the sconces upon the walls were rendered useless, her shadow stretching enough to touch the feet of Dallan.
Red-faced and delirious with anger, Dallan marched forward, tapping his staff against the hard ground with such an intensity the sound echoed off the cave walls endlessly, making her ears ring.
“You let them escape!” Dallan screamed. “And not only that, but Jorah was taken with them! I will not tolerate this.”
“I’d say he was the one who broke them out, just like the two guards reported,” another Seer suggested. “If anyone’s to blame, it’s Jorah, your son, is it not?”
Steam seemed to pour out of Dallan’s ears, but he remained resolute in his stance, making Nyx shake with fright. “No! Jorah might have been enticed by the girl, but he’s not stupid enough to let our enemy escape. That is certain death!”
“If I may!” Nyx found herself saying, unable to remain silent any longer. She expected the Seers’ to command silence, but it seemed she would be allowed to speak after all.
“Speak, young one,” Dallan said. “What is it that you’d like to share?”
“Let us go retrieve Jorah,” she said quickly, her voice and heart quivering. “Us three can get him back. So please, let us go!”
Dallan stroked his matted, ugly beard, thinking. “Do you truly believe you can bring him back, by any means necessary?”
“I’d stake it on my life.”
Nodding, Dallan and the other Seers’ mumbled agreements. “Alright, then I charge you, Nyx, to lead these other two and a group of ten others down the mountain to retrieve Jorah...and to kill anyone who knows about us.”
Startled by that proclamation, Nyx looked up. “Kill? Are you sure?”
“Don’t question our judgement, Nyx,” Dallan said. “You will kill all others, especially those two wolves that journeyed to our home. Understood?”
Composing herself and frowning, Nyx rose, hearing Keanu and Finn rise behind her as well. “As you command.” Swiveling on her feet, Nyx nodded at the unhappy Keanu and Finn and led them out of the cave, ready to venture all the way down the mountain to see Jorah once again.
Chapter Fifteen: Nyssa
T he way back to Gray Creek was much less stressful than the trip down from the Northern Mountains, and Nyssa was very grateful for it. Not only were she and Lowell safe, and Jorah, but now they traveled with Remus and the other shifters.
No Changeling would stalk them through the woodland now, not with some many around. Especially with both Bronwen and Magnolia accompanying them as well.
The past day had been so frantic and strange that Nyssa found herself wondering why she wasn’t more beside herself at all the new information. In one day, the remnants of the Bear Clan had been revealed, in hiding on top of the Northern Mountains, a tale that remained as tall and long as the fifty years it remained moving from mouth to mouth. Any other shifter would have been at a loss for words, and maybe the version of her two years prior might have. Having Jorah along only eased the transition from their presence being rumors to the clear as day truth.
Speaking of Jorah, she hadn’t exactly been away from his side for long ever since they first met. From the secret cave of his she woke up in, to the journey to the Seers’ cave, to the break out of the cave prison to the escape down the mountain, he’d been there with her the whole journey. Even Lowell couldn’t have said he’d been there, though she knew she couldn’t blame him for that. As they slowly, methodically traversed the ranging Oldwood, she found herself watching Jorah, who walked just behind her and Remus. His dark eyes were constantly swiveling from one side to the other, his eyelids fluttering at the misty air, his nose wrinkling with the scents of the forest. She wondered what is like to witness the Oldwood for the first time; Nyssa couldn’t recall the first time she ever wandered into the thickets of the Oldwood. Truth was, she was born within arm’s reach of the leaves and branches and wildlife.
Jorah’s experience must have been more like what she experienced atop the Northern Mountains, in absolute awe that people even lived up there, though there was clearly more to see in the woodland than the mostly empty snow drifts.
As Remus began to speak to Bronwen and Magnolia, Nyssa dropped her pace, falling in beside Jorah deftly, so as no one would notice besides Jorah himself. Aware of her presence, Jorah turned to grin at her. “This is nothing like what I saw from the edge of the forest. Do you people really live here in this gigantic forest?”
Finding his sudden enthusiasm charming, Nyssa giggled. “You think this is big? You have a long way to go if you’re to understand this forest. The Pack is still finding new crevices and nooks every other day. We know the sea is off to our west, but a rare few ever venture that far out and actually return.”
“Maybe one day I’ll be one of those rare few!” Jorah said energetically.
Raising a brow, Nyssa eyed him. “You plan to stay down here then?”
Jorah’s expression morphed quickly, but his grin returned moments later, though not as silly this time. “Well, it’s not like I can return to the mountain tops. I doubt the clan would even let me in, you know, unless your leaders find some way to negotiate with the Seers. But they’re stubborn old coots, after all…”
There was something about the way his head tilted down and his mouth twitched at the thought of never seeing his home again that made Nyssa’s imagination go wild. She knew he was hurting, and her heart went out to him, but right now all she had enough trouble controlling her senses. Not even with Darius did she get all antsy like she was now. “What about Finn, Keanu, and Nyx?” She thought to say. “And Dallan...he’s your father, right?”
Cracking his neck, Jorah frowned. “The others will be fine without me...I don’t know whether they’ll choose to sneak away to come down with us, though. Nyx probably won’t, and Dallan? Pfft, it’s hard to think of him as a father now, not when he’s so stuck in his ways.”
“But it’s still something.” Nyssa reached out and touched his arm, causing Jorah to watch her intently. His skin was cold and still adjusting to the temperature of the warm forest, but his defined muscles were nice to feel on her fingertips, the smooth stalk of his arm. “My father’s dead, so is my mother. But my father was just as stubborn as yours, actually to the point where he was killed because of it, but that doesn’t diminish what he’s done for me.”
His mouth twitching, Jorah leaned in closer to Nyssa. His skin may have been cold, but his breath was hot and steamy, fogging her gaze for a moment. “Then we’re the same. My parents...my real parents vanished just after my birth, left me on Dallan’s doorstep...or cavestep, I should say. Went to travel the continent and never came back. Looks like we’re in the same boat twice over, huh?”
Like a soothing elixir of cider, Jorah’s voice never failed to tickle the loving side of her. Smiling, Nyssa leaned in, matching his confidence. “Well, clearly Dallan did something well if you turned out like the lady-killer you are now.”
Jorah chuckled at her response, shaking his head. “Sharp as a needle, aren’t you? Yeah, fine, maybe Dallan did do something right, at least. Doesn’t change the fact he’s still more of a prick than ever.”
A lull in the conversation saw Jorah’s attention get grabbed by a stray rabbit that darted from thicket to underbrush. His eyes followed it easily, his carved jaw stretching once again into a fatal, sexy grin.
Clasping her arms behind her back, and ignoring her brother’s backwards, concerned glance, Nyssa stared after the rabbit as well. “So, why did you save me?”
“What kind of questions is that?” Jorah said. “Isn�
�t that obvious?”
“Not to me, not yet.”
“For starters, it was because I felt the need the help you,” Jorah said as he continued to gaze out at the forest. “When I saw you and Lowell fighting the Changelings, I found myself fascinated, but unable to take a step forward. But then I saw you collapse, shift back to your human form. You were so beautiful I didn’t even think you were a real shifter at first, more like a forest nymph, the kind that sticks around to help trees and animals grow.” Not expecting such a stark compliment, Nyssa blushed bright red, glancing away, but only enough to where she could still eye Jorah. He turned, noticing her redness, and continued on. “Your flowing blonde hair, those two beautiful blue orbs in your eye sockets, your radiant skin...I couldn’t let you just perish beneath a ring of monsters.”
“Well, thank you, then,” was all Nyssa could muster.
“It’s not my fault you caught my eye,” Jorah said. “There aren’t many single females in the Bear Clan that are around my age. There’s very few of us, if you haven’t figured out yet.”
“Yeah, I got that part.” And she did, but one woman did pop up in her mind at his comment. Nyx. Wasn’t she single, and even closer to his age than she? There was some history between them...something Jorah hadn’t mentioned, and while Nyssa wanted to ask Jorah directly, she was afraid of how he’d react. Before she could decide on how to approach him with that particular topic, a heavy hand gripped her shoulder from behind.
Startled, Nyssa leapt forward, only to turn to see the hand belonged to none other than Lowell. He clicked his tongue at her reaction, wincing at the fact that he scared her. “Sorry, I’m still regaining my strength, learning how to cope in the meantime. Didn’t mean to scare you, Nyssa.”
Bandaged with extra cloth all over his body, and shirtless, Lowell still remained an impressive sight, his abs and pecs bulging under the ribbons of cloth. Some green and brown mossy type of herbs seeped out of some of the cloth, and when he caught Nyssa spying it, he pointed at it. “Herbs from the healers Remus brought along. Doing wonders, no matter how icky it looks.”