by Jessica Cage
Zaria’s eyelids slowly opened as the corner of her mouth lifted in a slight smile. “Ardyn,” she spoke his name.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you. I just saw the light outside of my window and wondered what it was.”
“Don’t apologize.” She rolled her neck. “I’m just doing a bit of meditation. I find it is a good idea to clear yourself of your worries, especially before going on long journeys. It sounds like that’s what we’re looking forward to.”
“Yeah, I doubt this is going to be the quick process everyone was hoping it would be.” He didn’t want to think about the days ahead, so he turned the conversation back to her. “Do you always glow like that when you meditate?”
“Ever since the change, yes. Before, my fire was too volatile, this entire woods would be up in flames.” She called the fire to her hand and it danced across her flesh, then she pressed the palm of her hand against the trunk she sat on. The fire still glowed around her hand but the tree remained unharmed. “It’s amazing. As much as becoming a djinn took from me, it gave me so much more. This ability, and a few others. Even my meditations are so much more intense than they ever were before. I can feel the world around me in a way that just didn’t exist to me in my old life.”
“Really? Would you mind if I joined you?” He glanced over his shoulder back to the cabins where the others still enjoyed themselves. “Do you think you could show me how to do that?”
“Absolutely.” She patted the empty space beside her. “Take a seat.”
Smiling, he joined her. “I haven't meditated in a long time. Honestly, I haven’t ever really meditated. Before I was turned, whenever I shifted it was like an out-of-body experience. I would leave my physical self for a moment, and when I returned to my body, on all fours, the world was new. It hasn’t been that way since I was changed.”
“Do you have any idea why that may be?”
“No. I wish I could say my experience was made better like yours, but though it still helps me, to run, its nothing like it was before. I feel disconnected from my wolf. I mean, I can still feel him. I know that he is there, but he is muted. It’s not like it was before.”
“Maybe meditating will help you figure that out.”
“That would be nice. At least something good can come from this homegoing.”
“Well, let’s get started then, shall we?” Zaria got up from her seat to stand behind him. She placed her hands on his shoulders. “Clear your mind and relax. Breathe deeply. Focus on your intent.” She guided his breaths with her own, taking slow, rhythmic pulls of air that he matched. “Clear your mind of everything else, nothing exists but you and your wolf. Find him and reconnect, fix what was broken between you.”
Zaria continued to guide Ardyn until the soft glow of green rose from within him and lit the area around them. She removed her hands from his shoulders and reclaimed her spot beside him on the trunk. Within moments her fire had returned as she reentered her own state of peace. The deeper they became in their meditation, the brighter they glowed until the area danced with intermingling shades of green and red.
Ardyn could see him, the wolf who dwelled inside his mind. In the place where they became disconnected. The animal was reluctant to come when called. Ardyn’s voice echoed in the field, bouncing off the mountains in the distance. He repeated his pleas, but it didn’t help. With each step he took forward, the wolf stepped backward.
“What do you want from me?” Ardyn dropped to his knees, pleading. “I need you! I can’t do this without you. Tell me what to do!” The wolf just stared at him—lowered himself to sit on his hind legs and watched the man who begged for his forgiveness.
“I didn’t mean to abandon you. It wasn’t my choice. I just want you to come back to me. I want to be one again.” Gripping the grass beneath him, he dug his fingers into the soil. “It used to be, when you surfaced, I felt everything. The ground beneath your paws, the wind in your fur, the smells, tastes, sounds; it was all so intense and purer than anything I’ve ever known. Now, since the change, it’s all become muffled. I don’t feel you when you’re inside, and when you surface … it’s all so disconnected.” Ardyn stared at his wolf. “When you first came to me, I promised you that we would be together as one. I promised you loyalty. And I promised you a pack. I broke that promise when I chose to stay away from here. I didn’t consider you, your need to be with your people. I am sorry for that.”
The dark wolf stood but Ardyn remained on his knees. Instinct kept him still as he was approached, he needed to show the wolf that he could still be trusted. The cool nose touched his forehead and Ardyn smiled. “I’m sorry I took you from here. I’m sorry that we cannot stay. We have a new family now. It’s odd and it’s full of people who seem to attract trouble, but they are our pack now.” The wolf whined, and in the distance behind him, Ardyn could see the image of a white wolf. She barked at the two of them, turned, and faded away. “She doesn’t belong to us anymore.” The wolf nodded and Ardyn held his hand out, palm up. When the heavy paw touched his hand, he sighed, and a tear fell from his eye. For the first time since he’d dared to help the old man in the woods, Ardyn felt whole again.
Just after Ardyn and his wolf became one and the smile stretched across his face, the sound of a branch snapping broke his focus. He opened his eyes just in time to see the woman turn wolf as she ran back home to her pack.
“Fuck, there goes my peace of mind." Ardyn stood and watched Ryesen run until she was out of sight completely.
“The two of you really have a complicated relationship, huh?” Rising, Zaria stretched. She bent over to touch her toes and looked up to him.
“Something like that.” Ardyn tried to avert his eyes from the round ass that she put on display.
“Do you think you should go after her?” She stood and crossed her arm over her chest, reaching to continue stretching her body.
“No, I don't think I should.” He watched Zaria and warmed from the smile she flashed him. “Thanks for the moment of peace.”
“Of course. Any time you want to clear your mind, I’m here.”
Ardyn started to walk away, but she called out to him. “Did you see him?”
“What?” He turned back to her.
“Your wolf, did you see him?”
“Oh, yeah, I did.” Ardyn could feel the wolf perk up inside of him at the sound of her voice. “I think we’re on the same page now.”
Before the sun could fully take hold of the sky, Ryesen had returned with the other wolves in toe. She pounded on Ardyn’s door, waking him from his sleep. When he opened the door shirtless, she peeked around him to see if anyone had shared the night with him.
“I’m alone,” he rolled his eyes at her intrusive behavior.
“You need to get your people together so we can get moving. There is a lot of ground to cover.”
“And this absolutely has to happen right now?”
“Yes, it does. One hour. Get your team.” She rolled her eyes and curled her lip.
“Yeah, fine, whatever.” He closed the door in her face.
“This is ridiculous. I'm still tired, and the sun isn’t even up yet!” Rosie wined as she exited her cabin and erased all evidence that she had ever been there.
“It's not our fault that you chose to party instead of rest. That’s no way to head into battle,” Ryesen scolded her, and got a flip off from the curvy djinn. Bruto stopped his fiery mate from doing anything they might all come to regret.
“Battle? Is she serious?” Rose muttered as they descended the steps to join the others huddled in the center of the little ghost camp. “I’ll give her ass a battle.”
“Is everyone accounted for?” Ryesen continued with her drill sergeant act. She was having fun barking orders and pissing off everyone in the process.
“Yep, we’re all here.” Jax yawned. “We're not happy about it, but we’re here.”
“Good, we can go.” She nodded to Ardyn. “Akasha will be meeting us at the border.
”
“Akasha?” Ardyn stood at the head of their tired group.
“Yes, yet another person you abandoned when you left here. Something tells me that this trip will be full of those.”
“Akasha …” Nitara looked at Ardyn, hoping it wasn’t another crazy ex-girlfriend that they would have to deal with. “Who’s that?”
‘She is, or was, my friend. Not sure where we stand on that part right now. She is also Princess of the Panthers.”
“She is their queen now,” Ryesen corrected him.
“Queen? And she is meeting us?” Normal circumstances didn’t call for a face-to-face with the queen. If anything, they would have to deal with the guard. Posing no threat, the guard would escort them on their way and inform the queen later of how things went.
“These are, in fact, special conditions. Considering all of the newcomers and their special abilities, Akasha has decided that it is necessary to break standard practices.” She grabbed the bottle of water from her pack and took a swig. “It seems everyone is eager to do that for you.”
“Look, are you going to keep taking jabs at me?” Ardyn understood her frustration but her approach at handling it was only going to make their time together more painful—not only for him, but for herself.
“Oh, am I bothering you? Why don’t you go meditate on it?” She took the shot she’d been wanting to take since the moment she pounded on his door and threw a look of daggers in Zaria’s direction which only irritated her more because Zaria seemed so unfazed by it all. So much, in fact, that she wasn’t even bothering to pay attention to the conversation.
“Ryesen, you’re going to have to move on from whatever issue it is that you have with me. I don’t want you here anymore than you appear to want to be here.” Ardyn couldn’t take it anymore. He had to show her that, though he was sorry, he wasn’t a punching bag. “You got any more you want to get out of your system, now is the time to do it because I am not going to let you keep disrespecting me in that way.” Ryesen bit her lip as she scanned the faces of those around her and decided it best not to unleash all of the hate and hurt that she carried inside of her heart. When she didn’t respond, Ardyn continued. “Good. How about we pack away the bullshit and get this over with?”
Fortunately, though magic was out of the question, they had vehicles that carried them on their travels. The group loaded up in vans, each one with a wolf at the wheel. Ryesen rode in the vehicle with Jax and the other dragons who joined them. Before climbing in the passenger seat, he told Inda she was a traitor for jumping in the vehicle with the other women. It took them four hours to reach the border point for the feline territories. When they arrived, they climbed out of their rides and waited for the guard to address them.
“They should be here soon. We notified them last night of our pending arrival.” Ryesen nodded to the other wolves who climbed back into the vehicles and drove them to a designated parking area.
“Are we walking from here?” Bruto squinted his eyes as he looked off into the distance ahead of them. “Doesn’t look like we’ve made it there yet.”
“Akasha will have her own transportation. We often do not cross borders with foreign vehicles. It’s an effort to eliminate risk to the local population,” Ryesen explained as she watched her crew return to them.
“How could a van be seen as a risk?” Rick inquired. He was getting frustrated with the constant checkpoints and hold ups. Every time they had to deal with another one of the local customs, it meant more time wasted, and less time to save Praia.
“You ever heard of bombs?” Ryesen’s voice took on the drill sergeant tone again as she paced the ground in front of the group. “A lot of those human inventions have remained in the world. We are very protective of our people and hope to eliminate risk in any danger coming to our homes. If anyone decided to act against another territory, the first way they would do it is to bring the fight to their land. We have peace here, yes, but we are not fools. The climate here is a precarious thing. Though the treaties are in place, everyone is always looking to claim more territory. Just within the feline areas, there’s such ugly infighting. They’re always wanting to expand their power. Nothing is to say that their greed won’t trickle over into a neighbor’s land.”
“I never knew it was like that here,” Nitara commented.
“Oh, I’m surprised Ardyn didn’t explain that to you.” When Ardyn frowned, she continued. “That wasn’t a dig at you. It just seems like you would inform your team of the delicate ecosystem they were coming into. You claim you’re not here to start a war, and you know how little it takes to set the people off here, yet you have brought them in here uninformed. That is the first thing we are trained for. Preparation.”
“You’re right,” Ardyn sighed. “I dropped the ball, I’m sorry.”
“It’s too late now to get them up to speed.” Regan, the short wolf who looked at Ardyn with just about as much anger as her leader did, pointed to the horizon. “We’ve got company.”
“Everyone remain calm, and don’t make any sudden movements,” Ardyn told his people.
It was a few minutes before they came into view. Fifteen members rode in on floating platforms, the transportation of choice for the felines. Akasha stood in the center, dressed in royal garb—a tall headdress decorated in gold and rubies, a long, black cape with a high collar and a form fitting dress that touched the ground, hiding her feet. Four of her guard were also on two feet, and they shared the platform with her. The others were in their animal form, prepared to pounce if need be.
The platforms touched down and disappeared into the ground beneath their feet before Akasha and the four bi-pedaled guards walked forward.
“Ardyn,” Akasha called out to her old friend, “you're back! I thought you were dead!” She made a beeline for him and pulled him into a big hug. “Sorry, I know that was improper for a lady of my status. But, man, it’s been too long since I last saw you.”
“It's good to see you, too!” Ardyn laughed as she released his neck. Ryesen frowned at their display, clearly hoping for a different type of exchange.
“It really has felt like forever that you’ve been gone. How about you never stay away that long again?” Akasha flashed the wide smile accented by pointed fangs. All the feline shifters had them, not as prominent as a vampire’s, but they were the way others could tell who or what they were dealing with.
“I wish I could make that promise, but I'm not exactly welcomed here.” He nodded toward Ryesen who continued to gawk at their easy reunion.
“Perhaps with the wolves, but my home is always open to you!” She laughed. “There are other doorways to our little slice of the world here.”
“How touching,” Regan barked. “You two think we can move on with things?”
“Oh, I see.” Noting the anger coming from the wolves, Akasha frowned. “Well, I have been informed of your predicament, and I already have a few scouts on the trail. It appears your friend was here, but we don’t think she still is. I have instructed the scouts to meet us back at the capital. They will provide us with an update once we arrive. Having the information sooner will give you and your friends a moment to rest before continuing on.”
Ardyn nodded. “Thank you. I truly appreciate this.”
“Yes, and perhaps you can make formal introductions of this eclectic group you’ve arrived with.” Her eyes swept over the others, lingering for just a moment on Zaria before she continued. “I’ve heard a lot about you since your return. The plains are buzzing with rumors of the changed wolf.”
“Changed? Well, that’s not the word I thought everyone would be using.” He grunted.
“I may have modified the wording.” She winked at him. “How does it feel to possess that much power?”
“Odd, and yet in some ways, I feel exactly the same. It’s a strange sort of normal.”
“You’ll have to really tell me about that someday.” Raising her voice, she addressed the group, “All right, everyone, listen up.
I need you to be alert from this point forward. We will be headed directly into Felidae, the capital of the feline territories, but we are taking a road that crosses the boundaries of several sectors. Ardyn has been here before, but for the newcomers, please be aware that not all felines here are shifters. Some of them are wild animals rescued and preserved from the old world. For the most part they yield when told, but should they feel challenged or threatened, I may not be able to stop them. There are several climate control points for the species who prefer different temperatures or atmospheres. We owe that unique part of the shifter world to the fae, which is why I am so eager to help you find your friend.” She stepped on a platform that appeared from the ground and lifted in the air. “Please climb aboard your transfers. They will make the journey pass much faster as I know time is of an essence.”
“This ought to be interesting.” Rosie climbed on her platform. “What, no handrails or seats?”
“You will be fine. The ride will be quick, and as long as you remain calm and don’t move about too much, you shouldn’t fall off.” Akasha’s hearty laughter rang out as they began on their journey.
While the platforms moved through the territory, they were given view of several different feline habitats—each one separated with an invisible fence from the next. They saw everything from snow-covered lands, to swamps, and desert plains. Time to time they would catch a glimpse of the locals who tried to steal a view of the changed wolf and his band of magical rescuers. Some appeared in their human form, some chose to watch with eyes that could provide a closer look, there were even a few who growled and hissed. It was difficult to tell which were shifters and which were not. Luckily, none of them ever approached the passing platforms, so it wasn’t necessary to find out.
On the final approach to the center of the territory, their surroundings took on a more urban appearance. The trees, swamp-like habitats, and large, grassy plains were replaced by skyscrapers and modern buildings. They remained on their transports which rose higher from the ground once they made it to Felidae. This allowed for the residents to roam the streets below in a safer manner. Not everyone in Felidae chose their human forms. Much like the other areas, there were members who preferred to stay in their cat form. They expected to see all panthers, but Felidae was a place for all of the big cats.