by Tesha Geddes
❀
“Wow, you weren’t kidding about the burgers,” Erica said around a mouthful of meat.
“I’ve been told that Terri is a genius at the grill,” Kaida said, enjoying her own burger, “and Rio is a master baker.”
“Thanks,” a deep voice said behind her.
Kaida turned around in surprise and looked up, and up, and up. It wasn’t a man standing in front of her, it was a mountain. She’d sat with her back to the fence, facing the party so no one could sneak up on her, and this mountain of a man had still somehow managed it.
“You must be Kaida,” he said, extending his hand. “I’m Rio.”
Kaida nodded and shook his hand, trying hard not to show how terrified she was. How did he know who she was?
“Celicia mentioned you’d be coming,” Rio said. “Who’s your friend?”
Kaida turned to introduce Erica and found her roommate staring at Rio, her burger completely forgotten.
“Um, this is my roommate, Erica,” Kaida said.
“Hi, I’m bun. Good Erica,” Erica said, then blushed deeply and took a long swig of her drink to hide her face.
Kaida stared at her roommate, not entirely sure what was happening.
“Nice to meet you,” Rio said with a smile before wandering away.
“Please tell me I didn’t just do that,” Erica groaned, hiding her face in embarrassment.
“Lying is generally frowned upon,” Kaida replied, then paused and asked, “Did he scare you too?”
“Only with his devastating good looks,” Erica replied. “I’m cursed to talk like an idiot around handsome men.”
“Really?” Kaida asked –– she’d never heard of such a curse.
“Not literally,” Erica said, “but some days it feels like it. When I try to talk to someone cute, the words get all jumbled on their way from my brain to my mouth. It’s so embarrassing.” She glanced effortlessly across the lawn to where Sophie and Tanya were effortlessly mingling with the crowd. “I don’t know how they do it.”
Kaida just shrugged. “Weren’t we just here for the food anyway?”
❀
“What do you think?” Celicia asked excitedly when Rio made his way back to her.
“I think she’s hiding a lot of hurt behind those violet eyes,” Rio replied.
Celicia huffed in annoyance –– she already knew that, but she also knew that her brother was the best person to help heal those hurts.
“I mean, what do you think about her and Sen?” Celicia asked.
“I think you need to stay out of your brother’s love life,” Rio said. “Remember the troll?”
“Why does everyone keep bringing her up?” Celicia growled. “Anyway, think how cute their pups would be! Just imagine! Wolf pups with amethyst eyes!”
“Maybe you should get them out on a date before you start planning their future children,” Rio suggested. “Besides, I don’t think he needs your help on this one.”
He nodded to the kitchen where Amyra was showing Sen how to make guacamole. From what Celicia gathered from his grumpy mutterings, he’d visited five different stores before finding two avocados he deemed worthy enough.
“Of course, he needs my help,” Celicia protested. “Who do you think invited her?”
“Leave your brother and my apprentice alone,” a voice behind Celicia said sternly.
“Gramps!” she exclaimed as she spun around and gave the old wolf shifter a hug. “When did you get here? I thought you didn’t like noisy parties.”
“I don’t,” Mathis harrumphed. “I came because I heard my apprentice was coming and thought she could use a familiar face.”
“Did Sen tell you she was coming?” Celicia asked.
“Not in so many words,” Mathis replied. “He called me, desperate to know how to tell if an avocado was ripe.”
Celicia snickered. “I’ve never seen him so flustered.”
“You should know,” Mathis said quietly, “Sen already sees her as pack, and he’s said so to her.”
Celicia stared at him –– Sen had it worse than she thought.
❀
“Are you sure these avocados are good enough?” Sen asked, earning himself a swat on the arm.
“For the tenth time,” Amyra said, “those avocados are perfect. Now, scrape the guac into a bowl and dump some chips into another.”
Chastened, Sen did as instructed. “Now what?” he asked.
Amyra stared at him in exasperation. “Now you get out of my kitchen and give them to your lady love,” Amyra said.
“She’s not my lady love,” Sen protested, feeling his face flush.
“You went to ten stores to find two ripe avocados for a girl,” Amyra said with a mischievous grin. “Just try and convince me that’s not love.”
“It was only five stores,” Sen muttered as he walked out.
Sen found Kaida sitting at one of the tables on the outskirts of the party and, to his surprise, Gramps was sat with her.
“Great,” Sen muttered sourly, “like I wanted an audience for this.”
He wove through the crowd, keeping his eyes on Kaida –– the last thing he wanted was for her to disappear on him before he got there.
“Hey Kaida,” he said, sitting down next to her and putting the guac and chips in front of them. “Amyra just whipped up some guac –– I thought you might like some.”
“Thanks,” Kaida said, smiling in appreciation as she reached for the food.
He frowned –– she looked exhausted. Mathis quietly excused himself, which Sen was grateful for. Now if he could just get her roommate to leave.
“I’m glad I caught you,” Sen said. “Last time, you were only here long enough to eat a burger.”
“Yeah,” Kaida said, “parties aren’t really my thing, but Tanya and Sophie are having fun, and we came in Sophie’s car.”
Sen understood. Most wolf shifters were extroverts and thrived on company and chaos. A few, like himself, were introverts and preferred quiet and solitude. Kaida was even more of an introvert than he was –– being at a party like this must be exhausting for her.
“Whenever you want to leave, just let me know, I’d be happy to give you a lift home,” Sen offered.
“Thank you, but I’ll be fine,” Kaida said.
Liar –– she just didn’t want to put anyone out. He glanced at her other roommate, who nodded and made a slight shooing motion towards him and Kaida. He scooped up the guac and chips and stood up.
“Come on,” he said, “we can finish these on the way. We have a bit of a walk to get to my truck.”
“I don’t… I couldn’t…” Kaida stammered, glancing at Erica.
“Don’t worry, I’m still enjoying the food, and I’ll let the others know where you went,” Erica said with a smile.
Kaida nodded tiredly and stood.
❀
Sen hadn’t been exaggerating when he said they had a bit of a walk. He must have parked a few blocks away. It was fine though –– every step away from the noise and the crowd was a relief. Sen passed her the bowl of guac and held the chips in easy reach as they walked. Her dragon purred contentedly as she munched on the food. Now that her other senses weren’t being overwhelmed, she could more fully appreciate the food in front of her.
“Wow,” she said, “this is even better than the first batch.”
Sen beamed. The guac was long gone by the time they reached Sen’s truck, and Kaida couldn’t remember if he’d even had any.
Chapter 14
Kaida woke up early the next morning, but still felt drained from the party the day before. She needed some time alone to recover, but the kind of privacy she needed was hard to come by in a dorm full of people. Luckily, lush forests were just a bus ride away. She slipped out of the apartment before any of her roommates stirred.
An hour later, the bus dropped her off at a popular campsite just outside of town. The campground was nice enough, if a little bare, but it wasn’t her destination. Sh
e was headed deeper into the forest where her chances of discovery were minimal, and she could be high enough up that those on the ground wouldn’t notice her. She double-checked the bus schedule, noting what time she’d need to be back by before striding into the forest.
The trees towered over her, getting larger the further she went. Soon, the normal trees gave way to small redwoods, which were still larger around than Kaida was tall. These redwoods were young and marked the entrance to the Redwood Forest. The true behemoths lay in the heart of the forest. Kaida spied a lightning-split tree a short distance off the path. She nodded — that would suit her needs just fine.
She looked around carefully and listened intently, but there was no sign of anyone else nearby. She quickly undressed and placed her folded clothes and other belongings at the base of the tree, out of sight of the path, and then covered them with a scattering of leaves.
She shifted into her dragon form and spread her wings. Within moments, she was darting between the trees, swift as a falcon. Walking was great, but flying was freedom. Eschewing the open understory of the forest, she flew through the canopy, darting over, under, and around branches. She roared in delight –– this was so much better than flying around her room. There were several times when she overestimated her ability to dodge an upcoming branch and ran into it instead, but she happily shook off the bumps and bruises. Through it all, she retained a sense of the tree where she’d left her belongings –– no matter where she went, she’d always be able to find it again.
She was now deep in the heart of the forest, the tall trees standing around her like true giants. Her room could have easily fit on one of these branches with plenty of room to spare. She stalked along a branch, hunting a particularly large beetle. It must have sensed her coming because it darted away as she pounced. She didn’t let frustration at a failed hunt dampen her spirits –– that wasn’t why she was here.
After several hours spent cavorting around, she flopped down on a large branch, panting heavily. A soft breeze sighed through the branches, making the dappled light dance. Kaida sighed happily –– she could stay here forever. She took a deep breath of the clean, fresh air and sneezed. Something had tickled her nose… something very sinister. It smelled of death and decay, but not the kind found in nature.
She sniffed again carefully, trying to pinpoint where the scent was coming from. After a moment of deliberation, she cautiously followed the scent. It was a foolish decision, but something in her drew her towards it. The smell grew as she drew closer. Soon, the air hung thick with the cloying smell, and Kaida fought hard not to gag. The forest was eerily still –– the chirping birds and buzzing insects had all but abandoned this section of forest. Then she spotted it.
A long, massive, sinuous, scaled body rested on the ground. Its mouth hung open, exposing two sharp fangs that still dripped with poison, its empty eye sockets stared up at the canopy. Massive, jagged tears ran down its body, staining its emerald form ruby red. Kaida’s blood curdled at the sight of the skull and crossbone pattern running down its back. A basilisk… and it was dead. She shuddered –– she didn’t want to think what her chances would have been if it had still been alive. But as terrifying as the basilisk was, it wasn’t where the stench emanated from.
Several yards from the dead serpent lay a mountain of feathers. The size of a small dragon, the avian lay sprawled out on the ground, its tawny golden feathers gleamed in the dappled light. Kaida’s breath caught in her throat. A thunderbird, and it was alive. Though, Kaida realized, not for much longer. She’d found the source of the stench… festering puncture wounds in the thunderbird’s side where the basilisk bit it. The feathers in that area had decayed and fallen out.
She glided down to the thunderbird’s side and gently landed on it. She didn’t bother speaking to it –– it was too far gone to reply anyway. She didn’t know if she could help it, but she had to try. She gingerly walked over to the wounds, mentally apologizing to the thunderbird for walking all over it. She stopped just shy of the necrosed flesh and bent her head. She took a deep breath and exhaled her silvery purification mist over the wound, pushing her power into the gash. Immediately, the flesh began to heal, but one breath wasn’t nearly enough. She took another breath and exhaled again, aiming as much of the purification mist into the puncture wounds as she could, hoping to purge the poison from the bloodstream. Again and again, she breathed the mist over the wound, and inch by inch, the skin healed, and the poison retreated. New feather shafts even began to grow where the skin had healed. By the time she was done, she was lightheaded and panting from exhaustion, but the thunderbird’s breathing had deepened and evened out.
“Thank you, little dragon. I owe you my life,” an ancient and powerful voice echoed in her head, followed by a chuckle. “Never thought I’d say those words.”
Kaida tumbled off the thunderbird in shock. When had he woken up?
“I’m so sorry,” she said, shaking as she backed away.
“For what? Saving my life?” the thunderbird asked. “I hardly think that’s something you need to apologize for.”
“For standing on you,” she replied, still shaking.
Thunderbirds were one of the few beings that could stand against a dragon in battle. Dragons were powerful, but the lightning thunderbirds threw could pierce even the toughest dragon’s scales. While there had been no open hostilities between the two species in decades, it was an uneasy truce at best. She couldn’t imagine what the thunderbird thought of her perching on top of him like she had been.
“If you were the usual size of a dragon, your apology would be warranted,” the thunderbird said, “but you are not, and your position allowed you to heal me. I can hardly complain about that.”
Kaida dipped her head in acknowledgement.
“I am Storm Thunderfeather. Tell me brave one,” the thunderbird asked, “what are you called?”
“Kaida Furywings,” she replied.
Storm Thunderfeather chuckled. “Your family name hardly suits you.”
“I hardly suit my family,” Kaida scoffed, fighting down the bitterness that rose.
Storm regarded her thoughtfully for a minute. “Then you shall be known as Kaida Gracewing among my aerie, where you will always be welcome,” he declared.
He partially unfurled one of his wings and gently plucked one of the smaller feathers. He dipped his head and touched the shaft of the golden feather to one of Kaida’s horns.
“I would give you my token, if you would accept,” Storm said solemnly.
Kaida felt the gravity of the situation, even if she didn’t understand the particulars. She nodded, feeling like her world was about to shift again.
“Then, Kaida Gracewing, for the honor and generosity of spirit you have shown, take my token, carry it with you always and be counted among the Thunder Mountain Aerie,” Storm said.
Kaida felt a surge of power rush through her, and the feather disappeared, replaced by a spiral of gold circling up her right horn. Storm nudged her affectionately.
“Should you need me, all you have to do is call,” he said.
He straightened and spread his wings. He flapped them, causing a burst of wind that sent Kaida tumbling across the ground. She dug her talons into the ground as Storm continued to flap his wings, gaining altitude. Leaves rained down on her head as he surged through the canopy. Then, with a thunderous screech, he was gone.
Kaida shook the leaves and other detritus off her scales and flew up to one of the large branches to think. First Sen, and now Storm. How could these magicals who barely knew her adopt her into their families so casually? Would Sen still feel the same way if he knew what she was? How could a thunderbird adopt a dragon into his aerie when her own family didn’t even want her? Then again, she had saved his life. But could he really speak for his whole aerie? And what was the significance of the feather? Then there was the name he’d given her… Gracewing. She liked the new name, but why had he given it to her?
This was
too much to process all at once. She scrubbed at the dirt on her forelegs in irritation –– she needed a bath. She glanced around, hoping to find a pond or stream to clean off in, and realized that the light had faded. She trilled in alarm –– she needed to get back before she missed the last bus. She took off, flying as fast as she could, choosing the clearer understory over the more crowded canopy. She arrived at the lightning-split tree as the last of the light faded from the sky.
She shifted and threw on her clothes, but a glance at her phone confirmed her worst fear –– she’d missed the bus. She groaned. How was she going to get back to campus now? It was too risky to fly, and she couldn’t wait until morning. Maybe she could beg Sophie for a ride. She flipped open her phone and discovered that she had several missed calls from each of her roommates, a few from Celicia, and even Mathis. Fear gripped her heart –– what had happened while she was gone? She quickly dialed Erica’s number and was relieved when she answered on the first ring.