Change (Kitsune)

by Melissa Stevens

  "Hello?" I heard his voice over the phone.

  "Bill, it's me. I hope I didn't wake you." I walked from one room to another, pacing with nervous energy.

  "No, I was up. How are you doing Nickie?"

  "Pretty good mostly, at least until last night. There was an incident you should to know about, and I wanted you to hear it from me, and not rumors."

  "What kind of incident exactly?" He sounded concerned.

  I repeated the whole story, the way I had told Devon the night before, only adding that I no longer bore any signs of the incident, Devon had told me the mark Brandon’s hand had left on my face was gone before we’d finished dinner.

  "I see," He was quiet a moment, "Did anyone witness this?"

  "I don't think so. We were sitting in my car so no one could hear what we were saying and the area was pretty empty. I don't think anyone saw us, but I can't be certain."

  "Have you told anyone else?" He questioned.

  "Yeah," I winced, afraid he would get angry I'd told someone before I called him, "Devon was waiting for me when I got home last night. I'd invited him over for dinner, and with what had happened I totally spaced it until I walked up to him sitting on my front step. He saw the hand print that Brandon had left on my face and demanded to know what happened. So I told him."

  "Wait. Devon, you mean Devon Wilson?"

  "Yeah, he moved into my apartment complex a couple weeks ago, you remember, I called you about him... We've been getting to know each other again."

  "That's right; you told me that he used to run around with Payson. Is he the only one you've told?"

  "Other than you, yes." Still pacing through my apartment, I answered his questions.

  "All right. I'll deal with Brandon. I know better than to give you orders you don't agree with, but I want you to stay away from him, at least for a while."

  "Not a problem, after last night I have no desire to spend time with or even speak to him. I told him to stay away from me, at least for a while. He said he’d call me today, but I still don't want to even talk to him."

  "Good, keep it that way for a while. I'll tell him not to contact you. If he contacts you after I speak with him, you are to call me immediately. From what you've told me, I'm afraid he might blame you for the punishment he's earned, and I want you to be careful."

  "I've got no problem with that. Rest assured, he contacts me in the next couple of weeks and I'll be letting you know as soon as I'm able."

  "I'm glad to hear that you have some sense about some things…"

  "Ha ha, so funny," I changed the subject, "On a totally different topic, I've got something else I needed to talk to you about."

  "What would that be?"

  "I've got a question for you, and it's probably going to sound a little strange." I worked my way up to the question I'd wanted to ask.

  "All right, what's your question?

  "Has anyone ever tried to force the animal form of a non-shifter before?"

  "Force how?"

  "Call the animal form, like Alexis and I do."

  "Not that I know of, why?"

  "I can feel Devon's wolf. I know it is there, and I think it wants out but somehow it's trapped."

  "Have you mentioned this to him?"

  "No. I didn't want to get his hopes up and then find out it's impossible, I wanted to bring it to you first."

  "Very well. Do you think you could call his wolf?"

  "I've only done it once before, but I think I could. I'll definitely want some more practice first; I'd like to have a chance to shift other a few more times before I try to call his. If he even wants to try it. It has to be his decision or I won't even try."

  "I agree, it should be up to him. Do you think that it is possible that Alexis could call his wolf?"

  "I don't know, but Alexis can't sense his wolf like I can, I asked. I think it may have to do with my ability to sense power. I'm not sure why, but I can feel it there, almost like when I feel anyone else's power to shift, I can sense their animal form."

  "I believe you." He paused a few seconds, "Let me to do some asking around. See if I can find anyone has ever heard of such a thing, or tried it, before we talk to Devon. Once we have an answer, if it's reasonable, we can go to him and let him make the decision."

  "I agree"

  "I also want to consult with Alexis about the possibility, probably before we talk to Devon, to see if there could be any health consequences to forcing the animal form of a non-shifter."

  "I have no argument with that, it makes good sense." I agreed.

  "And even if everyone agrees to test your theory, I don't want you trying it alone. I want there to be at least me and Alexis present, if not a couple of enforcers too, just in case there are problems. Do you understand me?"

  "Perfectly, Sir."

  "You're going to need to keep this to yourself until after I have made some calls and then spoken with Alexis. After that, we can talk either to him as a group or you can bring it up to him yourself. I'll let you decide which, since you know him better than the rest of us."

  "I'll think about which I think would be received better, so that when you give the go-ahead we can get it done."

  "That's fine. Why don't you go ahead and go into work today. I'll start dealing with the information you have given me. Remember, no contact with Brandon if you can avoid it. As soon as I can, I'll put those calls in to other Kindred and check into about possibly calling a non-shifters animal form. I'll let you know what I find out as soon as I can."

  "Okay, I guess I'll let you go and get to work myself. Thank you for believing me, both about Brandon and about Devon."

  He laughed on the other end of the line, "Nickie, you may be independent, impulsive, and rebellious, but you've never been one for lies. I have no reason not to believe you."

  "You know me so well...”

  "I should. Now, I have work to do…"

  "Okay, I'll talk to you later."

  "Have a good day, Nickie, I'll call when I have news for you." Bill promised before disconnecting. I finished dressing and headed out for work before I was late.

  I'd not yet made it to my car when I heard my PCD ringing in my purse. I stopped long enough to dig it out and answered it even though I knew it was Brandon on the other end of the line.

  "Hello?" I asked.

  "Nickie, how are you this morning?" He was upbeat, happy, as though the night before had never happened.

  "Still pissed. You?"

  "I'm great, I was hoping we could get together and talk?"

  "You're nose healed that fast?" I ignored his request to meet me.

  "Not quite, but I got it set and the bruising's almost gone. Will you meet me?"

  "Sorry, Brandon, I'm on my way to work. I don't have time." I didn't tell him I'd already spoken to Bill this morning.

  "How about after work?"

  "I don't think that's a good idea." I hedged, not wanting to outright say that I was avoiding him, but not lying either.

  "Come on, Please?"

  "Sorry, I can't." I got into my car and closed the door. "I've got to get to work, or I'm gonna be late. I've got to go."

  "Come on, meet me. Let me explain." He pleaded one more time.

  "I don't want to hear explanations, I have to go." I hit the end button before he could argue further. Before I started the car, I immediately dialed Bill. I explained to him about the call and that Brandon had tried to get me to meet him. He thanked me for letting him go and we hung up again. I started the car and hurried to work, thankful that I lived so close, because as it was I was a few minutes late.

  Chapter 23

  On my way in from the parking lot that evening I saw Devon sitting next to the pool. When I raised my arm to wave at him he signaled at me to come closer. He was reclining in one of the chairs surrounding the pool, wearing his black ARMY trunks and nothing else. His hair and shorts were wet; he had obviously been in the pool at some point. As I approached the fence surrounding the pool
he stood up, slipping his feet into the flip flops that had been sitting on the ground beside his chair. He met me at the fence.

  "Hey, what's up?" I asked.

  "I just thought I should let you know," He spoke softly so there was no chance of being overheard, despite the empty courtyard, "I called the Anikitos this afternoon about what happened last night. He needed to know so he can deal with Brandon."

  "I know," I replied, shaking my head, "I called him this morning before work."

  "He didn't tell me that, but I'm glad you did. I'm worried that this is just the start, and that something bigger's on its way."

  "Thank you for your concern. I'm doing everything I know to do. I'm avoiding Brandon for a while, and Bill is supposed to tell him not to contact me. If he does contact me, I'm to let Bill know immediately."

  "I'm glad," Devon said, "I know you're smart, and able to take care of yourself, but I know what some of these guys are capable of."

  "Did you tell Bill about your experience with these guys?"

  "No, I didn't see a need to," he replied.

  "I think you should, so that he knows what kind of people he's dealing with. I understand you're not going to him then, but now, he needs to know."

  "I see what you’re saying; I'll call him back and let him know."

  "Thanks." I reached up and laid one hand on top of his where it was gripping the bars separating us, "You want to come up for dinner?"

  "Sure. Let me go change, and make that phone call and I'll be up in a bit."

  "All right, I'm gonna go change and start dinner. I'll see you when you're get there." I headed back to the walkway leading to my apartment.

  I quickly put together a simple dinner of left-overs out of the fridge for Devon and I. While we were eating my PCD rang, interrupting us. I pulled the small device out of my pocket and looked at the screen, the read out and picture told me that the caller was Brandon. I turned the screen so Devon could see it.

  "I'm certain that Bill's told him not to contact me by now," I said, voicing my thoughts.

  "Do you want to talk to him?" He asked.

  "I'm curious to see what he has to say." I admitted.

  "Then answer it, I'll keep my mouth shut so he can't hear me." He offered. Nodding I pressed the button to answer the small device.

  "Hello?" I asked, putting the device near my ear.

  "What did you say to the Anikitos?" Brandon demanded from the other end of the line.

  "The truth," I replied simply.

  "Did you tell him I attacked you?"

  "No. I didn't tell him you attacked me. I simply relayed to him exactly what happened, no more, no less. I even told him that I broke your nose." I said calmly, trying to keep him calm.

  "And are you in trouble for that?" Brandon wanted to know. I sighed, seeing where this seemed to be headed.

  "No, I'm not, at least not that I'm aware of."

  "You'd know it if you were," Brandon snarled, "But somehow, you get off scott-free, and I'm to be punished."

  "I don't know what you want me to say Brandon," I said patiently, I looked at Devon across the table to see if he was hearing this. He was watching me, but gave no indication whether he was hearing what Brandon was saying.

  "I want you to be sorry you got me in trouble and to say that you'll go to the Anikitos and tell him you lied so I won't be punished." Brandon all but snarled.

  "That's not going to happen, Brandon. I didn't lie, and I'm not going to say I did." My voice was starting to lose the soft tone I had been trying to keep.

  "So because of you, I'm to be punished tomorrow." He sounded more than just angry, but I didn't know what else to call it.

  "No, not because of me, because of you, Brandon. I didn't make you do anything that would get you in trouble. I just felt the Anikitos needed to know about it."

  "Why would you go to him, if not to get me in trouble?"

  "I had to. Getting you in trouble wasn't a consideration, keeping me out of it was. What if we were seen? If I didn't go to him with the truth, then all he had to go by was whatever rumor he heard, and I couldn't do that."

  "So because you couldn't keep your mouth shut, I'm gonna be punished. After all I've done for you, you can't get me out of this?"

  "Brandon, I'm not going to go over this again," I was losing my patience; "Any punishment you receive is due to your actions, no one else's. You know how I feel about this, I've said for years that if you can't do the time, don't do the crime. And you know how I feel about not taking responsibility for your actions. We been friends for years, and I know you've heard me talk about this before."

  "So it's going to be that way." He said flatly, disdain clear in his voice as he continued, "Just remember, it's only going to cost you in the end. If you would choose my side, then I would see that things go much easier for you." That sounded suspiciously like a threat.

  "I'll keep that in mind. But it's not about taking sides; it's about right and wrong." I said decisively, "I'm going to hang up now; I've nothing more to say to you. Don't call me again for a while. I have no desire to speak to you as long as you're going to be like this."

  "You'll regret this! Mark my words!" I heard him ranting on the other end of the line before I could press the end button and disconnect the call.

  I closed my eyes for a minute, and took a deep breath before speaking again.

  "Did you catch all of that?" I asked Devon.

  "Enough to know he wasn't calling to tell you 'Have a nice day,'" He continued to watch me.

  "Not hardly. Now the question is what now?" I picked up my fork and began to eat again.

  "Seems obvious to me." He resumed eating as well.

  "You don't have to say it. I know I've got to call Bill and let him know about this. I meant otherwise."

  "Otherwise how?"

  "I'm obviously not going to let him intimidate me. But at the same time I’m thinking it wasn't an empty threat. How careful am I going to have to be?"

  "That's going to be up to you, but I'd rather you avoid seeing him at all for a while. I'm afraid the group he's mixed up with will soon turn violent."

  "I have no intention of seeing him anytime soon, but I won't hide either. I’d prefer not to deal with whatever it is that he's involved in. I hope it doesn't devolve into violence but I'm not afraid of it."

  Devon raised one eyebrow in question.

  "I'm sure you remember, I was more than a bit of a tomboy." I said, waiting for the nod that indicated he remembered, "I'm sure you were gone by then, but I got into more than a few fights in high school. Mostly because I wouldn't let others tell me what to do, now that I think about it… Anyway, I'm not afraid of a fight, especially after I broke his nose yesterday."

  "But you had the element of surprise on your side when you did that," He cautioned.

  "I know, but I think I may have another element on my side. I don't think he'll really hurt me, at least not as long as he still believes that he can convince me to be his, like he said. He could have done a lot of damage with that slap yesterday, but he didn't, he tempered it. I won't have that limitation. If he starts a fight I won't hesitate to give it everything I've got to end it."

  "Good. I'd hate to see you to get hurt because you didn't want to hurt him."

  "Not a worry," I replied. We finished eating in silence.

  As soon as we were though eating I called Bill and relayed to him that Brandon had called, and what had been said.

  "I want you to stay away from him, Nickie." Bill said again.

  "I don't plan on going anywhere near him, Bill, but I won't run if he shows up again."

  "I wouldn't expect you to. I do want to remind you to try to avoid witnesses to a confrontation."

  "I'll try, but I can't make promises."

  "I understand."

  "I should probably tell you though, Devon was here when he called, and heard most of it."

  "All right."

  "But I doubt he'll be calling you this time," I let him kno
w I knew Devon had called him earlier in the day, "As he knows I'm calling you now."

  "Is he there now?" Bill asked.

  "Yes,"

  "Let me talk to him then," He requested. I went into the living room where Devon was going through the list of movies on my screen, trying to decide what to watch and extended the PCD toward him.

  "Bill wants to speak with you," I handed him the device.

  "Hello?" Devon said as I went back into the kitchen to clean up after dinner.

  Chapter 24

  By Saturday I hadn't heard from Brandon since that last call on Tuesday. Part of me was relieved, but another part was worried. Brandon had been my friend for too long for me not to be worried about him, no matter how mad I was.

  While I’d been at the clinic on Friday Alexis had told me I needed more practice calling animal forms, that the one time I'd done it in the clinic wasn't enough for her to be sure I had it down. Honestly, I agreed with her. It wasn't something I would be comfortable attempting without her there to oversee me, at least not yet. So, with my agreement, she’d arranged our outing today. I had no idea how she'd done it on such short notice but it meant that early this morning, Alexis had picked me up at my apartment. With Caden already seated in the back of her SUV, and we headed for a ranch on the west side of Mt Graham. The ranch was owned by a pack member and we were supposed be able to shift and run there without worrying about being seen.

  Apparently, Alexis had asked several members of the pack to volunteer to let me call their animal forms as practice. She arranged for those who were willing to be my guinea pigs to go for a run there on the ranch. The idea was that they would be shifting anyway, so why not let me try to call their wolves? She had enough volunteers that I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to shift them all.

  The trip took well over an hour, mostly over rough dirt roads, and when we arrived at the ranch house I was glad to be able to get out of the car and stretch my legs some. I felt like I'd rattled half way across the country since I climbed into the seat. The dust was still settling on the road behind us as I opened the door and slid out of the seat, I bent my legs repeatedly before walking in small circles beside the vehicle. I moved with exaggerated motions, bending this way and that as I stretched in different muscle groups trying to work out some of the kinks. I heard Alexis and Caden get out of the car behind me, and looked over to see Alexis doing the same on her side of the car, her footsteps making a light crunching sound in the gravel. Caden's much heavier step was still, either he wasn’t suffering the same problem or he wasn’t willing to show it, and he stood silently next to his closed door, watching the two of us.