Awakening the Lion

by Crymsyn Hart

  Ohanzee shook his head and went to find some warm water in his sister’s hut so that he could wash. The cold water of the stream was not going to work now. Besides, his stomach rumbled and he knew Asha had left some breakfast for him. She always did.

  * * * *

  Illiana adjusted her pack, and she stood by Belik. Rama walked ahead of them when they approached the village. All of her instincts warned her about going into the village, but she knew Belik wanted to meet the other shifters. The idea of meeting others put her a little on edge because she was not sure how they would react if they figured out she could change into two different animals. She hoped they would accept her being mated to Belik, even though he was a raven shifter. If they were anything similar to the flock and the pack, then they were against the mating of different species. But they were different people, so she was hoping they would have open minds. And it would be nice to see if they were headed in the right direction. Belik brought her hand to his lips and kissed it before letting it go.

  “Are you sure about this?” Belik asked.

  “Yes. It’s fine. I’m sure all will be well.”

  Rama turned back and smiled at them. She had put on a dress made of animal hide and embroidered with the beads in all different kinds of patterns. Some of them looked familiar from what she had seen in Coret’s hut. Illiana noticed that the vultures she had seen the other night were closer to the village than she realized. They must have been picking the bones clean from the meal they had. The sight of them disturbed her for some reason that she could not put her finger on. However, she pushed her uneasiness aside and focused on the community ahead of them.

  The village that stood before them had a dozen huts made from reeds and grass. People were walking about: some balanced baskets atop their head and others carried clay pots. Rama beckoned them into the village. Illiana took a deep breath and put a smile on her face, knowing that she was venturing into the unknown.

  The whole journey was an unknown. At first she had been okay with going on it alone because she was not sure if Belik would come with her. When he agreed to come, it had warmed her heart. During their journey, it was nice to have the solitude and be alone with Belik. She assumed the townspeople were all cat shifters. But maybe they also could shift into two different animals.

  “Come on, my mother will be happy to meet you.” Rama gestured for them to follow.

  Illiana strolled behind Rama and glanced back at Belik. He slipped his hand into hers, and together they went into the village. When they walked by villagers, conversations fell silent. Then they suddenly erupted in whispers. Illiana glanced at the people. There was some diversity among the individuals, in that they were not exact reflections of one another as the Corvi people were. Then again, she did not know if that was merely the ravens or if it was a universal thing.

  She slipped closer to Belik and stopped outside of the huts ringing the center of the village. Rama pushed aside the hide and stuck her head in. Illiana did not hear what she said, but after a moment she came back out. A woman appeared before her and wiped her hands on her skirt. She was tanned and shorter than Rama. Her hair was pulled back into a bun, and there was a youngster both hugging and peering from behind the woman’s leg who appeared to be no more than six or seven. The older woman studied them. Illiana could not imagine what the other woman thought of her. What was she thinking seeing the strangers? After a moment she gave them a small smile. But it did not feel welcoming.

  “My daughter says she came upon you traveling together. You’re journeying west? Is that correct?”

  Illiana smiled. “Yes. I’m Illiana, and this is my mate, Belik. We’re heading toward the mountains. We happened upon Rama this morning. I didn’t realize there were other shifters in the grasslands.”

  “You’ve never been out of the forest, I take it?” Rama’s mother asked. She was still being a little standoffish.

  “Not until recently. We’re passing through. I hope you don’t mind us being here.”

  She took in a long inhale and looked at the both of them. “What kind of shifters are you? You smell like wolf.” She went closer to Belik and sniffed him again. “You’re not. You’re a bird.”

  “I’m a raven shifter, and my mate is a wolf shifter. If that is a problem, that we’re not the same breed of shifter, then we’ll happily be on our way. We don’t want any trouble. We were hoping to gather some information before we leave and maybe a few supplies if you had any to spare.”

  “Mother, come on. Let them stay at least the night. Please, we can talk more and learn about the forest. You have always talked about it,” Rama said, and Illiana could hear the eagerness in her voice. It made her wonder if she was younger than Illiana first thought.

  “Of course. You can stay the night. It’s always nice to meet other shifters.”

  The air stirred around her, but Illiana willed it to still. She did not want to spook anyone. A fire burned inside, and she could hear the sparks whispering to one another, but she tried to tune them out. The little one who had stood behind her mother was now a little braver and had separated from her. The flickers in the fire yammered a lot more. Illiana could not tune them out, and an image of a coyote slipped into her mind. At first she thought it was another wolf, but when it flashed again she could see it was not. When she looked at the little girl, the image was superimposed over her face along with that of the cougar. Illiana realized what the fire had told her. The little girl giggled and dashed back into the hut.

  “Thank you. We appreciate the hospitality.” Illiana sensed the woman’s trepidation. If the woman was the leader of the clan, then she was protecting her people. Maybe this meeting could open trading with the flock and the pack. It might lead to some good communications. Illiana shook her head, not believing she was thinking like her mother about the good of the flock.

  “Rama will see to your needs.” Rama handed the rabbits and pheasant she had brought down to her mother, who shook her head and groaned.

  “Come with me. We have a place you can stay for the night.” The younger woman led them to a reed house that had seen better days, so Illiana suspected the cats did not get a lot of visitors. Rama moved the hide aside and led them in. There was a fire pit in the center of the floor and some dried wood ready to be burned. Four sleeping platforms were around the walls of the hut. Belik set his bag down and rolled his shoulder. Illiana felt bad because she knew how much he wanted to fly and use his arm. “Stay here for a bit and get settled in. I’ll come get you when the noon meal is ready. Then we can all talk, and you can tell me more about you.” Rama bounced out of the hut.

  Belik glanced around. “Although it’s nice to be here around other people, I have a feeling they really don’t want us around. Do you get that feeling?”

  “Yeah. I don’t think they are welcoming to outsiders. However, we’re here and it would be rude to leave after we have been invited to stay the night and share a meal with them.”

  “Rama seems more enthusiastic about having us visit. She’s younger than I thought and reminds me a little bit of some of the youths of the flock who talk about leaving the trees and venturing far away.”

  She slipped her arm around his waist and pulled him close. “Yeah. I used to want to run off and see how life would be outside of the forest. Although I never figured that I’d be going on a long journey.”

  “At least you have a map and some idea of where you’re headed.” Belik kissed her lightly.

  Illiana pulled out the folded-up piece of skin and glanced at it. Because her father had drawn it from an aerial perspective it was a little tough to interpret on the ground, but from her foray into the air last night she was starting to get a good idea of what was on the plot. They had already crossed one of the three waterways on their journey. It appeared to be the large river they had crossed with Rama, over a bridge that was well-hidden. They would not have known it was there. From the bridge she had heard the sounds of a waterfall, but she was not sure how far down the
y would have to go. Studying the outlines now, she noted that beyond them were more grasslands and what appeared to be a large lake, but it was hard to tell. After that were the mountains. She trailed the second darker mark.

  “I think we crossed this river today. That leaves the lake. On the map it’s so large that I’m not sure how big it is. Beyond that there are the mountains. From there I’m not sure where to go. His village isn’t really marked, and it shows the desert, but nothing past that.”

  Belik glanced at it. “Hopefully these people will have some knowledge of where we are going.”

  “Where are you going?”

  Illiana heard a voice behind her. She turned and looked up. An older man had walked into the hut. He wore a necklace adorned with different kinds of animal teeth and an amber pendant dangling from the middle of it. She assumed he was the clan’s holy man. The hair stood up on her arms. Something about him did not sit right with her. The wind whipped around her, trying to warn her, but she could not make it out. The newcomer seemed nice enough, but something about him put her on edge. Belik turned and was going to go over to him, but she gripped his arm, hoping the other man did not notice.

  “We’re heading west to the mountains.”

  The other man nodded. “You have a map there, let me see. I can tell you if it’s accurate or not.”

  Illiana handed him the animal skin and tried not to touch his hand. The elder unfolded it and glanced over the map. “This is an aerial-view route you’re taking and an old skin. I take it you’re trying to get there before winter. It comes quicker here than it does in the forests. If you can make it to the Great Lake before the next full moon, you should be able to cross it. After that you’re going to have to go around it.”

  “Is that a long journey?” Belik inquired.

  The holy man nodded. He handed the map back to Illiana. She smiled and folded it back up. “Going around the lake will take you at least two months on foot even if you’re going a good pace. I used to trade with the people on the other side of the lake so I ventured there in my time, but you have to be careful. There are many along the water’s edge who don’t welcome outsiders. Many nonshifters live along the shores. Why are you heading toward the mountains anyway? The only thing on the other side of those peaks is the wasteland. Why would you want to go to such a barren place?”

  “We’re on a quest to establish trading with other clans and the forest. We’re hoping there are other tribes of shifters that would be willing to trade. It is always nice to expand and meet others. We were chosen to represent our people.”

  The elder rubbed his hand over his amber pendant. “No, you’re not. You’re here because you’re running away from something.” He grabbed her hand and stared her straight in the eyes. When he did, Illiana felt the wind and the fire surge up around her. They were trying to protect her. The fire raged, and someone shrieked outside. The wind barreled through the hut trying to blow it over. Belik clutched her arm to steady himself. Power flared in the older man’s eyes, a spark of fire. That was when Illiana sensed his fire battling against hers, burning around her mind. No one would get the better of her. She dug in her heels and let her inner fire fight against the power the man pushed upon her. No one challenged her. The priest’s grin widened. He tried to pull her close to him, but a growl slipped from her lips. At the same time the wind flew at him. The raven in her lent its strength, too. That was when he released her and gasped. A look of horror crossed his face. The holy man backed away and pointed his finger at her.

  “Abomination!”

  Illiana shook her head, trying to catch her breath. She did not think it was possible for elements to war against one another. “What are you talking about? What just happened?”

  “You’re not a true shifter. Monstrosity! Horror!”

  Belik stepped between Illiana and the cougar priest. “You have no right to call my mate such things.”

  People had gathered around the doorway to their hut. The leader came in carrying a long curved dagger. Illiana could see her eyes had changed color to a deep, honey brown and the shape of her face was flatter than it had been when they first encountered her. She brandished the dagger. They both backed up against the wall of the hut.

  “I knew you were trouble the first moment I saw you. Are you sure about what you saw, Thirhand?” the leader of the cougars asked.

  “Quite sure. I saw it in her mind. She’s one of them: a two-natured freak. You know what we do with them.”

  “Wait. Let’s just wait a minute,” Belik said to the crowd of cougars. “Let us collect our things and we’ll be on our way. We don’t want any trouble.”

  “You can stay. The woman must die. It’s against natural law to have two beasts,” the elder said.

  Illiana stepped forward until she was inches from the leader of the clan. “How can you condemn me when you’re too afraid to face the fact your daughter is the same thing?”

  “Blasphemy, Rama is no two-natured monster.”

  “I wasn’t talking about Rama. I was talking about the little one who was hiding behind your leg when we first came in. She is coyote and cougar. Would you have you own daughter killed?”

  The leader of the cougar clan glanced around. A gasp went through the people, and she could hear the others talking outside of the hut. Illiana wondered if they would end up killing the child even though she was the leader’s child.

  “If she is two-natured, then she must be sacrificed to the gods. Marta must be given to them.” Illiana saw the resolve in her eyes.

  “Y-you can’t be serious. She’s a little girl,” Belik stammered.

  “If you were born into this clan, then your mate would’ve suffered the same fate,” the holy man spat.

  “What are you going to do now?” Illiana asked. “Kill us, too?”

  “Bring the girl. The gods must be appeased. Slay the child and the newcomers,” someone shouted from outside the hut.

  There was cheering in agreement. Illiana cringed at the thought of what they would do to her and Belik. They had to escape. Neither of them could fly out of there, but she would have to abandon their belongings. That did not bother her, but she did not want to leave without Belik. No matter how much the air blew through the hut or the fire eked to get out of her body, she had to rationalize a way out of the village.

  “If you killed us, it would close off any trading between our two peoples. My mother is the leader of our flock. Think of the possibilities, and you could work with the wolf pack, too. Let us leave and I’ll write you a recommendation that you can take into the forest.”

  Illiana saw the leader weighing the options. The dagger in her hand lowered slightly. That gave Illiana a little bit of hope.

  “Don’t listen to her. She’s trying to entice you with her words,” the elder said.

  She held up her hand. “Enough! Write your proposal and then get out. Rama will bring you the instruments you need and lead you to the outskirts of the village where you may go on your way.”

  “What about your daughter?”

  “If you wish to leave here alive, you’ll forget about her.”

  Illiana wanted to say something else, but Belik grabbed her arm. He shook his head to leave it alone. He was probably right or they were not going to get out of this at all. She swallowed down the rage and remained perfectly still knowing this was the price they had to pay in order to escape the village. “Fine,” she said through clenched teeth.

  “She’s an abomination. She must—”

  The clan leader turned around and stuck the point of the dagger under the holy man’s throat. “Maybe, but she can open us up to more possibilities. It will be good for our clan.”

  “How do we know there won’t be more like her?” the shaman asked Belik.

  “You don’t have to worry about that. The wolves and the ravens forbid marrying outside of their species,” Belik responded.

  “Then how do you explain what you are?” the leader asked.

  “My mother
had a relationship with a man who came to our village, and I was the result,” Illiana explained.

  “And you love her despite what she is?” the older man said to Belik.

  It was her turn to hold him back. “I love her even more because of it. What you call an abomination is the very thing that gives Illiana strength. Now let us get on with what you want so we can leave.”

  The leader of the clan nodded. “So be it. Rama will be here in a minute with your things. Make sure to watch the door.”

  She backed out of the hut leaving Illiana alone with Belik. He slid his arm around her and hugged her close. Illiana enjoyed the comfort of having him so near. For a moment her fear subsided, but she did not think it would go away until they were far away from the village. “How could people think that little girl is a monstrosity? There’s nothing wrong with her.”

  Belik shrugged. “Not everyone is accepting of what you and she are. How did you know she was like you anyway?”

  “The elements, the air and the fire, told me, sort of. I’m not sure how they did it, but I heard them and a vision of a coyote flashed in my mind, too. It was something I’ve never experienced before. I figured it out when I first saw her. I don’t know. There are a lot of things happening lately that I don’t really understand.”

  “What do you mean?” Belik asked.

  Before she could answer, she heard the rustle of the hide moving aside. Rama entered with the implements they would need to write the reference they had agreed upon. “Here is what my mother said you needed.”

  Illiana took the hide and the charcoal that she was provided with. “Thank you.” She sighed and thought about what she would say. Illiana laid out the parchment and wrote her mother a short letter saying she was well and that Lelana should trade with the cougar clan. Illiana did not write anything disparaging because she knew the leader of the clan would look over the letter. When she was done she handed the letter to Rama who rolled it up so that she could take it to her mother.

  “Thank you. I’m sorry about my mother. I didn’t know she’d react that way or that she’d put my little sister up for sacrifice. I can’t believe it.” Rama’s eyes teared up.