Awakening the Lion

by Crymsyn Hart

  How could nonshifting humans survive without an animal side to them? Then again, some shifters had the one animal and they were content that way. Others thought the two-natured tribes were monsters. And there were others—shifters and normal humans alike—who thought they were gods. They came to the village and delivered food or goods and would not take anything in return. Ranolo normally handled those devotees.

  Once he was completely transformed, he flapped his wings until he got enough altitude and descended to pick up the bundle of his clothing in his talons so he would have clothes to change back into when he got to his destination. From there, he lifted off into the air. Over time, Ohanzee had acclimated to the weight of the clothes in his claws. Clutching the package of clothes helped to build the muscles in his wings, and it was the same way when he carried prey.

  Off the earth, he could feel the absence of the element’s power. It called out to him to remain on the ground and forget about his wings and something deep within him answered that call. Sometimes he wished he could understand that instinct, but whenever he tried to find that source all he was met with were shadow and a barrier he could never cross. He assumed it was the part where his other animal was supposed to be. He shook his head and flew higher into the blue sky. The wind took him until he could circle and gain more speed. All that mattered was the wind bringing him aloft until the edges of his wings brushed the wispy clouds forming around his mountain destination.

  This was a time when he longed to commune with the air so that he could ask it to guide him. Instead, he sensed the change in the currents, which allowed him to detect when the air was hotter or colder and which up- or downdraft to take.

  As a hawk, he understood the dynamics of air currents and how much speed he needed to achieve a dive to catch prey or the correct bend of his wing if he was gliding. Or being battered with a driving rain or a tempest that blew in from the desert or a dust storm that suddenly came over the mountains. He had been caught in a couple, and they were the worst because it was horrible to get all the sand out of his feathers.

  When he slipped through the fog, the landscape below changed quickly from the reds of the barren landscape to the west and to the deep emerald green of the thick forest below that clung to the sides of the mountains, sometimes precariously. How could trees grow out of nothing more than sheer rock or on nearly vertical cliffs? Ohanzee skimmed over the top of the mountain and then dove deep into the valley below to catch an updraft that brought him into a jagged peak where there was a lone tree, barely alive, from which he could see for miles. He dropped his bundle on the ground and perched on a hefty branch that he frequented. When his claws settled on the bough, he instantly felt the connection of the tree to the earth being rooted in the ground, but he was not able to sense what it said. Instead, it anchored him back to the world.

  Ohanzee drank in the beauty below. Wisps of fog wove through the tall trees. The forest was dense, and in some places the fog separated revealing the valley below. Other birds, raptors, were gliding on the breeze. Some were shifters, and others were just birds. It was hard to tell from his vantage point.

  In the distance, the golden sun glinted off the large lake that stretched between the mountains and the plains. He had never been to the other side of it, but he had been to the edge where it touched the tribe’s territory. His tribe traded with others, and there was a gathering of those once every two years. The last congregation had been a few months ago. All other tribes were two-natured.

  He ruffled his feathers and watched the sun being swallowed by the water. It was a beautiful sight, and he did not have the urge to go back to the village. He needed a breath of air away from the people and their accusing stares, but he also needed some time to think. Should I listen to Ranolo? Should I stay in the village? What did the dreams of this woman mean? They haunted him, as did the visage of her being. Her eyes were sometimes so sad and other times so full of love that they moved him and cut him so deeply. But when he stared into the looming darkness, the image of her mixed gaze, the black irises filled with the silver pupils as though the full moon had been captured in those eyes, that gave him comfort.

  Chapter Six

  Illiana stared at the shoreline of the Great Lake and sighed. She could not see the other side of it. Even when she had taken flight and tried to get an aerial view of the water she could not see the shoreline. It would take several days of continuous flying to cross, but with Marta it was impossible. They had finally reached the shores of the lake once they came to the tributary and the delta that dumped into the lake. The cougars had ceased searching for them when they hit the tributary for them. She wondered if they had crossed into another clan’s territory. But right now she hoped that they could find someone to help them get across the lake. The idea of going across the water on a boat made her uncomfortable, but seeing the bumps of the mountains across the lake gave her hope. A chill had been growing in the air, and the wind spoke about winter encroaching on the land. Ice had formed on the edges of the lake, and the seaweed was frozen to the shore.

  “What do you think?” Belik asked.

  He slipped his arm around her waist and held her to him. His lips brushed her neck, and it stirred the desire inside of her. She closed her eyes and wished they were completely alone so she could enjoy the comfort and the pleasure of his embrace.

  Illiana enjoyed the warmth and the hardness of his body. She tried not to think about Christopher, but even with all the time she had been away her heart had not dismissed him. At times she dreamed about her wolf and wondered how he and the pack were doing. Was he happy? Did he think of her, or did he banish her from his mind? Had he already settled down with a mate from the pack? She shook her head. He was behind her. Illiana kept reminding herself, and yet her mind kept going back over and over. Sometimes it seemed that she was completely hollow.

  But Belik had filled her soul with so much love that she assumed it would overflow and fill in the hollow part. He had stuck with her this far, protected her honor, and was by her side—even now, with a child they had under their protection, all to follow a need she had to escape the flock and the mockery of the pack. Illiana had to think beyond herself and for the child who traveled with them. And even though she was hunting for her father’s people, she really needed to find them for Marta’s sake. Belik tightened his arms around her and nipped at her ear. That brought her back into the real world.

  Marta darted to the water’s edge. The little girl stopped short of the lapping water and then glanced back at her. The innocent brown eyes that stared into Illiana’s soul had complete trust in her. “Will this swallow me up if we go into it?”

  Illiana glanced at Belik, who laughed. She left his embrace and knelt before the little girl. She held her face between her hands. “No. It won’t swallow you. We’re going to find a boat to bring us across this vast lake. The wind speaks to me and says there’ll be no storms for a little while, so we’re good to cross.”

  “How come the air speaks to you? My sister used to tell me the earth would rumble and make her laugh. No one else in my family could hear it. Sometimes I think it tickles me. Is that bad?”

  The little girl had an affinity for the earth element. “It’s a great gift. Not everyone has it or can hear the other elements. I recently learned that I could hear the fire and that I have another form I can change into. That’s where we’re going to find the people who are like us.”

  “Are they going to try and kill me, too?”

  She smoothed the hair from Marta’s face. “No, sweetie. They will help you. They live beyond this water and in the mountains that we have to get to. Do you think you’re up for the adventure?”

  Marta glanced back at the water and at the mountains Illiana pointed to. She could understand the girl’s trepidation because she was dealing with all these new experiences. The expectation of them going across the water and not knowing how long they were going to be on it made her wonder if they were doing the right thing. If only she
had more understanding of what the water element truly was, then she might feel more comfortable. But the water did not speak to her the way the other elements did. It only zapped her most times she touched it.

  “I think so. Adventures are fun. What about you? Are you ready to go?”

  Illiana smiled. “If we can find a boat, then I’m ready. Let’s walk along the shore until we can find a dock. After that, then we’ll see.”

  Marta took her hand, and Illiana motioned for Belik to follow. The wind wound through her hair and was whispering something that she could not make out. If only it was more direct the way her fire element was. They strolled along the rocky shoreline for a long time. Marta stopped and picked up a rock now and again. After walking for a couple of hours, Illiana saw what appeared to be someone on a boat drifting parallel to the beach. Soon she saw what looked to be a dock in the distance, and she also saw smoke. The scent of the burning wood wafted on the breeze. Illiana tensed when they came to what seemed to be a small fishing village. Belik stood by her side, and she slid down to Marta.

  “We don’t know who these people are. We can’t tell them we’re shifters or about the elements. Okay?”

  Marta nodded. If these turned out to be normal people who did not shift, they could kill them—or worse, capture them. Illiana had to be sure they got to the other side of the lake to give Marta a chance to have a normal life, because Illiana wanted it to be different for the little girl than it had been for her growing up.

  She adjusted her bags and clutched Marta’s hand. Belik squeezed her shoulder, and they went closer to the village. However, the closer they got, the more she realized that it was not really a village. It was more of a camp. Tents were set up, with small fires in front of the tents. Men looked up when she went by. She got closer and saw a dock. Nets were anchored in the water, and other men were up to their knees pulling in the catch of the day. Lines were strung along the back side of the shoreline where they were drying fish. More fires burned near the fish to keep the wild animals away. Closer to the dock, one of the men near a threadbare tent came over to them.

  “Can I help you?” he asked, keeping his gaze on Belik, but making sure to look over Illiana, too.

  “We were hoping to find crossing over the lake,” Illiana said. Marta stayed behind Illiana.

  “I was speaking to your man, not you, woman,” the man barked.

  She bit her tongue and glanced at Belik. His expression darkened. Illiana figured that the stranger wanted to say something else to them, but he stepped before them, which caused her to feel her wolf stirring underneath her skin. It wanted to come out and snap at them. Maybe even take a bite out of one of them. There seemed to be no women around, and the way this man was treating her, as though she were a second-class citizen, did not make her feel any better. It raised the hair on the back of her neck. The sooner they were on the water or away from the fishing camp, the sooner she would feel safer.

  “Forgive my wife. She speaks out of turn sometimes. We were hoping to barter our way across the lake. We don’t have much, but I’m sure we can figure something out.”

  “Why do you want to cross?” the man said.

  “That is our business and none of yours,” Belik growled.

  “What happened to your arm?” Another man approached them. He appeared to be a little younger than the man before them. He had short blond hair and was dressed in dark leather pants. He had several different knives hanging from his belt and other pouches. Several different-sized fish were tattooed across his chest.

  “Who are you?” Belik asked.

  He wiped his knife on his pants before slipping it into an empty sheath at his waist. “I’m Narak. I’m the leader here. Don’t mind Luther. He can be a little rough around the edges. What happened to your arm?”

  “I had a run-in with a couple of wolves. One latched on to me and snapped my arm.”

  Narak’s eyebrows went up. “How did you escape without further injury?”

  Belik glanced at Illiana. “My wife, Anya, came back at the right time and was able to get them off me.”

  “Really? I hardly believe that.” Luther took a sip from a wooden carved cup.

  “He’s right. I found a large stick and beat the wolf off him while the other one I sacrificed our dinner to. They were lone wolves, and they had attacked because they needed something to eat. We sent our daughter up a tree so that she wouldn’t be in danger.” Marta squeezed her leg but did not comment.

  Narak knelt down and looked at Marta. “You were a very brave little girl.”

  “You’ll have to forgive her, she’s shy around new people. It’s been that way during our journey,” Belik answered.

  Narak stood up. “So you want passage across the lake? What do you have to trade? Are you from the grasslands?”

  She shook her head. “No, our village is on a cliff that overlooks the ocean.”

  “You’re not one of those shifters are you?” Narak snarled.

  “Of course not! That was why we left, because our elders were considering trading with them and we didn’t approve. We have distant relations who live in the desert. We were hoping they would take us in,” Belik said.

  Narak stared at the both of them, evaluating them. She prayed he would accept their story. She hated that they had to lie, but it was the only way to get across the lake. “I think we might be able to help one another. What skills or goods can you trade with? That’s a pretty necklace you have. I’m sure it’s worth something.”

  Illiana’s hand flew to her throat. “It’s not part of any trade.” She was not about to give up the one thing that would connect her to her father’s people since it was the one object that identified them. She moved her wrist and heard the click of the beads together on her bracelet. Coret had given it to her for a going-away present, but she knew then that it was meant for something more. She slipped it off and held it out to Narak. “I can trade you this. The stones and the ivory on it alone are worth two trips across this lake.”

  He took the bracelet and examined it. “Where did you get this?”

  “It belonged to my aunt. She’s the healer in our village. Is that a problem where it came from? I didn’t steal it, if that’s what you are asking.”

  Belik reached for the bracelet. “If there’s a problem, we can go elsewhere. Do—”

  “No,” Narak pulled the bracelet back and held it in his palm. “This will be fine. We leave in the morning. It’s too late to start across now.”

  “How long will it take us to cross?” Belik asked.

  Narak looked into the sky. Illiana felt the wind curl around her, and she heard it say nothing was coming. However, weather could change any time when they were so close to the mountains. That at least she did know. The heat of the fires called to her, and she wished to speak to some of the flames and see what she could learn about the people they were spending the night among.

  “If we leave in the morning with clear skies and a fair wind, we can be back across in three, maybe four days. It all depends on the weather. Sometimes we have good seas, and other times it can get choppy. When that happens, it can hinder our progress going back. You’re in luck because I was returning to our village anyway. We live on the other side of the lake.”

  “Thank you. We’ll set up camp and turn in for the night.”

  “That might be a good idea. Not many here are open to outsiders. We see so few that come through here that are nonshifters. I’ll come get you in the morning.”

  “Night then,” Belik said. They moved past Narak so they were out of the way of the fishing encampment and set up the small tent they had. Illiana settled into the tent, and Marta came in next to her. Belik slid into the tent with her and closed the flap.

  “What do you think about them?” he asked in a hushed tone.

  “We don’t give them too many details about our lives. I think it was a good idea not to give our real names. We should be okay. I want to get across the lake. If we can do that, then we shou
ld be okay. Let’s get on the boat and get out of here. I’ll feel safer when we’re closer to the mountains.” She shivered and felt the chill of the night even with the fire inside of her. You know, I’m really starting to think that this was all a mistake.”

  “It’s not,” Belik glanced at her and then at Marta. “You found this girl and are going to bring her to a place where she’s going to be accepted.”

  “If we had never gone into the village. If I had never decided to leave the flock and the pack, then we’d never be in this predicament.”

  “Illiana, you rescued Marta. When she got older and realized what she was, her parents still would’ve sacrificed her the way they said they were going to. And what then?”

  She shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair, feeling the exasperation of the weeks they had been traveling and dealing with nonshifters for the first time. Her mother had always told her about them, but she had never realized that they would react the way they did about shifters in general. Then again, she had never fully understood what it would be like to exist without an animal living inside them. Illiana figured it must be perfectly lonely never knowing the way the skies felt, soaring through them, or the way the ground felt underneath her feet as she padded through the forest. Not everyone had the ability to speak to the elements, she understood that, but what was it like to be completely human and not move between forms? But she thought about what Belik had said: if they had not come, what would have happened to Marta when she got older.

  “Maybe. I guess. I’m feeling homesick. I miss my mother and . . . ”

  “You miss Christopher.” Belik smiled at her.

  “Who is Christopher?” Marta asked.