Awakening the Lion

by Crymsyn Hart

  Ohanzee had come to the house, but she would not see him. Belik did not speak to him either and sent the carver away. He had tried to comfort Illiana, but she swore she was okay and did not need anything. He kept monitoring her to make sure she was not descending into a depression the way she had before. But Illiana promised that she was not. Instead she was trying to master the elements. While she did that, he had built his loom and traded for thread with the villagers for future promises of cloth. He still had his hand loom that he worked on, but now he was able to start making large bolts, fulfilling what his mother would have wanted. Even though he was weaving, all he wanted to do was be with his mate.

  While he was focusing on the bolt of cloth, someone knocked on the door. He sighed and got up. Belik hoped it was not Ohanzee so he would not have to deal with the other shifter. When he opened the door, he found Asha. She seemed distraught.

  “Hi, Belik, is Illiana here?”

  “Yeah. Come inside. What’s going on? Is everything okay?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “No. I need to talk to Illiana. Please.” Tears streamed down her face and half-froze on her cheeks. She wrung her hands in the scarf she wore over her head. Snow began to melt when she stepped closer to the fire.

  He knocked and did not get an answer. When he opened the door, he saw that Illiana sat on the floor. Her hair was unbound and came down to her waist. It was beautiful the way it fanned out around her shoulders and covered her dress. Her head was down, and when he stepped inside he felt the ground ripple beneath his feet. Illiana glanced up. When she did, her eyes were open, but she was not looking at him. It seemed she was in some kind of trance. Belik knelt down next to her, and she continued to stare at him.

  “Illiana, are you okay?”

  His mate drew took in a slow breath, and her gaze pierced his soul. It seemed she was there, and yet she was not. When he touched her arm, a sudden zap moved up along his skin. It suddenly seemed he was being smothered and could taste dirt in his mouth. Belik yanked his hand away, and he was able to breathe. He touched her cheek and felt that she was warm, but it seemed he could not get to her.

  “Illiana, you need to come back to me. Asha’s here and needs to talk to you. Something’s wrong, and she needs your help.”

  He waited, but her eyes remained blank. Whatever she was doing, it seemed that she was so far away. “Air . . . I don’t know if you can understand me, but I need your help. Can you break her out of this?” He had no affinity with the element, but he always prayed that it would respond to him if he ever needed it. It took a moment, but he felt a breeze stir around him. It circulated closer to Illiana and blasted against her. It nearly knocked her over, but once it touched her, her eyes focused again and she blinked. Once Illiana took in a breath, she smiled at him when she came out of the trance.

  “Hey, sweetie, what is it?”

  He caressed her cheek, relieved that she was back. “Where were you? I touched you, and I was smothered. What have you been doing?”

  She smiled. “I was talking to the earth. Or at least trying to talk to the ground. It’s a grumpy old man like Ohanzee said. It’s finally starting to talk to me. We were deep in conversation. I was telling it who I am, and it was arguing with me that I shouldn’t be disturbing it. I was trying to prove to it that it should work with me. It’s hard going, but I am finally making some progress with it. Sometimes I have to go so deep it feels like I’m leaving part of myself behind.”

  Belik pressed his lips to hers, glad to feel that she was back, and offered her a hand. “I don’t want you to go so far that you forget to come back or that you get lost. I need you to get yourself together. Asha’s here, and something is wrong.”

  Her brow furrowed. “Did she say what it was?” Illiana took his hand and stood. She brushed the dirt off her dress and rolled her shoulders.

  “No, she didn’t say anything, but she’s pretty distraught.”

  She nodded and went out into the main area where his loom was set up. Asha examined the cloth and ran her fingers over it. She jumped when they came back in. “I can see why the villagers are talking about your work. I’ll have to come to you one of these days.”

  “Asha, what’s wrong? Belik said you needed to see me. Are your children okay? Tormec, your mate?” Illiana asked.

  The other woman shook her head. “No. They are fine. It’s my brother. He needs your help. I don’t know what happened, but . . . it’s horrible. I went to Ranolo. Sometimes this happens with youngsters who are learning how to shift, but he wasn’t able to reach Ohanzee. I know you’re connected to him and you’ve been ignoring him. Whatever happened between you two the night you were both with Ranolo, it’s eating away at him. His heart is broken. If anyone can reach him, you can.”

  Illiana glanced at Belik. Her mouth opened and closed, searching for the words to say to him. He saw the fight in her eyes because she wanted to help the other man, but she also did not want to hurt him in any way. It would be wrong to keep her from Ohanzee. He nodded, letting her know it was fine for her to go. By doing so he had a fear that he was going to lose he woman he loved. With all the changes occurring with her and discovering the use of the other two elements it already felt part of her was slipping away from him. This was what he feared would happen.

  “Thank you,” she mouthed.

  He nodded and got the cloak Ranolo had given her, along with the boots. They were well crafted from supple leather and waterproof. He had also given them several outfits that were fashioned in the style of the tribe. Some people had come to him and asked if they could copy the dresses Illiana wore that tied in the front, and his clothes as well. Where the flock’s garments always wrapped and tied at the waist for ease of shifting, the tribe used buttons. Illiana slipped on the cloak and the boots.

  “Are you going to come?” she asked him.

  “It’s best if I stay here. I’ll keep the fire burning so it’ll be warm for you when you get back”

  She walked out of the house. He did not know what had happened, but he prayed that it would not lead to Illiana being hurt. He knew Illiana asked him if it was okay to go because she did not want to hurt his feelings. But does she have feelings for Ohanzee? Would he lose her over to him? Had Ohanzee stirred something within his mate? Had this other man healed her heart when it came to Christopher? If that was the case, then maybe it as a good thing for him to be in their lives.

  Belik shook his head. I have to stop thinking this way. I trust Illiana to tell me the truth. She’ll come back to me. She told me she would truthful, and she has.

  Belik sat back at the loom and focused again on the cloth he was weaving. He hoped by the time he was done, she would be back. And he would show her how much she meant to him.

  * * * *

  Illiana tried to shake the earth energy that coursed through her. She had been in such a deep trance and conversation with the element that she had not realized how much time had passed. When Belik had awoken her, she had barely shaken the connection. With the snow swirling around her, it seemed the frozen flakes were tinkling, laughing together as they fell. The wind cut through her, howling and angry. She did not have to know now was not a good time for talking to it. Even with the fire element burning inside her, which would normally keep her warm, she was frozen to the bone. Being surrounded by the three elements and the fire in her, something felt different within her. She could not describe it. Illiana brushed it off and shivered at the drop in temperature.

  She huddled under the cloak her father had given her and followed behind Asha. Her thoughts raced to what was wrong with Ohanzee. She prayed that she could fix it and make sure he was okay. Over the last two weeks she had been thinking a lot about the other shifter and how she felt about him. Illiana tried to banish him from her heart, but it was not something she could do. The other things he said and the caresses they shared played over and over again in her mind. He was much like her when she pursued Christopher. All she ever wanted was him, and it seemed that all
Ohanzee had ever wanted was her. No matter how much she tried to push him out of her thoughts, he crept back in.

  Her heart had shattered when they left, and now Ohanzee helped pick up the pieces and set them back in place. She did not feel so hollow any longer when she thought of him. The half that was haunted by the forlorn cries of Christopher’s howls was not a void. He warmed her heart the way Belik did and Christopher had. If he was suffering, then she had to find a way to help him.

  Once they were in Asha’s hut, Illiana unwrapped from the cloak and hung it on a peg close to the door. The children were huddled around the fire, and her husband tended to them. A shriek came from the children’s room.

  “What was that?” Illiana jumped.

  Asha’s features were drawn tight. Ranolo exited the bedroom and shut the door. He glanced at Asha and shook his head. “I can’t do anything for him. I don’t have the skill. He needs an elemental healer, and we don’t have one in the village. Even if we were to send for one, it’d be several days before they could get here. If Ohanzee stays this way, he won’t be able to shift back.”

  Tears slipped down Asha’s face. “You have to help him. You’re the shaman. It’s what you’re meant to do.”

  Ranolo took her hand. “I’m sorry, Asha, but there are some things outside of my ability. Why did you bring Illiana here? She won’t be able to do anything either.”

  “It’s worth a try. He’s been dreaming about her, and she helped him make this connection. Please, you have to let her try.”

  Illiana glanced between the two of them. “What exactly is wrong with Ohanzee?”

  “He’s trapped between forms. It’s what he deserves. And you want to raise our children around him,” Tormec spat.

  “How could you say that after all this time? I knew you disapproved of him, but this is not the time to bring it up. Remember, you live here at my discretion, not the other way around,” Asha grumbled at her mate.

  “Enough! Both of you. This is not the time to be arguing. As I told you in the past, sometimes this happens. Sometimes children are born without another animal, but that does not mean they’re deformed. It means they’re not gifted with the other animal. It can come out if triggered by some emotional event.”

  Illiana turned to Asha’s mate. “I was born with both animals, but I didn’t know it until this past year. I grew up thinking I was a raven. When the man I loved said some horrible things to me, I changed into a wolf and had to figure out how to control it. Ohanzee isn’t suffering from a malady.”

  “No matter if you suffered something similar, you’re not part of this village. You shouldn’t even be here,” Tormec said.

  “Please, don’t listen to him. Can you help Ohanzee?” Asha pleaded with her.

  “I’ll do what I can.” Illiana patted her arm.

  “Come in and close the door,” Ranolo said.

  She followed him and Asha into the children’s room and saw Ohanzee lying on the floor. His body was twisted into a form that was animal and human, something in-between. It took all of her concentration to keep from screaming. His face was partially covered in short, tan fur with the right side of his face flattened into what resembled some kind of large cat. The eye on his right side was wider than it should have been and the pupil larger. His lips were pulled back and showed a maw of sharpened teeth that were short and not yet fully formed. His right leg was shorter than the other, and he had a half-human, half-cat paw. His right arm was completely shifted with blunted claws. He drew in a ragged breath. He was stuck between forms. Illiana had heard about it within the flock, but it was nothing she had witnessed before. Usually, the priests were called in to see if they could guide the essence of the raven within the flock member to come out into the flesh. But she had no idea how it was done.

  Asha sunk to her knees by Ohanzee’s head and took a cloth from a bucket Illiana did not see before. She pressed it against his forehead. He reached out and tried to touch his sister, but every time he moved it seemed painful. She pressed a finger to his lips. “Don’t try and move or talk. It’s going to be okay.”

  Ohanzee opened his mouth. All that came out was a moan and an animal sound that Illiana could not understand. His gaze flicked to her, and she saw the yearning in them, even in the one that was mostly animal. She looked at Ranolo.

  “Can you communicate with one another when you’re in animal form? With your mind? It’s something the wolves and the ravens can do. What about your tribe?”

  Ranolo nodded. “Yes, we can, but I’ve been unable to reach him. Asha can’t either. I think it’s because he’s in so much pain. You can try.”

  Illiana nodded and knelt down next to Ohanzee. She touched the left side of his face. It was so hot it nearly scalded her hand. When she touched the other side of his face, the soft fuzz of his fur tickled her hand. “What happened to you?”

  He opened his mouth to answer, but she put her hand to his lips, trying to stop him from responding. “I don’t mean that you have to answer. Can’t you help him?” she asked her father.

  “He’s stuck, and I don’t know how to get him back. Asha thinks you might be able to since you have more of a relationship with him. It could be dangerous for you.”

  She looked at Asha and back at Ohanzee. “I don’t care. He can’t stay like this. I’ll try.”

  “Thank you, Illiana.”

  Asha got up and left the room. Illiana moved so that she could get a better look at Ohanzee. Seeing his twisted and straining form, she knew that even the slightest intake of breath must have been excruciating for him. This could have happened to her when she first transformed into a wolf. Somehow she had avoided it. Was it really her interaction with him that had drawn out the animal? Or had it already been there and it just happened to now come out? Ranolo knelt on the other side of Ohanzee and looked over at her.

  “We’re going try and make you better, okay?”

  Ohanzee did not answer. Illiana trailed her finger down his face and felt her heart wrench. No one should have to endure what he was going through. She threaded her fingers through his free hand and squeezed them gently. Illiana moved the hair from his face and tried not to pull her hand away from the hotness of his skin.

  “What can I do?” she asked Ranolo.

  “What happened between you when you were last at my hut?”

  “He told me in not so many words that he loved me. And I was the key to unlocking the animal that dwelled inside of him. At my first touch, something stirred in his mind and the wall there was not so thick. We talked about things, and I kissed him. I—” she shook her head.

  “Do you reciprocate those feelings?”

  “At first no. But there is some kind of attraction there. But over the time I’ve spent here, he’s grown on me. I didn’t think I could love another, but I—I . . . ” Illiana was not sure she should be telling Ranolo about how she felt for Ohanzee. What would he say? Would he disapprove?

  Ranolo sighed. “If you love him, then it will work out. I could tell your heart was lost when you came here. Belik seemed to find only half of it. If Ohanzee has found the other piece of it, then it is something to be savored. He needs you now. I was hoping to try this a little bit later when you had had a chance to master the elements. But we’ll have to do it now.”

  “What are we doing?” Illiana asked.

  “Go into his mind and see if you can reach him. You need to bring him out of the turn.”

  “You told Asha you were looking for an elemental healer. What is that?”

  “It is a healer who can use the elements for strength and who connects to the elements inside of a shifter. Everyone is made up of them even if they do not have control over the elements or talk to them. An elemental healer calls upon the elements and reunites them to heal the body, mind, or spirit. You can connect with all the elements and bend the air. My grandmother was an elemental healer and could do things that I’ve always dreamed. I want you to close your eyes and reach out and touch all the elements.”<
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  “Are you sure about this? I’m still not comfortable with earth.”

  “It’s okay. Just try it.”

  Illiana nodded. She closed her eyes and felt the pull of the elements. Once she felt the earth, it threatened to pull her under. However, she fought against it and felt the fire rage along her nerves and keep her warm. The air stirred around her and kept her anchored. Water seemed to be all around in the very air she breathed. For the first time, earth was not struggling with her.

  “Give me your hand,” Ranolo requested.

  She did what she was told and felt her fingertips dip into the water. A zing went through her, and it seemed that things were coming together inside of her. It seemed there was a tornado swirling inside of her mind. It sucked the air from her lungs, and it threatened to fling her off into nowhere. The power of it nearly overtook her, but her two animals helped to keep her steady. She yanked her hand from the water. She did not need to be connected with it. All four elements raged within her to tear her apart, but Illiana sensed another presence brushing along her mind. It helped her grasp the four strands and to weave the elements together.

  “You never let them rule you. You feel them inside of you filling you up. Helping to guide you. Think of each as a strand, and they are anchored. Can you feel out what I’ve done?” Ranolo asked.

  Illiana reached out and saw that the elements were each a different color. They had been woven together and were stronger together than when separate. While together, they were not trying to tear her apart. “I think so.”

  “Good. Now move into Ohanzee’s mind. You’ve already connected with him on some level. Find the doorway again and move into it.” She felt Ranolo slip from her thoughts and leave her there. She was surrounded by darkness, save for the dim light of the elements woven together that was a faint silver sheen. A moment of panic ran through her, but she quelled it and remembered that she was still there with her father. Ohanzee needed her. His face flashed in her mind, of how he was twisted. If she listened, she could hear his labored breathing.