Claiming His Lioness (Shifter Wars)

by Kerry Adrienne

  The fate of everything she held dear swirled like a giant dark nebula in her thoughts, and even with her powers of perception and scrying, she couldn’t make sense of what lay ahead for Deep Creek.

  Her long braid hung down over her medicine bag like a thick gray rope. She hobbled inside. Whatever it took, whatever the gods needed, she’d be ready. She stood in the dark, cool silence, measuring her breathing and trying to quiet her mind before she met with Shoshannah.

  Shoshannah was a friend, but first and foremost, she was a spiritual advisor, and today’s topics were not the usual fare.

  Tawodi was afraid of the dangers coming to the park.

  Would the shifters be able to handle the new threat to Deep Creek or would this be the final blow they couldn’t overcome? The constant infighting, especially between the lions and bears, didn’t bode well for the future, even though recent months had been quiet. Add in the wolves’ lack of concern for the future, and she wondered if the shifters stood a chance at all.

  A vision of her cabin flashed in her mind, flames shooting from every corner as books screamed while they burned. If she lost her home, where would she go? She’d not lived anywhere else in a very long time. Even if taken metaphorically, the idea of losing her home might mean losing more.

  Shoshannah had called Deep Creek home even longer.

  Was the ancestral spirit at risk?

  If Shoshannah went away, what would any of the shifters do? Without her, everything fell apart. Tawodi laid her hand on her chest and mumbled her meditation chant.

  Peace and calm. Calm and peace. Everything will be okay. From deepest night to return of day. Have faith. Shoshannah protect us all.

  She tucked her braid behind her shoulder and felt her way around the cold and rocky cave wall. Dark shadows bathed the rocks and though the anteroom was nearly dark, the classroom would be darker, so she grabbed a rusty lantern off a wall hook and lit it with a button. Much easier than the old match-lit lanterns that hung in the cave when she was younger.

  The yellow glow coned out from the lantern, casting long shadows on the rocky and wet walls, giving the illusion of warmth in the chilly cave. Tawodi pulled her shawl closer and clutched it with one hand, holding the lantern high with the other. Her medicine bag swung at her side. Light spilled onto the cave floor several feet in front of her.

  Like a rock sitting in the pit of her stomach, dread filled her with a heaviness she couldn’t shake. She headed into the large cavern that housed the lake where Shoshannah was often found. She’d come to get guidance from her friend.

  And maybe some reassurance, too.

  She hoped Shoshannah would appear. Loneliness slithered around every thought and Tawodi swallowed her tears. Depression had overcome her recently and she fought to regain that feeling of soaring above Deep Creek with feathers full of wind and a heart full of gratitude.

  Surely Shoshannah could sense the need Tawodi had.

  Deep in her gut, Tawodi knew that she wouldn’t make many more treks to the cave. She sighed.

  As she’d aged, winters felt like they lasted longer, receded more slowly. Took more of her life away. It was nearing summer and she still hadn’t shaken the gloom of winter from her spirit, and her aches and pains hadn’t subsided at all.

  To see the shifters living in harmony was her one last wish. Her prayer to the gods.

  The help she’d prayed to the gods for was coming. But it was not arriving via the method she’d hoped. No, it wasn’t peace that would bring the shifters together as one—it would be another war. The shifters would have to fight to save Deep Creek. They’d have to fight harder than they ever had and use different methods. This enemy was clever and had the power of many behind it.

  Winning would not be easy.

  “Shoshannah, friend, I’m here.” Her whisper carried through the cavern.

  Tawodi untied one of the small wooden rowboats along the shore, giving it a shove into the shallow water before setting the lantern inside and climbing into the boat. The little skiff rocked a bit, but her slight form didn’t tip it over. Her skirt dripped, and her shoes were soggy but with no one to help, there was no other way into a boat.

  She shivered. The lantern light was no match for the gulf of darkness in the cave, but it served well enough for illuminating the boat. She attached the lantern to the hook on the side rail and picked up the paddle. Firm in her gnarled hands, she slipped it into the water and tugged. The boat trekked forward, with no noticeable wake to disturb the silence. The slight splash of the paddle hitting the water was the only sound she was aware of.

  The cave was always quiet with everyone gone. She stared up at the rocky ceiling, so far above her, yet not really visible in the darkness. Somewhere water trickled down the stone and dripped into the lake, as it had done for millennia, carving the cave deeper.

  For as long as history had been recorded, the Cave of Whispers had belonged to shifters. Not even man’s divvying up of the land had changed that, thank the gods. Rowing with the lone paddle, she directed the boat toward the lake’s center.

  It was her duty, as long as she walked on this side of the veil, to make sure the cave was protected and the shifters tended it. One day, that responsibility would pass on to another shifter. Probably Alicia. Tawodi had trained Alicia in almost everything she would need to know.

  Alicia’s kind heart held the selflessness required for such responsibility.

  The issue would be convincing Alicia that she really could handle it. Shoshannah would help her with it. Tawodi stopped rowing and looked at the moonstone pendant Shoshannah had given her. The talisman would go to Alicia, too, as a symbol of her duty. Tawodi let the chain drop against her neck and sat in the stillness.

  Right now, there were matters more pressing.

  Her nightmares had grown more vivid recently and appeared more often. Humans overrunning Deep Creek, destroying both the forests and the animals that made the park home. If the people weren’t stopped, they would destroy the whole Deep Creek ecosystem. The visions weren’t clear enough for her to know exactly how the attack would play out, but the violence in her dreams made her sick to her stomach. The dreams and visions seemed to grow stronger by the day, and not many nights passed without her waking in the dark, drenched in sweat and wondering if the visions were real.

  The boat drifted on the dark water. The sound of silence roared like ocean waves and the anxiety that permeated every waking moment squeezed her.

  Shoshannah, where are you?

  No answer.

  Her loneliness lifted a bit as a warmth crept over her like a blanket. Was someone near? None of the bears were in the area of the cave where the lake lay, but Tawodi didn’t feel alone. The cave was full of spirits and companions, shifters long dead but lingering close to this thinning of the veil.

  Shoshannah?

  The tinkling of tiny bells sounded in the distance—or maybe she imagined it. Tawodi paddled a few more feet, the paddle slicing through the water almost soundlessly. Shoshannah wasn’t making herself visible yet, but she was definitely close by. Tawodi closed her eyes and waited, savoring the quiet hug the cave seemed to give her. Slight touches from ancestors, friends, and long-lost relatives poured through her.

  Peace, for the first time in months, settled in her mind and she smiled.

  Shoshannah would come. Soon. For now, Tawodi needed to cleanse her thoughts and push away the traces of nightmare that lingered. Focus on the whole. The Cave of Whispers, like a living and breathing creature, held her close.

  Tawodi could slip into the waters and be one with the feeling forever. Her resting place was prepared and her time was soon. She did not fear death.

  A screech jolted her from her reverie and, heart slamming, she scanned the cave. What was Shoshannah up to? She’d never heard such a sound from her before.

  The lantern light grew brighter, somehow
, and turned from warm yellow to a stark and blinding white. The dome of the cave reflected the light and the whole cavern was visible. She searched for anything that would indicate Shoshannah had arrived.

  The spirit could appear as a lion or a butterfly—there wasn’t always a reason for her choice, or if there were, only Shoshannah knew.

  She saw her. The light turned into a spotlight and shone directly on a large white bird sailing over the lake. Tawodi waved.

  The bird soared high, near the cavern roof, then dipped its wings and circled lower. Behind the bird trailed a white glow like a puffy contrail high in the bright blue sky on a summer afternoon.

  With a wingspan of nearly six feet, the bird sped through the air.

  Shoshannah.

  She nosedived toward the water, head down and speeding up as she fell. Tawodi covered her mouth. If Shoshannah crashed into the water’s surface, she’d break her neck, especially at that speed. Wings tucked, Shoshannah dove.

  The bird pulled up at the last second before splashing into the lake, then soared around the periphery of the lake, sending a spray of fine mist outward in her wake. Tawodi blew out a breath.

  The bird circled, then spiraled down toward the boat. After landing on the seat across from Tawodi, she folded her wide wings neatly. The boat rocked with the disturbance, and the lantern light dimmed to yellow again.

  The cave was nearly silent.

  Tawodi waited. The spirit would reveal herself and talk when she was ready. Right now, the spirit pecked at the wood a couple times, her coat shimmering white like a fluffy cloud, transparent and ever changing. The bright white of her feathers was blinding, even in the low light of the cave. The bird’s eyes glowed golden, like they were lit from within by fire, and its curved beak hooked in a perfect arc.

  So beautiful!

  Tawodi shielded her eyes as an intensifying glow surrounded Shoshannah. The light grew so brilliant she couldn’t see the bird anymore. Tawodi closed her eyes and held her arms up to shield against the brightness.

  “Open your eyes.” The voice, smooth and musical, lilted around her, a slight echo giving it a resonance it wouldn’t normally have.

  When Tawodi opened her eyes, the ancestral spirit was no longer a bird. Sitting across from her in the boat, Tawodi stared at her friend, giving her a shy smile. Shoshannah sometimes scared her a little. So much power and beauty, it was impossible not to be intimidated.

  Shoshannah had changed into human form and was now an older woman with hair as white as the full moon. A warm glow filled the air around her and her form shimmered in the lantern light like moonlight on fresh fallen snow.

  “Are you well, my friend?” She lifted her lips in a smile, returning Tawodi’s.

  “I’m okay.” Tawodi fidgeted.

  “No, you aren’t. Tell me what’s bothering you.”

  “I come in need of help. Nightmares are overtaking my dreams. Nightmares of humans and bloodshed and blackness. Fear for Deep Creek and its inhabitants and for you. What does it mean?”

  Shoshannah leaned back and stared out over the lake, her eyes now a crystalline violet changing to green then blue. Tawodi waited. Though they were friends, being in the presence of the ancestral spirit was still humbling and she’d never acclimated to the power that surrounded Shoshannah. She was honored that the spirit even talked to her, much less confided and befriended her.

  “It is true, my friend. Deep Creek, the Cave of Whispers, and even me...we’re all in danger from the human encroachment.” Fear crackled off her words.

  “Will we survive?” Tawodi leveled her voice, trying not to let the fear creep in and engulf her. She’d not seen Shoshannah so concerned before.

  Shoshannah turned to her, her eyes darkening. “I don’t know.”

  Tawodi looked away. Tears pricked her eyes. Shoshannah could convey so much if you knew how to perceive it. She had no doubt the spirit was sincerely concerned for their world. She was protector of this area of the human world, but would she be able to help save it now?

  “Are the shifters ready for this battle? They still distrust each other, even with the merging of the lions and bears through Marco and Alicia. I had hoped they all would find their way by now, but they seem as antagonistic as always.” Tawodi’s voice cracked and she held a hand to her throat. “What can I do to help them?”

  Shoshannah shook her head slowly. “They are not ready.”

  “I’m scared.”

  “I am also scared.” Shoshannah reached and took Tawodi’s hands in hers. “But we will have faith.”

  “I will try.” Tawodi trembled at the chill of Shoshannah’s clutch. “When will the humans come?”

  “They’ve already come.” Shoshannah gave her hands a squeeze, then pulled away.

  Tawodi held back a gasp. The humans were already in Deep Creek? “What now?”

  “They can still be stopped but the shifters must act soon. Lara and Mason must lead them. It is their time.”

  “Do they know?”

  Shoshannah shrugged. “They know that something is wrong. The bears are more in tune than the Sen Pal lions, but that will soon change. I pray the gods limit the bloodshed. These humans don’t respect Deep Creek, and by that token they will not respect the life in it.”

  “Will we be okay?” Tawodi’s voice cracked and she swallowed against her dry throat.

  “I hope so.”

  “What of my dreams?”

  “I will try to come to you in the night and wrap your dreams in magic so you can rest.”

  “Thank you.”

  Shoshannah began fading, her form changing and swirling. “I must go now. May the gods be with you, Tawodi.”

  “And with our shifters.” Though she didn’t want Shoshannah to go, she wouldn’t dare ask her to stay. She closed her eyes and took a deep, staggered breath. Things had to be okay. They just had to.

  Tawodi sat as still as she could, focusing on her breathing. In. Out. In. Re-centering. The shifters would need her to be calm. She would do what she could.

  She opened her eyes and Shoshannah was gone.

  * * *

  “Tawodi! It’s so good to see you!” Alicia tucked her hair behind her ears as she entered the cavern where the lake lay. She hadn’t seen her grandmother in a couple days even though she still tried to get to her cabin to brush up on her herbal medicine skills. Life had been so busy lately, she’d not spent as much time with Tawodi as she wanted or needed. Trying to go between Marco and the lions, and then back to the bears, was time-consuming. So many doubted her loyalties, it was a full-time job to keep up with everyone.

  And impossible to keep everyone happy.

  “Hello, child.” Tawodi looked up, her eyes almost as gray as her hair. “It’s good to see you.”

  “What’s wrong?” Alicia’s heart sped. Was Grandmother Hawk sick? Something was off. Alicia sensed it.

  Tawodi, already frail, appeared even more hunched than the last time she saw her. Had it only been a few days or a week?

  Tawodi smiled and fidgeted with her wrinkled hands. She didn’t have her cane with her. The light that often sparkled in her eyes as she teased and joked had dimmed and a blackness lingered in her gaze.

  “Nothing’s wrong with me, not really. I came to talk to Shoshannah about the darkness lurking in Deep Creek.” Tawodi moved toward Alicia. “I’m worried about what lies ahead for all of us. My nightmares are violent and come almost every night. I asked her for relief.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Alicia hugged her noticeably thinner frame. “You need a tincture for sleep. It’s not good for you to not get rest. Did Shoshannah say she’d help you?”

  “Yes. But a tincture won’t solve the problems Deep Creek faces.”

  “You need to let us worry about Deep Creek. Take care of yourself.” Alicia patted Tawodi’s hands.

  V
oices behind her made Alicia turn. A group of bears filed into the large cavern, lanterns swinging. Griff, tall and stern, made his way toward them. He looked gruffer than usual, if that was possible.

  She wondered what was going on. Elijah had called a meeting but had said nothing about why. Hopefully it wasn’t the lions—Alicia had enough issues keeping the two tribes from attacking each other over her.

  “Tawodi. I hope you are well.” Griff stopped a few feet away. “Did Elijah summon you to the meeting, too? I know he wanted all the bears here.”

  Tawodi shook her head. “I didn’t know there was a meeting.”

  Alicia watched Griff. His cropped dark hair had grown out a little but he was clean-shaven and his jaw muscle clenched as he watched Tawodi. She smelled his stress.

  “Is everything okay, Tawodi? Did Shoshannah talk to you?”

  “She did.”

  “And did you have a good conversation?”

  “Bad things are coming to Deep Creek.”

  Alicia had to divert the conversation. Both Tawodi and Griff were upset. “I’m sure we’ll be able to handle whatever it is, Tawodi, so please relax.” She turned to Griff. “Where’s Amy?”

  Griff put his hands on his hips. “She’s not feeling well so she stayed home. I hope the meeting is short because I want to get back to her and make sure she’s resting like she’s supposed to be.”

  Derek stepped up beside Griff, his bright energy a breath of fresh air. He clapped Griff on the back.

  “Nothing wrong with the baby?” Derek frowned. “Or Amy?”

  “No, everything is fine. Amy’s just tired. I’m sure it’s hard for humans to go through the rapid pregnancy shifters deal with. It’s not their norm, and from what I’ve heard, human pregnancy is not easy already.”

  A lump caught in Alicia’s throat. She and Marco had discussed babies but with the upheaval in Deep Creek, they hadn’t tried to get pregnant yet. Seemed that everyone around her was pregnant, though. The wolf Olivia’s fuzzy cubs were so cute. They romped around, knocking everything over as they hopped on each other’s backs and pretend-fought. They’d taken bear form, even though shifter babies usually—according to records—took the form of the mother. Neither were blind, which was a blessing. Olivia had bloomed under the duties of being a mom and it wouldn’t surprise Alicia if the couple had more kids in the future.