Mutts Like Me

by Keri Armstrong

Trust your instincts, Marti.

  I ignored the old human protocol that demanded I give this stranger some space and went with the feeling inside me that was clamoring, urging me to follow her. No one seemed to notice as I slipped from the room and out the front door.

  It took a minute, but I found Clara out back. She was sitting on the seat of a rickety swing-set, looking almost like a child as her feet dangled, barely touching the ground.

  “Hey,” I murmured.

  “Hey, yourself,” she said. She smiled and jerked her chin to the swing beside her. “Hop on. You’re a little bit of a thing, so I think it’ll hold us both despite the rust.”

  I padded over and sat gingerly on the swing, putting my full weight on it once it held.

  For a while, neither of us spoke, and I was about to offer to leave when she broke the silence.

  “I wasn’t entirely honest before when I said ‘all of us’ just meant Weston,” Clara said softly, her feet sifting along the frozen ground as she rocked to and fro. “We were more. Many more. Just over a dozen. But, like you, we were attacked by a band of Awakened and their cronies. They captured more than half our number and—” she broke off and stared up at the moon for a few seconds before clearing her throat, “And they killed the rest. My husband was among those murdered.”

  I’d heard so many bad cross-stitch style quotes growing up when shitty stuff happened to me and kept happening. “Adversity only makes you stronger,” and “From the ashes rises the phoenix,” and, my personal favorite (not), “Things can only get better from here.”

  (Spoiler alert: That’s utter and total bullshit. Just when you think things couldn’t get worse, the only person who loves you could die and leave you all alone in this miserable world.)

  I wasn’t about to insult Clara with any of those platitudes.

  I settled on a simple, “I’m so very sorry.”

  And I was. She looked...not sad. That didn’t cover it. Desolate, broken. Grief-stricken in the deepest way. But even in that, I sensed was steel in her...a backbone of strength that I admired the hell out of. I made a mental vow to myself to be like her when I grew up.

  Which it seemed I was going to have to do fairly quickly now, what with the fate of the world relying on this not-so-merry band of misfits for clean-up on aisle Humanity.

  “Gina’s partner Lysette is one of the captured,” Clara continued. “I can never get my mate back, but I can help her gets hers. This group was my responsibility, and I failed them.” She turned those blazing green eyes on me. “I won’t fail them again. But I understand if you guys don’t want to get involved. It’s risky, to say the least.”

  I pretended to think about it so she would believe me, but the fact was, I somehow already knew that I would’ve followed this woman to the ends of the earth already. She was just that quietly powerful, and I wanted to help her.

  “I’m in. And if I know the others, they will be too.”

  “I could tell earlier that you’d experienced loss yourself. We’re kindred spirits, you and I,” she said softly, almost like she could read my thoughts. “Your coming here was meant to be. I’m grateful.”

  For the next hour, we just sat out there swinging gently in companionable silence, warm in spite of the cold winter air. Maybe it was our shifter abilities, but I realized that I hadn’t needed as much clothing since my shift.

  The longer we sat, the more I also came to realize that I now had made more friends in the past few days than I’d had my whole life.

  Maybe, if we got back the people that the ancients had captured and made our way to Arizona, we’d have a real shot. Not just of winning another battle, but of winning the whole war.

  And, forefront of my thoughts, finding my father.

  Be careful, Marti, or you might be one of those chicks who starts to wish and hope and plan for the future.

  And if ever there were a recipe for disaster, it was thoughts like that.

  Chapter Nine

  The next three days passed in a flurry of activity as we worked with our newfound friends to plan the rescue mission. I’d learned to throw a knife with lethal results (at least three trees and one super unlucky snowman had been murdered in the process – I consoled myself with the fact that he was soon to be a gonner anyway, what with the sunny warm-up we’d had recently). Meanwhile, my hand-to-hand—and paw-to-paw—combat skills had grown by leaps and bounds.

  Still, part of me was terrified. I was about to run headlong into mortal danger...something, to this point in my young life, I thought only lunatics did. But mixed in with the fear was a profound sense of belonging, the likes of which I’d never felt. These were my people. I’d finally found the part of me that had been missing for so long.

  “Head’s up, or you’re gonna get popped!” Alex called.

  An arrow went sailing past my head, missing me by three inches, tops, and burying itself into the bark of a nearby birch tree with a thunk.

  “What the actual hell?” I said, my adrenaline spiking at the close call. I shot an incredulous look at Gina and she shrugged.

  “This is called tough love, kiddo. If I have to almost clip you to get your head in the game so you can take care of yourself once we’re in battle, then that’s what I’ll do.”

  I flushed, my anger turning to embarrassment. She was right. I’d been preoccupied for the past couple hours, and I needed to shake it off or it would mean trouble.

  “Sorry. I’ll do better.”

  Clara, who had been hiding behind a boulder ready to ambush Alex and me in our mock attack scenario, stepped into view and called me over. Toshio dropped down from his hiding place high in the branches of an evergreen right as I reached her.

  “Jesus, you guys are pretty stealthy,” I said, heart pounding.

  “Which is exactly why it’s a ‘no’, Clara,” Toshi said with a clipped nod toward her.

  Clara shook her head slowly and eyed me speculatively. “I disagree. I honestly believe her true potential hasn’t been tapped yet. Give us until the end of tomorrow and we’ll see, okay?”

  Toshi’s face could’ve been carved out of stone and I flicked a glance between them.

  “What are we talking about, here?”

  “Toshi thinks you—”

  He held up a hand to Clara and a look passed between them. The older woman nodded and backed away toward the others.

  “Let’s head in for some lunch, all right guys? We can pick it up again in thirty,” she said.

  The weight of Toshi’s stare was making me jittery and I toyed with the handle of the knife that was tucked into a sheaf around my waist.

  “Well?” I asked, unable to take the anticipation. They’d clearly had discussions about me behind my back and I had the right to know what had been said.

  “I think you should stay behind. Hold the fort until we return.”

  That instantly got my back up and I let out a short laugh. “What have I been training for then? Like, the whole reason I’m out here is so I can be part of the team and improve.” I chewed on my lip as he crossed his arms over his leanly-muscled chest.

  “And you are improving. But it’s not fast enough. I was in that tree and you were right beneath me, but didn’t notice. That’s a problem, Marti. A problem that could cost you your life.” His silver eyes turned to granite. “That’s not a risk I’m willing to take.”

  Later, I might get squishy inside at his sort-of romantic admission, but right then, it only pissed me off.

  “My not being there is one less body when we can least afford it and puts you all at even greater risk. And I hate to tell you, but it’s not your decision to make. I take care of me. I always have. You don’t get to show up eighteen years in and try to boss me, damn it!”

  He moved so fast, I didn’t even know what happened until my back was pressed against the rough bark of a tree and he towered over me, eyes blazing, face only inches from mine.

  “It wasn’t supposed to be that way. You were never supposed to be alone or
afraid or in danger. I failed you then, but I won’t fail you now.”

  A strange sensation crept over me as I looked back at him in stunned confusion. “W-what does that mean? What are you saying?”

  He took a sharp breath and stepped back a little, his eyes still locked on mine. “I should’ve told you before, but it never felt like the right time.” His face was so grim, it sent a chill straight to my heart. “And, I can’t lie, I was ashamed,” he said.

  “Ashamed of what? You’re not making any sense.”

  He looked off into the distance as if he’d been transported to another time and place. “Our fathers knew one another. After your mother died, your father was concerned about your wellbeing, but with the Awakened wreaking havoc, he couldn’t come to you. The resistance needed him and the last thing he wanted was to draw attention to you. It was safer if he stayed away.” Toshi’s strong throat worked as he swallowed. “He asked my father to keep an eye on you from afar. To check in and make sure you were happy and taken care of and that you wanted for nothing.”

  My ears started to ring and I had to struggle to hear his next words.

  “My father was not a good man. He believed that inter-breeding with humans was wrong, so you were less than nothing to him because of your mother. He couldn’t be bothered with you or the honorable task he’d been given, so he lied. He told you father you were safe and happy.

  “You father never knew how bad your grandmother’s drinking was, or even about your struggles at all. And, it wasn’t until my father disappeared that I realized that he’d been lying.”

  “Your dad is gone, too?” I interrupted, stunned.

  He nodded curtly, then continued in a rush, apparently intent on saying what he had to say. “When I finally realized what was happening, I took over the task myself. Once I saw what you were going through, I knew I had to get you out of there once you were old enough to shift. But I couldn’t interfere. I could smell your grandmother was close to death and it felt wrong to separate you after all the years you spent together. So, for a few months, I watched from afar. When I could, I came to you.”

  I was glad he was still holding me up, because my knees started to give. All this time, I’d thought I was alone in the world, but my father had cared. And, apparently, so had Toshi.

  I was still reeling with all this, but his face was so full of guilt and despair, I leaned in toward him. “This wasn’t your fault, Toshio. You were a kid too, and you had no way of knowing. The thing that matters is, you came. Eventually, you came for me, and I’m grateful.”

  All those years of loneliness, at home and at school, where I’d always felt like an outsider, weighed in on me. It was astounding to realize that all that time, he’d been there in the shadows, trying to look out for me as best he could. A tiny part of me was still angry that he hadn’t come sooner, but after the past few days, I understood.

  The guilt and sadness on his face was more than I could stand. I laid my hand over his chest where his heart beat strong. “You’re probably the best friend I’ve ever had, and I didn’t even know it.”

  “That’s my other confession for the day,” he said softly. “I’m not your friend, Marti.”

  The words barely registered as his head dipped lower. My breath stalled in my lungs as his mouth met mine.

  It was the sweetest of kisses. Just a brushing of lips that made me tremble from head to toe. I rose up on my tiptoes and kissed him back, crushing my mouth to his, all the pent up emotions I’d been tamping down since the night we’d met bubbling over all at once.

  His arms circled my waist as he drew me closer, and I cupped his jaw, reveling in the feel and taste of him.

  He tasted like heaven. Felt like home.

  The sound of distance voices penetrated the hazy fog of my brain and Toshi pulled away.

  His silver eyes glowed and moved, liked mercury, as he brushed a stray lock of hair from my eyes. “They’ll be here any second.”

  I nodded and we stepped back from one another, winter air rushing to fill the space between. Suddenly, in the harsh light of day, I felt awkward and tried to break the tension. “Um, but, like that still doesn’t make you the boss of me,” I murmured, knowing my cheeks were on fire but unable to stop it.

  His lips pulled into a half-smile that faded as quickly as it came. “They want to use you as bait, Marti. To draw some of the outside guards away as we infiltrate the compound.”

  I was still reeling from the unexpected kiss and struggled to focus on just what that plan meant. I wondered if I should be offended but realized the benefit of the plan.

  “That would leave you guys, the strongest fighters, to cut through the guards on the inside. Makes sense.” I nodded. “They will put their most fierce fighters closest to the assets and the weaker links along the perimeter. It really does make sense, Toshi.”

  He frowned and I could tell he was getting ready to argue when Clara came into view, with the rest a pulling up the rear.

  “We thought so. Toshio wasn’t so sure,” she said, answering my last words.

  “I’m still not,” he countered.

  “I’m not as good of a fighter as any of you yet, but I’m fast. Faster than all of you except the ones who can fly,” I said.

  It was true. I’d been practicing running in the woods as a wolf over the course of our stay, and they all knew, I moved like lightning. “I can draw them off, we can set some sort of trap...like a tiger pit or something, and then I’ll circle back to help.”

  The rest of the group turned to stare at Toshi. Gina’s face was a mask of hope, and I knew they all felt like this was the only way we had a shot of getting the captured back from captivity.

  I laid my hand on his arm, felt his muscle tighten beneath my fingers. “Toshi, please. This is what we’re here to do. To fight back. Don’t tie my hands. We’re a team and I need to do my part.”

  The silence was long and tense, but finally, he nodded. “Okay. If we can come up with a trap that we feel confident about and we plan it to the nth degree, then I’ll agree to it. But no more screwing around with your head in the clouds, Marti. Total concentration.” He dipped his face toward mine, eyes blazing. “This is life or death.”

  He looked so fierce, for a second, I wanted to lean in and kiss him again but I just nodded, feeling a sense of triumph that was baffling.

  Awesome. I’d just talked myself into being the worm on the end of a hook meant for a pack of apex predators.

  Way to go, Marti!

  But at the end of the day, I’d still come home. I had friends…almost a family. And for now, it was enough.

  ***

  Thirty hours later, I stood on all fours as I stared down at the trio of guards standing in front of the massive interlocking doors, marveling at their size. All three looked like juiced-up gym rats from an episode of Jersey Shore. After a full day of studying scents and identifying the animals they belonged to at Toshi’s insistence, I was pretty sure they were all bear-shifters. On one hand, it was a relief, because their size would surely slow them down some. On the other, if they caught me, they’d be likely to tear me to pieces.

  Fear crept up the back of my neck, and my hackles rose, but a second later, I remembered Toshi’s advice.

  Concentrate. And remember, you’re fleet of foot and quick of mind. They can’t catch you.

  He’d said it more than once, softly in my ear, as we’d driven to the woods near the compound.

  I repeated it now in my mind like a mantra and it calmed me.

  The ledge I was on about twenty yards from the doors was only fifteen feet off the ground, but me being above them would add to my head start. I was a little weighed down with a sack filled with supplies that Toshi had tied around my neck, so I needed any advantage I could get.

  I chuffed at the air once more to make sure there were no other scents wafting in, and then I did as planned, scratching at some loose stones with my paws.

  One large rock went rolling down the ledge, car
eened off the side and landed with a clap against the cement front entranceway.

  The noise echoed through the hills, and, just like the others had told me to do, I didn’t wait to see if they were going to follow me. I just started to run. My paws skimmed along the ground as I raced up the rocky hillside, sending loose gravel and bits of packed dirt spraying up behind me.

  Dimly, I heard shouting and the sound of guns firing, but I was way out of range. The shots ceased, and, not three seconds later, the bellow of enraged bears pricked my ears.

  Game on.

  Eat my dust, asshats.

  I flattened my ears to my skull and poured it on. Everything I had, all my focus laser-sharp on one thing and one thing only. Get to the pit before they get to me.

  I skittered around a corner, nearly losing my footing as one paw caught on a downed tree limb.

  The mistake slowed me down, and suddenly, I could hear the sound of snorting and mouth-breathing that seemed only yards behind me.

  I am fleet of foot and quick of mind.

  With renewed energy, I bounded forward. I could see the tree I’d marked in the distance, just a hundred feet away. Just a little further.

  The ground beneath me seemed to shake and I risked a glance over my shoulder. One of the bears, the smallest of the three, had broken away from their little pack, and was gaining on me. His blood-red eyes were filled with blind fury as he gunned it, using his powerful legs to push him even faster.

  It was going to be close. Too close.

  I said a silent prayer then dropped low, wasting a precious second to get into position. A fist made of claws slashed at my flank as I launched myself high in the air, springing those last yards to the trap and beyond.

  The bear closest to me bellowed, trying to slow his momentum, but it was too late. He toppled straight through the dirt and snow hiding our massive tiger trap. His yowl of pain was cut short as he was impaled on the many sturdy spikes we’d lain beneath. The other two bears were only a couple yards behind, and, despite their efforts to back-pedal, followed right behind him.

  I skidded to a stop, my heart pounding as I looped around, sniffing the air. The coppery scent of blood filled my nose as I tentatively stepped closer to peer into the pit.