by Mel Todd
"So, let’s do it. Because I tell you I want to get back to kill this guy. But first we need to make sure he doesn’t kill my sister, my niece, or my nephew. Food might be easier for me, I don’t need as much protein, but we’ll see. Let’s get the blood going." She looked around the barren hut. "So, how do we cut ourselves? There’s no knife."
What followed both grossed her out and fascinated her. The claw coming out of McKenna’s hand created instant lust,—that would be cool.
She might have made a sound that she swallowed as fast as she could and followed instructions, though she tried to prove it didn’t bug her.
"I’m only doing this because I know it will heal when I shift, and I’m looking forward to my fur coat. It will make me feel less vulnerable." She thought the quaver in her voice might have told them she was lying.
"How long does this take?"
Dang it I wish I had my journal again. I should be recording all this. Seeing if there is a time difference with how long this takes. I wonder what it will be like. Can mental voices have a flavor?
She was aware of other people talking but she had lost herself with thoughts when something intruded.
~Done. Hi.~ The voice sounded like McKenna’s and she couldn’t stop the startled response as her head jerked up and stared at McKenna eyes wide.
She glanced over at Perc as he whispered what she was thinking, it was real. Holy shit, it was real.
~This is so cool.~
16
Welcome to the Jungle
Telepathy has been sought after since our earliest stories when gods would talk to humans in their minds. The question has haunted scientist and people for millennia and new research has discovered it isn’t impossible. While direct brain to brain communication is still a thing of science fiction, researchers have successfully transmitted words from one person to another via EEG while both parties wore special equipment to allow the message to pass. While not something everyday people will probably take up, it does imply that it is possible - someday. ~ TNN News Article.
~JD?~ Cass sent the thought as Perc and McKenna talked.
~Right here, Cass. You okay?~ His mental voice had the same deep rumble as his voice did and it felt odd.
She could feel the difference between this private speech between the two of them and the general way everything else sounded. She made mental notes to herself.
~Yeah, just figuring this out.~
Commander, wait my commander?
She looked up and listened.
Other people had dreams too, and they were in them? But only that last dream let me see anyone else.
"What about you?"
"Yeah. One or two, but never with anyone else in them until the last few. Before I was always in a lab, taking beings out of storage. Then taking classes on medical stuff." She swallowed hard. "I thought it was just me watching too much sci-fi."
Except that I rarely watch sci-fi, but they don't need to know that.
"Huh. Well, I guess first we do the mission we were given, then we figure out how to get home and rescue our families."
Cass zoned out for a bit, her thoughts locking on how Helena was doing. Heck, did she even know? With Oswald in the hospital and Brun there, she might not realize. Cass fought with mixed joy and sorrow at that idea.
Perc’s question about the hard drive had her looking up at people then a voice that jangled her nerves, scorched her brain, and left an after taste of burnt wires behind it, spoke.
[He has a point. Interfacing with the drive should be possible later. Now isn’t the time as blood would start degrading the hardware.]
Ack, what the hell?
In an effort to try to remove the taste and feel that existed only in her brain, she had the heels of both hands on her temples beating softly as if she could counter act the after effects.
[Hello.]
She jumped again looking at McKenna with wide eyes.
This suddenly became almost too real. An AI is talking in my head.
The discussion turned to carrying the hard drive and Cass latched on to that.
Finally, something maybe I can do, or at least not seem like such a loser.
"I know macramé, so I think I could help." They all stared at her and she shrank back a bit. "Jungles have lots of vines. If you cut me some, and make sure there are no ants on them, I can weave a small bag that we can carry it in."
McKenna looked at her but responded much to Cass's relief without derision.
"That sounds great. What do you need?"
"Vines? Young, flexible. As much as you can get as long as you can manage?"
Cass got the feeling McKenna didn't believe her about the ants, but she'd warned her. Until they got to know each other better they wouldn't believe or trust her. That only seemed fair as she didn't trust them, not yet.
She noticed McKenna just stood there, an odd look on her face.
That must be what it looks like when you talk to others, or maybe the AI?
Cass tried to not feel disconcerted when McKenna stared intently at her feet. Cass couldn't help but follow her gaze and saw the creepiest thing ever as the woman's toenails disappeared and her feet seemed to change a bit.
"That is extremely creepy and fascinating. What and why is that happening?"
"Trying to protect my feet so I can go get some vines."
"Huh, makes sense." Cass couldn't take her eyes off the feet as her mind danced with possibilities.
Verifying the vines, McKenna took off and left Cass there, the odd person out.
The woman at the door stepped aside to let McKenna go, but then kept her back to them. Cass didn't want to intrude in the woman's obvious grief, so she curled up a bit on herself.
What am I doing here with these people? The cop is famous, I mean everyone in the world knows her. And the other guy is an NFL player. Why am I here? What was so important about that location?
Her thoughts swam in circles and she didn't notice anyone had moved until JD crouched in front of her, his hands dropping between his legs so he wasn't thrusting his genitals into her face. Cass appreciated that, more than she would ever tell him.
"Hey, you doing okay?" His smile softened his hard face and she shrugged.
"Haven't started screaming yet, so I'm okay by some definition, I think."
He chuckled a bit, and she knew he was the one kids went to when they were upset. Her eyes strayed to the woman, she couldn't remember if she'd heard her name or not. She stood facing the door and her hand had a white knuckled grip on the rough frame.
"She okay?"
He glanced over his shoulder to her and sighed. "Toni? Probably not. This makes the second time she's been separated from her kids and they've been put at risk."
That statement didn't make any sense until recent events clicked in Cass's head. "Wait, her kids were taken when, the, well, Officer Largo was taken?" She didn't feel comfortable using her first name and had to fumble for the name. When she'd decided to not shift she'd purposefully pushed everything back away from her.
"Call her McKenna, she won't mind. And call Perc and Toni their names. I don't think formality will get us anything here."
"Cass, please. Are we going to do this? Go kill some men?"
His eyes darkened, and she watched curious at the expression on his face.
"I don't see an option. I don't think we can take the risk, and my guilt level is lower than it would be. But I'm all too aware of the precedent this sets, but I can't see any other way out. Not to mention the poison as an added complication."
Oh yeah, that. She rubbed her butt. The nodule really did hurt.
"You sure you can weave the vines and let us carry out the hard drive?"
"That much I am sure of. The rest of this terrifies me but that, I know I can do. Macramé is relatively easy."
"Good. Okay, I'm going to go help Perc get that computer torn apart. Let me know if you need anything."
She nodded, tucking her head a bit, and sat there watc
hing the men pull the computer into pieces with a decent amount of cussing involved.
Cass wished she could change now and hide, but she watched and tried to figure out how else she might be able to help. If she wasn't careful she'd slow them down.
Heck, I can't remember what they change into. I mean I know the police officer is a cat, but the rest?
She hid a sigh as she chewed on her lip feeling way too out of her depth.
She almost sighed in relief when McKenna came back with the vines. It gave her something to do and helped avoid this feeling of being a burden.
"Just so you know, those ants Cass warned me about are vicious."
Cass watched Perc and JD, but neither of them fussed over her, just examined the wounds.
"Does it hurt?" Perc voice had concern, but they didn't coo the way Helena would have expected them to.
Is that good or bad? Probably good, given the situation.
McKenna snorted. "I honestly think getting shot hurt less. At least that was only once. Wefor made the pain less but yes, it still hurts like hell."
Cass had wide eyes as she looked at McKenna after that statement. "Well, I can tell you it was probably a bullet ant, which means we're in South America not Africa. If that helps?"
"South America is a big place. At least I won't have to swim an ocean, so there's that. This what you needed?"
"Yep. Give me a few." She dropped into a cross-legged position then froze.
I'm not exposing myself like that. Really, would giving us underwear have been so awful?
She altered her position and began to look at the vine.
We don't want to cut it, need it to be able to be sized, but I think I can do a fishnet pattern with clover leafs at the end so I can loop them through and together.
With that idea in mind, she began to tie and weave, doing her best to not pull so tight the vine would break, but making the knots tight enough to hold the drive. As she created the bag part she worked on making a loop that would ride around a neck. By the time she looked up they were all staring at her weaving and knotting. She felt the flush creep up her neck but held her ground.
A discussion about the probable taste of sap had them deciding teeth did not work as a solution.
McKenna told JD to change first and Cass couldn't keep her eyes off him. What fascinated her about this man? He didn't meet the definition of handsome at all but she wanted to hide in his shadow, sure he'd protect her.
Stupid woman, this isn't one of your romance novels. Stop it.
Shaking her head, she opened her eyes to see him changing and found herself riveted. Watching it live made all the difference, the heat, the sounds, the skin and muscle reshaping in and changing. She couldn't have looked away if she wanted to. When he was done a small bear stood on the floor, shaggy, light brown fur, and paler markings around his eyes.
"Wow." the word barely a whisper, but she heard it echoed by Perc.
She didn't move, frozen both by sudden terror and curiosity as JD moved over to her. With hands that felt thick and clumsy she managed to fasten it around his neck.
"There. If it gets snagged, we'll have to undo it carefully or it might break. And the drier the vines get the more fragile, but we have about two weeks. They're hardy plants. I'm not as impressive as the rest of you, but hopefully I can be useful."
With a sigh of relief, she stood, arms open and reached for her animal. The wolverine came slowly, almost resentfully, but it came, and she let it wash over her with a sense of relief.
17
Adaptability
Animals that live in the warmer climates have adapted to their surroundings in various ways. Many of them can simply tolerate higher body temperatures than their cold weather cousins can. They often hunt at night when the weather is cooler and many of their favorite foods are at a disadvantage. Animals can and do die from heat exhaustion just like humans if not provided enough water. ~ TNN Kids Science Segment.
Cass had moved back out of the way and found herself in the shadow of JD. He dwarfed her low-slung form and there was something safe about being next to him.
She watched Toni turn into a stunning black jaguar with awe and a bit of envy. Compared to the woman in both human and animal form, Cass felt boring and unremarkable. But watching Perc turn into an animal that hadn't walked the Earth in centuries supplanted that feeling and just left her in awe.
The homotherium stood, a regal aspect to his posture, looking at them and she shrank a bit more, even though he didn't make a threatening move. JD shifted blocking her from the animal’s, no Perc’s, view and she fought to control her reaction.
He's a friend. He doesn't want to hurt me.
It helped, but there was something about his form, that animal, that screamed predator.
Cass growled softly and reminded herself she wasn't prey.
She listened to the discussion, still feeling like the outsider even as the words echoed in her head. When McKenna shifted she had a smoothness and elegance about the shift that made Cass regret avoiding her animal.
The cougar was huge, muscled and graceful. It glanced at its front paw, where McKenna had fastened the GPS and then looked up at them.
~We need to find water first, so everyone listen and use your noses. I suspect that while we might not make as much noise as humans, we are going to be noisy as all get out to local animals. So, follow me. ~
McKenna’s voice in her head still felt odd, though it didn’t bug her like the AI’s odd voice.
They headed out and Cass noticed Toni fall towards the back, her black form all but disappearing in the dappled shadows that highlighted the leafy canopy above them.
Quenching her thirst rated high on her personal to do list but she wouldn’t whine or say anything. Instead she walked next to JD, his longer legs slower than she would have expected.
~Quite the adventure, huh?~ His voice spoke in her head and she tilted her head glancing at him slightly. The voice had the feel of a private conversation, so she responded while making sure his was the only link her in head she selected. It did feel like an old switchboard, but the visualization helped to control it and make her feel not so lost.
~More than I had expected.~ she admitted. Though she’d never craved adventure, something about this eased that sore that had appeared when she decided not to acknowledge the animal side.
~I love McKenna like a sister, but I swear sometimes I think the gods of chaos chose her as their avatar. Lately trouble, excitement, and just plain weird follows her.~
Cass pushed down the spurt of joy in relation to his comment about him and McKenna.
I really need to quit reading romances if this is going to happen if a guy talks to me.
~Is that a good or a bad thing?~
She got the feeling of a mental shrug and it made her wobble a bit, the sensation felt that odd. Luckily with four legs she didn’t think it anyone noticed.
~It just is. But this time you and Perc got dragged in. Any idea why you were caught up in this little net?~
~I think it is because of some research I was doing. I blocked a DoD project because of some plants. Got a death threat, or at least a phone threat. It’s the only think I can think of but that isn’t what really worries me.~
~Oh?~ Even his mental voice sounded interested, and she couldn’t resist the lure of talking to someone about changing, as she’d hidden it from anyone.
~How did they know I shifted? I never told anyone, never showed anyone. Maybe one-person kinda guessed, but it wasn’t anyone who I think would care or be involved. I didn’t even tell my sister ‘cause it freaked her out so much. So how did they know?~
The journal flashed back in her mind, but she didn’t think it had really been read, besides her handwriting sucked.
~Huh. Interesting. You never shifted in public?~
~Nope, first time was at home. And I’ve only shifted like three maybe four times. I didn’t tell anyone and none of my research had anything to do with shifting.~
They walked in silence for a bit and Cass tried not to think about how thirsty she was. Her throat hurt, and her mouth felt cracked, and then there was the over powering heat.
In her research she’d found wolverines travel a lot, upwards of fifteen to twenty miles a day, roaming for food and mates. But they lived in colder climes with different land scape. Climbing up over trees, avoiding insect nests, and the dragging weight of her fur as more and more moisture collected on it made her more exhausted than she could remember. Then there was the hunger. She’d last eaten close to two days ago, and you added in the shift, her body craved food only second to water.
~Any thoughts?~ Anything was better than concentrating on hunger or thirst, so she poked JD even as she kept an eye out for anything edible. Her vision in this form sucked, but her nose and ears let her keep track of the rest of the party. They were horribly noisy.
~Assuming no one is spying on you, they really shouldn’t have known. As far as I can tell there isn’t a way to know someone is a shifter. Heck, other than the weight loss and almost instant fitness there are no outward signs. What about the one person?~
Cass ducked her head, glad he couldn’t see her human face. She probably would have turned bright red with embarrassment.
~Oh, that. Let’s just say I went to play in the woods and people showed up, so I shifted back and then got a citation from a ranger for public indecency?~
His laughter burbled a bit and felt like a low vibration.
~The first time we went into the wild to play in our animal forms, McKenna tried to eat a skunk.~ His voice laughed in her head even as she giggled.
~She didn’t!~
~Oh yeah. Skunk everywhere. She was not impressed.~
Cass laughed and tilted her head to where the cougar walked.
Maybe she isn’t as perfect as I thought?
~Wait here, I want to check something.~
Her voice pulled Cass out of her amusement and she gratefully hit the ground, hoping the cool earth could pull some heat from her body.