Chapter 8

Kayla

“This isn’t half bad,” Taylor commented as she laid on her fur looking up at our leafy ceiling. “It’s surprisingly warm, and the ground is more bearable than I thought it’d be, especially since I packed three furs instead of the suggested two.” My companion smiled to herself as she brought her blanket up to her shoulders, looking as cozy as could be with her hair tucked in her bonnet. My freshly braided hair was tucked away now, too.

I had only packed two furs and found the ground to be harder than I’d like.

“Sooo…I think Drovo has a thing for you. Do you argue with him because you enjoy it or because you genuinely don’t like him?”

It was dark in our little shelter so I couldn’t see Taylor’s face, but I could tell from her tone of voice she was being serious.

“Why do people keep asking me if I like him?” I asked in an exasperated huff.

“I’ve seen you glance at him a time or two when he’s not looking. You seemed nearly transfixed by his backside today as he led Jelly in front of us,” she teased.

“I wasn’t staring at his backside,” I argued. “I was simply looking ahead.”

“Right,” she drew out the word in a doubtful tone.

“So you don’t like him,” Taylor continued to poke at the subject, and I could tell she wasn’t going to let it go until I gave her a definitive answer.

“I used to like him, back when I thought he liked me, but I’m pretty sure he doesn’t.” I whispered in a low tone to ensure the males with their enhanced hearing couldn’t listen in.

“He took so long with this chariot and then he admitted that it hadn’t been a priority to him. So no, I don’t think he likes me.”

I thought about how obvious Tarak and Orsu were about making Gabby and Julie their priorities. That was the sirret way, wasn’t it? If they liked someone, they made it obvious. They couldn’t help themselves. Even Brexl, in all his shyness, still went out of his way to say a kind word to Taylor every once in a while.

“I know he looks like he’s flirting with me, but it’s all empty words. I honestly don’t know why he does it.”

“Hmm, you make a good point.” Taylor was quiet as she thought for a moment and continued, “but I don’t think his words are empty. I’m not sure why he took so long finishing your chariot, but his eyes light up whenever you’re around. He looks at you with the same longing I saw on Orsu’s face before he and Julie were officially mated.”

For a moment I allowed myself to believe Taylor’s words and my heart grew all fluttery at the thought that the sexy dryad shifter might like me after all, but I locked those thoughts down and threw them out like garbage. I had been burned in the past by men who would tell me they liked me but would never text me first. Or they would claim to want to be with me and yet never make plans to hang out. My mom would always say, If a guy likes you, you’ll know. There won’t be any room for confusion. I saw the truth of her words every day by the way my dad doted on her and treated her like a queen and him her squire. He looked at her like he was just happy to be near her. Did Drovo look at me that way?

No, no. I wouldn’t let my heart get broken again. He didn’t like me and that was that.

“What about you? Brexl seems to have a thing for you? Do you have a thing for him?” I was desperate to change the subject, and I was genuinely curious about Taylor’s thoughts on the shy shifter.

She didn’t answer the question directly, but said, “I’m not ready to be in a relationship yet. I’m not sure if I will ever be.”

“Oh? Does that have anything to do with your broken engagement back on earth?” I gently prodded for more information.

“Yeah…I. I had lost myself, my identity, in that relationship. It was shocking how quickly I molded myself into someone he wanted and how quickly I squashed my own wants and desires just for another small taste of his love. I’m still surprised I had what it took to break off our engagement. But I knew it was the right decision when I felt light as a feather after leaving him.”

“Oh.” Taylor’s confession had left me speechless. She was such a confident person. I would have never guessed she would change to fit someone else’s ideal. I guess that can happen to anyone, really. Love is a powerful drug, and we’re all addicted to it.

“My transformation had been so quick that I’m afraid I’ll just do it again in my next relationship.”

“That’s understandable.” I agreed with her sentiment. I’m not sure I’d trust myself either if I had lost my identity so thoroughly in a relationship as she had described. It was sad though, to think that Brexl and Taylor might be bound to a lifetime of him giving her longing looks and her lighting up every time he smiled just to never act on whatever feelings that might have for each other. Hopefully, with time, they’ll discover a path to love.

It seemed I had all the hope in the world that other people might find love while I left none for myself. Whether I liked it or not, I only had eyes for Drovo. None of the other guys seemed nearly as attractive as he did to me. Was I also destined for a lifetime without love then? I wouldn’t think about that tonight. There was more to life than the love of a mate. There was the joy of living and the love of friends, and I had both of those in high measure.

Taylor didn’t say anything further and, neither did I. I closed my eyes and let sleep take me. Tomorrow would be another day of traveling, and I wanted to be ready for it.

Drovo

CW: Animal attack

I laid on my fur and looked up at the domed branches and tried my best to think positively. Kayla was as unimpressed with me as ever. She made that clear by not even giving me the slightest grin when I teased her about sharing a shelter. The expression she had given me looked more morose than anything. She used to smile when I flirted with her, and her eyes would sparkle with interest. Now she barely looked at me.

The full weight of my choice to hold off on her chariot was crashing down on me now. It had been a stupid plan. I could see that now. It had given me the excuse I’d needed to talk with her, but at what cost?

My self-loathing was cut short when Brexl spoke into the darkness. “Do you think the hu-mans really don’t mind that we’re shifters?”

I was caught off guard by his question. This was old news. The hu-man females had made it clear that they not only didn’t mind our shifting, but most of them found it to be a neat talent. At the very least, they found it to be extremely useful.

“I’m sure it would have come to light by now, if they disliked our shifting abilities. They’re a talkative group and none of them know how to whisper.”

Brexl gave me a grunt in response.

“Why do you ask?” Did he have a reason to believe otherwise?“I just wanted to be sure.”

He was silent for a time. Brexl had never been much of a talker. Even as a child he was content to sit quietly and let everyone else dominate the conversation.

“Have you heard any of them talk about scars?”

“Scars? Uh, no I can’t say that I have.” I thought for a moment and added. “If they disliked scars I’m sure that would have come out already too. Maybe the fact that they haven’t talked about it means it”s not a big deal to them.”

I looked at my scarred friend with pity souring my gut. He was covered in scars from head to toe. Brexl had never brought them up before and I’d secretly hoped he didn’t mind all his marks of victory against death, but it seems he did.

“What are your thoughts on scars?” I asked, holding my breath, hoping his answer wasn’t too harsh.

“They’re a reminder.”

A reminder of what, he didn’t say. He turned onto his side with his back facing me, marking the end of the conversation.

I let a vine slither along the ground and wrap itself around my leg. The surrounding forest seemed to rest easier if I allowed it to connect with me whenever I slept outdoors. I rested easier, too. I’d seen firsthand how skilled my leafy friends were at protecting me in my sleep.

The trees only slept in the winter when their leaves were gone, and the ground was cold. Tonight, though, they were wide awake and their whispered promises of protection drifted to my ears like lullabies.

I sensed all was well with no predators nearby, so I allowed myself to be lulled to sleep.

They’re coming. They draw near. They’re here! They’re here! Cries of terror from my forest friends ripped me from my sleep. The vine that had clutched my leg had tightened painfully around my ankle in an attempt to wake me.

I sat up with a start and sniffed the air.

“Jagwas,” Brexl spoke my thought aloud. My movements must have woken him.

“They’re close.” I confirmed.

Here! Here! Here! Here! Trees and flowers shouted with each jagwa foot that touched the ground where they lay.

I scrambled to my feet and ran out of the shelter, with Brexl close behind me.

“Wake up. We need to run.” I whisper shouted into the shelter the females were sleeping in. When neither of them showed any signs of waking, I had a vine plug both their noses. That did the trick.

“Hey!” Kayla batted the vine away and sat up quickly.

“Shh!” I whispered. “We’re surrounded by jagwas. They’re trying to find a weak point in my vines.”

I could feel sharp claws attempting to cut through my wall. So far, I had been able to will the vines to replace themselves as quickly as the jagwas could cut them, but that wouldn’t last for long. Not if all the jagwas started clawing at once.

Brexl untied Jelly and reattached his harness. I continued concentrating on rebuilding my vines.

“Mot!” I cursed as I felt one jagwa give up on clawing and chose to climb the vines instead.

It landed with a thump inside the barrier and darted toward us. Brexl was there in a flash, fully shifted, and clawing right back at the ugly beast.

Taylor let out a scream, and Kayla hopped into the chariot.

Two more jagwas jumped the barrier and circled us. Brexl was there in an instant, slaying both of them with the bone spikes that extended from his arms.

Three more jagwas leapt over my walls and I knew it was time to run. There were too many now for Brexl and me to fight off. We’d need our entire dekes to ward off this many beasts and even then, we might not make it.

Without a word, Brexl hauled Taylor over his shoulder and ran. I shifted into my dryad form and opened a side of the wall for him and closed it once he passed through.

Now it was our turn. How was I going to protect Kayla and Jelly? Bafilo’s were not known for their speed. They were large, nearly invisible creatures that lumbered slowly along, which had worked fine until now. Jelly could provide Kayla with a moderately paced ride in her chariot. But right now, I needed something much faster than moderately paced.

The fuzzy, loveable creature had already changed its fur to blend in with the darkness of night. If it weren’t for the harness he was wearing, I wouldn’t be able to spot him.

Three jagwas approached us, and I had to make a decision. There was no more time to waste.

I slashed through Jelly’s harness and slapped the creature on the rear. He ran into the night, making himself even more invisible than before.

“No!” Kayla yelled after her beloved pet. I turned my attention to the female who held my heart and hauled her over my shoulder in much the same way Brexl had done with Taylor.

“He’ll survive better on his own than running with us,” I reassured her.

It was time to run. Rhaz’s moon cave was near here. We could make it if I ran fast enough.