“They were added later by an artist who is a priestess of our Great Stormshaker God. It’s representative of Bast and me—vines and leaves linking us together.”
“Stormshaker God? I don’t know about him,” Danita said.
“I can tell you, but it’s a long story, and it has to do with how Lynxes and humans first started bonding.”
“I’d love to hear it.” Danita settled more comfortably beside Bast, half leaning against the feline. “And Bast needs a nap. So, why not tell me?”
“Why not indeed?” Antreas muttered.
“What?”
“Nothing. Sure, I’ll tell you the story. Just let me know if you get bored.”
“Don’t be boring and I won’t get bored,” Danita said with a cheeky glance his way.
“I’ll do my best. Okay, so the story goes like this: In ancient times, when the sun storms raged throughout the world, destroying civilization as they knew it, a small group of people escaped into the Rocky Mountains, trying to find respite from the sun and shelter from the storms. This group brought their cats with them.”
“Cats? You mean Lynxes, only they called them a different name?”
“No, I mean cats. It’s why it can be insulting to call me a cat man, or call Bast a cat.” Bast growled low in her throat, though she didn’t open her eyes. “Cats were a lot smaller and less powerful than Lynxes, and they lived in cities with their humans, and not in dens like Lynxes. They weren’t free, or partners with their Companions. Cats were pets.”
“Oh, okay. I understand. Go on.”
“So, this group of people fled to the mountains, with their cats.”
“Seems like a lot of effort when they’re fleeing for their lives, you know—to carry cats along with them. I mean, you said they were smaller, and pets. I’m guessing they couldn’t take care of themselves like Bast can.”
“You’re right, but the ancients loved their cats, just as the ancestors of the Tribe of the Trees refused to leave their dogs behind. So, they brought their cats. A great storm was raging, threatening to wash the group from the mountain trail, and somehow they found the entrance to a den. They ran in to take shelter, only to find a mother Lynx was giving birth to a litter of kittens. The Lynx mother was dehydrated and ill, barely able to give birth to the last of her kittens.
“The humans weren’t sure what to do. Most of them huddled near the entrance to the den, staying well away from the Lynx. But one of the women in the group had a mother cat who, not long before, had given birth to a litter of kittens, only to watch each of them die as they fled into the mountains. The woman felt such empathy for the Lynx that we believe the two of them formed the first of the Companion bonds.”
“Really? What happened next?”
“The woman helped the Lynx give birth to eight healthy kittens, and then the mother Lynx died.”
“No!” Danita said, causing Bast to grumble before relaxing back into sleep.
“Yes, but first the Lynx bit the woman, Marking her as her own, inserting her scent into the woman’s blood so that her kittens would know her.”
“Yeah, what about the babies?”
“The woman’s cat nursed them, raising them as her own,” Antreas said.
“That’s a sad but nice story,” Danita said.
“There’s more. The humans, the baby Lynxes, and the cats were trapped in the den—some say for four days, some for fourteen, and some even say for forty full days and nights. Whichever it was, the number four will always be sacred to Lynx people. During this time our God, the Great Stormshaker, pounded the mountains with lightning and sun storms, and something happened within that den—something happened within the Lynx babies, and the humans. When the humans emerged, they were forever changed, as were their children and their children’s children. They were bonded on a physical and mental level with the Lynx kittens. That was the first Chain.”
“I love that story,” Danita said, stroking Bast’s soft coat but meeting Antreas’s gaze.
“So, you understand now why Bast biting me was the happiest day of my life?”
“I do. Well, actually, I think the happiest day of your life was when you didn’t die from her bite,” Danita said, smiling at him.
“You’re right about that,” he said. Antreas paused then. He cleared his throat and drew a deep breath. “Danita, may I ask you something?”
“Yes.”
“May we start over? Act like we’re just now meeting? I feel like I was a stupid fool when we first met and I—”
“Yes,” Danita interrupted.
“Yes?”
“Yes, we may start over. I’d like that,” Danita said.
“So would Bast.”
“But not you?”
“Sorry, I’m still messing this up. Yes, I would like to start over, too. Um, Bast and I found something for you.” Antreas reached behind him, pulling four long feathers from the satchel he carried strapped across his back.
“Oh! They’re raptor feathers! They’re beautiful! There are so few raptors left. We almost never find their feathers.” She reached for the feathers eagerly but pulled her hand back. “You should keep these. They would make a valuable trade.”
Bast coughed and shifted position, laying her head on Danita’s lap. “Bast says they’re for you. She found them. I just carried them to you. Bast would’ve gotten them all slobbery.”
The big feline slitted her eye at her Companion and sighed dramatically before rolling over and repositioning herself across Danita’s lap.
Danita giggled. “I think I got that without your translation.”
“Good. I’m not going to repeat what she just said.” Antreas offered the feathers again. “Please take them as a gift. From Bast. And from me.”
Slowly, Danita took the feathers, taking her time to examine and comment on the beauty of each one before she leaned down and kissed Bast on her nose, saying, “Thank you! I love them.” Her gaze lifted to Antreas. “And thank you, too.”
“You are very welcome. I’m glad they make you smile. I like your smile. Uh, so does Bast,” he added hastily.
Danita cocked her head, studying him. “You know I was attacked not long ago by a group of males, don’t you?” Her voice quiet but as steady as her gray-eyed gaze.
“I do. I’m sorry about it. I wish I could have stopped it from happening to you. So does Bast.”
“I know she does.” Danita blinked quickly as she stroked the sleepy feline. “But no one was there to stop it. The Clansmen. They hurt me. They raped me. I—I’m not sure if I can ever be like a normal girl again.”
“Normal is overrated,” Antreas said.
Danita looked up at him, her eyes awash in unshed tears.
“I’m not normal, either,” he continued. “Lynxes always choose a Companion of their own sex, but Bast chose me. Lynxes are always solitary. They mate and have young, of course, but the male felines don’t live with the female felines and the kittens leave the dens, never to return, when they have barely weathered one winter. I’ve never liked the idea of living such an isolated life, and neither has Bast. So, Bast and I, we’re not normal, either.”
“I’m glad you’re not normal,” Danita said.
“For the first time in my life, I’m glad, too,” Antreas said.
They stared into each other’s eyes for a long time while the feline between them pretended to sleep, even as her rolling purr gave her away.
CHAPTER 30
Nik was standing in the center of a circle of women who were seated cross-legged around him, listening intently as he explained something with great animation. Mari made her way closer, trying to get within hearing distance without interrupting. She settled for sitting, her back to a log, close enough to catch about every fifth word or so.
“He’s talking to them about the cloak things he wants them to weave for the traveling cocoons.” Jenna came up behind Mari to sit beside her friend.
“I’d just about figured that out. It’s funny to see a ma
n teaching Clanswomen, isn’t it?” Mari said.
“Well, yeah, it’s funny strange. What’s seriously funny bizarre is the fact that the man is a Companion,” Jenna said.
Mari turned her head to meet her friend’s gaze. “How are you doing with all of this? Companions killed your father and captured you. It has to be hard, sometimes, to be around them now.”
“I had to make a choice. I could either hold on to my anger and allow it to color the rest of my life or I could let it go, start over, join the Pack, and move into the future. I chose to let it go.”
“Do you think the other women have chosen that, too?” Mari asked.
Jenna studied the women listening carefully to Nik and nodded. “I think the ones who are content made that choice. The others? We’ll know about them soon enough. It’s hard to hide hatred.”
“I missed you so much while you were gone,” Mari said. “And that night—that terrible night your father was killed—I tried to help you. I wanted to help you.”
“There’s nothing you could have done except what you did—get free and live for another day. Because you did, we’re all here right now, starting a new day with a new Pack.” Jenna dimpled at her.
Mari returned her smile. “I’m glad you asked to be trained as a Healer. You’re really good at it.”
“Thank you, Moon Woman!” Jenna said happily. “I did think my best friend was sickly for many years, so I guess you could say I grew up wishing I knew how to cure illnesses.” She paused and then added, “It feels so strange to be getting ready to leave here forever. I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited and so frightened at the same time.”
“I know what you mean. I’m excited about where we’re going, but frightened about leaving our home,” Mari said. “I think that’s how change is, though.”
“It’s what your mama would want for us,” Jenna said.
“She’d be the first one going through the pass!” Mari laughed softly at the thought of how excited her mama would have been about their upcoming adventure. Then her expression sobered. “I am worried about Nik going back to the Tribe.”
“It’s dangerous—that’s for sure—but if anyone knows what he’s doing back there it’s Nik. And Davis and Cammy will be with him. If they get into trouble, you’ll know about it,” Jenna said.
“If I have to go back to that place and get Nik out of there again, I’m not going to be so nice this time.”
Jenna’s gaze grew hard. Her voice lost its youthful lightness. “I hope you don’t have to go back there, either, but if you do, teach them a lesson, Moon Woman.”
“Oh, I will, Jenna. I promise.”
* * *
Wilkes coughed—a terrible, wet sound—and scratched at his elbow. “This is a stupid time to get sick,” he muttered to Odin, who was watching him with worry clear in his intelligent amber eyes. With a moan and more effort than it should have taken, Wilkes stood up from the seat he’d taken on the burned ground at the base of what remained of a blackened pine that used to hold nests for an entire family. “Warriors, to me!” he called, and then coughed again.
From the forest around him, Warriors and their Shepherds stood, shaking off leaves and sleep, coughing fitfully. As a group, they were grim faced and quiet. The Shepherds mirrored their Companions’ state of mind, staying close to them and lending them strength through their bond. When they were all gathered around him, Wilkes spoke, his voice as dark as his mood.
“We now officially change our mission from a search for survivors to body retrieval. Are we all in agreement?”
Nods and muttered yeses washed through the group.
“Okay, then we begin salvaging everything we can from the ruins. Get all of the metals and mirrors that didn’t melt in the fire. Go to each of the lift sites. Let’s hope we can salvage at least a few of the pulleys. I don’t think many of us are up for making a run to Port City to try to scavenge metal.”
“Not with this swarm-be-damned flu that has us all coughing and scratching and thoroughly sick to our stomachs,” Claudia said.
“But at least we’re alive. Our Companions are alive. The faster we rebuild, the faster we can get the wounded off the ground and back to the safety of the trees,” Wilkes said.
“If we have any wounded left,” Renard said. “More and more are dying every day. This sickness is taking them more quickly than their burns.”
“How is your father?” Wilkes asked the younger man.
Renard rested his hand on his Shepherd Wolf’s head. “Not good. He’s very ill. I thought he would recover from the burns, but now…” He shook his head, unable to continue.
“I’m truly sorry,” Wilkes said.
“We are all sorry, but what are we going to do about it?” asked a Warrior named Maxim gruffly.
“We’re going to rebuild. We’re going to survive,” Wilkes said.
“Not without that Scratcher Healer of Nik’s,” said Maxim.
Wilkes narrowed his eyes at Maxim. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the same thing Thaddeus and his Hunters have been talking about. That Scratcher bitch has some kind of dark magick that cured O’Bryan and Nik of the blight. It makes sense that if she can cure that she can also cure whatever this sickness is that’s spreading through the Tribe, as well as help heal our wounded of their burns.”
“I met Mari. She’s part Companion—that’s obvious by her looks and by the fact that Laru’s pup chose her. And she’s not a bitch at all,” said Claudia.
“She also called down sunfire and saved our Tribe. Is Thaddeus talking about that, too?” Wilkes said.
“That’s all the more reason to find her and bring her here,” Maxim said.
“Along with Nik,” Renard added.
“Nik will return. He said he would, and I believe him,” Wilkes said.
“Sure, but when?” Maxim said. “He’s snugged away with his Scratcher while we’re suffering and barely surviving. If I were him, I sure as bloody beetle balls wouldn’t return—or at least not very soon.”
“Then your word wouldn’t be worth shit,” Wilkes said.
“Which is good to know,” Claudia said.
“Hey, take your judgment and shove it up a wolf spider’s ass!” Maxim told Claudia. “And if you’re sweet on Nik, you better remember he has a woman now—a Scratcher woman.”
Claudia slowly shook her head. “I’m going to forgive you for that. You’re ill and not yourself, although some of us are more ourselves than others.”
“I meant everything I just said!” Maxim insisted.
“And I agree with him,” Renard said. “If only because we need Nik’s woman here as Healer.”
Claudia opened her mouth to respond, anger glinting in her eyes, but Wilkes raised his hand, silencing the group.
“There is a point where each of us must make a decision—do we hold true to that which raises us up, or that which is most base about humans? I believe Thaddeus and his ilk have decided to embrace that which is lowest, most base. I don’t know if he and his Hunters have done it because that is their way to survive, or whether the darkness, the anger, within them that has been brewing for some time now has an opportunity to overflow. I’ve chosen differently. And if surviving means I have to lose everything that is good and kind within me to anger, then I would rather not survive. But that is a decision for each man and woman to make. And part of not falling into hatred is having the ability to let go. So, how many of you agree with Maxim and Renard?” Wilkes asked. “How many of you believe Nik and Mari should be hunted down and forced to come here as captives?”
“I do,” Maxim said quickly. “It’s as Thaddeus says. The Tribe has always acted on what is best for the whole, and if that means Nik and a mutant Scratcher woman are inconvenienced to save the rest of us, so be it.”
“Inconvenienced? That’s what you call captivity and slavery?” Claudia was incredulous.
“Really? You’re going to pretend to be above captivity and sl
avery now?” Maxim sneered. “It didn’t bother you when we had an island full of Scratcher slaves tending and harvesting crops for us for generations.”
“I didn’t know better then. I do now,” Claudia said. “I met Mari. I listened to Nik. I changed.”
Maxim made a disparaging sound and turned his back to her.
“Who else is with Maxim?” Wilkes asked.
“I am,” Renard said, only not with the arrogance Maxim showed. “I want my father to live, and Nik’s woman is the best chance I have at that.”
“Anyone else?” Wilkes prompted again.
Slowly, one by one, each of Wilkes’s Warriors, except for Claudia, gave an affirmative. Some reluctantly, sending apologetic looks to their Leader, but the majority of them responded more like Maxim—angry and ready to do something about it, even as they coughed and looked miserable.
Wilkes blew out a long breath, staring down at the blackened ground beneath him that just days ago had been carpeted by thick, emerald moss. The world has gone mad, Wilkes thought before lifting his head and looking around the group.
“Then go to Thaddeus. He is your Leader now, as I cannot in good conscience call you my Warriors if you follow his choices,” Wilkes said.
The group stared at Wilkes in disbelief, not moving.
“Go!” he shouted at them. “Go find your new Leader. Plan dark things fueled by anger and fear that will bring you and our people only sadness and suffering. Go!”
Without another word, the Warriors melted away. Except for Claudia and her Companion, Mariah.
“What now?” Claudia asked Wilkes.
“Why are you asking?”
“Because I’m the only Warrior left and I want to know my Leader’s plan,” Claudia said. “I’m sick, I’m sad, I’m exhausted and afraid, but I have not let sickness and sadness drive me to anger and madness. Neither have you. So, I’ll ask again—what’s your plan?”
“I’m going to find Nik and warn him and his woman before he walks into a trap,” Wilkes said.
“You really think he’ll come back?”
“I know he will, and if he does there is no way Thaddeus is going to let him leave, whether Mari is with him or not.”