“Last stop, Oak Fast!” Gus calls out to us after he puts the bus in park. “It’s been a pleasure driving you all. I hope you enjoy your time in town.”
I sit and watch everyone else gather their belongings. I should get up and follow them but I’m rooted to my seat. The second I get up and start moving then it’s real. I’ll be on my way to Bloodstone. No turning back now.
After fifteen years,I’ll be going home…
I stand up on shaky legs after another minute and start slowly down the aisle. Gus gives me a warm smile when I approach.
“You all right? You know where you’re going or you need a ride?” he asks.
I shake my head. “Oh, I’m all right. I’ve got my map, remember?” I tell him, patting my backpack where the map he marked for me is safely stored.
“That may be but a storm looks like it's rolling in off the mountains. Have to move quickly when you see that. The storms here are fast.” I follow Gus off the bus and look to the east where the mountains are. The afternoon sunlight dims and I see he’s right. Clouds steadily darken behind the mountains and a chill rolls over us with the breeze. I bet the storm is an hour or so off, maybe less. My wolf perks up. She’s ready for a run through the forest with nothing but the music of rain in her ears. She licks her chops thinking about the lakes she might be able to find and the fish just waiting for her.
I make a face. I hadn’t thought about eating as a wolf. Gross. No food, I tell her and she sighs at me. I’ve got to get a handle on shifting before she has me wolfing down raw fish. I remind her of the jerky Maud packed us and it’s enough to mollify her. Thank Luna. I tilt my head and breathe in the crisp air while I scan the low clouds that remind me of a dark blanket sliding off the jagged peaks towards us. Summer truly is turning into autumn. It’s a beautiful sight.
Gus and I stand beside one another and take in the mountains in silence. “I guess we brought the storm with us,” I say after a minute.
He hums in acknowledgement. “I think you’re right. Makes having a ride all the more important. You don’t want to go deep into Bloodstone country on foot. Those woods aren’t safe after sundown.”
I worry my bottom lip and sigh. Better to rip the bandaid off if I’m going to tell him at all. “You know I’m a shifter, right?” I give him a sidelong look and hold my breath while I wait for Gus’answer. I don’t know why what he thinks of me is so important. I’ve known him for two days butstill…when you can count the number of friends you’ve ever made on one hand, it's not the time spent that matters.
“Hey, what are y’all looking at?” Jenny calls out to us. I wonder what she’ll think of me being a shifter. Now that I’ve told Gus, I don’t see the point in not telling Jenny.
Gus doesn’t answer Jenny. He answers me with a rueful smile. “I didn’t,” Gus admits. “Makes me feel better knowing you are one, though. With where you’re going. You’ll need to take care of yourself.”
I didn’t expect that answer from him. Shifters can be physical but they can’t be any worse than Frostclaw and I survived that pack. I frown at him.
“You make it sound like they’re bad. Are they…” my voice trails off and Gus raises an eyebrow.
“Are they what?”
“Bad?”
I don’t want him to say yes. I will him to say no. I’ve come from a bad place, I don’t know if I have it in me to go to more of the same.
He pauses like he’s choosing his words carefully. “They keep to themselves, that’s all. Can’t say that I know much about them. They’re not like the bear shifters around here. They’re happy to be a part of the community. Wolves, though? Wolves are…different.There’s a whole mess of ferals in those hills. They showed up a few months back. It’s not safe. They’re dangerous.”
He’s right. Wolves are different. We’re aggressive and territorial in a way that doesn’t track for other shifters. Maud has told me stories and I’ve read enough to know other shifters are happy to live right alongside each other but that’s not how wolves operate. We’re the ones to bring the fight to your door—never happy unless we’re bringing another pack low. We’re ruthless. Hungry for a fight and always on the hunt….
At least I’ve been told that by the Frostclaw Pack.
I rub the back of my neck and look away from Gus and back towards the dark clouds on the mountain. I try not to think too much about the fact that I don’t feel much like a soul that would want to do what Alpha Ashford and the others say is in my nature. I’m not ruthless or territorial. I don’t want any of that.
The only thing I want is somewhere to belong. I want a safe and happy home that’s all my own. I want comfort and security. A community that’s protected.
Solace.
“Yeah, I guess we are,” I say softly. It just takes a second for what I said to sink in with Gus.
Gus visibly stiffens. “I didn’t mean you, Cordelia. I-”
I wave him off. “It’s all right. I know.”
“Cordy what the heck are you and Gus looking at? Y’all going to answer me or what?”
Cordy.
My gaze snaps to Jenny. She’s got her normal rolled up magazine under one arm and she’s shrugging on a heavy quilted jacket on account of the storm. Thunder rolls and she looks up with a frown.
