Cold Blooded, Duron Crejaro [best classic novels txt] 📗

me, and what about Binala? She won’t stop looking for you either. She was heartbroken when you vanished.” I said as I gave him a vicious shove. “Why do you think we set out to find you? We thought you were in danger, and yet here you are all cozied up to the enemy.” I shook my head in disgust, “And to think I set out to return the debt that I owed you.”

 

“All will become clear when you meet her.” He said in a monotone voice as if possessed.

 

“Yeah? Is that before or after I rip her fucking throat out, and drag your ass back home?” I asked through half clenched teeth.

 

That caused him to chuckle, “You always did have spunk. We shall see how your courage holds up in her presence. No doubt she will want to see you soon. I’ll send someone to clean up this mess, and I’ll be back when her highness wants you.”

 

He turned and departed, and I could hear him barking orders at someone beyond the door. Moments later the old lady from before entered and started cleaning up the mess I made. I moved to assist her thinking her old and feeble. As I knelt her head turned and she looked at me with yellow eyes the color of dandelions. Her pupils were split into a slit that traveled up and down rather than being round. She hissed at me, a long forked tongue flapped at me. It startled me, and I jumped back several steps. What the hell are you lady, ran through my mind, but I stopped short of asking. It seemed she wasn’t the conversational type anyway. I retreated to the far side of the room, and the relative safety of my bed to await my audience with the queen.

 

* *        *        *        *        *

 

If I thought the Stag wood, or Memphi were bad then the twisted wasteland we now traversed was a living nightmare. We followed the river south by southwest throughout the day, and bully for the humans they didn’t complain about our pace. As we travelled the waters of the great river dwindled further. Signs of the land being parched in an everlasting thirst grew more evident. The lush trees and tall billowing grasses of the Memphi valley gave way to twisted brown underbrush, cracked and burnt from the previous summer. The trees if you could call them that looked sick. Their vibrant life dissipated. Early on it was just the crisp deadness of the leaves, those that still clung lifelessly and those that lay scattered on the ground. Then the bark started peeling away like a snake moulting its skin till they were laid bare to the elements. Soon the landscape was dotted with the corpulent remnants of what used to be life. Eventually even the grass gave way to a dry barren sandy rock strewn terrain starved of water. Far to the west carrion birds circled low, no doubt waiting on the death throes of some hapless creature. Evening approached and the hung hung low enough in the sky that it could be looked at without blinding. I spotted a large flat outcropping up on a hill, and directed the group to it. Daylight faded and it was time to make camp for the night.

 

The men of Phil’s company pulled out axes after everyone dropped their packs. They intended to chop down one of the dead trees for firewood. Binala pointed it out to me and giggled. I smiled back at her with a slight nod. She winked at me, and meandered over.

 

“Excuse me gents.” She said at they stopped chopping to cast her dubious stares. “Make room for a lady to offer some help?”

 

Most stepped aside with smirks, still unsure of and a bit afraid of the Wylder. One, braver than the rest, offered her his axe. She declined with a smile and a shake of her head so he stepped out of the way as well. She cracked her knuckles, and moved forward gripping the tree. She pushed, and pulled on it with obvious strain though it did not budge. This elicited several amused snorts from the men. I smiled to myself knowing she was putting on a show, and that these grown men had never seen a Wylder shift, let alone a Ursus. I knew they were in for a shock, but figured they needed to get used to it. After all we were headed into the den of an unknown number of cold-blooded.

Binala fell forward onto all four, the men stared at her with renewed interest. They knew my companions were Wylder but not our particular flavors. She let out an inhuman road for added effect as she called her Ursus to bear. Her body cracked and popped as it contorted. Her human form melted away, and in its place stood a huge grizzly bear nearly nine feet tall. She reared back on hind legs and roared again. She lunged forward then, and dug her clawed paws the size of a man’s head into the gnarled trunk. In one smooth motion she ripped it free of the eath. The dead thing never stood a chance against her immense strength, and it snapped at the base. She turned, and dropped the twisted remains before the men. They stood dazed, immobile, obviously shaken by what they witnessed. One man’s axe slipped from nerveless shaking fingers. She calmed, and let herself slide back to human form with a smug smile on her face.

 

Binala snapped her finger at them, “Come boys, I can rip it free, but I can’t chop it up.”

 

This brought them back to life, and they all jumped on the downed tree hacking it into firewood. With six men at work they reduced the tree to useable timber in no time. Soon the camp was set, and a fire blazed in the center. Dusk settled on us, and the cooking pots came out the make an evening meal. I glanced into the distance and the settling twilight. I knew that soon nocturnal hunters would be out and I wanted meat.

 

“Gloria?” I said, and garnered the attention of all.

 

“Yes?” Came the soft reply.

 

“Let’s go see if we can rustle up some meat for the meal.” I said not interested in eating only boiled vegetables and dried jerky.

 

“Um, sure.” She replied, “But I’m not sure what you expect to find in this desolate place.”

 

I knew she was right, but I also had more experience hunting than she did, having grown up in the Old World. I figured also that the more Wylder they saw shift, the less likely the men would be to freeze if it came to actual combat with others like us. So I ignored the men that watched us, and together we did a less spectacular shift into our animal forms. A resplendent Leopard, and a oversized Badger. We made an odd pair as we stalked off into the twilight. On our way out I could hear the men with my enhanced hearing, and smiled at the talk of the wonder of it. Little did they know there could be a terrifying side to it as well.

 

We returned just a little over an hour later, carrying the only sizeable game we could find. Three large Boa constrictors. Turned out that badgers were excellent at hunting snake, and all I did was track them for her. The Wylder thought nothing of the meat we brought. We were used to living off the land, and what it offered. The men however looked mortified at the thought of eating snake. I handed one to Binala with a shrug, more food for us. The three of us made quick work of the snakes. We removed the heads, and tails then skinned them. We spit them on thin metal rods, though we had to halve the snakes, as the poles were made for smaller game like hares and fowl. Soon the smell of roasting meat spread through the camp, and I could see the men cast aside their doubt as they licked lips at the delicious scent. As the twilight deepened into full night the repast finally finished, and together under the twinkle of a cloudless star filled sky we ate; not as Wylder and Human, but together.

Chapter 14: Moura

I must have dozed off again. I awoke on my side, curled up in the fetal position. The smell of fresh food assaulted my senses, and made me realize how hungry I was. I grimaced remembering the wasted food from earlier. With a sigh I grabbed the tray, no reason to starve myself in captivity I thought. I stuffed myself without grace, and wondered just how long I’d been held hostage. There was no real way to tell how long the toxin had affected me, days, weeks? I hoped not months. I finished off the delicious meal and put the tray back on the table. Once again I tried calling my leopardess out, and as before she halted just on the edge of my consciousness. What did they do to me? I asked myself again. I felt frustrated and helpless in a way that I hadn’t since before my first change. The thought brought out memories I just started getting over. The sound of gunfire. The fallen bodies of the other Wylder families. The metallic smell of my parent’s blood as it oozed through my hands while I held them for their last breaths. Tears threatened to spill from my eyes, and I forced them back not willing to let myself be broken here and now by my own memories. It didn’t matter how dreadful they were. My friends are coming for me. I knew for sure the truth in that thought. Never would Tarin or the others leave me to suffer here at the hands of some strange creature. They would come for me. I just needed to keep my wits about me, and hold onto my sanity till they arrived. I hugged my knees to my chest and tried to sooth my mind. Soon Rees would come to present me to the queen. He did not disappoint.

 

It took just a few minutes for him to appear in the doorway, though in the confines of my gilded cage it felt more like hours. He wore new attire, sporting a long silver colored ceremonial robe, emblazoned with a gold colored sun on the chest. He looked ridiculous. Jeez, what is with this lady and gold?

 

“Are you ready to meet her highness?” He asked, lacking any emotion in his voice.

 

“I climbed to my feet, “As if I really even have a choice.” I stated.

 

He motioned for me to follow, and turned not waiting to see if I obeyed. He expected obedience, which aggravated my nerves to know end, because what choice did I have. He knew it, and to my chagrin so did I. I followed in silence a scowl plastered on my face. I didn’t care let everyone see the contempt on my face. We strolled through the door into a well-lit corridor. The striations indicated this cavern once existed underwater, and had been carved out by the flow of it over countless millennia. I ran my hand across the stone,