Claws (33 page)

Her other children were all doing well,
for little beasts, that is.

Devon was good for his word and took to
beating on other kids now instead of Justice. Her oldest son was
fast becoming a playground bully. Eli received his son’s antics
with a proud gleam in his eye and refused to punish him, especially
when he found out Devon did so defending his little
brother.

Justice was a miniature of Jericho in
every way and was often seen lounging on a rock somewhere with the
sun on his face. Vivvie would miss her sensitive younger son,
spending more time with him now, knowing he would leave
soon.

Elaina encouraged her little sisters to
shift back to their human forms now, just so she would have
playmates to rule over. She was growing to like her human
counterpart better and disdained shifting with a snooty
air.

Vivvie wondered where Elaina got her
arrogance until she saw Eli holding his daughter on his lap, both
wearing matching expressions of superiority. Her daughter informed
the classroom she was the future queen of the compound recently.
She demanded they all show her that respect. That only earned her
spit wads for the remainder of the day.

Margie and Izzie were followers of the
worst sort. Vivvie loved seeing the two little dark-haired girls
toddling around after their older sister. The word normal came to
mind often these days.

That word was quickly dashed when her
handsome husband landed over the fence with dinner bleeding and
hanging from his jaws. Her children shifted into ravenous young
panthers then, dispelling that image.

Devon was growing bigger and more
dangerous every day. The good natured fights between Father and son
were becoming more violent. His ears went back if Eli even looked
at him these days. The look of challenge grew in his eyes,
reminding all of them he would one day lead where his Father left
off.

Vivvie had to turn away when her
husband bore down on him, biting and swiping at him until he
cowered. It was a constant reminder her son reached an age where
the fights would grow more violent, leading to the inevitable
challenge when Devon would take his place as Chief.

Eli assured her it was just a rite of
passage. There would be no deadly battle. He also assured her his
son would have to take it from him if he wanted it with a gleam in
his eye. Her husband looked forward to that day coming. She decided
her and the girls would be at the mall that afternoon.

Vivvie purred loudly as she cleaned and
licked her coat, luxuriating in the bright sunny fall day. She was
glad for the weekend. Classes resumed on Monday. The return of so
many former members of the tribe brought back more
schoolteachers.

She was picking up a new introductory
night class and was excited the council selected her personally to
teach it. She was teaching all the Newbreeds on tribal
expectations. Eli thought she was perfect for it since she broke
most of their rules already.

She saw the huge black panther running
across the meadow below. Her eyes dilated with satisfaction. Eli
wasted no time in joining her, even with hunters lurking in their
woods. It was opening day and the rifles went off constantly,
keeping their kind close to home. It was understandably their least
favorite time of year.

~ ~ ~

The large male bounded upward and
joined her at the lip of the rock, his blue eyes filled with
amusement. He seemed to quirk an eyebrow as he saw her sprawled out
in no obvious hurry to hunt.

Is your break time over yet,
mate?
Eli seemed to be laughing at her, his
tongue lolling out of his mouth as she hissed in
response.

Keep it up and we go back to
sandwich night
She glared at his implying
she was loafing on the job.

Not a chance. I’ve had
enough sandwiches to last me an eternity
Eli ducked as she swatted at him, taking a few steps
back.

Whatever! I heard a doe in
the bush not far from here. You just keep to my flank and don’t
scare it away like you always do. I’m starving.

Yes dear, anything else
before we go?
Eli cocked his head to the
side as his mate bossed him around. Vivvie couldn’t help it the
more she grew accustomed to her nature. She might say she didn’t
want to be in charge of the hunting but she took over out here like
she was born to it.

Yeah, you can wait to jump
in from now on. You take all the fun out of it when you barge in
like you do. At least let me get a couple of good bites in first.
V
ivvie jumped down, her green eyes glowing
in his direction.
Are you coming or what?
Our dinner isn’t going to slaughter itself.

The white panther jumped down from
cliff to cliff until it got to the bottom ledge where the cave was.
It sniffed and growled, eyes growing aqua at the scent. It crept
into the cave with ears perked and back.

Low growls emerged from the panther as
it smelled the foul odor within. The cave was dark and aqua eyes
glowed as the large animal sniffed at the ground. Absorbing the
news the demon was very much back in their world made the panther
stiffen. Every sense was alerted. The panther shifted into an
albino bat at once, poised on the ceiling of the cave, waiting and
watching for the demon.

After many hours the bat left the cave
and turned into a hawk, landing on the window sill of a bedroom.
Aqua eyes became a soft blue to see his older sister inside his
nursery within, fuming over his absence from his crib.

Elaina glared at him as she went to the
window and let him inside. She watched him turn back into the baby
he was and shake her head at him in disgust.

“If Father and Mother find out you’re
sneaking away you’re going to be in so much trouble, Seth! Knock it
off!” his sister fumed and hissed softly as she bent and picked him
up, her green eyes glowing in anger. “No more or I’m
telling!”

Seth gurgled and his chubby hand went
to his mouth, his eyes teasing her.

You won’t tell them,
Sissy

It would serve you right if
I did
Elaina scolded him as she returned
him to his crib and checked his diaper.

It has to be a secret. You
can’t tell anyone
Seth stared up at her
solemnly now. She was the only one out of all their siblings who
knew what he could do.

Do you know how hard it is
to keep this from Father and Devon? You’re lucky they don’t listen
to me half the time I slip in my mind

Seth stared up at her as she tucked the
blanket around him. His parents were hunting together. He knew
Elaina wouldn’t tell on him. They were close. She cared for him
since he was born and adored him.

You have to promise me. No
one can know

Elaina looked down at him and wore a
very Eli-like expression, speaking aloud. “You must tell Father. He
needs to know what you can do, Seth. You would be an asset to the
tribe.”

Seth heard her words and knew he didn’t
dare tell his parents or any other within the tribe what he was.
His fear was constant like the dreams he had nightly, seeing the
demon there, seeing it going after his Mother. He saw much more
than that.

Seth saw the humans coming. He saw them
shooting at his people and he saw them die or put in cages. He saw
an end to their kind with his telling of his secret. The demon that
stalked his Mother went nowhere, waiting for her in the bowls of
the mountain, looking for a way back into their world.

Worst, he saw both his Fathers die
trying to save his Mother from the demon.

In his mind none of it would happen if
no one knew about him. Elaina didn’t see her brothers and sisters
put in cages, sent to zoos and wild life reserves. He did; and for
that he stayed silent, using his gift to seek the demon, while
maintaining he was as unremarkable as they thought him. It was the
only thing he could do to protect them. That and find the demon who
preyed on his tribe.

You must never tell
Seth looked up at her and she nodded
sadly.

I promise

~ ~ ~

Jericho stayed away, watching the pair
of huge panthers take down the deer together. He watched them eat
and cavort after that. He watched them mate. He looked away with
sorrow in his gaze as he sat upon the rocky space above
them.

The pair had found each other again.
Jericho knew with every sense he had his leader would never stray
from his mate’s side again. Vivvie felt the same. While she loved
him too; Eli was her mate and her future.

He had to leave. The longer he stayed;
the worse he felt. Discovering Seth was the child of the nine was a
relief. The boy refused to tell any but him of his gift; predicting
matters that made Jericho sense why he kept it from them all
now.

Seth refused to tell him what he saw.
He told him he must never tell Eli or Vivvie what he was capable
of. Jericho knew why Justice healed the day he nearly died from his
injuries. Seth brought him back when he felt this life force
slipping away.

Knowing Seth saved his older brother
that day was humbling. Jericho could do nothing but stay silent. To
go to Eli or Vivvie now would be to spoil the current peace between
them. To reveal his knowledge of Seth would be to proclaim their
guilt in being together outside the dreamscape.

Eli would discover Seth had his gift
and Jericho’s combined, would know Vivvie lied to him when she said
they had never been together in the flesh. He knew that lie would
rebound one day. Now that he knew Seth was indeed the child of the
nine; he was eager to leave.

Justice was excited to live on the
beach. The boy was like him and wanted to get away from the drama
within the compound.

Jericho growled under his breath as he
watched the panthers below chasing each other and playing, wanting
to join them, but didn’t dare. Eli exiled him even if it appeared
voluntary to the others. He could never return or it would mean a
battle to the death.

His one remaining soul didn’t have time
for arrogance. Justice needed him until he reached adulthood. He
had plenty to keep him busy. He blew a gasket in the Chevelle and
the new transmission was acting up. Come to think of it; he still
hadn’t learned to surf.

Thoughts of the human bikinied beauties
that paraded up and down his new domain made him growl under his
breath. He had a lot to keep his mind from the green-eyed cat who
stole his heart forever.

Sleep eluded him sometimes, fearful of
seeing her there in his dreams; fearful of not. After nearly four
hundred years of existence; he loved another of his kind more than
that one soul he had left. He had to hold onto it for awhile; see
which way the wind blew.

Seth was determined to remain a secret.
His son refused to tell him what he saw. Those aqua eyes filled
with such sadness; Jericho decided he didn’t want to know. He was
glad he never had Ty’s gift now. There was no peace in knowing what
would happen with no power to change it.