Thoreau - Chapter 15: Chapter 15

Poppy Torres
I limped along as fast as I could, but I was almost at the end of my endurance and I knew it.
Three days ago, I'd escaped a group of hunters who'd captured a number of shifters and other supernatural beings for some nefarious purpose I hadn't stuck around to discover.
I'd been running ever since.
At first, my only thought was to put as much distance between myself and them as possible. I didn't bother shifting; even on three legs, I was faster in fox form than as a human. Besides, I didn't much fancy running through the woods and fields stark naked.
Could have given a few farmers a show, my feisty side smirked.
And torn up my bare feet, my practical side shot back.
It didn't help that I wasn't even sure I could shift. I hadn't been able to since the hunters shot me with a tranquilizer dart two weeks ago.
There I was, just trotting through the forest and minding my own business for once, I grumbled to myself as I stumbled over a root. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in an old warehouse with one leg shackled to the wall!
Damned hunters were lucky they caught me in fox form. Otherwise, I would have buried them alive and let the earthworms and maggots do their work.
Slowly.
Over years.
But I was caught in fox form, just like dozens of other shifters and creatures that the hunters had chained up around me.
The only one not in animal form was a boy next to me, who was bound at his hands and feet and waist and neck. He was handsome as hell and built like most shifter males - that is, very - but didn't look old enough to vote yet, and I wondered what he'd done to make the hunters fear him enough to completely immobilize him like that.
Dude could barely move enough to accept the food and water that the guards brought around once a day, and I won't even mention how he struggled when he had to go to the bathroom.
Not entirely dumb then, these humans, my practical side begrudgingly admitted. To lock down the dangerous ones so thoroughly. Going to make it harder to escape.
If they knew what I was, they would have done more than hobbled me, my feisty self grumbled. Just wait until they slip up and I slip out of this metal cuff. Once I can shift again, they're all dead!
They're also smart enough to keep me too drugged to shift, dummy. Miss Practical rolled her eyes. Even if they do slip up, all I can do is run.
Then I'll run, Feisty Pants growled. Run until I can shift or find help. Then I'll come back and kill them all.
And rescue this poor boy! My heretofore silent mothering instinct kicked in as I looked at the heavily chained kid next to me.
He was the only other one at this side of the warehouse and, while I couldn't communicate with him while I was in fox form, he talked to me whenever the guards weren't around.
"My name's Konstantin Russo," he said. "I'm a half thunder dragon."
Ah. That explained the extra measures to contain him. If he got loose, none of these humans would live another minute.
Same with me. It took a lot to anger an earth witch, but once she was, Goddess help the unfortunate soul who managed to do so.
All it would take was one opportunity and either one or both of us would clear this place out.
"Are you more than a fox shifter?" he asked. "I smell earth magic. Are you a witch?"
I nodded.
"But you can't access your power?"
I shook my head.
"Because you're in fox form?"
I nodded again.
"Okay, we'll learn the guards' routine and watch for a chance. If one of us can get free, we'll free the other and then wreck this place. Deal?"
I nodded and the boy grinned as he gave me a thumbs up.
The days went by slowly in our prison, and neither Konstantin nor I had any luck in shifting as time passed. At first, I thought there was something in that dart they'd shot me with, but I eventually realized that the guards were putting some drug in our food or water or both. I tried not to eat or drink as much as possible, but we were in an airless warehouse in high summer, and going without water was a slow death I was not willing to endure.
Thirteen days after I was captured, two new men came to the warehouse, and one was easy to identify as the man in charge. Konstantin and I overheard him ask the second man how soon the lab would be ready because he wanted us abominations eradicated as soon as possible.
That told me our time was up. We could no longer afford the luxury of waiting for an opportunity to present itself. I had to find a way out of here.
Now.
That night, I started chewing my paw, hoping to gnaw off enough to slip out of the shackle before I passed out from the pain. Konstantin noticed what I was doing when I whimpered, and he offered the only distraction he could by talking to me.
"They caught me in Canada. My dragon, Chime Karma, had just destroyed a pair of nasty wendigo. The fight lasted something like four hours, and I was dead with exhaustion. Chime Karma had gorged himself on their magic and was knocked out in a food coma. If either one of us had been awake, they never would have been able to take us."
He went on to say the hunters had grabbed a wolf shifter near the White Pelt territory before bringing them both here. Then he jerked his head toward the other side of the warehouse to where a wolf lay on her side, panting in the heat under her fur coat.
"I'm afraid for her," he murmured. "She hasn't stirred for a few hours now. It's too hot in here for you furries, and you're not getting nearly enough water. I'm pretty sure that bear shifter is unconscious, not just sleeping, and the little panther cub is suffering badly. I've been watching his mother give him her water, and then her mate gives her his water. Hmm. I'm surprised you're still as alert as you are."
I smirked. Being an earth witch had its advantages, even if I couldn't access my power. My body - regardless of fox or human form - regulated its temperature automatically to best suit my environment. It wasn't perfect, hence my panting and parched throat at the moment, but I was in far better shape than the other 'furries,' as Konstantin called them.
"You know the worst thing about this? I'm not even old enough to find my mate yet," he grumbled. "I'll never get to meet her. I'll never even get to see her. I hope the Goddess is kind to her and finds another mate for her so she doesn't have to suffer a second of loneliness."
Aww! Miss Romantic sighed.
I stretched out and swished my tail so it brushed against his foot, which was as far as I could reach. I wished I could tell him to think positively and stay hopeful, but that was the best I could do.
Fortunately, he understood.
"Thanks, little fox." He gave me a sad smile. "Hey, stop and see if you can slip free now. No need to hurt yourself more than absolutely necessary, right?"
Nodding, I held down the chain with my non-damaged front paw and tugged my other one as hard as I could. The blood helped, making the metal shackle slick, and my leg came free with a painful pop.
Pretty sure I dislocated something, I thought with a grimace.
Tucking my injured paw under me, I hopped over to Konstantin and inspected the locks on his chains.
"What are you doing?! Get out of here, little fox!" he hissed. "Before a guard comes back and sees that you're loose! You won't get this chance again!"
I knew that, but I also knew I couldn't leave him - couldn't leave any of them - to die like this. Shaking out my red fur, I tried to shift, but nothing happened other than white sparks flashing in front of my eyes and a wave of dizziness made me stagger.
"Still can't shift?" he muttered. "I knew it was the water! It doesn't taste right. Listen, get out of here and run as far as you can. Once the drug wears off, you can shift and either come back or send help. But please, little fox, please get out of here while you can!"
Quickly booping his cheek with my nose, I spun around, slunk over to a broken window, and slipped out of it. I fell two or three feet onto a patch of overgrown grass, and then I ran.
For three days I ran, pausing only for short breaks to rest or catch a few mice to fuel my flight. I still couldn't shift, so I curled my small fox form into hollow logs and small caves and burrows when I absolutely had to stop.
Then a pack of dire wolves picked up my trail and I knew I'd be dead before I could shift again unless I lost them or found an ally.
Then it happened.
I crossed into a wolf pack territory and shivered as I breached the border and felt the warning shock, but surely the Goddess was guiding my steps because I sensed my mate.
Thank the Goddess, Practical Me groaned in relief. I can't run anymore.
Great. Wonderful. Feisty Pants rolled her eyes. A wolf shifter for a mate. Just what I was dreaming of.
He is what I was dreaming of! My well-hidden romantic side giggled. My very own big, bad wolf!
All of you, shut up, I barked, trying to focus on where to go.
While fox shifters only had a spirit, not an entire separate entity like wolves, I could use both the form and senses of a fox. My heightened smell, combined with my earth witchiness, said to follow magnetic north, so I trusted my instincts - and my blind faith did not lead me astray.
Seconds later, the scent of fresh, ripe peaches filled my nose and I rushed forward with a burst of adrenaline. Breaking out of the undergrowth, I saw an enormous red wolf about a hundred feet in front of me.
He's an alpha wolf? Feisty Pants howled. Oh, that's perfect. Just perfect. I bet he's dominant as hell, too.
He's beautiful! Miss Romantic blushed. I'll be dominated by him any day!
Dominant, submissive, alpha or omega, I don't fucking care! Practical Me snarled. I. Can't. Run. Any. More.
Hurling myself forward, I dove under him, thanking the Goddess for both her mercy and the blessing of a mate.
Leo
Ruby stood poised for attack, his ears raised and his nose working hard as the pre-fight adrenaline rushed through us.
Alpha Ash had rousted us from our beds less than five minutes ago, alerting the pack that rogues had entered the Dark Woods territory. Since Emerson and Gelo's house was on the border of Dark Woods and Moonset, the intruders were basically in our backyard, so the alphas asked us to get a visual on them.
Gelo took command, which was hard for me to swallow, given that I was also used to being in charge in an emergency. Still, I gave in with good grace because his plan was almost exactly what I myself would have done. He had me rush Thoreau to the safe room while he weaponed up and Emerson shifted, then he explained the plan as I shifted.
Now the three of us were spread twenty feet apart and slowly and steadily moving forward.
Then Ruby heard something.
There. He flicked his ear straight ahead. Leaf rustle. An unsteady gait. Lighter than a wolf.
Nodding as I heard it, too, I alerted Gelo, who drew his handguns from their holsters around his waist.
Hold your positions and listen, he linked back in seconds, then we waited as the soft footfalls came closer.
Shifter, Cove told us, but I not smell this before.
"I smell a witch," Gelo said, drawing in a deep breath through his nose.
Then the rich scent of lemons went up my nose, and Ruby and I both gasped.
I smell mate! my wolf yelped before I could.
A mate?
I had a mate?
A red fox staggered out of the undergrowth, her tongue hanging out and her sides heaving. She had her left front paw tucked up under her as she limped along. Her beautiful amber eyes suddenly fixed on us, and she ran as fast as she could on three legs, dove under Ruby, and laid there panting. My wolf sniffed all over her and paused on her injured paw, then began licking it.
The sharp tang of lemons made my head swim, but not as much as the shock.
I had a mate?
I didn't deserve a mate, and certainly not a precious, rare fox shifter who smelled of magic.
"Can she tell you anything?" Gelo asked as he scanned the forest.
I felt the mate bond blooming between us, but no link, which made me think her fox was only a spirit and not a separate being like we wolves had, although I had to admit that neither Ruby nor I knew much about fox shifters.
Ruby was able to communicate with her, though, so that was good enough for now.
Dire wolves, he linked us and the alphas, and I sucked in a sharp breath.
Dire wolves were bigger and stronger than alpha wolf shifters. They had no human half, but they did have human intelligence as well as incredible stamina and high pain tolerance, all of which made them a formidable foe.
Anger rippled through me. I did not like knowing a pack of them had been chasing my small, injured mate, and who knew for how long? My poor little fox was dusty, too thin, and asleep on her feet.
Do what you can, Alpha Jayden responded first, but retreat rather than die.
Em's a beta, Leo's a former alpha, and I'm me. Gelo cocked his pair of pistols. We'll hold the line, alpha, and give them hell.
Leo, Emerson linked me, send your mate to our house. I'll tell Reau to meet her on the porch and take her back to the safe room with him.
Ruby relayed the message to our little mate. She nodded and slowly limped off and, painful as it was, I had to force myself not to follow my mate.
My mate.
I have a mate!
Then Delta and Lake, Zayne and Zayden's wolves, showed up and filled in the gap between Ruby and Cove. Glancing over at Gelo, I saw Beatrix stood on his far side, her hair rising as she fired up - literally - and filled her hands with flames.
I wonder how much damage a witch can do to a dire.
Guess we'll find out, Ruby smirked.
Then there was no more time. A mass of dire wolves burst out of the treeline. Sighting his pistols on the leader, Gelo gave them a warning, which they ignored and claimed the fox was theirs.
That made my anger morph into fury.
How dare they?! She most definitely does not belong to them!
"Bring it if you think you're hard enough!" Gelo taunted them, and the dires surged forward.
He dropped the leader with four shots while we wolves crouched into attack position, and I traded fierce grins with the Z twins.
If these invaders wanted to die today, we were more than happy to oblige them.
Poppy
The small, slim boy waiting for me on the front porch looked like he was about to fly apart at the seams with excitement.
"Here, fox! Over here!" He waved his arms over his head, as if I wasn't heading right for him. "Come on! I will take you to the safe room!"
Does he think I'm blind? Feisty Pants rolled her eyes.
He's just trying to help, Practical Me pointed out.
He's so cute! cooed Mommy Poppy. But he needs fattening up. He's skin and bones.
This is my mate's house! I can smell him everywhere! Miss Romance squealed.
As soon as my good front paw touched the porch step, the boy scooped me up and cradled me in his arms with my belly facing the sky. Too tired to protest the position, I let him do what he wanted and hoped there was no one else around to witness the indignity.
"Hello! What a pretty, soft, fluffy girl you are!" The boy booped my nose with his, then hustled us into the house and closed the front door. "My name is Thoreau Ezra Jones, but my nicky name is Reau. I have another nicky name, too, but that is only for my besties."
He rambled on about his besties and dirt bikes and someone named Bubba as he carried me down the stairs and into the safe room that was a standard feature in most supernatural homes. Then he laid me down on the couch and turned to deal with the door, and I finally felt my magic resurge.
Thank you, Goddess!
I quickly shifted and looked around for some clothing.
"Don't turn around, Thoreau," I thought to say before he did.
"You shifted? Aw! I liked petting your fox!"
"I need to talk to you for a minute." I sighed when I didn't see anything, not even a blanket, to wrap around myself.
"Okay. What's your name? And you can call me Reau."
"Poppy Torres. Look, I need to sleep so I can heal." I glanced down at my bloody, mauled hand. "Don't let anyone in here while I'm asleep. If anyone tries to wake me up, tell them to leave me alone or I'll bury them in an earthquake."
Realizing there was nothing in this room I could use to cover myself, I sighed.
"I'm going to shift back and sleep in fox form," I told the boy.
"Can I pet your fox while you sleep?"
"Sure."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he screeched and jumped up and down on his toes. "I love animals, 'specially fluffy ones!"
This was not the type of behavior I expected from someone his age. Curiosity getting the best of me, I ignored the fact that I was stark naked and coated the kid in magic.
What I saw inside him broke my heart.
Poor smol bean. Mommy Poppy blinked back tears. I want to cuddle him forever.
I'll slaughter his parents! Feisty Pants snarled.
I need to rest while it's safe to do so, Practical Me whined. I'll have time later to cuddle him and slaughter his sorry parents.
I'm inside my mate's house! I can smell him everywhere! Miss Romance squealed again.
For the love of the moon! I muttered. Get yourself under control, bitch! You want your mate to think you're a nut job with multiple personalities?
He'd love all of us, anyway, Feisty Pants smirked, which made me roll my eyes.
I'd spent so many years alone, I'd gotten into the habit of talking with myself. Whole months would go by when the only people I talked with were me, myself, and I. Of course, it was the most intelligent conversation I was going to get, but, damn, did it get lonely! Joining a wolf pack was going to be a big adjustment for me, but finding my mate was definitely worth it.
I could feel the mate link forming between us now that I'd shifted back to human form, but Ruby was in the thick of battle with the dire wolves - quite impressive in his ferocity, I might add - and Leo was directing traffic, so to speak, so I didn't want to distract him.
Besides, there'll be plenty of time for talking after he returns and I'm rested.
"Are you going to shift now?" Reau asked.
"Yes, but before I do, I'm going to give you a message for my mate in case I'm still asleep when he gets home."
"Okay. What's the message?"
"You tell him that if he tries to run away or reject me, I'll hunt him down and gut him like a fish."
"Eep!" Reau squeaked. "No, Poppy! You need to be nice to Leo! He is hurt and sick! Gelo said we need to make him feel better!"
I didn't know what jello had to do with anything, but a thought popped into my dirty little mind and out of my mouth before I could stop it.
"Oh, don't you worry about that. I'll make him feel real good later tonight," I told him with a smirk, even though I knew this sweet baby was too innocent to understand. "Until then, I can't risk him getting away before I'm healed up enough to chase him down."
Thoreau's little giggles filled the room, and I chuckled, too, as I shifted into my fox form.
"Oh, it feels like you shifted! Can I turn around and pet you now?"
Curling into a ball on the couch, I let out a quiet bark, and he spun around with a wide grin and bright eyes. He plunked down besides me, then ran his hands gently over my fur.
"So pretty and soft and fluffy!" He leaned down and kissed the top of my head, then whispered, "I hope you will be my friend, Poppy. I love you already."
Aww! I love him already, too! all the different sides of me agreed.
Finally giving in, I let myself drop down into the well of darkness and slept.