A Shifting Land

Chapter 2

Swift peered up at Kiri, her eyes wild as she tries to kick her way free from under his feet.

Kiri stepped back, letting her free. "Look, I'm rather confused about everything, you know? If you aren't a demon, and Alpha says anything who washes ashore from the big island is a demon, then what are you? Why did you come here?"

Swift slithered to her feet, her tail brushing earth from her side. She lifts a paw and begins grooming it, earth clots clumped into her paw pads. She switches without a second thought to telepathy. "I certainly don't want to be here. I was lost in a storm. At least, I think it was a storm. High winds, lots of rain and big waves."

Kiri shakes his head, his feet taking him 3 steps away, "No, don't do that. Don't be in my head like that."

Swift flicked her paw, flinging freshly freed dirt away, "Don't do what? Speak mind to mind?"

His ears flick back, tracing a faint rustle nearby, "That's something the demons do."

"No it's not. It's a normal way of talking for our kind. Can't you do it?" Swift tilts her head, tail idly swishing against the earth.

Kiri glances to the side, his gaze searching for anything not her face to watch. "No... As I said, that's a demon thing. Not a proper pack member thing. We don't talk in our heads, we don't shift, and we certainly don't live through a storm like that adrift at sea. So, what is this we thing and why do you think I am one of them."

Swift inhales deeply, senses alive with new scents and sounds. She let's her head fall back, watching the birds above them as she tracks Kiri's motions with a side eyed glance, "Says who? That rock? Look me in the eyes and say that straight faced. Dare you won't."

Kiri flattens his ears as he glances back at her. "Why do I have to tell you anything? You are supposed to answer my questions." He closes his eyes for a second, his mental voice timid. "I can, but I'm not a demon."

"I just told you, this is not a demon thing! This is a me and my kind thing. Our kind. Dukari kind." Swift flattened her ears at his hard tone, tail falling still. "Because I'm curious and you are a nice person? Besides, aren't you guys Dukari?"

Kiri snorts, relaxing slightly. "Bull. What even is a Dukari, a demon? And you are rather a sleekar at times."

"At times?" Swift hisses playfully, "No! We aren't demons! We... Try to stop the demons. The rogues. They aren't right in the head anymore and try to hurt everyone. And besides, you've known me for a significantly short time period. There is no way for you to know I'm a sleekard or whatever it was you called me."

"Sleekar." Kiri corrects, "No D. There is no common translation for it. It's old speak these days." He flicks an ear as a bush nearby rustle. "So are Dukari the good ones then before you turn crazy?"

"What's old speak?" Swift asks, "The way old people talk?" She leaned way back, her ears pinned in offense. "No! We don't turn crazy if we have a good alpha."

"No no, it's how the ancient people talk. The ones who died long ago." Kiri explained. His head drops, his eyes sad. "Oh... Well any of your kind here probably wouldn't be Dukari long... My alpha can be really mean at times."

"Ancient people?" Swift cocked her head, studying the fox, "Don't worry. Any Dukari would be perfectly fine in your pack. You have the right mind to be a great alpha, just like me!"

"Yeah, ancient people. The ones who lived hundreds of years ago." He stared at her, his eyes widening. "But I'm not..."

"Those didn't really exist, did they?" Swift's grin grew. "Kiri, this is one of the hallmarks for our kind. And I didn't explain shifting, which is also a Dukari thing. So. How'd you know if you can't already do them?"

Kiri blinked, his mind stalling put as he tried to process this new fact.

A soft laugh drew her internally. "Yes, Swift. They did." Bladen replies, his voice low, like a purr in her skull. "And I think you broke him."

"You sure?" She giggled, "It's not my fault he doesn't know anything! It's funny to see his face though."

"Swift, darling, to most creatures you are insanely long lived yourself. Stop doubting me." He snorted, blowing across the top of her head, her fur standing on end.

She huffed, hunching down into a pout. "Seriously? Stop doubting you? Aren't you my age Bladen?"

Bladen snorts, giving her a long look in her mind, "Swift, I've got you by a good 6 years easy."

"6 years? That is so much older then my month! That's not fair!" Swift exclaims, sounding rather unamused.

Kiri peered weirdly at her, "Kitten, are you alright? You kind of started staring into space for a bit there."

She jumped, "Oh... Right. Sorry. I accidentally do that it seems."

"To answer your question, they did exist. The pack keeps pack memories from eons back for us to learn from."

Swift tilts her head in surprise, "Really? And they aren't hard to understand?"

"Sure a bit, but they get easier over time. Once you get used to the old thought pattern." His eyes glazed as he drifted back to his memories of learning.

"Wait, how do you guys access pack memories if only demons speak in your head?" Swift tapped her tail sternly against the floor. "Kiri!"

He jumped, dropping immediately into a crouch. He huffed softly, dusting himself off quit tv his tail. "Umm, well. It's not evil to learn from memories."

Swift snorts. "Then how is it evil to speak to each other in your head? It looks like the same to me."

Kiri paused, his tail stilling, "It just is! Stop asking me the questions, that's my job."

Swift stands, tracing her tail over his shoulder. "Yeah, well, Kiri, it certainly did its job sidetracking you long enough for me to be strong enough to bolt."

Swift's feet froze to the ground, claws deep in the soil. She stared at them in shock, trying to force them to lift.

Bladen glared at her in her head, effortlessly taking control on her. "We do not mess up a potentially decent relationship like that Swift. We need it. You'll apologize to that boy, and then you'll grovel to that alpha like the submissive child you must be. Am I clear?"

"But Bladennnn." She whined, pacing in the back of their mind.

"No. That is how it will be, no ifs, ands, or buts. If you can't listen to me then I am staying in control. Do I make myself clear?" Bladen stares her down, eyes cold.

Swift lashes her tail and storms off to her corner in their mind. "Crystal clear. Why should I have to listen to them though. They are wrong about stuff."

"So are you. Trust me on that, child." Bladen chuckles, green eyes darkening with old memories.

She sighs out loud, eyes downcast. "Sorry Kiri. I, well I didn't actually mean that. Well I did, but I shouldn't. Really shouldn't. I have nowhere to go yet."

Kiri glared at her, "That was rude. Also that was dumb. Alpha would've killed you both for that. Demons aren't allowed in camp."

Bladen hums, his voice echoing over into Kiri's head. "You should meet a true demon kid, so you stop speaking such lies."

"You should learn to mind your tongue and stay were you belong demon." Kiri snaps back, fire in his tone.

Swift tentatively lifts a foot, quickly brushing past Kiri when it obeys her. "Come on, I still need you to explain what's going on to me."

Kiri huffs, ignoring Bladen. "Kit, this way. I'll explain as we head to the caves."