Shifters (Feline english version)

Chapter 7-1

I don't know when the terror released its grip on my brain. Not much time must have passed because, as I came to my senses and forced myself to stop moaning, Jude busted into the cave with his bow in hand. He stopped suddenly and froze in front of the show.

- 'Fuck!'

The surprise mixed with sadness in his voice struck me. I had only recently met him, but he seemed rather sharp and sarcastic to me. That is why when he looked down at me, I expected to see disgust and contempt, not that glimmer of anxiety that flashed through his dark eyes. He came towards me, when I stopped him with a sudden motion, before throwing up what little was left in my stomach. Now I was sure to get the disgusted look and the matching comment.

With a shaky hand, I clumsily wiped my mouth before getting up. To my great amazement, he helped me and took me by the arm to help me stand.

- 'Are you going to be all right?'

I nodded slightly, freed myself from his grip and laid eyes on the corpse again. Because I might as well call a spade a spade. My brain may have tried to prevent the realization, but it was in vain. Now I needed to understand what I was seeing. What can be explained always seems less frightening, in theory at least. Despite my good resolutions, I could not stop my eyes from drifting away from the horrible sight, only to finally stare at my feet.

The cave floor was covered with a mixture of soil and sand. The body laid in the left corner of the entrance, on a kind of small natural platform that could not be more than two square metres in size. It was lying on its back, or rather I should say she, because it was undoubtedly a woman. Which suggested that I had found the unfortunate owner of the sweater who must have had a far from sweet death.

The signs of her torments were still visible in her veiled, wide-open eyes, and her frozen expression of horror, the gaping wounds all over her body, further added to the atrocity of the scene.

I turned around and forced myself to take a deep breath, so as to not throw up again. And that's when it hit me! Too shocked by the discovery of the body, I had not paid attention to it, but the urge that compelled me towards this strange "smell" had disappeared. The strangest thing was that there was no smell... at all! This woman had obviously been dead for a while and her body was not emitting any of the stench associated with decomposition. I didn't know much about corpses, but it seemed obvious to me that this one should have smelled miles away and thus invited all the scavengers in the area. Despite the lack of foul-smelling odours, I nevertheless felt the need to go out. I felt like I was suffocating in this dark, damp cave. It was only once in the open air that I was able to gather my thoughts.

- 'Why doesn't it smell anything?' I asked Jude, who had followed me, in a disconcerted voice. 'Not that I'm complaining, but...'

I suddenly shut up, realizing that right now, that was really not the most important thing.

- 'It's normal,' he replied nevertheless. 'Martha was a quite powerful shape-shifter and had a gift of her own: the ability to completely mask her smell. It seems that her gift persists even in death... Magical!'

Oh, that sarcastic little tone, I almost missed it!

- 'It was rather a major inconvenience in this case,' I pointed out to him.

- 'Not for you apparently, huh?' he grinned at me.

- 'Now that we've found her, we should call the police.'

- 'Do I really need to explain why your suggestion is stupid... Scooby-Doo?'

- 'Stop insulting me and calling me that!' I said. 'I was just supposed to help you find her, which is done. Anyway, I didn't see Sherlock Holmes around. So the police plan doesn't seem so stupid to me!'