Shifters Pen

9

I was very excited. I had never been to a council meeting before. I wondered who all would be there. Probably Kevin would be there. But after that it was anyone's guess.
  The laundryroom brought back memories of my initiation. Was that when I got pregnant? Or was it when we were in wolf form? I hoped for another night with Luke soon.
  I felt his humor. He knew what I was thinking. As if he wasn't thinking the same thing. I just rolled my eyes.
  Kevin entered with four more men. They were larger than most. Their eyes found me. Kevin simply greeted me, “Luna, welcome to the truest form of torture in Shifters Pen, the council meeting. These things are pretty boring.”
  One of the men eyed me up and down, “I don't know. I think it could be made more entertaining.” The threat was there. He meant to rape me.
  Luke was ready to tear him apart. But Kevin stepped in and smacked the offender upside the head, “Was there no luna where you grew up? Show some respect asshole.”
  Kevin stood on the other side of me. He wasn’t going to let them touch me.
  Luke spoke, “It has been a while since we met. In the Bloody Paws pack 2 men have been released. 4 have been killed. We have gained 3 warriors, and a Luna. What is your tally for the Bloody Jaws pack, Robert?”
  Robert was the one who had been so rude to me. He sighed, “None released. 2 dead. Almost 3, but your Luna saved Harold. I suppose I should thank you for that.”
  The silence stretched, and stretched. He never actually thanked either of us. Luke was not happy with this Robert character.
  A man with a distinctive Texan accent spoke up. “Look ya’ll, I’ma gonna say somethings that jus’ need sayin’. Not tryin’ to stick a bur in anyone’s coat. We jus’ gotta figure some shit out. Now, havin’ a Luna, a real one, with healin’ abilities, is priceless. As long’s she don’ get hurt. That bein’ said,” his eyes traveled to Robert, “there’s plenty of those who’d do anythin’ to get a piece of ass, even a luna’s. Also, there could be consequences. Bad ‘uns. I think we wolves need to step up an guard her night and day.”
  Robert rolled his eyes at this, but everyone else was on board for this. Kevin spoke up, “So, worst case scenario, Lucy winds up pregnant. What do we do in that case?”
  I felt Luke’s undying gratitude to his beta. Kevin knew. I was sure of it. Robert smiled lewdly. He was in that category of men that Nostradamus warned us about. He would rape me, knowing I couldn’t get more pregnant. A chill ran down my spine.
  Luke was dying to say, or do something, but he wanted their opinions first. He turned to me. “If you were to become pregnant what would you want?”
  My answer? Me? He knew I was pregnant. Then I realized he was giving me a chance to have my say so. I cleared my throat. “If I were to become pregnant I would like it to be with my intended mates child, first and foremost.” Luke had told me that intended mates were special, blessed by their goddess, or something like that. I let my eyes fall on him, and blushed a bit as the council went to shit.
  “Intended!”
  “What the fuck is this?”
  “You expect us to believe that she’s your intended mate?”
  “-not even a werewolf when she got here.”
  “I want proof.”
  Luke cleared his throat, “Yeah, we have the bond.”
  Kevin asked, “Dude, are you sure? How can you tell?”
  I spoke up, “He’s not too thrilled that you are questioning our bond.”
  Luke said, “And Robert? You ever make her feel like that again and there will suddenly be a new opening on the council. Now, she was speaking about what she would want if she were to become pregnant. Go ahead, continue.”
  “I don’t want to be raped. I’m not a party favor to be passed around. If I do get pregnant I want to be safe. I don’t want to have a baby in here.”
  Texan nodded, “Knitting needles? We could probably-”
  I frowned, “No!”
  Kevin tilted his head, “No?”
  “Let me restate that. Fuck no! Abortion is murder, and whereas you guys are used to it by now with these guys dying this month, and these guys joining so they can die next month, I don’t do that. And killing my own child is so far off the table. Just no. I want to leave before the baby is born.”
  A Hispanic guy asked, “Exactly how do you plan on leaving? Going to dig a mile long tunnel to get out? This place ain't your average prison. There is no escape.”
  I took a deep breath. “I came here on my own choice. A skinwalker mauled me. I need to get a handle on that-”
  Texan laughed. “That’s why you smell so weird.”
  Luke growled at him and he tried to look contrite.
  “Yeah, I have turned into some animals.”
  Texan asked, “What kinds?”
  He may have sounded like a redneck, but he was smart, and evaluated situations, and tried coming up with solutions, even if they weren't always the best ones. “Raven, lizard, rabbit, and wolf.”
  That stopped all of them. “Wolf?” Robert asked. “You sure you weren't a coyote?”
  Luke asked, “Do you smell a fucking mutt coyote here?”
  Every man took a deep breath. Would they scent me? Would they know that I was already pregnant? But none did. They conceded that I turned into a wolf, even though it wasn't a full moon.
  Texan spoke. “That’s interesting. ‘ave you got any control o’er it? I mean, if you go rabbit on a full moon we won't ‘ave a Luna no more.”
  I looked down. “I don't. I turn in my sleep. Dreams. This is all really new to me.”
  Hispanic sat back, “So, you came here, all on your own, to learn how to control your skinwalker abilities, and then got turned into a werewolf to boot. And now we gotta figure out how to keep you from getting pregnant when not one,” his eyes flew to Luke, “Well, maybe one man-”
  I couldn’t continue with pretending anymore. A tear ran down my cheek and I whispered, “I am pregnant. Just barely.”
  The man who'd been silent, mostly, thus far, spoke into the shocked room. “Well shit.”
  Eyes flew to Luke. He nodded.
  Kevin was the first to speak. “Well, Luna, abortion is not on your list of what's going to happen. We don't exactly have medical facilities here. We can guard you. But if you want out of here we can't do anything. That's on you.”
  Robert looked at Luke, “And if she leaves, what about you?”
  Luke felt threatened. Threatened, but he wasn't afraid of him, at all. Luke stalked up to him. “IF I ever leave this place, you are not first, nor even second in line for alpha.” He stood, facing Robert until he seemed to shrink down in submission, head bowed, and shoulders slumped. “Do I want my mate, my child, in this place? No. Do I want her to try and raise that child alone? No. So, yes, I want to leave with her. But wishes don't come true here. I have been here 14 years now, and I know guys who were here for 25, and they only made it to level 3.”
  Texan nodded, “I say we table that discussion fer now. Luke's still very much here. So, how far along are you, precisely?”
  I shrugged, “Initiation? Full moon?”
  Texan rumbled in thought. “Remind me again, what kind of wolf do you turned into?”
  I rubbed the tears away. “I’m kinda cinnamony colored, why?”
  Luke suddenly understood something. “If you got pregnant while we were wolves then you might be having cubs.”
  Skinwalkers. Hermes. The Minotaur, Asterion. Werewolves. Vampires. Wendigo. Hexenwolves. It was all real. “So, like the story of Romulus and Remus? The wolf who birthed two sons who started Rome. Were the founders of Rome actually werewolves? I am so confused right now. What if I turn into a bird again when I am am carrying a fully formed wolf cub? Does the cub change too? Or do I kinda explode, and die?”
  For once, Robert said something helpful. “Cinnamon colored werewolves are called Red Wolves, and they have been around even longer than the Grey Wolves. Think of it as the Aboriginal people of Australia compared to when the Europeans started sending prisoners there. How did they get there? No one knows. Are they more grounded in tradition and know the land? Oh yeah. They have gifts bestowed on them from the moon goddess. Healing is one of them commonly seen with the females. They are highly sought after by alphas. Very rare. But, they also have the ability to transform into their wolf while pregnant. Most can’t do that. It hurts them, and the baby. But the red wolves take it all in stride. I don’t know about turning into a bird, but as a wolf you should be fine.”
  It was almost comforting.
  Kevin said, “I hate suggesting this, but I think we should reach out to the skinwalkers. I think the best way to keep her safe is to get her out of here, and the fastest way to do that is to get her trained up to control those skinwalker powers. Get her to shift in the daytime. Get her to be aware of it.”
  I groaned. A chill ran over me.
  Luke looked at me, “What’s wrong with that plan?”
  “They scare the hell out of me.”
  The Texan laughed outright, “You are one, and they scare you?”
  “They are like the boogeyman, only 10 times worse. They turn into animals, people. They curse people, and places, and things. They control the weather, for Christ’s sake! That doesn’t freak you out? Because a tornado ripping through my families business still freaks me out, and that was 2 weeks ago.”
  Most of the men stopped at that news. Only Luke wasn’t surprised, and only because I had already told him. “Weather, and curses. I had no idea those fugly mutts could do that.” Kevin swallowed. “Like, what kind of curses are you talking about?”
  I thought back, “There’s rumors that if you look up your stovepipe in a hogan and see a skinwalker then 3 people in your family will die. I knew a man, a pastor, who had a huge, heavy pipe that ran under his house. It was something that only a crane could move, or a tractor. It was shaking one night. There was no earthquake. It was just that pipe. My dad’s store got struck by lightning on a blue sky day, because he refused to let the shaman bless it for $600. Same shaman who wanted to ‘cleanse my parents spirits from the site’ for $2000, and sent a tornado through the building when I couldn’t cough it up after burying both parents.”
  Kevin nodded in understanding, “That’s why we went after that new one.”
  Luke said, “Pretty much.”
  “Huh. Well, she might be able to learn shifting into various things from a Wendigo. However, the curse and weather thing, that’s skinwalker only.”
  I grimaced. “Nostradamus said something about hearing a Wendigo saying something about veal this morning.”
  Luke breathed out, “This whole place is full of the worst sorts of monsters, Lucy. You will not face any of them alone though. You work with 3 wolves now. Do you think you will need more than that?”
  Was he serious? “I- I don’t know. I do know the help in the kitchen is very much appreciated, and needed. I know that if I am talking to a Wendigo or Skinwalker I want at least 4 guards.”
  Texan said, “And they will not give out help for free. What are you willing to offer them for help learning what you can?” 
  Luke said, “They are not having sex with you.”
  “Obviously.” I was feeling overwhelmed, and tired. The excitement of taking part in a council meeting had long since worn off, and the day was catching up with me. What else did I have to offer? Food. Was that enough to learn shifting?
  Luke said, “Robert, can the red wolves heal outside the pack?”
  Robert shrugged, “I don’t know. I only know what I do from stories my mother told me. Her grandmother was a red wolf. Wolves didn’t exactly venture into civilization too much in those days.”
  Healing. If I could heal outside the pack my value would go up more. I could negotiate things. If I could heal outside the pack. I had so far to go in so little time.
  Texan nodded, “How do ya’ll wanna announce all this? She could be scented in the next week or so, ‘specially during the moon.”
  Luke had a plan. I could tell by how he smiled. “First, we let it slip that she’s my intended. You guys do that like you heard it here, but no one’s supposed to know. That will get the rumor spread faster than anything. Those raised as werewolves know the sanctity of an intended mate. They will be less likely to mess with her then. Those who don’t respect that need to be noted fast, and taught a lesson. Lucy will not be healing them until they submit to her as pack Luna. I don’t mind handing out reminders that they need to submit too. After that we will announce the pregnancy. Not a whisper before. Lucy, don’t let anyone sniff you too close for a week or two. Tomorrow we will approach a skinwalker. There is one that is no longer taking the level one test, so he must not be quite as bad as the others. I think his name is Frank Begay. He’s the oldest one. The other skinwalkers call him Chay, or something like that.”
  I nodded. “Che. It means grandfather. It’s a respectful term.”
  Luke nodded. “Kevin, assign a rotational guard on her.”
  We all agreed to this plan. Then Luke walked me back to my cell. I was exhausted, and was skipping my shower tonight. Luke leaned up against the door, watching me. “Close your eyes, relax.” I settled down, listening to his voice. “The moon is rising on the horizon, full and orange. The air is cool and crisp as it slides into your lungs. You smell it, your den. Your prey is in your mouth. Leaves crunch under your paws.”
  He may have said more, but that was all it took. I was asleep, and taking my prey back to my den for my pup. He was small and awkward. He wasn’t really eating the meat yet, but the bones were good for him to teethe on. He was so sweet, and nuzzled into my side for a meal and warmth from the chill of Fall. Then I scented a male nearing the den. It was not my male. It was some other. A threat to my pup. I growled as I stepped out of the den. It was him, or me and my pup. I threw myself at him, biting and clawing like mad. He threw me down, but I got back up. He wouldn’t get my pup.
  When I woke in the early morning hours I smelled blood. I turned to see Joe was hurt. I had done that. “Oh fuck! Joe! Are you okay? Joe! I am so sorry!”
  He tried to laugh it off, but his face was cut, and his arms bit, among other places. “Been in worse shape before.”
  But I had never done this kind of damage to anyone. “I didn’t mean to.” Maybe I could heal him like I did Harold. “I’m gonna try something, okay?”
  He shrugged, “Whatever. What were you dreaming girl?”
  I ran a finger over his facial injuries. He hissed in pain as it healed. I felt it too though. My face hurt. It wasn’t bleeding though. “Pull your arm out of the sleeve. I dreamed I had a pup in the den, and a male wolf that wasn’t my mate was approaching, and he was going to kill us.”
  His arm was so torn up. I knew it was going to hurt. I ran my hand over his arm, and his tears sealed. My arm felt like it was on fire. I cried, partly in shame, and partly in pain.
  He could see what I did. “Oh Mother Moon!” His eyes found mine. “Oh, you gotta stop right now girl.”
  “But doesn’t it feel better?” I asked him.
  He nodded, “It does, but your face looks like I hit you now. Luke is going to kill me.”
  “But I hurt you.”
  He smiled, “You’re such a girl.” Then he asked, “So you dreamed of a pup?”
  I nodded. “Joe, you are my best friend here. Can you keep a secret? Like a big, big secret?”
  He nodded, “Sure.”
  “I’m pregnant.”
  He blinked, “What?” He absorbed that for a moment. “That actually explains a lot.”
  “Yeah?”
  He nodded, “You guys just found out last night, didn’t you?”
  “Yeah.”
  “How’s Luke taking it?”
  “He’s doing a lot of freaking out. I can’t blame him though. I am too.”
  “Did he know you would turn into a wolf tonight?”
  I shrugged. “I dunno.”
  He said, “Well, it’s still really late. Let’s try something. I am going to have you picture an animal you want to turn into. Something safe this time. How about a turtle?”
  I laughed, “Or a giant tortoise?”
  He grinned. “Sounds good. Close your eyes. The sun beats down on you, hot and perfect for an afternoon nap. Your shell is warm. Inside it’s quiet and dark. You’ve had your fill of green grass.”
  I looked at him, and he grinned hugely. “Lucy, you are a tortoise.” I looked at myself. Sure enough I had reptillian claws, and a shell. I tucked my head into it, and went to sleep.