Eyeseffendee

5

"That cow is hard to shake off." Snake said, referring to Hare. I had to suppress a growl. "I told her I went out to stretch my legs and get some water, so be quick. Have you made any progress with the Fuego tribe?"

"Not since yesterday." The Shifter hissed. "I gave them some land as a peace offering. This alliance won't be forged overnight; these two tribes have been at war for a decade."

Alliance? With the Fuego tribe? The shifter couldn't do that if he gave them all our land and made the tribe worship them. Why did he want an alliance? Whatever he was planning wasn't good.

"True. And it's the wet season; there is no lack of food or water, so have nothing to offer them. It would be easier in a few months once the sun has stolen all our water for himself and we have no choice but to join forces." Snake said.

"We can't wait." The shifter said cooly.

Snake sputtered. "Why? We have no rush; the first thing we must address is this Wendigo bite!"

I shifted a little closer so I could hear better.

"That bite does not matter to me; your life does not matter to me."

Snake started saying something, sounding very hurt, but the shifter cut him off. "I am only here to receive my reward. Remember? You promised me kingship of the desert all those years ago. I've been oh so patient, and you're only just beginning to repay me. Do you know what my father would say if he knew I hadn't killed you sooner? He would have shunned me; disowned me for not being a true shape shifter. I'm not waiting any longer. I need an alliance with the Fuego tribe before I even sniff out a wendigo."

It was quiet for a bit till Snake shakily spoke again. "Alright. I understand. We'll decide what to do later."

The shifter left from the other side of the rock. I realized Snake was going to come my way and I panicked a bit, searching desperately for a new hiding spot. A little juniper tree was growing about twenty feet away. I crawled up into it as fast as I could, disregarding my sprained foot.

Snake passed me without looking my way. Hopefully he hadn't seen or heard me. I watched as he limped back to camp very slowly.

I had to tell the tribe about this. But I didn't know how. Sego's life was on the line . . . but wouldn't all their lives be on the line if I said nothing?

<----•••---->

The sun burned towards the horizon. Everyone had come back from their patrols and was getting ready to eat.

I watched from the top of the ridge. My heart was thrashing and my stomach felt like it had been pounded by a hailstorm. I felt sick to my core with dread and fear. I battled with myself as I watched the others below me talking happily.

I had spent most of the afternoon on the ridge over looking the camp, thinking about what I should do. I went through the consequences that would come from telling the tribe about The Shifter's plan or not.

I had no idea what The Shifter and Snake planned on doing after creating an alliance with the Fuego tribe. The Shifter had said something about kingship of the desert.

To the untrained eye, the Sonoran desert is just a long stretch of interesting land formations and colors, but it was more like layers of civilizations and kingdoms.

Thousands of animals lived in the desert. The coyotes were just one of the many species that called the sand, slick rock and sagebrush their home. Desert mice lived in tunnels under the earth, lizards scuttled around in the shade of bushes, birds pecked around, searching for bugs to eat and bats hung in their caves, resting up for the cool night where they would flutter around and search for food.