Our Price: Of Shifters and Rebels

Chapter 17: Animal-Merged

The fight was over in less than three minutes, but within seconds the room had burst into a frenzy. Literally, Hannah thought. All of a sudden, the room felt like it had more animals than humans!

The lynx ... Leo, had finally gotten the upper hand as he and Ghost rolled about the floor. Arthur had shifted into an owl and gripped the lynx by the scruff of his neck, flapping in vain to pull the lynx off of Ghost. Sabrina had shifted into a marvelous little hummingbird, and was fleeting this way and that in front of Bec and Hannah, as if to urge them to do something.

Kyara was a small silver-blue fox that slinked around the conflict and came to rest near Layla's feet. Layla seemed to be the only human not completely shocked by the turn of events. She seemed to be in the zone when it came to the fight.

Finally, with Leo's upper hand, he pinned Ghost the ground, his mouth around Ghost's neck. Ghost thrashed underneath and finally began to whimper. Hannah was so fixated on the animals fighting she hadn't noticed Layla who had fallen to the ground. Layla crawled closer to the lynx and Ghost.

"Stop! Please!" Layla practically begged on her knees.

Leo only clamped his mouth harder, his paw resting on Ghosts shoulder.

Layla's begging faltered and she began to cough. Finally, she passed out. Ghost was seconds away from passing out himself.

Hannah tore her gaze away and focused on the only shifters who had remained human. Lady Grace looked pale, but her determined look hadn't left her. Hannah saw Lady Grace nod her head to Amias, the last kid who hadn't shifted. Amias rolled his eyes and backed up a few steps. He took a running start and launched himself at the Lynx.

Mid flight, Hannah watched in horror as his body erupted into a huge white bear. He hit the lynx in the side causing both animals to tumble across the room. Ghost lay on the ground gasping for air like a fish out of water.

The polar bear and the lynx grappled across the floor, but finally the bear shoved him back. They stared off for a few moments before the lynx turned and jumped on a chair and out through the open window. Hannah watched as the lithe creature slinked off towards the open plains.

Amias shifted back to human form. He stared after Leo. Without turning around, he asked, "Should I go after him?"

Lady Grace sat poised. "No. He needs time. Maybe bringing him here was a mistake."

Bec sat against the wall drinking water slowly and Hannah sat next to him, both quietly observing.

Arthur was crouched over Layla's form on the floor. Her eyes fluttered open to find her concerned uncle sitting next to her. Ghost stood up slowly and sat next to Layla. Methodically he began to lick his fur clean.

"They are very close to merging." Lady grace commented with no emotion in her voice. Her smile had disappeared and her tone was all business.

"I know," Arthur responded.

"I am going to explain everything. I need everyone to just sit down and listen." Grace looked at each kid sternly.

"Mergers are just what you saw here. Human-like people who can shift into animals. Mergers lived here on New Earth thousands of years before we came here. This is their home. The revolution aims to overthrow the government to retake the land. The mergers have consented to leave us in peace on our floating and flying cities. But we are free to join them on the land. The land is all they ask. Now, mergers are not born with their animal counterparts, you befriend an animal so well, they trust you and perhaps someday merge with you. There is a ritual - a sort of coming of age event - among the mergers. At 12 years old, the children are sent away to fend for themselves. They have two years to merge with an animal or return human. There is a little shame in this although it is unspoken among the elders. Most children will return before then, merged with an animal. If they do not, they can continue to search for the animal all their life, but merging only gets harder with age."