Shapeshifter's Struggle

Chapter 2: Striking A Deal

"You were the one who made things different, you were the one who took me in. You were the one thing I could count on, above all, you were my friend." ~Tom Petty, "Don't Fade on Me Now"

I took the rogue to a sub shop I found via my cell phone's Internet service. I got my sub and he ordered via gesturing. I was actually pretty impressed, but I didn't tell him that. At the paying end, the cashier gave me some funny looks, but he didn't say anything. Really, I was grateful. Technically they could have thrown us out. My new friend didn't have on any shoes. Once we were finally sitting down, still getting strange looks, he watched me expectantly. So I started.

"I'm Samantha Stryder," I told him. "I'm a web design consultant. I was here in Nashville for business. Your stunt at Martha's made the paper. The article said the woman claimed to see a teenage guy change suddenly into a dog. Not really something we want the whole world to know. We have people watching for any kind of exposure, and Adam called me. I was supposed to find you and bring you to the Council. That's about as simple as I can make it."

He just looked at me. He continued scarfing down his sub at a pace sure to cause indigestion.

"Slow down on that sub, it's not going to run away. You can have another one if you're still hungry. You don't want the simple version, do you?"

He shook his head. Okay, long version it was.

"Well, do you want to know more about web design or the Shifter Council?" I asked him with a grin. To my not surprise, he glared. Well, I'd keep trying to be nice. Not all my jobs could be easy. He held out two fingers. The second option. "Well, the Interracial Council is made up of three people. Adam Clark is a canine, Kelly Johnson is a feline, and Rusty Martinez is an avis. Each race has their own council of three people too. The canine council is Adam, Jennifer Shaw, and Wes Peterson.

"Shifters are free to live wherever they like, but most canines are extremely social. Like a pack. So there's a place in Iowa where a lot of us live. That's where the canine council is located too. The place I live is like a communal living space for some of the singles. A couple other families live nearby. On council days, we all get together and have a big party thing. It's pretty fun. Any questions so far?"

His chewing had slowed, but never stopped. Now, he looked at me with eyes full of questions, but shook his head. I continued.

"There are certain rules we have to keep. Hence the council. The biggest one is don't do anything that will expose us to the humans. When you appear at council, that's what they'll tell you. Only they'll use a lot more words. Most of the other rules are more situational and vary within teams. You'll learn all about that later."

I let him take all this in. It was a lot, I'll admit. But not everything I could tell him, not anywhere close to what I could show him. I told him more about my web design business and some anecdotes about growing up with David and Rachel as we finished our subs. Of course, he wanted another one and I paid for it gladly. Then, we headed back to my car.

"Will you come with me?" I asked him. It all came down to this question, really. Would he go or would I have to tell Adam I needed more people. He hesitated, thinking for a long minute. I got antsy, nervous.

He didn't get into the car. Instead he looked at me. He pointed to his temple, then folded his hands and put them under him cheek.

"You want to think about it overnight?" I clarified. He nodded. "Will you come back to the hotel with me? I'll get you a room and we can talk in the morning." He hesitated again, he didn't trust me. That was written plainly across his body. "Come on, don't pass up an opportunity to sleep in a bed." Finally, he nodded slowly. Maybe it was the idea of a bed in the air conditioning. That usually got most rogues.