Shifters Alliance Read online

  Sam looked down in amazement. ‘Where did that come from? I swear it was human a moment ago.’

  ‘It’s most definitely a cat, but not like any I’ve seen before. Your wife will be pretty upset if you bring that home,’ said Casey.

  At this insult the creature renewed its lashing out. The snarling became roars of anger, while it still tried to attack Sam and Casey.

  Sam felt things were spiralling out of control. His mind was caught up in a daydream, men becoming cats, tunnels to different lands. It was way beyond his understanding. He looked around, trying to convince himself things were real. He saw the river, could smell the pine forest. He became aware the clan were leaving their places of ambush. He saw the sun now rising to the top of the pines, its rays filtered by the gently swaying upper branches. It all seemed real but unreal.

  A memory came to him. When the sun is aligned with the brow of your head, the others will step through that gateway. He remembered the stranger’s threat.

  ‘Casey, I’ve an awful feeling those things will be returning here very soon. Change of plan. When those ‘things’ get here, we let ourselves be seen holding this.’ Sam looked down at the tied creature on the ground.

  ‘The flanks come in close to block the entrance. We surround them and make sure they don’t get away.’

  Casey signalled to the clan to get under cover.

  ‘I need you to stay here with me. Lift the other side of my staff and hold him up. Make sure he can be seen from far off. I want as much time to close the circle as we can get.

  ‘Take his right side,’ said Sam, ‘if he starts giving you problems, just drop him on his broken leg. He’ll quiet down soon enough.’

  ‘How do you know it’s a he?’

  ‘I’ll explain everything later, I’m pretty sure those things will be here soon, it was something he said on the other side.’

  ‘You spoke to it?’ said Casey in disbelief.

  ‘When I stepped through the tunnel, he was a man, I swear... Look, there’s rising dust to the southeast. It’s them, and it looks like they want to be somewhere in a real hurry,’ said Sam, with a nervousness in his tone.

  Avi and Ben moved in closer to the tunnel, standing in full view of the approaching creatures, directly in the path of the entrance.

  Casey saw from the corner of his eye that Sam had started his breathing exercise again, trying to find a calmness before the approaching storm. They picked up Sam’s staff, to make sure their roped creature could be seen hanging between them.

  ‘Five seconds,’ said Sam,

  ‘They’re not slowing up, buddy.’

  ‘Try lifting him higher, let them see him,’ said Sam.

  ‘They don’t plan on stopping!’ said Casey, preparing himself for the impact.

  Sam looked in disbelief as the heads of five creatures emerged from the dust cloud, charging at full speed towards them in a wedge formation. He saw the intensity of their gaze, focused only on the tunnel. Not looking to the left nor right, or at their bound and gagged compatriot. Sam could smell their breath, their odour, and their sweat when they smashed into them without slowing. He was bowled over, the lead creature’s forehead ramming him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Casey managed to jump to his right, the full impact missing him, only to be kicked and trampled by the second line of charging beasts. The others were knocked out of the way of the levee by the third line.

  The creatures charged straight into the tunnel, leaving behind them a flash of brilliant white light and a dust cloud rolling lazily along their path towards the tunnel.

  Five CRACKS rang out, as if a whip had broken the air around them, echoing away into a distant valley, rolling off snow-capped mountains, which even now Sam could see in his memory.

  Calmness settled again over the plain. The dust from the charge drifted slowly in the morning breeze, settling around them and over them. The river gently bubbled and swirled, the fields and forest looked once again as they always did. But nothing would ever be the same again.

  ‘He must have been popular,’ said Casey, with a nod in the direction of the feline creature bound on the ground.

  They dusted themselves off, trying to come to terms with what had just happened. The clan ran in from the positions of cover they’d taken in preparation for the ambush that never happened.

  People were shouting at once, gesticulating, re-enacting the last scenes as they’d witnessed them, until Sam raised his voice to be heard.

  ‘Not quite as I was expecting, guys. Could anyone see if they had a child with them this time?’ he asked.

  ‘I saw someone being held,’ said one of Avi’s team, who’d tried moving in from the left bank. He stood with blood running from his nose and a deep wound across the side of this head, probably from a claw as the creatures battered their way through. His clothes were in tatters where he’d tumbled and been dragged under the feet of the charging creatures.

  ‘I think it may have been Lulu. There was so much dust and chaos I didn’t get a good look, but...’

  There was a stunned silence as the impact sunk in.

  ‘Check if the other families are okay. Three men come with me, I’m going home to check with Salli. I need a runner to go to the Meeting Place.’

  ‘I’ll go, Sam,’ said Kerri.

  ‘Find out if anyone else is missing,’ said Sam. The assembled men could hear the shock in his voice. ‘Go now.’

  Sam could feel his anger rising. ‘This is the last time these creatures will invade our land to steal our children,’ he shouted. ‘No more!’

  ‘What do we do with this?’ asked Ben, gesturing to the creature lying at their feet.

  ‘There must be a good reason they left him behind,’ said Harri Boatman, stepping forward to address the circle of men. ‘There was something those creatures had to do, or somewhere they had to go, which was more important than stopping to pick up one of their own.’

  ‘They must have seen him,’ said Casey. ‘Even in full charge, they couldn’t have missed him.’

  ‘They may still plan to return for him, or try another raid for the children,’ added Harri.

  ‘I agree,’ said Sam, ‘Let’s get him fixed up, deal with that broken leg, and keep him under a tight guard. We need to understand what’s going on here.’

  ‘What was in that tunnel, Sam?’ asked Casey. ‘You were about to tell me just before those creatures arrived. And why do you call it a ‘him?’ What happened back there?’

  Sam took a deep breath. ‘He talks,’ said Sam. ‘He speaks our language.’

  There was a look of shock and confusion on the face of everyone in the clan.

  ‘At the other end of that tunnel, he was a young man. When I dragged him back here, he turned into this cat you see now. I don’t understand what’s happening, and I still don’t know why they’re taking the children.’

  ‘Okay, let’s get him back and have Doc fix that leg,’ said Casey. ‘Maybe we can still use him as a hostage for the children.’

  ‘We could also try to find out what he knows,’ said Ben.

  The others looked on in silence, thinking about this option.

  ‘I need to check on Lu. You three with me,’ said Sam.

  No one had any more to say; the urgency in Sam’s voice cut off any further thought for discussion.

  ‘Ben, send runners to the borders, call all the families in,’ said Casey.

  Harri helped Casey to lift the creature, using his staff between the creature’s arms. They half carried, half dragged it away from the levee. With the men following in a single column, they trekked south to the Meeting Place.

  Chapter 2

  Two weeks previous. Afternoon at the Boatman house.

  ‘Kerri, it’s so nice of you to call,’ Mrs. Boatman said.

  ‘Oh... I’ve been meaning to stop by so many times, Mrs. Boatman, but... well, you know how it is.’

  ‘It’s okay dear, I understand. I hear you’ve moved in with Casey.’

&nb
sp; Kerri smiled, ‘Yes, that’s right, he badly needed someone to cook for him, though he wouldn’t admit it, and he had a spare room. A man can’t live on pancakes forever.’

  ‘That Casey will protect you through thick and thin. He’s a good man, make some young girl a fine husband one day.’

  ‘Hmm. I do think I may be getting in the way of his ‘freedom’ sometimes. But I don’t plan on being there for long, he’s got his own life.’

  ‘Nonsense, your moving in with him has been the best thing that could have happened for you both. I’ve never seen him taking his responsibilities so seriously. It’s like he’s got a little sister to take care of now.’

  ‘Yeah, I suppose you’re right. Anyway, what girl could wish for a better guard dog than the biggest, meanest, most undernourished man in the clan sleeping outside her door at night?’ They both laughed, thinking about Casey’s diet.

  ‘Come and get a drink and a snack with me.’

  ‘Thanks, Mrs. Boatman, but not at the moment. I just stopped by to give you this.’ She handed over a package, carefully wrapped and tied with a string bow.

  ‘I was having a clear out and thought Holly may like it. It’s a bit small for me now.’

  Mrs. Boatman untied the bow and carefully opened the neat packaging. She saw Kerri’s red check pinafore dress, carefully folded and pressed, looking like new.

  ‘She’ll love it, Kerri, thank you so much.’ Tears started to blur her vision. ‘I remember the first time we saw you wear it at the Meeting Place, you looked proud as punch. Spinning and spinning around, you were.’

  ‘I remember, it was the day my Mum finished it for me. I think she’d be happy to know someone else is enjoying it now.’

  ‘Come here, let me give you a big hug,’ she said squeezing her tight. ‘Holly will love it.’

  ‘And I wanted to say thanks, for, well you know, for everything.’

  ‘You think nothing of it now, girl. If there’s anything you need, anytime, you know where we are.’

  ‘Okay. I’ll stop by soon.’

  ‘You do that, I’ll make a pie, and you can take it back for you both.’

  ‘Thanks, Mrs. Boatman, see you soon,’ Kerri said, waving as she left for her new home.

  Kerri had a book open on the table, lazily turning pages, hoping to find something inspiring enough to cook.

  ‘Kerri, Kerri!’ The banging on the door was followed by more calling, ‘Kerri!’

  Holly stood on the threshold in her new pinafore dress, hanging well below her knees. ‘Thanks so much, Kerri, it’s beautiful.’ she said, spinning around to show her how the hems flew out. ‘My Mum says that if I wear this dress, soon I’ll be running as fast as you.’

  ‘I think if you keep wearing that dress, you’ll be faster than all of us.’

  ‘Oh no, no one will ever be faster than you, Kerri.’

  Kerri laughed, bending to kiss Holly Boatman on the cheek. ‘Want a pancake?’ she asked.

  ‘Thanks, but no, Mum says I have to come straight back. I’m gonna run all the way.’

  ‘Can I tell you a secret, Holly?’

  ‘What’s that?’ Holly asked, her eyes now wide in anticipation.

  ‘Don’t run too fast or that boy will never catch you.’

  ‘He can catch me already, but in this dress he’s gonna have to run twice as fast. See ya!’ She left in a billowing dust cloud.

  Kerri stood at the door, watching Holly disappear down the path.

  Won’t it ever rain? thought Kerri. This dust is getting too much.

  The oil lamp on the table gave the kitchen a warm glow, pushing back the darkness of the autumn evening.

  ‘Lovely pancakes, Kerri,’ said Casey. ‘What did you put in them?’

  ‘It’s white cheese and bits of chives.’

  ‘Hmm... I’d never have known.’

  ‘Thanks, Case!’

  ‘Oh. I didn’t mean it like that. What I meant was it’s amazing the things you can do with cheese and chives.’

  ‘It’s okay, Case, you don’t have to dig that hole any deeper.’

  After some thought, Casey added, ‘You know, I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so well.’

  ‘You’ve spent your life eating pancakes, Case.’

  ‘But they never tasted this good.’

  ‘I’ve been thinking, I’m gonna start cooking you real food. I’ve borrowed a book. That way, when the next young lady comes knocking, you’ll be better able to judge who’s gonna take care of you on a cold winter night.’

  ‘You don’t have to do that, Kerri.’

  ‘You know I’m really grateful for you taking care of me, and I think this is something I can do to repay you.’

  ‘No, no, it’s all right.’

  ‘Listen, Case, when you’re old and tired and you’ve walked all the way back from the Northern Plains on a winter’s night, you don’t want to come home to a pancake now, do you?’

  ‘I like pancakes, Kerri.’

  ‘So do I, but I don’t think I will in thirty years’ time if I eat them every day. If I cook you some real food, you’ll be able to judge good from bad. Maybe we could even do it together? I could teach you.’

  ‘But what about ...’

  The banging on the door was more than insistent, it was alarming.

  ‘Stay here,’ Casey told her.

  The banging started again before Casey had time to get there.

  ‘Harri?’ Casey could see the panic in his eyes.

  ‘Was Holly here today?’

  ‘Come in, I’ll check with Kerri.’

  ‘No, no, I’m going to...’

  ‘Hi, Mr. Boatman,’ Kerri called, coming to the door. ‘She stopped by this afternoon, what’s happened?’

  ‘She hasn’t come home yet.’

  ‘WHAT! Wait, I’ll help you look.’ Kerri rushed for her shoes. ‘She said she was going to run all the way home.’

  Early evening at the Meeting Place.

  By the time the column arrived at the Meeting Place, the sun was already setting, reflected in a gold and red pathway across the wide expanse of the easy flowing river. The water mirrored the colours of the sky, blues turning to purples and eventually to blacks, as the sun rapidly approached and finally touched the surface. Then it seemed to accelerate, diving below the horizon.

  They could already smell the fire being lit, the pine smoke dry on the back of their throats. These were the fires of children, when the wood burnt bright and fast, without the heat needed for the colder nights. They could help stoke the fire, laughing as each new log was thrown on, making believe the angels and devils jumped and danced in the high flames.

  Only later in the year, when the oak was used, would the clan settle easily around the fire, the scorching heat of the oak wood warming everyone to the bone. They would sit with the old folk near the front, most in need of the heat, the mothers and fathers seated behind at peace and comfort in the family bond. The children sat at their feet, till the heat forced them back for a new child to take their place. The easy company lost themselves in the scenes of beauty within the coals. All ages still counted the colours of the flames, pointing out a new unseen mysterious colour, only fleetingly glimpsed, or pointing in glee as a jet of gas forced its way out of the wood, to trail off and disappear again into the depths of the coals.

  This was when someone would remember a great deed performed by the clan in the past, and all would sigh and smile at the great achievements that had brought them to this place.

  Or a child would ask, ‘Tell us again of the time of the chase, or the find, or when we all swam to the island.’ The old folk smiled, recounting the story for the clan. These were the happy times.

  But not today. Times had changed. Now the clan could see what it was that crept through the night, and they now knew that it could be stopped. Tonight would be a night of hope and planning.

  The men entered the Meeting Place carrying the creature across a staff. Everyone looked in wonder as it lay tied on the gro
und. No child poked, or laughed at it, but all looked, trying to understand its strengths and its limits. Casey and Harri dropped to the ground in exhaustion, sitting cross-legged with their shoulders drooped, relieved to finally release the weight of the creature. Everyone was aware they had returned without the children they’d hoped to rescue.

  Avi called out, ‘Doc, has anyone seen the Doc? The creature’s injured. It needs patching up.’

  Doc Mossman heard the call, stepping over towards the creature. He opened his satchel that he always carried with him.

  ‘We’ve put moss and splints on the leg, but the bone will need to be reset,’ said Avi.

  Doc rolled up his sleeves, showing muscular forearms and hands that seemed twice as large as they should be, exercised from the years of squeezing and tugging damaged muscles and bones.

  ‘I need some help here,’ he called, ‘I want it on its back. Two of you hold a staff across its neck, to protect us from those teeth. Someone hold the good leg still to stop it thrashing about, and someone hold the ankle here.’ Doc pointed.

  ‘It’s a him,’ Ben said to Doc.

  ‘I’ll not ask how you know, Ben! If he starts to buck, hold the staff through his arms.’ said Doc.

  They knew Doc would try to mend the break with as little pain as possible, but the creature visibly tensed and stiffened as Doc knelt down beside him.

  His hands went to work, very gently testing each muscle, each point for pain, before squeezing and massaging the area above and below the break. The creature gradually relaxed under the kneading of Doc’s hands. He seemed to stop feeling pain, and then lost feeling in his leg as Doc worked and stroked the muscles, almost putting them to sleep.

  ‘The leg bones are very much like ours,’ said Doc.

  ‘His whole body was very much like ours this morning.’ said Sam.

  The clan looked at Sam in astonishment. He took a long drink of clear, cold water from his wooden cup, handed to him by his wife.