Seth licked his nostrils, which flared in response, testing the air before moving in. Nettles held back the growling of his stomach and the scent of blood was too overwhelming. Once their stomachs were sated, the male licked his paws and flank, while the female whined again, identifying smells and judging the distance of each one. The smell of a fawn and its mother drifted towards her mingling with the musk of smaller animals that had passed the same way.
There was one smell that was stronger than the animals in the wood, and she nervously backed away from the stench of wet clothing, her ears twitching instinctively and alert. She circled the male cautiously, nudging him on his flanks, and he snarled at her. Defensive, her brownish hair standing on end, she sniffed the air - something was wrong. The grumbling cry of alarm sounded from her throat, her tail and ears flattening against the terror.
It was quiet, too quiet, compared to the previous week. Then the woods were alive with the chatter of birds and insect life. Apart from the normal badgers or antelope and abundant rabbit warrens, the reduced smells from their kind made them nervous. They knew they were alone.
The packs seemed to be choosing strange, untried routes that often got them lost, or worse, trapped on private hunting grounds where the dogs rounded them up for the kill. The female whined loudly now – they both sensed danger and with that their totems released their human mind. At first, Seth used to find this the most difficult when he woke up in the body of an animal but soon adjusted. For Nettles, it had always felt natural, and only took a few minutes to focus her vision until everything became crystal clear to the point of being psychedelic. She took in the remains of the rabbit, and the traces of blood left on the leaf. The only sounds she heard were her totem’s shallow breathing. Seth whined as he stumbled slightly after waking up in his totem.
Seth…can you feel it? The energy is wrong. It’s too strong here, we’ve got to leave.
Right…with you. Seth grunted in response, scraping the ground before bounding in the direction of dense woodland. He sensed an image to Nettles of a small cave, which he had discovered the last time, and she followed him.
His mind became foggy as they raced, his ears pricking at the sound of a low humming. In human form, they didn’t hear it, but it resonated through the ground beneath them. Whining as they broke through the undergrowth, into a small clearing, Seth padded back and forth before racing back to Nettles who was trying to shake off loose twigs and leaves by rolling on the ground.
Nettles, the cave…I can’t see it.
She stops then and looks around before noticing a soft bluish ribbon of light move towards them. They both whine backing away as it washes through them.
The frequency pierced their brain and Seth exposed his teeth, his heart pounding rapidly. From the tangle of bush, only the flicker of moonlight on their brown eyes gave away the power of the mist. Muscles became rigid paralysing movement as they panted in panic. The sound of crunching boots seemed too close. Nettles tried to move but failed; she was sluggish.
The urge to flee was halted by the pain that ripped through her animal body. This time she tries to separate, but it feels as if they are glued, and within moments, they both collapse onto their sides. Nettles diminished awareness, vaguely registers warped voices.
‘Over here. They’re here. Be careful now, don’t spook them.’ The woman’s gravelly voice is older than the second.
‘Look, she’s changing…you have to stop her. They’ll be no good if they change. Hold her for a minute.’
Nettles tried to send a message to the group, her weak mind battling to hold on. Hands grab the skin at the back of her neck, and she breaks contact.
‘Hey, you can’t do that, it’ll kill her…just wait…look…she’s not shifting anymore,’ another younger voice interrupted.
‘What about the other one?’
‘He’s gone already, out for the count.’
Seth?
‘I have to go, or I’ll be missed. I didn’t know you were going to ask me to do this – it doesn’t feel right.’ The younger one’s voice is tearful.
‘It doesn’t feel right? Does it feel right to know that you are nothing to them?
You have a chance now to make a difference. We are only at the beginning, and nothing is going to happen to them. We just need them to trade. Go if you want to.’ The older voice was sneering and Nettles shuddered towards sleep, her last thought was of the darkness, of Kekui
The sound of a dull smack echoed in the silence while their bodies were put roughly into the back of the van. Although they can’t voice it, deep down they both know they have been trapped.
The van drove as quickly as possible, bouncing through potholes, tossing the two sleeping foxes like they were lumps of meat. Only one person was left alone in the woods and she drew on the blue energy, calling it towards her. The smoke curled obediently up from the ground like a child to its mother. It was her discovery, gleaned from ancient texts and trusting councillors. For ten years, she had worked in secret, honing her skills, increasing her powers. It was a gift from Khaos himself, and it bent to her will.
She sent it out to track the one person that would listen to her. His gifts were well known, and it was time to send a message.
20
In-between
Hawk hovered near the doorway. It seemed quiet in there, even though he couldn’t quite see behind the curtain. He picked up her heart beat, and he relaxed, briefly closing his eyes.
‘Have you come to see Nevaeh?’ He looked down to find dark eyes staring curiously up into his. He nodded, uncertain of what to say. Hawk recognised her from before, it was Nevaeh’s mother and he immediately held out his hand. She was so different from Nevaeh, but she still had the traces of the dark haired beauty of her youth.
‘Sorry…nice to meet you Mrs Morales, my name is Hawk, I’m a friend, just wanting to see how she’s doing.’ He knows he is stumbling over his words and that the energy from the trancing is taking its toll. He pushes at his hair wearily, a motion that wasn’t lost on Nevaeh’s Mum. She placed a light hand on his arm.
‘You look tired…have you been here long?’ she asks.
Day and night blended together and he was exhausted, but he smiled and shrugged.
‘Come and look, she’s out of danger now,’ she coaxed pulling the curtain back, and Hawk gulped guiltily at how pale and fragile she looked. He damned himself for talking so much to Nevaeh. He should have concentrated on getting her back safe. That was his job, not to be involved personally, although it was too late now. He thought of their short time together, and wondered if his ancestors had seen the connection between them. He knew the answer would be yes, they knew everything, and time didn’t exist on the other side. He felt his stomach lurch thinking again of Nevaeh, and prayed she hadn’t wandered too far.
He watched the way that Nevaeh’s mother gently swept a stray hair from her forehead, thinking of his own mother. Both his parents died when he was younger.
He wished now, he remembered something about them – a voice, a laugh, a touch. Nevaeh didn’t realise how lucky she was, and he sighed, wondering what she was thinking, if she was thinking at all. Had she been to Nirvana? Was Mother helping her? His thoughts turned back to his ancestors, and Aponi. The vision was quite clear, she was cocooned and somehow that gave him comfort. He clenched his fists, angry that they hadn’t told him anything else. But deep down he knew that they had their reasons. They had never failed him yet.
Nevaeh’s mother touches his arm, startling him out of his thoughts.