When he was done, it took a few moments for him to relax again. He didn’t need to touch his new head to know what it would look like. Two bulging eyes with U-shaped pupils looking out to the side. His kraken arms distributed around where his mouth would have been. And emerging between them, a giant black beak, glossy and hard like a parrot’s.
Wanting this to be over as quickly as possible, he bent and started snapping through the bars of the cage, the sharp edges of his beak aided by unnaturally strong muscles.
The moment the opossum judged the hole to be big enough, it scampered up the walls of the cage, wound its way out the top, and flew up Geir’s arm. Its tiny claws drew blood on Geir’s unprotected skin as it nestled, shivering, into his shoulder. Through his skin, he picked up the flavors of unwashed fur, dried blood, and the sour tang of a sick animal.
Whatever bullshit laws about preventing cruelty the scientist had been talking about, this creature was a mess.
How bad must it have been for the opossum to come to him, in his horrific form, to seek comfort?
He settled one hand on the opossum's shivering back, giving it an awkward pat. He felt, perhaps, some affection for the little one. It had trusted him, and he had provided for it.
He swung around to start jogging back toward the vehicles, but the opossum scampered down his back and jumped to the ground. It tried to shift too fast and ended up in a tangled huddle of human limbs and shaggy, unwashed hair.
“Please,” the child said as she stood, revealing herself to be a girl of around ten years, “you have to save my brother.”
Chapter 29
Declan
It could be any animal, though the dark fur and rough outline that blended in with the night made him think it was a predator. Its eyes were close to the ground, but he could see that it was much bigger, its shoulders and hips higher than its head and much fuller.
But why wasn’t it coming back to the car? Was it even on their side?
He had the revolting thought that the shifter children could have been captured by other shifters. How could he tell them apart?
He and the predator watched each other. If it wanted to take him down, surely it would. He clicked the lock on the door, which he probably should have done earlier.
The eyes moved, coming closer. It stepped into a patch of moonlight, just for a minute.
He couldn’t see much, but enough to know that it wasn’t bending down, but standing at full height. Its fur was matted, and it walked with a limp.
This must be one of the children.
With shaking fingers, he unlocked the door and then slowly, slowly eased it open.
The animal scrambled back, and then let out a pained moan.
He leaned out. “Shhhhh… it’s alright.” He kept his voice at a whisper. “I’m Declan. Chief Tier’s here to rescue you. You can get in the van if you want.”
The animal watched him, seemed to lumber forward, then turned around to nose at something and let out a quiet whimper.
“I promise I won’t hurt you. We just want to get you back to your parents.”
The animal whimpered again, a kind of groaning cry. It looked down, then back at him. The reflective eyes bounced a few times, like it was straining against something. Was it trying to move something? Carry something? The eyes turned and moved but didn’t come any closer.
The whimpering grew faster, but Declan didn’t know what it meant. Was the animal injured? Or maybe trapped?
Or was it laying a trap for Declan? He still couldn’t count that out.
“Geir,” he hissed. Geir would know what to do.
But when he turned, Geir was running down the road, away from him. The growls and shouts were coming closer.
The predator’s eyes bobbed faster, and the whimpering was frantic now.
Declan had promised to stay in the car. He wanted to stay in the car.
But if there was a hurt child and danger moving toward them, he had to act.
He also needed to be smart about it. He couldn’t just charge out there. He needed to at least see what was happening.
He dug his phone from his pocket and turned on the flashlight, keeping it low. Then, he eased just outside the door, one leg still inside the car. He turned the beam quickly on the animal and then back to his side.
That showed him all he needed to see. It was a bear. Or something that looked a hell of a lot like a bear, since there seemed to be all sorts of animals out here that he didn’t know. It had round ears like Winnie the Pooh, so that should mean something, right?
More importantly, though, it was wearing a chain around its neck, and the other end of it had gotten caught in a log. The cub was biting at it, trying to get it free, but it couldn’t get the angle right.
Declan eased out of the car. “Sorry, Geir,” he murmured. Surely Geir would forgive him his broken promise. He cupped the light with his hand and directed it downward.
Trying to move silently, he took one step toward the predator and then another. He crossed the grass along the road and then moved into the trees. He was close.
The bear growled at him, showing its tiny teeth. They were cute, but they could also take a bite out of his arm.
He reminded himself that the sharp teeth belonged to a frightened child. “I’m just going to get the chain loose, alright? Then you can go into the van or wherever you think is safest, alright? I’m going to get into the van, too, because it’s scary out here.” He laughed almost soundlessly, keeping his voice at a whisper.
The bear growled again, the sound low in its throat. It had claws, too, of course.
He risked a little more light, shining it on himself for a moment so the cub could see him.
The bear looked for a moment, then pointed at the leather pouch with one clawed hand. “That’s right,” he coaxed. “Askuwheteau gave it to me.” He knew he was mangling the name, but he tried. “He’s the Guide, and he trusts me.”
The bear stopped growling, but still looked ready to pounce.
“Can I get the chain?”
The cub slowly nodded, then stepped to the side. Declan could see blood matted in its fur. Poor baby.
Shielding the light with his body, he aimed it toward the log. Something with far too many legs skittered away. “Ewwww….” He shifted his weight from foot to foot, trying to psych himself up.
The bear huffed at him. At least someone was amused.
He looked the creature in the eye. “I hope you appreciate that I’m sticking my hand into bugs for you.”
It huffed again. Hopefully that meant they were friends now.
Drawing up his courage, he reached into the narrow opening. The wood was squishy and soft, and he could feel it sinking under his fingernails. Things skittered across his fingers. Prickly things and soft things. Gross, gross, gross. He deserved a fucking medal for this.
He found the crossbar of the chain and pulled, yanking it out in one tug. The second he dropped it, the cub raced toward the car.
Then everything happened at once.
Thick arms wrapped around his chest, pinning his arms to his side. Another flash of black and someone was lunging toward where the small bear had stood. But the bear wasn’t there.
“Lock the door!” he yelled. A heavy hand descended over his mouth.
Chapter 30
Geir