Shadows (Shifters Part 2)

"What!" That was me protesting the sentencing. The old guy ignored me and continued. “Three pack members were kidnapped in the middle of the night. The same day that Miss Holly Swift rejoined our people. My conclusion is that she bewitched them and took them away for her own nefarious purposes.” Conner protested. “That’s stupid. She was in her cabin the whole night. I slept in a tree nearby. I would have heard if she made any noises.” I was too shocked to even feel a little weirded out. I just stared blankly at nothing. What the heck! I barely just relearned how to shift, much less develop enough magic to kidnap three fully grown shifters. Everyone started to argue, but another elder stood up. An old woman with more wrinkles than an elephant. That must be her animal. She cleared her throat and creaked “There was a legend. A shifter would return home, and with them the Dark One would awaken. That shifter must choose a companion and quest to find a talisman that can banish the fiend back to the Shadow Realm to rot. I say she is that shifter.” I immediately looked at Conner, and he looked at me. We nodded and I said “I will go and find this talisman. I will quest with Conner.” The other elder sneered and purred “Very well. You have until the full moon sets. Three days. If you fail, you are fully banished from all the packs. Now leave!” And with that he stormed off, shifting into an osprey and winging away.

 Everyone dispersed and it was just me and Conner. I tried to light the mood. “So, want something? I personally think pancakes would be divine.” We giggled and ate breakfast. Then I left to get ready for my quest. Fresh clothing put on. Teeth brushed. Packing things. My enchanted water bottle, a knife, good luck charms. All the essential questing items. A knock at the door. It was the old lady who helped me out at breakfast! She handed me a satchel. “Full of important things. Healing supplies, a few enchanted items. That sort of thing. I’m Elder Brooks, by the way.” I smiled shyly and asked her “Have any advice?” She smiled and said “That’s what I was born to do!” Then she turned very serious. “Elder Grey might not be himself. I suspect that he may be under a dark influence. Take care dear.” And she was gone. In her place was Conner, fresh and ready to adventure. I told him about the map, which he pulled out while I was making hot chocolate.

 With the water on the stove, he said “Map, show me the fastest and the safest routes.” Two lines snaked across the map. This was no regular map. This map labeled all of the threats, and gosh was there a lot of them! The safest route snaked around most of the treats, while the fastest cut right through the middle to the golden dot I assume is the talisman. We were two blue blue dots perched on the southeastern corner, and the other mark was the opposite side. “Well now we know how bad this will suck.” I joked. The kettle whistled and when I was busy with the cups, he said “Map, show how long these trails would take to travel. Surprise! The faster one took one day while the other took three. That doesn’t include the return trip. I looked at Conner, all hunched over the map looking super cute. “So...the fast way?” He smiled. “That would be faster, and we have a day to work with in case of a setback. Which, by looking at the map, might be a lot of times.” I giggled, and we finished our cocoa in silence. After we downed all of our mug we set off. 

In the first hour we had been attacked by three basilisks, a giant, and a deranged magical squirrel. And let’s not forget the pack of bears that almost ate me. As I pondered all of our near death experiences, I almost fell into a chasm. I could have died if not for Conner grabbing my hand and hauling me to safety. I lay there panting while he went to look for ways across. When he came back, all he found was a rickety old rope bridge. I crossed first, tiptoeing across each board until I reached the other side. Conner only made it halfway before something stopped him. It was himself! On closer look, it was pretty different. His hair was perfectly styled, he looked more muscular, and was a few inches taller. Another thing popped up, standing arm in arm with fake Conner. It was me! That me also looked much better than the real one. They were facing Conner with their backs to the exit. Fake Conner spoke in an extremely rich, dark voice, “Hello you coward. Yes, I'm you, but I am much better. I can be bold, I can stand up, I have the girl. You will never live up to this.” HE wrapped his arms around my double and put his lips on hers. Conner must have forgotten I was over here, and assumed my double was me, kissing the perfect twin very passionately. I might have thrown up in my mouth, it was so gross.

When they finally let go, my twin stared Conner dead in the eyes. “You will never get the girl. We can see your soul, and you can be like us. Jump, you fool. Find where you truly fit.” I finally had the HA! Moment and shouted “Don’t listen to them!” Pretty obvious but my friend looked about ready to jump. “They're ghosts, cursed to haunt this bridge and collect the souls that dare cross it. Don’t listen to a word they say. You are just as good, if not better than him. Pull through, or so help me I will find your spirit and personally drag it back to your body.” That small, desperate joke pulled him back. He looked the pair of ghouls right in the eyes and said “I couldn’t care less about haunting this bridge with you miserable blobs of hate. I don’t care.” With an eerie wail, they poofed away, leaving a faint scent of rot. Conner rushed across and wrapped me in the biggest hug ever. Right after he let go, I made up my mind. I kissed him. Just a little peck on the lips, but enough to make him smile. We sat there for a second before I found my voice. “Those jerks were wrong. You are the bravest person I have ever met.” A few minutes later, we started back out. After all, no shadow can hold a shifter for long. Right?