Chapter 8

• “Oh, she’s getting it now!”
• Her aunt said excitedly from behind her as Shae paced to the window and back in a nervous way. Inhaling through her nose, and huffing it out of her mouth, Shae stopped and stood there looking at the floor. Inhale… exhale…inhale…logical explanation for what just happened…exhale… She stood like that for a few more seconds, gathering her thoughts before she spoke out loud. Ignoring the shaking of her arms, she turned around to see her mother and Nona standing, worried expressions on their faces while Aunt Marilyn was grinning like she’d just won first prize. “Okay,” she enunciated slowly, “what was that?”
• Marilyn’s shoulders sagged, “Aw, honey, I thought you had it.” She sighed dramatically. “I know your smart enough to recognize cat eyes when you see them.” She pointed to the window, “don’t tell me you’ve never wondered how come our mountains has a lot of large cats on it.” Lowering her arm, she sat down where Shae had been sitting. “You’re breaking my heart here.”
• “Marilyn, shush and eat some cookies,” Nona told her as she moved past Marilyn to stand in front of Shaelan. “I’m so sorry for…” she looked over her shoulder at her aunt, “that. We are a shifter clan, child.”
• Shae knew what all the words meant, it just took a few moments to assemble them inside her head so she completely understood what Nona was saying. “The people in the village can shift into cats?” She whispered it more to herself than Nona. It sounded completely insane saying it aloud.
• Nona nodded. “Well some don’t fully shift,” she jerked her head in Marilyn’s direction, “like Aunt talks-a-lot over there… and I don’t shift no more, I’m old and slow no matter what form I’m in, but yes, the entire village in one way or another are of the shifter species.”
• Looking from one face to the other of the three women here with her, Shae kept her mouth closed. Lifting her hands slowly, she backed up a few feet. “Just…” she huffed out a breath, “don’t speak for a moment,” she looked at the floor, “please.”
• It was completely impossible, what they were saying, and yet she’d seen it. An entire species she had never heard of. Then again where would she hear about it? The local news on the televisions and cable they didn’t have? Was that why they secluded themselves up here? From what she’d seen of the world below… this was the only safe way for people that turned into cats to live. It made sense. That part at least.
• She turned and went over to the window and looked down at the village. How had she lived here for twenty years and not noticed something like this? She’d always had her face in a book or plant… but still this was a pretty substantial thing to miss. Why was it a secret? From the outside world, she got that, but from each other? I mean you would think if your kids were going to turn into cats… Her brain stopped right there. Turn into cats. I’m going to turn into a cat? Like the jaguars she’d seen when she was out gathering herbs? Herbs… oh my god it all made sense! Why she had to learn medicine for animals and not just the people. The looks on faces at times … the constant hushed tones or stopping sentences midway when she was around. She inhaled sharply.
• “Now she’s got it.”
• Shae jumped at her aunt’s loud statement, she had forgotten about the others behind her. Turning around she looked at the concern on their faces. Her mother had tears in her eyes. “So… I’m going to turn into a jaguar?”
• “Just cat, works too,” her aunt supplied.
• “There’s a chance you will, sweetheart. I can’t, they’re not sure why, as I’m from a true blood line, but yes, you probably will.” Her mother offered, her voice shaking. “I’m sorry, I wanted to tell you a long time ago… but the rules…”
• “Are a big pile of crap,” her aunt finished.
• Shae shook her head, “I’ll get all the details on that later. What I want to know right now is how? Is this a mutation, when did it start? How did it start? Is there any documentation, or… or data on this somewhere? If there is, can I see it? I mean, I assume I’m going to be treating injuries or whatever … I need to know the physiology…” She remembered the man she’d stitched up in the jail, now she understood how he’d gotten cut. Claws. Oh my god I’m going to have fur and claws.
• Nona started laughing. “Slow down.” She motioned to the chair. “Sit. I know what you’re like when you’re on a knowledge-seeking quest. We’ll answer your questions until one of us fall asleep.”
• “Don’t forget to explain to her about the heat cycle…” Aunt Marilyn mumbled around a mouth full of cookie.
• Shae went over and sat down. “You mean like a cat in heat?” She looked at her mother, then to Nona. “That really happens to us?” She held up her hand before Nona could answer. “Wait, am I going to have to go through menstrual cycles and this heat as well?” It was probably not the most important thing she could ask, but seriously, females had enough to worry about.
• Her mother grinned. “No, you won’t. After your first heat or change, you’ll only have to worry about that.”
• Shae sighed, “Oh good.” Shaking her head, she took a deep breath. “I don’t know where to start…”
• “We can answer your questions,” her mother smiled at her.
• Some of the sadness was gone from her eyes, and even in her present state of shock, that made Shaelan feel better about being lied to her entire life. Well, maybe not lied to, but letting her grow up without knowledge of what she really was, that seemed close enough to lying.
• Nona nodded. “I can fill in the medical ones for you. Speed of healing, best herbs…”
• “Then we’ll tell you the next part of this crap,” Aunt Marilyn added bluntly.
• “The next part?” Shae was afraid she may not cope well with any more information. How much more could there be? It couldn’t be worse than finding out you were going to turn into a large cat.