Chapter 27After that Brandon soon found himself separated from Ezekiel’s side, as he spent most of the afternoon and evening with Glen and Mantilo.While in the Leopards Mansion, and living with Ezekiel’s family....it was obvious to see the deference, and love....and adoration that Ezekiel and his brothers held for their father and mother.The brothers craved their guidance and leadership....and because Mantilo and Glen were good parents they gave it to them with full and open hearts.But as the night wore on Brandon was surprised to realize that the same devotion and openness that Mantilo and Glen showed their sons extended out wards to each of the Leopards in their Clan. Every Shifter that came up to speak with them...or to speak with Brandon gave them all of their attention or their respect. None of them made direct eye contact with Mantilo for long...or spoke in a brash or negative tone.And even though there was a definite air of distance and dominance around Glen and Mantilo...
Chapter 28Without a further word Brandon was soon pulled away to gallivant with Erin and Glen by one of the far off bone fires.Against his will Ezekiels eyes followed him, before they came back to rest on his father, who was slowly leading him in the opposite direction.His father walked him a few feet away from the home, to a table laden with clay cups, turned upside down and stacked in a pyramid shape next to two giant bowls. One filled with off yellow juice. And another filled with chipped ice. Mantilo didn’t speak until he had filled two cups up with ice and drink, and quietly handed one cup to Ezekiel.The off yellow drink was spicy and hard, tasting of pomegranate juice and lemons and an unidentifiable herb that heated up his tongue and spiced his lips. The drink had been named “Sunset” for as long as Ezekiel could remember. A strong brew that was held all year and dished out only once on this joyous occasion, during the three nights of the Celebration. The Brew was a delicacy
Chapter 29The next three nights of the Celebration went smoothly enough, aside from one small fire breaking out.Brandon spent that time gathering his strength and his will for the travels ahead of him.All of the family members invited him to dance on various nights of the Celebration and even a few of the other Shifters sought him out and passed along a few pleasantries. But most of the nights he spent rehashing the steps of the dances that he had been taught and mingling on the dance floor with Ezekiel’s family.From Glen, to Nate, to Erin and eventually even Mantilo took a place opposite him on the dance floor, which was a shocking experience considering the fact that he couldn’t have imagined such a large and strict Shifter like Mantilo doing something as informal as dancing.But to Brandon’s surprise Mantilo easily out matched him step for step. The Clan head was graceful in all his strength, and surprisingly smooth even taking the time to tease Brandon for his faulty rhythm an
Chapter 30Ezekiel took his time closing in and yet he knew that he was far beyond out of time t do or say everything he wanted to.A part of him simply wanted to be near Brandon. Spend time with him just a little while longer. But another part of him was still bubbling with questions and suspicions. It was hard to know what to do....or what to say.But he knew this could very well be his last chance to do...or say anything. He didn’t really want to waste it. No matter what the outcome would be.So Ezekiel bided his time. He let the moon dance into the sky far to the west of the pine forest, and he let the seven Bonfires burn until the wood no longer hissed and creaked, but simply burned in silence, illuminating the multitude of bodies and activities, as the music floated up and across the fields.Finally the dance began.Couples and parents and brothers and sisters and cousins took to the fields in earnest. Swaying and swinging and cavorting. Feeling the levity of the moment Ezekiel
Chapter 31Stay. You’re not goona leave me. This place is right where you need to be.So stay. Because I’ve been watching you changing....Just tell me what you’re thinking...I’m scared that you might fall.-Eden project (Wake up)“Uh, Ezekiel? I...uh...just noticed...“Brandon took a swift breath and shook his head. “The music changed.” He said as he glanced around, and Ezekiel dropped his hand from his arm.Ezekiel blinked. “Yeah.” He began looking past Brandon out into the night, then his mind registered the music and he cleared his throat. “The uh....the song changed about a minute ago.”Brandon swiped his hair away from his forehead. “I don’t know this song. So I guess this is where I leave the floor?”A cool wind danced across the night carrying with it the drunken shout of pleasure and release. Ezekiel assumed the sound came from the couple that had snuck away earlier to be alone.Brandon blinked at the sound, turned his gaze from Ezekiel for the first time and looked around at
Chapter 32"Oh My God!!” A voice shattered the musical tempo. “It’s here. It’s Here!!!!"A female leopardess in the night roared, but as fast as it started her voice died away. Strangled off.Every head snapped up, Leopard males all around the dance floor, moved to protect their women. A pure shift of awareness took over. Hisses and feral growls climbed across the air. Brandon’s hair stood on end as an aggressive awareness subverted everything else. Something was out there. He could feel it. Something that had been out there for days...waiting...watching. Hunting.Suddenly someone else screamed in the fire light across the grounds to the left. The dancers parted and there just off the edge of the light. Something large stood in the shadows, something too tall, but also hunched over. It could have been a man.A horribly misshapen man. Something breathing, but also chittering. Piercing sounds somewhere between a bird and a dying hyena peeled into the air. Arms too long and skinny...endi
Chapter 33Brandon knew he should have listened to Ezekiel and gone back to the Mansion, at least so he wasn’t in the way as the Guardians tried to dispatch the threat to their home.....but the knowledge that the last of the Ghouls was out there kept him out in the open....out in the field.Brandon was racing out into the open, his eyes scanning the thinning crowds for the shadow of the death in the night.If he was honest with himself....he wanted to do something.Please god don’t let anyone else die because of me....Brandon prayed not really knowing if anyone was listening to him.Then a sound so harsh and chilling that it made him stumble to a stop caught Brandon’s ears and his head snapped up. A child. A Shifter child. A little brown haired boy....alone in the field, surrounded by chaos.Brandon hesitated to assign age to such a being as a Shifter, but he had to believe that the child was very young, too young to run as fast as he needed to, especially since he was now in the thi
Chapter 34A small zing went through Ezkeiels senses. A ghost of a pain in his shoulder and head. He didn’t know why he felt it...or what it meant. It was a bad feeling. It made his stomach turn. It was a feeling that for some odd reason had him thinking about Brandon.Did he listen to me and go back to the mansion?A part of Ezkeiel wondered thinking of the green eyed man, but another part of Ezkeiel knew that he couldn’t afford to have Brandon on his mind just then.Especially when there were people dying around him.Claw and fang proved woefully ineffective on the Ghouls. The hard taunt olive colored flesh and concrete hard sinew of their torsos and limbs prevented Ezkeiel from inflicting more then superficial wounds at first.With this being the fourth time that Ezekiels had had to go up against the supine and deadly Ghouls he and his Clans men were mostly able to avoid their talons and venom....but dispatching the Ghouls proved nearly impossible.The three Ghouls that had launche