Dakari sat in a wicker chair on the terrace and basked in the morning sun. It had been so long since he felt this relaxed he thought he might fall asleep. The scent of the pink jasmine bush climbing the balustrade wafted over him and, combined with the lull of the rippling waves below, he teetered on the brink of a well deserved nap. When his feet were knocked to the floor, he nearly jumped out of his skin. By the gods' own control, he was able to keep from shifting to his tiger form. He opened his eyes expecting to see the scaly hide of a weredragon. To his surprise, his sister Maggie stood before him. She grinned the menacing grin of a little sister and pointed her finger at him. “I’m telling Dad that you are back here at the Kundam’s and haven’t bothered to let us know. What the hell is that about?” She hissed, anger with him winning out over her happiness to see him.“No one was supposed to know we were here.” He smiled at her sheepishly, using his hand to shie
The group gathered on the ferry as the island was shrouded in a thick, concealing mist. Katalea had called the mist to swirl and entwined the heady scent of the salt water to cover the scent of her new friends. It would do no good for the curious to come investigating. The water appeared gray, reflective of the colorless sky. There would be no other passengers, and the jaunt across to the mainland promised to be rough. Katalea didn’t mind the ferry as it jostled them to and fro, it kept her mind from contemplating the scene they had encountered in Dalya’s room. Her friend had been possessed by an erratic weredragon god. If she hadn’t witnessed it with her own eyes, she would have doubted anyone who tried to convince her of it. That was why she wasn’t sharing the story with the others.They had spread out to different parts of the ferry for their quick excursion. Aquina was leaning over the railing, hands outstretched, trying to play with a few of her friends as they swam
The six passengers looked at one another. Before a seat belt could be buckled into place, the nose of the plane dipped at an angle solidifying what the captain had announced. Beecher’s trash fell to the floor and began its descent to the front of the plane. Instead of preparing for a crash landing, Katalea turned to the window and began to war with the storm. Between clenched teeth she hissed, “Dakari, Zinnia, see if you can conjure something to elevate the nose of this beast!” Dakari got up and moved to Zinnia. They huddled together with determined faces and soon Dakari’s lips began to move while his eyes remained firmly closed. Katalea knew he was messaging back home for help. Katalea was fighting a losing battle. If she pushed at the wind, lightning would flare up off to the other side. When she calmed the electricity, hail would begin to pelt the rapidly descending aircraft. It was as if the weather was toying with her. In her concentration, she had not noticed tha
With backpacks slung over their shoulders, the group got their first glimpse of Rio. The airport in Praia do Galeaão fanned out like the spokes on a wheel, with airplanes of every color in the process of loading and unloading their passengers. In the distance a beach could be seen, and Katalea had a momentary longing for a high-speed run in her feline shape down the white sands at home. Two by two, they ambled slowly down the airstairs, trying to find coordination in their limbs after so many hours of non-use. They were met by two lovely assistants, dressed in conservative navy blazers with crisp white shirts beneath. Beecher’s eyes gleamed incredulously when they explained that the group would not need to join the thousands of other travelers at the customs office. They had a private customs area set up just for them. Katalea smiled at Dakari, “Leave it to Grandfather to do things with style,” she messaged him. He discreetly nodded and followed the others to the
No one moved faster than Luca. He seemed to be at Zinnia’s side before the scream died on her lips. Beecher and Aquina arrived almost simultaneously, with Dakari and Katalea seconds behind them. Surrounded by glass shards, Zinnia hovered three inches off the floor, wings unfurled. She was not purple, nor was the aura she emitted joyful. She looked absolutely heartbroken. Tears streamed down her face, and her body was violently shaking with sobs. Katalea cautiously approached, somehow afraid to cause Zinnia more pain. “Zinnia, what happened? What’s wrong?” She soothed. Zinnia’s sobs decreased as she saw the others. “I don’t want to seem ungrateful. Beecher’s friend let us use this place for free. It is the most beautiful place I have ever seen.” “I’m lost honey,” Aquina joined in, trying to soothe her new friend. “What made you so upset? When you screamed like that, I thought Hassan himself had gotten in.” Zinnia looked from one to the other and her e
Standing outside her partially open door, he could hear her quiet sobs. It tore at his heart that she was hurting. He knocked softly and waited. She didn’t respond but the door slowly opened. She was walking away from him as he entered, not knowing what to do, he just stepped in and waited. He wished for a smart remark that would piss her off. Anything was better than her gloom. “How could anyone be so cruel to them?” She growled. She picked up a towel and began drying her hair, her rage displayed in the aggressive action. Tiny wisps of blue peaked out as if trying to escape. “I don’t know. Some humans seem to see animals as only a means for profit. Maybe keeping them hungry keeps them from outgrowing the pool,” he reasoned. Gulls sounded outside, drawing his attention. He saw a bright multi-colored kite in the distance swaying to and fro in the sea breeze. His attention returned to her as she wrangled her hair into some kind of knot on top of her head. How
Elbow to elbow people crowded the shopping area. Little store fronts competed for business with loud music and flashing lights. Katalea noticed a few stray dogs that had picked up their scents and were eyeing them with caution. If only the humans here had a clue just what was walking down their streets. Dakari picked up on a cornucopia of languages, but noticed that somehow shoppers and shopkeepers had found a way to converse. “The language of money,” he thought with a smile, and watched as a little blond girl in pigtails ordered a Brazilian version of a snow cone. The girl reminded him of Lainey and he wondered where she was. He knew somewhere out there in the world, the girl that had saved him from certain death at the hands of the weredragons was wearing a bracelet that suddenly was glowing red. He wondered if she had noticed.Luca stopped walking and pulled the group together. “I think we can all find what we need here. Why don’t we split up and meet back her
“What do you think happened?” Katalea asked Dakari as they entered their room.“I couldn’t begin to guess,” Dakari responded. He started to reach for his mate, thankful she hadn’t been hurt or worse. His instinct was to protect, but now a baser, more primal instinct was taking over. He saw the passion he felt reflected in her eyes as she began to make her way to him.There was a knock on the door, a light rapping that suggested someone who wasn’t really sure they wanted to knock to begin with.From where he stood, Dakari moved his index finger and unlocked and opened the door. Beecher strode in, a bag of chips in hand. His head turned as the door closed behind him, his eyes looking for whoever closed the door..“I forget that you guys can do stuff like that. It’s pretty cool.” He rounded on Dakari. “I’m really thirsty, can you make a soda appear?” He laughed at his own joke but jumped when a bottle of water appeared in Dakari’s hand.“Water is better for you,” Dakari said wit