Noah

He hung around the outside of the complex while Hector walked his mate inside. A few kids, perhaps just into their teenage years, went by. One of them made a comment about Noah, something about being a loser. He hadn’t been paying much attention to them beforehand.

A smile split his face. Poor kids. They had no idea what a shifter could do in wintertime. None whatsoever. Casually Noah bent down, as if to tie his shoelaces, so that the movement wouldn’t attract attention. Then he swiftly scooped some snow into one hand, and packed it loosely so that it would splatter on impact. He glanced over his shoulder, took in the distance and wind, and then in one smooth motion turned and launched the snowball. It arced high into the sky, quickly flying out of their view if they’d even been looking at him.

But they hadn’t. Like typical cocky kids they had just carried on their way. But Noah wasn’t done yet. His enhanced reflexes kicked in and he quickly sent three more snowballs after the quartet, each on successfully lower arcing patterns. His smile became a grin as he watched the snowballs impact them square in the back, one after another.

Sometimes it paid to have enhanced reflexes and muscle control.

Shouts went up from the group, but before they could respond Hector came back down his driveway. He glanced over at the commotion, and then at Noah, who was carefully wiping melted snow from his hands.

“What was that all about?”

“No idea,” he replied. “I don’t think they like her house.”

Hector frowned and glanced behind him. “I suppose.” There was more written in his glance than Noah could read, but he wasn’t sure why.

“Must be a human thing,” Noah added.

Hector arched an eyebrow. “Right. Well, come on then. Time to get back to the embassy and get ready for the evening.”

He nodded and fell in step. “Will Gray be there?”

“He’d better be,” Hector added. The two of them lengthened their strides, and then shortly after that broke into a ground-eating lope. The snow-covered landscape didn’t bother them much, their boots crunching through anything and gripping to any surface below. They jogged swiftly toward the east part of town.

“So, what’s the deal with that place?” he asked as they went, “and who were all those women where we picked, um, Rachel, up?” He fumbled slightly over Hector’s mate’s name, feeling silly considering he’d just walked home with her. The elementary school was only ten minutes or so away, and they’d decided to walk instead of cab it. Though it was winter, the sun was shining, making it bearable.

Hector frowned over at him. “You weren’t briefed on the situation here?”

“Um, sort of. It was pretty vague, to be honest. Something about a lot of women that we’re kind of responsible for?”

Foggy air blasted from Hector’s nose as he snorted into the crisp early evening weather. “Yeah, that’s one way to describe it I guess. Okay, quick history lesson then. Did you fight in the war?”

“Yeah,” he responded. Almost everyone had fought in “the war.” Their homeland of Cadia, a shifter territory carved out of human lands nearly two hundred years earlier, had come under attack from their largest rival, another shifter stronghold by the name of Fenris. It had been a close thing, and Cadia had nearly lost several times. In the end, thanks to several lucky victories and hard-fought battles, Cadia had emerged victorious, while Fenris had been left a shadow of its former self.

“Well, were you briefed on the fact that the war was actually started by a large human corporation meddling with shifter politics?”

“That’s the Institute I’ve heard rumblings about, right?”

“Right.”

They were nearing the embassy, the houses and residential neighborhoods they’d been jogging through giving way to shops and older businesses lining a wider road. Noah made an attempt to memorize everything as best he could, but his attention was on Hector. He needed to learn everything he could about his new position if he was to succeed here.

“The Institute, which is a shortened form of some monstrosity of a name, was hell-bent on eliminating us, without making it look like a genocide. They knew they couldn’t get away with that. Anyway, they started a breeding program, trying to infuse plain humans with our DNA. They wanted half-breeds.”

Noah frowned at that. Half-breeds were the result of a human/shifter pairing, where the child was born with some enhanced physical traits, but without the full ability to manifest themselves into an animal form.

“So these women,” he said slowly, coming to the logical conclusion, “are they the result of this breeding program?”

“Precisely,” Hector said in clipped tones. “They were duped by the Institute into thinking they were actually helping us, when in reality they were just breeding stock to help fulfill the Institute’s ultimate agenda.” He practically spat the last few words.

“No wonder we’re helping them,” Noah said softly as he understood.

“We built them all those buildings at the complex to give them a place to live, and we’re also providing a monthly stipend for them to live off of, along with medical care and the like. It’s a big expense, but they deserve it.”

Noah nodded. “I get it.”

“We also run patrols through the complex from time to time, and try our best to just generally be available if they need help.”

“Makes sense. How is that going so far?”

Hector shrugged. “Mostly good. There’s a lot of backlash against it from within Cadia itself, but out here, besides the odd renegade who wants to make life difficult, we’re managing.”

They slowed to a walk as the embassy loomed up in front of them. Another shifter was waiting just inside, who Noah didn’t recognize.

“Ah, perfect.” Hector said, striding forward. “Gray, this is Noah, senior-most of the new guards. Noah, this is Gray, your boss.”

The tall shifter with the single moniker extended his hand. The two shook, neither trying to overpower the other, but providing a firm grip nonetheless.

“Good to meet you, sir,” Noah said.

“Ugh, no. Please. Drop the Sir bullshit,” Gray complained in an exasperated tone. “This is not the military. We’re not in the Green Bearets out here. I may be the boss, but we’re more of a family.”

“Got it,” he said immediately, trying not to break out into a smile.

Noah had heard some things about the shifters who worked in Cloud Lake, most of them unkind. But the more he interacted with them, the more he found he liked them. He was more determined than ever to prove himself to Gray and the others, so that perhaps they would see him as worthy of sticking around.

“You’re with me tonight I take it,” Gray said, motioning for him to follow.

Behind them Hector went up the stairs, probably to his room.

“That’s what I was told.”

“Awesome. Well, we’re on duty in half an hour. Let’s get some food, and then we’ll settle in and start going over things. There’s a lot to learn, but it’s also mostly stuff that will come with experience. Only a little bit can I actually teach you. But, and this is probably nothing new, lesson number one is: Don’t go to work on an empty stomach.”

Noah grinned. “I’ll try my hardest to remember that one, but I might need some reminders.”

Gray laughed loudly. “Perfect.”