Chapter Fifteen: Nyssa

 

T he way back to Gray Creek was much less stressful than the trip down from the Northern Mountains, and Nyssa was very grateful for it. Not only were she and Lowell safe, and Jorah, but now they traveled with Remus and the other shifters.

No Changeling would stalk them through the woodland now, not with some many around. Especially with both Bronwen and Magnolia accompanying them as well.

The past day had been so frantic and strange that Nyssa found herself wondering why she wasn’t more beside herself at all the new information. In one day, the remnants of the Bear Clan had been revealed, in hiding on top of the Northern Mountains, a tale that remained as tall and long as the fifty years it remained moving from mouth to mouth. Any other shifter would have been at a loss for words, and maybe the version of her two years prior might have. Having Jorah along only eased the transition from their presence being rumors to the clear as day truth.

Speaking of Jorah, she hadn’t exactly been away from his side for long ever since they first met. From the secret cave of his she woke up in, to the journey to the Seers’ cave, to the break out of the cave prison to the escape down the mountain, he’d been there with her the whole journey. Even Lowell couldn’t have said he’d been there, though she knew she couldn’t blame him for that. As they slowly, methodically traversed the ranging Oldwood, she found herself watching Jorah, who walked just behind her and Remus. His dark eyes were constantly swiveling from one side to the other, his eyelids fluttering at the misty air, his nose wrinkling with the scents of the forest. She wondered what is like to witness the Oldwood for the first time; Nyssa couldn’t recall the first time she ever wandered into the thickets of the Oldwood. Truth was, she was born within arm’s reach of the leaves and branches and wildlife.

Jorah’s experience must have been more like what she experienced atop the Northern Mountains, in absolute awe that people even lived up there, though there was clearly more to see in the woodland than the mostly empty snow drifts.

As Remus began to speak to Bronwen and Magnolia, Nyssa dropped her pace, falling in beside Jorah deftly, so as no one would notice besides Jorah himself. Aware of her presence, Jorah turned to grin at her. “This is nothing like what I saw from the edge of the forest. Do you people really live here in this gigantic forest?”

Finding his sudden enthusiasm charming, Nyssa giggled. “You think this is big? You have a long way to go if you’re to understand this forest. The Pack is still finding new crevices and nooks every other day. We know the sea is off to our west, but a rare few ever venture that far out and actually return.”

“Maybe one day I’ll be one of those rare few!” Jorah said energetically.

Raising a brow, Nyssa eyed him. “You plan to stay down here then?”

Jorah’s expression morphed quickly, but his grin returned moments later, though not as silly this time. “Well, it’s not like I can return to the mountain tops. I doubt the clan would even let me in, you know, unless your leaders find some way to negotiate with the Seers. But they’re stubborn old coots, after all…”

There was something about the way his head tilted down and his mouth twitched at the thought of never seeing his home again that made Nyssa’s imagination go wild. She knew he was hurting, and her heart went out to him, but right now all she had enough trouble controlling her senses. Not even with Darius did she get all antsy like she was now. “What about Finn, Keanu, and Nyx?” She thought to say. “And Dallan...he’s your father, right?”

Cracking his neck, Jorah frowned. “The others will be fine without me...I don’t know whether they’ll choose to sneak away to come down with us, though. Nyx probably won’t, and Dallan? Pfft, it’s hard to think of him as a father now, not when he’s so stuck in his ways.”

“But it’s still something.” Nyssa reached out and touched his arm, causing Jorah to watch her intently. His skin was cold and still adjusting to the temperature of the warm forest, but his defined muscles were nice to feel on her fingertips, the smooth stalk of his arm. “My father’s dead, so is my mother. But my father was just as stubborn as yours, actually to the point where he was killed because of it, but that doesn’t diminish what he’s done for me.”

His mouth twitching, Jorah leaned in closer to Nyssa. His skin may have been cold, but his breath was hot and steamy, fogging her gaze for a moment. “Then we’re the same. My parents...my real parents vanished just after my birth, left me on Dallan’s doorstep...or cavestep, I should say. Went to travel the continent and never came back. Looks like we’re in the same boat twice over, huh?”

Like a soothing elixir of cider, Jorah’s voice never failed to tickle the loving side of her. Smiling, Nyssa leaned in, matching his confidence. “Well, clearly Dallan did something well if you turned out like the lady-killer you are now.”

Jorah chuckled at her response, shaking his head. “Sharp as a needle, aren’t you? Yeah, fine, maybe Dallan did do something right, at least. Doesn’t change the fact he’s still more of a prick than ever.”

A lull in the conversation saw Jorah’s attention get grabbed by a stray rabbit that darted from thicket to underbrush. His eyes followed it easily, his carved jaw stretching once again into a fatal, sexy grin.

Clasping her arms behind her back, and ignoring her brother’s backwards, concerned glance, Nyssa stared after the rabbit as well. “So, why did you save me?”

“What kind of questions is that?” Jorah said. “Isn’t that obvious?”

“Not to me, not yet.”

“For starters, it was because I felt the need the help you,” Jorah said as he continued to gaze out at the forest. “When I saw you and Lowell fighting the Changelings, I found myself fascinated, but unable to take a step forward. But then I saw you collapse, shift back to your human form. You were so beautiful I didn’t even think you were a real shifter at first, more like a forest nymph, the kind that sticks around to help trees and animals grow.” Not expecting such a stark compliment, Nyssa blushed bright red, glancing away, but only enough to where she could still eye Jorah. He turned, noticing her redness, and continued on. “Your flowing blonde hair, those two beautiful blue orbs in your eye sockets, your radiant skin...I couldn’t let you just perish beneath a ring of monsters.”

“Well, thank you, then,” was all Nyssa could muster.

“It’s not my fault you caught my eye,” Jorah said. “There aren’t many single females in the Bear Clan that are around my age. There’s very few of us, if you haven’t figured out yet.”

“Yeah, I got that part.” And she did, but one woman did pop up in her mind at his comment. Nyx. Wasn’t she single, and even closer to his age than she? There was some history between them...something Jorah hadn’t mentioned, and while Nyssa wanted to ask Jorah directly, she was afraid of how he’d react. Before she could decide on how to approach him with that particular topic, a heavy hand gripped her shoulder from behind.

Startled, Nyssa leapt forward, only to turn to see the hand belonged to none other than Lowell. He clicked his tongue at her reaction, wincing at the fact that he scared her. “Sorry, I’m still regaining my strength, learning how to cope in the meantime. Didn’t mean to scare you, Nyssa.”

Bandaged with extra cloth all over his body, and shirtless, Lowell still remained an impressive sight, his abs and pecs bulging under the ribbons of cloth. Some green and brown mossy type of herbs seeped out of some of the cloth, and when he caught Nyssa spying it, he pointed at it. “Herbs from the healers Remus brought along. Doing wonders, no matter how icky it looks.”

“Oh, arnica and goldenrod, right?” Jorah commented, sniffing the air around him. “And yarrow...yeah, that stuff does wonders for closing wounds.”

Lowell stared at Jorah as it he’d just spit in his face. “So, you know a few things about herbs, do you?”

Shrugging, Jorah smiled. “Comes with trying to survive the frigid storms up top. It’s easy to misplace a foot and cut it wide open on a sharp rock hiding beneath the snow. Or it’s even easier to take a fall, poke a few holes in your body. Herbal healing has saved me more than once.”

“You just become more interesting by the minute, don’t you?” Nyssa said, teasing.

Jorah chuckled, nodding. “I do try my best.”

Snarling, Lowell got in front of Jorah, blocking Nyssa from his dark eyes. “You two seem to be getting along well enough, aren’t you?”

Making no attempt to hide his hostility, he stopped the three of them from following the group ahead. Jorah must have noticed the hate radiating from Lowell’s body, because his smile was gone, and replaced with a hard stone-like exterior. Half a head taller than Lowell, Jorah appeared to tower over him, his muscles beginning to strain the thick tunic that clothed his torso. “Yeah, is that a problem? If you haven’t noticed, I’m in need of some new friends.”

“Maybe you’re getting a little too friendly with Nyssa?” Lowell said, unwilling to back down. “If you don’t remember, you’re the one that brought her up the mountain in the first place.”

“To save her life, and yeah, I remember. I remember how you couldn’t, though I am grateful you helped me.”

“I wasn’t trying to help you!” Lowell said, his voice rising. “I was trying to take Nyssa back from you. The Changelings still got in my way.”

Stunned by the sudden hostility from her friend, Nyssa marched forward, grabbing his arm, making him wince. “Enough, Lowell! What’s gotten into you?”

“Me? What’s gotten into you!” He retorted, leveling a twisted look at her. “He brought you up there, brought us both straight to those leaders of his to lock us up.”

“That wasn’t his fault, Lowell,” Nyssa tried again. “Please just stop.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Nyssa spied Remus jogging back to them. The rest of their group waited up ahead, watching and waiting from a distance. In particular, Magnolia’s shrewd red gaze latched onto Jorah and her, unnerving her more than Lowell’s rant. “What’s going on back here? Why did you three stop?”

“Lowell here has decided to pick a bone with me,” Jorah said, stepping closer to Lowell. “Apparently he thinks he can take me in that withered state of his.”

Growling and snapping his teeth together, Lowell leaned forward. “Of course, I can take you, you fuzzy fat bear. You wouldn’t even be able to catch me!”

“Enough!” Remus shouted. Everyone snapped their attention to him. “I’m losing my patience really quick, so both of you shut up and get moving already.” Lowell, hurt, grunted but shuffled forward at Remus’ command, glancing at Nyssa. Jorah grunted, but made to move forward as well, until Remus stopped him. “You, I get that Lowell might have been antagonizing you, but you need to ignore him, alright? It helps no one if you two get into a scuffle.”

Sighing, Jorah nodded, and made to move on.

“One more thing, Jorah,” Remus said, giving them both pause. “If you do anything to put my sister in harm’s way, your life in the Oldwood won’t be as nice as you think.”

“Remus!” Nyssa said, ready to slap her brother across the cheek.

Jorah simply chuckled and nodded again. “You have my word, wolf.”

Grinning, Remus pushed past them both, gesturing for them to catch up. Falling back in line, Nyssa remained by Jorah’s side the rest of the trip.