Chapter Four: Nyssa

 

“ You know, they say that the Bear Clan is still alive somewhere,” Lowell said out of the blue.

Nyssa raised an eyebrow at her friend as they trekked out of Gray Creek. They dipped into and out of foliage, up and over tiny hills that hid small roots that tripped up Lowell more than once. The trip to meet her brother and the others going out to search for Changelings in the Oldwood was proving to be frustrating, and Nyssa made a mental note to berate her brother for placing the meeting point for volunteers so far from the main hub of Gray Creek. “That old rumor? It’s been circulating for years, even before we were born, Lowell. Don’t tell me you just found out about it.”

“Not at all! I’ve heard those baseless rumors just as anyone of the clans have. Even those cat shifters from the Pride have the same oral tradition of sharing the tale about how a few remnants of the Bear Clan survived the destruction of their homeland.” Lowell glanced off into the distance, squinting at nothing in particular. “The thought just crossed my mind. You think any of it’s true?”

“If the Bear Clan was still alive somewhere, we would have made contact with them by now. It’s been over fifty years since the Vampires arrived from the sea.” Yeah, that was right. Surely either the Pack or the Pride would have gotten wind of something like an entire people somehow surviving somewhere between the Blackwood and the Northern Mountains.

Her comment didn’t seem to dissuade Lowell from speculating, though. “But I’ve heard some say that the Bear Clan actually moved up to the Northern Mountains, or even beyond the mountains to whatever’s on the other side. No one alive today has ever made the trip up and over and ever come back.”

The Northern Mountains, a snowy region that rested in the skies. Clouds always covered its peaks, and Nyssa had looked up to them in wonder ever since she was a child. What Lowell was suggesting was nothing more than a child’s fantasy, Nyssa knew, a way to get her mind back into the present and off of Darius and Amara. His ploy was so easy to pick through it was almost laughable. “Tales from those who never made the journey.”

“But it’s true that everyone who’s tried has never been seen again,” Lowell continued. “What do you think happened to them? Did they get captured and eaten by monsters hiding atop the mountains? Did they meet the Bear Clan and decide to live with them? Or did they find something so wondrous on the other side that they simply couldn’t bring themselves to ever come back to the Oldwood? Or did every single traveler simply perish from the harsh trek?”

Nyssa couldn’t stop herself from grinning at Lowell’s words. Maybe it wasn’t so bad to lend an ear to these tales after all, despite how universally the rumors were disregarded as nothing but tall tales from the elderly with nothing else to do but scare children.

Their conversation ended quickly as they finally came upon a female shifter walking ahead of them in the woods. If there was a shifter this far out, then Remus had to be nearby. Catching up to the shifter, she confirmed her thoughts and followed a thin path carved out of the trees. Soon enough they stepped into a clearing overflowing with shifters, both wolf and cat alike. At the head of the group stood none other than Remus himself.

Tall, and filling out his clothes nicely, her brother was just as handsome as ever. Radiant blonde hair swept over his head in thick locks, allowing his ocean blue eyes to glare out at the crowd before him. Usually every other morning Remus shaved off the stubble of hair that grew from his jaw and chin, but today she saw he hadn’t, giving himself a gruff look. Lowell nudged Nyssa and pointed to a group of female shifters just off to their right. They were quietly whispering amongst themselves about her brother.

“Isn’t he just gorgeous?” One said.

“Ah, what I wouldn’t give to be his mate,” a second said.

“Just imagine what he would like without that stuffy jerkin covering his body!” The third said.

Rolling her eyes at Lowell’s grin, she turned away from the group of women. It must have been nice to have his pick of the litter...not that Nyssa could really complain. There were plenty of male shifters who regularly sought Nyssa out. Luckily, there hadn’t been many recently, other than Lowell, who’d follow her to the moon and back if he could.

Lowell leaned into her ear, his breath tickling her skin. “Just imagine how Remus must feel to so many options, and then be bugged by that thing standing next to him.”

To her surprise, Nyssa hadn’t noticed who was standing right beside Remus until Lowell had pointed her out. Bronwen the Vampire, pale and tall and lanky as ever, her blood red eyes watching Remus, clutching her arms behind her back and smiling sweetly. Her dark brown hair cascaded down behind in curls, growing lighter as they reached the small of her back. Clad in a strange, dark dress, Bronwen certainly stood out like a thorny rose among a bed of lilacs. When she had first met Bronwen, Nyssa had reacted rather fearfully, hiding behind Remus, unable to stop trembling at the sight of a Vampire. But now she didn’t tremble in the slightest, her mind calm, even going so far as to feel relieved that Bronwen was still around.

Over the past few years, Bronwen had been working her way up to destroying Nyssa’ fear of her and Vampire-kind. First Bronwen would just stand within sight of Nyssa, allowing her to get used to the idea of staring at a Vampire; then she would remain in the same room as Nyssa; then she would make small talk; finally, they began to talk regularly. Whenever Bronwen was back in Gray Creek, the two sought each out to chat, mostly about their love lives. Nyssa knew Bronwen was simply doing it to gain better favor with Remus at first, but she liked to think now they spoke because they genuinely liked each other.

“Don’t call her a ‘thing’, Lowell,” Nyssa growled. “She’s a friend to our people.”

Crossing his arms, Lowell tapped his foot. “I was just saying...she follows Remus around like a pet, like-”

“Like you follow me? I guess owning pets runs in the family.”

“Ouch, okay, maybe I deserved that one,” Lowell said woefully.

But Nyssa knew he’s reaction wasn’t unique. Others in the Pack and Pride have voiced similar concerns, even after two years of peace. Should Vampires really be able to just waltz into their land whenever they wanted? It was a topic widely discussed these days. Even some of the shifters in front of Nyssa whispered about Bronwen. It took everything in Nyssa’ power not to pummel them right then and there.

“Alright, alright!” Remus’ booming voice shouted over the buzz of the group, causing everyone to snap to attention instantly. Despite not being the Alpha, Remus still commanded much more respect than shifters gave him credit for. Even as the simple son of the previous Alpha, Remus had learned much in the way of leading, a trait Nyssa was proud of. “Let’s get started already, we’ve waited long enough. As you all know, there are still Changelings that come up from the Blackwood and wander the forest, even after everything that has happened. These Changelings are of unknown origin, and for some reason don’t rush to attack people, but stay at a distance, watching us.” He glanced at Bronwen, who nodded her go-ahead. “My friend here has been in talks with the other Vampire Lords of the Blackwood, and is trying to figure out who these Changelings belong to. It can’t be Orpheus, since he’s dead. But while we wait on news from the Vampire’s end, we’ll chase them away from our homes in the meantime.”

Taking a quick breath, he glanced around the crowd, his gaze finding Nyssa, and frowning slightly.

She knew that look, it meant he’d probably lecture her about coming to volunteer to chase Changelings. Not that Nyssa would listen; it wasn’t that she didn’t care about her brother’s worries, but rather the worries were pointless. Changelings appeared more frequently than anyone would like, and they could appear anywhere. There was no point in lecturing her about Changeling encounters that happened by chance.

“We’ll all split up into packs of at least five. For you cat shifters who are graciously joining us today, that means groups. We at Gray Creek hunt together, for safety, strength, and strategy. I’m not going to pick your groups for you, so you can find others and spread out through the forest. Just be sure to cover as much ground around Gray Creek as possible.”

A rumble rolled through the crowd as groups began to form and disperse into the trees. The clearing finally began to open up enough for Nyssa and Lowell to squeeze through. But as she walked forward, so did her brother, and they met somewhere in the middle.

“I don’t remember saying I wanted you to volunteer,” Remus’ scalding voice said as they embraced in greeting, his thick arms making her feel safe and cozy.

Releasing each other, she glared at him. “I’m a grown woman, Remus. I do what I please now.”

Remus clicked his tongue, a smile growing on his face. “It’s incredible how much bolder you’ve become. It’s almost like you’re an entirely different person. Not that I mind either way; you’re still my kid sister.”

“Is this where you lecture me on coming here?”

“No... not this time. I’m getting tired of trying to pretend to be father.” He nodded at them both, gesturing to follow. “Come on, if you want to help so badly, then let’s go already.”

Remus led them both back the way he came, gesturing for Bronwen to follow as well. Bronwen waved gently at Nyssa as they approached, and Nyssa returned the gesture. Lowell kept his head low, the hairs on his body prickling as Bronwen joined their tiny group.

“My, my,” Bronwen said. “Did you miscount, Remus? We only have four for our lonely group. If I’m not mistaken, you said we should be hunting in groups of five or more.”

Remus shrugged. “Oops.”

“It’s good to see you, Bronwen,” Nyssa interjected.

“Likewise, child,” Bronwen said. “How have you fared since I’ve been away? Is this Lowell fellow still giving you trouble? I could scare him off if necessary.”

Nervously chuckling, Nyssa pointed behind her at her friend. “Well, actually, this is the guy I mentioned...this is Lowell.”

Bronwen raised her eyebrows at him, causing Lowell to break out in sweat. She laughed at his reaction, clearly enjoying the sight of another scared wolf. “Aw, what’s the matter, you big bad wolf? You’re not frightened that a woman is taller than you, are you?”

Lowell tried to speak, but his voice faltered.

“Enough of the teasing,” Remus said from the front. “Come on, let’s just focus for now. Go comb through the woods, and then maybe rest and take a break.”

“Sure thing!” Bronwen said immediately, humming a tune as they walked.

“We found a Changeling earlier, but it slipped from our grasp,” Nyssa found herself saying. Remus eyed her. “I know what you’re thinking. We didn’t fight it, but instead it ran away and dove into this hole. The Changeling was small, too, and probably still out there. Somewhere to the west.” Nyssa pointed with one of her slender fingers, a breeze chilling the bones in her hand.

Her brother nodded. “Alright, then we go west.”

Everyone nodded, ready to focus on their new task. Nyssa was certainly thankful for the change of pace, forcing her mind to settle on something other than the past or the future. But as they ran into the vast wild of the Oldwood, her mind drifted back to her conversation with Lowell just before they arrived at the clearing.

The Bear Clan...she wondered if they really were still alive, wandering the world in secret. For a moment she wanted to believe the rumors were true, that bear shifters roamed the world.

But then, where were they?