Chapter 2

  Dim torch light filled the tavern. Males sat at the bar getting drunk, while the girls sat around in small cliques gossiping. In the corner a solo lute player, played softly. The hum of lively talk and excitement simply passed over me. I stared at the large deer head that hung over the bar. Rumored had it that Dekus, the bar owner, had snuck into the kings forest and killed it there. Then he carried it all the way back to Riverbed, but only little cubs’ believed his tall tales.  The truth, far more interesting. Dekus had found the deer right on the shoreline of the Land Locked Sea. The poor creature had been so scared by something it swam across from the Ske Island.

     “I can’t wait for the Nomadic tribes to get here.” A woman said a few tables down from us. “I love it when they tell stories of the peace era.”

     I rolled my eyes. In two days we would celebrate the firefly festival, and that seemed like all people could talk about. Tomorrow, guest would start to arrive, and the village would become a mad house. Though the festival honored the first shifter, and meant to honor the current shifter, I often stayed out of sight. Nobody really wanted me there, so I avoided it as much as I could.

     I looked up at River. We sat at our usual spot in the tavern, a small table in the corner with a bowl of rabbit soup between us. Slowly I dipped my spoon in and out of it. I wasn’t hungry, and I couldn't get off the thought of leaving. Going to Deergate would be a new start. I would not have to hide in the corner there.

     "What's wrong Pyrro?" River asked braking into my thoughts. It took me a moment to understand what she had asked.

     "Nothing, just a long day," I sighed. She didn't seem too convinced. 

     "That's a lie," she said. Her hazel eyes dug into me like a mole. 

     "Well... I have been thinking," I started. 

     “Yes?” she put down her spoon and folded her arms. She knew this would become serious talk. I sat up a straight.

     “I would like to go to Deergate.”

     “Why? What is there that we haven’t got here?” she asked cocking her head, causing her gray braided hair to fall over her shoulder.

     “The shifter college.”

     “You don’t need to go there. You learned everything you need to from Reagen.”  She closed her eyes and snorted softly. A tradition to honor the dead.

     “Reagen knew nothing about being a shifter.” I said under my breath.

     “What did you say?” Her dark brown tail flicked under the table, she was getting agitated. 

     “Reagen knew nothing, I am fifteen years old and can barely hold a shape for ten minutes.”

     “You don’t need to go there.” She said firmly. “Now go home, we are not having this conversation in public.” Immediately I stood and turned to leave, pushing people out of my way, I exited into the night.

     Outside, the pitch black consumed me. Only a thin sliver of moon sat in the sky, but low hanging storm clouds kept it from sight. The stars would poke out periodically from the gaps between clouds, looking over me with their soft light. The day after tomorrow would be the last moonless night of summer, thus starting the Firefly festival. However, the celebration was the farthest thing from my mind. How can River be so blind? I thought as I walked through town. I can’t really live my whole life here. I would never find a mate in Riverbed. Why can she not see that? It didn’t matter, she wouldn’t change her mind. Nothing I said or did would change that.

     A familiar comfort greeted me as I pushed aside the hide door. Coming home always made me feel better. I had grown up inside of these wooden walls. I had helped River paint the spirits onto them, and had found the mirror in the marketplace. Even though the tree had been hollowed out it still grew and lived like any normal tree, an ancient art that we had perfected generations ago.

     I kicked off my leather boots and placed them next to the door, then slipped into bed. Nothing compared to coming home after a long day and curling up into bed, but tonight felt different. Instead of feeling the normal comfort of home, I felt trapped. A prisoner of my fate. I looked out the window. The night spirit, Denam, sat up there somewhere holding the moon in place. He controlled everyone’s fate, if I were to die tomorrow it would be by his will.

     “Great Denam,” I prayed. “Please release me from this cursed fate. Rewrite your scroll, let me belong somewhere. If not here, then I will travel the world, known and unknown, to find my niche.” A soft wind blew through the window, and I knew, he had herd my prayer. I laid my head down on the soft goose feather pillow and drifted off the sleep. The last thing to pass through my mind was the thought of leaving, and never returning.

 

     The moon had just started it decent across the sky when I awoke. I pulled my deer hide blanket closer to me and scanned the room. That’s odd, what woke me?  I closed my eyes and started to slip back to sleep in the night silence.

     Silence? My eyes flew open. I looked across the room, the sound of Rivers breathing had disappeared from my nightly lullaby.  Sure enough she had left. Concerned, I quickly slipped on my boots and exited to the street.