Chương 5: Werewolves and Druids

The door swung open, revealing two men standing on my porch. Both had an outdoorsman look. The younger one, Pierre, looked at Shelly, too long in my opinion. Finally, his gaze moved past her to glance at me. I got the impression he was annoyed with me. Well, screw you. The older man's eyes found me instantly and went wide. I curled my tail around myself and played the cute raccoon card. I knew that ship had already sailed, but why not. Don't look at me. I'm just a fuzzy pet. There's nothing to see here.

I don't even know why I tried. Afterall, they'd already heard me talking. I somehow doubted they'd think it was Shelly.

"My name is Pierre," the younger one said, nodding to me before looking at Shelly. I barely resisted the impulse to remind him that he'd already told us his name. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer I see.

"And this is Alder, elder of the Moonbound Council," Pierre said while still looking at Shelly. Alder stepped forward. His gaze, at least, never left me. Then he bowed, deeply.

"I am honored to meet the Great Spirit of the woods and his guardian." After that, he gave Shelly a barely perceptible bow. My stomach sank. Well, this isn't good. I wanted to make fun of his name, Alder the Elder, but I decided to give him a break since he was trying to be respectful.

"See?" Pierre said, finally looking away from Shelly.

"His aura is just as bright now as it was last night. I told you so." Sighing, I turned to Alder and asked, "So, what can I do for you and peeping Tom?" Pierre's jaw dropped. Apparently tiny raccoons weren't supposed to be so insulting. As for Alder, he didn't bat an eye. Hmm, tough nut to crack huh? I hopped up onto the back of the recliner.

"Welcome to my humble abode, where the weird gets weirder. Pull up a seat." Neither of the two men said anything. As for Shelly, she tried to repress a smile and failed. Unfortunately, this caused Pierre to forget what he was frowning about. Stupid, fricking idiot.

"Thank you for the offer, Great Spirit," Alder said carefully, "but I'm unworthy."

"Uh, okay then. Stand if you want." I waved a paw.

"Your knees, your choice."

"While I know you don't need it," Alder continued, "I came to offer the assistance of the Moonbound Pack." I sincerely doubted that. It was too abrupt. More than likely, he hadn't believed Pierre but was willing to humor him. When it turned out Pierre was right, he made an abrupt decision. Moonbound pack and wolf smells, so werewolves? That means Pierre must be the wolf from last night. Which means I'm standing in my living room with two shifters who can tear me apart. Just freaking great.

The difficult part wasn't figuring it out. It was staying calm about it.

"I appreciate the offer, although I'm not entirely sure what that entails," I said, trying to sound dignified despite my voice cracking like a squeaky toy. Being around two werewolves was not a pleasant feeling, even if they were being polite. Before Alder could answer, Shelly jumped in.

"I would like to make the same offer, but from the druids." Her voice was firm.

"My mentor trained half the druids in this area. She'll listen to me." Pierre snorted, then tried to cover it with a cough. Shelly's cheeks flushed red. Good, I thought. She's too good for the hound-dog. Alder shot Pierre a glare that probably worked better when he was in wolf form. His hand twitched, as if he was barely restraining himself from smacking the younger man upside the head. I grabbed some popcorn from the bowl Shelly had brought me earlier and settled in to watch the show.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it"May I know your name, lovely druid?" Alder asked, clearly trying to smooth things over. Shelly forced a smile.

"Shelly. I was trained by Kathy, Priestess of the Eclectic Order." Alder nodded again. I absently wondered, Does he know he does that?

"So may I ask," Alder continued, "how long have you known Azeban?" I froze mid-chew. Shelly glanced at him, confused.

"Azeban? The trickster spirit?" She looked at me, then back to Alder.

"You mean... Abe?"

"Of course." Alder's lips twitched.

"My mistake." Liar, I thought, amused. Who needs television when you've got this? Shelly's eyes narrowed.

"Wait. Are you saying you think he's Azeban?" Then she looked at me suspiciously, as if I might have tricked her and really was Azeban. A moment later she shook her head and pushed the thought away. As for Alder, he didn't answer, which was answer enough. I decided to roll with it.

"I've gone by many names over the years," I said smoothly.

"For almost a century, though, I've been Abe. So let's stick with that." Shelly's mouth fell open.

"As you wish, Gr…" Alder caught himself.

"Abe. Is there anything we can do to assist you?"

"Actually, yeah." I gestured around the cabin.

"This place isn't exactly raccoon-friendly. If you've got any craftsmen who can help with modifications, I'd appreciate it."

"I can stay and help," Shelly said quickly. I glanced at her and wanted to raise an eyebrow. Although generally I didn't like company, but Shelly...

"Sure. That sounds great. But I'd still like those alterations." I glanced at Pierre to check out his reaction, but he wasn't listening to me. His attention was completely focused on Shelly, specifically, Shelly's chest. Damn, man. I know they're impressive, but control yourself. Shelly followed my gaze and noticed Pierre's attention. Her cheeks turned bright red again, but she said nothing. I felt my claws digging into the armrest. She's mine, you hear? Mine. My precious.

Shelly pointedly ignored Pierre and turned to me.

"I don't care if you're Azeban," she said.

"You're still Abe. My grumpy neighbor who gave me a key in case he fell off the roof. That's what matters."

"Thanks, Shelly." My voice came out softer than intended.

"Didn't know you cared." She smirked.

"Don't get cocky, furball." Pierre looked like he'd swallowed something bitter. Take that, you poor man's Casanova. Alder cleared his throat.

"Whatever you are, you carry pure mana. That alone makes you significant. The Moonbound will do whatever we can to aid you." He paused.

"And know that you are under our protection from now on." I blinked.

"Protection? From what?"

"The mana surges are causing changes," Alder explained.

"The Moonbound are no longer bound to the moon. We can shift whenever we want now. And your home is accumulating mana at an unusual rate. That will attract attention, not all of whom are friendly." He hesitated, choosing his words carefully.

"A spirit such as yourself, known for wisdom rather than... physical might... might face difficulties." Did he just call me weak? Fudge you! Shelly stiffened.

"Then I offer the protection of the druids," she said firmly.

"Or at least my mentor's circle. They'll back me." I stared at her.

"You can do that?"

"I just did," she said, although even I could tell she wasn't absolutely sure. I looked at the two of them. I'd spent decades prepping alone. Now I had a werewolf and a druid lining up to babysit me. I had no idea what to do with that so I went with instinct. I hopped off the recliner and wobbled on my stubby legs. Then I placed one paw on Alder's boot and the other on Shelly's outstretched hand.

"Bless you both," I said. I was half sincere and half snarky. I didn't expect anything to happen. As usual, I was completely wrong. A surge of raw mana hit me like grabbing a live wire, except somehow warm. My paws burned and my vision swam with golden green light. Shelly gasped and clutched her chest. Alder staggered, catching himself against the wall. Pierre's jaw dropped. A notification flashed in my mind. CHILD OF CHAOS ACTIVATED. Nature's Blessing Granted.

Alder of the Moonbound granted Hybrid Transformation Druid Shelly Richardson granted Nature's Child MESSAGE FROM GAIA. As you wish. The power drained out of me like water through a sieve. My tiny body felt wrung out, exhausted. Absently, I wondered, Did Gaia just quote The Princess Bride? Shelly's eyes lit up with wonder. Her fingers twitched.

"I can feel it," she whispered.

"Everything. The trees, the soil, the mana flowing through... It's so easy now." She trailed off, overwhelmed. Alder flexed his hand slowly, staring at it like it belonged to someone else. For the first time since he'd walked in, Alder looked like a person instead of a title. However, he still didn't say a word. Pierre stepped forward quickly.

"What about me?" I tentatively reached out and touched him, but nothing happened.

"Oh," I said, scratching my ear.

"You weren't touching me and I'm out of power at the moment. Sorry, kid." Pierre's shoulders slumped. I almost felt bad. But my legs were shaking so badly I could barely stand.

"Thank you," Alder said quietly.

"Thank you, Great Spirit." I staggered back toward the recliner like a toddler learning to walk.

"Don't mention it," I mumbled.

"Literally. Don't mention it. I have no idea what just happened." Shelly crouched beside me.

"Abe? You okay?"

"Tired," I said, closing my eyes.

"Blessing people is harder than it looks. Wake me if a thunderbird shows up claiming I owe it money." Pierre snorted half-heartedly. Shelly's lips twitched into a smile. Alder watched me like I was a puzzle carved in ancient stone.

"We'll keep watch," he said finally.

"And keep your presence quiet. For now."

"Gee, thanks," I mumbled, already fading. Shelly reached over and gently scratched behind my ear.

"Rest, furball." I didn't purr. Not really. Okay, maybe a little. But I was too damn tired to care. My last thoughts before passing out were, If I can give blessings, what else can I do? And why do I keep thinking about squirrels?