Sacrificed Soul

Chapter One

On the day of her death, the short, solo hiking trips Leanne had taken to during her last year of high school had become just a taste of the freedom she was soon to grasp. Lungs burning, her legs numb and cheeks flushed, she threw her hands towards the sky as her head filled itself to the brim with the ultimate high. The mountain air, no longer stinging now that the day was warming up, was still clear and vibrant with the scents of life that surrounded her. This was her version of celebration.

She'd graduated just the day before with her shifter class. Though there was no football field to walk through, their names were still called in the pack hall. She'd managed her valedictorian speech without stuttering or awkward silences, and her number one school had sent her the letter of acceptance. She still felt the utter thrill of a grand future and the huge plans that waited for her.

"Dr. Leanne Orion, DVM," She hollered into the void, her voice echoing. She shared her triumph with the hills and valleys, sent the good vibrations towards the winding Kern river, and celebrated with the animals of the mountains she shared her home with.

One day soon, well, if you count ten years or so soon, she'd leap the hurdles set in front of her by her dud status and earn the respect of the wolves she was raised with. Pack loved her, she knew that, but there would always be stigma over a shifter with the lack of a second soul. She couldn't feel their judgment out there, though, standing at the end a rough trail edged by tall grass and surrounded by the evidence of Mother Nature's blessing. She basked in the shine of a sun fully ascended, absorbing the early morning heat that promised a summer full of adventure.

Only sixty-two days stood between her and a new life, time enough to absorb the fact that she had earned the chance to study at a human university with the best veterinary program in the world. She could hardly wait, her nerves pins of fire as the excitement pulled her into a jumping dance, squealing and laughing, baring her teeth in a smile that only duds and humans were allowed.

Dropping her pack on a boulder just off the trail, she let herself fall back into a cocoon of healthy grass, gazing through the needles of the tall trees that gave her only glimpses of a pure blue sky. She closed her eyes, looking into the red membranes that protected her from the light, listening to the cacophony of croaking blue jays returning after her abrupt declaration to the universe. The trees whispered to each other about things that trees whisper about. A gray squirrel chirped not too far from her, it's voice piercing and consistent.

This was her favorite part of the mountains, her 'why' when asked. The whole reason she hiked alone when there were so many in the pack that would be happy to go with her. The void she felt in her chest, that defining lack that was so difficult to describe to those that have didn't cut so deep.

But it was still there.

With a deep breath, she placed her hand over her sternum and dug in with painful nails over the scars that were scattered there. If her mother caught her, she'd receive a scolding, so she didn't dare break skin. Pain wouldn't bring about something that didn't exist, anyway. And yet she held onto her childlike hope, reaching out with her soul into the darkness where the wolf should have been, and searched.

Her moment was ended with the gurgled sounds of conversation that cut through the silence. With a groan, she stood and stretched with her hands reaching high above, her nose tipping into the air and scenting. Human tourists, she guessed, carefully keeping to the trails to avoid the pack's ire. The breeze was all wrong for it, and she was headed upwind from them anyway, but it was the sound of happy dogs that had given them away. Her sacred moment over, she stretched her legs and sipped water from her pack before picking up the trail back to Sierra way.

It was slower going down the mountain, and indeed she'd found the small group of humans and their waggly pit bulls. She hadn't stopped to meander with them, only nodded their way with a, "Hey there," subtly proud when the dogs had hidden behind their owners after catching her scent. If there was any validation to be had, it was that she smelled like a wolf shifter should. Stumbling off the trail head, she aimed for the dodgy old jeep she and her dad had fixed up, glaring at the awful paint job her cousins David and Thalia had done to make it look like it belonged in Jurassic Park.